Late-period WW2 Games - Red Storm Over/Storming the Reich

[desertfoxleo]

OK, I remain hopeless in terms of my wargame addiction. I've chronicled before how I've tried to slow, if not halt, my wargame purchases, as I have realized just how stupidly large my collection already is (though, not as stupidly large as some of collections that the rest of you have!). However, I got my periodic email from Compass Games telling me that only 15 copies of Ted Racier's "Red Storm Over the Reich" remained in their warehouse, and that there would be no reprints. I'm such a sucker, so of course I bought it. Further, as they also noted that if you bought this game, you'd not only get for the pre-order price, BUT, you'd also get $10 (yes, 10 whole dollars) off a second purchase, I went ahead and ordered Ted's western front edition, "Storming the Reich"! So, here I am, $124 poorer*, and awaiting two entirely unnecessary additions to my collection. I suspect the meds I'm on may have had something to do with my weakness of will (I just had a root canal this afternoon). However, in my defense:
1) I'm drawn to these late-war situations, and the desperate fights that occurred as the German army tried repeatedly, and with less and less success, to plug the gaps that would be torn in their lines by the Allies, while the Allies strove to push into the heart of Germany in a bid to end the war as fast as possible while struggling with ever lengthening supply lines and leaner and leaner replacements. Having read Earl Ziemke's "Stalingrad to Berlin - Defeat in the East" earlier this year, I find the subject irresistible.
2) I've heard nothing but good things about these games from those who've played them.

So, if anyone has additional good things to say about these games, or just wants to discuss late-war games (or even just late-war history), please comment. If anyone has bad things to say about these games, well, don't say anything - I'd like to avoid feeling any buyer's remorse for a few days at least! 

*Actually, more like $270 poorer, because I just bought eight ( new Star Trek Attack Wing expansions too! Whhhhaaaat? Hey, if you're gonna fall off the wagon, I say do it in style! 

[Calandale]

I just picked up Mighty Endeavor, because I liked that it did the whole Battle for Germany thing in the new edition.

[anarchy]

I just picked up Mighty Endeavor, because I liked that it did the whole Battle for Germany thing in the new edition.

For those of us who don't get the reference, what is the whole Battle of German thing?

[desertfoxleo]

I also picked up the new edition of Mighty Endeavor for the same reason. I hope to compare how it plays versus separate playings of Red Storm Over the Reich and Storming the Reich. Note that the last two can NOT be linked directly, but there's nothing stopping people from simply playing them simultaneously. I'm a big fan of SCS games, so I'm pretty sure that I will like the new Mighty Endeavor. At the same time, I'm guessing that the two Compass Games offerings, taken together, are bigger games with more counters, but from what I've read, I'm not sure that the rulesets will be any more complex than ME's SCS rules, which hit just about the perfect spot for me in terms of ease of play and chrome.

[Calandale]

I just picked up Mighty Endeavor, because I liked that it did the whole Battle for Germany thing in the new edition.

For those of us who don't get the reference, what is the whole Battle of German thing?

Maybe I have the name wrong. It was an SPI game where one player is the West, the other the Soviets,
and both play the Germans facing their opponent. Basically a race to see who gets more of Germany.


http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3986/battle-germany

[capt_s]

Battle for Germany was always spoken highly of amongst the members of my local club.

I, of course, have never played it. In fact .... my only experience with a big "end game" WW2 situation was from playing Barbarossa to Berlin of all things.

[desertfoxleo]

The "Battle for Germany" just refers to the final stages of the Second World War in Europe, where literally, the final campaigns from both east and west were focused on the conquest of Germany proper. To some degree, the final lines were rather predetermined due to the political agreement reached at the Yalta Conference between Russia and the Western Allies. However, that's not to say that their respective military commanders couldn't contemplate pushing their forces beyond those boundaries, though they would have to consider if the ensuing lives lost would be for naught, as the political situation would have demanded that they relinquish any of their gains when hostilities ceased. Certainly, on the Western Allies' side, there was considerable debate about going on to Berlin, beating the Soviets to the capital, even while knowing about the Yalta agreement, which ceded the Nazi capital to the Soviets (except of course for the three Western occupation zones).

And, yeah, in gaming terms, it refers to the concept first used in SPI's "Battle for Germany", where one player gets to play the Western Allies and the Eastern German defenders, while the other player gets to play the Western German defenders and the Russians. Neat dynamic where each player is trying to push into Germany as fast as possible on one front while holding out the opposite Allied army on the other front. ME 2nd Edition does the same. One could play RSOTR and STR in the same manner, though again, the games aren't formally linked. It would at least make sure one player isn't stuck playing a hopeless German defense on both fronts (of course, some of us revel in playing hopeless defenses, so it might not be such a negative for some players).

[Calandale]

Yeah, I'm pretty weak on the subject. Have a couple D-Day games, the Victory in the West stuff,
AH's Battle of the Bulge, and just picked up Fortress Europe. My tastes in WWII were mainly the grand
strategy followed by North Africa.

[anarchy]

I just picked up Mighty Endeavor, because I liked that it did the whole Battle for Germany thing in the new edition.

For those of us who don't get the reference, what is the whole Battle of German thing?

Maybe I have the name wrong. It was an SPI game where one player is the West, the other the Soviets,
and both play the Germans facing their opponent. Basically a race to see who gets more of Germany.


http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3986/battle-germany

Ahhh! I had the name wrong, sorry. I had never heard of Battle for Germany until now, didn't realize it was an SPI game.

That sounds neat. I should have just googled it first before asking. The MMP site sums it up pretty well, too.

Following the same allocation of responsibilities as the game Battle for Germany (SPI, 1975), one player controls the Western Allies and the East Front Germans while the other controls the Russians and the West Front Germans. The two players compete by seeing which grouping of Allies can conqure as much German territory as possible—while they also play against their opponent to stop the opposite front. Never a dull moment as both players are always playing one side or the other at the same time.

[Calandale]

I trust Dean's hand and the SCS core to have guided this quite well.
Seemed worth going for the more modern game.

[desertfoxleo]

I should note that the first pangs of pain from the root canal are starting to manifest themselves. It will be time for more drugs in a couple of hours. I wonder what games I'll buy then! I should probably deactivate my eBay account for a couple of days, just in case...

[capt_s]

The pain may only bring on the onset of buyer's remorse ...

... or make you buy lots more to pick up your spirits! Yah!!!! 

[billyboy]

I have the new Mighty Endeavor, its going on the table soon. I liked the original. I played Red Storm over the Reich a couple of months ago. I liked it. Its a big game and has quite unique mechanics. Took awhile for the rules to fully sink in but it was worth it.

[usrlocal]

I wonder what games I'll buy then!

*cough* Circus Train *cough*

[kira1y]

I have the new Mighty Endeavor, its going on the table soon. I liked the original.

If you feel like kicking my ass at it sometime let me know. I'd love to get a game started up with ya again sometime. I assume there's a VASSAL mod for it someplace?