The Russian Campaign: Original 1974 Edition (English)

It is now June 22, 1941 and, in the words of Adolf Hitler... « When Barbarossa begins, the whole world will hold its breath. »

On December 18, 1940, Hitler issued "Fuehrer Directive No. 21," codenamed Barbarossa, which read: "The Soviet Union must be crushed in a single rapid campaign before the end of the war with England." German leaders were confident that victory in Russia would be achieved quickly and that the risk of a protracted war on two fronts would be short-lived.

Having lost a precious month of good weather while his forces invaded the Balkans, Hitler finally launched Operation Barbarossa on June 22, 1941. More than 3 million German troops, most of them veterans of victorious campaigns in Poland, France and the Balkans, launched a blitzkrieg-style invasion against 2 million Russian defenders. The initial advance was fantastic, hundreds of thousands of prisoners were taken and soon the motorized columns were ahead of the rest of the army.

As Army Group Center rushed toward Moscow, Hitler decided to change plans. He moved Guderian's Second Armored Army away from the center and ordered it to join Army Group South behind kyiv. This surrounding operation captured more than 600,000 prisoners but delayed the attack on Moscow by 5 weeks. These five weeks of good weather could not be recovered and the Germans arrived at the gates of Moscow with the arrival of winter. This army was not equipped for winter conditions or a prolonged campaign.

The Russians, meanwhile, had mobilized more than 2 million trained reservists, and on December 6 they counterattacked the weakened Germans  and, the following month, pushed them back from Moscow. The Germans' only real chance of victory, the short violent campaign, was over and the fortunes of the war, over time, would turn more and more against them.

In this game, the more mobile German army must strike quickly, and if the attack fails, it must perform a mobile defense because the Russian player can lose the game by attacking. The feel of the campaign is captured by simple rules covering weather effects, rail movement, sea movement, HQ units, Stuka units, Russian paratroopers, combat supply and isolation, Russian partisan activity, replacements and automatic victory conditions to help recreate a tense, action-packed gaming experience that you can complete in a single sitting.

The Russian Campaign, original edition of 1974

Recognized as one of the best wargames ever published and a winner of the CSR Awards in 1976. Enjoy this remake of the original 1974 Jedko game covering the Eastern Front during World War II, but lacking in rules and playing time. Relive a true wargaming classic with rules that are easy to learn, but require cunning strategies to achieve ultimate victory. An ideal wargame for beginners, The Russian Campaign also serves as a fast-paced and tense contest for experienced players.

Product information:

• Complexity: low
• Time scale: 1 round = 2 months
• Map scale: 32 miles/hex
• Units: army and corps
• Players: 1-2 players
• Solitary: High
• Play time: 5 hours or less

Components:

• 1 card rise (22” x 34”)
• 1 work plate (piece 1/2" size
• 1 Rules Manual
• 2 player aid cards
• 2 six-sided dice
• Box and lid

The scale of the game fluctuates, allowing players to effectively depict some of the largest battles of the American Revolution, as well as smaller skirmish actions. In some scenarios, an infantry unit may represent an entire brigade, while in others, a unit represents only a few companies of soldiers. Yet the linear tactics of the era that you must execute to achieve victory correspond remarkably well to the inherent advantages and limitations of the different armies of the American Revolution of the time, as well as the characteristics of the battlefield on which they fought. To further emphasize the differences in battlefield doctrine between the British and Continental forces, each army has its own unique set of combat cards.

Players familiar with other Commands & Colors games will soon notice that unit losses in combat in a Tricorn game are generally not as great as in other games covered in the Commands & Colors series. This is a direct result of the linear tactical fighting style of the armies that fought in the American Revolution. Unit morale is the main theme of a Tricorn battle, as it was historically. Knowing that an entire unit, which suffered only minimal casualties when forced to retreat, can actually break and flee the battlefield will definitely keep players on the edge of their command chairs throughout an entire battle.

Product information:

• Complexity: 4 out of 10
• Adaptation to solitaire: Best enjoyed with two players
• Time scale: The scale varies depending on the scenario
• Map scale: Scale varies depending on the scenario
• Unit scale: The scale varies depending on the scenario
• Players: 2
• Playing time: 60-90 minutes

Components :

• 3 Field boards and accessories containing:
• 45 facing terrain tiles
• 18 double-sided Victory Banner tokens
• 2 sheets of Block and Dice labels
• 2 identical double-sided unit summary cards
• 2 identical double-sided terrain effects cards
• Rulebook and Scenarios
• 100+ wooden blocks of different sizes: Here are the French in white and continental blue. British red, German dark blue
• 8 Battle Dice – new larger, molded dice
• Box and lid

You must own a copy of the base game Commands & Colors: Tricorne to use this expansion set.