Raid and Riposte

The Hip was low now. Low and fast. Balakirev scanned the faces of the men filling the web seats. The headquarters detachment included radiomen, corpsmen, specialists, and a six-man security element. Many returned his gaze, but most were busy checking their equipment and weapons. To those whose eyes he caught he smiled reassuringly. Some returned the smile, some not. Through the door, he saw the other 24 helicopters of the transport regiment skimming the German fields at tree top level. The skimming didn’t last much longer.

Raid And Riposte

Raid and Riposte represents the defense of Tanenhause by the Soviet 1st Paratroop Regiment from May 13-20th, 1985. Led by Colonel Michael Balakirev, the Soviet paratroopers held off repeated assaults by Bundeswehr and U.S. Army forces for several days. 

This is an area movement game, played out on an 11" x 17" maps. Units represent companies and platoons. The Soviets have an assault battalion on the ground with supporting units of BMD infantry fighting vehicles, and ASU-85 light tanks. NATO has a mixed assault force of Bundeswehr reserves with infantry and M-48 tank companies, reinforced by an American mechanized infantry battalion. I designed the game to play quickly. I think most folks will be able to play in an hour or so.

The game offers a unique system in which each combat unit is allocated action points. These points can be used to move, fire, or assault enemy positions. Units may only use one action point for impulse, negating the need for complicated opportunity fire rules, and providing an exciting level of interaction between players.

Raid and Riposte offers buckets of flavor. There is air support, Spetsnaz reinforcements, Soviet Gunships, and personalities from the novel, World at War: Revelation, including Mike Hudson, Colonel Michael Balakirev, and the beautiful Elana Petrova. All this in a game that can be learned in less than a half-hour and played during a Walking Dead rerun.

Raid and Riposte originally appeared in Line of Fire 12, and is still available to purchase with that magazine. This edition is available only as a digital download, i.e. a print and play. The game will be delivered to your computer as a PDF, which you can then print. The counters are easily mountable, and the game map is supplied in two versions, and 11" x 17" version that can be printed at Office Max or Kinkos, and a version cut into two 8.5" x 11" sheets, which may be printed on your home printer.

Each copy of the game includes:

• Complete full-color rules.
• 40 beautifully-drawn counters.
• A lush 11" x 17" game map.

This downloadable game is only available through PayPal, and retails for $9.99. A link will be provided instantly after you pay. Thanks, and I hope that you like the game. The video is from Kev Sharp's blog, The Big Board.