TOB-TOBRUK

1. TITLE: Tobruk
2. PUBLISHER: The Avalon Hill Game Company (TAHGC)
3. SCOPE: Tank Battles in North Africa, 1942
4. TAHGC CATALOG VERBAGE: 9 scenarios and 12 firefights (mini-games) combining, for the first time ever, the clarity of a board game with the micro detail of a miniatures game.
5. GAMEBOX VERBAGE: Nineteen different game situations are provided to enable you to re-create all facets of the decisive Gazala battle; Rommel's most spectacular victory that led directly to his most spectacular defeat at El Alamein on a few months later. Now you can re-fight all the crucial actions of this important battle on a squad and individual weapon level.
6. YEAR PUBLISHED (EDITIONS): First printing July, 1975. Second printing October, 1975. Discontinued prior to the demise of The Avalon Hill Game company (1998). A new version with a distinct Advance Squad Leader look has been released by Critical Hit. I am not sure what if anything beyond the title is common between this new release and the original introductory game.
7. CREDITS
   • Historical Research banns Systems Design: Harold E. Hock
   • Rules Development: Randall C. Reed
   • Production Assistant: George Uhl
   • Component Design and Execution: Randall C. Reed
   • Production Coordinator: Thomas N. Shaw
   • Playtesting: George Uhl, Hank Freeman, Arvin Van Zante, Rick Archer, Richard Plock, Robert Livermore, Robert Harmon, and Martin Campion.
   • Special Thanks: Jim Norman, Jerry Forkois, Michael Stong, David Stong, David Munday, George Kettle, Mike Phelps, and Tom Kriz.
   • Printing: Monarch Services and Colonial Composition.
8. NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2
9. WGA COMPLEXITY SCALE (1-10): 3+ (Programmed instruction rulebook, each scenario adding to rules in use)
10. TYPICAL PLAYING TIME (HOURS): Typical scenarios take 1-2 hours.
11. MAP SCALE: 69 yards per hex
12. UNIT SCALE: Individual vehicles, guns, and infantry sections.
13. TIME SCALE PER TURN: 30 seconds
14. NUMBER OF GAME TURNS: until action is concluded.
15. ARTICLE LISTING: Click here
16. GAME INVENTORY: 506 1/2" counters; three 8" x 22" mounted mapboard, rulebook, nineteen scenarios, pad, die.
17. WBC & AVALONCON HISTORY: No history as a tournament title.
18. PBEM TOOLS:
• No Java application VASSAL module for this title exists at this time.
19. PBEM OPPORTUNITES: Contact Wargame Academy if interested. A Boardgamer Player Association PBEM tournament can be organized by WGA pending suitable interest using the VASSAL VSST module.
20. WARGAME ACADEMY COMMENTS: Tobruk is a transition game bringing a miniatures mindset to board gaming. It brings an technical approach to considerations of value of penetration, rate of fire, deflection, target motion, ammo types, armor thickness and crew casualties. This results in a stream of die rolls to determine if the target is hit, where it is hit and to what effect as would occur if playing a miniatures battle. The rules are expanded with each scenario. In several visits to playing this title, i discontinued playing so many scenarios deep as a result of the numbing effect of countless die rolls. Statistical outcome seems to dominate any player considerations. I credit TOBROK a stepping stone towards John Hills 'design for effect'; inherent in SQUAD LEADER. These differing approaches were debated by the designers in the GENERAL and other publications when the latter was re lease..
21. WARGAME ACADEMY TOOLS: One punched and one unpunched game copies.
22. ACCOLADES: 1975 Charles Roberts Award Best Professional Game nominee.