Stalingrad Eastern Front 1942/43

Expansion for Old School Tactical Volume I

by

Flying Pig Games

Designed by

Shayne Logan

 Stalingrad, the name conjures up some of the worst warfare in WWII. We normally read about sweeping military maneuvers. There are none inside the battle for this city. We also read about certain points on a battlefield that are taken and lost several times by each side. This is one of the very few where we read about fighting for different floors inside of each house. The city that was lived in, more like survived in, by the two armies was as badly destroyed as if it was the 13th century and had been attacked by Mongols. It stands to reason that a city named after a murderous maniac, and then attacked by another one, would be turned into hell on earth. 

 

 The expansion comes with:

a 30" x 41" historical mounted map

a full sheet of OST counters

a scenario booklet with EIGHT scenarios

a beautiful new box to store everything in

This is an expansion. You must own Old School Tactical Vol I to play Stalingrad.

 This expansion for Old School Tactical Volume I has been as hard to find as hen's teeth. Luckily for us, the Propellered Porcines have finally been able to reprint it.

 The map is the usual massive, mounted type that we have become used to from Flying Pig Games. It is really just a cavalcade of broken houses, torn up ground, and indiscriminate rubble that the actual city did look like after and during the battle. The immersion factor of the map is definitely a 10 out of 10. The counters are also what we have become used to from Flying Pig Games in The Old School Tactical Series and many of their other games. They are big and hefty. A full countersheet comes with the expansion. You get a cavalcade of different tank models. These include:

Marder II

Panzerkampfwagen VI E

StuG III B

Panzerkampfwagen IV (E, F, F2)

T 34

T 34/ 85

KV I

 The Russians get Guard units along with NKVD. The Germans have Assault units along with Pioneers. The Soviets also get three counters of Ampulomets. This was a makeshift Soviet weapon used in 1941/42. Think of a British PIAT, sans the spring, and with a black powder charge. It fired a glass container of phosphorus and Sulphur that ignited when exposed to air. It was one of those weapons where you have to guess if it did more damage to friend or foe. A simple Molotov Cocktail seems a lot more user friendly. This just shows Flying Pig Games, and Shayne Logan's, attention to detail, and historical accuracy. The series was designed by Mark H. Walker.

 The expansion comes with eight scenarios. These are:

Rattenkrieg - 7 Turns

Siberians - 9 Turns

The Nail Factory - 10 Turns

Desperation - 11 Turns

13th Guards Sacrifice - 12 Turns

Factory to the Front - 9 Turns

The Forsaken - 12 Turns

Death of the 6th Army - 16 Turns

 My favorite scenario is Desperation and the German drive for the Volga's riverbank. 

 A question was just posted online asking if the OST games came with a scenario editor or creator. The short answer is no. However, you physically own a boardgame. What I mean is that unlike a computer wargame where you would have to learn how to code and then mess with a games code, you have everything already at your fingertips in a boardgame. So, in actuality even with the scenarios provided you have a myriad of choices. Do you think that one scenario is too much in favor of one side, then switch it up. You could add or subtract units at your pleasure. Give the Russians Guard units instead of regular infantry, or you could swap a German pioneer unit for a normal infantry. In reality, even small tweaks like this give you an unlimited choice on each scenario. You could change as much or as little as you feel comfortable doing. Is it possible to 'break' a scenario by doing this? The answer is a definite yes. However, you can rethink your changes and start from scratch. We play wargames not just to be amused but also to use our minds. So, my suggestion is use yours and go for it. In the larger context this works for all games. I have seen far too many posts from people who print that a single rule ruins a game they just bought, and they are going to sell it or hide it away. If you do not like how a rule works tweak it to your hearts content or just ignore it. The rant is over, and I am stepping of the soapbox. 

 Thank you, Flying Pig Games, for allowing me to review another excellent part to the Old School Tactical family of games. OST Volume 5: Battle for France is on KickStarter right now. The game was funded in seven minutes, but you can still get in on the fun. The link will be below

Robert Peterson

Stalingrad Eastern Front 1942/43

Old School Tactical

Flying Pig Games

OST Volume 5: Battle for France KS

Old School Tactical by Flying Pig Games Review 

 

 While I own a fair number of board games, I have never done an unboxing, let alone a review of one. My reviews up until now have been of digital wargames. So in a sense this is like coming home. My purchases of boxed wargames have mostly been of older games with a few newer ones here and there.

 I have not really been that much of a fan of tactical games, since in my youth we played a lot of what I call 'squad argument'. I don't remember that much playing, but I do remember a lot of arguing. Give a man with a pocket protector a set of wargame rules, and he turns into an armored warrior on the side of right. I am, however, an equal opportunity gamer. I'll give pretty much any game a try. I will do the unboxing etc. with the game components and also use a very well done vassal port of the game.

  Flying Pig Games is the board game company that has brought us Old School tactical. They also publish, among others, 'Night of Man' a tactical futuristic game, and '65' a game about the early battles in Vietnam. Yaah! magazine that is up to issue six now, is also published by them. It contains a game in every issue. They are also doing a kickstarter right now for Old School Tactical: volume II West Front.

 The game is (guess what) a tactical one about the eastern front battles in 1941 and 1942. It is important to remember that this is before Tigers and Panthers were around. In most scenarios with tanks playing as the German you will be undergunned, and under armored. The German antitank guns are woefully under powered and undersized. The PAK 36 that you will use in some scenarios was nicknamed the door knocker by German troops.

 First let's start with the box itself. The box measures roughly 11"x16". I do not have my postage scale handy, but I believe the weight is roughly 7-8 pounds plus or minus. It is certainly hefty enough for someone to start weight training with. It is also a piece of art all by itself. Just looking at, and feeling it you would believe that you have something special in your hands, and you wouldn't be wrong. The first thing you notice when opening the box is the size of the maps. It comes with two mounted maps. One depicts spring, summer, fall and the other winter. They are 30"x41" with one inch hexes. There was also a Stalingrad map for some of the tiers of the kick starter campaign, and it can be purchased as an expansion. It also comes with four six sided die. There are four counter sheets some 3/4" and others 7/8". The tanks, and artillery are shown top down with the infantry etc. being shown from the side. There are 18 'luck' cards, and 54 unit data cards. The tank and gun cards have a table that is used in deciding combat. The other unit cards are a great addition in having all of the info which is on the counters also in your hand, and easier to squint at. The rule book is well done and in full color, as is the scenario booklet. Two player aid cards are also included. All of the components are top notch. I have never seen a board game with this detail and craftsmanship.  

 Okay, so the game components are first rate. The next part up is the game play and the rules. I cannot stress enough on the actual game pieces, but if it sits on the shelf because the game play is terrible and the rules are unintelligible, what is it worth? Does the game play like a tactical east front game? Is there any immersion factor? 

  The manual is only twenty one pages long and is well written and easily understandable. It has color shots of the units and some illustration of game play inside.

 In the scenario briefing you will be given map coordinates. These are used for you to setup the four map edge markers that cordon off the field of battle that you will play in. The next listing is control  hexes; these are given a victory point amount to asses at the end of the game. Then comes the scenario turn length, special rules, and off board assets, air strikes and artillery. Next will be the victory conditions for the scenario and the setup for your and the enemy's forces on the map. Mostly that is listed as map edge or near this unit etc. There is a lot of leeway in most scenarios for the players setup. You aren't handcuffed into putting X unit into hex 41Y for the most part. The victory conditions are mostly in controlling certain hexes on the map. It is a large scenario book with 27 scenarios. The scenario booklet is well displayed with clear and concise info for the player to use. There is no ambiguity here. 

  The infantry counters have their stats displayed across the top of the counter. From left to right they are firepower, range, defense, and movement. The range is in white with all the others in black, with movement being the larger of the three in black. Crewed weapons counters show, starting in the left lower corner, that they are not allowed to move and fire. Next, in a clockwise manner, is the Maximum AP firepower. Across the top next comes HE firepower. Next in white is the maximum range, followed by defense and last is foot movement. Both crewed weapons and vehicles have a red triangle in the upper left corner to denote facing. Vehicles have more info than either of the other counters, and you also need the corresponding unit data card to decide combat. At the lower left corner in black is their secondary firepower followed in white by its range. Next in a clockwise manner is the maximum AP firepower. In line across the top is HE firepower followed in white with its range. In the upper right hand corner is the unit's movement allowance, and whether it is tracked or not. Right underneath movement is the unit's front defense, and its flank defense. Leader counters have no firepower (except in melee combat), and have their command range in a white circle.  The counters also show the attention to detail in this game's construction. The counters simply pop out easily, and I have not had to deal with chunks of cardboard stuck to them or use a razor knife at all. 

 The Player aid cards have the usual board game info. There is the terrain chart, turn sequence, artillery, air strike, bogged down, and rally info on one side of them. The other side has the infantry combat, and vehicle combat tables. 

  The turn sequence follows this format. The way your turns are counted is different from most games. If the scenario is for seven turns you start with the marker on seven, and count down. When you get to the number one for the turn marker and all of the impulse points are expended, then both players roll one die and add them up. If you get seven or greater, you both will get an extra turn. I like this, especially for the side that almost had a victory or captured that victory point hex. It gives you one more chance to complete your mission. Reinforcements are then added to the game map. You than can attach leaders and weapons. Then you get to roll for the various scenario rolls. These would be the chance for off board artillery etc. Then you have your rally and vehicle bog rolls. The players then both roll two dice for the initiative. High roll, as usual, wins. Then next part of the sequence is to roll for each side's impulse points. The number of die to roll is set by the rules of each scenario. Every action taken by your units costs impulse points. The game mechanic is to let one side use an impulse point and then to switch to the other player, unless there is a pass. The impulse point system in one way forces a player's hand. If you have less impulse points that your adversary you can choose to pass, and the other player continues with his turn. If you have the same or greater amount of impulse points, and don't want to use any on your units, you must expend one to pass. When both sides' impulse points are exhausted then that turn ends. A unit is allowed to move once and fire twice during a turn. The melee phase comes next. For melee to occur, a unit has to assault a hex containing an enemy counter. This costs one impulse point. You can choose to group move. This costs two impulse points, and you can also group assault for two impulse points. Unlike other games, you then just mark the hex and wait until all other movement and firing has taken place before deciding the effect of the assault. No terrain or fortification modifiers are used to resolve the melee. The melee results are usually bloody and quickly resolved. At times though, the melee can be unresolved and lock the combatants in the hex for the subsequent turns. During the following turns you are allowed to add other units to the melee. You are allowed to use opportunity fire against a unit the other player is moving. The opportunity fire rules add a tenseness to the game. Do you wait until the unit has completed its move, and possibly have a better chance at fire combat or miss your chance completely, due to line of sight? You announce it and then spend an impulse point for it. If there is no effect the enemy unit may continue its move. Then you add up the victory points from both sides. In some scenarios the victory points will not be tallied until the end of the game. You keep track of casualties for both sides on the casualty track. This is important, because for every five points a side loses to casualties, one impulse point will be deducted from the player's impulse point rolls.

  The game has an interesting 'gut check' rule. The  'gut check' number is listed in each scenario briefing. The player has to roll two die to check against any shaken/broken results on the combat tables. If the number rolled is the same or greater than the 'gut check' number then the shaken/broken result is ignored.

  Each scenario can also have hidden units added into the mix. These will not be found until an enemy unit tries to enter the hidden unit's hex. If a unit is in a structure hex, and it is attacked by heavy weapons ie. off board artillery or air strike etc., there is a check to see if there was a structure collapse. A light structure will collapse on a roll of a five or six, and a heavy structure will collapse on a roll of six. Line of sight is pretty straight forward, and can cause points to be deducted from the firing die roll.

  One luck card is drawn randomly at the start of the game. Unless the scenario rules state differently, the luck cards can be used during a players impulse, and do not cost any impulse points to play. Some cards can only be used for vehicles. If agreed to by the players, the manual states that in an infantry only scenario the vehicle cards can be kept out of the deck when choosing them. 

  The game is quick, easy, and relatively simple to play. It has a lot of nuances, but two players should be able to hash out the rules in no time and start playing. The play is relatively bloody, and resolved in a timely manner. You are going to be playing this game and thinking, not decoding the rule book.

  There is a free download available of the rules:

 https://www.dropbox.com/s/xn13k359aqrw2qt/OST-rules%20ver5.25%20.pdf?dl=0

  A print and play version is available also for download. It retails for $25.00, but the game itself is a steal right now for $75.00. You would also be missing out on the extremely well made components of the game.

  The game is certainly not a simple one, yet it is also not a game where you get bogged down in the rules, and stultifies game play. This game, while not really being 'old school' in a technical sense,  is a very good thing. It allows the players to play and have a good time destroying their cardboard enemies. This game will not sit on the shelf with all of the other 'might have beens'.

 Looking at all the different comments around the web most people, like me, are very happy if not ecstatic about the game. There are a few posts about rule questions etc., but what game doesn't have them. Sometimes it is the reader's and not the writer's fault (see above). I would like to see some more scenarios that use a larger part of the map. With small maps it can get stale because the defender and attacker both know where they are going to set up and move toward. Larger map usage would allow both sides to try out numerous combinations of play. One could make house rules and make some scenarios larger on the map, and just add more to the scenario length. It doesn't have the postage stamp size maps that some games have, so that is definitely a plus.

  Robert

 Game: Old School Tactical
 Publisher: Flying Pig Games
 Designer: Shayne Logan
 Date of Review: