Remember the old SPI monster special, War in the East? I played WitE until the counters wore out. As dated and crude as the game appears now, I think I learned everything I now know about the art of encirclement and mobile warfare, at least on a strategic level, from WitE… which is probably why I have an easy time finding opponents.
One of the more fascinating puzzles of the opening turns of WitE was the problem of encircling the Russian troops at Minsk, and I spent hours trying and perfecting various techniques. And now, thanks to Masahiro Yamazaki, I can now do it in detail with his Army Group Center, which covers the "… Opening Blitz on Minsk, June 22-28, 1941", but this time in operational detail on a full map. I found the prospect irresistible, and AGC - and Yamazaki-san - did not let me down.
Army Group Center features very attractive maps and counters, with the latter color-coded by corps and army. In addition, the map edges contain all the information boxes the players need. Despite the rather bleary box cover, this game has that "play me, please" look. Even the rules are clear, although some points, such as the Brest-Litovsk fortress restrictions, could use a twice-over. But concepts and presentation hold together quite well, despite having all the charts stuck directly in the book. This is one of those company cost cutting measures that only serve to alienate the consumer, as a trip to the local copy center is a must here. Another burr in the side is that some of the dr modifiers and terrain effects have been left buried within the rules, when they could have been placed on the charts and tables. (Sort of reminds you of SPQR, doesn't it?). Given how well the game works, these are minor inconveniences.
AGC's system is an interesting hybrid of other designs with some quite original features mixed in. There are two 12-hour turns per day, with the daylight turn starting off with Weather Determination and Air Warfare. The latter has players allocating units to Air Superiority, Ground Assault and, later, Air Interception. First comes Superiority, in which the Ivans go down in flames nearly every time, although the differential CRT does give them a luck-chance shot at spiking the Luftwaffe. Surviving fighters now get to bounce enemy ground units, while bombers create "Interception Zones", based on range, which simulate many different aircraft performing diverse missions within that are. Whereas most games spend air points in a single hex, in AGC your air units cover entire sectors: you can almost see swarms of Stukas (or, with a little luck, an Ilyushin or two) aloft, waiting to pound and enemy strongpoint or jump on an unwary tank column. All of this is done without resorting a Europa-style, mind-numbing plethora of air counters and fuss.
The land portion of the game-turn is a modified, Igo-Hugo sequence, identical for both players with the German going first. In the Command Decision Phase (Ed. Now there's an ironic juxtaposition of words), the players either select or attempt to change "modes" for their troops. Modes include Prepared Offense, Mobile Offense, Stand Defense, Withdrawal, Reverse and Transfer, and each mode determines a unit's casualty value, morale modifier and movement allowance. Mode also determines whether or not a unit can attack, enter/leave an enemy ZOC, use special movement rates, etc. As such, the modes will consequently influence mobility, how hard a unit fights, and the severity of casualties. None of this is automatic, as players are limited as to how many mode changes they may make, decisions further limited by a dieroll on the Mode Change Table. The Mode System works well, with one exception. When a corps assumes a given mode, it applies to all units in that corps. This is unrealistically rigid, forces one section of a corps to do things it wouldn't do simply because the player has opted to favor a different area, and leads to some weird anomalies in play.
After mode decision comes Combat, which is voluntary and omni-adjacent. The d10 CRT uses separate lines per terrain type, with the column shifts coming from the aforementioned modes as well as armor superiority, support, and improved positions. Results are in Loss Checks, in which a dieroll is modified by the CRT number. If the number exceeds the modal Casualty Value, hits are taken along with possible retreats … a nice amalgamation of many factors into one dieroll.
AGC sports three scenarios: the historical "Sunday Blow", plus two what-if's, Pavlov's Decision and Stalin's Fantasy. (One shudders to contemplate too long on the latter, for fear of being forced to watch sinking barges full of Chechens and Kulaks.) The double-entendres possible with these three titles show far more promise than most other games.
Obviously, the historical Sunday Blow is the least balanced. Think of it as a Russianized Bloody 110th. There's no way in hell the Ruskies can hold Minsk; their best bet is to give the Germans a headache. At that level, it can be an interesting solitaire challenge for the German. It's either that, or sucking your 13-year old nephew into the hobby with a furtively whispered, "Hey, kid, wanna play with some tanks?" Pavlov postulates a higher state of Russian readiness, while Stalin's Fantasy puts the Soviets on Full Readiness by allowing them two Command and Movement Phases before the German player can even lift a finger. (After which he gets to put out a cigar on his wife's chest.) Both Pavlov and Stalin are better suited to competitive play, although I found the historical scenario enjoyable as an interesting puzzle requiring some rather smart play to get the Germans to do as well as they really did.
Aside from the unrealistic rigidity of the mode rules, AGC has incorporated a lot of original and interesting ideas in only 14 pages of rules. The couch-bound, old-timer Dice Potatoes will probably rail against anything new on the Old Front, but this is a fresh look at a bread-and-butter are of WWII gaming.
CAPSULE COMMENTS:
Graphic Presentation: Nice, attractive and clean.
Playability: Well-presented and easy to grasp.
Replayability: Good, with 3 scenarios and a puzzle aspect for the historical version.
Creativity: Original design work leavened with some oldie-but-goldie systems.
Historicity: Catches feel of one of the opening battles of Barbarossa quite well. Only drawback is artificiality of mode restrictions.
Comparisons: The mode rules are reminiscent of Duel for Kharkov. Not as meaty, but more decision-making than The Gamers' SCS series. Interesting companion for the peer-released East Front Battles.
Overall: Fresh look at a tired war horse. Worth the money. Yoku dekimashita, Yamazaki-san.
from 3W
One 22"x34" map; 400 counters; Rules Book. Boxed. 3W, POB 155, Cambria CA 93428. $28
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© Copyright 1993 by Richard Berg
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