Pionier
14.11.08, 13:13
Angemerkt sei das ich bald gegen Rumms diese zweite Partie beginnen werde.
Zum Allgemeinen durchlesen daher hier die Einführung:
Es sei Angemerkt das hier viele nützliche Hinweise enthalten sind und Beispiele. Die Hausregeln fidnet man auch ingame in kürzerer Form, Aber damit das Spiel beiden Seiten viel spass macht und an tiefe gewinnt sollte dieser mühevoll verfaste text gelesen werden!
Full Briefing
This is the extended version of the Player Briefing, containing a great deal more information than comes with the Scenario Briefing attached to the game. If you are bothering to read this, it is assumed you are the type of player who actually likes reading a detailed overview of the Event structure, designers' notes and the reasons underlying various game features. Accordingly, this briefing will go into some depth, explaining in particular exactly how Theatre Events are triggered and what their effects are. It will assist you if you are familiar with the TOAW Editor and database. If you want to examine every unit in detail - its strength, rate of resupply, where and when and if it (re)appears, etc., you will need to look into the Editor.
We appreciate that many players do not enjoy knowing exactly what is going to happen beforehand: if you are one of them, you are advised not to read this version of the Briefing (but do steady your nerves for some possible shocks during your first - and indeed any subsequent - games, although we have designed the scenario to flow along broadly historical lines).
The scenario was originally designed by Trey Marshall, who has produced many other games for the TOAW engine. He was kind enough to encourage Ulver and Mark to develop the scenario further, and over the last few years there have been many changes to the original. My thanks to Daniel McBride for allowing me to use his epic 'Drang nach Osten' scenario to improve the Eastern Front section of this map (please note than any designers who wish to do the same should contact him FIRST drmcb@colba.net), and to all of the other players who've assisted with comments and research - too many to name personally!
For ease of reference, all of the information needed to play will be presented here. If you have read the Player Briefing there will be a certain amount of repetition. Please bear with us. We have decided this is preferable to having the reader constantly having to refer back to the Player Briefing.
Some News Strings don't directly effect the game, and are for historical colour only. Occasionally some may appear out of sequence, or be repeated, depending on how your particular game is developing. (There are not enough Events to cancel every possible combination of redundant or reoccuring News Strings.)
The scenario begins several months before the historical outbreak of World War II. German forces have mobilized and are massing on the Polish border. In accordance with the soon-to-be ratified Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Stalin is eyeing the Finnish border, the Baltic States, Eastern Poland, the Rumanian provinces of Bessarabia and Bukovnia, and Iran. However, from this point on, the Axis Player is not forced to follow the historical schedule, but is free to change his plan for the conquest of Europe (the game assumes an aggressive Germany). Indeed, if the French chose to extend the Maginot Line there will be the opportunity for Germany to tackle the USSR first in alliance with the minor powers of Central and Eastern Europe. Using Theatre Options, the players can choose which countries to invade. In addition, neutral countries may also be activated by a pre-programmed entry schedule, based on the dynamics of the game and a certain random element. Your actions, and the actions of your opponent, will affect the turns of entry. These are detailed below.
The basic land unit of this game is the corps; however, it may sometimes be advantageous to divide the corps into several divisions (e.g. to block ZOCs, to cover very open territory, or to use limited sea transport). Losses may force units to break down into their component sub-units: they can reform. Air units are Fighter/Bomber Groups, Luftwaffe Air Corps, Russian Air Armies or the entire air force for some minor powers. Navies vary from single ‘1 - 1’ units to half-a-dozen larger units each for the major powers (but whatever their apparent strength fleets are still basically vunerable, giant floating artillery units, and should be treated accordingly).
There are some underlying assumptions built into the game:
(i) The USSR under Stalin was an aggressive, expansionary state. Unlike in many similar WWII games, don't expect the Russians to annex parts of Eastern Europe and then sit around waiting to be attacked by Germany. The Allied player may choose to initiate a Russo-German War (a) about a month after the Germans invade the UK (b) if the Axis invade Turkey and pass within six hexes of Ankara (75% chance) or (c) some time between turns 110 - 150 (i.e. starting from August 1941) if the Germans haven't launched their own offensive - and the later they leave it, the better prepared the Soviets will be
(ii) The overall strategic/industrial war proceeds historically - i.e. the U-Boats are driven from the Atlantic some time after the entry of the USA; Germany doesn't develop atomic weapons (but the Allies do); the USSR, if undefeated, will eventually raise vast numbers of troops; Germany doesn't develop a long range strategic bombing force, etc. Once the USA enters the war (see below) Allied supply levels will rise inexorably. Having said that, the capture of some strategically significant locations - Baku, Narvik, Maikop, Crete, the Ruhr basin - or the exercise of certain Theatre Options (e.g. Operations 'Barbarossa' and 'Overlord') will affect the overall level of supply and the number of replacements, sometimes for limited periods only.
To achieve the results we wanted, and to introduce a greater degree of flexibility, we have deviated somewhat from Trey's order of battle. Game design, and the limitations of the TOAW database, often forced us to choose between playability and historical accuracy, and faced with those choices we have chosen playability. Although the vast range of accurate equipment in the TOAW database is ideal for simulating smaller scale actions, it is impossible to replicate the changes in organisation and equipment that occured throughout the six years of war, let alone the 'what ifs' possible in this scenario.
There are a number of instances where we have applied this principle to achieve realistic results with very 'unhistorical' equipment. Perhaps the most obvious example is our use of late war heavy tanks to give the massive forts of the Maginot Line what we consider to be realistic defensive strengths. There is no actual equipment in the database that adequately represents these massive steel and concrete underground fortifications, with their pre-ranged, interlocking fields of fire and wide minefields.
Some units are necessary to accommodate examples of 'what might have been'. For example, we have assumed that an early Soviet attack on Germany prior to the historical 'Barbarossa' would have resulted in extensive fortification of the eastern border, mobilisation of additional German reserves and an earlier shift toward full war production, which did not occur until 1943. In this eventuality, such a Soviet attack on Germany will trigger additional German reinforcements, both immediately and over time, that would otherwise not appear in the game. It also reflects the idea that Goering and Raeder had persuaded Hitler to follow a 'Mediterranean' strategy, so the Germans would have been better prepared for a defensive war in the East. There are also potential Belgian and Dutch Axis regular forces, ‘White Russians’ after a Soviet collapse, Arabs, assorted Russian anti-Soviet rebels, an Axis 'UK Protectorate', anti-Franco Spanish guerillas, etc.
What would French tanks have looked like by 1944 if the country hadn't surrendered in 1940? And would they have been used as integral infantry support units or grouped in independent armoured corps? I've no idea either, but don't be surprised to see Russian T-34 tanks appearing in some later war French units.
Victory Points - Or, 'Is Narva as important as Benghazi?'
The allocation of Victory Points has been particularly difficult in a scenario of this complexity. What should constitute an Axis 'victory': clinging onto Berlin for one month later than historically; control of Western and Central Europe by 1945; or only the final surrender of both Great Britain and the USSR? Players are strongly recommended to mutually agree their own criteria before starting to play. Having helped to design such a fluid and dynamic scenario, we don't want to put players into a Victory Point straitjacket based on our own conceptions.
More as an aid to this process than as a definitive answer, we've adopted the following policy. The number of Victory Points starts off as equal (470) for the Axis and pro-Axis, and Allied and pro-Allied, countries in 1939 - including countries like Spain, which never entered the War. As the game develops, players can see how the balance is changing relative to that initial position, and form their own judgements accordingly. (Several countries, e.g. Turkey, Belgium and Holland, can join either side, depending on the overall strategic situation, while some may change sides, e.g. France and Rumania, after their defeat.) The Points themselves are potentially contentious, representing as they must a mixture of political, economic, strategic and historical objectives. For example, Italy's possessions in North Africa and the Middle East, and the Horn of Africa, were relatively worthless from an economic point of view: but the maintenance of that fragile 'empire' was of crucial political importance in sustaining its will to continue the fight. Many of the effects that would be represented by Victory Points in similar boardgames are built into the Events List: the fall of various industrial and strategic centers (e.g. the oilfields at Ploesti, the iron ore port of Narvik, the industrial centre of Stalingrad) will affect the level of supply, while the capture of a country's capital will usually remove all of its military units from the game. Russian * cities are those where reinforcements or rebuilt units appear: the Axis player should garrison them to prevent guerillas reoccupying them and allowing the queued regular units to spring back into life.
In general, we've adopted the following policy for allocating points:
Major Powers' capitals: 20 (other than Berlin, which is a special case)
Medium Powers' capitals: 10
Minor Powers' capitals: 5
'Strategic' objectives (e.g. the Suez Canal, Leningrad, Malta, Swedish iron ore mines): 10
Other major industrial/population centres: 5
Other Objectives (usually along pre-War border areas, or those on an
important route, like the Road to Moscow): 1
In a game of this size, haggling over whether Köln (Cologne) should
be a '4', while Kiev should only be a '3', seems pretty pointless.
However, we would emphasize again that it is up to the individual players to decide - preferably in advance! - what they consider to be realistic aims and objectives.
Since the TOAW game engine, despite its general excellence and flexibility, was never designed to simulate warfare on a strategic level, we really are pushing its boundaries with this scenario. One regrettable consequence is that we have been forced to introduce a number of House Rules to cover constraints that simply couldn't be build into the game engine.
House Rules (Player enforced)
Players may not attack, or move their units into, other countries until they are formally at war, or allied. The News Briefing is very comprehensive and specifies when countries enter the game. Play as if an exclusion zone covers non-participating countries until they join either side, although you may ship units through (not to) the ports of a friendly - i.e. pro your side - neutral (except for Istanbul). If you want to invade a country you must first pick the appropriate Theatre Option to declare war (or possibly bring it in as an ally). Please note that you must wait until the start of the turn after you pick the Option before actually entering the country. This is critical to the smooth playing of the scenario. If no option exists you may not invade that country (at least yet). Keep a very close eye on the News Briefing and the Theatre Options, as these will change dramatically according to the dynamics of the game. Once a country enters the game it is permanently involved. Besserabia, the Baltic States, Arabia, Iraq and Persia are exempt from this rule and may entered by either side physically able to do so. The Soviets can only enter Eastern Poland after Germany is at war with Poland, or Poland has entered the war on the Axis side. This rule is essential because inactive countries' units are unable to move until the turn after a declaration of war (or alliance). As the Axis always moves first in a turn, this still allows Germany its historical preference for attacking a neutral country before the latter can redeploy its forces. Most neutrals start in their capitals and other major cities, or stationed along their borders. It is perfectly possible that a country that became involved in WWII may not in this scenario, or vice versa.
No Axis units may enter the US, Canada, South America or Nigeria.
No units may be disbanded, except those land units forced onto ‘Sea Supply Roads’, which must be.
Partisans/Militia (Guerilla, Irregular Infantry and Garrison units) may not voluntarily leave their home country, neither may the British 'Home Guard' units triggered by an Axis invasion. Guerillas pushed over a frontier should try to get back inside their territory, without being obliged to make suicidal attacks. Regular units and Garrisons pushed into a neutral country should be disbanded (’interned’).
Vichy units start inactive, but the Axis may freely pass through them. The three separate Vichy formations (Metropolitan France, North Africa and Syria) are only activated by Allied units moving adjacent to, or attacking, them. The Germans can also enter neutral Rumania, Hungary and Bulgaria after November 1940 - this is covered by a News String. French colonial forces are only activated if the Axis gets to within two hexes of Paris or an Axis unit attacks or moves adjacent to any colonial unit or Italy enters the war.
In order to avoid the completely unhistorical use of both sides' minor allies - i.e. the Portugese storming bravely ashore at Archangel - we suggest that they be restricted to their actual, or at least potential, areas of operation, as well as their home countries (this in addition to the limitations on partisans and guerillas already mentioned):
'The Balkans' - Yugoslavia, Albania, Rumania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, including the Greek Islands, and European Turkey including Istanbul
'North Africa & the Middle East' - Morocco through to Asiatic Turkey and Iran, and the USSR south of and including Astrakhan
'Scandinavia' - Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark
'Western Europe' - the United Kingdom, Eire, France, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal and the Mediterranean islands (Gibraltar is not an island.)
Specifically
Only those German land and air units belonging to the 'Panzer Group Afrika' formation (sandy coloured for easy identification) may be moved by sea to North Africa and the Middle East, or be used to sea assault Mediterranean islands. German airborne/marine units may also assault the islands. If the islands are captured, regular German units may be shipped or flown to them to act as garrisons. Only one panzer corps ('Deutsche Afrika Korps') plus an HQ and some air units will be available initially, once Italy enters the war. Other 'Afrika' units will appear following the capture of the Mediterranean islands and ports, representing the improvement in supply and shipping range that would have resulted. Malta = one panzergrenadier corps and a motorised flak division; Gibraltar = one panzer corps; Crete = one motorised division; Cyprus = one motorised and one engineer division; and Alexandria = one infantry corps. They may also be used in Continental Europe if required.
The above restrictions don't apply to Germany's satellites and allies in the Mediterranean (see below), nor to regular German units which are able to move via Turkey into North Africa and the Middle East.
Portuguese, Dutch, Belgian, Irish and Swiss units are restricted to Western Europe
Norwegian units are restricted to Scandinavia
Polish (Allied and Axis) units are restricted to the USSR, the Baltic States, the Balkans and Germany - however the Free Poles who reform after the fall of Poland are regarded as British units
Turkish units are restricted to the Balkans, and North Africa & the Middle East, but may sea assault Cyprus and Crete.
Greek units are restricted to the Balkans, Cyprus and Crete
Yugoslavian units are restricted to the Balkans and Italy
Rumanian, Hungarian and Slovakian units are restricted to the USSR and the Balkans
Croats and Bulgarians are restricted to the Balkans
Swedish and Finnish units are restricted to Scandinavia and the USSR north of and including Moscow
Spanish units are restricted to Western Europe and North Africa & the Middle East (except for the 'Blue Division' and 'Blue Squadron' which are unrestricted)
Iraqi, Iranian and Arab Revolt units are restricted to North Africa & the Middle East
Vichy French units are restricted to Western Europe and North Africa & the Middle East
Ukrainian partisan are restricted, oddly enough, to the Ukraine: east of the River Dneister, south of the Pripet river and west of the city of Stalino.
The Pro-Axis British forces, except for the British Waffen SS, are restricted to the UK
US, French, Italian, German, British and Soviet units are unrestricted, including the French ‘Admiral Darlan’ units, and German Waffen SS units whatever their nationality. The various Russian, Cossack and Muslim volunteers who may join a German invasion of the USSR are unrestricted - some served as far afield as France and Italy.
The Balts are restricted to the Baltic States, Germany, Poland and the USSR
If you feel these are unduly restrictive/unrealistic, discuss it with your opponent in advance.
Optional restrictions - to be discussed and agreed prior to the game
Entrenching: most units have a capability to ‘dig in’, which strengthens their defensive capability and limits supply. Unfortunately these entrenchments do not disappear with the unit, but remain throughout the game. It is quite possible to deliberately cover most of the map with these, which slows the game enormously. Suggested limitations would be adjacent to or one hex from enemy units; in or adjacent to dense urban hexes; on or adjacent to national borders, or riverlines; in ports, beachheads or towns, in existing fortifications, or single hexes needed to prolong an entrenched line to the next eligible point.
Minor Neutral reinforcements
(This does not apply to the French*, British, or Italians, even though they start as nominally ‘neutral’). Most neutral countries’ forces are fixed approximately in the positions and strengths that existed when they historically entered WW II. Some neutrals get additional reinforcements if they haven’t been attacked by then, which aren’t fixed in position. If you allow them to move, most players will race into the capital and entrench, which may make defeating the country far more difficult than it was historically - it’s worth agreeing in advance whether to allow this, or whether such reinforcements should remain in place, move to the border, or anywhere but the capital, etc.
*However, the French OOB includes all the colonial troops that had been shipped to the mainland by May 1940: the 'French Colonial Army' OOB includes the troops that were left to defend the Levant and North Africa. The latter will only mobilise (i) if the Axis get to within two hexes of Paris or (ii) an Axis unit moves adjacent to, or attacks, any French Colonial unit or (iii) Italy enters the war. This is to prevent the complete abandonment of the French Mediterranean Empire from the very start of the game.
Allied Cooperation
It is also worth discussing whether to allow troops from the Western Allies and the USSR and its satellites to sea transport to each other’s side of the map. Some players feel that this gives the Allied Player too much flexibility, and would have been politically unlikely, although Stalin did request British and American troops during the darkest days of the ‘Barbarossa’ offensive, and Churchill famously declared that ‘...if Hitler invaded Hell, he (Churchill) would at least speak to the Devil.’ Another point worth considering is whether the French would have welcomed British troops into their colonial possessions.
Parachutist/Airlanding range
Fixed automatically by the game engine at an unrealistically lengthy 100 hexes: you may wish to agree to the more likely figure of around twenty hexes - this would still allow UK-Arnhem, North Africa-Sicily and Greece-Crete.
The US Entry Variable
US entry into the war is guided by the US Entry Variable ('USEV'). We’re working on the presumption that the political elites in the USA did not want to see Europe and the Mediterranean dominated by the Third Reich and its satellites. The two critical thresholds are an entry variable of 50 that releases US aid, and an entry variable of 100 that results in the US entering the war. There are two ways this variable can change. (i) It automatically increases over time and (ii) it can be influenced by the actions of the players. The US may enter even before this reaches 100 following particularly dramatic events, e.g. the attack on Pearl Harbour, the collapse of the USSR, the invasion of the UK, etc.
No message will appear whether or not the USEV is increased: this is to discourage an unrealistic strategy based upon counting every single point.
Timed increases: turn/chance/USEV points
8-150/75%/+15
60-70/75%/+15
70-100/75%+15
80-130/50%/+20
128-168/75%/+15
128 (Pearl Harbour)/75%/+15 - 50% Automatic US Entry
138-178/50%/+20
183/100%/Automatic US Entry: (end December 1942) i.e. one year later than historically
The following player actions will increase the US entry variable, perhaps after a few turns delay:
Event/chance/USEV points
Axis enter Warsaw, or Poles ally with Germany/50%/+20
Axis chose Theatre Option 'Battle of Britain'/75%/+7
Axis move to within two hexes of Paris/75%/+20
Fall of Paris/100%/+25
Entry of Italy as Axis ally/75%/+20
Axis chose Theatre Option to attack Denmark/Norway/50%/+10
Axis chose Theatre Option to attack the Low Countries/75%/+15
Axis chose Theater Option to attack Yugoslavia/50%/+7
Axis chose Theater Option to attack Greece/50%/+7
Axis chose Theatre Option to mobilise Spain as an Axis ally/75%/+20
Axis troops land in England (hex 60,37 radius: 11 hexes)/75%/+15
Axis chose Theater Option to attack Switzerland/50%/+20
Axis captures Stalingrad/75%/+35
Axis captures Moscow/75%/+35 - 50% Automatic US Entry
Axis captures London/75%/+35 - 50% Automatic US Entry
Axis captures Suez (town)/75%/+15
Axis chose Theatre Option: 'Germany (and USSR!) raise additional forces in the 1930s'/50%/+10
Axis chose Theatre Option: 'Germany and Italy build carrier groups in the 1930s'/100%/+15
Surrender of the USSR - Automatic US Entry
The following player actions will decrease the US entry variable:
USSR occupies Baltic States (hex 112,62)/50%/-10
Allies chose Theatre Option to attack Finland/75%/-15
Allies chose Theatre Option to attack Belgium/75%/-30
The Soviet Union enters the war/100%/-20
The release of US Lend-Lease equipment when the USEV reaches 50 will reduce the total by 45: alternatively you may consider this as the Allies raising additional units and purchasing extra equipment, either of which 'reassures' the US.
Lend-Lease destroyers: this gives the UK a naval unit containing 50 destroyers. In addition Allied supply is increased by 4
Lend-Lease aircraft: this dumps about 2000 planes (and two new air units) into the Allied replacement pool. There are slots for these aircraft in the French/British orders of battle.
Lend-Lease AFVs: this immediately dumps about 800 tanks into the Allied replacement pool, and two armoured divisions with a combined strength of about 600 tanks appear (one in the UK and one in Egypt). There are slots for these tanks in the French/British orders of battle. After 20-39 turns an additional 2000 tanks are dumped into the Allied replacement pool.
Supply
Supply is a crucial part of the scenario: much of the strategy of the game revolves around controlling these sources and in taking them from the other player. They represent either industrial or population centres, major ports, choke points in the sea lanes, or actual or potential sites for full-scale sea invasions. When launching sea invasions, do consider from where they will draw supply!
The following is a full list of supply sources:
Axis: 105,60 (Königsberg).
Axis: 93,122 (RHODES)
Axis: 87,59 (Berlin).
Axis: 75,54 (Munster).
Axis: 47,93 (Tunis).
Axis: 84,73 (Vienna).
Axis: 88,78 (Budapest).
Axis: 100,93 (Bucharest).
Axis: 90,96 (Sofia).
Axis: 102,109 (Istanbul).
Axis: 107,71 (Brest-Litovsk).
Axis: 50,138 (Addis Ababa).
Axis: 64,73 (Milan).
Axis: 26,61 (Madrid).
Axis: 46,107 (Tripoli - Libya).
Axis: 91,139 (Alexandria).
Axis: 11,71 (Tetuan).
Axis: 60,53 (Paris).
Axis: 137,143 (Baghdad).
Axis: 63,100 (Messina).
Axis: 110,45 (Stockholm).
Axis: 122,47 (Helsinki).
Axis: 146,23 (Petsamo).
Axis: 100,36 (Oslo).
Axis: 80,98 (Tirana).
Axis: 81,120 (Suda Bay). (CRETE)
Axis: 55,105 (MALTA).
Axis: 12,68 (GIBRALTAR).
Axis: 62,124 (Benghazi) - only available following the Axis capture of Malta.
Axis: 62,44 (London).
Axis: 63,47 (Dover).
Axis: 58,43 (Southampton).
Axis: 55,29 (Dublin).
Axis: 51,40 (Plymouth).
Axis: 51,88 (Cagliari) (SARDINIA).
Axis: 63,87 (Rome).
Axis: 159,139 (Tehran)
Allies: 72,98 (Taranto).
Allies: 0,27 (USA/Canada)
Allies: 62,39 (Birmingham).
Allies: 62,44 (London).
Allies: 54,47 (Cherbourg).
Allies: 12,54 (Lisbon).
Allies: 12,68 (GIBRALTAR).
Allies: 1,69 (Casablanca).
Allies: 31,81 (Algiers).
Allies: 47,93 (Tunis).
Allies: 66,92 (Salerno).
Allies: 68,66 (Zurich).
Allies: 91,139 (Alexandria).
Allies: 93,144 (Cairo).
Allies: 55,49 (Normandy - historical site for D-day)
Allies: 72,49 (Amsterdam).
Allies: 111,116 (Ankara).
Allies: 63,49 (Calais).
Allies: 61,75 (Genoa).
Allies: 84,112 (Athens).
Allies: 87,88 (Belgrade).
Allies: 102,67 (Warsaw).
Allies: 131,53 (Leningrad).
Allies: 140,67 (Moscow).
Allies: 149,91 (Stalingrad).
Allies: 144,117 (Tblisi).
Allies: 100,36 (Oslo).
Allies: 63,89 (Anzio).
Allies: 161,76 (Omsk).
Allies: 148,26 (Murmansk).
Allies: 55,105 (MALTA).
Allies: 16,146 (Cape Town).
Allies: 51,72 (Marseilles).
Allies: 141,148 (Basra - 'Indian Supply')
Allies: 68,51 (Antwerp).
Allies: 60,53 (Paris)
Allies: 118,99 (Sevastapol)
There is a 'Sea Supply Road' to provide Allied supply from Cape Town or Basra to the Horn of Africa, and similar 'roads' linking Belfast to the British mainland, Corsica to Sardinia, and Malta to Sicily, the Mediterranean Islands to the mainland, Scapa Flow to Narvik and Casablanca - Dakar - Lagos. These should never be used for land movement and any units forced to retreat onto them must be disbanded.
Sea assaults should NOT be launched from these Sea Supply Roads to land, but only from adjacent sea hexes. (Otherwise the attacker may end the turn with a unit 'disembarked' in the sea.
The minor roads across the Kerch Straits, Athens-Euobea, the Danish Islands - Sweden, Sweden - Visby and Estonia - Saaremaa, Turkey - Rhodes, the Balearic Islands, and some other small islands are playable: they represent narrow gaps where local shipping allows ‘land’ movement. Sicily is separated from mainland Italy by a super river: this can be bridged by Engineer units or some other units with engineering capability, as can the 'super river' between Spain and Gibraltar.
The single hex rail link between Egypt and the Sudan is playable, although paratroops should not be dropped on it. The South Africa-Nigeria road is for Allied supply and movement purposes (although it's far quicker by ship!).
The capture or loss of key supply sources will cause significant shifts in supply, or dump additional equipment in the Replacement Pool. Unless explicitly stated, recapturing the hex does not reverse the supply shift. This is a limitation of the game engine
Some of the start dates for bonuses and penalties for offensives, winters, etc., and the exact turns for surrenders to take effect, or for mud to stop combat, are deliberately randomised over a turn or two so that players can't be certain when they'll start, and for how long they'll last. This is deliberate, and you shouldn't count on anything happening on a particular turn, except that Declarations of War and Offensive Bonuses will always follow the Theatre Option being chosen.
Details shown as: hex number (location) (Supply Points) which side penalised/benefits
128,20(Narvik) (3) Axis loss
About 30 turns after the United Kingdom goes to war with Germany the Royal Navy will (automatically) cut iron ore shipments from Norway. This results in a supply loss to the Axis of 3. To reverse the supply loss, the Axis Player needs to capture Narvik (hex 128, 20). The event list supports Narvik shifting ownership an unlimited number of times, with the consequent supply shifts. If Germany attacks Norway the effect is immediate, but will be reversed if the Germans capture the port..
84,73 (Vienna) (3) Axis loss
147,113 (Grozny)
No supply effect. Capturing the hex will add significant equipment to the Axis replacement pool, representing the effect of increased oil supplies.
134,106 (Maikop)
No supply effect. Capturing the hex will add significant equipment to the Axis replacement pool, representing the effect of increased oil supplies.
12,68 (GIBRALTAR)
Axis Sea Transport capability will be increased to 6,000. The entry of the USA will reduce this extra transport capability, so make the most of it!
83,122 (Herakleion) (1) (Crete) (Axis gain)
Improved security for Axis shipping
55,105 (MALTA) - an Axis supply point will be placed in Benghazi
Improved security for Axis shipping
63,87 (Rome) (3) Axis loss
The supply penalty for the Axis is in addition to the surrender of Italy.
101,92 (Rumanian Oil Refinery at Ploesti) (3) Axis loss
149,91 (Stalingrad) (4) Allied loss
Stalingrad was an important industrial centre, but this sizeable loss also represents the strangulation of the Volga river system and the psychological effect of the capture of such a crucial city.
140,67 (Moscow) (10) (Allied loss)
Multiple effects. In addition to the supply loss, replacements will be reduced by a multiple of 0.8. Recapturing the hex will increase Allied supply by 7 and increase replacements by a multiple of 1.15.
148,26 (Murmansk) (4) Allied loss
This was the main port for Western Allied aid to the USSR
96, 144 (Suez Canal) (2) Allied loss
Ships from the Far East, India and Australia would have to go round the Cape.
62,44 (London)
This will cause a 20% drop in Allied replacements for about eighteen months
62,39 (Birmingham)(5) Allied loss
Loss of this hex leads to the surrender of the United Kingdom, after a 1-4 turn delay. Some guerillas, land, air and naval units will fight on (‘We shall never surrender’ - Churchill)
60,53 (Paris)(3) Allied loss
This also leads to the surrender of France and the creation of Vichy. After a delay, this will also dump captured French equipment into the Axis Replacement Pool, and allow the formation of SS 'Charlemange'.
157,124 (Baku)(4+4)(Allied loss + Axis gain)
Axis capture of this hex will also result in additional replacements being dumped into the replacement pool, extra reinforcements and cause Turkey to enter the war on the side of the Axis. Recapturing the hex will reverse the supply shifts (only!). Baku was the centre of the Soviet oil industry. We're assuming that the Turkish military would have decided to join the 'winning' side at this point, as they eventually did when the Russians neared Budapest.
In addition, the following events will affect supply:
US Lend-Lease destroyers (4) Allied gain
Sea convoy routes better protected
US enters war (4); Allied gain
US convoys begin delivering supplies to the UK (5) - Allied gain about a year after US entry into the war
Allies have successfully countered the U-boat Threat (5) - Allied gain about eighteen months after the US enters the war
Should the Soviet Union be conquered, Allied supply will be increased by +25 to reflect more material becoming available to US/British/French forces (i.e. no more equipment or material need be shipped to the Soviet Union via the Murmansk Convoys or Persia) and a desperate shift to an all-out war economy.
Offensive Theater Options.
Due to the limitations of the game engine, these bonuses apply across the entire Theatre. Generally, it makes sense to use them for their intended purpose, however we try to rationalise the overall effect as representing the pressure a major offensive would have on other fronts, i.e. Operation Overlord in the West will draw off supplies and reinforcements from the Eastern front, etc., even if no units are physically moved by the Axis player.
Overlord (D-day) - Allied supplies increased by 16. After 12 turns, Allied supply reduced by 6 resulting in a permanent bonus of 10
Shipping increased to 50,000 for 3 turns, then reduced to 25,000, resulting in a permanent bonus of 14,500 (from 10,500)
Air Transport increased to 9,500 for 3 turns, then reduced to 5,000
Available about eighteen months after the US enters the war
Operation Barbarossa
Axis supply bonus 20 for about two months.
Allied air shock penalty of 50% for about a month
Allied land shock penalty of 80% for about two months.
Available when Germany attacks the Soviet Union (not the other way round): the Red Army was wholly unprepared for the blitzkrieg: note that this option can be delayed until after the Axis invasion of the USSR. It is meant to simulate the shock of the German attack on the Russians - if the latter are occupying a line well back from the border, all or part of the effect would be lost with an immediate trigger, but the option will trigger automatically if not used within four turns of the German attack.
Battle of Britain
If this air battle is won (50% chance) the Axis receive a sealift of 8,500 between 6-9 turns after the beginning of the battle. This bonus lasts for two turns, after which it falls to 6,000 resulting in a net bonus of 2,000. Germany also receives bonus reinforcements. (Specialist air and sea assault troops.) The Option becomes available after the surrender of France, and disappears six months after the US enters the war. An Axis defeat leads to the permanent withdrawal of a bomber unit.
Some Players have (rightly) pointed out that the chance of success should depend on the airpower ratio and tactics used: but there is no way to simulate this in the engine. As Germany could not have sustained an all-out offensive on two fronts there is a News String to the effect that Germany cannot declare war on the USSR for two months after Axis troops land in the UK (not after the BoB Theatre Option is chosen - the Germans must actually invade).
Case Yellow (Blitz France) Option
Available as an Axis Theatre Option in Spring 1940, and gives the Axis three turns of 175% shock bonus. After those three turns the Axis suffer a shock penalty of 90% for two turns (representing the need for resupply and repairs). Shortly thereafter, assuming France has not yet been conquered, an option to resume the offensive appears. Choosing that option will give the Axis a shock bonus of 130% for ten turns.
Both disappear with the surrender of France
The French were wholly unprepared to face the blitzkrieg
Not available if the Germans build the Siegfried Line.
Eight turns after the start of the attack on France (‘Case Yellow’), the French receive a number of high proficiency units representing the Allies attempting to reorganize their forces to counter the Blitzkrieg. These units are essentially empty shells, but they have a very high priority to receive replacements. The Battle of France is therefore typically a two-stage affair. Given that Germany receives quite a few reinforcements that will be available for a 1940 (but not a 1939) attack, it is very chancey to attack before the winter of 1939-40 stops all combat. Should the Axis fail to knock out France in the first phase, it risks winter forcing a lengthy pause, giving the French time to reorganize and redeploy her army, resulting in a far stronger French defense in the spring of 1940. The 'low risk' approach is therefore the historical one, waiting until the spring of 1940 to attack France, using the Occupy the Low Countries & Case Yellow Options in combination. Even then, the Allied Player is not obliged to be as poorly deployed as his historical counterparts.
Occupy the Low Countries (can, in fact probably should, be used in conjunction with Case Yellow)
The Allies automatically suffer a two turn penalty of shock 70%, starting after the turn the Axis chooses the 'Occupy the Low Countries' Theater Option.
Sea/Air lift changes (other than specified above)
Axis Sea Transport starts at 4,000
Axis Sea Transport rises to 6,000 after a successful Battle of Britain Option (after a brief 8,500 bonus for two turns)
Axis Sea Transport rises to 6,000 after the capture of Gibraltar
Axis Sea Transport falls to 1,000 about one year after the US enters the war
Axis Air Transport starts at 3,000
Axis Air Transport falls to 2,000 about six months after the US enters the war
Axis Air Transport falls to 1,000 about a year after the US enters the war
Allied Sea Transport starts at 5,000
Allied Sea Transport rises to 10,500 six to nine months after the US enters the war
Allied Sea Transport falls to 25,000 after the completion of 'Overlord' (which provides a brief 50,000)
Allied Air Transport starts at 500
Allied Air Transport rises to 1,500 about a year after the US enters the war
Allied Air transport rises to 6,000 towards the end of the war
Allied Air Transport goes to 5,000 after the 'Overlord' Option (which provides a brief 9,500)
Zum Allgemeinen durchlesen daher hier die Einführung:
Es sei Angemerkt das hier viele nützliche Hinweise enthalten sind und Beispiele. Die Hausregeln fidnet man auch ingame in kürzerer Form, Aber damit das Spiel beiden Seiten viel spass macht und an tiefe gewinnt sollte dieser mühevoll verfaste text gelesen werden!
Full Briefing
This is the extended version of the Player Briefing, containing a great deal more information than comes with the Scenario Briefing attached to the game. If you are bothering to read this, it is assumed you are the type of player who actually likes reading a detailed overview of the Event structure, designers' notes and the reasons underlying various game features. Accordingly, this briefing will go into some depth, explaining in particular exactly how Theatre Events are triggered and what their effects are. It will assist you if you are familiar with the TOAW Editor and database. If you want to examine every unit in detail - its strength, rate of resupply, where and when and if it (re)appears, etc., you will need to look into the Editor.
We appreciate that many players do not enjoy knowing exactly what is going to happen beforehand: if you are one of them, you are advised not to read this version of the Briefing (but do steady your nerves for some possible shocks during your first - and indeed any subsequent - games, although we have designed the scenario to flow along broadly historical lines).
The scenario was originally designed by Trey Marshall, who has produced many other games for the TOAW engine. He was kind enough to encourage Ulver and Mark to develop the scenario further, and over the last few years there have been many changes to the original. My thanks to Daniel McBride for allowing me to use his epic 'Drang nach Osten' scenario to improve the Eastern Front section of this map (please note than any designers who wish to do the same should contact him FIRST drmcb@colba.net), and to all of the other players who've assisted with comments and research - too many to name personally!
For ease of reference, all of the information needed to play will be presented here. If you have read the Player Briefing there will be a certain amount of repetition. Please bear with us. We have decided this is preferable to having the reader constantly having to refer back to the Player Briefing.
Some News Strings don't directly effect the game, and are for historical colour only. Occasionally some may appear out of sequence, or be repeated, depending on how your particular game is developing. (There are not enough Events to cancel every possible combination of redundant or reoccuring News Strings.)
The scenario begins several months before the historical outbreak of World War II. German forces have mobilized and are massing on the Polish border. In accordance with the soon-to-be ratified Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Stalin is eyeing the Finnish border, the Baltic States, Eastern Poland, the Rumanian provinces of Bessarabia and Bukovnia, and Iran. However, from this point on, the Axis Player is not forced to follow the historical schedule, but is free to change his plan for the conquest of Europe (the game assumes an aggressive Germany). Indeed, if the French chose to extend the Maginot Line there will be the opportunity for Germany to tackle the USSR first in alliance with the minor powers of Central and Eastern Europe. Using Theatre Options, the players can choose which countries to invade. In addition, neutral countries may also be activated by a pre-programmed entry schedule, based on the dynamics of the game and a certain random element. Your actions, and the actions of your opponent, will affect the turns of entry. These are detailed below.
The basic land unit of this game is the corps; however, it may sometimes be advantageous to divide the corps into several divisions (e.g. to block ZOCs, to cover very open territory, or to use limited sea transport). Losses may force units to break down into their component sub-units: they can reform. Air units are Fighter/Bomber Groups, Luftwaffe Air Corps, Russian Air Armies or the entire air force for some minor powers. Navies vary from single ‘1 - 1’ units to half-a-dozen larger units each for the major powers (but whatever their apparent strength fleets are still basically vunerable, giant floating artillery units, and should be treated accordingly).
There are some underlying assumptions built into the game:
(i) The USSR under Stalin was an aggressive, expansionary state. Unlike in many similar WWII games, don't expect the Russians to annex parts of Eastern Europe and then sit around waiting to be attacked by Germany. The Allied player may choose to initiate a Russo-German War (a) about a month after the Germans invade the UK (b) if the Axis invade Turkey and pass within six hexes of Ankara (75% chance) or (c) some time between turns 110 - 150 (i.e. starting from August 1941) if the Germans haven't launched their own offensive - and the later they leave it, the better prepared the Soviets will be
(ii) The overall strategic/industrial war proceeds historically - i.e. the U-Boats are driven from the Atlantic some time after the entry of the USA; Germany doesn't develop atomic weapons (but the Allies do); the USSR, if undefeated, will eventually raise vast numbers of troops; Germany doesn't develop a long range strategic bombing force, etc. Once the USA enters the war (see below) Allied supply levels will rise inexorably. Having said that, the capture of some strategically significant locations - Baku, Narvik, Maikop, Crete, the Ruhr basin - or the exercise of certain Theatre Options (e.g. Operations 'Barbarossa' and 'Overlord') will affect the overall level of supply and the number of replacements, sometimes for limited periods only.
To achieve the results we wanted, and to introduce a greater degree of flexibility, we have deviated somewhat from Trey's order of battle. Game design, and the limitations of the TOAW database, often forced us to choose between playability and historical accuracy, and faced with those choices we have chosen playability. Although the vast range of accurate equipment in the TOAW database is ideal for simulating smaller scale actions, it is impossible to replicate the changes in organisation and equipment that occured throughout the six years of war, let alone the 'what ifs' possible in this scenario.
There are a number of instances where we have applied this principle to achieve realistic results with very 'unhistorical' equipment. Perhaps the most obvious example is our use of late war heavy tanks to give the massive forts of the Maginot Line what we consider to be realistic defensive strengths. There is no actual equipment in the database that adequately represents these massive steel and concrete underground fortifications, with their pre-ranged, interlocking fields of fire and wide minefields.
Some units are necessary to accommodate examples of 'what might have been'. For example, we have assumed that an early Soviet attack on Germany prior to the historical 'Barbarossa' would have resulted in extensive fortification of the eastern border, mobilisation of additional German reserves and an earlier shift toward full war production, which did not occur until 1943. In this eventuality, such a Soviet attack on Germany will trigger additional German reinforcements, both immediately and over time, that would otherwise not appear in the game. It also reflects the idea that Goering and Raeder had persuaded Hitler to follow a 'Mediterranean' strategy, so the Germans would have been better prepared for a defensive war in the East. There are also potential Belgian and Dutch Axis regular forces, ‘White Russians’ after a Soviet collapse, Arabs, assorted Russian anti-Soviet rebels, an Axis 'UK Protectorate', anti-Franco Spanish guerillas, etc.
What would French tanks have looked like by 1944 if the country hadn't surrendered in 1940? And would they have been used as integral infantry support units or grouped in independent armoured corps? I've no idea either, but don't be surprised to see Russian T-34 tanks appearing in some later war French units.
Victory Points - Or, 'Is Narva as important as Benghazi?'
The allocation of Victory Points has been particularly difficult in a scenario of this complexity. What should constitute an Axis 'victory': clinging onto Berlin for one month later than historically; control of Western and Central Europe by 1945; or only the final surrender of both Great Britain and the USSR? Players are strongly recommended to mutually agree their own criteria before starting to play. Having helped to design such a fluid and dynamic scenario, we don't want to put players into a Victory Point straitjacket based on our own conceptions.
More as an aid to this process than as a definitive answer, we've adopted the following policy. The number of Victory Points starts off as equal (470) for the Axis and pro-Axis, and Allied and pro-Allied, countries in 1939 - including countries like Spain, which never entered the War. As the game develops, players can see how the balance is changing relative to that initial position, and form their own judgements accordingly. (Several countries, e.g. Turkey, Belgium and Holland, can join either side, depending on the overall strategic situation, while some may change sides, e.g. France and Rumania, after their defeat.) The Points themselves are potentially contentious, representing as they must a mixture of political, economic, strategic and historical objectives. For example, Italy's possessions in North Africa and the Middle East, and the Horn of Africa, were relatively worthless from an economic point of view: but the maintenance of that fragile 'empire' was of crucial political importance in sustaining its will to continue the fight. Many of the effects that would be represented by Victory Points in similar boardgames are built into the Events List: the fall of various industrial and strategic centers (e.g. the oilfields at Ploesti, the iron ore port of Narvik, the industrial centre of Stalingrad) will affect the level of supply, while the capture of a country's capital will usually remove all of its military units from the game. Russian * cities are those where reinforcements or rebuilt units appear: the Axis player should garrison them to prevent guerillas reoccupying them and allowing the queued regular units to spring back into life.
In general, we've adopted the following policy for allocating points:
Major Powers' capitals: 20 (other than Berlin, which is a special case)
Medium Powers' capitals: 10
Minor Powers' capitals: 5
'Strategic' objectives (e.g. the Suez Canal, Leningrad, Malta, Swedish iron ore mines): 10
Other major industrial/population centres: 5
Other Objectives (usually along pre-War border areas, or those on an
important route, like the Road to Moscow): 1
In a game of this size, haggling over whether Köln (Cologne) should
be a '4', while Kiev should only be a '3', seems pretty pointless.
However, we would emphasize again that it is up to the individual players to decide - preferably in advance! - what they consider to be realistic aims and objectives.
Since the TOAW game engine, despite its general excellence and flexibility, was never designed to simulate warfare on a strategic level, we really are pushing its boundaries with this scenario. One regrettable consequence is that we have been forced to introduce a number of House Rules to cover constraints that simply couldn't be build into the game engine.
House Rules (Player enforced)
Players may not attack, or move their units into, other countries until they are formally at war, or allied. The News Briefing is very comprehensive and specifies when countries enter the game. Play as if an exclusion zone covers non-participating countries until they join either side, although you may ship units through (not to) the ports of a friendly - i.e. pro your side - neutral (except for Istanbul). If you want to invade a country you must first pick the appropriate Theatre Option to declare war (or possibly bring it in as an ally). Please note that you must wait until the start of the turn after you pick the Option before actually entering the country. This is critical to the smooth playing of the scenario. If no option exists you may not invade that country (at least yet). Keep a very close eye on the News Briefing and the Theatre Options, as these will change dramatically according to the dynamics of the game. Once a country enters the game it is permanently involved. Besserabia, the Baltic States, Arabia, Iraq and Persia are exempt from this rule and may entered by either side physically able to do so. The Soviets can only enter Eastern Poland after Germany is at war with Poland, or Poland has entered the war on the Axis side. This rule is essential because inactive countries' units are unable to move until the turn after a declaration of war (or alliance). As the Axis always moves first in a turn, this still allows Germany its historical preference for attacking a neutral country before the latter can redeploy its forces. Most neutrals start in their capitals and other major cities, or stationed along their borders. It is perfectly possible that a country that became involved in WWII may not in this scenario, or vice versa.
No Axis units may enter the US, Canada, South America or Nigeria.
No units may be disbanded, except those land units forced onto ‘Sea Supply Roads’, which must be.
Partisans/Militia (Guerilla, Irregular Infantry and Garrison units) may not voluntarily leave their home country, neither may the British 'Home Guard' units triggered by an Axis invasion. Guerillas pushed over a frontier should try to get back inside their territory, without being obliged to make suicidal attacks. Regular units and Garrisons pushed into a neutral country should be disbanded (’interned’).
Vichy units start inactive, but the Axis may freely pass through them. The three separate Vichy formations (Metropolitan France, North Africa and Syria) are only activated by Allied units moving adjacent to, or attacking, them. The Germans can also enter neutral Rumania, Hungary and Bulgaria after November 1940 - this is covered by a News String. French colonial forces are only activated if the Axis gets to within two hexes of Paris or an Axis unit attacks or moves adjacent to any colonial unit or Italy enters the war.
In order to avoid the completely unhistorical use of both sides' minor allies - i.e. the Portugese storming bravely ashore at Archangel - we suggest that they be restricted to their actual, or at least potential, areas of operation, as well as their home countries (this in addition to the limitations on partisans and guerillas already mentioned):
'The Balkans' - Yugoslavia, Albania, Rumania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, including the Greek Islands, and European Turkey including Istanbul
'North Africa & the Middle East' - Morocco through to Asiatic Turkey and Iran, and the USSR south of and including Astrakhan
'Scandinavia' - Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark
'Western Europe' - the United Kingdom, Eire, France, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal and the Mediterranean islands (Gibraltar is not an island.)
Specifically
Only those German land and air units belonging to the 'Panzer Group Afrika' formation (sandy coloured for easy identification) may be moved by sea to North Africa and the Middle East, or be used to sea assault Mediterranean islands. German airborne/marine units may also assault the islands. If the islands are captured, regular German units may be shipped or flown to them to act as garrisons. Only one panzer corps ('Deutsche Afrika Korps') plus an HQ and some air units will be available initially, once Italy enters the war. Other 'Afrika' units will appear following the capture of the Mediterranean islands and ports, representing the improvement in supply and shipping range that would have resulted. Malta = one panzergrenadier corps and a motorised flak division; Gibraltar = one panzer corps; Crete = one motorised division; Cyprus = one motorised and one engineer division; and Alexandria = one infantry corps. They may also be used in Continental Europe if required.
The above restrictions don't apply to Germany's satellites and allies in the Mediterranean (see below), nor to regular German units which are able to move via Turkey into North Africa and the Middle East.
Portuguese, Dutch, Belgian, Irish and Swiss units are restricted to Western Europe
Norwegian units are restricted to Scandinavia
Polish (Allied and Axis) units are restricted to the USSR, the Baltic States, the Balkans and Germany - however the Free Poles who reform after the fall of Poland are regarded as British units
Turkish units are restricted to the Balkans, and North Africa & the Middle East, but may sea assault Cyprus and Crete.
Greek units are restricted to the Balkans, Cyprus and Crete
Yugoslavian units are restricted to the Balkans and Italy
Rumanian, Hungarian and Slovakian units are restricted to the USSR and the Balkans
Croats and Bulgarians are restricted to the Balkans
Swedish and Finnish units are restricted to Scandinavia and the USSR north of and including Moscow
Spanish units are restricted to Western Europe and North Africa & the Middle East (except for the 'Blue Division' and 'Blue Squadron' which are unrestricted)
Iraqi, Iranian and Arab Revolt units are restricted to North Africa & the Middle East
Vichy French units are restricted to Western Europe and North Africa & the Middle East
Ukrainian partisan are restricted, oddly enough, to the Ukraine: east of the River Dneister, south of the Pripet river and west of the city of Stalino.
The Pro-Axis British forces, except for the British Waffen SS, are restricted to the UK
US, French, Italian, German, British and Soviet units are unrestricted, including the French ‘Admiral Darlan’ units, and German Waffen SS units whatever their nationality. The various Russian, Cossack and Muslim volunteers who may join a German invasion of the USSR are unrestricted - some served as far afield as France and Italy.
The Balts are restricted to the Baltic States, Germany, Poland and the USSR
If you feel these are unduly restrictive/unrealistic, discuss it with your opponent in advance.
Optional restrictions - to be discussed and agreed prior to the game
Entrenching: most units have a capability to ‘dig in’, which strengthens their defensive capability and limits supply. Unfortunately these entrenchments do not disappear with the unit, but remain throughout the game. It is quite possible to deliberately cover most of the map with these, which slows the game enormously. Suggested limitations would be adjacent to or one hex from enemy units; in or adjacent to dense urban hexes; on or adjacent to national borders, or riverlines; in ports, beachheads or towns, in existing fortifications, or single hexes needed to prolong an entrenched line to the next eligible point.
Minor Neutral reinforcements
(This does not apply to the French*, British, or Italians, even though they start as nominally ‘neutral’). Most neutral countries’ forces are fixed approximately in the positions and strengths that existed when they historically entered WW II. Some neutrals get additional reinforcements if they haven’t been attacked by then, which aren’t fixed in position. If you allow them to move, most players will race into the capital and entrench, which may make defeating the country far more difficult than it was historically - it’s worth agreeing in advance whether to allow this, or whether such reinforcements should remain in place, move to the border, or anywhere but the capital, etc.
*However, the French OOB includes all the colonial troops that had been shipped to the mainland by May 1940: the 'French Colonial Army' OOB includes the troops that were left to defend the Levant and North Africa. The latter will only mobilise (i) if the Axis get to within two hexes of Paris or (ii) an Axis unit moves adjacent to, or attacks, any French Colonial unit or (iii) Italy enters the war. This is to prevent the complete abandonment of the French Mediterranean Empire from the very start of the game.
Allied Cooperation
It is also worth discussing whether to allow troops from the Western Allies and the USSR and its satellites to sea transport to each other’s side of the map. Some players feel that this gives the Allied Player too much flexibility, and would have been politically unlikely, although Stalin did request British and American troops during the darkest days of the ‘Barbarossa’ offensive, and Churchill famously declared that ‘...if Hitler invaded Hell, he (Churchill) would at least speak to the Devil.’ Another point worth considering is whether the French would have welcomed British troops into their colonial possessions.
Parachutist/Airlanding range
Fixed automatically by the game engine at an unrealistically lengthy 100 hexes: you may wish to agree to the more likely figure of around twenty hexes - this would still allow UK-Arnhem, North Africa-Sicily and Greece-Crete.
The US Entry Variable
US entry into the war is guided by the US Entry Variable ('USEV'). We’re working on the presumption that the political elites in the USA did not want to see Europe and the Mediterranean dominated by the Third Reich and its satellites. The two critical thresholds are an entry variable of 50 that releases US aid, and an entry variable of 100 that results in the US entering the war. There are two ways this variable can change. (i) It automatically increases over time and (ii) it can be influenced by the actions of the players. The US may enter even before this reaches 100 following particularly dramatic events, e.g. the attack on Pearl Harbour, the collapse of the USSR, the invasion of the UK, etc.
No message will appear whether or not the USEV is increased: this is to discourage an unrealistic strategy based upon counting every single point.
Timed increases: turn/chance/USEV points
8-150/75%/+15
60-70/75%/+15
70-100/75%+15
80-130/50%/+20
128-168/75%/+15
128 (Pearl Harbour)/75%/+15 - 50% Automatic US Entry
138-178/50%/+20
183/100%/Automatic US Entry: (end December 1942) i.e. one year later than historically
The following player actions will increase the US entry variable, perhaps after a few turns delay:
Event/chance/USEV points
Axis enter Warsaw, or Poles ally with Germany/50%/+20
Axis chose Theatre Option 'Battle of Britain'/75%/+7
Axis move to within two hexes of Paris/75%/+20
Fall of Paris/100%/+25
Entry of Italy as Axis ally/75%/+20
Axis chose Theatre Option to attack Denmark/Norway/50%/+10
Axis chose Theatre Option to attack the Low Countries/75%/+15
Axis chose Theater Option to attack Yugoslavia/50%/+7
Axis chose Theater Option to attack Greece/50%/+7
Axis chose Theatre Option to mobilise Spain as an Axis ally/75%/+20
Axis troops land in England (hex 60,37 radius: 11 hexes)/75%/+15
Axis chose Theater Option to attack Switzerland/50%/+20
Axis captures Stalingrad/75%/+35
Axis captures Moscow/75%/+35 - 50% Automatic US Entry
Axis captures London/75%/+35 - 50% Automatic US Entry
Axis captures Suez (town)/75%/+15
Axis chose Theatre Option: 'Germany (and USSR!) raise additional forces in the 1930s'/50%/+10
Axis chose Theatre Option: 'Germany and Italy build carrier groups in the 1930s'/100%/+15
Surrender of the USSR - Automatic US Entry
The following player actions will decrease the US entry variable:
USSR occupies Baltic States (hex 112,62)/50%/-10
Allies chose Theatre Option to attack Finland/75%/-15
Allies chose Theatre Option to attack Belgium/75%/-30
The Soviet Union enters the war/100%/-20
The release of US Lend-Lease equipment when the USEV reaches 50 will reduce the total by 45: alternatively you may consider this as the Allies raising additional units and purchasing extra equipment, either of which 'reassures' the US.
Lend-Lease destroyers: this gives the UK a naval unit containing 50 destroyers. In addition Allied supply is increased by 4
Lend-Lease aircraft: this dumps about 2000 planes (and two new air units) into the Allied replacement pool. There are slots for these aircraft in the French/British orders of battle.
Lend-Lease AFVs: this immediately dumps about 800 tanks into the Allied replacement pool, and two armoured divisions with a combined strength of about 600 tanks appear (one in the UK and one in Egypt). There are slots for these tanks in the French/British orders of battle. After 20-39 turns an additional 2000 tanks are dumped into the Allied replacement pool.
Supply
Supply is a crucial part of the scenario: much of the strategy of the game revolves around controlling these sources and in taking them from the other player. They represent either industrial or population centres, major ports, choke points in the sea lanes, or actual or potential sites for full-scale sea invasions. When launching sea invasions, do consider from where they will draw supply!
The following is a full list of supply sources:
Axis: 105,60 (Königsberg).
Axis: 93,122 (RHODES)
Axis: 87,59 (Berlin).
Axis: 75,54 (Munster).
Axis: 47,93 (Tunis).
Axis: 84,73 (Vienna).
Axis: 88,78 (Budapest).
Axis: 100,93 (Bucharest).
Axis: 90,96 (Sofia).
Axis: 102,109 (Istanbul).
Axis: 107,71 (Brest-Litovsk).
Axis: 50,138 (Addis Ababa).
Axis: 64,73 (Milan).
Axis: 26,61 (Madrid).
Axis: 46,107 (Tripoli - Libya).
Axis: 91,139 (Alexandria).
Axis: 11,71 (Tetuan).
Axis: 60,53 (Paris).
Axis: 137,143 (Baghdad).
Axis: 63,100 (Messina).
Axis: 110,45 (Stockholm).
Axis: 122,47 (Helsinki).
Axis: 146,23 (Petsamo).
Axis: 100,36 (Oslo).
Axis: 80,98 (Tirana).
Axis: 81,120 (Suda Bay). (CRETE)
Axis: 55,105 (MALTA).
Axis: 12,68 (GIBRALTAR).
Axis: 62,124 (Benghazi) - only available following the Axis capture of Malta.
Axis: 62,44 (London).
Axis: 63,47 (Dover).
Axis: 58,43 (Southampton).
Axis: 55,29 (Dublin).
Axis: 51,40 (Plymouth).
Axis: 51,88 (Cagliari) (SARDINIA).
Axis: 63,87 (Rome).
Axis: 159,139 (Tehran)
Allies: 72,98 (Taranto).
Allies: 0,27 (USA/Canada)
Allies: 62,39 (Birmingham).
Allies: 62,44 (London).
Allies: 54,47 (Cherbourg).
Allies: 12,54 (Lisbon).
Allies: 12,68 (GIBRALTAR).
Allies: 1,69 (Casablanca).
Allies: 31,81 (Algiers).
Allies: 47,93 (Tunis).
Allies: 66,92 (Salerno).
Allies: 68,66 (Zurich).
Allies: 91,139 (Alexandria).
Allies: 93,144 (Cairo).
Allies: 55,49 (Normandy - historical site for D-day)
Allies: 72,49 (Amsterdam).
Allies: 111,116 (Ankara).
Allies: 63,49 (Calais).
Allies: 61,75 (Genoa).
Allies: 84,112 (Athens).
Allies: 87,88 (Belgrade).
Allies: 102,67 (Warsaw).
Allies: 131,53 (Leningrad).
Allies: 140,67 (Moscow).
Allies: 149,91 (Stalingrad).
Allies: 144,117 (Tblisi).
Allies: 100,36 (Oslo).
Allies: 63,89 (Anzio).
Allies: 161,76 (Omsk).
Allies: 148,26 (Murmansk).
Allies: 55,105 (MALTA).
Allies: 16,146 (Cape Town).
Allies: 51,72 (Marseilles).
Allies: 141,148 (Basra - 'Indian Supply')
Allies: 68,51 (Antwerp).
Allies: 60,53 (Paris)
Allies: 118,99 (Sevastapol)
There is a 'Sea Supply Road' to provide Allied supply from Cape Town or Basra to the Horn of Africa, and similar 'roads' linking Belfast to the British mainland, Corsica to Sardinia, and Malta to Sicily, the Mediterranean Islands to the mainland, Scapa Flow to Narvik and Casablanca - Dakar - Lagos. These should never be used for land movement and any units forced to retreat onto them must be disbanded.
Sea assaults should NOT be launched from these Sea Supply Roads to land, but only from adjacent sea hexes. (Otherwise the attacker may end the turn with a unit 'disembarked' in the sea.
The minor roads across the Kerch Straits, Athens-Euobea, the Danish Islands - Sweden, Sweden - Visby and Estonia - Saaremaa, Turkey - Rhodes, the Balearic Islands, and some other small islands are playable: they represent narrow gaps where local shipping allows ‘land’ movement. Sicily is separated from mainland Italy by a super river: this can be bridged by Engineer units or some other units with engineering capability, as can the 'super river' between Spain and Gibraltar.
The single hex rail link between Egypt and the Sudan is playable, although paratroops should not be dropped on it. The South Africa-Nigeria road is for Allied supply and movement purposes (although it's far quicker by ship!).
The capture or loss of key supply sources will cause significant shifts in supply, or dump additional equipment in the Replacement Pool. Unless explicitly stated, recapturing the hex does not reverse the supply shift. This is a limitation of the game engine
Some of the start dates for bonuses and penalties for offensives, winters, etc., and the exact turns for surrenders to take effect, or for mud to stop combat, are deliberately randomised over a turn or two so that players can't be certain when they'll start, and for how long they'll last. This is deliberate, and you shouldn't count on anything happening on a particular turn, except that Declarations of War and Offensive Bonuses will always follow the Theatre Option being chosen.
Details shown as: hex number (location) (Supply Points) which side penalised/benefits
128,20(Narvik) (3) Axis loss
About 30 turns after the United Kingdom goes to war with Germany the Royal Navy will (automatically) cut iron ore shipments from Norway. This results in a supply loss to the Axis of 3. To reverse the supply loss, the Axis Player needs to capture Narvik (hex 128, 20). The event list supports Narvik shifting ownership an unlimited number of times, with the consequent supply shifts. If Germany attacks Norway the effect is immediate, but will be reversed if the Germans capture the port..
84,73 (Vienna) (3) Axis loss
147,113 (Grozny)
No supply effect. Capturing the hex will add significant equipment to the Axis replacement pool, representing the effect of increased oil supplies.
134,106 (Maikop)
No supply effect. Capturing the hex will add significant equipment to the Axis replacement pool, representing the effect of increased oil supplies.
12,68 (GIBRALTAR)
Axis Sea Transport capability will be increased to 6,000. The entry of the USA will reduce this extra transport capability, so make the most of it!
83,122 (Herakleion) (1) (Crete) (Axis gain)
Improved security for Axis shipping
55,105 (MALTA) - an Axis supply point will be placed in Benghazi
Improved security for Axis shipping
63,87 (Rome) (3) Axis loss
The supply penalty for the Axis is in addition to the surrender of Italy.
101,92 (Rumanian Oil Refinery at Ploesti) (3) Axis loss
149,91 (Stalingrad) (4) Allied loss
Stalingrad was an important industrial centre, but this sizeable loss also represents the strangulation of the Volga river system and the psychological effect of the capture of such a crucial city.
140,67 (Moscow) (10) (Allied loss)
Multiple effects. In addition to the supply loss, replacements will be reduced by a multiple of 0.8. Recapturing the hex will increase Allied supply by 7 and increase replacements by a multiple of 1.15.
148,26 (Murmansk) (4) Allied loss
This was the main port for Western Allied aid to the USSR
96, 144 (Suez Canal) (2) Allied loss
Ships from the Far East, India and Australia would have to go round the Cape.
62,44 (London)
This will cause a 20% drop in Allied replacements for about eighteen months
62,39 (Birmingham)(5) Allied loss
Loss of this hex leads to the surrender of the United Kingdom, after a 1-4 turn delay. Some guerillas, land, air and naval units will fight on (‘We shall never surrender’ - Churchill)
60,53 (Paris)(3) Allied loss
This also leads to the surrender of France and the creation of Vichy. After a delay, this will also dump captured French equipment into the Axis Replacement Pool, and allow the formation of SS 'Charlemange'.
157,124 (Baku)(4+4)(Allied loss + Axis gain)
Axis capture of this hex will also result in additional replacements being dumped into the replacement pool, extra reinforcements and cause Turkey to enter the war on the side of the Axis. Recapturing the hex will reverse the supply shifts (only!). Baku was the centre of the Soviet oil industry. We're assuming that the Turkish military would have decided to join the 'winning' side at this point, as they eventually did when the Russians neared Budapest.
In addition, the following events will affect supply:
US Lend-Lease destroyers (4) Allied gain
Sea convoy routes better protected
US enters war (4); Allied gain
US convoys begin delivering supplies to the UK (5) - Allied gain about a year after US entry into the war
Allies have successfully countered the U-boat Threat (5) - Allied gain about eighteen months after the US enters the war
Should the Soviet Union be conquered, Allied supply will be increased by +25 to reflect more material becoming available to US/British/French forces (i.e. no more equipment or material need be shipped to the Soviet Union via the Murmansk Convoys or Persia) and a desperate shift to an all-out war economy.
Offensive Theater Options.
Due to the limitations of the game engine, these bonuses apply across the entire Theatre. Generally, it makes sense to use them for their intended purpose, however we try to rationalise the overall effect as representing the pressure a major offensive would have on other fronts, i.e. Operation Overlord in the West will draw off supplies and reinforcements from the Eastern front, etc., even if no units are physically moved by the Axis player.
Overlord (D-day) - Allied supplies increased by 16. After 12 turns, Allied supply reduced by 6 resulting in a permanent bonus of 10
Shipping increased to 50,000 for 3 turns, then reduced to 25,000, resulting in a permanent bonus of 14,500 (from 10,500)
Air Transport increased to 9,500 for 3 turns, then reduced to 5,000
Available about eighteen months after the US enters the war
Operation Barbarossa
Axis supply bonus 20 for about two months.
Allied air shock penalty of 50% for about a month
Allied land shock penalty of 80% for about two months.
Available when Germany attacks the Soviet Union (not the other way round): the Red Army was wholly unprepared for the blitzkrieg: note that this option can be delayed until after the Axis invasion of the USSR. It is meant to simulate the shock of the German attack on the Russians - if the latter are occupying a line well back from the border, all or part of the effect would be lost with an immediate trigger, but the option will trigger automatically if not used within four turns of the German attack.
Battle of Britain
If this air battle is won (50% chance) the Axis receive a sealift of 8,500 between 6-9 turns after the beginning of the battle. This bonus lasts for two turns, after which it falls to 6,000 resulting in a net bonus of 2,000. Germany also receives bonus reinforcements. (Specialist air and sea assault troops.) The Option becomes available after the surrender of France, and disappears six months after the US enters the war. An Axis defeat leads to the permanent withdrawal of a bomber unit.
Some Players have (rightly) pointed out that the chance of success should depend on the airpower ratio and tactics used: but there is no way to simulate this in the engine. As Germany could not have sustained an all-out offensive on two fronts there is a News String to the effect that Germany cannot declare war on the USSR for two months after Axis troops land in the UK (not after the BoB Theatre Option is chosen - the Germans must actually invade).
Case Yellow (Blitz France) Option
Available as an Axis Theatre Option in Spring 1940, and gives the Axis three turns of 175% shock bonus. After those three turns the Axis suffer a shock penalty of 90% for two turns (representing the need for resupply and repairs). Shortly thereafter, assuming France has not yet been conquered, an option to resume the offensive appears. Choosing that option will give the Axis a shock bonus of 130% for ten turns.
Both disappear with the surrender of France
The French were wholly unprepared to face the blitzkrieg
Not available if the Germans build the Siegfried Line.
Eight turns after the start of the attack on France (‘Case Yellow’), the French receive a number of high proficiency units representing the Allies attempting to reorganize their forces to counter the Blitzkrieg. These units are essentially empty shells, but they have a very high priority to receive replacements. The Battle of France is therefore typically a two-stage affair. Given that Germany receives quite a few reinforcements that will be available for a 1940 (but not a 1939) attack, it is very chancey to attack before the winter of 1939-40 stops all combat. Should the Axis fail to knock out France in the first phase, it risks winter forcing a lengthy pause, giving the French time to reorganize and redeploy her army, resulting in a far stronger French defense in the spring of 1940. The 'low risk' approach is therefore the historical one, waiting until the spring of 1940 to attack France, using the Occupy the Low Countries & Case Yellow Options in combination. Even then, the Allied Player is not obliged to be as poorly deployed as his historical counterparts.
Occupy the Low Countries (can, in fact probably should, be used in conjunction with Case Yellow)
The Allies automatically suffer a two turn penalty of shock 70%, starting after the turn the Axis chooses the 'Occupy the Low Countries' Theater Option.
Sea/Air lift changes (other than specified above)
Axis Sea Transport starts at 4,000
Axis Sea Transport rises to 6,000 after a successful Battle of Britain Option (after a brief 8,500 bonus for two turns)
Axis Sea Transport rises to 6,000 after the capture of Gibraltar
Axis Sea Transport falls to 1,000 about one year after the US enters the war
Axis Air Transport starts at 3,000
Axis Air Transport falls to 2,000 about six months after the US enters the war
Axis Air Transport falls to 1,000 about a year after the US enters the war
Allied Sea Transport starts at 5,000
Allied Sea Transport rises to 10,500 six to nine months after the US enters the war
Allied Sea Transport falls to 25,000 after the completion of 'Overlord' (which provides a brief 50,000)
Allied Air Transport starts at 500
Allied Air Transport rises to 1,500 about a year after the US enters the war
Allied Air transport rises to 6,000 towards the end of the war
Allied Air Transport goes to 5,000 after the 'Overlord' Option (which provides a brief 9,500)