Best 3 Games with…Designer Mark Simonitch!

Mark Simonitch is a very talented designer! (understatement I know but its very true). His talents have given us many great games including the ’40X Series (Normandy ’44, Ardennes ’44 and Holland ’44, Stalingrad ’42, Salerno ’43, North Africa ’41 amongst others) and the great Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage and many others (The U.S. Civil War, Successors, etc.). I am always amazed by his talents and the way he mixes a bunch of great mechanics together to make a very playable and enjoyable simulation of historical events. He also is quite the artist and his boards are always fantastic as his style is very clear and functional but he always puts nice touches on terrain and important aspects such as bridges, roads and cities. His maps just seem to pop and really set a great mood for his games. But that is not the focus of this post. The focus is the 3 games of his that I have most enjoyed. So, without further delay, here are my Best 3 Games with…Designer Mark Simonitch!

*Just a note about the AI generated picture that I used for this piece. I was messing around with the WordPress AI image generator when writing this post and as you give it more and more information, it will improve and create a new image. Now, I know that this doesn’t look at all like Mark Simonitch but I thought it was cool how it added all of the maps on the wall as I mentioned his artistic ability and penchant for maps.

3. North Africa ’41: The Western Desert, March to December 1941 from GMT Games

I love a good North Africa wargame! To me, the reasons that I love them are several but the focus on supply and how difficult it was in this theater as well as the various elements of infrastructure used to perform that supply, such as shipping, ports, trucks, etc. are always good fun. I also love the scope and scale of the North African Theater. The front covered an area over 2,000 or so miles stretching from Morocco on the western coast of the Atlantic, through Algeria, Libya and onto Egypt. Names such as Tunis, Kasserine Pass, Tripoli, Benghazi, Tobruk, El Alamein, Malta (I realize not a part of Africa but an important cog in this theater) and Alexandria. There is something about this theater and the games we have played we have absolutely loved.

Well, when you pair this interesting theater with a great system in the ’40X Series and a great designer in Mark Simonitch, you have a recipe for a really tasty treat! And after playing the game, I was amazed with how much I loved it even though many of the systems and hallmarks of the ’40X Series, such as the infamous ZOC Bonds, were not really present but there were other interesting things to take their place. In North Africa ’41, there are no traditional ZOC Bonds. No ZOC Bonds and the game still works out well. I think that part of this change for this volume was the terrain of the North African desert and the large dust storms that would be created from large formations of men and vehicles passing through the arid landscape. This means that tank units, recon units and even mighty Panzer tanks can subtly move through the terrain of the desert. And there is a lot of open ground on the board but there are also lots of rocky areas, escarpments and hills that can be used by both sides to defend and prevent breakthroughs and simply hold up or slow down advancing enemy units. This change had me a bit off kilter during the first turn and my brain reflexively had me moving my units one hex apart to create a stalwart defensive line of ZOC Bonds but after realizing there were none, I quickly was able to change and move into a more traditional unbroken line of units with tanks and other heavy hitters just behind to prevent breakthroughs and to counter attack when the moment was right and once I could get supply into position to do so. There are Limited Zones of Control as well as Overlapping Zones of Control in the game but they are different than the traditional ZOB Bonds and I think this change was very much a need here in the North African Theater to replicate the concepts of broken and inhospitable terrain, great distances and issues with equipment maintenance and breakdown due to sand overload.

The turn structure is also very different from other games in the series. The turns are not traditional turns where each player gets to activate and move all their units and then fight and the turn ends but is made up of 3 separate impulses called the Action Phase. All 3 of these impulses have movement, combat and there are things like the Events that happen with a roll on the Events Table. You may also notice that the 2nd Impulse is skipped during Summer Turns because of the hot weather and the taxing effect it had on operations. Supply Attrition happens after the end of the 3rd Impulse which is important to take note of because you will have a full 3 activations and opportunities to put enemy units out of supply or to break through enemy lines to restore supply. The importance of supply cannot be overstated, especially for the beleaguered Allied troops holed up in Tobruk. The Axis has got to work hard to encircle them, destroying their ports and shipping to limit the number of units that can be supplied per turn, and also prevent the advancing Allied forces from the south to breaking through and relieving the siege.

As is usually the case with a Simonitch design, we had a great time playing North Africa ’41. I am glad that we cut our teeth on the shorter scenario though as we made plenty of tactical mistakes and early had to learn the benefits of the different elements available to the players. I learned a lot about North Africa from this one and really look forward to exploring this game a bit more. I hope that you have the opportunity to give this one a spin.

I wrote an in-depth look at the game and its systems in my First Impressions post and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2024/01/24/first-impressions-north-africa-41-the-western-desert-march-to-december-1941-from-gmt-games/

I also wrote an entry on the game in our Beautiful Boards of Wargaming Series and you can check that out at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2024/12/31/the-beautiful-boards-of-wargaming-north-africa-41-the-western-desert-march-to-december-1941-from-gmt-games/

Here is a link to our video review and you can watch that at the following link: 

If you are interested in North Africa ’41: The Western Desert, March to December, 1941, you can order a copy for $71.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-962-north-africa-41.aspx

2. Successors 4th Edition from PHALANX

This is a game that we need desperately to get back to the table but when we played it a few years at Buckeye Game Fest we very much enjoyed what it was trying to do. This 4th Edition from PHALANX is also stunningly beautiful but it is more than that as the system is just fantastic! Successors 4th Edition is a card-driven, point-to-point movement strategy game for 2-5 players and is best when you have a full player count as all factions will be represented and the fun will be very chaotic. The game covers the period shortly after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, as he left no clear heir to the immense empire he had conquered. It was not long after his death that the Macedonian generals began to war among themselves over who would be the regent or successor to Alexander’s empire. The players take on the role of the Macedonian army and one of these successors and will claim victory by achieving royal legitimacy within Macedonian society or by controlling the most valuable provinces of Alexander’s empire.

As is usual with a game of this size and scope, there really is a lot going on and it will take the players some time and several plays to really get the game and its point. I recommend patience as you will be rewarded if you can get through the initial learning curve and begin to focus more on strategy. If you have played a CDG or Card Driven Game before, then you will be familiar with how the game goes. It uses cards that players can play for the printed event or for the Operations Points on the cards to do various actions such as move, recruit soldiers, etc. The goal is to try to spread your influence and gain power by placing Political counters on the map and controlling different provinces. To raise their Legitimacy level, they will try to make sure Alexander gets buried, and if in their provinces the more the better, and also controlling specific leaders from the period. The players will spend most of their time mustering troops, fighting battles and struggling to gain control of different areas, Alexander’s various family members, and advance on both the Victory and Legitimacy Tracks.

I very much enjoy the theme and setting for this game. I have always had an interest in Alexander the Great and like this period of history but the focus on the successors and their struggle to gain power is really well done. I feel that Mark and Richard Berg did such a great job of connecting the period and the dynamics with both political and military control with the cards and mechanics at play. I very much enjoyed the concept of having to bury Alexander in Pella the capital of Macedon and the game uses a very interesting little funeral carriage that is moved around by players and this is really tense and causes from dramatic moments. Combat is also very good and players will be familiar with it if they have played games like Hannibal.

I also very much like that there are several different paths to victory and each player will have their own strengths that they can use to pursue this victory. The game is also very stunningly beautiful and we just enjoyed the entire experience.

While we need to get this game back to the table for another go, I am confident in saying that I very much loved what we were doing.

If you are interested in learning more, you can check out our first impressions video after playing at Buckeye Game Fest in 2022 at the following link:

If you are interested in Successors 4th Edition, you can order a copy for €70,00 ($72.00 in US Dollars) from the PHALANX website at the following link: https://phalanx.co.uk/games/successors-board-game/

1. Holland ’44: Operation Market-Garden, September 1944 from GMT Games

Holland ’44: Operation Market-Garden from GMT Games is a hex and counter wargame that focuses on the September 1944 invasion of German occupied Holland in an attempt by the Allies to secure a bridge head over the Rhine River leading into Germany itself. The game uses a system that has been used in several other games designed by Mark Simonitch including Normandy ’44 and Ardennes ’44, which is pretty simple to understand and provides realism in the various aspects that are being modeled.

In this game, airlandings, bridge demolition and traffic congestion are all expertly modeled to create a fun, interactive and most importantly tense experience for either side. The particular historical elements from the campaign are really important to the game but also to the design and layout and functionality of the map, including Airborne Operations, such as paradrop landings, supply sources, landing zones and bridge capture, as well as a focus on traffic congestion on Highway 69 (Hell’s Highway), bridge destruction by the Germans and rebuilding them by the Allies, and the terrain of Holland amongst other things.

Holland ’44 is quite the game and has a beautiful board to back up the fantastic game play! The board just transports one to the battlefield and really sets out the tone of the game and creates a unique vantage point on this ill fated and probably overly optimistic plan by the Allies during late 1944. Prophetically speaking before the operation was British Lieutenant-General Frederick Browning, who was a Deputy Commander of the First Allied Airborne Army under Montgomery. He’d supposedly said ‘I think we may be going a bridge too far’ before the operation. Well, that statement came to be true and the Allied campaign failed just one bridge shy of victory.

When Airborne units jump into combat behind enemy lines, they have to take what will sustain them through combat until those enemy lines are breached and a link is created with other friendly units. This is the case in Holland ’44 as the British 1st Airborne Division, the American 82nd and 101st Airborne will jump into combat with no immediate hope of linking up with their allies. They have to carry their supply, which includes medical supplies, ammunition, food and water amongst other items with them into their drops. Supply is something that you have to worry about as the Allies. Out of Supply units are not effective fighters and cannot be depended upon to meet their objectives.

In the picture below, you can see the 101st Airborne Division’s Supply Head located near their initial landing zone north of Son and the Wilhelmina Canal. This Supply Head will last for 5 full rounds, at which time it will be flipped to its depleted side. This will mean that at the end of round 6, the units that depend on it for Supply will be considered Out of Supply if they cannot link up with XXX Corps coming from the south. 6 rounds may sound like a lot but it is really not as each of these Airborne units must get to their objectives quickly and then hold on, hoping that XXX Corps can get to them before they are Out of Supply. This hope burns pretty brightly for the 101st and 82nd Airborne, as it is very likely that they can hold on until they are linked up with XXX Corps but this is a tall order for the British 1st Airborne Division. There main hope is that they capture the bridge head at Arnhem quickly and simply go on the defensive as their Supply depletes itself. You see, when units are Out of Supply, their movement is limited, as they are then only allowed to use Tactical Movement, their Attack Strength is halved and Artillery will not be flipped back to their ready side so are out of the fight. So when Out of Supply, those hefty Elite Airborne units start to look like green rookies as their Attack Strength will be reduced from 4, 3 or 2 to 2, 2 and 1 respectively. Not really numbers that will strike fear into the heart of the German player!

Supply is also very brutal in the terrain of Holland as it is criss-crossed with rivers, polder and large distances. If you are located on a road or next to one, you have no problem reaching your Supply Source as there is no limit to the range of a Supply Path on a road, but when you have to go overland, there is a maximum of 4 hexes allowed and then you will be Out of Supply. The Supply Path also cannot cross an un-bridged major river. Planning is very important and also protecting these vulnerable Supply Heads. If they are attacked, they do offer some resistance with an Attack Strength of 1, but if this happens you are in trouble. Be cautious, plan well how to maintain supply and you will be fine.

There is so much to like about this game but one of the really great parts of the design is the use of Traffic Markers by the German player to simulate the traffic jams that plagued XXX Corps as they advanced up the highway. Single lane roads jammed with lines of tanks, trucks and other vehicles, worked against the Allies and their meticulous plan. This is very well modeled in the design with Traffic Markers.

This game is fantastic and I have really enjoyed my two solo plays and our lengthy 10 hour marathon play. I can say that this game rewards aggressive action, both on the Allied part to move as fast they can toward the bridges and with the Germans as they receive reinforcements that must push to the center of the map to fill the gaps and delay the Allies advance for as long as possible. I also really enjoy the Traffic Markers that can be placed by the Germans on the highway, simulating traffic jams and destroyed vehicles on small one lane country roads. Lots to like here that will be received well by many acolytes of the ’44 system.

I wrote an in-depth look at the game and its systems in my review post and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2018/07/19/i-think-we-may-be-going-a-bridge-too-far-a-review-of-holland-44-operation-market-garden-from-gmt-games/

I also wrote an entry on the game in our Beautiful Boards of Wargaming Series and you can check that out at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2022/12/09/the-beautiful-boards-of-wargaming-holland-44-operation-market-garden-september-1944-from-gmt-games/

Here is a link to our video review of Holland ’44: Operation Market-Garden, September 1944:

If you are interested in Holland ’44: Operation Market-Garden, September 1944 you can purchase a 2nd Printing copy for $66.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-938-holland-44-2nd-printing.aspx

There you have it. My Best 3 Games with Designer Mark Simonitch. He has done so many good games it really is a challenge to distill that down into a list of just 3 but I had a great time with each of these games and look forward to continuing out plays of his games. I loved Ardennes ’44 and Normandy ’44, both are just classic games and also very much enjoyed Rome vs. Gaul as well. I have acquired a few other Simonitch designs including The Caucasus Campaign and Ukraine ’43 and cannot wait to get them to the table.

What are your favorite games from Mark Simonitch?

-Grant