Relic Wars
by
Flying Pig Games
Designed by
Denver Walker
Relic Wars by Flying Pig Games Designed by Denver Walker This is written by the designer of Relic Wars, Denver Walker, and yes, she is r...
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Relic Wars
by
Flying Pig Games
Designed by
Denver Walker
By Iron and Blood The Battle of Königgrätz July 3, 1866 by Blue Panther LLC Bismarck is the prime minister for Prussia underneath King Wi...
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By Iron and Blood
The Battle of Königgrätz July 3, 1866
by
Blue Panther LLC
Bismarck is the prime minister for Prussia underneath King Wilhelm I. Bismarck had intended to kick Austria out of Germany by hook or by crook so that Prussia would become the most powerful German state. He also had a much larger plan, which was to create a unified Germany for the first time ever. For almost the last 1000 years Germany was just some lines drawn on a map and called the Holy Roman Empire until Napoleon came along. It was just a conglomerate of many small and a few large states. Now was the time that Austria and Prussia were going to duke it out to see who was to control the future of Germany. All Bismarck wanted was an excuse to put them both at war. After the war started there were some battles on the frontiers but now the Austrian Army was gathered together for the final act of the play. Two Prussian armies were bloodhounds on the scent of the prey. The largest battle in Europe until the 20th century was about to take place. Hermann Luttmann and Blue Panther have put you in command of either army. The Prussians have the needle gun against the muzzle loaders of the Austrians. The Austrians have new Krupp cannons against the older guns of the Prussians. So, general, what are your orders?
This is what comes with the game:
22"x17" inch game map
176 Unit Markers
27 Playing Cards
Two Player Aid Cards
Two Command Tracks
Game Turn and Victory Point Tracks
Rulebook
Two 6-sided dice
PLAYERS: 1-2
TIME TO PLAY: 4 Hours or More
AGES: 13 and up
SOLITAIRE SUITABILITY: 4 out of 10
SOLITAIRE COMPLEXITY: 6 out of 10
Game Design: Hermann Luttmann
Game Development: Fred Manzo and Ryan Heilman
Game and Box Art: llya Kudriashov
Production: Blue Panther LLC
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What is in the box |
"By Iron and Blood simulates the climactic engagement of the 1866 Austro-Prussian War, the Battle of Koniggratz (also known as the Battle of Sadowa). Taking place on July 3, 1866, this decisive clash pitted the forces of General Helmuth von Moltke's Prussians against the Austrian armies of Feldzugmeister Ludwig von Benedek.
At stake was the question of whether Prussia or Austria would be the dominant power in central Europe. This battle was the largest clash of arms on the European continent since the Napoleonic Wars (the Battle of Leipzig, 1813), and would not be matched again until 50 years later at the start of the First World War in 1914.
In this innovative game from award-winning designer Hermann Luttmann, the Prussian player will be challenged to match the skill of their historical counterpart by bringing together widely separated forces to engage in a crushing assault on the defending Habsburg army. On the other side, the Austrian player must effectively engage their opponent by defeating the enemy piecemeal before their armies can join together in overwhelming numbers.
With so many choices and variables, players are assured that By Iron and Blood will always offer an engaging and challenging experience. Will the Prussians crush their foes and set the path for the creation of the new German Empire? Or will the Austrians successfully fend off their foes and retain their position of power? Play By Iron and Blood to find out."
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The map |
Mark H. Walker's '85 Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires by Flying Pig Games We are going to do things a little differently this tim...
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Mark H. Walker's '85 Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires
by
Flying Pig Games
We are going to do things a little differently this time around. I am going to make this a three part look at this game. I am also going to start off with something that I have never done, which is an unboxing for the first part. The second part will be a look at the actual game play and the third will be a look at Alone in the Mountains: '85 Solitaire Expansion.
The year is 1979 and the Cold War is in full swing. Some people in the Kremlin decided that it was a good idea to invade Afghanistan and put their own puppet government in place. Afghanistan had been a country that had been a tough nut to crack for many armies and governments for thousands of years. It was the map board used in the 'Great Game' by Russia and England in their attempt to conquer more of Asia in the 19th century. Afghans have a well-deserved reputation for being hard fighters and implacable foes. They also invented Polo and enjoyed using the heads of their enemies as the ball. This should clearly clue you in as to the mettle of the Afghans.
The back of the box says:
"'85: Graveyard of Empires is the second game in the Squad Battles series. Building on the mechanics introduced in '65 Squad Battles in the Jungles of Vietnam, Graveyard of Empires features tense squad-level battles between the Afghan Mujahideen and the Soviet Red Army in an exciting card-driven, hex-and-counter game."
As an aside, if you haven't heard of or played '65 Squad Battles in the Jungles of Vietnam, do yourself a favor and look into that excellent game.
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This shows some of the counters and a piece of a map from the game |
This is what comes with the game:
5 richly illustrated, 11” x 17” geomorphic game boards.
4 lavish sheets of thick 1” and 1.375” counters.
1 deck of 54 action cards, 4 Event Cards, 5 Bonus Victory Condition Cards.
Full color rules and scenario booklet.
Player Aid Cards,
Terrain Effect Charts.
A die.
A box to keep it safe and warm.
I thought one-inch counters were big. These 1.375" ones, for aircraft, tanks, and other vehicles are massive. Yes, the hexes are quite large enough to not be dwarfed by those counters.
Because of the size of the counters, there are only so many counters that come with the game. However, just like its older brother '65, this game is about Squad Battles and not large military actions. So, you have more than enough counters, and a good variety of them, to keep you playing for a good long time.
The game boards all fold out to give you their 11" x 17" full size. The landscape that the game represents is seen in in wonderful detail, if a little muted in color. They represent the different battlefields extremely well.
The Player Aids are 8.5" x 11" in size, and they are made of card stock. One gives you the Sequence of Play and a turn record track. The other is two-sided and has the Terrain Effects Chart on one side and the Range Modifiers etc. on the other.
The Rule Book is 35 pages in length. It is in full color and is in nice, large, type for us aging grognards. It comes with plenty of example of the rules. The Rule Book also has all nine of the game's scenarios included in it; the ninth scenario was a Kickstarter exclusive. This does not seem like many. However, the game is card-driven so you have endless possibilities for a hand of different cards each time you play a scenario. Because of their small size, it does not look like it would be any trouble to make your own scenarios to add to the mix.
The deck has 54 Action Cards in it. These have actions for both sides in the game on them. The cards are also used to determine hits on vehicles. There are also four event cards. The above says it comes with five Bonus Victory Condition Cards, although my game came with 11.
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Action Card |
If you have bought or played any of the different games from Flying Pig Games, you will be excited about the care and attention that is given to the manufacturing of them. If for nothing else, you should look at the Flying Ham Steaks rendition of Hermann Luttman's 'A Most Fearful Sacrifice'. Yes, once again it is out of stock. I do believe that it will be reissued again and again as that magnum opus deserves. I had the pleasant experience of playing '65 more than a few times and by looking at '85's rules it looks like playing this game will be just as enjoyable.
Thank you, Flying Pig Games, for letting me take a look at and review '85 Graveyard of Empires. Stayed tuned on this same bat channel for the other two perusals of the game.
Robert
Mark H. Walker's '85 Afghanistan: Graveyard of Empires:
Thirty Years War by Wargame Design Studio The start of the Thirty Years War is normally taken to be the Third Defenestration of Prague in ...
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Two zoomed in 3D Battle Screens |
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A zoomed out 2D Battle Screen |
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A little closer in screen with the inset map. |
Red Strike Air, Land and Naval Combat in Europe 1989 by Vuca Simulations When we last picked up Wolfram von Eschenbach's magnum opus,...
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Red Strike
Air, Land and Naval Combat in Europe 1989
by
Vuca Simulations
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The game in some of its glory |
I had thought that Vuca Simulations 1914 Nach Paris was the pinnacle of wargaming in both playing and artwork. Now along comes Red Strike and I have to eat my words. All you have to do is to check out the box. Like all of Vuca Simulations games it is a work of art all by itself. However, the size and heft of the game put it in another category. It is one of the few wargames where I am stumped as far as where to begin. The game is so big that it is only the second game I have reviewed in eight years that needs a two-part review.
This is what comes with the game:
24 Counter Sheets 3/4"!!!
82 Cards in two Decks
2 Operations Maps 46" x 34" Combined
1 Strategic Map 27" x 15"
24 Setup Sheets
2 16 page Player Aid Booklets
10 Air Base Sheets
5 Scenario Sheets (1-32"x 18", 1- 16"x 18", 3- page size)
1 56 page Rulebook
ADN (pad ) sheet block 16 pages
2x10 sided die
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This is a close shot of one of the Airbase Player Aids |
I have to add what is below so that you can see exactly what has gone into the designing of this game. How many games have a bibliography or one that is two pages long! This is straight from the designer Mr. Yes Rettel. If a game has had a longer time in design and incorporated more research, I would like to see it.
"Red Strike is based on the games Gulf Strike and Aegean Strike and uses many of the same mechanics. Mark Herman designed the Strike games as detailed, complex simulations. Red Strike, like its predecessors, is not for the fainthearted.
The game comes with this Rule Book and the Scenario Book. The Rule Book covers the entire game system and the Scenario Book contains everything needed to set up the game
Other games I took as reference to design this game:
G-SOF-G (S&T 220), NATO: The Next War in Europe (VG), 3
rd
Fleet (VG), The Next War (SPI) and
above all the “Next War” series from GMT.
Internet links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_nuclear_explosions
https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/
BIBLIOGRAPHY
General / Cold War
Bidwell, Shelford—World War 3 A Military Projection Founded on Today’s Facts, Greenwich
House, 1983
Bishop, Chris—Firepower Air Warfare, Orbis Publishing, 1999
Cockburn, Andrew—The Threat, Scherz, 1983
Crawford, Steve—Kriegsschiffe und Flugzeugträger, Gondrom, 2000
Donald, David—Modern Battlefield Warplanes, AIRtime Publishing, 1994
Dunnigan, James F. and Bay, Austin—A Quick and Dirty Guide to War, Quill, 1991
Dunnigan, James F.—How To Make War, revised edition Quill, 1988
Edited by Vojtech Mastny, Sven G. Holtsmark and Andreas Wenger—War Plans and Alliances
in the Cold War—Threat Perceptions in the East and West, Routledge, 2006
Epstein, Joshua M.—Conventional Force Reductions, The Brookings Institution, 1990
Faringdon, Hugh—Strategic Geography—NATO, the Warsaw Pact and the Superpowers, 2
nd
ed, Routledge, 1989
Friedman, Norman—The Fifty Year War, Naval Institute Press, 2000
Gaddis, John Lewis—The Cold War A New History, Penguin Books, 2005
Gunston, Bill and Hewish, Mark and Sweetman, Bill and Wheeler, Barry C and Taylor John
W.R—Air Forces of the World, Salamander Books, 1979
House, Jonathan M.—A Military History of the Cold War 1944-1962, University of Oklahoma
Press, 2012
Isaacs, Jeremy and Downing, Taylor—Cold War, Bantam Press, 1998
Jeschonnek, Friedrich and Riedel, Dieter and Durie, William—Alliierte in Berlin 1945-1994,
Berliner Wissenschaftsverlag, 2007
Krüger, Dieter—Am Abgrund?, Parzellers Buchverlag, 2013
Krüger, Dieter (Hrsg.)—Schlachtfeld Fulda Gap, Parzellers Buchverlag, 2017
La Guerre de demain, Tallandier, 1983
La paix surarmée Pour la Science, 1979-1987 (french edition of Scientific American)
La Stratégie Mondiale Bordas, 1985 (french edition of Atlas of Global Strategy, ed.Gra
-
ham Speake)
Leonhard, Robert—The Art of Maneuver, Maneuver-warfare Theory and AirLand Battle,
Ballantine Books, 1991
Miller, David and Foss, Christopher F.—Modern Land Combat, Salamander Books, 1987
Price, Alfred—Air Battle—Central Europe, Free Press, 1986
Stöver, Bernd—Der Kalte Krieg, C.H.Beck, 2007
Ware, Pat—Cold War Operations Manual, Haynes Publishing, 2016
Watts, Anthony J.—Jane’s Warship Recognition Guide ,HarperCollins, 2006
Winchester, Jim—Military Aircraft of the Cold War, Grange Books, 2006
World Air Power, Vol.1, Spring 1990, Aerospace Publishing Limited
World Air Power, Vol.2, Summer 1990, Aerospace Publishing Limited
World Air Power, Vol.3, Autumn/Fall 1990, Aerospace Publishing Limited
Zaloga, Steven J.—Duel 18 - M1 Abrams vs. T-72 Ural, Osprey, 2009
NATO
Behrendt, Hans-Günter—Flugabwehr in Deutschland, Miles-Verlag, 2021
Bolik, Gerd—NATO-Planungen für die Verteidigung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland im
Kalten Krieg, Miles-Verlag, 2021
Dorn, Wolfram—So heiss war der Kalte Krieg—Fallex 66, Dittrich, 2002
Eshel, David—The U.S. Rapid Deployment Forces, Arco Publishing, 1985
Ganser, Daniele—NATO Geheimarmeen in Europa Orell Füssli, 2008
Gehring, Stephen P.—From the Fulda Gap to Kuweit
Hughes, Wayne P.—Fleet Tactics, theory and practice US Naval Institute Press, 1989
Knobloch, von, Heinz—Bundesluftwaffe intern Motorbuch, 2008
Oestmann, Rainer—Handbuch für Unterführer, Walhalla Fachverlag, 2000
RAIDS n°24, Histoire & Collections, 1987
RAIDS n°31, Histoire & Collections, 1988
RAIDS n°34, Histoire & Collections, 1989
Walter, Uwe—Artilleristen, Aufklärer, Flieger, Infanteristen, Jäger, Logistiker, Pioniere und
Panzermänner, BoD—Books on Demand, 2018
Walter, Uwe—Die Strukturen und Verbände des deutschen Heeres (2. Teil), BoD—Books on
Demand, 2020
Walter, Uwe—Die Strukturen und Verbände des deutschen Heeres (Teil 1), Edition Avra, 2017
Walter, Uwe—Von Wölfen, Leoparden und anderen Raubtieren, BoD—Books on Demand, 2017
Novel
Clancy, Tom—Tempête Rouge Livre de Poche, 1986 (french edition of Red Storm Rising)
General Hackett, Sir John—The Third World War Macmillan, 1978
General Hackett, Sir John—The Third World War—The untold story Macmillan, 1982
Peters, Ralph—Red Army Pocket Books, 1989
Nuclear Warfare
Bernstein, Jeremy—Nuclear Weapons—What you need to know, Cambridge University
Press, 2008
Walmer, Max—Strategic Weapons, Prenticehall Press, 1988
Osprey Publications
Combat Aircraft—27 Air War in the Gulf 1991
Combat Aircraft—60 B-1B Lancer units in combat
Elite 10—Warsaw Pact Ground Forces
Elite 12—Inside the Soviet Army Today
Elite 16—NATO Armies today
Elite 26—Tank War—Central Front : NATO vw. Warsaw Pact
Fortress 36—US Strategic and Defensive Missile Systems 1950-2004
Fortress 69—The Berlin Wall and the Intra-German Border 1961-1989
New Vanguard 115—Landing Ship, Tank (LST) 1942-2002
New Vanguard 120—Scud Ballistic Missile and Launch Systems 1955-2005
New Vanguard 125—Huey Cobra Gunships
New Vanguard 134—Red SAM: The SA-2 Guideline Anti-Aircraft Missile
New Vanguard 138—US Nuclear Submarines: The Fast Attack
New Vanguard 152—T-80 Standard Tank
New Vanguard 158—T-62 Main Battle Tank 1965-2005
New Vanguard 2—M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank 1982-92
New Vanguard 85—M60 Main Battle Tank 1960-91
Wargame related
Allen Thomas B. War Games—The Secret World of the Creators, Players, and Policy Makers
Rehearsing World War III Today Naval Institute Press, McGraw Hill, 1987
Dunnigan, James F.—The Complete Wargames Handbook, revised edition, Quill 1992
Perla, Peter P.—The Art of Wargaming Naval Institute Press, 1990
Warsaw Pact
Department of Defense Soviet Military Power, Prospects for Change 1989
Donald, David—Tupolev Bombers, AIRtime Publishing, 2001
Gervasi, Tom—Soviet Military Power—The Annotated and Corrected Version of the Pentagon’s
Guide, Random House, 1987
Gervasi, Tom—The Myth of Soviet Military Supremacy Perennial Library, 1986
Glantz, David M.—Soviet Military Operational Art—In pursuit of Deep Battle Frank Cass, 1991
Gordon, Yefim and Dexter, Keith—Mikoyan MiG-21 Midland, 2008
Gordon, Yefim—Soviet Strategic Aviation in the Cold War, Hikoki Publications, 2009
Hoffman, Hans-Albert & Stoof, Siegfried—Sowjetische Truppen in Deutschland und ihr
Hauptquartier in Wünsdorf 1945—1994, Verlag Dr. Köster, 2017
Kopenhagen, Wilfried—Die NVA Land-, Luft- und Seestreitkräfte Motorbuch, 2006
La puissance militaire soviétique Bordas, 1984 (french edition of The Soviet War Machine
Salamander Books, 1984)
Lautsch, Siegfried - Kriegsschauplatz Deutschland - ZMSBw 2013
MccGwire, Michael—Military Objectives in Soviet Foreign Policy The Brookings Institution, 1987
Normann, Michael—Typenkompass Kampfflugzeuge der NVA 1956-1990, Motorbuch, 2010
Odom, William E.—The Collapse of the Soviet Military Yale University Press, 1998
Polmar, Norman—Guide to the Soviet Navy, 4th
edition Naval Institute Press, 1986
Suvorov—Inside the Soviet Army Macmillan, 1982
Sweetman, Bill—Soviet Military Aircraft Hamlyn, 1981
The Russian General Staff—The Soviet-Afghan War, How a Superpower fought and lost,
University Press of Kansas, 2002"
This is a really amazing list on so many levels. It really shows the depth and detail that went into this design.
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This is the Fulda Gap Scenario Map |
In another part of the booklets Mr. Rettel mentions that he has been working on this design since 2003. This is just one more in the list of superlatives that shows in the design. He is also completely correct in saying that the design is not for the faint-hearted. If you are a neophyte or someone who has just played block wargames, opening this box will come as a shock. This is the simulation side of our esteemed hobby. You might be inclined to look for the rule about pasta in the Rulebook. However, the game does not throw you into the deep end and hope you swim. There are many different sized scenarios that comes in this cornucopia. The naval and air portions of the game are simulations in their own right. The Operational Map has hexes of two different sizes. The smaller hexes are 28 kilometers across and the larger are 280 kilometers across. The game also comes with a Strategic Map.
Every land, air, and sea asset available to the NATO and Warsaw Pact Alliances is in the box. One thing about the game, there is a good amount of stacking of counters. I never really remember this being an issue when SPI and Avalon Hill released their monster games. I believe it has a lot to do with the now advanced age of some of our grognards. As far as stacking years ago, it was considered the more the merrier.
The price of the game at Vuca Simulations is $178 US dollars. Now before you get your knickers in a bunch, I think you should compare the normal sized games from other publishers and Vuca Simulations. Almost all wargame publishers now have prices for their AAA games right about or just under this price point, and sometimes over. This game should really be considered in the price per pound group of wargames.
This is a game that many grognards have been dreaming about. I'd bet after looking at it, many designers wish that it was theirs. Of course, you have to compare the 20-year gestation period of the game in the mix. Many will not like it because of the depth and the stacking and because it does not match the drapes. So be it, different strokes for different folks. If you grognards are lucky enough to have a gaming night where you have a few buddies who like games, this makes playing it that much easier. It would be just like the teams that played Campaign for North Africa. However, this game has all the eye candy and refinements that comes with a game that is almost 50 years newer than CNA.
The game comes with these scenarios:
10 Exercise Scenarios to teach you different parts of the system
Battle Scenarios:
Fulda Gap - The one we know and love
Berlin Blockade - Another one you have probably played
North German Plains - The opposite of Monty in WWII
Bavarian Option - Southern Germany fighting
Miami 1989 - North Sea naval scenario
Valkyrie's Embrace - Invasion of Norway
Campaign Scenarios:
99 Red Balloons - No preparations for war on either side
We Didn't Start the Fire - Tensions rise slower given each side the time to call in more troops etc.
Land of Confusion - Prolonged period of saber rattling before the Warsaw Pact attacks
Two Tribes - Prolonged period of saber rattling NATO attacks
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Part of the clash on the North German Plain |
Robert Peterson
Vuca Simulations:
VUCA simulations - Premium conflict simulations from Europe – VUCASIMS
Red Strike:
Across the Bug River by Vuca Simulations My Review:
Across the Bug River by Vuca Simulations - A Wargamers Needful Things
Donnerschlag by Vuca Simulations My Review:
Donnerschlag Escape From Stalingrad by Vuca Simulations - A Wargamers Needful Things
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