Matrix Games (www.matrixgames.com) and Strategic Studies Group (www.ssg.com.au) are thrilled to announce that long-awaited successor to the award winning Decisive Battles series, Kharkov: Disaster on the Donets, is now available! To mark the game’s release, a new promotional trailer exhibiting the various features and new mechanics of Kharkov is available for download or viewing on YouTube.
David Heath, Director of Operations at Matrix Games, said “The latest masterpiece from the award-winning Strategic Studies Group has been at the top of many gamers’ wish lists and for good reason. Kharkov: Disaster on the Donets brings together the riveting and enjoyable mechanics of the Decisive Battles and Battlefront titles and combines it with plenty of innovation and novel gameplay!”
Command the Soviet forces, newly confident after stopping and throwing back the Barbarossa offensive, or try the elite and seasoned German army now reconstituted after Winter losses and ready to regain the initiative. Two separate forces prepared offensives in the same area in the Spring of 1942. When the dust had cleared the Germans had managed a great victory that opened the doors to the drive on Stalingrad. But the outcome was far from certain and in Kharkov: Disaster on the Donets, history is yours to rewrite.
This new system supports both regimental and battalion level combat, while incorporating many innovative features such as off-map reinforcement decisions and on-map historical areas of operation with mystery variants to increase replayability and limit the effect of hindsight. Along with the streamlined supply and movement systems, a new bonus and advantage system for headquarters effects, simplified direct fire and improved combat tables, an improved strong points system and the ability to create hedgehog defenses make this the most advanced and realistic SSG design to date. This will also be the first in a new successor series to Decisive Battles, with an updated Across the Dnepr sequel already in the works!
Kharkov: Disaster on the Donets - Seize the Initiative and Secure Victory!
Features include:
• Successor to the highly popular and award winning Decisive Battles and Battlefront engines, combining the best elements of both
• An innovative and fun area of operation system which limits unrealistic redeployments for both players, with changes triggered as local objectives are achieved and based on mystery variants to keep the enemy guessing
• Improved and simplified supply, movement and direct combat systems
• Improved combat tables that better model diminishing returns and new HQ bonuses that can affect Direct and Indirect Fire
• Improved strong points and new hedgehog rules
• Models both battalion and regimental combat