This article originally appeared in d20 Weekly
Afrika Korpse
Published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group
Written by Peter Schweighofer
144 pages; $25.00
Afrika Korpse, the newest sourcebook for Pinnacle's Weird Wars line, offers a strange alternate view of World War II in North Africa. It introduces two implacable foes: the British 8th Army, the "Desert Rats" of Field Marshal Montgomery, and the Afrika Korps, headed by armored-warfare visionary Erwin Rommel. While the war in North Africa may have been a sideshow for the Germans, it was, for many years, Britain's primary theater of operations. As a result, this sourcebook leans heavily on the British experience, with the Americans (latecomers to the theater as they were) taking something of a backseat to the "Tommies" and "Diggers."
Certain images, clichéd and fabricated though some may be, come to mind immediately when you think of the North Africa campaign: exotic locales, inhospitable climes, supply shortcomings, Senussi raiders, and always the brilliant and elusive "Desert Fox" (as Rommel was dubbed by the British) lurking out beyond the dunes -- all of which suggests a rich gaming environment. And who better to bring it to life than Peter Schweighofer, formerly West End Games' Star Wars line editor and one of my personal favorite game designers?
Jumping into character creation, we find a host of starting packages to choose from, giving new players or those somewhat ignorant of history an automatic feel for the wide range of possibilities open to them. Players . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: July 3, 2002
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