Leningrad ’41

About this board game

Leningrad ’41 is a 1–2 player strategy game from 2017, with an approximate playing time of 120 minutes, covering Army Group North’s campaign during Barbarossa.

Using colorful wooden blocks to represent military forces, players take the roles of Germany or the Soviet Union. The game continues the system created for Moscow ’41, adapting its core engine to the distinct conditions of the northern campaign.

The German side faces more than Soviet resistance. Its forces include the small but powerful Finnish Army, whose aims involve recovering territory lost during the Winter War rather than fully pursuing Germany’s ambitions. German plans can also change, with delays, supply problems, conflicting commands, and the possible loss of important units threatening the advance.

• German challenge: advance quickly while managing limited forces, terrain, supply, and changing plans.
• Soviet challenge: decide what to defend and what to abandon, using limited time to weaken the offensive.
• Historical tension: contend with Finnish priorities, Soviet recovery, and disagreements within Army Group North.

At first, the capture of Leningrad appears close at hand, but the German player must avoid dispersing the Army Group North forces and secure victory before another plan takes the panzers away. Speed alone is not enough: the road to the city is shaped by difficult decisions and dwindling opportunities.

As the Soviet player, strength cannot be everywhere. The key is to encourage German delays, preserve resistance where it matters, and make limited time the strongest ally of the defence. In Leningrad ’41, both sides must respond to a campaign in which strategic objectives, military orders, and battlefield realities do not always align.