Just stumbled on this video. I played this game in the late 60s to mid 70s. I actually pulled this game off the shelf last month. The pieces were still in the original sandwich baggies that had the flap you popped over your sandwich and then folded the other flap back over it.. that process was suppose to keep your sandwich fresh till lunch. Well guess what. The bags were still intact and the pieces are in nearly mint shape. Loved that game. Ah, the memories.
When I was single, ( so long ago!!) I kept two open boards out in my dining room table, ready to go. In time, there was always a game going on at least on one map. But, wasn't un-known to have one game spill over to the other. It was 1st edition so we ( well, I ! ) added navel combat . ( small ocean, big difference ) Lately I've bought an old one, but 2nd ed. rules. Like starting over again !!
Thanks for the video! One of my favorite group games from way back when. We used to play this with four players. I made extra counters for two lesser allies. We had a few three-day plays of this game. I recall one in which even though I and my friend were losing, we had fun extracting as much pain out of our victors as possible by turning the game into a slog, complete with our own Battle of the Bulge surprise, which of course failed like the real one but was glorious, nevertheless. Our opponents tried their own D-Day landing to take one of the capitals, but we drove them off the beaches, Yes, eventually we did call it quits, but we losers were almost gleeful and the victors somewhat ill-tempered by the end. Ah, good times those were!
Thank you for sharing. I have a copy not quite as well use as yours. But used enough that I recall if you did not get a real advantage in the first few turns it was gonna be a long day.
While a high school student in 1965, I helped play test this game for Tom Shaw at Avalon Hill. Many of our sessions followed the same pattern as your playthrough: failure to gain an early "blitzkrieg" victory usually degenerated into a grinding slugfest...reminiscent of WW2's Eastern Front. Many of the geographic features on the map are named for other game designers or personalities of the time, such as the (Larry) Pinsky River and The Great (Sandy) Korea's Desert. Participating in so many test sessions unfortunately turned me off to the game by the time it was released, and I haven't played Blitzkrieg since.
Thanks for your comments. I didn't expect to hear from someone who play tested the game. My first game was Gettysburg that I played with a neighborhood kid who was allowed to play his Dad's copy of the game. I was smitten with the war-game bug. The next game was Jutland, then Tactics II, and then Blitzkrieg. I enjoyed Blitzkrieg a lot. I was a pre-teen player and did not have an opponent for this game most of the time. My brother was too young and other kids had not caught on to them yet. I didn't think about it bogging down. I did feel it was too complicated with the Tournament game with the attrition combat results table, AirPower, etc. I still liked it though. Incidentally, the game I did notice bogging down was August 1914.
Good to hear from you. I appreciated reading your thoughts about Blitzkrieg. Although I appreciated the game play, as a (now lifelong student of military history) I found it too abstract. I much preferred Battle of the Bulge, the other project I worked on for Mr. Shaw. The fact that my uncle fought in the BoB gave that game special meaning for me as well. After college, I found few persons in the 70's interested in playing wargames (fall out from Viet Nam?). In the intervening years I've continued collecting games, but play them mostly solitaire now.
My dad has the screen from when he was a kid and I love it. It’s the pinnacle Frontline warfare and all war a board game should be designed this way in my view. Every time I played this game I have beat in my dad despite the fact he has played it more than I have. Either she is really bad or I am really good or some combination.
thanks for the review... a huge fan of this game, I've ordered even the expansion units from Louis IV/Upton Games. I even bought the third super power.
It's not just old people, I'm 23 and I'm planning to play this with my mate this or next week xD I wanted to ask if there are guys who played both the 1965 and the 1975 version and which one you like better
When we played it back in the 70's the best chance at winning we found was gambling with a sea invasion of the enemy homeland. If it worked, he had to withdraw units from the front to defend the homeland and it became a war of maneuver. If repulsed, you lost a lot of units and your chance of winning was now near impossible. The only rule change we made is you could only stack units on the first two turns.
Wow! I bet I had a first edition when I was a kid. I remember tactical nukes but they are not in the game I have now. I could be remembering Tactics II which I think had an optional rule for tactical nukes.
Nearly all the AH games were based on historical events, and therefore almost impossible to win unless playing the side which won the battle. Blitzkreig and Tactics II were the only two I can think of where the tactical skills of the players decided who won. D-Day, Battle of the Bulge, Anzio, Afrika Corps, Gettysburg, 1914, etc. were nearly impossible to win unless you played against a total idiot. This was a great game.
@@JeepWrangler1957 Actually, I always seemed to win Gettysburg with an aggressive Southern player. It makes me wonder that the absence of Stonewall Jackson was a major factor in their loss of this battle. The Panzerblitz, Panzer Leader series can be one by either player depending on the set up because they are not strictly historical. The same can be said for the Squad Leader game. I don't ever remember winning with the Germans in Jutland but then again, I am not sure we had clear winners when we played that game. We just enjoyed the ships and the battle. When I played Luftwaffe with an opponent I thought it was hard to win with the allies. I never saw a victor one way or another with 1914 because it bogged down and I didn't finish a game. Richthofen's War was another scenario based game so it was not strictly historical and either side could win. This is what I remember of Wooden Ships and Iron Men also. I don't remember a Third Reich game where the Germans won the war.
@@raymondgruben1745 good one. Yeah rectangles instead of hexes. I think I won it once as the south but it was down to two units and a lucky roll of the dice gave me the win
@@JeepWrangler1957 I was thinking about a later version of Gettysburg by AH. In the first one, with the squares, I was frequently defeated by a friend who played the union. But he introduced some inscrutable rule about hidden movement and his units kept popping out and catching mine at a disadvantage.
I'm 22. I love this game. A definite favorite
Great game, I played it all the time when I was a king. Enjoy the hobby!
Just stumbled on this video.
I played this game in the late 60s to mid 70s.
I actually pulled this game off the shelf last month. The pieces were still in the original sandwich baggies that had the flap you popped over your sandwich and then folded the other flap back over it.. that process was suppose to keep your sandwich fresh till lunch.
Well guess what. The bags were still intact and the pieces are in nearly mint shape. Loved that game.
Ah, the memories.
From one Grognard to another, well done! My very first war game so many years ago.
Thanks. That took me back 50 years!
.
One of my favorites. Panzer leader, D-Day, Stalingrad, all great.
Blitzkrieg and Afrika Korps were my first two Avalon Hill games.
"lightning" is not a word I would use to describe this game. From setup to the last turn you must endeavor to persevere!
Damn, u made me feel old. 😉
I have it in my cellar as well. Should give it a new run, for the nostalgia alone 😀
Greetings from Europe.
When I was single, ( so long ago!!) I kept two open boards out in my dining room table, ready to go. In time, there was always a game going on at least on one map. But, wasn't un-known to have one game spill over to the other. It was 1st edition so we ( well, I ! ) added navel combat . ( small ocean, big difference ) Lately I've bought an old one, but 2nd ed. rules. Like starting over again !!
Thanks for the video! One of my favorite group games from way back when. We used to play this with four players. I made extra counters for two lesser allies. We had a few three-day plays of this game. I recall one in which even though I and my friend were losing, we had fun extracting as much pain out of our victors as possible by turning the game into a slog, complete with our own Battle of the Bulge surprise, which of course failed like the real one but was glorious, nevertheless. Our opponents tried their own D-Day landing to take one of the capitals, but we drove them off the beaches, Yes, eventually we did call it quits, but we losers were almost gleeful and the victors somewhat ill-tempered by the end. Ah, good times those were!
Thank you for sharing. I have a copy not quite as well use as yours. But used enough that I recall if you did not get a real advantage in the first few turns it was gonna be a long day.
While a high school student in 1965, I helped play test this game for Tom Shaw at Avalon Hill. Many of our sessions followed the same pattern as your playthrough: failure to gain an early "blitzkrieg" victory usually degenerated into a grinding slugfest...reminiscent of WW2's Eastern Front. Many of the geographic features on the map are named for other game designers or personalities of the time, such as the (Larry) Pinsky River and The Great (Sandy) Korea's Desert. Participating in so many test sessions unfortunately turned me off to the game by the time it was released, and I haven't played Blitzkrieg since.
That should read Great Sandy KOUFAX Desert...damn spellchecker!
Thanks for your comments. I didn't expect to hear from someone who play tested the game. My first game was Gettysburg that I played with a neighborhood kid who was allowed to play his Dad's copy of the game. I was smitten with the war-game bug. The next game was Jutland, then Tactics II, and then Blitzkrieg. I enjoyed Blitzkrieg a lot. I was a pre-teen player and did not have an opponent for this game most of the time. My brother was too young and other kids had not caught on to them yet. I didn't think about it bogging down. I did feel it was too complicated with the Tournament game with the attrition combat results table, AirPower, etc. I still liked it though. Incidentally, the game I did notice bogging down was August 1914.
Good to hear from you. I appreciated reading your thoughts about Blitzkrieg. Although I appreciated the game play, as a (now lifelong student of military history) I found it too abstract. I much preferred Battle of the Bulge, the other project I worked on for Mr. Shaw. The fact that my uncle fought in the BoB gave that game special meaning for me as well. After college, I found few persons in the 70's interested in playing wargames (fall out from Viet Nam?). In the intervening years I've continued collecting games, but play them mostly solitaire now.
When I was a quite young perhaps 13 I had several play throughs on this. It was second board game….the first being tactics 2 then this one.
My favorite game. I still have mine and I’m 61
My first wargame, at age 12. The Advanced Rules were a bit beyond me, must admit.
My dad has the screen from when he was a kid and I love it. It’s the pinnacle Frontline warfare and all war a board game should be designed this way in my view. Every time I played this game I have beat in my dad despite the fact he has played it more than I have. Either she is really bad or I am really good or some combination.
I "love" war games, Avalon Hill and the cardboard counters.
thanks for the review... a huge fan of this game, I've ordered even the expansion units from Louis IV/Upton Games. I even bought the third super power.
Thanks! I will have till look for those upgrades. I’m still stuck in the 70’s and 80’s.
It's not just old people, I'm 23 and I'm planning to play this with my mate this or next week xD
I wanted to ask if there are guys who played both the 1965 and the 1975 version and which one you like better
I don’t know the answer to your question. I think mine was the early version.
Froo-froo pink and baby blue counters. Classic!
My first AH game was Midway, but Blitzkrieg was always my favorite. I still have mine too.
For a generic game this was great fun. I remember it often turned into static warfare after both sides met and neither could break through.
True.
When we played it back in the 70's the best chance at winning we found was gambling with a sea invasion of the enemy homeland. If it worked, he had to withdraw units from the front to defend the homeland and it became a war of maneuver. If repulsed, you lost a lot of units and your chance of winning was now near impossible. The only rule change we made is you could only stack units on the first two turns.
First edition had tactical nukes
Second edition: SHUT IT DOWN
Wow! I bet I had a first edition when I was a kid. I remember tactical nukes but they are not in the game I have now. I could be remembering Tactics II which I think had an optional rule for tactical nukes.
@@raymondgruben1745 yep idk if tactics did but tactics ii had a tactical nuke rule. it was otherwise kinda disappointing.
@@raymondgruben1745 board game geek probably has a scan of the first edition rules
Nearly all the AH games were based on historical events, and therefore almost impossible to win unless playing the side which won the battle. Blitzkreig and Tactics II were the only two I can think of where the tactical skills of the players decided who won. D-Day, Battle of the Bulge, Anzio, Afrika Corps, Gettysburg, 1914, etc. were nearly impossible to win unless you played against a total idiot. This was a great game.
I might be a thought of as a perfect idiot - but no one is perfect. Sometimes I won with the historical looser in the other games. 🙃
@@raymondgruben1745 I’d be interested in knowing what ones?
@@JeepWrangler1957 Actually, I always seemed to win Gettysburg with an aggressive Southern player. It makes me wonder that the absence of Stonewall Jackson was a major factor in their loss of this battle. The Panzerblitz, Panzer Leader series can be one by either player depending on the set up because they are not strictly historical. The same can be said for the Squad Leader game. I don't ever remember winning with the Germans in Jutland but then again, I am not sure we had clear winners when we played that game. We just enjoyed the ships and the battle. When I played Luftwaffe with an opponent I thought it was hard to win with the allies. I never saw a victor one way or another with 1914 because it bogged down and I didn't finish a game. Richthofen's War was another scenario based game so it was not strictly historical and either side could win. This is what I remember of Wooden Ships and Iron Men also. I don't remember a Third Reich game where the Germans won the war.
@@raymondgruben1745 good one. Yeah rectangles instead of hexes. I think I won it once as the south but it was down to two units and a lucky roll of the dice gave me the win
@@JeepWrangler1957 I was thinking about a later version of Gettysburg by AH. In the first one, with the squares, I was frequently defeated by a friend who played the union. But he introduced some inscrutable rule about hidden movement and his units kept popping out and catching mine at a disadvantage.
This game is too big for itself and usually bogs down into stalemate, but it was a nice try by AH.