The Storm Breaks (2008)

September 1, 1939; Hitler’s infamous war machine stands poised to introduce the world to the blitzkrieg and change the face of warfare forever. In the next month, one nation’s age old martial legacy would be shattered. In that same month another army would be lifted to mythological heights. And in that same month, a decade of uncertainty and confusion would become footnotes to history.

Looking back it is painfully obvious what happened in Poland in 1939 and the campaign seems a forgone conclusion. At the time though, nothing about the invasion was clear. Would large-scale tank formations be effective on the battlefield? Could air power be brought to bear in a decisive manner? Could Germany defeat the Poles before France and Britain mobilized? Could Germany win at all? What would the Soviets do? Today we know all the answers and they all indicate an overwhelming victory, but in the summer of 1939....

The Storm Breaks offers you the dual opportunities to either re-create history or rewrite it. The two-player game pitting Germany against Poland provides an excellent opportunity to replay the war as it unfolded historically. The three-player game (my preferred method) brings in the Soviet Union as an opportunistic antagonist against both players turning it into a wild affair in which all three players will need to improvise and strategize on the fly. Either way you choose the game allows you the freedom of deployment for all sides so you can stick with the historical setup or feel free to create your own plans. All of the decisions are yours to plan and execute. With each new setup and each new opponent, the game takes on a new character. Throughout the game each player will be confronted with numerous small decisions, many of which seem trivial or obvious at the time. Any one of these decisions, if incorrect could snowball throughout the game into either a brilliant stratagem or an unmitigated disaster. The game rewards those that can think quickly and react to the circumstances in the field.

This game is removed from GMT's preorder list.