I lived in Iran in the 1980's, and had this game out there. I had the home/office space to lay it out, and I am proud to say that I actually played the campaign and completed it - twice !! It took me a few weeks to get used to the system, but - once I had devised my own Sequence of Play and charts - I began to really enjoy it. The TOE (Table of Organisation and Equipment) was flexible enough that you can vary the composition of your divisions by, for example, adding additional AT batteries or AA guns or a small tank unit. You could also have ad hoc all-arms stacks, rather like German Kampfgruppe, on the Allied side. You also have training 'time-outs' for new units, or for new equipment. The logistics side is really exceptional. Units eat supplies all the time, but in combat you really do go through your supplies at a frightening rate - this is the most realistic simulation of logistics I have seen in any game. In fact, do not treat it as a 'game'; it is, more properly, a simulation. FYI, I was able to complete my second full campaign in 6 months, playing daily. It was rather surreal, in a way, because outside my home/office there was a real war going on, and I occasionally found myself playing the game during a real air raid, with the Iranian AA going off and Iraqi bombs going boom in the background. As I type this the box is sitting on a shelf next to me, and I do occasionally pull it out a flip through it, but I just don't have the space here to put it out again 😟
@@joshdavis3743 Its "impossible" since if you do 3 hour sessions twice a month itll still take you over 20 years. That said 4 sessions every month is 10 years, and so on, so you can finish it in a year... under certain circumstances. (4 6 hour sessions per month would be "only" 5 years for instance)
Just started playing the Rommel scenario on my channel with the physical version if anyone fancies a look….don’t expect us too get too far too fast! cheers JP
This overview is well deserved. The TV series 'Big Bang' (Series 16?) made it widely infamous, as it deafeated Sheldon. I clearly remember the review I read, thinking about it, saving the £25, and the moment I bought it in 1981 after ordering it through Esedevium Games in Aldershot. I have played, and enjoyed, most of the other very large SPI games, but this is not comparable. My physical copy of this is unpunched but I have poured over the rules and photocopied the many off map tracking sheets. It is truely iconic. Decision Games (who have the rights) considered reprinting it, when hobby chatter (and eBay prices) spiked. Edit: Not ever experimented with Vassal.
I loved SPI games back in the late 70s and owned many of them. I didn't have Campaign for north Africa, but "Four battles in North Africa" was my favourite. The original battles you could recreate Crusader, Cauldron, El-Alemain and kasserine. Now the only SPI games I still own are Sinai and Dreadnought I really wish I had kept hold of all the others.
"Breakdown Value" refers to the chance a vehicle has to be disabled when moving through a given terrain. But of course, different vehicles apply different adjustments to that value. Nothing like having your tanks break down en route to a vital assault.
Played this game when it was first published. One of SPIs best/worst games. Played it in a gaming group. To say it was complicated is a bit of an understatement. Team play helped some, but it was difficult to say the least. Massive beasty to be sure. Unfortunately, a lot of time has passed since then and I can't really remember the "hows" and the "what's" of the thing. Reminded me of Games Workshop's Drang nach Ost/Untschieden from a few years earlier. Again a massive critter. That particular title worked really well with team play. The Vassel looks like it would help Berg's game move along better than the hex and counter game. Thanks for the memories. Cheers from Tennessee
I think it's a badge of honour to even attempt this, bravo! I've been tempted for many years, and this is the closest I've come to really wanting to try it...
@@cbblackard It got played, but it was a group effort. There were about 14 or so in the game club that played it. Not everyone played at the same time though. We were in two groups, Axis and Allies. The paperwork alone usually had two people from each side doing it. The thing was massive. I think each player controlled a Corps or so each with a number of divisions and brigades. There was one C in C that controlled resource allocation and the overall flow of each team, strategy ect. There were like 1500+ counters and the maps combined were quite massive too. If I'm not mistaken it took about 6 months to get through 1941 alone with many players coming and going. It wasn't quite as large as DNO/UNT but that was more manageable for team play. Richard Berg in those days had a thing for extremely complex games and SPI also in it's latter days did too. A far cry from some of it's S&T offerings, but even those could get problematic because of errata concerns. Publishing 6 magazine games and 10-12 boxed games a year probably became a little overwhelming. James Dunnigan was a bit of a task master back in the day I reckon. I got a subscription for S&T in 1973 or so. The heyday of the magazine. Cheers
At one point in the playtesting of the game, various Commanders decided they wanted to no longer waste guards and supplies on prisoner points, so marched them deep into the desert, removed their guards, and let them starve to death. These players were arraigned for "War Crimes" after the test was over. :)
"Lust in the Dust" as they called it when they were making it. I've actually played this game solitaire, with all options. One turn took like a week to complete, but I had plenty of time on my hands back then. Did the same thing with War in the Pacific, writing a couple of BASIC programs on my Apple II to assist in the paperwork. The game was the first of the "Heuristic, Intensive Manual Simulations" which had been floated (as a joke) to the S&T community as one of the Feedback ideas. The S&T staff did that a lot -- bored and coming off speed at 3 a.m., they often suggested ridiculous concepts to put into the Feedback section. But they were committed to attempting anything that got a high rating, and to their surprise (and consternation), this one got good results, so they were stuck with it. Since it was Richard Berg's idea, he got stuck with it. I followed the development closely, and bought one of the first copies when it finally emerged.
@@erichammer2751 Went by the W. 57 St address many years after S&T/SPI had gone away. Just to pay respects I reckon. Would have loved to have gone there when Dunnigan had an open playtest night, but I lived in Illinois at the time and I was a teenager then. Good times then. I think I'm getting a little long in the tooth, but I still play. Have been playtesting Joni Nuutinen's Campaign Series for quite a few years now. Can't get away from it I reckon. LoL. Cheers
@@bradenatkinson4784Joni's series used to be called The Conflict Series, but he had to change the name to Campaign. Series due to Google PlayStore rules. Something about the wording. He changed the name about a year ago or so. I know he expanded to put them on Amazon, but I don't know if he still uses the old name there though. Cheers
If you ever set it up physical, you'll need an extra table for all the table charts XD Also, isn't "TOE" Table of Organisation and Equipment (yet another table)?
I wonder if anyone ever actually played the campaign to completion? I'm doubtful. I remember drooling over this in that game shop in Ballards Lane, north London ('79). BTW, no mention of the infamous pasta rule. Is that actually in there or just part of the mythology? Anyway, put it away and don't touch it again. That way lies madness. But thanks for posting - fascinating stuff. Andrew
I think the a game designer estimated it would take at least 1500 hours to complete the full campaign. I read an article one time about some people (maybe scientists) who brought a copy to Antartica with them, they played 8 hours a day for a month or two, and they weren't even close to finishing.
@@WiseGuyHistory Well they would. I've lived in Italy for 13 years - Italian wife, etc. Now I'll get to drone on about the pasta rule at dinner parties...
I lived in Iran in the 1980's, and had this game out there. I had the home/office space to lay it out, and I am proud to say that I actually played the campaign and completed it - twice !! It took me a few weeks to get used to the system, but - once I had devised my own Sequence of Play and charts - I began to really enjoy it. The TOE (Table of Organisation and Equipment) was flexible enough that you can vary the composition of your divisions by, for example, adding additional AT batteries or AA guns or a small tank unit. You could also have ad hoc all-arms stacks, rather like German Kampfgruppe, on the Allied side. You also have training 'time-outs' for new units, or for new equipment. The logistics side is really exceptional. Units eat supplies all the time, but in combat you really do go through your supplies at a frightening rate - this is the most realistic simulation of logistics I have seen in any game. In fact, do not treat it as a 'game'; it is, more properly, a simulation. FYI, I was able to complete my second full campaign in 6 months, playing daily. It was rather surreal, in a way, because outside my home/office there was a real war going on, and I occasionally found myself playing the game during a real air raid, with the Iranian AA going off and Iraqi bombs going boom in the background. As I type this the box is sitting on a shelf next to me, and I do occasionally pull it out a flip through it, but I just don't have the space here to put it out again 😟
Blimey - kudos to you. You might be unique!
WE DEMAND FULL CAMPAIGN PLAYTHROUGH!!!
Got about 30 years? This is the one that is almost possible to finish right?
@@joshdavis3743 Its "impossible" since if you do 3 hour sessions twice a month itll still take you over 20 years.
That said 4 sessions every month is 10 years, and so on, so you can finish it in a year... under certain circumstances.
(4 6 hour sessions per month would be "only" 5 years for instance)
@@historyman9436 I meant "impossible"
Just started playing the Rommel scenario on my channel with the physical version if anyone fancies a look….don’t expect us too get too far too fast! cheers JP
Oh cool! www.youtube.com/@JP-ml4zh
Actually I've already watched your setup video from a while ago!
This overview is well deserved. The TV series 'Big Bang' (Series 16?) made it widely infamous, as it deafeated Sheldon. I clearly remember the review I read, thinking about it, saving the £25, and the moment I bought it in 1981 after ordering it through Esedevium Games in Aldershot. I have played, and enjoyed, most of the other very large SPI games, but this is not comparable. My physical copy of this is unpunched but I have poured over the rules and photocopied the many off map tracking sheets. It is truely iconic. Decision Games (who have the rights) considered reprinting it, when hobby chatter (and eBay prices) spiked. Edit: Not ever experimented with Vassal.
I loved SPI games back in the late 70s and owned many of them. I didn't have Campaign for north Africa, but "Four battles in North Africa" was my favourite. The original battles you could recreate Crusader, Cauldron, El-Alemain and kasserine. Now the only SPI games I still own are Sinai and Dreadnought I really wish I had kept hold of all the others.
The "E" on the divisional counter means that unit has organic Engineering capability.
Ah my apologies! Thank you!
"Breakdown Value" refers to the chance a vehicle has to be disabled when moving through a given terrain. But of course, different vehicles apply different adjustments to that value. Nothing like having your tanks break down en route to a vital assault.
Played this game when it was first published. One of SPIs best/worst games. Played it in a gaming group. To say it was complicated is a bit of an understatement. Team play helped some, but it was difficult to say the least. Massive beasty to be sure. Unfortunately, a lot of time has passed since then and I can't really remember the "hows" and the "what's" of the thing. Reminded me of Games Workshop's Drang nach Ost/Untschieden from a few years earlier. Again a massive critter. That particular title worked really well with team play. The Vassel looks like it would help Berg's game move along better than the hex and counter game. Thanks for the memories. Cheers from Tennessee
I think it's a badge of honour to even attempt this, bravo! I've been tempted for many years, and this is the closest I've come to really wanting to try it...
Wow, I've thought for decades that this game was one that had never been played by anyone. I guess that's a myth.
@@cbblackard It got played, but it was a group effort. There were about 14 or so in the game club that played it. Not everyone played at the same time though. We were in two groups, Axis and Allies. The paperwork alone usually had two people from each side doing it. The thing was massive. I think each player controlled a Corps or so each with a number of divisions and brigades. There was one C in C that controlled resource allocation and the overall flow of each team, strategy ect. There were like 1500+ counters and the maps combined were quite massive too. If I'm not mistaken it took about 6 months to get through 1941 alone with many players coming and going. It wasn't quite as large as DNO/UNT but that was more manageable for team play. Richard Berg in those days had a thing for extremely complex games and SPI also in it's latter days did too. A far cry from some of it's S&T offerings, but even those could get problematic because of errata concerns. Publishing 6 magazine games and 10-12 boxed games a year probably became a little overwhelming. James Dunnigan was a bit of a task master back in the day I reckon. I got a subscription for S&T in 1973 or so. The heyday of the magazine. Cheers
@@WiseGuyHistoryWe only got through 1941 and that took around 6 months or so.
@@Hillbilly001 So did I, Subscriber #1947.
At one point in the playtesting of the game, various Commanders decided they wanted to no longer waste guards and supplies on prisoner points, so marched them deep into the desert, removed their guards, and let them starve to death. These players were arraigned for "War Crimes" after the test was over. :)
I love this anecdote! I reckon you should have house ruled some morale impact on the force responsible!
Yes, a buddy of mine, Mitch, recreated the map for our group play.
How'd he do it? Looks very accurate, but with subtle changes in style...
After GOSS, this seems my only way north also. Good luck to you, sir. And, too, with a New England winter on the way....
This is one of many grail games that one can only hope to find in a thrift store, 100% complete for 4.99.
"Lust in the Dust" as they called it when they were making it. I've actually played this game solitaire, with all options. One turn took like a week to complete, but I had plenty of time on my hands back then.
Did the same thing with War in the Pacific, writing a couple of BASIC programs on my Apple II to assist in the paperwork.
The game was the first of the "Heuristic, Intensive Manual Simulations" which had been floated (as a joke) to the S&T community as one of the Feedback ideas. The S&T staff did that a lot -- bored and coming off speed at 3 a.m., they often suggested ridiculous concepts to put into the Feedback section. But they were committed to attempting anything that got a high rating, and to their surprise (and consternation), this one got good results, so they were stuck with it. Since it was Richard Berg's idea, he got stuck with it. I followed the development closely, and bought one of the first copies when it finally emerged.
Wow! Were you one of Dunnigan's crew in the New York days?
@@Hillbilly001 No, but I hung out there occasionally.
@@erichammer2751 Went by the W. 57 St address many years after S&T/SPI had gone away. Just to pay respects I reckon. Would have loved to have gone there when Dunnigan had an open playtest night, but I lived in Illinois at the time and I was a teenager then. Good times then. I think I'm getting a little long in the tooth, but I still play. Have been playtesting Joni Nuutinen's Campaign Series for quite a few years now. Can't get away from it I reckon. LoL. Cheers
You mean conflict series?
@@bradenatkinson4784Joni's series used to be called The Conflict Series, but he had to change the name to Campaign. Series due to Google PlayStore rules. Something about the wording. He changed the name about a year ago or so. I know he expanded to put them on Amazon, but I don't know if he still uses the old name there though. Cheers
If you ever set it up physical, you'll need an extra table for all the table charts XD Also, isn't "TOE" Table of Organisation and Equipment (yet another table)?
I wonder if anyone ever actually played the campaign to completion? I'm doubtful. I remember drooling over this in that game shop in Ballards Lane, north London ('79). BTW, no mention of the infamous pasta rule. Is that actually in there or just part of the mythology?
Anyway, put it away and don't touch it again. That way lies madness.
But thanks for posting - fascinating stuff.
Andrew
Yep, rule 52.6 The Italian Pasta Rule, in the logistics section. It's really quite remarkable how much you can do in this game though!
@@WiseGuyHistorythe best part of that rule is that it is a joke rule.
But if the Italians don't get their Pasta Point they get demoralised!!! [literally, rule 52.6] :-D
I think the a game designer estimated it would take at least 1500 hours to complete the full campaign. I read an article one time about some people (maybe scientists) who brought a copy to Antartica with them, they played 8 hours a day for a month or two, and they weren't even close to finishing.
@@WiseGuyHistory Well they would. I've lived in Italy for 13 years - Italian wife, etc. Now I'll get to drone on about the pasta rule at dinner parties...
I play ASL, and even this game scares me. 🤣
Haven’t watched any of the video yet, but did you get a copy of the game in Australia or just playing digitally?
No, just exploring the gameplay/feel/theme via the rules, not committing to play it.
You’ve officially gone crazy! It will be fun to watch.
Ok, nevermind.
Play the campaign through for us, you coward!
😝
Will do if you can get me a physical copy! :-D
@@WiseGuyHistory Don't make such offers; I have a physical copy....
@joearnold6881 will be in touch with you shortly @Wenzlik ! :-D
@@Wenzlikwoohoo! Lol