The Campaign for North Africa
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- Note: this article is about a board game. For information on the historical campaign, see North African Campaign.
The Campaign for North Africa (generally referred to as CNA by wargamers), was an unprecedently detailed military simulation game of the North African Campaign of World War II. It was designed by Richard Berg and published by Simulations Publications, Inc. in 1978.
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[edit] Depth
Though some fans of war simulation games appreciate detail, The Campaign for North Africa offered more detail (much of it of a spurious nature [see designer's note below]) than any board wargame before or since, leading to the ambivalent reaction with which the game is regarded.[citation needed] Even gamers who were initially fascinated with the idea of an extremely detailed war game might have been chagrined when they opened the box to discover 1,800 counters, maps large enough to cover several tables, and a three-volume rulebook of considerable weight and density. The rules cover logistics in extreme detail, far more so than the combat simulation. It is recommended that each side be played by a five-person team, including a Commander-In-Chief and four subordinate commanders, making a total of ten players needed for a game. According to SPI, a complete game can run over 1,500 hours. However, the logistics of keeping a ten-person group together for fifteen hundred hours of gaming was a feat beyond even most hardcore wargamers, and completed full games of The Campaign for North Africa are unheard of, and it was certainly never playtested,[citation needed] so whether or not it works as either game or history will forever remain a mystery.
[edit] Legacy
Although The Campaign for North Africa is totally unplayable[citation needed], the game is prized by collectors and has even been praised by some gamers, who consider it something of the ultimate paper war game. A commonly-cited example of its level of detail (and one noted in SPI's advertising) is the fact that the game's Italian troops required additional water supplies so that they could prepare pasta. [Designer's Note: This was included as a humor item which seemed to be taken somewhat seriously by the hobbyists.] The game represents a brief evolutionary step between the relative simplicity of most paper wargames of its time, and the dawn of the era of computer wargames, where complexity and depth need not come at the expense of playability.
[edit] Re-release
Due to the game's collectability and legendary status, it has long been considered a candidate for possible reissue. Currently, Decision Games has expressed a desire to do so, promising "the unplayable monster made playable", which suggests that the game will be considerably revamped instead of simply reprinted. The December 2007 flyer allows a prospective purchaser to declare interest by committing to buy the new game IF/WHEN it is published.
