Black Sea Black Death (1982)

Black Sea * Black Death is a simulation-game for 2 to 4 players of the Soviet amphibious operations conducted in early February of 1943 as a part of Operation Gory/Morsky (Mountains/Sea).

The objective of Operation Morsky was to surround and take the port city of Novorossisk, opening the way to a drive on Anapa which cut the main supply line keeping the German 17th Army alive in the Kuban-Taman area.

The game covers a battle of 9 1/2 days on a scale of one half mile per hex (800 meters) and one turn per day. Fighting takes place on beaches, in mountains, in an industrial city and in the air overhead, with the units involved being mostly of battalion or company size (roughly 100 men per strength point), with naval units representing one ship or two boats, and air units each representing ten aircraft.

There are some unusual concepts in the game system, as well as a considerable amount of detail.

Game Scale:
Turn: Impulses = 4-5 hours, 5-6 impulses per day
Hex: 880 yards / 804 meters
Units: Company to Regiment

Game Inventory:
One 22 x 34" full-color mapsheet
Two dual-side printed countersheets (1 combat, 1 markers - 600 1/2" counters)
One 40-page Black Sea - Black Death rules booklet
Two Player Aid cards (in rules booklet)
One 4-page Charts & Tables booklet (in rule booklet)
Two 6-sided dice

Players: 1 or more
Playing Time: 2-20 hours
Complexity: Medium
Solitaire Suitability: Moderate