- BGG rank
- BGG #17,970
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Red God of War: The Soviet Operation Mars, 1942
2005
Rules assistance for Red God of War: The Soviet Operation Mars, 1942
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 120–240 min
- 14+
- Complexity 2.7/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Red God of War: The Soviet Operation Mars, 1942
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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Red God of War: The Soviet Operation Mars, 1942 is a board game released in 2005 for 2 players, 120–240 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Brian L. Knipple and its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid and Chit-Pull System.
About the game
By the winter of 1942, the Red Army of Workers and Peasants had contained the German attacks of the previous summer and fall. Now came the time for a whole series of counter-offensive of its own, designed to cut off and destroy the weakened Nazi armies. The northernmost of these would be Operation "Mars", aimed at the German Ninth Army around the city of Rzhev, west of Moscow in the winter of 1942. The Soviet plan, the work of the brilliant Marshal Georgi Zhukov, called for smashing the already-weakened Germans with a heavy commitment of tanks and fresh troops. When this first objective had been reached, a second operation, code-named Jupiter, would encircle and destroy the German 3rd Panzer Army to the south. Despite horrible weather and very rough forested terrain, the initial Soviet attacks went very well. But German resistance stiffened, and as the Red Army failed to make further progress Zhukov reacted by committing more and more men and tanks. Suicidal courage only added to the Soviet casualty lists, and by the time the offensive sputtered to a halt Soviet losses topped 335,000 men and 1,600 tanks. Little known thanks to Soviet government silence for 50 years, the offensive was designed as a companion to the "Saturn" offensive around Stalingrad. The fact that the offensive was repulsed with heavy losses meant it was not discussed in Soviet accounts of the Great Patriotic War. While the offensive failed to accomplish what the Soviet High Command and General Georgi Zhukov wished, it did provide what the Soviets needed most, a means of keeping German forces of Army Group Center in place while the Saturn offensive in the south ran its course. Red God of War covers Operation Mars using the same game system as Alsace 1945 and America Triumphant. Game pieces represent regiments, brigades and divisions. Headquarters are vital to activate units and send them into action; supply is also important to keeping your units at full efficiency and players must choose how to allocate their resources. There will never be enough of them to accomplish everything at once. Game Turn: 2 days Hex: 5 miles (8 kilometers) Units: Battalion to Corps Game Inventory: One 22 x 34" full color map One dual-side printed countersheet (280 1/2" counters) One 16-page Red God of War rulebook One 6-sided dice Solitaire Playability: Good Complexity Level: 1,5 out of 5 Players: 2 Playing Time: 60 to 120 minutes (Source: Avalanche Press website and game rulebook)
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Avalanche Press Ltd.
Questions and answers
Red God of War: The Soviet Operation Mars, 1942 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 Red God of War: The Soviet Operation Mars, 1942 is 120–240 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 Red God of War: The Soviet Operation Mars, 1942 for ages 14 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.
Red God of War: The Soviet Operation Mars, 1942 has a complexity rating of 2.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light 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.
Red God of War: The Soviet Operation Mars, 1942 belongs to these categories: Wargame and World War II. Its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid and Chit-Pull System. 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 Red God of War: The Soviet Operation Mars, 1942 are: Brian L. Knipple. 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 Red God of War: The Soviet Operation Mars, 1942 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.