Moments in History and game designer David Bolt (noted WW I scholar) bring you to Germany's threatened eastern frontier in LODZ 1914, our monster game of WW I combat.
Welcome to LODZ 1914, a telling of the story of the clash between German and Russian armies in Poland during November and December of 1914...
I wanted to refine a game design I had first come up with
on the battle of Lodz in 1984 for the Wargamer magazine. I liked
that game design but it was confined by the restrictions imposed
by the parameters of magazine games. I approached Uli Blennemann
at MiH to publish a game on the battle of Lodz with an expanded
set of rules along with completely redone counters and map. Building
on that foundation, I have added a number of systems to model
different aspects of the battle. The optional rules add another
layer of simulation for those interested in a working model of
history. All in all, the playtesters have found it to be a relatively
quick learn, and an easy system once you actually start tossing
dice. The combat system can be resolved more easily if the USED
IN COMBAT acronym is followed as a guide for combat resolution.
My interest here was to produce a model with all the working
parts, but pared down enough that a major bat-tle could be fought
at the brigade/regiment level within a reasonable amount of time.
The goal was to create a fast-paced model of history. I encourage
players to add their own interpretations, if different than my
own. I think this system fundamentally works at a very com-plex
level with only twice the pages normally found with a magazine
game. I have tried to combine and merge a number of historical
factors for each rule, particularly with the combat system’s
dozen different modifiers (i.e., the USED IN COMBAT modifiers).
The initial playing time will be slower as players become familiar
with the sequence of play and game dynamics. I recommend beginning
with the smallest sce-nario (Battle of Kutno) in order to grasp
the game system. Once players are familiar with the game system,
playing time should be a couple of hours per turn for a full-map
scenario with one player per side, or one hour per side if there
are two players per side. If all players agree, you can try timed
moves using this formula. If playing with timed moves, stop the
clock whenever resolving combat (off march, regular etc.) or
disputing rules interpretations.
David Bolt, Designer of Lodz 1914
Product Information ...
Part No. L-14
Retail Price: $49.95
Shipping Date: Selling fast and ready to ship today!
Following their victory at the Battle of Tannenberg, the German generals Mackensen, Hindenburg and Ludendorff devised a plan to rapidly shift 9th Army to northern Poland by railroad. This was Blitzkrieg by rail, and it was designed to take the Russian Northwest Front by surprise before it could launch another invasion of Germany...
And thus begins the Battle of Lodz 1914. The situation is ideal for a wargame, being very mobile and giving both sides enough opportunities to attack and defend.
Setting the stage for LODZ 1914...
The German blow preempted the launching of the Russian offensive
by two days. What resulted was a classic battle of maneuver.
The locally superior German forces overwhelmed and drove back
the isolated corps in front of them. Stavka, the Russian High
Command, was reluctant to call off the invasion of Germany. Precious
days went by while Stavka released the corps of the Northwest
Front piecemeal. The 9th Army drove on either side of Kutno,
forcing the Russians to abandon the city. On the extreme tip
of the German penetration was the XXV Reserve Corps (with the
3rd Guard Division attached) and the I Cavalry Corps. This force
penetrated deep into the Russian positions behind Lodz. However,
the Russian forces slowly streaming into the area managed to
throw up positions that encircled these encirclers. The German
forces wheeled around and struck out the way that the Russians
expected least: northeast. 6th Siberian Division was attacked
off the march, and a breakout and link up with the XX Corps was
managed. The Russian 1st Army counterattacked, driving back the
I Reserve Corps north of Lowicz. Now the front line stabilized
and the German drive slowed, but, by December 6th Stavka gave
up on Lodz to concentrate on defending Warsaw.
What You Get...
LODZ 1914 is a Monster Game of the battles on the Eastern
Front in WW I and features top quality components through-out.
Contents: 22"x34" map already described as the BEST
EVER, plus 3 sheets of backprinted die-cut counters, 8 FOUR COLOR
GLOSS STOCK play-aids, 52-page rulebook includes Designer's Notes,
Player's Notes, and Historical Notes to bring the gamer lacking
even a single book on the subject up to speed in one supporting
document.
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Ongoing SUPPORT ...
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