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Scorched Earth

Scorched Earth

Game Designers' Workshop (GDW Games) · 1987Expansion
2360 min12+ yrs4.4/5 complexity8.0 BGG563CouplesStrategy
short answer

How do you play Scorched Earth?

Scorched Earth, the sequel to Fire in the East, covers the war in the Soviet Union from April 1942 through December 1944. Scorched Earth uses Fire in the East as a base (and cannot be played without Fire in the East), adding more maps, counters, and rules.

To find the best price for Scorched Earth, howtoplay.ro compares deals from Romanian shops every day.

Scorched Earth box art
official art · Game Designers' Workshop (GDW Games)

Scorched Earth, the sequel to Fire in the East, covers the war in the Soviet Union from April 1942 through December 1944. Scorched Earth uses Fire in the East as a base (and cannot be played without Fire in the East), adding more maps, counters, and rules. The game requires two players - one for the Germans and one for the Soviets - or two teams of players. The size of the game makes it well-suited for team play, with up to 3 or 4 players per side.

Scorched Earth's three maps extend the coverage of those in Fire in the East. The maps cover: The Volga River, from its heavily forested northwestern reaches to its mouth at the edge of the deserts of Asia; the western shores of the Caspian Sea; the Caucasus Mountains area of the USSR, to the borders of Turkey and Iran.

Scorched Earth's sixteen counter sheets (3840 counters total) encompass the diversity of forces in this theatre. All Axis forces engaged in the east are shown, from German through the Axis Allies (Finnish, Hungarian, Italian, Rumanian, Slovakian), and including the eastern troops - Soviet citizens fighting against their government. The entire range of Soviet forces is given: regulars, guards, NKVD, militia, and the foreign contingents in the Red Army, including the Poles, Czechs, and even the German formations raised from prisoners of war. Over 40 different types of ground units are represented, from divisions (including division-sized Soviet Corps) to individual batteries of super-heavy artillery, such as tank corps, panzergrenadier divisions, artillery divisions, parachute brigades, and commando battalions. Aircraft units cover the many new aircraft sent to the front, such as the Fw 190 fighters and ground attack aircraft, Hs 129 tank-busters, A-20 and B-25 lend-lease bombers, Yak-9DD long-range fighters, and even late-war German jet aircraft.

Scorched Earth's rules expand upon those in Fire in the East to cover the rest of the war in the USSR. New features include:

Abilities of new aircraft types  
Partisan warfare 
Oilfields
Surrender and defection of Germany's eastern front allies
Continual upgrading of armored and mechanized forces
Use of artillery divisions 
Allied Lend-Lease to the USSR

Scorched Earth's orders of battle present in game terms the most detailed and accurate orders of battle ever published for the Russian front. The grand campaign game can be played to the end of 1944 from two starting points: from June 1941 or April 1942. The rules also allow the 1941 and 1942 campaigns to be played separately, giving two campaign games shorter in playing time than the grand campaign game. Scorched Earth covers the largest land campaign in history with the scope it deserves. It presents a detailed, exciting game situation, challenging and rewarding the players' strategic and tactical skills.

Game Components:

3840 die-cut counters (16 countersheets: Europa 6A, 7A, 8A, 9A, 10A, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
Three maps (Europa #7A, 8A and 9A)
One rules booklet
Two orders of battle booklets (Axis & Soviet)
Scorched Earth Version 1.5 Errata - March 1992
One set of game charts:
    Combat Result/Terrain Effects Chart (x2)
    Unit Identification Chart/Counter Formats
    Turn Record Chart
    Soviet Game Chart/1942 Scenario Front Line Maps - North
    Axis Game Chart/1942 Scenario Front Line Maps - South
    Europa marker Display
    Master Sequence of Play/Special Dates List
    Europa Map Legend
    Map Guide

(source: back of the box and user's description)

game anatomy
Complexity4.4 / 5
BGG rating8.0 / 10
Vibe
CouplesStrategy
Language dependence
No in-game text needed
🌐 plays without English
Play time
360 min
Players
2
Recommended age
12+ yrs
from Trișache · verified

Frequently asked questions

Q1How much does Scorched Earth cost?
No store is currently tracking Scorched Earth. Check the Prices tab — you can set a price alert to be notified when it appears.
Q2Where can I buy Scorched Earth cheapest?
Check the Prices tab — howtoplay.ro aggregates offers from 7+ Romanian board-game stores and tracks price history.
Q3How do you play Scorched Earth?
Scorched Earth is a expansion for base-game game, for 2 players, taking ~360 minutes, featuring dice rolling. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about Scorched Earth — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q4How many players does Scorched Earth support?
Scorched Earth is played by 2 players.
Q5How long does a game of Scorched Earth take?
A game of Scorched Earth takes about 360 minutes. (The first game doesn't count. It never counts.)
Q6What age is Scorched Earth for?
Scorched Earth is recommended from age 12.
Q7How complex is Scorched Earth?
Scorched Earth has a BoardGameGeek complexity of 4.4 out of 5.
1 shop

All prices

1 shop · sorted by priceupdated 2 days ago
LexShopeasyboxFANbox
Scorched Earth (180ml)
RON 19
Buyout of stock
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Currently unavailable in all shops

Price history

Price trend over the last 90 days: minimum 19 lei, maximum 19 lei, now 19 lei.

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