Battle Bitz: Eastern Front

Lead Germany or the Soviet Union in a strategic battle for the Eastern Front during WW2 - where every move matters.

About

Battle Bitz: Eastern Front (2025) is a turn-based wargame created for the PICO-8 fantasy console. It simulates the massive campaigns of World War II's Eastern Front, where the largest land battles in history were fought between Germany and the Soviet Union from 1941-1945.

The game emphasizes strategic depth through simple mechanics: maintain supply lines, control territory, and manage limited resources. Each decision matters, from positioning infantry and armor units to timing your offensives.

The Battle Bitz System

The Battle Bitz system is a wargame engine for the PICO-8 fantasy console designed for quick and fun game scenarios representing mid to large size battles. It is distributed as series of releases with each centered on one key battle, usually from history.

The system has evolved since its debut in Battle of the Bulge with improvements including:

• Random combat resolution based on odds with results of repulsed, retreat and killed
• Units can move only once per turn (indicated by vertical line)
• Improved attack indicator with orange highlights
• Faster and smarter AI with better strategic decisions
• Unsupplied units can't be used in your turn, even if rescued
• Territory bonuses for controlling large areas
• Time-based resource generation that changes through the game
• Modified unit stats reflecting Eastern Front equipment

Historical Context

The Eastern Front (1941-1945) was history's largest military confrontation. Key locations in the scenario:
• Moscow: Soviet capital and vital rail hub, primary German objective
• Leningrad: Major industrial center that endured a brutal siege
• Stalingrad: City on the Volga where the war's tide turned
• Kiev: Critical Ukrainian economic and political center
• Minsk: Key logistics hub for German operations

How to Play

Controls

• Full mouse support for all actions
• Arrow Keys/Mouse: Move cursor
• O/C Key or Click: Perform action
• X Key: End your turn
• P Key: Open pause menu
• ESC: Return to title screen

Game Screen

• Soviet squares in red
• German squares in dark grey
• Unsupplied areas in darker shades
• Infantry and armor unit sprites
• Cities appear as buildings
• Blue highlight for victory objective
• Orange highlight for attackable squares
• Vertical line indicates unit already moved
• Bottom area shows unit queue and action points

Basic Gameplay

• Place units from your queue
• Pick up and reposition units
• Attack enemy territory
• Each action costs AP (action points)
• Maintain supply lines from cities
• Protect territory from being cut off
• Win by capturing Moscow or all enemy cities

Army Management

Soviet Forces (per turn):
• 1-2 Tank units
• 2-3 Infantry units
• Starts at 5 AP, grows to 10
• Plus variation based on territory

German Forces (per turn):
• 1-2 Panzer units
• 1 Wehrmacht unit
• Starts at 12 AP, drops to 6
• Plus variation based on territory

Game Options

AI Difficulty:
• Easy: Highly random choices
• Medium: Moderately random choices
• Hard: Attempts to find the best action

Balance Settings:
• Even: Standard historical balance
• Soviet Advantage (+1-3): Earlier war period
• German Advantage (+1-3): Early Operation Barbarossa

Technical Details

• Platform: PICO-8 fantasy console
• Resolution: 128x128 pixels
• Controls: 2 action buttons + directional input
• Save support: No
• Multiplayer: Local 2-player
• Version: 1.2

Credits

Battle Bitz: Eastern Front (c) 2025 Pixarra Inc.
All rights reserved.

PICO-8 is a trademark of Lexaloffle Games LLP.