Panzer Command

WW II

Review by James Baker


Designed by Eric Lee Smith
Victory Games Inc. 43 W. 33rd St., New York, NY 10001
Released: June, 1984
Catalog No: 30008
Price: $20.00
Complexity: Intemediate/Advanced
Solitaire suitability: Good

Panzer Command is a tactical level game which simulates combat in Russia during 1942-1943. The units represent companies of different tv es of armor, infantry, and artillcrv The map and several scenarios are based on the historical battles which occurred around the Chir River at and after the time of the Stalingrad battle. A historical account of these battles can be found in Gen. E W von Mellenthin's book Panzer Battles (Ballentine 1973).

The emphasis in the game is on the effect of command and expertise on battles. It shows how elite but outnumbered forces can defeat their more numerous opponents. It does this without becoming mired in complexity. It is quite suitable for solitaire play and the game includes specific suggestions for playing solitaire scenarios.

I found the game interesting but somewhat dry There seems to be a lot of die rolling and bookkeeping, although very little paperwork. Panzer Command does have the desired effect of allowing capability to balance numbers, but it somehow does not give the feel of "blitzkrieg."

Nonetheless, it is a creditable effort and is worth a serious look by anyone interested in a good tactical Eastern Front war game.

I feel that the weakest part of this game, and I admit it is a minor gripe, is in its counters. The combat units are functional, but the game markers are often backprinted with other markers that are needed in the play of the game. This is especially true of the truck counters, which occupy the back sides of the "concentrated fire" markers. When plaving some of the advanced scenarios, I constantIv found myself pawing through the counters trying to find what I needed. I think that a second Counter sheet with trucks and more "improved position/entrenchment " markers would enhance the game, Also, some counters for keeping track of bridge building would be helpful.

The map is quite nice and was made from actual maps of the Chir battlefield area. The key to the game is its variable sequence of play. Units are organized into regiments which generally move and fight together. Each regiment has two "regimental action chits" available. At the beginning of each game turn, one chit for each regiment is placed in a cup. In addition, the players have the option of spending "dispatch points" to make the second chit available, This can he done either by making the chit available on the next game turn or by overriding the sequence of play and allowing a regiment to move immediately at double the cost. If the sequence of play is not overridden, a regimental action chit is pulled at random. At this point, all units in the regiment mav perform one action: fire, rally, move, assault, etc.

If the player has any "direct commands" available, these may be spent to give individual units of the regiment a second, different action. Direct commands are received when the "direct command chit" is pulled from the cup. At this time, units may perform one action at the cost of one direct command, allowing units of different regiments to act together.

The side with the higher expertise receives more dispatch points and direct commands, This means that this side can perform more actions than a less able opponent. If the disparity in expertise is great enough, one side's units can perform five separate actions to their opponent's one.

This system effectively demonstrates how important expertise is without bogging down the play of the game with excessive complexity and command rules. Each regiment is assigned a Troop Quality rating from one to eight. A successful Troop Quality roll allows units to keep functioning after suppression results, do opportunity fire without expenditure of direct commands, and increase their attack strengths.

The rules are divided into two parts. The basic rules introduce the concepts used in the game and allow the players to fight a balanced introductory scenario. The advanced rules add transport, indirect fire, engineering functions, and air power. There are also options for hidden placement. Perhaps one of the strongest points of the game is its scenario generation option, which allows the players to choose their own units to create balanced scenarios. The rules are complete, well organized, and generally unambiguous, although I did find some errors in the scenarios. Most rules are explained with specific diagrams and examples, which is a welcome change. A specific mention should be made of the line-of-sight rules, which are among the easiest I have seen in a tactical game.

All combat is resolved using a simple decimal die roll, no matter how it is initiated. Combat can be initiated in several wavs. Units can use a fire action close assault, or opportunity fire or indirect fire. Fire action allows one shot at a unit within the units "fire zone." Generally, this is the unit's range, but adjacent enemy units restrict the fire zone to one hex. Close Assault allows the unit to initiate three successive rounds of mutual combat against an adjacent unit and is a very good way of forcing a unit from a position. Opportunity fire is used by stationary units against moving units, requiring a troop quality roll or expenditure of a direct command. Indirect fire is done after a unit is spotted and radio contact is made.

The attack strength of a unit is modified by armor, stacking, terrain, etc. to come up with a number between zero and eight. A decimal die is rolled and if the result is less than or equal to the modified number, damage is inflicted according to the weapon and target class. At the higher strengths, combat can result in step losses and elimination, but generally results in "cohesion hits" and "suppression." Cohesion hits are a - 1 modifier to the attack factor of a unit and can eventually add up to a step loss. Suppression results force the unit to stop what it is doing until rallied.

One of the advantages that the side with high troop quality enjoys is the ability to convert suppression results into cohesion hits with decimal die roll against troop quality and continue functioning.

I have a few complaints with the play of the game. I found that the gameboard sometimes gets a bit cluttered with the game markers. It also seems as though the players are constantly rolling dice, slowing down play. However, the unit density is low enough that the game does not take too long. Also, the designer has made an admirable attempt to reduce most game functions to a modified decimal die roll. The game is simple to play once the concepts have been mastered.

I think that this game successfully shows the effect of troop quality on combat in a playable format. if you are interested in tactical Eastern Front games, or would like to see an interesting way of handling struggles of quality vs. quantity this game is worth a serious look.

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