Blow2

Hello and belated New Year wossnames to all - I have been busy of late, but am looking forward to getting to grips with the Fascists soon. After commanding my Scots in a beleagered brigade of the 45th Div, a Russian brigade should be a doddle. My problem is that I am trying to run some of the training programmes on the Belyi forum, but my copy of CMBB tells me I need to update. I was given a copy of CMBB by CDV when it first came out and recently got another as a Christmas gift. Both get the same message - I understand there is a patch out, but I can't seem to get it anywhere. Anyone help? Bolo

The game is out on October 4 (official) everywhere, so what's the problem? B

You will probably love a couple of the CMBB single-play scenarios and at least one operation, the Kruglowka Railway. Basically, it has about a company of GD dug in (trenches), across a fordable river from a battlion of Russians. The GD has minimal ammo and one 81mm FO, two 75mm inf guns and a 20mm flak gun. You have six battles to survive against about a Btn of Russians initially, another on Turn 2 and more tanks etc etc on the way. The Russians are conscripts, but that scream of 'oorra' and the Human Wave attacks really put the fear of God up you. That and the HUGE artillery. I have a review copy of CMBB, incidentally, about 90 per cent of the finished thing. You will love it - especially the morale rules, which mean you can drop arty on tanks and the crews may be cowardly enough to abandon them.

The music for CMBB is Mussorgsky's Night On The Bare Mountain. I have a review copy, essentially the full game save for some unfinished vehicles and a chunk of the scenario editor. The new armour rules, the less-easily spotted AT guns and the flat expanse of the steppe are going to make tanks a lot less effective than they are in the close-range bocage fighting., while artillery will become more of a major player.