Wargame-Review: "Objective: Kiev" by Frank Chadwick

This review is an edited version of an earlier review I wrote for BoardGameGeek.

Overview
'Objective: Kiev' is a two player entry-level operational wargame originally published by Victory Point Games and re-released as an insert to C3i magazine #26.
This review is based on the C3i version.

The game depicts the Heeresgruppe Süd's advance on Kiev as part of the Barbarossa Campaign, with the opposing force of course being the Red Army.

Contents include a map of the area around Kiev (including outskirts of Poland and Romania), 40 counters, a rules fold-out, and a play aid with a turn track and terrain chart. Five of the overall six pages of the rules contain an extensive introduction, historical notes and of course the rules themselves, while the sixth page covers credits and an overview of the included counters. Other vital information, like the game's CRT and sequence of play, are printed on the map. The game comes with no die, you need to provide a six-sided one yourself.

Keep in mind that the C3i edition has a few but severe printing/editing errors, which you can (and should!) look up before play.

Setup
Thanks to the low number of chits, setup is rather quick and while partially restrictive for historical reasons (mandatory starting positions), still allows for some strategic placement of the remaining units.

Rules
Clear and concise language mediates the core concepts of what is essentially a beginner's cosim. The colour-coded rules pamphlet helps distinguish rules text from examples and clarifications and the all capital, coloured headlines help in further lightening up the dense three-column layout.

Key concepts of hex and counter wargames like CRT, ZOC/EZOC, MP, Stacking, Terrain, and NATO symbols are explained in a refreshingly easy-to-grasp yet concise fashion and does away with sententious minutiae. It is here, where one can see immediate value for the fledgling wargamer.

Historical chrome comes in the fashion of a Special Movement phase, which is basically a second Movement Phase with some restrictions and special rules applied. The Red Army Infantry may make a full move along rails in their Special Movement Phase, while German mechanised units (Panzerkorps) may make another full movement in theirs.

The CRT is odds based, pitting Combat Factors against each other. The Germans can call for air support twice in the game, which causes a column shift in their favour. This allows for some more adventurous maneuvres on the German side. I rather like this, it is easy to understand and by moving the airplane chits from their designated boxes on the map, also a breeze to track.

Another interesting component of 'Objective: Kiev' is the last phase of each player's turn: the Replacement Phase. The turn track indicates Replacement Points available to each player on each selective turn, with which one may "buy" new units or flip damaged ones. This is especially important for the Soviet player, who also has more of these points at hand over the course of the scenario.

An element of chaos comes in the form of the Soviet mechanised units beginning play on their "untried" side. These are shuffled before placement at setup, only to be revealed whilst firing or being fired upon.

A few units enter the game on later turns. They are placed on colored edges either in the west or the east, according to the power you command. If I remember correctly, this is one of the cases, where there was a misprint on the precise turn in which certain units enter the map. You will have to look it up though.

The Game
The Victory conditions for the Germans, which have some Romanian, Hungarian, and Italian troops on their side, are to capture all 15 cities by the end of the game (after seven rounds). The Red Army on the other hand needs to prevent that from happening. If only 14 cities are controlled by the Germans, the game is considered a draw. Nothing too funky here, these are goals which should be easy to grasp for everyone.

The Soviets command armies and a handful of untried mechanised units, while the Germans and their allies mainly consist of Panzer and infantry corps. Setup dictates a clash of massive Red Army infantry units against the rolling behemoth which are the German Panzerkorps at the Western part of the map. The Soviet player is clearly the weaker force here and has to prolong the German advance through skilful use of ZOC and terrain.

Sooner or later though it is quite likely that the Germans will break through the lines and their mechanised units can rush from city to city. The game dramatically changes pace at this point and delivers a satisfying battle with the Red Army as the desperate defender.

The numerous rails and diverse terrain really encourage strategic thinking and tactical placement of units, with swamps being particularily nasty for the mechanised attacker. Rivers come in two sizes, which can–and will!–be used a lot to the defending player's advantage.

Historicity
I can't comment too much on it, as I have insufficient knowledge of the topic. I will make an educated guess though and say, that a lot of thought has been put into the historical underpinnings in this abstracted environment. The forces seem appropriately asymmetrical, the Special Movement is rather unique, and the replacements favour the Russian side, which makes sense on their soil.

Verdict
While somewhat preaching to the choir, I can see why RBM has included this game as an insert to C3i: it is an excellent option for someone interested in our cherished hobby, but without any prior knowledge of it. Who knows, maybe there is someone out there who does pick up the magazine for this specific reason.
Now don't get me wrong, this is not a fantastic game. It probably isn't even a great one, but it surely is a viable stepping-stone for anyone who is interested in operational wargaming. With the benefit of hindsight, many wargaming veterans know the value of learning the established core concepts of the genre when making your first foray, since they are often repeated in other games.

Potential Grognardlings are often put off by the complexity of popular wargames and the unfamiliarity with the involved lingo – never to be seen again in our midst. This is why more games like this should, nay, need to exist. After all, how many times can you refer to 'Napoleon at Waterloo' as a potential starting point?
Newcomers should know their ZOCs, EZOCs, CRTs, CFs, and MPs... and have fun getting introduced to them. A feat 'Objective: Kiev' pulls off brilliantly.

For the seasoned wargamer this can be a game to pull out if you want lighter fare, where you don't have to check rules often and can finish a game in about three hours. There is enough meaningful decision-making involved to warrant a place in your collection. The portability is another plus.

Review: "The Greatest Salesman in the World" by Og Mandino

Repetition; it's the grand motif behind the 1968 self-help book 'The Greatest Salesman in the World'. Written by the late Og Mandino, the mass market paperback is a mere 111 pages long and the font size is beyond generous. It is aimed at people in the sales profession and promises to profoundly improve your skills in the trade. Not by disclosing a revolutionary new approach mind you, but through a narrative set behind the exotic backdrop of Ancient Damascus. Thus, 'The Greatest Salesman in the World' would serve as a quick read between flights, was it not for a giant trick the author pulls on the reader in the latter half of the book. But I am getting ahead of myself.

The story revolves around a man named Hafid, an old merchant who built the biggest trade empire in the Mediterranean, and his loyal bookmaker Erasmus. Seemingly out of nowhere, Hafid one day orders Erasmus to dispose of his entire treasury and the properties he lent to partners. Most of the money to be gifted to the poor of Damascus. Erasmus, who always puts the need of others before his own, is shocked by the old man's decision and worries for him, but ultimately yields to his master's wish. After the deed is done, Hafid invites his loyal servant into a locked chamber which for many years was the object of speculation among the townsfolk. Only Hafid's late wife and he himself knew of its secrets. Upon entry, Erasmus is surprised to find out that the chamber is completely empty, save for a chest filled with ten ancient, dusty scrolls. According to Hafid, these contain the secret on how to become the titular 'Greatest Salesman in the World'.

Over the course of the next few chapters we meet a young Hafid who in a cold winter night solicits his adoptive father Pathros, himself back then a merchant of great renown, to pursue in his trade. Reluctant at first, Pathros grants Hafid the chance at becoming his student after he learns that the young boy's true motivation is not to amass wealth, but the love of the beautiful Lisha, whose rich father Calneh would never approve of her marrying a camel boy. Entrusted by Pathros with a fine garment, Hafid's baptism of fire is in the poor town of Bethlehem, which all traders avoid—except for Pathros. If he was able to sell hundreds of these robes to the populace of poor Bethlehem, so too should Hafid be with a single one. Facing defeat after a few days, the almost resigned boy vows to try one last time next morning. As he wanders back to the cavern where his camel is tied, he finds it to be occupied by a poor couple and their new-born child. Instead of trying to sell the fine robe the next day, he gifts it to them out of compassion. Left with a thankful kiss on the cheek, Hafid witnesses the brightest star he has ever seen shining above the cavern. Upon his untimely return, Pathros assures the sobbing young boy that he did him no wrong. On the contrary, he seems downright enthused Hafid is followed by this bright and beautiful star. It's a sign Pathros has been waiting for many years. With passing health, he inaugurates Hafid in the secret of the ancient scrolls and tells him the story how he came to be their owner. And it is thus later the old Hafid who in turn is waiting for a sign to pass on the knowledge within the scrolls. It happens to be a certain rugged stranger by the name of Paul of Tarsus who visits the old man's estate. And with him he brings the sign that it is he who should be their next recipient—the blood-stained garment of the crucified Jesus. With tearful eyes Hafid recognises it from the night in the cavern. It is a heartfelt narrative and Mandino tells it fervently.

The story itself: superb. Growing up in the Catholic faith, I still have some remaining fondness for the tales inside the Bible. But my main gripe is with the other half of the book. As we learn circa in its middle, each and every one of the ten scrolls needs to be repeatedly read over a period of thirty days—thrice daily no less!—before one may proceed to the next scroll. That's ten months of devotion to 51 pages. Why these mandates make a great salesman, we never find out. But they sound truthful and lofty enough and are painted with such poetic metaphors, that I guess we can only resort to taking them on faith. Quickly was I reminded of news broadcasts showing Islamic schools in the Middle-East, whose pupils' single textbook was the noble Qur'an. The goal of course being the absolute internalisation of the holy text.

In the end, it is nobody but the author himself who is 'The Greatest Salesman in the World'. Would one stick to reading his scrolls for the prescribed ten months, even the sceptic may turn a believer if this book became his daily companion. And judging from the almost universal praise 'The Greatest Salesman in the World' receives over the internet, Mandino obviously succeeded in this regard. I, on the other hand, was left with a bitter taste in my mouth. Lured into the author's scheme through master wordsmithery, the second half of the book is just pages upon pages of opaque motivational speeches masquerading as high prose. Admittedly sharing some truths, but remaining devoid of almost any facts. Through this indoctrination Mandino makes you, the well-intentioned and inquisitive apprentice, a slave to his religious text—by means of mindless repetition.

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