Tatchanka!

Tatchanka!
Russian Civil War Campaigns in the Ukraine, 1919

Tatchanka depicts the 1919 campaigns in Central and Eastern Ukraine. Two or three players control the opposing armies in any of four scenarios. The game shows central and eastern Ukraine at 32 kilometers/20 miles per hex and 7-8 days per turn, and the armies involved at about 2,000 combat troops per unit, with additional logistical bases, armored trains, river gunboats, and arms stockpiles.

The design has been trimmed to focus on two key campaigns. *Fall of the Directory* shows the three-sided conflict at the end of 1918 and the first few months of 1919, where the Bolsheviks overthrew the Directory. *Revolt Against the Volunteer Army* shows the decisive campaigns in the last few months of 1919 and the beginning of 1920. *The Road to Freedom?* and *The Bolshevik Advance* present shorter parts of *Revolt.* *The Road to Freedom?* shows the Makhnovist campaign toward their home ground and into the Volunteer Army's rear areas, and the renewed uprising. *The Bolshevik Advance* shows the Volunteer Army retreating onto the map, and the Red Army chasing after them, with all sides scrambling to control key areas.

These scenarios represent campaigns which could have changed the course of the Ukrainian Civil War. In *Fall of the Directory,* the Directory could have defeated the Bolsheviks and quite possibly have retained independence. In *Revolt Against the Volunteer Army,* the Makhnovists could have won a stronger position and quite possibly have gained autonomy.

Note: The early drafts used larger hexes, larger units, and a smaller map than the current design. The design notes sometimes refer to "Revolt Against the Volunteer Army" as "Makhno's Return."