I’m playing PANZERBLITZ for the first time and it is a solo experience, so might as well record it so I am ostensibly not speaking to myself. Instead, now I’m instructing teeming masses of interested Grognards and WWII enthusiasts on different approaches one can take with this wargaming fossil.
If you are here reading this blog post you must know something about the
PANZERBLITZ story, the most important being, the game was released in 1970! It
is old school as draughts. Is it still playable and enjoyable as a tactical
wargame? With all the water under the bridge of boardgame development shouldn’t
it be relegated to the dusty shelves of old and forgotten wargames?
By the enthusiasm with which this simple wargame is still
played and modified the answer is clearly yes to the first and no to the second. Over the intervening years
the game has been put through its paces and has been played millions of times
and there are a few features which repeatedly get called out as flaws to what
otherwise is a fast-moving tactical wargame fun to play. These flaws are
claimed to wreck the enjoyment of the game for many wargamers. Specifically
called out are the spotting rules, lack of “opportunity” fire and putting more
units into a hex reduces the effect of Artillery and Mortar fire into that hex.
There are lengthier lists.
But that is not my point or focus of this play-through. No,
the purpose of the exercise is to determine if a homemade variant eliminates
these perceived warts and if the change in gameplay is worth the brain damage
in learning and building these changes. I am going to play the game two times,
same scenario both times. The first play will be according to the rules as
written. Of the four possible optional rules only two will be used; Panzerblitz
Assault and Indirect Fire. None of the Experimental Rules are going to be in effect.
The rest of the attack group; cavalry, horse-drawn artillery,
move along the road at their slower rate, remaining limbered.
The German Commander, realizing they cannot fire, does some limited maneuvering in town. The engineer platoon is sent forward to contest the south of the village. And this concludes the German’s turn and turn 1 itself.
Turn 2
Time to kick the door in! I drive the SU-76 and T-34 at the
west side of town. The other two T-34’s go at the center of town and take
position on the west side of the road to avoid the minefield. The infantry
units spread out and move up on either side of the road. Cavalry and artillery continue
their slow pace of advance.
The Germans are up, and the first shots of the war are to be
fired! I review my combat options. They are a) Normal Attacks, b) Overrun
Attacks and c) Close Assault. Normal Attacks are further broken down into more
options which need to be understood.
Every available unit will fire on the SU-76 platoon in a Selective
Attack. My possible attacking stacks are of mixed types so all the effects
to the AF and DF need to be figured before an odds ratio for the combat can be
determined. The two “I” units are prohibited from firing on armored units, so
they need to hold tight. The 50mm ATG gun and 20mm FLK have no such problems.
They open up with everything they have in a barrel-burning fusillade.
I total up the AF of the direct fire weapons and adjust per
WEC. If I am doing the math right, I end up with 20:9, or 2:1 odds, on the Russian
assault gun. The roll is 4, D, Dispersed! The line of SU-76’s sputter on their
approach and seek cover from the heavy fire. The counter is flipped over reflecting
its Dispersed condition.
Turn 3
Combat before movement, that is the PANZERBLITZ way. Except
for Close Assault, this type of combat action happens after all units have
moved. And Overrun Attacks. They are conducted while your units are
moving. Subtle distinctions, but part of the subtle rules which create the PB
Experience. I have two direct fire attacks to make. The T-34 in the stack with
the Dispersed SU-76 will shoot at the 50mm ATG. But since it is in a town hex
the Russians have to attack the entire stack, not an individual unit. Let
us do the math. The tank’s AF is doubled for firing into a town hex giving an
AF of 24, but also suffer a +1 DRM. The stack of German units nets DF 8. 3:1
odds. The roll is 3+1=4. DD Special Dispersed. All 3 defenders are flipped over
to show their dispersed state.
The other 2 tanks fire on the Engineer plt. The math says
the tank’s total AF is 48. Engineer DF 10, 4:1 odds with a +1 DRM. The result
is another 4, enemy eliminated! The T-34s bring the town down around their ears
wiping out the German plt.
I need to go to sleep now, so I will pick up and run a few more turns tomorrow.
A nice surprise, always interesting to see this style of game especially on these unusual times, solo play with historical interest
ReplyDeleteOne of the attractions to the game. The fan base has made over the years many historical scenarios to download and run. I'm waiting on my second used (very) copy of Panzerblitz to arrive. I'm scavenging the three boards and unit counters to merge with the existing. The game gives you rules to build your own OOB so you will want hoard of additional counters to build new combat groups and Wala, a new game is had with each new scenario/situation.
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