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Greenwood, Don.; GI: Anvil of Victory Designers Notes; FIRE&MOVEMENT_n33_p17; March/April, 1983 Page 1 G.I.: ANVIL OF VICTORY did not care for a game system which some as one who blindly attributes represented the American fighting man in glorious abilities to the Nazis: In my Designers Notes a comparatively unfavorable light. Why, opinion, the average soldier fielded by the By Don Greenwood they protested, if the G.I. were so inferior Wehrmacht in the first five years of the to his German counterpart, did we push war was, indeed, the best man on the Mr.Selover’s [GIA Review by Jay the Huns all over Europe? field. There, I said it. By the time Selover; Fire&Movement #33, p12] That cannot be answered simply. Like American divisions took the field, the review leaves me little with which to most complex pictures, it must be painted cream of the German Wehrmacht had quibble. He paints a pleasant picture with in tones of gray rather than the more been scattered all over (and under) broad strokes of approval. Far be it from starkly contrasted black and white answer Europe. American land victories, by and me to argue with him; although, were I that X is greater than Y. For starters, one large, were won in the steel plants of the critic, I would have given myself a must recognize that Squad Leader, more Pittsburgh. Their German adversaries harder time. Close as I am to this the than most wargames, is a combination of were usually outnumbered, short on flaws perhaps seem more obvious to me. abstractions and compromises. Not every supplies, lacking adequate air cover, and The lack of actual bocage on the new German soldier (or squad) was superior to facing a virtual horde of Sherman tanks. mapboards seems to have been Dr. every American soldier; or every Polish After the Normandy breakout, American Selover’s lone major disappointment. or Italian one, either, for that matter. The troops, backed by immense firepower Our solution of using existing game system makes generalizations and advantages of all kinds, merely steam- walls/hedges to represent Normandy then compounds and exaggerates those rollered already battered or second-line hedgerows was indeed disappointing to findings to generate values that give a feel troops. It was a relatively rare situation many a purist. However, we did present for nationality differences. While when a temporary local superiority could the rules for this type of terrain and, admittedly unfair to judge men by their be used to wrest the initiative away from lacking sufficient room in the box to stuff nationality in this way, it is nonetheless a the G.I. and fuel Hollywood depictions of in yet another mapboard, our solution major factor in why the game has so much American victories against overwhelming seemed a reasonable compromise. It flavor. Ask yourself if the basic Squad odds. would have been difficult to get the Leader would have been as much fun if The American characteristic in World correct feel of a Normandy campaign with all the units had been rated 4-6-7. War II, which most clearly stands out is just one new mapboard anyway. I have Having already accepted this premise his overwhelming advantage in terms of heard similar complaints about the lack of in the original Squad Leader game, which sheer numbers, armor, air support, and a beach board with which to portray the gave American units a base morale of 6 logistics. Because of this, the American actual D-Day landings. My personal (as opposed to the European’s 7) so as to player often thinks he is at a disadvantage opinion is that there is not a plethora of allow them an increased firepower when faced with a comparable German choices to be made by the participants in capability, I had to find the single most force. This is as it should be. It is only portraying an amphibious invasion at this commonplace trait which would because we tend to use the relatively rare scale. Nonetheless, our eventual plans for accentuate their differences from those of situations wherein the combatants are the series include Campaign gamettes the Europeans. There were two obvious evenly matched, no matter how briefly, using actual terrain mapboards (as differences: experience and individuality. for our scenarios, that we get the feeling opposed to typical isomorphic samples) The Germans had been tested by nearly that maybe the Americans have been and portraying specific actions that took three years of combat before G.I.s met slighted by the game system. One of my place in that locale. The Normandy them on the battlefield. Every unit had playtesters believes so strongly that this is Campaign gamette should more than cadre which had seen action, whereas the the case that he goes to great lengths to please those missing the actual hedgerows G.I., who was far less responsive to discredit the game system and berate the in G.I. discipline anyway, was often led by an game in an upcoming special issue of the More surprising, perhaps, is that Dr. NCO with no more combat experience General featuring G.I. Selover passes over the concept of than himself. Naturally, as the war In actuality, however, a recreation of “green” American units without really progressed, the Americans gained the day-by-day actions of most American letting us know whether he approves or experience and their counterparts units in 1944-45 would be uncommonly not. This conceptualization of the G.I. continued to be bled white by years of boring from a gamer’s point of view, as was the cornerstone on which the entire protracted battle. This is reflected in the the situations would tend to be extremely design was based, and proved very game by introducing a German one-sided. The game system reflects this, controversial. Many of my playtesters, Experience Level Rating as ersatz units I think, rather well. In 1942, when the among the game’s strongest adherents, and Volksgrenadiere began to provide American divisions are still largely were quite bitterly opposed to the more and more of the opposition. untested and the Wehrmacht is still concept. Indeed, some of them even Thus we come to my big confession, relatively intact, squad for squad the accused me of being unpatriotic. They the one that will doubtless brand me by Germans seem to get the better of it. By GIA; Reformatted and republished by WGA for internal use only www.wargameacademy.org Greenwood, Don.; GI: Anvil of Victory Designers Notes; FIRE&MOVEMENT_n33_p17; March/April, 1983 Page 2 late 1944, however, the increasing that the original formulas for devising Italians; another on the Russian Front, Experience Level Ratings of the G.I.s and point values are hopelessly outdated. which will revise the Russian order of the increasing appearance of low quality Rather than prepare a haphazard list, battle up to G.I. standards; and yet opposition has turned the tide. Both which would just have to be revised when another on the Far East, which will cover nationalities have very distinctive the game system is finished, I decided to the Japanese and Chinese. And then we strengths and weaknesses, and therein lies wait until I could do a thorough and final have a Campaign Game format that will the fun of G.I. Vive la difference. job. really knock your socks off! I just hope I The other point of controversy which My next Squad Leader project is live that long. Dr. Selover only mentions in passing is actually only related to that game in an the new To Hit system. After years of abstract way. Currently, I am working on using terrain effect modifiers to alter the a Squad Leader card game, which we are effects of a hit, it was quite a shock to the currently calling Up Front. The grognards to turn that axiom around and designer, Courtney Allen, is a Squad use it solely to determine the hits Leader playtester and the designer of themselves. However, the theory behind Storm Over Arnhem. We are packing all the change is quite simple and easy to the basic principles of Squad Leader into accept if you have not become a much simpler, man-to-man level card accustomed to doing it the other way. game. Each man will be represented by a Keep in mind that a “hit” never meant that single card. Typical scenarios will pit one someone had actually been struck by a squad against another, with the possibility shell. Rather, it means that the shell had of armor support in the form of a single detonated within a radius of the target AFV. It is a welcome change of pace where its fragments could conceivably from Squad Leader; yet, strangely, it has come into contact with elements of the much the same appeal. It is scheduled for target. That could range anywhere from an ORIGINS release and I expect big the “critical hit” that lands in a bunker things from it. It should appeal to and scores a KIA on everyone inside, to everyone who likes Squad Leader, the mortar shell which simply makes a lot including the many adherents of the basic of noise but harms nobody. Therefore, if game who no longer play it because it has we simply use the protective terrain of a grown too complicated. target to reduce the area within which a After that will come a compilation of shell must land to affect the target, rather the entire revised game system into one than keeping that hit area constant and hardcover or loose-leaf rulebook.

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