East Prussian Carnage: The Tannenberg Campaign 1914

by

Three Crowns Games

 

 The Second Battle of Tannenberg in 1914 is usually referred to as the first victory of the Hindenburg and Ludendorff duo. The actual truth is that the battle was won long before they stepped off the train in East Prussia. The Chief of Staff of the German Eighth Army was a man by the name of Carl Adolf Maximilian Hoffmann (usually just denoted as Max Hoffman). Hoffmann had devised the plan to attack both the Russian Armies that were invading East Prussia. The slowness of the Russians, the terrain, and the German railroad lines would allow the Germans to strike one Russian Army at a time. Unfortunately, Hoffmann was given no kudos, outside of the German Army, for his plan. Hindenburg and Ludendorff had become the heroes of Germany using Hoffmann's plan to virtually destroy the Russian forces.

Max Hoffmann courtesy of Wikipedia

 

  The fear of the Russian hordes by Helmuth von Moltke the younger, the German Army's Chief of Staff, is usually credited with the failure of the German Army on the Western Front to defeat France because he sent reinforcements to the German Eighth Army from the German Western Army. In actuality, due to Hoffmann's plan and its success, the German Eighth Army was in no danger. However, the Schlieffen Plan, not a real plan just a thought exercise, against France was never going to work. The German Western Army was nowhere near strong enough, even without the missing troops, to actually complete its envisioned defeat of France.

 The next question is why it is called the Second Battle of Tannenberg when it didn't really take place near there? This was because the Teutonic Knights were effectively crushed in the first battle by an allied army of Lithuanians and Poles. The German psyche needed to try and wipe that stain away. All three, Hoffmann, Hindenburg, and Ludendorff took credit for naming the battle.    

 So, Three Crowns Games has given us a game about the 1914 Tannenberg Campaign. While the German forces are outnumbered, you can use the above-mentioned factors in the Germans' favor to offset this. This is what comes with the game:

- A full color A1 map

- 16 page rulebook

- 143 high quality, 15mm die cut counters

- Front and Back cover with game aids, charts and tables

- Sturdy 100my ZIP-lock bag

 This is what Three Crown Games says about the game:

"East Prussian Carnage is a two-player game that recreates the stunning German victory over Russia at the beginning of World War One. The Germans must use superior command control, interior lines, and the mobility provided by railroads to stop the large but lumbering Russian army. The Russians must try to pin the Germans down and bring their superior numbers to bear."

Part of the game being played.

 I have reviewed a few of Three Crowns Games, although some were published by different companies. I did review their 'Tolling of the Bell', and I will put a link to the review below. Their games come in ZIP-lock bags instead of boxes. However, this also means that the shipping costs from Sweden to other areas is cut down immensely. It does not take away anything from the actual games. Sometimes, a grognard just wants to play a smaller game and not have to reach over the table to move a stack or does not have the space at the moment for a large game. 

 The map is a little over 23" X 33" in size. The hexes are large in size. The map goes a little bit west of Thorn and Danzig on the western side to one hex east of Bialystok (The producers anyone?). The map colors are somewhat muted. The rivers also go along hex sides. The Turn Record Track and some other tracks are on the map. The counters are both thick and wide in size. They use the usual NATO markings on them. The numbers and the other information on them are nice and large. This is just what an old grognard wants to see. There are two Player Aid Cards. They are both one-sided and made of thick card stock. The Sequence of Play and any other chart or table you need are on them. They are also in full color and the writing is large enough to read without a problem. The Rulebook is sixteen pages in length. It is mostly in black & white with colored sections of Historical, Designer, and Game notes. The print is again of a nice easy to read size. The components are certainly up to snuff for a lower priced game. 

Some of the counter artwork.

 The game map represents 10km for each hex. The game is powered by a chit pull system for both the Russian and German Player. The Turn Track specifies how many German and Russian Command chits are used in each turn. There is also one German Special Command chit. The game uses Zones of Control in a pretty standard pattern. They block lines of supply, and you have to lose a step if forced to retreat in an enemy ZOC among other rules for them. The game also comes with a few optional rules. These mainly affect the German Player and his use of the Hoffmann counter. There are two scenarios in the game:

The Campaign Game of sixteen turns.

The Battle of the Masurian Lakes from turn twelve to sixteen.

 This is the third iteration of this game designed by Magnus Nordlöf. The game is the first one in Three Crowns Games Collison of Empire Series of games. These are to represent battles and campaigns from 1870 - 1920. 

 The first thing about the game you should know is it is no lightweight. It comes closer to a simulation than just a beer and pretzels wargame. The one thing that sticks out is its Random Events Table. Every single turn has different events that could happen. These even include a player getting points for taking a specified hex. This amount of randomness in both the chit pulls and the events means that the game does not get stale. Each time you play there are going to be differences compared to your last time. 

 I am just as impressed with this game as I have been with the other designs from them that I have played. Both the Russian and German player have a chance for victory. The German player must make use of his interior lines to deal with the Russian hordes. The Russian player must ponderously try and use his elephant to stomp the German lion into the ground. It is a good nail biter of a game.

 Thank you, Three Crowns Games, for letting me review East Prussian Carnage. I thoroughly enjoyed the game and the amount of history that was put into it. Please take a look at their game, but also the two that Revolution Games has published of theirs:

Konigsberg

Across the Narva

Revolution Games | Main Page

Robert

Three Crowns Games:

War Game Design | Three Crowns Games Production (3cg)

East Prussian Carnage: The Tannenberg Campaign 1914:

East Prussian Carnage | 3CG (threecrownsgames.com)

My review of Tolling of the Bell:

Tolling of the Bell by Three Crowns Games - A Wargamers Needful Things

 Tolling of the Bell

by

Three Crowns Games

 This is a game about the 'last' German offensive in World War II. Seriously, this is the last one. Last German offensives seem to keep cropping up like the Energizer Bunny. The Battle of the Bulge is sometimes called the last, also Operation Nordwind has been talked about with that sobriquet. On the Eastern Front, Operation Konrad (the relief of Budapest) has also been called the Germans' last offensive. Well, here we have 'Operation Spring Awakening', the absolutely, positively last German offensive. Operation Spring Awakening was carried out by the Heer's 6th Army, and the 6thSS Panzer Army. There were two other operations that the Germans tried to carry out. These were 'Icebreaker' and 'Forest Devil'. Icebreaker was an attack by the 2nd PZ Army, and Forest Devil by Army Group E. In Hitler's mind these operations would be able to break the Soviet Armies in the south and the German forces would be able to not only do this, but recapture Budapest, and then continue to reconquer Romania. It is amazing what tertiary syphilis or Dr. Morell could do to the mind. 

 This is the fifth game the Swedish company Three Crowns Games has produced in their WWII Battle Series. The others were:

Army Group Narwa

Konigsberg '45

Starguard Solstice

Plan West

 They also created the game Pax Baltica. Pax Baltica was released in conjunction with GMT Games. Revolution Games carries Narva and Konigsberg. 

 This is what comes with Tolling of the Bell:

One 23.5" x 33" (A1) full color map

Two dual-side printed countersheets (286 9/16" (15mm) counters)

One 16-page rulebook

Two single-side printed Player Aid Cards

Rulebook

 This is what Three Crowns Games say about the game:

Game Scale:

Game Turn: 2 days

Hex: about 3 to about 4 km

Units: Battalion to Division

Solitaire Playability: High

Complexity Level: Medium

Players: 2+

Playing Time: 3-10 hours

Note: Players will need to provide one 6-sided die for game play.

"Tolling of the Bell is taught in 30 minutes and easy to digest yet a challenge even for the more experienced players.

It utilizes a Command chit-pull system to activate HQ, which in turn allow their controlled combat units to move and attack."

Historical notes on one side of the Player Aid Cards

 If you have any of the other four games, you will know exactly what the components will be like. The map is very well done and is on high gloss paper. The map is mostly of the area south of Lake Balaton in Hungary. The terrain is easy to see, and you will not have to decide what terrain is in each hex. The counters are done with vibrant colors and are easy to read. They are also thicker than most counters. The two Player Aid Cards are of hard stock and in full color. All of the information on them is easy to read. The Rulebook is sixteen pages long. The actual rules are only thirteen pages long. The other three pages are for the game's setup, Designer Notes, and Random Events etc. It does also come with some Optional Rules. The Rulebook is in black and white. The components are very well done for a game of this price. 

 

Test Game

 This is the Sequence of Play:

Air Unit Phase

 Refitted Unit Return Segment

 Grounded Unit Refitting Segment

Random Events Phase

 Random Event Table Roll Segment

Command Phase

 Command Segment

 Movement Segment

 Combat Segment

Supply Phase

Reinforcement Phase

 Reinforcement Segment

 Replacement Segment

End of Turn Phase

 Out of Command Segment

 Turn Advance Segment

 The game would be recognizable to a wargamer from the 1970s. Albeit, with a good number of newfangled bells and whistles. The chit pull system adds to the fog of war enveloping both players, along with the Random Events that are possible. This is a wargame that a Grognard can sink his teeth into. I certainly wouldn't transition someone from Axis & Allies right into this game. That is not a knock, it is a good thing. The more real Grognard games the better. The weather in the game is both historical and a bit odd for a game. The weather for the first five turns is going to invariably be mud, not really something you would expect in a game about Panzer operations. At least both sides suffer the same effects from it. 

 The game's Victory Conditions are based upon city Victory Objectives Hexes. Each city is assigned its own value. The Russians and Germans both start the game with ten Victory Point Objectives. There are also Sudden Death Victory conditions. The player has to have a unit that is in supply in these hexes at the end of a turn. These are:

German Player - They have to occupy one of the bridge hexes across the Donau at either Dunafoldvaar, Baja, or Ercsi. 

Russian Player - They have to occupy either Nagykanizsa or Papa.

 The Tolling of the Bell is a very well-done wargame. Naturally, with it taking place in March of 1945 leads the German player having to do better than their historical counterpart. The German player is not going to be able to blitz his opponent, especially in the mud. As the German player you will need to play well to get more than a draw against a competent Russian player. The Russian player has four different types of victories. They are: Minor, Major, Overwhelming, and Triumphant. The German player can only get two: Propaganda, and Major. 

 For Grognards, the game is easy to learn and with the relatively small number of counters you should be playing in no time. This is the third game of the series I have played, and I have enjoyed all of them (Konigsberg, and Narva being the other two). Thank you very much Three Crowns Games for letting me review this game. They have two games coming up.

Iskra- Spark of Victory 1943

Mud & Blood, Lodz 1914

Robert

Three Crowns games:

Welcome to Three Crowns Games!

Tolling of the Bell:

Welcome to Three Crowns Games!