Air Assault on Crete is a wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1977 that simulates the Battle of Crete during World War II.
Air Assault on Crete is a wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1977 that simulates the Battle of Crete during World War II.
Air Assault on Crete is a two-player wargame that simulates the German paratroop attack on Crete on May 20, 1941; one player takes on the defense of Crete by Allied forces, and the other player controls the invading German forces. The game provides a series of scenarios designed to simulate the various skirmishes and battles over the ten-day campaign at a company/battalion level. [1] The 3-part 66 in × 8 in (1,680 mm × 200 mm) mapboard uses a hex grid scaled to 1.6 kilometres per hex. [1] Other components include a 24-page rulebook and over 500 die-cut counters. [2]
Each turn, the German player completes five phases, and then the Allied player completes three phases:
Players can choose the Basic Game, with simplified rules and victory conditions, or the Advanced Game. [1]
A separate bonus game, Invasion of Malta, 1942, is also included. [1] The game simulates Operation Hercules, a proposed German invasion of Malta that was planned by the German High Staff but never initiated. This game has its own counters and a separate 11 in × 16 in (280 mm × 410 mm) mapboard, and uses the same rules system as Air Assault on Crete. [2]
In the Basic Game, if the Germans can seize one airfield and hold it for four turns, then the German player wins the game. [1]
In the Advanced Game, there are several routes to victory:
In the November–December 1978 issue of The Phoenix (Issue 16), Ralph Vickers called Air Assault on Crete "a good game for exercising your skills of simulating your own plans and out-guessing your opponent." While Vickers found most of the rules had "good internal logic", he criticized one rule about evacuation that prevented non-combatant units from leaving their initial sector until Turn 8, saying, "What rationale can make this convincing and realistic?" While Vickers agreed that without this rule, the game "won't hang together", he called the rule "hocus-pocus". Despite this fault, Vickers concluded by giving the game a thumbs up, saying, "this is a game that is going to stay high on the popularity charts for a long time." [1]
In The General , Vance von Borries pointed out that even if the German player is able to capture one or more airfields, the game is far from over if the Allied player can evacuate as quickly as possible. "Although the German player has the unique ability to launch [a] humiliating aerial envelopment, the Commonwealth player can still turn that euphoric and overconfident airborne glory into a bloody fool holding an empty bag. Air Assault on Crete is, in that respect, probably the most satisfying wargame ever developed." [3]
In his 1980 book The Best of Board Wargaming , Nicholas Palmer noted that "The title game is varied and interesting, but it is really upstaged by the beautiful cameo game Invasion of Malta which AH throw into the same box as a bonus!" Although he found that "the simulation is colourful but not terribly convincing", he concluded by giving the game an excellent "excitement" rating of 100%, and a rules clarity rating of 90%, saying, "The intricate victory conditions make for a challenging players' game, ideal for working out subtle defences and assault plans in between games." [4]
In the 1980 book The Complete Book of Wargames , game designer Jon Freeman called the game system "fairly basic and arguably dated [...] It has none of the insight of Simulations Publications' Descent on Crete , but it's a heck of a lot more fun to play." Freeman concluded by giving the game an Overall Evaluation of "Good", saying, "Sophisticated gamers may be somewhat disappointed, but most will enjoy the challenge of planning an invasion — or trying to repel it." [5]
In The Escapist , John Keefer said, "The game does a good job of approximating the troop strengths, drops and reserves from the battle, offering several scenarios set over the course of the 10-day battle." [6]
PanzerBlitz is a tactical-scale board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1970 that simulates armored combat set on the Eastern Front of World War II. The game, which was the most popular board wargame of the 1970s, is notable for being the first true board-based tactical-level, commercially available conflict simulation wargame. It also pioneered several concepts that would become industry standards.
The Longest Day is a World War II board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1980 that simulates the Allied D-Day invasion of June 1944 and the subsequent Normandy campaign.
Squad Leader is a tactical level board war game originally published by Avalon Hill in 1977. It was designed by John Hill and simulates on infantry combat in Europe during World War II. One of the most complex war games of its time, Squad Leader is the natural extension of the trend towards greater realism initiated by several earlier games, including Avalon Hill's own PanzerBlitz and Panzer Leader. Those two earlier games were slightly larger in scope, with counters representing platoons and map hexes measuring 250 metres across, compared to Squad Leader's 40 meter hexes and squad sized units.
1914 is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1968 that simulates the first few months of World War I on the Western Front.
The Russian Campaign is a strategic board wargame published by Jedko Games in 1974 that simulates combat on the Eastern Front during World War II. Avalon Hill later bought the game and produced several editions.
War at Sea is a strategic board wargame depicting the naval war in the Atlantic during World War II, published by Jedko Games in 1975, and subsequently republished by Avalon Hill in 1976 and more recently by L2 Design Group in 2007.
PanzerArmee Afrika, subtitled "Rommel in the Desert, April 1941 - November 1942", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1973 that simulates the World War II North African Campaign that pitted the Axis forces commanded by Erwin Rommel against Allied forces. The game was revised and republished in 1984 by Avalon Hill.
Battle of the Bulge is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill (AH) in 1965 that simulates the World War II battle of the same name. General Anthony McAuliffe (ret.), who had been commanding officer at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, was a consultant during the game's development. The game proved popular and sold more than 120,000 copies, but was dogged by criticisms of historical inaccuracies, and was finally replaced by a completely new edition in 1981. A third edition in 1991 was released as part of the Smithsonian American History Series.
D-Day is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1961 that simulates the six months of the European Campaign of World War II from the Normandy Invasion to the crossing of the Rhine. It was the first wargame to feature the now ubiquitous hex grid map and cardboard counters, and was revised and re-released in 1962, 1965, 1971, 1977 and 1991.
Anzio is a board wargame published by the Avalon Hill game company first in 1969 and again in 1971, 1974, and 1978. The title is misleading as the game is not an operational-level treatment of the Battle of Anzio but is in fact a strategic level game covering the entire Italian theater of operations in World War II from the autumn of 1943 to the end of the war in Europe.
Tobruk, subtitled "Tank Battles in North Africa 1942", is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1975 that simulates tank combat in North Africa during World War II.
Panzergruppe Guderian is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. in 1976 that simulates the 1941 Battle of Smolensk during World War II.
Bismarck is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1962 that simulates the hunt for the Bismarck.
Narvik: The Campaign in Norway, 1940 is a board wargame published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) in 1974 that simulates Operation Weserübung, the German invasion of Denmark and Norway during World War II. The game was one of the first in the Europa series of twenty interlocking games envisioned by GDW that would cover the entire European and North African theatres from the start to the end of World War II, using identical map scales and similar rules.
Global War, subtitled "The War Against Germany and Japan, 1939–45", is a grand strategic and economic board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the entire extent of World War II.
Atlantic Wall, subtitled "The Invasion of Europe June 1944", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1978 that simulates Operation Overlord during World War II, when Allied forces landed on Normandy beaches and attempted to break out into open country.
Descent on Crete is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1978 that simulates the German airborne invasion of Crete during World War II. A game with two large maps, hundreds of counters, and complex rules, Descent on Crete initially sold well, but sales rapidly declined.
Crusader: Battle for Tobruk, November 1941 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates Operation Crusader during World War II. The game was originally published as part of the Four Battles in North Africa "quadrigame" — a gamebox containing four games simulating four separate battles that all use the same rules. Crusader was also published as an individual "folio game."
Kasserine: Baptism of Fire, February 1943 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the Battle of Kasserine Pass during World War II. The game was originally published as part of the Four Battles in North Africa "quadrigame" — a gamebox containing four games simulating four separate battles that all use the same rules. Kasserine was also published as an individual "folio game."
World War II: European Theater of Operations is the title of two related but dissimilar board wargames that simulate the European Theater of World War II. The first was published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1973, and the second by TSR in 1985 following its takeover of SPI.
