Lunar Surface Warfare 1960

[Cat]

Lunar Surface Warfare 1960 : Wargaming Rules and Scenarios, Chris Flaherty, Soldiershop series Paper Battles and Dioramas 015, 2021.

These rules came up in another discussion recently, and I ordered a copy for the rules reference library (got mine from Better World Books here in the US).  After first read-through, looks like a good light reference to have on hand for a few ideas, or a starter kit to fill out with pencil in hand for a bit more detail if you want to actually play it.  I don't get the impression that the author has actually played these given the omission of some basics, like terrain.  A number of illustrations of equipment and soldier-astronauts done by the author appear throughout the book.  There's one photo of painted Airfix astronauts, but not in military array or a game in progress.

In keeping with the Paper Battles series, it does have pages of cutout standees.  And a bold faced all-caps warning that they should only be cut out by an adult and the publisher assumes no responsibilities for any injuries incurred while cutting them out!  There is also a list of 1/72–1/76 models that could be used.  The first part of the book is a potted history of military thinking regarding warfare on the moon from the 1950s through the 1960s, and references a couple of Soviet weapons developed in the 70s and 80s.  The Russian standee is holding the 1984 Laser Defense Pistol, but that is not on the weapon charts.

The title is a bit of a misnomer.  The weapon chart includes only 5 weapons, all of which were 'envisioned' by the US army c.1965, and both sides have rovers and Airfix style flying stands, so more of a 1970 wargame than 1960.  There are no special attacks from the flyers.  There is but one scenario, a line em up and fight with equal starting forces and no terrain.

Very Charles Grant style rules: 1D6 or 2D6 for rolls and very limited modifiers.  Each turn is 5 minutes, ground scale of 1:10.  A single flying vehicle and squads of 2 figures each with a buggy (I think the intent is they act as dragoons and dismount for combat, but there are no dis/mounting rules).  Army list for the scenario is each side starts with 3 foot/buggy squads and 1 flyer.  Casualties get 'recycled' with new replacements coming in from dispersed deployments, 3 recycles for each foot/buggy unit and 2 for each flyer.  Movement rates are amusingly based on what looks like simple time/ground scale calculation without any rounding (I did not do the maths): walking 18cm, driving 58cm, flying 933cm.

As noted, there are no terrain rules, and it looks like all battles are fought in the Sea of Billiards.  Meteor strikes are a constant and steady hazard though.  (Perhaps the attack was launched under cover of a meteor shower?)  The battlefield of undefined size (likely less than 933cm I guess) is divided into 6 grids, 3 on each baseline, with 'the red line' that shouldn't oughta have been crossed down the middle.  Every 3 turns a meteor will hit one of the 6 grids (optional rule for 12 grids if you want to deploy a second D6 as a control die).  Fortunately, the meteors cause no troop damage nor create craters; they do disrupt communications within the grid for 1–2 turns.

Hand to hand combat is an abstracted knife fight and seems to presume that troops have dismounted.  Roll to see who gets more hits each round.  Loser suffers cumulative penalties and eventually the squad might surrender and be removed.

There are rules for indirect fire, but without terrain not much call for it on table, but maybe you could pencil in the off-board assets for use until they get cycled onto the board.

Definitely a different game than Lunar!

[mikedemana]

Thanks for the review, Cat. I have to say that I am not surprised by the lack of playability of the rules. Every time one of my friends gets nostalgic for a miniatures rules set or board game written in the 70s or 80s, I try to remind them of the progress that has been made in game mechanics. If they ignore me and persist, and ultimately host said game, there is usually a consensus at the end why the game is no longer popular.

I do hope you were able to glean one or two ideas from your purchase. I have a feeling you bought it more for that than from an actual set of rules you were hoping to play instead of Lunar. Meanwhile, I will stand watch over here against the zombie resurgence of rules sets from 4 decades or more ago rising from their graves...! 

Mike Demana

[Cat]

Actually, these were published in 2021, the 1960 is just part of the title (though 1970 would have been more to the point).
 
There are a few gleanables, but the price/glean is pretty steep!

For 70s battles with your 'nauts getting to the surface with classic landers, having a dragoon maneuver unit of 2 on a rover makes good sense.  Each pair arrives on the moon with their own wheels.  Once you have a collection of landers parked at the base, you have a dragoon squadron ready to fan out.

[Rick]

I'm sorta sorry I mentioned them now! When I read his analysis of 1960's Lunar combat and, especially, seeing the illustrations - they did look a lot like the Lunar pics/illustrations of the US and Soviets. I hope you managed to get something out of them at least.

[Cat]

Don't feel bad, I likely would have picked them up based on the title whenever they crossed my way.  The potted history on early military thinking for warfare on the moon itself is a nice quick overview.

The weapons included were because they had been included in a 1965 US Army Lunar Surface Weapons Study.  For my own gaming, I'm aiming for late 60s as imagined c.1963, but these weapons can fit into that timeframe.
 
A gyro-jet gun and a multi-barrel 'sausage gun' version are in the game.  The first gyrojet gun was in production 1962, and on the drawing board before that, so fits my concept.
 
The study also proposed a smooth-bore compressed spring pistol (also a variation with compressed gas) with a spherical projectile and range of 800m.  US Army figured you don't need to penetrate to get lethal shots against vulnerable suit hardware, so BB guns in space!

And a single-shot gas powered 'pepper box pistol' for close combat defense.
 
Flaherty's article here is all pretty much all included in the game book:
https://spaceanddefense.io/lunar-surface-combat/

But for folks who are only going to pick up one set of retro moon rules for reference, I would definitely recommend Lunar.  And wait for Blacksite Studio's usual Black Friday Sale.