It is time to share some more detailed impressions from the Essen Spiel 2023 – the general overview with list of games I played you can find here. However, with some titles I had a pleasure to familiarize quite thoroughly – playing them end to end and spending significant time discussing its design concepts. One of them for sure was Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud from PHALANX – a wargame which pretty soon should reach its backers. Let us talk about it a bit today!

The game

Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud is a quick and easy to learn (confirmed, took like 10 minutes for Adam to introduce me to that title!) two-player hex and counter strategic wargame simulating the Eastern Front of World War II. Poland and France have fallen, Greece and Norway have surrendered, and Yugoslavia is no more Now it’s time for the Soviet Union to suffer the same grim fate.

You will either lead the combat-hardened forces of Wehrmacht through mud and snow and unimaginably vast territories of the enemy, all the while trying to protect your overstretched supply lines (critical aspect of the game). Or you will take control of initially outnumbered, but slowly building its might Soviet Red Army, hampering the lighting quick panzer attacks, harassing the enemy’s supply lines with your partisans and biding your time for a bloody and devastating counteroffensive.

The game is played over the course of four years, each consisting of three markedly different seasons, two of which – the aptly named Mud and Snow – inhibit the use of some actions and units. The movement and its range are predicated on the current season, unit type and the ability to create and maintain a chain of units. The Germans have to either hold a set of objectives by the end of 1944 or capture the Soviet leader, Stalin himself. The Soviets too can achieve a sudden victory, but only if they manage to seize one of three initially German-held cities.

Session Report

I started my second day on the Essen Fair at the PHALANX booth, discussing some of the designs and getting ready for a game of Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud. I was not expecting to play a full game but to my surprise that small, neat design can be played in reasonable time – even with rules explanation. My opponent was Adam, whose role at the fair was to lead the demo play of exactly that title. Could not wish for better opponent.

Below my very short session report and some impressions after the game.

The game set-up. Board is pretty small and will fit on every table. On the left there are my German forces, on the right Soviets led by Adam. At the top you can see turn track (divided into years and seasons). At the bottom we have sequence of play as a reminder.
The game is abstraction of fight on Eastern Front and requires meticulous planning from German side. But what can be really disturbing, is the partisan’s activity at the rear of assaulting forces.
Still, after some planned attacks I managed to break-through the southern (Rostov) and Northern (north of Smolensk) sides.
At the height of the fight two-thirds of the Moscow were occupied by Germans and Stalin escaped to Grozny!
Still, the constant reinforcements and bloody fight throw-back Wehrmacht back.
Situation after last turn; while victory for Soviets, it is still pleasant to see the progress which I made (even conquering Leningrad!)

First Impressions

Now, let me share some of my thoughts about the game while my memory is still fresh – of course, this was just one session and full review can be done only after multiple plays:

  • The game is fast, all in all it takes 1.5-2 hours to explaining rules and play for the first time. I think with experienced players it will be like 60 minutes.
  • The convoy mechanics allows for some very interesting, fast moves forward while partisans limit the audacity of attacking Germans. Good balancing mechanic.
  • You can approach that game as a puzzle, especially in first rounds where Soviets have limited possibility to react; the early stage is very solo-friendly.
  • The board and components are beautiful and easily identifiable. I like aesthetics – the only element I would do more vividly is color between regular, mood and snow seasons at the top. However, symbols showing which action are available is enough reminder.

All in all, the game made a pretty positive impression on me, and I simply liked it. It is quick, beautiful, a little abstract, giving a lot of possibilities for testing various strategies. Worth trying, especially at the current price.