The Finnish Trilogy 1939-1945: Winter War 1939-1940 (Vol. 1)

(from Mikugames website:)

On November 30th, 1939 the Soviet Red Army crossed the Finnish border in attempt to conquer the whole country within a few weeks. Quite soon, it became evident that the Finns, despite totally outnumbered, were not an easy match. They were better equipped for the cold winter to come than the opponent. Ski capability was high and moving in deep forest was no problem. On the other hand, the Soviet troops were scared to death of the forest and stayed as close as possible to the few roads.

The Motti (Finnish term for “encirclement”) tactic became famous around the world and a great sympathy for the small country up in the north grew in many countries as the war went on. Soon, places like Suomussalmi, Tolvajärvi, Kuhmo and Kollaa, to name a few, became famous for the heroic Finns fighting against overwhelming odds.

The situation was not good for Stalin and his communist regime. Allied intervention was very possible and the prestige over the greatest army to date, The Red Army, was shaking. He also knew that Hitler was studying the campaign very carefully, making notes for every weakness in the old and poor doctrine of the RKKA.

On March 13th, 1940, Finland had no other choice but to agree on the tough peace terms to follow. The Winter War had ended, but who won, or was it a stalemate? However, Finland kept its independence because the mighty neighbour in the east failed to take Helsinki among other vital objects, as planned.

The Game The first game of the trilogy to be released is the famous Winter War between Finland and Soviet Union, which is often referred to as an epic battle between David and Goliath. Historically the campaign lasted for 105 days, but will you as the Finnish side be able to last that long, or maybe longer? The game can last up to 16 turns (Dec. I '39 - Mar. IV '40), but in the 3rd volume (The Lapland War), there will be an extended option with a possible Allied Intervention. Vol.1 Winter War will include special features like Soviet Prestige and Finnish Morale.

The object for the Soviet side is to capture as many important cities and factories as possible, as well as destroy the Finnish Army in an attempt to make the Finnish Morale Status plunge, which means the onset of peace negotiations. But time is not on the Red Army's side, a slow advance lowers the Soviet prestige, which can cause a negative outcome.

Unit Counters The game will include eight countersheets in a total of 2.128 die-cut unit counters. Ground units are written in standard Nato symbols, while Air and Naval units have correct silhouettes.

The Mapboard The mapboard will be 100 cm x 140 cm (39” x 55”) in four pieces, depicting Finland and its' vicinity in a "Winterized" colour.

The Rules A 48-page coloured rule book includes basic, advanced and optional game rules.

Order of Battle (OOB) Two OOB’s are included, one Finnish and one Soviet. Both in full colour. A lot of sources have been used to make them as historically correct as possible. Also, four Small Scenarios have been included: (1) Salla, (2) Kuhmo-Suomussalmi, (3) Ladoga Karelia, and (4) Karelian Isthmus. For added feeling, the OOB's are written in their native language (Soviet with Cyrillic) with usually the correct unit abbreviation and then translated into English in parenthesis.

Production Volume 460 boxed copies were produced.

Scenarios:

Main Campaign
Extended Campaign (longer play and with Foreign Intervention)
4 Small Scenarios (#1 Kuusamo-Salla; #2 Kuhmo-Suomussalmi; #3 Ladoga Karelia; and #4 Karelian Isthmus)