In 2017, we played ’65 when it was released on Kickstarter. This was Volume I in the Squad Battles Series and uses a very interesting Card Driven Game mechanic where the cards are multi-use and are used for the events, actions, keywords and to determine the results of combat. First off, I want to say that I’m always impressed by Mark Holt Walker’s games because he packs so much in the box, and your hard earned cash can take you really far. That same system was used in Volume II in the series which is focused on Afghanistan to cover the Soviets and their quagmire there in a new game called ’85 Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires. We have played both now and really like the system and what it is trying to do. The rules themselves for ’85 are pretty light and approachable, especially for a squad level tactical game, but really make the game very accessible and I’d recommend it for those looking to enter the tactical side of the hobby, as well as those who are looking for a game that is high on the fun side, and low on the dreary sense of impending doom when you lose side.

In Action Point 1, we looked at the geomorphic boards and how they are used to create different scenarios. In this Action Point, we will take a look at the various units included and their counters such as Mujahideen RPG and RPD teams, rifle squads, heroes and captured T-55 and BMP armored fighting vehicles and for the Soviets the Spetsnaz special forces, line rifle squads, heroes, Hind-24 attack helicopters and several types of AFVs, T-55 and T-62 tanks, BNP’s, BTR’s.

Units

The backbone of any wargame are the units and in ’85, we have a good range of different types of units with varying values, combat capabilities and special abilities. Let’s take a look at some of the basics of the counter anatomy.

In the below picture, we see several different Soviet units, including a Leader (Malinsky), a line unit (Rifle) and a few vehicles (the counters you cannot see well are a GAZ-66 and a BTR-70) including a T-55 Tank. Let’s take a quick look at the anatomy of the units and the various values represented on the counters. First off, Malinsky is a Leader and has the following information on his counter starting from the top left a Targeting Modifier, which in this case is nothing, Armor Piercing Factor in the top right, which in this case is nothing, High Explosive Factor in the middle right, which in this case is a 1, Movement Factor in the bottom right, which is 4L in this case and means they can move 4 points and the L represents Leg units, Powers or Abilities in the bottom center and the middle left and Soft Target on the bottom left. There is a lot of information on these counters but there is a good graphic in the rule book describing each and there is a player aid on the back of the rule book that describes the individual Powers or Abilities.

For all of these numbers, larger values represent a greater proficiency or intensity of the listed item. Hard targets are any units with an Armor Factor (AF), even if it is a negative AF. These are always vehicles as infantry are not considered Hard Targets. Hard Targets normally have just one step and the flip side of the counter displays a vehicle wreck symbol that can be fun as they litter the battlefield with the corpses of these machines and show them on fire. Soft Targets are any units with an asterisk for an Armor Factor. But just keep in mind that all Trucks in the game are are also Soft Targets as are Helicopters. Infantry are the dominant form of Soft Targets. Infantry normally have 2 steps and the side of the counter with a white band is the reduced unit. The Targeting Modifier is the unit’s ability to target vehicles with Armor Piercing (AP) ammunition. Armor Factor is the unit’s ability to survive a hit by AP ammunition. 

Armor Piercing Factor (APF) represents the unit’s ability to destroy enemy vehicles with AP ammunition and High Explosive Factor (HEF) is the unit’s ability to damage enemy units that do not have an Armor Factor and these are referred to as Soft Targets, Powers or Abilities are special factors that means these units have additional abilities. The units that have these Powers or Abilities may only be activated when a card, which reads Power, is played by the unit’s owner. When activated, disregard the card’s text and instead refer to the relevant Power in the rules or on the player aid card. Whenever a unit uses a power, it is marked as Ops Complete and will be unable to activate again this turn. Abilities are square icons located along the left side of a unit and most of these Abilities are always considered to activated and on, but a handful of these, such as Spraying Fire, may be used at the owner’s discretion. Heroes are units, but they are so much more as they represent special individuals or leaders who can change the outcome of a fight. A Hero has a portrait on the counter and a name rather than a unit type.

This series will take you a bit to get as these counters are full of information and you need a full understanding of how it all works together to be able to get the most out of your troops on the board. I really liked these type of crunchy tactical level games and ’85 has a lot of crunch and really keeps things interesting without being overly burdensome or difficult to pick up.

In Action Point 3, we will take an in-depth look at the multi-use cards and their uses and provide several examples.

-Grant