Well, Victory Point Games has started to turn out a series of games based upon a particular game mechanic that really fits the solitaire mode and fits with a myriad of other different mechanics. Darin Leviloff designed Israeli Independence around the idea of a central defense point threatened by enemy forces on all sides; event cards randomized the movement of these armies as they moved closer and closer leaving the player to fight this enemy army and then that one in a desperate attempt to stave off defeat against overwhelming odds. It worked well in II, and Leviloff expanded on the concept with Soviet Dawn and now VPG is developing new games using this "States of Siege" system. The newest game using the system is Joseph Miranda’s Zulus on the Ramparts which takes the system not only to the tactical level, but also combines it with some very intriguing card play.
[I should admit at this point that I’m presently working on a game similar to Soviet Dawn, but I have to admit that my design will "bite" very much compared to Zulus.]
The subject of the game should be familiar to many gamers – the heroic stand of 140 British soldiers against some 4,000 Zulu warriors at a small mission at Rorke’s Drift during the 1879 Zulu War (captured in the 1964 film Zulu). The player takes the roll of the British holding off the Zulus who are approaching the settlement from four directions, and the player must build barricades and deliver effective volley fire if he expects to see another dawn and the arrival of the British relief column. As far as I’m concerned, it is the best solitaire game I’ve ever played, and I’ve found myself totally absorbed by its gameplay.
As in Darin’s original design, the station forms the center point of four paths, each with five spaces along which the Zulu iButho approach the mission, and the player gets a very limited number of Actions with which to defend his tiny patch of ground. The movement of the four enemy forces is determined randomly each turn, and the player doesn’t know which will move or how quickly they will do it. There are also events that affect either or both the Zulus and British. However, the movement of the enemy forces have been divorced from the cards in Zulus and is determined by the drawing of 30 round markers. With the cards freed from that task, Miranda has welded to Leviloff’s original design a card management system that heightens the tension of the approaching Zulus and gives the player new choices and challenges.
Basic Structure of the Game
Each turn you draw an iMpi Marker to move the Zulus, take your one Action (plus extra actions), draw a card, and place one Hero from your hand onto the table. Repeat until the Relief Column shows up or you have an Assegai spear sticking out of your chest.
The only actual forces that are on the map are the four Zulu regiments or iButho’s each of which can take different number of hits and randomly approaches along one of the four axes. These axes are arranged using the Zulu’s buffalo formation (2 horns, a chest, and loins). One chit is drawn each turn, and this moves the Zulus one, two, or three spaces closer on one, two, or all four of the axes. Other chits provide events like the Henry Rifles heating up, buildings catching on fire, and the Zulus regrouping. The overall effect is one in which the enemy moves unexpectedly but with some predictability -- perhaps you’ve already drawn the Loins-forward-3 chit, so you know that axis won’t rush your defenses, but from what direction WILL they come this time? And in several of my games, the Zulus have made it into the perimeter only to suddenly fall back to regroup at the very last second!
Placing the movement of the enemy onto chits leaves the cards open to other functions. Here, most cards represent either a particular Hero (an individual soldier or officer) or a Volley of fire to be delivered. Each Hero has unique powers, usually several that can be used in various fashions. Each can carrying out tasks like building barricades, distributing ammo, or putting out fires, but while they are doing that they can’t do anything else. The Heroes can also be Discarded (removed from the game for all intents and purposes) to gain special, one-time effects -- essentially sacrificing themselves for the position’s defense. Other affects can be used repeatedly or for free. Volley cards are Discarded from one’s hand to fire at the Zulus while Heroes can also be Discarded for the same effect.
The player’s use of the cards is affected by his Actions. The player gets 1 (ONE) action per turn except when cards can be used to gain extra or free actions. This is where the rubber hits the road, or perhaps the bayonet strikes the shield -- this nexis between Levioff’s axes around a defense point, random movement, and Actions meets Miranda’s unique card play. And this is a nice place to be, game-wise.
In order to be used, Heroes must be "Available" on the table (or "put forth" in the terminology of the game). This in itself takes up one action. Other possible actions include firing a volley, working on the barricades (which take several turns to complete), putting out fires, handing out ammo and water, or assembling the Reserve Platoon. Some Heroes can be returned to one’s hand for extra actions or cards, or Discarded for a special affect. After taking your actions, you can draw one card from the deck and then "put forth" one Hero for free. The deck not only provides the cards necessary to fight the battle, but also to move time forward as one card brings nightfall and another brings the Relief Column and the end of the game.
Combat is simple and familiar. For the Zulus, it is simple -- get to the Zulu Victory marker and win. For the British, there’s dice to be rolled. Each Volley card has a number of dice that can be thrown at a particular Zulu unit based on its distance from the perimeter. Most of the cards provide more dice at close ranges while a few provide more dice at a distance, giving the player some flexibility (if he’s got the cards). Each 6 rolled forces the Zulu unit to take a hit and each 5 forces the unit back one space. (Think War at Sea or one of a few dozen other games.) Certain modifiers like low ammo or overheated rifles can decrease the highest dice turning some hits into retreats. This is where the real luck in the game is to be discovered -- roll a few bad volleys and you’re liable to be the reason the warriors are washing their spears. Get a few lucky hits early on, and you can breath easy.
But the impact of the luck of the dice is tempered by the victory point system. It is possible to have a fun and eek out, if not a victory, at least a not-so-bad-defeat even if the dice aren’t on your side. And if your dice are hot, you should try to go for the big win rather than just being happy that you’ll see another African dawn. The game, in other words, can be fun even if the dice aren’t with you.
It wasn’t until I had my pith-helmeted-butt kicked several times that the interplay of the cards and actions started to make sense. Just the first couple of turns can be tense and complicated:
After drawing chit and moving the Zulus, I’ll put forth Bromhead for my very first action. Take a card in the draw phase and then put forth Chard. Now I draw a chit -- rats, the Loins just moved 3 spaces closer; they’re almost over perimeter! OK, now I’ll use my one action to have Chard deliver ammo (to remove the -1 low-ammo modifier); Chard goes back into my hand. Then I take Bromhead up into my hand for his free action and fire the "Here they come" volley which also provides one free action after that. Roll three dice at the Zulus in the Loins (get 1 hit and 1 retreat -- maybe that will hold them off) then put forth Chard for the free Action. Now to the draw card phase, I draw one card and then pick up Chard to use his "extra card draw" bonus to take a second card. Now, what are those Zulus going to do next . . .
In other words, with just a handful of cards, there’s lots to do and to think about. The decisions of what to do with those one or two actions each turn while facing an enemy who seems always just moments from overwhelming you make the game worth while. The cardplay has the feel of a good CDG like Here I Stand or Combat Commander: Europe since at any one time, there are several things you’d like to do and several different card combinations to consider, but you only get to do one or two. Sometimes it’s a matter of just getting the right Heroes onto the table so that just in case the Zulus make it over the inner barricades, Pvt. Hook can throw himself in their way and hold them off for a turn ("Brave lad! [sniff]"). At times, the game feels like Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation with your victory hinging on what sequence of cards you use at a particular moment.
Keep in mind that on the map itself, there are only the Zulu forces shown with a few markers, so you aren’t actually moving your forces around the mission. Indeed, this is one of the beauties of Leviloff’s system in that it keeps time spent pushing cardboard to a minimum allowing you to concentrate on the decisions.
The Bits
The game includes an 11x17 inch map, a handful of small round markers, another handful of big square markers, a 6-page rulebook, and 36 cards. The centerpiece of the game is Tim Allen’s map which is pretty, effective, and evocative. The overall effect when combined with the Zulu pieces is very attractive and easy to use. The cards are more pedestrian; they organize the often-complex text well and are easily readable, but aren’t particularly flashy and don’t have much in the way of adornment other than a rifle or pistol symbol. They are also a bit smaller than the standard card size of say a GMT game.
Also, everything is matte. Very very matte. I’ve placed these cards into card sleeves so that I don’t have to constantly lick my fingers to hold and manipulate the cards, and it makes them much easier to shuffle as well. (Note that you don’t have to put them in the expensive sleeves as I’ve done here; the cards in my copy of Soviet Dawn are in penny sleeves and they work fine despite the cards being much more narrow than the sleeves.)
Conclusion
Is the game worth getting and playing. Yes. I was a little concerned about spending $20 for another solitaire game when there are so many to be had for free or for a few bucks on wargamedownloads.com. But I have to say that it was $20 very well spent. It is an exciting and fun game to play, can be set up in just a couple of minutes, and completed in 20 or 30. It is an outstanding game and I highly recommend it if you like solitaire games. Lastly, I hope to see VPG develop more such games in the future.
Last edited on 2009-04-10 15:22:01 CST (Total Number of Edits: 1)
Posted Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:54 pm
MUST HAVE!
