April 30, 2000 - Game Review
DRIVE ON PARIS
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April 30, 2000 - Game Review |
by Pat Hirtle • Critique this Game Review • Member Feedback • Rate this Game
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DRIVE ON PARIS
Publisher
Designer
Al Wambold
Developer
Dean Essig
Price
$48
Components
• Single 22"x34" Map
• 420 counters
• One SCS Series Rulebook
• One Game-specific Rulebook
• Two diceGame Scale
1 hex = 10 km
1 turn = 1/2 week
Unit scale is divisional, with some brigades
Introduction
World War I has been a hot topic recently, and DRIVE ON PARIS (DoP) represents The Gamers' first foray into this area, as well as the latest in their Standard Combat Series (SCS). DoP simulates, with low to moderate complexity, the opening campaign in the West from August-November 1914, from the German assault on Liege and the French Plan XVII offensive, through the final stalemate in November, when the front stagnated into opposing trenchlines.
Components
The components are what you would expect from The Gamers: top-notch. The counters are clean, functional and attractive, as is the map. The overall effect is pleasing to the eye, and facilitates play. I'm not aware of any ambiguities or errors in either the map or the counters. Judgments on map and counter art are always subjective, and opinions vary widely. Personally, I found the map just a bit too colorful. I prefer a more muted, matte effect; the glossy map, combined with the bright yellow resource symbols, took a bit of getting used to. On the other hand, I did find that the map grew on me as I played.
Historical Background
The 1914 campaign in Belgium and France is well-known. The Germans are seeking to envelope and crush the French armies with a sweeping outflanking movement through Belgium. At the same time, the French are seeking to break through the German centre in Alsace Lorraine. Historically, the French Plan XVII was a disaster; the Germans very nearly succeeded with their Schlieffen Plan. I can think of few topics that appeal to me more than this campaign. As a gamer, you know that failure to win, and win decisively, will result in years of stalemate, trench warfare, and useless slaughter. The ultimate German defeat in World War One, the rise of Nazism, and World War Two were all the children of August 1914. For the historically-minded, there is much at stake when you start pushing the counters on Turn 1.
Game System
As noted above, the SCS series stresses playability. The sequence of play is Movement (including overrun) - Combat - Exploitation (including overrrun) - Supply/Attrition. ZOC's are not rigid, but inhibit movement with a +2 MP cost to enter. Supply is traced to friendly rail lines, and thence to a friendly board edge. Out of Supply penalties are fairly severe, with 25% of out of supply steps lost in the Attrition Phase. The CRT is fairly bloody, with combat results expressed in step losses and retreats. In most scenarios victory is judged by possession of territory, with cities and resource hexes worth from 1-10 Victory Points.
General Play Description
There is nothing terribly new or innovative in the Standard Combat Series, or in the special rules for DoP - no chit pulls, no variable sequence of play, no initiative rolls. This is straight IGO-HUGO, with players moving their units, conducting overruns (perhaps a bit of a misnomer in a WWI game - 'march attacks' might be a more accurate description), attacking, then exploiting. Army headquarters play a limited, albeit important, role in reconstituting units from the deadpile, and exerting a command radius that allows units to go into reserve. As Reserve allows a unit to move twice its movement factor in the Exploitation Phase, this is a powerful mechanism that allows dramatic advances, particularly after a line has been breached in the Combat Phase.
There is enough chrome to add a strong period flavor to the game - the German and Austrian siege guns are present, as are train counters, fortresses and armored cars, as well as forced marches for the German right wing.
While the game is not complex, neither is it short. The campaign scenario is 25 turns long, and that equates to many hours of playing time. There are several shorter scenarios provided, but be prepared for a large time commitment to complete the entire campaign. Because my competitive play is done exclusively by e-mail using ADC2, it's difficult for me to judge face-to-face playing ties.
Perhaps the most important feature of the game is the French Doctrine Line. Previous games on this topic have commonly failed to simulate the course of the campaign because the players have the benefit of hindsight. The Entente player abandons Plan XVII immediately (perhaps after making a few cursory, mandated attacks in Alsace-Lorraine), then rushes everything he can to meet the German right wing as it advances through Belgium. Without restricting the Entente player's ability to react to the threat from the German right, it is difficult to recreate the extent of the German advance.
DoP's solution to this problem is artfully simple: there is a line on the map, running generally north-south to the east of Paris. French units that begin east of this line must stay east of the line, at least until the Germans cross the French Panic Line a few hexes north of Paris. Destroyed units can be reconstituted on either side of the line, giving the Entente player a limited ability to strengthen his left, but for the most part all he can do is wait, watch and sweat. Players who object to being shackled by 'idiot rules' may find this approach unsatisfactory; but it is remarkably effective in recreating the historical flow of the campaign. I've posted screenshots of my PBEM match with Dave Powell on the DoP game discussion topic. We are currently on Turn 8, and the game situation on the map has been, turn for turn, very close to what transpired in 1914.
The Doctrine Line can lead to a few anomalous situations: the French deliberately attacking at low odds east of the line, in order to reconstitute dead units to the west (though I believe this would be ultimately self-defeating), and the Germans ignoring the presence of strong forces just a few hexes from their flank, secure in the knowledge that those forces can't cross the line to attack them.
Another aspect of the game, and one that provoked some controversy, is that the French are encouraged to vigorously prosecute Plan XVII. There are enough VP objectives in Alsace-Lorraine to allow the French to win the game in this sector, and the CRT is attacker-friendly enough to give them a reasonable chance - assuming that they play very skillfully, and that the German player fails to exercise caution and make maximum use of defensive terrain. Unlike most games on this topic, DoP will cause the German player to worry about his centre.
Game as History
Alfred von Schlieffen
This makes for an exciting game, but is it accurate? That point is debatable, and has in fact been debated at some length on ConsimWorld's DRIVE ON PARIS Discussion Topic. Playing the Germans against Dave Powell, I found the threat to my centre serious indeed. In effect, there are two separate campaigns being fought on the map. The German player will rub his hands gleefully as he pushes the counters from his right wing through Belgium and across the sparsely-defended frontier into France. Then, in a far less sanguine mood, he'll turn to Alsace-Lorraine, shuffling his divisions around to prevent a French breakthrough that would undo all the gains to the west.
While some may view this with skepticism, if it was the intention of the designer to recreate the mindset of the generals conducting this campaign, then I feel he's succeeded. The Schlieffen Plan was perhaps the greatest military gamble in history, and the German player should not be able to casually slap down the French offensive in Alsace-Lorraine while concentrating solely on his advance on Paris. Skillful German play should restrict French advances to about what was achieved historically. That said, I have no problem with the French offensive capabilities in this game.
Another point of controversy has been the uniform combat strengths of French, German and British units. In terms of raw numbers this is accurate; in light of tactical performance it is less valid. In virtually every other game on this topic, the British have a significantly higher defense factor than German or French units, while French units are usually weaker than their German counterparts. This has been addressed to a point in official errata which gives the British a defensive shift in combat. I would have preferred that the actual combat factors reflect historical performance, but this hasn't had a significant impact on the flow of my current match.
The CRT is more problematic, as it seems too attacker-friendly for 1914, and is not likely to produce the tremendous losses suffered by the French in their offensives. Although the results seem reasonable on a turn-to-turn basis, I'm not sure that at game's end the body count will reflect historical losses.
These points aside, what has struck me most about this game is the correct 'feel' I get for the actual campaign, at least as I understand the campaign, something I've found lacking in other games that cover this topic.
Conclusion
I was skeptical when I opened DoP for the first time. I have a keen interest in the topic, and I set high standards for games that attempt to depict the 1914 campaign. My initial feeling was that the campaign demanded specific treatment, and no series game - especially a series primarily used for WWII campaigns - could hope to adequately cover the topic. Having completed one scenario, and currently playing the campaign scenario against two different opponents, I can safely say that that initial skepticism was unfounded. This is the best game I've yet played on this topic. Combat values and CRT aside, this game accomplishes what it set out to do - to recreate the 1914 campaign, and to make it a tense and exciting contest.
DoP is not perfect - I do have some misgivings with both the combat values and the CRT. However, the proof is in the pudding - the game plays well, and it plays very close to history. In that sense, the sum is greater than the parts. WWI buffs will be pleased by the historical flow of the campaign; those who are more interested in a balanced and exciting game will be just as pleased.
Overall
RatingRating Commentary
A few ambiguities and awkwardly-worded rules, but clarified by Dean Essig in the Drive on Paris online discussion.
DRIVE ON PARIS is the best game I've played in years. It's a gem - grab it while it's still available.
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