Blocks in the East

On 22 June 1941, under the codeword "Dortmund", the German Wehrmacht and other Axis powers started the invasion of the Soviet Union. Over 150 divisions – ca. 3,6 million troops – of the Axis invaded the USSR along a front of 2,900 km. In addition to troops, Barbarossa involved 600,000 motor vehicles, 750,000 horses, 3350 tanks, 7300 guns, and nearly 2000 planes – the largest invasion in the history of warfare.

BLOCKS IN THE EAST is a game of World War II conflict simulation at the strategic level. It recalls the most decisive battles fought on the Eastern Front from the beginning of the invasion in summer 1941 until the dramatic end in Berlin in spring 1945. Although based on historical events and battles, the players in command of the two factions can modify the evolution of World War II.

The game is recommended for two or four players: one/two control the Soviet Red Army and the other one/two control Germany and the other Axis powers. In a threesome, one player controls one faction while the other two players control the other faction. The game is furthermore suitable for solitary play: the single player just controls both sides. In this case, a play with Fog of War is suggested.

Developed with a system of wooden blocks and cubes and played out over an astonishing 125x87 cm (49"x34") full laminated multicolor mapboard, the only paper component in the box is the rules manual. In total, more than 600 wooden/plastic components have been created by the best Italian artisinal industry and painted "A buratto", a technique usually adopted for painting car parts and accessories.

The rules are divided into three major sections which can be learned one at a time:

• The Basic Game Rules introduce the basic concepts of BITE and enable players to start playing the game without too many rules to remember.