Historical Modules III

Scenarios involving Italians are still too rare in ASL, though 2007-2008 did see the release of several Italian-themed products as well as a number of scenario packs containing scenarios featuring Italians.  As a result, the theme of this small historical module, featuring Italian troops in the Soviet Union, contains some novelty value. 

The Novo Orlovka map, still sporting its "Advanced Tobruk Sstem" logo, depicts a very small playing area (only 11 hexes by 12 hexes) that almost seems like a spattering of random terrain:  two small hills, clumps of woods, a gull, clumps of brush, and 6 scattered buildings.  The map uses very large hexes, which actually become a liablity, as they make the folded map taller than the scenario cards that provide the only protection for the components of this module (contained in a baggie).  Because of this, the top of the Novo Orlovka map can be easily damaged by handling the Red Christmas product.  Owners may want to insert their own piece of cardboard backing into the baggie to provide protection and to avoid damage.  Two scenarios use this map.

The Orlovo Ivanovka map (twice the number of hexes as the Novo Orlovka map) depicts a more interesting terrain situation.  The map is dominated by a Level 3 hill, with a stream flanking it on one side and a small village with wooden buildings on the other.  Four scenarios use this map.

Most of the counters provided are Italian infantry counters, and most of these duplicate existing counters.  However, there is a new elite squad type provided, a 4-4-8 elite squad designed to represent Alpini infantry, Italy's excellent mountain troops.  While the 8 morale given to the Alpini on these counters is definitely more historically accurate than the 7 morale of "official" elite Italian squads, their inclusion in this product is a bit peculiar in that no Alpini fought in any of the actions depicted here (the Alpini Corps would not arrive on the Eastern Front until 1942), so essentially these counters too are unnecessary.  Other counters include a smattering of German, Soviet and Italian guns and AFVs appearing in the scenarios, as well as several "historical" aircraft counters.  There is also a counter for a Field Kitchen, and a couple of rows of random leader counters that seem to be left-over "vanity" counters printed by CH.

The quality of Critical Hit counters of this era is still a matter of debate, as they have both strengths and weaknesses.  The main strength is basically more use of color on the SMC/MMC counter artwork.  The artwork of the figures on the infantry counters, however, often still features awkward poses and is often inferior to that of most "official" artwork, despite the better use of color.  The values on the infantry counters are still too small and too close together; the counters could make better use of the available space.  But it is the gun (and some SW) and vehicle counters that are still the most problematic, as Critical Hit, despite many complaints, has persisted in using a confusing and non-intuitive counter layout which renders them more or less useless without a play aid to act as a Rosetta Stone for players.  It is far past the time they started to use alternative artwork in the spirit of Heat of Battle, which manages to avoid duplicating the "look and feel" of official ASL counters without making things more difficult for players.

The six scenarios of Red Christmas (irritatingly split up randomly among 4 scenario cards) are fairly rules intensive, all having 5-7 SSR, some of them complicated.  Two scenarios are Night scenarios, three scenarios feature OBA (including one with THREE Soviet modules and one Italian module), and two scenarios have Air Support.  Half of the scenarios are largish, while the other half are small or medium-sized.  The scenario with the most interesting tactical situation appears to be RC5 (Avanti Savoia!).

Essentially, this is a module for experienced ASLers.  The complicated SSR, combined with the frequency with which complex rules such as night, OBA and Air Support appear, make them less suitable or attractive to novice players.  Even some of those players may be a bit turned off by a couple of the scenarios that force players to take certain actions with their units.  On the other hand, only this module and its predecessor treat this battle at all in ASL terms.  Certainly the module is something that people with an interest in Italian-themed subjects should take a look at.

2nd Edition Contents:  24" x 36" historical map, 12-page rules booklet, 10 scenarios, 2 duplicate sets of 274 counters (548 counters total), campaign game (Toktong Ridge Runners).

The large map is well done and features an imposing bald hill surrounded by woods-covered lower terrain.  The area has more vegetation than many other areas fought over during the Chinese counter-offensive.  Except for a few scattered buildings and one road, it is wilderness terrain.  Only one new terrain type, Pine Scrub, a Brush variant, appears.  As is typical for ASL historical modules, only a portion of the map is used for most scenarios (though some do use a large portion).  Only one scenario utilizes the entire map.

The module comes with a large number of counters (duplicate sets, as is now customary with Critical Hit), only some of which are actually needed.  About half of the counters are USMC counters already in the system, although the module does add a new 4-5-8 USMC squad with Assault and Spraying Fire capabilities.  In this module, USMC do not have underlined morale and undergo ELR unit replacement with weaker USMC squad types.  Toktong also introduces the Sikorsky HO3S-1 helicopter to ASL, used as a combat rescue aircraft.  The helicopter rules are pretty straightforward, aided by the fact that the Sikorsky has no combat capabilities.  The rules, however, do not seem to discuss the possibility of unloading in enemy occupied hexes.

Most of the remaining counters are for the Chinese, referred to in the module merely as "Chinese Communist Forces" (CCF).  They are represented by red on brown two-toned counters and generally treated as Russians are.  The CCF have five different squad types, which may be a tad too generous.  These squad types include 4-2-6 conscript squads, 4-3-7 and 5-2-7 first line squads, 4-4-8 elite squads, and a special new squad type, the 6-[1]-8 grenade squad, a useful addition that represents groups of men armed primarily with grenades rather than firearms (because of shortages).  The CCF are also given a unique SMC, the Bugler, which can either aid rallying or help initiate a Human Wave attack.  The Bugler is a dubious piece of pure chrome that probably would have been better left out of the system.

In the copy of Toktong used to write this overview, the die cutting was significantly off and the counters "lopsided" to the top as a result.

Other rules for Toktong cover subjects ranging from supply counters to Extreme Winter and Frostbite.  The Frostbite rules interestingly will degrade each side's OB (through Unit Replacement) before setup.  It is a clever rule.

The module also comes with a reprint of an after-the-battle analysis written by S.L.A. Marshall in the 1950s which provides interesting historical details.  As it is not copyrighted, Critical Hit just reproduced the original document.

No campaign games are provided, but the module does come with 10 scenarios, the majority of them large in size (though CCF forces tend to be considerably larger than USMC forces in most of these).  The scenarios typically do not have numerous or complicated SSRs, but 2 scenarios use Night Rules, 5 scenarios use OBA, and 3 scenarios use Air Support.  The Chinese are the attackers in 6 of the 10 scenarios.  The meatiest scenario, TP1 (Here They Come!), featuring an attack by 50 Chinese  squads on 15 USMC defending squads, is a Night scenario and as a result will probably not be played very often. 

The second meatiest, and more likely to be played is a USMC attack, TP10 (Ridge Runners Mop Up), using half the map.  It sets 20 USMC squads (plus OBA and Air Support) against 22 defending CCF squads (who get some OBA of their own).   TP2 (Can...Hold...If...Supplied...) is also pretty meaty, using most of the map to recreate an attack by 36 CCF squads (plus OBA) against 15 USMC squads (with lots of Air Support).   A smaller, more playable scenario without complicated rules or SSRs is TP8 (Attack on Turkey Hill), featuring 12 USMC squads attacking 13 CCF squads in a "king of the hill" situation.

Overall, the module looks pretty decent.  It probably isn't for people who have to have a minimum daily recommended dosage of Panzers, but for other ASLers it is a chance to do some tough fighting in extreme conditions on interesting terrain.

2nd Edition (Chosin Few) Notes:

In 2011, Critical Hit began large batches of reprints of their modules, primarily to take advantage of a new style of 5/8" counter layout and artwork.  Escape from Chosin, though published only a few years earlier, was one of modules selected for this treatment.  In contrast to some of the other reprints, this new edition is probably more justifiable, because of the poor quality of the countersets in the original edition.  The new counters are considerably better. 

The map is an exact reprint of the 2008 map, which was a good map.  The 2nd Edition also comes with a mapless version for people who already owned the 1st edition and don't need to pay for a map. 

The one interesting addition to the new edition is a campaign game, Toktong Ridge Runners, a 15-date campaign.  This makes the module more attractive and provides a chance to play more extensively on the historical map.  However, with a listed price of $59.95, the module is somewhat overpriced.

The two (non-contiguous) maps feature areas alongside the Volkhov River.  The smaller "Volkhov" mapsheet features a hill along a bend in the river.  The larger and far more interesting "Russa/Sitno" map, 36" long, depicts a long stretch of the Volkhov River featuring towns on each end separated by a region dominated by gullies, woods, and a few small hills.  Both of the maps are attractive.  Four scenarios are set on each map.  Oddly, no scenarios use the entire Volkhov map, but three scenarios  use the entire larger Russa/Sitno map.

The module also includes 160 counters consisting of 2 sets of 80 (each set in 2 small sheets for 4 total).  Although the marketing material on the back of Spanish Fury claims twice that there are 192 counters (in two sets of 96) and once that there are 224 counters, in actual fact, only 160 counters come with the game.  These are all Spanish infantry counters (squads, half squads, leaders, and heroes), which are depicted in a two-tone (grey on blue) fashion.  It is not clear why this is the case, as the units are identical to (and treated the same as) German units, and there are no scenarios featuring non-Blau units.  It would seem that none of the counters are necessary to play any of the scenarios (the marketing material seems to suggest that Boat and Wagon counters are also included, but none were included in the copy used for this overview).

Half of the scenarios are large in size, with the other half small or medium-sized.  Overall, there is a good mix.  Typically, the scenarios have few SSRs and are pretty straightforward, although a couple of scenarios limit the ability of Soviet units to move and fight.  Three scenarios have OBA, one uses Night Rules, and two scenarios use Boats.  The scenarios that will probably seem most interesting to many ASLers are the ones that use the entire Russa/Sitno map, as they can create some interesting tactical situations.  SF6 (Fire on the Volkhov), for example, forces the Spanish player to control buildings in each of the two widely separated villages, creating two separate battles on the same map.  SF7 (Liquidate the Bridgehead?) allows the Soviet player to choose one of three victory conditions, each of which will determine where on the map his main emphasis will be. 

Overall, Spanish Fury seems to be an attractive product with some potentially interesting scenarios.

Both feature smallish historical maps; the Manor map in particular depicts a small playing area (only 11 hexes by 15 hexes), using a large hex size.  Both maps are very green, featuring mostly open terrain and woods or brush (with hedgerows for the Manor), with nothing remarkable or unusual about them.  The terrain in both could have been approximated pretty well with geomorphic maps.

The Strass mini-module comes with 4 scenarios; the Manor mini-module adds 2 more.  Presumably to make more use of the Manor map, Critical Hit threw in two somewhat dubious "bonus" scenarios, which were previously published scenarios [BM3 (Normandy Nights) is derived from CH24 (Those Normandy Nights) from Critical Hit magazine; it is not clear what BM4 (Advance on  Beach Exit 2) is derived from].  Obviously, for these scenarios, the map is not "historical." 

The included counters are not required for play and consist of 1 small countersheet of American infantry and 1 small countersheet of vehicles and guns, some of which appear in some of the scenarios and some of which seem random.  Two copies of each countersheet are provided.  Because Critical Hit provided no play aid explaining their alternative, non-intuitive counter artwork (which is especially inscrutable for vehicles), players who do not have such a play aid from some other Critical Hit product will find the counters relatively worthless.

The scenarios are generally small (sometimes very small).  The largest is HS2 (Returning the Favor), which pits 16 German squads and one AFV against 12 American squads and one AFV.  Two scenarios have OBA, one is essentially all armor (plus a half squad), and one is a night Air Drop scenario.

Overall, this is not a very exciting product.  Perhaps fanatic Band of Brothers fans may wish to get it in order to be able to replicate via ASL the famous "attack on the guns" depicted in the mini-series, but otherwise its allure is limited. 

The module was designed by long-time Critical Hit stalwarts Kurt Martin, Pedro Ramis, and Ray Tapio.

Many rules represent the terrain at Omaha.  There are rules for "Buildings with Roads" (in which roads are not along a hexside, as per Village Terrain), for on-map trenches and perimeter wire, for a water line that shifts as the tide rises, and for various beach obstacles and pillbox/casemate types.  There are also rules for items such as Bangalore Torpedoes and TNT charges (including Bangalore and Tetryl Heroes!).  Other rules govern "On Board Naval Direct Fire" from nearby destroyers (!), as well as rules for the destroyers themselves.  Another new feature are on board rockets, such as Nebelwerfers. 

FWaO also (unfortunately) introduces two new squad types:  6-6-8 U.S. Army Ranger squads and 5-5-7 U.S. Army Engineer squads.  It would have been nice if the existing American OB could have been used for these units.  One interesting unit, however, is the General Cota leader counter, representing Brigadier General Norman "Dutch" Cota, immortalized in the movie "The Longest Day" by actor Robert Mitchum.  Cota was the assistant division commander of the 29th Infantry Division, one of the highest ranking American officers to land in the initial attack, and was essential in salvaging the near-debacle at Omaha.  He is represented in FWaO as a heroic 10-3 leader who acts as a kindly Commissar (i.e., failure to rally does not result in replacement).  Moreover, his presence increases the morale level of all friendly Infantry units in the same AND adjacent hexes by +2. 

What is most noteworthy about the rules is their relative brevity.  The rulebook itself is only 12 pages long, but this includes one page of charts and two pages of climbing rules that are not actually used in the module, but rather are used in the related Pointe du Hoc 2nd Edition module. 

The maps themselves are detailed and well-done, depicting not just the beaches themselves, but inland up to a kilometer or so, including a couple of villages and the beginnings of the dread hedgerows.  The palette used is rather dark, so good lighting is needed to be able to distinguish some of the features on the map.  Two terrain levels in particular use an almost identical color.   The beach is well done. 

The countersheets that come with the module include not only the new squad types and other new units required to play, but a full array of German and American squads, leaders, and SW.  These are superfluous, but it is probably just as well, as using them (as opposed to the normal ASL unit countermix) would eliminate the potential problem of distinguishing between MMP counters and Critical Hit counters in a stack.  The graphics on the counters are fine, but the depiction of information on them is severely flawed, especially for guns and vehicles.  To avoid copyright issues, Critical Hit adopted a "variant" method of presenting information on counters which is not only different from the standard and accepted way of presenting information, but is also counter-intuitive.  Other third party producers have come up with ways to produce much better looking ASL compatible counters that do not duplicate the "look and feel" of official counters; it is long overdue for Critical Hit to abandon their awful variant counter layouts and come up with a similar solution.

Although no campaign game for the Omaha landings is provided, much the same effect is created by a massive 39-turn invasion scenario, FWaO-16 (Black Day for the 116), which depicts the entire assault landing of the 116th Regimental Combat Team.  Most of the play aids are designed for use with this scenario.  It would be well suited for team play. 

Somewhat strangely, the other 15 scenarios are heavily weighted towards the small in size.  Only 4 are large, and 3 medium, while 8 are small in size.  A couple are simply too small in size to be worth playing.  FWaO-5 (Texas Tea), for example, features 2 American half-squads, 1 crew, Cota, three other leaders, and two modules of NOBA.  The Germans have 3 squads, a crew, and two leaders.  It is just not worth the effort to play such a tiny scenario.  One would think that if any topic would attract those players interested in meaty scenarios, it would be the Omaha landings, but there is a shortage of such scenarios in the module.  This is a bit disappointing.

Three of the 16 scenarios include OBA/NOBA, while five have seaborne assaults.  This latter figure means that there is plenty to do in this module even for those players who don't wish to have to deal with landing craft and the other complexities of amphibious landings. 

With the exception of the scenario size mix, which seems too unbalanced in favor of small scenarios, this is a pretty impressive looking product.   It is easy to imagine an Omaha module jammed to the rafters with special rules and complexity, but this is not it.  This module is actually playable without a tremendous amount of rules-cramming.  It also offers quite a bit of variety in its different scenario selections, from seaborne assaults to inland fighting.  And the massive landing scenario should make all Amphibious ASLers salivate.  This is one of Critical Hit's more impressive releases of the past couple of years.

When first released, this module was also available (for an additional $10) in a format that included countersheets from the first Berlin module (which are needed to play some of the scenarios in Tyrant's Lair).

The real appeal of a module like TL is to be able to use the historical map, and the map in TL is excellent, perhaps the best that Critical Hit has done.  Though his name does not appear in the credits, the map artist is reportedly Charlie Kibler, designer of the original Red Barricades.  The level of detail is very impressive.  The map artwork is superior to that in FOTR, which itself was not bad artwork.  Of course, that very fact also points out that the artwork in TL is different from the artwork in FOTR, even though the two modules mate.  Though Kibler clearly patterned his own artwork after that of the original module, there is more detail, the graphics are somewhat different, as are some of the colors, and there are typographic differences as well.  This has no effect on play, or any effect at all on scenarios that use only the TL maps, but put them together and it is clear that they are not the same style.

Still, regardless of style comparisons, players can now contend over famous (or infamous) buildings such as the Reich Chancellery or the Air Ministry, as well as places such as the Wertheim Department Store and the Excelsior Hotel.  Play on the TL map has the potential to have a somewhat different feel as play on the FOTR map, as there are far fewer water obstacles, but also less open ground. 

The counters provided in TL consist of two identical sets of two small countersheets.  For the most part, the counters duplicate ones already in the ASL system, such as additional 6-2-8 Soviet squads and 6-5-8 SS squads, as well as a bevy of Soviet AFVs.  Bizarrely, Critical Hit seems to have included none of the new counters that appeared in FOTR which are required to play some of the TL scenarios, such as 4-2-7 Hitler Youth MMC.  This means that players must purchase or own FOTR in order to play some of the scenarios that are included in TL.  The counters are typical for CH counters of this period; small cramped fonts; okay artwork, and awful layout, especially for the AFVs, which cannot be understood without a degree of some sort.

The rules to TL, which are the FOTR rules plus some extra rules for terrain that appears only on the TL map, are complex.  Berlin in 1945 is not the simplest sort of terrain to represent at the tactical level, and some of the rules are detailed.  It was partially for this reason that a number of errata and clarifications had to be issued to FOTR, resulting in several different rulebooks over the past several years.  Hopefully, the TL rulebook will have had all these issues straightened out.  For those unfamiliar with FOTR, that module introduces rules for new units that include SS leaders, SS tank hunter teams, Red Banner infantry, Soviet liberated prisoners, Gestapo infantry, Hitler Youth Infantry, and Nazi political leaders.  Additional rules represent subways and underground rail lines, on-board rockets, flooded trenches, coal piles, the infamous Zoo Flak towers, and much else.  To these, TL adds rules for concrete buildings, the Reich Chancellery, Hitler's bunker, bridge debris, and more.

TL adds two additional campaign games.  B3R CG 3 (In the Ruins of the Reich) is a 5 campaign date CG that uses only the map from FOTR.  It is unusual in that the main objective for the Germans is to exit German civilians off the map; very different from typical campaign game victory conditions.   B3R CG 4 (The Downfall) is a 9 campaign date CG that uses the entirety of the FOTR and TL mapsets and essentially represents the entire battle for the heart of Berlin.  One interesting aspect of FOTR and TL campaign games is that they allow the German to purchase "optional" reinforcement groups that represent units drawn from other parts of the Battle for Berlin; the catch is that doing so causes the possibility of a Soviet breakthrough on one of those other sectors.  A breakthrough causes an entry area to become Soviet controlled and the Soviets are given units to enter from this area. 

TL contains 15 scenarios with a good mix of sizes.  About half are small or medium in size, and the remaining half are large in size.  Six scenarios use OBA, while one scenario uses the Night rules and another uses a simplified set of Night rules.  Most of the scenarios use a small portion of the TL map area; one of them, TL6 (Breaking Berlin), utilizes the entire TL map.  This is the second largest scenario in the module and features a major Soviet attack from a bridgehead across the Landwehr Kanal.  It features 50 Soviet squads, 29 AFVs, and 17 Guns attacking 49 Germans squads, 13 AFVs (including 2 King Tigers) and 3 Guns.

Of course, that's the second largest scenario in the module.  The largest scenario is TL12 (The Downfall), which is a massive scenario that takes place on the combined FOTR/TL mapsets.  With 56 turns, it is essentially a campaign game in scenario form.  The superlarge scenario is something that Critical Hit previously tended to offer in lieu of a campaign game, which was disappointing to aficionados of that form, but TL includes both campaign games and a superlarge scenario, so one can have one's cake and eat it, too.  The scenario takes place over the course of 3 days and two nights; a weekend getaway to hell.  Each 24-hour day essentially consists of 13 daylight turns, 3 twilight turns, and 6 night turns, so each turn represents roughly an hour of real time (a bit over that for the night turns).  The night turns are not represented by the full night rules, but rather only by a +3 LV Hindrance, which can be mitigated by starshells and illumination rounds. 

To win, the Soviets essentially need to take the bulk of Berlin, or at least all its important stuff.  They have a lot of forces with which to do so.  The Soviets have around 169 squads, 72 AFVs and 31 Guns, plus lots of OBA.  The defending Germans have about 163 squads, 21 AFVs, and 17 Guns, plus the deadly Flak towers.  Is it balanced?  Who knows?  By the time it is over, players will feel as if they actually did fight the battle.  One plays a superlarge scenario like this for the experience, not the outcome.

Overall, TL looks as if it has a lot to offer, from a variety of scenarios of different sizes to campaign games.  The map is attractive and interesting, and one does get a good atmosphere of "Berlin 1945" from the module.  A nice effort.

2011 Update:  In late 2010, Critical Hit released Kursk:  Devil's Domain, another historical module.  It contains new counters for B IV demolition AFVs as well as revised rules for their operation, that can also be used for TL.  Additionally, the product contains a small number of new counters for owners of CH's Berlin modules, as well as (in some cases) new or revised rules for their use.  These include counters for the Borgward B IV 88mm PSK Raketenpanzerbuchse 54, for the Pantherturm/Pazerturm, for the Berlin Zoo Flak Tower, and for the 30cm Wurfkorper M FL50.  As the counters are all in CH's "new style," they are far superior in layout than the counters appearing in the original modules.

KDD comes with no campaign games, only scenarios.

The rules that come with KDD provide mostly instructions for a few minor terrain types (map-printed trenches, map-printed wire, map-printed minefields) and units/markers.  The latter, however, include a new entrenchment counter, the revetment, which represent prepared defensive positions for Soviet tanks.  These rules do not seem entirely developed as printed.  In scenarios with revetments, revetment locations are recorded for every Soviet AFV, whether setting up on board or entering from off-board.  Players must record both "primary" and "secondary" revetment locations for each AFV; the latter must "be at least 10 hexes south of the primary position."   "Secondary" revetments are basically just extra revetments except in one circumstance.  The rules require that AFVs entering from off-board must immediately move to enter their primary revetment.   If it is occupied by an enemy unit within LOS then it must attempt to enter its secondary revetment.  However, the rules also remove these restrictions for any Soviet AFV that can trace LOS to an enemy AFV; this is confusing, because the rules simultaneously require a Soviet AFV to attempt to enter its secondary revetment if its primary revetment is occupied by an enemy unit (AFV or not).  So if a Soviet AFV sees an enemy AFV, are its movement restrictions actually removed or not?  Moreover, the rules allow any AFV to occupy a revetment (even an enemy one), but they do not explain if two AFVs (enemy or friendly) can simultaneously occupy a revetment.  One effect of this might be that a Soviet AFV must still enter its primary or secondary revetment, even if another Soviet AFV already occupies it.  The revetment rules have been revised several times since release as errata; players are advised to check to make sure they have the latest errata before playing.

Another problem occurs in the Fougasse flamethrower rules.  The Fougasse counters represent dug-in, improvised flame-throwing devices.  To activate them, the rules state that one must make "a die roll of ≤ 3."  The counters specify a "DR" of ≤ 3.  There is, of course, a huge difference in ASL between a dr and a DR; which one is meant?  Critical Hit later issued a clarification in its Forum that "dr" is correct, but woe to the player who does not read the forums and discover this.   The rules for "Hidden A-T Ditches," particularly with regard to HIP status and infantry entry, are also problematic, and required several new versions by CH to provide clarification.  Some other rules have ambiguities as well (e.g.,. improved replacements, crew recall, etc.).  When one factors in the fact that a number of the scenario cards also contain errata (some fixed scenario cards are available at  http://criticalhit.com/DD_errata.pdf), it is hard to arrive at any other conclusion that the development and playtesting process for this product was sloppy.  Prior to playing a scenario from this product, players should make sure that they have the latest rules and scenario errata from Critical Hit.

There are also "optional" rules in KDD, most of which seem designed to curry favor with one or another groups of ASLers who have grudges against some of the standard rules in ASL.  Thus there is an "optional" rule for Soviet "machine gun crews" that provides penalties for any other Soviet unit when using MMG/HMG.  There is another "optional" rule forcing German crews who survive the elimination of their vehicle to exit the mapboard.  Those are simply grudge rules.  One optional rule is situation-specific; the "optional" rule, for "tank ramming," which exists primarily because many ASL players associate Kursk with tanks ramming each other (in reality, only about one tank was rammed per day during the entire huge battle of Kursk, not enough to warrant such a rule).  All of these rules could safely have been left out.

The strength of KDD clearly is not in the rules.  Rather, the most appealing element of KDD lies in its historical map.  It is one of the more impressive ASL maps ever published.  One hopes that it is realistic (the source of the map is not given); at least it is detailed.   From the north, where the Germans begin their attack, the map slopes upwards towards two hill positions.  The ground is mostly covered in grain, interspersed with bits of other terrain, from gullies to shellholes.  As the Germans move up the slope, they face two lengthy lines of barbed wire, which are themselves merely outworks of a fortified trench line protecting the hill positions.  If the Germans get past these positions, they can move across some more grain fields towards the Workers' Settlement at Ponyri, depicted as wooden-building-ed village terrain.  Past the Settlement, one arrives at the second, southernmost map, and here the terrain tends to diverse.  The eastern half of the southern map, which depicts the Ponyri Train Station and its environs, is more open, with various buildings and fields interspersed with other types of terrain.  One sees here some of the larger buildings on the map, including factories (to depict some of the train station and train repair station buildings).  The western half, in contrast, is far more densely settled as one moves into the other outlying workers' settlements around Ponyri and then the town itself.  Buildings, typically single hex wooden buildings, are densely concentrated here, and most of the streets are narrow streets. 

The map colors are quite muted, as is typical Critical Hit graphic style (probably too muted), and some of the crest lines are a bit difficult to detect as a result.  However, the overall effect of the map aesthetically is very striking; whether the map is accurate or not, it definitely gives the feeling of verisimilitude.  Theoretically, players can experience a striking change of combat environments as they fight across KDD's battlefield, going from rural to village environments.

It is important to note, however, that said experience largely cannot help being largely a theoretical one, because the vast majority of scenarios in the module cannot provide it.  Of the 18 scenarios in KDD, fully 17 of them use simply a portion of a single one of the two included maps.  No scenarios use all of a single map.  One lone scenario, Ponyri #15 (Bears on the Prowl) uses all of both maps.  And while this scenario is a quite large scenario (featuring 48 German squads and 17 AFVs attacking 43 Soviet squads with 10 guns and 5 AFVs), it is not nearly large enough to fill the map area nor to give players a sense of the large-scale fighting involved.   KDD eschews campaign games, as many recent CH historical modules have, but in contrast to a number of recent releases, including Berlin: Tyrant's Lair and First Wave at Omaha, KDD does not prove a counterbalancing really huge scenario that can stand in for a campaign game for those players who really want to play some meaty action on historical maps.  That is quite a shame, especially as one would think that a module on Kursk would really cry out for large-scale actions.

KDD provides a number of die-cut counters (as is typical, CH provides duplicate countersheets to increase the total number of counters).  Most of these are basic German and Soviet infantry units, leaders, and SW.  It is unclear why most of these 1/2" counters exist.  CH does not provide enough of these counters that players can use them in place of official ASL counters, and it is unlikely that any ASL player would actually prefer these counters to official ones, which are more attractive.  Many of them appear to be counters just for the sake of having counters with the product.  It should also be noted that the die-cutting on the 1/2" counters is very deep and counters will easily fall off of their trees, so players need to be very careful not to lose any counters in such a way. 

Among the 1/2" counters for which there is a legitimate need, one can only find 4 control markers and 6 Fougasse counters (this means there are actually 8 and 12, because all countersheets are duplicated).  The hundreds of others are essentially unnecessary.   Among the 5/8" counters, there are 8 Emplacement counters, 10 Revetment counters, and 4 blockhouse counters (again, this is per sheet, and two sheets are included).  There are also counters for some German radio-controlled armored vehicles and a few other odds and ends.  The remainder are duplicates of already existing counters or, in some cases, some replacement counters (with rules) for Berlin: Tyrant's Lair.  At least the AFV and Gun counters appear in CH's "new" layout, which now essentially adopts the strategies of other third party publishers Heat of Battle and Bounding Fire Productions in creating counters that do not stray far from the style of "official" counter layout.  This is in sharp distinction to CH's earlier counters, which used a virtually incomprehensible "alternative" way of depicting counter information.  As a result, CH's AFV/Gun counters are for the first time in many years readable and attractive.  They distinguish themselves from "official" counters primarily through the use of the letters "CH" appearing on each counter. 

KDD comes with 18 scenarios, a generous allotment (again, don't forget to download the scenario cards that fix errata in a number of scenarios).  One scenario, Ponyri #15 (Bears on the Prowl), uses both maps.  Of the others, 7 use Map 1 (the northern map) and 10 use Map 2 (the southern map).  Oddly, the 18 scenarios are overwhelmingly small to medium-sized in scale.  Aside from Bears on the Prowl, even the few largish scenarios are not particularly large.  The average KDD scenario probably has about 9-13 squads and 2-4 AFVs per side.  While a number of ASLers would consider that almost a perfect scenario size for geomorphic-map scenarios, tastes tend to run larger for historical modules, as players actually want to get a chance to feel and experience more of the map, and to sink their teeth into something.  After all, if they are going to go to the trouble of setting up a historical map and learning a host of special historical rules, they ought to be able to get their time and effort's worth, right?  Though  there are no tiny scenarios in KDD (as have dominated some other CH products, such as Witches' Cauldron), the lack of meaty scenarios hurts KDD, because the people who will gravitate towards this particular subject are going to be largely the same people who would want more large scenarios.  However, those who do like their scenarios to be more quick playing will find a host of actions to choose from in KDD.

Of the 18 scenarios, a rather amazing 16 of them feature OBA.  Air Support also appears in 6 of the scenarios.  The following chart indicates the prevalence of OBA in KDD:

The heavy dose of OBA in almost every scenario is important when one combines it with the fact that most of the scenarios in KDD are small to medium-sized.  What this means is that in a number of the scenarios, certain OBA-related DRs may well end up being crucial to the outcome and a bit of bad luck in this regard could have significant consequences.  Perhaps more importantly, it also means that players who do not care for OBA will find themselves with few options.

Of the scenarios without OBA, Ponyri #11 (Maskirovka) looks the most interesting.  It takes place across much of the eastern part of Map 2, which gives it a bit of space.  The attacking Germans must control a key building while not suffering too many casualties (although the cap is very high).  To do the job, they have 16 squads of varying types, well led (including a 10-2 leader and a hero) and very well armed, including 6 MG, 2 ATR, 4 DC, and a FT.  To help them along, they get a platoon of StuGs.  The defending Soviets get 8 squads, 5 MG, 4 ATR, 3 Guns, 3 tanks, and 2 so-called "company strongpoints," which in KDD are a host of fortifications and entrenchments, some of which come ready-manned.

Kursk: Devil's Domain comes with such a nice map that one wants very much to like this product.  However, with its somewhat problematic set of scenarios, lack of a campaign game, and seemingly hasty development, KDD doesn't quite live up to the promise of its nice mapwork.  KDD will probably appeal most to people who are particularly fascinated with the battle of Kursk and are willing to live with the module's shortcomings in order to "experience" the whiff of battle at Ponyri.

The map is essentially square.  In the northwest corner of the map, there is a tiny sliver of beach (7 hexes worth); the rest of the map depicts inland terrain, dominated by jungle, palm trees, a hill in the center of the map, larger hills on the east edge, and a shellhole-pocked runway in the south.  Because of the proliferation of palm trees and shellholes, open ground hexes are a relatively rare occurrence on the map.  Specific places are often labeled, such as the aircraft hangars, the "Bomb-Proof Power Plant," Air Raid Shelter #4, and so forth, which provide a nice sense of verisimilitude to the map.  The artwork is serviceable, though the jungle hexes are irritating, because the repeated cloning and stamping of identical jungle graphics from hex to hex is too blatant and obvious.

One new terrain type is introduced which appears frequently on the map:  coral outcroppings, which represent "sharp-edged terrain created by ancient coral beds."  They are treated, more or less, as a combination of crags and woods.   Jungle terrain rules are slightly modified to represent "Casuarina Forest," a lighter type of jungle.  Other terrain rules apply for specific map features, such as an anti-tank ditch near the beach, the Japanese headquarters, the Water Cistern Building, Fuel Bunkers, and so forth.  PWBO also adds a new entrenchment, the so-called Fuel Drum Emplacement, which represents makeshift fortifications using 55-gallon fuel drums filled with sand and rock. 

In addition to explaining the terrain rules, the PWBO rules also include sections to depict the Japanese defenders.  Some of these rules are significant, including the provisions that Japanese Elite/1st Line infantry have a -4 DRM to HOB (!) and may not conduct Banzai charges, and that Japanese units are Fanatic while in caves, pillboxes, and the Japanese Headquarters.  The Japanese have a special Booby Trap capability that can actually cause Japanese squads (possibly with DCs) to appear on the map; this is a very interesting rule.  The Sniper rules are also modified to represent Japanese troops popping out of hidden "spider holes."  On any Japanese Sniper Attack dr of 3, a spider hole attack might occur; these basically cause half squads to appear much as the Booby Traps cause squads to appear.  These rules can add a bit of excitement to a situation in which the Japanese will often be playing a very passive role.  PWBO rules also make it easier for the Japanese to target USMC artillery observers, and provide the Japanese with a monster but inaccurate offboard 200mm mortar.

The PWBO rules for the Marines provide special abilities to counters representing USMC officers Chesty Puller and Ray Davis, worshipped as demi-gods by USMC fans.  They also provide 4-4-7/3-3-6 counters to represent the "Seabees" (construction battalion troops), as well as 4-5-8 counters for "walking wounded" Marines.  However, none of the scenarios in PWBO actually utilize the Seabee counters; a note suggests that "later scenarios to be published in Critical Hit Magazine will use these counters," which is pretty darn optimistic, considering that, as of this writing, it has been more than 4 years since an issue of that magazine has come out.   Important rules also appear delineating the effects of water shortage and extreme water shortage on USMC troops.  A new SW also appears, the "T20 shoulder-fired light mortar."  However, as the weapon as represented in the module is as crappy as it appears to have been in reality, players with them may never even bother to use them.

Many of the USMC rules add little more than gratuitous chrome, sometimes at the expense of time and complexity.  These include "Marine Runners," "Grenade Only Attacks," "USMC DC Heroes," and "Marine War Dogs."

It should be noted that the rules themselves are essentially only 6 pages long; the rest of the rulebook mostly consists of a combination of designer's and historical notes that explain some of the design decisions in the game.  These actually include historical references and are a welcome addition.

PWBO comes with a lot of counters, but most of these are duplicate counters of "official" counters and are not needed to play the module.  As there are not enough of these duplicate counters to actually play all the scenarios in the product with them, it is unclear why they appear at all.  It increases the price of the product for no gain.  Perhaps the reasoning behind it is the somewhat cynical view that ASLers may be more likely to buy a product if they notice it has a lot of counters in it.  The only actual additions to the system include counters for the T20 mortars, the Fuel Drum Entrenchments,  the USMC DC heroes, and a few individual counters.  Players should note that the die-cutting on the 1/2" counters is extremely deep, with the result that counters fall from their counter tree at a slight touch.  They should be careful to insure against the inadvertent loss of counters in this fashion.

Because this is a late war Central Pacific-themed module featuring the USMC, the 8 scenarios tend to feature caves and 7-6-8 USMC squads.  Most of the scenarios use only a fraction of the mapboard.  Almost all of them are about the same size as a half-geo-board scenario, or slightly smaller.  The smallest are PWBO#6 (Valley of the Dead), which uses a map area that is only 9 hexes by 10 hexes in size, and PWBO#7 (Captain Harada's Counter-Attack), which is 6 hexes by 9 hexes in size.  That's pretty darn tiny.  Only one scenario, PWBO#8 (White Beach Blood Red), uses a significant portion of the map, and this is the one scenario that uses the entire map. 

Of the 8 scenarios, one is small, 3 are medium in size, while the remaining 4 are large.  Of the large scenarios, PWBO #8 (White Beach Blood Red) is ultra-large scenario that spans the entire map.  Depicting the day of the invasion, it spans 18 turns.  Only it and one other scenario, PWBO #1 (Spitfire Three) are Seaborne Assaults.  None of the scenarios are Night scenarios.  Every single one of the 8 scenarios features Air Support (though in one case it is an option).  All but 1 of the 8 scenarios feature OBA (though in one case it is an option).  In most of the scenarios, in fact, there will be multiple OBA modules--sometimes multiple modules per side.  In PWBO#4 ("Able Marines Fill the Gap"), for example, a scenario that pits 22 USMC squads against 13 defending Japanese squads, the Japanese have 1 module of 150mm OBA, 1 module of 70mm OBA, and their Offboard High Caliber Mortar.  Not to be outdone, the Americans have a module of 300mm Naval OBA and a module of 80mm OBA.   For those who are curious, the one scenario that doesn't feature OBA is PWBO #7 (Captain Harada's Counter-Attack), the one small scenario in the product.  Half of the scenarios feature Caves, while 5 of the 8 scenarios feature heavy amounts of fortifications for the Japanese--in some scenarios pretty much every single Japanese unit will set up in a fortification/entrenchment, HIP, or both.  Most of the scenarios are pretty SSR-heavy.

The USMC are on the attack in 5 scenarios, but the Japanese get their licks in with the remaining 3.  Because the Japanese SAN in most scenarios is 6 or 7, they will be getting some blows in regardless, especially considering the extra Sniper Activation possibilities.  American leadership is good--probably too good in most scenarios.  In PWBO#1 (Spitfire Three), for example, 14 USMC squads are accompanied by 7 leaders and a hero.  And of those 7 leaders, 5 of them have a -1 or better leadership DRM.  In PBWO#2 ("...Get Off the Air!"), 15 USMC squads have 7 leaders and a hero.  Of these 7 leaders, all seven of them have at least a -1 DRM.  In PBWO#4 ("Able Marines Fill the Gap"), 23 USMC squads bring along 12 leaders (plus an armor leader), 8 of which are -1 or better (including 1 10-2 and 2 9-2 leaders).  Having a leader to squad ratio of better than 1 to 2, all of which are good leaders, is pretty ridiculous.  Moreover, the worst USMC leader in the entire module is an 8-0; apparently the USMC only sent its good leaders to Peleliu.  In contrast, the Japanese have a total of 12 8+1 leaders (the Japanese equivalent of 6+1 leaders) in the scenarios in the module.  Moreover, five of the 8 scenarios give the USMC a hero to start with; none of them give the Japanese a hero. 

The small number of scenarios in the module means there is only limited room for variation.  Most of the scenarios feature a host of 7-6-8 USMC squads, heavily armed and accompanied by tank and air support, engaging a mostly hidden force of low fire-power Japanese, of varying quality, fortified on a small and clustered battleground that will see lots of OBA.  If this is the type of scenario that appeals to you, then Peleliu: White Beach One will be right up your alley.

If the bibliography included with the module is any indication, the module may be lightly researched (it lacks, for example, two of the three key works on the campaign, and also doesn't even mention the unit history of the 57th Regiment:  Olson, John E [assisted by Frank O. Anders], Anwhere, Anytime: The History of the Fifty-Seventh Infantry (PS), privately printed, 1991).  There are also errors in the historical material, such as repeatedly listing General Richard Sutherland as commander of the Provision Tank Group when he was not.  Sutherland was MacArthur's notorious chief of staff; Col (later Brigadier General) James Weaver commanded the Provisional Tank Group.  

The map in BML seems loosely based on the actual historical terrain, although oddly enough, the village of Mabatang itself is missing (seemingly replaced entirely by shellholes).  The artwork is decent, though flawed by Critical Hit's reliance on terrain-stamping (using the same single-hex woods graphic over and over and over again).  It's nice to see the many rice paddies (rare on ASL maps).  No fortifications appear on the map (and the scenario-provided fortifications sometimes seem insufficient to represent this prepared defensive line).

A four-page rules booklet is included, but essentially there is just one page of rules, and they are simple, meaning that players do not have to absorb a number of campaign specific rules before playing.   Some of these rules are to explain counters on the small countersheet included with BML.  Unlike a number of other recent Critical Hit products, BML actually comes with counters that are not primarily duplicates of existing counters.  Most notably, BML introduces counters specifically for the Philippine Scouts, which are basically equivalent to Elite American squads, except with a lower smoke grenade factor.  The countersheet also includes counters for lower-strength DCs made of TNT, as well as counters representing carabao, the Filipino water buffalo, used as a beast of burden (and, in this campaign, quickly eaten by the starving Fil-American forces).  Also included are some Japanese AFV turret counters for the Type 89 (A and B) tanks; these are welcome because they show where the off-center RMG is so that players don't have to constantly try to figure out its location).  Oddly, 60mm mortar counters are provided, even though (because of lack of ammunition), these were weapons that were not used in the campaign.

BML contains no campaign game, which is a shame, because the fighting for the Mabatang position occurred over several days, with both sides feeding in reinforcements, and would have made an excellent subject for a campaign game.  Instead, it contains a mere 8 scenarios.   Half the scenarios are large; the others are divided between small and medium in size.  Three scenarios feature OBA; two scenarios use Night rules, while two scenarios utilize Air Support.   The Japanese are on the attack in 6 of the 8 scenarios.  One scenario, BML#8 (On the Road to Abucay) utilizes the whole map; the other scenarios only use portions.  Overall, it seems like a good mix of scenarios, with a number of opportunities for meaty but manageable PTO action on a historical map.

Several of the scenarios look interesting.  MBL#1 (Probing the Mabatang Line) seems like a solid medium-sized effort, with both sides getting some toys to play with.  MBL#3 (Fry's Philippine Scouts) depicts a rare (for this module, anyway) Fil-American counterattack against a Japanese penetration.   MBL#6 (Mopping Up Mabatang) depicts a large Japanese attack, with considerable armor support (potentially up to 9 tanks), against the Fil-American lines.   The large, all-map scenario is MBL#8 (On the Road to Abucay), depicting a major Japanese attack.  The intense, 7-turn scenario features 29 Japanese squads, 5 crews,  8 leaders, and 2 tanks (plus a ton of SW) on the attack, later reinforced by 10 more squads and 8 more tanks.  The Japanese also get Air Support and a100mm OBA.  The defending Fil-Americans have 20 squads, 6 guns, and tons of fortifications; they too are reinforced, with 8 squads and 2 AFVs.  They get 100mm OBA, too.  To win, the Japanese must clear the Americans from the major part of the playing area, or inflict substantial casualties. 

Overall, MBL looks like a decent product, featuring a unique situation not seen in any earlier HASLs and a good mix of scenarios.  With few special rules, it is easy to get into and play as well.  It is a shame, though, that it comes with no campaign game.  Nevertheless, fans of the PTO will definitely want to obtain this product.

The real feature of NT is not its marketing of the SS (more on that below), but rather the historical map.  This is a large, attractive map that manages to capture the look and feel of the Wingen-sur-Moder area very nicely.   Moreover, the terrain itself is very interesting, as it depicts a small village stretched out in a valley between a railway line and the Moder river.  Different parts of the map have different terrain feels to them and a lot of tactical nuances.  It is the sort of map that one sees and immediately wants to set up a scenario on.  Luckily, the scenarios included in the module (there is no campaign game) use a lot of different areas of the map, so the whole map really can be used by players, unlike the maps of a number of other modules that contain large "dead zones" where no scenarios are set.

The game comes with die-cut counters, accompanied by the usual Critical Hit hype, boasting on the packaging of "six countersheets."  Well, no.  Actually, what the consumer gets is two sets of two half-sized and one sixth-sized countersheets.  It works out to two sets of would be, in reality, slightly over one full countersheet's worth of counters  (an average full-sized wargame countersheet typically contains from 200-280 counters).   The counters are primarily Waffen SS counters; naturally, they are rendered in black so as to capture the attention of the SS aficionado.  Additionally, though it is hard to see, given how dark the counters are, the cartoon figures on the counters are draped in SS camouflage, apparently for added attraction.  This is actually kind of ironic, because in this battle most of the soldiers probably were wearing winter camouflage suits (and are so depicted in the module's rules) and would look quite different from their counter depictions.

Some of the SS counters might serve a practical function, as opposed to merely being an enticement, because they are squad types that only appeared in "official" ASL products in the long out-of-print A Bridge Too Far module and thus many ASLers may not own the official versions of those counters.  There are also a handful of American counters, which seem like duplicates of existing counters.  There are also a few SS "walking wounded" counters and American prisoner counters.  In addition, there are some captured American vehicles and SW in SS colors, although even here, Critical Hit inconsistency raises its head.  So, for example, there is one counter in SS colors representing a dismantled U.S. 60mm/81mm MTR.  However, there is no corresponding "mantled" counter for either type of mortar, making it a perfectly useless counter.  There are also a few marker/utility counters in the mix.

The module comes with a 28-page booklet, but only 4 pages of this is rules; the rest is re-printed historical material.  The rules are rather light, consisting mostly of explaining the terrain on the map (nothing complicated or special).  There are a handful of additional special rules for things like hand to hand combat, captured weapons, etc.  Lastly, there are two sets of "optional" rules, for "bayonet charges" and "marching fire."  These rules are lengthy and complicated procedures taken from 1990s era Kinetic Energy publications (who are credited with "inspiring" them) and are totally gratuitous to the module.  They were allegedly included to "[make] the Americans more fun to play" and to "[provide] more texture to the Yank on the gaming battlefield."  Whatever.

The module comes with 10 scenarios, plus the typical FREE BONUS SCENARIO to fill up the reverse side of  a scenario card.  This latter is simply a reprint of an old Critical Hit magazine scenario (CH50, Simmons' Rebuff), with the VC conditions changed to require 25 or more CVP rather than 24.  It has nothing to do with Wingen-sur-Moder.

The 10 real scenarios are a decent mix of small, medium, and large actions, perhaps tending slightly to the smallish.  No scenarios employ Night or Air Support rules, but as seems to be typical in Larry Winslow designs, the module is OBA-heavy and 7 of the 10 scenarios have OBA.  This is a high percentage, considering that a number of ASLers are not really that crazy about OBA, for various reasons.   The scenarios typically have only a moderate number of SSRs, and these are mostly standard SSRs to establish the weather, provide OBA, etc.  Winter weather of various sorts is present in every scenario (not surprisingly).

A number of scenarios look interesting.  NT#1 (Dawn Attack) depicts the initial German capture of Wingen-sur-Moden, with a dozen or so SS squads attacking a group of sleepy Americans; both sides get to funnel reinforcements in the battle for the town.  NT#4 (Jumbo Time), depicting one of the first American counterattacks, features a rarely used American AFV, the Sherman "Jumbo" with its 18-strength frontal armor.  However, the scenario is less exciting than it might seem, because the Germans have no armor assets of their own in the scenario, only PSK and PF.  NT#8 (The 781st Tries Again), sort of  a sequel, once more employs some Jumbos, but at least here the Germans get one AFV, a captured American tank destroyer.

NT#7 (Back to Wingen) depicts a different, and more meaty, American counterattack, on another part of the map; here the attacking Americans have to cross a frigid river and fight their way into or through the southeast portion of the map.  With the possibility of immediate victory conditions, the Germans have to be careful. 

The big scenario, though, the one that uses the entire map (and serves as the module's substitute for a campaign game), is NT#9 (Wingen-sur-Moder), designed by Dave Lamb and Larry Winslow.  This 16-turn scenario represents the see-saw fighting that occurred on January 6, 1945.  In this large scenario, the Waffen SS have around 54 squads of various types, a few negligible vehicles, and some Gun options.  The Americans get to play with a bit over 70 squads (though many of them are 2nd line or even Green), about a dozen tanks (including the vaunted Jumbos), and various halftracks and jeeps.  They also get four varying modules of OBA. 

Once one gets past the SS marketing efforts, Nordic Twilight actually seems to be a nice little module.  The scenarios are simple and straightforward, the terrain is interesting, and it looks like it could be fun.