This game comes from the stable of designer Erich Faust. This caused some foreboding as his Campaigns of the Civil War is one of the worst wargames in existence. However, the game was small, and was pleasing to the eye so when the chance to play it came up I found that I was looking forward to it.

What's Hanging up on the Clothes Line?

The game (which is a freebie in issue #7 of Battleplan) has one cardstock map which looked rather nice (though if you dislike shades of brown this is not a game for you). The counters feature either a silhouetted British trooper firing his Martini-Henry or a silhouetted zulu warrior holding spear and shield. The counter contains strength points (the British may also have additional artillery and gatling gun sps) and the name of the column or ibutho (Zulu impis just have their name). Reading the names on the zulu ibutho in the heat of battle (where you have to mark off sp losses) could be daunting, not helped by the light brown on black colour combination. Having to pick out uDhlmbdlu (which I assume is the uDhlambedhlu on the roster sheet) from uDududu from inDlondhlo ws an intresting exercise, aided by my gracious opponent providing me with a mini-torch. The normal room lghts just didn't cut the mustard.

The 4 pages of rules were quite clear but left a few things unexplained. A terrain effects chart explaining that the zulu and British towns had no impact on the game would have been nice (we assumed this to be the case after several readings of the rules). A person who knows nothing of the campaign wouldn't necessarily recognise these as towns and would have to make a guess. The 3 named brown blobs on the map are zulu kraals. These are also not mentioned in the rules, so we assume that these have no effect on gameplay.

The mapsheet also provides a track to keep track of zulu losses (important for vps, and because the game screeches to a halt once the zulus lose 220 sps). The map also contained a tactical map display with which to play out the battle.

The setup mentions a column led by (I assume) a Col. Wood, from whom the column gains its name. It sets up in square 1 (the squares are all numbered), which is in Zululand, and only 3 turns from Ulundi. Sadly, the counter was not provided in the counter-mix, and as it is not mentioned on the roster sheet can only imagine its inclusion in the setup as a flight of fancy. I do recall a Wood counter being included in either a 3W iteration of S&T or an early edition of Command magazine but as my game collection was in a different location when this was played he had to be left out. A rather good thing too - I ended up taking the zulu side.....

The basic system is: Zulus move (3 squares, moving across diagonals count as 2), Zulus fight, then the British get to reverse the process (though they can only move 2 squares). The zulus' on-map strength is concealed from the British player - individual ibutho are stacked in impi holding boxes and the impis (there are 6 of them) are moved on the map. The 19 ibutho have strengths ranging from 60 down to 10. The British columns are much weaker; most of the starting columns are 6-10 strength points (the poor Rorke's Drift garrison is but a single step). Some chrome is provided by the British redoubts - the British can build these (one starting the game at Rorke's Drift) and amplify the effect of British firepower and reduce the effectiveness of the zulus' melee. The cost though is that until the redoubt is at level 1 (redoubts begin at level 3 and 'gain' a level each turn) the column may not move nor may they withdraw from combat.

The victory conditions revolve around gaining victory points. Holding Ulundi at the end of the game is worth 25 vps, Rorke's and Middle Drifts are worth 5 each (so a zulu may be rewarded for advancing into Natal). Most of the vps will be gained by giving the other fellow a bloody nose. The British gain 1 vp for every 2 zulu strength points lost, except for losses suffered in Natal where the British gain 1 per point). The zulus gain 2 pr British strength point lost, but if a British piece is eliminated, then those points are doubled. So if Pulliene's column of 6 strength points is pounced upon and wiped out, the zulus gain 24 vps. A difference of 0-15 vps is considered a draw, 15-40 vps a marginal victory, and so on. The game ends when either:

a) The zulus 220 sps
b) The British occupy Ulundi for 2 consecutive turns
c) The British lose 32 sps
c) 15 turns have passed

Game Play

The operational part of the game seemed to work rather nicely. The first turns see the zulus massing their impis, while the 2 starting British forces (a column at Rorkes Drift and another at Middle Drift) can either stay in Natal awaiting Chelmsford's massive column (a whopping 27 strength points) or begin biffing away at the zulus immediately. The former seems to be the better strategy because biffing the zulus while the zulus are in Natal gain the Brits extra vps. An early British advance will almost certainly see one pair of columns demolished, and without care the British could lose all of their starting strength, though this will make the remaining ibutho an easier mark for Chelsmsford when he arrives. The British can probe a square to get an estimate of the number of ibutho present (which the zulu player can fudge a little). How accurate a model of the campaign it is I'm unable to say - my expertise on this topic is not high. But it has a nice verisimilitude.

So the turns move rather quickly when there are no battles fought. It is the battle resolution process that bogged the game down. The rulebook states players must provide their own six sided dice. Several dice would serve best. If there has been a better piece of understatement, I have yet to encounter it.

The Brits set up their pieces, the zulus set their ibutho in 3 colums (2 horns and the centre loins). There are 4 seperate zones - artillery, gatling gun, rifle and melee. The zulus set up in the outer zone, where only artillery shoots, ibutho that take losses test morale and those that fail are removed from battle. The zulus advance within range of the gatling guns, then the rifles before closing to melee range.

So far everything looks rather nice.There is a chance that the zulus will ambush a column (this chance lessens as the war progresses). This allows the zulus to start on the gatling line, and slightly lessens the effectivenes of the artillery.

The overall effect is rather good - the zulus set up, see their impis get shot to pieces, but if they can close with the redcoasts then they can get their own back. The trouble is that there is a bit of a tunnel in resolving the process (in the case of the British player the tunnel is carpal).

I'll use Chelmsford's column as the example (in our last fight Chelmsford's column had 2 other columns with him). Chelmsford has 27 sps, plus 1 gatling and 2 artillery points. Now each strength point allows to to throw so many dice, depending on the range. So at the furthest range, only the artillery fires, and each sp gets you 2 dice. So 4 dice are thrown for the 2 sps, and nothing else is in range. A 6 or a pair of 5s casue a sp loss.

The remaining impis advance to to the galing line. Again, the 2 sp of artillery fire with 4 dice. Each gatling sp also fires with 4 dice. So this turn the Brits roll 8 dice.

Now things get interesting. Again, each artillery sp is worth 2 dice, but each gatling sp is worth 6. So we have 10 dice so far. But now the Martini-Henry. Each regular sp gives you 4 dice, so now the British get an additional 108 dice, for a total of 118 dice. The rifle sps have to be distributed as evenly as possible among the 3 zulu columns. The eyes glaze over somewhat.......

As all of this is happening the zulu player is checking off boxes on the impi roster chart and wincing. Not only does the zulu player check which impi is which, not only do they have to keep track of their total game losses, they have to check their losses per round. You see dear reader (for the brave few who have made it to this point), the poor zulu player has to check their total strength points for the start of the battle. If they lose 20% of their starting strength in any one round, or 50% of their starting strength overall, they (quite sensibly) scarper.

If your zulus actually get to melee range, then the fun simply multiplies again. Chelmsford's 2 artillery sps now fire at 4 dice each (8 overall), and the gatling is still at 5 dice per sp (5, plus 8 gives 13 dice). The riles now have 5 dice each. So the British now get a total of 148 dice (the previous 13, plus 135 for the rifles).

If the zulus catch Chelmsford (or any other force) in the open, then the firing stops and the melee begins. In a redoubt, the firing at melee range occurs every round (unless the British manage to withdraw)..........

I think that you see where I'm going. The battles turn into tedious dice-fests. The smaller early battles are bearable, the larger battles in the end game are simply diabolical. As far as blance goes the balance certainly seems to favour the British. Even having the early columns chewed to bits by the zulus (as happened in my last game), Chelmsford's column simply grinds its way towards Ulundi. The main choice of the zulu player at this point is:

a) Immolate themselves on the British column (thus giving the British player lots of vps - Chelmsford is unlikely so suffer much damage himself, nor are his men), or,

b) Give up Ulundi (25 vps to the British) and keep out of the British player's way. In my last game, the zulus lost over 40 vps in one battle (the ever-famous Battle of Square 18), so this might work if the remaining columns have been mauled. If the British have been cautious (or, if you prefer, damnable cowards), then the zulu player has to attack a large, slow but frightfully powerful column.

So it all kind-of works, but the effect is akin to burning down your house to provide warmth - it's less trouble with a good heater. Still, I could be persuaded to give it just one more try. When my opponent's wrist is better.