Konigsberg

[mikeh]

All set up and ready to go. Game is by Revolution Games and uses the same system as Across The Narva and Celles.

[mikeh]

Off to a slow start. After both sides artillery barrages, it turned into a shoving match on the 2nd Belorussian Front between the Soviets 48th Army and Germany's 20th and 23rd Corps along with assistance of the 904th and 909th Independent Panzer Brigades. The Soviets pushed the enemy back 1 hex (8 Kilometers).

[mikeh]

Elements of Soviet 5th Army of 3rd Belorussian Front overwhelms a German regiment with the aid of airpower.

Airpower gets you a 1 or 2 column shift on the CRT depending on how you want to use it. Using the 1 side will get you that counter back next turn if you use the 2 side you get the counter back at the beginning of your second turn. Air counters can only be used on the attack not on defense.

[mikeh]

End of turn 2 and 3rd Belorussian Front has made good progress.

[mikeh]

On the 2nd Belorussian Front, units and HQ of 5th Guard Tank Army makes good progress moving up the east bank of the Vistula north of Warsaw. Germans activate 27th Korps and try and cut off the advance of the 5th GTA, in the end they cut off the Soviet HQ's of two Soviet Armies.

[Whiterook]

Oh my, this is a big’n! Big map and lots of counters… it makes the heart race! I really love the looks of these Revolution Games’ offerings. I may have to pull the trigger on buying some of these in time! I’m Really enjoying your AAR’s!

[mikeh]

Soviet 3rd Army of 2nd Belorussian Front just blows up the German 23rd Corps leaving a huge gap in the German line.

Luckily the next chit draw activated the German 20th Corps (right side) enabling it to avoid possible capture on a future turn. 20 Corps did have to leave a Panzer regiment (left side) behind however. This unit can no longer do anything but defend itself.

[mikeh]

Position of Germany's 20th Corps HQ after slipping away. It has one of its own corp units under it and also extracted 3 independent units with it.

All German units can activate any 3 independent units within it's command range, the Soviets 2. So one trick for either side is to keep these independent units within command range of as many HQ units as possible for multiple activations per turn. Only these independent units can move and attack multiple times in a turn

[mikeh]

Sept 18, 2022 14:34:00 GMT -5 Whiterook said:

Oh my, this is a big’n! Big map and lots of counters… it makes the heart race! I really love the looks of these Revolution Games’ offerings. I may have to pull the trigger on buying some of these in time! I’m Really enjoying your AAR’s!

Konigsberg, Across the Narva and Celles my last three purchases and love them all. Great system that uses really basic mechanics for the most part, movement, combat, zoc's, all of it is just basic wargames mechanics so very easy to pick up with a little extra effort. The uncertainty of the chit pulls and what you may pull really makes this a great solo experience even though not strictly a solo game. You never know whats going to happen, there are so many chit and options that can be drawn on any one turn. I have had one Soviet unit move just once in 4 turns because it's activation chit was never pulled the other three turns. But for all this uncerainty it really plays "smooth", for want of a better word. 

I have seen folks say how these games would be good for beginners, as I mentioned for one thing the mechanics are very basic but another thing is when you draw a HQ chit all you will have to move and do combat with will be from 4 to maybe 10 counters per turn, counting independent units. This way a new player does not really need to concern himself with whats happening across the whole map, just concentrate on the few units you have activated. 

A little run down on the three games I have and what makes them different, 

Celles, Smaller map and counter count, great for getting into the system, and it's the BoB!                                
Across The Narva, Very constricted play, the terrain is mostly swamp and you can't wander to far off any roads, trails, RR tracks etc, etc. Can be a real nightmare to get your troops set up for just about anything you are  planning.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Konigsberg, Seems pretty wide open, movement not so constricted but tracing supply lines still needs to be on your mind. Soviets are more plentiful and stronger and with easier terrain to traverse the Germans spend alot of time plugging holes in their line but they do get in the occasional counter attack or spoiling attack to upset the Soviet attack. 

[Whiterook]

I love the ZOC mechanic; as I recall, PanzerGrenadier had one of the better rules mechanics on that for Wargames I’ve played and seen… but from what I’ve seen in your plays of these, I like these games better.

Great take on the three games… it hit home how cool each is in its own way and is really making me want to try one, which would probably be the Celles one, as as you say, it seems a good entry point into the system.

[mikeh]

The draw cup with more to add to this! The Isolated chit got in their by accident and has since been removed.

[mikeh]

The Germans 55th Corps (blue) and 6th Corps (red) start out between the two Belorussian Fronts and could not move either HQ due to their defensive positions until released, either by the Soviets capturing 2 Victory Points or the start of turn six. They could still move their commanded units however and started to draw them back to either road hexes (55th) or railroad (6th).

The 6th Corps is in the most precarious position with Soviet units close to cutting the rail line, 55th Corps is still in pretty good shape of escaping the trap. Both Corps need to have their Activation Chits pulled sooner though rather then later.

[mikeh]

The action around Goldap last night.

[mikeh]

The action at Goldap 1945

[mikeh]

Soviet 2nd Shock Army 2nd Belorussian Front seizes a rail line with no German units defending against them. At the moment if 2nd SA chit drawn they could use strategic movement and move half their units all the way north end possibly threaten Elbing or Konigsberg itself should either be captured it is an automatic Soviet win. Of course that would mean leaving behind couple more units including armor.

Should the Soviets decide to wait and consolidate all 2nd SA units onto the rail line they will risk having the line north cut by the Germans. That is of course if the Germans can draw the activation chit needed to perform the task.