No Retreat! Battles: 1942

Description

The usual No Retreat! Card and combat system is used, but the rule booklet is shorter than those of the NR Front series, as less special rules will be needed due to the smaller scope of each title. Each game will have its own set of event cards and Combat Tables. With usually not much than 50-60 square counters per game, with very low stacking, it’s a series of quick-playing yet realistic affairs that favours the offensive-minded player. Each game turn will be full of on-board challenges, plus the surprise of Events cards as players vie to win in one of two different ways. In a skilfully blended collation of classic hex-based wargaming and card-driven simulations, No Retreat! Battles stays truly story-centric, providing the proper feel of the challenges and limitations of WW2 Army or Corps commanders, while keeping the action fast and furious, keeping play downtime to a minimum for both gamers as the “non-phasing” player has ways to react to his opponent moves and attacks, putting some well-deserved sand in his well-oiled war machine. As in the latest No Retreat! Front series, Leader Cards are included in most battles, these cards will give each player special abilities inspired from the Qualities (or failings!) of the Commander-in-chiefs present at the Battle covered. 1942 Game - Battle Listings – Five Battles Battle for Velikiye Luki: This Battle simulates the Soviet Offensive that was executed against the Wehrmacht's 3rd Panzer Army during the Winter Campaign of 1942-43; with the objective of liberating that city as part of Operation Mars. Called « The Little Stalingrad of the North » it saw a German Garrison desperately trying to break out of the embattled northern fortess. After a bloody see-saw battle, only a hundred defenders were able to escape. The variety of units fighting is quite bewildering : Ski troops, German Paratroopers, Panzers, Soviet Guard Divisions, rocket brigades, Estonian troops, Fortifications etc… Battle for Stalingrad (Solitaire/Two-player): This Battle showcases the famous cityfight, one of the turning points of the war. The game will focus on the urban battle in and around Stalingrad. The Player will take command of the Axis forces assaulting the city; the game AI will control the Soviet defenders. Time is of the essence to achieve complete control of the city before winter! A hidden unit system will be used to simulate the low level of local battle intelligence and difficult terrain the attackers encountered battling through the blasted ruins of the city. The game can also be played two-player. Battle for Gazala: This Battle covers the dramatic Afrika Korps counter-attack, lead by Rommel, against the prepared positions and minefields of the British 8th Army in North Africa, culminating in the capture of the Fortress of Tobruk and dramatic advance towards Egypt. Open desert terrain and quick movement abilities will make this a wild and woolly contest of will between the well-rained German Panzers plus their Italian Allies, and the British coalition troops of a dozen different nationalities. Special “Tactical” Event cards are used to put more detail into the battle strategies used by both sides’ units. Battle for Guadalcanal: This Battle was the first major Allied offensive against the Forces of Imperial Japan. Surprised by the attack, the Japanese made three major attempts in 1942 to retake the position conquered by the US Marines around Henderson Field. A linked scenario will cover each attempt; Event card play can also influence the outcome of the seven major naval battles, but at a cost of precious resources and Victory Points. This is the first No Retreat! Game to cover the WW2 Pacific war, and effectively three games in one. Battle for Dieppe (Solitaire): This small, quick-playing bonus Battle will put the player, controlling Canadian forces, against the insurmountable odds of gaining a foothold in the well-defended French town of Dieppe during one of the first Amphibious landing attempted by the Allies in Europe. The game AI will take gradual control of more and more German forces as time passes, so speed of execution of the mission is key. As with the Stalingrad game, the Enemy forces will be hidden at start, to be uncovered as the game advances. —description from the publisher