BZK-BLITZKRIEG

1. TITLE: Blitzkreig
2. PUBLISHER: The Avalon Hill Game Company (TAHGC)
3. SCOPE:
4. TAHGC CATALOG VERBAGE: Our best seller. The complete wargame. Contains nearly 400 land and air units. Players represent 5-star generals and plan grand strategy with infantry, armor, paratroops, artillery, Marine, Ranger, TAC and SAC Air units. Giant 44" x 22" mapboard simulates all imaginable terrain: desert, forest, sea, mountain, urban and rural areas. Blitzkreig fictionalizes Germany's breakout in World War II designed with help from the Office of the Chief of Military History (OCMH), Washington D. C. and the United States War college. Players command the armies of Great Blue (Allies) and Big Red (Germany).
5. GAME BOX VERBAGE:
6. YEAR PUBLISHED (EDITIONS): 1965 (revised 1975). Basic Game, Tournament Game, Optional Rules
7. CREDITS
   • Original Design: Lawrence Pinsky
   • AH Redesign: Dave Roberts
   • Development & Playtest: Jeffery Ellis, Karl Fickenscherd, Donald Greenwood, Richard Hamblen, Thomas Roberts, Davis Saunders, Michael Saunders
   • Typesetting: Colonial Composition
   • Printing: Monarch Services
8. NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2
9. WGA COMPLEXITY SCALE (1-10):
10. TYPICAL PLAYING TIME (HOURS):
11. MAP SCALE:
12. UNIT SCALE: Division, Brigades, Wings, Squadrons
13. TIME SCALE PER TURN:
14. NUMBER OF GAME TURNS: 15 turns
15. PARTIAL ARTICLE LISTING: Click here
16. GAME INVENTORY: 400 unit counters; 22" x 44" mounted mapboard; multiple playing aids and charts, 1 die; 20page rulebook.
17. WBC & AVALONCON HISTORY: Never made it as a Avaloncon event as non-historical basis of game hurt its long term appeal.
18. PBEM TOOLS:
• No Java application VASSAL module at this time.
• A Cyberboard game set exists for Blitzkreig.
• A full Play by Graphics toolset using Claris Draw exists in the WGA archives to PBEM using a multilayer graphics file. Claris Draw installers exist for both Macintosh OS9 and Windows. Claris Draw is an orphaned application.
19. PBEM OPPORTUNITES: Contact Wargame Academy if interested. A Boardgamer Player Association PBEM tournament can be organized by WGA pending suitable interest once a VASSAL VBZK module is completed.
20. WARGAME ACADEMY COMMENTS: All the World War II ground and air unit capabilities are present in a fictional conflict. This game is a good introductory game and also challenging in the advanced and optional rule forms. Despite its lack of correlation to an actual battle/campaign, this was a best seller. Also given the limited number of turns and several PBEM formats generated in recent years, this would be an ideal PBEM tournament game aimed not at the grognards who like hundreds of pages of rules but at the occasional or new gamer.
21. WARGAME ACADEMY GAME TOOLS: I think i just talked myself into creating a VASSAL module.