Monthly Archives: January 2026

Groza – It Only Gets Worse

Boardgames, Sessions, World War II,

The remainder of this session report will focus on Romania.  There was  mutual nibbling up north, but the bulk of the action was to the south.

Here’s the situation at the end of the Soviet Exploitation Phase.

Not good at all.  Desperate Times…..

Here are my Desperate Measures……Strategic Rail Movement for German ground reinforcements and Transfer Missions for air assets.  Fortunately, Hungary is a benevolent neutral, so the Axis can use Hungarian rail and airspace, as well as trace supply through it. Unfortunately, Romania does not have many airfields, although I had engineers working diligently for more fields to be ready in the Aug I Initial Phase.  The supply access really helped withdrawing units.

Axis Movement…..

Up north, I tried to extricate units by moving west into the mountains.  Down south, the priority was to stop the Soviet advance from down the valley, while having German armor in position to move during the Exploitation Phase.  Some of the stranded units had no hope for a successful retreat, so they would buy time for the others.

These two shots show the situation after the Axis Exploitation Phase.  A cobbled together perimeter defense with the panzers providing some depth.

The big problem is the Soviet unit identified by the red arrow.  Couldn’t reach it and establish a zone of control.

When Tim diplomatically suggested a re-set, I took up his offer.

Next, some observations we have about the Barbarossa Unleashed rules.  Plot Spoiler……..we like them.

Groza….Amateur Hour

Boardgames, Sessions, World War II,

My previous post covered the scenario’s basics.  Now to the gameplay.

Here are shots of the initial dispositions (after the Soviet Jun II Special Turn) from North to South.  I discovered it takes four (4), not three (3) screen shots to cover all fronts.  This group is missing the southern tip of Romania.

For some reason, I never “captured” an image with Tim’s Soviets dispositions in Romania.  But this is pic of mine is damning enough.  Just wait……

The following show Tim’s Soviet onslaught.  Not much going on in the northern and central pictures, but in Romania……whoaaa!!!

They say we create our own Hells.  Yes, my Romanian Hell was a product of failing to comprehend the interactions of two  Special Rules.

For the first turn, Zones of Control (ZOCs) are reduced.  And,  Axis units must be placed so as to either occupy border hexes or have them in a zone of control.  Too much of the latter, and not enough of the former.  I needed a solid front in Romania, with reduced border strength, but without gaps that, literally and figuratively, could (and would) be exploited.

To compound this error, I did not recognize the implications of the enhanced exploitation capabilities of Soviet units.  Here’s Romania after the Jul II Soviet Exploitation phase.

Gruesome.  Enough!  I’ll cover the rest of our game after my return from W.C. Fields’ (not so) favorite city.

Groza or Gorza?

Uncategorized,

I’m spittin’ tacks right now.

Went to the web to find a picture of The Europa Magazine #23.  This is the issue with Groza.  But wait!  Look at the cover!!!

What?  Gorza?  Jeez, did I get it wrong?

Backpedaling furiously, I changed EVERYTHING in the site to “Gorza”.  After this 20 minute frenzy I took another look.  Ahhhhhh…..it is “Groza”.  Either Winston or one of his minions jerked the cover up.

And,  a side note. Is it Romania or Rumania.  Here’s the scoop from our Beloved Google AI.

“It’s Romania, the official and current spelling, though Rumania (and French Roumania) were used in English previously, especially before the 1970s, influenced by historical spellings, but the “o” spelling aligns with the native Romanian language and is now the standard in English. “

Never Mind……

Groza (Finally)…The Basics

Boardgames, Review + Session Report, World War II,

Quick note:  If you are viewing this on an IPad or IPhone, scroll down to the bottom of your page.  This is where you will find the tags for Operation Groza and Europa.

Yes, it’s been a year since I  posted up about Operation Groza.  Why?  Sheer indolence.  But recent announcements about Europa provide new motivation.

To recap:  The Groza scenario was published in The Europa Magazine #23, with many special rules and modifications to the Orders of Battle (OBs) found in the Scorched Earth module.   Tim and I wanted to play Europa, were intrigued by the scenario, and anxious to try out the Barbarossa Unleashed draft rules published by John Astell.  Tim took on the herculean task of adapting the elderly, but still very serviceable (let’s just leave it there), JET Scorched Earth module for Groza.  This involved merging maps and creating supplementary counters.  We started play in late Winter 2025.

Might all of this involve confusion, numerous operator errors, and low levels of frustration?  Not to mention the usual screwing up?  Yes! So, here we go, starting with a summary of special rules with subsequent posts describing game play, observations about the rules, and lessons learned.

BTW…..We have reset, and are in the process of starting a new game.  But, back to old business.

The game begins with the Jun II 41 (Soviet) turn.  There are several significant factors affecting each side’s initial deployments.

Axis Player –

Deploys air and ground units first, with each Army having designated zones of deployment.  Units deployed include reinforcements for the Jun II and Jul I turns.  This placement simulates their movement during those turns the Axis player cannot move units.

Every hex along the Greater Germany (including occupied Poland) and Romanian borders must be either occupied by, or in the zone of control of, an Axis unit.

Note:  Hungary is neutral.  However, Axis units can overfly Hungary and use that country’s rail lines.

Soviet Player –

Deploys initial air and ground forces, with special modifications for each Military District (MD).  Again, each Army has deployment zones.

Can change four (4) combat/motorized (c/m) cadre units to full strength, and all 3-4 infantry cadre units to their full strength sides.

Places Jun II reinforcements on the map reflecting mobilization.

Game Play –

The Soviet player conducts a special Jun II turn limited to movement and exploitation phases (no combat).  For those  unfamiliar with Europa, c/m units may move during the exploitation phase. Movement is limited to within the Soviet Union (not occupied Poland).  Air units may move in either, but not both, phases.

The Soviet may designate NKVD units as Spetsnaz.  Ahhhh….Chrome!

After all Jun II movement/exploitation is finished, the Soviet Player begins a “normal” Jul I turn.  But, “normal” applies only to turn sequence as their are several special, and very significant, “benefits” ( per scenario designer) to be used during this turn, only.

The Soviet Player 1) ignores border river hexsides for purposes of combat and overruns (not movement).  2)  increases the attack strength of his artillery units by 50 percent.  3)  c/m units at full strength have full,  not limited, exploitation capabilities.  4)  conducts movement as though each Axis unit has a reduced zone of control (ZOC).  5)  Spetsnaz units are treated like commando units, and have an attack strength of “1” when used in conjunction with other units. Ahhhh…..Chrome!

The special Jun II move combined with the Jul I rules and inability of Axis forces to react simulates Groza’s surprise attack.

Next up…the game.