Battle for Moscow II (B4M2) game developer Gerald “Jay” Johnson is pleased to announce that this project has moved into open (“out of house”) Beta testing. That means: Uncle Jay Wants You!
Battle for Moscow II is not exactly the classic introductory game from 1986, but a lower-complexity wargame created to stairstep players up to the full series of Frank Chadwick’s ETO games. B4M2 is the first in a new series of smaller campaigns using its own “hybrid” Battles for Europe game engine.
Each game in this series features a 12-page Standard Rules book, plus an Exclusive Rules sheet for that specific game, so a beginner really could learn it and an old hand wargamer could easily teach it to a new player.
The Battles for Europe series brings to the classic B4M introductory game’s system:
More unit variety,
Air Strike markers,
Nine Event cards (presenting simple game options and underscoring the game narrative),
The ETO’s Combat Results Table (creating more interesting operational puzzles and possibilities),
More diverse weather.
It also has the Winter Counteroffensive expansion kit scenario baked right in and a “mini-campaign game” linking the Typhoon and Winter Counteroffensive into a continuous play experience.
If you are interested in trying it out (or at least reading it over), you can download the free beta test kit HERE.
The kit includes all of the print-and-play components for a magazine “mini-game” version (think C3i) that you can quickly assemble. It also includes a stellar, ready-to-play Vassal kit by Ken Keller.
Give it a spin and share your feedback! Send your comments for everything from first impressions to play balance to spelling errors directly to developer Jay Johnson (hobbitjay[at]aol.com).
Thanks for your help! Look for other games in this series as we prepare them!
