War in Europe

War in Europe is a compendium of three modules, War in the East 2nd ed., War in the West, and War in Europe. The two base games, War in the East 2nd ed. and War in the West, are both playable individually and are both designed for two sided play. War in Europe provides an integrated linkage between these two and provides for three player play.

The game system traces its lineage from SPI's earlier Kursk and Destruction of Army Group Centre but was primarily inspired by War in the East 1st. ed. War in Europe is played on nine full sized (22"x34") coloured maps and employs about 3600 1/2x1/2" cardboard pieces.

The three sides in the full game are the Italo-German Axis, the Anglo- French-American Allies, and the Soviet Union. Political rules govern the alignment of neutral states and restrict the use of active minor power units by the controlling players. Rules also restrict the degree of co-operation between units of differing nationalities, whether Axis or Allied. The victory conditions are also constructed to limit the degree of co-operation between independent Allied and Soviet players.

Each 3/4" hex represents 20 miles. A single game-turn consists of three sequential player turns and represents one week elapsed time. Four game- turns form a 'cycle' at the beginning of which strategic warfare and economic production takes place. Thirteen cycles form a game year. Both Axis and Soviet power produce additional forces via a simplified economic production process. Allied forces are received only by a preset reinforcement schedule.

Player pieces called units represent division and brigade sized military formations. In addition to units, all powers also possess air-point counters representing abstract air power at an estimated scale of 500 sorties per point. Markers are a third category of playing piece used to note some temporary alteration to the map or to a unit.

Allied and Axis powers have amphibious point counters representing invasion lift assets. Each amphibious point is capable of lifting a single divisional sized unit and as acting as a 'beachhead' supply source. The Axis powers also have counters for Naval Transport points and Naval Surface Combat points. The Axis may build these points via his production routines.