Designing Into the Pocket

I've known Mark Stille for over twenty years. We met when we were both getting our masters at the Naval War College in Newport, RI. Even then we gamed together and talked game design. It's a pleasure to feature his game, Into the Pocket, in issue #3 of Yaah! Magazine. 

Designer’s Notes for Into the Pocket

Mark Stille

Few periods during the German-Soviet war were as dramatic as the two-weeks beginning on 12 December, 1942. On this day, the Germans launched a desperate counteroffensive to free German 6^th Army trapped in the Stalingrad pocket.  With only two divisions at the start of the attack, supported by a rabble of Rumanian units, the Germans faced long odds.  They were faced an entire Soviet Army and the requirement to cross several rivers before approaching the pocket. 

The attack caught the Soviets by surprise, and it made good initial progress.  After crossing the Aksai River, the two German divisions engaged in a major tank battle with two Soviet mobile corps in and around the small settlement of Verchne-Kumskiy.  Though the Germans inflicted serious losses on the Soviet formations, they also paid a steep price in losses, and more importantly, in time. 

The Germans were reinforced by a third panzer division, and were able to force the Myshkova River.  The was the extent of the German advance – an advance which left them some 30 miles short of the entombed 6^th Army.  The German attempted to hold a bridgehead over the Myshkova to receive the 6^th Army if it conducted a breakout, but the breakout never occurred.  The battle ended as a defeat, but every Ostfront buff wants to play a game in which they are challenged to change history and save the 6^th Army.

It is difficult to design a game which almost always results in a result akin to the historical outcome.  Once the powerful Soviet 2^nd Guards Army enters play, and if it can get to a position south of the pocket to block the German advance, any hope of a German victory is over.  In Into the Pocket, the victory conditions are set so that a historical outcome results in a draw.  If either side can better the historical result, then he is the victor. 

The daddy of Into the Pocket is Operation Wintergewitter published in Against the Odds Magazine.  Into the Pocket is a smaller, simpler version which can be played in a fraction of the time.  Another key point of the game is the solid order of battle.  Unlike some games, this is a simulation based on a solid foundation, not fantasy created by sloppy research.  Research for Into the Pocket was done at the National Archives and Records Administration for the German order of battle and a number of sources for the Soviet order of battle.  The order of battle is therefore very solid.  The only guess work required was in the calculation of the infantry units of the 51^st Army.  It is clear that these were well below strength, but their exact strength remains unknown.

The game is meant to be played and meant to be fun.  It can be played as a puzzle from the German perspective, and is therefore well-suited for solitaire play.  In order to have any success, the German player must be very aggressive and take advantage of every opportunity to attack and every combat bonus.  This means that each German panzer division needs to attacks three or more times per turn – once during the combat phase and once or ideally twice in the movement and exploitation phases using overruns.  Don’t forget to use artillery and air support to aid your overruns.

The Soviet player must trade space for time.  Soviet losses will be heavy, especially if the Germans player uses his superior maneuverability, but do not sell your units cheaply.  Every step is important if it ties down a German unit.  Don’t forget to place German units in a zone of control to prevent overruns.  The key is to get your reinforcements which arrive on turns 5 and 6 (this is the 2^nd Guards Army) in position to block the German advance beyond the Myshkova.  If this occurs, the Soviet player will almost certainly win. 

One intriguing aspect to Into the Pocket is the addition of additional Germans units.  Curiously, the historical German effort was not a maximum effort.  There were additional forces nearby which were planned to be employed.  Players are encouraged to try this variant since it makes for a more challenging game.  These additional forces could give the German player enough initial combat power to quickly punch through the Soviet defenses before the 2^nd Guards Army can deploy.

In the final analysis, Into the Pocket is an old-fashioned game able to be played quickly to a conclusion.  This could permit each player to play both sides, or as has already been mentioned, the game is ideal for solitaire play.  Enjoy.

You can get your copy of Into the Pocket in Yaah! Magazine #3. Click right here. 

Mark Stille has been gaming since he was 13 and now has a collection of over 1800 games.  He is a retired US Navy intelligence officer.  When not working in his current capacity as an analyst for the Defense Department, he spends his free time playing every one of the 1800 game and writing naval history.


Mark H. Walker served 23 years in the United States Navy, most of them as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal diver. He is the owner of Flying Pig Games, the designer of the aliens-invade-Earth game Night of Man, the author of World at War: Revelation, a creepy, military action, with a love story, alternate history, World War Three novel thing, as well as Desert Moon, an exciting mecha, military science fiction novel with a twist, with plenty of damn science fiction in it despite what any reviewer says, Everyone Dies in the End, and numerous short stories. All the books and stories are available from Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing right here. Give them a try. I mean, what the hell? The games? Well that's Flying Pig Games. Retribution the sequel to World at War: Revelation, will release in the summer of 2015.

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