- BGG rank
- BGG #4,381
- BGG rating
- 7.8
The Third World War: Battle for Germany
- 2 players
- 360 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 1984
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,128
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Southern Front: Race for the Turkish Straits
1984
Rules assistance for Southern Front: Race for the Turkish Straits
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 360 min
- 12+
- Complexity 3.4/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Southern Front: Race for the Turkish Straits
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Southern Front: Race for the Turkish Straits is a board game released in 1984 for 2 players, 360 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Frank Chadwick and its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid and Simulation.
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About the game
Southern Front: Race for the Turkish Straits: Game Two in the Third World War series, although it uses the same rules, is very different from its parent. Bulgaria and Romania, reinforced with three Soviet armies and special-capability forces, face Greece, Turkey, and Yugoslavia, thinly reinforced with a few elite units from the U.S., France, and Italy. The campaign is very mobile, with neither side having enough troops to cover a solid front (although the mountainous terrain of the area helps somewhat). Special units such as airmobile, airborne, and amphibious troops, with their abilities to outflank a line, become even more important. Another important feature is the tangled web of Balkan politics, Romania is the least reliable of the Pact countries, and its participation is half-hearted at best. A second scenario allows for its total neutrality, forcing the Soviets to reinforce their armies and invade before taking on NATO. Greece and Turkey are uneasy allies, and rules allow for Greek withdrawal from NATO. And Albania is completely unpredictable. Additional rules allow Southern Front to be combined with The Third World War: Battle for Germany; players can reinforce one front with forces from the other, requiring a host of new decisions on the strategic level. One or two new divisions or air units sent to the Balkans can turn the tide there, but at what cost to the main front, where every unit is desperately needed ?
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Game Designers' Workshop (GDW Games)
Questions and answers
Southern Front: Race for the Turkish Straits 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 Southern Front: Race for the Turkish Straits is 360 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 Southern Front: Race for the Turkish Straits 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.
Southern Front: Race for the Turkish Straits has a complexity rating of 3.4 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.
Southern Front: Race for the Turkish Straits belongs to these categories: Wargame and Modern Warfare. Its main mechanics are 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 Southern Front: Race for the Turkish Straits are: Frank Chadwick. 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 Southern Front: Race for the Turkish Straits 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.