"WW2 45 - 49 Timeline and Rules" Topic

All the new 15mm WW2 'extended' stuff coming out has me wondering whether this might be a fun project. Not quite 'straight' WW2 and with enough interesting items to make for some fun games.

So, is there a timeline for the 45-49 period that you use ?

My idea might be Normandy fails, Hitler is assinated and Op Dragoon is cancelled. The Germans and Allies call a truce, and the Russian front stalls because of the massive shift of men and material East.

Japan and Manchuria fall as per our timeline, but the Allied/Soviet alliance breaks down at the end of '45 and then, starting in early 1946, the Allies and Germans go after Stalin ?

Is there a rule set that doesn't use Zombies and Werewolves as troop types ? (I'd rather not use FoW)

What are the best place to look for models ?

TIA

For me, the Battle of the Bulge doesn't happen, and Germany holds on longer because of that, into 1946, or 1947.

More wonder weapons are developed, and the Allied ground and air attacks stall. The USA eventually uses their first nuke on Berlin, after much discussion and delay.

Hitler is killed by his own security, or again takes his life, though a year, or two later.

Ike decides Patton is right about the Russians, and gives him free reign to take them on, with what's left of the German army, and some of their new weaponry, as well as ours.

2nd nuke is used on Moscow, but fails to get Stalin.

Russia has disbursed a lot of her production, and has made a play for the Middle East oil fields, so the war continues on.

The Japanese have been largely isolated to their home islands, but they are starting to develop wonder weapons too, due to the delays in the Allies being able to focus on them.

Europe and Russia need to be dealt with first.

Well there was Churchill's secret plan known as Operation Unthinkable which was the idea that we would need to not do too much damage to Germany in order to make use of her remaining men and material to take on the Soviets. It is one of those great Counter Factual debates that is oft times tossed about.

In order to answer your question about rule system one needs to ask what level of command do you want to game? If company level or smaller then current WW II rules sets should be able to help you. Even higher level command games such as Command Decision should be useful. Another game system would be to look at Cold War Commander and turn to Blitzkrieg Commander for stats.

Rule sets is where I'm a bit stumped.

FOW is too comp oriented and Crossfire is not really suited to multiplayer play. CWC/BKC are the right sort of scale, but the combat mechanism (lots of .50cal can kill a Tiger) feels wrong. My most enjoyable games are with sets like TAC so maybe that or CD is the way to go

If there were a set of mods for it I would even consider an abstract set like AK47

There was a great mini-board game of the West VS the USSR at the end of WW-II that I had years ago.

Red Star Falling (1981)
link
"Red Star Falling gives players the chance to make Patton's dream and every wargamer's fantasy come alive. In March 1945, the Western Allies and the defeated German Wehrmacht challenge the Russians for control of Central and Eastern Europe. Red Star Falling is a corps level game with these components: 144 Unit Counters, 17x22 Full Color Map, 12 Page Rulebook, A Six Sided Die, A Game Chart. Red Star Falling is of moderate complexity, but can be enjoyed by all gamers."

For a timeline try Colin Gee's Red Gambit series redgambitseries.com

This has WW2 ending as per history and then WW3 kicking off immediately with the Russians attacking the other Allies

The Germans fight on the allies' side

There is no weird stuff – just loads of very late WW2 and beyond kit

For rules BKC would work – I did ask Pete to add in very late kit stats ie Centurion Mk1s,Pattons and ISU3s

Well, I'm likely to use either Flames, Gearkrieg, or now the Battlegroup Kursk/Normandy/Fall of the Reich rules.

I already did a lot of work converting the German Gearkrieg models to FoW stats, but I don't have points for anything sorted out.

Ty bomba's tomorrow the world board game has the best timeline

A successful assassination of Hitler goes a long way toward putting the Germans on a more rational war footing. Many beneath Hitler were hoping to cut an alliance with the West to stop the Russians. Although Roosevelt loved the " Russian model," which prohibited the US from taking sides against the Reds, remember he was ill and could have been voted out of office or voluntarily stepped down in 1944. It's not a dramatic jump to presume these events took place to change the course of the war.