229:, Matt Irsik called the game "Definitely a product of the Cold War era." Irsik warned that the game was a bit more involved than 21st century games, saying, "At the time this was the most complex of the microgames, although compared to many other games in the 70s and 80s it was standard fare." He concluded, "Although it seems dated today, at the time it was a fun game that saw the Russian force trying to remain hidden for as long as possible, followed by a series of sharp engagements that determined the winner."
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Players have an ability to purchase 30 points of units, and can choose from outposts, recon sleds, hovercraft, tanks, infantry, orbital platforms, recon satellites and missiles. There are five modes of transportation, all of which have differing abilities to traverse the four types of terrain
222:, Brian Train noted, "The main challenge in this game is anticipating where the Godless Commies will strike and how to stop them. The first part of the game centres around satellite searches of the ice to the north of the oilfield, and blowing holes in the ice with nuclear weapons!"
60:(tundra, mud, ice and water). Terrain can be converted from one type to another as a result of combat. At a certain point in the game, the American player can bring on reinforcements, but only in the single town on the map, and not at all if the town is destroyed by the ESA.
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139:#15, giving it an overall rating of 5 out of 10, and stated that "Excellent though the idea is, I can't help feeling that this subject would be better handled in a larger, more expansive (and expensive) format."
119:"plays fast and clean... Play is simple but challenging, especially if the players take the time to examine the problems and possibilities that face them." Watson recommended the game, saying, "
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a 7 out of 9, saying "There is heavy emphasis on limited intelligence and the effect of various weapons on the ice pack off the bay. Playable in 45 minutes or less. Simple, but fun."
75:, a small and relatively simple solitaire or two-person wargame packaged in a ziplock bag. Over the next five years, the company produced almost two dozen games in their
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was the 9th game in the series, designed by Keith Trout and published in 1978. This was Trout's first published game; he would go on to design
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is fast, fun and challenging. It offers interesting tactical play about a situation that is not all that implausible."
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is a two-player game of arctic warfare involving a raid by the
Eurasian Socialist Alliance on Alaskan oil fields at
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The game comes with a 24-page rule book, an 8" x 14" two-colour paper map, and 135 cardboard counters.
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in 1978 that hypothesizes a
Eurasian attack against American oilfields in Alaska.
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Trout, Keith (August 1979). "Ice War: A Designer's
Introduction".
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187:, saying that although the quality of the game materials in
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Camino, Roberto (March 1980). "The Dragon's Augury".
179:, a similar game of arctic combat, although set in
397:Irsik, Matt (Summer 2013). "Blast from the Past".
296:Watson, Tony (June 1979). "The Dragon's Augury".
199:were preferable to the very complex rules for
203:. Camino concluded that "Dollar for dollar —
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71:In 1977, Metagaming Concepts pioneered the
225:In a retrospective review in Issue 35 of
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280:(1). Simulations Publications, Inc.: 29.
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355:(October–November 1979). "Open Box".
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165:(Issue 35), Roberto Camino compared
274:(March 1980). "A Galaxy of Games".
115:(Issue 26), Tony Watson found that
427:"Galileo #16 (1980 01) (Dtsg0318)"
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320:Train, Brian (2007). "Ice War".
16:Board wargame published in 1978
457:Science fiction board wargames
447:Board games introduced in 1978
324:. No. 27. pp. 49–50.
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159:In the March 1980 edition of
401:. No. 35. pp. 6–7.
233:Other reviews and commentary
142:In the inaugural edition of
109:In the June 1979 edition of
462:Wargames introduced in 1978
92:The Air-Eaters Strike Back!
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86:Invasion of the Air-eaters
452:Metagaming Concepts games
341:. No. 18. p. 7.
243:(Issue 1 - 1993) (Polish)
413:"Magia I Miecz 1993 01"
195:, the simple rules of
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215:is the better buy."
183:. Camino preferred
67:Publication history
39:Metagaming Concepts
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205:War in the Ice
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358:White Dwarf
136:White Dwarf
54:Prudhoe Bay
441:Categories
322:Simulacrum
255:References
220:Simulacrum
181:Antarctica
384:TSR, Inc.
304:TSR, Inc.
211:is $ 3 —
207:is $ 10,
129:reviewed
105:Reception
77:MicroGame
73:microgame
386:: 51–52.
306:: 40–47.
185:Ice Wars
154:Ice Wars
45:Gameplay
248:Galileo
213:Ice War
209:Ice War
197:Ice War
193:Ice War
167:Ice War
131:Ice War
121:Ice War
117:Ice War
81:Ice War
50:Ice War
30:Ice War
382:(35).
379:Dragon
302:(26).
299:Dragon
162:Dragon
112:Dragon
95:, and
79:line.
152:gave
33:is a
133:for
173:'s
171:SPI
169:to
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443::
312:^
286:^
263:^
148:,
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