John Galloway - Jun 20, 2004 6:47 pm (#7018 Total: 7021)   
"I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed"    
 
I own RHB's Zulu...

and can speak to it's desirability. 

It's quick to pick up but difficult to master. It's a dice rolling-laden
game (as it purports to be). I find it interesting and somewhat a breath
of fresh air with its unique rules (zonal movement, a CRT that does not
involved distance targeting, simplistic yet challenging strategies -
especially for the zulu player). 

All but one (out of five or so) of my games have resulted in British
victories - with Zulu Ibutho's withdrawing. The biggest challenge for
the British that I've observed so far is getting at least five patients
out of the hospital before it burns down (the Bristish automatically
lose if they fail to do so). I've found it rather easy for the Zulu
player to burn down the hospital (basically a 75% chance to burn it as
opposed to a 33% chance for the Britsh dousing the flames). The problem
is simply getting the patients out, as the British have to "wall bust"
to get them out. 

Now someone could read my comments and conclude that I'm complaining
about the "realism" of the game. Hardly so. The events I speak to above
actually happened and RHB's result factoring based on a ten-sided die
are probably accurate. 

Which brings me to my final observation. My Zulu results have ended in
Ibutho withdrawls - which have happened around the time the Zulu player
has suffered about 10 -15 % casualites. When people think of Rorke's
Drift, they think of the overwhelming numbers (4000 to 130 or so). But
do you all realize the when D'bulamanzi withdrew from the battlefield
(thus ending the battle), the Britsh buried less than 500 Zulu bodies.
So quickly did he decide the small mission was "impenetrable". I believe
many of those interested in Rorke's Drift think that thousands of Zulus
died at the mealie bag walls. Not quite... 

Thus I find it interesting that wargamer's find this an intruiging
battle to simulate...