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Farmers vs. Empire (English Edition)

By: Strategemata

Type: Boxed Game

Product Line: War Games (Strategemata)

MSRP old price: $58.00


Product Info

Title
Farmers vs. Empire (English Edition)
Publisher
Category
Publish Year
2015
Dimensions
8.75x12.5x1.5"
NKG Part #
2147597392
Type
Boxed Game
Age Range
12 Years and Up
# Players
2 Players
Game Length
180 - 360 Minutes

Description

Farmers vs. Empire is a set of two wargames in one box.

The first, The Second Boer War 1899-1902, is a strategic wargame. The second, Bloody veld: Battle of Magersfontein, 11 December 1899, is a tactical wargame.

Contents:

  • 2 map sheets (821 x 574 mm)
  • 432 die-cut counters
  • 1 deck of 32 battle cards
  • 2 rulebooks
  • 1 scenario booklet
  • 1 scenario chart
  • 2 players aid charts
  • 1 6-sided die
  • 1 10-sided die

    The Second Boer War 1899-1902
    Author: Krzysztof Dytczak

    The game presents the struggles that took place during the Second Boer War between 1899 - 1902.

    The game consists of four turns and each is divided into 22 rounds. During rounds, players perform certain actions. The first and second turns of the game reflect the regular phase of the war. The third and fourth turns are constructed differently, because they represent a specific phase of guerrilla warfare.

    The game uses the point-to-point system, six-sided dice and a deck of battle cards. The game map represents Cape Colony, Natal, Orange Free State and Republic of Transval. Each game phase corresponds to 3-9 months of real time. Military units (infantry, cavalry, artillery, tribals, machine guns, trains) are represented by abstract battle cards.

    Bloody veld: Battle of Magersfontein 11 December 1899
    Author: Slawomir Lukasik

    The game uses the standard hex-and-counter system, and ten-sided dice.

    British infantry is represented by half battalions, cavalry by regiments, artillery by batteries. One counter represents a part of a commando or one gun.
    Each game turn is divided into phases:

    1) Command phase - players use their Commanders-in-Chief and dispatch riders to give orders to subordinate commanders.
    2) Activation phase - after determining the initiative, players, using the Activation Markers, choose the brigade to activate. Activated units, move, fire, commence melee combat (only British units) and reorganize units and recover morale. The opponent can react by firing or counterattacking (only British units).
    3) Reorganization phase - players reorganize broken units.

    The principle of the game is based on an order system, which is associated with an action vector. The player must carry out the assigned order, until the order is changed by the Commander-in-Chief, or the brigade commander manages to change it by himself. The order must be associated with a target hex (e.g. attack hex, defend hex). The possible orders are: ATTACK or DEFEND.

    The game tries to present the diversity of combatants tactics mainly through unit formations. British units may perform fire attacks and melee attacks. Boer units can only fire, but they start the game masked, moreover, some of them can benefit from the trenches. It makes it difficult for the British player who cannot shoot at masked units from a larger distance. The fieldworks allow the Boers to minimize their losses.

    Fire combat takes into account the distance to the target, the firing unit morale and terrain on which the target is currently placed. Artillery performs its fire in the same way, using another fire combat chart. Distinct units are the Boer Pom-Pom automatic guns.

    The result of fire combat can be the loss of morale, combat efficiency level or routing. Additionally also withdrawal.

    Melee combat is also based on the unit’s morale, strength, formation, also the terrain. The effects of melee combat are almost the same as the effects of fire combat. The exception is the possibility of forcing the enemy to flee. Cavalry combat also includes the unit’s momentum. Cavalry may react by counter-charging. The loss of unit’s morale endurance during the game is marked with special markers.

    Game scale:

  • 1 hex - 500 yards (457 m)
  • 1 game turn - 45 minutes
  • 1 counter - British infantry half battalion or part of Boer commando/cavalry regiment/artillery battery (Boer army: 1 gun).