Battle Report: Stalingrad '42 from GMT Games - The Players' Aid

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[@TomStearns1964]

FYI German minor allies cannot stack or attack with one another, but they can stack and attack with German units. So first turn Romanians and Germans could have attacked together. In Mark Simonitch designs with ZOC Bonds you are better off not deploying a full line on defense. Utilize ZOC bonds with max stacking and then form a secondary line with interlocking ZOC Bonds. This prevents you from get surrounded and pocketed on defense.Filling every hex and doing so weakly enables the attacker to maximize their attacks. I will attack into the weak hex and break the line and therefore break any zoc bond potential. Another strategy I employ is to not deploy into a crucial hex but instead place the hex between two strong stacks. That way the attacker isnt attacking into the crucial hex itself.

[@Nangwaya]

What a great dialogue you guys had. I really like that each of you took over the commentary for what your side was doing each turn. Just brilliant!

[@palibrae]

I think the German player must be more aggressive--this game shows what can happen if you are too cautious. Pick a couple of weak points in the enemy front and concentrate all your armor, air and supplies there to blast a hole with high odds attacks. Then rush everybody through the gaps. No broad front offensive with low odds crapshoots. This playthrough allowed the Soviets to conduct a successful delaying action. Compare the scenario end positions here to historical maps and you will see a big difference.

[@marchanna]

Fantastic job! Great to see you guys playing and talking instead of talking about playing :) Keep up the great work!

[@xPEACExTSM]

I have Holland 44 on the table right now. I have been thinking about this. Great to see a play through thank you.

[@Seven8001]

Nice to see you guys actually playing a war game.

[@brianhollin495]

Greatings from the Evil Empire! TPA always the first place I turn to for reviews and play-throughs. Keep up the good work!

[@ThePlayersAid]

Thanks for the kind words. May your dice always roll sixes.

[@richardlowe4069]

Good to see you guys getting down and dirty in the bear pit! I'm playing a Vassal Ukraine '43 and a France '40 so I'm becoming familiar with the system. The Simonitch system seems to reward aggressive play. The key is building a few powerful stacks and attacking with those, rather than a broad front approach. That counts for the player who is primarily on the defensive too. A big stack can disrupt an enemy one, which takes it out for the next round. Its a tricky balancing act between forming large stacks, but keeping enough units spread out to form ZOC bonds to hold the main line. I'd love to see really good ZOC bond players go at it (sorry Grant and Alexander, no offence intended, you'd probably whup my ass), say some of the Grogs at a WBC meeting. Thanks for the play-through, and an excellent format too. The end of turn de-brief is enough, we don't need to see all the moves, attacks, etc, it saves a lot of time just the way you've done it, and conveys the strategies, game style, and angst nicely! I look forward to seeing more just like it. Keep up the good work guys, your efforts are appreciated.

[@Diabolik771]

Ukraine 43' CRT chart is WAY slanted for the attacker than any of his other games I've played. It's because the Soviets are pretty weak on offense. If the Germans get aggressive back, they crush the Soviets in battles. Stalingrad '42 is not so drastic.

[@varovaro1967]

The cat won by pulverizing that city on the Volga with an atomic bomb...

[@vinsal072]

Thanks for posting this, btw, fortifications can't be built in City hexes (9.7.3)

[@ThePlayersAid]

Haha, yes, we figured that in about turn 3 and then moved them

[@holdenmesserschmitt160]

Great as always. Love this system. Love it!

[@jesttaktycznie2211]

Awesome video. Good Job.

[@xPEACExTSM]

Caution probably ok. IMHO Breakouts are the key and it appears they must be executed perfectly to get substantial push of the line. Going to take a bit of practice to really “get it”. At least, that’s what I discovered with 30 Corps in Holland44. Yeah I ordered this... thanks guys 🤫don’t tell my wife😉.

[@ThePlayersAid]

Love this system. You won't regret ordering it from a game stand point. From a spousal stand point however..

[@raymow9683]

Nice playthrough... detailed enough to understand the general flow yet not bogged down in micro details. TY! Simonitch + Case Blue + Updated Hex & Counter + GMT Quality = No Brainer IMHO. P500 last year. Clipped & stored in trays in Que ready to play this next winter after I catch up with other games piled up LOL. Quick question though, any comments on the balance as in this scenario the Germans seem to have a pretty tight schedule in order to win. I'm wondering if you really played that cautious or if obtaining adequate odds is the real issue thus making it perhaps a bit unbalanced?

[@ThePlayersAid]

It's a tough question, honestly. The odds on certain parts of the line are a straight 50/50. and the big mess in the south is further hampered by an inability to launch multinational attacks. So those Italians have to go on their own (the suck) etc. If I had been more willing to run those 50/50 odds I maybe could have disrupted the Russian lines earlier and made a much better break through. The schedule is tight for sure. I also don't like when a game hinges on a 1:1 odds attack or two. But then, this was just the intro scenario. Based on my experience with Holland '44 I imagine the grand campaign is much less restrictive in that way.

[@66morningview]

Some stirring music in the background to accompany the German advance!

[@66morningview]

You should play Nevsky next, same situation 700 years earlier. Although admitedly a bit furhter north than this game.

[@e-4airman124]

thank you

[@chickenspadge]

Another good video, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to take you two lads to task for something else. I've just found out that your surnames are Klein and Kleinhetz. With that in mind, I can't believe that you named the channel _'The Player's Aid'_, thereby passing up a golden opportunity to use a cheesy military pun such as _'On the Frontklein'_, _'Messerschmidt One-oh-Klein'_ or even _'Wacht am Klein'_. You really dropped the ball there!

[@ThePlayersAid]

Hmm. Yes. These are exceedingly good puns. I'm going to save this and wee might use these for different spots or series.

[@jakubdampc7528]

Will you make the same video about Ardennes '44? It would be very interesting.

[@ThePlayersAid]

At some point, probably. Unsure when we'll get it to the table though.

[@montanacreed5826]

I am only a little familiar with these games, but haven't ever played one. Can they be played by a single player, or would it be impossible because of different strategies different players would bring to the game?

[@xPEACExTSM]

👍

[@johnrollins8346]

Hi, where do you get the pincers from?

[@ThePlayersAid]

I just use my cheap hobby tweezers that I get from and modelling or crafting superstore (Hobby Lobby, Michael's, here in the US). There's probably much better options for wargames out there.

[@mindbomb9341]

A game called Stalingrad without Stalingrad on the map. Interesting.

[@ThePlayersAid]

It does, its just on the fourth map in turn 20!

[@josephcade6425]

So those two units are actually Lithuanians fighting for the Germans? I have never heard of Lithuanian formations on that scale fighting in 1942?

[@ThePlayersAid]

Nah, my bad, they were Romanian, I knew I'd mess the flag up, haha.

[@craigclemens986]

The Germans got their butts kicked

[@craigclemens986]

The East is not the West