World at War #20 Mega Feedback

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1. Do you generally buy or subscribe to the game edition or just the magazine?

  a. Game Edition
  b. Just the magazine (skip to question #5)

2. If subscribing to the game edition, did your subscription start in the last 12 months or previously?

  a. Last 12 months (skip to question #5).
  b. Previously (skip to question #5).
  c. Did no subscribe in the last 12 months.

3. If buying the game edition, how many of the issues in the last 12 months did you buy?

  a. 4-6 issues
  b. 1-3 issues
  c. None, I just found this survey on your web site and decided to complete it.

4. If subscribing or buying the game edition, please rate your level of approval for the use of color in the rules section on a scale of 10 (best upgrade ever!) to 0 (hate it; want it to stop).

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

5. If subscribing to the just the magazine, did your subscription start in the last 12 months or previously?

  a. Last 12 months (skip to question #7).
  b. Previously (skip to question #7).
  c. Did no subscribe in the last 12 months.


6. If buying just the magazine, how many of the issues in the last 12 months did you buy?

  a. 4-6 issues
  b. 1-3 issues
  c. None, I just found this survey on your web site and decided to complete it.


BOOKS

7. How many books (paper or e-books) have you purchased in the past 12 months?

  a. 0
  b. 1-5
  c. 6-10
  d. 11-20
  e. 21 or more


8. How many military history books (paper or e-books) have you purchased in the past 12 months?

  a. 0
  b. 1-5
  c. 6-10
  d. 11-20
  e. 21 or more


9. Of the military history books, how many were from Osprey?

  a. 0
  b. 1-5
  c. 6-10
  d. 11-20
  e. 21 or more


10. Of the military history books, how many were from Casemate?

  a. 0
  b. 1-5
  c. 6-10
  d. 11-20
  e. 21 or more

11. Of the military history books, how many were from another publisher?
(please enter publisher's name in the box)



  a. 0
  b. 1-5
  c. 6-10
  d. 11-20
  e. 21 or more


ADS

12. What ads have you responded to in the past 12 months in S&T and/or World at War magazines?


13. What ads have you responded to in the past 12 months in other magazines?


14. What categories or specific companies would you like to see in ads in future issues?


15. Anything else you’d like to tell us about the ads in our magazines?



OVERALL

16. What rating would you give S&T magazine overall in the past year (10=excellent, 0=horrible)?
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

17. What do we need to do to rate a 10 in the future?


18. What rating would you give S&T games overall in the past year (10=excellent, 0=horrible)?
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

19.What do we need to do to rate a 10 in the future?


20. What rating would you give Decision Games releases overall in the past year (i.e. the folio games and Totaler Krieg and Dai Senso) (10=excellent, 0=horrible)?
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

21. What do we need to do to rate a 10 in the future?



GAME PROPOSAL SECTION

Please take a few minutes to review the game proposals and select the ones you would like to see us publish in future issues. This feedback is the most important source for determining what games we will be working on for future issues of World at War. We’re also seeking your input on additional ideas we’re considering.

We also have a feature on our other web site (www.decisiongames.com) where you can pledge your support for future boxed games, S&T Special Editions, books, and computer games. As those projects move up the rankings, they move forward into design, development, artwork, printing and release. You can also see the latest listing in the next Dispatch. The World at War game line-up current looks like this:

The games in issues 21 through 24 are printed and awaiting their magazines, #25-29 are printing, and #30 through 37 are in various stages of development and artwork—there may be some changes to the schedule, but those games are expected to appear. This survey will determine what games will be going into issues 38 through 48.

Christopher “Doc” Cummins
Publisher

In sections A through E, you will find six proposals per category.

Please rank the proposals in each category as first (1), second (2), third (3), fourth (4), fifth (5), and sixth (6) choice. Do not use ratings scales. Please use each ranking once and and only once (e.g. do not rank one proposal as “1” and all others “6”).

West/Mediterranean Theater (mark 1 to 6)

A1). Third Army. This will put the US player in command of Third Army during Patton’s 1944 drive across France. The German player will command various formations which Third Army encountered. The American objective is to reach the Rhine before the German Ardennes counteroffensive is launched in December 1944. Emphasis in the game will be on logistics—supply can be allocated to different game functions, and the American player can devote operations to rounding up supply by unorthodox means. The German player, meanwhile, is trying to delay the Americans through rearguard actions and desperate counterattacks. Depending on how well the Germans are doing, the Ardennes counteroffensive may be launched sooner or later according to a random events table. Joseph Miranda.

A2). Ghost Division. This will put the German player in the boots of Rommel as commander of the 7th Panzer Division during the campaign in France 1940—and of his Allied counterparts. Units will be tactical level, companies and platoons. The game will include several scenarios drawn from this campaign, and the map will be 200 meters per hex. Emphasis will be on command control and combined arms tactics. Commander units will be able to influence the movement of forces, and provide fire modifiers. The idea is to show how the German panzer divisions, even though having tanks which were often inferior to their Allied counterparts, were able to gain tactical victories. The game will also have a campaign version in which what happens in one scenario will influence the next. Joseph Miranda.

A3). Bastogne. This will cover the fighting for the strategic crossroads town of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. The Germans are trying to take the town against determined American resistance. American forces are desperately holding on, while Patton drives to the rescue. The game system will be based on Manila ’45 and Leningrad ’41. Units will be battalions and companies, and combat results will be modified by the morale of defending units. Morale is critical to both sides: the Germans can make calls for surrender while the American can make defiant rebuffs. Joseph Miranda.

A4). Anzio: The Bloodiest Beachhead. The design deals with the Anzio landings in January 1944 and the subsequent six weeks of intense fighting, as the Allies attempted to expand the beachhead, while the Germans worked to eliminate it. This was the most interesting and mobile part of the campaign. By the first week in March, both sides had fought each other to a standstill, taking huge casualties and having little to show for it. Both players have the capacity and opportunity to attack. Seeking these opportunities, preventing the enemy from doing the same, and managing depleted units creates moments of crisis throughout the game. Units are generally at the brigade / regimental / battalion level and hit markers are used to reflect the attritional nature of the battle. Units attack / defend as single stacks, using combat differentials to inflict retreats and hits. The sequence of play is classic Supply, Reinforcement, movement followed by combat. Norman Smith.

A5). Tunis 1943 A solitaire game simulating the final Allied drive on Tunis. The game uses a similar system to the designer’s Israeli Independence, using chits as to track army movement and random events. The player is placed in the unusual position of controlling German forces, attempting a holding action with remnants of the famed Afrika Korps and relief troops under the command of General von Arnim. As Free French, British, and American forces close in on the Eastern Dorsal, the player must hold back Allied advances long enough to secure permission to evacuate North Africa, while withstanding a deterioration of supplies and air power. Darin Leviloff.

A6). Crusade: WWII in Northwest Europe, 1944-45. This corps-level game with monthly game turns simulates this theater from D-Day to V-E Day. A historic campaign game would be included, a free-choice landing-site scenario, as well as 1942, 1943 and 1944 what-ifs. The system would be a derivation of the one from Drive on Stalingrad, but adapted to this more strategic scale. The “Patton Factor” would also be emphasized. Ty Bomba.

Eastern Theater (mark 1 to 6)

B1). Vistula-Oder-Berlin. This will be a corps-army (for the Soviets) and divisional (for the Germans) simulation of the last five months of the war in the East in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Eastern Germany. Nine turns, from January to May 1945. The map covers from Memel to the Dukla pass and from Lublin in S. Poland to Leipzig and Rostock in Germany (20 km to the hex). There will be a campaign game plus several scenarios: Red Storm on the Reich (the January offensive), fight for the flanks (clearing operations at Prussia, Silesia and Pomerania, February-March ‘45) the last battle (the final offensive on to Berlin, April ‘45) and race to Prague (May ‘45). Javier Romero.

B2). Operation Uranus: Race for Stalingrad. This would cover the Soviet double envelopment of Stalingrad in the winter of 1942-43, using a modified form of the classic SPI Battle for Germany system. Each of the two players would command one wing of the Soviet forces racing to envelop the Sixth Army. As well as the Axis forces facing the other Soviet player. The game would be based on new information about the Red Army in World War II, including the use of deception operations and resurgent mobile doctrine. Each player must race to be the first to reach its operational objectives on its side of the map, thereby gaining recognition from the Kremlin as well as possible additional reinforcements all generated by a random events table. Units will be divisions and corps with airpower. Joseph Miranda.

B3). Escaping through Hell’s Gate. This simulates the German 3rd Panzer Corps attempted relief of the Korsun Pocket in February 1944. The game allows players to recreate the historical situation in the first scenario; whilst the alternative scenario lets them explore some of the “what ifs” that surround the bitter fighting for the Korsun Pocket. The game uses the same rules system as Guards Tank. Paul Youde.

B4). Jackboots on the Caucasus: Summer 1942. The Germans launched their great Eastern offensive to seize the Soviet Caucasus oilfields. The campaign came crashing to a disastrous finale at Stalingrad later that year. Caucasus will use the They Died with Their Jackboots system to simulate this mighty campaign. It uses a command chit system which randomly selects sub-commands for operational impulses. Certain command chits will give players extra, one time, bonuses such as the Soviet Operation Uranus. Joseph Miranda.

B5). Panzers East: Army Group Center, June-August 1941. Like PGG, but for the wargamers of today. Turns equal one week. Units are primarily divisions for both sides, with some separate brigades, regiments and battalions. Germans would be multi-step; Soviets would be one-step with unknown strengths. The map covers from the border to Moscow at 16 miles per hex. Special rules for: Guderian, Rollbahns, Hitler’s interference, variable phase sequences, supply attenuation, airpower, the Stalin Line. Can you take Moscow before Hitler turns AGC south? Ty Bomba.

B6). Duel in the North. This simulates the sweeping advances of the German forces across the Baltic States and into Russia in the summer of 1941. The game includes rules for special weather, air power and armored combat. The counters represent German Divisions and Kampfgruppe sized formations and Soviet Brigades or Divisions sized formations. Paul Youde.

Pacific Theater (mark 1 to 6)

C1). Midway Solitaire. This will use the Coral Sea Solitaire system to model the great aircraft carrier battle of June 1942. The player would control American forces, while the game system would run the Japanese. The Japanese have superior numbers of carriers and capital ships but they are moving in several different task forces. The American player would have the advantage of superior intelligence from ULTRA which he can use to defeat the foe in detail. Joseph Miranda.

C2). Samurai & Warlords: China 1937-1941. The Japanese and Chinese Nationalist players attempt to by reinforcing their own armies and by mobilizing the forces of Chinese warlords in shifting coalitions. Airpower conducts tactical support and terror raids. The Chinese Nationalists can also gain the support of Western powers and the USSR bringing in volunteer air units and more supplies. The objective is to gain control of China before the Pacific war begins. Joseph Miranda.

C3). Seventh Fleet v. Kurita. (25 Oct 1944) examines whether the US Seventh Fleet of old battleships could have defeated the Japanese Central Force of surface ships during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The game would cover both a meeting engagement outside Leyte Gulf and the Seventh Fleet forming a battle line near the entrance of Leyte Gulf. Rules would include air strikes, limited ammunition for US ships, US radar advantages, leadership effects such as Admiral Ugaki replacing Kurita, ability of US ships to fire on the Japanese from within Leyte Gulf and an attempt by the Japanese to force their way into the Gulf. Ships would be double-long counters with single counters for leadership and air strikes. Otto Reichardt.

C4). Central Pacific Campaign. This would use the Red Dragon Rising-South Seas Campaign system for the Allied offensive in the Central Pacific, 1943-44. The campaign begins with the Allied counteroffensive at Tarawa and continues through to the seizure of central Pacific islands to be used as staging areas for the invasion of the Philippines and as B-29 bases for the strategic assault on the Japanese home islands. The Japanese player will have to carefully husband his forces for potentially decisive counterattacks. Naval units will represent individual carriers, 2-4 battleships, and squadrons for everything else. Air units will be at wing level, and ground units as divisions and brigades. Joseph Miranda.

C5). CBI Air War. This would simulate the air war over the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater of Operations, 1941-44. Players would allocate air units to various missions and targets which would then be executed via a semi-abstract system. Depending on how well these operations are executed, the front line for the ground war will be affected, thereby giving or taking away various airbases. Air units will represent groups, depicting different types of aircraft with their own capabilities. Joseph Miranda.

C6). Midway Campaign. This will use simulate Yamamoto’s entire campaign in the eastern Pacific during the summer of 1942. The game will stretch from Japanese bases in the central Pacific to Hawaii and the Aleutians. The design will be based on Red Dragon Rising-South Seas Campaign, emphasizing combined operations and continuous actions to generate operations. One additional element will be limited intelligence. Units will be deployed as part of task forces and the Allies will have the advantages of their ULTRA intelligence. Game units will represent individual aircraft carriers, groups of two battleships, and squadrons for everything else. Air units will be at the group level, and ground formations as regiments. Joseph Miranda.

Other Proposals (mark 1 to 6)

D1). Plan Gertrud 1942. The German invasion of Turkey during 1942 was originally conceived due to concern Turkey might join the Allies. This presumes the Germans preemptly attack Turkey in order to threaten Syria and Iraq in support of Axis forces in North Africa as well as supporting the Stalingrad/Caucasus campaign. The scale will be division level. David March.

D2). Ghost Column. This is a tactical level game with a twist. The title comes from a night attack the Germans made at Rezhavets during the battle of Kursk. The game is solitaire, with the player in control of an armored column attempting to penetrate Soviet lines. The Soviets are played using a simple agent based system designed to react to the presence of enemy forces. The active player will have to make decisions about what types of equipment and personnel to assign to his force, and then once the action begins, about movement paths and when to engage in combat. Units are platoon and company level. Stealth and command decisions are emphasized, but when the shooting starts you will have a wide array of weapons to utilize. Complexity is low to moderate. Roger Mason.

D3). France Fights On. This alternative history game examines the strategic and operational possibilities inherent in the campaign that would’ve occurred in France in June 1940 if the French government had resolved to fight on. The French choose to evacuate as much of their army as possible to Algeria. The resultant campaign, then, is one of strategic retreat and pursuit. The German player must try to destroy as much of the French force as possible, while keeping his own losses to a minimum in doing so. Both sides’ orders of battle are entirely historical. Ty Bomba.

D4). La Resistance! This simulates the cat and mouse game between the German Counterintelligence and the Allied-supported resistance. Using mechanics of the old SPI Spies! game, this game is set during the period of 1941-1944. Players will have to guard their resources, avoid being detected by security troops, and infiltrate units into occupied France/Belgium/Netherlands. Successfully completing operations provides more chits and actions. David March.

D5). Crisis Manchuria. This game will use the same system as Rhineland Crisis 1936-1937. Historically the KMT did not intervene in Manchuria since it was militarily weak having lost hundreds of thousands of men and was economically bankrupt in the aftermath of the 1930 Central Plains War. Crisis Manchuria posits Chang Kai Shek’s KMT and allied Chinese warlords managed to come together and vigorously confronted the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931. Brian Train.

D6). Operation-A: Japan Invades Australia. What if Japan had won the Battle of the Coral Sea, conquered New Guinea, and then launched an invasion of Australia? Operation-A explores this possibility. The game map will cover northern Australia, the southern Dutch East Indies, and New Guinea (the latter being Japanese bases). The Japanese player will have a limited number of divisions to conduct his invasion, and will have to choose from several different landing areas. Units will be divisions with brigade and regimental breakdowns, plus airpower and fleets. Joseph Miranda.

Special Editions (mark 1 to 6)

Special Editions have two map sheets, two counter sheets, and up to 32 pages for rules

E1). Medwar Campaign. The entire campaign in the Mediterranean theater of operations, 1940-43, using the Red Dragon Rising-South Seas Campaign system. The game map would stretch from Algeria to Iraq, and include strategic islands such as Malta and Crete. Ground units would be divisions, air units groups, and naval units at the squadron level. German divisions can break down into kampfgruppen. Armored units can employ special post combat movement rules, depending on their level of mobility. Special operations units will include the Long Range Desert Group, the Brandenburgers, and Italian naval commandos. Players can consult an Appeal to the High Command Table which may bring in additional reinforcements, or trigger loyalty changes in Vichy forces, or trigger the Iraqi coup. There will also be variable scenarios depending on the level of force commitment by both sides. Special rules will let the Axis build their Operation Herkules force to invade Malta, while the British can reorganize their forces for more efficient operations. Event chits will include the impact of ULTRA, American intervention (everything from carriers in the Med to Operation Torch), and leaders such as Rommel, O’Conner, Montgomery and Patton. Joseph Miranda.

E2). O’Connor’s War. A what if game dealing with the ultimate question of the Med Campaign. Churchill decides to capitalize on the gains of Operation Compass, and does not divert forces to Greece or Ethiopia. The game starts with Benghazi on its east edge and Tunisia and Sicily on the West Edge. The game starts with Beda Fomm and goes to the end of May 1941. The game focuses on not just territory but national morale. The German player must concentrate on keeping a faltering Italy from creating a separate peace with Britain, after an invasion of Sicily. David March.

E3). ETO: 1943. This is a hypothetical game based on World War II in Europe breaking out in 1942 rather than in 1939. Historically, the German and Italian war economies would have been prepared for full-scale war in 1943. Both the Axis and Allied forces have more time to prepare, but the historic lessons of 1939-41 would not have been learned. Therefore, the powers would start the war with forces determined via a random table. Units will be army level with some corps breakdowns. A pre-game events system will establish the alliances on each side, as well as giving special victory conditions. Joseph Miranda.

E4). ABDACOM/Red Sun Rising. Using modified Red Dragon Rising rules, ABDACOM covers the opening moves of the Japanese entry into WWII. Not just a complete walkover as many have thought, the opening battles were heavily contested by the allies concentration of forces at appropriate places to interfere with the invasions. Both the Allied and Japanese players must carefully husband their resources while ensuring that all objectives are met. The map covers Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Units are at the squadron level for airplanes and small naval ships, individual ships for capitol ships, regiments for ground troops. David March.

E5). Battle for Germany. An update and expansion of the classic S&T game. It would cover the last year of WWII in Europe at the army and corps level. Of course, the ground-breaking ‘split-command’ system would be maintained, along with better developed OBs and rules. A short scenario covering the six months (as in the original) will be included. Ty Bomba.

E6). Zhukov’s War: Russia, 1942-43. This design would simulate the crucial middle-phase of the eastern front from 19 Nov 1942 through the liberation of Kiev late in 1943. Units would be corps for the Germans and armies for the Soviets. A short scenario, beginning with Operational Citadel, would be included, as well as a what-if “Manstein’s Gambit” scenario. Ty “Proud Monster” Bomba.