This page contains a review of IABSM written by Leif Eriksson, taken from
Wargames Directory Review Section, so you can read for yourself why
these rules are so good.
"I Ain't Been Shot, Mum!" is the quite unusual name for a quite unusual set of WWII rules. Not
being British I'm not sure if it's some sort of pun typical of British humour.
However, there is nothing comical about the rules. They are delivered in simple ringbound A4
pages, with the only picture featured on the cover. The rules themselves are presented over some
40 pages of easy-read text with short paragraphs, some examples and very few tables. They are
targetted at company-sized actions with some support platoons for good measure, with 1:1 figure
scale in 15 or 20mm (although I'm sure you could just as well play in 10 or even 6mm). Smallest
unit of maneuvring is the section, with a few exceptions.
At the heart of the rules system lies two mechanisms: The Card Initative system, and the effect of
losses on the individual sections. At first the card system seems like nothing special: each
platoon, tank and gun has it's own card, and when that card comes up the unit gets to act. Simple.
Your leaders (Big Men) have their own cards, which they can use to "influence" a unit to move.
Couple this with the "Tea Break" card which ends the turn (so you never know if a unit gets to act
in a turn) and the position of your leaders suddenly gets very important, just like in the real thing!
Nation specific cards (like Banzai! for japanese) add flavour into the mix. The loss system is quite
sleek; each section has a number of dice to use for shooting and/or movement. When losses go
up, the number of dice go down. Simple, and no need to keep track of whether the squad MG got
hit or not. This quite handy mechanism represents suppression, battlefield attrition and common
morale in one go. The overall simplicity of the rules and few tables ensure fast play while still
managing to "feel right".
The rulebook contains no information about the different armies' organisations or equipment. For
that you have to buy separate (but very cheap) supplements, covering one theater of war each.
"Drang Nach Osten" covers the eastern front from 1939 to 1942. It includes all nations involved
(including Poland, Hungary, Finland and yes, Italy). It contains a couple of pages of new rules and
the listings for each country. Typically, the nation's role on the front is summarised on one page,
with tables of weapons and vehicles following. Then typical companies of relevant types are
listed, ending with a breakdown of what national cards might be included with the force. It is brief,
concise and features a lot of cut and pasting, although there is just so many ways you can say the
same thing in. Again, pictures would have been nice.
If you hadn't noticed yet, I really like these rules. So what are the downside? Well, the company
motto is "Playing the period, not the rules". Thus, competitive play is impossible. That is not
necessarily a bad thing, although it will be a problem playing against someone with different
opinions about the period. So usually you will need an Umpire (or very good friends!) to play
IABSM. But there is very little support for the budding Umpire in the rules themselves, for instance
the section on spotting suggests that the Umpire use his good judgement to decide if the spotting
attempt succeeds. There's not even a starter scenario to show what kinds of forces would be
suitable for a good old bashing. Also, you will have to make your own initiative cards, and decide
on how you will base your figures, what scale to use etc. That said, there is an excellent
yahoo-group supporting the game with the author a regular poster, trying hard to answer all dumb
questions I pose.
All in all: The rules are very good and do exactly what they set out to do. The simple presentation
is effective, although it might scare off the beginner, or those spoilt with lots of illustrations and
nifty layout. The lack of "helpful" rulings is partly made up by the online support, but the rules
would be very hard for a beginner to pick up. However, the rules are quite cheap and well worth
every penny.
Rated 'Very Good' by Leif Eriksson on 4 February 2004.