Gentlemen,
Here's a quick review of a new scenario book for Kampfgruppe Commander:
I recently received a copy of Dave Reynold's Battles of Army Group Center, a scenario book for his WW2 rules set Kampfgruppe Commander. It has 38 pages (perfectbound) and includes eight scenarios. These are organized into three periods – the Moscow campaign of 1941 (3 scenarios), Kursk (1 scenario, the unavoidable Prokhorovka) and Operation Bagration (4 scenarios).
Also included are special rules for winter warfare and notes for using the scenarios with other games. Kampfgruppe Commander uses stands that represent platoons, and players run a battalion or two. Thus these scenarios are appropriately scaled for Command Decision, Blitzkrieg Commander and probably other sets I can't think of right now.
The scenarios are representative of warfare on the Eastern Front rather than deeply-researched historical scenarios. Units are pretty simple and generic, the antithesis of the super-detailed OBs that my friends in the CD universe so dearly love. There are generally 2 to 5 units per side and the table sizes vary from 5' by 4' to 5' by 10' (Prokorhovka). These are the sizes for 1/285 scale games, for 15mm everything is 50% bigger. At least I assume these maps are for 1/285, the book never says, but I believe that is the scale the author plays, so I think that's what's intended.
Here's a quick description of the scenarios.
1 – Race to Kalinin. A German spearhead is counter-attacked and blundered into as it exploits into the Soviet rear areas. Five units per side, with 2 on each side being armored. 5' x 6' table.
2 – Showdown on the Volga – A straight-up head-bashing, as both sides are attacking. 5 units per side, 2 are armored on each side. 6' x 8' table.
3 – Winter Storm. Seriously out-numbered Germans try to survive the Soviet's Moscow counter-offensive. 2 battalions try to hold out against 4-5 Russian units. 5' x 8' table. Uses the snow rules introduced in this book.
4 – Prokorhovka. Lots and lots of tanks (54 Soviet, 29 German) with some air support and artillery thrown in. No infantry. Technically Army Group South, but so what? Bring your blown-up tank markers!
5 – Opening Thunder. A set-piece Soviet attack against dug-in Germans. A Guards Rifle division with heavy armor support try to break through minefields, barbed wire and a German infantry regiment with SPAT support. Germans have 3 units, Soviets have 4. 4' x 8' table.
6 – Clash on the Road to Minsk. Another tank bash. One very, very good battalion of Tiger tanks (505th) takes on a Soviet Tank Corps armed with Shermans (3 units). He says to use the British stats for the M4a2, which means that all 32 of them are 75mm-armed, but it might make a more interesting game if some of them had 76mm. 5' x 4' table.
7 – Escape to the West. An escape/fog-of-war scenario. With the front broken, some German units try to get away and the Russians keep pushing. 3 units per side, each has its own unique victory condition. 5' x 6' table.
8 – Soviet Mobile Tactics. A Soviet mobile detachment (about a tank brigade) tries to take a bridge guarded by a German battalion. 4' x 5' table.
I've not had a chance to play any of these scenarios yet, so I can't comment on how they play. I'll probably mess with them a bit before I try them out, mostly to make them work with my collection of 15mm stuff, but they look like they'll be fun. They sell for 19.95 from Lulu. I've never dealt with Lulu before, but I have to admit I was impressed. I ordered on-line Thursday and had it the following Wednesday, despite choosing the cheapest shipping option.
UK supplier is
warmodelling.co.uk
US (Lulu):
link
begins to think about terrain for Team Yankee.
