Strategy & Tactics #237 - No Prisoners
No Prisoners is a wargame covering the Suez
-Palestine-Arabian Theater of Operations during World War I. That
theater saw two major campaigns: one in which the forces of the British
Empire contested control of the vital Suez Canal and Jerusalem regions
with the Ottoman Turks and their German allies; and the Arab Revolt, in
which Thomas E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") took a leading roll.
Both campaigns featured several of the major mobile actions of the
Great War. At stake was nothing less than control of the entire Middle
East.
The game has two players: the Allies (British and Arab
Rebels) and Central Powers (Ottoman Turks and Germans). Players move
and attack with their units in their own discrete turns. The objective
is to capture critical cities and thereby win the war in this theater.
The game map is divided into two theaters, the Western and Eastern, in
which separate campaigns are conducted.
No Prisoners
also includes an optional alternative command system, in which both
players control opposing British and Central Powers units in the two
map sectors, in the same manner as in old-SPI's classic Battle for
Germany game. In that option, the two maps' Allied forces race against
each other for victory.
Each hexagon on the map equals 12.4
miles (20 kilometers) across, and each game turn represents three
months of operations. The units of maneuver for both sides are
primarily regiments, brigades and divisions. There are 176 large-size
(5/8") NATO-style (and some iconic) unit-counters in the game.
The
game system is low-complexity (totaling about 13,000 words) and is
being presented here for the first time. Playing time between two
experienced opponents of roughly equal skill levels will be about three
to four hours per game. Designed by Joseph Miranda.
Scale:
Players: 2
Level: Regiment/Division
Hex: 12.4 Miles (20 km)
Articles
Special Lawrence of Arabia focus issue
Allenby's Desert WarLawrence and the Arab RevoltLawrence of Arabia Film and RealityEast Front: Balance of ForcesBattle of Maiwand |