
- BGG rank
- BGG #29,167
- BGG rating
- 5.1
4th Reich: Puremen vs. the Mutants for Control of the World
- 1–2 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 1985

1982
Rules assistance for Battle for the Factories
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

For 2 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Battle for the Factories is a board game released in 1982 for 2 players, 8 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Dana Lombardy and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, and Hexagon Grid.
Battle for the Factories - Tactical Game of the Campaign for the Northern Half of Stalingrad, 1942 “German panzer and infantry divisions, weakened by weeks of street fighting, now redeploy to assault the northern half of Stalin’s city. Can you do better than the Germans and capture this strategic industrial center on the Volga River? Or as the commander of the Russian 62nd Army, can you correctly direct your elite Guards divisions into the battle to stop the Germans? Battle for the Factories’s companion game in this tactical series -- Fire on the Volga -- enables you to also play the first phase of this epic battle on the Eastern Front.” Components One standard bookcase-style box with a red cover and white bottom. The box is approximately 8.25” wide by 11.25” high One 37.5”x26” four-color unmounted map. This map is the north end of the city of Stalingrad and butts together with the Southern end of the city map found in the sister game Fire on the Volga. One 32-page rule book in black and white, 8.5”x11” in size. Seven counter sheets of 240 counters each, for a total of 1,680 0.5” counters.
Battle for the Factories supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Battle for the Factories is 8 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Battle for the Factories for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Battle for the Factories has a complexity rating of 3.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Battle for the Factories belongs to these categories: Wargame and World War II. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Grid Movement, and Hexagon Grid. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Battle for the Factories are: Dana Lombardy. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Battle for the Factories as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.