Frank Watson

Leningrad: 1941 changed considerably from its inception to final product. Originally, we had envisioned simply a subset of FitE/SE, with the OBs just copied from its initial setup. The Soviets could get virtually any reinforcements they wished, but would have to pay for them in victory points. This would have been the closest approximation to the conditions facing a Soviet Northwest-Front Commander in a FTF Scorched Earth game. However, as our research progressed we steered back to a more conventional course, with a fixed historical reinforcement schedule. We had help from a number of Europa players in developing the Soviet historical setup and reinforcements--most notably Charles Sharp and Louis Rotundo. To all who took part, thank you.

We chose to use the Soviet historical deployment more as a service to players than anything else. Personally, I'm anxious to see how our lineup compares with Charles Sharp's historical deployment presented in this issue. If you would rather use the more flexible deployment from SE, it's easy enough to do. And it is a lot tougher for the Axis that way.

Soviet airfields are specifically positioned at the start of the game for a particular purpose. In a normal PitEISE setup, the Red Air Force deploys its airfields not in sound positions to support the Red Army, but in the worst possible positions for use by the Germans. We felt that this was rather ahistorical, and determined their approximate actual positions--a process that admittedly included some educated guesswork.

Victory conditions are always the hardest part of an Europa Battle Scenario. We started very simple, got very complex, then junked most of the complexity and got simpler again. One of the tougher parts was giving the Germans credit for success to the southeast of Leningrad. We put in VPs for rail hexes to accomplish this. The VPs for the Baltic-State capitals reflects the political necessity of holding on to these cities for as long as possible.

The VPs for bombing Berlin and sinking Soviet battleships were made optional at the end of development because a number of players thought they strayed too far from the main thrust of the game. These VPs aren't just for show, however.

Unlike air or ground units, battleships are irreplaceable assets, particularly for the Soviets. Their destruction is advantageous to the Germans long after the scenario ends, affecting Soviet operational capabilities, morale, and global politics. Giving the Germans VPs for the achievement rewards them for acts outside the scope of the Battle Scenario.

Bombing Berlin is similar. There is absolutely no reason for the Soviet player to waste air units bombing Germany. Yet the Soviet Air Force did bomb Berlin. The minimal VPs awarded for this act reflects the morale aspects of the bombing and at least gives some motivation for carrying it out.

Our playtest/redesign cycle became rather comical at times. At first, we were convinced the Germans would have too difficult a time. This lasted until the first playtest game when Victor saw his feldgrau stacks piled on Lenin's tomb while they were still in shirt-sleeves. A little rules tinkering and my playtest had Army Group North mucking about in the Luga swamps when the game ended. Hopefully we finally worked out a balance, but you may judge that for yourself.

Victor Hauser

If you have as much fun playing Leningrad: 1941 as I did developing it, then you're in for a great time. Frank was a joy to work with: upbeat, cooperative, and full of good ideas.

Not only was I interested in giving the Europa community a bitesized piece of all the fun I've had playing on the East Front for years, but also to provide my vision of where Europa has evolved in the 54 months since Scorched Earth was published, as well as where it's headed.

The rules presented in Section III are an attempt to bring FitE/SE up-to- date with the latest Europa developments. They also provide some new material that answers questions to some aspects of the air system that a number of people have wanted to see addressed. I want to thank Roy Lane and all those who contributed on the GEnie computer network for their advice and playtest results concerning the opportunity intercept and flexible defensive air support rules. I'm convinced that we have some winners here.

Charles Sharp and Louis Rotundo provided invaluable assistance on the Soviet OBs. Frank and I discovered that new Soviet information was being released faster than we could work it into the game. So, our game is probably already behind the latest news from the USSR. This points out the difficulties in designing East Front games.

In particular, if you compare our listed positions for the initial Soviet forces with Charles's version in this issue you will immediately note discrepancies. This is mainly due to Charles's more current information, but also to differing interpretations. Even the best Soviet information gives a fairly wide margin for interpretation (i.e., guesswork). However, from our playtest experience, the .Leningrad: 1941 set up provides an extremely exciting, challenging, and fast-paced game.

Finally, thanks to Rick Gayler (format, layout, and development) and Mark Pitcavage (bombing Berlin) for their advice and suggestions.

I've felt good about this project ever since Frank suggested it. I believe that we've established a good precedent with Leningrad: 1941 and look forward to discovering where this new trail will lead us.

Leningrad: 1941 An Europa Battle Scenario

Background and Rules
German Order of Battle
Soviet Order of Battle
"State of the Art" Rules
Designers' Notes
Charts (slow: 179K)