Continuing along in this new series devoted to the best looking boards found in the wargaming world where I will highlight the art and layout of a different board in a wargame that we have played to show you the various talents of the artists and graphic designers involved. In my humble opinion, a well designed and attractive board can make all the difference in the world to me enjoying a wargame. Don’t get me wrong, the game has to be good, but if it’s also good looking it always is a better experience. A board can draw me in. Can make me feel that I’m there. Can set the stage for the thematic immersion that we all crave. And I have found many of these type of boards and I want to make sure that I share them with you.

VUCA Simulations broke onto the scene about 5 years ago, albeit under a different name (Furor Teutonicus). They have established themselves as a high quality publisher in a short time and their games are really fantastic, both in their production and gameplay. We have played a few of their games over the past couple of years in games like Donnerschlag: Escape from Stalingrad and most recently Traces of War designed by Tetsuya Nakamura. The artist for both of these games is Pablo Bazerque and these are his only artist credits at this time. He did a fantastic job with both of these boards and his style and focus really captures the essence of these struggles on the East Front during World War II.

Last year, we acquired a copy of Traces of War, which is a two-player game that simulates the fighting between Axis and Soviet forces just after the battle of Kursk during August 1943 to March 1944 and the game sees a major Soviet offensive be launched against a German mobile defense, which creates some very interesting play challenges for both sides. The game uses a modified version of the Victory Lost Series game system (sometimes referred to as the Red Box Series) but is now being called the Fierce Fight! Series designed by Tetsuya Nakamura. We played and gained some experience with the series last year with A Victory Awaits: Operation Barbarossa 1941 from Multi-Man Publishing and really liked what we saw. The system was very approachable and the rules were well written so we were able to get up and running very quickly. The system uses a chit-pull to activate different formations and plays very quickly with some hot and heavy action.

The artist for the game is Pablo Bazerque whose only other artist credit is with Donnerschlag: Escape from Stalingrad (2022) also published by VUCA Simulations. He did a fantastic job with that board and his work here with Traces of War is equally as impressive. His skill and approach really captures the essence of the struggle on the East Front.

The map represents the area over which the historical campaign was fought with the Sea of Azov in the upper left hand corner and Stalino and Dnipropetrovsk focused on near the center. The major cities in the middle of the board follow along the Dnipro River and include Kremenchuk, Cherkasy, Kaniv and Kyiv. These are marked with the outline of the hex in read as they signify Crossing Point hexes. The control of these areas is key in the Soviet player keeping the Luftwaffe under control and the number of various chits that the Axis player will receive. The Luftwaffe Reorganization Table, Negotiation Table, OKH Command Chit Table and the STAVKA Chit Appearance Table are all effected by these critical points. The Dnipro River runs through the entire middle of the board from the upper left hand corner (Sea of Azov) all the way through to the lower right hand side south of Kyiv. The other really great part of the board are the colored symbols printed directly on the board showing where various Axis and Soviet units are to be set up at the start of the game. This is a really nice touch as it makes the game easier to jump into and get started. Also loved the colors they chose for these numbers as well as the type face.

Pablo also did a really nice job of drawing these little polygons in the city areas to show their relative size and population. This nice little added touch really makes these urban areas stand out and ease play as you can generally see that there is a city underneath your counters in these hexes.

Another subtle yet very impactful artist choice on the board was an overlay of what appears to be a topographic map in the background. This really shows the ebb and flow of the land itself as the terrain rises and falls. I really like the effect the topography gives on the board when rivers are approached as there is always a fairly steep decline in the elevation down to the waters edge. This type of detail really is what sets a good wargame board apart. The other very nice touch is the use of cross hatching to show the different elevations and the most impactful ones with the mountains. These are foreboding areas and the use of black cross hatching really reinforces that difficult terrain aspect.

And of course, no good wargame board can be complete without the various administrative tracks and boxes that aid with play in keeping details accurately. The following tracks and boxes are printed directly on the board including the Turn Track, which is used to record the turn currently in progress and indicates the number of Axis Command Chits available per Turn as well as any Game Turn related special rules. The Victory Point & Crossing Point Track is used to record Soviet Victory Points and Crossing Points under Soviet control. Remember, these are the red ringed hexes near the center of the board along the Dnipro River. The Luftwaffe Box is a holding box for the German Luftwaffe markers and the Axis & Soviet Command Chit Pools are used to hold any inactive or already used Command Chits.

There also is a nice addition of the Axis and Soviet Reinforcement Pools located along the sides of the board within easy reach of the player that is sitting on that side. These hold counters until they are released to come into play from the Turn Track. This type of visual aid is always nice as you can literally see what forces you will have coming in and when as well as their costs.

My only real concerns with the board was with the way the two maps fit together. There are two maps and there is a bit of a trick to having them meet up properly as there is a bit of an overlay of one over the other. We then applied a thick plexi to the top of the board and we thought it would hold them together in the appropriate way. But, as we leaned over the board, and touched it to steady ourselves, invariably there would be a bit of slippage and the hexes along the adjoining area would shift ever so slightly but enough to bug me. I think that the solution to this problem would be some tacky puddy, like the type you use to hang a poster on the wall, or a clear plastic tape. I would be worried though that the puddy or tape would take some of the board with it when it was removed but other than that it was a gorgeous surface from which to play the game. The other thing that I did really like about the board was that it was laid out as if it was meant for two players as some of the reinforcement boxes are facing one side or the other and you would be able to see all of the counters very well from your seat. But, this would be a slight problem for the solo player but not anything that would stop them from enjoying the game. In the picture below, you can see the misalignment in hexes 3724 and 3524 located on the left.

I also was a bit surprised that there is no Terrain Effects Chart or even a key found on the board but this was found on the player aids so not a big deal. I also was surprised that there was no directional indicators for the ordinal directions. This is always important to me as I do AAR’s or simply refer to areas by their ordinal locations. Its absence here was minor but I feel that this is an important additional that should be on every board. Especially wargame boards!

VUCA Simulations has got it going on in the components and artwork departments! They just get how a real wargame should look and feel. Their choice of pre-rounded counters, über thick player aids (in fact, be careful and don’t hit yourself on the head with them because you might get a concussion) and beautiful color choices is just phenomenal. The maps are made from some really sturdy and elastic material that is not quite canvas but something better as it seems to lose its memory of their folds and just lays really flat. Bravo to the art department and the talented Pablo Bazerque as he churns another classic board.

Here is a link to our video review:

I also wrote an in-depth First Impression for the blog and you can read that at the following link: https://theplayersaid.com/2023/10/17/first-impressions-traces-of-war-from-vuca-simulations/

If you are interested in Traces of War, you can order a copy for $78.00 from the VUCA Simulations website at the following link: https://vucasims.com/products/traces-of-war

The next board that we will take a look at in the series is SCS Ardennes II from Multi-Man Publishing both designed and illustrated by Dean Essig.

Here are links to the previous entries in the series:

Kekionga!: A Dark and Bloody Battleground, 1790 from High Flying Dice Games

Campaigns of 1777 in Strategy & Tactics Magazine #316 from Decision Games

Battle Hymn Volume 1: Gettysburg and Pea Ridge from Compass Games

From Salerno to Rome: World War II – The Italian Campaign, 1943-1944 from Dissimula Edizioni

This War Without an Enemy: The English Civil War 1642-1646 from Nuts! Publishing

Holland ‘44: Operation Market-Garden, September 1944 from GMT Games

Maori Wars: The New Zealand Land Wars, 1845-1872 from Legion Wargames

Imperial Struggle: The Global Rivalry – Britain & France 1697-1789 from GMT Games

Stilicho: Last of the Romans from Hollandspiele

Nevsky: Teutons and Rus in Collision, 1240-1242 from GMT Games

A Most Fearful Sacrifice: The Three Days of Gettysburg from Flying Pig Games

Donnerschlag: Escape from Stalingrad from VUCA Simulations

Keep Up the Fire!: The Boxer Rebellion Deluxe Edition from Worthington Publishing

Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection from GMT Games

Lanzerath Ridge: Battle of the Bulge from Dan Verssen Games

Salerno ’43: The Allied Invasion of Italy, September 1943 from GMT Games

Bayonets & Tomahawks: The French and Indian War from GMT Games

Undaunted: Normandy from Osprey Games

-Grant