SGS Battle For: Stalingrad
Strategy Game Studio · 2023 · Strategy, Card Battler, Turn-Based Tactics, Wargame, Turn-Based Strategy
PC
Positive84% · 38 📉 Recent reviews down 76%
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About SGS Battle For: Stalingrad
Battle For Stalingrad and the new Battles Series
SGS Battle for Stalingrad is the first game of our new SGS Battle Series, covering intense fights and battles in well know (or not) small but fighting-heavy locations ; ‘grand’ tactical’ scale for regiment, battalion, company and even platoon-size units (depending on the games) and game turns which represent a very short real period of time (one or two days, half a day, a few hours…).
One of the many particularities of the Battle series compared to other SGS relates to a unit activation system which means that not all units will necessarily be able to move and fight in a turn. This will only be possible for them if they have been activated. And depending on the battles or the episodes during them, the activation limits will be more or less important.Stalingrad, one of the most famous and bloody battle of the Second World War seen by many as a turning point in the conflict, is depicted in this game where you can play both sides, German or Soviet ; against another player in PBEM or in hot seat, against AI.
SGS Battle for Stalingrad covers the period from September till November of 1942 (the battle as a whole extends from August 23, 1942 to February 2, 1943). That is to say before the encirclement of Stalingrad.
At the middle of November, when the game ends, the fate of German troops trapped in Stalingrad is settled. But maybe you will manage to have them seize Stalingrad before the Soviet counter-offensive (November 19 to February 2, 1943), thus complicating Moscow's plans ? Or, as a Soviet, will you perhaps hold the city more effectively, placing Germans in an even more precarious situation than the historical one when your counter-offensive comes ? Each block of the city will become the stake of a thousand battles.
The game will contain a grand campaign scenario covering the battle from September until November, as well as other (intermediate or shorter - see below) scenarios based on different starting days or limited to specific areas (Tractor Works Factory, Mamaiev Kurgan, the Last German Assault, etc…) of the battle.
The player will also find in the game historical events.
Most events generate even more immersion, sticking to a historical reality. All are carefully designed, with extensive historical research, to go beyond the game, to bring its playful dimension closer to what could be a highly interactive history book.
- Mamaiev Kurgan: a short scenario on the trench battles for control of the Hill 102 in September 1942.
- The Grain Elevator: a short scenario on the fierce battle for the grain elevator in the South of the city, 4 turns (September 16 to 22), small number of units.
- Battle for the South: intermediate scenario (not in time but in terms of counters) in the South of the city, September 16 to September 27 (including first fights for the grain elevator).
- The Factories: intermediate scenario, attack on the three big factories of Stalingrad (+ the smallest brick factory), the Dzershinzky/Stalingrad tractor works, the Red October gun foundry and the Red Barricade steel plant, October 13 to November 2, 1942.
- Operation Hubertus: intermediate scenario, the last German assault in Stalingrad, 11 to 13 November 1942 against the 138th Rifle Division holding worker settlements.
- Stalingrad Grand Campaign : a big part of the battle, in the city and its outskirts, from September to November 1942. All major events are strictly historical.
Scale
In this specific game, units are mostly battalion-size. They confront each other in urban and industrial areas, on both banks of the Volga and on the immediate outskirts of the city. Some "off map boxes" are also integrated to represent more distant areas (where close strategic points such as air bases are located).
Each turn is two days.
The game consists mainly of ground units and some air units. However, the latter have more of a role of support "markers" as in traditional board games or wargames than of units with fine and dedicated management. A few river units are also present to represent the Soviet craft that operated on the Volga.
All the types of units present in Stalingrad in 1942 appear in the game: armored vehicles, infantry, engineers, artillery and even a few surprises (temporary kampfgruppe, Soviet grouping with diehards, terrain elements such as fortified ruins, etc.).
Estimated Playtime: from 1h to many hours… with great replayability.
Favored Side/hardest to play : depending on the scenario played and in the campaign it can alternate, being harder for one side at one point in the game before becoming easier (and harder for the opposing side).
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
Easy to learn, hard to master type of game. Some are complaining the the UI/mechanics are not intuitive, but I would earnestly disagree - this game is played by well defined and presented phases, just follow the flow. That said, it is not a typical grognard game, but I would still recommend the game to such players for these reasons: 1) The historical context is nicely presented, and the rules' relevance to them is explained 2) It's a classic old school tabletop wargame - if you have a soft spot for tabletops, you might like it 3) At the very least, it's a fun game for your coffee break The only negative for me personally is the upbeat/propaganda music, which is, yes, historical, but overshadows the drama of the Stalingrad battle. I would prefer ambient war horror background sounds (you can always turn the in-game music off, of course) P.S. I bought it on sale, but I still consider the full price fair - it's a niche game, the dev has to survive somehow :)3 found this helpful
I've installed and bounced off this game multiple times. At this point, the UI is my worst enemy. Game does explain things, but I still run into roadblocks. Example: Drag artillery "gunfire" counters to place them on regions to bombard. Seems simple. Except that when i drag the "off map" artillery, the line will change to red and then seem to change its origin to whatever region i am on. When I move it around it gets confused and does little "routes" through various regions as though it was an actual unit moving around. It just seems like there's always some issue like this. Don't get me started on right click to select units and left click to move, or maybe click and drag. I've watched multiple video tutorials and I feel like this game and others in the series could use major improvements to the intuitiveness of the UI and UX. I'll change my review if I can ever figure out how to get through a full turn without being unsure how to take a basic action.3 found this helpful
Outstanding boardgame. Very simple mechanics. Very difficult to win!
This is a decent game. On the positive they get the 'look and feel' just right. The map, counters and cards are all excellent. You really get the sense of being a general at the operational level. On the negative side, some elements of the interface are a little clunky. In particular, when you want to separate elements of a very large stack. The rules were decent but could have used a little more detail. It is probably not fair to criticize the AI but it does not seem very good. One should not be able to win their very first game while trying to learn the rules against an AI on 'expert' level. But a competent AI is a very big ask. Anyone interested in this battle should certainly try it out.
Hi!! I'm a big fan of the series, and I've bought a lot of games on sale. I've been playing this game while listening to documentaries about the Battle of Stalingrad, and I've learned a lot about the battle. The game accurately depicts the situation on the battlefield, and I really enjoy the element of chance in the game. Now that my girlfriend has left me, I'll be able to delve deeper into your games and learn more about the history. Thank you, and I'm looking forward to your future games!!! HELLO FROM RUSSIA!!
A pretty fun, and sometimes difficult game based on the Battle of Stalingrad. Winning as the Nazis is possible, though it might take you a few tries because of the nature of card draws and dice rolls influencing battle results. The music and art is really great all-around, and brings across the atmosphere of the battle quite well. The biggest flaw I've found with the game is that you absolutely need to save at the start of every turn, and make sure you have autosaves active. If not, you WILL eventually lose a game to either the click-and-drag function of the counters messing up and leaving a UI element stuck on the screen in the wrong place, not letting you continue your turn, or worse, the AI getting stuck during its turn with no way to "skip" the action it's stuck on. If you're a fan of boardgame-style wargames, this(and the other SGS titles) will be right up your alley. Just be mindful of potential bugs with the UI/AI.
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