Publisher: Lock ‘n Load Publishing
Designer: Sean Druelinger
Artist: Marc von Martial
Year: 2010
Players: One or two players
Ages: 14+
Playing time: 45 minutes to 4 hours
MSRP: $59.99
Grognards, and those who’ve recently caught the war gaming bug, rejoice! Lock ‘n Load Publishing has recently released their latest in the Nations at War series, White Star Rising. The game is a platoon level simulation of the Allied drive to liberate France from the Axis forces during the summer of 1944. Those gamers who have fond memories of Avalon Hill classics like Panzer Leader and Panzerblitz will feel right at home when they take to the 
Once you crack open the box you’ll be pleased to find a truck load of counters – all nicely presented – depicting armor, infantry and their support weapons, along with headquarters units and various status counters. You’ll fight your battles on four 11” x 17” geomorphic boards which can be arranged in a variety of layouts. Rules, dice and player aid cards round out the contents of the box.
One thing of note is the counters are larger than what you’d traditionally find in a wargame. The 3/4 “ counters are jam packed with quite a few different factors so they can take some getting used to. You might find yourself halfway through your first game before you realize where to look on a counter to find the info you’re trying to find. This isn’t a huge issue but it is worth noting, on one hand the counters are very easy to handle and move around the board while, on the other hand, there is a bit of information overload on each chit.
The rule book is well presented and, once the major concepts of the game are understood, you won’t find yourself referring to it very often. Information is logically presented and easily understood on the first read through. Four basic scenarios and twelve advanced scenarios cover battles ranging from the action at Bastogne 
The player aid cards contain just about everything you’ll need to keep the game moving along as well. Also worth mentioning is the Chaos Table, which is a series of random events that could take place during a battle, thus helping to ensure the replayablity of each scenario.
Each turn breaks down into the following phases:
Operations – Each side’s unit formations are activated by a chit pull from a container or cup players have set to the side. This helps to simulate the fog of war that takes place on the battlefield; you’ll never know if, or when, each formation will activate. Players will find that the turn may end without having all of their units activate although there is a built in mechanic that insures that those units that don’t activate in one turn are guaranteed to do so in the next.
Marker Removal – You’ll remove eliminated headquarters, adjust smoke markers, and remove other counters that are no longer in effect.
Within each Operations Phase the following actions take place:
Formation Impulse – If a unit has activated you check to see if they are within command. If they are within the command radius of their headquarters they’ll be able to move or engage in combat. The ability to rally disrupted units will also take place.
Combat Impulse – Combat is pretty straightforward as each unit has a number of dice to roll to see if they hit, which can cause unit disruption or damage. The defender will roll dice to see if any hits are avoided. Combat can be ranged, a close assault, or overrun when armored units face off against infantry (and other “soft” units) in open terrain.
White Star Rising is a great example of a medium complexity war game; there’s a lot more under the hood than you would find in a game such as Memoir ’44 while, at the same time, there isn’t the minutia of detail that you encounter in say, Advanced Squad Leader. Although this may not be a game to introduce new gamers to war gaming, it certainly will appeal to those who find games such as ASL too complex or who’d like to complete a good sized battle within a couple hours or so.
All in all, White Star Rising is a great addition to any war gamer’s collection. The chit pull based activation system keeps players on their toes while demanding that they make the most out of every opportunity at the moment it arises. Each scenario is challenging for each side and the introduction of the Chaos Table adds some unexpected events into the mix.
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