From: William Sariego Subject: Web-G submission A TALE OF TWO GAMES Kanev and Red Parachutes "It was the best of games, it was the worst of games..." Sorry, couldn't help myself. Paraphrasing Dickens may be chick but it really doesn't describe Kanev (PWG '81 and 3W '87) or Red Parachutes (Avalanche Press '95). They are both GREAT games but with a different emphasis. Kanev, designed by John Prados, underwent only a further refinement in between the People's Wargames and its World Wide Wargamer's reincarnation. With 200 counters and a 21" x 32" map (actual playing area is much smaller) it is a small game, playable in an evening. Red Parachutes, designed by Brian Knipple, on the other hand, has 980 counters (many of which are markers and breakdown units) and a 22" x 34" mapsheet that is nearly all playing area. The counter density and playing time make it a mini-monster game. Graphics are actually comparable, at least as the maps go. If anything, I'll have to give a slight nod to Rodger MacGowan in Kanev over Tom Hannah and its more recent competitor. Scale is 1.67 kilometers in Kanev and 2 kilometers in Red Parachutes, which covers more territory. The two make interesting viewing side by side. It seems that designer John Prados included every settlement that could possibly merit a village hex while the bigger game lacks many of the same, but makes a distinction between cities and towns. Counters are where the new game blows away its ancestor in the sex appeal department. Brien Miller of GamesUSA did the counters for Red Parachutes and they are phenomenal! Miller has a real talent and deserves the title, "Artist". The counters contain a wealth of information in an attractive format without being gaudy (ala SPQR). Turns span eight hours in Kanev and four turns per day in Red Parachutes, which should give the gamer an idea of the scope of each. One is a battle game, recreating the "high point" of the battle and the newer rendition recreates the extended campaign with seven playable scenarios; including a long campaign game playable in a span of real days... not hours. Okay, Okay! I can hear the reader sigh. You have described what they look like and what they contain, but how do they play? Well, amigo, I'm glad you asked because I was getting to that. In many ways they mirror one another: step losses, ranged artillery, leaders, night turns, and of course, the heroic airborne assault. One could almost say that everything in Kanev is included in Red Parachutes, only on a more grand scale. A few key differences are leaders. Both sides have them in Kanev but only the Germans in Red Parachutes. The smaller game also includes partisans (marginal effect) and air power. The latter are surprisingly absent from the big game. This is more than made up for by the greater detail given to combat and morale. The different modifiers to combat in Red Parachutes sets it apart from many games. Modifiers include column shifts for morale, armor and leadership, to simplify this critique. Artillery is detailed with ammunition rules to give players headaches and a tactical matrix gives both the attacker and defender options for combat. Play can be slow until one learns the system but flows easily once learned. For balance, the Soviets must better their historic counterparts to win in the PWG/3W game. In the Avalanche version, I'll be the first to admit that I haven't played the campaign game. The time involvement and family life do not mix. The scenarios are another matter. Scenarios three and six are my favorites. The games I've played have been tense and balanced. Just pack a lunch...until familiarity sets in it will be a long game, regardless of scenario. But a Grognard will surely have fun. As an aside, my trip to Origins' 96 settled one long standing dispute between some friends over the People's Wargames version of Kanev and the World Wide Wargamer's reprint. In the old version, only the Soviet player scored points for occupying villages. In the 3W reprint the rules did not specify this. If the German is allowed to score VP's for territory then the Soviet player is doomed to a decisive defeat before the first die is cast. I spoke with John Prados in Columbus and the 3W edition was a SNAFU. Owners should play with the original victory conditions. Which one is better depends entirely on the individual gamer. If you enjoy a realistic, but fairly simple game that can be played in an evening, then Kanev is the hands down favorite. If you have the time to invest, however, Red Parachutes is a rich game that will satisfy the most picky Eastern Front aficionado. Kanev can be found fairly easily (at least the 3W edition) on the used game market. Red Parachutes is available and lists for $38. The address for Avalanche Press is Box 4775 Virginia Beach, VA 23454.