Israeli Independence

Victory Point Games Battlesson #4

Having gone to visit my daughter almost as far west as I can go in Canada without falling into the ocean (Vancouver), and suffering from jet lag, I used the time early one morning to play a game of Israeli Independence in the kitchen of my rented apartment (it was an upgrade...long story).

Particulars:

Solitaire
Plays in 15-30 minutes
Complexity: low

I should note that it took me longer than 30 minutes to play, but that was because I was recording every move on my laptop. That allowed me to produce a detailed session report (link below).

Background

The game is an abstract of the situation in 1948 when various Arab armies were converging on the former British Mandate of Palestine to attack the newly-formed state of Israel created as a result of the UN partition of the Mandate territory into an Arab state and a Jewish state (UN resolution 181).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_Arab-Israeli_War

The components

There are eight die cut mounted counters (five Arab armies and three Israeli Offensive markers), a map, rules, an example of play, game notes by Darin A. Leviloff (the designer), and a short dissertation by Alan Emrich titled What is a Wargame?.



The armies (Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Egypt) are represented each by a single counter with a single combat value on it. A set of 24 cards (only 22 of which are used in the standard game) regulates not only Arab army movement (forwards and sometimes backwards) but also gives the Israeli operation orders, between none and three offensives that turn. The cards have headlines which relate to events during the war and also explanatory text.



The map is colourful and is used to regulate movement of the Arab armies. Each army starts farthest away from West Jerusalem (in its box 4) and advances along its own track (defined by colour) towards the goal. The three eastern countries (Syria, Iraq and Jordan) have not only square boxes but also round ones which represent the West Bank and cards may stipulate special rules for attacking armies in those boxes. The map also has the sequence of play printed on it and holding boxes for armies removed from play, Israeli offensive chits, card draw pile and card action pile.



Object of the game

The object of the game is to keep the Arab armies out of West Jerusalem, because as soon as one enters West J, the game is over and the player has lost. If the Israeli player can keep the armies away until the deck is depleted, he wins. By how much, you ask? Well, that is calculated by adding the values of the boxes in which Arab armies are located at game's end, and also 6 points for removed armies. If the Israeli player loses, the extent of his defeat is established by the number of cards left in the draw pile.

Just so you know, I achieved a crushing victory the first time out. Check it out: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/347132

Having eliminated the Iraqi army on the first turn was a bit of good luck.

How it played

Well. There were very few questions I had during play. The rules are clear (2 pages), the cards are not at all ambiguous, and it moved along at a good clip. There were times when it was fairly tense as armies reached their 1 box. When faced with a choice, I made sure that armies were attacked evenly.

Combat is resolved simply. The Israeli player rolls a die and adds or subtracts modifiers provided by the current card. If that number is greater than the number on the counter, the army which is being attacked withdraws by one box.

So?

I recommend the game based on the ease of play, its ability to provide a tense situation, and its low cost.

I have ordered, but not yet received, the expansion kit from VPG.