There can be no doubt that Thunder in The East is a proud descendant of that series. This first instalment in Frank Chadwick's intended magnum opus series titled European Theater of Operations [ETO] is massive, just as its designer's ambitious intentions are massive. There have been some quibbles on the various forums over whether it is a "monster" game or merely a "mini-monster" - let's just settle for it's BIG, BIG, BIG! To be precise 124 cm x 95cm or, as the back of the box surprisingly tells us in these metric days, 49 inches x 41 inches!
This superb map gives room to play out the whole of the WWII on the Russian Front from 1941-1944. So, perhaps by the standards of 1973 when it took two massive games [Drang Nach Osten and subsequently Unentschieden] made up of 9 maps in total to cover the same geographic area and timescale, TitE is a not as physically daunting, but it still means that my camera couldn't do full justice to the map!
Let me say that I love the assembled maps, for the manageable size [I haven't had to have my arms forcibly extended], clarity of detail, colour blends and perfect alignment. There has been, in my opinion, undue criticism of the fact that the smaller south eastern map's colour match is slightly lighter. I've found it neither any hindrance to play nor to the overall aesthetics of the game.
Unfortunately some copies have had misaligned counter printing which in our age of immediate reaction tends to produce intemperate online postings. A simple request to VPG is the solution, not an online outburst. From a range of companies over the years I've experienced everything from missing counters,maps and a rulebook as well as misaligned counters [in that last case, over 50% of the reverse of all my counters in the original Streets of Stalingrad]. It's rare that a polite request for replacements doesn't do the trick, even back in the days when an airmail had to wing its way to the USA, wait for a similar reply and then await shipping!
My own copy, as with all the gamers I know who've bought a copy has been perfect and once more they are substantial with pre-rounded edges and great to look at.
However, it has to be said that this is not a game that can be managed without considerable devotion of space and time to the undertaking. Even with my special boards covering 64 inches by 42 inches, I can accommodate only the maps, the two Faction Displays and the Air Display. This leaves three further display sheets to be laid out, never mind the six further Player Aids [3 per player] that don't have to be spread out with markers on them, but contain a serious amount of double-sided information essential to play!
There is a vast amount of information to be absorbed - another reason why playing in teams has its advantages. Two heads or rather four are definitely better than one when it comes to remembering all the minutiae of detail. Nevertheless, at the heart of the game, two basic ideas go a long way to grounding the weight of rules in a very manageable starting point.
1 large/1 medium/1 small
2 medium/1 small
1 medium/2small
1 large/2 small
3 small.
First of all this keeps the board very clean and clear despite a large number of counters. No tottering stacks here, thank you, and counters are easy to distinguish, organise and physically pick up and move on the map. The inclusion of large circular markers for HQs looks stunning and is another great help to game play. Smaller conventional square HQ markers are provided for those who prefer them, but I like the ability to see at glance exactly where my HQs are!
The second basic idea to help ease play is the limit on how many units can attack through each hex side. Again ultra-easy -
one Large + one Small
or one Medium + one Small
or two Small
In the past, I've watched players coping [or not coping] with high stacks and sorting through endlessly to find just what they need and consequently have been discouraged from participating in many another monster game. TitE does not have that effect on me.
Nevertheless, there are many rules to absorb and I'm not sure that having to declare all Combats first [including placing helpful little odds ratio markers], before executing any of them is one of my favourites. I was also surprised to find that Air Combat needs seven pages of rules, while Ground Combat takes only four pages! Certainly happy that the Ground Combat rules are so compact. So, why make the air rules so lengthy and detailed? Thankfully, the Naval rules come in the Optional section.
In fact, the rules in total are for me a mixture of pluses and minuses in their scale and scope. All are well explained and thorough. Movement and Combat, the heart of the game, are succinct and excellent. If only other areas could have been dealt with in the same way. More than anything it is the thirteen pages of Logistics that seem disproportionately long. Covered are such aspects as Supply, Repair & Recovery, Unit Substitution, Purchase with Repair Points, Building and Improving Pieces. Familiar aspects from many games I've played and each does its job well, but there's a lot to step through. At times I feel that the trees are slightly obscuring the forest.
However, the Reference Book is an excellent help in keeping me sane, while I negotiate the paths of the rule book.
Many games have an alphabetic glossary, but usually it is at most two or three pages long incorporated into the rule book. TitE's is 12 pages long in its own separate booklet and as wonderfully glossy as all the written material in this game. Besides, nearly every single term has a small colour picture to illustrate it. It's a great asset, as is the next item, the Scenario book.
And not to forget that this is just the first step in the ETO series - next up, though still in its playtesting stage, will be Vol II: The Middle Sea, where those Optional naval rules will become even more significant!
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