...what a wonderful play

I have this game as part of the Six Angles Collection, with 3 others, and full English translation. The translated rules are excellent, reflecting both actual rules, and even most of the rulebook layout. The font used is a bit thin & small though, but no great problem. I won’t comment more on them, since I can’t say if I’m commenting on the rules or the translation (or my eyesight…)

The map, like all the other Japanese wargame maps I have (5 others) is excellently clear, entirely in English (some of the others have Japanese text but actual map features are in English), but have a sort of pastel or even washed-out look. The pics I have uploaded are tweaked a bit for clarity. Easy enough to read at any reasonable angle or light level though. This map is only 11”x17”.

The counters are on most of one half of a counter sheet, with some from another game on the last two rows (along with 3 mystery counters, see my other thread!) About 60-70 are used in this game (I’m not sure which are used in or shared with other games in the magazine).Unit counters are as clear & easy to read as the map, high-contrast colours, NATO symbols. Values are standard Attack-Defence-Movement, plus unit ID (important for Soviets). The German units are the usual grey, but Soviets are a pastel pink!

This game reminds me a lot of Leningrad – like that game, one side must, to stand a chance of winning, keep retreating just enough and no more, on a unified front… The big difference is, here it’s the Germans who have to retreat. Victory is determined by the number of German units East of the river vs. Soviet units West of it (if any, either way). There are just a few bridges in a central area within the unpronounceable city allowing movement over the river (one of these is actually a dam, which may be blown, taking out ALL the bridges, and flooding a swamp area to the south – never happened in my games). Around the city East of the river are a number of concentric rings of German entrenchment lines, which allow a well-timed German withdrawal to remain at best defensive values. The game begins with units set up on the furthest of those lines from the city.

And the Germans need the help those entrenchments give. This is about the first game I’ve played where the Soviets not only outnumber the German units substantially, but also have superiority unit to unit! There are a number of ‘1’s on German attack values, while Soviets are commonly 3-4. German defence values are better, but still nothing great (equal to Soviets though). Even most of the Soviet movement values are higher! This isn’t a killer though, the CRT is pretty bloodless, virtually all the results are 1 or 2 hex retreats by either side. Since Germans can almost always get at least a 1-column shift in defence (entrenchments, woods, urban), they could be slowly pushed back the whole way. However, Soviets can move faster than a retreat result, so the trick is to keep counterattacking while there’s a chance of recovering defensive terrain, rather than getting caught in the open or surrounded. If you lose, you’ll probably just retreat again, which is no big loss… When units are eliminated, or cannot retreat, they take loses – all units are single step, and can ‘pay for’ a lack of retreat by a similar number of unit loses – a 2-hex retreat by all attackers can be reduced to a 1 hex retreat and 1 unit lost.

One problem with this plan is Supply, and the cutting off thereof. Supply rules are simple. Germans must trace a path free of enemies and enemy ZOCs back over those bridges. Soviets must trace a supply path back to their HQ units (Germans don’t have HQs), and the HQs have to trace a path back to the East map edge. The path to the HQ is different per formation – typically 5-6 hexes. Out of Supply units have halved values (round down, minimum 1) That’ll put a hole in your combat ratio.

At the same time, most often, units cutting off Supply also prevent retreats – no retreat through enemy ZOCs. So the Soviets need to move fast through breaches in the German line (not too fast though – they have their own Supply to consider!)

Germans, then, have to retreat from defensive position to defensive position, maintaining a line as they go to prevent Soviet breakthrough. Soviets have to advance swiftly and cut off German supply while maintaining their own. As part of this process, the German defensive line gets shorter as they all retreat back to the city centre, while the Soviets begin to get in one another’s way. Stacking is minimal in this game, mostly there’s none, but there are a few units that can stack 2 or 3 to a hex. So as the German units withdraw, they get to concentrate their defences against a shrinking number of Soviet attackers. But as they concentrate in a smaller & smaller area, retreats become more difficult, and units are eliminated because of this. German units can be moved back across the river, but that’ll lose victory points…

A couple of other notes.
The sequence of play is nice;
Soviets Move
German Motorised units move
Soviets attack
Germans move (including motorised units again)
Germans attack.
That little advantage with motorised units is doubly valuable as many of those motorised units are the ones that can stack! Very useful to reinforce important hexes.

Those entrenchments work only for the Germans – they only slow up Soviet movement, substantially so! Very useful when Germans counter-attack after being ousted from entrenchments.

The Soviets have two reinforcement formations, which enter on an increasing die roll – roll 1 on turn 4, 2 on turn 5, etc. They have 4 & 5 units each, stackable, and the highest Attack/Defence/movement values in the game! Very very useful just when the Soviets are probably breaking down the German line. They can get all the way to the front line from the map edge in one move.

In play, this is a fast, simple game, playable in a couple of hours tops once you get going. Both my games have been Tactical (marginal) victories – one to each side. Good, quick fun in a small package. Not much chrome, but an interesting enough situation.