Bear’s Claw, The Battles of Kiev-Uman and Smolensk, 1941, from Consim Press, is now available for preorder.

     Bear's Claw is two-games-in-one; featuring two separate and standalone, operational-level treatments of the German advance and Soviet counter thrusts from July to August 1941 during Operation Barbarossa.

     Kiev-Uman covers the action of German Army Group South, from the beginning of Soviet bold counterattack on 26 June led by the Soviet South-Western Front comprising four full mechanized corps (more than 2,000 tanks), to the closing of the Uman Pocket on 6 August.

     Smolensk covers the action of German Army Group Center, from the German 2nd Panzergruppe's crossing of the Dnepr on 11 July, followed by numerous Soviet counterattacks of the Soviet Western Front led by Marshal Timoshenko, to the climax of operations at Smolensk on 9 August.

     Both games share a common set of rules and deliver a quick, yet intensive gaming experience as BOTH sides will have the opportunity to initiate attacks during play. In essence, these are not one-sided affairs as the pendulum will swing in the Soviet's favor as well as they attempt to mount several counter blows to thwart the German advance.

     Game System Highlights:

     
•           Untried Soviet Unit Strengths
     
•           Overruns HQ and Supply
     
•           Unit Disruption and Morale
     
•           German Army Integrity
     
•           Soviet Counter Attack Mandates
     
•           Soviet Limited Attack Coordination
     
•           "Effective" Attacks and Victory Chits
     
•           German Air Support

     About This Collaborative, Consim Press/Six Angles Effort:

     Bear's Claw was recently published in Six Angles magazine, issue #14 (March 2012) in Japan. This Japanese-edition release demands an English edition version to reach a wider audience of gamers, and Consim Press is pleased to announce this collabortive effort with Masahiro Yamazaki to bring his latest design and publishing effort to the English-speaking market. Unlike most Japanese reprints, we are fully honoring Mas' design and graphic prowness, so you will not have to worry about alterations to his design or tinkering with a different graphic design approach (we want to keep things as they are). Of course, the rules will be an improvement as we are addressing all errata and clarifications needed from the original release. We will also retain some of the 'international' flair of the game by honoring the Japanese text stylings on the map (where location names are presented in both English/Japanese characters). Naturally, all rules, charts, and play aids are being fully translated and professionally-edited in English.

     With your support, expect to see future titles based on this game system coming from Consim Press and Six Angles!

     Game Contents

     
•           Two 17"x22" full color maps (one for each game)
     
•           One 1/2 inch full-color counter sheet (263 counters)
     
•           Rules Booklet with Designer Notes and Historical Background
     
•           Two double-sided Player Aid Cards
     
•           One full color Terrain Effects Chart
     
•           One 6-sided and one 10-sided die
     
•           Boxed

     Game Scale

     
•           Time: 14 days (Kiev-Uman) / 10 days (Smolensk) per turn
     
•           Map: 20.4 km (Kiev-Uman) / 16.8 (Smolensk) per hex
     
•           Units: Corps/Division with some Brigades/Regiments