Warhammer
09-05-2005, 01:31 AM
I finally got to play a turn or two of this game against a live opponent tonight.
Europe Engulfed is a operational level wargame covering WWII. It uses a block system to keep track of force strength as well as create a limited fog of war. The key game mechanic is use of special action markers.
Special action markers allow you to to do a variety of special actions on your turn including: breakthrough movement, breakthrough combat, reinforce combat, unlimited replacements, amphibious assaults, etc.
There are several phases for each turn:
1) Initial supply phase - check units for supply
2) Production - Conduct strategic warfare and then produce units/replacements (units outside of home areas cannot be reinforeced to full strength.)
3) Initial movement phase - Players conduct movement to initiate combat.
4) Strategic Movement
5) Initial combat phase - Conduct combat in newly contested areas, or previously contested areas. A key decision in combat is whether to launch a normal attack or an assault. An assault allows both sides to roll twice their combat strength, with the effect of extra casualties (defender fires first). The upshot is you can clear an area in only one round of combat.
6) Breakthrough movement/combat phase - A special action can be spent to buy extra combat or movement phases (in any order). Extra combat rounds can be applied anywhere. Movement is confined to specific areas to which you can move units to.
7) Final supply phase - Make sure all units are still in supply, remove those that are not in supply.
This is a great game that gets rid of a lot of the old 4-1, 3-1, etc. CRTs that a bunch of the older WWII games used. Plus, with the normal/assault combat decisions, you have a difficult choice to make in deciding whether to take fewer casualties and not clear the area (forcing you to spend special actions to clear the area) or to assault, take more casualties, but clear the area, and be able to press your attack using special actions.
Finally, it is designed so you can play the full WWII campaign in roughly 10-15 hours.
Europe Engulfed is a operational level wargame covering WWII. It uses a block system to keep track of force strength as well as create a limited fog of war. The key game mechanic is use of special action markers.
Special action markers allow you to to do a variety of special actions on your turn including: breakthrough movement, breakthrough combat, reinforce combat, unlimited replacements, amphibious assaults, etc.
There are several phases for each turn:
1) Initial supply phase - check units for supply
2) Production - Conduct strategic warfare and then produce units/replacements (units outside of home areas cannot be reinforeced to full strength.)
3) Initial movement phase - Players conduct movement to initiate combat.
4) Strategic Movement
5) Initial combat phase - Conduct combat in newly contested areas, or previously contested areas. A key decision in combat is whether to launch a normal attack or an assault. An assault allows both sides to roll twice their combat strength, with the effect of extra casualties (defender fires first). The upshot is you can clear an area in only one round of combat.
6) Breakthrough movement/combat phase - A special action can be spent to buy extra combat or movement phases (in any order). Extra combat rounds can be applied anywhere. Movement is confined to specific areas to which you can move units to.
7) Final supply phase - Make sure all units are still in supply, remove those that are not in supply.
This is a great game that gets rid of a lot of the old 4-1, 3-1, etc. CRTs that a bunch of the older WWII games used. Plus, with the normal/assault combat decisions, you have a difficult choice to make in deciding whether to take fewer casualties and not clear the area (forcing you to spend special actions to clear the area) or to assault, take more casualties, but clear the area, and be able to press your attack using special actions.
Finally, it is designed so you can play the full WWII campaign in roughly 10-15 hours.