TLS -DESERT STEEL TANK LEADER

1. TITLE: Desert Steel Tank Leader (third offering in the Tank Leader series)
2. PUBLISHER: West End Games (WEG); effectively closed down operations 2009.
3. SCOPE: World War II Armored Tactics African Theatre
4. WEST END GAMES VERBAGE:
5. GAME BOX VERBAGE: Desert Steel recreates the desperate battles of the North African Theater during World War, with an emphasis on command, control, and communications of platoons and companies.
6. YEAR PUBLISHED (EDITIONS): 1989.
7. CREDITS
   • Design and Development: Peter Corless
   • Original System Design: John Hill with Guy Hail
   • Editing: Jeffery Briggs and Douglas Kaufman
   • Editorial Director: William Slavicsek
   • Art Director: Stephen Crane
   • Graphic Design: Kevin Wilkins,
   • Graphics: Rosaria Baldari
   • Production: Stefve Porpora
   • Playtesters: Charles Asbronsen, John Franklin, Robert Pruden, Len Quam, Tom Vickery, and Sam Weiss
8. NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2
9. WGA COMPLEXITY SCALE (1-10): 4
10. TYPICAL PLAYING TIME (HOURS): Standard scenarios (5) 1-2 hours; Advanced game scenarios (10) 3-6 hours.
11. MAP SCALE: 150 meters per hex
12. UNIT SCALE: Platoons and companies
13. TIME SCALE PER TURN: 5 minutes
14. NUMBER OF GAME TURNS: 10; varies per scenario.
15. PARTIAL ARTICLE LISTING: Click here
16. GAME INVENTORY: 480 5/8" die cut playing pieces, 90 formation and strike cards, two player aid cardstock sheets, 7x18" track sheet, two 22 x 17" unmounted map; three six sided dice; one counter tray with lon-on lid; 32 page rulebook.
17. WBC & AVALONCON HISTORY: No known history as an Avaloncon/WBC event.
18. PBEM TOOLS:
• A VASSAL module was found in the listing [Eastern Front Tank Leader]; but none specific to the sequals [Western Front and Desert Steel].
19. PBEM OPPORTUNITES: Contact Wargame Academy if interested.
20. WARGAME ACADEMY COMMENTS: (My experience is limited to Eastern Front Tank Leader) John Hill's philosophy exhibited in Squad Leader is also on display in this series. Command, control, and communications (C3) is the pivotal factor in the design. Similar in scale to Panzerblitz, command card are utilized to determine tactical initiative- who moves first and how quickly a formation responds to changing situations. Similar to Squad leader, factors such as unit rating, morale, sighing/hits are factors in combat. Other elements are utilized such as command range, vehicle radios and other factors have impact on play. The total system successfully simulates how the Germans, often with inferior numbers and quality, were able to consistently challenge their battlefield opponents. The maps are modified by scenario by visibility, season, contour, dominant terrain, and urbanization. However this is hard for the human to visualize. Mapboard customization capability in the Squad Leader vassal module, should prove beneficial, in addition to the ability to add additional mapboards.
21. WARGAME ACADEMY GAME TOOLS: Plan is to improve the existing vassal modules using capabilities similar to the Squad Leader modules.