Produktbeschreibung
The French Army's heroic stand against the German onslaught, known as one of history's bloodiest battles. Another tense but quick-playing game from the designer of Defiant Russia.
In early 1916, the German and French armies faced each other in what appeared to be a stalemate. The German commander-in-chief, Erich von Falkenhayn, conceived one of the most cold-hearted plans in military history. Fall Gericht, which translates as "Place of Execution" would bleed France white by a simple battle of attrition, without regard to the suffering of his own soldiers.
For ten months, the German Fifth Army hurled itself against the old fortress city, its commander kept in the dark about the offensive's true goal. The French Second Army stood firm, commanded by Henri Petain, who issued the famous order, "They shall not pass".
This new game system has the clean play of the designer's masterpiece, Defiant Russia, and is crafted to fit the nature of combat in 1916. Artillery bombardment and assault combat take place separately. Elite troops have numerous advantages, and morale is a vital component of the game. Game pieces represent regiments and a handful of battalions. Units are rated for morale, attack, defense and movement.
Ace designer William Sariego returns to Avalanche Press with yet another quick and challenging game, but this time he shows us what he can do on the tactical level. They Shall Not Pass covers the first nine days of the Battle of Verdun, and lets players deal with all the factors that made World War I ground combat so challenging. Trench warfare, rugged terrain, vulnerable supply lines and the primacy of artillery all work together to give the powerful Germans a real run for their money against the outnumbered but well-fortified French.
The top three factors that drive play in They Shall Not Pass are:
Time -
Crown Prince Wilhelm only has nine days to push the French back on a broad front and capture as many objectives as possible. He's got overwhelming strength in numbers and lots of artillery to back him up. But he's up against a maze of woods, hills and trenches which the French can use to great advantage, falling back from trench line to trench line to slow the Germans down. Wilhelm can do a lot of damage early against the poorly-prepared French, but if he doesn't keep his forces well organized and exploit breaches in the line to the fullest, he'll run into French reinforcements all too soon and get bogged down.
Elite Units -
German pioneer battalions are crucial to Prince Wilhelm's chances for making quick advances, and French chasseur battalions are just as important to French chances of cutting off overextended German units. They increase the combat odds of any attack in which they participate, and extend the distance of advances after combat.
Also, they and any units stacked with them are the only ones that can use Exploitation Movement after other movement and combat are done. But they are also vulnerable. They are weak if attacked alone, the French have only a few chasseurs, and participating pioneers must take the first hit the German side suffers in any German attack.
This presents a fascinating tactical challenge to both players. They must protect their elite units and commit them to battle only when necessary. But they must also keep them near the front and stacked with as many other units as possible so they can hit the enemy hard at weak points, lunge through breaches, and advance the line as far as possible during Exploitation Movement.
Artillery -
World War I ground combat was all about artillery, and They Shall Not Pass gives both players a wide variety of options for using artillery to defeat the enemy.
Both sides get artillery in multiple calibers. Small-caliber artillery moves with units of its own division and provides extra firepower when attacking or defending. Larger-caliber artillery is either mobile or stationary, and can fire barrages or interdiction. Barrages can damage or demoralize enemy units, while interdiction slows enemy movements and cuts supply lines.
With all these different options for using artillery, players must be careful to mount the right mix of artillery missions each turn so friendly units have support in combat, key enemy units are suppressed by barrages, and enemy movements and supply lines are slowed and fouled up by interdiction.
They Shall Not Pass is a terrific addition to the Avalanche Press product line because it adds strategic issues to tactical action. Just as in Panzer Grenadier, players get the thrill of fighting for territory hill by hill and town by town. But the addition of bigger-picture issues like supply lines, moving fronts, and multiple-use artillery lets players tackle a whole new set of challenges on the battlefield, and makes They Shall Not Pass a fine first entry in what I hope will be a long line of grand tactical wargames from William Sariego. We're working hard to bring it to you soon!
The game's sequence of play is as follows:
I. Weather.
II. German Organization Phase.
The German player performs several key administrative functions, including checking for supply, rallying troops, and entering reinforcements and replacements.
III. German Bombardment Phase.
The German player performs artillery bombardments. Bombardment can either be Barrage or Interdiction.
IV. German Movement Phase.
The German player may move all Infantry and Headquarters units, and all artillery that did not fire in the previous phase.
V. German Assault Phase.
The German player may attack any French units which are adjacent to German ones. Artillery not previously used may support attacks. After all German attacks are resolved, stacks containing a Pioneer unit may move again.
After the German player has performed all the above steps, the French player completes all the above Phases II-V with his or her units. |
