The General Vol 12 No 2

PAGE 2 THEGENERAL 1 Au&n Rill Pliilosoph~Port 50 The TOBRUK System TOBRUK is going to be a difficult game for players to master. It is a complex tactical system The Game Players Magazine When PANZERBLITZ was released in that is increasinglyfaithf ul, intechnical aspects, 1970, everyone agreed that it was a different to the historical period it covers. In short. The Aualon H~tlGENERAL is Wiceted to the presenta- kind of game1 It took quite a bit of getting uswl to. is engrossing-a rare adjective in this tion of eurhoriwllue artkls on me strategy, tactics. and TOBRUK vaslatlon of Avalon Hill gmes of strategy. Historbl art-ktla Once garners became familiar with the system, day of mass produced, one-shot games. aw included only lnsornuch a$ they provide useful back- however, it was quickly recognized as a land- gmulwl informarim on currmt Avalon Hlll titles. THE mark design. It is quite possible that TOBRUK GENERAL k publirhed by the Avalm Hill Cwnoem, rolelv ' for the culrursl edification 01 the eriour game aflclanado, in will have the same impact. THE TOBRUK MARKETING APPROACH me hopes of i-ing the pme aumnr'sprotrcian~of play snd pmviding Lervicer not otherwire avsilabaa M tb Avalon TOBRUK is a different type of game. It is the Hill gem buff. TOBRUK is being marketed in a radically Publrcation is br-momhly with mailings madeclose to most "tactical" land-warfare game Avalon Hill different manner than past AH games. Basically, the end of February, April. JUIW. August, Ocmb~r.and has ever published. Yet, it is very dissimilar to the game is being released in two stages. The hember. Alt editorual adgeneral mailshould besenrto the man-to-man type games producod by other first stage is a limited PRE-PUBLICATION the Avslon Hill Game Cornpaw, 4517 Harfard Rd.. publishers. It is NOT a PANZERELITZ-in-the- Bahimore. MO 21 214. One year subscriptions are 37.50. release hichis being offered only to GENERAL Trial s&cr@tions ot 4 ksues ior 85.00 are availah. A desert. It is a completely new system. The rules subscribers and attendees at ORIGINS I. In- two year subscription is only 612.00. Send cheeks or are constructed in BTI innovative 'Programmed cluded in this will be a special limited run of 500 money orders only. Not responsible for cash lwt in transit. Instruction'~methodwhich means that the rules games which will be numbered and signed by 411 gvbwrigtipn3 rnm vig bulk permil. Airmail and 1st class &ltvew must k prearranged with the subscription are presented in discrete, self-contained mo- the designers to appeal to the serious game department a1 ditional cost. Address chances must be dules. Each module is related ro one of nine collectors. In the fall, the game will be officially submatted to the subscription department 6 weeks in scenarios. Players are instructed to read each released in the mail order line. Hopefully, this aduance to auaarantee deliuerv. Momid advenisina of anv I module and play the accompanying scenario in typs is accepted. However, km'of importang to the edition will include rules revisions, expanded wargaming community is printed free of charge and-is strict consecutive order.,ln this way, players can Designer's Notes material (some of which mIIciled. absorb and become familiar with many complex appears in this issue) and new experimental . ArtIdes frornubccribers are msichred for publication at rules without being overwhelmed by the totality rules. Owners of the pre-publication edition can the dirnetion ot cur sditorlal staff. Articl~rhould bs of the entire rules package. Since players need update their game by simply exchanging their tvwwritton, doutdewced, and amkm the tenet4 ot pod only read the first module tobegin play. they can Englih uSW. Thre is no limit toword length. Acm-ny- old rules bwkletfor the new one. We recognized iI& enarwlas and diagrams shoutd b. neatly clone in black or be involved in the first scenario30 minutes affer the reality of the situation: a game containing red ink. Phorogrephs should have caption and credit line opening the box. such a mammoth, complex, new system is writinn on back. Reiecred articles will be returd whenwar Besides being an innovative gameon its own Posible. In any snd &I cams. Avelon Hilt accsptr no bound to require some revision and 'tightening'. responsrbility tor UnsDdicitsd memrisl. Author$ of pubtirhsd merits. TOBRUK attempts to bridge the gap Rather than rely on updating via the Question articles which mibn fawraMe wonre frornthe readership baween boardgamers and miniaturists. This is #ill be remunerstsd with free merchandise 01 their choioe. Box. we have guaranteed the game accuracy by not unusual since the first prototypes of the PRE-PLANNED issuance of an updated EDITOR: Donald J. Grmmuocd TOBRUK were essentially miniatures rule edition of the rule book. Why do we bother with GRAPHICS: Jim Hamilton. Randall Reed. Scott Mooras, bmks. The resemblance to miniatures will not Elaine Adkins. Bob Hayws Corer By Jim Hamilton the added expense and time requirements for be lost on those garners familiar with both types EOlTORlAL STWF: .I. A~iolillo.H. Anton. R. Beyma. J. up-dating? Because the system is simply that Dauir. 0. DeWitr, S. Oumn. R. Easton. G. Gyaax. J. of gaming. mod and that irnnomnt. Hamrlton. R. Harmon, T. Hanlert. 8. Lib. R. Limore, L. We realize thit we are open- ourselves ro McAneny, M. McGuire. 0. Miller. T. Oleuon. G. Philtier, L. Why is TOBRUK a new design system? the critic~snthat people purchasing the pre- Pinsky, R. Ploct. D. Roberts, J. Mobinson, M. Saha, B. Because the whole design approach is radically Sinigaglio. H. Torten, L. Z&i. publication edition are buying a 'half-finished' different from other games. This approach is gama To this we answer a resounding 'nol'. COMSULTIWCT EDITOR: Thomas N. Shaw essentially the same Operation Research and CARTOONISTS: T. Smiley. 5. Herchsk WM#eyarebuying is a uniquecollector's item Statist~calAnalysis (ORSA)techniques as used with a Built-in. guaranteed modernization To facilitate correrwn&m, we suggest that all vnvelva by the Department of Defense and private to Aualon Hill be marked in the lower left-hand corner as mechanism. We could have waited until the fall tollow: defense contractors (Rand, et all. What makes it to rebejhistitle. But then, there would have unique is that it is applied retroactively to a beennomllector'sedrt~onand no immediate up- Purchsw of thGENERAL: Sutrscriprion Dept. - Gertruds specific historic event. This is not so coincident- zO*o dat~ngsystem. The whole approach is new, al, since Hal Hock,the man whodid the research Purcharer of bm,play-by-mail kits. and gem pars. Order different. and hopefully quite popular. The 500 mpt. - Cm-irty slaw and developed the basic game system. just aut~graphedcopies sold out within a week of auestionr Concerning Play: Rwch& Dgiw Dspartmsnt. happens to make his living doing ORSAworkfor mailing Vol. 12, No. 1 of the GENERAL. We Note: all questions rhould be throu+lv diagrammed. No a private firm contracted to the DoD. Hal spent aren't content to stand pat on the same oldtried- quastions will hs ansvusred that are not accompanied by e literally years gathering the data and'creating stampsd, d-addresd envslws. Only quaations regsrding and-true design and marketing methods. Judg- the specific computer tools needed tosynthesize rule clarlflcatlanr lnor historical or rubiecrr) mn be ing from the response to the TOBRUK special an-. the game's combat evaluation system. He offer you aren't either. Articles for Publition. Letters to the Editw. Rwwtts for anoroached this aame desian as if he was Rr0~hufe6,3rd Readwrs ReswnSB Page submislonr. Mitorial slbmitting it to thi Army insfead of to Avalon Dept. - hnuld Gr0Unwood. Hill. It is that precise and that accurate. READERS RESPONSE Phomgraph Crsdifs: Pkto File, Avalon, Cellfornia I Right from the start, players will find Typerefting: Colonial Cornpolltion Printing: Mnwch Oftic? Sew-. Inc. TOBRUK a different son of game. There is much The Readers Response in the last issue ENGLISH AGENT: Micheel Hodge. 648 Hi* Rd, N. less terrain than usual-in fact, there isnY any! resulted in some interesting figures which will Finchly. London, Great Britain. Players create their own through the useof field be taken under advisement in considering future Australian Agent: Jedko Games, 111 Beatrice St.. Cheltenharn 3192 Victoria. emplacements. Scenarios are construcred with potential services Avalon Hill can render to ScaWinavian Agent: P 0. Box 329. 13103 Nacka 3, forty or fifty turns--although it is rare that GENERAL readers. Only 38%ofour sample have games go even half that long. There is much ever played wargames with miniatures. How- more dice rolling than most boardgamers are ever, 83%expressed an interest inour providing used to. In fact, the dice rolling is more them with a series of introductory miniatures reminiscent of TRACTICS (a popular set of rule booklets. Of those who have played AVA LON HJL miniatu~erules) than PANZERBLITZ. But most miniatures, 66% still showed an interesf in an players have found that, after a few games, the AH line of miniatures rule books. 66% werealso dice rolling 'blends into the background', interested in buying reduced 8" x 10" hex 4517 Harford Road becoming a necessary evil to allow the detailed sheets. A resounding 8Q% were in favor of a gsme system to handle a wide variance in weapons performance. A.H, PHILOSOPHY.. ..Continued on Page 1 7 THE GENERAL PAGE 3 (The story of the war in the North Africandesert betwwl, to influence Hitler toallow Romrntl to push intoEgypt in The Gazala Battles off~dallybegan in midalternoon of ]Wand 1943 is incredibly long and complex and bemuse hop of a quick seizure of the Suez Canal.

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