Paths to Hell: Operation Barbarossa, June – December 1941

About this board game

Paths to Hell: Operation Barbarossa, June–December 1941 is a tactical wargame for 1–2 players that recreates battles from the opening months of the Eastern Front. Players command either Allied or Axis forces, or play solitaire, across 13 scenarios depicting famous Blitzkrieg engagements.

Built on the War Storms Series and using the base rules from La Bataille de France, 1940, the game adds rules tailored to the Eastern Front. Its moderate complexity and strong solitaire suitability make it accessible while preserving the friction of combined-arms combat between infantry, tanks, artillery, and aircraft.

Paths to Hell uses a simultaneous-execution “WE GO” system that blends structured turns with a sense of real time. Players activate unit leaders to move, fire, assault, coordinate attacks, request artillery or air support, create smoke screens, and influence morale checks. Each turn represents approximately 12–15 minutes of action and ends after both players complete their activations.

• Platoon-level units represent groups of roughly 30–40 soldiers.
• Weapons units represent groups of 3–4 weapons and their crews.
• Armored vehicles and transports represent groups of 3–5 vehicles with crews.
• Special rules cover human wave attacks, battalion officers, Communist Commissars, reconnaissance, flamethrower tanks, motorcycle reconnaissance, Waffen-SS, gullies, and railroads.

Four isomorphic mapboards and eight overlays can align along any equal-length edge, offering numerous terrain combinations and supporting player-designed scenarios. Each hex represents approximately 150–200 metres, while command decisions remain focused on officers, activations, and tactical coordination.

The game includes seven scenario cards, three charts and table cards, two battalion chart cards, five sheets of counters, four maps, eight overlays, rulebooks, and two six-sided dice.