Publisher/Date:
Multi-Man Publishing (2023)
Product Type:
Mini-Scenario/Map Pack
Country of Origin:
United States
Contents:
2 8" x 22" unmounted geoboards (89, 90), 3 scenarios on cardstock
Every January brings a new year and a new geoboard or two, thanks to MMP’s “bonus pack” series, which reached its 14th iteration with its release at the January 2023 Winter Offensive gaming convention organized by MMP. Thus each winter, ASL scenario designers rush to see whether the new boards will aid their future scenario creation efforts or be consigned to the bottom shelf, while ASL players wonder how they’re going to shove another couple of geoboards into their bulging plastic containers. Now that’s a winter wonderland.
Bonus Pack #14 comes with two geoboards, 89 and 90, which may be fairly close to the age of the average ASLer these days. Both are “traditional” boards, i.e., 8″ x 22″ in dimension, rather than the alternative “gary-style” 11″ x 16″ boards. Board 89 features a long farming village stretched out between two parallel roads. On one side of the village is a long ravine, while the other side is mostly farmland. It’s a pastoral board, essentially, and seems possibly intended to mimic one of the countless farming villages in southern Russia and Ukraine that tended to stretch along roads:
You’ll note those villages, as in the above example, tended to have gardens, orchards, or small fields stretching back behind each farmhouse, often separated by fences, walls, or hedges. The way the grain blobs of board 89 are designed, it’s possible that they may have been intended to represent such things, although they are not typically separated from the buildings by a road. In any case, one supposes that this board could double for such a village, in a pinch, even if one has to suspend a little disbelief.
Board 90 is much less interesting; it’s just a flat expanse dominated by large grainfields, with a gully bisecting one half of the map, and some orchards and woods thrown in for good measure. Nary a building to be seen, though.
Three scenarios accompany the geoboards, two from Pete Shelling and one from Don Petros, who probably also designed the boards.
WO43 (Hell’s Headache) is set in the Soviet Union in July 1942. It uses board 89 (only) and depicts a Soviet attack with 16 1st-line and conscript squads against a German trench position with 9 1st-line squads as defenders, aided by a 50L AT gun. Halfway through, both sides get reinforcements to make it interesting: the Soviets get 3 more squads, plus 3 AFVs, while the Germans get 6 more squads, plus 3 AFVs of their own. To win, the Soviets have to get more VP than the Germans, with VP gained by having mobile AFVs and controlling buildings. If you wanted some village violence, this would be it.
WO44 (Little Village) is set in the Soviet Union in July 1943 and uses both boards 89 and 90. It’s a longer (at 7.5 turns) and longer action depicting a German combined arms attack. The Germans have 16 mostly-elite squads, very well led and with toys such as flamethrowers and DCs. Oh, and they also have 5 tanks (including a Tiger) and 5 halftracks. The defending Soviets have 12 first–line squads, 2 T-34s, and 3 guns. They can also purchase a fair number of different types of fortifications. The Germans win if they control 20 building locations and get 8 squad-equivalents of guys to an area of board 89.
WO45 (Better Than Nothing) is set in Hungary in October 1944 and is set on board 90. It features a Soviet attack with 16 squads and three AFVs against a German trench position defended by 9 squads and one gun. The Germans get 2 AFVs as reinforcements. The Russians win if they get more VP than the Germans. Both sides get exit VP for booking it off the east edge, plus they get VP for good order units in trenches. So dig or dash, apparently.
The scenarios all look interesting, but after a year and a half of playing, may be a bit unbalanced, so perhaps offer balances accordingly:
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