Scorched Earth
BGG rating
8.0

Expansion for Fire in the East

Scorched Earth

1987

Rules assistance for Scorched Earth

Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

  • 2 players
  • 2400–6000 min
  • 12+
  • Complexity 4.4/5

Rules assistant for Scorched Earth

What would you like to know?

Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.

Scorched Earth is an expansion for Fire in the East released in 1987 for 2 players, 2400–6000 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Frank Chadwick and John Astell and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Hexagon Grid.

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About the game

Scorched Earth, the sequel to Fire in the East, covers the war in the Soviet Union from April 1942 through December 1944. Scorched Earth uses Fire in the East as a base (and cannot be played without Fire in the East), adding more maps, counters, and rules. The game requires two players - one for the Germans and one for the Soviets - or two teams of players. The size of the game makes it well-suited for team play, with up to 3 or 4 players per side. Scorched Earth's three maps extend the coverage of those in Fire in the East. The maps cover: The Volga River, from its heavily forested northwestern reaches to its mouth at the edge of the deserts of Asia; the western shores of the Caspian Sea; the Caucasus Mountains area of the USSR, to the borders of Turkey and Iran. Scorched Earth's sixteen counter sheets (3840 counters total) encompass the diversity of forces in this theatre. All Axis forces engaged in the east are shown, from German through the Axis Allies (Finnish, Hungarian, Italian, Rumanian, Slovakian), and including the eastern troops - Soviet citizens fighting against their government. The entire range of Soviet forces is given: regulars, guards, NKVD, militia, and the foreign contingents in the Red Army, including the Poles, Czechs, and even the German formations raised from prisoners of war. Over 40 different types of ground units are represented, from divisions (including division-sized Soviet Corps) to individual batteries of super-heavy artillery, such as tank corps, panzergrenadier divisions, artillery divisions, parachute brigades, and commando battalions. Aircraft units cover the many new aircraft sent to the front, such as the Fw 190 fighters and ground attack aircraft, Hs 129 tank-busters, A-20 and B-25 lend-lease bombers, Yak-9DD long-range fighters, and even late-war German jet aircraft. Scorched Earth's rules expand upon those in Fire in the East to cover the rest of the war in the USSR. New features include: Abilities of new aircraft types Partisan warfare Oilfields Surrender and defection of Germany's eastern front allies Continual upgrading of armored and mechanized forces Use of artillery divisions Allied Lend-Lease to the USSR Scorched Earth's orders of battle present in game terms the most detailed and accurate orders of battle ever published for the Russian front. The grand campaign game can be played to the end of 1944 from two starting points: from June 1941 or April 1942. The rules also allow the 1941 and 1942 campaigns to be played separately, giving two campaign games shorter in playing time than the grand campaign game. Scorched Earth covers the largest land campaign in history with the scope it deserves. It presents a detailed, exciting game situation, challenging and rewarding the players' strategic and tactical skills. Game Components: 3840 die-cut counters (16 countersheets: Europa 6A, 7A, 8A, 9A, 10A, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56) Three maps (Europa #7A, 8A and 9A) One rules booklet Two orders of battle booklets (Axis & Soviet) Scorched Earth Version 1.5 Errata - March 1992 One set of game charts: Combat Result/Terrain Effects Chart (x2) Unit Identification Chart/Counter Formats Turn Record Chart Soviet Game Chart/1942 Scenario Front Line Maps - North Axis Game Chart/1942 Scenario Front Line Maps - South Europa marker Display Master Sequence of Play/Special Dates List Europa Map Legend Map Guide (source: back of the box and user's description)

Publishers

  • Game Designers' Workshop (GDW Games)
  • Games Research/Design (GR/D)

Questions and answers

Scorched Earth 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.