This past October we debuted our World War II skirmish combat game system at the Heart of America Chapter of the Historical Miniature Gaming Society's fall extravaganza, Border Wars VII. THEATRE OF OPERATION made a grand entrance onto the scene with the production of Stalingrad in 54mm scale. If you have not seen or played in a World War II wargame in 54mm then I strongly encourage you to take the challenge whenever you have the chance. The Stalingrad scenario is included in the rules set and may also be played in 20mm scale as well, however the visual appeal of 54mm has always been a favorite of Lion's Den so it was all fitting that we attacked this project in the "big" scale.
Here is a little history into how the Stalingrad scenario came about. As we have gamed off and on in World War II over the last few years, the amount of troops that have amassed is quite considerable. This made the infantry aspect of Stalingrad easier to grasp except for the Russian faction. To solve this we set aside a few evenings that we normally used for gaming and sat down to paint 80+ Russian troops from start to finish (Penny Whistle #8-June 1994.)
With the infantry out of the way it was time to acquire some vehicles for both sides. Ken had in his possession a Panzer III and a 1942 model T34/76. As for myself, I was just to the point of completing four half-tracks for a German platoon including one with a 37mm AT gun. Also my "motorpool" included a Panzer IV-F and to this I added a StuG III for even more variety. Since I enjoy building and researching the various vehicles of WW II, I have decided to concentrate on this facet of our games and plan to add more vehicles to the scenario at later dates.
We also used the club concept when it came to scenery. Ken focused his attention on the building facades (Penny Whistle #9 July 1994) while other members and myself worked diligently on the more "traditional" diorama based buildings. All this is placed on a table cover that has been painted to resemble brick streets. Add a dash or so of ruble, barb wire, and anything else that can be thought of and we ended up with a combination that receives adoring glances from onlookers every time.
When THEATRE OF OPERATION was conceived it was agreed that we wanted a game that was simple in design yet realistic enough to appeal to the historic side of the players. Another idea was to let the players modify the system to whatever they wish, whether it be platoon level , squad level, or just one or two figures. With that in mind, a person could start out small and expand his force as time allows.
The two scenarios provided were play tested by the Lion's Den Wargames Playtest group prior to publishing the rules. It is my intent to periodically design a scenario and publish it in the Penny Whistle in the months to come. Stay on the air!
The army lists were compiled separately in an attempt to let the player customize the forces he is most interested in. With this in mind you could amass a force against another player and have no clue as to what he has to work with, this can be a lot of fun trying to figure out what you might need to 'Combat this unseen foe.
I must admit the debut was very well received. Our first session had all but one of the seven available player spots full. I volunteered to play on the German side and was issued the StuG III, which had an engine problem requiring a die roll on every turn. As a StuG commander I fared really well, only breaking down once. Also I took out a T-34 after it had destroyed our Panzer III in a shoot-out that lasted for three turns!
Our second session started with all of the German positions filled so I relegated myself to the Russian lines. The most memorable moment came when a German bomber flew overhead and dropped farm implements in an attempt to destroy the Russian positions. If they only would have had a "smart plow" several German soldiers might have survived!
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