WWII: THE WAR ON THE GROUND!

◗ anschlusswargames.com ◗ £16 - £21.50

I ran into the excellent looking Panzer Lehr Counter Attacks game at Salute and was intrigued by the rule set being used and I’ve been sent a review copy that – I hope – will lead to more extensive coverage in the magazine in future issues.

Anschluss Publishing have written The War on the Ground (64 pages, A4 mono, soft back) and a couple of 125 page scenario books Forgotten Battles ‘Operation Husky’, the Invasion of Sicily, and Forgotten Battles from France to Germany (the former of which I have a copy of). The rules are well produced with a colour cover showing some splendid looking games (which – of course – attracted me, magpie that I am) plus it – and the scenario books – contain diagrams, period photos and more. Type is big and clear (always a bonus!) and charts and maps are simple and diagrammatic where needed (vehicle profiles feature a silhouette which I find very useful).

Rules are designed to be played from Company to Reinforced Battalion level, using figures from 6mm to 20mm but aimed fairly and squarely at the burgeoning 1/144th scale. Forces are represented on a 1:1 scale with the objective of a Company sized game played out in an evening.

The game used d20 and d10 (with the occasional d6) and they recommend a spread of coloured marker chits for results on units. Turns are split into a joint action phase; followed by a sequence of IGOUGO fire and move actions, unit by unit; and ending with another joint action section (calling for CAP from aircraft and damage book keeping and such like).

In addition to the rules books they come supplied with a rather nice card play sheet printed in colour but not gratuitously... What I mean by that – despite the fact that I’m a big fan of inspirational illustration – is the colour on the play sheet is entirely used to differentiate different charts or results making navigation around the individual tables (and there are fourteen of them) about as painless as possible and I think that’s a great thing for slick play. It’s also a treat nowadays to have it supplied on a durable piece of card and not to have to either print it out from a website or scalpel it out of the back of the rule book...

Check these out (and the other items Anschluss publish) on their website. These are certainly recommended.