Battle for Germany is that
rara avis, a sucessful three player
wargame. A fun, relatively short
beer and pretzels game, that the author claims to have designed in just 12 hours.
It was published in Strategy & Tactics #50 by SPI, in May 1975. Designed/Developed by Dunnigan/Simonsen. Stephen B. Patrick wrote the historical article Battle for Germany: The Destruction of the Reich Dec. 1944 - May 1945.
The game covers the period when the British and United States were marching through France and the Soviets were marching through eastern Europe. In the middle, living the worst nightmare of kriegspielers, are the Germans fighting a two-front war.
The American side or the Soviet side wins if they get to Berlin first. The Germans have an artificial victory condition; they win if they hold off both sides for long enough.
The two player scenario divides up the sides in an unusual fashion. It would be somewhat fatalistic for one person to play the Germans. Instead, the Americans control the German troops facing the Soviets, and the Soviets control the German troops facing the Americans! There are rules for how German reinforcements are allocated, and you get a real feeling that you are in control of your own side's destiny.
This is one of the few games that survived the death of SPI, and is currently being sold by Decision Games.