Platoon Commander Deluxe: The Battle of Kursk

About this board game

Platoon Commander Deluxe: The Battle of Kursk is a two-player tactical wargame depicting the armored clashes and brutal ground fighting of the 1943 Battle of Kursk.

Using large, easy-to-read counters and three mounted geomorphic maps, the game puts platoons of infantry and tanks, anti-tank guns, mortars, and aircraft into a focused battlefield system. The 2018 release uses version 2 of the Platoon Commander rules, with enhanced artillery and new air-strike routines.

Each turn moves through a series of distinct phases. Players first contest initiative with a dice-off that can be influenced by the Commander’s Focus marker. They then draw scenario-designated Action Cards, which can assist rallies, call artillery, improve combat, create opportunity fire, or disrupt an opponent’s plans.

• Fire Phase: Players alternate attacks with individual units or stacks, using armor, armor-piercing factors, terrain, morale, flanking, and card effects to determine results.
• Movement Phase: One player moves all eligible units before the other moves, while unfired units may conduct opportunity fire against enemies in sight.
• Close Assaults: Infantry and other units attack from adjacent hexes rather than entering the target’s hex, enabling concentrated and flanking attacks.
• Aid and Focus: Markers represent command emphasis and additional battlefield support, improving combat and morale in selected areas.

Combat is shaped by uncertainty: Action Cards can shift results, allow a unit to fire again, or create unexpected opportunities. Artillery capability is also card-driven, so opponents cannot simply read the scenario and know what barrages are available.

With Tigers, Panthers, T-34/76s, KV-1s, SU-152 assault guns, infantry formations, Stukas, IL-2s, and more, Platoon Commander Deluxe combines accessible presentation with meaningful tactical decisions for both experienced wargamers and newcomers.