by Billy Riley, 18 November 2021 ~ #UnboxingDay
I don’t have many MMP games. I have Front Toward Enemy and ALS Starter Kit #1. I did look at Front Toward Enemy and may even have set it up – but I think the movement values stopped me in my tracks. I never did get ASL on the table – mostly due to the hard to read, small ½ inch counters.
However on trying to find a half decent Russian Front game, MMP came up in the discussion and this was one of the games suggested. I had a look, saw it on my board gaming supplier (Second Chance Games) and for a decent price (£45 I think) so I plonked it in the cart.
I was a bit disappointed when the Autumn For Barbarossa Deluxe Edition came in a plastic bag. Surely this was not right. I checked the supplier website and sure enough there was a footnote that said it was not a boxed product.
I contacted MMP – after all they included a little package note saying “…perfection and customer satisfaction is our number one priority
click images to enlarge
Box(?) Art
No box – but the package did have a front and back similar to a boxed product. Presumably it would aid you in creating a box for it yourself. The box art shows a bunch of officers presumably planning their dastardly upcoming operation.
And the rear actually shows what a box rear would show. All standard stuff.
SCS Series Rules
The rules for the Standard Combat Series games, I’m told, cover the entire series – much like the ASL series I think and – to my delight – I’ve also heard they are pretty easy to pick up.
The rules are 8 pages and one of those are the Designers Notes.
SCS Autumn for Barbarossa Rules
These are the specific rules for this operation. It’s 8 pages again, but it’s actually only 3 pages of specific rules.
Counter Sheets
There are 2 of these and they are a decent size (5/8th inch) and nice and clear.
Map
I really like the map. It’s kind of odd that they didn’t make it a one piece map…it’s in two halves…but it’s nice all the same and I don’t mine the two halves.
Smolensk is smack bang in the middle. It seems – from a review I’ve seen – that the Germans have to get Smolensk and many, many other victory points before the Russian onslaught starts and The Fuhrer wants his troops back. So it seems like an ebb and flow game. Sounds smashing to be honest…grab as many victory locations as possible and hold until relieved…hold until rel…..well, you know.
Anyway – that’s that. Missing a box and calling it Deluxe I think was a tad misleading – but it was appropriately priced and it does look an enticing game.
Thanks for joining this month’s #UnboxingDay with the Armchair Dragoons and we hope you enjoyed our recon of our recent acquisitions.
You can always leave us your feedback in our #UnboxingDay thread, or in the comment area on this article, below.
The regiment also occasionally musters on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and occasionally at a convention near you, once we’re allowed to hold them again.
Brant, I bought the magazine version a couple of years ago after-market and paid a pretty penny for it. It has a single map, which I like. I would have thought about buying this (or at least the box) if it had a box, as MMP originally had implied that the new version would haveone. To buy this for slightly bigger counters and hexes is not where I am putting my money despite my love for this series of battles. PGG forever!