AGAINST THE ODDS #31: Hungarian Nightmare

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Rumble on the Danube! Magazine and WWII wargame covering the 1944-45 battle for Budapest, where 79,000 surrounded Axis defenders held out against heavy odds before succumbing to Soviet assaults. Less than 1000 Axis troops made it out of the city and back to German lines.

Hungarian Nightmare puts you in the difficult command situations for both sides. The Soviets have two full 'fronts' worth of troops, plus a corps of their newly gained (and doubtful quality) Romanian troops, while the Axis player commands a hodge-podge of various unit types of widely ranging enthusiasm. German units include remnants of two SS cavalry divisions, panzer kampfgroups, rear-area units, and strays, while Hungarian units are even more diverse, with everything from assault gun companies to police units and WWI veterans, with some troops ready to hold on to the bitter end and others looking for an early opportunity of melting away. The Axis player struggles with dwindling fuel, supplies, and manpower energy, while the Soviet player competes with a difficult time-table and the loss of key units to repel relief efforts. In game terms, the actual historical result would be a draw, thus each player has the opportunity and the challenge to do better.

Designed by Mark Stille (North Wind Rain, Imperial Sunset, Wintergewitter), Hungarian Nightmare offers 400 counters, an area-movement map of the cities, with each space about one square kilometer, and three-day turns that cover the entire, brutal campaign.