Ariete: The Battle of Bir el Gubi, Libya

Description

Ariete is a Tactical Combat Series (TCS) game covering the Italian Ariete Division’s defense of Bir el Gubi, Libya, on November 19, 1941. The well-equipped yet inexperienced British 22nd Armoured Brigade saw an opportunity to season itself against a supposedly weak Italian formation. At full-strength with 162 brand-new Crusader tanks, the British were eager to emulate the easy victories against the Italian 10th Army the previous winter. What actually ensued was a swirling desert battle between evenly matched opponents. Ariete covers this entire mobile action in turns representing 30 minutes each and a map scale of 150 meters per hex. Units range from sections to platoons. A minimal amount of special rules bring the Tactical Combat Series to North Africa, highlighting the unique tactical challenge of the desert environment. • The Italian player must manage a mobile defense against stronger British armored units until reinforcements arrive in the form of the 132nd Tank Regiment. He must make good use of artillery and AT assets (especially truck-mounted 102mm guns) to bloody the Brits and set them up for an armored counterattack. • The Commonwealth player must solve the problem of using an armor-only force to crack defensive positions held by a well-led combined-arms force. The desert environment, with swirling dust clouds and relatively long lines of sight, will not help him in this regard! Ariete components: • Tactical Combat Series version 4.01 rulebook • Ariete game-specific rulebook • 12 Scenarios: Destruction of the III/8 Bersaglieri, 2 turns The Nearest Thing to a Cavalry Charge, 6 turns The Attack on the 8th Bersaglieri, 6 turns The Attack on Bir el Gubi (Prepared Defense), 6 turns The Attack on Bir el Gubi (Early CW Arrival), 6 turns Attack of the 2nd Royal Gloucestershire Hussars, 10 turns Attack of the 4th County of London Yeomanry, 11 turns The Ram Strikes, 6 turns The Battle of Bir el Gubi (historical), 11 turns The Battle of Bir el Gubi (Prepared Defense), 11 turns The Battle of Bir el Gubi (Early CW Arrival), 12 turns The Battle of Bir el Gubi (Free Deployment), 11 turns • two Tactical Combat Series Charts & Tables • one full-color 22" x 34" map • 280 counters (see a playtest [not final!] sample here) • zip lock bag (*Note: In order to keep production costs down, we are producing Ariete as a bagged game only; there will not be a boxed edition.)