Kampfgruppe Museum

A detailed museum collection devoted to SSI and Gary Grigsby's landmark 1985 Eastern Front wargame.

Gallery Overview

A detailed museum collection devoted to SSI and Gary Grigsby's landmark 1985 Eastern Front wargame.

Browse this gallery by historical period, game family, company, creator, technology, and preservation topic.

Museum Orientation

GameKampfgruppeSSI's landmark 1985 Eastern Front operational-tactical wargame.

Open detailed exhibit

Development and Publication

DocumentDevelopment HistoryHow Gary Grigsby and SSI created a reusable Eastern Front battlefield system.

Open detailed exhibit

 PersonSSI and Gary GrigsbyThe publisher-designer partnership behind Kampfgruppe.

Open detailed exhibit

Eastern Front Context

TimelineThe Eastern Front in 1944Military context for the forces and situations represented in the game.

Open detailed exhibit

 TechnologyCombined-Arms DoctrineHow armor, infantry, artillery, reconnaissance, and engineers support one another.

Open detailed exhibit

Command and Organization

SystemBuilding a KampfgruppeOrganizing an effective improvised battle group.

Open detailed exhibit

 SystemCommand and ControlHeadquarters, cohesion, orders, and battlefield coordination.

Open detailed exhibit

 SystemMorale and ExperienceWhy veteran units behave differently from newly formed units.

Open detailed exhibit

Combat Systems

TechnologyArmored CombatArmor, guns, range, facing abstractions, and tactical employment.

Open detailed exhibit

 TechnologyInfantry CombatThe role of infantry in towns, woods, defensive positions, and assaults.

Open detailed exhibit

 TechnologyArtillery and Fire SupportIndirect fire, suppression, preparation, and battlefield timing.

Open detailed exhibit

 SystemLine of Sight and ReconnaissanceDetection, observation, concealment, and uncertainty.

Open detailed exhibit

Logistics and Campaign Play

SystemSupply and LogisticsFuel, ammunition, movement, and the operational limits behind combat power.

Open detailed exhibit

 SystemRepair and RecoveryMaintaining armored strength during extended operations.

Open detailed exhibit

 SystemForce PreservationWinning campaigns without destroying the formation that must fight the next battle.

Open detailed exhibit

Battlefield Encyclopedia

ArtifactVehicle EncyclopediaRepresentative armored and support vehicles modeled by the game.

Open detailed exhibit

 ArtifactInfantry and Weapons EncyclopediaSquads, machine guns, anti-tank weapons, engineers, and supporting arms.

Open detailed exhibit

 ArtifactTerrain EncyclopediaHow roads, woods, towns, rivers, hills, mud, and snow shape operations.

Open detailed exhibit

Scenarios and Tools

SystemScenarios and Battle GenerationHow the game creates varied engagements rather than one fixed campaign.

Open detailed exhibit

 DocumentScenario Construction WorkshopA museum guide to designing balanced Kampfgruppe engagements.

Open detailed exhibit

Reception and Legacy

PressPeriod ReceptionHow reviewers and wargamers evaluated Kampfgruppe in the mid-1980s.

Open detailed exhibit

 PreservationLegacy and InfluenceKampfgruppe's place in the evolution of computer wargames.

Open detailed exhibit

 PreservationPreservation ArchiveA structured plan for preserving the game and its historical context.

Open detailed exhibit