The Great Patriotic War: Nazi Germany vs. the Soviet Union
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The Great Patriotic War: Nazi Germany vs. the Soviet Union is a board game published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) in 1988 that simulates conflict between Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II.
Components
The Great Patriotic War is a two-player game in which the war on the Russian front during World War II is simulated either as a single campaign game, or as a series of smaller scenarios.[1]
The game box contains:[1]
- 22" x 33" hex grid map scaled at 40 mi (65 km) per hex
- 24-page rulebook
- 16-page scenario booklet
- 240 die-cut counters
- A copy of Battle for Moscow, a smaller game on which The Great Patriotic War is based
Scenarios
In addition to a short introductory scenario meant to teach the basic rules, the game includes five historical scenarios:[1]
These five can be combined into a campaign game.
Gameplay
First the Germans, and then the Soviets, follow this sequence each turn:[1]
- Reinforcements/Replacements
- Special movement: During their respective turns, the Germans can move their tanks, and the Soviets can move by train
- Combat
- General movement
Victory conditions
In each scenario, occupation of certain cities defines who will win.[1]
Publication history
In 1986, GDW published Battle for Moscow, a small game (39 counters, 7 turns) simulating Operation Typhoon that was designed by Frank Chadwick to introduce new players to the hobby of wargaming. It was a success, and at the Origins Awards in 1987, it was a finalist for the Charles S. Roberts Award for "Best World War II Board Game of 1986."[2]
Using the same rules system with the addition of more advanced options, Chadwick expanded the game to cover the entire German-Soviet conflict, and released it as The Great Patriotic War in 1988.