BLITZ IN THE EAST is the new vibrant VentoNuovo game that portrays the Russian Front at the strategic level.

Historical Intro

After spectacular success in the West, Germany and its Axis partners turned East in June 1941 and launched the greatest land invasion in history against the Soviet Union. The goal of Operation Barbarossa was to decisively defeat the Soviet Union in a short lightning campaign before the onset of winter.

During the early stages of the campaign, the Wehrmacht caught the Soviet forces completely unprepared and had advanced its armored spearheads across the Dnepr in only a few short weeks. By mid-October, the Axis invasion appeared unstoppable and on the verge of ultimate success.

Unfortunately for the Wehrmacht, the time for a decisive victory had run out with the arrival of Russia’s notorious muddy season and the worst winter in a century. Despite suffering catastrophic losses over four months, the Soviet military was finally able to regroup and halt the invaders at the gates of Moscow. The Axis would never come so close to victory again and the initiative would slowly fall from its grasp.

As the Axis, can you do better and seize Moscow before the snow falls?

THE GAME ENGINE

"The game engine is the strength of BLITZ IN THE EAST, as it is new, easy, and incorporates all of the historical campaign’s main themes. You will not have the feeling of playing "another" Russian front game." says designer Emanuele Santandrea.

VNG developers have created a brand new engine for this game that is both easy to learn and hard to master. The base rules are minimal in length with many designer notes, examples, and beautiful graphics. Several optional rules and the Scorched Earth Expansion also add more historical flavor and complexity for more seasoned wargamers.

General attrition innovatively accounts for the campaign’s day-to-day grind and impact on future operations.

Detailed logistics and production accurately represent the heavy cost of offensive operations and unit recovery.

Event cards realistically simulate various internal and external influences on the campaign.

The base game, with clearly defined concepts, minimal rules length, and numerous examples, allows novice wargamers to quickly learn and play.

Veteran wargamers can also enjoy a more complex experience via several optional rules and the Scorched Earth Expansion.

THE MAP

The map is the ultimate creation of our design team. Emphasizing every detail, it depicts the area of operations at 1200dpi instead of the standard 300dpi. This allows for zooming into details without disrupting the graphics.

Color depth is verified with modern color control systems to increase contrast, readability, and pleasure to the eyes.

1200dpi graphics stand out! Picture taken from a 42" pc monitor while drawing the art.

Leningrad area, close up

Map Legend, close up

PUNCHBOARD

The punchboard has been created at 1200dpi to highlight each detail. The 65 counters represent the Armies/Fronts involved in the campaign and are 2.5mm thick, 18x18mm wide, and pre-rounded.

The 65 counters represent the Armies/Fronts involved in the campaign and are 2.5mm thick, 18x18mm wide, and pre-rounded.

There are also more than 100 game markers to assist game play.

18x18mm wide, 2.5mm thick, and prerounded counters: Enjoyable to handle and pleasing to the eyes!

PLAYING CARDS

BLITZ IN THE EAST is not a card driven game, but rather one that is card enhanced, Event cards provide for a wide range of effects, from improving combat performance to enabling plausible "what ifs".

Each card is 88x63mm and efficiently displays its effect with simple and large icons instead of tiny lines of unreadable text.

RULES MANUAL

The rules manual is efficiently structured and minimal in length to allow players to quickly jump in and start enjoying the game.

Numerous designer notes, examples, and graphics have been included to provide historical context and reinforce the understanding of key concepts. This has been made possible thanks to the innovative game engine that plays you through the game without the need of dozens of rules and hundreds of exceptions.

"Length and exceptions are a way to estimate the mental effort behind a functionally working engine." says Emanuele Santandrea. In other words, simple is better if it works!

Example of Play (digital file for rules manual)

GAMEPLAY

Each turn is two months. The game offers several scenarios and a campaign to relive the struggle from June 1941 till December 1945 (or earlier).

For proficient players, each turn takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. So, a scenario can be played in an afternoon. For campaign play, assume an afternoon and evening is required to complete.

German panzers are really powerful and can punch a hole in the line. But it is infantry that holds the line. Germany cannot win this war without help from her allies. "We are a small company and dedicate attention to Minor Countries." says Emanuele Santandrea.

A wide overview from the northwestern corner

German Panzers ready to punch a hole in the line

Want to learn the game with the Designer? Check the Video Tutorials on Youtube!