SHORT ATTENTION SPAN REVIEW
I like it.
MEDIUM ATTENTION SPAN REVIEW
Zulus on the Ramparts is a solitaire wargame based on the Battle of Rorke's Drift. The components are serviceable, but underwhelming. It is easy to learn, and an entire game can easily be completed in 30 minutes. Despite its simplicity, it is an enjoyable solitaire experience with unexpected depth. The randomised progression of the Zulus gives the game quite a lot of replayability, although too many back-to-back plays will probably result in burn-out. I like it.
LONG ATTENTION SPAN REVIEW
Despite being an amateur military history buff, I have never been particularly attracted to wargames, perceiving them to be complex beasts with unfathomable arrays of rules, chits, counters, tables, DRMs and other such esoteric elements. Two things, however, preordained my purchase of Zulus on the Ramparts: (1) I have a hard time getting a gaming group together on a regular basis, and (2) the 1964 movie Zulu, depicting the Battle of Rorke's Drift, is easily one of my top five favourite films of all time. As a solitaire wargame based on the Battle of Rorke's Drift, Zulus on the Ramparts was absolutely irresistible.
COMPONENTS
As someone who has been spoiled by the high-production values of Days Of Wonder big box games, I found the components of Zulus on the Ramparts serviceable, but underwhelming. For ~$20 you get a plastic baggie containing a 11"x17" colour map on heavy paper, a rulebook, a set of unpunched cardboard counters and chits, and a microscopic miniature die, providing you with all you need to play. I am not familiar enough with the wargame market to know if the price point is high or low for such components, but it doesn't stretch the wallet unduly.
The artwork is fairly utilitarian; nobody would call the map beautiful, but it gets the job done and contains many helpful tables which minimise the need to refer to the rulebook constantly. The cards, perhaps a third smaller than standard cards and printed on slightly-coated cardstock, are similarly usable, if visually dull. (With print-on-demand services like ArtsCow.com gaining popularity on the Geek, I am tempted to whip up a more durable set of replacement cards with more engaging artwork.)
The counters and chits are extremely matte, lacking any sort of coating and consequently feeling rough and sticky to the touch. I was worried about sweaty hands smudging the ink, so I slapped on a protective layer of Dullcote, which smoothed them out nicely.
On the positive side, the game is extremely portable. All the cards, counters and chits take up approximately the same space as a regular deck of cards. Even with the addition of five small dice, I could still fit all of the components, including a stripped-down, half-size version of the map which I created, into an empty playing card tin I found laying around. I can carry the entire game around comfortably in my back pocket for those on-the-go wargaming urges.
Zulus In My Pocket (with customised half-sized map)
GAMEPLAY
I won't go into unnecessary detail here; check out Thomas Heaney's excellent Solitaire Gaming in Cinemascope: A Text and Video Review of "Zulus on the Ramparts!" for a comprehensive overview.
The basic run of play is as follows: draw a chit that determines how the Zulus advance on Rorke's Drift, then use a combination of Hero and Volley cards to strengthen your defences and/or repel the attackers. The surprisingly simple mechanics are easy to learn and yet provide the player with a range of options. Do you immediately open fire on the Zulus, or do you spend a few precious turns strengthening the barricades? Is it worth committing two heroes to the Reserve Platoon, in case the Zulus breach the inner defences, or are their individual special abilities more useful?
In an interesting twist, the British forces you command are not represented on the map by counters (apart from a few hero markers which really serve as placeholding reminders). Individual heroes, represented by cards, have an impact on the battle through their special abilities, but you are never involved in the specific tactics of advancing, retreating or reinforcing your troops. I suppose some hardcore wargamers might disapprove of the lack of tactical gameplay, but I found that its omission streamlined proceedings and made it much easier for a non-grognard like me to pick up, while also suitably simulating the siege conditions at the heart of the game.
The rulebook is clearly written and I was mounting my first defence of Rorke's Drift within five minutes. As I mentioned earlier, the tables printed on the map, including the Sequence of Play and Volley Dice results, are very helpful. After I put together a simple player aid outlining the results of special iMpi chits (e.g. Rifles Overheat, Prince Dabulmanazi kaMpande) and a breakdown of the Victory Point results, referring back to the rulebook became completely unnecessary.
It is easy to learn, and an entire game can easily be completed in 30 minutes, making it an excellent filler when you feel a need to scratch the gaming itch but can't find any willing victims.
ENJOYMENT & REPLAYABILITY
Despite its simplicity, I found Zulus on the Ramparts to be an enjoyable solitaire experience with unexpected depth. It is a decent representation of a siege engagement and manages to evoke a palpable level of tension through the relentless advancement of the Zulu forces. The relatively uncomplicated mechanics somehow manage to provide enough strategic choices and decisions in conjunction with the randomised progression of the Zulus, boosting its replayability.
Luck is a major factor, with chit pulls, dice rolls and card draws all having a major impact. This is most evident in the chit-determined advancement of the Zulus, which can effectively end a game before it has really begun. On several occasions, I have been overrun by Zulus in less time than it had taken me to set the game up. This is a bit frustrating, but is not a common enough occurrence to dampen my enjoyment.
Too many back-to-back plays will probably result in burn-out, and it is easy to fall into an opening-game pattern, but the combination of portable components, simple mechanics, short play time and randomised elements make this a solitaire game I can easily see myself returning to again and again.
Last edited on 2009-11-17 07:05:36 CST (Total Number of Edits: 1)
Posted Sat Aug 8, 2009 3:49 am
