Von Manstein's Triumph

On June 6th, 1942, Erich von Manstein’s XI th Army began its last assault on the besieged Soviet fortress of Sevastopol, the latest episode in the German conquest of the Crimean Peninsula, which was initiated in September 1941. The operation, codenamed Störfang, was also the prelude to the German summer offensive of 1942, freeing the troops committed in Crimea for other tasks and securing the southern flank of the attacking armies towards the Volga.

Von Manstein’s Triumph is a game for two players that simulate the final assault on the fortress–port. This is a card driven game (symbolizing orders, historical events and equipment) in which both players maneuver their forces, made up of wooden blocks, over the Map Board, which depicts the battlefield divided into areas for positioning and movement purposes. Key to victory is the control of Victory Point areas, which represent the critical points of the defense. Victory is determined at the end of the game with the player having most Victory Points (VPs) being the winner. VPs are printed on the Map Board inside the red banners. A player controls the VPs printed in an area if that player controls the area. Initially all VPs are controlled by the Soviet player, so the Axis player has to attack
the areas containing them to gain VPs. The Axis player loses VPs when receiving reinforcements. If both players have exactly the same number of VPs at the end of the game then this results in a draw.

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS

• It only takes 2 hours to recreate this desperate struggle.
• Players have to fight not only against each other but also against the time.
• Simple rules and card driven game.
• The game components are of the highest quality, highlighting the 2x2 cm wooden blocks, the cards and the board.
• Historical accuracy. Includes a playbook that provides designer’s notes, historical commentary and example of play

Summer 1942.

After recovering from its first harsh Winter in Crimea, German 11st Army under Eric Von Manstein next objective was the storming of Sevastopol. Operation Störfang pitted 203.800 Axis troops (German and Romanians) against 118.000 Soviet troops from the Independent Coastal Army. Sevastopol was a very strong fortress due to the rough terrain as well as for the manmade fortifications. The fall of the fortress-port would signal the beginning of the great Axis Summer offensive in the South of Russia. Germany didn't have the resources to undertake both operations at the same time. The game is a card driven block game of medium size and play length about the final German assault on Sevastopol. As the attacker you will have to plan carefully your assaults to maximize the damage you inflict of the sizeable Soviet forces. The battle will be a meat grinder of attrition. As the Soviet player you have to contest every inch of ground and slowly give up positions to make the German run out of time: Hitler is watching and he needs troops and assets to begin his Fall Blau summer offensive... Will you run out of time as assaulting German or will you be able to take the Fortress in time? It is a race against the clock.

Game components:

• 33.4 x 21.6 inch mounted mapboard
• 2 Player aids
• 63 Playing cards
• 6 Aid cards
• 62 Wooden blocks
• 1 Cardboard countersheet
• 1 Stickers sheet
• 8 six sided dice
• Rulebook & Playbook