David Cann - Mar 13, 2004 11:27 am (#5958 Total: 5959) Milton Cann; B.S. in Sit, Stay, and Come (Dec 2003) Well, I finally did it. I forced myself to learn the rules to GDW Phase Line Smash after spending about cumulative total 10 years on my shelf (I even sold my original copy and re-acquired another copy last year). Anyway, the 100+ pages of rules, optional rules, game notes et al. scared me off but the subject matter piqued my interest after playing around with the recent "modern era" games S&T G-SoF-G and Command When Dragons Fight. I rec'd some encouragement from gamers in the PLS folder who commented that the rules were really not nearly as complicated as they might seem. I'd say the 64 page rulebook was the equivalent of a 32-page rulebook written using a more common format. The game was obviously written for people who had only a bit of experience in complex wargames, so the rules are riddled with examples of play, restatements of key game concepts, and design-notes. There are some interesting features in the game, but one normally wouldn't need 64 pages to get to the point. Speaking of getting to the point... So it turns out its a nice little game on Gulf War I. The concepts that form the core of this game are quite creative, and they are very reflective of the era (to a person such as myself who wasn't there). Each division/corps has its own activation chit including 8-10 Coalition chits (US, UK, Eqypt/Syria, other Arabs) and the Iraqis have about 8 (Republican Guard, infantry, etc.) Like other games that use this activation system, as each chit is pulled units from that unit can move/fight. In this game, each unit or stack completes all of its actions (movement AND combat) before moving onto the next unit/stack. Thus the sequence of things is quite important, and I think as a solitaire game it is the part of the game that is most challenging. There are rules for fratricide, i.e. units can be disrupted if they move into the ZOC of a unit from another division/corps. Chances of disuption are especially high if the inactive unit is currently engaged in the ZOC of an Iraqi unit. Supply plays a big role, as do helo units. The Iraqi units are controlled via a pretty simple system. There are a variety of 'command states" (e.g. Attack, Block, Hold, Withdraw, Surrender, etc.) and at the beginning of a particular div/corps activation you roll to determine if the command state changes with DRM's based on unit losses, whether neighboring units have retreated, etc. Basically, the command state determines whether units stand and fight or withdraw, etc. All in all I can highly recommend the game. I am generally not a big fan of solitaire games in general. It is easier to learn than say Carrier, and it is more intuitive. I am still not entirely certain about some of the attachment rules, and who can stack with what is a little unclear. Nonetheless I look forward to digging it up every once in a while - I don't think it will be hard to re-learn the system.