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The game
Mockba is probably the best wargame ever published by International Team. The game covers the battle for Moscow in 1941. The rules are simple and efficient.
The game I have is only in French and Italian. It was published in 1984 and probably, IT had at that time difficulty to sell a significant amount of wargames in UK or Germany.
This game will be later enhanced and published in French by Eurogames (and then Jeux Descartes) under the name "Moskva".
The illustration
The illustration that represents Panzers III in the snow is signed:
.On the last page of the rulebook, it is written: Illustrazione - Mauro Moretti. But the signature above is from Enea Riboldi (Enea84).
This image is beautiful and it is easy to identify the "PanzerKampfwagen III Ausführung F" (with a stowage box at the rear of the turret) used during Barbarossa plan. Only the marking on the turret are incomplete. Another mistake: they both have the same number on the turret (thank you Domi :-).
The site Achtung Panzer is one of the best ensglish sites on the Panzers. In French, the site Panzertruppen and its page on the Panzer 3 is well documented.
Opening of the box
The box contains the 2 rulebooks, the map in 2 parts, 1 die, the counters.
The maps
The map represents the region situated south-west of Moscow, until Smolensk and Kursk.
The counters
The counters represent the German and Russian armies. The Russian reinforcements are entering turn by turn as indicated in the calendar chart.
The rules
The rulebook contains 8 pages in 2 languages: Italian and French.
The approximate position of each army in the first turn is indicated on the map: the Russian player have to put at least 3 units on the frontline and the rest at a maximum distance of 6 hexagons east to the frontline. The German player have to put his units west to the frontline.
The game is subdivided into 10 turns of one week each.
German turn:
- Russian Aviation cancellation
- German supplying control
- First German impulse (movement, combat)
- Second German impulse (break, exploitation)
- Railway movement cancellation
- Isolated German Unit removal.
Russian turn:
- Russian supplying control
- First Russian impulse (movement, combat)
- Second Russian impulse (break, exploitation)
- Isolated Russian Unit removal.
The German player goal is to capture objectives indicated on the calendar. Each achieved objective gives 1 victory point except Mockba that gives 8 VP. Each failed objective or objective recaptured by the Russian removes 1 VP. A result of 0 or less is a Russian major victory, 5 is a draw and 10 or more is a German major victory.
An article from Spain from the magazine LIDER (issue #3)
An article in French in Jeux et Stratégie n°26:
An article in Casus Belli:
This game Mockba was described in an enthusiastic article in Casus Belli n°24 magazine. Frank Stora describes well the strategic aspects of the game: "Will the German try to envelope the Russian Counters and destroy them massively by sending the 2nd Pzr in the North ? Will he run to the North-East to try to destroy the main Railway knots ? Or will he run to the East and try to capture Kursk and Orel before the Russian reinforcements arrival."
L'article en Français
An article in Le Journal du Stratège:
L'article en Français
Some price (2004-2006):
This game is uncommon. It was published as a small amount. One was sold in May 2004 on Ebay but I did not keep the price.
| N° EBAY | Price EBAY | Country | Date | Remarks |
| 3191988616 | ??? | France | May 2004 | |
| 5194172173 | EUR 99,90 | Italy | 15 may 2005 | |
| 5977554090 | EUR 56 | Italy | 23 may 2005 | unpunched |
| 5203101646 | EUR 39 | France | 5 june 2005 | |
| 5210586546 | EUR 19,51 | France | 26 june 2005 | 4 counters rebuild |
| 8731272370 | EUR 102 | Italy | 10 dec 2005 | |
| 8776502930 | EUR 41,50 | France | 13 mar 2006 | |
| 8820060803 | EUR 33,50 | France | 5 june 2006 |
MOCKBA overview
reference: W122
Game for 2 players from 15 years on
Time of game 3-6 hours
Duration of a move in scale: 1 week
Difficulty: 4 (hard)
Date: 1984
Authors: Art Director: Massimo Petrini
Ideazione: Roberto Bonsi
Grafica: Nicoletta Pellegatta
Illustrazione: Mauro Moretti (or Enea Riboldi ?)
Sviluppo: Francesco Del Forno
Testers: Massimo Amati & Antonio Toffoletto
Links:
Mockba on La caverne
Mockba on Isimulacrum
The Cyberboard Gamebox for Mockba by cyber bubulle
To see something else as wargaming, take a visit to David's Page O' Lego, you will see here for instance a realistic Panzer III.
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