War in the East

Last updated

War In The East: The Russo-German Conflict, 1941-45 is a board game published in 1974 by Simulations Publications.

Contents

Description

In 1974, SPI had produced War in the East, a "monster" wargame (having more than 1000 counters) that simulated the Eastern Front conflict between Germany and the Soviet Union from "Operation Barbarossa" in 1941 until Germany's surrender in 1945. Two years later, in 1976, SPI published War in the West , which covered the Allied-German conflict in Western Europe and North Africa. Later the same year, SPI published War in Europe , which combined a revised version of War in the East (henceforth called War in the East, 2nd edition) and War in the West. Players can either play one or the other, or can combine both games into one massive campaign covering the entire European Theater called War in Europe.

Publication history

In 1974, game designer Jim Dunnigan designed War in the East, a large game (3 maps, 2000 counters) to simulate the eastern front of World War II. The result was what critic Jon Freeman called "an ungainly beast with two thousand counters and poorly written rules. If anyone ever finished it, the fact has gone unreported." [1] Dunnigan revised the game and in 1976 released a slimmed down second edition that had only 1000 counters. Critic Freeman called this version "a lot more manageable." [1]

SPI combined the new version of War in the East with the newly published War in the West, which covered the western front of World War II, to produce War in Europe . All three games featured cartography and graphic design by Redmond A. Simonsen. Although War in the West stayed in SPI's Top Ten list for four months following its publication. [2]

Reception

In the 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming , Nicholas Palmer states that "There are two editions, of which the more recent is preferable as it mates with War in the West and clarifies some rules." [3]

In the 1980 book The Complete Book of Wargames , game designer Jon Freeman called the second edition of War in the East "a bit simpler and a bit more playable than [GDW's rival monster game] Drang Nach Osten! . However, Freeman thought the complexity and length of the game made it only suitable for die-hard gamers, and only gave it an Overall Evaluation of "Fair", saying, "the point of a game this size is hard to imagine, although it certainly keeps people off the streets." [1]

Reviews

Related Research Articles

<i>PanzerBlitz</i> World War II board wargame published in 1970

PanzerBlitz is a tactical-scale board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1970 that simulates armored combat set on the Eastern Front of World War II. The game, which was the most popular board wargame of the 1970s, is notable for being the first true board-based tactical-level, commercially available conflict simulation wargame. It also pioneered several concepts that would become industry standards.

<i>Drang Nach Osten!</i>

Drang Nach Osten! is a monster board wargame published in 1973 by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) that simulates Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. The game was the first of what was envisioned as a series of games with identical wargame rules and map scale that would simulate the entire Second World War in Europe.

<i>Jutland</i> (board game) War themed board game

Jutland is a naval board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1967 that simulates the Battle of Jutland in the North Sea during World War I. Upon its release, Jutland was commended for its gameplay and mechanics, but criticism surrounded the complex rules and playing time.

Sniper!, subtitled "House-to-House Fighting in World War II", is a two-player board wargame about man-to-man combat in urban environments during WWII, originally released in 1973 by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI). After TSR purchased SPI in 1982, TSR released an expanded edition of Sniper! in 1986, and followed up that up with releases of various "companion games" and a videogame.

<i>Patrol</i> (board game) Board wargame

Patrol, subtitled "Man to Man Combat in the 20th Century", is a skirmish-level board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1974 as a sequel to Sniper!, which had been released the previous year. Whereas Sniper! was set in urban environments during the Second World War, Patrol is set in a non-urban environment, in various conflicts ranging from 1914 to 1970.

<i>Battle for Germany</i>

Battle for Germany is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates World War II operations in Germany during 1945

<i>War in Europe</i> (game)

War in Europe is a grand strategic "monster" board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that attempts to simulate the entirety of the European theatre of World War II from 1939 to 1945. One of the largest wargames ever produced, War in Europe features 4000 counters, four rulebooks, and nine maps that when placed together cover an area of 38.5 ft2. The game is nominally a three-player game, but each side can be represented by teams of players. SPI estimated the full game would take at least 180 hours.

<i>Terrible Swift Sword</i> (game)

Terrible Swift Sword: Battle of Gettysburg Game is a grand tactical regimental level board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. A second edition was published by TSR in 1986.

<i>Panzergruppe Guderian</i> (game)

Panzergruppe Guderian is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. in 1976 that simulates the 1941 Battle of Smolensk during World War II.

<i>StarSoldier</i> Board wargame

StarSoldier is a science fiction board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1977.

<i>Firefight: Modern U.S. and Soviet Small Unit Tactics</i> Tactical wargame

Firefight: Modern U.S. and Soviet Small Unit Tactics is a tactical wargame originally published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that hypothesizes combat between small units of American and Soviet forces in West Germany in the 1970s.

<i>Wacht am Rhein</i> (game)

Wacht am Rhein is a grand tactical monster board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1977 that simulates Germany's Battle of the Bulge offensive in late 1944 during World War II.

<i>Barbarossa: The Russo-German War 1941-45</i> 1969 board wargame

Barbarossa: The Russo-German War 1941-45 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1969 that simulates the conflict between Germany and the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front of World War II. This was only SPI's second game produced during a preliminary round of "Test Series" games, and proved to be the most popular. Despite the title, taken from the German operational name for their initial invasion of the Soviet Union, the game covers the entire Eastern Front campaign from the German invasion in 1941 to the Fall of Berlin in 1945.

<i>Korea: The Mobile War</i> Board wargame

Korea: The Mobile War is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1969 that simulates the Korean War.

<i>MechWar 77</i> Board wargame

MechWar '77, subtitled "Tactical Armored Combat in the 1970s", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates hypothetical tank combat in the mid-1970s between various adversaries, using the same rules system as the previously published Panzer '44.

<i>Napoleon at Waterloo</i> (board wargame) Board wargame

Napoleon at Waterloo is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1971 that simulates the Battle of Waterloo. The game, which features simple rules, was designed as an introduction to board wargaming, and was given as a free gift with each subscription to SPI's Strategy & Tactics magazine.

<i>Frigate: Sea War in the Age of Sail</i> Board wargame

Frigate: Sea War in the Age of Sail is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1974 that simulates naval combat in the 18th and 19th century Age of Sail.

<i>Tannenberg</i> (wargame) Board wargame published in 1969

Tannenberg is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1969 that simulates the Battle of Tannenberg on World War I's Eastern Front. The game was created by game designer Jim Dunnigan as a companion piece for Avalon Hill's Western Front wargame 1914, also designed by Dunnigan. Although Tannenberg could be played as a standalone game, rules were included to combine it and 1914 into a two-front wargame. Nine years later, Tannenberg was completely revised and republished as a free pull-out game in SPI's house magazine Strategy & Tactics to promote SPI's upcoming release of The Great War in the East. The second edition was also sold as a standalone game.

<i>Panzer 44: Tactical Combat in Western Europe, 1944–45</i> Board wargame

Panzer '44: Tactical Combat in Western Europe, 1944–45 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates historical tank combat during World War II.

<i>Revolt in the East</i> 1976 Cold War-themed board wargame

Revolt in the East, subtitled "Warsaw Pact Rebellion in the 1970's", is a Cold War-themed board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates a hypothetical rebellion of Warsaw Pact states against the Soviet Union, with possible intervention by NATO forces.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Freeman, Jon (1980). The Complete Book of Wargames. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 191–192.
  2. ↑ "SPI Best Selling Games - 1976". spigames.net. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  3. ↑ Palmer, Nicholas (1977). The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming . London: Sphere Books. pp. 182–183.
  4. ↑ Horn, Robert E; Cleaves, Ann; Zuckerman, David W, eds. (1980). The Guide to Simulations: Games for Education and Training . Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications. pp. 521–522. ISBN   978-0-8039-1375-2.
  5. ↑ "Games and Puzzles magazine | Wiki | BoardGameGeek".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.