Steven Goodknecht
United States
Bradley
Illinois
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In November of 1981 I received my latest Strategy & Tactics magazine #89 in the mail. Little did I know then that this would be the very last issue that I would receive from SPI. SPI was gone within two months, victim of a bad economy, poor business management and long-standing financial woes. Much later I would unexpectedly receive S&T #90 in the mail but that one came from TSR who had bought the bankrupt SPI.
The game I received in issue #89 was Sicily: The Race for Messina. As with many S&T games I had little knowledge about the game’s subject. All that I knew about the campaign for Sicily came from having seen the 1970 film Patton starring George C. Scott. But the beauty of S&T was that the magazine included a concise history of the subject and also articles on things like the armies and leaders involved and other tidbits of facts. It gave you all that you needed to know in order to understand what you were supposed to be doing while playing the game. Many times, reading the accompanying articles inspired me to play the game. Consequently, I would play games on subjects that I would not have otherwise. Nor would I have ever owned games on these subjects without S&T.
My resistance to play Sicily was low when I opened the magazine and saw the full sized beautifully colored map and the nice matte finished counters. SPI had been putting out some very nice looking games before their demise and Sicily was no exception. Looking at the game today, I get the same feeling about it that I did over 30 years ago. In typical Redmond Simonsen fashion, most of the charts needed to play the game are printed on the map. Unfortunately, there wasn’t room enough for the Sequence of Play or the Combat Results Table.
There are 300 back-printed counters in one and a half counter sheets. They are standard SPI style WWII counters with NATO symbols. Units represent brigades, regiments and some specialized battalions. The combat units are in a total of nine different colors representing the various nationalities and branches of service.
Sicily was designed by Dick Rustin who had also designed the popular Leningrad and the not-so-popular Tito, which was also an S&T game. Although Tito has a small cadre of fans, it remains, along with Dixie and The Plot to Assassinate Hitler, one of the more reviled S&T games. I can’t recall if Rustin was an SPI staff member or a free-lance designer.
Sicily was the third game in a series called Victory in the West. Operation Grenade and Patton’s 3rd Army were the first two and they had also been S&T games. The series had its roots in Operation Typhoon, which had its roots in Panzergruppe Guderian. Based on the popularity of the latter two games, SPI could reasonably expect that the VitW series would be a hit.
The Victory in the West system was somewhat similar to other SPI WWII games at this scale. Units must stop when entering a ZOC but can exit if they begin in one. The units are classified as either mechanized or non-mechanized with differing terrain costs for each and there are two types of movement: Tactical and Strategic. A unit using Strategic movement receives the road rate bonus and given the rugged terrain in Sicily, this makes roads very important. There are also rules for Combined Arms and Divisional Integrity, supply and artillery.
But the real twist in the system is a Limited Intelligence rule that attempts to introduce a fog of war effect. Basically, the strengths of all brigades and regiments are unknown until their first combat. These units have both a morale rating of 1, 2 or 3 and a combat class of A, B or C. There are chits numbered 1-3 and each of those chits also has an A, B and C rating along with a corresponding combat factor. The player divides the chits into their respective 1,2 and 3 groups and places them in separate cups. Upon a unit’s first combat, a chit is pulled from one of the cups based upon the unit’s 1, 2 or 3 morale rating and it’s combat factor is then decided by the A, B or C combat factor on the chit. Phew! Trust me, it’s much easier to use than it is to explain in one sentence.
The opposing player is not allowed to examine the chit under a combat unit. Hence, he only knows the morale rating and combat class of an enemy unit until the moment of combat resolution. A first time attacking or defending player may receive a rude surprise if the chit he pulls from the cup has a low combat factor.
Each back-printed chit has a higher and lower value. If it takes a loss, the chit is flipped to its lower side. Another loss causes the chit to be removed and the unit itself is flipped and becomes a cadre unit with a low combat factor. Another loss and the unit is eliminated. Thus, these units have three steps.
Having only played this game solo, I was a bit ambivalent to the Limited Intelligence rule. I’ve never mastered self-deception in a wargame. Perhaps if I ever played the game face-to-face, it would become a different experience. But even playing solo it does provide some uncertainty, at least for the first chit pull.
Combat in the game is also unique. Although three units may stack, only one regiment or brigade sized unit may attack or defend from a hex. All battalion-sized units in a hex must attack or defend. The Combat Results Table is odds based with columns adjusted for terrain type and elevation. In combat, the units either retreat, take losses or both. Step losses can be substituted for a retreat. The CRT also has a ‘Breakthrough’ result, which allows the attacker to make some significant advances.
I’m always suspicious of a ‘series’ game when the exclusive rules are exactly the same length of the standard rules. Such is the case with Sicily. It is an invasion game in rugged, mountainous terrain, which also presented unique supply problems so naturally there had to be special rules to reflect all of those aspects. All the unique features of the game also required more units. The countermix is expanded to include paratrooper, glider, mountain, cavalry, coastal and depot units.
I will run through the exclusive rules because they really are the heart of Sicily. It’s the many exclusive that presents the player with the same obstacles faced by their historical counterparts. This will be where you decide whether or not this is a game for you. So gird your loins and fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a long, bumpy ride! The exclusive rules are in italics.
Before setting up the game, two dice are rolled and that number will determine how many of the 16 Italian Coastal Units will be placed on the map.
Counters are then placed on the Support Points Track for each nationality. All attacks cost Support Points, which are added or subtracted by various actions throughout the game. There are penalties if a nationality’s Support Points falls to zero or below: reduction in supply status, no divisional integrity bonuses, etc.
The Sequence of Play is expanded to include a Preliminary Phase. This includes a Weather Phase (weather can be variable or historical), and a Bookkeeping Phase where the Allied player checks the number of airfields he owns, which also affects the number of Support Points received. On Game Turns 3, 6, 9, etc., the Allied player checks for Tactical Points by tallying the numbers allotted to some cities and towns he has captured and the number of captured airfields. A low number of Allied Tactical Points can give the Axis player Variable Reinforcements but a high number can cause Italian Desertion.
After all units are on the map, Airborne Operations are consulted on the Airborne Missions Chart to determine their fate. The paratroop and glider units that are a part of the initial invasion may suffer losses, become scattered or both. Historically, the landings did not go well.
The Sequence of Play includes a Special Stage for the first turn Amphibious Landings. Invasions consist of a First and Second Wave and both players receive an additional movement and combat phase on the first turn but movement is halved. The Allies have to fight their way ashore and may become disrupted; they cannot move again for that turn. There are Special Movement Restrictions for both sides. Certain Axis units may not move on Game Turns 1 or 2 and three units of the Hermann Goering Division must move adjacent to Allied units on the first turn. The Allies have army boundaries that may not be crossed by U.S. and U.K. forces
On Game Turn 3, the Allied player secretly determines how many Amphibious End-Runs may be made throughout the game for both U.S. and U.K. forces. Only one unit per force may make an Amphibious End-Run per turn.
There are no supply lines, only supply sources. The Axis traces supply to three cities. The Allied player traces supply to two depots each for U.S and U.K. forces. Both players may attempt to supply one unit with Air Supply and the Allied player may attempt supply for one unit with Sea Supply. Supply is a bugaboo due to the nasty terrain. If a unit strays too far from a road that traces to a supply source, it becomes out of supply or isolated. It is tough for armor to move far from a road hex. Supply length off-road is short but the Allies do have pack transport to expand it. You know, donkeys!
Terrain plays an important role in the game given Sicily’s rugged nature; there are six elevation levels that are handled uniquely. Besides receiving column shifts for defending, units in the top three tiers of elevation are not required to attack adjacent enemy units at lower levels.
Both sides receive armor and infantry Replacement Points on some game turns allowing reduced units to be replenished. Axis units are not penalized but Allied units receiving Replacement Points have their morale reduced by one. Reduced morale markers are provided.
Evacuation allows both sides to get their units off the island. This is the tricky part for the Axis player: when to evacuate the Italians or risk their deserting. After 10 Axis units have been evacuated the Allied player can declare Maximum Interdiction. A table is then consulted for the effects, which consists of possible step losses for Axis units.
Other exclusive rules cover mountain units, roads, bridges and towns, artillery and naval gunfire support, emergency bombing and seaborne reinforcements.
A Variable Campaign game allows the players to use different invasion areas from the historical ones. This also allows the Axis player to deploy differently. Finally, there is a single scenario titled ”The U.S. Landing” which consists of the first four turns. The full campaign game is 20 Game Turns long with each turn representing two days. Playing time is given as 10+ hours.
Like the actual campaign, the game is a slogging slugfest. Sicily wasn’t North Africa; no sweeping armored thrusts here. If you want to be a Panzer Leader, look elsewhere. Here there is just rugged terrain and slow going as you fight for nearly every hex. Sicily is probably more fun as the Allied player. But a German player who likes the challenge of a defensive fighting withdrawal while trying to keep his army intact, should be satisfied. The Axis player does have the ability to mount some effective counter-attacks.
I suspect that the best way to play the game would be with three people. That would provide more feeling for the true nature of this campaign with the ‘allies’ competing to be the first to Messina. Then as Patton, you can growl, “I’m gonna beat that Limey bastard to Messina!” Or, playing Montgomery, you can mutter, “Damn!” when Patton takes Palermo and then feel satisfaction when his drive suddenly grinds to a crawl. With allies like these, you don’t need any enemies.
Mr. Rustin didn’t shirk when designing Sicily; it is more simulation than game. It is neither simple nor simplistic but it does provide a solid feel for the campaign. I’m sure that some gamers would declare Sicily to be ‘fiddly’ or possessing too much chrome. At a glance, I would certainly agree. I can understand why some gamers would be put off by the amount of chrome. But playing the game I understood why it all had to be there. The designer’s intent was to recreate as closely as cardboard and paper allows, the campaign for Sicily. It is not just another ‘knock-off’, cookie cutter game; Mr. Rustin’s research, knowledge and interest in the campaign is evident and his desire to ‘get it right’ shines through. He pushed the envelope for what was both a series and magazine game.
If your interest lies only in the game system, then I would strongly recommend the first two VitW games over Sicily. But if you want a close approximation of the Sicilian campaign, and you are willing to invest the time and effort it requires, Sicily is a game that delivers. SPI and S&T went out with a flourish.
I always wondered why Sicily had never been reviewed. It was a reasonably popular game that many had played. Once I started, I think I discovered why. Even after numerous rewrites, trying it different ways, I’m still not really satisfied. My desire not to go into detail about the exclusive rules was high but despite heroic efforts I was forced to succumb. Sicily is a game wrapped in the VitW series but under that veneer is a whole other game within the ‘series’ game. It’s a very difficult game to describe. While writing this review, I was reminded of a time back in 1989. A friend was excitedly telling me about a great new movie she had just seen. It was all about a farmer in Iowa who hears voices. Doing what he thinks the voices are telling him, he plows up a huge chunk of his cornfield, builds a regulation-sized baseball diamond, and then dead ballplayers from the past…ghosts…come out of the cornfield to play on the baseball diamond. “Huh?” was all I could say. Like the movie, Field of Dreams, Sicily is much better when seen through your own eyes.
Note: In Moves #60 (Dec., 1981, the final issue) Mr. Rustin contributed a substantial six-page article explaining his design intent and why some rules were the way they were, provided some history to justify his design choices and offered some additional rules. There are also some new counters that can be copied. Interestingly, his opinion was that the variable game is the best choice for players. You can find this article at web-grognards.
Mr. Rustin also contradicted my feelings about Montgomery and Patton. In his opinion, the Allied player represents Sir Harold Alexander. He doesn’t deny the Patton/Montgomery rivalry but says that it has been overemphasized. I freely admit that Mr. Rustin’s knowledge of Sicily far exceeds mine. Still, I can’t help but feel that given the gigantic egos involved, these two men were in competition. Both knew that the invasion of France lay in the near future and I think that at least Montgomery was jockeying for the position of overall ground commander in France. I don’t think Patton had any designs on that position, I think he just wanted to beat Montgomery. In Sicily, there were two prima donnas on the same small stage and prima donnas rarely ever play nicely together. But that’s only my opinion. I welcome yours.
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Eric Walters
United States
Norfolk
Virginia
"...the art of manoeuvering armies...an art which none may master by the light of nature. but to which, if he is to attain success, a man must serve a long apprenticeship." -- G.F.R. Henderson
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Terrific review; this was always my favorite Victory in the West series game from the old SPI days for the reasons you cite. Despite its age, it favorably compares to the newer titles on the subject.
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John Kovacs
United States
Elyria
Ohio
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I recently traded for this game so that I could collect one more game with a campaign that General Patton was involved in. Excellent review - I'm looking forward to playing this and Patton's Third Army: The Lorraine Campaign.
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Bill Wood
United States
Eden
North Carolina
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We have played this game at least 4 times at the EWR - three players each time.
One Brit, One Ami, One Axis.
We definitely enjoyed it - it is a very solid study of the Campaign - in my opinion, the best game in the system.
Anyway, we 'fudged' the Battle of the Prima Donnas and found that its hard on both - if they don't work together well it can be a bit of a disaster.
The Brits and Amis function a bit differently - the Brits are stuck fighting towards Etna, around it and up to Messina.
The Amis are pinned for a little bit and then suddenly they are going ring around the island towards Palermo - very different play styles help add to the game.
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Steven Goodknecht
United States
Bradley
Illinois
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Bill,
So your feeling about the three player game sounds very similar to what Mr. Rustin said in his article. Patton and Montgomery had to cooperate more after a time. Interesting.
I had a hard time accepting this as a 'series' game. The sheer amount of exclusive rules almost felt like a stand-alone game. That was what made this the hardest review I've written. It was like doing two reviews in one. I wanted to do more on how the game actually played but describing the game made it far too long as it is.
I may consider this Part I and do another review on how it actually plays. But since I have been writing, and mostly rewriting this review since November, I probably won't do that anytime soon. Perhaps someone else will.
Usually, I have just as much fun writing about a game that I like as I do playing it. But not Sicily!
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