Barbarossa: The Russo-German War, 1941-45
Barbarossa is a two-player, low-to-intermediate complexity,
strategic-level simulation of the entire Russo-German War designed by
Ty Bomba. The game was originally designed and published by James F.
Dunnigan back in 1969. This new edition is an extensive redesign.
The
German player begins on the offensive, attempting to win the game by
seizing key areas on map. The Soviet player is at first primarily on
the defensive, but the situation requires he halt his opponent's push
to the east and then, in turn, launch a series of counter-offensives
that will eventually move the Red Army to Berlin and the heart of
Europe. The game may end sooner than the historic termination time if
the German player is able to do significantly better than his historic
counterparts by advancing so quickly he causes the overall political,
social, economic and military collapse of the Soviet Union. Likewise,
if the Soviet player is able to carry out his strategic comeback more
efficiently than did his historic counterparts during the second half
of the real war, the game may again terminate earlier than it did
historically.
Each hexagon on the map represents 55 miles (90
kilometers) from side to opposite side. The large-hex map covers from
Berlin and Yugoslavia in the west, to Leningrad in the north, Maikop in
southeast and Gorki in the northeast. Expeditions may be launched into
the deep Caucasus through the use of an off-map holding box and special
rules.
The primary units of maneuver for the German side are
corps, while for the Soviets they're armies. The order of battles have
been extensively researched to ensure they're the most historically
accurate ever presented for a game of this scale. The counter-mix
includes all 25 of the German Korpsgruppen, which were unheralded
formations crucial to that side's overall war effort during 1944-45.
Beyond that, there are also counters for: Army Detachments Hollidt,
Fretter-Pico and Lanz/Kempf; Provisional Panzer Corps Raus, the Kerch
Straits Command, and Group Mieth. On the Soviet side there's a full
corps-and-army OB for 22 June 1941, along with all the Guards and
Guards Tank armies, as well as "Mechanized Group Popov," the single
most elite Red Army formation ever to take the field during the entire
war. There are, in total, 280 half-inch, NATO-style counters included
in the game.
The effects of the general air superiority enjoyed
by the Germans throughout much of the campaign are built into the
game's movement and combat rules. Each full game turn represents one or
two months, depending on the time of year. Two experienced gamers can
count on finishing the entire game in no more than about 10 hours. The
game turn sequence is as follows.
- Mutual Administrative Phase
- German Replacement, Reinforcement & Withdrawal Segment
- Soviet Replacement, Reinforcement, Conversion & Withdrawal Segment
- German Player Turn
- German Strategic Movement Phase
- German Movement or Prepared Assault Phase
- German Movement or Prepared Assault Phase
- Soviet Player Turn
- Soviet RVGK Phase
- Soviet Movement or Prepared Assault Phase
- Soviet Movement or Prepared Assault Phase
- Victory Check Phase
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