richard tucker - 06:57am Sep 14, 1999 PST (#67 of 72) SPI's "Battle for Stalingrad" - can anyone offer a mini-review? Is it worthwhile picking up? ------------------------- Richard Simon - 09:46am Sep 14, 1999 PST (#68 of 72) I Still Miss My Ex.....................But My Aim Is Improving! SPI's "Battle for Stalingrad" - can anyone offer a mini-review? Is it worthwhile picking up? While this game is not for everyone, I'd say you should probably do so (at a "decent -- whatever that is -- price, of course). John Hill's take on the battle. The game is very much DFE. The Germans have all the traditional advatanges: better units, better communiatios, better command, etc. The game system is the friend of the Russians however (although subtly) so there is a balance of sorts. Decent graphics and a playable game system. Be warned: the units are all fairly generic however (no divisional breakdowns, etc). This is one game that I haven't really been able to get into but that is as much a function of me as the game. I'd say, price permitting, go for it. ------------------------- Michael Junkin - 10:20am Sep 14, 1999 PST (#69 of 72) Currently playing: PoG, TK! and War of Resistance I agree with Richard's comments. Here's some detail: one 22 x 34 map, 600 counters, one ~20 page rulebook (dense) + two scenarios + extensive historical and designer's notes. The map covers the city itself, plus the open ground to the west and the trans-Volga area. Units are usually battalions, plus companies of tanks and specialized units. Turns are weeks, seven turns in the campaign game. The other scenario is a learning scenario covering the first turn of the campaign game. Graphics are typical late SPI. A game turn consists of a sequence of German "operations", an operation being the movement and combat of a group of units. Every now and then, the Soviet player gets an operation. When this happens is determined randomly: pretty much whenever the German player rolls the die, the Soviet player draws a chit. About 1 in 6 times he will be allowed an operation. Thus, the German player usually gets to do what he wants to do, but must always be prepared for a Soviet counterattack. Neat idea. The designer's intent here is to show the markedly superior command and control systems the Germans had - Chiukov (sp?), it is said, had so little control over the battle past a certain distance from his HQ that he often could do nothing more when a new unit arrived than to tell it to "go there and defend to the last man". There's lots of tactical chrome - mostly for the Germans. As Richard said, it's very DFE (ala Paths of Glory). If that's your cuppa, that's great. I've frequently heard of people listing it in their top ten. My opinion: it's worth picking up (I did and don't regret it) and, due, I think, to its relative obscurity, you should be able to get a good copy for US$30-40 on EBay. Since this is less than you'll pay for a new game and the game is at least very intriguing, it's worth it. Michael. ------------------------- richard tucker - 11:31am Sep 14, 1999 PST (#70 of 72) [ Mark ] Richard/Michael Thanks for your enlightening comments on BfS. Richard