Sideshow: The Campaign for German East Africa 1914-1918 (1990)

About this game

Strategy & Tactics magazine #135. Sideshow covers World War I in German East Africa (now known as Tanzania). It includes a 22"x34" map, 200 counters, 14 pages of rules. Scale is 16 miles across for each hex, each Strength Point is 100 men or 2 guns, individual leaders. Each turn is one month. The whole campaign lasts 50 turns. Main mechanics are individual Operations based on Initiative and Reaction. Combat is done by totaling firing SPs and rolling a die on the Combat table to find out enemy's losses. Many "chrome" rules, random events. This is a colorful game in many ways. Average complexity, low unit density.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Strictly 2 players — no more, no fewer.
• Rules load. At 2.8/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 12 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.