Hill of Doves: The First Anglo-Boer War

Strategic Situation:

HILL OF DOVES is a solitaire boardgame in which the player controls an Imperial British Army at war with a programmed non-player Transvaal Republican Army in 1881. The British army’s aim is to win the war by controlling the area known as Laing’s Nek which lies on the border between Natal and the Transvaal. The British army has up to twelve weeks to achieve this, failing which, the Boers will win the war.

Programmed System:

HILL OF DOVES is played using a programmed system whereby the player follows the instructions on the Game Sequence Chart aided by the Step Marker and the Quick Reference Card. If any battles are to be fought the player will be referred to the Assault Chart or the Ambush Chart to resolve the battle and then the player will be prompted to return to the Game Sequence Chart to continue the war.

Time Phases:

HILL OF DOVES is played at a strategic, operational and tactical level simultaneously. There are three phases to the game. The Operational Phase is the heart of the game and represents a seven-day cycle, with a Strategic Phase being referred to at the end of each Operational Phase to resolve situations occurring during the week just passed and a Tactical Phase representing a variable number of hours being referred to each time the British carry out an assault.

Game Boards:

HILL OF DOVES is played on three boards simultaneously. These are the Strategic Board, Operational Board and Tactical Board. Game information is recorded on these boards and British strategic, operational and tactical columns are maneuvered on the maps located on these boards.