Number of players (and optimal): 2 (2)
Difficulty of mastering: high
Preparation time: more than 15 minutes
Party time: up to 3 hours or more

Tabletop tactical games about World War II are a motley bunch. At one extreme is the Memoir 44 series with elementary principles and quick games. On the other are numerous wargames, when laid out, they primarily resemble a headquarters map of military operations. Somewhere in the middle is Tide of Iron, with deep rules, dramatic combat, and quality miniatures. It is with this recognized authority that a domestic development competes: the Art of Tactic rules system, the private brainchild of which Summer 1941 is.

The front is a cage, and whoever gets into it
you have to strain your nerves and wait to see what will happen to him next.
We are sitting behind bars, the bars of which are the trajectories of projectiles;
we live in tense anticipation of the unknown.
We are at the mercy of chance.
Erich-Maria Remarque, “All Quiet on the Western Front”

Imagine for a second a World War II battle. A German tank platoon, accompanied by infantry, advances on the Russian defensive positions. The defenders were thoroughly fortified: the ground was dug up with trenches, a bunker was erected on a strategically key hill, and anti-tank hedgehogs and barbed wire barriers were erected on the approaches. The infantry advance is held back by mortars positioned behind some undergrowth. They are guided to the target by staff officers hiding close to the line of fire, accompanied by radio operators. The detachment, intending to enter from the flank, landed straight into a minefield. The Russians seem to be okay. But the assault has been going on for a long time, the defenders’ ammunition is running out, and the enemy is being supplied by a whole column of trucks. The roar of the anti-tank gun ceases, and the emboldened Germans launch a decisive attack. All this - down to the details - is now possible within the framework of a board game.

Before us is almost an independent board game. Why only almost? And it’s very simple - the wealth of possibilities is too cramped within one set. Often in scenarios that offer to recruit an army at the player's request, the specified number of points is so high that all the units in the box are sent into battle.

Fortunately, it’s easy to recruit new recruits. If players want to move from small skirmishes involving two dozen units to large-scale battles, additional sets are at their service. For now, they are limited to small and budget boxes with individual units, mostly already found in the original selection. But if the game continues to develop, new participants and even parties to the conflict are not far off.

When starting the game for the first time, it is important to be patient. The models, for all their external charm, are prefabricated and sometimes include very small parts. In addition, learning the rules takes quite an impressive amount of time. But in the end, the game is worth the trouble: the system is quite clear, and most importantly, deep. There is room to turn around and show your tactical genius.

Well, you will have to leave the cubes more than once during the game. The attack takes into account four main indicators.

The effectiveness depends on who is attacking whom. The same unit is a scourge for some, but for others it is like pellets to an elephant. So, mortars for a tank are an empty phrase, and ordinary infantry are dangerous only if they get close.

The attack power, that is, the number of dice rolled, depends on the type of unit and its size. We suffered losses - the platoon began to fight worse. This is especially noticeable in the case of infantry: when one half is killed, the second becomes almost helpless.

Range to target affects accuracy. It is easier to hit closer, and therefore many throw results are considered successful. At the extreme distance, only ones that fall out are always considered successes.

After damage is inflicted, the unit's defense indicator is subtracted from it, reflecting its training and armor thickness. After this, one strength unit is finally removed from the card for each hit and a morale check is made.

And all this - not counting the abundance of possible modifiers, special conditions and the influence of morale! But it is important to understand that already in the second game many pieces come together into a single picture and thinking moves from the level of cubes to the realities of war. The mechanics are logical and therefore quickly learned.

When creating Art of Tactic, the developers first of all set themselves the goal of achieving simultaneous moves, and they succeeded. As a result, we have a rather cumbersome system, but one that has no worthy analogues. Each unit on the field has a corresponding stat card. On the front side it shows all the indicators of the squad. The back one is used to assign tasks for a move.

All units are assigned numbers, which are written on their cards with a marker, of which there are two included with the game. During the ordering phase, opponents secretly note what their subordinates will do this time. When both are finished, the players begin to take turns, revealing squad after squad. At the end of the turn, the notes can be easily erased and new orders can be given.

Even the simplest units, like an infantry unit, have a dozen possible orders. What can we say about sappers, jacks of all trades? At first it’s easy to get confused, especially because of the abundance of icons. But in reality, everything is intuitive: just think about what such a detachment could do in reality. Rest assured, he will be able to do this in the game, and within the mechanics, any decision will be significant. If you want, the unit will quietly wait in ambush for the approaching enemy. If you want, it will go with grenades on a tank. If, of course, the soldiers have enough spirit.

In addition to the set of rules, players are also provided with a script book. Of course, you can play out regular skirmishes, agreeing on their scale and introducing, for example, checkpoints. But the battles created by the developers definitely deserve attention.

The eight scenarios included in the starter set play out the most common war stories. Here is the defense of the bridge with the gradual approach of reinforcements, and the battle for a strategic height, and the battle for the city. There are a dozen approaches to each battle. There is only one catch: some plots are clearly designed to expand the base armies.

When the book is played and replayed, the official website of the game is at your service. Previous collectible miniatures, in particular the fantasy Ring of Rule, did not receive adequate support from Zvezda and eventually died out. Fortunately, in the case of Art of Tactic, the future looks brighter. The successfully launched project is alive, developing and already looking towards Europe.

Fun 3
dignity both short and long games are worth another film about the war
flaws the basic set is not enough to unlock the full potential of the game
Interaction 3
dignity simultaneous moves, all possibilities for intense confrontation
flaws with a single order card things would go even faster
Elaboration 2
dignity tactical depth without being heavy or overloaded
flaws not all scenarios are perfect, there are many rough edges in the rules
Atmosphere 2
dignity the system is conducive to memorable games
flaws The squads are faceless, the scenarios are arbitrary
Quality 3
dignity outstanding miniatures, budget friendly
flaws The box is not suitable for storing models, it takes time to assemble

Verdict: It is still a rare case when a domestic developer managed to create a project of international scale. Many of the discoveries are truly fresh, and the system as a whole, although it requires a number of patches, allows players to develop their tactical skills.

The best strategy board games are great because they allow individual skill and intelligence to play a decisive role in determining the outcome of a given game. Today you can order abstract strategies, characterized by artificial rules and the absence of a clearly defined theme, and military strategy games.

Many modern military strategy board games have clear and transparent rules. They are often more difficult than other board games, but perhaps this is their main advantage, because as the complexity of the gameplay increases, children need to show more and more patience in an effort to bring the matter to a victorious end.

We offer to buy strategic board games for children. They are able to make children’s leisure time more varied, teach them thrift and responsibility for the team. Games are good because luck plays a minor role in them, and a lot depends on the intelligence of the participants. Therefore, strategies will be an invaluable contribution to the development of a purposeful individual.

Military-strategic board games

Order board strategy games about war, and they will teach your little one to effectively plan a situation and deploy troops for a grand battle. With the help of such games, the child realizes the cost of making a mistake when protecting his fortifications from enemy attacks. The kid will have to make serious efforts to become a knight and defeat all enemies.

Almost any modern military strategy board game teaches children to be brave and inventive. In addition, the strategies are an excellent guide to different countries and nationalities, which also helps children accumulate important information. You can order the following types of tabletop strategies from us:

• "Khans of Tarkir: Booster";
• "Exlibrium";
• "Evolution. Continents."

“Generals: World War II” is a historical military strategy about the great confrontation between the powers participating in the Second World War: the anti-Hitler coalition and the Berlin-Rome axis. Having taken command of the army of one of the sides, the general seeks to cut off power to the enemy, cutting off access to resources, and force the opponent to leave the occupied territory both at sea and on land.

Prestigious awards and nominations

• Best Historical Simulation (Wargame) – International Gamers Award nominee (2015).

Deep military strategy for the company

The board game “Generals: World War II” involves a team battle for world domination. Rewriting history in your own way, using logic and diplomatic skills, and ruining the enemy is the main goal of the game.

Gradually occupying territories and cutting off the enemy from supplies, the player goes to a brilliant victory, but left without a fleet, equipment and supplies, the general will have to surrender and capitulate. A cooperative game requires coordination of actions and a clear distribution of tasks - to block support in all possible locations and isolate armies.

Wargame for two

The game “Generals: World War II” can be played by two players, simultaneously controlling several powers, controlling geographically scattered armies and cutting off enemy sources of resources one after another.

Each country has at its disposal several armies and a navy (its own deck of cards and discard), the location of troops is clearly visible on the playing field (wooden army and navy chips), and large-scale battles take place on land and at sea separately.

Over the course of the game (20 rounds), both sides of the confrontation score victory points for controlled sources of supply. So, whichever coalition is more influential in terms of support wins the war. The game also provides a more aggressive option for suppressing the enemy - occupy 2 home sectors of the enemy and win!

Who will like it

The board game “Generals: World War II” is, first of all, a war for resources, requiring cold-blooded calculation and strategically calibrated interaction between teams. Suitable for both cooperative competition and a duel between two military strategists. An excellent gift for all connoisseurs of the wargame genre and thoughtful historical strategies.

The Second World War is the largest armed conflict in human history. In our country, more attention is paid to the battle between Germany and the USSR, although in addition to this there were other fronts: the Pacific, where Japan and the USA clashed, and the Mediterranean, where the Allies fought with the Germans and Italians. Fighting also took place in Africa, and, of course, in Europe itself. The game “Generals. World War II."

BRIEFLY ABOUT THE GAME

In Generals, each player plays for one of six countries participating in World War II, with the countries divided into two teams. Germany, Italy and Japan are in favor of the Axis. They are opposed by the “Allies” - the USSR, Britain and the USA. The game begins in the conventional year 1939 and ends in the conventional 1945. In fact, you yourself will determine the outcome of the war. Perhaps it will turn out that the German blitzkrieg will be successful, and Britain will have to recapture Moscow together with America. Or maybe everything will turn out the other way around, and already in 1942 Soviet tanks will end up in Berlin.

The playing field is a world map. All land and sea territories on the map are divided into separate regions, for which you will have to fight. Some regions are marked with stars - these are key areas that are important and will need to be captured first. There are also several tracks on the field - a victory point counter around the perimeter and a move counter on the left side. In the lower section there are reminders on the order of actions of players and on the phases of the turn.

The game lasts 20 rounds, each of which can be roughly equated to 3 months. All actions in the game are performed using cards. Each country has its own deck. There are a total of 8 types of cards in the game, and not every deck contains all types. The number of cards in each country's deck is also different. Let's say Italy has the smallest deck, and America has the largest.

Of the 8 types of cards, half, 4 pieces, are conditionally “simple” cards: construction and attack on land and at sea. Another 4 types of cards are one-time events; economic warfare cards that force opponents to discard cards from the deck; reaction cards, as well as statuses. Basically all cards are sent to the discard pile after being used. The exceptions are reaction cards, which are placed face down on the table and revealed at the appropriate moment, as well as status cards, which remain on the table until the end of the game and somehow change the rules specifically for the player who played them. It is important that cards that go to waste never return, and if someone’s deck runs out, you are left to play with what you have in your hands, and if these cards run out, you start skipping moves. Therefore, it is very important to use cards with a reasonable amount of economy, so as not to be left at the end of the game with nothing, which threatens, at a minimum, loss of initiative, and at maximum, defeat.

For what purposes is the war being waged? Mainly for the sake of victory points! Whoever has more of them after the 20th round has won the war. But the game may end early. If at the end of the round (after America plays) the score gap reaches 30, the leading team wins. Another option to end the game early is to capture 2 capitals of the enemy team. The most likely option is the occupation of nearby Germany and Italy by the Allied team, but the capture of Moscow and London by the Axis is also possible. In practice, victory is most often achieved by a gap of 30 points, in second place is the end of the game after the 20th round.

How are these winning points earned? They are awarded at the end of each player's turn. There are sectors on the field marked with stars. These are key territories that bring points to whoever controls them. Each player on his turn receives points for each occupied sector with a star. Another source of points is status cards. They may introduce additional conditions for scoring points, such as capturing a specific region or having fleets. Sometimes economic war cards also bring points.

The capture of sectors is carried out with the help of armies - wooden chips in the shape of tanks. At the start of the game, each country has an army in its home region, and later, with the help of construction cards and events, new armies can be placed on the field. It is important that the number of construction cards and army tokens is different for all countries. For example, the USSR can field 7 tanks, and Italy can only field 4. Therefore, the potential military power and ability to hold key sectors is different for all countries. In addition to land, the war will also take place at sea. And, although holding sea sectors does not bring points, the sea route is the only way to get to some regions. For example, Germany can attack London only by building a fleet in the North Sea. You can't do without ships and island Japan.

There are a few more nuances in the game that I will not focus on - supply rules, the ability to discard cards from your hand to search for the necessary cards in the deck and more quickly update your hand, as well as choosing a starting hand.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

“Generals” is intended for groups of two to six players. It is best to sit down with only six people, because... if there are fewer players, someone will have to play for two countries at once, or even three. This is not very easy, because you will need to navigate two decks and two sets of cards at once. In practice, it is quite possible for five of us to gather together, then one person takes control of Germany and Italy at once. It’s a little more difficult, but also possible, to play with four players, then one more player will act simultaneously for both Britain and the USA. But, three or two people is, perhaps, too few. With this lineup it’s better to play something else.

GAME TIME

The rules of the game are quite simple. You can understand the essence of the gameplay already in the first game, which for beginners should be preceded by an explanation of the types of cards, supply rules, and conditions for placing chips on the field. It will take about 10 minutes to explain the rules.

The initial preparation takes about 5 minutes. Lay out the field, give everyone a deck and a set of chips, put them in their home regions by army, arrange the tokens among the counters. Each player must then deal himself the starting cards, look through them, and immediately discard a few of them. This is perhaps the most dramatic part of the game, because it’s usually a shame to reset everything.

The duration of the game itself depends on whether there are newcomers at the table. Taking into account the time it takes to explain the rules, you can do it in one and a half to two hours. When experienced players gather at the table, the game usually lasts an hour, a maximum of one and a half. Occasionally, early victories on points also happen in the 30th minute of the game.

COMPLEXITY

In my opinion, Generals is an easy game, albeit with a slight catch. This is manifested in the fact that the rules of the game are quite simple and it does not take much time to master them; even for an absolute beginner, everything becomes clear already in the first half of the first game. However, you can play completely consciously only with several sessions behind you, you need to know the deck of each country, imagine what capabilities each player has, what dangerous combinations of cards there are that can turn the tide of the war and dramatically change the situation on the field.

Particularly worth noting is Japan, which is perceived by novice players as a difficult and boring country. She has a lot of reaction cards in her deck, and in order to play them thoughtfully, you need to imagine the flow of the game and the capabilities of potential opponents in order to know in advance what to defend against. Therefore, it is better not to imprison newcomers for Japan. If there is a mixed group of inexperienced and experienced people at the table, it is better to let the newcomers take the helm for the first time in Italy or Britain; for a beginner, these are the friendliest countries.

RANDOM FACTOR

The main source of randomness in the game is the deck. Theoretically, two extreme situations are possible: when the strongest cards come as if ordered, and when the hand is completely useless and there is nothing to play. In practice, even the strongest combinations of cards do not always mean an automatic victory, and bad luck can be overcome by using the optional “Resource Redistribution” rule: if you desperately need a construction or attack card, but you don’t have one in your hand, you can discard 4 cards and find something in the deck , what is necessary. Therefore, in my opinion, the randomness factor in the game fluctuates at a normal level, although sometimes it can deviate a little from it.

INTERACTION BETWEEN PLAYERS

There is more than enough interaction in the game - all players have to fight for control of key sectors and fight with each other. There are not so many areas with stars on the field; they are located quite close to each other, so that players quickly feel crowded. What’s nice is that interaction manifests itself not only in terms of fighting, but also in terms of supporting teammates. Almost every country has cards that allow them to do something good for one of their allies.

DYNAMICS

One of the big advantages of the Generals is their quick moves. On his turn, the player must play only 1 card, choosing it from 7 cards in his hand. Battles here also play out instantly and do not require any dice rolls or other time-consuming procedures. Play an attack card and remove an enemy piece from the field. Each player’s move is made very quickly, you don’t have to wait for your turn, and you don’t even notice it, your attention is constantly focused on the field, because the actions of each country change the game situation and affect everyone.

COMPONENTS

“Generals” is a playing field, six decks of cards and a set of wooden fleets and armies. The main thing, of course, is the cards, since the entire gameplay is built on them. They are of normal, good quality. In terms of design, there are a couple of comments about them. First, subjective, the text is a little small in places. Second, objective, poor design. It has already been noted that the game has 8 types of cards, so cards of the same type differ from each other only in text. This is not Magic: The Gathering or even Twilight Struggle, where each event has a unique illustration, the images are the same everywhere. Moreover, even the soldiers and ships on the maps of building armies and navies are the same for all countries. The cards differ only in the background flag.

The playing field is good and clear, but, alas, it also has disadvantages. In some places it is not entirely clear whether individual regions are adjacent to each other. The rules have a whole list of explanations like “Japan and the Far East are not considered neighbors,” but it won’t be easy to remember them the first time. It would be better if the field were drawn in such a way that such questions would not arise.

I like wooden chips and ships. They look a little abstract, but they look very good and visual on the field. The rules booklet is also good, everything is clear, with examples and explanations.

WHO WILL LIKE IT?

• For World War II fans
• For fans of games with asymmetrical capabilities
• People who would like to play Axis & Allies in 2 hours

WHO WOULDN'T LIKE IT?

• For fans of combat with a lot of dice
• People who cannot gather at least 5 people at one table
• People who can't stand war games that Germany can win

SUMMARY

“Generals. World War II is a great game. So beautiful that we have been playing it for over a year now. Both released additions were purchased - Air Marshal, which introduces aviation into the game, and Alternate Histories, which adds new cards with new capabilities to the deck of each country. We have already played more than 100 (!) games, and we are not going to stop there, getting great pleasure from the game every time. Moreover, what’s nice is that in almost every game some unique, previously unseen situation happens. Either the Americans will liberate Moscow, then Japan will appear in Western Europe, then the USSR will land on the Japanese islands. I highly recommend playing Generals to anyone who enjoys board games! She's awesome!

With the Nazis coming to power in Germany, comprehensive propaganda of their worldviews began. Particular emphasis was placed on the upbringing and “processing” of children. Now they became interested in military affairs, combat aircraft and ships. Even board games have become a “guide” for training young patriots, soldiers, and anti-Semites.

During World War II, children's board games became one of the methods of propaganda. These visual objects were used for spiritual teaching, military training, and public education. The Nazis raised children's enthusiasm, introduced them to military affairs, taught them how to behave during bombings, and instilled ansemitism and a sense of racial superiority.

Since the early 1930s, members of the Hitler Youth, the “Hitler Youth,” competed while playing. They rolled dice and “conquered” territories and “expelled the Jews.”

With the onset of World War II, war games became popular. Children began to “surround” Great Britain using airplanes and submarines. Symbols of anti-Semitism and death were also widely used. Even if there was no immediate incitement to violence, children and adolescents assumed it was around them.

The topics were very different. In one of the games you had to salute Hitler, in others you had to shoot down Allied planes with an anti-aircraft gun, pave the way for a German paratrooper behind enemy positions, and block enemy radio transmissions on the air. Thus, as the instructions say, “the deeper meaning of the game lies in the constant vigil of the mind and the defense of the Motherland.”

Board game boards often depicted soldiers hugging their lovers, burning villages, and rounding up Jews.

As the war dragged on, signs of paranoia and pessimism began to appear increasingly on German game boards. They warned about the appearance of spies and the danger of aerial bombing. Games related to everyday life taught how to behave during and after air raids, put out fires, remove rubble and rebuild houses. And all this could have been done while waiting out the bombing in the basements.

The quality of materials has also deteriorated. In 1942, manufacturers began making cheap paper figurines instead of metal or plastic ones. The games seemed to become an indicator of the German economy, which was steadily heading towards defeat in the war.

And half a century before that, completely different entertainments were popular in the Russian Empire.