Hungarian Rhapsody: The Eastern Front in Hungary

About this board game

Hungarian Rhapsody: The Eastern Front in Hungary is a 1–2 player operational wargame with an approximately 240-minute play time, depicting the Soviet drive into Hungary and toward the Vienna basin.

The game begins on 5 October 1944, as the 2nd Ukrainian Front and 4th Ukrainian Front launch an offensive to isolate the German 8th Army. Romania’s defection in August 1944 enabled the Soviets to outflank strongly defended Axis positions in the Carpathian Mountains from the south. The campaign also reflects the near-destruction of the German 6th Army and the resulting weakness of German artillery at the start of the campaign.

Players can experience the two major Soviet offensives, along with several smaller scenarios focused on German counteroffensives. As the next game in the award-winning Operational Combat Series—OCS #18—Hungarian Rhapsody places players in command of units ranging from battalions to divisions, requiring decisions about objectives, movement, and the means used to wage war.

The system is based on modern concepts of maneuver warfare, offering an operational view of how campaigns develop and how forces are used across a large theater. Each game turn represents half a week, while every hex covers 5 miles (8 km).

• Two 22″ × 34″ maps
• One 8½″ × 11″ Budapest inset map
• Five one-map scenarios
• One 1.5-map scenario
• Nine two-map scenarios

With its combination of large-scale operations and focused engagements, Hungarian Rhapsody presents the Eastern Front in Hungary through a series of playable campaigns and scenarios spanning the Soviet advance and German attempts to respond.