Set up and scenario description: This scenario has a badly lead German security battalion against roughly a battalion worth of Russian troops with light artillery/mortar support. The Germans enter from the west near a town close enough to reach in a few turns. The Russians set up on the east board so I placed them on the edge of the woods facing the German entry board. The Russians also get to pick two of the German's four officers. Don't expect much of a chance at fire or morale modifiers with this poorly lead German security battalion. It wasn't meant for the front lines :-)

Some caveats: This is my first scenario played of Panzer Grenadier so it was a great learning scenario due to no armor/rivers/complicated terrain. The only bad point was the victory conditions with is of the most blood type. As I was playing solo the advantage may go with the first side to stop and take up defensive positions. This is possibly what tilted the game in the German's favor.

Game play: As the German were just starting to reach the town, I had planned for the Germans to possibly just organize for a further move. I couldn't resist moving a couple of companies of the Russians westward toward the woods just SE of the town. This got my brain into the mode of having the Russians storm the town. Eventually the Russians were involved in two long assaults into two town hexes. Eventually the Russians started taking the worst of it. The Russian 8 strength OBA and the 81mm mortar occasionally helped in disrupting the Germans but due to their strength(8) and the Germans being in town hexes they didn't have much effect overall.

About turn 20 or so of the 28 turns allotted I decided to start pulling the Russians back eastward to better have a chance of causing casualties on the Germans. This lead to the highlight of the game and making some Heroes of the Soviet Union. The longest standing assault hex had three German inf platoons and an officer facing off against three Russian platoons and an officer. All were in great shape. On one of the Russians activations I decided to pull all the Russian platoons,except one, and the officer out of the assault hex. The one remaining platoon, if I was playing the rules right, prevented the germans from getting a free parting assault at the retreating Russians. On the next game turn the Germans in the hex were activated to assault the lone remaining Russian platoon. These heroes of the Soviet Union not only went unscathed but disrupted two of the German infantry platoons in return.

Final results: Russian losses – 9 infantry steps. German losses – one lone Lieutenant.

Final thoughts: My first thought at just reading the scenario I thought that the Russians had a much better chance. That's where the nice variability of this game came in and the “solo” factor probably pushed the result toward the Germans. As a solo game I would rate this between a 3 and a 4. The victory conditions aren't the best type for solo play but it's a great training scenario and may be a good quick game for two players. Being my first game of Panzer Grenadier, forgive me grognards, but I'm rating it a 4.