Panzergruppe Guderian (game)

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Cover of SPI flat-tray edition, 1976

Panzergruppe Guderian is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. in 1976 that simulates the 1941 Battle of Smolensk during World War II.

Description[]

During Operation Barbarossa, Germany's 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, the Second Panzer Group led by Generaloberst Heinz Guderian attempted to encircle Russian forces at Smolensk. Panzergruppe Guderian is a simulation of that battle.

Components[]

The original pull-out game comes with:[1]

  • 32" x 22" paper hex grid map scaled to 10.5 km (6.5 mi) per hex
  • 200 die-cut counters
  • 8-page rulebook

The flat-pack edition added a plastic counter tray, clear plastic cover, and cover graphic sheet. The Designer's Edition added a large box, and the paper map was mounted.

The Avalon Hill edition featured a slight smaller 31.4" x 21.5" map, and 260 counters packaged in a "bookcase" box.

Counters[]

Panzergruppe Guderian was the first to use the "Untried unit" rule: Soviet units are initially picked randomly and deployed face down; their type (e.g. infantry, armor) and movement values are shown, but not their strengths. Neither player knows the unit's combat strength until it first engages in combat, when it is flipped over, revealing its offensive and defensive capabilities.[1]

Gameplay[]

The Soviet player moves his units first, then conducts attacks. The German moves, attacks, then moves his mechanized forces a second time.

Victory conditions[]

The German side receives victory points for capturing certain geographical objectives. The Soviet gains points for destroying entire German divisions and for recapturing locations taken by the Germans.[1]

Publication history[]

Panzergruppe Guderian was designed by James F. Dunnigan, with cartography and graphic design by Redmond A. Simonsen, and first appeared as a pull-out game in Strategy & Tactics #57 (July–August 1976). It was also published as a flat-pack box, and as a Designer's Edition boxed set.

After TSR took over SPI in 1982, it sold the rights to Panzergruppe Guderian to Avalon Hill, which published a new edition of the game in 1984.

Reception[]

In Issue 50 of Moves, Steve List called this "a very good and popular game [...] a happy blend of old and new ideas." He concluded, "This is both a playable game and a reasonably good simulation."[2]

In Issue 7 of Phoenix (May-June 1977), Graham Wheatly found that the three-color mapsheet was "a pleasure to behold", and he also complimented the graphic designer for not adding extraneous tables and charts to the map. He noted the game was designed to be unbalanced in favor of the German player, and warned the Russian player to look for any opportunity to slow the German advance: "In any way, gain time, as time is the most important thing in this highly playable game of the Russian war."[3]

In the inaugural issue of SPI Revival, Ted Kim noted that the map was not geographically accurate, commenting that "it is clear distances are distorted from reality." He also pointed out that two urban centers — Gzhatsk and Kaluga — were on the wrong side of the river. However, he noted that the game "skillfully combined [various] elements to produce an exciting, fun and playable system that was not overly complex." He concluded, "There are many nits to pick in the area of simulation. But none are fatal to the system or to the fun."[1]

Awards[]

At the 1977 Origins Awards, Panzergruppe Guderian was a finalist for a Charles S. Roberts Award in the category "Best Strategic Game of 1976".

Other reviews[]

  • Moves #29 – Panzergruppe Guderian: Assaulting the Mystery: Redmond A. Simonsen
  • Moves #33 – Panzergruppe Guderian: A Dissenting Approach: Bill Dunne, Mike Gunson, and David Parish
  • General Vol.21 #4 Is Smolensk Burning?: Panzergruppe Guderian
  • Fire & Movement #5 – Der Russlandkrieg: Friedrich Helfferich
  • Fire & Movement #12 – Panzergruppe Guderian: The Battle of Smolensk, July 1941: Ralph Vickers
  • Fire & Movement #63 – World War II Anthology: Chapter 3: The Eastern Front: Rick Swan
  • Campaign #79 – Panzergruppe Guderian: Larry Lippert and Gregory Mumm )
  • Jagdpanther #15 – Panzergruppe Guderian: Stephen V. Cole
  • Strategist #182 – Panzergruppe Guderian: Ryan Schultz
  • Strategist #193 – Panzergruppe Guderian Review
  • Casus Belli #1 (April 1980)

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Kim, Ted (July 1997), "Game Review", SPI Revivial, no. 1, pp. 5–13
  2. ^ List, Steve (February–March 1980). "On the Eastern Front". Moves. No. 50. pp. 24–25.
  3. ^ Wheatly, Graham (May–June 1977). "The Battle of Smolensk". Phoenix. No. 7. p. 15.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)

External links[]

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