Winter is Coming Siege of Leningrad

A game proposal from Mukul Patel for a political game of the siege of Leningrad, coming soon to a CLWG meeting.

Winter is Coming Siege of Leningrad 1941 to 1942 – A game proposal

Soviet ski troops advancing the front line in Leningrad during World War II. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It was horrific. The siege of Leningrad started in late 1941. Maybe the costliest siege in history over half million people to one million dead in a single city.

Pickles suggested at the April meeting I revisit this topic and do this game. A while ago I did a design session but did not take this and further but, with the inspiration of the Becky session I decided to take up Pickles call and do the games. There are two games.

The first game is about the decisions the ruling elite make and how they make them. This means people like Zhadanov his deputy Alexi Kusnetsov, Voroshilov and others in the Leningrad area. One tricky thing is how to handle the frequent changes of command at the top, regarded then as bit of a poison chalice. Now I think there is room in the game for a man with clip board like Peter Merritt. Recall the final frontier Megagames, Peter did his commisar thing and made sure the Klingons did things in the correct way, my equivalent would Stalin’s Eyes – Malenkov a protege of Biera – not a nice boy. You had to use the right language, do the right thing the elites didnt have it totally there own way and did not have freedom of choice which might account for some the apparently odd things that happened.

Might be room for even some crazy cards, not sure. Any way re-reading stuff about Leningrad is both fascinating, frightening and plain horrifying. So that is a game proposal for Jim to add to the program.

Random fact. Did you know Vladimir Putin’s big brother died in the siege?

A couple of books to read Michael Jones “State of Siege” Anna Reid “Leningrad”.

A random Poem from the siege recited by kids

“Nurses helping people wounded in the first bombardment of Leningrad”. Nurses helping people wounded in the first bombardment of Leningrad. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A dystrophic walked along
With a dull look
In a basket he carried a corpse’s arse.
I’m having human flesh for lunch,
This piece will do!
Ugh, hungry sorrow!
And for supper, clearly
I’ll need a little baby.
I’ll take the neighbours’,
Steal him out of his cradle

A random memoir

Major Lozak a staff officer in the Soviet Army:

“In those days there was something in a man’s face which told you that he would die within the next twenty-four hours…

I have lived in Leningrad all my life, and I also have my parents here.

… And during that winter I don’t think I ever saw a person smile. It was frightful.”