The struggle for Smolensk

1917, August 4th... It has been getting cold very fast. Today, we even saw snowfall.

1918, April 13th... The cold has only lingered. Snow is stacking higher, trenches are being abandoned, and horses are being left in the drifts.

1918, June 1st... The Western Front has grown quiet, with either side unable to pierce the cold or the enemy. A fragile peace is brokered, a ceasefire. Russia is not included.

1925, October 18th... The winter has not ended since 1917. The civil war has grown long and weary. Trenches have become unsustainable in this climate, forcing the war onto the railroads. The name of the game is who can win before the gross negligence of the people causes the failure of all states involved.

You are a conscript, or a volunteer from the Western Front. You find yourself in Smolensk, where the Red Army has been holding against the Germans for some time.

1: Barely after arriving, you are immediately thrown into the worst of it. Loaded onto a train and sent forward, you are stranded away from Smolensk. You and Sasha must walk back to survive.

2: After making it back, you receive extra rations for your tenacity, while Sasha is insulted by commanding officers. You are greeted by the sight of an empty barracks, where only a few nights ago it was packed full.

3: The German Empire makes a significant push to take Smolensk. Caught in the battle, you and Sasha abandon its defense and attempt to flee to the station, where other comrades are loading the wounded onto a train to escape. Sasha is gravely wounded in the final push to reach it.

4: Sasha survives, barely. Everyone acknowledges that they are now deserters and strips themselves of Bolshevik symbols. A small celebration is held for surviving the ordeal.