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Published by Avalanche Press
Designed by Mike Bennighof
Developed by Brian Knipple

This is a tactical system covering World War Two actions at the battalion & regimental levels. The scale gives 200 metres per hex and units are general at platoon strength (15 - 40 infantry, 2-4 weapons and 3-5 vehicles). Compared to some of the complicated tactical systems around, Panzer Grenadier is much easier to get into.

Game facts

Solitaire - Works fine, especially as the two sides take alternative actions throughout the turn.

Game time - Varies from 1 hour to 5 hours depending on which scenario is chosen. The modules hav a lot of scenarios, so it is easy to find something tht matches avilable playing time.

Game size - The games are stand alone modules, so components vary. Some modules have hard mounted game board, with some scenarios played on a single board. Others have larger paper maps. But the sheer number of scenarios that come with each module means that you get a good choice of the size of battle. Generally, you can play these games on a kitchen table.

Complexity - Probably just below a 'medium' complexity level because frequent play makes most of the rules second nature. Note the 2nd edition rule book does not add any new rules but does substantially improve the organisation and explanation aspect of the 1st edition rules.

Comments

Tactically speaking, this system is a level higher than ASL or games like that. Here, you don't have squads skipping over walls and moving through individual buildings. Rather, you take the role of something like a Major or Brigadier, concerned with the capture or defence of main local geographical features such as towns, villages, woods, hills and rivers. It does invoke the right feel and gives a game that produces a fairly realistic result of typical 5 or 6 hour battle involving battalion or regimental level attacks.

As a battle progresses, units become disrupted or worse, demoralised. The ebb and flow of units becoming disrupted and recovering can frustrate both attacker and defender and it is a nice way of tempering the pace of activity of a force. In this game, units do not dive around the map, fully active on every turn like supermen and neither do units get eliminated at an alarming rate, with each side fighting to the last unit. By the end of a battle (or even part way through !!!), you do get that sense that your force is knackered, and when a battle is won, it can feel hard won but that basically it is still in existence to fight the next battle.
My favourite part of the game is the anti-armour system. It uses very simple mechanics to achieve an ellegant result. Armour rules can easily become he most daunting part of tactical games - but not with this system.