Looking for an East Front Recommendation

[WargameGeneral]

After Smolensk '41 and with more time available due to the Covid-19 lock down, I am currently considering a second East Front title.

Stalingrad '42 caught my attention, but I am open to your suggestions and recommendations.

Thanks for your feedback.

[Mr Grumpy]

I have played S42 and really enjoyed it although I avoided the slugfest scenarios covering the fighting in the city itself.

However as I only have played S41 and S42 perhaps I am not the best person to comment as I have no experience of the other EF titles.   

One excellent rule of thumb is if you choose a title representing a campaign you find interesting you can't go far wrong! 

[Kool Kat]

After Smolensk '41 and with more time available due to the Covid-19 lock down, I am currently considering a second East Front title.

Stalingrad '42 caught my attention, but I am open to your suggestions and recommendations.

Thanks for your feedback.

Gent: 

I sent you a PM.

[76mm]

Smolensk 41 thus far has been by far my favorite PzC title. So far all of the others I've tried (Moscow 41, Moscow 42, Minsk 44) feature either winter conditions or heavily fortified lines, or both, which makes the battles very slow. and in my view rather tedious. I have not played it yet, but I've heard that Kharkov 42 is good, that is next on my list.

[Xaver]

For mobile combat you have Kharkov42, Kharkov43 is interesting to, Stalingrad42 the summer battles are not bad and the rings in Stalingrad (germans attacking in summer and defending in winter), Minsk44 is soviets like Zergs rushing germans...

But another option if you want move to a total different game is Budapest45.... late war, germans dont have the quality advantage, they have a worst allied than romanians, small battles and with a lot different actions, both sides lacks human resources and oposite to other late war titles is not like soviets can steamroll germans... or germans can steamroll soviets.

I think worst options if you want movement are Kursk and Rzhev even when this title has a few interesting mobile combat scens set in summer battles.

OFF-TOPIC: maybe is time to have a new east title? or one of the 2 possible west meats east... Poland39 and Berlin45... or following the Scheltd44 idea of dark battles something set in Curland.

[WargameGeneral]

Tending towards Stalingrad atm, but still a bit undecided... We will see... 

A new east front tile would be great as there are still many interesting scenarios left to cover, e.g.:

- Road to Leningrad '41
- East Prussia '44-45 / Baltic Gap
- Crimea '41-42

Is the Battle of Rostov in '41 covered in any of the existing titles?

[Xaver]

You are right... East in 1941 needs cover north and south areas but i prefer here south over north because offer more options playing as soviet, on this title Rostov41 could find his home.

If we cant see Berlin45 East Prussia 44-45 sounds to me very interesting, more than Crimea maybe.

Other option is create a title ala Salerno43 focus in soviets in pre- great patriotic war with winter war VS Finland, war in far east VS japanese in 1939 and if we cant see a Poland39 title cover the soviet invasion of Poland in 1939.

Stalingrad was years ago the title i recommend to start, i prefer it over Kharkov42 or Smolensk (because soviets have their moment to attack) but Budapest45 is maybe better to start because scens are smaller... is a little in the line of Tunis43 in west titles.

But Stalingrad is a good option to start apart is easier find information and use the game as complement when you read... something i love in JTS games, use them when i am reading a book about X battle.

[WargameGeneral]

I would really like to see an East Prussia 44-45 title in the style of MMP's "Baltic Gap" or Revolution Games' "Königsberg":

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3932...ummer-1944

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2468...ussia-1945

I am not sure if the Battle of Berlin would offer any interesting strategic perspectives:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Berlin

I suspect this would be rather one-sided.