GAMING NEWS: "The Next War" Session Two! (3 July 2005)

Hi Guys,

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On July 3rd, Jon Compton held a big Fourth of July party and asked all of us to get together to play our second session of "The Next War."

We started around 11:30am (although I got there closer to 1:00pm) and finished the Soviet gorund phase of turn one. Next session, we will finish the NATO part of turn one and FINALLY be completely done with turn one!

Part of the reason the game is taking so long is that we are all learning how the rules work.

We finished around 3:30pm and called the session a wrap. We went downstairs (Jon's game roon is upstairs... ) and got on with the Fourth of July party. We all had a good time and there were plenty of burgers, hot dogs and every kind of victual for everyone. We set off some fire works in the evening and went home.

Several of us (Including some British and US citizens) had a long discussion about about social services as well as the nature and future of socialized medicine in the US and abroad.

The next session will be this upcoming Sunday (10 July 2005).

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Next War is truly massive game and here's a link to a review of it:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/8719

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The sides of the game are:

WARSAW PACT:
- Scott
(Soviet Marshal of the Baltic sector)
- Mike AKA Mikos
(Soviet Marshal of the Central & Northern Europe sectors)
- Rich
(Soviet Marshal of the Southern Europe sector)

NATO:
- Jon
(Supreme Commanding General of All NATO forces)
- Vince
(General of US NATO forces)
- Maksim
(General of German, British & Canadian NATO forces)

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SOVIET LAND PHASE of Turn One:

NATO was not able to take their ground phase this turn (not enough time... ) so only the USSR players moved their ground forces. Next gaming session, we will finish the NATO player's ground phase and end turn one.

The USSR ground forces made five major thrusts:

1. Soviet Movement in Southern Europe
- Marshal Rich made some very agressive moves to threaten Italy and Southern Europe.
- Southern Europe is held by a very tenuous defense of weaker Italian troops with some US reinforcement.

2. Soviet Thrust Against Austria
- Marshal Mikos moved several Soviet divisions very agressively in a thrust to make a breakthrough near the Austrian city of Wien in Central Europe.
- So far, the Austrians have held, but the Russian steamroller is persistent.

3. Soviet Movement to Crush the US Bulwark of NATO (Marburg Thrust)
- Marshal Mikos made some very ambitious and aggressive to crush US components of NATO in a thrust towards Marburg, Germany.
- Marshal Mikos very agressively moved his forward supply depots (FSBs) forward as well as support elements (Engineers, air defense cadre, etc.) in a big chain behind his forward combat units.
- He succeeds in making several breakthroughs punching a big hole through NATO lines.
- One of Marshal Mikos' biggest accomplishments is the uteerly brutal, quick and efficient taking of Berlin. NATO forces didn't stand a chance.

4. Northern Diversionary Thrust Towards Hamburg
- Marshal Mikos uses a number of armored and mechanized unit in a thrust towards the German city of Hamburg.
- There are no major victories achieved by Soviet forces, but the losses are likewise not very costly for their key result of keeping NATO forces occupied.
- The actions must be diversionary, but it still ties down NATO troops that are vitally needed elsewhere.

5. Baltic Spearpoint Aimed at Hannover
- The most feared Soviet Marshal, Marshal Scott, known for his intense aggression, pushes his units forward through NATO lines in a relentless push that exhausts his units to the limits of their endurance.
- A combination of mechanized thrusts and helibourne assaults brings Soviet forces to the city outskirts of Hannover.
- Denmark is one of NATO's Achilles Heels with many valuable sea and airports. If Marshal Scott can push this attack then he will remove many of NATO's most valuable staging areas for the war in Northern Europe.
- NATO generals fear Marshal Scott!

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NATO Commentary on Soviet Movement:
- The NATO generals were surprised that the Soviet Forces didn't extend themselves further.
- The NATO generals would have driven every unit to exhaustion tieing down as many NATO units as possible ina n effort to keep NATO units from forming into larger and more dangerous division-size units from the smaller battalions in which NATO left its units.

- All three commanding NATO generals were very surprised at the Marburg thrust. Marshal Mikos left his units sticking out in one huge finger thrust into the NATO apple pie.
- Unfortunately, almost all of the combat elements are concentrated at the tip of the finger with juicy support elements (Engineers, artillery, air defense cadre, etc.) lieing with their flanks exposed.
- With any luck, NATO units can cut this thrust off and decimate Marshal Mikos' units wholesale.

- The rest of NATO forces will take holding actions and concentrate on bringing NATO forces into better defensive salients.

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Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.