The Game
Unconditional Surrender: Case Blue
Unconditional Surrender: Case Blue (USCB) is a two player game covering the World War II military campaigns fought in southern Russia during 1943-1943. One side controls the Axis forces, while the other side controls the forces of the Soviet Union.
USCB is derived from the game Unconditional Surrender! World War 2 in Europe (referred to as USE), published by GMT Games. That game covers the entire war in the European Theater using the mechanics found in USCB with addition of other elements, such as naval units, strategic warfare, diplomacy, etc. If you enjoy USCB, please take the time to check out USE.
Want to Play?
Players Required: 1-2
Playing Time: 1.5 hours
Similar To: Unconditional Surrender
Amount of Counters: 80
Map Dimensions: 8.5” x 11”
Bring Your Own: Dice
How It’s Played Video with Designer Sal Vasta
Credits:
Game Design: Salvatore Vasta
Game Development: Mark Dey
Lead Tester/Part Time Developer: Allen Hill
Art Director: Rodger B. MacGowan
Package Art & Design: Rodger B. MacGowan
Map: Salvatore Vasta
Counters, Manual & Cards: Charles Kibler & Sal Vasta
Production Coordination: Tony Curtis
Publisher: Rodger MacGowan
RBM Design Studio Game | C3i Magazine, Nr28
RBM Publication
Copyright Rodger B. MacGowan, All Rights Reserved
Printed in U.S.A.
The Magazine (Out of Print)
A short description of what each article in this issue covers
- Tribute to John Hill by Dana Lombardy: We remember the man who brought us the timeless classics Squad Leader and Advanced Squad Leader, and admire his many other contributions to the hobby.
- Remembering the Great War—Ted S. Raicer & Michael Resch Interviews by Sam Sheikh: C3i marks the Centennial of World War I by interviewing two of the designers who have designed some of the most well-regarded wargames on the period. Each provides their opinions on the legacies of the Great War, and their own personal connections to the war by blood as well as by gaming.
- The Battle of Liege, 1914—Historical Background by Rian van Meeteren: Included as an insert in this issue of C3i is an expansion for 1914 Offensive a outrance which covers the Battle of Liege. Rian van Meeteren provides us with the historical background behind the battle and details the lasting repercussions of this early war slugfest.
- Enemy Coast Ahead—Variant for Sorpe & Bever Dams by Jeremy White: The Doolittle Raid, famous for its remarkable engineering feat of skipping aerial bombs over water to destroy German hydroelectric dams during WW2, receives a little more attention here as variants for the Sorpe & Bever dams help bring us closer to the conditions the Raiders had to face.
- Newtown & Oriskany—Example of Asymmetric Warfare by Patrick Ruestchmann: “This article intends to help players better understand the intentions behind specific rulesets for the Indians (Native Americans) in the latest entry of Battles of the American Revolution Series… The two battles in this new volume highlight some of the key moments involving the Indians during the American Revolutionary War.”
- Combat Commander—Campaign Rules & Charts by Sam Sheikh: “Combat Commander cries out for campaign rules so that players can trace…the progress of their cardboard alter egos from battle to battle. These rules are based on Squad Leader’s Campaign Games rules…they can be used for Combat Commander: Europe, Combat Commander: Mediterranean, and Combat Commander: Pacific.”
- Unconditional Surrender—Case Blue—Tactical Tips by Salvatore Vasta: Designer of this issue’s stand alone game breaks out the cheat sheet of what you should look out for on the steppes of southern Russia.
- Clio’s Corner #5: Sam I Am; who you are tells the story! by Mark Herman: “So the question is why are more abstract depictions of military events so compelling? I believe the answer comes down to how you perceive who you are in the game. Wargames allow you to become a great world leader, famous military commander, or a squad leader orchestrating a firefight.”
- Twilight Struggle at 10—Ananda Gupta & Jason Matthews Interview by Sam Sheikh: On this 10th anniversary of the game that rocked the entire boardgaming world, C3i sits down with the designers who revived interest in the Cold War for a new generation of gamers.
- Churchill: The Beginning of the End—New Game Design by Mark Herman: Churchill is a wargame about diplomacy. Designer Mark Herman discusses how the conference mechanics work, walks us through a playthrough of one of the game’s scenarios, and why this narrative structure matters to the game’s identity.
- A Retrospective—The American Civil War at Sea by Robert G. Smith: “We often don’t think of the American Civil War in terms of the influence of sea power upon it. Yet if you review the riverine operations of the Union Navy, it becomes apparent that if the Union had failed to mobilize naval resources commensurate with the task, the Union might have lost the war.”
- How Rebel Raiders Replicates the Civil War at Sea by Mark G. McLaughlin: Continuing where Smith’s article (above) left off, McLaughlin digs deeper into the strategies, historical background and impact the naval combat had on the Civil War.
- Empire of the Sun—New Edition—‘Bots in the Pacific by Mark Herman: After co-designing Fire in the Lake (applying the COIN system to the Vietnam War) with Volko Ruhnke, Mark Herman has applied a similar scripted A.I. system to the new edition of Empire of the Sun. Mark describes the capabilities of his new ‘Bot and how it would play out under potential scenarios.
- Interview—Craig S. Taylor, Jr.—1946-2012-Lest We Forget by Sam Sheikh: Another great designer from the early days of the wargaming hobby has passed, and Sam Sheikh remarks on the interview he had conducted with Mr. Taylor just before his passing.
- Case Blue: Unconditional Surrender—Designer’s Notes by Salvatore Vasta: Sal Vasta lifts the curtain on how he adapted his larger scale design for the game included in this issue.
- World War I Times Two—Designer’s Notes—Dual Pack by Ted S. Raicer: GMT Games published a WWI Dual Pack containing two of Ted Raicer’s less well-known games, When Eagles Fight and 1914: Glory’s End. Ted provides us with some insights into where the inspiration for these games came from, and explains the intentions behind the games.
- Deck Seeding in Card Driven Games by Trevor Bender: “The concept is not truly deck building in that players do not build their deck by purchasing cards which are then reshuffled…It is more of a hybrid in which players can choose events they want to place in the draw pile from the cards that are associated with their side, and then these are shuffled with other cards to dilute the player’s choice and restore a random element.”
- Hoplite Module—Battle of Mantinea, 418 B.C. by Daniel A. Fournie: The greatest hoplite battle of the Second Peloponnesian War rumbles along the city state of Mantinea as Sparta faces down the Athenian Coalition. Dan Fournie gives us the historical background for this battle, an insert included in this issue of C3i.
- C3i Nr 28 Counter Index & New Rules by Mark Simonitch and Carl Paradis: Countersheet index and some additional rules for No Retreat! Malta-The North African Front.
- C3i Player—Gamer Profile of Janek Stolarek by Steven D. MacGowan: Janek Stolarek is a wargamer from Poland, who grew up in the Eastern Bloc during the closing years of the Cold War. He has transitioned from being solely a Euro gamer to embracing the wargaming hobby. While initially intimidated by wargames, he discovered the depth and competitive gameplay drew him in. He remarks on what made him give wargaming a shot, and what it’s like to play in Poland.
Inserts Inside Nr 28:
• Countersheet, C3i Magazine Nr28 – 1/2 inch, full color die-cut counters (see Page 61)
• 1914 The Battle for Liege Expansion – Rulebook – by Rian van Meeteren & Mike Resch
This expansion scenario adds the German Handstreich attempt and subsequent Siege of Liège to
the 1914 Offensive à outrance Grand Campaign scenario.
• 1914 The Battle for Liege Expansion – Game Turn Track – Player Aid
• Andean Abyss Variant – Player Aid Cards – by Örjan Ariander
Adding a Non-Player for the Colombian Government, as well as refining performance of
the three existing Insurgent Non-Players, plus Planning Map.
• Combat Commander Scenarios – 1 Card – 2 New Scenarios: Nr121 and Nr122
• Combat Commander Player Aid – Campaign Sheet (Make Photocopies) by Sam Sheikh
• Hopite – 1 Card – First Battle of Mantinea Scenario Setup by Dan Fournie
• Panzer Scenarios 1 Card – Treads over Dedosnka & House of Soviets by James M. Day
• Iron & Oak Scenarios 1 Card – Plum Point Bend & Battle of the Rams by James M. Day
• Iron & Oak – 13 New Ship Data Cards by James M. Day & Charlie Kibler
• Case Blue: Unconditional Surrender – Case Blue Rulebook by Salvatore Vasta
• Case Blue: Unconditional Surrender – Case Blue Game Mapsheet by Charlie Kibler
• Unconditional Surrender! WW2 in Europe – Optional Rulebook by Salvatore Vasta
• Case Blue: Unconditional Surrender – Faction Card by Salvatore Vasta
• Case Blue: Unconditional Surrender – Combat Results Table by Salvatore Vasta
• Case Blue: Unconditional Surrender – Sequence of Play Flow Chart by Salvatore Vasta
• Case Blue: Unconditional Surrender – Non-CRT Player Aid Sheet by Salvatore Vasta