Blue & Gray Deluxe Edition
The American Civil War was the bloodiest conflict and a defining event in the history of the United States. The tragedy of the conflict was amplified by the fact the battles were brutally fought with Napoleonic tactics while using new and more lethal weaponry. As a result, over the course of nearly four full years of war, roughly 700,000 Americans were wounded or killed in battle along with another 400,000 soldiers dying from disease.
Blue & Gray Deluxe Edition consists of the original eight games from the SPI Blue & Gray I & II Quadrigames. The battles depicted are among the most important of the American Civil War: Shiloh, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville (Hooker & Lee), Gettysburg (Cemetery Hill), Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and The Battle of the Wilderness.
The game mechanics used in this series are based on the well-received Borodino/Napoleon at Waterloo system. Terrain is a significant factor, with everything from rolling farmland to untracked wilderness represented. Battles will often see a back-and-forth struggle for control of critical terrain. Rules for night turns are also provided. A standard set of rules are used, common to all eight games, while each game also has its own set of exclusive rules, historical set-ups, and player and design notes—all from the original SPI games.
Blue & Gray Deluxe Edition features new artwork, double-sided mounted game boards, enlarged counters, player aid cards, numerous optional rules gleaned from other game editions, and new variant counters and markers for use with several variants from Moves and Strategy & Tactics magazines. Reintroduce yourself to these classic games from SPI’s golden era and refight some of the best-known battles of the American Civil War which decided the fate of a nation at war with itself.
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Battles in the East
Battles in the East (BITE) is a series simulating World War II Eastern Front battles. The system rules are an evolution of the SPI classics Panzergruppe Guderian, Army Group South, and Cobra. Unit integrity bonuses include German divisions and Soviet corps and vary to show the increasing Soviet cohesion and decreasing German cohesion as the war progresses. HQ units provide higher level combat support and supply advantages to corresponding units in range. BITE also incorporates standardized scales (unit size, distance, time) for easy comparisons. While the series rules allow players to play many games with the same core rules, the scenario rules add unique situational elements of each battle. Each volume includes two battles from one year with two copies of the charts and tables as well as scenario rules and set-up cards for easy reference.
Mius River
July–August 1943: This summer is mainly remembered for the failed German Operation Citadel near Kursk, followed by the advance of the Red Army westward to the end of the year. Often overlooked is the battle on the Mius River after the Kursk offensive. Here the Red Army looked to drive into the German rear, capture Stalino and prevent the orderly withdrawal of Army Group South. Field Marshal Manstein still had Hitler’s support and was aided by the able “new” 6th Army commander, General Hollidt. The Wehrmacht fought a classic defense and counter thrust battle in late July. The II SS Pz Corps counterattack in open terrain showed what might have been achieved that summer, if Manstein had been allowed to complete a mobile defense in Southern Russia. The game runs from 17 July–6 Aug.
Vitebsk
Panther Line, November 1943: The summer and early autumn of 1943 was a period of steady retreat and defensive line battles for Army Group Center. Often overlooked until recently, these were bloody campaigns. The key strategic cities of Nevel and Vitebsk were central to the defense of the Panther Line—the link between Army Group North and Center. Large Soviet Guards formations were tasked with taking both and breaching the Panther Line defenses. Defending this area was the depleted 3rd Panzer Army, a panzer army in name only. OKH recognized the importance and the only panzer reserves available were rushed there to stem the Soviet offensive. The battle was fought in awful conditions impacting coordination and supply logistics. The game runs from 1–21 Nov. 1943.
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Carrier Battlegroup Solitaire (Deluxe Edition)
You are in command of a US Navy carrier task force in the North Atlantic, operating against the Soviet fleet during the 1980s at the height of the Cold War. As the commander of a carrier task force, you must complete various objectives in the North Sea, facing Soviet naval and air opposition. As the Cold War goes hot, you may be called upon to secure the Denmark Strait, support a special operations force in the Arctic, attack a Soviet naval base in Murmansk, escort reinforcements to NATO’s northern flank in Norway, conduct a joint amphibious landing behind Warsaw Pact lines in the Baltic, provide air support over the Central Front in West Germany, even hunt for a rogue Soviet nuclear ballistic-missile submarine.
Carrier Battle Group deluxe edition is a solitaire game where the player contests against the game system, fulfilling scenario objectives, randomly generated by a Mission Orders chit pull. You must manage your US Navy Nimitz-class carrier, its air group, and your escorts, while encountering Soviet warships, aircraft, and missiles controlled by the game system. As the Carrier Group Commander, seeing the situation from the bridge of an aircraft carrier, you will be confronted with unexpected opportunities and challenges, represented by random Incident chits.
Carrier operations are shown in considerable detail, while other US Navy and opposing Soviet actions are more abstracted. An Alert Level, representing how much the Soviet Navy’s command is concentrating its resources against your task force, increases the possibility of running into enemy forces. Once contact is made with enemy forces, the game’s Tactical Routine is used to resolve combat. A scenario ends when you reach your Objective. Scenarios can be played individually or linked together to form a Campaign Game. Optional Rules allow for multiple players, having them each control various aspects of the US Navy force.
Carrier Battle Group deluxe edition updates the game first appearing in Modern War #14, offering new map and counter artwork, a mounted game board, updated rules, new player aid cards, and a campaign analysis article. Can you successfully command your carrier battlegroup against numerous threats in the North Atlantic, helping NATO to victory in the war that never was? There is one way to find out—play Carrier Battle Group.
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