This review first appeared in IPW, the newsletter for all discount games
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ZULU WAR 1879

BattlePlan Mag. #7 issue game

Zulu War 1879 is a mini game that came with Issue 7 of BattlePlan
magazine. It covers the British invasion of Zululand in January 1879 - a
campaign immortalised in two great movies, Zulu and Zulu Dawn. Remember
those great battle scenes, Zulus charging the ramparts, the British thin
red line firing salvo after salvo? With these images in mind, read on..

If first impressions are important to you, then you had best be
prepared. The map's rather bland and covered, not in hexes, but squares.
On top of that, the counters are paper! You cut them out and mount them
yourself. If you're still with us, rest assured, it's all up hill from
there. The counters are quite functional and it's also a simple game to
learn and play. It's not long before men are marching and dice rolling.

A turn comprises of two phases, movement and combat. Movement is fairly
straightforward. British units move in the standard way. Stacks of Zulus
are held off map, each replaced by a single marker. These markers may be
moved inverted to add to the fog of war and conceal Zulu strength. I
would strongly urge players to do just that. Also, dummy markers can be
placed and moved to cause further confusion.

Prior to combat, the British may probe the make up of a Zulu marker. The
Zulu player reveals how many units the marker contains, but not their
strength. Also, he may mislead his opponent by up to three units either
way if he wishes. At this point the British piayer may stand and fight,
build a redoubt or decide that discretion is the better pan of valour
and advance to the rear. The Zulu, for his part, may also get to make a
surprise attack which offers him certain advantages.

Now we get down to the nitty gritty - combat! This is where the game
excels. Units involved are transferrcd to the tactical battle display.
No matter whose turn it is, the British defend, the Zulus sttack. First,
British artillery fire on the Zulu, who take casualties and check
morale. Those whose morale holds are now fired on by British artillery
and gatling guns, simulating them getting closer aod within range. Once
again, casualties are taken, morale checked. Finally, British rifle fire
is added to the maelstrom and the Zulus take their final casualties and
morale checks. Assuming they've got this far, we now commence to melee.
At this point, the British had better hope they built a redoubt, else
they may have written their last letter home.

Both side may have the opportunity to to withdraw before the battle
reaches this stage. The combat system reinforces those movie images
mentioned eariier and captures a good deal of the excitement.

Victory conditions put great stress on occupation of the Zulu capital,
Ulandi. Indeed, if the British hold Ulandi for two consecutive tums, the
game ends.

The British player should not attempt any blitzkrieg type dashes toward
Ulandi, despite the relatively short distance. Instead. he should make a
slow, methodical approach, building redoubts at he goes. Best
opportunities for the Zulu player come early in the game. British
columns enter Zululand at various different points. He should use dummy
counters and a good deal of bluff to mask some columns whilst attacking
others. However, the British player should be left unsure as to which
columns the Zulu army will fall upon. This element of bluff means that
the game only really succeeds as a two player contest, not solo.

Despite beiny a small game, produced on a modest budget, I cannot
imagine anyone producing a finer simulation on this topic.

Finally, for anyone lucky enough to already own a copy, a tiny piece of
errata: Woods' column that starts in square one is missing. It has a
strength of eight with neither artillery nor gatling guns.

Alan Sharif