Review – Reinforce The Right

The Schlieffen Plan in review

Reinforce the Right is a hex and counter wargame covering the Western Front from August to November 1914. As a issue game for Strategy & Tactics #180, it shows that a magazine game can do a good job in portraying a long and complex campaign as the Western Front in 1914.

The counters are primarily corps size units which can be broken down as "change" to divisions. The units are represented with standard infantry/cavalry symbols with an attack/defense/movement factors. While there are army HQ counters the units can move between commands.
The map covers the Franco-German Belgian borders from the Ruhr to Orleans. It has a simple cartography and rather plain - which is normal due to the restrictions of the time and a magazine game, but it is functional. Fortresses and fortified belts are represented by the hex sides so it is easy to see when the counters are defending the forts.

Game Play:
The highlight of the system is a dual impulse. Each side's units in command can move and fight twice. In the first phase all units get to move and fight, in the second only units in command (generally 1 or 2 hexes of a HQ unit get to move and fight again.
Zones of control are "sticky" that is you must stop on entering, but you are not required to attack enemy units and you can leave a ZOC if you start in hex.
The way to exploit an weakness in the enemy position is to punch a hole in the first phase then use the second phase to exploit the opening.

The HQ's move much slower than the troops and must have communications by major rail lines back to home depots. This represents the difficulty of advancing logistical support It gives the attacker pause - do you hold back units so you can exploit or try to move "out of supply" to take advantage of an small opening.

On defense the dual impulse means that you must have reserves to keep a hole in the line from turning into a disaster.

The other highlight is the game includes not 1 but 3 CRTs! The attacker gets to pick his poison.
Probe: more likely to have retreats and less casualties
Assault: Most like both sides will loose units.
Maneuver: Only used with surrounded defenders - most likely defender casualties

The exchange - "Bloodbath" results in both sides losing half of units committed. Very painful in when you have a 7-1. You are allowed to attack an hex multiple times so it may be better to attack twice at less odds.
In true WWI fashion all casualties are rounded up.

Final Thoughts:
Reinforce the Right is a well designed effort and one of the better games provided in S&T.
Strategically it captures the war plans. Both sides must be able to inflict casualties, The French player is awfully tempted by the VPs present in Alsace-Lorraine (for Plan XVII) and the Germans must reduce the Belgian forts and use maneuver to cut off French units.
Tactically it stresses the importance of of reserves and managing your attacks to get a breakthrough.