Smaller maps, slightly streamlined logistics, and more liberal sector rules should mean Every Single Soldier’s latest COIN title is less likely to overwhelm and weary work-shy wargamers than its predecessor.
Early Accessible for the very reasonable price of £10, Northern Ireland ’74 isn’t going to teach you a great deal about the geography of the Six Counties (see on) but, thanks to new elements such as bomb blasts, riot control, roadblocks, and informants, it does seem to capture some of the unique flavour and challenges of The Troubles.
Hopefully, in time I’ll be able to tune out or turn off the chirruping cicadas, and accept a random map generator that places cities such as Belfast and Derry in roughly appropriate spots, but is less conscientious with smaller burgs such as Craigavon and Lurgan.
Judging by the fact I was tackling riots, eliminating IRA cadres, recruiting informants, and dealing with the consequences of an IED blast within fifteen minutes of finishing the barebones tutorial, NI74 sessions are going to be far from dull.
Shifted to a more compact and better-connected theatre, and sean shaun shawn of complications such as battle groups, forward bases, and sector limitations (British Army and RUC forces can operate anywhere on the map) game mechanics that left me somewhat frazzled in Angola 86, will, I hope, prove less onerous this time around.
My first serious game of NI74 will begin shortly. Assuming there are no technical hiccups (the map generator has already frozen a couple of times which makes me wonder if there are game-breaking bugs elsewhere in the EA build), an account of its highs, lows, coups, and cock-ups will appear on the Corner later this week.