Game: Anzio

Thread: Re: Has anyone used the new maps?

sgtstinky — 2008-06-29T13:13:53+00:00

Got one, and it's nice.

Has anyone worked up new scenarios, counters, or rules for use with these maps??

Thanks,

Bryon

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rgbelda — 2008-06-18T17:33:19+00:00

Overall campaign November 1943

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Xookliba — 2008-05-28T15:38:31+00:00

cyberboard gamebox

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xavilongo — 2008-03-23T09:51:42+00:00

Box cover with better resolution

Thread: Re: A Tasty War-game Where The Map Is The Colour Of A Pizza.

fatso — 2008-02-23T14:41:59+00:00

Thanks for the review, Anzio is on shelf and I need to give it play or two!

Thread: Re: A Tasty War-game Where The Map Is The Colour Of A Pizza.

nyhotep — 2008-02-22T12:51:53+00:00

Your breakthrough anomaly is quite common in wargames.

The best way to think of it is that the units which have stopped away from the enemy have reached their objectives, and are now regrouping and building up supplies, temporary defenses etc. while waiting for new orders. Units which are advancing after combat should be seen as following their planned route of advance, which takes them through the enemy lines.

Remember, in most games, no units are using their maximum speed (in some games, units could drive accross the whole map in a single turn, if no enemy was around). In addition, many games (I can't remember Anzio specifically) allow "strategic" or "road" movement, increasing movement allowances but preventing them from moving next to the enemy.

If you think this is bad, try "Siege of Jerusalem", where successful attacks allow the Romans to move and attack again, as many times as they like, until they fail to kill the enemy.

Thread: A Real Tasty War-game Where The Map Is The Colour Of A Pizza.

da pyrate — 2008-02-21T23:46:50+00:00

Anzio

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Wargame - Italian Campaign, 1943-45
Designed by Dave Williams & Tom Oleson
4th Edition Published by Avalon Hill (1978)

One of my favourite military simulation games is Anzio. This is a review of the 4th edition, published by Avalon Hill in 1978. As with several games released by Avalon Hill, the map and counters are the same for each edition – they just kept updating the rules and charts to reflect advances in war-game design. Anzio is a simulation of the Italian Campaign fought between the German army and the combined forces of many Allied countries. I don’t know it is true, but I have been told that the Italian Campaign was the only campaign to be fought by forces from every continent on the face of the planet (with the exception of Antarctica).

Anzio has several features which give it, IMHO, great appeal. The map is 44” long and only 14” wide – unusually long and skinny. Because of the nature of the terrain and the narrowness of the peninsular, there can be a surprising amount of lateral movement during the game as troops try to gain a local advantage – the game can be quite mobile.

The game has a lot of replayability. The game starts with an invasion of the Italian mainland. There are several invasions sites and the Allied player get to select where the troops will come in. Each beach has its own advantages and disadvantages. The further north the troops land the harder it is to supply and support them. The beaches with the best possibilities regarding supply and support tend to be those furthest from the Allied military objectives.

Anzio is great as an introductory level game as there are only a small number of units involved in the Basic Game and the Basic Game should be completed in less than 3 hours.

In the Advanced Scenarios both players get to select how large a force they wish to command. The larger the force you select the more you need to achieve to gain a victory.

Components

Map – the map really is camouflaged as a pizza. As mentioned previously, it is quite long and narrow. Most of the terrain features are very clearly marked but at one or two places it is difficult to tell if a hex is a river or a headwater. I have a recollection of playing Anzio and disputing for 20 minutes whether the hex was river or headwater (it made a difference to the strength of the defenders). I was really annoyed the following week, when we replayed the game and swapped sides, when he again wanted to argue about the same hex but held the opposite opinion to that held the previous week (on both occasions he felt the terrain should work to his advantage). That was the last time I played against him.

Counters – most units are represented by several counters. The counters are not back printed and the largest can have 7 steps of strength. Looking at the counters, your first impression is that there are a lot of them, but during the game most of the counters spend their time on the Unit Organization Charts.

Charts – Basic Game Turn Record/Unit Organization Charts, Advanced Game Order of Battle Cards, Advanced Game Unit Organization Charts, Time Record Chard for the Advanced Game and a Step Reduction Table (same as Combat Results Table in most other games).

Rules – a 24 page rule book organised into 3 pages of fundamental rules, 5 pages of rules for the basic game, 3 pages of supplementary rules, 5 pages of Advanced rules, 3 pages of Advanced supplementary rules and 3 pages of clarifications and designer notes.

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The Rules

Movement – during movement units must stop when they move next to an enemy unit. Roads give movement bonus and units cannot cross rivers during movement unless using a road/bridge.

Combat – combat between adjacent enemy units is compulsory. The odds ratios go from 1-4 all the way up to 9-1. The results can result in one side retreating or in no-one retreating. There are also some results which can have one or both sides lose steps in the combat. Importantly, if the defender’s strength is doubled or tripled in defence (due to terrain benefits) the attacker’s losses will be doubled.

Invasion – as mentioned previously, this is an invasion game. The Allied player selects a beach for his invasion. Each beach is rated for the number of units if can bring in on the initial turn of invasion and a smaller number which is the number of units that can be landed at that beach on subsequent turns. Each beach also has a rating for the number of units which may be supplied from that beach. When selecting a beach you should also take into account any near-by ports which may be captured and utilised to augment the rate at which reinforcements may be landed and the amount of units that may be supplied. The Allies are allowed a second invasion in the Basic Game and a third invasion in the Advanced game. The Allies can march units onto the board from the Southern edge of the map in addition to or instead of launching invasions.

Advanced Rules – The Basic Game is just that – Basic. The Advanced Rules give some much detail that it is almost overwhelming. There are rules to cover Air Superiority, Supporting Fire (Naval & Air), Armour, Commandos, Forts, Mountain Units, Retreat Through ZOC’s, Expanded Orders of Battle, the Italian Army, Paratroops, Air Strikes, Sea Movement, Polish Morale and Isolation. There is a lot to this game and the structure of the rules allow you to make it as simple or as complex as you wish and for the game to be fairly short or quite a mammoth session.

Selection of Forces – if you are playing the Advanced Game you decide how long you want the game to go for. The Allied Order of Battle is divided into three chronological sections – Southern Italy (up to December 1943), Roma (up to June 1944) and the Po Valley (up to April 1945) – the longer the game goes the more reinforcements the Allies receive. The German Order of Battle is divided into the Standard (which is weakest), Reinforced (extra German units) and Maximum (all German units are involved in the defence of the peninsular). The German player selects his Order of Battle. The victory conditions are based on the number of key cities controlled – the stronger the German Order of Battle the more cities the Germans need to control to achieve victory.

General Thoughts

I like the game. I play it with my 18 year old son and he likes it too. There seems to be a genuine ebb and flow to the game. The situation is fluid and to be successful you need to be fairly flexible regarding how you command your troops. There are some times when it is best to sit back, or even fall back, and be defensive and there are other times when the opponent will take a key location and you really have to gather your forces and try to retake the game. It is a game which will tempt you to take a risk now and then to eliminate units that can be surrounded – and if you fail you find that your troops can then be surrounded and eliminated. Because of the small number of units on the map the game turns go rather quickly.

Private Reservations

I have two reservations regarding the game. The first is minor – when playing the Advanced Game it is long and tedious to set up the Unit Organization Charts.

Breakthrough Combat – I could have referred to this earlier when writing about the rules in general but as I have serious concerns about the logical rationale to this rule thought I would leave it to the end. To quote the rules, “Whenever the SRT calls for the defender to lose more steps than he has available, the excess loss is converted to Movement Points…After a battle in which the defender is destroyed, or retreats, the victorious attackers involved in the fight may elect to…Advance into enemy zone of control, and attack again that turn.” I don’t get it. Let’s assume we are trying to simulate a real-life situation here. Unit ‘A’ moves its maximum, is not next to enemy units and that is the end of it’s turn. Unit ‘B’ moves its maximum, is next to an enemy unit, destroys it so effectively that Unit ‘B’ is actually given extra movement. How can fighting increase your movement when not fighting doesn’t. I don’t get it. It doesn’t seem to simulate any concept of combat that I am aware of and this rule spoils, what is otherwise, a quite excellent game. Although that rule certainly does stop both players leaving weak, sacrificial units to clog up the tank-tracks of their opponent.

My goodness, looking at that map makes me feel like some pizza.

“Dead Men Tell No Tales!”

Thread: Re: Has anyone used the new maps?

sgtstinky — 2008-02-17T12:51:32+00:00

I still want one....

Thread: Re: Has anyone used the new maps?

geira — 2008-02-16T14:28:54+00:00

OK, I managed to find the page where GMT advertises the maps, which reads: "The new Italia mapsheets of the Italian peninsula and Sicily, which are compatible with WWII campaign games, like the out-of-print Avalon Hill game "Anzio" – graphic map design by award winning Mark Simonitch."

Note the careful wording here (obviously to deflect any legal accusations) - it's not a redrawn Anzio map, it's a generic map that can be used with any divisional game in Italy. This is a common practice in this hobby, and so long it does not infringe on trademarks and artistic copyrights are hard to contest legally (not that Avalon Hill could not prevent the publication of third-party ASL modules, only the use of the original counter art on such).

Furthermore, it's not the same (garish, imho) colour scheme as Anzio, but a far more subdued use of khahi and russet. And unless Mr Williams has made any starting new discoveries, I hardly think he can copyright the geography of Italy. That leaves only the scale that arguably has been "borrowed", but just as Mr Willams "borrowed" the use of hexes and a CRT from earlier games this is not copyrightable.

Again, all respect to Mr Williams for designing a great game that ranks among the classics of our hobby. But like any game it must evolve with time if it is to continue being played. If the designer cannot or will not work on it, trying to prevent others from doing so is the same as trying to prevent people from playing the game. What would you rather - that your game (and yourself with it) be forgotten, or living on with a new generations of gamers after we've gone?

Thread: Re: Has anyone used the new maps?

sgtstinky — 2008-02-10T12:34:46+00:00

I want one! Contact me if you would like to part with yours.

wmd24@earthlink.net

thanks,

Bryon

Thread: Re: Has anyone used the new maps?

mberneking — 2008-01-28T03:22:59+00:00

All this about so little.

The new maps are re-drawn version of the orginal. While the color scheme is different, it could easily be mistaken for the original scheme, but for example, the boot is not even the same width as the original. Numerous other changes have been made as well.

Correct me if I'm wrong, Tom Olsen is not claiming any credit for the game, original or current edition; from my perspective, his role seems to be just an organizational one, getting everyone's submissions into a form that can be used. If it weren't for his efforts, tournament play of the game would probably come to an end.

The biggest single addition to the new version of the game is the inclusion of Sicily and the Southern end of the boot.

As for the legal stuff, get over yourself. The game would be relagated to the discard bin were it not for the new edition. The problem is not who designed it, but who is maintaining it. If you don't touch a game for more than 30 years (thats right, check your 4th edition copyright) you shouldn't retain any rights to the thing; its a flaw in US copyright law. And, from what I can see, nobody is making any profit from either the original (out of print) or the new version, available for free from numerous sources.

Are you sure you have any rights? Check hasbro and get back to us.
Thanks, Mike

Thread: Re: Has anyone used the new maps?

MartinStever — 2008-01-25T06:10:31+00:00

There are some pictures of them in the Anzio photo gallery

Thread: Re: Has anyone used the new maps?

blb0952 — 2008-01-24T21:56:35+00:00

What page are the maps on?? I looked and cannot find them.

BLB

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Xookliba — 2007-07-17T02:50:23+00:00

Counter sheet 1

Thread: Re: Has anyone used the new maps?

geira — 2007-06-22T21:35:56+00:00

I am sorry this matter was not settled after the discussion on ConSimWorld three years ago. But then it will not be solved by repeating it here.

Having owned the 4th edition from Avalon Hill for over 20 years, I have great respect for both the game and its designers and developers - so much that this posting made me pull it out from the bookshelf and look at it again. It surely was unique at the time, and still is. However I could not help noticing the design credits, which read:

[c]Historical research & design: Dave Williams
Redesign & reorganization: Tom Oleson
Game components: Tom Oleson, Tom Shaw, Donald Greenwood[/c]

I am not a lawyer, but from a layman's point of view these two statements regarding who did the artwork for the 4th edition seems to be conflicting. In that case, perhaps the issue should have been raised 29 years ago against Avalon Hill, instead of someone giving away for free a map of Sicily that happens to use the same color scheme.

Thread: Re: Has anyone used the new maps?

malplaka — 2007-05-11T17:06:02+00:00

Gentlemen -

I am delighted to see so little interest in the so-called "new" Anzio maps.

I am the designer of Anzio, and the art work of the northern map is mine - all mine: the rivers, the roads, the cities, the color choices and changes for terrain levels. Everything. Mine. The fact you have a copy that says "Copyright Tom Oleson" simple means you have a plagiarized item.

Please destroy it or return in to whence it came, possibly GMT. Whatever the source, please ask them what they were doing giving or selling you (!)plagiarized - essentially stolen - game material.

I did this art work. I am sick of hearing excuses to explain away why it is OK for Tom Oleson to put his name on it.

Sue me, if you like. There were people offering to support a civil case when they first released this obscenity, and I think enough people know the truth now that we could raise a nice defense fund.

David E. Williams

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moly19 — 2007-05-03T03:55:11+00:00

Turn one set up for 1st Edition Basic Game

Thread: Re: Has anyone used the new maps?

mberneking — 2007-04-18T04:41:25+00:00

Yes I have mounted the new maps and have both the new counters and rules for the Sicily Invasion (Operation Husky) variant. In addition, we have played several games of Anzio using the new "full" boot (less the variant).

Map adds a great new dimension to the game. There is a pre-turn for the British advancing up from Messina and the Allies often do not elect to invade on turn 1, rather wait for the British at Taranto and Messina to deliver their force to the new, very hard to defend, southern end of Italy.

Tom Olson is working on Version 5 of Anzio, perhaps to release in 07.

Wish I had a lot more to add, maybe specific questions might help.
Big Mike

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MartinStever — 2007-03-04T04:19:12+00:00

Close-up of the "boot" section of Italy which is included in the new Anzio "Italia" map from GMT

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MartinStever — 2007-03-04T04:16:52+00:00

Close-up of the toe of the boot and Sicily which have been added to the classic Anzio map on the new "Italia" version from GMT

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MartinStever — 2007-03-04T04:11:01+00:00

New "Italia" map for Anzio adding "the boot" and Sicily.

Thread: Re: Has anyone used the new maps?

MartinStever — 2007-03-02T23:00:25+00:00

I'll try shooting it tonight and posting to the Anzio page. My wife just gave me a new camera for my b'day, woo woo!

Thread: Re: Has anyone used the new maps?

elbmc1969 — 2007-03-02T18:14:21+00:00

Ah! I was wondering why I couldn't find it on their Order page...

Somebody needs to post a complete photo.

Thread: Re: Has anyone used the new maps?

MartinStever — 2007-03-02T18:03:27+00:00

See page 21:

http://www.gmtgames.com/GMTWinter06Flyer.pdf

Thread: Re: Has anyone used the new maps?

elbmc1969 — 2007-03-02T17:53:01+00:00

From GMT? Huh?

Please link!

Thread: Has anyone used the new maps?

MartinStever — 2007-03-02T17:26:42+00:00

I just got the new Anzio maps from GMT. I wonder if anyone has used them yet and if there are any rules changes from Anzio 4th Edition to be aware of before we play.

Thanks in advance for any help on this.

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WatchmanX2000 — 2007-01-26T19:22:55+00:00

subsection of updated map with Sicily

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WatchmanX2000 — 2007-01-26T18:33:59+00:00

Tom Oleson's variant for the sicily campaign.

Thread: Re: 3rd or 4th edition?

peacmyer — 2005-10-03T17:03:55+00:00

Jens, I believe not, other than the rules and the box. Be sure to check out Tom Oleson's clarification and variant rules here on the Geek....

Thread: 3rd or 4th edition?

Tarmahaan — 2005-10-03T10:14:08+00:00

Hi there,

are there any differences between the 3rd & the 4th edition other than the reworked rule-set? I'm interested in this game but I'm not sure which edition to buy...

Greetings,
Jens

Thread:

peacmyer — 2004-08-02T17:08:13+00:00

Just uploaded a scan of my marked-up copy of Tom Oleson's Anzio Addendum, circa 1980. Eight pages of rules clarifications and optional rules. Thanks to Tom for his longstanding work on and promotion of this excellent game!