Last night, I played some more Israeli Independence, the solitaire game on Israel's drive for statehood in 1948/49. I decided that since the game had a nice narrative I would track the happenings and report them here -- for posterity and to give readers a better idea of how he game plays.
Each turn a headline card is flipped over which will advance Arab armies (they all start in their countries, save for Iraq, which starts on the Jordan Border). The card also states how many offensives vs. the advancing armies the Israelis can launch. Israel tries to keep the Arabs out of West Jerusalem through 22 cards.
Card 1, "Iraq Tires!" The armies of Syria and Jordan advance, Syria to Safed and Jordan to Jericho. Both offensives are launched against the Syrians, and they're pushed back to the Golan Heights. In excellent news for the fledgling Jewish state, the Iraqi army, after a long march through the desert, turns around and goes home, its heart not in the fight. This is excellent news for the Israelis, as they now have one less foe to fight.
Card 2, "Mid-East War Quiets as Truce Declared!" UN Mediator Count Folke Bernadotte recommends a partition plan which is rejected by both sides. The Egyptian army breaks the truce by advancing to Gaza and the war continues.
Card 3, "Palestinian Refugees Hamper Operations!" The flood of Palestinian villagers out of the areas claimed by Israel greatly hamper Arab operations. This wave of humanity pushes the Jordanian army back to Trans-Jordan and an Israeli offensive pushes the truce-breaking Egyptians back to El Arish. After 3 cards, the Israelis have seen the Iraqis tire of the war and all 4 Arab armies (Lebanon's hasn't done anything yet) are back in their homelands. But there's still a lot of game to go...
Card 4, "Operation Dani Launched!" Syria advances back to Safed. Operation Dani is launched against the Jordanians, and there is much skirmishing at the Trans-Jordan border. Other Israeli forces push the Syrians back to the Golan Heights. The small, uncoordinated Israeli military units continue to have success vs. their Arab counterparts.
Card 5, "Israelis Shoot Down British Warplanes!" 4 Royal Air Force planes are shot down by Israeli pilots, increasing tensions. This puts the Egyptians, Syrians, and Jordanians on the move to Gaza, Safed, and Jericho, respectively. An offensive launched against the Jordanians is ineffective.
Card 6, "Opertation Kedem Launched!" Shortly before a second cease-fire was about to be announced, an offensive was launched against Jordan and this pushes their army back into Trans-Jordan. The Syrians, however, take advantage of a lull on their front to push farther into lands claimed by Israel, making it to Tiberias.
Card 7, "Operation Dekel Launched!" Egyptians advance to Beersheba and Jordanians push back into Jericho. Operation Dekel in the North knocks the Syrians back to Safed, while fierce fighting in the South kicks the Egyptians back to Gaza. Fate is continuing to smile kindly on the Israelis.
Card 8, "Road to Jerusalem Blocked!" Arab armies effectively cut the lines of communication into Jerusalem, placing it under siege. Jordanians advance to Ramallah, and the siege prevents the Israelis from attacking them. So the offensives target the Egyptians and Syrians, and they're pushed back into Egypt and Syria proper.
Card 9, "Resistance at Degania!" Israelis armed with light weapons prevent Syrian tanks from advancing off the Golan Heights. In other sectors, the Egyptians advance to Gaza. Israelis reopen lines of communication around Jerusalem and launch 2 offensives vs. Jordan. Unfortunately, neither attack dislodges the Jordanian army from Ramallah.
Card 10, "Transjordanian Legion on the March!" Jordan's Arab Legion, trained and staffed by British officers, leaves Ramallah and enters East Jerusalem. Egyptians flood back into Beersheba. With the Arab Legion on the outskirts of West Jerusalem, a massive offensive is launched against them, only to result in failure.
Card 11, "State of Israel Established!" Amongst all the fighting, David Ben-Gurion pronounced the establishment of the Jewish state, something quickly recognized by many nations, including the Soviet Union and the United States. However, this pronouncement only infuriated the Arabs, and all armies advanced, including Jordan's Arab Legion which marched into West Jerusalem after heavy fighting and ended the hopes and dreams of the fledgling Jewish nation.
So, as you can see, this game started out well for Israel, but went downhill quickly -- those Jordanians are tough (rated a "4" so only a die roll of 5 or 6 can push them back). Much fun was had, I'll have to work today at getting Israel on better footing!
Jordanian Legion marching outside the Tower of David
3 comments:
So is it a buy or MUST buy ?
Hey Rob,
I'm looking forward to reading your blog!!
And thanks a bunch for the Israeli Independence AAR. I've recently been doing a fair bit of reading on the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of the Israeli state. You have convinced me I need to get a copy of this game! :-)
The game is definitely fun, even though it pretty much plays itself (decisions come down to which Arab army to attack). The narrative is nice, and it plays quickly. For $12.95, I'm very happy to have it around.
Post a Comment