Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa

A new update is ready for this revolutionary wargame! Version 1.03r is now available and it brings a lot of important improvements!

Among all, the Hugo’s (War Diary) unit is given a darker shade to ID it in counter mode 1, a Soviet Instant Win Victory not triggering in unusual circumstances has been solved, and numerous text and typos are now fixed.

Be sure to check the entire list of changes here.

You can download the update following this link.

Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa is also on Steam.

Get more information about Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa from its official product page!

The titanic struggle between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union is here!

Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa, one of the most acclaimed wargames available for the Eastern Front, comes to Steam with its full array of innovative features and new elements!

“Winner of Grogheads “Digital Wargame of the Year” award, liked by Rock Paper Shotgun and with a ‘you need to play this game’ advice from the Three Moves Ahead podcast, Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa is not the usual turn-based wargame.

Along with a highly accurate, historically-realistic setting, this title employs a vibrant Chain of Command system where your decisions truly impact all three Theatres of Operations. Although still crucial, war is no longer merely dependent on military skills. As the Germans you’ll actually be summoned to Berlin to report to the Führer, you’ll have to personally discuss operations with top generals like Guderian and von Rundstedt and you’ll even be contacted by shady politicians like Goebbels and Göring. Playing the Soviet side you will be Stalin himself: fighting your own paranoia and using commissar Krushev to execute traitorous commanders.

Today, the development studio VR Designs is proud to announce that this innovative masterpiece has been brought to Steam!

For this important milestone, the game has been optimized and updated with numerous balance improvements and additions, included a new map artwork and counters!

The divisions have been deployed, and orders have been sent. Now it’s up yo you, General!

Grab Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa now!

New to the game? Watch this series of amazing videos and tutorials!

As the Steam release date is coming closer, it’s time to take a look at the second episode of this “Barbarossa Steam Overview” made by Idjester!

Expect to see a lot of action, as Idjester will struggle with the Soviets trying to recover from the first shock!

VR Designs has been reinforced with designer Cameron Harris to create a new never-seen-before wargaming experience: Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa.

This revolutionary eastern front wargame covers the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. It blends the latest evolution of the Decisive Campaigns hex and counter engine with deep narrative, RPG-style people management and in-depth semi-randomized decision systems.

Get more information about Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa from its official product page!

The remarkable wargame of 2015 has received a huge update, adding new features and numerous balance improvements!

The map’s artwork has been revamped, the counters have been refined (with the option to switch between NATO symbols or not), and now Germans can choose to have a “Free deployment start”!

But one of the goals of Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa has always been to include the Human Factor alongside strategy considerations. Following this pattern, the War Diary feature has been introduced, adding a new layer of immersion! Follow the War’s events as they are narrated by a young Frontline soldier!

The change log is very long, so be sure to check the entire list of changes here.

You can download the patch from here.

Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa will be released on Steam on April, 28th!

Get more information about Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa from its official product page!

Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa is coming to Steam very soon. This award-winning wargame, considered as one of the best games around by both players and press, can appear very intimidating to newcomers. It’s not really something you would consider as an introductory game for novices.

We have asked YouTuber and avid tactical wargamer Idjester to try and explain the game from the point of view of someone who never got to face a complex operational wargame.

“What I am trying to accomplish with this video series is to give players an idea of the game concepts and understand to core mechanics behind the gameplay, once you understand these important parts you will be able to dive into Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa very easily”

In the first video you will see the start of the German campaign and the initial key strategic decisions that set the tone of the overall gameplay features. Becoming a master is only a few hexes away.

Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa is a wargame simulating the German Invasion of the Soviet Russia. Alongside more “traditional” elements (like the map divided in hexes, turn based system, etc.), the innovative “Human” Factor feature adds a new layer of depth to the strategic decisions, making you feel the importance to deal with superiors and subordinates for the achievement of the war objectives!

Coming to Steam on April, 28th

Since its release, Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa has been considered one of the most groundbreaking wargames depicting the German invasion of Soviet Russia.

Awarded “Overall Digital Game of the Year and Digital Wargame of the Year” by the Groghead’s Readers, Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa employs an innovative gameplay mechanic, in which political affiliations and personal relations between you and your superiors (and subordinates) have a strong impact during the military operations!

Today, developer studio VR Designs is very proud to announce that Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa is marching straight to Steam with a full set of improvements and upgrades, included an elegant “War Diary” feature, which follows the diary of a German soldier, based on what is happening in the game, giving you an insight into how your progress and decisions reflect on the “ground level”!

Plus, the map artwork has been significantly improved to make the gameplay more realistic and immersive than ever!

Is your will strong enough to face both external and internal enemies?

Stay tuned for further updates! The game will be available on Steam on April, 28th!

Get more information about Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa from its official product page!

By James Cobb @ The Wargamer

A literal English translation of the German adjective weltgeschichtlich is meaningless and clumsy: “world historical”. A better paraphrase is “world changing” In this sense, Operation Barbarossa, the 1941 German invasion of the Soviet Union, was a weltgeschichtlich event because the world changed because of it. No wonder so many wargames have been produced around this pivotal conflict. Yet, despite its importance, Matrix/Slitherine Games and VR Designs have made it the third entry into the Decisive Campaigns series. The developers have given the conflict a unique point of view distinguishing it from the usual hex-based war game paradigm.

Read on…

Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa, one of the most innovative wargame of the year has received an update! Version 1.01 is finally live and it brings a lot of improvements!

Alongside some fixes – like the addition of three hexes to East Prussia on map – this update is strongly AI oriented!

Now the Soviet AI has been implemented to perform better in this version, having more offensive edges, more caution with the defense of key objectives such Leningrad and Moscow and more flexibility in army placement!

Be sure to check the entire list of changes here.

You can download the patch from here.

22 June 1941. The German-Soviet border. The signal to unleash Operation Barbarossa has been given!

Strong Panzer groups break through the Red Army lines. Ambitious generals like Guderian and Hoth push their mechanized forces to their limits.

Initial resistance by a confused and surprised Red Army seems weak… and the Soviets take massive casualties.

But soon the realities of war on the Eastern Front will become clear.

Play as the Germans and experience the chain of command from the inside. Fend off the demands of your superiors and corral your strong-headed subordinates into working together as a coordinated team. Politics and people and are just as important as the sweeping advances conducted by your Panzer Divisions.

Take the side of the Russians and be prepared to ruthlessly execute a ferocious defense. Overcome the (largely self-inflicted) limitations of the Red Army. Make the required sacrifices and ensure that examples are made of those who fail to rise to the occasion. While General Mud may save Moscow you’re there to see that back-to-the-wall fortitude and tenacity carries the day. You’ll shoot anyone who says otherwise!

Whether you assume command of the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) or the entire Red Army… you will discover the Eastern Front as you have never seen it before!

View the launch trailer here.

Grab Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa now!