In a Dark Wood

C3 Module 4 - The Hof Gap

by

This Red Line Games

 I have mentioned before that I am not a big fan of non-historical wargames. By that I mean totally made up or completely distorted history. This would mean a Bulge game that has every German panzer division available at the time, even those on the Eastern Front, for use by the German player. However, I have no problem with games that are totally based on accurate portrayals of what might have been. This would be represented by an invasion of Malta in WWII. As long as those games' OOBs etc. are based upon history and are totally plausible. This game, simulation really, is based upon the solid foundations of what actual troops and weapons were to be used in Germany in 1985 if WWIII broke out. Think of the novels The Third World War, and The Third World War: The Untold Story by General Sir John Hackett. You can add Red Storm Rising, and others, by Tom Clancy. These, besides being excellent stories, are based totally in historical reality. In this, In a Dark Wood follows their footsteps. You are allowed to see and use exactly what was available to each side in this wargame. You get to tell the story of the Giant Russian Bear and his buddies being fought by the smaller but seemingly more advanced NATO forces. So, strap yourself in inside your favorite NATO or Warsaw Pact tank and let us see what story you can tell with these cardboard counters. You can always think of yourself as a bodyguard to Little Red Riding Hood trying to save her from the Big Bad Wolf as you travel In a Dark Wood. Of course, you could also play the wolf.

 This is what comes with the game:

98×85 cm matte plasticized map, covering the US VII Corps Area of Responsibility

7 countersheets, 1200+ 5/8″ matte plasticized counters

40 Action and Event Cards

24 pages full colour Rules Booklet

28 pages full colour Scenarios & Designer’s Notes Booklet

8 pages full colour Examples of Play Booklet

2x Tables booklets

5x Players' Aid Charts

2x 10-sided dice

10x zipbags

 I will go into the game pieces bit by bit later, but I just wanted to say that even before you open the box you get a feeling that you are holding something extremely well manufactured. The foreboding picture upon the front of the box really gets you into the mood to play a game about the possible ending of civilization.

Some of the Components

 This is what Thin Red Line has to say about the game:

"At 0400 Zulu Time, July 24 1985, Warsaw Pact forces cross the Inner German Border and assault NATO positions in West Germany. The offensive against the US VII Corps sector has a first echelon of eight Soviet and Czechoslovakian divisions, and three main objectives: Pin the NATO forces defending the area, inflict as much casualties as possible, and force CENTAG to commit its reserves to the defense.

Taking its roots from SPI’s Central Front and NATO: Division Commander, In a Dark Wood is the fourth module of the C3 series, focused on Command, Control and Communication and pioneered by Less Than 60 Miles - one of the five nominees for the 2019 Charles Roberts Awards as Best Post-WW2, Cold War, & Hypothetical Era Board Wargame.

Several typical wargame mechanics have been reinterpreted, and both sides must fight three equally dangerous foes: the enemy, their own plan and time. Even a simple action can quickly turn into a disaster when facing an opponent using more efficiently the real key to victory: the OODA Loop theorized by John Boyd in the early ‘80s and used today as the basis for several military doctrines.

Military doctrine, tactics and peculiarities for each side are represented, allowing a skilled commander to use his own strength points and exploit the enemy's weak ones. Some examples are:

US VII Corps command problems due to its multinational structure.

West German Auftragstaktik (Mission-Type Orders), giving Bundeswehr a flexibility hardly obtained by other armies.

French incomplete integration into the wartime NATO structure.

Soviet Sappers, first-line assault units used to crack the toughest nuts.

Soviet Assault From March.

The abundant but partially outdated Czechoslovakian artillery.

Warsaw Pact Axis of Advance.

Warsaw Pact vulnerable supply network

5 km per hex, 3 hours per game turn

Regiment / Battalion sized ground units

Detailed Order of Battle set in 1985

Close Air Support and Attack Helicopters

Command, Control & Communication related problems

Electronic and Intelligence Warfare

Artillery interdiction and Counter-Battery fire

Chemical and Nuclear warfare

Specific events for Warsaw Pact and NATO

Random events to further increase battlefield chaos

Two Campaign Games:

"The Main Problem", the Warsaw Pact offensive against US VII Corps.

"One Minute to Midnight", Unrestricted nuclear warfare after days of build-up.

Four Smaller Scenarios:

"Just a Second Away", US 2ACR and 1/3I Brigade meet the Soviet 28th Tank Division.

"Shortcut to Schweinfurt", Soviet 28th Army turns south and clashes with West German 12th PanzerDivision.

"Where the Forest Whispers", US 3rd Infantry Division faces one Soviet and one Czechoslovakian Army.

"Operation Marsh Harrier", the NATO counterattack after the arrival of the French forces."

The Map

 One of the best parts about this game, and the whole Thin Red Line WWIII games, is the immersion factor. Even the emails that get sent out by Thin Red Line Games are meant to get you into the WWIII mind set. This is the post on Thin Red Line Games about the 4th printing of 1985: Under an Iron Sky 4th Echelon:

"Comrade Colonel-General,

Despite the sincere and tireless diplomatic efforts of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to preserve peace in Europe, the aggressive and provocative actions of the imperialist United States and its puppet regime in Bonn continue to pose an unacceptable threat to the sovereignty of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the collective security of the Socialist Bloc.

 Accordingly, the Central Committee, with full authority and historical responsibility, has directed the Armed Forces of the USSR to commence OPERATION LADOGA. The fraternal forces of our Warsaw Pact allies stand shoulder to shoulder with us in this historic struggle.

 You are hereby ordered to immediately execute the OPERATION LADOGA Directive."

Warsaw Pact Counters

 

 As I stated earlier, it is only when you hold the entire components to this game in your hand do you really get the full picture of how well they have been crafted.

 We will start with the map. For those of us not in the Old World or the 3rd World it is 24 1/4" X 38 1/4". Even though it is about the usual size for wargame maps it somehow looks bigger. The matte plasticized covering is a nice touch. Nevertheless, woe unto them who comes within 50 feet of one of my wargame maps with a drink! It always surprises me how much of Germany, and Europe as a whole, is forest. The map is really a work of art. It is one of those wargame maps where you wish you had a second one to hang on the wall. It may just be me because I have been pretty much mesmerized by maps since I was a small child. The terrain in each hex, for movement etc, is decided by the 'most favorable terrain type' for the unit. Because the units are not actually taking up the entire 5km of hex it makes sense to be able to choose the actual terrain. This gives the map the ability to accurately portray what is in each hex without, hopefully, having arguments between players.

 The counters are also matte plasticized which will increase their lifetime by a large margin. They are done in the 'NATO' style and also have a dark silhouette in the background to show exactly what kind of troops they represent. They are 5/8" in size so this makes them easier to read all their information. There are over 1200 counters, but the vast majority are markers instead of units. You also get the obligatory roll of zip-lock bags to store the counters. The game comes with two ten-sided die.

 Next, we have the Action and Event Cards. There are two decks for both sides of play. They seem to be made of the same material as regular playing cards. This will help with longevity and bending etc. The cards have both Russian and English for the words Action and Event and a Russian or NATO emblem on the back of the cards. The top part of the cards come with a photo or map and below are the cards uses. The type size is a little small but still readable.

 The Rules of Play booklet is, amazingly, only 23 pages long. It is in full color and is double columns. The size of the type is about normal for wargames. So, the older Grognards might need a young-'un to read it to them. I jest; it is perfectly readable. Then we have the Scenarios and Designers' Notes booklet. This is again in full color and is 27 pages long. The first three pages are taken up by Additional Scenario Rules. Then comes the four scenarios and two campaigns. The designers discuss the forested and hilly map as being an anathema to mobile battle. This is under the title ' No Thanks, We Don't Need More Trees'. One of the biggest challenges for the design team was how to make the NATO command structure, which resembled a 1970s piece of string art, into something coherent for gaming purposes. While still making it historically accurate.

 The game gives you two separate player aids, one for each player, that are done in a fold out manner instead of a booklet. This gives the player pretty much everything they need at their fingertips. This includes the Sequence of Play on the back cover. These are both 11 pages in length. There are tables that have all the abbreviations used by the NATO and Warsaw Pact forces. Just as an aside, the Warsaw Pact has four abbreviations while the UK appears to have about 50 give or take. I am only exaggerating a bit. There are five card stock one-sided player aids. The first two are OOBs for both the Warsaw Pact Central Front and the NATO Centag. The next two are a NATO and Warsaw Pact Time, Command Points, Engineer Points, EW Points, Air Points tracks. The last one is a players' aid Ground Combat Chart. This has the sequence of combat and all of the different modifiers all on one hand sheet. Finally, we come to the Battle Operations booklet. This is in full color and is eight pages long. However, do not be fooled. This booklet should be kept under the players' pillow every night that the game is on your table. From movement to combat and the all-important orders phases, this is a Godsend for the players' health and wellbeing. 

 So, there you have it. This is my poor attempt to show exactly what you get with the game and how well manufactured all of the separate pieces to the game are.

NATO Counters

 Okay, so we have dispensed with the part of the review that just uses our senses. Now we have to get into the parts of the game that we use our mind for. That being said, I would make sure that you have a monster wargame under your belt, or at least one that has a good number of rules. To be honest, these games rules are pretty streamlined for what they have to try and simulate. In this game you have in your power and arsenal all that the commanders of the different sides had at their disposal in 1985. From Airpower to Spetsnaz (special designation or spetsial'noye naznacheniye) and everything in between, Oh and tanks do not forget the tanks. These are just some of the things that the game simulates:

Command and Control

Posture: March Assault/Tactical/Road/Recon/Screen/Close Support/Combat Support etc.

Engineers

Close Air Support

Artillery

"You will Issue Orders to your HQs by expending Command Points and using Order Chits, wait for the units to Execute the Order by placing a Time Marker on them. Then wait for them to Complete the Order"

Stacking

Delayed Movement

Forced March

River Crossing

Supply

Weather

Chemical Warfare

Nuclear Warfare

Warsaw Pact Card

 I know it is a bit long. However, I did want to post the Sequence of Play so that you would know exactly how involved the games is.

 Each Turn is played using the following sequence:

 

1. Weather Phase

 1.1 Warsaw Pact rolls for Fog and Precipitation (29.1).

 1.2 Both sides Ground or Unground Aircraft (29.4).

2. Events Phase

 2.1 Both sides receive Air, Electronic Warfare, Engineer and

     Command Points reinforcements (33).

 2.2 Both sides roll for Events (34).

3.Air Points Phase

 3.1 Both sides roll on the Air Points Table and adjust Current 

     Air Points (19.3).

4. Side 1 Action Phase

 4.1 Orders Reveal Phase

 4.1.1 Reveal Order Chits in the current Turn slot and adjust Max 

       CPs accordingly (14.5).

 4.1.2 Place Current CP markers in the same slot of the 

       corresponding Max CP marker (14.5).

4.2 Orders Execution Phase

 4.2.1 Complete Order Execution (14.7).

 4.2.2 Execute each Revealed Order Chit (14.6).

 4.2.3 Execute Authorized and Unauthorized Posture Changes 

       (6.1.2, 6.1.3).

4.3 Orders Issue Phase

 4.3.1 Issue new Orders (14.4).

4.4 HQ Reconstruction Phase

 4.4.1 Both sides reconstruct destroyed HQs (12.5).

4.5 Engineering Phase

 4.5.1 Prepare River Crossings (9.2).

 4.5.2 Build Defensive Works (31.1).

 4.5.3 Mine Bridges (32.1.2)

 4.5.4 Build Ribbon Bridges (32.2) and Panel Bridges (32.3).

 4.5.5 Allocate Sappers (37.1).

 4.5.6 Deallocate Sappers (37.2).

4.6 Attrition Removal Phase

 4.6.1 Relocate Supply Hubs (30.3.1).

 4.6.2 Rotate units Resting from previous Turn (11.4).

 4.6.3 Execute Resupply (11.3), Rest (11.4) and Refit (11.5). 

4.7 EW Points Phase

 4.7.1 Allocate EW Points to HQs (24.1).

 4.7.2 Deallocate EW Points from HQs (24.2).

4.8 Bombardment Phase

 4.8.1 Both sides attempt to gain additional Intelligence (25).

 4.8.2 Both sides execute Bombardment (20) and Interdiction 

       (21).

4.9 Movement Phase

 4.9.1 Execute Movement and Combat (8, 15).

4.10 Housekeeping Phase

 4.10.1 Remove Breakthrough, Interdiction and Intelligence 

        markers.

 4.10.2 Remove Engaged and Half-Engaged markers from 

        Phasing Units.

 4.10.3 Flip used Helicopters upright (18).

 4.10.4 Remove Delayed markers placed in the previous Turn from 

        Phasing Units (8.4.1). 

5. Side 2 Action Phase

 5.1 Side 2 becomes the Phasing Side and all the steps of 

     Phase 4 are repeated.

6. End Phase

 6.1 Check for removal of Persistent Gas (26.2.2)

 6.2 Check for removal of Nuclear Contamination (27.4).

 6.3 Advance Turn marker on the Time Track.

NATO Card

 So, by now you have either run away screaming for Stratego or some other much simpler game, or you are drooling like my Bassett Hound in anticipation. I drool a lot anyway (the dentist tells me it is a good thing, my wife does not agree) so you cannot judge by me. I will tell you though that games like these were what I was hoping for from a very young age. What I have said about other deep games also applies to this one. You will get out of it in direct proportion what you put into it. Yes Virginia, there is a lot of reading and comprehension, hopefully, involved in playing In a Dark Wood, actually any game from Thin Red Line. The orders and timing along with your unit's posture makes it seem like you are playing three-dimensional Chess, and in a significant way you are. Your unit's attrition and the destruction of an HQ can put your perfectly planned operation on a gurney struggling to live. Just as in chess, you will have to think a few turns ahead if not more. You will also have to have a plan B, C, and D ready in case things do not go your way. On the other hand, you will have to be mentally nimble enough to exploit calamities that occur to your opponent. As the NATO player your job is to play for time until support comes, or time has run out for the Warsaw Pact player. The Warsaw Pact player has a pretty hard job in front of him. The realities of the map make a sudden thrust with armored units a very tough proposition. Think of it as 1944 and you are the Germans trying to get through the Ardennes in the middle of winter. The threat of both Chemical and Nuclear Warfare are also a constant threat to be aware of. So, you have to keep all of the above plates spinning in your head along with mundane things like supply. In a Dark Wood, and its brothers, is a lot like taking a Polar Plunge. The only way to get through it and actually enjoy it is to dive right in. 

 Do not take me the wrong way. There is a ton of stuff in this game. However, the designer has done a marvelous job with the rules and the sequence of play to make playing the game as manageable as possible. 

Scenario

 Thank you, This Red Line Games, for allowing me to take this trip back to my youth and the unsettled political world at the time. It is very hard to believe that 1985 was 40 years ago. I also want to thank them for allowing me to review this excellent wargame. The game was designed by Fabrizio Vianello, and he also did the graphic design. He has designed or helped design the following games about WWIII:

1985: Deadly Northern Lights

1985: Sacred Oil

1985: Under an Iron Sky

The Dogs of War

Die Festung Hamburg

Less Than 60 Miles

In a Dark Wood

 The first three are at the Division/Brigade/Battalion level with 14km per hex. The last four are part of the C3 series and are at the Regiment and Battalion level with 5km per hex. The print runs on these games are small so if you can get into the reprint queue, do yourself a favor and go for it. You will not regret it.

 He also designed the game 'The Fate of All' about Alexander the Greats campaigns and the First War of the Diadochi, my personal favorite for ancient wargames. See the review below. Hint: we need more Diadochi scenarios please I am begging you!

All of the games of this series laid out

Robert Peterson

Thin Red Line Games

In a Dark Wood: C3 Module 4 - Hof Gap

My review of Thin Red Line Games 'The Fate of All':

The Fate of All by Thin Red Line Games - A Wargamers Needful Things

 Balkan Fury

by

TKC Games

 The whole problem of the Balkans for the Axis powers in World War II can be laid at Il Duce's door. Mussolini was upset about Germany taking all the glory with their rapid march of conquest through Europe. So, he decided that he would attack Greece from Albania that Italy had conquered earlier. Hitler had expressly told Mussolini in at least one of their conferences to not stir up trouble in the Balkans. Not that he was afraid of the armed forces of those small countries. No, he was afraid of English intervention in Greece, as had happened in World War I, and the possibility of the English bombing the Romanian oil fields. Germany had no real oil fields and even before the war was trying to make as much synthetic oil as possible from the coal that they had in abundance. Besides a few oil fields in Hungary, the Romanian oil fields were all there were in Europe with the exception of the Soviet Union, from which Germany was getting oil due to the 1939 Non-Aggression pact with the Soviet Union. The Italian army was fine in 1936 when it helped put Franco on his pseudo throne. By 1940 however, the Italian Army was already far behind the other major European powers. So, Il Duce botched the Greek invasion which, cue the I told you so, led to British intervention in Greece. Yugoslavia also had a coup that put them firmly on the side of the Western Allies. Germany had to bail out Italy in Greece and on the way through decided to try and conquer Yugoslavia. This led to a continual fight against Yugoslavian, Greek, and other nationals rising up and becoming almost as large a problem as Napoleon had with his Spanish Ulcer. Many historians have written that the Balkan episode delayed Operation Barbarossa long enough to make certain that Germany did not win in the Soviet Union in 1941. Il Duce stumbled from one failed attempt to recreate the Roman Empire to another. Germany had to bail him out in North Africa and after he was deposed captured him from his own people and set him up almost in a sort of Manchukuo in northern Italy. It is possible that the entire Italian Balkan adventure was the reason that Il Duce ended up hanging upside down at a gas station. This game, Balkan Fury 2 gives you the chance to invade Albania, Greece, Yugoslavia and to also try your hand at Operation Mercury in the island of Crete or to defend against those same invasions. 

 This is what TKC Games has to say about the game:

"BALKAN FURY 2 is the eagerly anticipated revision and expansion of the second game in the TSWW series. Balkan Fury is an exceptionally fun game to play… and now includes an much extended timeline, partisans, partisans and more partisans… plus of course all the original elements of our top selling game!  In the revised edition the game rules, order of battle booklets, and at start booklets are perfect or stitch bound (depending on booklet size), whilst the charts are printed on the high quality card stock so beloved of owners of Day of Infamy, Barbarossa, and Singapore!  Of course, we still provide you with 2 D10 dice (we can delete them on request if you have enough dice to start a shop already) and the usual TSWW refinements ranging from “what if” forces to a game system that gives historical results if you play using historical decisions.

Balkan Fury is the all-encompassing operational game covering the campaigns in Albania (39), Greece (40 and 41), Yugoslavia (1941), the Balkan partisan wars (1941-43) and the Aegean. The game mates with Barbarossa, Blitzkrieg and Mare Nostrum seamlessly to provide coverage of the War in the West from 1939-43…"

Balkan Fury includes:

MAPS

2 TSWW Standard size maps (each about 18″ x 26″) covering the Balkans. On map area includes Albania, Greece, Yugoslavia, plus parts of Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey. Maps are to our latest graphic standards and are updated to include the very latest information..

COUNTERS

2800 counters on 11 countersheets with the forces that fought in the Balkans, representing Albanian, Croat, Serbian, Yugoslav, Yugoslav Communist, Slovenian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Montenegran, Italian, Greek, Bulgarian, German, British and Hungarian forces, with 2 in game modules at a 5 day rather than a half month scale to permit a super detailed approach to operations in Albania (1939) and Crete (1941) to be shown.

ORDERS OF BATTLE

The OBs are dramatically expanded with 20 plus modules and scenarios provided to help players learn the game system, ease into the fury of combat in the Balkans and finally master the Grand Campaign overall.  Highlights include various small learning modules, the Italo-Greek War, the planned but never attempted Italian invasion of Yugoslavia, Operation Marita, the German invasion of the Balkans, Operation Merkur, the catastrophic assault on Crete by the Luftwaffe’s crack paratroops, Balkan Fury – the over arching grand campaign, and much, much more.

RULES AND CHARTS

Fully updated to include the very latest TSWW rules and Chart elements, like the rest of Balkan Fury 2, they include all known FAQ and Errata elements from the first release of the product, and build upon the success of the original game.

2 D10 DICE!

 

 If you own a TKC (The Knowledge Company) game, congratulations! You have in your possession one of the finest simulations of World War II in your hot little hands. If you do not, wherefore Romeo or Juliet are you not possessed of one? They have a large number of simulations about World War II in their TSWW (The Second World War) lineup. These are going to be joined soon by a good number of them from their upcoming TFWW (The First Worls War) series. I am waiting with foetid breath the release of these new games. I will have a link at the bottom to the other review I did of TKC's Barbarossa.

 So, the first thing you need to know is that the boxes that their games come in are large and weighty. This one is a bit lighter than usual because of only having two maps. This is instead of the usual amount that needs an auditorium to set them out. 

 The maps remind me of the old Europa maps. These would be them if they were updated to 21st century standards. I am a big fan of the TSWW maps. The rules for the terrain mean that you do not have to argue about what terrain is actually present in each hex. This is a direct quote from John Bannerman, the designer and publisher, about the maps:

"Our maps are UV coated (which does reduce fading a bit) and then single side matte laminated with a plastic finish.  This should (and does) make them all but impossible to tear or crack.  It also means you can spill a drink without major issues if you mop it up quickly."

 Next up, we come to the smorgasbord, or plethora, of Player Aids. There are 18 double-sided (36!) of them that are made from card stock and are in color. These are 11.5" x 8+" in size. There are two more that are double that size and folded to give you eight more Player Aids. That means that the total number of Player Aids is a whopping 44!

 We will now take a look at the counters. There are certainly enough of them to give you Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in whatever hand you use scissors in. The blurb from TKC says that there are 2800 of them and I will just take their word. I know it is enough to make Guns of August pale in comparison. These 2800 counters are just for the campaigns in this small area of Europe. I cannot imagine the lengths that Mr. Bannerman went to, to create these Orders of Battle. The counters themselves are .5" in size. They are on the thin side. However, unless you also wanted to pay for a pack mule to help deliver the game they really have to be. There is a lot of information on them. The size of the information has to be somewhat small, (see above), but unless your myopia and age has gotten that bad, they are readable. The counters use the usual color-coded system for each country and different colored troop/naval counters within that country.

 There are four Manuals or booklets that come with the game. One of them is about the size that you would expect to find in a game box. The other three resemble yearly reports for Project Blue Book in size. Together they are about the size of a small city's phone book. They are printed in a no-nonsense way. They are totally in black and white. There are no examples of play or anything like that. Anything that is needed to be in color for the player is taken care of in the Player Aids. The printing uses the whole page, instead of the two columns we are used to in game rulebooks. The type is on the small side. Again, if it were larger the game would need to come with a back brace. 

The rules Manual, with index, is 142 pages long.

The Axis Order of Battle is 80 pages long.

The 'At Starts' for each scenario is 97 pages long

The smallest is the Allied Order of Battle at 22 pages long.

 The Order of Battle manuals also have a large amount of what ifs information for the players. This includes refitting of ships to the collapse of the entire Italian Army in Albania and everything in between.

 This is not a Euro wargame by any stretch of the imagination. It will not win on a catwalk exhibition of wargames for which is prettier. It is, however, among the penultimate hex wargames of 2025. This is a late 1970s wargame on steroids and using all of what the 21st century manufacturing can muster. Is it a pig with lipstick? Not by any means. It is a tour de force of substance over style.  

 Why do we play these monsters, even ones that are as manageable as this one? That I suppose is the question that has been asked since 1970 or so. There are computer games that can help with the minutiae. However, you lose the comradery and joy of being with and playing with other gamers. I know learning games is much easier with others to help. I still cannot help but think what a caveman from 50,000 BC would think of our wargames. I know, it is a strange thing to think about. In some ways I know that wargames help us to fight off the ravages of father time on our minds. Why exactly are we or have we chosen to be grognards? But I digress, just forget the above and put it down to a fevered dream.

 The one major thing about the campaign is that Britain is in the unusual situation, in this campaign, where their naval assets are in serious danger. Historically the Italian Fleet was not much of a player in the Mediterranean Campaign. Mostly, this was because of orders from on high. Mussolini was just as reticent as Kaiser Wilhelm to risk his big, beautiful ships. The cramped area of the Aegean made for easy hunting of British ships for both the Italian and German air assets. So, while we usually think of the invasion of Crete as a German fiasco it could have easily turned into a British one. When playing as the Italians you do have older tanks and airplanes than the Allies. However, your troops, especially with German help, can still be capably led. Just because the Italians did everything wrong during these campaigns does not mean you have to. 

 Balkan Fury II is a labor of love, just as much as anything that an artist can create. Mr. Bannerman has chosen to take us back to a time in history where momentous decisions were made on a daily if not hourly basis. The main thing from our point of view is that Balkan Fury II, and all of the TSWW 'games', works as a simulation of that period in time. Is this game time consuming to setup and learn? You betcha. Is it fun and stimulating for our historically bent minds? Of course. This game was made for players who love minutiae and well written rules that allow us to see a glimmer of what the actual commanders saw. If we wanted to play an excellent game, we would play chess. If we wanted to just waste some time, we could play Candyland (unless we were playing with special youngster). No, we have drawn the line in the sand, and we want to setup those 2800 counters and place them on a map of 1940 Europe and let the iron dice roll. 

 This game expects a lot of the players. In return it also gives back a ton. Just from a purely historical point of view, to see exactly how each army is setup for each scenario is a revelation. Military history books in the main are usually bereft of maps or have maps that resemble a child drawing something in the sand. Wargames fill in a lot of the empty spaces that books a lot of times leave out.

 Thank you TKC for allowing me to review this in-depth simulation of World War II in southern Europe. If you have not yet, do yourself a favor and look at the other games that TKC has in its stable. If you are intrigued by this game, they have even larger ones to get lost in.

Robert Peterson

TKC Games

Balkan Fury

My review of TKC's Barbarossa:

Barbarossa by The Knowledge Company - A Wargamers Needful Things

 Ju 87 Stuka Ace

by

Lock 'N Load Publishing

 The JU 87 Stuka, short for Sturzkampfflugzeug, was the German Luftwaffe's dive bomber from the Spanish Civil War until the end of World War II. The German World War I ace Ernst Udet was an early proponent of the dive bomber concept. He was very impressed by the American Curtiss BFC-1 Hawk and its steep diving capabilities. He brought back two of them to Germany for testing. The JU 87 first flew in 1935. From then on it was an integral part of the German Lightning War concept. The JU 87 was also equipped with two small propellers, one on each landing gear, that made a banshee like scream in a dive. The German name was Lärmgerät but they are generally known as Jericho Trumpets, a Biblical reference to the 'Horns of Jericho'. If you watch any documentaries about World War II their scream will inevitably be heard in the soundtrack. Through the Polish and Western European campaigns, the JU 87 was a symbol of terror, and the Jericho Trumpets had Allied soldiers keeping their heads down even if the Stukas had already dropped their bombs. Their slow speed and small amount of defensive armament made them sitting ducks during the Battle of Britain. They were pulled from those air battles rather early because of losses. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union on June 22nd, 1941, the Stukas were once again in the forefront of the campaign. This game from Lock 'N Load Publishing is the latest in a spate of games dealing with this iconic German plane. Let us see what this game has to distinguish it from the competition. 

The Game's Counters

 This is what Lock 'N Load Publishing has to say about the game:

"Ju 87 Stuka Ace is a solitaire tactical air combat game by Lock 'n Load Publishing that places you in the cockpit of the infamous Junkers Ju 87 Stuka, one of World War II’s most feared dive bombers. As a Luftwaffe pilot, you’ll embark on historically accurate missions spanning multiple theaters of the war—from the blitzkrieg campaigns in Poland and France to the ferocious battles of the Eastern Front and the Mediterranean.

But the war isn’t just about history—Ju 87 Stuka Ace also lets you explore "What If?" scenarios, putting the Stuka in alternate wartime operations, from early missions in China to hypothetical carrier operations aboard the Graf Zeppelin. Will you rise to become an ace or fall victim to the dangers of aerial warfare?

 Engage in historical and alternate history missions, including:

Close Air Support – Strike enemy forces before they can counterattack.

Anti-Shipping Raids – Sink enemy warships and supply convoys while dodging AA fire.

Strategic Bombing Runs – Destroy critical infrastructure, bridges, and fortifications.

Interdiction Missions – Disrupt enemy supply lines and armored advances.

NEW: The Stuka in China (What If?) – Explore an alternate history scenario where Germany supplies Stukas to the Japanese forces against the Chinese Nationalists in 1937. 

NEW: German Carrier Operations on the Graf Zeppelin (What If?) – Fly missions as part of the never-completed German aircraft carrier, the Graf Zeppelin, where Stukas are adapted for naval operations against the British Royal Navy and Soviet forces.

Each mission presents unique challenges, targets, and enemy defenses, ensuring high replayability."

 This is what comes with the game:

1 x Counter Sheet (100 counters)

1 x Spiral Bound Game Manual (86 Pages)

1 x Spiral Bound Theater Book (44 Pages)

1 x Single Sided 11 x 17 Pilot Org Play Card

9 x Double Sided 8.5 x 11 Aircraft Reference Cards

4 x Double Sided 8.5 x 11 Player Aid Cards

1 x Single Sided 8.5 x 11 Player Aid Card

2 x Pilot Campaign Log 8.5 x 11

2 x Double Sided 8.5 x 5.5 Pilot Player Cards

1 x Plastic Insert 

2 x Career Cards (Tarot Size)

28 x Action Cards (Poker Size)

11 x Altitude Cards (Poker Size)

49 x Flight Cards (Poker Size)

10 x Objective Cards (Poker Size)

31 x Target Cards (Poker Size)

3 x Munition Cards (Poker Size)

36 x Special Flight Cards (Poker Size)

9 x Bonus Ace Cards (Tarot Size)

1 x 3" Deep Heavy Duty Box

As you can see you get to fly all of the different versions of the JU 87

 Right from the start you should know that I am blown away by the entire ensemble of game pieces in JU 87 Stuka Ace. Actually, I should rephrase that, I am blown away by all of the games that Lock 'N Load sent me this year. Their design, art and manufacturing are really second to none.

 The Neoprene Mat is a great example of the game's blend of art and function. It is great to look at but is also not large at all, and still it contains almost all of what you would need to play. Next, we will look at the Player Aids. If I counted correctly, there are 15 of them that are 8.5" X 11". Out of these, 13 of them are double-sided, and two are single-sided. These come in full color and are made of card stock. Nine of these that are double-sided are different variants of the JU 87 that you can fly! The next 8.5" X 11" card is double-sided with one side having the Pilot Campaign Log and the other having the Mission Report. Then there are two half page cards that are Pilot Player Cards. These show your rise in rank, if you become lucky and good enough at the game.

 The Manual and Theaters books are both spiral bound, as all of the Lock 'N Load Rulebooks have been for a while. The Manual is 83 pages long. It is printed in enormous type size and is in full color with many pages of examples of play and pictures of the game's components. The Theaters book comes in at 41 pages. This goes from Spain/China in 1938 until the Soviet Union/Italy in 1944. Once again, the type size is the same ginormous one from the Manual. I believe you might be able to read some of it from 10' away.

 The game's different decks are amazingly well done. Their size alone is something to write home about. The 'smaller' ones are the size of normal Poker Cards. Then they have some that are described as 'Tarot' sized Cards. I think that is the first in any description of a wargame that I have seen. If I had a Tarot deck handy, I would compare the two. However, I will take their word for it. The pictures that decorate the different cards remind me of watching The World at War with my parents when I was a child. All of the information on the cards is completely legible and large enough to read easily.

 The game also comes with two very nicely done bookmarks. One is just about the game and Lock 'N Load Publishing in general. The other is sort of a public service announcement with some important phone numbers on one side (Depression or Suicide hotline etc.). The other has some quotes from the Bible. If you have no interest in that side, the hotline numbers are still good to have around.

 All of the game materials, including the box, scream "look at me!" when you get the game into your hot little hands. The meticulous care that was taken from the packaging down to the smallest detail in the counters tells you that this is something special. 

You can play a campaign game where you rise in rank and awards

 The JU 87 variants you can fly are as follows:

JU 87 A-1 Anton (you can also fly it in Spain and China)

JU 87 B-1 Berta

JU 87 B-2 Berta

JU 87 B-2 Trop (Tropical for the Mediterranean areas)

JU 87 C-1 Caesar

JU 87 D-1 Dora

JU 87 D-3 Dora

JU 87 D-5 Dora

JU 87 D-5N

JU 87 R-1 Richard

JU 87 R-2 Richard

JU 87 G-1 Gustav armed with the two 37mm cannon

JU 87 G-2 Gustav armed with two 37mm cannon

 The game is for solitaire play only. However, in this hectic world we now find ourselves in this is not a minus point for the game. Gaming clubs and even gaming nights are getting few and far between for most people. So, these solitaire games and especially excellent ones like this definitely have their place. The only thing some of you may miss is the ongoing battle with 'Joe' over the rules. Fill in whatever name you like all clubs had one.

 The size of the rulebook may seem daunting but remember that it is done in very large type and has many full-page illustrations of play. At its heart, the game is not hard at all to learn. Your choices, which are myriad, and some luck are the cornerstone of its gameplay. One of your most important choices is how low do you dive before dropping your bomb/s. The lower you go the more accurate you are, but it also means that you will be that much longer in a straight unswerving flight path. Of course, that choice only appears if you have made it through enemy fighter and flak to make it to your target. 

 The game is easy to learn and relatively quick to play, especially if you are just doing a mission or two. It also does not take up a lot of space so that you can play it on the dining room table. The setup and breakdown time is also short so you should not get too many side eye glances from your significant other. Much like the Romance Languages things in the kitchen and dining room are usually in the female's zone of control. You will be happily bombing some target or parachuting to avoid the flames in no time flat. 

 The game also gives you some what if scenarios. These are interesting to me in games only if they are plausible. One what if in this game has you flying off the German carrier Graf Zeppelin. The ship was pretty completed before the war placed it on hold. So, that is entirely plausible. The other what if has the Germans selling some JU 87s to Japan and they use them against the nationalist Chinese. This too is in the realm of possibility, so I have no problem with it. 

 One of the biggest reasons I have for really enjoying the game is the fact that you get to fly all of the different variants of the JU 87. This means that you get to try your hand at the tank killer G1 series (Panzerknacker) or properly known as the Kanonenvogel. These JU 87s had two 3.7cm large cannon pods underneath each wing. The G series planes were also up armored (much like the Soviet Union's IL 2 and the German ground attack plane the HS 129) to help the plane and crew survive their low-level attacks. The German pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel made the G series famous. However, to be fair, his attack on the Soviet Union's battleship Marat and its sinking had already made him famous and the early war years had made the JU 87, and its sirens, one of the most recognizable planes from World War II.

The gameplay overview is this:

Mission Setup

 1. Prepare Flight Deck

 2. Prepare Objective Mini-Deck

 3. Setup Player Sheet

 4. Setup Aircraft Sheet

  * Select Payload

 5. Prepare Action Deck

  * Take Initial Hand

Mission Overview

 1. Take Off

 2. Approach

 3. Target

  * Attack (Bomb, Strafe, or Gun)

 4. Return to Base

 5. Refuel

 Thank you, Lock 'N Load Publishing for sending me this wonderful, stupendous, action filled, just trying to stay away from the word excellent, game to review. Happily for me, and hopefully for you, their care package to me had to be dropped off with a truss. I will soon be reviewing these games:

Point Blank Winter Victory

Glory and Empire First Victories Wellington Versus Napoleon

Close Quarter Battles Waterloo

Blood and Fury World War 85 - This last one I will need some help from one of my sons to carry it to the table.

Robert Peterson

Lock 'N Load Publishing

Ju 87 Stuka Ace

This is a link to their new AI assisted manuals/rulebooks

Ju 87 Stuka Ace Manual Rev39-AI

 Aces & Armor

by

PKB Games

 PKB Games is a new smaller company that has already made a big name for itself with their first KS game Trench Club, now Trench Club Legacy. Wargames with miniatures, real wargames, and not the simpler more children friendly versions of the 1960s, have become more and more popular. Even on the digital side of wargaming, 3D miniatures have been used for quite a while. So, has this merger between a more artistic approach and simulation type rules been a success? In the games that I have played it has been an undeniable yes. Let us see how this new KS from PKB Games measures up. Here is what they say about their company:

"We are a small board game publishing company. Our games started with games we wanted to play ourselves but didn’t exist yet. So, we were our first customer ourselves. I hope you share the excitement, and we wish you hours of fun with our games!"

 There has been a move in recent years to add minis and colorful maps to some wargames. To the grognard, it is easy to dismiss them as just Axis & Allies clones. In this you would be sadly mistaken. Many of these games that mix Euro games and normal wargames together are deep and give the wargamer a great experience. 

 As you can see, the game map and game pieces and player aids are extremely well made. They are colorful but large and very easy to read.

 Here you can see how meticulous the detail is in the miniatures. They are also paintable if you so choose.

 The miniatures sit on bases that have two columns built on them. These columns are used to keep track of the units' status elite, veteran, etc. and also the damage that any unit has.

  The units that the game gives you to play with are:

Infantry

Mobile Infantry

Mechanized Infantry

Militia

Cavalry

Tiger

Panther

T-34

Sherman

Pak 40

8.8 Flak

Katyusha

Howitzer

ME 262

Ju 87 Stuka

BF 109

Ju 88

IL-2 Sturmovik

Yak-9

P-51

B-17

 The game can be played by one to four players. This game follows the trend of giving the player a full solitaire experience right out of the box, instead of having to play both sides or wait for someone to create some solo rules for the game.

These are two painted minis. You can also see the detail in the railroad bridge.

 The game comes with three scenarios. However, the main crux of the game is its skirmish mode. This allows each player to choose the units that he wants to play with in the game. There are also factories to take away damage from units and to build new units. Victory is achieved through the capture of enemy factories. Because I prefer to play solo when I can, I was very happy to see the built in solo rules. I found the solo rules and play to be just fine. The game is made to be played fast and furious (the rules even suggest to time player moves to five minutes). It is not a game that you will leave up on your table looking at all of the different strategies you can try out before making your move. This is not a beer & pretzels game, but it certainly isn't Squad Leader either. Still, I had an enjoyable time playing it. The game is also completely finished. This cannot be said of all Kickstarter games by any means.

 Thank you PKB games for allowing me to kick the tires on your newest game. If you get the chance, also look at their Trench Club Legacy game.

Robert

PKB Games - PKB Games (pkb-games.com)

Aces & Armor Kickstarter - Aces & Armor by PKB Games — Kickstarter