Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg
Starni Winter Sale begins!
We happy to start our Starni Winter Sale (05-12 Dec) with all of the Strategic Mind titles. If you do not want to wait for Chistmas, and rather start it a little bit early - it is good time to finish your Strategic Mind collection. Have a great time this weekend! :)
Strategic Mind: The Pacific - 40%
https://store.steampowered.com/app/991810/Strategic_Mind_The_Pacific/
Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg - 40%
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1200330/Strategic_Mind_Blitzkrieg/
Strategic Mind: Spectre of Communism - 35%
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1341170/Strategic_Mind_Spectre_of_Communism/
Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom - 30%
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1381850/Strategic_Mind_Fight_for_Freedom/
Save up an additional 20% on top of the discounts above if you get Strategic Mind Complete Collection bundle:
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/16499/Strategic_Mind_Complete_Collection/
Support us by adding Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty to your wishlist
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1474770/Strategic_Mind_Spirit_of_Liberty/
Stay tuned for more news about the Strategic Mind series.
With Best Regards from Kyiv
Oleksandr
The day the Winter War began 83 years ago
It is the last day of November 1939. After months of trying to strongarm Finland into giving up strategically important territories, the Soviet Union finally decides to use force. A casus belli is hastily cooked up, and before any official declarations, the Red Army is already marching on Finland.
The Finnish lines of defense are woefully insufficient, and the nation's army is spread thin.
Soviet strategic bombers are swarming in the skies above Helsinki and other cities and towns.
The Soviet advance is spearheaded by at least 2000 tanks, soon to be reinforced with 4000 more. Finland has 32 at best.
In the West, the expected outcome is the redrawing of the Finnish borders, and that's if Stalin generously allows Finland its continued existence. In the Kremlin, the Red Army is expected to parade through Helsinki in no more than 12 days.
On the night of November 30, the Soviet forces finally cross the border, and for many Finnish soldiers, the shots they are about to take will become the first combat experience of their lives. Some are paralyzed by the colossal military machine they are facing. Some are almost overwhelmed by the stress of firing at another human being.
And a mere few hours later, the Red Army will be bleeding all over the Finnish soil.
Unescorted by infantry, their tanks go up in flames with their crews still inside. Their logistics columns are cut off and decimated by Finnish ambushes. Their soldiers scatter in a panic, getting cut down by small arms fire, or losing their way in the Finnish wilderness, swiftly freezing to death in their autumn equipment.
The Winter War began on this very day 83 years ago. And the young nation of Finland, thought by some to be a fluke of history, was about to forever earn its place among the European equals.
The story of the Winter War, or rather the myth of it, has firmly entered pop culture. The devious Finnish cold, proving that "General Winter" wasn't always on Russia's side, the cunning motti tactics, resulting in endless fields of burned Soviet vehicles. Finally, the greatest sniper in history, the Finnish farmer called Simo Hayha, earned his fame in this very conflict. One can hardly imagine a better example of the David vs Goliath story – as Field Marshal Mannerheim himself said, "I did not think that my men were so good, or that the Russians could be so bad".
There are many more sides to this war, which never quite became mainstream but are fascinating nonetheless. The Finnish ace pilots were some of the best in the world, second only to Germans, and ahead of the Allies. Finnish artillery too was some of the most well-trained and organized in the world at the time, making use of many ingenious tactics and inventions that allowed it to lay down precise and deadly fire. The biggest women's volunteer organization in history, Lotta Svard, earned its fame during this war, aiding in observation, communication, and logistics.
The Finnish defiance during the Winter War took the world by surprise and earned the admiration of the Western states. In Britain, it became a mainstay of 1939-1940 war propaganda: an example that sometimes, the traditional wargame logic of superior numbers was shattered by skill, motivation, and sheer courage.
A few months later, the Soviet Union began to make progress, but by then, the mounting losses had tempered Stalin's appetites. Finland inflicted staggering 168,000 dead and more than 208,000 wounded on the "victorious" Red Army, while losing almost 25,900 dead and 44,000 wounded — one of history's most famous examples of a pyrrhic victory.
While the Finnish delegation in Moscow was forced to cede some territories after all, Finland was able to keep its independence — an outcome that seemed impossible in November 1939. And even that peace treaty only lasted a little over a year, eventually leading to the Continuation War of 1941-1944.
Today, Karelia and some other pre-war Finnish territories remain under Russian control.
In the game
In Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty the first 6 operations of the historical campaign cover the events of the Winter War:
1) Border clashes
2) Battle of Taipale (See our review of that scenario)
3) Battle of Tolvajärvi
4) Battle of Suomussalmi
5) The Second Battle of Summa
6) Battle of Viipuri Bay (1940)
The full historical 15-operation-long campaign covers Winter War, Continuation War, and Lapland War.
Gameplay-wise Winter War part is really tough, since you do not have experienced troops yet, and have yet to get the heroes, better equipment, skills, and some Soviet trophies. AT teh same time the Soviets are also not in their best condition. So, it is critical to make the most out of the situation and strengthen your army to repel the Soviets and be ready for future battles.
👉 Support us — add the upcoming Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty to your wishlist:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1474770/Strategic_Mind_Spirit_of_Liberty/
With Best Regards from Kyiv
Starni Games team
Secreenshot Saturday #19 & Sale ends soon
We are back with the Screenshot Saturday - it is a long while without it, but now we are back with the community-made screenshots you uploaded to the community hub. Check them out and consider sharing your own playthrough with the community. To share great moments from your own playthrough - add them to our community hubs or send them to our Twitter or Discord server. We will post regular news reports with the best ones.
🎖 Today's heroes 🎖
Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg
_ Pɑӥȥeɼ_Peiper_
Goopasloppababookaba
Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom
Germania
Strategic Mind: The Pacific
Arkblade
GhostLight
Steam Autumn sale ends in 2 days
Do not forget to get your best deals at Steam Autumn sale, it ends very soon - on October 29th.
Strategic Mind: The Pacific - 40%
https://store.steampowered.com/app/991810/Strategic_Mind_The_Pacific/
Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg - 40%
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1200330/Strategic_Mind_Blitzkrieg/
Strategic Mind: Spectre of Communism - 35%
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1341170/Strategic_Mind_Spectre_of_Communism/
Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom - 30%
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1381850/Strategic_Mind_Fight_for_Freedom/
Save up an additional 20% on top of the discounts above if you get Strategic Mind Complete Collection bundle:
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/16499/Strategic_Mind_Complete_Collection/
Support us by adding Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty to your wishlist
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1474770/Strategic_Mind_Spirit_of_Liberty/
With Best Regards from Kyiv
Oleksandr
Units In Spirit of Liberty #3 | Jaeger
"Jaeger" is a German word for hunter, and it isn't a coincidence: for these units, soldiers with hunting backgrounds were perfect. It was a traditional name for light infantry intended for reconnaissance and skirmishing, and while these used to be considered the less "honorable" types of combat, such units were "the special forces" before the concept of "the special forces".
The story of the Finnish Jaeger in particular begins with World War I. It was a German Army unit created for Finnish volunteers, who were forbidden from military training under the Russian Empire. As a risky and illegal affair, this program drew in only the boldest, most adventurous among the Finnish youth — together with former Imperial Russian Army officers they later formed the core of the Finnish Defense Forces.
By late 1930 Finland had its own jaeger units, drawing upon the experience of their predecessors but uniquely specialized for fighting on Finnish soil. These were highly mobile, highly trained forces, using bicycles and skis to quickly cover ground and outmaneuver the enemy. Even their logistics and maintenance companies were given motorization priority, so that they could keep up the pace!
During the Winter War and the Continuation War the Jaeger became known as the best infantry units of the Finnish Army – just like their predecessors, who were now staffing the nation's High Command.
In the game
The Finnish army lacked armour vechicle, but excelled at all types of Infantry troops who were eager to protect their homeland. That is why in Spirit of Liberty we will focus on the Infatry units more than in all previous Strategic Mind titles. Jaegers are Finnish elite troops, but ont the only ones. In the next episodes we will cover more of the unique Finnish Infantry units.
Also, see our previous unit posts:
Landsverk L-182
Vickers 6-ton tank
👉 Support us — add the upcoming Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty to your wishlist:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1474770/Strategic_Mind_Spirit_of_Liberty/
With Best Regards from Kyiv
Starni Games team
Steam Autumn Sale begins!
We are be joining the annual Steam Autumn Sale (22-29 Nov) with all of the Strategic Mind titles. Great opportunity to finish your Strategic Mind collection and check out other strategy titles out there. Have a great time this weekend! :)
Strategic Mind: The Pacific - 40%
https://store.steampowered.com/app/991810/Strategic_Mind_The_Pacific/
Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg - 40%
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1200330/Strategic_Mind_Blitzkrieg/
Strategic Mind: Spectre of Communism - 35%
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1341170/Strategic_Mind_Spectre_of_Communism/
Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom - 30%
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1381850/Strategic_Mind_Fight_for_Freedom/
Save up an additional 20% on top of the discounts above if you get Strategic Mind Complete Collection bundle:
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/16499/Strategic_Mind_Complete_Collection/
Support us by adding Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty to your wishlist
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1474770/Strategic_Mind_Spirit_of_Liberty/
Stay tuned for more news about the Strategic Mind series.
With Best Regards from Kyiv
Oleksandr
War in Ukraine - despatch 1
Hello guys!
It has been almost 2 months since we last posted anything here. The reason is that on February 24 Russian Army invaded Ukraine. As some of you may know, our team is located in Kyiv - the capital of Ukraine. Russian troops have been stopped just some 7 km from the city. There has been a number of missile strikes and artillery attacks against the city throughout the last 52 days.
I will tell you more about how the war started for our team and how we coped with it in the next despatches. For now, I would like to briefly summarize the last two months for you.
The team was not able to work for around the first 10 days of the war. Then we started to gradually restore our operations. Paying salaries on time was our number one priority that we managed to do - thankfully the banking system of Ukraine works well enough (even though it has certain wartime restrictions that are annoying but both necessary and understandable).
Since March 7 we are working remotely, even if not at 100% of our usual capacity. We have been gradually restoring our operations to full strength since then. We will have to delay all projects that we are working on but that delay most likely would not be a major one. The key thing is that we keep working and doing our best efforts to finish our projects as soon as possible without diminishing their quality.
I am sorry for the lack of communication with the community, but we were very busy organizing and maintaining our work in difficult wartime conditions. So, now I finally found some free time to reach out to you guys and update you on the situation. We decided that work is our number one priority and communication will be done when we are capable of running production as planned. Right now things have leveled out to some extent, so we will be communicating with you more often.
Key thing is that everyone on the team is alive and safe right now (to the extent one can be safe under daily strategic missile strikes).
I will tell you more in the next despatches.
With best regards from Kyiv
Oleksandr and the Starni Games team
Listen to the Säkkijarven Polkka tack from the Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty
Today, we reveal Säkkijärven polkka - the second historical track from the Strategic Mind: Spirit of Liberty soundtrack, recorded by Daraba studio. Säkkijärven polkka is a well-known Finnish folk tune that got new life and meaning during the dramatic events of World War II. It got the lyrics sometimes sung with the tune, which stated that while Säkkijärvi itself might have been lost (ceded to the Soviet Union in 1940), the Finns at least still had the polka.
Listen to the "Säkkijärven polkka" track on our YouTube channel:
During the Continuation War, the Finnish Army discovered that the retreating Soviets had scattered radio-controlled mines throughout the re-captured city of Viipuri. These mines were set off when a three-note chord was played on the frequency the radio was tuned to. In order to thwart the enemy's goal, Fins started transmitting the Säkkijärvi polka, so that the frequency of the triads used by the enemy was interfered with to the point that the mines were completely unusable.
The Polka surely bolstered the troops' morale during the hardships of the protracted war.
Thus, this boisterous folk tune became the war-time song and is highly regarded to this day.
If you want to get access to the whole Strategic Mind series soundtrack with all the high-quality recordings - feel free to check out our Franchise soundtrack on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1358280/Strategic_Mind_Franchise_Soundtrack/
Have a good day!
Starni Games team
One Day Left! Save Up to 85% on All Our Games on 2022 Lunar New Year Sale!
Save up to 85% on all our games until February 3rd:
• Save 85% on Panzer Strategy
https://store.steampowered.com/app/769950/Panzer_Strategy/
• Save 40% on Strategic Mind: The Pacific:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/991810/Strategic_Mind_The_Pacific/
• Save 35% on Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1200330/Strategic_Mind_Blitzkrieg/
• Save 30% on Strategic Mind: Spectre of Communism
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1341170/Strategic_Mind_Spectre_of_Communism/
• Save 25% on Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1381850/Strategic_Mind_Fight_for_Freedom/
You can also get an additional 20% discount on top of those above if you purchase the bundle:
Strategic Mind Complete Collection
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/16499/Strategic_Mind_Complete_Collection/