The Russian Campaign Deluxe 5th Edition from GMT Games is true to its name as it represents the entirety of the East Front of World War II stretching from Leningrad and Finland in the north all the way to the Caucasus Oil Fields, Rostov and Stalingrad in the south. I have said this before, but there is something a bit romantic about East Front games. Long lines of contiguous counters. The German blitzkrieg pushing the Soviets back for the first dozen turns. The Soviets gaining their strength, bringing up bigger replacement units and pushing back. A continuous bloody wave of motion and combat and attrition. Bad terrain, bad weather and bad luck all combining to spoil the best laid plans of commanders. It is all here. The entire East Front in all its glory and beauty and I think that this is one of the main draws of the game and the genre. Can my decisions lead to better advances? Can I do more than historical? Can the Germans break the red wall of Soviet units and capture Moscow to knock them out of the war? All great questions that can be answered in this fairly simple and standard wargame. This game is a very fine example of a classic hex and counter wargame that is very playable and has enough opportunity for the Germans to win as the Axis. I have heard many people say that The Russian Campaign was their first wargame and that they played it so much that they wore the ink off of their counters. I used to think that this was just nostalgia and a fuzzy mind speaking but now after playing it I can fully understand and feel their affinity for the game, its system and mechanics. They all seamlessly work together in perfect unison to create a memorable and classic gaming experience.

I also wrote a full First Impressions style post on the blog and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2023/12/05/first-impressions-the-russian-campaign-deluxe-5th-edition-from-gmt-games/

If you are interested in The Russian Campaign Deluxe 5th Edition 2nd Printing, you an pre-order a copy for $47.00 from the GMT Games website at the following link: https://www.gmtgames.com/p-1099-the-russian-campaign-deluxe-5th-edition-2nd-printing.aspx

-Grant