check out the unboxing and playthrough videos

I’ve been diving headfirst into the Traces series from Vuca Simulations, and wow — these games are something special. Both Traces of Hubris and Traces of War are lined up for table time here at Cardboard Commander HQ, but I decided to start with Traces of Hubris.

Right off the bat, let’s talk presentation — this thing is beautiful. Everything feels premium and thoughtfully designed. The map might look a little plain at first glance, but it’s modeled after a real aerial map, and once you start playing, that realism really shines. The counters? Already pre-rounded and smooth with this almost fabric-like texture — they just feel good in the hand. Easy to read, crisp, and they pop perfectly against the map.

The player aids are another win — you get two copies of each, which is one of those small but mighty quality-of-life touches that every gamer appreciates.

The game is pretty easy to get into and the chit system allows for a good solo experience. You have to just know going in that the Russians need to slow down the push and you are going to get pummeled early on.

I am currently on Turn two and the Russians have a huge amount of reinforcements now on the map. I will be updating this blog post with updates. I also did a Unboxing of Traces Of Hubris As Well. You can see that here:

Here are a few images from Turn 1. This is the set up and play images of the turn.

Then we had Turn 1 – The Germans did not make a big enough push, and I think they will pay for that later. We will see.

Stay tuned to see more of this playthrough.