Featured in This Issue * "Pleasant Hill" - a' scenario for the Decisive Battles Game System * "Back to Bataan" - a scenario for the 11attlefront Game System * Design Analysis - a tutorial to simplifY scenario design * The American Civil War - the second part of our historical article Strategic Studies Group Presents Th~ Legend of Conquer Your the Desert Fox Galaxy Roger Keating Ian Trout MarkHobnan Phil Niven David Freer By January 1941, the War in North Africa was going Reach for the Stars is Strategic Studies Group's very badly for the Axis powers. The Italian army had all-time classic game of space exploration and been routed out of Egypt and almost out of Libya. conquest. The third edition contains two great A small German force was scraped together to try games in one: the original Reach for the Stars and and stem the tide. Command of this force was given an entirely new scenario, with lots of options for to General Irwin Rommel. and for the next two advanced play. years, outnumbered and poorly supplied, the Desert Whichever game you choose to play, you're in for a Fox out-witted and out-generalled all of his foes. tough time. It's a four-cornered contest for ROMMEL recreates his greatest victories as well as domination of the galaxy and there's only one other battles from the North African Theatre. You winner. The computer plays all places not taken by can command either Axis or Allied forces against humans and it never gives anyone an even break. human or computer opponeP.ts in the battles of... To win a game of Reach for the Stars you must have explored all of the galaxy and colonized the Syria Sidi Rezegh Cauldron choicest portions. You will have expanded your Alem el Haifa Malta Kasserine industry, engaged in frantic R&D, and produced a large space navy. This will have been employed in Maknassy Tebourga Gap settling territorial disputes with your neighbours. As The Battlefront Game System mechanics are so always, the person with the biggest navy gets to simple to use, you will be issuing orders like a adjust the border. veteran within ten minutes of assuming command. ~t's not as easy as it s~unds. Do the wrong thing and You'll have complete control over the computer It could be three against one, especially if you're battlefield when you use the comprehensive playing against Keating's Enhanced Veteran wargame construction set, WARPLAN™, and our computer players. They just don't like you to start unique graphics editor, WARPAINT™. with, and can get really annoyed if you mess with WARPLAN™ lets you construct original battles of them. That's why there are Beginner and your own design as well as creating endless Experienced players on which to first practice your variations to the historical scenarios. galactic domination skills. WARPAINT™ gives you complete graphic control. Whatever your qualifications as a space tyrant, Shapes and colors can be changed at will to produce Reach for the Stars is guarantied to be totally your own special effects. addictive ... Available now for IBM, Available now for How to Purchase. Visit your retailer or call Electronic miga, IIgs, Macintosh, Arts 800-245-4525 (in CA call 800-562-1112) for VISA Apple II Family and or Mastercard orders or write to Electronic Arts, P.O. Apple II Family and C64 I 128 computers. Box 7530 San Mateo, CA. 94403. C64/ 128 computers. Price $40.00. Price $45.00. Issue 10 Run 5 April, 1988 Editor's Chance 2 Notes, Work in Progress ... Letters to the Editor 3 Readers have. their say. The Q Store 4 Have a look at our special offers The Battle of Pleasant Hill 5 Stalemate on the Red River RFTS Errata 12 A few teething problems Back to Bataan 13 Homma's assault on Luzon Scenario Updates 24 Old Battlefront scenarios up-graded Decisive Battles Contpetition 25 You can do it! Design Printer 26 Some thoughts on scenario design The Alnerican Civil War 30 History reviewed (Part 2) Editor lan.Trout EDITOR'S CHANCE Contributing Editors This edition has caught up a couple of SSG, a brand new game system! Our Roger Keating weeks on the previous one. Sooner or Battle of the Bulge game will be an later we're going to get back on sched­ operational level game of the fighting in Gregor Whiley ule. I must apologise for the non-ap­ the winter of 1944 in the Ardennes. pearance of the Russia article and OB Danny Stevens Units will be divisional sized with regi­ in this issue. I'm still working on it and Malcolm Power mental breakdown. Special features expect to have it ready for Issue 11. will include bridge blowing and repair, Stephen Hart We have another competition starting sophisticated logistical and replace­ up. This time it's for Decisive Battles ment rules, artillery and air support. Mark Holman of the American Civil War original We are very excited about this new Andrew Taubman scenarios and scenario variants. Send system and feel sure that you will like it in as many entries as you please. to. U.S. Operations There are also rumours emerging from New Releases Roger's programming cell of a totally John Gleason Published since the last edition of Run new intelligence programming struc­ 5 have been the second volume in the ture, to allow the best possible intelli­ Civil War series and the Apple lies gence system. Watch this space for Dlustrator version of Reach for the Stars. The more details. Nick Stathopoulos Amiga version is only a bug away. Coming Not Quite So Origins '88 Mentor Soon From August 18-21, I will be in Milwau­ Still under production but not quite kee for the 1988 Origins I GenCon game Ken Trout imminent are the Mac, IIGS, Amiga and convention. SSG are being represented IBM versions of Halls of Montezuma. by 1EVEX this year and I can be found These are expected to come out around Colour Artwork most times at their booth. Please come Christmas time in roughly the order up and say hello. John Mockridge shown above. I expect to be giving a seminar on SSG 's Graphus Pty Limited plans for the future as well as partici­ pating in a computer game forum being· Coming Next Year Printing organized by Russell Sipe from Com­ Nextyearwill see the Napoleonic game, puter gaming World. the conversion of the Civil War system Edgar Bragg & Sons I'll also have with me previews of our to the 16 bit machines, the greatest Pty Limited Macintosh Halls of Montezuma, the computer rple-playing game ever Korea and DBACWVol III releases and made(!), further operational level games and whatever else we can fit in. Run 5 is published 4 times per our Battle of the Bulge game. year by Strategic Studies Group Recruitment Pty Limited. All Rights Re­ Coming Up setved. © SSG 1988. Well SSG has finally thrown off the Joining the staff in July was Stephen shackles ofWorld War II. In October, we Hart. He comes to us superbly qualified Australian Office will be releasing a new Battlefront as a practising archeologist, with P.O. Box 261, Drummoyne, game covering the Korean War. No immense personal experience in both NSW. 2047. Tel (02) 819-7199. confirmed title as yet, although we are digging holes and directing others to do working on it. Expect eight scenarios the same. His job, apart from any an­ American Office that will do full justice to the savage cient warfare simulations or oil explo­ 1747 Orleans Court, Walnut conflict in Korea. The developer is Dan rations, will be to help produce this Creek, CA. 94598. Tel (415) Antolec from Monona, Wisconsin. magazine. He is also working on a game about the colonization and exploration 932-3019. Also due in October is the third and of the new world. final volume of our highly successful ISSN 0816-7125 Civil War series. This will cover the last Still Available Run 5 is available wherever you battles of the war. The scenarios will be Spottsylvania, Wilderness, Franklin, Don't forget the Reachfor the Stars buy ou games or you can order Nashville, Atlanta and Cold Harbour. it direct from SSG. Subscrip­ upgrade for all those owners of the Second Edition, details are found in the tion rates are shown on p.4. And now, for all those correspondents wanting a more strategic game from Q Store section. + 2 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR A I I have not found the invasion surprise mixed bag of letters this time. have flag yet. included several which request additional When in player control of OKH I have had armies reassigned to other Army features in some of our games. Well, the Groups with no reason. Thank you for this opportunity to pro­ more things change ... vide input to your game design and I hope you produce many more suc­ cesses like Russia Dear Roger and Ian, 7. Allow a Map Walk choice in the Have you ever considered making a Russia is topnotch! The scope, flexibil­ Doctrine/Orders menu. tactical squad level game which would ity and component quality are excel­ 8. Provide an on-screen color overview allow all us "over-the-hill" Squad lent. I purchased it after reading a map to get the strategic "big picture" Leader fans to utilize our many, many review on it by Evan Brooks in Com­ with no details beyond terrain (e.g. Scenarios in FfF or PBM games? No puter Gaming World. Evan's review rivers, forests, cities, etc.) and color one has done it yet and I think there is was "right on" regarding both its good and location of friendly I enemy units.