The Bloodiest Game Ever: John Hill's Battle for Stalingrad (SPI)

This weekend SPI's Battle for Stalingrad hit the gaming table. It was the first time I've played this particular title, and though thirty-one years old, I found the design had some clever innovations.

The neatest aspect, and the heart of the game, is the flow of the turn. A turn begins with air strikes followed by artillery bombardments (so far fairly standard wargaming fare) but then deviates into a turn structure in which the Germans keep pushing until the Soviets react.

Basically, the Germans activate one stack of units at a time. If the stack just moves the German player proceeds to the next stack. If the stack attacks a Soviet force after the attack the Soviets draw a reaction chit (or two if controlling the big hill...can't remember the name...Kraygen Mayberry??). There are thirty of these chits. Twenty-four are 'no reaction'. Nothing happens, the Krauts continue their turn. Six have the Soviets reacting.

If the Soviets react the German player ceases his phase and the Russkies get their turn. Sorta. Even though they are now the phasing player they can only activate a small group of units. Once these units are moved play continues with the German player. After the fourth Soviet reaction chit is drawn the turn is over.

At first this seems woefully unfair for the Soviet player. The Germans can push anyplace on the board; the Soviets can maneuver a handful of battalions. But it quickly becomes apparent that it's not that big of a deal, as frankly the Soviets shouldn't be doing a lot of death or glory rides. They just need to hunker down and start making the Germans pay block by block, apartment by apartment. You could easily turn this into a solo game, with the system playing the Russians.

Another interesting aspect is since chits are only drawn in reaction to combat, not German movement, the German player has a lot of freedom in setting up for attacks. But moving near Soviet units and not attacking allows the Soviets to interrupt and launch an attack. So the German player has to move his forces carefully, choosing his battles selectively. While the odds are pretty good four reaction chits won't be drawn one after another, there is always a possibility they come up quick and suddenly the turn is over. Balancing movement and combat is very important.

As cool as the turn structure in the game is the combat system is a little over the top. Just as the turn order does away with a standard IGOUGO structure, the combat system is not an odds-based ratio. Instead, combat is based on how many combat factors are attacking. There are no depletions, disruptions, or retreats. All results end in unit destruction, and it doesn't take that many combat factors to guarantee annihilation. Almost every combat will bring about the elimination of at least one, probably more, units.

While Stalingrad was a meat grinder this gets to be a little over the top. The scale is company/battalion level and even air strikes will eliminate entire battalions in one combat. JU-88s? Apparently we're using F-16s with precision guided munitions. And artillery? Mortars can wipe out three battalions with a single die roll. (Possible house rule: all units are flipped over once they are used in a turn, unable to do anything else until the following turn. Air strikes and artillery bombardments should probably just flip unused units over.)

I don't think I've ever played a game which had so many counters flying off the board. But the end of the first week both sides had a mound of dead units next to the map. It's insane. But in a good way. The upside is the game moves pretty quick since you don't even have to worry about what your die rolls are; you're going to kill something.

Battle for Stalingrad is probably not the definitive game on the battle, but it is a pretty interesting one. I'm not entire sold on the combat system, but I did enjoy the overall mechanics.

Worth checking out. Especially if you hate wimpy CRTs.