The game is played on the playing field, which consists of hexagonal cells - hexes, each of which depicts a certain type of terrain. Each hex has its own number, which is indicated in orders given to units. When connecting individual fields of the playing field, some hexes may have two or more numbers. In this case, any of the numbers is indicated in the order. Choose one of the scenarios. For new players, we recommend choosing from the scenarios included with the game's tutorial rules. Prepare the playing field as directed in the scenario. Carefully separate the parts from the sprues and assemble the squad models as shown in the assembly diagrams. Place your squads according to the chosen scenario. The game is intended for two or more players. For a two-player game, both players command different armies. For more players, units of the same army are divided between players.

Progress of the game

The game lasts several turns according to the script. One turn of the game consists of four phases:

• Giving orders;
• Radio interception;
• Execution of orders;
• Durability tests.

A turn phase is complete when all players have completed actions. Until the first phase is completed, no one can begin performing actions in the second phase.

• Firstly, completely patriotic. This is here in full, the game is really very pleasing with the accuracy and detail of the battles, as well as the approach to the publication. By the way, it’s nice to play a game about the Great Patriotic War published by us, and not by a former or supposed enemy.
• Secondly, the strategy must be very detailed, just the dream of a passionate strategist, ready to argue about trifles for hours. This is also here in full.
• Thirdly, not a single Soviet thing will be fully ready if it is not assemble by hand(yes, even a new car). The game comes immediately with a wonderful memory from childhood - gluing models! It will take from 3 to 5 hours just to assemble the soldiers and equipment: the parts are very small, so it will be interesting to glue.
• Fourthly, to fully immerse yourself in Soviet realities, you have to take a marker and start write down all moves and statuses of troops.

In a word, the game completely takes you out of reality and transports those who were born in a great country to childhood. It's simply magical.

What's not so magical?

• You will have to roll a lot of dice. This is not an accident, but statistics, but the statistics are scary, because 10 throws per shot is already a routine. However, lovers of realism will be absolutely delighted.
• You will have to plan each move in great detail: micromanagement in the game is very important. Great for serious strategy players, but not so great for newbie gamers.

What kind of combat system is Art of Tactic?

This is a fairly well-developed and balanced mechanic, similar to that used in the famous Memoir’44. What’s very nice about “The Great Patriotic War” is that the moves are made simultaneously, the rules are quite clear, and the game itself simply looks incredibly beautiful at any time during the game.

For whom should I choose “The Great Patriotic War”?

• For all strategy lovers;
• For those who need a wonderful gift;
• For the veteran grandfather and grandson;
• For those who were born in the USSR.

What is the quality of the publication?

Apart from a number of minor inconsistencies in complex parts for assembly (in general, common for such models), it’s wonderful. Special attention deserves the design - it is very beautiful and very detailed, as it is now fashionable to say - “juicy”. By looking at the rules, you can understand what we are talking about.

Number of players (and optimal): 2 (2)
Difficulty of mastering: high
Preparation time: more than 15 minutes
Party time: up to 3 hours or more

Tabletop tactical games about World War II are a motley bunch. At one extreme is the Memoir 44 series with elementary principles and quick games. On the other are numerous wargames, when laid out, they primarily resemble a headquarters map of military operations. Somewhere in the middle is Tide of Iron, with deep rules, dramatic combat, and quality miniatures. It is with this recognized authority that a domestic development competes: the Art of Tactic rules system, the private brainchild of which Summer 1941 is.

The front is a cage, and whoever gets into it
you have to strain your nerves and wait to see what will happen to him next.
We are sitting behind bars, the bars of which are the trajectories of projectiles;
we live in tense anticipation of the unknown.
We are at the mercy of chance.
Erich-Maria Remarque, "On western front no change"

Imagine for a second a World War II battle. A German tank platoon, accompanied by infantry, advances on the Russian defensive positions. The defenders were thoroughly fortified: the ground was dug up with trenches, a bunker was erected on a strategically key hill, and anti-tank hedgehogs and barbed wire barriers were erected on the approaches. The infantry advance is held back by mortars positioned behind some undergrowth. They are guided to the target by staff officers hiding close to the line of fire, accompanied by radio operators. The detachment, intending to enter from the flank, ended up straight into a minefield. The Russians seem to be okay. But the assault has been going on for a long time, the defenders’ ammunition is running out, and the enemy is being supplied by a whole column of trucks. The roar of the anti-tank gun ceases, and the emboldened Germans launch a decisive attack. All this - down to the details - is now possible within the framework board game.

Before us is almost an independent board game. Why only almost? And it’s very simple - the wealth of possibilities is too cramped within one set. Often in scenarios that offer to recruit an army at the player's request, the specified number of points is so high that all the units in the box are sent into battle.

Fortunately, it’s easy to recruit new recruits. If players want to move from small skirmishes involving two dozen units to large-scale battles, they are at your disposal - additional sets. For now, they are limited to small and budget boxes with individual units, mostly already found in the original selection. But if the game continues to develop, new participants and even parties to the conflict are not far off.

When starting the game for the first time, it is important to be patient. The models, for all their external charm, are prefabricated and sometimes include very small parts. In addition, learning the rules takes quite an impressive amount of time. But in the end, the game is worth the trouble: the system is quite clear, and most importantly, deep. There is room to turn around and show your tactical genius.

Well, you will have to leave the cubes more than once during the game. The attack takes into account four main indicators.

The effectiveness depends on who is attacking whom. The same unit is a scourge for some, but for others it is like pellets to an elephant. So, mortars for a tank are an empty phrase, and ordinary infantry are dangerous only if they get close.

The attack power, that is, the number of dice rolled, depends on the type of unit and its size. We suffered losses - the platoon began to fight worse. This is especially noticeable in the case of infantry: when one half is killed, the second becomes almost helpless.

Range to target affects accuracy. It is easier to hit closer, and therefore many throw results are considered successful. At the extreme distance, only ones that fall out are always considered successes.

After damage is inflicted, the unit's defense indicator is subtracted from it, reflecting its training and armor thickness. After this, one strength unit is finally removed from the card for each hit and a morale check is made.

And all this - not counting the abundance of possible modifiers, special conditions and the influence of morale! But it is important to understand that already in the second game many pieces come together into a single picture and thinking moves from the level of cubes to the realities of war. The mechanics are logical and therefore quickly learned.

When creating Art of Tactic, the developers first of all set themselves the goal of achieving simultaneous moves, and they succeeded. As a result, we have a rather cumbersome system, but one that has no worthy analogues. Each unit on the field has a corresponding stat card. On the front side it shows all the indicators of the squad. The back one is used to assign tasks for a move.

All units are assigned numbers, which are written on their cards with a marker, of which there are two included with the game. During the ordering phase, opponents secretly note what their subordinates will do this time. When both are finished, the players begin to take turns, revealing squad after squad. At the end of the turn, the notes can be easily erased and new orders can be given.

Even the simplest units, like an infantry unit, have a dozen possible orders. What can we say about sappers, jacks of all trades? At first it’s easy to get confused, especially because of the abundance of icons. But in reality, everything is intuitive: just think about what such a detachment could do in reality. Rest assured, he can do this in the game, and within the mechanics, any decision will be significant. If you want, the unit will quietly wait in ambush for the approaching enemy. If you want, it will go with grenades on a tank. If, of course, the soldiers have enough spirit.

In addition to the set of rules, players are also provided with a script book. Of course, you can play out regular skirmishes, agreeing on their scale and introducing, for example, checkpoints. But the battles created by the developers definitely deserve attention.

The eight scenarios included in the starter set play out the most common war stories. Here is the defense of the bridge with the gradual approach of reinforcements, and the battle for a strategic height, and the battle for the city. There are a dozen approaches to each battle. There is only one catch: some plots are clearly designed to expand the base armies.

When the book is played and replayed, the official website of the game is at your service. Previous collectible miniatures, in particular the fantasy Ring of Rule, did not receive adequate support from Zvezda and eventually died out. Fortunately, in the case of Art of Tactic, the future looks brighter. The successfully launched project is alive, developing and already looking towards Europe.

Fun 3
dignity both short and long games are worth another film about the war
flaws the basic set is not enough to unlock the full potential of the game
Interaction 3
dignity simultaneous moves, all the possibilities for intense confrontation
flaws with a single order card things would go even faster
Elaboration 2
dignity tactical depth without being heavy or overloaded
flaws not all scenarios are perfect, there are many rough edges in the rules
Atmosphere 2
dignity the system is conducive to memorable games
flaws The squads are faceless, the scenarios are arbitrary
Quality 3
dignity outstanding miniatures, budget friendly
flaws The box is not suitable for storing models, it takes time to assemble

Verdict: It is still a rare case when a domestic developer managed to create a project of international scale. Many of the discoveries are truly fresh, and the system as a whole, although it requires a number of patches, allows players to develop their tactical skills.

On June 21, 1941, at 13.00, according to the order of the Chief of the General Staff of the German Ground Forces, General Halder, the Wehrmacht units received the conditional signal "Dortmund", which meant that the attack according to the Barbarossa plan, as previously planned, would begin on June 22, 1941 at 3:30 am. The war machine that later cost millions human lives, was launched...

A barrage of artillery fire fell on Soviet border outposts, and planes launched massive bombing attacks on strategic targets. Having overwhelming superiority in all directions of the main attacks, German troops advanced deep into Soviet territory to a distance of 600 km in less than a month. Suffering colossal losses, suffering defeats and setbacks, the Red Army was forced to gradually retreat into the interior of the country. There were battles for every piece of land...

The non-standard size box from the Zvezda company is designed very stylishly: a picture of the battle on the lid, a green color scheme, photographs of assembled models that players will control. At the same time, the quality of cardboard and printing is at its best high level. Let's open the box and see what we have to deal with.

Please note - the box is very deep and the components take up almost all the space in it. Playing fields and sheets with area tokens, game rules and a scenario book, player aids, bags with plastic parts for collecting models and game elements, unit cards, special hexagons of hills, felt-tip pens - the equipment is really rich. Unfortunately, having assembled scale models, you will be faced with the problem of storing them, since, unfortunately, there is no corresponding organizer provided.

Six double-sided rectangular segments of the playing field, divided into numbered hexagons, each of which has a different terrain type. The field is made up of these parts in accordance with the pictures from the scenario book.

Settlements, terrain elements, engineering structures: 30 double-sided tiles are designed to be placed on the field and change the basic landscape. There is a slot in the center of the hex that coincides with the bulge on the plastic element - a very smart solution that prevents the cardboard from moving relative to the base.

14 special round stands with holes in which you can install 8 plastic smoke chips, 2 fire chips and 12 fire markers. 6 elevation elements are used to create a realistic elevation landscape on the playing field. As I mentioned above, these plastic hexagons contain cardboard terrain tiles.

Orders in the game must be written down on cards, and for this you can use one of the two markers that the publisher supplied with the game. It is convenient to erase marks with cotton pads: two of them are included in the kit, and the rest can be purchased at any store. Also included separately are four unit flags and aviation stickers.

And, of course, there would not be any dice - 10 small neat hexagons will influence the course of events, introducing an element of surprise, without which there is nowhere in war...

Unit cards, turn counter, group cards, minefields, warehouses, air strikes: a total of 29 game cards covered with a special layer. Players will simultaneously make appropriate notes on them using the Art of Tactic system developed by Konstantin Krivenko. To support players, there is an official Russian-language resource, which contains additional scenarios and currently relevant rules with all amendments. I recommend visiting it.

Division cards are double-sided: on front side the characteristics of the unit are indicated, and on the back there are symbols of orders that can be given to this unit. Each player receives a handout that explains each icon in detail and provides examples of issuing various orders.

Special maps are designed to mark minefields indicating the type of mine; organizing groups that may include several departments various types; designations of warehouses - your troops can bring and receive ammunition there; The turn marker is needed to control the game rounds specified in the scenario.

The most interesting thing in the box is the high quality plastic miniatures that are so highly prized among modellers. Before the game you need to stock up on wire cutters, sandpaper, a file and... patience. You will need it, as some models contain parts smaller than 3 millimeters. Despite the manufacturer's assurances that you will not need glue, I advise you to buy one tube of SuperMoment.

...you'll get stunning, highly detailed miniatures. I will tell you about the intricacies of assembling some models in my next articles, I will only note that you will have to work hard on the anti-aircraft gun from the base game.
After several hours of work, the following units will fall under your command.

Wehrmacht forces.

Mortar crew, three infantry units, sappers, machine gun crew and headquarters. Many figures will have to be assembled literally in parts, attaching arms and legs to the bodies.

Light PZ II and medium PZ III tanks, an OpelBlitz truck and a Ju-87 "Stuka" dive bomber will act on the side of the commander of the German forces.

Red Army forces.

A machine gun crew, three infantry detachments, a mortar crew and a headquarters. To distinguish the Wehrmacht forces from the Soviet units, the publisher made the figures of the opposing sides in two colors: the German troops are in gray, and the Red Army in green.

The legendary 45-mm anti-tank gun, nicknamed the “magpie” among the soldiers, and the 37-mm 61-K anti-aircraft gun will allow you to hold back the enemy’s onslaught at distant approaches and resist air raids.

The T-34/76 medium tank (model 1940) and an army 3-ton truck will go into service with the commander of the Red Army. I would like to point out that when assembling the truck you will need to bend the hood a certain way. Don't be afraid and bend carefully - if you do everything correctly, nothing will break.

Engineering fortifications: barbed wire, bunker, anti-tank barriers, pontoon bridge. Everything is done in brown tones and can be used by both parties depending on the circumstances, as well as according to the conditions set out in the script.

Into an unequal battle!

I would like to note that the Art of Tactic system implies great amount orders (there are about 40 of them in the memo), and each order entails certain calculations and necessary actions. Therefore, I will only briefly talk about the basic principles and consider several basic orders - you can read the rest in the rules of the game.

Choose a scenario or, together with your opponent (the game is designed strictly for two players), develop your own, combine the rectangles of the field in accordance with the diagram and make adjustments to the terrain by placing special hexes in the sectors of the field. Place cubes, markers and special cards nearby.

In basic scenarios, there are conditions that require players to recruit units themselves, which will subsequently be placed in given hexes of the field. The cost of each unit is indicated in the upper left corner of the card: by summing these numbers, you get the final cost, which should not exceed the number from the table. For example: Division 2 has a limit of 50 points. Taking medium tank and an engineering platoon, you get 50 points - you can't get anyone else.

Each model on the field has its own flag, on which the player uses a marker to indicate the individual serial number of the unit. A similar number must be entered on the unit card in order to distinguish between the same types of units when giving orders. There is a special square on the card for this in the upper right corner.

Having placed the units in their initial positions, we will briefly consider the basic principles of the influence of terrain on the characteristics of units. Let's start with the hills, which have different heights and, accordingly, three types of slopes: gentle (1 level higher), on which any units can only move 1 hex during a turn; steep (2 levels higher) - only infantry can climb it; vertical (3 levels higher) - here you will need the mountaineering skill, which is indicated on the squad card.

Terrain provides additional protection to units, affects their movement speed, and increases or limits the visibility range of units.

For example: the open forest separating a German truck and Russian infantry does not allow the units to see and shoot at each other. In this case, infantry units of two opposing sides can enter into battle. Various barriers in the form of barbed wire and anti-tank hedgehogs also make significant adjustments to the gameplay.

Units have limited ammunition, indicated on the card. It can be replenished at a special warehouse, the location of which is not indicated on the ground by any figure, but is only indicated on a special card. In our example, the warehouse is located in hex 149. Using trucks, you can pick up ammunition from the warehouses and transport them to the front line, supplying units. Or the unit itself can approach the warehouse and restore its ammunition. All notes are made with a marker on the appropriate cards.

Each squad has its own individual card. On one side all the characteristics of the unit are indicated, its condition, strength, firing range and ammunition.

The unit symbol is needed to adjust the number of dice rolled according to the firepower table (columns of numbers on the right), and also indicates the size of the unit. In case of a successful hit, one icon is crossed out, and so on until the squad is completely destroyed. The level of protection can be adjusted depending on the type of terrain and consists of the base indicator (indicated on the card) and the properties of the hex on which the unit is currently located.

The chain of hexes in the upper right corner indicates the firing range and the maximum number on the die face that will be considered a hit. In our case, an infantry unit can shoot at three hexes, while in the nearest two it must roll values ​​no more than “2”, and in the furthest one - only “1”.

The columns of numbers on the firepower table indicate the number of dice that a given unit rolls against each type of opponent's unit: the smaller the unit, the fewer dice it rolls. For example: when the enemy infantry is at full strength and attacking, you must roll 9 dice. If the squad has suffered losses and its number has been reduced to three units, the player will only throw 5 hexagons in a similar situation.

On the back of the card are the orders that can be given to this unit. In the Art of Tactic system, orders are given simultaneously by players, and then processed simultaneously, but in the order specified in the rules. As you can see in the photo, the memo lists all types of orders and explains their tasks in detail.

So, first, secretly, the players give orders to all their units, and then the cards are revealed and events begin to happen on the field.

First, defense orders are processed, then suppressive fire is conducted, followed by regular firefights. After this, aviation enters the battle, the units are removed from the field and go into ambush, special orders are carried out, and then the units move. All this is noted on the unit cards using a marker.

Let's look at a standard battle order. The anti-tank gun crew opens fire on the tank. The player makes a note about the assignment of the order and indicates the number of the unit being attacked. While in the city, the unit has additional protection, while the attacked enemy is not protected by anything.

According to the table, we roll 5 dice - a defeat is counted only if the number is no more than “two”. Two out of three hits are absorbed by the tank's armor, but one shell reaches its target, destroying one of the three tanks.

After each defeat, you must pass a endurance test, its conditions are indicated under the unit badges. If the test is successful, nothing happens, but if it fails, the unit loses morale until the next test and can only defend itself. I note that at first both opponents fire all the shots and only then adjust the cards of their units.

The possibilities built into the game system are simply amazing: you can load infantry into a truck and transport it to another place, hide in an ambush, burn a building, cut a clearing in the forest, destroy defensive fortifications and even mine the area! I can’t tell you everything in this review...

After each round, players make a note on a special card - upon reaching the number of rounds specified in the scenario, the game ends and the final points are calculated. Conquered hexes of the terrain specified in the conditions bring victory points, which are summed up at the end of the game and the winner is determined based on the results.

Returning from the front line.

Unfortunately, there is no way to tell in detail about all possible orders, properties of units and nuances during battle in the review - it will turn out to be a multi-volume work. Therefore, dear readers, forgive me for the somewhat brevity of the story and the paucity of information - everything is set out in great detail in the rules, and my task is only to inform you about this interesting and beautiful game.

Due to the variety of orders, the game will require you to carefully study the rules; play a few simple test games on a reduced field, gain experience in short-term local battles, and only then move on to full-scale operations from scenarios. This, in my opinion, is the first game that allows you to simulate in such detail fighting; here a lot depends on tactical decisions and the right units chosen when initially recruiting units.

The system of issuing orders through notes is a little confusing at first, but literally by the end of the first game you begin to understand that there is simply no other way to issue them - there are too many possibilities, and it is almost impossible to implement them using tokens or chips.

I recommend that adults first understand the rules themselves and only then sit down at the gaming table with children - the game is quite complex and I would not recommend it for a child to master on their own. IN in this case The help of a more experienced player who is able to master and present the gaming system in an accessible form using examples is needed. However, in the case of parental control, after several games your little commander will be able to control his troops - it’s not as difficult as it might seem at first glance.

The quality of the miniatures is simply excellent, although you will have to tinker during assembly: tanks and trucks are assembled without much effort, but infantry and anti-aircraft guns will require you to use all your dexterity and patience - the parts are too small. But the detailing is beyond praise - even the shovels attached to the sides of the armored vehicles are visible.

The basic set will allow you to get comfortable with the rules and understand the mechanics of the game. But for serious battles and more realistic battles, I recommend replenishing your army with units released in the form of separate boxes - additions to the base game, information about which is presented on the resource in the form

WWII board game from Zvezda. Great Patriotic War. Summer of '41. (6134)

A large starter set of the military-historical board game Great Patriotic War from the Zvezda company. Battles are recreated based on game rules Art systems of Tactic, featuring highly detailed plastic miniatures of vehicles and infantry with realistic characteristics and unique landscape elements.

There are TONS of parts in this set! Collect - for several hours. It is best to buy for children aged 10 years or older, not earlier, so that they can handle the assembly themselves.

I love the sets from Zvezda very much, and board games too - they are all very interesting (I already have a lot of them on a variety of topics, there haven’t been any bad ones).

So this set is a real gift for wargamers, long-awaited and very interesting.

For miniaturists, this is an excellent material for painting, but they usually don’t paint for games, they play like that.

The rules of the game are not at all simple (written on 16 pages), but interesting. Moreover, boys think faster than adults. The game requires you to take a lot of notes. I like it - good attention training.

The game is truly AMAZING! The game is exciting, you have to take into account many different factors, carefully think through tactics, you feel like a general at headquarters. The game is not suitable for small children or large but restless ones - they will be bored. But those who are diligent enough will enjoy the game and won’t be able to tear themselves away from it.

The game can be played by either a child or an adult.

The playing field looks very spectacular. For the whole room. :-)

I am now also a happy owner. :-) .

There will be a sequel (to be released):

Battle of the Danube

In addition to the new units, the set includes three double-sided game boards and 15 additional double-sided hexes, which include a number of new terrain elements: ravines, rocks, lake, railway, railway station, railway crossing and railway bridge over the river. Playing fields and additional hexes are fully compatible with playing field starter kit Summer 1941. You can expand your battlefield or create even more diverse and unique game cards.

In addition, the game rules of the Second Edition are included, which describe new orders such as Landing, Powerful Attack, Arson, Reconnaissance and others. In addition, you will find a description of new types of terrain, changes and additions to the first edition of the rules.

You can also find new, exciting scenarios for different levels games, from small skirmishes that use only the units and maps from the expansion, to large-scale battles that use the expansion along with the starter set and additional units.