[Ziploc game]
[This game is an expansion. You'll need World at War: Eisenbach Gap to play Death of the 1st Panzer.]
From the publisher:
It's the summer of 1985 and Soviet tanks stream into West Germany. The Red Army bludgeons the American units on the border, and turns to face the newly arriving units of the German Bundeswehr. Welcome to the next chapter in the dark world of Mark H. Walker's World at War.
Expand your World at War battles! The initial Soviet forces have taken heavy losses, but NATO has discovered that the Soviets can give as good as they get. The smoking remnants of an American armored brigade dot the hills of the Eisenbach Gap, and still the Soviet attack continues. Now it is the hastily assembled 1st Panzer Division’s turn to stop the red horde. Will the West German’s mix of Leopard I tanks, Marder Infantry Fighting Vehicles, and tank destroyers, coupled with a handful of lethal Leopard II tanks, be enough to stop the Soviet onslaught? It’s up to you to find out.
World at War simulates, on a platoon-level, the war which began May 12, 1985 when Junior Lieutenant Yuri Andromnivitch's T-72 sent a 125mm HE round screaming into the guard tower on the ridge at Dankmarshausen, ripping mortar from rebar and sending head-sized chunks of concrete tumbling into the red-roofed houses below. Units activate by chit draw and formation, fire in a flurry of dice, and look good doing it. The rules cover self-propelled mortars, thin-skinned vehicles, support weapons, ranged combat, opportunity fire, ATGM depletion, assault and overrun combat. Better still, World at War is not just a game, but also a game system. Learn Eisenbach Gap, and you can play any of the follow-on modules. See About the Game , below, for more details. This expansion ships in a zip-lock bag with the following components:
Fifty, beautifully rendered, die-cut 5/8" counters.
One professionally drawn, printed, 11" x 17" map.
Six scenarios.
Scenario book including point values for World at War units.
Scenarios Include:
Blind Sided
May 20th, 1985 and the Soviet 1st Tank Army is sweeping into West German territory looking to take as much ground as it can in the opening phase of the war.
Speed Bumps
May 21st, 1985 and the Soviet 1st Tank Army swept a large hole in the NATO defenses and did an impressive job of disrupting rear area command and control units. Elements of West Germany’s 1/172 PzG attempt to slow the assault by delaying elements of the Soviet 33rd Motorized Division.
Wittman's Ghost...
May 22nd, 1985 and the West German forces are starting to recover from the initial shock of the invasion. The Soviet forces have slowed in order to resupply and regroup after rear area attacks from NATO forces. 3/174 Panzer is battle tested and looking for some revenge.
Counter Punch
May 23rd, 1985 and the Soviet forces are regrouping in Eban after taking losses in Wittburg. NATO commanders decide to seize the initiative and launch a counter attack against the Soviet forces in the Eban area.
Tank Country (Leopards, Dogs, and Bears. Oh my!)
Both sides attempt gain the upper hand. Tanks of all shapes and sizes pour into the Eisenbach Gap. As the sun rises though the hazy smoke the TC yells “tank, forward, sabot”. All hell is about to break loose…
To the Death
NATO’s forces are on the ropes from the near constant stream of Fresh Soviet armour and troops. NATO reinforcements are delayed getting to the theater due to deep rear area strikes on ports and airfields. NATO commander’s have no choice other then to gather their exhausted units up and make a stand in the GAP.
About the Game
Units represent platoons of vehicles, such as T-55, T-62, T-72, BTR, BMP, M-113, M-1, Chaparral, Shilka, helicopters –Cobra and Hind, and infantry armed with support weapons such as Saggers, SA-7, Dragons, etc. The system throws typical turn-based gaming out the window. The platoons are grouped into formations (companies for the American or battalions for the Soviet) and lead by a headquarters. Each unit of the formation must be within range (generous for the Yanks, less so for the Soviets) of the HQ to activate with its formation. Oh yeah, individual units might activate, and recon units can double their range from the HQ, but you’ll want to keep those formations together. The formations are activated by chit draw, and better-trained, better-led units can activate more than once in a turn, moving, shooting, and fighting in each activation. On the flip side of a coin, there is no guarantee that a formation will activate even once. The opaque container (we like to call it a cup in the rural south) into which the formation chits are placed is seeded with end turn chits. When the second end turn chit is drawn the turn ends. Doesn’t matter if a single formations has activated; the turn is over. It keeps you on your toes. .
Combat. We love this combat system. When attacking each platoon rolls a number of dice equal to its firepower. Every die that equals or exceeds the “to hit” number (right superscript) hits the target. The target then rolls the number of die equal to its armor factor plus terrain advantages. Each die that equals or exceeds its armor factor negates a hit. The first hit disrupts a unit, second reduces it, the third eliminates it.
Units may also close assault, entering the opponent’s hex to either deal a death blow or force him (or her) out of valuable terrain. Same procedure, but both units use their close assault value. The side that takes the most hits must retreat from the hex. Infantry is VERY good at this, especially against armor without its own infantry support.
World at War: Eisenbach Gap includes rules for thin-skinned vehicles, support weapons (actual counters that add to an infantry platoon’s capabilities), helicopters, chemical attacks, dual purpose conventional munitions, smoke, HE, overruns (great fun) opportunity fire, simple line of sight (bit more complex for helicopters), transporting infantry, all in eight pages of rules.
For tons of information, images, and much more, CLICK HERE to visit the Boardgamegeek.com page for this game. |
