I had another epic game of Europe Engulfed (1941 Campaign Game) with Dave last weekend. 16 hours in total over Saturday and Sunday - I have to say I was a bit jaded by the end. Especially as I lost.

I was playing the Germans, and I confess I was out to teach Dave a lesson. Last time we played (Dave was the Germans) he let it be known that he thought the game was unbalanced in favour of the Allies. So I had been reading all the strategy tips I could lay my hands on, determined to show him that this much-loved wargame is in fact very well-balanced indeed. I was ready to show him how Barbarossa should be done. Or so I thought....

Hubris and Nemesis. I didn't even take Moscow. And although I got as far as the Don river, that was fairly short-lived. That winter attrition combined with the emergency conscription and the arrival of the Russian elite units is really punishing. And by mid-1942 Dave had got a foot-hold in Pas-deCalais which I never managed to dislodge - and the effort to do so diverted vital troops and WERPS from Russia. (My one real caveat about this game is that it seems strangely easy for the Allies to launch opportunistic "snap" invasions of Europe very early in the war - doesn't quite gel with what I've read of history and the enormous preparatons required for D-Day.)

So yes, I admit it, there is a steep learning curve for the Germans in this game, but I am determined to climb it. A one-map 1941 scenario would help a lot, so that I could practice without setting up the two tables needed for the full game. Perhaps I could adapt Rick Young's 1942 scenario. It's a great game, and although I felt jaded on Sunday, by Wednesday I'm feeling hungry again for the next one.....