Clever Tactics in Blitzkrieg! World War Two in 20 Minutes
Coordinate top-level tactics and deployment around the world’s theaters with Blitzkrieg! World War Two in 20 Minutes.
My experience with wargames has remained fairly limited, although I keep an eye out for solo games designed as an introduction. It was actually my husband who spotted a used copy of Blitzkrieg! World War Two in 20 Minutes, and it seemed about time to try this out! War isn’t a particularly cheerful subject, though, so I set out with the right mindset.
Game Overview
Game Name: Blitzkrieg! World War Two in 20 Minutes
Publication Year: 2019
Designer: Paolo Mori
Artists: Alan D’Amico, Paolo Mori, and Paul Sizer
Publisher: PSC Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
The world’s theaters provide various campaigns and bonuses. Maintaining power in a region is vital to moving ahead, since this is almost entirely done at a top-level with no simulated battles. Either the Axis or Allies will prevail in this rather quick but very strategic challenge.
First Play
April 29, 2023
Complexity
2
Latest Play
April 29, 2023
Expansions
0
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
2
Play Time
30 Minutes
High Score
28
Game Area
26" x 14"
Low Score
26
Following Procedure
In order to simulate a realistic opponent, there is a lengthy selection procedure. However, this is a lot more intuitive than it might appear at first glance! Not overwhelming.
Since realistic wargames are more serious, I don’t play many games about unit battles that involve killing.
That’s a personal preference sort of thing, but that’s also what drew me to this title. It’s all about maintaining power without direct deaths and skirmishes.
Strategically moving ahead in different world theaters is the focus, which is quick and simple with the solo mode!
Starting Units
Per the rules, I played the Allies while the solo opponent played as the Axis. Unit tiles were hidden in draw bags, which always offered some options each round.
Tanks went on ground spaces, ships went on water spaces, and planes could go on either. Nothing too complex!
I drew my navy commander at first, which wasn’t the greatest. He provided more power based on previously placed naval units. Still, I had some options!
Just looking out across the board, I spotted some interesting opening moves to start moving ahead.
Exploring the Board
To add some variety, the solo opponent begins with some power in random locations. This adjusts the difficulty level, and you know where I started… Easy! Ha ha!
Yet gameplay came to me without much rules referencing. The spaces were all very clear, while there were a lot of tough choices to counter the solo opponent’s moves.
I had to be careful not to set up completed campaigns, which happened when the last row’s space was filled.
Even when the best space might help me out, giving the solo opponent easy victory points wasn’t a good idea.
Dangerous Times
Most of the research spaces went to the solo opponent, but I managed to randomly draw a lone research tile! This assortment has all manner of bonuses.
Unfortunately, mine was a nuclear attack that I had to deploy. It was useful in many ways, but brought down my power on every other track. I only barely moved ahead.
The second campaign was mine, courtesy of the blitz plane that gave me an immediate second placement.
Still, this was a tense battle where victory points remained so very close. It was anyone’s war to win at this point.
Approaching Solo Wargames with Caution
Although I certainly play my fair share of solo games that involve death and killing, historical wargames are a bit different for me because they simulate real life and death. These events may have happened long ago, yet destroying a troop of fantasy trolls who threaten a magical keep is vastly different from playing out the battles of a real war.
This goes back to an idea I’ve shared a few times about how some games, particularly wargames, aren’t fun. There are no laughs, and you’ll rarely (if ever) see Calico Critters show up with these reports. It’s more a case of learning from the past and seeing what these events have to teach. This game does it very well, with top-level deployment strategies.
I can still enjoy wargames, and this is not to dissuade anyone from playing! There is just a certain idea behind playing them that requires a little more seriousness. It’s more about enjoying the experience and learning the lessons of wars.
Finding the Last Move
As time ticked away, the end game trigger of 25 victory points looked to be in sight… And it was the Axis powers that were about to take it. But hold on: I had a plan.
I cleverly set them up to finish the middle campaign here, putting the solo opponent at 25 victory points.
Ah, but the Allies went second! I had a final turn. I sent in my general, who swung the power track in my favor.
Yet that wasn’t the plan. He was on a space worth 2 victory points, which moved me just barely ahead from 24 to 26. The narrowest of victories, achieved on the last turn!
Trouble in the Pacific
It was the right time to trigger the end game in this way, too. The Pacific Ocean was a problem area where I had no way to do much of anything. It was, sadly, a lost cause.
This is part of the strategy, though, since it’s impossible to do extremely well in all 5 theaters. The war required some losses, but that gave me a chance to focus elsewhere.
My available units were almost entirely ground forces, too, so this wasn’t a particularly useful region to me.
After all, units never leave the board, and there is a finite supply to draw from. All excellent mechanics!
An Exciting Victory
It took me a little bit to get used to the solo opponent, especially with the strategem tokens, yet this first play flew by! I was completely immersed in gameplay.
However, 20 minutes seems like a bit of a stretch. Maybe if I get much better, it might not be too far off… Yet this definitely feels like a 30-40 minute game!
It still moves quickly since decisions aren’t too complex. Lightweight choices still make interesting strategies.
Because it didn’t drag on, I had enough time to reset and see if I was firmly an expert at the easy difficulty level!
Dangerous Details
This play moved along at a quicker speed, and I found myself thinking through some more decisions.
Yet there was no way I could do anything about Western Europe, where the solo opponent closed the theater. Yes, the entire theater, and not just a single campaign!
This was worth an extremely high number of victory points, and the marker should actually indicate 26.
Still, my final turn was where I focused my attention to close a campaign for enough victory points to pull off another very narrow win for the Allies.
Session Overview
Play Number: 1 and 2
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Easy Difficulty Level
Outcome: 26-24 and 28-26 (2 Wins)
I may have won both times, yet neither was a runaway. It all came down to strategically placing my units and making sure I was reasonably close to the solo opponent. Such a perfect experience! There were real decisions to make, yet as someone who doesn’t play many wargames, this was entirely approachable. I can see myself playing again for a quick simulation… Just not in 20 minutes!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- War is abstracted at a top-level so that killing and death is kept to a minimum in favor of gaining the most power.
- Decisions are interesting but still very quick with straightforward rules and a flow that never slows down.
- There are no dice rolls or cards to draw for units, and multiple tokens are often available to allow planning ahead.
- The map does a wonderful job of showcasing the entire world while keeping everything approachable.
- Gameplay moves quickly, although not as quickly as 20 minutes, with interesting options and strategies.
- Various difficulty levels are easy to implement during setup to tailor the challenge to different skill levels.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Draw bags aren’t included for the research and strategem tokens, which is minor, but stacking them is difficult.
- A lot of information is located in the rulebooks, and the lack of reference cards makes flipping around necessary.
- Some of the rulebook examples aren’t as clear as they could be, so it takes a little bit longer to grasp the ideas.
- It’s a minor point, yet unit tokens aren’t always clearly ground or water units except in the rulebook text.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game at the easy difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
What are your thoughts about Blitzkrieg! World War Two in 20 Minutes? To be able to play a quick solo wargame is excellent, and I appreciate all of the top-level strategies here. Do you play any other solo wargames? The serious nature requires a little bit of a different headspace, at least for me, yet I had an excellent experience with this session!
Great review.
This is one of my top solo games, because the mechanisms are really smooth (apart from some rules referencing on AI choices and placements). The grand strategic (and abstract) view of the war does provide a flavour of the cut and thrust of swinging fortunes, and provides a narrative of the course of the war you play out.
You’re absolutely right about the time. Solo is more like 45-60 mins, and in fact I’ve played 2-player and it is about the same.
Thank you, Dave! I can see why this one is highly regarded, although I don’t see it featured all that often. Definitely an excellent game that provides an ongoing story of the entire war. I look forward to continuing to play and increasing the difficulty level!