Red Winter war game (GMT Games) GMT1205

Nowhere is the danger greater than in the central sector, where a Russian breakthrough would threaten the strongpoints of the Mannerheim Line. Newly assigned to the sector, the Finnish Colonel Paavo Talvela surveys the terrain and chooses the place to make a stand: a lake called Tolvajarvi. The weary and demoralized Finnish ski troops have mere hours to recover a semblance of order before the Russian juggernaut smashes into them yet again. Over the next five days, the world watches in awe as the Finns manage to halt the Russian advance through sheer heroic determination. Then, miraculously, the Finns launch a successful counterattack...

Red Winter is a two player historical game which simulates the unusual battle at Tolvajarvi at a rarely gamed scale: company sized combat units and 90 minute game turns. Players assume the roles of the Russian and Finnish commanders, controlling the actions of Finnish ski infantry, Russian heavy machine gun companies, mortars, tanks, anti-tank guns, and other combat units. A desperate battle for territory and survival is about to be waged across a bleak and snowy landscape of forests, swamps, and frozen lakes.

The game utilizes many tried-and-true "classic" wargame mechanics in combination with novel and well-integrated systems for ranged attacks, unit recovery, Finnish night raids, attrition losses from sub-zero weather conditions, and more. The design focuses foremost on playability, with low counter density, concise rules, and sleek, simple mechanics that combine to allow each player the luxury of completing his turn in about five minutes. This means the full 40 turn campaign game is playable in a single afternoon. The large 5/8 inch counters and oversized hexes further increase playability. And the illustrated examples make it easy to jump right into the action.