Enduring Freedom: US Operations in Afghanistan, 2001-2002

Just played for the first time and lost though I have thoughts on how to play better on the next go. Seems to me that you want to spend a lot of points on intel and air power to start to reveal Islamists and Northern Alliance and eliminate Islamists before putting too many boots on the ground. Supply rules really restrict which Coalition units to use and where. I did post with a question on those. Need to maximize use of Northern Alliance I think. I did enjoy the game and will get it on the table again. Only took about 2+ hours to play which was great.

Solitaire designed game, but more can play, to assume different Coalition commands. You represent the player in the position of CENTCOM, planning and executing expeditionary operations in Afghanistan.

In general, the U.S. is fighting not just the enemy on the ground, but also the time and geography of the region. You have to move units into the country, mainly via airlift, and then sustain them through forward operations bases.

The Islamist Jihad Index provides the AI for the Islamist side. The higher the index, the more reinforcements they receive and the more random events are generated. You can affect the index by making infowar attacks against it. This rule gives you the chance to alter the big picture. You reduce both enemy strength and the overall chaos into which the country had fallen.

This rating may drop like the temperature lately. For now, I have positive first impressions. Given that this is the third game in a system, maybe Joe Miranda baked the potato a bit better this time. One wonders about whether or not the Coalition can win, but then Joe always falls back on the "it's supposed to be harder" line, which is his way of "addressing" the issue of play-balance.