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Soft Underbelly: The War in Southern Italy 1943
2010
Rules assistance for Soft Underbelly: The War in Southern Italy 1943
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–2 players
- 240 min
- 10+
- Complexity 3.2/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Soft Underbelly: The War in Southern Italy 1943
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Soft Underbelly: The War in Southern Italy 1943 is a board game released in 2010 for 1–2 players, 240 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Ty Bomba and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Hexagon Grid, and Simulation.
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About the game
(from the publisher's website :) Soft Underbelly: Italy, 1943 (SU) [...] is an intermediate-complexity, two-player wargame simulating that historic World War II campaign. It may also be used to explore the “what ifs” inherent in the situation had the German high command chosen to react to the Allied landings in a much different manner: making that effort’s defeat Berlin’s main strategic goal for late 1943 (Operation Wacht am Tiber). The design therefore combines factual historical detail with studied counter-factual analysis to present players with a situation that will be familiar to most of them, while at the same time allowing for an easy and seamless transition into the less certain realm of alternative history. Each extra-large-hex on the 34x22” mapsheet equals 11 miles (18 km) when measured from side to opposite side. Each game turn represents between two and 15 days, depending on the exact time of year of each one. That is, as the autumn weather worsens, and attrition and the inevitable declines in soldier morale and force-robustness take their tolls, each game turn comes to represent a longer period of time. That approach allows for the smooth building into the system of what would otherwise be burdensome factors of weather, ground conditions, operational tempo, etc. Every ground unit represents a division or division-equivalent (176 large-size NATO-style). The game uses the well-liked system originally created by Ben Knight for Victory in Normandy. There are approximately 14,500 words in the rules. A complete game of SU generally takes from four to five hours to complete, and it’s suitable for solitaire play. Rules cover such things as: Allied end-run second invasions, Luftwaffe seaport raids, reinforcements, withdrawals, paratroop drops, naval gun support, both sides’ army and corps organizational schemes, German tactical superiority, tactical and strategic airpower and much more. The turn sequence is as follows: I. Allied Player Turn A. Allied Reinforcement Phase B. Allied Command Point Expenditure Phase II. German Player Turn A. German Reinforcement Phase B. German Command Point Expenditure Phase Magazine: World at War #15
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- Decision Games (I)
Questions and answers
Soft Underbelly: The War in Southern Italy 1943 supports 1–2 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Soft Underbelly: The War in Southern Italy 1943 is 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 Soft Underbelly: The War in Southern Italy 1943 for ages 10 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.
Soft Underbelly: The War in Southern Italy 1943 has a complexity rating of 3.2 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.
Soft Underbelly: The War in Southern Italy 1943 belongs to these categories: Wargame and World War II. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Hexagon Grid, and Simulation. 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 Soft Underbelly: The War in Southern Italy 1943 are: Ty Bomba. 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 Soft Underbelly: The War in Southern Italy 1943 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.