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

 TRACES OF HUBRIS

FROM

VUCA SIMULATIONS

Traces of Hubris is the second game in Vuca Simulations series, that began with Traces of War.  Whereas, the latter was set in 1943/44, involving a crushing Soviet offensive against a desperate German defence, here we're in the familiar territory of Fall Blau (in English - Case Blue).  Whether thought of ultimately as the drive on Stalingrad or campaign to Stalingrad, it's summer 1942 and the Germans are set on driving for the oil rich southern regions of the Caucasus.  Hitler's obsession with Stalingrad is yet to manifest itself, but is reflected in the hexes of the city being, unsurprisingly, VP targets.

This game continues the simple and immensely playable system of its sister game.  It follows a basic chit-pull mechanic of activation that allows all the units within range of the respective HQ to move and have combat.  As previously this does allow, perhaps ahistorically, a mixture of formations to fight together, but in game turns makes for very easy application.  In keeping with the simplicity of this driving mechanism is the attacker/defender odds ratio CRT (Combat Results Table) with its very limited number of terrain DRMs (Die Roll Modifiers) that rapidly become second nature.

The effect is to create a hugely playable game where your head is rarely going to be in the rule book and your attention is almost entirely focused on what's happening on the map in front of you.  

If you do need to check or remember anything, it is easily found in the well illustrated rule book [as seen below].  

However, in reality all you are ever likely to need are the play aids which are excellent in more ways than one.  Well, first of all there are two of them - Play Aid A and Play Aid B, next there is a pair for each player, thirdly they contain virtually every bit of information that you need to play the game and finally they are printed on so solid a thick card that they are their own  little mounted board.  This is a very familiar feature of the quality of all Vuca Simulations’ games.

In contrast the two maps that make up the playing area are printed on paper.  I’m not going to bog down in the perennial debate between paper and mounted maps, nor the question of colour palate choices. They are far too much a personal choice to be resolved by anything other than your own taste and preference.

Full double map layout

Personally, I really like these paper maps.  I like the muted colours that the counters stand out vividly on.  They suit my overall storage needs and especially lend themselves to my method of covering with plexi-glass and stacking that allows me to play such games over a period of time. Unlike the complaints of a poor match up between the two maps in Traces of War (a niggle that I found grossly exaggerated when you had actually set the latter game up and got playing), these two marry up very well.  No doubt someone out there will disagree!

Also for a majority of the game's 9 Turns, all but a handful of your units will be operating on the western map, making the play area even easier to manage.

Here you see the opening set up, with a thin line of single Russian infantry counters and a sparse few units further back.  Facing them are largely double stacks of the German attacker.

Returning to the rules and rule book, they are presented in a simple, easy to read and organised layout.  They’re colourfully illustrated and exemplified and a bare 15 pages long, plus a couple of pages of Designer’s Notes, Player Strategy for both sides and, as always, historical background.

Historical background

The Sequence of Play is very straightforward and, as mentioned, is set out in detail on one of the excellent Play Aids.

Here is the simple outline.

SEQUENCE OF PLAY

1. LUFTWAFFE REORGANISATION PHASE

2.COMMAND CHIT SELECTION PHASE

3. ACTION PHASE

4. TURN END PHASE

1, 2 & 4 are extremely simple and brief.

The Luftwaffe Reorganisation Phase is a simple die roll to see how many air units you get this turn.  A nice little touch is that you get two numbers e.g. 6/2.  The 6 tells the maximum number of units and the 2 tells you that you may select up to 2 of those units for Air Supply.  Though you will primarily be choosing Air units to support your combat, the use of Air Supply can be critical.  

The Command Chit Selection Phase is done secretly and is critical on Turn 1 for the Axis player as he can only choose four out of the six German HQ chits and none of the Axis Minor HQ chits.  However, as both Panzer HQs have two chits each, I've found it rare that I don't want to choose all four of them.  In the next four turns, the Axis choice is even simpler as largely they can choose all or nearly all of the potential chits available!  For the Soviet player the choice is much more limited.  For most of the game it is 3 chits plus a choice between the Stavka chit or the Reinforcement chit.  Even here circumstances tend to force a path that seems likely to be the same from game to game.  Particularly the choice between Stavka and Reinforcements.  The Stavka chit allows you activate one HQ twice or a fourth HQ, but the pressing need for Reinforcements will most often dictate that that will be your preferred choice.

The Turn End Phase is simply the assessment of whether the Axis player has achieved the single Victory Condition of controlling NINE in-supply Target Hexes.  Should this not be achieved by the end of the game, VPs are totalled and if the Axis player has achieved 15 or more VPs, the game is declared a draw, though this is qualified by the comment that you may consider it a Minor Soviet Victory!  If less than 15 VPs then it is a Soviet Victory.

The Action Phase typically is the heart of the game and it is a very straightforward process.  The Action Chits placed in the draw bag are selected one at a time and activated.  If it is an HQ chit, then all units within that HQs radius can be moved and then have combat, which is voluntary.  This makes the choices even simpler than in Traces of War, where you had the option of choosing Move/Combat or Combat/Move.  If the Soviet reinforcement chit is drawn, then the player places the designated reinforcements on the map and the number of units are generally substantial!  In contrast if it is the Axis reinforcement chit, a dice is rolled and a meagre dribble of units [maximum 7] will be gained - too often these are mainly a few Axis Minor troops usually of a single strength point.  For that reason, I've found that on the turns when you have to choose between either the OKH chit or the Axis reinforcement chit, I've almost always chosen the OKH chit which allows you to activate any HQ you like [even if if it has been activated twice already].

One of the delights of the system for Traces of Hubris and its 

predecessor, Traces of War, is how it keeps to the bare essentials both in rules for movement and combat.  The few modifiers for both are soon committed to memory and combat itself is made simple, being both non-compulsory and a familiar d6 die roll on an attacker strength/defender strength odds ratio CRT, with most results being R or RR [i.e. retreat 1 or 2 hexes] and a single step loss only starting to appear at odds of 4:1.  While any significant step losses only result at 7:1 odds or above.

Besides making the computation of attacks very smooth and easy, these factors also significantly drive the nature of this campaign - surrounding and pocketing is very much the focus of the Axis player's strategy.  This is supported in two ways.  First the drive to achieve the major pocketing of Soviet troops is encouraged by the opening set up, where the line of Soviet infantry already creates a shallow bulge.  This is further bolstered by the strong Panzer divisions being positioned toward the flanks and, as previously indicated, both have two HQ chits allowing the possibility of being activated twice.  Secondly, the slightly higher movement factor of German infantry [4 MPs as compared to most Soviet units having 3 MPs] and the substantial 8 MPs of German tanks allows for the Axis player to frequently carry out single hex or more infiltration.  This advantage also allows the tanks and mech infantry to disengage easily and make sweeping manoeuvres.

A pocket starts to be formed

The other element that plays a very significant role in the situation is the Supply Phase and its rules, as this occurs once each Turn only when the Supply chit is drawn.  The Supply check is made simultaneously, so both sides units can potentially lose a step.  For the Axis player this creates an element of potential risk taking when trying to create pockets or in lunging for VP targets.  Do you gamble a few high quality units when you have the chance to cut off  significant numbers of Soviet units from supply?  These opportunities, if looking likely to occur on the up-coming turn, may also determine the choice of selecting Luftwaffe chits for Air Supply.  

So, how does it play?  For most of the game, the Axis player is on the attack with the Soviet player engaged in the all to familiar defensive shoring up task.  However, it is nothing like the wholly desperate, frantic, nail-biting scramble that the Axis player has in Traces of War.  It is a more measured retreat, with several potential hobbles put on an Axis advance -the main one being the large number of Soviet reinforcements.  For me, the question of when that Soviet Supply chit gets drawn is perhaps a too powerful and unpredictable, but deciding factor.  

Tenuous German hold on Stalingrad broken

What it does do is give considerable variety to the course of the game.  In one particular such game, the Axis player was repeatedly on the verge of a crucially sizeable pocketing only to be thwarted by an early Soviet Reinforcement chit being drawn in four out of six turns.  

Frustrating though this was, the game was still hugely enjoyable and like many East Front games, solo play is always very rewarding and immersive.  As with the previous game, there is the helpful play aid that presents all the necessary tracks for solo play on one sheet.  However, it's important to note that solo play is purely you playing both sides to the best of your ability.

Solitaire Play Aid

Whether you play solo or 2-player, both the relatively low counter density for a two map game and a mere nine turns sustains the immensely satisfying playability of this series.  With this great playability and sustained high quality of Vuca Simulations presentation, I hope that further campaigns will follow, whether on the eastern front or turning to the western theatre.  

 Marches & Batailles Belgium 1815

by

Sapper & Vet

 This is a new Napoleonic game that just a few days ago had its Gamefound campaign started. The following is a write-up about the campaign and the game by the designers.

"« MARCHES & BATAILLES ! » is a historical simulation game at the operational level, or “grand-tactical.” It is played on the historical map used by generals during the campaign. This first opus covers the Campaign of Belgium, which ended with the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815.

The counters, made of MDF wood and printed on both sides, represent approximately  one division (or brigade) of about 4,000 infantrymen, 1 600 cavalrymen, or 40 pieces of artillery. Their size is to scale with the map, so the type of terrain will play a role in the number of units you can line up in a position.

Units are characterized by a strength that differs depending on whether they are in column or deployed. This strength, which varies from 1 to 9, represents both the morale of the units (militia, line, guard) and the training of the soldiers (conscripts, regulars, veterans). It is used to resolve combat situations and morale tests.  These units move from position to position without any need to measure distance.

Generals and staff command these units and lead them into battle against the enemy's positions. It is up to you to use them wisely, but you’ll not be involved in tactical battle management.

 

During combat, you will just have to choose which units to commit and which units to keep in reserve. These choices will prove decisive in the outcome of combat and morale tests. All these tests are carried out without dice, using colored tokens drawn at random from the test bag.

The sequence of play makes it uncertain whether the player's strategy will be carried out to the letter, replicating the uncertainty that reigns on a battlefield. This sequence alternates between marching movements, attacks, supply line management, ...

A game is won by breaking the morale of the opposing army by routing its units, capturing its communication points, or even capturing its commanding generals... 

Each scenario will bring you back to a historic day between June 15 and June 18, the day of the Battle of Waterloo, the culmination of the Belgian Campaign. These scenarios can be played in sequence and form an epic campaign full of twists and turns. 

Developed by two enthusiasts of this period and supported by La Sabretache (https://lasabretache.fr/), the world's oldest military history society, this self-published game is the subject of a crowdfunding campaign on Gamefound (https://gamefound.com/fr/projects/sapper--fifer/marches--batailles) from May 23 to June 18, 2025!"

 The Gamefound campaign for the game has already passed the 100% funding level in only four days! This is the link to the campaign:

Marches & Batailles by Sapper & Vet - Gamefound

 If the game plays as well as it looks, they will certainly have a winner on their hands.

Robert

 LAV - 25 by LETbricks

 This is a review of the LETbricks LAV (light armored vehicle) - 25. The company LETbricks is a newer company in the block building industry. They also deal a lot in MOC (my own creation) builders of block sets. They have over 18! pages of military sets to choose from. They have everything from World War I planes to mighty carriers and aircraft.

 LETbricks was nice enough to send me their LAV - 25 set. The LAV - 25 was introduced into service with the United States Marines in 1983. It has a 25mm chain gun and two 7.62mm machine guns. As its name suggests it is light armored. However, because of that fact it also has a road speed of 62 mph! That means it is perfect for the role of a reconnaissance vehicle.

 The set comes with 476 pieces. So, for a lot of the sets you see nowadays it is on the small side. Of course, LETbricks has incredibly large sets to also choose from. The instructions were very clearcut. The set goes together easily, and the bricks stay together without any problem. I have done a lot of kits from different companies, and I was very impressed with the set. It looks pretty much spot on to what the actual vehicle looks like. While it did not take long to build it was still enjoyable while doing the build. 

 As I have mentioned, the company LETbricks, has a ton of military sets to choose from. They have a beautiful line of naval warships sets that you will not find anywhere else. These include some ships that were really only planned along with some great historic ships. They have a set for the British Battleship Nelson along with sets of some Italian Battleships. 

 Another impressive group of sets they carry are ones that gives the builder car, truck, and airplane engines! These are large and very intricate true to life sets of these engines.

Just look at these:

One of the Titanic's Engines

V16 Diesel Engine

This is the Italian Battleship Vittoria Veneto set:

3259 Pieces!

 These are some pics I took during the build:

Thank you LETbricks for allowing me to review your LAV - 25 set and seeing how easy it was to build and how great it looks on the shelf when it is done.

Robert Peterson

LETbricks

LAV - 25 

 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