A Victory Awaits: Operation Barbarossa 1941

About this board game

A Victory Awaits: Operation Barbarossa 1941 is a low-complexity East Front wargame for 1–8 players, covering Operation Barbarossa from June 22 to mid-September 1941 in games lasting approximately 3–15 hours.

Using a lightly modified version of the Fierce Fight! system, the game features the same chit-pull mechanics used in AVL. The campaign unfolds across 10 turns, with each turn representing 10 days, as players confront the opening blows of the Russo-German war across the wide steppes of the Soviet Union.

The full campaign uses all three maps, while focused scenarios let players explore individual Army Group operations. Each scenario is played on a single map, offering a more contained way to experience the game.

• Army Group North scenario
• Army Group Center scenario
• Army Group South scenario
• Full campaign game using all three maps
• Multiplayer rules for four to eight players
• Optional rules and high solitaire playability

At the game scale, each hex represents about 10 miles (16 km), and units are represented by divisions. Players can choose between the complete campaign and the three regional scenarios, with the structure supporting both focused engagements and a broader strategic experience.

Designed by prolific Japanese designer Tetsuya Nakamura, A Victory Awaits was originally published in Japan as three games: Fierce Fight! Leningrad Blitzkrieg, Fierce Fight! Smolensk Blitzkrieg, and Fierce Fight! Kiev Blitzkrieg. The English edition includes rules expertly translated with detailed assistance from the designer.

The game includes three full-color mapsheets, three dual-sided countersheets, a 32-page rulebook, and one die. Can you emerge victorious from the opening campaign of the Russo-German war?