From: Patrick Collins Subject: Mayfair's Morgan's Rifles and Falklands I had the chance to play Morgans's Rifles (Battle of Cowpens, Am Rev.) and Falklands - 1914 (Graf Spee vs Inflexible et al). We didn't get a chance to play Falklands 1982 (the junta meets the owner of the Rent-a-Spine business). Morgans Rifles has a small map, about 10x20 inches, and some 80 counters. The map is rather bare, listing only elevations and starting positions, as well a road that ran through the battle field. Having walked the field, I can say that the map does not well represent the gentle rise of the middle ground from the south to the north. This is important, as it caused Tarleton to not see the Continental line behind the militia. In game terms, you see them anyway, so it doesn't really matter. The counters are NATO style, with milita and continentals having different colors, as do several of the British forces. Nothing special, as to be expected with 1981 graphics and a USD 7 price, but a nice touch is that the counters have their units on them. This is needed as the game requires you to keep units together. Movement is standard hexes per turn, but if charging (with cold steel) units get a bonus, but take defensive fire first. all other combat fire is simultaneous. The CRT is rather unique, in that to resolve combat you look at two items: 1) Firing units strength; 2) range to target Roll the die, add the die roll to the range, and cross reference a matrix that has firing strength on one axis and range+roll on the other. Cav gets a modifier, and arty has its own table. You can kill units, but you are more likely to break their morale, and run them off the field (or have them surrender). Units can be rallied and reformed, but that takes a leader. You may want him elsewhere. It's a very nice game that takes about 4 hours, I would think from set up to finish. It's long since the time scale is 40 game turns to one hour of real time! Lots of die rolling, since you shoot in both player's phase! To avoid "gaminess" the optional rules should be used, esp. the one that assigns the British the goal of controlling the north edge of the map by turn 30. This forces the Brit player to attack. If not, then Tarleton should be rated a 0 leader instead of a 2. After all, you can't ask for his benefits and not take his drawbacks! Not an intro game perhaps, but a good "followup" to an intro game. -- Regards, Pat Patrick R. Collins Pat_Collins@csg.mot.com * "Bother," said Pooh as he finished another anti-flame flame.