VR Designs has been reinforced with designer Cameron Harris to create a new never-seen-before wargaming experience: Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa. This revolutionary eastern front wargame covers the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. It blends the latest evolution of the Decisive Campaigns hex and counter engine with deep narrative, RPG-style people management and in-depth semi-randomized decision systems. Will you be in Moscow before the blizzard hits?
After 50 years of playing wargames I have finally found a gaming system that replicates many of the actual decisions and problems of Barbarossa in a way that is 'realistic' and yet does not get bogged down with detail. I loved Russian Campaign as a kid playing board games and this game is far better, more challenging and real.
This has got to be the most innovative strategy game on the market. The decision and relationships mechanics are a stroke of genius, and you will quickly find yourself building up both rapport and enmity with your colleagues as they collaborate with and against you (and you them). Will you be Hitler's boy and ignore the bleating of the spineless von...
If you ever wondered about how Barbarossa could have gone differently - this is your game.
I played through a few times as the Germans, and my take-aways are this:
- The tactical combat is realistic without being too micro-managey
- The interface is pretty straightforward, though it takes a little time to learn
- The enemy AI is solid and will surprise...
