“Red Army soldier: You are now on German
soil. The hour of revenge has struck!”
Anna Akhmatova
February 1945
Red Vengeance
The Destruction of Nazi Germany, 1945
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.
But through massive efforts, the Red Army had
not only held but greatly strengthened itself with
new weapons and tactics. The time had come for the
great counter-offensive. Operation Bagration opened
in June 1944. The Germans reeled back until finally
losing Berlin itself.
Red Vengeance is a sequel to Defiant
Russia. Like that game, it is designed
to be easy to learn and fun. The map portrays the
western Soviet Union, Poland, Hungary, Romania and
eastern Germany, with parts of Yugoslavia and Bulgaria
as well.
Players control the actual units that fought in
this campaign. Axis units mostly represent army
corps. These include German, Hungarian, Bulgarian
and Romanian units; the latter two will eventually
switch sides. The Axis player actually starts the
game with more tank units, the real striking power
in this game, than the Soviets. But as they’re
lost they are difficult to replace, while Soviet
power just keeps surging.
Soviets are generally armies. The typical Soviet unit is as good
as the typical German unit, and many of them are
better. The Soviet player’s goals are very
simple: drive directly for the heart of Nazi power.
The Axis player can’t simply hold back on
defense, but must counterattack judiciously.
Red Vengeance isn't a very
large game. The 17x22-inch map fits easily on a
small table. There are 140 playing pieces, and it
comes in a small box that's easy to store. The game
plays very quickly, concluding in about 90 minutes,
with a minimum of charts and tables to consult.
It's suitable for ages 10 and up.
The game uses the same system as Defiant Russia,
and you can get an early preview of how it works
here.
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Links:
Stock #0034
Status: This game is no longer available.
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