FITE-FIRE IN THE EAST

Updated 090531
  1. TITLE: FIRE IN THE EAST; Europa Game I
  2. PUBLISHER: Game Designers Workshop (GDW). Europa is the Trademark of Game Research/Design and materials related to the trademark are copyrighted by Game Research/Design.
  3. SCOPE: The Russian Front, 1941-1942
  4. RULEBOOK DESCRIPTION: FIRE IN THE EAST is the thoroughly revised edition of DRANG NACT OSTEN!, the first game of the Europa series. As in DNO, FIRE IN THE EAST is a detailed, operational?level game of the German invasion of the USSR, from the start of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941 to the end of the Soviet winter counteroffensive in March 1942. Scorched Earth, the revision of UNENTSCHIEDEN, is under preparation and will include more maps, counters, and rules to cover the campaign in the Soviet Union to the end of 1944.
  5. GAME BOX DESCRIPTION: 22 June 1941: DRANG NACT OSTEN! Germany’s armed forces invade the Soviet Union, beginning the largest and fiercest ground campaign of World War II. Smashed and surround on the frontier the Soviets filed new armies and fight back tenaciously. Driving to the gates of Moscow, the Germans are unable to destroy the Red Army before winter sets in. With winter and fresh forces fro Siberia, the Soviets launch a vas counteroffensive against an over-extended and exhausted enemy.
  6. YEAR PUBLISHED (EDITIONS): 1984. A 1.5 edition was published by GRD (Europa caretaker after the apparent demise of GDW). Both my copies are this later edition. I am presently not sure if DRANG NACT OSTEN! was the 'first edition' or a FITE first edition existed. This should be revealed by my research. Published review taken from on Web Grognards. The complete errata for FIRE IN THE EAST/SCORCHED EARTH/THE URALS included in the Revision 1.5 game set. The errata includes all material not provided in the rulebook, orders of battle and charts contained in THE URALS and SCORCHED EARTH.
  7. CREDITS
    • Design: John M. Astell, Paul R. Banner, Frank Chadwick, and Marc Miller
    • Research, Axis Order of Battle: Franklyn G. Prieskop and Shelby Stanton
    • Research, Soviet Order of Battle: Paul R. Banner
    • Other Research and Research Assistance: Frank Chadwick, John Astell, Marc Miller, Louis Rotundo, Paul Dunigan, David Hughes, Karl Garrsoe, and Lou Coatney
    • Art Direction and Graphics: Paul R. Banner
    • Art Department Assistants: Chris Purcell, John Harshman, John Astell, and Loren Wiseman
    • Playtest, Advice, and Assistance: Shelby Stanton, Frank Prieskop, Dave Hughes, Winston Hamilton, Darla Hamilton, Jack Radey, Jeffry Tibbetts, Norman Hawkins, Louis Rotundo, Les Spain, Tony Svajlenka, Larry Frum, Joe Adkins, Tim Brown, Darlene File, Bill Stone, Wayne Matthews, Gary Wells, Michael Mitchell, Joe Bermudez, Rob Beyma, Andy Nunez, Jack Parks, Richard Allen, John Scott, John Kaiser, Val Phillips, Nick Somlo, Steve Miller, David Jones, Terry Shank, Eric Johnson, Tom Whitmyer, Bill Carnes, Phil Tomescu, Louis Ransdell, Vaughn Stultz, Doug de Vault, Paul Pigulski, Dave Samuel, Jules Gagnon, Eric Pinnell, Terry Fong, Ray Fong, Paul Grant, Ross Nickle, Herbert Wagner, Gary Stagliano, Tom O'Neil, Rich Woodard, Dave Wheeler, Dan Lee, Paul Dunigan, Roger Land, Cliff Stephan, Doug Langsather, Gordon Foltz, Steve Winslett, Mike Stankovich, Robert C. Tibbetts, S. A Jefferis-Tibbetts, Harald
      Hansen, Jeff Milliefolgie, Joseph Youst, Michael Rega, Michael Sloan, John T. Schuler, Irving Hacker, John Gee, and others.
  8. NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2+ (multiplayer teams)
  9. WGA COMPLEXITY SCALE (1-10): 10;
  10. TYPICAL PLAYING TIME (HOURS): 40+
  11. MAP SCALE: 16 miles per hex.
  12. UNIT SCALE: Divisions, regiments (30 counters for typical division)
  13. TIME SCALE PER TURN: 2 weeks
  14. NUMBER OF GAME TURNS:
  15. ARTICLE LISTING: GRD published a Europa News journal of which I have photocopies of EEF articles.
  16. GAME INVENTORY: 2500 counters, six 21x27": maps, one 40-page rules booklet, one chart set, two dice
  17. WBC & AVALONCON HISTORY: Not Applicable
  18. PBEM TOOLS:
    • No Java application VASSAL module at this time.
    • JET is computer program that is aimed to make playing of Europa board games easier. JET's main goal is to allow easy PBM (Play By Mail) playing and playing without paper maps and cardboard counters. JET also helps you by taking care of sometimes tedious and error prone tasks like calculating MP's and combat strengths.
  19. PBEM OPPORTUNITES: Contact Wargame Academy if interested. A Group effort would be required to create a VASSAL module.
  20. WARGAME ACADEMY COMMENTS: I have seen the game played by several different groups on different occasions but family responsibilities negated my on-going participation. However viewed from my extensive War in Europe perspective(SPI), I consider the Europa East Front modules a step up in complexity and realism. Most notably, the units are individually rated unlike the generic WIE units. The game is approximately the same unit and map scale although two weeks a turn instead of one week in WIE. EEF lacks the player controlled German and Soviet production but air and naval units are type specific rather than WIE abstracted points. EEF details unit winterization, AT/Mech component capabilities as part of a more complex combat resolution, air fields (on map and constructed), RR construction units, other constructed fortifications, variable Finnish war effort adds additional suspense. Although more detailed than WIE its playability is lessened. A generalization cant be made which system is better, it is a matter of player preference as either is a enormous investment of time and space requiring an ongoing series of gaming sessions. However as a detailed simulation of the most significant campaign in World War II European war, EEF has no peer.
  21. WARGAME ACADEMY GAME TOOLS: One shrink-wrapped copy (2nd edition), one unpunched copy (2nd edition). Currently creating a 3rd edition WGA rulebook. unpunched copy serves as a template for counter images, softcopy maps to be created in creating a Europa East Front (EEF) Java game combining Fire in the East, Scorched Earth, The Urals.
  22. Europa on-line forum - to subscribe send email message to:- europa-request@lysator.liu.se

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