During the September weekend game retreat featured on the cover of the issue 3, 1 facetiously suggested thatI write an article with the subtitle "What I Learned As An Abused Soviet Playtester."

Dean, always in need of copy, considered this to be a serious offer. So, while I devote one weekend a month to repulsing Generaloberst Essig and his bloodthirsty Aryan horde, I spend the rest in front of a word processor with my notes, maps, rules and tables. As a result, you have before you the first of two articles in which I hope to whet your appetite for Guderian's Blitzkrieg, the first OCS game, and to pass on to future Soviet players some of the painful lessons that I learned while playtesting.

So who am I, and why am I so abused? In real life, I am a mild mannered high school. chemistry teacher from near Peoria, Illinois. I started gaming (Battle of the Bulge, about 1968) long ago when I had both spare time and live opponents. Since then, family and career have limited me to playing the occasional game (usually solitaire), collecting games I would like to play (over 100, plus years of S&T etc.), and reading military history.

So, when my youngest son went off to see the world with his Uncle Sam, I rediscovered that weekends were free time and decided to find some new face-to-face opponents. As an in-house playtester for The gamers, I was introduced to the OCS game system. Playtesting GB has been one of the most rewarding and yet frustrating experiences I have ever had. While it is exciting to interact directly with the game designer, membership in the Change of the Week Club is far less satisfying. Unlike most gamers, playtesters routinely start each game session faced with pages of design changes, many of which have a significant effect on the nature of play.

This article, an expanded nth revision of my own Soviet set-up notes, is based on material in hand as of early December 1991, which may or may not resemble the published product. In fact, after its first submission, this piece had to be rewritten when both the German and Soviet set-ups were revised (allegedly for historical accuracy, I suspect ulterior motives). Because of the fluid nature of the rules and the fact that the OCS is both subtle and complex, these are, at best, a set of suggestions that will be improved with additional experience. As in real life, no plan in GB survives contact with the enemy, especially since The Enemy designed the game.

General Comments

The Soviet player sets up first, but before doing this, we must consider several points. The OCS and GB are not for the beer and pretzel crowd. You must be willing to invest time and space both to learn the game system and to play.

At the retreat, only the first three "game turns" (actually four weekly overphases and six player turns) were completed in seventeen tiring but enjoyable hours. Later turns will go faster, so a reasonable estimate for experienced players to complete the thirteen-week campaign game is at least forty hours. What has surprised both Dean and me is how quickly time seems to pass, since both players are frequently involved in the sequence of play. Still, a maximum of three game turns per day is probably the limit before brains overload and tempers flare. The game system requires careful study, planning and execution, but the reward is a game that feels correct.

To be the Soviet player and yet avoid panic and depression early in the game, you must be both patient and stoic. You will lose at least half of the territory on the map and many of your units before the Rasputitsa (mud season) arrives. The secret is to trade space and units for time, bloody the German schwerpunkt, force the German player to bum supply, draw him out to the end of a long, tenuous and overextended supply line, and hope for the weather to turn in your favor-which sounds like what really happened in 1941. Your turn will eventually come. Endure, survive and wait for it.

You will soon notice that many German units have huge movement allowances and that ZOC's are very fluid, which is to say nearly non-existent. These facts lead to whatJohn Best (another abused playtester) christened as the "ooze effect," which describes the flow ofr a gray-green slime (the Wehrmacht) through any holes or weak spots along roads or rail lines or in clear terrain, followed by all sorts of unspeakable nastiness in Soviet rear areas. (OK, so I'm partisan.) The Soviet player will have to avoid such weak spots and to garrison supply dumps, air bases, rail and road junctions and cities wherever possible. One neat trick is to leave a unit at the bottom of an air base or supply dump stack.

The frustrated look on the face of the German player when he discovers that an easy capture now requires combat can help cheer up an otherwise somber Soviet player. However, the German player cannot afford the time or losses required for an opposed move through forests away from roads and rail lines. This does allow certain sections of the long front to be weakly defended.

Soviet players must also become familiar with modes, especially Reserve Mode. Artillery, Katyusha, armor, mech and cavalry units in Reserve Mode gain the important ability to react to German moves and to attempt to blunt attacks. You may set up in any mode, so place mobile units and artillery in Reserve Mode because the German moves first. Hedgehogs are also essential to the Soviet player, for you must use every tool available to counter the massive attack strength the German player will bring to bear on unavoidable weak points in your lines.

Finally, a plan must be developed to rapidly push supply points into forward dumps using rail and air movement, as well as the few trucks available. Soviet armies will be pocketed by the highly mobile Wehrmacht, and can avoid mass surrender only so long as they have sufficient supply. On the other hand, dumps cannot be left to the German player as he advances.

Place your dumps in protected sites, then blow them up or move them when they are threatened. Soviet units should be kept in low supply, except when a counterattack is planned. Low supply does not affect defense strength; it does halve attack and artillery barrage values. The Soviet player must also be very familiar with the appropriate rules for rail line destruction (by both air and ground units) and repair, since both players rely heavily on rail capacity to move supply.

Ground Unit Set-up Notes

Brutal lessons are still being learned during playtesting, so I again want to emphasize that the following are only suggestions to be improved upon as skill and experience are gamed.

Front Line-Northern Section

At the northern end of the Soviet front line is the city of Vyazma, which straddles the primary road and rail line running east from Smolensk to Moscow. Vyazma is important because it blocks the most direct route to Moscow, is a major communications junction, has one of the few air bases likely to survive the initial German assault, and is worth victory points. To defend this vital city, the Soviet player has the 30th, 16th and 32nd Armies, reinforced by elements of the 24th. In addition, these armies must avoid being trapped in a northern pocket as the German player tries to slice through Vyazma, or between Vyazma and the outer Moscow defense line, to the northern map edge. Any units scrounged from this area will be welcome in Moscow, Kaluga, Tula and Orel.

Farthest north of the Soviet formations is the 30th Army with three infantry divisions. Deployed in the southeast comer of their assigned area, these units form the northern flank of the 16th Army. The 30th will move east with the 16th, using an extra two-point truck unit to move supply points. The HQ and RR Repair units will move to the road or rail line, then east as quickly as possible to Moscow. The remaining units, attached to the 16th, are to prevent German movement along the northern map edge.

The 16th Army blocks the road and rail line between Smolensk and Vyazma. Faced by' units from two German Infantry Corps, the seven infantry divisions of the 16th should form a shallow U as far east as possible, with the northern flank in the forest and the southern flank covered by elements of the 24th Army.

Infantry divisions in clear terrain should be doubled up and in hedgehogs. Deploy the tanks and artillery inside the U in Reserve Mode. Quickly, but carefully, move to a strong defensive position 20-25 miles (four or five hexes) west of Vyazma, using a "phased retrograde advance" (Uncle Joe says we can't retreat, you know). Set up a new supply dump behind this line, and send the RR Repair unit to Vyazma. Rapidly move both tank units back to Vyazma, then south and east as part of a mobile reserve. After absorbing units from the 24th, 30th, and 32nd Armies, the 16th must maintain a strong defensive position.

The 32nd Army has one infantry and five militia divisions near Vyazma. The militia will defend the city, air base and dump, and reinforce the 16th when it arrives. Move the infantry division about 5 hexes south on the rail line to establish a southern defense line, which will be reinforced by extra units from west of Vyazma. Use the HQ to upgrade the air base. Send the RR Repair unit east. All units of the 32nd should build hedgehogs as strong as time and supply will allow. The nearby truck unit can be used to move most of the supply dump into Vyazma.

Units of the 24th Army can be split between two areas. Attach a militia division and two weak infantry divisions to the southern flank of the 16th Army to anchor the initial defense line in the forest. They will remain attached to the 16th. The remainder of the 24th will be used in the defense of SpasDemansk.

Spas-Demansk, another victory point objective, lies approximately sixty miles south of Vyazma near the junction of roads and a rail line approaching from both northwest and southwest. These routes are likely avenues of approach for strong German forces, including Panzertruppen. German units will try to force a large gap in the Soviet front line and to packet Soviet armies both north and south of the gap.

To defend this area, the Soviet player has the 33rd and 43rd Armies, along with major elements of the 24th. These units must delay or prevent the German breakthrough for as long as possible. If the breakthrough occurs, survivors must fall back into a strong position along the rail line to Vyazma, to prevent the Germans from moving north. Later, this location can be used as a base from which to recapture Spas-Demansk.

The 24th Army will block the road and rail lines that enter Spas-Demansk from the northwest. Since the German player moves first, deploy the five remaining infantry divisions across these routes in hedgehogs, backed up by reserve tank and artillery units. This position will be rather exposed, so immediately execute a phased withdrawal into more defensible lines in front of Spas-Demansk. Send the tank units east and south as part of the mobile reserve, and attach the RR Repair unit to the HQ of the 33rd.

The 33rd Army deploys near Spas- Demansk with only four weak militia divisions. The militia must deploy forward to plug gaps that units of the 24th and 43rd are unable to cover, and to build hedgehogs for units that will pull back. The HQ of the 33rd will assume control of the Spas-Demansk defenses; the other two HQ's are very vulnerable in their forward positions. Be prepared to move the supply dump north along the rail line, or to blow it up after a new dump is created. The 33rd Army penal battalion, an otherwise questionable asset, can move to the nearby air base, and blow it up at the beginning of turn two. The RR Repair unit should be moved to the east.

The 43rd Army deploys east and south of Spas-Demansk. Two infantry divisions and the tank division (along with the RR Repair unit) should be attached to the southern flank of the 24th Army. Deploy the infantry along the road in hedgehogs, with the tanks in reserve. The RR Repair unit should be sent back to Moscow, Kaluga or Tula. The remainder of the division must block the southeast road using every means possible. Survivors of the 43rd will withdraw east with the 24th, where they will help defend SpasDemansk and the rail line north. Depending on the situation, the tank division can be used to help defend the immediate area, or as an important addition to the mobile reserve needed elsewhere.

In summary, the defense of this section of the front is based on four principles: A) pull back into defensible positions before you are overrun; B) stop the German advance wherever and however possible; Q move anything important (supplies, air units, trucks) before the German can capture it; and D) if it cannot be, moved (air bases), blow it up so the German cannot use it.

Front Line-Center Section

Almost on the boundary of the two maps lies the victory point city of Bryansk, which sets astride the junction of roads and rail lines running in every direction. Bryansk is an important German objective because of its location and the fact that the Bryansk armored train becomes available to the German player when the city falls. This means that the defense of Bryansk is just as important to the Soviet player.

As long as the city is in Soviet hands, a German supply network in the central portion of the map will be hard to establish. The 50th and 3rd Armies 'must hold Bryansk, at least until the Rasputitsa arrives, while the Front Reserve defends the air base at Karachev. Since these units will undoubtedly be pocketed, supply by air is essential. No matter what happens, a good supply plan must be created.

The six infantry divisions, cavalry brigade and artillery brigade of the 50th Army deploy in and around Bryansk. Use these units to set up a strong defensive ring around the city, concentrating on the north and west, and making liberal use of hedgehogs. The nearby truck unit should move part of the supply dump to the air base, then remain with the original dump to move it if necessary. Send the RR Repair unit back to Kaluga. As they arrive, incorporate 3rd Army units and the Katyusha brigade from Front Reserve into these positions.

Southwest of Bryansk are the four infantry divisions and artillery brigade of the 3rd Army. One infantry division, along with an extra two- point truck unit, will move the HQ and supplies east to the rail line, where the HQ can absorb the survivors of the 13th Army and build a second air base to help supply the eventual pocket. The rest of the 3rd will block the road and rail line entering Bryansk from the southwest, then pull back into the defense position set up by the 50th. The RR Repair unit moves to Bryansk or Kaluga.

The Front Reserve, a strong mobile force with a tank division, a cavalry brigade, three tank brigades and a Katyusha brigade, sets up some distance south of Bryansk. Choosing from several possible options, I intend to use these units to help defend thatcity. After shifting the Katyusha brigade to Bryansk, the Front Reserve will move east to form a strong position around the Karachev air base, building hedgehogs as quickly as possible.This decision is partially based on the fact thatin 1941, Bryansk was captured by apanzer division sent back to the west following the fall of Orel. ne fact that German forces will pocket the Soviets in and around Bryansk, whether they capture the city or not, must also be considered. After the pocket forms, the only new supply available to this area will be by air.

Because of recent changes in Soviet set-up locations, plans for the defense of Bryansk are not yet tested. I am looking forward to using this strategy in the next playtest game, and hope it works as well as the old deployment. Assuming I survive, the results will be reported at a later date.

Front Line-Southern Section

The southern third of the playing area is mostly open terrain, which 2nd Panzer Group will use to penetrate deep into Soviet lines. The large number of roads and rail lines here point like an arrow from Konotop in the Ukraine, through Orel and Tula, to Moscow. It is along this route, which forms a diagonal line across both maps, that the game could be won or lost.

The 13th Army is the only Soviet force in position to oppose this German thrust, but the front that must be covered is far too long. So, while most units of the 13th will be overrun, they must bloody the German spearhead and delay the lead elements. Making use of available terrain and hedgehogs, fourinfantry divisions will block the rail lines at Seredina-Buda. The road north from Sevsk, as well as the road and rail line to the northeast, should be blocked by the remaining three infantry divisions along the river, backed by artillery and HQ units. The penal battalion should deploy on the air base, blowing it up before it can be overrun. the cavalry brigades, backed up by tank units, should block the German advance on roads further to the south. The RR Repair unit will move to Orel and beyond. Survivors of the 13th can link up with the 3rd Army HQ to defend their supply dump and the new air base.

On the south end of the map, beyond an undefended gap of about 50 miles, is the 40th Army, which should move east to defend Kursk as it did in 1941. Deploy the 40th, blocking the rail line, at the north end of its assigned area. The first line, from swamp to air base, should contain the infantry divisions, using hedgehogs where necessary. These units, which are very slow, will either die gloriously for the Rodina in a bloody rear guard action, or move by rail to join the rest of the army. Just be sure they blow up the air base before it is captured. In reserve behind the front line should be the two tank divisions, a tank brigade and an artillery brigade. These units will use a phased withdrawal to rapidly move back to a defensive position in and around Kursk, a victory point city, and its air base, to block any German drive toward Voronezh. However, you should not be surprised if the 40th disappears unit by unit before it reaches Kursk, as there will be German wolves snapping at your heels.

Behind The Lines Northern Section

Behind the front, the northern map contains territory that the Soviet player must defend to the death. In the northeast comer lies Moscow, one of two Soviet supply cities, along with three air bases. Worse yet, if Moscow is captured, the German player wins a Sudden Death Victory. No ground combat units are initially placed in Moscow, but a competent Soviet player dan use units already on the map, or later reinforcements, to defend the city. However, you cannot leave the direct approaches through Vyazma, Kaluga or Tula open.

The 49th Army deploys near Kaluga, a victory point city in the outer Moscow defense line. It consists of two infantry divisions, a militia division, a tank brigade and two artillery brigades. The tank brigade and one artillery brigade should move toward Tula to cover for the departing 5th Cavalry Corps. Leave the remainder of the 49th to cover Kaluga, the supply dump and the airbase. Units of the 49th, along with the mobile reserve units pulled back from the front line, must cover the Kaluga area before the German breaks through at Spas-Demansk or Bryansk. Tula will also need to be reinforced. Split the present supply dump between Kaluga and the air base, then build a more protected dump three truck movement points north of Kaluga on the forest road, using the nearby trucks.

5th Cavalry Corps deploys around Tula, another victory point city. The mission of the 5th is simple in concept, but difficult to accomplish: move toward Orel and slow down the German advance. While Orel is a victory point city, it cannot realistically be held. It must be defended for as long as possible, and rendered useless to the German player. Deploy the two cavalry brigades as far southwest as possible, then send them to defend Orel, and to destroy both the air base and most of the supply dump. Use the three infantry divisions, backed by the HQ and Katyusha brigade, as a screen in the forest in front of Tula. Any other scrounged units might try a Little Big Horn in the forests behind Orel.

After the fall of Orel, take a careful look at Tula. It will be difficult to hold both Tula and the air base, so move the air units before the Germans arrive, and be prepared to blow up the air base. Most of the dump should be moved by rail back to a safer location, within five truck movement points on the road to Moscow, for use until the city is surrounded. Leave four SP's on trucks in Tula to maintain the besieged defender. Make the German pay dearly for this city, because he will probably be overextended now.

Behind The Lines Southern Section

In the initial set up, no ground combat units are placed in Voronezh, a victory point city and the other Soviet supply source, which can fall to an aggressive German player in the first or second week. The real importance of Voronezh does not become obvious until the Soviet player begins to establish his counterattack forces, using reinforcements received starting about game turn four. Without Voronezh, attacks can only be supplied from Moscow, limiting the direction of Soviet counterattacks, and making the end of the game that much more difficult for the Soviet player. After you see the long, exposed and inviting German southern flank just begging to be attacked, you will understand why it is imperative to keep this city. To this end, reinforcements for weeks one and two must go to Voronezh to help establish a viable defense.

Another reason for holding Voronezh concems the other geographic objective that has not yet been discussed. Yelets is worth victory points, but units to defend it are not readily available. You may eventually have to retake Yelets, which means you really must have Voronezh.

Air Unit Set-up Notes

Because of the complexity of the situation, there is no one correct air unit deployment. The best advice I have now is to set up air units where they are most capable of carrying out their missions and where they are least likely to be overrun by the German advance. The second article of this series will discuss the air campaign in some detail.

Conclusion

How does the beginning of Guderian's Blitzkrieg look from the perspective of the Soviet player? A comparison to an Illinois river flood near where I live seems appropriate. Periodically the river overflows its banks and tries to destroy nearby homes, forcing people to get together to build sandbag levees. As the people work, they all know that the river will eventually stop rising, but three questions are in the back of their minds:

A) Can we pile up sandbags faster than the river can rise?

B) Will we have enough sandbags to finish the wall? and

C)Will we drop from exhaustion before the job is done?

The first three or four weeks are like this for the Soviet player. You know that the Wehrmacht will eventually be stopped, but you have to ask yourself:

A) Can enough units be moved fast enough to the right places to slow the German player down?

B) Are there really enough units in the Soviet force to finally stop the Wehrmacht? and

Will the Germans be stopped before your brain shuts down from cerebral overload?

Playtesting has taught me that a majorGerman force will spearthrough Orel toward Tula, a hole will be probably be punched through Spas- Demansk threatening to pocket the entire front line, another hole will probably appear at Bryansk, Soviet Armies will be destroyed at an alarming rate, and both Moscow and Voronezh must be defended at all costs. Playtesting has also shown that the next time the game begins, there will be a new trick (or seven!) up the sleeve of the German player. Surviving until the heavy rains finally arrive is a challenge that will require every ounce of skill the Soviet player can muster.

I really enjoy playing GB because of the mental challenge involved. It will be a long time before anyone learns both the system and the game well enough to optimize the play for either side. Each game played will teach more and more, both in terms of planning skills and of the tools of the game system. If you like a challenging game, this is one which you will pull out of the closet year after year because it always leaves the players, German and Soviet, with the feeling that there is a better way. I am positive that a competent Soviet player can survive the early German blitzkrieg with enough strength and territory intact so that the eventual counterattacks can result in a final victory.

On the other hand, Dean is equally convinced that a competent German player, by forming pockets and destroying the Soviet front line armies, can take and hold enough of the geographic objectives on the map to prevail, and still limit losses to an acceptable level. Which one of us is correct? Only time will tell.