Traces of War Solo AAR Playthrough & Review | WW2 Wargame | Vuca Simulations | East Front

[@jbthor03]

This has to be the best wargame review video I’ve ever seen. Very well done sir. Amazing production on this. Will look forward to see what you play next.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks very much for the kind words! I'm working on an Antietam video this weekend. That should be next. :)

[@tookiem7618]

Vuca has truly set the standard for wargames. All wargame companies need to take notice. For the price you get a higher quality of game than some others that are much more expensive. Also, with such quick concise rules it's like Vuca actually wants you to table the game and play. Love it!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Their production values and use of color are outstanding, for sure. Lots to like in what they make! :)

[@helenaconstantine]

The most beautiful map I've ever seen in a wargame.

[@ZillaBlitz]

It's very well done, yes. The whole art design is spot on, I think.

[@alanshackelford6450]

The quality of materials is even more impressive. Can't really see that on a video.

[@pauldangel734]

Really good video - your best one, I think. The interweaving of play narrative and mechanics explanations was excellent.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks very much. This comment made my day. I wanted to try this new format, for longer games, so I was a bit nervous how it might be received. :)

[@tookiem7618]

I absolutely LOVE the color pallet for this game!!!! I wish all of my wargames used this style.

[@ZillaBlitz]

It really is easy on the eyes, for sure, and feels somehow quite appropriate. :)

[@stephenowen9382]

Excellent - the next one in the series is Traces of Hubris which looks at Case Blau, the summer '42 offensive towards Stalingrad.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Yes, I'm looking forward to that one. I talk about it on my Upcoming Wargames episode. :)

[@phd_angel4192]

I wonder why they make short campaign games... In any case, does it make sense to play Hubris first and ToW second as chronologically ordered challenges? Thanks.

[@whovian223]

Love this format! Really works for longer games.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks, Dave! I'm very curious to try this with longer and bigger games too. I'm super happy that people seem to like it. I want to keep doing the full playthroughs, too, but as you mention, this can make longer games more feasible.

[@thecustardprophet8434]

I loved that. Really well presented, and I didn't expect the outcome given how things started. That map is massive!!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks! I was surprised to see how quickly things shifted for the Russians. Moving two HQs close to each other really put pressure on the Germans. ~ The map looks bigger on the screen than it is in real life. :)

[@SoloBattles]

Excellent video! The chit pull system really makes it come alive. It allows a lot of variability and strategy. Much more than would be possible with a classic YM/IM game.

[@ZillaBlitz]

The other thing it does is keep both players involved, as you're not waiting so long between turns. In the early going, the Russian player is more active than the German player, but that balances out some as things go forward.

[@SoloBattles]

@@ZillaBlitz Good Point! Even if not played solo, it still feels like it's always your turn.😃

[@nunogonzalez4037]

Great quality video Zilla. You deserve to be promoted!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks very much! This was fun to play and make. :)

[@YvesRince]

Outstanding AAR! Best I have seen, EVER. THX🎉

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks so much for the kind words. I’m glad liked it, it was great fun to make. :)

[@YvesRince]

@@ZillaBlitz can we get in touch? I have a game to be released by VUCA.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Sure thing! I'm on Twitter at @gzblitz or my email can be gotten from the bottom of the channel "about" page here: www.youtube.com/@ZillaBlitz/about @@YvesRince

[@StackingLimit]

Great video. This video was on my radar but really wasn't sure I wanted to buy. You incredible Playthrough, AAR, has put it on my Christmas Wishlist.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks for the kind words, and I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I hope you enjoy the game as well. It's been great fun to play. :)

[@ParkeraNZ]

New format 1000% winner

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks! I think it's less dramatic than the live stuff, but it's a nice option, I hope, for condensing a 4-hour game into 30 minutes. :)

[@ottervonbismarck6331]

We need more of this! i absolutely love this Videos❤

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks, Otter!

[@richardkingston794]

Enjoyed this video format. Great play through.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks, Richard! I want to keep doing full playthroughs, too, but this format was really fun to make. I want to explore and refine it more as well, especially for longer games.

[@lilesindiecorner]

I really enjoyed this video. To the point, with some excellent explanations and a solid ending. Well done!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks! I think it could be a format for longer games. I want to keep doing the playthrough style too, though. :)

[@SoloBattles]

@ZillaBlitz I think your format with skipping the actual moves and just going directly to end turn analysis works good with these hex and counter games.

[@ZillaBlitz]

I like the full playthroughs for shorter games, but for longer games I think this format might work really well.

[@richardchampion4826]

Just got this yesterday, looks good. Well done on the video, and thanks.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks, Richard. I hope you enjoy the game! :)

[@leee.5841]

Great AAR. Thanks for doing this!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks! :)

[@phd_angel4192]

Thanks for the review! Please how do you compare this game with A Victory Awaits and/or The Russian Campaign GMT Delux?

[@ZillaBlitz]

My pleasure! I've not played A Victory Awaits. I think the biggest difference between this and the Russian Campaign is the scale, as The Russian Campaign covers the whole East Front war, while this is a very short time period in it. I hope this helps. :)

[@MrElliptific]

Great video. Really like your channel. Where do you find the time and energy to deliver such good content?

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks for the kind words! Sometimes it can be a challenge to make time to create stuff, but I find I actually get energy from the process, so it makes it easy to jump into when I want to relax. Thanks for stopping in again!

[@neue01]

Those maps are beautiful

[@ZillaBlitz]

They really are. The color palette skills of Vuca really show up in their game design. :)

[@tookiem7618]

It makes pushing around cardboard that much more immersive. I wish all Easter Front gsmes looked like this. ​@@ZillaBlitz

[@coyi51]

Really enjoyable play through, liked the swings and roundabouts of both sides fortunes. Still not purchased A Vuca game yet, but this might just be be the one. Many thanks

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks, coyi! I'm glad you liked it. I was a bit nervous with the new format but people seem to be enjoying it. This is a very playable game, easy to get to the table I think. I love the attention to detail. :)

[@alanshackelford6450]

You wouldn't be disappointed in the quality of components!!

[@coyi51]

@@alanshackelford6450 My first Vuca game, just need to get it on the table.

[@allegedlycaleb]

Love to see these hex and counter AAR's!

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks! This was fun to make. :)

[@vinsal072]

Great job. The HQ relocation rules seems to me to be a game play mechanic. Since each turn is a month long I guess it would be possible to move a HQ anywhere in 30-ish days. Again great job.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks! Yes, reflecting on that, the HQ mechanic movement wise would make sense. What I wonder about though, I moving the HQ to act as a defensive speed bump, if you will, or repositioning 4 HQs near one clump of units so that you can move the same narrow area of the front for 6 impulses in the same turn. I wonder if it's a bit overpowered in the 4-turn scenario. I'd want to play more before saying too much, though, and you could always create a house rule to limit things. :)

[@vedranbileta8346]

great video! Can you make a vid of the one turn, just to see how the game is actually played As I am thinking of getting it for solo play Also, what about luftwaffe chits...shouldn't they be in the game?

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks for the compliment! I've got a fairly large list of video projects that I'm playing though, and so unfortunately I won't have time to make another video for this one.

[@Tupinamba77]

excellent video. Makes one want to buy the game.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks for the kind words, it's a fun game. :)

[@tookiem7618]

Please tell me the name of the background music or post a link. I want to use this when I play my games. Awesome background track!

[@ZillaBlitz]

I'm not sure that I know the name of the music, to be honest. I bought a "game design music collection" on the Unity store a while back, and this was one of the tracks. Because I've deleted the working file for the video, I'm no longer able to figure out specifically which track it was from the album. I think this was the set it came from though: assetstore.unity.com/packages/audio/music/orchestral/ultimate-game-music-collection-37351

[@tookiem7618]

​@@ZillaBlitzThank you so much.

[@Solkills]

I bought Donnershlag last year. After your video about Chase of the Bismarck, I bought a copy too. And now, after this... Well, no choice but to also buy a copy :)

[@ZillaBlitz]

Whoops! I hope your wallet is okay, my apologies. :) Joking aside, this is a very solid game, I think you'll enjoy it. Very "get to the table-ish" too. I have Task Force from Vuca to look at shortly, too, so one more coming. :)

[@Solkills]

Damn, and I also preorder Red Strike... my wallet will be in pain 😅

[@ZillaBlitz]

Aha, you've got a lot of fun experiences in front of you! Enjoy!

[@joeyj6808]

ZB has inspired me to a number of purchases too. I wish he got a commission!

[@petergibson9009]

Nice review! It looks very similar in scope and feel to A Victory Lost. Have you played that and do you have an opinion on the comparison between the two?

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks, Peter! Interesting, I've not heard of A Victory Lost but looking it up it on Board Game Geek, it definitely is the same battle/campaign. :) It'd be interesting to compare the two at some point. I'm very impressed with the mechanics and playability of this title though.

[@petergibson9009]

@@ZillaBlitz AVL also uses a chit pull system, has unit setup printed on the map, etc. It's obviously set earlier in 1943 but it's the same area. I really liked AVL.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Hahaha! It's the same designer! I was looking at the counters for AVL and saying, "Wow, most of the combat factors are the same as the ones in Traces of War. And the command headquarters look very similar. This looks like it's got a ton of overlap with Traces of War." Then I saw the designer's name: Tetsuya Nakamura. Same person! So I'd guess that Traces of War is a refinement of his early game from 15+ years ago. :)@@petergibson9009

[@petergibson9009]

@@ZillaBlitz oh wow I didn't realise. Nice catch!

[@RobBrennan]

@@ZillaBlitz The games cover different time periods even though they use basically the same system and similar map area.

[@gerblitz1971]

Great Video.!!! Please more AAR

[@ZillaBlitz]

Glad you liked it, fellow wargamer with "blitz" in their avatar name. :) I'm working on another AAr now. :)

[@joeyj6808]

This looks like a real donnybrook! Brings back memories of playing Russian Campaign over many winters. I'm noticing a lot of really strong German armor units. But I doubt they will be reinforced as well as the Soviets. And btw: the Red Army needs new dice.

[@ZillaBlitz]

It was surprising how quickly it went sideways for the Germans. Bringing two Russian HQs closer together so they could operate in tandem was pretty powerful, and really created a mismatch that the Germans couldn't handle. And I actually did swap out the Russian die after Turn 2. It was too much. I rolled about 80% 1s and 2s.

[@joeyj6808]

I just did a Panzerblitz scenario of Axis (Romanian and Hungarian) vs 1941 Soviet) and omg, the Axis kept missing 4-1 attacks, which only happens on a 6. Like 8 times. I kept changing dice, but the RNG gawds didn't like the Axis that day.@@ZillaBlitz

[@ZillaBlitz]

@@joeyj6808 Haha! Can relate. I don't know why, but it's more aggravating to me solo than when playing two-player. :)

[@johnnymustang760]

Watching this convinced me to buy it. Looks interesting and I'm a sucker for chit pull games.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Nice! I'd love to hear how you like it. I'm going to explore the 8-turn game next. :)

[@pterrok5495]

Oops! My original comment may have gotten killed due to putting a link to the Slitherine Steam sale in it! BUT, I wanted to make a different comment about the AAR format (which I DID enjoy!): Consider doing ONE actual run through of a combat and dice rolls and results, then don't show it afterwards. As I realized I have no real idea if the combat here has any sort of movement or exploitation after the initial battle in the hex, so that the attacker can move forward more than you might think. My take on the result was that the luck averaged out in the end to allow the Soviets to claim the Hold at All Costs City. So it seemed fair. Meaning that maybe the Germans have to take the first three turns with OKH in the cup to be able to just remove those tags off the 3 forward cities, saving the in-hand for the final turn where it could do the most good? Or maybe two and pray they don't lose the last one? Hmmm...

[@ZillaBlitz]

That's a great idea on showing how one combat works. Yes, I can definitely see how that would be helpful. Great idea! I will do this going forward when I use this sort of format. And yes, I think you are probably right on the luck element. It balanced out at the end for sure, and the Russians got lucky with the final chit pull. :)

[@helenaconstantine]

It would be interesting to play this and Ukraine '43 side-by-side.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Yes, I agree. I really like the idea of playing similar games and seeing how differently/similarly they play.

[@Phalanx11]

Sounds like "donuts" River ::)....I believe its "Donetz". Your friend Phalanx.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks!

[@nordicmaelstrom4714]

I've got Red Parachutes Soviet Airborne Assault over the Dnepr 1943 from Avalanche Press and I think it covers part of this battle but the rules and such are not that good. This game looks interesting and a possible future purchase. This is why dice allow these games to have massive replay ability. You never know how the dice will roll! How many scenarios are in this game? Is that SS Totenkopf division directly south of the Soviet Airborne? 8th Guard Tank Corps for the win eh Zilla? This seems like a really fun game. What is the learning curve for the rules? Did you do an unboxing of this and I missed it?

[@ZillaBlitz]

I do think there is a great deal of replayability here, even though there are the two scenarios and only very minor optional rules. It's got the feel of a game where you can try a lot of different strategies. The learning curve is very gentle, I'd say 3.5 out of 10? Very easy to execute, too, I only had to refer to the rules for a few things like advance after combat/zoc/terrain edge cases. I did an unboxing a good while back, yep: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqbbq6B7qZ6esLs Thanks for stopping in!

[@nordicmaelstrom4714]

It looks like a game you can try a bunch of strategies and see how things go. When you add in dice that will always change the outcome of the games. Also add in the great mechanic of a chit draw activation really makes the games tense and distinct. Good about the rules. I am looking for games with less crunchy rules and not monster games. I have been eyeing Poland Defiant, Red Typhoon and Autumn for Barbarossa as possible next purchases. In the last three weeks I snagged two of the remaining top games on my list for great deals. I practically stole Death Valley with the supplement off of ebay as well as getting Flying Colors 3rd edition deluxe still in the shrink. Trying to get Musket and Pike on the table but my attention has been drawn elsewhere. I do have Edgehill setup so maybe this weekend I can push some counters!@@ZillaBlitz

[@ZillaBlitz]

That's fantastic. It sounds like you're having a lot of fun playing and hunting down deals. I should really sharpen my Ebay skills. When I look there it always seems as if the games I'm looking for are expensive. :) @@nordicmaelstrom4714

[@nordicmaelstrom4714]

I do like the thrill of the hunt. I have a list of games that I really want to get and I keep an eye out on ebay for deals. I feel fortunate getting Flying Colors when I did because it went out of print a few days before and we all know what happens to the prices when that happens. The bigger issue is there is far too many games I want hah. Couple that with model kits and its a problem lol.@@ZillaBlitz

[@ZillaBlitz]

I hear you. At times I've put in place a "play 2 buy 1" rule but that usually lasts until some company has a sale. :)

[@g4340]

Hey Zilla Blitz! Thank you --THANK YOU for making me aware of THIS game! I do have a question...I'm on Disability so money for me is very VERY tight, so I have to be very cautious what kind of entertainment I buy. And, $80.00 for me is alot of money. I looked at the game and it says for 2 players, but your video says Solo Playthrough. Is it REALLY a Solo game and is it really enjoyable? Thank you for your time --I hope you see this message. Do you have any other Solo, ww2 boardgames that you have in mind that I may like?

[@ZillaBlitz]

Happy to help! I guess it depends on how you define a solo game? I mean, it doesn't have an AI bot to move the opponent, and you are basically playing both sides in a 2-player game. I did enjoy it as a 2-player game playing solo, though. For some other ideas, my video on Best Solitaire games might be helpful: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqbKfYxpYteqgNk (I'll be updating that at some point in the near future.)

[@g4340]

@@ZillaBlitz Thank you very much! This really seems like an awesome game and even tho the price is steep for me, I'm really thinking of getting it. Hey, if I don't like it, I can always re-sell it on Ebay I guess. Again, thank you and thanks for that link! Keep up the great Channel!

[@joeyj6808]

Hey, I'm a fan of solo games too, and more often than not, short on spending $. May I recommend White Dog Games? I got "Irish Freedom" and "September Storm" from them, and they are both excellent! You might even find some sold pre-owned from Noble Knight Games online. I get most of my games used and unpunched, a lot cheaper.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Great suggestions, thanks Joey!

[@naczelnyk0073]

City names are modern and different to what they were during the time of battle.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks! Good point!

[@robertdelaney4332]

I like the AAR format for these large games. As much as I would like to see the moves and the die results as they happen, that would probably make my eyes bleed 😀

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks, Robert! This is great to hear. I've been thinking about ways to handle longer games, and if this is interesting for people to watch, I think it would lead to a whole new type of video on the channel, especially well suited to longer games. I could see this working with 20-hour games, for example, that just aren't feasible to cover move-by-move.

[@robertdelaney4332]

​@ZillaBlitz I like how you snuck in game mechanics. Those could also Incude, this is tge combat process. No need for the detailed tables and such, just a si ple explanation like you did with the HQs.

[@ZillaBlitz]

Thanks. Yes, Pterrok mentioned the same thing about showing how combat works, and I think that's a great idea. I'll do that going forward when I make one of these, thanks! :)

[@joebudi5136]

How many people play this worldwide?

[@ZillaBlitz]

Sorry, I have no idea on the print run/sales. Generally speaking, though, 1k-5k perhaps, for a typical wargame print run?