Introduction

Balkan storm is a little almost unknow wargame that deal with an hypotetical conflict in Eastern Europe during the first decade of XXI century. While the theme can be viewed as political uncorrect or or at least wildy speculative the game itself is a nice effort who, while deserving a small improving efforts, aptly show the difference in armed forces capability and doctrines of the mayor and moniro players in the area. The game Revolves around an agressor (Russia or Germany) whotries to grab land and to withstand the inevitable Western Allied counterattack (lead by UK, USA and supported by a local coalition of the willing).

Components

The map is a small 17x22 that, while not being fancy is pleasant to look at and very functional, only the borders are a little intrusive in the overall picture. The counter are die cut and are illustrated with NATO symbols for the land units and aircrat silouhettes for the air units. The rules (12 pages) are without illustrations, but they are brief, clear and not difficult.
In conclusion a small package, but one done with an undeniable taste.

System

The game system is pretty straightforward. The Agressor player conduct the first player turn with the usual Movement-Combat-Exploitation sequqnce followed by the Western player. A Supply phase and a victory phase close the turn.
What charaterize this game is the political element added and the fact that units are rated not only for their combat and movement strenght, but also for their quality.
At start the agressor player doesn't know what country (Germany or Russia) will be is main country. Determining who is the agressor is in fact odne after setup. After that both player will try to use alliance bid chits to influence neutral countries to join their sides. There are 14 of these chits and initially are all in the hand of the Western player. Then, everytime the agressor gain a VP he earns one; when he lose VP he had to give a chit back to the western player. So while the agressor player is on the offensive he gains also political leverage and can expand his forces and his war aims; inversely when the Western player starts to reapy the initial agressor thrust world opinion turns against the agressor and his politcal support quickly vanishes.
The other are where the game "shine" is the representation of the proficiency of the various armed forces (and in some case special units). Each groundunit has a quality rating (from 1 to 7) who is used in combat to create a quality DRM from the AVERAGE quality of the unit involved. So often high quality units (especially US/UK/German ones)will be better attacking alone using an higher DRM rather than in cooperation with lower quality forces. So the player will quickly find him/her self using some forces as the spear and other as shields to protect flanks, lines of supply and to perform envleopements (ZOCs are "felxible" adding 1mp if you move through them, not forcing combat, but blocking retreat and supply if not negated by friendly units in the hex). A nice, subtle and simple way to show how the combat has changed in these days.
Combat is often an all or nothing affair because units are all 1 step. Coupling this factor with the relative scarcity of units and the lack of a replacement system (an an onverall low unit density) results in a quick and tense game where each player try to outmaneuver the other forming blocking position with lower quality forces while maneuvering his assault units in the hope to surround and destroy a large grouping of the enemy army.
An optional rule allow the players to play also an "information war" game hoping to earn some more VP while "confusing" the world (with mobes like announcing a reduction of war aim, a crusade for ethnic liberation of minorities and similar thing).


Conclusion

In all a nice little game whith an high replayability value given it by the flexible "coalition building system". I will have appreciated a step reduction process and maybe more units (the russian army is a bit small, and some elite units for the local nations would have added a new dimension to the game), but also in this formthe game is a nice small game full of maneuver, incertitude and chrome.