Case Blue '42:
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Endcliffe Hall, Sheffield
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It is July 1942. The titanic struggle between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union hangs in the balance. Over the next few months the course of the Second World War and the fate of millions will be decided by the decisions made by military and political commanders on both sides.
After launching a surprise assault on the Soviet Union in 1941 and making vast territorial gains the German armed forces were halted at the gates of Moscow by the Soviet armies. Following an order from Hitler that there be no retreat the German forces have survived both the bitter Russian winter and Soviet counter-attacks, but they have suffered severe losses.
Seizing the initiative, the Soviet forces launched a series of ambitious counter-attacks in Spring 1942. Outmanoeuvred on the ground and in the air the Soviets suffer costly defeats. With the Soviet armies in the south particularly weak and demoralised the German High Command sense the opportunity for a massive offensive to break Soviet resistance and win the war on the Eastern Front by seizing the massive oil resources of the Caucasus region for Germany and starving Soviet Union of the fuel it needs to continue the war.
They name their plan Case Blue.
Summary
Case Blue is an operational military game with political elements covering the events between July and December 1942 in the Caucasus region of Russia. German players will be asked to plan and then execute a major offensive designed to seize the oil resources of the Caucasus region and hold them against Soviet counter-attacks. Soviet players will be asked to plan and execute both a defensive strategy and a decisive counter-attack.
Roles
Players will be asked to take the role of one of the military commanders of the German or Soviet armed forces. Each player will receive a briefing setting out their character's background and personality traits. Players will be asked to act in accordance with their character's personality and interests when making decisions during the game.
Players will be split between three tiers for each side: High Command, Senior Generals and Operational Commanders.
High Command will spend time dealing with 'big picture' problems and forming plans for the whole side. They will need to negotiate with political leadership and other players and will need to acquire and expend Political Capital to achieve their objectives.
Senior Generals will spend time managing their teams of commanders and deciding how best to implement High Command's plans. They will need to carefully balance the need to negotiate with High Command for supplies and support while responding to tactical threats and opportunities by giving orders to Operational Commanders.
Operational Commanders will spend time 'at the front' commanding troops and aircraft on the main maps via a hex-based dice combat system which is designed to be fun, kinetic and decisive.
Gameplay
Military operations will take place on a series of hex-based maps of the Caucasus region. Land combat will be resolved on the main maps while air combat will be resolved on boards at the foot of each map. There will also be scope for naval combat in the Black Sea.
Outside of events on the battlefield negotiation between players and with senior political leaders, played by control, will also be key to success.
The game will take place over a six month period with action at the battlefield taking place on a weekly basis. Land and air units will be represented by tokens. Land units are moved across the main maps to take objectives while air units fight for control of the skies on the air combat boards before moving to the main map to support land units and strike targets.
All units will need to use supplies such as food, ammunition and fuel in order to keep fighting. Maintaining supply lines to units will be a vital aspect of the game.
Scale
The campaign involved the movement of many hundreds of thousands of troops on both sides and many thousands of aircraft and fighting vehicles. The focus of the game will therefore be on the use of large formations numbering in the tens of thousands of troops.
What other megagames will Case Blue be like?
With Case Blue we aim to run a game which will be accessible to players who have not played megagames or wargames before while also having some familiar elements for those who have played games such as Very British Civil War, Not Over By Christmas and Don't Panic.
After launching a surprise assault on the Soviet Union in 1941 and making vast territorial gains the German armed forces were halted at the gates of Moscow by the Soviet armies. Following an order from Hitler that there be no retreat the German forces have survived both the bitter Russian winter and Soviet counter-attacks, but they have suffered severe losses.
Seizing the initiative, the Soviet forces launched a series of ambitious counter-attacks in Spring 1942. Outmanoeuvred on the ground and in the air the Soviets suffer costly defeats. With the Soviet armies in the south particularly weak and demoralised the German High Command sense the opportunity for a massive offensive to break Soviet resistance and win the war on the Eastern Front by seizing the massive oil resources of the Caucasus region for Germany and starving Soviet Union of the fuel it needs to continue the war.
They name their plan Case Blue.
Summary
Case Blue is an operational military game with political elements covering the events between July and December 1942 in the Caucasus region of Russia. German players will be asked to plan and then execute a major offensive designed to seize the oil resources of the Caucasus region and hold them against Soviet counter-attacks. Soviet players will be asked to plan and execute both a defensive strategy and a decisive counter-attack.
Roles
Players will be asked to take the role of one of the military commanders of the German or Soviet armed forces. Each player will receive a briefing setting out their character's background and personality traits. Players will be asked to act in accordance with their character's personality and interests when making decisions during the game.
Players will be split between three tiers for each side: High Command, Senior Generals and Operational Commanders.
High Command will spend time dealing with 'big picture' problems and forming plans for the whole side. They will need to negotiate with political leadership and other players and will need to acquire and expend Political Capital to achieve their objectives.
Senior Generals will spend time managing their teams of commanders and deciding how best to implement High Command's plans. They will need to carefully balance the need to negotiate with High Command for supplies and support while responding to tactical threats and opportunities by giving orders to Operational Commanders.
Operational Commanders will spend time 'at the front' commanding troops and aircraft on the main maps via a hex-based dice combat system which is designed to be fun, kinetic and decisive.
Gameplay
Military operations will take place on a series of hex-based maps of the Caucasus region. Land combat will be resolved on the main maps while air combat will be resolved on boards at the foot of each map. There will also be scope for naval combat in the Black Sea.
Outside of events on the battlefield negotiation between players and with senior political leaders, played by control, will also be key to success.
The game will take place over a six month period with action at the battlefield taking place on a weekly basis. Land and air units will be represented by tokens. Land units are moved across the main maps to take objectives while air units fight for control of the skies on the air combat boards before moving to the main map to support land units and strike targets.
All units will need to use supplies such as food, ammunition and fuel in order to keep fighting. Maintaining supply lines to units will be a vital aspect of the game.
Scale
The campaign involved the movement of many hundreds of thousands of troops on both sides and many thousands of aircraft and fighting vehicles. The focus of the game will therefore be on the use of large formations numbering in the tens of thousands of troops.
What other megagames will Case Blue be like?
With Case Blue we aim to run a game which will be accessible to players who have not played megagames or wargames before while also having some familiar elements for those who have played games such as Very British Civil War, Not Over By Christmas and Don't Panic.