Maybe the best strategic simulation of the Eastern Front ever

This game would be worth every penny for the Barbarossa scenario alone. I played it 5 times already and didn't even want to look at the other scenarios yet, it is that good! Add the 7 other scenarios, all the possible ways of combining them, Westfront, and Eurofront, and you've got enough gaming for a lifetime!

It amazes me how much depth can come from such a simple system. An incredible achievement in wargame design.

--------
Update 06/2014: Who am I fooling, this is a 10 for me. Never had so much fun with a wargame. The unusual situations that can arise result in a surprising, nail-biting game every time! What else can I expect from a game?

Ma

Great game - see my comment on EastFront. If you're familiar with EastFront, you won't find much different with EF II. The map is a lot bigger though, spanning from Finland to North Africa, for EuroFront II.

The same great game we know and love, in a new and expanded format. Who should upgrade the EFI to EFII, and who should pick up a cheap EFI instead of a shiny new EFII?

First, the games are functionally almost the same. EFII has a few map upgrades, but the differences are pretty minor (the major change as that mountain near Moscow is now a hill). EFII has Turkey and Finland, but these are used only in conjuction with EuroFront. EFII also includes all the relevant area from EFI's VolgaFront expansion, and EFI + VolgaFront is not that much less than EFII.

So if you have no aspiration to ever play a combined EastFront/WestFront game, or a EuroFront game, you can think about either EFI or EFII.

The EFI map footprint is much smaller. You can play EFI on a small table. EFII need something more substantial.

The EFII map is definitely clearer than EFI. The EFI map is more artistic, the EFII map more functional. It's not a big deal, but EFII is definitely easier to play on.

In general, I think if you're only intersted in playing EastFront, and have no interest in any sort of combined game, EFI is the better value.

But, having said that, don't underestimate the appeal of EuroFront. A combined EastFront + WestFront game is not unplayable. A 4-player one-year scenario does not take very much longer to play than a 2-player one-year scenario, and can be a lot of fun.

One major unknown is whether the new EuroFront will include anything to incorporate the new map areas (particularly Scandinavia) into run-of-the-mill EastFront-only games. Having blocks and rules to incorporate the far north would add some value to the larger map area in EFII that you're not getting mileage out of currently. We won't be able to say until EuroFront II ships.

UPDATE: Sadly, EuFII does not include rules to link the Finns into EFII scenarios. Sort of a bummer.

The ultimate Barbarossa block game. Not a single complaint.

The series of games is amazing, even with all the limitations of the block game design. Eastfront does a great job of simulation the supply and logistical challenges faced by the Axis during Barbarossa. The other scenarios give room for some sneakiness during the set-up, but don't let the "fog of war" promo fool you. Seriously, just where would you put your Panzers IV's or T-34's?

One of the best games i have played (if you have the time)

Hands down the best Eastern Front simulation. Effortlessly playable yet highly detailed.

Someday I will not suck at this. (6/20/11 Finally, I beat Peter, a newbie at this, after several games of being schooled by experienced players.)

I love block games with hidden information. It makes games much less predictable and adds to the tension. A big board that requires a large table to play. The board measures 34x44, it you were to combine it with the Westfront board it would be 66x45. A medium complexity game.

I really enjoy the fact that there seem to be a lot of approaches vs. one true path to victory. Despite what some people think, the 'blob' strategy is not invincible. Playing a campaign that lasts longer than 6 months leads to both sides getting to be aggressive. Woe to the German player who is overextended with his HQs run down after the first 6 months of Barbarossa when winter hits. That's when the soviet player really gets to make hay.

This game really does have a learning curve to it. On one hand it does make the game very enjoyable, the downside is that different levels of experience really tell.

If I had one thing that I don't like is the marks on the board to show where the dividing lines between the armies are for the historical setup are virtually unnoticeable. If you're playing with someone who has played before it can be explained fairly clearly otherwise it's difficult to figure out.

A fantastic wargame that is just small enough to allow maneuvering of armies, yet large enough to have a grand scale of the entire Eastern Front. A simple yet elegant fog of war system complements a supply system that is abstracted enough to not be unwieldy.

Typically considered inferior to its younger brother Westfront, but many players (including the designer) have been stated to prefer Westfront - so it's mostly preference.

My Favorite:
Strategic - WWII Eastern Front - Easy/Medium

Plus:
-The perfect balance between playbility and strategic simulation executed by a straight foward and comprehensive system
-The Fog of war really shines here (Oops a 4 strength SS Panzer...)
-Superb research
-Superb playability
-Superb replay value
-Superb game quality
-Focusses on the strategy, many East Front games getting bogged down in chrome, additional rules and and complex supply, movement etc. Here it is straight forward yet comprehensive.

-Minus:
If you have two German HQ Operating together within their range (e.g. put AGC and AGN togehter changing while attacking, there is no way the Russians are able to stop the Germans. 2nd edition rules deal with this.
-Not very evocative due to the lack of chrome and the blocks; it is all about strategy and HQ steps rather than reflecting special units / leaders etc.
-Map is huge, if space is an issue get EastFront I instead (I have both)

Should you upgrade?
1) IMO you should only upgrade if you play EuroFront as well or,
2) If space is not an issue, do upgrade as you have the Urals and Turkey with it. Just don't get bogged down East of Voronezh....

What more do you want in a wargame? This one has it all. Quite easy to learn, intuitive mechanisms, quick gameplay, plenty of scenario's and well researched. The new map is great and this is just what the game needed: a little pimp. (if you lack space, simply take the old map).

A solid game doesn't need many changes and this one proved to be right from the start. Redesigning the map was imo a great idea as now you don't need to tangram around with the maps if you want to play EuroFront.

Imo one of the best and most fun wargame that have ever been produced.

This is my favorite game, and of all my games, it's seen the most table time in the last year. See http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1103829, or any of my EF or EF2 session reports, for more on why I love this game so much.

Masterpiece game of WWII strategy. Manage the attacks and counterattacks across the Ukraine and Russia in WWII. Has all the breakthroughs, envelopments, and so on. It's actually a surprisingly straightforward game but it is on a big big scale. I can't image going back to chits for anything like this again!

Plays: 1
Eastfront, but with a better & bigger map and better labels. I already have the original game. I don't play it very often, so I'll stick with the 1st edition for now.

One of my old time favourites! Excellent game, very good components. Being a block game thereby offering step-reduction and fog-of-war. Good rulebook. Offering lots of options to be victorious.

Wonderful game with tons of replayability.

Feels like an improved and deeper version of one of Avalon Hill's most classic games: The Russian Campaign. But the combat and logistic mechanics are much more realistic. And the multiple scenarios can provide a great gaming experience in just 4-6 hours.

All in all, one of the best wargames of its scale.

Eastfront, but with a better & bigger map and better labels. I already have the original game. I don't play it very often, so I'll stick with the 1st edition for now.

A great block game. I'm not really a fan of them, but this manages to over come the deficiencies of most block games (lack of CRT, over reliance on blind information etc....) to make a truly great game.

Wargame

Nice map upgrade, but totally unecessary unless you have an interest in Eurofront II.

Eastfront is a wonderful game. It captures the size and scope of the Eastern Front just right! It doesn't try to minimize the game with 20 pieces and a small map. At the same time, you don't get some OCS monster with 10 maps and 3,000 counters.
I love the HQ system much better than the card system of Rommel and the options you have to blitz, mobilize and utilize air power.
The scenarios are well done and let you play the campaign in bite sized pieces.
I'm not into the whole Front-based WWII system, but if you are, the idea of putting all of them together is a good idea for the monster gamers.
The combat system is simple without being too simple, which is true for the entire game.

A great game of the eastern front. The mechanics are good - and subtle - and the game plays well.

As good as Eastfront - not much changes, but much mor beautiful!

A really great game of the fighting in the east front. The scale is sort of grand operational: there's lots of room for maneuvering and worrying about supply lines, but you still have to concern yourself a little with the big picture (though this is more the case in the complete eurofront, here there's only production and long term objectives). Playing time reflects this but achieves a nice balance: while the full campaign should be around 30-40 hours (which is pretty much inevitable given the scale of the game), a single six month scenario can be played in an evening.

The HQ mechanic is quite clever and, coupled with the fog of war from the blocks, really forces you to plan and pace your offensives carefully: you can use up to 4 steps of an HQ in a month but can only rebuild one... Supply lines, tank impact and the importance of rivers are all nicely modeled too; the game covers plenty but the rules are very manageable, with the core (command, supply, movement, combat) being relatively simple.

Great game! The best of its kind as far as I'm concerned! Perhaps the only thing missing is the possibility to " buy" fortifications. E.g. in the Kursk scenario-which was heavily fortified by the Soviets- this is not reflected at all. Even some kind of special rule might have addressed this. Other than that it's superb! Relatively easy to master ( apart from perhaps the supply rules and when and how you can or cannot enter/leave a hex)and very historically accurate!

Category: Medium, strategic wargame.

This is my favourite game currently offered for sale. Enables the entire Eastern front of World War 2 to be played with sweet, sweet elegance. Doing so takes a day or two, but that's the kind of Boardgame Geek I proudly am!

Excellent game, a classic.

Terrific game where the block mechanic does a good job of simulating fog of war and the HQ mechanic does an outstanding job simulating the effect of logistics on large continuous offensive operations. The game system is just extremely elegant and offers tremendous gameplay

Excellent game. The fog of war adds a lot. Every turn the defender feels like he is hanging on a thread. And the attacker is hard-pressed to constantly move faster and further than his resources seem able to support.

Epic but streamlined. Lots of game but plenty of simulation. Good stuff. While I think I like the GAME of Rommel in the Desert better, I like the massiveness - map, story arc, OB - of Eastfront.

Soviets and Barbarossa:
- This is the art of backing up gracefully. Orderly withdrawal is the name of the game.
- The Dnepr and the woods north make for a damn fine line. Watch out when the river freezes though.
- It is better to have depth than toughness; your guys are going to die no matter what, so you'd rather have two short battles than one.
- Cadres are crucial to plugging gaps and slowing down the onslaught. But you burn a lot of HQ getting them in place and a lot of PPs on them.
- Cadres are also good to get on the board so you can bump them when you have a chance.
- Be as static as is sane; HQ steps and cadres are EXPENSIVE.
- Don't be too hasty bringing up your reserves with Stavka; the frontline comes back to you in a hurry.
- Stretch, don't break in the South; better to let the Axis have the flank then to get cut off. Importantly, it stretches his line and sets you up for a breakthrough.
- Snow isn't all good for the Soviets; rivers aren't as great a defense and the marshes you were counting on to stem the tide become a bit porous.

Brilliant. Tense, brutal and epic.

Great fun. Here, the fog of war from the blocks is used to great effect. Some other block games, it just doesn't work to this level.

Also, what riper theater than the Eastern Front? I look forward to playing more in the future.

The biggest downside is that I still don't have a table big enough to set up the larger map in my house.

It's a very simple system that only looks complex due to all the blocks that crowd the map. It is a fun, high level look at the war in the east. Because of it's scale it doesn't have much of the map and unit detail that I enjoy with wargames but the gameplay is excellent. The ultimate block system and a great set of rules.

Wargame operacional de bloques con activación por HQ divertido y con suficiente profundidad

I own many games and rarely ever get the chance to play any - however if one does come off the shelf when time allows its this one. I have never got passed Spring 1943 and always played Russia (my brother insists on being German!) but have always enjoyed it immensely. I love the fog of war element and the way command units work - never seeming to have even half the command points for the moves I wish to make ! A classic game and will no doubt stand the test of time.

Must play this soon ... simply MUST!

Update: Oh hell yeah! This game seems a lot more intimidating than it really is. The rules have a nice flow that seems logical. The longest most greuling part is the thinking about the strategy...its not the rules. I will be picking up West Front II and Euro Front II.

one of the top-wargames for me, the system works very well.

Good update to great game covering most covered/front in wargaming

What a great wargame. I introduced it to a group of old crusty war gamers and they are all hooked.

6 plays so far. EastFront uses the same basic system as Rommel in the Desert, but with a different mechanism for determining block activation. EastFront is more complex, with a higher number of terrain and unit types and the additional of rules for air warfare and weather. Nevertheless, EastFront is just as playable as its older sibling and even better themed. But, EastFront is by far the better game as it does not suffer from the supply cards effects that can sometimes marr Rommel. EastFront boasts a good mix of scenarios as well as a campaign game option. Without doubt, EastFront is the crème de la crème of block wargames!

An updated version of a true classic. My favorite WWII game, by far, this game still feels fresh. One of the games I regard as essential.

perfect east front game, one of the best blocks games, tense and fun

One of the great games, with the bonus that a six-month scenario makes a good evening's play while the whole war can be a long-lasting project. Terrific fun for both sides (well, except for the Germans in the last scenario).

Great game in its own right. Put together the set (Eastfront II, Westfront II, and Eurofront II) and the system is a 10.

Initial Impression: Wow! This is a great game with wonderful production value. The rules are simple enough to teach quickly and there's only a little bit of chrome. However, the implications of the rules are similar to those of Napoleon's Triumph in that everything is not always as it seems. I'm loving my initial plays of this game and plan to explore it alot more.

Lots of very interesting decisions. This game is a very in-depth study of supply in warfare. Managing HQ supply in good weather and bad and knowing when to blitz and when your opponent can blitz is key. Managing your HQ provides a rich gaming atmosphere I have not experienced in other games. The Soviets in this game are deceptively weak. You might think you have them on the ropes and then the Soviet steam roller ruins your best laid plans. You have a huge detailed map to play on that gives the game the necessary epic feel befitting an Eastern Front game. The down side is the long playing time and the fact that the game doesn't allow for a quick victory. I house rule the negatives. Great game.

One third of a masterpiece. Perfect balance between complexity and depth, while still maintaining ease of play.

Perfect balance between complexity and depth, while still maintaining ease of play.

Awesome game. Best russian front game I've ever played. You can cut the tension with a knife trying to figure out your opponents strength and strategy.

Looking forward to doing a full EuroFront game soon!

Vassal Module

I really like this game. It is tense and the HQ activation mechanic is brilliant. It is just too much to remember for me and the game always overwhelms me. Furthermore it is really unforgoving, so all my mistakes have devastating effects. That is why I suck at this game.

Awesome game. Best Russian front game I've ever played. You can cut the tension with a knife trying to figure out your opponents strength and strategy.

Vassal Module

Con las siguientes expansiones:

- EuroFront II.

Lots of depth for a block game. Great system that is easy to learn with substantial replay value.

Tanks;) Blocks;) Buckets-o-dice;) great game;) (but you haveta' let the Soviets buy back Cadres for half price for the first season, IMHO)

Easier to actually play than I thought it would be. Playing well is another matter. I like block games and think it works excellent here.

Lots of very interesting decisions. This game is a very in-depth study of supply in warfare. Managing HQ supply in good weather and bad and knowing when to blitz and when your opponent can blitz is key. Managing your HQ provides a rich gaming atmosphere I have not experienced in other games. The Soviets in this game are deceptively weak. You might think you have them on the ropes and then the Soviet steam roller ruins your best laid plans. You have a huge detailed map to play on that gives the game the necessary epic feel befitting an Eastern Front game. The down side is the long playing time and the fact that the game doesn't allow for a quick victory. I house rule the negatives. Great game.

Fun WWII block game! :D

Implements historicity well with blocks, though rulebook seems unnecessarily daunting.

Very good game, especially the loopsided part of Barbarossa. Quite playable in the first year in an evening, but way too long to complete in one sitting.

I like block games and I think Eastfront is probably the best. But I'm a rules perfectionist, I like the comfort of knowing my opponent is inspecting my play to make sure I'm not screwing anything up. For this reason I hardly ever want to play.

One of my favorites, if not the best on the Eastern Front.

played only solo 1 time :(

I have recently received this gem of a block game. My anticipation is high, but I have yet to play it with my wargame-lifepartner, so I will update this section when I have a real revies to give.

The rules are kind of clean, even though I had problem with the supply rules (I'm kind of new in wargaming). First block game I try. Maybe I should start with something simpler and smaller though.

Excellent block game. One can see how designer was able to model many different things with such simple rulebook.

But as big fan of FAB I missing assets or something to spice it little bit up.

Also I am not entirely happy with heavy abstraction of air forces.

But otherwise I like it very much especially in comparison to Blocks in the East/West system which is pretty hyped these days.

I would say that this is one of those clasic games.

This is a great game if you love hardcore wargames. Well worth the investment on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. It is complex and probably best suited for the teenagers and above.

The King of the block games. I like the original version better.

Played this only once, but really enjoyed it. We messedup on a few of the rules, but still had a great game. More to come. Now I am half way through the campaign game. loads of fun.

Un "filler" estratégico de la WW2 xD ... se aprende rápidamente, además es muy ágil de jugar, sin embargo no es un juego evidente, en realidad hay que pensar bien lo que quieres hacer, ir con cuidado y planificando con vista al futuro. Como punto negativo ... los dados, dados, dados y más dados, quizá demasiado caótico en este aspecto, aunque se tiran tal cantidad de dados que finalmente la suerte se diluye entre la mala suerte. Lo mejor, es el estratégico más jugable que he probado, y el manual es un ejemplo de cómo se debe explicar un juego.

An amazing block game for the eastern front. The idea of HQ command steps dictating the range of control is an excellent mechanic that allows for a realistic and fun modelling of this conflict. The supply system helps drive the axis of advance. And the replacment and reinforcement phase steer both sides towards strategic objectives. I will play this game anytime.

Upgraded my EastFront I set.

Very good operational game about Eastern Front. Easy to read and understand rules, no fiddly gameplay. Core East Front aspects well shown. Great replayability due to setup and force composition choices and of course luck factor. Fog of War helps to achieve element of surprise in our planning.
Half-year or yearly scenarios recommended. Campaign game is hard to play live.

Wargame 2 Bloques Operacional. WWII Frente oriental.

Outstanding... bigger map, more pieces, a much wider scope than EF I.

Wargame operacional de bloques con activación por HQ divertido y con suficiente profundidad. Quizás un poco largo pero la gestión del frente es impecable

Wargame operacional de bloques con activación por HQ divertido y con suficiente profundidad

Yeah for Eastern front block games.

Initial Impression: Wow! This is a great game with wonderful production value. The rules are simple enough to teach quickly and there's only a little bit of chrome. However, the implications of the rules are similar to those of Napoleon's Triumph in that everything is not always as it seems. I'm loving my initial plays of this game and plan to explore it alot more.

Rules are really easy to learn, scale is manageable, one scenario takes about 4-6 hours or less.

Very good operational game about Eastern Front. Easy to read and understand rules, no fiddly gameplay. Core East Front aspects well shown. Great replayability due to setup and force composition choices and of course luck factor. Fog of War helps to achieve element of surprise in our planning.
Half-year or yearly scenarios recommended. Campaign game is unplayable live.

Block game system put to test on the east. My budget hurts! Played once, initial impression is better than I expected.

I just have to love this one. Complex and clever.

This is a more abstract-theatre-level game of the Eastern Front in WWII with much less fiddling than lots of other games on this topic. First play of the Kursk (S'43) scenario took 6 hours, as advertised. It is definitely not a historical treatment of the West Front in its minutiae, but can be a good game for simulating the broad strokes of the campaign. Lots of dice rolling. A streak of bad luck can break you.

I do wonder about how the handicap modifiers were calculated and whether the results over time have proven these numbers accurate.

Best block game out there and not a bad representation of War in the East. A great improvement over the first edition. Production quality is unsurpassed.

Very good game, especially the loopsided part of Barbarossa. Quite playable in the first year in an evening, but way too long to complete in one sitting.

Lots of very interesting decisions. This game is a very in-depth study of supply in warfare. Managing HQ supply in good weather and bad and knowing when to blitz and when your opponent can blitz is key. Managing your HQ provides a rich gaming atmosphere I have not experienced in other games. The Soviets in this game are deceptively weak. You might think you have them on the ropes and then the Soviet steam roller ruins your best laid plans. You have a huge detailed map to play on that gives the game the necessary epic feel befitting an Eastern Front game. The down side is the long playing time and the fact that the game doesn't allow for a quick victory. I house rule the negatives. Great game.

I have only played it as demo for learning the rules but it was a fun and rather easy war games with a lot tactical touch.

Pretty good game but the first game we played ended in a stalemate. The resources we kept ended up being used for a punch for punch session.

End game was not what it seems. Got to play it a few more times.

The larger footprint of the 2/e makes for a less convenient format. Prefer the 1/e stand-alone.

This is an upgraded 1st Ed.

옛게임이다 이제

옛게임이다 이제kps

99.95$ for a reprint? The original was decent, this one is the same with some lust for a quick buck.
Look for the original, it comes for a much cheaper price.

Bad experience with this game the 1st time through it... neither one of us had played... too tedious & confusing

SUMMARY: The same game as the first edition.

I REALLY love East Front (which I rate a straight 10), and I hate to give only a 6, but I would like to voice my dissatisfaction with the sloppiness regarding the proofreading and quality for the 2nd edition releases of the Front games. For this price and the amount of time the original game had already been released, I had expected a much better quality.

Just take a look at all the typos and errata that have been posted so far in the CG forum and on BGG. Then take the missing EuFII diplomacy markers, no color rulebook, rules inconsistencies (mud repulses, move of HQs in Blitz Movement), etc...

Disappointed with the production quality mostly.
Stickers were not well cut resulting in a lot of torn stickers when removing them from the sticker sheet.
Terrible quality for the counters as well, plain cardboard backing.
I was surprised to see this, especially in a game of this price!

Too many blocks...

Good game, but would be better without such restricting command rules. I especially appreciate the abstracted air power rules.

Too many blocks...

Did not care for this game at all!!!!!

out of rage!write somewhere "it's a reprint with worse rules!"
luckly I've been able to get rid of it.

I just dont like the whole memory aspect and my only experience playing the game was very bad.

Very excited to try this. I don't have a ton of experience with block games, but this looks very neat.

2

The kind of game I'd like to own but would probably never get a chance to play.

Like New; Shrink removed, nothing has been labeled. Also have 'WestFront II' & 'EuroFront II' available (new).

Never played

Block Game - Columbia

Own by way of purchasing the upgrade kit for EastFront and by using the map from EuroFront-II.

Purchased on: 8/15/15
Purchased from: [url]www.columbiagames.com[/url]
Purchase price: $86.66 (+ $13.00 SH)

Notes:
- Purchased new

Weight: 3.5 (8/15/15)

AZ

Too old school.

Been wanting to buy and now I have my own copy. Will I ever play a game?

Unpunched (un-stickered)

Haven't played yet, but not for a lack of trying.

Also have 'WestFront II' & 'EuroFront II' available (new).

T

Sold for $50

Wargame 2 Bloques Operacional. WWII Frente oriental.

EastFront, 1991

10/13.

2nd edition -- possible to make a bundle with WestFront II and EuroFront II?