Four Battles from the Crimean War
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Four Battles from the Crimean War is a "quadrigame" — a set of four thematically linked games that use the same set of rules — published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1978 that simulates four battles during the Crimean War.
Scenarios
Four Battles from the Crimean War contains four relatively simple games, each using only 100 counters, a small 17" x 24" paper hex grid map, and the same set of rules that deal with combat, movement, unit disruptions & rallying, and terrain. Each game simulates a different battle that took place during the Siege of Sevastopol.
- Alma: The First Battle: Simulation of the Battle of Alma (designed by J. Matisee Enzer)
- Balaclava: The Charge of the Light Brigade: Simulation of the Battle of Balaclava (designed by Thomas Gould)
- Inkerman: The Soldier's Battle: Simulation of the Battle of Inkerman (designed by Martin Goldberger)
- Tchernaya River: The Battle of Tractir Bridge: Simulation of the Battle of Tchernaya River (designed by Steven Ross)
In addition to the common rules, each game has a few exclusive rules to cover factors unique to each game such as engineers, fatigue, night, fog, and skirmishes.
Each of the games has one scenario, except for Inkerman, which has a "what if"" scenario in addition to the historic scenario.
Publication history
In 1975 SPI published their first quadrigame, Blue and Gray. After it proved to be popular, SPI quickly produced more quadrigames, including Four Battles from the Crimean War, which was published in 1978 with graphic design by Redmond A. Simonsen. SPI quadrigames to that point had used a simple set of rules first developed for 1972's Napoleon at War, but SPI decided to develop a new ruleset for Crimean War, adding some complexity. The game initially proved popular, rising to #3 on SPI's Top Ten Bestseller list as soon as it was published and staying on the list for four months.[1] Each of the four games was also sold individually as a "folio" game, packaged in a cardstock folio.
After the demise of SPI, Decision Games acquired the rights to the game in 2000, and republished Alma and Tcharnaya River as pull-out games in Issue 201 of Strategy & Tactics.