Battle for Stalingrad (wargame)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Original SPI edition | |
| Designers | John Hill |
|---|---|
| Illustrators | Redmond A. Simonsen |
| Publishers | SPI |
| Publication | 1980 |
| Genres | WWII |
Battle for Stalingrad, subtitled "The Struggle for the City, September–November 1942", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1980 that simulates the first seven weeks of the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II.
At the start Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union, Operation Barbarossa, Stalingrad (now Volgograd) was the largest industrial centre of the Soviet Union and an important transport hub on the Volga River; controlling Stalingrad meant gaining access to the oil fields of the Caucasus and having supreme authority over the Volga River. The city was therefore one of Germany's key objectives, and one that the Soviet Union could not afford to lose.[1]
Description
Battle for Stalingrad is a wargame for two players in which one controls the German forces, and the other controls the Soviet forces. The 22" x 34" hex grid game map, scaled at 600 metres (660 yd) per hex, shows Stalingrad and environs.
Gameplay
The game follows this sequence, with each turn representing one week of the battle:[2]
- Air Bombardment (both sides)
- Artillery Bombardment (both sides)
- Action Phase: Germany attacks first. After each attack, the Soviet player draws a chit. If it is blank, it is discarded, and the German offensive continues. If the chit is labelled "Reaction", the attack shifts to the Soviets, and continues until either the Soviet player runs out of possible moves, or rolls a 6 on an attack die. In this case, the attack shifts back to the German player. Play continues like this until the German attack is finished. Then the Soviet player has a final reaction phase, rolling a die and moving that many units, as well as receiving a fresh reinforcement of armored units from the Tractor Works.[3]
Scenarios
The game comes with two scenarios:[2]
- Week 1: Designed to enable the players to learn the game, the scenario is only one turn in length
- Weeks 1–7: The scenario is seven turns long, and simulates the first seven weeks of the battle.
Victory conditions
- Short Scenario: The German player wins by either earning 8 Victory Points or capturing major locations in the city.
- Long Scenario:The German player wins by earning 12 Victory Points.
In both scenarios, the Soviet player wins by denying the German player victory.[2]
Publication history
Independent game designer John Hill had designed the bestseller Squad Leader (Avalon Hill) in 1977, and his name was so well known in the wargaming field that when he sold Battle of Stalingrad to SPI in 1980, the game box cover prominently listed his name as the designer. The game proved popular, immediately appearing on SPI's "Top Ten Bestselling List" at #5; two months later, the game rose to #2.[4]
In 1983, Hobby Japan published a Japanese-language version with cover art by Rodger MacGowan. In 2005, the Japanese publisher Six Angles published a Japanese-language version in magazine format. In 2011, Excalibre Games republished the original SPI version.[5]