Stalingrad (wargame)

Stalingrad is strategic-level board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1963. As one of the first board wargames (and the first one about the Eastern Front of World War II) it was extensively played and discussed during the early years of the wargaming hobby.

Despite its title, Stalingrad covers the entire campaign between Germany and the Soviet Union from June 1941 to May 1943. Often criticized for lack of realism, Stalingrad is the granddaddy of the many eastern front games that have since been published.

Germany wins the game by occupying the cities of Moscow, Leningrad, and Stalingrad and holding them for two turns simultaneously or eliminating all opposing units. The Soviets win by avoiding the German victory conditions or eliminating all German units.

The game is played on a 22x28 inch mounted hex grid map of the eastern front with a scale of about 30 miles per hex. Cardboard counters represent military units (generally army corps), each game turn represents one month. Key terrain features include major cities, rivers, rough terrain and swamps. Defenders can gain advantages in battle by occupying cities, rough terrain and defending behind rivers. Variable weather effects in fall, winter and spring months affect the movement rate of combat units.

Except for some Italian and Hungarian units, there are no reinforcements in the game. The armed forces of both sides are replenished by replacements. Replacements are eliminated units, which are returned to the game. The production capability of the Soviets is reflected in the replacement rate, which rises during the game.

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