Back on Tracks: "Ogre", by Steve Jackson in the 21st C.

YOU CAN RUN, PUNY HUMAN...BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE!!

well, you CAN hide...it just doesn't make any difference, really. From "The Ogre Book" below, p.22

Steve Jackson's "Ogre" came out when I was just a kid, in 1977 to be exact. Despite the fact that it was dirt cheap, and Allied Hobbies in Montgomeryville Mall carried it - and lots of other affordable pocket games by Metagaming and others - I somehow didn't notice it until middle school. It may have something to do with the huge social distraction caused by the release of "Star Wars" that same year. Note, when I say "Star Wars" I mean THE "Star Wars", as in what is now called "Episode IV: A new Hope". No one who was around for the original ever calls anything else to my knowledge.
Or, it may be because we moved states that summer, and that big relocation was dislocating. Long time ago...


The original edition game cover- blown up and a cover for my big white binder of Ogre stuff. I missed this game's release completely due to unknown circumstances.

In the end, it was actually a friend that introduced me to it. I don't know if I saw it at the store but wasn't interested in huge cybernetic tanks [possible, unlikely], or if I was just distracted by other pocket games like "Melee" and "Wizard". But eventually my game pals brought it to school and we played it at lunch - constantly. 

This is the version I bought from Allied Hobbies - long since lost like all my original stuff


There's just something about a huge cybernetic monster tank that is instantly appealing, and the efforts of the defense to stop it are a classic "David and Goliath" tale. But, without all the "God is on his side" stuff, of course. Anyway, even though the Combine is North 'Merica, and the Paneuropeans are - of course - European, one can't help but root for the little guys. They can even get flat-out run over [pun intended]!
An original ogre record sheet I made on my dad's super stinky copier - the ink was nasty! No idea how this survived the ravages of time, but I discovered it jammed in with a bunch of old game junk.


Ogre grew a bit over time, adding in the almost-as-cool G.E.V. pocket game, which I liked even more. Plenty of articles were written and these were eventually compiled into a book, magazine really, that is still fun to peruse. A few of them predict  future technology and military hardware that seemed likely at the time. Interestingly, some of it is here now, while others don't seem to have a likely near-future possibility. 

For instance, computer technology has become exponentially smaller and more powerful. But battlesuited infantry and the Ground Effects Vehicle for which the sequal game "G.E.V." is named are unlikely in the next 20-30 years. Presently, helicopters do the  job of GEVs just fine and fly low enough to take cover almost as well. And an completely armored battlesuit is unlikely to be man-sized.

my 1982 copy cover

Fnord! there's no disputin that Trump trumps dat Putin! Fnord!

So there will be more posts on this - a lot more.  As we draw closer to the historical era of the game, c.2085, the design and dynamics of the game are a classic that is waiting to be rediscovered for old and new players alike.

One of the nice by-products of Steve Jackson still being around is that he periodically brings things back, keeps them alive, updates classic designs a bit, etc. Below, we have a new twist - in fact, a new product - from a different company, presumably designed by request and under license, etc.


Ogre: Objective 218 is a small box game by Your Move Games [CLICK], a remake of their popular The Battle for Hill 218 game which has good reviews where it counts [CLICK]. This remake has great graphics and is a pretty simple but challenging game. I finally convinced Mr. Winkie to give it a go, and the cool illustrations of military vehicles got him pretty enthused.

Mr. Winkie is getting considerably taller and can take on an Ogre now!

It took a couple of careful read-thrus of the rules, but we got started quickly. Basically, each side has a home base with an impassible no-man's land between [in this version, it's a radioactive crater, fittingly]. There's an imaginary grid of card "slots" that are playable to either side. The catch is that almost all cards can only be placed in a continuous chain of supply with the friendly Command Post, which also has to be continuously manned. 

In addition to the placement challenge, all cards can also Target enemy units and Attack enemy units. When you place a card it can attack - and automatically destroy - an enemy card: the requirement is that it be in a slot that is being both targeted by a friendly card and attacked by the new card. Once placed, cards are only part of the logistical chain and do not attack any longer.

Fitting to the period, the Ogre version has Ogres and Cruise Missile cards that are more dangerous, and of course all the usual suspects like GEVs, Lt GEVs, Heavy and Missile Tanks, Howitzers, etc. All have slightly different supply, targeting and attack attributes. Putting them all together to achieve a plan is not easy since you draw and play cards from a personal deck, and which cards are drawn has a big impact on your plans.

Below, a few turns into the game, Mr. Winkie is kicking my @$$, advancing on both flanks and having knocked out two of my units while I haven't killed any of his.

note cruise missiles and damaged ogre cards off to the side for use later.

A few more turns in, I've managed a bit of a comeback, having advanced down the left flank. My right flank is still threatened, however.

Mr. Winkie attempts to camouflage behind his cards


Couple of games later - plays in about 15-20 minutes, we are both helping each other learn strategies and errors. We've both won and lost. It's easy to get distracted by your opponent's threats or your own plans, and then lose.


Next day, we banged out a couple more games. I put up a good fight in this one, but lost with less on the field at end.

The game is easy to handicap, you can just remove cards from your deck. In our case, I took out one of my two Ogres and used only 1 of 2 cruise missiles.  That being said, it is a bit advanced for a 10yo, IMHO. While the rules aren't hard to pick up, coordinating the cards according to the rules is easy to mess up. For example, the GEV card supplies on diagonals, but targets and attacks orthagonally, not diagonally, while the Missile Tank supplies orthagonally, attacks diagonally, and targets BOTH orthagonally and diagonally!  Building a supply chain and making attacks can get a bit complex.

The Ogre itself is pretty nasty - when placed it makes two attacks and doesn't need support, and it has a strong supply chain. Playing your Ogre correctly can win you the game, especially if your opponent has spent his cruise missiles.

In the end, I think this is a great game to toss in a brief case [or backpack] and keep on hand. You can teach someone to play quickly, but they won't get bored. It may require some intestinal fortitude of a new player unless they are a confident gamer, however. At about $10-14 retail, this is a must for any fan of the Ogre milieu!