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departed from the standard scripting of the quads inasmuch as two of the games involved hypothetical battles, and the games were not homogenous and related to each of the others. In another sense as well, it was unusual. Of the many reviews published of this quad in the hobby magazines of the era,
309:
used the town as the setting for military combat that might involve nuclear weapons, there was a local outcry by
Wurzburg residents. The German distributors quickly took it and other modern-era games set in West Germany off the market. As MacGowan noted, "A future war in Europe might prove
340:, often stagnated into a defensive battle of attrition. He also didn't like the abstract concept of air strikes, wishing that there actual physical units representing aircraft. He went on to suggest changes to the rules to correct these deficiencies.
376:, Martin Campion thought that "The game rules are basically simple but the artillery rules tend to put a larger strain than usual on players' abilities to add numerous numbers in their heads and to consider several alternatives at the same time."
242:
The four games were also released as individual games, packaged as "folio games" (games enclosed in a cardstock folder within a ziplock bag.) None of the individual games sold well enough to crack SPI's Top Ten list.
357:. He noted that the simplistic game mechanics "makes these games fast and enjoyable, but realism is sacrificed." He also did not like the abstract nature of air strikes and air defenses. He found
121:. The game comes with four scenarios. The first three present Soviet incursions into West Germany. The fourth simulates an American counterattack against overextended Soviet forces.
319:, Charles Vasey thought that the Combat Results Table (CRT) was "very complex for a numerous bloodless retreats." Vasey also complimented the "fine maps", and described
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interesting, entertaining or even 'fun' to a wargamer in the comfort of his living room or den, but to those who live in places like Würzburg, the idea was revolting."
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for "failing to distinguish between the various arms of the modern army (with the exception of artillery)." Duguid also noted that the games, especially
52:
is a "quadrigame" — a game box that contains four separate wargames that use a common set of rules. Two of the games are based on battles during the
199:
656:
369:, but nonetheless fast and enjoyable." He graded both games "A" for playability, "C" for component quality and "C" for historical accuracy.
239:
initially sold well, rising to #3 on SPI's Top Ten
Bestselling Games list after its release, and staying in the Top Ten for four months.
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was released, SPI began to distribute their wargames in
Western Europe, including West Germany. However, after the German magazine
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The individual games released as "folio games" packaged in a ziplock bag did not include the six-sided die.
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battles. The format proved very popular, and SPI quickly produced more quadrigames, the first being
349:
reviewing wargames by various publishers set in the Arab-Israeli Wars, Ian
Chadwick examined both
436:
262:
In a 1976 poll conducted by SPI to determine the most popular board wargames in North
America,
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placed 33rd out of 202 games. Two of the individual folio games were rated higher than this,
8:
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to be "a good, tough game, one easily played to a conclusion in one evening." He called
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406:
287:
204:
615:
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Campion, Martin (1980). "Modern
Battles". In Horn, Robert E.; Cleaves, Ann (eds.).
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487:
345:
573:
292:
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Vandenbroucke, Dav; Kritzer, Art; Train, Brian (April 2004). "Modern
Battles".
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had a few special rules for helicopters, river crossings, and nuclear weapons.
53:
21:
92:: A Soviet incursion into Manchuria centers on the strategic Chinese city of
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77:
41:(SPI) in 1975 that simulates four modern-day battles set in the early 1970s.
34:
165:
Each turn, which represents 12 hours of game time, consists of five phases:
485:
Chadwick, Ian (February–March 1981). "A Survey of Arab-Israeli War Games".
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four rulebooks (one for each game) describing the rules unique to each game
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as "a good game with a fierce series of typical battles around the town."
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110:
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that had occurred less than two years before publication of the game:
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maps, one for each game, scaled at 1 mi (1.6 km) per hex
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forces — in this case, units of the Soviet Union — who clash with
383:, Dav Vandenbroucke, Art Kritzer & Brian Train, commented, "
93:
388:
only one dealt with the quad as a whole, and most dealt with
117:
defenders — in this case, American forces — near the town of
593:
Duguid, George (July–August 1979). "Complicating
Wurzburg".
185:
Each game also has some rules only used in that game, e.g.
144:
two rulebooks describing the rules common to all four games
114:
634:
612:
The Guide to
Simulations/Games for Education and Training
374:
The Guide to
Simulations/Games for Education and Training
83:
The other two games are based on hypothetical scenarios:
530:"Modern Battles II: Four Contemporary Conflicts (1977)"
231:. The graphic design for all four games was created by
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posits an invasion of West Germany in the mid-1970s by
614:. Beverly Hills CA: Sage Publications. p. 502.
459:"Modern Battles: Four Contemporary Conflicts (1975)"
197:In 1975, SPI published their first "quadrigame",
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141:400 double-sided die-cut counters (100 per game)
399:
246:In 1977, SPI released a sequel, the quadrigame
326:In Issue 20 of the British wargaming magazine
99:Wurzburg: Soviet-American Combat in the '70's
396:was clearly the least popular of the four."
365:"a very playable game. It's not as fluid as
254:, Yugoslavia, West Germany and South Korea.
30:Modern Battles: Four Contemporary Conflicts
560:The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming
316:The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming
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379:In a retrospective review in Issue 20 of
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282:was the least popular, placing 54th.
657:Board wargames set in Modern history
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562:. London: Sphere Books. p. 161.
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392:in a uniformly positive light while
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250:, that included battles set in the
169:Special Weapons Fire (both players)
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576:(January 1979). "Modern Battles".
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150:various charts and players' aids
76:: Syria's attempt to retake the
506:"SPI Best Selling Games - 1975"
101:: Created at the height of the
662:Simulations Publications games
639:. No. 20. pp. 61–62.
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223:, designed by David Isby; and
215:, designed by Howard Barasch;
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1:
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219:, designed by Irad B. Hardy;
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39:Simulations Publications Inc.
400:Other reviews and commentary
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667:Wargames introduced in 1975
332:, George Duguid criticized
295:related that shortly after
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16:1975 Cold War board wargame
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599:. No. 20. p. 19.
491:. No. 55. p. 10.
67:Battle of The Chinese Farm
558:Palmer, Nicholas (1977).
432:Vol.1 #2 & Vol.1 #13
33:is a collection of four
440:Vol.1 #7 & Vol.3 #8
130:The game box contains:
421:Strategy & Tactics
305:ran an article on how
178:Second Player Movement
25:
429:The American Wargamer
172:First Player Movement
153:a small six-sided die
134:four 17" x 22" paper
24:
270:coming in 15th, and
181:Second Player Combat
579:Fire & Movement
407:Fire & Movement
288:Fire & Movement
233:Redmond A. Simonsen
193:Publication history
175:First Player Combat
211:. It consisted of
205:American Civil War
65:: The cross-canal
26:
534:boardgamegeek.com
463:boardgamegeek.com
343:In an article in
313:In the 1977 book
248:Modern Battles II
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414:Jagdpanther
252:Six Day War
111:Warsaw Pact
45:Description
651:Categories
637:Simulacrum
539:2022-06-11
515:2022-06-11
468:2022-06-11
445:References
381:Simulacrum
126:Components
302:Der Stern
258:Reception
390:Wurzburg
338:Wurzburg
321:Wurzburg
307:Wurzburg
297:Wurzburg
272:Wurzburg
225:Wurzburg
187:Wurzburg
161:Gameplay
136:hex grid
119:Wurzburg
107:Wurzburg
103:Cold War
596:Phoenix
329:Phoenix
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394:Mukden
280:Mukden
274:23rd.
221:Mukden
94:Mukden
89:Mukden
488:Moves
367:Golan
359:Golan
351:Golan
346:Moves
276:Golan
217:Golan
73:Golan
616:ISBN
353:and
115:NATO
424:#55
372:In
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410:#2
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