Articles on strategy and variants for Rise and Decline of the Third Reich.
Rise and Decline of the Third Reich is a classic "grand strategy" wargame covering the European theater of WWII. The game is huge in scope. Players take on the roles of all of the major national powers and can simulate the entire war effort from 1939 until the end (often isn't until 1946). This game is a favorite of many because of an excellent balance between politics and military might, and it gives players a chance to try things that did not happen historically to see if they might have worked better (e.g., Germany invading Spain). This game is definitely not for the novice gamer. The rules are intricate, and there are many factors for players to deal with: resources, unit production, negotiation, and, of course, strategic warfare.
47 pages. Revue publiée par Avalon Hill en 1985. N'a quasi jamais servi, très bon état (quasi neuf).
Le contenu de cette revue est aussi consultable en ligne, en suivant ce lien : The Gamer's Guide to Third Reich (PDF).
Included in the guide :
Record Keeping in Third Reich. This is a BPR record keeping sheet for covering 1 year of play. While superseded by spreadsheets and laptops, it is a useful tool for those players who prefer a more “retro“ style.
Grand Strategy in Third Reich: An Introduction to The Avalon Hill Game Company's Most Popular Strategic Game. An unabashedly biased introduction to the mechanisms and interactions of the game. Probably based on the second edition.
The Fuehrer's War: German Play in the Third Edition. Game play considerations and notes for the main actor on the stage (after all, no Nazis-no game right?). Largely assumes German strategy follows the historical narrative.
A Green and Pleasant Land: Sealion versus Cromwell. When Hitler's armies reached the coast of France, his war was won. Churchill, history and Third Reich don't see it that way. This article examines crossing the channel and removing the West Front problem.
The Unsolved Problem: In Defense of France. Experienced players know that the longer France survives, the shorter Germany's life is going to be. Defensive options and workable counter attack strategies are the topic here.
The Long Road from Rome: An Italian Strategy. Kesselring said, the Italian is not a soldier at heart. This article examines Italy as more of a threat than a power. Some Italian adventuring in the Mediterranean are discussed
Soviet Options: Russian Play in Third Reich. Mostly a Russian survival guide, sometimes a German guide.
BRP Warfare: The Clash of Economies. An odd article for those players with the leaning a mafioso investment banker. Some good nuggets, mostly because it deviates from the replay history theme.
Diplomacy in Third Reich: Another Facet of the Strategic Game. More than anything else, this makes the guide worth reading. This a variant is based on minor country interaction from Origins of WWII. It removes the rather rigid minor country rules from the game and installs a competitive foreign aid-diplomacy system, with situational and event driven modifiers. One might think of it like the Vichy activation rule applied to everyone.
Advanced Tactics: The Tricks of the Trade. Nuance is the word here. Since Third Reich is a game, Marcus Watney talks about the gamey side of the game. Somethings were built in, others were accidents.