There can be little question Stalingrad was one of the bloodiest and most decisive battles of the
entire Second World War. The campaign by the German 6th Army to crush the Soviet 62nd
Army and capture the city has been the subject of numerous two-player designs. It is a
situation known to most gamers but is presented here in a new and exciting SOLITAIRE format,
the first in a series of single-player area movement games by publisher Take Aim Designs.
Stalingrad: Advance to the Volga, 1942 puts the player in charge of the attacking and far more
mobile German side while the game system handles the defending and largely static Soviet
side. No two games will ever be the same. Each turn presents new and unique challenges for
the player in the form of random events, uncertain supply deliveries, and unknown Soviet area
strengths and defensive strategies.
The primary game is a nine-turn campaign covering the first great German assault on the city
during September 1942. The deeper German forces advance, from the city’s less developed
periphery to its urban and industrial core, the greater Soviet resistance becomes. The number
of German units bled white, effectively out of action, mounts. German determination to secure
a rapid victory, represented as “morale” in the game, gradually decreases. The player wins by
equaling or exceeding historical German gains and loses if they fail to do so, or if morale falls
too low.
Also included is a five-turn “Factory District Scenario” representing the second great German
effort in October 1942. The challenge is now even greater: the player must capture all of
Stalingrad in order to release divisions in time to cover the German flanks outside the city
against the coming Soviet winter offense, which was not far off.
With a setup time of less than 15 minutes, low counter density, endless variability, and quick
playing time, Stalingrad: Advance to the Volga, 1942 will appeal to every level of player, from
the novice to the grognard.
The failure to capture Stalingrad rapidly paved the way for the encirclement and destruction of
6th Army and in the long run Axis defeat in the Second World War. But if Soviet resistance
collapsed quickly, and the Wehrmacht had stood victorious on the banks of the Volga, who can
say how history may have turned out? The decisions leading to victory or defeat now rest with
you.
By
Michael Rinella.Components:
- 17 x 22 inch MOUNTED Map
- One sheet of 5/8" die-cut counters
- One player aid card
- 16 page rulebook
- Eight six-sided dice (4 red and 4 black
- Game Box
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