Ariete: The Battle of Bir el Gubi, Libya

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.)