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Author Topic: Operational wargames about Tunisia 1943 other than OCS?  (Read 4221 times)

Tolstoi

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on: February 28, 2023, 09:39:13 AM
I'm interested in finding other operational level wargames about Tunisia 1943 that are not OCS. I tried Tunisia II and want to see what else is out there.

Here is what I've found so far:

Rommel & Tunisia
This looks interesting. From what I read, this is more of a study than a wargame; however, what that exactly means, I'm not sure.

Holdfast: Tunisia 1942-43 - Worthington Publishing
I don't know much about this game other than it is a block game.

Patton's First Victory: Tunisia - Decision Games
This one looks the most interesting to me. According to the Decision Games website, the game, "includes a full computer version to help administer rules and game functions to allow players to focus on strategy." I'm not sure that's good or bad.  :)
 
Tunisia 43 - Moments in History
I don't know much about this one. Anyone have any experience with it?

Tunisia '43 Gold - Wargame Design Studio
I'm including this because it is about the Tunisia campaign and the Panzer Campaign games are amazing; however,  at 1 km per hex and units at the company level, with some at the battalion level, this scale is just a wee bit to grand and time consuming for what I want to play.

Does anyone have other recommendations? Anyone played the games I've discovered so far and want to share their experience? Curious to learn what everyone thinks.



bob48

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Reply #1 on: February 28, 2023, 10:46:05 AM
'Decision at Kasserine' from Compass Games.

“O Lord God, let me not be disgraced in my old days.”

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GROGnadsUSA

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Reply #2 on: February 28, 2023, 09:34:10 PM
Hoi as 'moi' always liked THIS for a much quicker, overall 'Game'-! ""Tunisia 1943""<--'click that' You should affix their rather 'flimsy' counters upon heftier kind. It is what I did, and it could become considered "improved upon" WERE any to undertake such-?



Tolstoi

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Reply #3 on: February 28, 2023, 11:20:57 PM
'Decision at Kasserine' from Compass Games.

Thank you Bob! Have you played DK?



Tolstoi

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Reply #4 on: February 28, 2023, 11:37:09 PM
Hoi as 'moi' always liked THIS for a much quicker, overall 'Game'-! ""Tunisia 1943""<--'click that' You should affix their rather 'flimsy' counters upon heftier kind. It is what I did, and it could become considered "improved upon" WERE any to undertake such-?

Hoi GROGnads! Thanks! I discovered someone consolidated the rules and charts and made them available at BGG. Now all I need to do is find the map and counters.  :) What is your impression of the game?



bob48

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Reply #5 on: March 01, 2023, 05:56:10 AM
'Decision at Kasserine' from Compass Games.

Thank you Bob! Have you played DK?

I've played one of the smaller scenario's a couple of times so far. Its good. I did an un-boxing of it not long ago.

“O Lord God, let me not be disgraced in my old days.”

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'


GROGnadsUSA

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Reply #6 on: March 01, 2023, 12:58:15 PM
Hoi as 'moi' always liked THIS for a much quicker, overall 'Game'-! ""Tunisia 1943""<--'click that' You should affix their rather 'flimsy' counters upon heftier kind. It is what I did, and it could become considered "improved upon" WERE any to undertake such-?

Hoi GROGnads! Thanks! I discovered someone consolidated the rules and charts and made them available at BGG. Now all I need to do is find the map and counters.  :) What is your impression of the game?
It was rather very easy/simple as regards 'Set Ups', 'Rules Comprehension', 'Rapidly Conducted/Concluded' so that plenty of repeat playings should become undertaken. We might even have ONLY been playing this all day long at times, as the 'Subject' matter kept us "preoccupied" then. I'm uncertain as to when anything else concerning this very same 'Topic' should have been available back then, so, we welcomed these low-cost 'Games' for providing them. I'm trying to recall whether or not it had '1'-Unit-per-Hex and 'Airpower Points'-? Then again, what I would consider "improved upon" is having 'Chit Drawn Activations' of an entire 'Corps', and/or 'Hidden Stand-Up' counters-(with possibly enlarged 'Map'), perhaps also "Weather Effects"-? Such as 'Sandstorms' restricting/preventing "Airpower" being conducted/flown. 

You should make their 'Counters' thicker through 'Cereal Box'/whatever materials to where you affixed these BEFORE commencing plays-! They are so "thinny-skinny" that they may become 'crumpled'/'damaged' from excessive handlings. I seemed to recall taking spare counters of matched 'colors' to affix them upon in order to make them "Fog-of-WAR" effective once turned-over/deployed in such as this 'disposition'-!     



GROGnadsUSA

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Reply #7 on: March 01, 2023, 05:38:40 PM
Hoi some more as STILL yet another were that-! ""Rommel's Final Offensive: Tunisia 1943"" It truly required 'upgraded components' as this were a very early "representative" for 'Desktop Publishing' efforts. Probably a 'Dot Matrix' printer as thus-?




bob48

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Reply #8 on: March 01, 2023, 06:26:54 PM
Interesting that at the battle of Sidi Bou Zid the 501st only had 6 operations Tigers and the 'gaps' were filled with Pz III's. What was left of the 501st was incorporated into s.Pz.abt 504.

Eventually one of the Tigers was captured and has been restored to running order by the Royal Tank Museum at Bovington.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_131

“O Lord God, let me not be disgraced in my old days.”

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'


GROGnadsUSA

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Reply #9 on: March 01, 2023, 10:34:14 PM
Hoi s'mores as here are a couple mores of them-! At there: ""Bloody Kasserine""    and ""Race for Tunis""
 BOTH can become 'Combined'-!  :bigthumb:

..




Tolstoi

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Reply #10 on: March 02, 2023, 12:47:33 AM
I've played one of the smaller scenario's a couple of times so far. Its good. I did an un-boxing of it not long ago.

Oh boy, I missed that unboxing last month. I think I saw the title "Decision at Kasserine" and thought it was only about the battle at Kasserine and not an operational game. I have more question about DK and I'll switch to the DK thread for those. I also look forward to your AAR, unless you've already posted that too! <quickly checks the AAR section and double checks the DK thread>. Nope haven't missed it.  :biggrin:



Tolstoi

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Reply #11 on: March 02, 2023, 01:10:08 AM
Hoi some more as STILL yet another were that-! ""Rommel's Final Offensive: Tunisia 1943"" It truly required 'upgraded components' as this were a very early "representative" for 'Desktop Publishing' efforts. Probably a 'Dot Matrix' printer as thus-?

Hoi! Wow, this looks interesting. I agree, 1993 would be early desktop publishing to be sure. I know the counters and map look very basic and there's something about those hand crafted counters I like. You can see this was a labor of love game for the two designers who created. If I had this I would definitely want to make copies of the counters and then mount them on cereal box cardboard, or some other recycled cardboard material as you recommended earlier. The CRT looks standard and there must be some die roll modifiers in the rules because the results are from 0 - 7. 

 I'll be honest, the tag line, "A bargain at $5.00" on the front cover made me chuckle!  ;D Thanks for sharing this!



Tolstoi

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Reply #12 on: March 02, 2023, 01:31:28 AM
Hoi s'mores as here are a couple mores of them-! At there: ""Bloody Kasserine""    and ""Race for Tunis""
 BOTH can become 'Combined'-!  :bigthumb:


Double wow! And Frank Chadwick designs too! It would be interesting to combine them to see how they play. Race for Tunis gets a positive review in the forums, so that's a good sign.

I asked my question because I'm interested in operational games that aren't as detailed as OCS and yet still provide a good idea of what happened in late 1942 and the first half of 43. The games you've pointed out really fit the bill and I appreciate you taking the time to share them with me. If I acquire any of these, I'll be sure to let you all know. :bigthumb:



Tolstoi

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Reply #13 on: March 02, 2023, 01:48:46 AM
I think I found one more: Kasserine: Rommel's Battle for Tunisia, 1943 (2001) from GMT games. The last scenario seems to be early April and I know Tunisia II has turns until May. Another game to add to my list.

Now that I know "Kasserine" in the title doesn't always mean it is about that specific battle, I'm guessing I'll find more.



bob48

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Reply #14 on: March 02, 2023, 06:39:57 AM
Some of the old GDW games are really good and it would be nice if someone were to do modern re-prints of them.

“O Lord God, let me not be disgraced in my old days.”

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'