7 years on and I discover a great game like this. Turn based games can be tense and thoughtful. This game proves it.
Why?
No decent tutorial (even on paper)
However, I read on the forums that this old demo had a good followable tutorial and conatined many of the gameplay mechanics the devs used thorughout the series.
Being a demo it was free, as was the manual.
Downloaded it, played through the manual examples (slowly and more than once) taking maybe 2 hours to go through it.
Then I was hooked.
At some levels this is a simple game. Die rolls are simulated, and it's all abought bringing the most afforable force to bear in the most critical areas of the battlefield. However, once you master the mechanics (2 hours well spent), then the addictiveness and depth available is stunning.
It does things that real time strategy games could never cope to compete with in terms of tactical complexity and for me that's one of the most satisying things about the game.
Getting your bridging unit to a suitablle crossing location, orgainising a tactical retreat while using interdiction against an advancing enemy. slowing them down with area of effect bombardments while your forces make it to the hastily constructed crossing, getting them over, and then blowing it just as the enemy approaches.
Bluffing, counter bluffing, reinforcement effects etc etc - it's all here. And once you master this first game with the decent level of tutorial (albeit on paper) then all the other SSG games open up to you.
This, Battles of the Bulge by Panther games and for a slightly simpler unit based game "Battlefield Academy" are the gold standard for strategic games at the moment.