"The Greatest Day: Sword, Juno, and Gold" is the first volume in a three volume series covering the battle of Normandy in June of 1944. It not only introduces a new theater but also provides version 2.0 updates for the GTS rules. Assaults have been streamlined, the artillery rules have been improved, and various other changes have been made to make this version of GTS an even better gaming experience.
The 18 scenarios are:
Learning Scenario (on one 8.5" x 11" mini-map with a playing time of about an hour):
· "The Black Baron" covering the first hour of the German attack on the 7th Armoured Division at Villers-Bocage
Introductory Scenarios (all on one map or less with playing times of less than 5 hours):
· "Storming Gold": the first few hours of the assault on Gold Beach
· "Storming Juno": the first few hours of the assault on Juno Beach
· "Storming Sword": the first few hours of the assault on Sword Beach
· "To the Sea": the 21st Pz Division’s late afternoon attack on June 6
· "Day of the Tiger": the German counter-attack at Villers-Bocage on June 13
· "On to Bayeux": the Pz Lehr’s major attack on the 50th infantry Division on June 9
Intermediate Scenarios (all on one full-sized map with playing times of 6-20 hours)
· "Day of Days": the first day of the 6th Airborne’s drop into Normandy
· "The Race for Caen": the first day from Sword Beach to Caen
· "The Saga of the 6th Airborne": the first several days of the 6th Airborne’s drop into Normandy
· "O Canada": the first few two days of the Canadian assault at Juno Beach and beyond
· "The Bloody Battle of Tilly": the struggle for the Tilly line from June 11 to June 12
· "Nemesis": Canadians and the 12th SS Division in a bitter fight from June 6 to June 9
Advanced Scenarios (on multiple maps with playing times of 40-100 hours)
· "The Right Hook": from the landing at Gold Beach to the battle of Villers-Bocage – the action on the right flank of the Allies
· "The Initial Plan": from the landing of the 6th Airborne in the Orne Bridgehead to the outskirts of Caen on June 9th
· "Operation Perch": the attempt to flank the German position at Caen
Campaign Scenarios (all the maps; playing time of 20-150 hours)
· "One Great Day": the campaign game but only on the first day – but it was quite a day
· "The Greatest Day: Sword, Juno, and Gold Beaches": from the parachute landings on the morning of June 6th to the evening of June 13th – the entire game
The Grand Tactical Series (GTS) recaptures battles on a grand scale with the color and atmosphere that the great campaigns deserve. Updating Victory Games' popular, playable and accurate Panzer Command system, the series is also created with exquisite historical detail and a game system that allows the players to see the great "Whys" and "What Ifs" as the campaigns unfold.
Components:
· Grand Tactical Series Rulebook 1.1
· "The Greatest Day: Sword, Juno, and Gold" Exclusive Rulebook
· Scenario Book with 18 scenarios
· A Summary Rulebook for easy reference
· Sixteen Countersheets (5/8ths inch counters)
· Four 22" x 34" full color maps (three of them back-printed for scenarios)
· Four 8.5" x 11" map extensions
· Three 8.5" x 11" Landing Beach overlays
· Fifteen Player Aid Cards
· A Turn Record and Weather Chart
· Two Combat Results Tables
· Two Terrain Effects Tables
· Four ten-sided dice