The SS Abyss: Hungary 1945

ok game

Operation game of the last German/Hungarian offensives in February/March 1945. Chrome comes in the form of special rules for the SS units, which have two movement phases.

Very cool box cover. Lazer-print quality map. A DTP production. Ths is a game of Blue Guidon's remake of Perry Moore's "The SS Abyss". Two 11"x17" adjoining maps and they are easy to lay out for play. (Note: A single map is available from Omega Games and delivered, for free, to registered owner of the game in January 2014!) Counters are nicely done with the SS units and gosh, there are many black-on-white to fulfill one's desire of what should SS units be look like. The rulebook is shorter than expected and should be easy to read and absorb.

A note to self: Helion & Company releases the designer Perry Moore's Panzerschlacht: Armor battles in Hungary, Sept-Nov. 1944 in July 08. Book covers three major Hungarian operations: Arad, Torda, Debrecen. Filled with maps and color plates of Hungarian AFVs. Price: $60. Might be a good accompanying read.

A finely balanced and well-chosen encounter with Soviet reinforcements arriving often only in the nick of time. In my playing of Konrad 3 the Germans came within one Game Turn of dominating the map, but skilful delaying actions by the Red Army ended in a minor Soviet victory. The counters are excellent, the map ok, the rules clear. If there is one criticism, it is that with the differential combat system, and the surfeit of German artillery which can simply be piled in, the absence of step losses and a predictable CRT, there is a certain 'blasting' tendency. Locking ZOCs mean that the German can pick and choose where to make his breakthroughs in the safe knowledge that the Russian will not be able to interfere. Almost all pincer combats end in instant elimination of single units, while almost all stacks manage to save one unit at relatively little penalty. But this was nevertheless a streamlined and elegant simulation with much tension.