Red Vengeance

From: Avalanche Press

Reviewed by: Ron McClung

Red Vengeance is a new Board Game (chit & paper map) from Avalanche Press.

Red Vengeance – subtitled The Destruction of Nazi Germany, 1945 is the sequel to the Defiant Russia (reviewed by me previously). This is a game that simulates the Red Army’s rebound from the Nazi invasion that nearly devastated them. Of course, the true end of the story is that the Soviets marched right into Berlin. However, in the game, all the Nazis have to do is hold off the Russians for a certain amount of time.

From the website:

“By the summer of 1944, the peoples of the Soviet Union had suffered incredible hardships. Three years of war had wrecked the economy, destroyed countless cities, and brought the murders of at least 10 million civilians.”

Components: Like its predecessor, Red Vengeance comes with a 17″ X 22″ map representing the eastern part of Europe between the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea (the western Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary, Romania and eastern Germany, with parts of Yugoslavia and Bulgaria as well). It is divided up into numbered hexes that represent 45-mile regions.

This game also comes with 140 individual counters or chits representing the units. The German chits are corps, all others are armies. The German and Soviet Marine units represent divisions. The units include regular infantry, mountain infantry, some cavalry, shock units, marines and armor. Controlling the actual units that fought in this campaign, they include German, Hungarian, Bulgarian and Romanian units on the Axis side (the latter two will eventually switch sides), and the Soviet armies. If I had a more detailed knowledge of the hardware used in this battle, I could identify the types of armor depicted on the chits, but I do not. The pictures are fairly clear enough to do that, however.

There are several special units in the mix. Leader units are special units that do not count towards stacking limits and help in combat. Unlike other games I have reviewed of this nature, the leader in this game only effects combat values. There is no concept of activation and command range, etc, which is a relief. Shock units are heavy duty combat units that have the exploitation ability (see below).

Like its predecessor, the rulebook is clearly written. I can not compare the rulebooks now, but I would guess aside from a few special rules for specialized units, they are the same book.

System: The system is the same system as Defiant Russia. Game setup is primarily along the battle lines in the northern region of the map, however there are some other units in Yugoslavia doing battle as well.

One of the keys to strategy is supply lines and the Zone of Control for units. Zones of Control (ZoC) interrupt supply paths. All units except for the marine units have a ZoC – the six hexes surrounding the unit. This creates a very interesting and challenging aspect to the game.

Like Defiant Russia, weather is a factor in this game as well. The players may choose to stick to the historically accurate weather conditions or roll randomly. This is done at the beginning of each turn (each month). Also determined at the start of each turn is the control of the Baltic Sea.

The sequence of play starts with the Initial segment, where weather and Baltic sea control determination. Next is the Allied actions – Organization, Movement, Combat, Exploitation Movement and Exploitation Combat Phase. Then the Axis have the same sequence of phases. In the organization phase, the player checks for supply and places replacements and reinforcements. Each side gains replacement points (RPs) at the beginning of each turn. RPs can be spent to repair damaged 2-step units or bring back destroyed 1-step units. There are two types of RPs – armor and infantry. I recommend using little gem markers to record RPs. Reinforcements have a turn of arrival on their upper right corner.

The Movement phase is where all, some, or none of the players’ units spend their movement allowances. Each unit has a movement allowance printed on the counter. Of course terrain affects movement (except in the case of leaders). ZoC affects movement of both Infantry and Armor in different ways. There are also stacking limits. There is also Strategic Movement which allows units to move from one point to another 3 times their movement, if they are in supply and do not stop in an enemy ZoC. This makes ZoC and unit placement very strategic.

During the Combat phases, Allied units adjacent MUST attack. Axis units do not have this same requirement to attack; they have a choice. Exploitation Combat only occurs for certain units. Combat is fairly simple but requires a lot of six-siders. Attacker rolls a number of dice equal to his total combat value as does the defender. Every 6 is a hit. The average strength of a unit is 3 to 4. Depending on how many you have in a stack, you could be rolling up 4 to 8 dice. However, in most cases you will be rolling 3 to 4 dice. Units only take at most two hits, so it does not take a lot to kill a unit. Of course terrain and supply affect die rolls as well, as do air support and leaders. Damage (step losses) can be avoided, however, by retreating. There are special rules on how to retreat, what can retreat, and where a unit can retreat that make that decision a very complex one.

Finally, certain units have the privilege of exploitation move and attack. This is an extra move and attack after normal combat that certain units can make that really makes the game more interesting.

Game play is simple and painstakingly strategic. This is not your regular Axis & Allies game. I can see why people who play these types of games regularly (at least the ones I have met) are not satisfied by more abstract games like Axis & Allies or Attack!.

In conclusion, what I admire most about this line of games is the historical detail, simplicity and elegance of the system. The Avalanche Games I have seen all have a difficulty rating on the back of the box ranging from 1 to 5 stars. This one rates one star in difficulty. That is a fair assessment for those familiar with these types of games. I like the design philosophy of William Sariego – “Red Vengeance was designed with my love for playability in mind.” I feel he accomplished this, as he did with Defiant Russia.

I should note that I struggle with the whole concept of buying a game for $20 just for 2 players. However, I am such a World War Two buff, I tend to overlook that. However, it is something to consider when investing in these type of games. At times, it is hard to find 4 or 5 players for some of the more epic games and these type of games are just what you are looking for and worth the price you spend.

For more details on Avalanche Press and their new Board Games (chit & paper map) “Red Vengeance” check them out at their website http://www.avalanchepress.com, and at all of your local game stores.

Red Vengeance

From: Avalanche Press

Type of Game: Board Games (chit & paper map)

Game Design & Written by: William Sariego

Developed by: Brian L Knipple

Number of Pages: 23 page rulebook

Game Components Included: box set including 1 rulebook, one reference card, one set of chits, and a map

Retail Price: $ 19.99 (US)

Number of Players: 2

Play Time: 60-90 minutes

Item Number: APL0034

Website: www.avalanchepress.com

Reviewed by: Ron McClung