Description

"The Rise of the Red Army is a territorial strategy game covering the Russian Revolution following World War I. Historical representation of the Bolshevik, Siberian, and Crimean factions, including the Polish invasion of Russia, Japanese occupation, and independence movements from Finland and the Baltic States."

The game comes in a small box, with two large folded (very folded) semi-laminated maps. The components are plastic poker chips with stickers the players affix themselves.

The rules are closely based on Axis and Allies. Each player plays one or more nations, each varying in size and power. There is much greater variation in starting power and capabilities in this game than there is in Axis and Allies. The Bolsheviks control numerous units and a vast swath of territories, while other nations begin with only a handful of each. This imbalance in power is offset by the setting of different victory conditions for each nation. Furthermore, the victory conditions vary depending on how many players are playing and what nations they each control.

Resource collection rules are basically the same as Axis and Allies, (the generic "resources" are equivalent to the "IPC's" from Axis and Allies, i.e. each territory is worth a certain number of resources) with slight variations for some nations. For example, the Northern and Crimean White Russian forces gain extra resources if they keep control of their ports (representing aid from the U.K., U.S., and France), while the Bolsheviks and Ukrainian Anarchists gain extra resources from any of the core Russian areas they control (representing support from the local populace).

Combat rules also follow Axis and Allies, with some extra rules for trenches (which aid defense), bi-planes (very weak in the game), generals (who can add their "combat factors" to any units they share an area with when attacking or defending), etc. Ten-sided dice are used for combat. Certain nations, such as the Bolsheviks, Poles, and Ukrainians, have more effective infantry than others. The handful of Czech infantry controlled by the Siberian White Russians also gain bonuses in combat.

After combat, players must spend resources to "incorporate" the territories they conquer. Only after a territory has been incorporated can the new owner collect resources from it.

The number of territories on the map is enormous. This increases tactical opportunities, but it would seem that this could make resource collection somewhat onerous for some nations. While the Poles begin the game with 31 resources, the Bolsheviks begin with 306! Of course, the Bolsheviks are under attack from nearly every direction, so they need the bonus.