Publisher/Date:
Critical Hit (1995)
Product Type:
Periodical
Country of Origin:
U.S.A.
Contents:
48 page magazine that includes 15 scenarios as pages of the magazine.
General information on Critical Hit Magazine can be found here.
Critical Hit Magazine Issue #2. 48 pages (including 15 scenarios). The second issue of Critical Hit Magazine, billed as an “Eastern Front Special Issue,” is meatier than the first, increasing both the number of pages and scenarios by a third. Worthy articles include a Scenario Replay (of CH13, Moyland Bloody Moyland) by top-rank ASL players Ray Tapio and Steve Pleva, an article with tips for beginners by Russ Gifford, and an article on Red Barricades tactics by Tim Robinson and Tom Ruta. Some copies may have come with cave and landing craft play aids or an ASL Index (they are mentioned in the “Editor’s Corner”).
Despite its ostensible East Front focus, the scenarios are actually a mixed bag, as usual. Issue #2 includes actions such as the Poland 1939 (Poles vs. Soviets, Poles vs. Germans); Soviet Union 1941 (Soviets vs. Germans), 1942 (Soviets vs. Germans), 1943 (Partisans vs. Germans, Soviets vs. Germans), and 1944 (Soviets vs. Germans); Germany 1945 (Canadians vs. Germans [2]); Guam 1941 (Americans/Guamanians vs. Japanese); Belgium 1944 (Americans vs. Germans); Guadalcanal 1942 (USMC vs. Japanese); Romania 1944 (Soviets vs. Germans); France 1944 (Americans vs. Germans); China 1938 (Chinese vs. Japanese).
Among the scenarios are several good choices, including CH11 (Rite of Passage), CH15 (No Farther, a Rout Report reprint), CH16 (Out of Luck), CH18 (Raging Furnace), CH25 (Land of the Khan), and an all-time classic, CH14 (Ninety Minute War), designed by Steven Swann, a tense and quick playing tournament-sized scenario.
CH15 (No Farther) takes place in Stalingrad and uses the Red Barricades HASL map. CH21 (A Ridge Too Far) features a Seaborne Evacuation. CH24 (Those Normandy Nights) is a DASL scenario.
On the down side, CH19 (Into the Valley) is clearly a generic made-up non-historical scenario.
It is an issue worth getting.
Note: In 2008-2009, CH reprinted content from several older issues of the magazine as “Retro Issues.” However, the content does not always entirely duplicate that of the originals. See Retro Issue section for details. The “Retro” version includes the scenarios on cardstock (though the original scenario pages are still there); the scenarios also ostensibly incorporate any errata.
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