Post on 07-Aug-2018
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The
V LON
ILL
t 1981
2.50
Volume 18 Number 2
8/20/2019 The General - Volume 18, Issue 2
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8/20/2019 The General - Volume 18, Issue 2
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GE Jco
8-1-2
A LJ;l.
4-2-3
BRIDGE
~ ~
~ ~
6
10 4
5
This revision
of
a classic game you ve long awaited
is
the culmination
of five years of intensive research and playtest.
The
resuit. we
believe, will
provide
you pleasure for
many
years
to come.
For you historical buffs,
BATTLE
OF T
BULGE
is the lastword in
accuracy. Official
American
and
German
documents, maps and
actual batt le reports
(many
very difficult to obtain) were
consuited
to ensure that
both
the order of battle and mapboard
are correct
to the last detail. Every fact was checked and
double-checked.
The reSUlt-you move the actual units over the same terrain that
their historical counterparts di d in 1944.
For the rest of you who
are
looking
for a good, playable game,
don't look any further. BULGE was designed
to
be FUN This
means a simple, streamlined playing system that gives you time to
make decisions instead of shuffling
paper.
The rules are short and
clear-cut so you can
ge t
into
play
quickly and easily. Because
important
locations are
clearly
marked on the mapboard, set-up is
a snap. The Player
Aid Cards are
designed to
handle
all the detai l
work, so you have more
time
for play.
Just because the game mechanics
are
easy to learn and
remember,
doesn't
mean
that
BULGE
is
a simple
game.
Many
special
game
features provide the color and that feel of reality
that
makes this
an
exciting recreation of the actual battle.
Fortunately, these have been carefully incorporated
so
as to
enhance the flow
of p lay
instead of bogging it
down
in
detail.
Some of the
ny
Special Features:
Tactical Air Strikes
Strategic Bombing Effects
German Airborne Drop
II
German Infiltration
Launching the Fifteenth Army
Bridge Demolition
Artillery
Bombardment
II
Special
German Rocket (Nebelwerfer) units
British Participation
Several
What
It s
Triggered
by
Battlefield Conditions
Fuel Dumps
What s Inside . .
22
x
28 Fuli-colorMapboard of Ardennes Battlefield
Countersheet with 260 American,
British
and
German
Units
countersheet of 117 Utility Markers
Time Record Card
German Order of Appearance Card
Allied
Order
of Appearance
Card
Rules Manual
One Die
BATTLE OF T BULGE is an operational
recreation
of the famou
Ardennes battle
of
December,
1944-January,
1945.
Each unit represents one o f
the regiments
that actually
participated
(or might have part icipated) in the battle.
n
Each hex
is approximately
2 miles across.
f l Each turn covers twelve hours of real time.
n
Playing time averages between 3 and 9 hours,
depending upon the scenario being played.
Recommended
fOr
anyone
12
years
and
up.
Two Scenarios
t The Tournament Scenario covers the
period
of the
. German advance.
Average playing
time is
two
to four
hours. Designed to be played at all official Avaion
Hili tournaments.
The CampGign Scenario extends the Tournament
Scenario to include the Allied counterattacks. This is the
ENTIRE battle. Average playing time four to nine hours.
TTLEO TH ULGE
is availablenow for 16.00 plus 10 postage
andliandlingcnarges
(20
for Canadians; 30 for overseas) from Avalon
Hill, 4517 Harford Rd, Baltimore, MD 21214. Maryland residents please
add
5
state sales tax.
8/20/2019 The General - Volume 18, Issue 2
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BL CK SPY
is
an i n ~ r i g u i n g
card
game
fo r the whole
family. The object
is
to
b e t he player with the lowest score
w h en o n e p la ye r
goes
out by getting 200
Points.
The
BL CK
SPY
card deck
is
composed o f five suits, instead
of th e
regular
four.
Four
the
suits
h v e o ~ l y
one
spy.
B u t t he
black
suit
has sf}{.spys.
Those
are
the guys you have to look out
for.
The
rest o f t he c ar ds are other types
o f sneaky and
sha dy c hara cter s:
the
Informer,
the Interrogator, the
Infiltrator,
the
Sabotepr,
the AssasSin,
the Agent,
the Double Agent,
the Code
Breaker, the Deputy DirectQ: ,and ute
Director. As
with t h e s p y s , the black
suited guys a re th e
ones
to look out for.
All
the
o th e rs a re
on your side.
L CK Y includes a scorepad. card deck, and discard
tray and is available from Avalon Hill,
5 7
Harford Rd.,
Baltimore,MD 21214 for 6.00 plUs 1 postage and hand-
ling (20 for Canadians, 30 overseas). MD. residents
please add 5 state sales tax.
You
never
know what will happen
when
yo u
lead
a
t ri ck i n BL CK SPY
It s not
like
regular
c ar d g am es
where
everyone
jus t follows suit. Yo u ma y find
a
sp y
in
your midst. Or
yo u
m ay w in d
up
taking the, trick and leading againl
The
rules
to
the game are
less
than
one p ag e. Y ou
ca n
be playing the
game
within
five
minutes. E ac h g am e
should
last
no more
than
an
hour.
Several
variations
are
p ro vi de d f or those
wh o
waQ,t a
l it tl e more strategy.
SP l
lackSPll
~ r d m e
R
SNE KY
PL YERS
8/20/2019 The General - Volume 18, Issue 2
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IR FOR E N LYSIS
b y D av id B ot tg er
n Evaluation
the Planes
the New IR FOR E
IR
FORCE
is
Avalon
Hill s
tactical simula
of aerial combat in th e
European theater
dur
ng World
War
I I. I n i ts r ev is io n,
Avalon
Hill has
served the best features of the original Battleline
esign w hi le c le an in g up
the
rules
and add ing
v er al s ig ni fi ca nt n ew o ne s. T hi s a rt ic le will ex
ne these changes
and then
analyze the
game
and
aircraft portrayed
with
an
eye
toward
t he f or
of
successful tactics.
E NEW AIR
FORCE
For
those
unfamiliar
with the game, Dr.
sza s article
T he
View
from
th e
Cockpit
in
ume 17, number 3 of the GENER L describes
IR
FORCE system,
Avalon
Hill has retained
is basic system with
modifications that contribute
realism
or
ease of play.
Th e m os t
common
criticism of the Battleline
rsion centered, ironically, on the
game s
greatest
ngth, the
simultaneous movement
system. Since
ment for
an
entire
turn
m u st b e
plotted
in
ad
n ce , n ei th er p la ye r c an r ea ct
to
his opponent s
neuvers until the following
turn. The
result has
en analogized
to
a pilot flying with his eyes clos ed
r ten s econds
at
a t im e.
Players
soon
discovered
that
there was virtually
advantage to
b ei ng o n t he
enemy s
tail, s ince it
as a lm os t i mp os si bl e
to
stay there. This was
rceived as unrealistic,
although
m y r ea di ng s ug
that
t he t ai l p os it io n w as less
important than
believed,
particularly
l at e in t he w ar .
Sequential
movement
pres ents the
same
prob
m t o t he p la ye r m ov in g f ir st .
The
second player,
n t he other hand, k no ws t he f in al p os it io n of his
before
performing
a ny movement
m self. As a result, the first player keeps his blind
old while the second receives an
unwarranted
To
resolve this
dilemma Avalon
Hill
apparently
th e
advantage
rule from SPI s IR
R T hi s r ul e p ro vi de s that
an aircraf t
at 2
lock to
its
opponent
i.e., directly in
front) and
more than
six hexes away
and
2,500 feet higher
s t e xec ut e its
movement
b ef or e it s
opponent
o ts h is , u nl es s t he
opposing
aircraft
is itself
at
a
disadvantage. In essence this rule interjects sequen
tial
movement
into the
simultaneous movement
system but it
awards
th e
advantage of
moving
second
to
the player
who
has
earned
it,
rather than
arbitrarily.
Two
p ro bl em s arise. Fi rs t, as in
standard
se
quential
movement
g am es , t he
advantaged
player
knows his opponent s final
position
before
performing any movement
himself.
He
als o knows
t he f in al p o si ti on of all
other
disadvantaged air
craft,
i nc lu di ng t ho se o ve r w hi ch h e d oe s
not
hold
an
advantage.
Avalon. Hill has elegantly s olved
both of
these
p ro bl em s by a s in gl e r ul e r eq ui ri ng t he
advantaged
aircraft
t o f ol low as cl osely as p oss ib le t he m ov e
ment
of th e
disadvantaged
p lane. Th is ru le ex
cellently recreates the historical
situation
of a p il ot
purs uing theenemy as he m oves,
rather than
simply
flying
toward
his final position.
also prevents the
advantaged
player from using his knowledge of the
movement
of
other disadvantaged aircraf t.
He
may,
of course,
choose
t o p ur su e a
different
enemy
aircraft but must
first waive his
advantage.
I n t hi s
regan\,
the Sequence of
Play
states
that
aircraft
which
are
neither
advantaged
nor
disadvan
taged
plot and
execute their
movement
at t he
same
time as disadvantaged
aircraft and
aircraft which
do not t ake
their
advantage option
of following the
disadvantaged aircraft.
The
next m ost s ignificant rule change
from
th e
Battleline version im poses a 100-foot
altitude
loss
on aircraft
which
end
movement
in a non-level
bank
without having performed a non-banking
maneuver
that
t ur n. The
a ct ual p en al ty m ay b e
several
hundred
feet,
counting
t he 2 00- 300 f eet
which
most
fighters can clim b
without
t he l oss of
s peed points. T his rule discourages the
common bu t
unrealistic tactic
of
flying
about
in a
perpetual
right
or
left
bank
in
anticipation
of
future maneuvers.
The
combat s ys tem has
undergone
significant
c ha ng es as well. As f ig ur e I s ho ws , t he n ew
aircraft
gunnery
table reduces
armament
effectiveness
at
all
levels e xc ep t 16-22 g un ne ry f ac to rs . T hi s is
offset
somewhat at
l ow er g un ne ry f ac to rs b y t he f ac t
that
hit table m odifiers have a greater effect now.
For
example,
under
the
o ld s ys te m a p la ne w
five
gunnery
factors and a f ir e m od if ie r of t wo
t he tail of
an enemy a ir cr af t
with a si lh ou
modifier
of
two
g ai ned o nl y t hr ee hi t ta bl es a
result.
Under
the new s ys tem , the benefit is a ful
hit tables.
However,
at
a r an ge
of
four
hexes
attacker
in this hypothetical
situation starts
wi
bas ic before application of m odifiers) hit tabl
one, while
under
th.
old
s ys te m h e w ou ld
start
table three.
The
net res ult is a g ai n of only
one
table with the revis ed rules .
Air Gunnery
Total
Gun
R an ge i n H ex es
Factors
1
2
3
4
5
6
1-2
2 2 2 I
I 0
3-4
4 3
3 2 1 1
5-6
5 5
4
3 2
I
7-8
7
6 5 4 2 1
9-10
9 7 6 4
3
11-12
9 7
5 3 1
13-15
2
8 6
4
2
16-18
5 2 9 7 4 2
19-22
6
3
10 7
5
2
23-26
7
14
8 5 2
27+ 9
5 2
8 6 3
2a Aircraft Gunnery
Effectiveness
Total
Gun R an ge i n H ex es
Factors
1
2
3
4
5 6
1-2 -1 -1
-2 -2 -3 -3
3-4 1
0 0
-1 -2 -2
5-6 2 2 1
1 0
-1
7-8
5
4
3 2 0
-1
9-10
8 5 5 2
2
-1
11-12
8 6 4 2
0
13-15
9
7
6 3 1
16-18
5
2
9
7 4
2
19-22
6
3
7
5 2
23-26
8
4
8 5 3
27 + 20
6
3 9
7 4
Figure
:
Old top) a nd New Aircraft Gunnery Tables
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6
Figure 3:
BASIC
TACTICS
Key: E
=
Experience (roll again to determine ace), T
=
Training,
R
=
Reflex, V
=
Vision, •
=
no characteristics.
Predictably, expected hits in each catego
crease with the higherhit tables. Each categor
not
increase proportionally, however.
From
two to 20, expected fuselage hits increase fro
to 1.50,
or about
three and one-halftimes, wh
pected engine hi ts r ise from .25 to 1.17,
or
a
five times.
gaining a positional advantage may find himse
damaged
t o use it. Conversely, the player
thinks two, three
or
more turns ahead will b
cessful . In short , IR FORCE rewards th
sighted.
As a corollary, players should endeavor t
each
turn
with
a
few hexes
of
straight move
These hexes i n the bank can pay dividends
next
turn
by making a maneuver possible
sooner
than
would otherwise be the case. Gra
this tactic takes advantage
of
the fact
that
g
divide time into separate turns,
bu t
it noneth
works.
Beyond these
broad
principles, it
is
diffic
generalize
on
tactics other than to advise
players know their own and their enemy s air
so
that
they can maximize their plane s advan
while minimizing those
of
their
opponent. Th
of a P-47D can
afford
to
trade
shots with a
anyone; the pilot of an Me-109F cannot
maneuverability advantageenjoyed by a Spitf
against an Me-109G disappears when it me
Me-109F.
-
Nor is
performance an absolute. Up to 1
feet the FW-I90A
is
slightly more maneuv
than the P-5ID,
bu t
from 20,000 to 24,900 fe
Mustang has the advantage.
From
25,000 to 2
feet they are equal while the P-51D regains th
from 30,000 feet up.
The
bulk
of
this article
is
devoted to such
parisons. First, however, it
is
necessary to t
closer look
at
the hit tables, where superior t
are rewarded.
Table
I represents such
an
analysis.
Th
tables from one to 20 are grouped according
number
of hits possible, followed by a
representing all 20 tables.
The
columns h
Proportion of Hit Types
show the
proport
each type of hit in each
group
of tables. Thus
hits comprise 230/0 of the hits in tables
through
12, while the percentage falls to
2
tables 13-16. Thecolumns headed
Expected
show the average
number
of hits of each typ
each hit table. On tables four-six, for example
half
of
an
engine hit can be expected per die
Table 1
Hit Table Analysis
Proportion of
Hit
Types (pet.)
Expected Hits
Hit
Tables
F W E
C
L G
F W
E
C
L
G
To
I
17
17
0 a 0 0 .17 .17
0
0
0 0
.3
2-3
29
18
18
12
12
6 .42
.25
f
.17
.08 1.3
4-6
27
24
20
13
9 7 .67 .61
.50
.33 .22 .17 2.5
7-12
25 23
18 14
12 .89 .80 .64 .50 .42 .25 3.5
13-16 24 22
21
12
12
7 1.08 1.00 .96 .54 .54 .33 4.4
17-19 24
23
9
12
12
9
1.3
.28 i.05 67 .67 .50 5.5
20 24 24
19 14
11
8
1.50 1.50 1.17 .83 .67 .50 6.1
2iJ
25 23
19
13 11
8
Central to this proposItion
is
the deceptively
simple rule
that
the number
of
speed factors
availableto an
aircraft
each
turn
depends
on
whatit
did the previous turn. This rule makes each
turn
less
a discrete unit
than
part
of
a continuum.
Thus
climbing
and
every maneuver except banking
reduces next turn s speed, while diving increases it.
These principles may be illustrated by consider
ing the
common
situation where enemy fighters
ap
proach each
other
head-on. At this
point
the
players goals are the same-maneuver into good
firing position while avoiding enemy fire. Once they
become familiar with the game players tend to
employ the slip-turn maneuver in attempting to
reach this goal. This maneuver permits a plane to
perform a slip fol lowed immediately by a
turn of
two hexsides.
The
result
is
a 120 degree
turn
which
may
pu t
the enemy directly in your line
or
fire.
The/ costs
of
this tactic are high, however.
The
slip costs two speed factors
and
each
turn another
factor, for a total loss
of
four speed factors. Since
most
fighters have only
one o r
two power factors
available to counteract this loss, next
turn s
speed
is
reduced by two
or
three factors . This loss can be
made
up by diving,
bu t
then it
is
valuable altitude
which is lost.
I f serious damage can be inflicted
on
the enemy,
the result will be wor th the pr ice.
I f not,
several
turns will be required to regain the lost speed or
altitude. Meanwhile the enemy has the
opportunity
to climb
and/or
maneuver into an advantageous
position.
The
addition of the
advantage
rule
compounds
the problem, since theloss of speed
and
altitudewhich the slip-turn entails may allow the
enemy to get
on your
ta il , a pos it ion he may be un
willing to surrender.
In
short, this tactic resembles
t he two-to-one at tack on
Tobruk
in
FRIK
KORPS a gamble sometimes worth the risk,
bu t
not to be
taken
lightly
or
used indiscriminately.
The ins ightful player will conclude that the
proper
tactic under these circumstances
is
to makea
head-on pass and then climb.
And,
as students of
World
War
aerial
combat
know, this is the same
conclusion reached by the actual
combatants,
par
t icularly when up against
an aircraft
superior in
maneuverability.
The
larger lesson
is that
every choice in
IR
FORCE has its long-range consequences.
The
deci
sion to maneuver, climb
or
dive dictates the range
of
options available in future turns.
The
player who
risks exposing his plane to enemy fire in the hope
of
R
RV
ETR
T
ETRV
ie: I
ETTRV ETTRV
.-=2.-=ETRV ETRV
3 ETTR TR
Players may discover for themselves the few
o the r changes inco rpo rated into the new IR
FOR E
As might be expected, the graphics
are
better, although it is
not
clear
that
the new aircraft
data
cards are more functional
than
the old. Given
the overall quality
of
the game, we may not see a
new game
on
thesubject for some time, and certainly
not a bet ter one.
Without
calculating every possibility, it appears
that
generally the new
combat
system diminishes
the firepower
of
aircraft in the
1-15
gunnery factor
range
at
lower modifiers
but
increases it
at
higher
modifiers; has no effect in the 16-18 gunnery factor
range;
and
slightly increases firepower at all
modifiers for 23
gunnery factors.
The
firepower effectiveness
of
bombers has
been reduced by a rule providing
that
their gunnery
factors must be applied in increments
of
no more
than
four, whose fire must be resolved separately.
This rule dramatically affects well -armed heavy
bombers like the B-17
and
B-24,
but not
without
good reason. With a minimum
of
eight gunnery fac
tors in every clock sector, the B-17G was more than
a match for any fighter under the old rules. This
revision more accurately portrays the lack
of
coor
dination
among
gunners.
Of the new rules, my personal favorite involves
the opt ional
Pilot
Characteristics section. First,
players roll
one
die
on
the
Pilot
Characteristics
Determination Table (figure 2)
and
read the results
under the
column
corresponding to the year
and
the
nationality
of
their pilot.
Then
they consult the
Pilot Characteristics
Table
of effects (figure 3) to
discover
what
benefits they enjoy from their pilot s
superior vision, reflexes, training
or
experience. A
pilot with exceptional reflexes, for example, who
finds himself disadvantaged need only reveal one
half of
his movement plot to his pursuer. This rule
adds a needed human touch t o a game which
otherwise emphasizes machinery.
Figure 2:
PILOT CHARACTERISTICS
DETERMINATION TABLE (OPT)
Find Year on Line corresponding to Nationality
Nationality
German
1939-42
early 43 late 43· 44
1945
American
late 43· 45 late 42- 43 early 42
British
39
late
1940-early
42- 45
42
IR
FORCE
is
a game
of
resource manage
ment.
The
resources are altitude, speed, power
and
ammunition. Maneuverability
is
the ability to con
sume the first three of these effectively. Victorywill
go to the player who can get the greatest
output
from his resources.
r
; ; ~ T T
ET·
5 RV RV
6 R
Vision
I
Modif Shift
I col.
R e t l e x - - n ~ o = n = e - - - i n c . ammo
by 2
On the other hand, the
proportion of
h
each category remains virtually the
throughout
the hit tables. Above table one
percentage of gun hits varies between six
and
and
cockpit hits from 12-14.
At most
levels, fuselage hits are most l
followed by wing, engine, cockpit, fuel
tan
gun hits.
Thus,
the fact
that
three fuel
tank
hi
down a Hurricane may be less significant th
fact that five fuselage hits will accomplish the
result.
none none
none none none none none
arne- niae
naTfco:r- niro;;;n:Oe--- nno ne.------n;o;n ;e;.-
...
Turn lot
none
PILOT CHARACTERISTICS TABLE
OF EFFECTS
(OPT)
Effects of Characteristics on
Maneuverability Advantage Damage Quality
Bombing
negate none
I
one hit modif
moffiT
- ; ; n ; ; o n ~ e ; ; - - - - n ; : : o : : ; n : ; - ; e : - - - - - - y h i c d ; - e f c a s - ; ~ ; t - . . . . n : ; ; o ; : n ; . ; e = - - ..
c-o-n- si -er- - ::n:: :o:: :ne:: : -
2MP of average
I lot
none
Spotting
Firing
Training
Experlei1ce
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EVALUATION
AIR FORCE
includes
15 pure
fighters con
of
14 single-engine aircraft
and
the twin
ngine Me-262A. Although players will develop
vorites, they should be familiar with the strengths
weaknesses of all potential
opponents
in five
ortant areas: durability, firepower, maneuver
lity, power
and
speed.
Tables 2-6 rate the
15
f ig ht er s in th ese five
tegories. Each table is organized in thesame way:
ircraft desi gn ati on on t he left, followed by th e
w score
in each ca teg or y, t he n p er ce nta ge
core, with the best fighter in each category rated
at
percent.
Durability An aircraft s
d ur ab il it y c ou ld be
e pr ese nte d si mp ly by t he t ot al d am ag e it c an a b
o rb. H ow ev er , as d isc uss ed a bo ve , e ac h h it t yp e
oes n ot o cc ur with eq ual fre quen cy
on
the hit
ables a nd t hu s in t he g am e. F or tu na te ly t he p ro
of
eac h h it remains fairly constant
ughout the hit tables, so
that
wing hits are twice
common as fuel tan k hits regardless of the
power employed.
D ur ab il it y c an be e xp re sse d m or e p rec isel y,
efore, by multiplying the
number
of hits
an
air
raf t can t ak e in each a rea by th e fr eq uenc y with
hich t ha t h it t yp e o cc ur s
on
t he h it t ab le s, t he n
talling these products.
The
r es ul t, ca lle d t he
ability Index
(D.l.), is
computed as follows,
ing the Me-109G as an example:
6
x .23)
5
x .25)
3
x .19)
3 x .13)
4
x
.11)
4.05
Gun hits are not included in the D.l. f or t wo
easons:
(I ) elimination
of
all guns does not destroy
e aircraft
but
m er ely r es ul ts in excess g un hi ts
ecoming fuselage hits, which are already included
n the f or mul a, a nd 2) g un hits a re so i nf re qu en t
that in most cases an air cra ft will be
shot
down
before losing all
of
its guns.
T ab le 2 p re se nt s t he
D.l.
f or all
AIR FORCE
fighters. Not surprisingly, the P-47D heads the list.
More surprisingly, two
German
mainstays, the Me
109E
and F,
b ri ng u p t he r ea r, wi th th e Me- 26 2A
not far ahead. Allthree are weak in the fuselage and
wings, which, as Table
I
shows, are the most com
mon hits.
T ab le 2
Durability Index
Raw
Score
5.28
5.03
5.03
4.30
4.30
4.30
4.17
4.05
4.05
3.92
3.88
3 6 9 ~ · · ~ ~
3.69
3.44
3.44
TEN IR FORCE SCEN RIOS
The following historical
or
quasi-historical scenarios are offered for those who have exhausted th
few historically-based scenarios accompanying these games and who have tired
of
throwing randoml
selected aircraft into battle. Scenarios 1, 2
and
9 employ aircraft from
AIR
FORCE scenarios
5, 8
and
10 aircraft from DA
UNTLESS and
scenarios 3
and
4 a ir cr af t f ro m STURMOVIK formerly
AIR
FORCEIDA UNTLESS Expansion Kit). Scenario 6 requires planes from DA UNTLESS
and STUR
MOVIK and scenario 7 requires planes from all three.
All
of
these scenarios were designed for two players. Scenarios 4
and
8 are well suited for solitair
play, however, and scenarios 5
and
10 would make good multi-player games.
These scenarios were selected not because they are perfectly balanced, although they should b
reasonably even. Rather, in accord with the comments under
Creating
Your Own
Scenarios
in th
AIR FORCE
rulebook, they were picked in the hope
that
they will be interesting to the players.
All
standard
and at the players option) optional rules apply unless stated otherwise. All scenario
are twenty turns long.
Scenario Meeting Over Metz
British 3 Hurricane I
at
12,000 feet enter along
board
edge I
on turn
I
German 2 ME-109E at 12,000 feet enter along
board
edge 4
on turn
I
Victory Conditions
British
Destroy
at
least one more enemy aircraft
than
own losses
German
Avoid British victory
Special Rules
Any aircraft not in the original six
board
sections
at
the end of
turn
twenty
is
considered destroye
for the purpose
of
determining victory.
Commentary
Thisscenario depicts the first
combat
between the
Hawker
Hurricane and the Messerschmitt Bf-109
O n M ar ch 29, 1940, t hr ee H ur ri ca ne s of No. I
Squadron
encountered two ME-109 s of
JG
53 nea
Metz. Flying Officer Ritchey scored the only kill, downing one German. These two aircraft would mee
many more times before the issue was decided.
Scenario
The attle
of
ritain
British
4 S pi tf ir e I a t 1 4, 00 0 feet e nt er a lo ng b oa rd e dg e
2 3
or
5-6
on turn
I
all must enter alon
same edge)
German
3 loaded Ju-88A
at
15,000 feet enter along
board
edge
I on
turn
I
Victory Conditions
German
Exit
at
least one loaded Ju-88A from
board
edge 4
British
Avoid
German
victory
Special Rules
Neither Ju-88A may bedowned by ramming. Opposing aircraft which end movement
in
the samehe
at
the same altitude are assumed to have missed each other.
Commentary
Before being
shot
down
on
January
28, 1942, outside Boulogne, Dick
Tuck,
D.S.O.,
D.F.C.,
tallie
30 kills officially, 36 by his own count.
He
survived
German POW
camps until
January
1945 when h
escaped to Russia, then escaped from the Russians to the British Embassy in Moscow.
In August 1940 a section of 92
Squadron
led by
Tuck
intercepted three Ju-88 s eight miles
north o
Cardiff. Although one Spitfire was quickly
put out
of
action by a bullet in the radiator, the remaining
three destroyed the invaders, Tuck personally flaming ~ w o
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Scenario The efense of Greece
British:
3 Gladiators
at
14,000 feet begin
turn
I anywhere
Italian:
2 C R- 42 , I SM- 79 l oa de d)
at
12,500 feet enter along
board
ed ge I
o n t ur n
I
Victory Conditions
Italian: Exit loaded SM-79 from
board
edge 4
British: Avoid Italian victory
Special Rules
Th e
SM-79 may
no t
be downed by ramming. See special rules for scenario 2.
Firepower-Firepower is
a f un cti on
of
t
number of fire factors, the range at which they m
be applied,
an d
ammunition supply. Table 3 li
the Firepower Index F.I.), computed as t
product
of t he se t hr ee f ac to rs , f or t he 15 fighte
The
earlier fighters are predictably concentrated
the lower
half
of the table, while the later mod
appear primarily in the upper half. Once again t
Me- 109 se ri es r at es p oo rl y.
Th e
Me-262A o
distances the field by a substantial margin.
Commentary
No o ne k no ws h ow m an y v ict or ie s
Marmaduke
St.
John Pattie of
the
RA F
scored during World
War
II. Estimates range from
28
to o ve r 40.
I n 1940 P at ti e was a m em be r
of
80
Squadron
stationed
at
Sidi Barrani, Libya. In November the
squadron
was sent to
Paramythia
in northwest Greece near the Albanian frontier to oppose the Italian
invasion
of
Greece. This hypothetical scenario depicts a typical encounter between 80
Squadron and an
Italian bombing mission.
100
62
62
55
55
52
39
33
31
29
27
26
24
17
17
F.1.
768
480
480
420
420
400
3
256
4
220
210
204
184
128
128
Table
3
Firepower Index
Raw
Scoreircraft
Me-262A
Tempest V
P-47D
P-51D
FW-190A
P-47B
Spit. IX
Hurri.
P-51B
Me-109G
Me-109E
Me-109F
Spit.
Hurri.
I
S pi t. I
Scenario Attack on Taranto
British: 6 Swordfish armed with torpedoes enter anywhere along
board
edge 5-6
on turn
I
at
altitude
of British player s choice
Italian: I B B- I e ac h in hex I V- K4 , f ac in g d ir ec ti on 6 Caio Duilio , hex IV-MI5, facing 4 Andrea
Doria , hex
IV
-M7, facing 6 Giulio Cesare a nd hex VI -E I facing I Conte di Cavour I
BB-2 e ac h in hex IV- I7, f aci ng 6 Littorio
an d
hex IV-II3, facing 6 Vittorio Veneto
1 C A- 2 e ac h in h ex I I- G1 3, f ac in g 4 Zara , hex IV-AI facing 4 Fiume ,
an d
hex IV-D1,
facing 4 Gorizia
I barrage balloon each in following hexes:
I-MI4
I1I-M5, V-M1, V-M3, V-M5, V-M7, I1I
N9, I1I-Nl5., V-N8, II-A13,
II-BIl
II-DIO and II-E9.
Victory Conditions
British: Sink Italian ships worth
at
least 2000 points
Italian: Avoid British victory
Special Rules
All Italian ships are
a t a nc ho r a nd c an no t
move.
Fo r
this reason, a
DR M of
a applies to all torpedo
a tt ac ks f ro m f or e a nd
a ft a nd
2 to
torpedo
attacks from all other directions.
Torpedoes
cannot
be
d ro pp ed m or e t ha n
six hexes from their target.
Each
turn
before thefire phase, a die
is
rolled for each Italianship.
On
a roll
of
on e
or
two,
that
ship
may
no t
fire its antiaircraft
that turn.
100
95
89
85
85
84
81
81
80
80
78
78
78
67
43
M.1.
2.44
2.56
2.75
2.86
2.88
2.89
3.00
3.00
3.06
3.06
3.12
3.12
3.14
3.62
5.62
Table 4
Maneuverability Index
Raw
Scoreircraft
P-47B
P-47D
FW-I90A
H ur ri . I
P-5IB
P-51D
Me-109E
Spit.
IX
Me-109F
S pi t. V
Tempest V
Hurri.
S pi t. I
Me-109G
Me-262A
Maneuverability-Maneuverability is harde
quantify objectively
than
durability
or
firepow
Th e airplane
data
cards list the number of hexes
straight movement required before each of the f
maneuvers at each altitude,
bu t
they
cannot
pred
how many maneuvers
of
each kind
will
be perform
i n a g am e.
As a rough approximation, theManeuverabi
Index M.I.) is the total average costs of two ban
one
turn
an d one slip. Experiencesuggests
that
ha
loops
an d
half-rolls occur relatively rarely in
game. Until AH
added
the rule requiringa 1 f
a lt it ud e loss f or e ac h
turn
of
banked
movem
without maneuvering, banking was a less frequ
an d
therefore less
important
maneuver. This re
sion guarantees that banks will occur
at
least tw
as o ft en as an y
other
maneuver under normal
c um st an ce s, g ivi ng t he a dv an ta ge to p lan es w
low banking requirements
e.g. FW-l90A
P-47
an d
disadvantaging otherwise maneuverable pla
like the Spitfire I
an d
V
Commentary
On November 11, 1940,21 Swordfish from the carrier Illustrious struck a telling blow to the Italian
fleet anchored
a t T ar an to . T he
first wave,
commanded
by Lieutenant
Commander
Williamson, con
sisted
of
six Swordfish with torpedoes
an d
six with bombs
an d
flares. While the bombers
made
a diver
sionary attack
on
shore installations
an d
smaller ships, torpedoes struck the battleships
Conte di
Cavour
an d
Littorio.
The
second wave hit Littorio again
an d
Caio Duilio. As a r es ul t
of
this attack,
Conte di Cavour
was put
ou t of
action for the war s duration and
Littorio
and
Caio Duilio
were disabled
for six months.
Of
the
21
attacking aircraft, only two were
shot
down with the loss
of
only one crew member. Less
than 13 months
later, the Japanese naval air
ar m
would again demonstrate the vulnerability
of
a fleet
at
anchor.
Commentary
Accounts of the Battle of Midway rightly dwell
on
the successes of American carrier-based aircraft,
b ut t o a l ar ge e xt en t t he se successes wer e
made
possible by Marine Air
Group 22
based
on
Eastern
Island, the smaller of the two islands comprising Midway. Equipped with seven
F4F s 19
SBD s, 21
F2A s
an d 17
Vindicators, Air
Group
22 was ordered by Nimitz
no t
only to defend its airstrip
bu t
t
attack the Japanese carriers.
On
June
4, 1942,
12
fighters of
A.G.
22 intercepted
13
Japanese carrier-based bombers west of Mid
way
bu t
were bounced by escorting Zeros, suffering the loss of nine fighters with two
more
badly
damaged.
Despite these losses, the tenacious defense of Midway convinced the Japanese
that
a second strike
was necessary. This in
turn
led to the now-famous indecision by the Japanese which allowed U.S. naval
dive bombers to catch their Japanese counterparts
on
the deck.
Th e
rest, as they say,
is
history.
Scenario
5
The attle of Midway
Japanese: 4 D 3A Val l oa de d) at 3,000 feet enter along
board
edge 1
o n t ur n
I
2 A 6M 2 Z er o at 4,000 feet enter along
board
edge 2-3
or
5-6 see special rules)
U.S.:
3 F2A Buffaloes, 1
F4 F
Wildcat
at
3,500feet enter along
board
edge 2-3
or
5-6 all need not
enter along same edge) on
turn
I
Victory Conditions
U.S.: Destroy
at
l ea st 2 D 3A Val and exit
at
l ea st 2 U .S . f ig ht er s f ro m ed ge 4
Japanese: Exit
at
l ea st 3 D 3A Val l oa de d f ro m
board
edge 4 or destroy all U.S. fighters
An y
other result
is
a d ra w
Special Rules
Each
turn
beginning with
turn
two the Japanese playerrolls onedie.
On
a roll of one, theZerosenter
that turn.
Subtract o ne f ro m t he roll for ea ch
t u rn a ft er t u rn
two.
On
the
turn
of entry, the Japanese player rolls
another
die.
A n o dd
number means the Zeros enter
along
board
edge 5-6, while
an
even
number
means they enter along edge 2-3.
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Power Later
fighters emphasized power, as
shown
on
Table
5 s
l isting by Power Index P.I.).
The Power Index is the
product
of the total
number
of
power factors available up to 29,900 feet
an d
the
amo,unt
of
altitude gained per speed factor.
As Table 4 indicates, many
of
the more
maneuverable fighters saw action early in the war.
This reflects a shift in emphasis
r at he r t ha n
a
decline in technology. As Allied pilots in the Pacific
discovered, maneuverability
is
an advantage only if
the enemy agrees to dogfight, while speed,
firepower
an d
durability
cannot
be negated.
An d the Winner Is Table 7 s um ma ri ze s t he
results
of
Tables 2-6.
Th e
percentage ratings
of
each
f igh ter in e ac h c at eg or y a re t ot al le d, p ro vi di ng a
measure
of
the relative worth
of
these fighters.
By
this admittedly subjective
method
the top fighter
is
the P-47D
Thunderbolt.
Of t he t op t en f ig ht er s,
only three are German
an d
only threeentered action
b ef or e 1943, su rel y a t ri bu te t o t he q ua li ty
of
this
Commentary
On
March 5, 1944three P-47s of 348th Fighter
Group
5th Fighter
Command
conducted a sweep
the Wewark area
of
New Guinea. Colonel Neel Keady, who finished the war with 22 victories, acco
panied by captain William D.
Dunham
16) and
Captain
Samuel
V
Blair 7), flying
at
22,000 feet, sp
ted three Neils near Dagua Strip
at
500 feet. In the process of downing the bombers, Colonel Keady w
bounced by an Oscar.
Th e
Japanese fighter was destroyed, but not before inflicting fatal damage on
target.
Commentary
On April 26, 1944,
Major
Charles
H.
Hansen, piloting his B-29 over the Indo-Burmese frontier w
a cargo
of
fuel, spotted
12
Oscars 2,000 feet below.
After
the Japanese pilots studied their new adversa
for 15 minutes,
half
of their number attacked. Twenty-five minutes later, the first
combat
for the Sup
fortress was over, the giant bomber taking eight hits
an d
damaging one Oscar. Notice was served th
t he B-29 wo ul d b e a f or mi da bl e
opponent.
Commentary
On Jul y 30, 1942,
Major
John R. Alison
a nd C ap ta in
A lb er t T . B au mb er of the 75th Figh
Squadron
stationed at Hengyang attempted a night interception of Japanese bombers attacking th
airfield. Flying P-40 s not equipped for night
combat
they nontheless succeeded in downing four
of
t
six intruders.
Fo r
their exploit, Alison was awarded the
D.S.O.
and Baumber the D.S.C. Alison finish
the war with ten kills in the China-Burma-India theater, making him the fifth-ranking American a
there.
Scenario 8-Debut
of
the Superfort
u S
I B-29 loaded)
at
16,000 feet enters from
board
edge I
o n t ur n
I
Japanese 6 KiA3
at
15,000 feet begin anywhere
on
boards III and/or IV on
turn
I
Victory Conditions
U S
Exit B-29 loaded from
board
edge 4
Japanese Avoid U.S. victory
Special Rules
Th e
Japanese player may
no t
ram the B-29 see scenario 2 special rules).
Scenario
7 -N ew
Guinea Sweep
u s 3 P-47B at 1,000 feet enter from
board
e dg e 2-3 o n turn I
Japanese
3 G 3M Nell
at
500 feet enter from
board
edge I
on
turn
I
I KiA3 O sc ar
at
1,000 feet enters from
board
edge 5-6
on turn
2-7 see special rules)
Victory Conditions
U S
Destroy all three Japanese bombers before they exit
board
edge 4
Japanese Destroy
at
l eas t I U .S . a ir cr af t.
neither
or
both players achieve their victory conditions, the result is a draw.
Special Rules
Th e
turn of entry of the KiA3 is determined bya die roll made
after
the movement plotting phase.
O
turn
two, a roll
of
one
is
required for entry;
on turn
three, a roll
of
one
t wo , et c. O n t he
turn of
ent
t he J ap an es e p la ye r m ay t he n p lo t t he m ov em en t
of
the KiA3 for execution during the immediate
following movement execution phase.
Scenario
9-Escape
Over Falaise
British I S pi tf ir e I X
at
4,700 feet
German 6
ME-I09G
at 5,000 feet begin anywhere within 4 hexes of hex IV-A8, all facing same dir
tion
Victory Conditions
British
Survive for
duration of
scenario
German
Destroy British aircraft
Special Rules
After the
German
player has plotted his movement for
turn
one, the starting position
of
the Spitf
is
determined by rolling three dice.
Th e
first roll indicates the direction from hex IV -A8, the second r
the number of hexes in
that
direction,
an d
the third roll the Spitfire s facing.
The
British player th
plots his movement and play proceeds.
Th e
fire phase
is
omitted from
turn
one.
Th e
British player
is an
ace and uses the concentrated fire column
of
the hit tables optional r
XIX).
Scenario 6-Night Mission Over Hengyang
u s 2 P-40C
at
14,000 feet enter anywhere along
board
edge 2 3 on
turn
I
Japanese 3 Ki.27 Sally loaded)
at
15,000 feet enter anywhere along
board
edge 4 o n
turn
I
Victory Conditions
U
S
Destroy all Japanese aircraft
Japanese Score at least 2 points of damage on U.S. airfield
Any other result
is
a d ra w
Special Rules
This scenario occurs
at
night, so optional rule XII visibility options)
is
in e ff ec t. No a ir cr af t a
equipped with
radar.
Th e
U.S. airfield consists of hexes IV-A7-AIO.
Th e
J ap an es e b om be rs m us t m ak e o ne p ass o v
these hexes before dropping their bombs. Both the practice run and the bombing run must pass over
four airfield hexes from the same direction at the same altitude.
100
92
92
92
92
85
85
85
77
77
54
51
46
46
41
P.1.
3.9
3.6
3.6
3.6
3.6
3.3
3.3
3.3
3.0
3.0
2 1
2.0
1.8
1.8
1.6
Table 5
Power Index
Raw
Score
ircraft
Tempest V
Me-109G
Spit.
IX
P-47D
Me-262A
Sp it . V
P-51D
Me-109F
Hurd.
II
P-5IB
Me-109E
FW-190A
Spit.
Hurd.
I
P-47B
Table 6
Speed Index
Raw
Aircraft Score S.1.
Me-262A 10.50 100
P-5IB
8.11 77
P-51D 8.00 76
Tempest V 7.75 74
P-47B 7.56 72
P-47D 7.50
71
FW-190A 7.12 68
Me-109G 7.00 67
Me-109F 6.87
65
Spit. IX 6.78 64
Spit. V 6.37 61
Spit. I 6.28 60
Me-109E 6.25 59
Hurd.
5.62
53
Hurd. I 5.57
53
Speed Finally
Table
6 provides an indication
of
the ability to get there,
an d
more importantly, to
get b ack . Since mo st m ov em en t oc cu rs in e it he r
maneuver
or
level speed, the Speed Index S.I.) is
the a ve ra ge t op level sp eed in e ac h a lt it ud e
band
which roughly reflects
both
maneuver
an d
level
speeds. As e xp ec te d, th e Me -2 62 A l it er al ly
an d
figuratively runs away from the competition.
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Commentary
August 14, 1945,
marked
thelast combatand the last aerialvictories for the 5th Fighter Command in
World
War
II.
On that
date, five P-38 s
of
the 35th Fighter
Squadron
providing cover for two rescue
planes over the Inland Sea between Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu were jumped b y six F ra nk s. F in al
score: four Franks downed, one P-38 lost.
Commentary
Johnnie Johnson was officially the top-scoring RAF pilot
of
World
War
II with 38 kills. A master
tactician and leader, this scenario represents the only occasion
on
which his aircraft was hit by enemy
fire.
In June 1944, Johnson and his companions had engaged the
German
fighters providing air cover for
Axis troops in the Falaise Gap. His wingman had headed back to base with engine trouble, so Johnson
found himself alone. Spotting six aircraft above him, one waggling its wings, Johnson assumed they
were f ri en dl y. O nl y wh en he h ad c li mb ed t o w it hi n 3 00 feet of t he m d id h e d is co ve r his e rr or .
At
the
same time the Germans recognized his nationality and gave chase. Johnson finally escaped by climbing
to 12,000 feet, where the supercharger
of
his Spitfire allowed him to outrun his pursuers.
Scenario
to ast
Blood for the Fifth
u s 5 P-38G
at
12,500 feet begin anywhere
on
board III or IV all
on
same
board)
Japanese
6 Ki.84 Frank
at
13,500 feet enter anywhere along
board
edge 2-3
and/or
5-6
on
turn I
Victory Conditions
U S Destroy
at
least three more enemy fighters than own losses
Japanese Avoid U.S. victory
Special Rules
Japanese pilots are considered novices optional rule XIX).
Any Japanese aircraft not
on
one of the six original board sections
at
the conclusion of turn 20 or
which spends more than three consecutive turns not
on
the original six board sections
is
considered
destroyed for victory purposes.
Four-engine Bombers
Durability and firepower are the mainstay
t he h ea vy b om be r. S pe ed and power occupy p
tions of lesser importance while maneuverabili
virtually irrelevant.
For
this r ea so n, T ab le
which ranks
the
heavy bombers, ign
maneuverability.
The
B-17G scores first in three of t he
categories, second only to the Lancaster in po
The
B-17G reflects improvements over the F m
in all categories but principally in firepower,
the addition of a n os e t ur re t. S im il ar ly t he B
shows upgrading in firepower
but
also a marked
p ro ve me nt in s pe ed o ve r t he D m od el .
Single-engine Bombers
IR FOR E
includes only two single-en
b om be rs , t he J u- 87 B and D. T ab le 9 p ro vi de
analysis of t he ir p er fo rm an ce d at a. T he data
th ese t wo a ir cr af t as well as t he twi n- en gine
four-engine aircraft to follow are computed as
were for the fighters, with the exception
firepower. Since flexible
armament
has unlim
ammunition for game purposes, the Firepowe
dex
is
simply the product
of
fire factors and ra
And since flexible guns have varying firepowe
different clock sectors, the fire factor used for t
guns is their average fire factor.
As with th e Me-109, the D mo del
of the Ju
sacrificed maneuverability less
important
fo
dive bomber anyway) for durability, firepower,
speed.
Twin-Engine Aircraft
T wi n- en gi ne a ir cr af t in IR FOR E ra
from the Me-262A, included above as a fighte
the
He-III H,
a heavy bomber by Luftwaffe sta
a rd s. I n b et we en a re f ig ht er -b om be rs s uc h as
Me-110 and Mosquito F.B.VL
The
performa
data for these planes reflect their diver
purposes.
Table
10
contains data for the twin-engine
craft.
The
bombers dominate in durability while
fighter-bombers excel in the other categories.
exception
is
the Mosquito B.IV, designed to a
rather than absorb punishment. Table 10 does
of
course, consider payload, a prime considera
in evaluating a bomber.
Sin ce t he M e- I
10
was o ri gi na ll y i nt en de d
fighter, reviewing its data may provide some
i nt o th e r easo ns f or its f ail ur e in that role. C
pared to the pure fighters, the Me-IIOC would r
13th overall with
313
index points. Although hig
durability 89 D.L), i t falls s ho rt in f ir ep ow er
F.L, giving th e flexible g un 20
ammo
poin
maneuverability
61
M.L), sp eed 58
S.L)
power
41
P.L).
Its successor, the Me-IIOG, fares consider
b et te r as a f ig ht er , t ot al li ng 362 p oi nt s, p la ci n
just
behind the
P-5ID.
With a Firepower Inde
1306 for a new high, it rates like this in the o
categories:D.L
=
94;M.L
=
62;P.L
= 51;S.
55.
Ignoring maneuverability for the reasons st
above, the Me-llOG and C r an k f ou rt h a nd t e
r es pe ct iv el y. B as ed on their game rati
therefore, the failure
of
the Me-IIOC in partic
may be attributed to the way it was used rather
any inherent weaknesses in design.
Me-262A
365
Tempest V 331
P-47D
325
P-51D 297
Spit.
IX
272
P-5IB 266
Me-109G 265
P-47B 260
FW-190A 255
Hurri. II 242
Me-109F 241
Spit. V 240
Me-109E 205
S pit . I 193
Hurri. I 190
T ab le 8
Composite Ratings
Excluding M.I.
Aircraft Total
AH's advan tage r ule wea ke ns this a rg um en t
somewhat by placing a premium
on
maneuverability
as th e way to get
and stay
on
the enemy s tail. Still,
if the enemy can outrun you, the advantage is lost.
T ab le s 7
and
8 p ro vi de som e in sig ht in to t he
evolution of the Me-I09. The earliest model included
in the game, the Me-109E, was roughly equivalent
in durability and firepower to its successor, the Me
I09F, marginally inferior in speed and marginally
superior in maneuverability.
The
F model showed a
marked improvement only in speed.
The
Me-109G
sacrificed some maneuverability for durability and
power
and
to a lesser extent firepower and speed.
On
the whole, the Me-109 series proves a mediocre
fighter.
Table 7
Composite Ratings
Aircraft Total
P-47D 420
Tempest V 409
Me-262A 408
P-51D
381
P-47B 360
Spit.
IX
353
P-5IB 351
FW-190A 344
Me-109G 332
Me-109F 321
Spit. V 320
Hurri. II 320
Me-109E 286
H ur ri . I 275
S pi t. I 271
As the war progressed, maneuverability became
and less a consideration in aircraft design.
To
lect the effect
of
t hi s s hi ft in e mp ha si s. T ab le 8
es the 15 IR FOR E fighters without consider
g the Maneuverability Index. Significantly, the
st advanced fighter
of
t he wa r, t he Me- 262 A,
ultsto the top
of
the list, followed by theTempest
, P-47D and P-5ID, all advanced designs. A con
ncing argument may be
made
that Table 8 rather
T ab le 7 v al id ly r at es t hese f ig ht er s b ec au se
neuverability yielded no advantage against
an
p on en t w ho w ou ld n ot s ta nd o r t ur n) and fight.
, the Spitfire IX, FW-I90A
and
Me-109F. Con
ry to conventional wisdom, the Hurricane I rates
ghtly a bo ve t he S pi tf ir e I a nd th e H ur ri ca ne II
en with the Spitfire V
Ju-87B
Ju-870
Durability
0.1.)
4.17
94)
4.42
100)
T ab le 9
Single-engine Bombers
Firepower Maneuver Power
(F.I.) (M.I.)
(P.I.)
9.75 3.46 1.0
85) 100) 100)
11.50 3.60 1.0
100) ) 100)
Speed
S.I.)
4.17
74)
5.60
100)
Total
453
4
CONCLUSION
None of this myriad of numbers will guara
y ou success in y ou r next game
of IR
FOR
R at he r, t he y a re i nt en de d t o h ig hl ig ht t he rel a
strengths and weaknesses of the aircraft as an a
developing tactics. As in the war itself, the airc
was only one component of t he a er ia l fi gh
machine. It was and
is
the pilot s
job
to get the m
imum from his aircraft.
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Table
10
Table
Twin-engine Aircraft
Four-engine Bombers
Durability
F;repower
Maneuver
Power
Speed
Total
Durabil i ty Firepower
Power
Speed
Total
(D.I.)
(F.I.) (M.I.)
(p.I.)
(S. .)
Aircraft
(D. .) (F.I.)
(P.I.)
(S.I.)
Me-1I0G
4.97
165.5 3.92
2.00
5.83
B-17G
7.51
61.8
1 1
6.43
(82) (100)
(93)
(100)
(78)
453
(100)
(100)
(85)
(100)
385
Mosquito
4.99
116.0 3.78
1.70
7.43
B-24J
6.92
60.0
1 1
6.33
F.B.VI (82)
(70)
(96)
(85)
(100)
433
(92)
(97)
(85)
(98)
372
Ju-88C 5.95
87.0
4.64
1.80
5.57
B-I7F
7.28
53.4
1.0
6.00
(98)
(52)
(78)
(90)
(75)
393
(97)
(86)
(77)
(93)
353
Me-IIOC
4.72
45.75
4.00
1.60
6.14
B-24D
6.69 52.8
1.1
5.50
(78) (28)
(93)
(80)
(83)
362
(89)
(85) (85)
(85)
344
Mosquito 4.74
0
3.64
1.60
7.43
Lancaster
6.44 20.0
1.3
6.40
B.IV (78)
(0)
(100) (80)
(100)
358
(86)
(32)
(100)
(99)
317
He-l l lH
5.81
17.75
5.00
.80 4.83
(96)
(11)
(73) (40)
(65)
285
Ju-88A
5.83
7.25
5.11 .70
5.43
(96) (4)
(71)
(35)
(73)
279
Wellington
6.06
12.0 5.08
.50
5.50
(100)
(7)
(72)
(25)
(74)
278
7 9
RB
Merely write the winning move in the
propriate space of the contest form in this iss
insert. Ten winning entries will receive
tificates redeemable for free
AH
merchand
ONT ST
NO. 102
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No:
Moves
Type:FW-I90
START: IJS
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DIRECTION: 1
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Type:P.47
No:
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START: IKIO
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-
Moves
6
9•• L
1
You are in the midst of a dogfight
IRFORe£
Both your P-47 and the oppos
FW-190 have suffered damaging hits. Using o
the information provided on the log sheet be
determine the best move for your P-47. Assu
you are using a completely simultaneous mo
ment system instead
of
the advantage rules. N
that both planes have taken damage
as
indica
by the filled-in circles on the respective logs.
Assume tha t both a irc ra ft have execu
enough forward movement in previous turn
perform any maneuver. The actual version
the ai rc raft concerned are the FWl90A
P47D.
STARSHIP TROOPERS
A second ed ition rulebook is finally in the
works . Whi le I am coordinat ing this pro jec t, t he
work is being done by Jim Stahler and Chester E.
Hendricks, both enthus iast experts. Should be
done by January
1982.
CONQUISTADOR
I have also been given the AH deve lopment
chores on this SPI game,
which
sits fine with me
as it
has long been one
of
my favorite games. The
revision should be extremely minor, dealing
mostly
with
an
expansion of the counter mix. Should be
done in late 1981.
NEW GAMES
I have f inal ly been turned loose to design my
own games. The f irst one out of the chute should
be afantasy board game,
tentatively
entitled L ND
ontinuedon
Pg 35 ,
olumn
FORTRESS EUROPA
A PBM Kit
for
the game should be out
in
August. Eventually we will publish a revised second
edition rulebook
which
will contain
many
clarifica
tions, corrections, and additions. In addition, there
will be more Optional Rules and OB Charts for the
Battle Of
The
Bulge
and On To Berlin
scenarios. Although this project will be wrapped up
shortly,
it
may not see print
for
quite a while.
We
will notify you when it becomes available.
FURY IN THE WEST
The revision of this game will be
mostly
artistic.
The rules wil l be un touched exc ep t for several
clarifications. The big changes will be a new, more
pleasing mapboard , bookcase packaging, and
beautiful
new
boxcover art
by
Rodger MacGowan.
many
enemies though, because opponents are
never completely
out of
the game. A player
who is
killed
just
misses a turn and then re turns as the
former player's heir, usually
with
revenge in mind.
This is not a game where everyone sits around
wh il e one player takes a turn. Players can play
cards,
modify
die rolls, and take par t in many of
the act ions dur ing their opponents ' turns. There
wil l be
constant
player interaction. A player can go
from rags to riches and back again several times in
the game. The
winner
will never be certain t il l the
game
is
over.
I f int rigue and t reachery are what you know
best,
DOWN
WITH THE KING is
for
you. The
beloved King wil l
not
be strong enough
to
sup
press the evi l insur rect ions you wil l bring into his
k ingdom. You are the bad guys in this game, but
then maybe
that's why
it's so
much
fun.
After
all,
we are all pretenders
to
some throne or other.
To be released at GENCON EAST 81.
PHILOSOPHY Continued from Page
WITH THE KING
DOWN WITH TH KING is a game of intrigue
nd treachery in which players compete against
King and each other. Each player takes the role
f a Fandonian noble. The objec t is
to
build a
werful, polit ical fact ion and eventually place a
of the Royal Family, loyal only to you, on
e throne.
DOWN WITH THE KING
is
a game
for
two
to
players that has everything that makes a game
n. Assassina tions. Duels. Scandals. Travel.
iding. Romance galore, inc luding seductions,
oposals, weddings and
court
balls. A detai led
tice system
to
deal with wrongdoers, including
hearings, t rials, informers ,
dence, alibis, banishments, imprisonments, and
cutions. Wars between Fandonia and foreign
tries. Natural disasters. Famines. Plagues. All
of
polit ical problems. And more.
Basically, players must gain prest ige and in
uence so
they
can recruit characters
to
their
use. However, the
ways
in which they can do
are practically unlimited. At the same t ime they
also attempt
to
gain the suppor t of the
urch, the trade guild, the merchants, the army,
e navy, the peasants, the townsmen, and
reign countries. But even after
they
have
ablished a strong faction, they
must
wait t ill the
litical climate is right. Only then will
they be
able
usurp the King. The penalty
for
failure is death.
No tw o games wil l ever be the same. There
just
too
many
different things
that
can happen.
must cooperate to some extent against
King, but must a lways be wary o f the stab
in
e back. A player cannot afford
to
make too
Adorned with one of Rodger MacGowan's
est, the game gets even bet te r once inside the
ox. There is a redone mounted
44
x
28
map
oard. There are 1300 counters including every
that saw act ion in the Pacif ic in
1942.
There
two
log sheet pads that together form a 45
of the mapboard
for
easy plotting of
i ts. There are seven playing aid cards
for
easy
The rules, though only slight ly changed in con
nt, have changed dramatically in style and
to
allow a complex game
to
be
esented as easily as possible. The hidden move
nt system has been modified to allow planes as
as ships
to move
on the log sheets, thus
eating a game with total secrecy. The observa
on procedures have been simplified to streamline
lay. More opt ional rules have been added. The
sult is the ultimate game on carrier warfare, and
ybe even the ultimate gaming experience.
To be released
at
GENCON EAST 81.
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2
23
Fake
llC
3 3 7
Fake
ll IZ
DESERT DECEPTION byR.J.Gutenkunst
ING THE TRUE ROLE OF RECONN ISS NCE TO FRIK KORPS
Back in the days when A valon Hill was the only
argame company in existence and non-Avalon
die-cut counters were scarcer than hen s teeth,
hard Gutenkunst was the only source of decent
riant counters
existence at
least to
my
wledge. I still rememberthe thrillofopening the
rst set of STALINGRAD variant counters from
chard with their upgunned panzer corps and
erman airpower in the form of stuka counters
us explaining
my
deja vu feelings upon seeing
IAN CAMPAIGN for the first time). Well,
en years later Richard
is
still at it producing
for A valon Hill games with quality com
at ridiculous prices. Not onlyhas heshared
of them with ushere, he
is
also going to provide
u with the die-cut counters necessary to play it if
u are interested. You ll find ordering informa
on at the end of the article.
Let
us know
if
this
tion to buy aspect variant article appeals to
u as Richard
is
just full of good ideas.
Wargamers are blessed with perfect intelligence
t the point where they re uncomfortable with
e fact. We all have to besmart to play these games
t I t hi nk you know w ha t
I m
talking about: you
ow exactly where your opponent
is
and exactly
h at his s tr en gt h is. I t m ay be n o c on so la ti on , b ut
ur opponent knows the same about you.
If
you re playing a historical game, that is, one
ich attempts to recreate a historical campaign or
t tl e, t ry in g to r ec re at e t he s it ua ti on where t he
didn t
know w hat each o th er had an d
ere they had it
is
verydifficult. TheWorld War II
rth African campaign is an exception in this
gard. Both sides knew pretty much what forma
ons were available to the other. However, exactly
they were was s omet hi ng else. Both t oo k
at pains to mislead each other.
It s
h ar d t o hi de a
it in the desert,
but
you can do all kinds
of
things
o m ak e a u ni t l oo k like s om et hi ng else disguise
your tanks as trucks and your trucks
as
tanks) and
make the enemy think it s someplace else. AFRIKA
KORPS can easily be converted to a game with the
emphasis on deception and reconnaissance-with
the addition
of
a few rules and counters
of
course.
THE DECEPTION COUNTERS
N ot e t he Al lied a nd Axis Dec ep ti on Cou nt er
Cards. Each consists
of
six pairs
of fakes ,
A a nd
B fo r t he Axis, Yand Z for theAllies. Each fake has
a co rr es po ndi ng b oa rd c ou nt er . T o use a fake, a
counter or counter stack
is
removed from the board
and replaced with a fake counter pair. Put the real
unit or units on the upper or lower fake on the
Deception Counter Card. You can now move each
fake counter subject to the limitations
of
the real
unit or units.
Note that movement factors and unit types are
printed on the fake counters. These are for conven
ience only. It
is
easier to use a fake counter with the
same movement factor and type as the real counter,
but the characteristics
of
the fake are governed by
the real counters they represent. You can have all
twelve
of
your counters represent infantry with a
movement factor
of
six, for instance.
As so on as t he fakes get int o c om ba t, th e on e
r ep res en ti ng t he real u ni t has to be rev ealed . O ne
way to do this
is
to write the designation
of
the fake
c ou nt er t ha t r ep res en ts t he rea l u ni t on a slip
of
paper,
put
it f nfo rm at ion side d ow n, and t ur n it
over when one
of
the fake pairs gets into combat.
However, there is another way, which I think is
more fun. A commander rarely has the full control
over his units that the wargamer enjoys. You can
simulate this lack of control by using these decep
tion counters. What you do
is
roll the die when it s
time to reveal a fake.
If
the fake represents a
German unit or a mixed German-Italian unit stack,
the Axis player chooses which counter represents
t he re al u ni t o r u ni ts , rem ov es t he fakes f ro m t he
board and replaces them with the real unit or units.
That
is,
if
he rolls anything but a
In that case
Allied player chooses which fake
is
real.
the f
represent pure Italian forces, the Axis pl
chooses which fake
is
real unless he rolls a I o r
the fakes are Allied units, the Allied player cho
which fake
is
real unless he rolls a I or a 2. For t
of
you who want to be historical, you can vary
Allied die roll with the respective commander
charge. For instance, Montgomery was so car
of
his unit assignments that you might wan
eliminate the die roll altogether when he arrive
The foregoing assumes you are using fake p
If
y ou d esi re, yo u c an use y ou r fake c ou nt er
r ep re sen t a u ni t o r un it s. Wi th f ou r fa ke cou n
standing
in
for your real units you put the real u
at
the juncture
of
the four fakes you aregoing to
on your Deception Counter Card). You roll th
to decide
if
the fake going into combat
is
real or
it is an actual fake it is removed from the bo
When you are reduced to two fakes representin
unit or units, go back to pair rules.
With four piece fakes, the odds have to
changed in favor of the owner
of
the fakes. Th
because his opponent can declare the piece in c
bat real, thereby eliminating the other three fa
C on se qu ent ly, when using a three o r f ou r p
fake,
if
the owner
of
the fake loses the roll
o pp on en t m us t ro ll an o dd n um be r b ef or e he
declare the fake in question real or not. Other
the choice reverts to the owner.
One point needs emphasizing. A fake mu
resolved as soon as an enemy unit comes in con
with it.
If
a fake
is
attacked, the attacker can b
up reinforcements if it s real.
If
i t s a t ru e fake
attacking piece can keep on going to the limit
o
movement factor. So plan your moves careful
W hen a s ta ck
of
units
is
represented by fa
you can split the units between paired fakes w
revealed, b ut when there are three o r four
pieces, one piece must represent all the units
in
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XIS DE EPTION OUNTER RD
LLIED DE EPTION OUNTER RD
f§
~ W
V
al e
y
2 Y
Y
~ Y
7
7
6 6
2
If rz
i ftZ
t>
5W
Z
Z
Z 6 Z
7
6
6
1
2
time. That is, w he n it b es t su it s g am e p la ya b
The II Hussars were available at the beginni
t he g am e, b u t t he y w er e n ot c om pl et el y e qu i
T he y w er e e qu ip pe d b y June however, with S
African
Marmon-Harrington
armored
H ow ev er , t he y we re c om pl et el y r ef it te d w it
superior
Humber armored
c ar s f or t he N ov e
Crusader offensive. yo u opt for the latest ar
you can consider the Hussars as part
of
the S
African armored c ar f orm at io ns to which
Marmon-Harringtons reverted upon their co
s io n t o
Humbers.
1/12
Lancers 1-1-12 This unit is
broughto
board the first Allied move in November, 194
l/Royal Dragoons 1-1-12 T hi s u ni t is p
on the board t he f ir st A ll ie d m ov e in D ec em
1941.
I012DY 1-1-12 The 2nd Derby
Y eo ma nr y. T hi s u ni t is
brought on
the boar
first Allied move in August, 1942.
IO/HeR
1-1-12 The Household Cavalry
m en t. T hi s u ni t is brought
on
the board the
Allied move in October, 1942. .
LRDG 1-0-14 The
Long Raqge Desert G
Use this in the main like an ordinary reconnais
unit.
The
zero defense factor means it ca
destroyed by anyenemy unit with a non-zero a
factor, and t he e ne my u ni t doesn t have to
su pp ly u ni t t o d o so. The LRDG cannot b e u s
screen a friendly unit. is independent
of
sup
except for attacks. c an n ot t ra ve l b y s ea .
w ish , y ou c an a ll ow t he LRDG to destroy Rom
if
he is not stacked with an Axis unit. Thefull m
ment factor
of
this unit is 28, d on e in t wo p ha
4each. This is so it c an use o ne p ha se t o g et o v
escarpment. This unit starts
at
the Allied home
at
initial placement.
ADDITIONAL ALLIED UNITS
2/KDG 1-1-12 The King s Dragoon Guards
Also facetiously kno wn as the King s Dan cing
Girls). This unit is stacked with
2/3
4-4-7)
at
initial
placement.
7/II Hussars
-1-12
This unit can be started
at
t he Al li ed h om e b as e
at
initial placement,
brought
on
the board with the
June
94 reinforcements or
brought on with the
November
94 rein
forcements. Why the choice
of
arrival times? The
idea is to put it on t he b oa rd at its effective arrival
armored car units
on
reconnaissance. Therefore,
if
we consider all the Allied recon units supported by
Jock
c ol um ns , t he y h av e e no ug h
combat
value to
s ho w u p as a c ou nt er .
Perhaps
the seemingly non-historical weakness
of the Allied 1-1-6 infantry brigades bothers you.
One reason they re so weak
is
to relieve you
of
con
t in uo us ly p ul li ng t he m in and out of t he g am e.
Also, some
of
the divisions represent almost com
plete national armies. Historically the Britishhad to
be v er y c ar ef ul
about t he se . Sin ce a
nation s
war
effort
was g ea re d t o t he se u ni ts , l et ti ng t he m
take
crippling casualties could
knock
t he p a re nt n at io n
out
of
t he wa r f or p rac ti cal p ur po se s. S tr en gt h
could be assigned to these units by counting
rifles , but a ll ow in g f or t he h in dr an ce to t he ir use
and p ul ling t he m in and out
of
the battle in a
historical fashion would be a nightmare. However,
now that y o u ve g ot t he b es t part
of
some
of
the in
f an tr y b rig ad es s up po rt in g t he r ec on na iss an ce
units, the 1-1-6 sshould be easier to live with. I find
it so anyway.
A
deception-reconnaissance version
of
AFRIKA
KORPS is a new g am e and consequently
needs new counters to
make
i t work. The following
are descriptions and arrival data for these counters.
is quite possibleto play the game with the fake
ounters alone, with the victory going to the
akiest personality,
but
r ec on na is sa nc e a dd s a
ole new skill.
Reconnaissance ability is limited to RECCE
e counters. Recon counters are moved first
on
a
n. They
perform
reconnaissance by entering the
of control
of
a f ak e. a f ak e is not screened
ou go through the steps to reveal a fake. If its
v emen t f ac to r a llo ws, th e r ec on u ni t c an th en
ave the zone
of
control it entered,
but
it
must
leave
the same hexagon it entered the
zone
of control
Right. Can t h av e t he se f as t c ha ra ct er s g oi ng
hind the lines destroying supply units and cutting
lines of retreat. A recon unit is only allowed one
connaissance mission per move, but i t c an m ove
combat
afterwards if it has enough
of
a move
nt factor left. This
of
course could also reveal a
To simplify this rule, consider a recon unit to
ve only one back-out or disengagement privilege
r move.
If
the fakes get reduced to two pieces by fake
l im in at io n, p ai re d f ak e r ul es h ol d and you ca n
en divide the units. However, the player who sets
p the fakes may declare them non-splittable when
ma kes t he i ni ti al s ub st it ut io n. I n t hi s ca se, o ne
ake must represent all the units in the stack. To in
cate this put your bottom-most counter on the
Counter Card upside down. Your
owest counter should be
on
top.
y ou p la n t o a tt ac k w it h t he u ni ts r ep re se nt ed
a set of your fake counters you roll the die for the
unters in question before you move.
you lose
e roll for a three or f ou r fake, y ou r opponent
moves thecounter he mostdesires to be false. You
rolling until your real position has been decided.
a fake has a friendly recon naissance u nit
thin two hexagons one hexagon between the two
its) it is considered screened.
You will note that a reconnaissance unit can be
position to screen more than o ne fak e. W he n a n
nemy r ec on u ni t tries to r ec on no it er a f ake , t he
ke s owner then declares which units are screen
g t he f ak e i n q ue st io n. A ft er t he r ec on na is sa nc e
t em pt ha s b een r es ol ve d, t he s cr ee ni ng u ni ts a re
p or ar ily t ur ne d u psid e d ow n t o i nd ic at e t ha t
ey c an no t be used t o screen o th er u ni ts f or that
To assure a successful reconnaissance against
screened unit, you must have
at
l ea st t hr ee t o o ne
ds against the screening unit s). At two to one
ds, the reconnaissance is successful if an
odd
is r ol le d o n t he d ie. At o ne to o ne o dd s or
the reconnaissance fails.
To have fun with reconnaissance, it can be seen
you re g oin g t o n eed a l ot m or e Allied r eco n
i ss an ce u ni ts . F or tu na te ly t he y had scads
of
e m. T he r ea so n t he y wer e l ef t
out
of
the original
me was t ha t t he y w er e p u re a rm or e d c ar f or ma
ons, with plenty of snoop ability but very little
t value. The corresponding
German
unit was
m uc h m or e b al an ce d f or ce that included motor
cle infantry, engineers and anti-tank guns with
e a rm or ed cars. Ligh t AA guns
mount ed on
ftracks murderous against infantry) and 88 s
murderous against tanks) were normally attached.
However, enter the
Jock
columns.
Jock
Columns
The Jock
columns were originated by Major
Jock Campbell, the
commander
of the
tish Seventh
Armored
Division. They were fast
v in g a d h oc u ni ts u su al ly c on si st in g
of
a fu lly
ile battalion
of
infantry
and
a b at te ry
of
25
field guns supported by anti-tank and anti
craft guns. The material and m an po we r was
ually o bt ai ne d by c he rr y p ick in g th e i nf an tr y
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XIS ORDER OF PPE R N E
MARCH
I t ~ ~
1941
2 1 ~ 5
218
3
I t t e J · ~
I t ~ ~
I t ~ ~
I t ~ 5
c=J1
AGHEILA
Q
<
II>
0 0 12
7 7 10 .
2 2 12
4-5-6
2-3-4
2-3-4
2-2-4
2-2-4
0-0-10
2 1 ~ 1 0 4 ~ 2 0 0
I t rXr
I t ~ ~
I t ~ ~
HOME
ltD :
OR
1 -
1-1-6'
BASE
0 1 3
-3-10
OR
2 2 10
2-3-4
OR
2-2-4
AGHEILA
MAY
SEPTEMBER
NOVEMBER
1941
1 5 ~ 8
1941
1941
I t ~ ~
1 5 ~ 3 3
~ 3 0 0
I t ~ . ~
c :JArko
~ T i i
104
It
3-4-61-
2-0-6
1 1 9
7-7-10
2 2 12
1-1-4
2-3-4
...
1 5 ~ 1 1 5
9 0 ~ 1 5 5
9 0 ~ 5 5
9 0 ~ 3 8 1
OR
2 1 ~ 1 0 4
I t ~ ;
t l X l i
3-3-10
3-3-10
2 2 10
2-2-7
3 3 7
1.1-6
2 2 4 ~
FEBRUARY
JUNE
AUGUST
1942
9 0 ~ 2 0 0
90tEt 580
1942
Cl
1942
Cl
I t ~ ~
~ 5 1
I t lQl ;
2 2 12
u
2-2-4
a
4-5-6
::;
2 7
2-2-4
4-4-7
I t Q J
~ ~ 1 2 5
~ ~ 3 8 2
SUBSTITUTEs v
~ ~ 4 3 3
~ B 2 2 0
I t ~ ~
88
5 COUNTER
2 2 10
0 3 ~
2-2-7 2-2-7 2-2-7
1 1 12
1 1 7
4-4-10
LLIED
ORDER OF
PPE R N E
MARCH
ELALAMEIN
HOME BASE
MATRUH
TOBRUCH
1941
on
I ~ ISUBSTITUTE
~ .
; ~ 5
~ ~ 7
~ ~ 1 1
~ ~ C I H
7 ~ ~
~ L R D G
~ ~ 1 ~ 1 2 5 l 2
l M
A.
=
·0 1 COUNTER
1 1 6 =
1 1 6 1 1 6
1-1-6
1 1 8
1 1 1 2 ~
1-0-14
1 1 6 1 1 6
4-4-6
u
~ ~ 2 0 c=J1
2 2 6
0-0-10
TOBRUCH
ALUM
kSJGds
2 2 6
BENGASI
~ ~
JULY
1941·r---.--.-----.----
50c8J69 5 0 ~ 5 1
5012:1150 5 ~ : OR ~ S : A C
1 1 6
1 1 6
1 1 6 1 1 6
1 1 12
7 ~ ; G .
2 2 7
..-J ? 31
Idl lIMotor
1 1 8
2 ~ K O G 2@3 7 ~ ~ t o r
OR
l
i
l-12
4-4-7
2-2-6
MECHILI
JUNE
1941 i - - - - . - - ~ - -
7J2]4 7 ~ 7
7 ~ S ~ G .
OR
4-4-7
3-3-7
1 1 7
on
7 ~ ~
1 1 1 2 ~
~ ~ 2 3 7 ~ o ~ ~ r
1 1 6 1 1 6
7 ~ s t A c
1 1 12
~ ~ 6
1 1 6
~ ~ 7
1 1 12
~ ~ 4
1 1 6
~ ~ 1 8
7 0 ~ 1 6
2-2-6
1-1-6
1 1 6
i i i ~ 1 0
1 1 6 1 1 6
on
1 ~ - g
1 1 1 2 l ~
DECEMBER
1941
1 ~ ~
co
1 1 1 2 ~
lQ]32
2 2 7
1 ~ 2 0 1 7,.. J..1 .
a
l SJGds
2-2-6 1 1 12
1[§]22
4-4-7
1-1-12
-1-6
:2 r : :: .tOiv. 1 <5 2
N ~ C a v .
a
1 1 10
4-4-7
1-1-6-1-6
1-1-6
1 1 6
NOVEMBER
1941
i i i ~ 2 9
7 0 ~ 2 3
1-1-6
1 1 6
AUGUST
1941 r r
i i i ~ 9
1 1 6
AUGUST
1942
r r r
10@23 1 0 ~ Y
MAY
1942
1 1 6
JULY
1942
3 3 7
3-3-7
1 1 12
OCTOBER
1942
5 1 ~ 1 511812
1 1 6 1 1 6
i i i ~ 1 8
212121
~ ~ 2 5
1-1-6 1 1 6
1 1 6
< 4bI in
i
v
O l ~ C a v .
1 1 10
col2J161
~ ~ 2 4
4 4 ~ 6 1
4 4 ~ 1 3 2
1 1 6
2 2 6
1 1 6 1 1 6
1 1 12
1 1 6
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7/4
SAAC
1-1-12)
and
6
SAAC
1-1-12) The
th and 6th South African Armored Car regiments.
ese are the correct designations of7/4 SA Motor
an d 50/6 SA Motor 1-1-6). These were
bablyused as 1-1-6 s to get a reasonable strength
r the S ou th A fr ic an Infantry divisions without
ving them 2-2-6 counters. However, since the em
is now on reconnaissance substitute the
1-12 s as needed.
7 7
S.C. 2-2-7) The 7th Armored Division s
pport group. It contained two infantry bat
lions, 2 RB
and
I KR RC , plus th e divisional
ant i- tank , ant i- ai rc ra ft , and field
tillery. T he 2 nd
Armored
Division s support
oup had exactly
half
this strength in Libya, which
why the 7 th support group is assigned a 2-2-7.
then, I KR RC was available at the Allied
me base) Mar ch 29, 1941, but 2 RB wasn t.
erefore, for the purposes
of
this variant
we
can
very flexible. 7/ 7 S.G. can be brought on in
1941
as a 1-1-7 or a 2-2-7. Another option
ouldbe to start itas a 1-1-7
at
the Allied home base
the b eg in ni ng
of
t he g am e.
it
is
not in an
olated surrounded) position change it to a 2-2-7
June, 1941. the 1-1-7 gets eliminated before
1941 bring 7/7 S.G. on a ga in as a 1-1-7.
70/16 1-1-6) you change your South African
tor regiments to 1-1-12 s you may need this unit.
arrives July, 1941. Only 70123 was included in the
ginal game because the division was pulled out
of
bya in December
of
1941. Right. One of those in
d-out units that give game designers royal pains.
2NZ Div Cav
1-1-10 The divisional cavalry
of
the 2nd New Zealand division. This was
light tank a nd B re n g un c ar ri er f or ma ti on . I t h as
a rm or ed c av al ry t yp e d es ig na ti on b ec au se y ou
not want to give it full reconnaissance powers
d allow it screening ability only. It arrives
mber, 1941.
9A Div
Cav. 1-1-10 The same type
of
unit as
/Div.Cav. 1-1-10). It arrives July, 1942.
9A 4-4-6) T he 9 th A us tr al ia n Infantry Divi
on. This is a substitution counter that can only exit
Tobruk.
I t c an c on si st
of
9A120 2-2-6), 7
A/I
and
7A12
1-1-6) o r 9A/18 2-2-6) and
2-2-6). The arrival
of
9A/18 and
9A124
can
accelerated to have them be in
Tobruk
on initial
acement. After November 1941 its use s ho ul d
ably be discontinued. Its use is strictlyo ptional
d depends on which additional units you add to
e game.
31
Motor
1-1-8)
and4I1CIH
1-1-8) These units
n be used instead of7/3I Motor 2-2-6). 31 motor
of three Indian Cavalry Regiments. As it
d no artillery or
support
units, attack and defense
of
one are probably more realistic.
4I/CIH
tral India Horse) was the divisional cavalry for
Fourth Indian Infantry D iv is io n. N o r ec on
ssance vehicles were available for these units so
ey h ad t o
make
do with trucks. Happily this gives
an excuse to use them as needed in the
reconnaissance units that a re c om
r ative ly slow. T he y c an keep y ou i nf or me d of
ha t th e Axis p lay er h as , but are not really fast
o ug h t o m ak e d an ge ro us e nd r un s. To counter
nce the use
of
these two units, the Italian Trenta
ivision 2-3-4) sho ul d be replaced by T re nt o
-2-4) and 7 Bers. 1-1-6).
DITIONAL AXIS UNITS
300 OASIS 1-2-6) The 300th Oasis battalion.
is u ni t o pe ra te d as s ep ar at e c om pa ni es t o g ar
s on s tr on g p oi nt s. T he re wer e at least five com
ies 2,6,10,12,13) and possibly a maximum
of
irteen. Well supported by 88 s and heavy
eap on s they were t ou gh n ut s to c ra ck . Arriv es
y, 1941.
255 1-1-4) This was one of five separate in
ntry ba ttali on s sent t o Afr ica. Most of them
ticular battalion combined with sv 288 t o b ec om e
Panzergrenadier Regiment Afr ika at the end
of
October, 1942. Until then it guarded the rear areas.
With all the Allied 1-1-12 s running around this
is
what
y ou l l h av e it d oi ng . A rr iv es M ay , 1941.
Arko 104 2-0-6 All of the G er man heavy
artillery was lumped under this unit. t f ou gh t as a
separate entity, perhaps more familiarly known as
Group Boettcher or Group Mickl. German combat
u ni ts c an be s ta ck ed f ou r high i f this u ni t is on e
of
t he m. I t h as
an
attack
and
defense factor
of
2 when
stacked with another combat unit, 0 when it
is
alone
or with only Rommel or a supply unit. The presence
of
this unit was historically critical to a successful
attack
on
Tobruk. T he re fo re , since m uc h
of
an
a rm o re d u n it s s tr en gt h d ep en ds on its mobility,
y ou c an h av e Arko 104 cancel the defensive doubl
ing of anyone armored unit it attacks. i t wer e t o
attack two 4-4-7s in Tobruk, the combined defense
f ac to r w ou ld b e 12. I n t hi s c as e y ou w ou ld w an t t o
use th e 9 A 4-4-6) s ub st it ut io n c ou nt er . Ar rives
November, 1941.
sv 288 2-2-10 S on de rv er ba nd 288. T hi s was a
special completely self-sufficient motorized unit
all arms that was originally scheduled to be sent to
I ra q. I t u su ally f ou gh t u nd er th e command
of
the
90th Ligh t Division. Since it ha d str ong reco n
naissance elements it can be used as a recon
naissance unit. Arrives February 1942.
90/155 2-2-10 This regiment
of
the 90th Light
Division was completely motorized in February of
1942. If you need its speed, you can substitute it for
90/55 2-2-7) in February, 1942. Actually, this unit
wavavailable in it s i nc om pl et el y m ot or iz ed f or m
f or t he C ru sa de r o ff en si ve . For p la y b al an ce y ou
c an b ri ng 9 0/ 55 2 -2-7) and 90/361 3-3-7) on the
board i n S ep te mb er
of 1941-al so
th e I ta li an
Trieste division
if
you have to. Trade 90/155
2-2-10) for 90/55 2-2-7) in February
of
1942
if
it
survives.
164/220 1-1-12) The reconnaissance unitof the
164th Light Division. It is doubtful i f it ever was
ad equ ately equ ip pe d. It c an be
brought on
the
board June 1942 if t he Axis p la ye r uses o n e of his
replacement points.
It CaF
0-1-3 This unit represents about three
battalions
of
I ta li an f ro nt ie r g ua rd s s up po rt ed b y
the Genova machine gun battalion. They even
tually wound up as the Bardia Garrison in
November
of
1941. Starts
at
Axis h om e b ase
at
initial placement.
It CC
FF 1-1-6 The Giovani Fascisti or Young
Fascist division. This was an Italian armored divi
sion that was never supplied with tanks. It did have
three battalions
of
m ot or iz ed i nf an tr y, o ne
of
which was a heavy weapo ns u ni t as in a
standard
Italian armored division. However, the battalions
were independent
and not
formed into a bersaglieri
regiment as in the o th er armored divisions. The
Young Fascists did have their divisional artillery,
although it wasn t up to the material given to Ariete
and Trieste. The original game It/Fascist 2-3-4)
division actually represents this unit plus quite a few
odds and ends
of
reinforcements that the Italians
received. You can use the new unit instead
of
the old
one or include them both and use the old one as a
replacement draft. That is, when an Italian infantry
division is destroyed you can bring it back by
trading the It/Fascist 2-3-4) unit for it.
nothing
else you get a little m or e realism. A ft er all, you
don t plan to use any
of
your replacement points for
I ta li an i nf an tr y d o y ou ? B ot h t he o ld and the new
unit arrive November 1941.
It RECAM
1-1-9) The reconnaissance unit for the
Italian Armored C o rp s C AM ). I t is brought on the
board by bein g p lac ed on t he Ar ie te d iv isio n in
It San Marco 0-1-3 One
of
t he n um
Italian San Marco Marine battalions. This on
assigned to garrison Benghazi and h ad q ui te a
h ea vy w ea po nr y t o
support
i t. Arrives Febr
1942.
200 2-2-10 Both of the German armored
sions 15 a nd 21) a re in t he ir 1942 c on fi gu ra t
This is n o t h ow t he y a rr iv ed . y ou wish , y ou
use this counter to get an arrival variation. Bri
t he 2 1st P an ze r o r 5 th L ig ht as it was k no wn
as 2 1/ 5 7-7-10), 2 1/ 3 2-2-12) and 200 2-2
Br in g t he 15th P an ze r
on
as 1 5 /8 7 -7-10 ), 1
2 -2 -1 2) , 2 1/ 10 4 3-3-10) and 90/155 2-2
90/155
is
s ta nd in g in f or 1 5/1 15 2-2 -10) . 2 1
was originally a two b at ta li on unit
of
t he
Panzer. The division s motorcycle battalion is a
t o it h er e t o m ak e it a 3-3-10. I n F eb ru ar y of
200 2-2-10) b ec om es 901200 2 -2 -7) , 9
becomes 15/115 3-3-10) and 90/55 bec
90/155 2-2-10)
if
you wish.
4-4-10 Originally this was the brigade
mand for the 15th Panzer D iv isi on s
Pan zer gr en ad ier regiments. It was used by
Germans for numerous command duties. You
give the Germans yet more clout by using it
s ub st it ut io n c ou nt er . T he
combat
factors o
substituted units must add up to 4 and the m
m en t f ac to rs m us t b e 10
or
more. Alternately
can pu t t he s ub st it ut ed f ou r c ou nt er s aside
g ov er n th e 15th B ri ga de counter s speed by
slowest unit substituted for.
It Trento
2-2-4)
and It 7
Bers. 1-1-6) T
u ni ts c an r ep lac e
It/Trent
a 2-3-4). The I
Trento d iv is io n was s up po se d t o b e a fully m
ized division like Trieste. Like Trieste, it had
regiments instead of the n or ma l t wo in a stan
I ta li an i nf an tr y d iv isio n. H ow ev er , o nl y the
Bersaglieri was motorized. The 7th Bersaglier
e ve nt ua ll y d et ac he d f or use as a c or ps u ni t l e
the rest
of
Trento the composition
of
a n or m
fantry division. The substitution
of
these two
for It/Trenta 2-3-4)
is
n or ma ll y p er fo rm e
counter-balance the Allied use
of
31 Motor
and
4I/CIH
1-1-8).
GETTING GOING
y ou n ow h av e t he i mp re ss io n y ou h av e
extra counters than y ou l l e ve r n ee d you re
These counters are cut easiest in sets of 12 and
why give you blanks?
If
y ou t ry t o use all t he c ou nt er s i mm ed
y ou l l bog d own in a welter
of
c on fu si on . A
gested start
is
a maximum of four fake counte
player. Substitute
the4and
6 SAAC 1-1-12uni
th e t wo S A
Motor
1-1-6 u ni ts a nd y ou h av e a
beginning. Once you have experience you can t
in u ni ts as y ou d es ir e. y ou b al an ce a u ni t b
on t he o th er s id e brought on at approximatel
s am e t im e, t hi ng s s ho ul d s ta y p re tt y e ven . I n
t io n t o b al an ci ng th e u ni ts , fo r every e xt ra A
unit added, the Axis player gets
an
extra supply
to eliminate it. This
is
done bygiving the Axis p
a can cel f or a bad supply roll for every extra A
unit a dd ed . T hu s, if th e Allied player takes
e xt ra u ni ts , t he Axis p la yer gets su ppl ies f or
t ur ns he n or ma ll y w ou ld n ot .
As m or e and more Allied reconaissance
get added to the game, the more the Axis playe
h av e t o c on te nd with end runs in t he s ou
part
of
the board.
this gets out
of
hand, can
reconnaissance unit s defensive doubling if it
w it hi n five s qu ar es
of
a supply unit or a
s qu ar e. D ue t o its i ni ti al p os it io n 2/KDG 1-
c an be p ar ti cu la rl y p es ky in t hi s r eg ar d. I n a
fact, historically it had its hands full screening
4-4-7). Therefore, until 2/3 reaches Tobruk
can require
2/KDG
t o e nd its m ov em en t in sc
ing position
of
2 /3 o r on e
of
the fakes represe
it if used.
If
the Allied player neglects to do thi
A xis p la ye r c an m ov e
2/KDG
b ac k t o its s ta
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By
Larry
Bucher
The Third THIRD REICH
YS S
5 A
56
EffRng
PEN
4 9
HPWt
A Tour
of
the Mapboard
It
doesn't look
all
that different at
first glan
You have to
look
closely to
spot
the s ignifica
changes,
but
they
are
there. AJI coastlines have be
redrawn and
sharpened
so that there
should
longer be
doubt
as
to
whether land (or sea) mov
ment
between hex A
and
hex B is legal. In perhap
dozen
cases the coastline was
drawn
exactly
to
co
cide with
the
intersection of three hexes, these sp
are
specified in the
rulebook.
Hexes with two
more
fragments
of
unconnected
land-wheth
mainland and
island, or bits
of mainland-ha
been eliminated.
Troublesome
islands (such as
stage I felt, N ow
they're
surely
perfect-or
nea
so no
one could
find
any
moreerrors
or omissio
of
much consequence.
I've been
wrong
five times. And as will be se
below,
there
areat least two things (concerning su
ply and Spain) that should have been clarified in t
final
product.
I will
take
r efuge in t he
quotati
taped to
my typewriter: Nothingwould be done
all
if
a
man
waited till he
could do
it so well
that
one could
f ind fau lt with
it. (That's
ascribed
one John Henry
Newman; I confess
to
never havi
heard
of
him.)
An
imperfect
THIRD REICH
1981 beats a perfect RISING SUN in 19-whenev
There
seemed to be a
majority
opinion-thoug
a
shaky one, and without
eloquent dissenters-th
the
Axis
had somewhat the
better of play balance
number
of changes
do
a ffec t p lay balance ; a
many, but not
all, are pro-Allied. Only time will t
whether
the
shifts go
too
far,
not
far
enough, or
a
just
right.
The new edition
contains
only one
body
standard rules. There
is
no
advanced game
there
are no
optionals .
This reflects a prejud
of my
own,
for which I advance two arguments
th tendency of recent games to include ba
and
advanced
(and
sometimes intermediate) v
sions,each perhaps
with it s
own
set of option
rules, does have it s rat iona le . P laye rs
are
f ree
pick
and choose among
rules
that
s tr ike them
good, bad , t oo
complex,
too
simple,
or
whatev
and
tailor
the
rules they use exactly
to
their tas te
think
the
trend
is
inevitable, but its accompanyi
drawbacks should
be recognized:
no
two playersa
likely
to
agree right down
the
line,
and
each new o
ponent
playedentailsa new
round
of discussion a
compromise
over the rules
to
be used. It th
becomes all
but
impossible
to
play the
same
ga
against
more than oneopponent. The
acquisition
expertise is
hampered, and
the les sons lea rn
against
one opponen t may
have
to
be painfu
unlearned when using a
different
rule mix agai
another
foe.
in
a
broad
sense,
all
rules
are optional and
not
need
to
be labeled as such. Whenever play
can agree
to
ignore a rule,
to modify
it, or
to
ins
one
of their
own
inspiration, they
are
perfectly f
to
do
so
without
seeking
advance sanction
fro
Baltimore.
The
key
word
is
agree .
It is wh
players do
not
agree
that
the official rules shou
be
treated
as gospel.
SIGN
Larry Bucher w s both the main instigator
behind the THIRD
REICH
revisions and the chief
contributor thereto. Not only has he been the in
spiration and main guiding light
of
the third edi
tion but he has also handled the THIRD
REICH
nutmail chores eversince theproject got underway
over ayear ago. I f anyone has a beller understand
ing than myself
of
how
badly those rules needed
revision it
is
Larry. And while
we
both share a great
feeling
of
accomplishment
in
the house cleaning we
did on those oldrules I m not altogether sure that I
believe him when he says his recent overseas
reassignment with thestatedepartment
in
Haiti w s
purely coincidental.
a pol l were ever
to
be
taken
in t he
category
Most
Mystifying Rules
of an
Avalon
Hill Game
THIRD REICH would surely be on the bal lo t, in
the company
of
the
original ANZIO, 1914, and
Uudging solely
from
RBG ratings) GETTYSBURG
'77and
MA
GIC
REALM. I would no t want to call
a winner.
That THIRD
REICHshould have attained
its
populari ty, and
won it s awards, despi te those
rules, speaks volumes for
the other
qualities
of
the
game. I certainly
found
it intriguing
that
the
game,
now
seven years
old,
fared
no
less
than third
in
the
first
WhatAre You Playing?
survey.
I would take mild issue with a
phrase
of a few
GENERALS
ago
that
described
THIRD REICH
'81 as
completely
new . I
do
no t feel that the
change
is that great.
There
are
perhaps
four
brand
new rules,
half
a dozen rule areas
that
are drastically
different, and
a myr iad of differences
that some
will see as changes
and some
as clarifications-with
no
two playe rs able fully
to
agree
on
which
are
which.
Until 1978 I
harbored
misconceptions
that
Leningrad
s tood on an
equal footing with Moscow
as a Russian supply source, and that fleets of less
than nine fac to rs cou ld
not perform
the supply
function.
In
1979 I
encountered
players-good
players-who
played
that
Italy
and Germany
did
not take
their
turn
in unison until they were allied.
Such examples
could
continue.
The point
is
that
many third
edition rules
that
s tr ike me as
no more
than a formalization of the way it alwayswas are
sure
to
strike
others
somewhere as changes, rever
sals of
tradition.
And vice versa.
What began as s imply
an effort
to rewrite
the
existing rules and their
interpretations
for c lari ty
and
completeness generated a fascinating give
and
take deba te on the
possibilities for
improvement
and innovat ion, and
far
more
changes were in the
end incorporated than
I
had
originally envisioned.
To describe it in
terms
which will be more familiar
to
many,
I
think the
degree of change
to
THIRD
REICH
approximately
equals the changes to the
current
editions of
D-DAYand BLITZKRIEG. For
argument's
sake, assume
that
first edition rules
=
60, second edition rules
=
65,
and
perfection
=
100.
granted
my
assumptions,
I believe
8
will score
at about
95.
Why
can't I c la im 100
after
all
the effort?
Ex
perience The new rules have
gone
through at least
five stages of rewrite
(I've
lost
count)
and at each
Listed:
170
Total Responses:
934
Rank Times
Last on
Freq.
k Title
Pub
Time
List
Ratio
1. Leader AH
3
7.3
2.
Third Reich
AH
4
3
4.1
3.
TRC
AH
3 3
3.8
4. COl
AH
6 3
3.3
5.
D D TSR
8 3
2.5
6. FE
AH 5
3
2.5
7.
Stalingrad
AH 15
3
2.3
8.
l'anzer Leader
AH
II
3
2.2
9. COD AH
10
3
2.2
VITP
AH
9
3
2.1
I. Afrika Korps
AH 12
3
1.7
War At Sea
AH 4
3
1.6
Panzerblitz
AH 13
3
1.4
War Peace AH
3 3
5.
Air
Force AH I
1.2
6. WS IM
AH 17
3
1.2
Diplomacy
AH
I 1.1
D-Day
H I
LO
9.
Midway
AH 16
3 1.0
0. CM
AH 2 2 1.0
Until
you
think you can
handle
it,
do not
allow
kes in the fortresses
of
Benghazi
and Tobruk.
I' d also like
to soapbox about AFRIKA KORPS
l it tl e b it . I feel
that
luck is
too much of
a
factor.
supp ly rolls f or i nst ance c an
make
the d if
rence between a win or a los s. I would like to sug
st the following alternate: The German gets only
e
supply
unit
per month (every
other turn) from
1941
to
November 1941. From April 1941
to
1941,
the
Allied Player
can
p reven t a new
supply
uni t f rom appearing
three times,
the
German
can cancel
one
of these.
From
1941
to
the
end
of the
game the
Allied
can
declare
an arbitrary sunk
5 times, two of
the German
can cance l. Thi s gives you the
age result
of the
die rol l a ll the t ime. Also, sup
are
most likely
to
be
sunk
when the Allies
put
aximum eff or t i nt o
it.
If
the
German
is in
perate need
of
supplies he will
put maximum
for t i nto
convoy
protection.
Note that this
can be
adjusted
for perfect
game
balance.
The Frequency Ratio
is
derived
by
dividing the
of votes received by
the number
of votes
for the
place entry.
Ties in
rank are resolved
in
favor of the
er title. The Times on List category
is
based on on-
preceding times on the list; not total
The startling turn-around in the ranking
of
CIRCUS
seems to indicate the very heavy influence
of
GENERAL s
content on
what
you're playing. Last
a feature presentation on CM that game
to second place from
all
the way off
the
chart. Only
issue later it
has
slid all the way to the bottom rung.
on the other hand, posted the biggest
by
climbing eight
places
to 7th following
its
feature
le status
in
Vol.
17
No.6.
NG INSTRUCTIONS
You can order precut counters and deception
charts
fo r
this variant directlyfrom:
Richard Gutenkunst
Box 3301 Traffic Station
MPLS
MN
55403
Cost
is
1.00 plus a sturdy stamped self
dressed envelope bearing
18¢
postage. The
self-addressed envelope
is
vital
fo r
same
y service.
If
you have quest ions that can be
swered in a few words or a simpleyes or no the
swers can be included with the counters.
SO THAT'S WHAT
BEEN
PLAYING
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A l im it at io n h as be en p ut o n DAS . L ik e ground
s up po rt , it m ay n ot exce ed t hr ee t im es t he n um be r
of ground factors defending.
Moving on t o naval m at te rs, I st an bu l s two
f ro nt p or t s ta tu s now allows t he T ur ki sh Nav y to
o pe ra te in t he Black Se a. F or S ea -E sc or te d S R
or
sea supply lines to pass all the way th ro ug h the
Turkish straits, all four hexes adjacent to the cross
ing arrows must be controlled.
Fleets
at
t wo -f ro nt p or ts m ay es cap e t o e it he r
f ro nt i f t heir port is o ve rr un . Yo u, th e German
player, enter Gibraltar. Force H heads for
Pl ym ou th . You h op ef ul ly p oi nt
ou t
that Free
French Oran is much closer.
Sorry-you
lose.
The
owner
of
the fleets has his choice of
front within
the chosen
front he mu st then flee to the closest
friendly base.
At all straits containing crossing arrows, fleets
may n ot m ov e t hr ou gh unless b ot h l an d sides a re
u nd er friend ly c on tr ol . T he y m ay mov e
into
as
distinct from
through,
an uncontrolled strait to ex
ecute a mission.
Fle et s b ase d in t he U .S . b ox m ay :
-invade
and bombard
only if no friendly port
exists
on
the Western Front.
se
t ra ns po rt o nl y wh en Axis u ni ts a re
adja
cent to all friendly Atlantic ports thus making sea
escort impossible).
-carry su pp ly o nly if b ot h L on do n a nd P ar is
are Axis-controlled
or
isolated from Atlantic ports.
-intercept at
maximum range, after U.S.
entry.
A U. S. fleet m ay
initially
mo ve fr om th e U .S .
box to
Europe
only during SR, as an initially
d ep lo yi ng u ni t. O nc e h av in g d on e so , it a nd o th er
Allied fleets) may freely move to
and
from the U.S.
b ox d ur in g m ov em en t o r S R p ha se . It is not again
counted as
an
initially deploying unit if it returns to
th e U .S. bo x
and
subsequently leaves there by SR.
U .S . fleets wh ic h h av e n ot yet i nit ial ly d ep lo ye d
may nevertheless sail during
combat or
SR phase,
but
m ust r et ur n t o th e bo x at the end of
the
phase.
Shore
bombardment
has been sharply curtailed.
It may be used only against hexes being invaded by
sea, fortresses,
and
one-hex islands.
To
kill off a
misconception that has plagued rule decipherers:
fleets never
bombard
into an adjacent
hex-rather,
they enter the water portion of the same coastal hex
they are bombarding. French
and
British fleets can
not, as some previous articles have implied, bom
b ar d th e same hex befor e
1942
by r em ai ni ng in
separate, adjacent hexes.
B ot h p or ts involved in a sea
transport
mission
must have been friendly at the start of the player
turn. The
paradrop
followed by sea transport tac
tic is dead.) A given sea transport mission may load
units at m or e t ha n o ne
port,
bu t it may discharge
them
at
only one port. Attacker can
of
course move
more
than
one such mission.
Embarkation
costs
ground
u ni ts n o m ov em en t f ac to rs , d eb ar ka ti on
costs
one-but
enemy
armor
adjacent to the
port of
embarkation limits movement normally; embarka
t io n w ou ld c ost 2 MF in such circumstance, even if
b ot h na val u nit a nd t ra ns po rt ed unit begin th eir
turn
in the same
port
hex. Unsupplied units can't be
sea transported because of the debarkation cost.
Transported air units must have started their
turn
in
the
port
of e mb ar ka ti on ; th ey t re at th e p or t of
d eb ar ka ti on as th ei r new ai r b ase b ut
cannot
fly
counterair missions therefrom sequence
of
play
problems result otherwise),
and
a ny i nte nd ed
ground support mission
or
a tt ac k o n n av al u ni ts in
port must be announced when attacker announces
his other air missions.
Invading fleets may use any surplus factors not
required to carry their
ground
units) for bombard
ment. Invading units muststart their
turn
in a
port,
and the fleet that c ar ri es t he m m us t be b as ed in t he
same port. It could change base during movement
phase to get there.)
EX MPLE Two
9
w
factor fleets carry a 4 5 armorunit and a
3
n t y unit. Only 5 naval facotrs are required to carry the ground
units the other three may provide one factor of Shore Bombard-
ment.
Moving fleets may be intercepted,
or
attacked
by air, at their base hex since they enter the water
portion of that hex as soon asthey leave port),
or
at
their target hex,
or at
any intervening hex. Their
ta rge t hex is their new base in the case
of
mo vem en t- ph as e base changes), th e
port
of
debarkation sea transport), the invaded hex, or the
hex being
bombarded.
EX MPLE
An
lIalian fleet attempts Sea Transport from
Taranlo
lO Tripoli One British fleet from Gibraltarandtwo from Alexandria
attempt to intercept
in
theTripoli hex.
The
Interceptiondie roll for
Gibraltar fails
bUI
the
one
for Alexandria
succeeds. haly
now
atlempts to Counter· Intercept the Ale xandri a f le et at 1124 with a
secondTaranto Oeel and succeeds. Italy now announces anair attack
by a unit from Tobruk on the Alexandria fleet in 1124. France then
tries to Counter· Intercept the second Italian fleet at
FF24
with
fleets from Marseilles and
succeeds.
Italian fleets from Naples
now
try t o an d do Counter Intercept the French at O DI 8. T wo British
fleets from Gibraltar try to and do Counter Intercept the Naples
fleets at CC19. Finally an Italian fleet from Livorno manages to in-
tercept the Gibraltar fleets at
CC 7
.
The combats
are resolved
in
reverse order of the listing
above;
beginning with the Livorna fleet vs the Gibraltar fleets and ending
with the surviving factors
of
the Alexandria fleets vs {heoriginal Sea
Transpon
mission.
The
British
although
they
have
one remaining
uncommilted
fleet
in
Gibraltar
cannot
attempr to intercept rhe
Livorno
fleet with
it
because of rule
29 54. The
earlier Interception failure by
some
of
the Gibraltar fleets however does not prevent theother Britishfleets
there from making their successful attempt against the Naples fleets.
The
airand naval attacks in
24
can be resolved in either order
the Italian player
chooses.
H ad the nee t bee n
allacked by
naval and
air in separate hexes the order would depend on which altack the
fleet encountered first along its course.
If the Alexandria Interception die roll or
any
later one had.
failed Counter Interception
opportunities
would
haveended.
A side
may
announce
an attempt roll the die then
announce another
against that same target.
The revision of interception naval
combat
is in
many
ways similar to revised air c omb at. The
s up er io r s ide gets + 1 i f i t h as 1 /3 m or e f ac to rs t ha n
t he o pp os it io n, + 2 f or
2/3,
+ 3 for a 2-1 edge, + 4
for
3-
I
and
+ 5 for
4-1 or
better.
The
nationality
modifiers are +2 Germany; + 1
U.S.,
Britain
and
Sweden; 0 France;
-I
Italy; -2 all others. Italy
drops
to
-2
inany battle north
of
the N row, reflecting the
fact that her ships were designed for Mediterranean
conditions rather
than
the North Sea.
The
intercepting fleet wins any tie, but neither
side takes any casualties. Otherwise the losing side s
losses a re mu lti pl ied by t he n um be r of 9-factor
fleets or equivalent) it had in c om ba t. L et s say t he
difference between the modified die rolls was three:
the loser eliminates three factors if hehad
17
factors
or
less p rese nt; six i f he h ad 18-26; n ine i f he h ad
27-35; etc. As in air combat, winner eliminates
half
ro un de d d own ) as m an y as d ef end er.
The
loser
must immediately return to port.
A fleet
on an
interception mission-only-can
choose, beforedie rolls are made, to break
of f
com
b at . Die r ol ls a re still m ad e; t he i nt er ce pt in g fleet
automatically loses the
combat
regardless
of
the
r esu lt, b ut its losses a re halved r ou nd ed d own )
f ro m w ha t t he y w ou ld o th er wi se h av e b ee n a nd in
no case can it lose more
than hal f of
its f ac to r
strength.
The
winner s losses a re reduced cor
respondingly.
Replacement counters are not counted in attri
tion factor totals. This
is
guaranteed
t
be the final
word on the conflicting rulings of the past.
An airborne u ni t t ha t h as d ro pp ed , and wishes
to
drop
again in the following
turn,
m us t be a bl e t o
t ra ce a n or ma l s up pl y li ne t o d o so . I t can't use the
hex it just dropped on to supply it for this purpose,
even if a capital.
Partisan
construction is allowed in Italy (I ) and
Britain 3 if they leave the war. Partisans may not
be constructed in
nor
move into Vichy France until
Vichy has been activated
or
deactivated.
When Allies disagree on w ho g ets t o c on st ru ct
p ar ti sa ns where, t he n at io n with
ground
forces
closest as the crow flies) to the
country
in question
m en t. Russia a nd B ri tai n b ot h want to build
t isa ns in Gr ee ce. B ri ta in h as ground units cl
Sh e g e ts t o b ui ld t wo and has first and third c
of placement; Russia gets one
and
second choi
partisan unit is controlled and moved by the n
that
constructed it. Russian and Western
tisans
can't
stack
or
attack together. A part
controlled hex is controlled by
no one
for vi
condition purposes.
So h ow d o y ou get rid
of
a partisan on an o
tive hex? Unless you constructed
it
and ther
can move it, you
don't
This allows
u nd er ha nd ed p la y in a cl ose m ul ti -p la ye r g
Russian
partisans sitting in Marseilles
or
L
to d eny it t o th e West er n Allies; Western
tisans in Belgrade to frustrate the Soviets. Thi
be regarded as simulating in a small way the s
gles within the liberation movements for pos
political control. The Axis may also
choices-given
the relative victory prospects
o
opponents, it may sometimes be better to pass
chance to attack a particular partisan.
Axis variant 2 Irish resistance) now has n
fect if a ny part of Ireland is under Axis co
when it
is
played.
In
order
for variant 4 Spain) to be played,
must be
at
war with a
major
power and France
have been conquered.
Variant 5 can now activate all four Axis m
early. It
is
no longer played
at
a specific time p
G er ma ny m ust hav e c on qu er ed Fr an ce a nd
war with Russia.
Variant 8 reduction of U.S. initial deploym
is
playable if submarines
outnumber
ASW by
r at io . This was lowered f rom 2-1 because
o
strategic warfare changes.
Variant
10
Uet fighters) has the additional e
of raising the German air combat roll modifi
+1 .
Allied variant 3 Free French)
is
void if Fr
falls b ef or e win ter 1940, a nd i f it is played,
French armor, air and naval units may no
reconstructed if lost in combat.
Al li ed 5
had
d ra wn s om e c rit ici sm : all o
v ar ia nt s r ep re se nt ed s om et hi ng t ha t m ig ht
happened-but
this one represented something
did happen, and Britain unfairly was being dep
of her 50 four-stackers.
On
the other hand, Br
normally can build only four rarely five) AS
1940.
The
ancient destroyers can hardly be sa
h av e t ri pl ed h er A SW c ap ac it y, as t he y u sed
the game. The outcome:
U.S. Navy makes full commitment to p
shipments to Britain from unrestricted submarine wa
Allies
lose
only two BRPs instead of three for ever
viving
submarine factor
in
Strategic Warfare
resolutio
the
remainder of
the
game.
Play only in
1941
YSS
fo
mediate
resolution.
Al li ed 6 U .S . Nav y in A tl an ti c) h as t he
tional effect
of
r ai si ng t he U .S . n av al c om ba
roll mo di fi er t o + 2.
I ll have mo re to say on the subject of va
counters when we publish our
THIR
RE
feature issue. Making the variant counters pa
t he game as o pp osed to an op tio nal rule has
viously increased their importance. To count
this increased role
we
feel t he re s ho ul d b e an
wider selection of v ar ia nt s which mi gh t o
- thus
decreasing the likelihood of any parti
one being drawn-and
we
h av e a n um be r of
o ne s t o a dd to t he c ur re nt list.
The
intelligence rule
is
completely new
and
its existance
at
least in
part
to a desire to give pl
a chance to overcome the increased role of fat
c om pa ss ed in t he n ow
mandatory
Variant Ev
O ne p lay er p er side m ay s pe nd five B RP s du
each c on str uctio n phase to roll two dice on
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dice
r results
12+ The opponent's variant counter is nullified if not
yet played. It cannot be replaced.
The opponent's variant counter must be disclosed.
10 Anation of your choice loses an amount of foreign
aid equal to (but not exceeding the amount of aid
already given) the roll of a die in anyone Minor
Country of your choice.
9 You may draw one unused variant counter. This
variant counter must
be
returned to the unused
variant counter pile for a possible redraw by either
side. Thecounter has no effect beyond itsvalue as a
clue regarding the possible identity
of
the oppo
nent s variant
Opponent must reveal the contents of his SW box.
Opponent must reveal the contents of
his
Murmansk box.
6,5
No
Effect.
4 Your intelligence network has been compromised.
Your side may not
use
the Intelligence Table next
turn.
Same as dice roll 4 and the next Intelligence
effort by your side will cost
10
BRPs.
Same as dice roll
4
and the next two Intelligence
efforts
by
your side will cost 10 BRPs.
The U.S . can't
roll while
neutral,
Russia
and
can. When two or mor e players o n t he same
wan t to roll, they set tle it by die rol l.
the
die
ll ties, the
player
with mos t BRPs wins.
The opposition can spend
five
BRPs
on
they do, one is subtracted
the intelligence roll; if
they
don't, one is
The rolling
player
may select any
lower
result in
of
the
resul t he actual ly rolls. He may keep
information
gained
to himself, or may share it
th his allies. He may even choose
to
use
the
result
the roll
against
a fractious or untrustworthy ally
than
against the
enemy.
Also completely new is the ForeignAid rule,
which
BRPs may
be
granted
to
various minor
to reduce or enhance the chance of their
Both Germany and
Britain
may grant
s to the four
standard
Axis minor allies,
and
Turkey, Spain, Vichy, Ireland, and Iraq.
Italy
y grant to Spa in and I raq only; Russiamay
grant
Bulgaria, Hungary and Rumania .
(But Russia
is
to use
the
option with Rumania,
the
grants
e void if Russia occupies Bessarabia, which she
do
if
she wishes the
East
Europe
BRPs.)
The granted BRPs actually evaporate, since the
nor s h av e n o
independent BRP
levels
or
force
of their own. Grant s to minors a re limited to
10 of
the granting
power's year start
BRP total.
are transferred by
SR,
each destination count
one
against SR
total s, and requi re
sea
escort
applicable. Fo r this rule
only,
neutral hexes
e
treated
as i
controlled,
even in
garrisoned,
minor allies. Thus
Britain could send
BRPs
Hungary via sea
escor t-Athens-Bulgaria
and could do
so even if a German gar
unit was in Budapes t. Germany can send
to Ireland
via
Dublin, and
Britain
or
rmany can send to Finland via Helsinki, but us
these
non-ports
costs double
SR.
Whenever
a minor ally is due t o activate-be it
of the
four
that normally
activate in
summer
or
one that is to be
act ivated by
variant
activating
player
must roll one or
with one die.
Each BRP
mor that
the
minor
s received f rom the oppos it ion s ub tr ac ts one
om the
die roll. (Germany has given
two
BRPs to
Bri tain has given four-there is a net
of
-2.) Thus
there
is no need f or th e
die rol l unl ss the opposi t ion has granted
e BRPs than has the would-be act ivator .
In
the
case of Vichy,
the modifications are
done
above if theAxis holdvariant 3
Otherwise,
they
e inc luded in
the modifica tions
to
the
Vichy
die rolls. Excess Allied aid
Ireland
can in
the same
way
affect the
play
of
variant 2 When a
player
tries
to
activate a
minor by variant counter and fails,
he
can keep
try
ing. Although
the Spain variant
is
normally
played
only in Spring'41, i t can be retained
and
tried again
if
Allied foreign aid prevents its
play
that turn.
Through much of the war both sides devoted a
good
deal
of diplomatic effort
to
courting Turkey.
Turkey finally did enter the war in February 1945,
when
Axis forces were no
longer
on her
border
and
no o ne b ut
Hitler doubted
the outcome. Turkey
may now become a Bri ti sh minor ally under the
right circumstances:
-All ied ground factors in the Mediterranean
Front
exceed Axis
ground, and
Allied
naval factors
based on the Med exceed Axis
naval.
(Italy counts
as Axis,
whether neutral or
not.)
-Allies control a t least seven of the
Mediterra
nean Front
objective hexes.
- Turkey is still neutral.
(As mentioned earlier, Turkey, i f a tt ac ked,
automatically
becomes
a minor ally of y interven
ing power.)
35.5
A sea supply route through one or more of the follow
ing ports: Antioch, Beirut, Haifa, and Port Said, would
also
be
limited to a maximum of
18
factors and this limit
would include Italian and Spanish units
as
well.
The
18 fac
tor limits do not apply to factors which can trace an
overland supply route to any non-Libyan port source (i.e.
through Turkey or Persia to some source of supply). The
Allies can decrease this maximum limit in a similar manner
to which Malta acts on Libyan supply sources if they have
an air unit on Cyprus, Crete or Rhodes or more naval
fac
tors stationed
in
the Mediterranean east of the Suez Canal
than the Axis. Should the above situation arise the amount
of supply the German could draw through one or more of
the above ports is limited to the
18
factor limit minus one
factor for each Allied air factor onCyprus, Creteor Rhodes
or within four hexes of the Axis port, and minus one factor
for each Allied naval factor stationed east of the Suez
Canal. Note that ifthe Allies stationed two 9-factor fleets in
the Mediterranean east I the Suez Canal no Axis units
could be supplied through the port.NOT Axis units
are never automatically in supply solely because they are
within the limits of this rule. Supply must still
be
provided
by Axis fleets to the respective ports.
Loss of Gibraltar
or of Suez/Alexandria now
costs Britain 25 BRPs each-if she loses both, she
loses 50 BRPs altogether . If Gibraltar is lost,
Egypt 's por ts may suppor t only
four
ground
units
and four air/naval counters. These limits wouldn't
apply
to units in
the
Mediterranean
that
were able
to trace supply to some other
source,
for example a
controlled Ankara o r Madrid, or
a sea
supply
line
from Britain to a north Spanish
port
and across
Spain.
But
the
limits
do app ly
to units at
Malta,
even though Malta is a for tress.
Uni ts may SR through the s trai t if
Gibraltar is
controlled, regardless of
enemy
forces on
any
hex
near Gibra ltar. This
is
unchanged. They may also
SR into Gibraltar
(remaining
there) regardless of
adjacent units. The converse is no t
true;
enemy
units
may not SR
into
hex Z8. Gibraltar may be
bombarded or invaded f rom e ithe r f ront and sea
transport
missions
from
either
front may land
there.
At Suez city, displaced fleets
must
escape t o t he
Mediterranean if thecanal is
usable
and Gibraltar is
no t hostile.
If
either
condition does
no t
apply, they
may escape to the
Western Front,
but they don't
reappear
until their
side's
next
SR phase ,
and
then
at SR cost.
Whenever a hostile unit enters a
canal-side
hex,
the
canal
becomes inoperable
and canno t
be used
again
until one side or the other has controlled
canal-side hexes
for two
ompl t game
turns.
(This
rule also
applies
to the canal a t
Kiel- the
two ports
are
usable,
bu t
only as one-front ports until
the
damage is repaired.) Either side may use th e Suez
Western Front
Sea
Escort
SR
route
(throughout
the
game) at double SR cost, bu t
the
Allies
may
prevent
the Axis from using it by
removing
one 9-factor
fleet from play. (This simulates a
Red
Sea blockade
force.)
Iraq
has
been
labeled
a British
col
Technically it was independent (from 1932)
technically so was Egypt (from 1922). World
W
e ra maps
generally
showed
Iraq in
the
pink o
British Empire; British bases and forces
present
much
as in
Egypt. The
Iraqi revolt
varia
still
quite
playable; if British forces are in Mo
the rebels have
one turn
to
capture
it for their sup
BRPs cannot be SR'd through I raq. The
pro
tion
became
necessa ry to
prevent
cost-free
cumvention of the
Lend-Lease
route.
Even
t hough Per si a
is l ocat ed within
Mediterranean Front,
a
player who pays
the
L
Lease activation costs
does
not thereby
gain
a
fensive
option throughout that entire front.
In
the o ld declarationof war and offensive opt
phrasing
has been
abandoned
entirely in favor
flat 25 BRP
charge.
Lend-Lease BRPs
have been
reduced
to a m
imum of 20 per turn. They
require
sea escort
f or t he first turn of the two-turn transfer pro
They a re cha rged
against
SRs dur ing both tu
bu t
are charged against American in
deployments (if coming from
the
U.S.)
only
o
first of the two turns.
BRPs in
the Lend-Lease box can
be
moved
to
the
West instead
of on
to
Russia if surrend
Russia,
cutting
of
the
Lend-Lease
route, un
Bolshevik
commentary on Western shortcom
or some other development
causes the
grant
change his mind. Or they can remain in the L
Lease
box
for
additional
turns
(to
await a
hoped
reopening
of a closed route
or
a
diplom
apology, perhaps).
an
eastern
Mediterranean port-plus-l
and
route
through
Turkey
is friendly,
it may
be
use
Lend-Lease
without
paying
any
activation
cost
is subject
to
t he s ame two -t urn de lay a s is
Pers ian route . Th e
BRPs
are considered
to
reached the
port
a t t he end of the first turn an
Axis may
des troy them the re if
they ar e ab
occupy the
port
before the BRPs move on.
Extensive changes have been
made
to
Murm
convoy rules. All (vice 90 of) unopposed co
BRPs reach
Russia.
Submarines may oppose
voys even if Germany does not control Norway
eliminate one less BRP per factor than
they
o
wise
would.
And:
42.42
Axis
fleet strength opposing the convoy is com
to Allied
fleet
strength. (The latter includes the unit
Escorting the BRPs as well as any extra convoy prote
fleets.) the Axis-to-Allied naval ratio is less than
nothing happens. For 1-3 and higher ratios a die
made; results are
as
follows:
1-3: On
die
roll of 1 ,
Axis
fleets feint sortie-co
scatters and loses an extra BRP for each factor
of
marine and air attacks.
1-2: On die rolls I , or 2 Axis fleets sortie, dr
Allied reaction. Convoy scatters and automatically
I0 7. of
its
BRPs (fractions rounded down) plus an
BRP for each factor of submarine and air attacks.
I -I : On die rolls
1 ,
2
and
3
Axis fleets sortie.
voy scatters and loses 20 7. of its BRPs plus an extra
for each factor of submarine and air attacks.
3-2: On die rolls of 1 through 4 Axis fleets s
Convoyscatters and loses 30 7.1 its BRPs plusan extra
for each factor of submarine and air attacks.
Any ratio greater than 3-2 is treated as 3-2. These
from surface naval opposition are determined first b
any further BRP deductions are made for successful
submarine opposition. If the Axis fleets sortie, both
roll a die to determine ifa naval battlewill occur. Thep
rolling the higher numbermay decide whether to join
or not (Axis player wins ties). If battle is joined, naval
are extracted in the normal manner. Regardless of
losses suffered (if any), the percentage convoy BRP
not affected.
42.43 For each air factor in the Murmansk box a die i
ed with
the resulting number indicating the BRPs lost
the convoy. (There
is
a
1die roll modifier if the co
scatters and a
-I die
roll modifier for every excess 9-f
fleet
beyond those needed to transport the BRPs if the
voy does not scatter. After each air factor attacks an
8/20/2019 The General - Volume 18, Issue 2
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is
rolled
to
see if the air factor survives. The air factor
on any die
roll
less
than 6 .There is a + I die roll
for every accompanying 9-fastor fleet providing
ction (i.e. not needed for transport of
BRPs)
if the
does
not scatter.
For each submarine factor in excess of escorting
factors, 3 BRPs are
lost from
the convoy 4 if convoy
atters). Submarine and ASW counters are mutually
as
in
SW resolution in whatever ratio
was in
during the
YSS
of the current year.
Germany's required 25-factor commitment to
e
Eastern
Front has been reduced to 20, but
must
composed
of
ground andair
only.
t
must
be
met
the
end
of each
German movement phase
and
turn.
(The
same
principle has been applied
to
10 factors in
Ireland
when the IRA variant
played,
and
to the 45-factor Axis
post-conquest
in Russia.)
This
pretty well ends the Ger
n
tactic of basingair in
the
east, staging it west to
ce and
then
SRing back; although it
is
still per
for
Germany to
move or SR units
into the
in
order to
allow
other units to
exit
during the
phase. The penalty for a German
shortfall
is
of the
prohibition on
Russian
declarations
of
Germany falls short of the
45-factor
require
the penalty is
more elaborate: Germany must
one Eas te rn Front objective hex
of
her
and
return
it t o the Russian player,
must
lose
BRPs
as
penalty,
a nd may not
use
SR
for
any
other than
to correct the shortage
until
the
factors have been
reinstated.
Russia may not cross the partition line in Poland
til at
war
with
Germany. Germanymay, but must
to
her own
side as soon as Poland falls.
If a reckless Nazi declares
war on
Russia
before
ssia declares war on East Europe, Russia may
any part
of Poland
without further ceremony.
er Russia
nor Germany may enter the
Baltic
es until one of them spends 10 BRPs to declare
on
that
area.
Bessarabia remains a
permanent
of
Rumania.
neither Russia
nor Germany
deigns
to
declare
ar on
East Europe by the
end
of
spring 1940,
Poland
belongs
to
whoever
controls War
The
Baltic States
become
a
separate area
25
BRPs, and
Bessarabia again
remains part
Rumania.
Previously
Germany could
evade
much
or all of
e
effect of
the
Russian
Winter
rule by
arranging
to
war
on a fall or winter turn and having few
no uni ts across the original Russian frontier
at
onset
of
winter.
This
rule is now applied to the
rst winter
following German declaration
of
war
Russia,
and
Russia
may
even then be able
to
the f irst winter effec ts . Four dice are
at
the beginning of the first winter following
of war.
the d ice sum exceeds the
of
non-Finnish Axis units east of
the
border, Russia may
choose
to postpone
rst winter effects until
the
following winter.
All pre-1942 res tr ic tions
on
France-British
apply
equally to cooperation between
and the Western Allies, throughout the
The
prohibition on combining
to attack the
hex is retained. Neither
may
give the
otherany
of ai r or naval support, neither may dr aw
from
a
source controlled
by
the o ther , and
may
use
air/naval
bases
controlled by t he
her . No
more than ten factors of Western Allied
may
ever be in Russia,
and
even these would
to be able to trace the ir own supply from a
source.
the Axis declare
war on
their fellow fascists in
their
good
will with
other authoritarian
ed regimes
plummets.
Axis variants 1,3,5 and
are
cancelled
i f not
yet played,
and
the Axis
must
ll six
or
higher with
one
die (as
opposed
to
to
ivate a
minor
ally.
Corsica becomes Vichy upon the fall of
France.
Free
French
colonies yield
BRPs to
tain, Vichy colonies do
not
yield BRPs to the
BRP CALCULATIONS
The BRP calculations necessary
in
a year
start sequence are one of the more difficult
portions o f the rules-both old and new
rules-for
a new player to grasp. They have not
been changed, and are summarized here:
Previous Base
ADD previous year's leftover BRPs
multiplied by the nation's growth rate (omit this
in 1 94 0 Y SS )
SUBTRACT any
BR P
deficit resulting
from
SW
losses
N EW B AS E
ADD
BRPvalue
of
appropriateminor coun
tries,
conquests, etc. Germany only:
add
Moscow/
Leningrad
BRPs
if controlled.
AD D
in 1940 only)
1939 s
leftover
BRPs
multiplied by growth rate.
SUBTRACT any BRP deficit not caused
by
SW losses.
Russia only: SUBTRACT
Moscow/
Leningrad
BRPs
if not controlled.
YEAR START TOTAL
SUBTRACT any
BRPs
spent for SW con
stru t on
Divide by
two, dropping
any
fraction. (This
gives the spending limit
r rn
for the coming
year.)
Axis upon Vichy activation.
a French colony had
been
conquered
by the Axis
before France
fell,
or if
a Vichy
colony
was los t
to
the Allies and recon
quered
by the Axis,
t hen the
Axis
could
receive
BRPs.
Vichy ceases
to
exist,
and her
units
are removed,
when
the Allies
enter
Vichy city, or when Germany
fails
to r ecap tu re an
Allied-controlled Paris. Par
tisans in
either
city
don't
result in the
deactivation
of Vichy.
A few
changes have
been
made
to
the
Vichy ac
tivation
table. The I f or all co lon ies Vichy has
been
dropped. The
2 for
Gibraltar
or Suez/Alex
andria has been clarified; there
can
be a
total
4
addition if
the Axis
control both
areas.
There
is a-2
i f t he Axis declare
war
on
Spain.
Several -I
's a re
clarified:
i all French colonies
are
under Allied
con
trol.
i Axis forces
have
violated Vichy
territory,
except
during
the first Axis player turn
after the
fall
of
France, and
except when intervening
against an
Allied
attack
on Vichy.
i no
Axis units
are
in
Africa.
Gibraltar,
Norway,
Sicily
(and
all other islands)
don't count
as a bridgehead or
port on the
European
continent.
No por t or bridgehead
counts
if
held solely by
airborne.
In the 1942 scenario, Axis units
may
not set up
in Vichy
territory.
(This eases
Britain's
defensive
problems a bit by making
Gibraltar
less
vulnerable.) Britain
controls
Tobruk and the desert
to
the south and
east
a t the s ta rt
of this
scenario.
In multi-playergames, a player
may
never
move
his
ground
units
over
hexes
controlled
by
an
ally
without
consenl,
nor may
he base his air/naval
units
at a base
controlled by an
ally
without con
s en t. A p laye r
may
not however, refuse to let
an
ally
trace
supply
from
a
source
the player
controls.
51.5
Whenever on the same turn two allies
wish
to attack
the same minor country or colony, or to intervene
in
the
same
minor country, and cannot reach agreement on
how
to
proceed, a coin is flipped. Winner of the flip
may
move
one unit into, or adjacent to the forces of, the territory
in
question. The loser then moves one unit, and
they
continue
to alternate until one or the other does not desire to m ov e
any
more units
in
that vicinity.
This
procedure
m ay b e
used
either during Movement, Combat, Exploitation, or SR;
and may be adapted for theother instances
where
allies can
not
reach
agreement on how to proceed. Since such
disagreements indicate a strain on the alliance, units
of
the
alliesconcerned
may
not stack togetheron that front for the
remainder
of
that player
turn-though
units already stack
ed
together could remain
so
if they did not move.
Those
who playtested the new edition have be
credited in the
rulebook and
praised in these pag
and
rightly so. I wish also to credit some
unknowi
participants-those who sent in questions about
rules. If
during
the
past
year or so you receive
reply with a star next to some
of
your questions, y
may
have
had
a
hand
in the new
game.
Such
starr
questions
often, although not
always, resul ted i
change
or
an addition
to the new rules; at the v
least they sent me
back to
the
manuscript to pond
and review
what
had been done. I will concludew
my favorite:
Q:
Berlin falls,
can
I SR to
Argentina?
A: Yes,
if
the Russian player doesn't
SR
you
Siberia first.
THIRD REICH 8
Few wargames have
maintained
th
popularity
over the years as well as THIR
REICH
the winner
of
various
hobby Be
awards, and
to this day the holder of M
P IGN magazine's
Best
Game of
all
Tim
honors.
This
popularity
is even
more
remarkab
in light of the game's
admittedly
poorly develop
rules. In recognition of
the
special qualitiesof th
title, Avalon Hill has
put
THIRD
REI H
throu
the development process
again.
A team
THIRD REI H
enthusiasts
from all around t
globe was assembled
to
test the revised editio
Years of experience with the earlier edition help
formulate
the revision
during
a b lind play te
session. The results have been more than gratif
ing with ou r most enthusiastic testing respon
ever.
THIRD REI H 8
is
much mor e than
cleaned
up
version
of
the old
game, although
t
rules
presentation
itself
is
much improved
ov
the first edition. Among the changes is a com
pletely revised
mapboard
with
terrain
chang
that
have profound effects
on
the
game,
wh
being
both more
functional
(no ambiguous
hexe
and attractive. The scenario
cards
have been
vised to
provide more
useful
information
at t
player's
fingertips and also provide the U.S. a
French players with their own
separate
cards.
However, the biggest
change
is in th e rul
themselves.
Not
only
are
they
more complete
a
better
organized, but they
contain many
desi
changes which drastically
improve
play of t
game. Paramount
among
these changes
are
visions to the Strategic Warfare rules which bri
the
U-boats under control
by 1944
and
accou
for
the
Luftwaffe's
absence
f rom the
battlefie
as they
are withdrawn
t o p ro tect the Reich fro
Allied strategic
bombing.
A free Russian Replac
ment rule
portrays
the influx of Siberian forces
the crucial
point of
the
Eastern Front, and maj
changes t o the Murmansk Convoy rules
make
th
aspect of the
game almost
a
game
in its
own
righ
A completely new
innovation
is provided in t
form
of
Intelligence
and
Foreign Aid rules whi
allow more political maneuvering outside t
purely military
sphere
of the
game.
THIRD
REI H
8
is available now in a r
vised
3rd edition box
for 16.00 plus 10 200
Canadian; 30
overseas)
postage
charges fro
Avalon Hill. Those wishing
only
to update the
old
g ame may o rd er
the
parts separately
(ma
board
8.00, rules 2.00,
scenario
cards 2.(
Maryland residents please add 5
state
sales ta
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ST TE OF THE RT TO RUK
By
Lorrin
Bird
guns, suffered one of the rudest awakenings of the
war equal to the T34's introduction to Barbarossa)
when 88's first opened up on them in 94 Africa.
The German Flak
8
not only stopped the vaunted
Matilda,
bu t
p ro ce ed ed t o d is ma nt le t he ir turrets
and
terrorize British
armor
crews. tappeared
that
even the 80mm t hi ck hide of the Matilda was no
match
f or t he panzer wonderweapon, which must
have made the cruisercrews protected by 15-40mm
of plate) a bit nervous.
To
our way
of
thinking, the tendency
of rounds
to bounce
of f
armor due to angle of hit is a function
of shell penetration to armor relationships, and the
general procedure of havi ng hit s ricochet without
distinction was
too
simple.
This, of course, requires an adjustment to the
hit determination
and
shell damage charts,
bu t
for
tunately i t was rel at ivel y simpl e. Instead of a di f
ferent hit
chart
for every tank, our
group
decided
on
a
common chart
for everyone. The issue of
ricochets, since it
is
very particular
and is
a function
of
tank armor,
w ou ld be i nc lu de d in
the damage
resolution procedure.
We de cided to use the following for hit
determination:
In our system, front, side
and
rear hits would all use
the same chart, whi ch is a gross si mpli ficati on bu t
speeds things up considerably.
The
simplified handling
of turret mantlet and
frontal face hits will be handled as part of the
damage determination, whe re a l ot of the separate
s te ps p re vi ou sl y r eq ui re d will b e wrapped into a
number of very basic assumptions.
Having
done
away with the automatic ricochets,
the
n ex t s te p
is
to work them into the
damage
system. As previ ousl y not ed, t he t endency
of
shells
to
bounce
should b e a f un ct io n of how
much
their
penetration
exceeded the
armor
they hit.
More
par
t ic ul ar ly , c on si de r t he f ol lo wi ng d ata th at was
If a shell c an
penetrate an armor
plate
out
given range when hitting head
on, towards
the
o
limits
of that range
there will be a tendenc
bounce
of f
d ue t o a ng le hi ts .
In game t erms, we just assumed thatat the o
six hexes where penetration is possible, one thi
all h it s will
bounce
of f
besi des angl e effects
dividual rounds a lwa ys de vi at e a little from
average penetration f ig ur e) . T hi s m ea ns
that
50mmL/42
shell can damage a tank
out
to
2
he
from 7-12 hexes one third of the hits will ricoc
Six hexes was c hos en since it represe nts
met ers, a dist ance wit hi n whi ch shell s usual ly l
good share of
their
penetration, and
the one-
ricochet factor was p ic ke d so that a fair sh ar
non-bouncing hit s woul d accrue.
So, if our 50mmL/42 did hit at II hexes a p
of
armor
it wa s o nl y capable of damaging out t
hexes, after the hit one die would be rolled.
On
a
of five
or
six, t he shot fai led t o damage this
provides for penetrations
that
got into the
tank
did nothing).
The
end result is
that
th e fav ore d 88,
hi tti ng a
Stuart front at any
r an ge , will
n
ricochet a change my British opponents will n
forget
or
forgive). Besides being a bit more log
things like this will help speed up play, s
ricochets helped build the number of rolls neede
knockout a t arget vehicle.
3
0
25 1
45
0
7 1
6
0
16 1
A 40mm plat e, when hit at
an
angle of 30 deg
from t he p er pe nd ic ul ar see f igur e o ne ), re
penetration
as
if
it were 25 7 thicker,
or
50m
t hi ckness. Whi le a shell capable of wasting 13
of
armor wouldn't
feel
too
much more resistan
a 30 de gr ee a ngl e, a
round
with
45mm penetra
would p robabl y ricochet since the
effec
armor
exceeds t he shell penetration. So ricoc
should be a f un ct io n of penetra tion to armor,
how do we pop t hi s i nt o our game system
playable manner?
Resorting to t he o ld g ro ss assumption too
for a quick
and d ir ty
method, the follo
policy was formulated:
~
igure
A s ang le
of
shell incidence increases, the
armor
penetrated also increases
Increase in
Angle
of
Hit
Armor
Resistance
Target Aspect Definition
As defi ned in TOBRUK where the vehicles
t he f la t
part
of a hex f ig ur e 2), t he a ngl e of f
hits is limited
to
30 degrees either side of t he t a
direction. While this selection simplifies the fro
angles
that
might conceivably
come
u p, it m ak
too simple to s co re a f la nk h it , and dist orts t he
mor rating system.
Aspect Hit
Turret
Upper Hull
Lower Hull
Suspension
or Track
2-5
6-7
8-9
10-12
Die Roll
After reading
about
t he 88 s t ot al
domination
of
many
battles,
and
how
nothing
could really
turn
away its shells, we were
taken
by
storm
when 88mm
hits
of Stuarts
in TOBR UK failed
to
damage. Doing
a little math,
we
discovered that almost 60 of the
88
hits on the front of a Stuart do nothing at all.
Gett i ng i nt o t he
armor
mechanics of t he t hi ng,
one finds further proof
that
something is amiss.
At
525 meters,
or about
seven hexes i n TOBRUK an
88 can
penetrate
130mm
of
armor
hit h ea d
on.
Stuarts, according to
our
data, have
about
40mm of
frontal
armor,
so
the
88 c an bla st through three
times the
Stuart armor at
seven hexes. E ve n
accounting f or a ng le d h it s, t he re is v er y l it tl e l o gi c
that suggests that 88 h it s will bounce a wa y t hr ee
t imes i n every five hit s.
Of course, one could always assume
that
the
rounds blew through t he t arget tank,
bu t
without
hitting anything?
An
88mm shell is
about
3.5 inches
across, and even if it didn't hit anyt hi ng, t hemet al i t
would throw
around
the
tank
interior would cer
tainly make t hi ng s a li tt le
uncomfortable, i f not
totally chaotic wo uld you s ta y in a t ank t hat had
been porth ole d b y a gun, and woul d cert ai nl y be i n
store for more rounds if you didn't give some sign
t ha t the tank
was
out
of
action-like bailing
out).
When TOBRUK first came out in 1975, manyof
e ideas included in the game were among the most
vanced concept s i n
armor
miniatures gaming.
ver t he l ast fi ve years, however, innovations
and
p ro ve me nt s i n t he w or ld of
armor
simulation
ve rendered many
of
TOBRUK s rules relatively
t-of-date. This article investigates several of the
or rules where
current
thinking has evolved
to
e p oi nt w he re a r ev is io n m ig ht h el p,
and offers
ional solutions.
When our group first played TOBRUKback in
977, t here was no
doubt
in a ny of our minds
that
e game represented t he ul ti mat e i n
armor
gaming
n the I: I scale one tank equals one
tank,
unlike
LEADER
wh er e a
tank counter
was a
From
t he rel at ive rate
of
f ir e w hi ch
many a sore wri st the next day for the British
to the different armor thicknesses over the
of a tank u pp er hull, lower hull, turret
tlet, etc.), this game had it all, and in a s im pl er
than
many of the fancy miniatures rules.
As t ime went on,
and
we experimented with the
rious mi ni atures rul es
that
started to be com e
ailable, problems with TOBRUK came
to
light.
les for miniature tank
batt les wit h scale model s
many shortcuts which served
t
shorten
aying time, although t hey did overl y general ize
of the combat steps. We occasionally found
e forty
turn
TOBRUK
scenario a little unwieldy,
felt
that
we were actually sitting out t here i n t he
elt ering desert as t he hours t ic ke d b y w ith dice
predominating. We all agreed
that
the game
ld use some streamlining.
Combat
resul ts also hel d a few rel at ive misgi v
gs, as some of the determinations conflicted with
or miniatures rules and what thinking we could
um up regarding the issue. In particular, the large
of automatic ricochets on f ronta l hits
metimes left one feeling odd, as the ferocious
8 rounds trickled of f of t he t inni est
armor
Whyfore, we brazenly asked?
Since TOBRUK will always remain dear to our
and
really detailed games
or
rules covering
e 1942 North African conflict
are
in short supply,
decided to take all of the most recent design in
and
see
if
t he old game)
warhorse could
instilled with new blood. To our satisfaction, we
that
TOBRUK s
system was lively enough to
ept a number of revisions without crumbling
or
coming a monsterof
unplayability ,
and the
lowing represents our findings
and
suggested
le updates.
88 Phenomena
Based on
our
readings on
North African
battles,
ere was no doubt tha t the German 88 millimeter
n was t he most feared and productive part of the
ika Korps battle plan. Whether on the defense,
here t he y we re use d to cut
apart
British
armor
r theywere lured into a
t rap, or
used offensively
bl ow a wa y a ny e ne my tanks at l ong range
that
r ed t o
counterattack,
8 8 s we re
the most
lethal
pon i n Afri ca.
The e qu al ly f ea re d (for a while, anyway)
i lda, whose armor was beyond the m ea ns of
It is hard to believe that anyone wouldchallenge
realism of TOBRUK Playability or excitement
sure but the historicity? Designer Hal Hoch
ought more impressive credentials to his design
anyone else before or since. We re not saying
Bird is correct; we l l let you decide
his
hanges give the game a beller feel .
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Figure S: Movement mechanics
re4: Alternativetarget aspect system(movement
intoone of
two
rontal hexes)
4 hexes
YS.
TU R
4
hexes
YS.
LH
3 hexes
YS.
LH
20 hexes
YS.
LH
4 hexes
YS.
UH
16
vs. LH
II
hexes YS.
UH
LH,
10
YS.
T
3
YS.
UH, 7
YS. TUR
Treat LH UH the same
7 hexes
YS.
LH,
9 YS. TUR
9
hexes
YS.
UH
LH
3
YS.
LH
UH, 12 YS. TUR
3
YS.
LH
UH, YS. TUR
7
hexes YS.
UH
LH
7 hexes YS. TUR
7 YS. UH, II YS. LH, 9 vs. TUR
16 YS.
LH UH, 3 vs.
TUR
Maximum Effective Range
no
KG YS.
turret any range
Use TUR for
LH
3
hexes against
LH
No KG vs. TUR at
any
range
16 hexes
vs.
LH
UH
12
hexes vs. TUR
17
hexes vs. LH UH
12 hexes YS. TUR
AutOmatic K/C3
YS.
LH
All
50mm Short
(APCR)
50mm Long
50mm Short
(APCR)
50mm Long
ide
Matilda
Front
Front
Front
Side
Rate Of Fire
This, as far as we could tell, was on e
of
the w
causes
of
the W R T SE atmosphere t
permeated most
of
the dice throwing
TO R
games. Throwing for 3-11 shots per weapon, tar
section hits
an d then damage
was
justtoo
much.
a long comes
another
one of those beaut
simplifications that will make the game m
playable.
Front 50mm
Short
(APCR)
50mm
Long
50mm
Long
(APCR)
These changes are basically major prob
areas that were discovered while pouring over ev
armor statistic an d gun capability. Given the en
mous amounts of research
that
were required to
the
game together, we assume
that
somewh
along the line a few mis takes were input into
machinery.
Fo r
instance, the Valentine
60-65mm
of
frontal armor, with 65mm
on
the tu
front. T he G er ma n 50mm long cou ld penet
78mm at 500 meters, so
should
be able to destro
Valentine frontally beyond the 225 meter range
TOBRUK
now allows.
Th e PzKw IIIh changes are somewhat more s
tle, since they ar e based on the relative mix of
various Mark I II models in the deser t.
Th e Af ri ka Korps could never claim st
adherence to a firm mix
of
tank models, since at
time
of
Gazala the
pz
III s were made up
of
III
an d
h models, each with differing armor. And e
the IIIH s could dif fer, s ince a sol id 75mm hit
the frontal spaced armor
would probably blow
plate to bits (most of the IIIj s t h atare shown
in
tures don t retain
the turret
spaced armor, the lik
victim of a 6 pd r. or 75mm hit).
What
is include
ou r optional changes is a fair commonground u
which to determine likely damage results, and
claim to strict purity is advanced.
We did no t try to get into the different level
t an k d am a ge that TOBRUK does with ou r r
sions,
bu t
would suggest
that
players treat dam
ing hit s as KO s for simplicity sake.
PzKw
IIIh
Aspect
Gun
Front
2 pdr.
Front
37mm
Front
6 pdr.
Front
75mm
Front 25 pdr.
PzKw IIIj
Front 2 pdr.
Front 37mm
Front 6 pdr.
Front
75mm
Valentine
Front 50mm Short
(APCR)
Front 50mm Long
Side 50mm Short
APCR)
Side 50mm Long
Notes
2-4
Roll
to
Immobilize
ATR s
Weapon
Type
20mm
Breda,
PzKw gun
Up
to
41mm 2-5 2pdr., Bofors
Up to 57mm 2-8 6pdr.
Up to 90mm 2-10 Included
here
is 25 pdr.
Th e
added lethality
oflarger
shells is d ue t o their
size, weight (75mm rounds scale o ut at a bo ut 15
pounds, while 40mm
rounds
ar e under 2
pounds),
an d explosive charge (they have more chance of
blowing of f a wheel, or bending
an
axle).
Armor
an d Shell Revisions
While the various sources commonly used fo r
armor gaming almost always dif fer in their
armor
thicknesses an d shell
penetration,
we prefer sources
that
give different results from
TO RUK
Using Von Senger an d Etterlin an d the T NK
CH RTS
set of armor minia ture s rules, we
modified the following damage ranges:
Suspension Hits
If TOBRUK were taken literally, the answer to
the King Tiger would ha d to have been the Bofors
anti-aircraft gun.
What
bet te r t ac tic cou ld one
think
of
than attacking the most heavily armored
beast
on
th e battlefield, on e which could defeat hits
by an y gun, with a weapon that almost always
wou ld blow the t racks
of f th e
Tiger II.
Once
the
g iant were immobi li zed, t he assaul t wou ld pe ter
o ut , a nd artil lery could bury the enemy panzer.
As it s tands now, t rack hit s always immobilize,
which
is
a very simplified version
of
the
truth, if
ever there were one.
Logic wou ld tell us, ri ght of f the b at , t ha t a
track capable of carting
around
a seventy t on t an k
would sometimes be able to ward of f hits by Y inch
anti-tank rifle shells, letalone shells with practically
no penetrating capabil ity at all. While nothing in
North Africa
approached
a King Tiger (or even half
of one), the assumption that Bofors, anti-tank rifle
an d 20mm hits would always tear apart tracks an d
bust wheels is just to o general an d weak.
Without getting into considerations
of
relative
track strengths, one ca n pu t together a reasonably
detailed an d realistic model by assuming the follow
ing:
High Explosive
Tank
Fire
While the Grant is on e of the most inaccurate
long distance
tanks
when it comes
to
firing its 75mm
gun, the rules indicate
that
the 75mm
HE
factors
will
always
l and in the t arge t hex. A
75
meter wide
hex may be a big area about 250 feet across), bu t
hav ing a gun incapab le of hitting a
tank
at 1300
meters landing an HE shell inside a 75 meter circle
at
that range boggles the mind. An d this is more
than a moot point, since the Grant can immobilize
trucks, halftracks an d
infantry
in the open with
those unusually accurate HE blasts.
If
a tank gun can t land a direct hit inside that 75
meter hex, we don t see how
th e
fragmentation fac
tors will ever hurt anybody. While on e can always
pu t for th the fac t that
HE
shots don t have to h it
directly, bu t only l and nearby, we ca n reply with
two facts;
I. HE shell lethal areas ar e usually less than 30
meters, meaning they have to be accurate inside
of
the hex.
2. HE shells are fired
at
slower velocities than
armor
piercing rounds and therefore are more inac
curate.
With quite a bit of logic on our side, we can
safely say that HE f ragmentation factors from
direc t fire weapons should have
to undergo the
same hit/miss procedure as ant i- tank f ire but no
target size modifiers in deference
t o t h e lethalradius
of HE rounds).
REAR
SIDE SHOT
FRONT
SHOTS
What this all suggests is that the arc of flank
be
reduced, both to more realistically reflect
at const itutes a side hit (at 60 degrees f ro m t he
de perpendicular,
many
hits would land on the
rontal
armor,
a problem we would l ike
to
glance
er for playabili ty purposes), an d to resolve the
gle effects issue with the least offensive assump
tions possible.
FRONT
Th e solution appears
to
be, at its simplest level,
to ape
the
SQU D
LE DER system a nd p oi nt
tanks towards the corners of the hex. This greatly
reduces the ease with which on e previously scored a
flank hit, an d while avoiding a direct confrontation
with angle effects (which would really fill ou t the
playing hours with die rolls
an d
mathematical gyra
t ions), gives us a more reasonable model
of
target
aspect problems. While things ar e still too simplistic
for the purity freaks,
TOBRUK s
primary
concern
should be a playable game a nd n ot something
that
Einstein would have trouble finding fault with (let
alone playing a game inside of a light year).
ure3: The TO RUK nank sho definition allowsside hils at
60°
What
compounds the large flank arc is the effect
a rm or resistance of allowing hits at 60 degrees
om head on
to
be treated as perpendicular flank
ots . Figure 3 shows a target PzKw IIIh being hit
just inside the flank arc , a
round
that will
KO the t an k d ue to the flimsy side armor.
reality, at that angle
of
shot, the flank armor will
sist penetration as if it were 2. 6 times its basic
kness (due to the effects of angled hits that were
iously described).
Instead of being a chintzy 30mm thick, the side
the panzer III will react
to
armor piercing shot as
it were 78mm thick, th e equivalent of a Matilda
s front.
To get into it a little deeper, the a rc in which
ank shots are def ined extends for a range of 120
ees, twice that
of th e
frontal arc. Sincegetting a
ank hit often spells doom for the poor target, the
atively liberal range
of
flank hits makes careless
acement a deadly game.
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Instead of rol ling for every shot, why
not
roll
but allow for multiple hits?
For example, a weapon with one shot rolls once
a hit, but if two shots are cal led for, rol ling the
score obtains one hit, but rolling two above the
score results in two hits. Three above the hit
reallows three hits (given a
ROF
of 3, of course),
Say a PzKw
IIIh is
firing
on
an acquired
usader, and needs a hit score of 6 for a successful
ot. Then here is how the dice rolls would be inter
Roll
Number
of
Hits
2 5
None
6 7 One
Hit
8 Two Hits
9 Three Hits
1O l2
Four
Hits
the ROF had gone up to six, then the
chart
have been extended.
Note
that
while this
chart
does not strictlyrelate
probabilities of throwing individual rolls to the
centages presented
on
the table, it has enough
graces
to excuse the differences. For one
ing, a weapon with
35
shots will never score more
n six or seven hits (depending
on
the hit score),
not only saves your wrist from future
hritis pains,
but
assumes multiple hits
on
one
rget section will
not
createthe additional mayhem
at more rolls would require. Cutting down
on
the
of hits has
got
to liven things up.
On the negative side,
an
awful lot of
shot
throws
result in
hits , which may be a wild assump
on considering that six shots may be involved.
in mind, however, that this will really speed
ings up and will even bring a little suspense into
game (it 's now a totally h it or miss affair. t
intuitively brings into play the duel concept,
if all six shots miss with one roll, one can
that
the enemy hit the tank befo re the ma
of rounds could be fired of f (ifit
is
done in).
tank
combat is
a wild and wooly affair, and
is
ot easily simulated (a few Churchill tanks once
erran a horde
of
firing 8 8 s , PzKw Ill s and
's and 75mm anti-tank guns, a feat none
of
my
mes ever duplicated), assumptions really can t be
oved or disproved with any degree of certainty.
In fact, carrying this a bit f ur the r, the use of
tank fire in TOBRUK
is
an assumption
at aids in the play but has no relat ionsh ip to
ality. No tank is going to wait untilthe
other
tanks
fired
of f
all
of
their rounds before opening up.
he use of one roll to simula te many sho ts
is
no
i n the
wrong
than alternate tank shots, and
is upon this gross assumption that the use of
y shots rol led into one systems are based.
is a game, and assumes things for
or should have that
are
not
technically
rrect. So there, nitpickers
While
on
the subject of alternating fire, here's
additional rule to consider.
Instead of alternating fire, tank by t ank, why
ot use a priority system that bases who fires first
ROF, crew morale,
and
a
random
roll. Before
mbat starts (but after movement), each side rolls
six-sided dice, with the higher score giving the
rower the first shot based
on
the following
Higher ROF always goes first if they've ac
ired a target.
2.
Higher roll fires all his units first,
i fno
tanks
ve acquired a target,
or
many have (higher roll
eaks acquisition tie).
3.
Anti-tank guns
always
fire first.
Modifiers:
- I to roll
if
British and defending.
two PzKw
IIIh
are firing
on
a Matilda, and
pz III
and
the Matilda are fir ing
on
acquired
and
the roll
is
higher for the panzers (or
is
a
, which goes to the DAK), the firing order is:
IIIh with acquisi tion, Matilda, remaining
Instead
of
playing these sort
of
games,
we
usually
l imit tanks to their ini tial rate of fire (battlefields
are confused, dusty and panic stricken, and proving
ground ROF may be too high), and whoever rolls
higher fires
of f
all their weapons first. Allowing for
no hits helps to reduce the overwhelming advantage
first fire might otherwise allow. Players can experi
ment with this further,
and
assume their own con
ventions, but anything that quickens play will be a
big plus.
Visibility
While the good old 88 s
quite capable of hitting
targets
out
to 1600 meters
and
beyond, many
British tankers commented
on
the fact
that
glare,
dust and whatever often limited visibility to 1000
meters. In addition, some targets, like infantry
on
foot, justcan t be seen beyond 500 meters, especially
if
they re
stationary.
Add
on
to this the fact
that
hedgehogs, weapon pits and other defensive posi
t ions were often camouflaged,
and
one can ap
preciate the fact that Rommel did not look
on
his
TOBRUK board and
count
hexes to see where his
troops were to go.
The
following rules are very basic,
and
simple,
but
help to bring the problems of visibility into the
game;
I. No fire may be directed
at
weapons in
hedgehogs, weapon pits or
other
depressed cover
until the turn after they open fire.
2. Camouflaged weapons
that
are in depressed
cover will not be detected until the enemy
is
in the
same hex.
3.
Towed weapons in the open cannot be fired
upon unti l the nearest radio equipped unit
is
ten
hexes away ( 88s and other large guns are treated
as vehicles in the open, and guns in the open when
they're in depressed cover).
4.
Infantry on
foot are invis ible if more
than
eight hexes from
an
enemy unit.
Range Measuring Ruler
Counting hexes can sometimes be a real drag,
and
range determinations are really speeded
up
by
using a ruler.
Just take
a piece of cardboard,
about
16
inches long and I-liz inches wide, and using one
of the maps
layout
the one-hex intervals (basing the
lengths on center-to-center dis tances). When
measuring, anything more than a full hex
is
rounded
upwards.
This
is
a relatively simple thing, but when all of
the end runs mentioned in this art icle are used, the
end result is a streamlined game
of
TOBRUK that
becomes c onsidera bly more playable and
enjoyable.
Machine Guns On
Tanks
TOBRUK
is
presently one of the few
WWII
systems
that
state
that
the turret
MG
was more
lethal than the hull version. This is open to
discussion.
Turret
MGs depend on the
rotation
of the turret
for sweep
and
accuracy, which
is
more constraining
than a bal l mounted hull machine gun. There also
appears to be better visibility from the hull. On the
other hand, turret models
won t
vibrate as much, so
the fire will be more accurate.
Our
final arbiter, in this issue, was
CROSS OF
IRON where hull
MG s
generally get twice as
many
factors as turret models . So be it.
Therefore, we quartered the turret MG factors,
and halved the hull MG effects, since
our
play in
dicated tha t tank machine guns were having too
lethal an impact
at
long range
and
while groups of
vehicles were firing
on
the move. Once again,
players are urged to experiment with this
on
their
own, since these things are subjective to a grea t
Conclusion
As this article has stated several times, these
gested revisions are put fort h primar ily to
players into
an
experimenting mode, and are no
tended to be the final word
on
the subjects. W
time, any system will naturally grow old, stale
behind the times, and by occasionally reviewin
cent accomplishments and concepts the old ca
revived, and
brought
into a competitive pos
with the best
of
the new.
MICROCOMPUTER GAME
UP TE
The
Microcomputer Game Division of Ava
Hill has expanded its line to provide cass
programs
for the
AT
ARI 800 as well as diske
for the TRS-80 II , APPLE II, and
ATARI
computers.
All fou r cassette versions come in the s
package; unless specified otherwise below; th
TRS-80 II, APPLE II, PET, and ATARI 800
sions are spaced at intervals
on
the same t
Diskette versions come with only one version
package so it
is
important
that
you specify
comput er you intend to use the program fo
well as noting the varying memory requirem
of the different programs. A complete listin
Microcomputer offerings follows.
B-1 NUCLE R
BOMBER
is
available in
cassettes for all four computers for $15.00. A
diskette is available for the TRS-80 and
APP
and a 24K version for the AT
ARI
for $20.
MIDW Y
C MP IGN
is available in
cassettes for the TRS-80,
APPLE, and PET
32K for the
AT
ARI
for $15. 32K diskette vers
are available for the TRS-80
and APPLE,
a
40K version for the ATARI for $20.
NORTH A T L N Tl C C ON VOY R ID
and
NUKEW R
are available in
16K
cassette
all four computers for 15 each. 32K Diskette
the TRS-80 and
APPLE,
and
a 24K version
the AT
ARI
are available for $20.
PL NETMINERS is available in 16K cass
for the TRS-80, APPLE,
and PET
and a 24K
sion for the
AT
ARI
for $15. 32K disket tes
available for the TRS-80,
APPLE,
and
AT
for $20.00 each.
LORDS
OF
K RM is
available in
cassette for the TRS-80, 32K for the APPLE
PET, and 40K for the ATARI for $20.00.
diskette versions are available for the TRS-80
APPLE only for $25.
COMPUTER CQUIREis
available in
cassettes for the TRS-80,
APPLE , and PET
$20. 32K disket tes are available for the TR
and APPLE
for $25.
CONFLICT
2500
is
available in
16K
cass
for the TRS-80, APPLE and
PET,
and a 32K
sion for the ATARI for $15.00. 32K diskettes
available for the TRS-80 and APPLE, and a
version for the ATARI for $20.
M JOR L E GUE B SEB LL is
avail
in a
16K
cassette version for the TRS-80,
an
32K version for the
APPLE
for $25.00. A
diskette for the TRS-80
and
a 48K diskette fo
APPLE are available for $30.00.
EMPIRE
OF
THE OVERMIND is
avail
in 48K cassettes for theTRS-80 andAPPLE a
40K version for the ATARI for $30.00.
diskettes for the TRS-80 and
APPLE
available for 35 each.
T NKTlCS is
available in 16K cassettes
the TRS-80,
APPLE , and PET and
24K for
ATARI for $24. 32K diskettes for theTRS-80
APPLE, and a 40K version for the ATARI
available for $29.00.
8/20/2019 The General - Volume 18, Issue 2
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AIW POINT BY POINT
By James
C.
Gordon
OR LOOK WHAT YOU VE STARTED TOM OLESONI
In the
chart
below
are
li sted the modifying
and
the changes
that
they
enact.
If imitation is truly the sincerest
form
offlattery,
m Oleson has to be feeling prelly
good by
now.
e premise for his 97 article Situation
13
has
s tered more spin-of fs than Mary Tyler Moore
D D combined. The concept should begetting
bit tired by now, but on the off chance that
some
IW
enthusiast out there is frustrated because
meone hasn' t applied the formula to his game,
we go again .
Since tanks
and A
type
tank
destroyers
are
basic weapon
in
all three games,
that
is again the
art ing point for
summing
the
basic factors.
The
capability
of
the
tanks and TD's,
when
ir factors
are combined into
a single
total,
is the
del against which al l
other
AFVs will be com
and
modified.
Contrasting
the earlier articles, all
tanks,
plus
e
Arab
SU-lOO,
add
two
to
their
AF
and
MFfor
rruns. representing the
addition to
the die roll
d
the
movement
points required.
The RF
remains
same,
and
the
DF
is raised for Hull
Down
(two
the Israelis,
one
for the
Arabs), and
for
Smoke
f the unit
is
capable). All
Arab
uni ts, plus t he
TDs, are without
Split-Fire-and-Movement
d
Carrying
abilities.
both
lowering the
MF
by
-quarter. (The
base MF is lowered by one
twice,
before
the two
is added
for
The
light armor category
contains
a mixture of
n its, with t he
common
element being mobil ity
nd Hul l Down) .
The
light
tanks
are
totalled as
t anks , a lth ough th e
Israeli AMX-13 is
thout Car ry ; the
Arab
PT-76
is
missing
Carry,
In t he spi ri t of
Tom Oleson's Situat ion 13
E GENERAL
Vol. 8,
No.
I)
and Robert
Abstract
Panzer
Leader (Vol. 14, No.
, this is a
third
generation article.
The
objective is
re-es tabl ish the sys tem for
'free
unit
selection
ena rios us ing the
same
basic
concept
of 'unit
totals'.
A single
point
value is derived for al l
ts in th e
game, and
each player is allowed
to
oose whichever uni ts he desires as l ong as t he
number
of
points expended does
not
exceed
an
upon maximum.
Although
al l three games
are
s imilar , each has
own unique
pieces and
game
sys tem which
cessitate developing new
standards
for
ulating the
point
totals. In AIW there
are
new
capabilities
to
con si de r, a long with t he new
types
that
have arisen in
modern
armies,
and
a
of
changes in these
weapons'
effectiveness.
difference between
AIW and
the earlier
is the increased
participation of ai r
units, in
and
Advanced
capacities, allowing a
number
weapon types to be carried.
For most
units, the
four
basic factors
(AF,
RF,
,
MF)
are summed
with allowances
and
odifications for twelve capabilities (or in
some of
which
are
in
contrast
to
the
s tems devised in the earlier art ic les. A few units
ve specific modifiers
that app ly only to that
t ype , which will be exp la in ed with t he ir
ctive categories.
Minefields
are
total led by
adding
all relev
factors; specifically, the
odds
they
a tt ack a t,
number of
favorable results,
and
the fac to rs
volved in removing them: the
odds
that engine
attack
at
to
remove
them,
t he ir chance s fo
favorable result,
and
the
minimum number
of tu
for this activity. The three types of minefields,
2 1
and
3 1 have three , five
and
six chances fo
result of
some
kind, respectively. Engineers alw
attack
at2-1
odds
(giving
them
two chances f
result), and
must attack
at least twice to
disarm
entire field.
Neutr al count ers a re
also included in
calculations,
and
given
point
totals
appropriate
their
participation
in the game.
Fort
counters
s
with their DF
of
ten, and
add
two for the die rol l
dit ion, and four more
for the
improvement on
morale
table, for
infantry
types.
The
last two to
also
apply to Improved Position
counters.
Assessing th e t ota ls f or Basic A ir Str ik es
similar
to that
for
Off-board
art il lery. F irst ,
AFs
are taken
f rom the
game
scenarios; the
Ar
can
use
1
or
16, while the Israelis choose from
21 or
22. All
attacks are
class
A .
Next, thesta
ard
range for Bas ic s tr ikes is one,
but
there is
option
to
shift
the targe t hex by
one
on the
turn
attack,
making the
RF
two.
Combining
the c
A
weapon
and
the range
of
two on the
W
doubles theAF for all strikes.
There
is
no
DFor
involved in the Basic rules ,
and
each s tr ike can
used only once.
Advanced Air Strikes
differ
f rom the Basic
that
they use
jet
and helicopter
counters,
and
carry a varie ty of weapon types,
attack
strengt
and
corresponding
range factors . In
addition,
Israeli helicopters have organic weapons, and b
sides have units
capable
of
transporting
infan
types.
The
Israeli
Huey Cobra,
with an
A
c
weapon,
is totalled as
an anti-tank weapon,
reta
ing all
four
f act or s as they
appear . The UH
mounts
an
I weapon, but retains its total
against (st rict ly)
non-armored
tar ge ts. B
transport
unit s, t he
UH-I and
the
Arab
M
double
their
MF
for their
Carry 31
ability.
uni ts have a
DF,
but
not
any
MF
because of th
unlimited
movement.
They can be placed o n
hex
on any
turn.
The AF and
RF
for a ir s tr ikes carried by th
units varies
according
to the weapon type
and
WECo Indiv idua l point total s for
the A ,
and H/(H)
class AFs
are
restricted to those u
in the
game
scenarios.
Class A
s tr ikes use
same
AFs as the Basic
game
(doubled), plus
an
of three.
The
Israeli G strikes have
an
AF of
whi le the
Arabs
use 30, with a range factor
twelve. With
H/(H) attacks,
the Israelis use
the
Arabs
20,
and
the range
is
zero. The AF
G
strikes is total led at face value , while the
type is halved;
jet
units
add
their
DF,
helicopters also add their MF. Like Basic s tr ik
Advanced s tr ikes can only be used once (al thou
the hel icopters can use their organic weapons
number of
times).
Block
and Trench counters
each cost five po
for their relative effect on movement, and
engineering requirements to remove them. Ass
Boats,
though
not included as
counters,
have co
for the ir
DF (I),
their singular usage
( I) , and
costs (x3) in
transporting
units across the canal
Art il le ry comes in
four
varie ties : towed (in
cluding
mortars),
self-propelled,
off-board, and
anti-aircraft.
Beyond the standard DF
and
MF
modifications (disregarding SMF and
Carry).
regular art il lery is factored mainly for indirect f ire
ability,
counting
RF- (the usable percentage)
and
AF Y
(strength against
armored
targets);
AA
units
use
Y AF
if the
RF
is over six.
Off-board AFscome
from
the
game
scenarios,
and
is
combined
with
3AF
f or t he RF.
Eng inee r vehicles p re sent a uni que p robl em
because their
standard
factors do
not
include any
allowance for special engineering abi li ties .
The
basic factors
are
totalled like
other
units, except
that
no
points
are
los t for lacking
an
ability,
and
then
an
individual modifier is applied to each
unit
to cover its engineering specialty. The flail tanks
add
V2MF for fla il ing abi li ty; the AVLB bridgers
add 3MF I, to
include the single
turn expenditure
in laying a br idge
and
the
maximum
of three per
game tha t
can be ins ta ll ed . Fer ry uni ts
a re Am
phibious,
and
must expend their entire
MF
twice to
transfer one
unit; their MF is total led as 2
(2MF-I).
Final ly, the
Arab
PMP bridgeplayer
and MLG
minelayer
are
total led exact ly the same, each mov
ing
at
the
Truck
rate,
and
doubling
their
MF
for
engineering abilities.
SMF and Smoke, but
it is
Amphibious. The
recoilless rifle jeeps have a modification for
Cross
Country movement
only.
The
Israeli
armored
in
fantry
and scout j eep mount
I
class weapons,
counting
their
RF
asone, with the
armored infantry
also possessing
Smoke
and Amphibious
movement.
Regular
infantry
units raise their AF by two for
Close Assault Tactics, while
combat
engineers
add
three,
accounting
for die roll modifications (as with,
Overrun).
The RF is
one,
since that's the only effec
tive range for CAT
attacks.
All
i nfan try and
engineer units have Hull
Down and Smoke, and
the
regular
infantry
types also have Special
Infantry
capabilities.
Only the
Arabs are
equipped with
infantry
anti
tank
weapons
of an A
class,
and
against
armored
targets
the spl it in effectiveness is at a
range
of
six hexes,
rather than the
V2RF cut-offs
in
the
earlier games.
If
the
RF
is greater
than
six,
the
AF
is
halved, otherwise the total
AF
is
used.
The
only
other modifier
is Hull
Down,
raising the
DF.
The major
new weapon type included in
AIW
is
the G class missile, including
infantry anti-tank
weapons and
mobile
tank
des troyers, which can
only
attack armored
targets. All units use their total
AF, and subtract
two from the ir RF, excep t for
the
Israeli TOW MI13AI ( the only uni ts which can be
used
at
ranges
of one or
two hexes). Wireguided fire
direction
and
Hull
Down alter
the
DF. and
various
units move with Cross
Country
or
Amphibious
abilities,
or at
the
Truck
rate.
Transportation
is provided by trucks
and
several types of
armored
personnel carriers, carry
ing I
and
A class weapons , and moving
at
various rates .
The BMP and
OT62, with A
weapons,
are treated
as mobile
TDs,
retaining the
total
AF
because their
RF
is
under
six. All
other
units total these factors as
infantry
(AF,
RF or
one).
None of these units have
Smoke, but
all have
Hull
Down and Overrun
(except the trucks).
Movement
rate
mod if ier s i ncl ude C ro ss
Coun tr y, Am
phibious, and
lack of
SMF,
plus the
truck rate
for
the
BTR
152 and 60, and the trucks (surprise?),
which also
double
their MF
for
towing artillery.
Cross Country
MF
-
Truck MF - Y
Amphibious 2MF-I
Carry T MF
X
2
Special Infantry MF x 2
Wire Guidance DF - Y
DF
lo r
2
DF
1
AF MF
2
MF-V<
MF-V<
AF +
or 3
ll Down
hout SMF
out Carry
8/20/2019 The General - Volume 18, Issue 2
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-general-volume-18-issue-2 27/50
configuration can
r ea ll y be t ri vi al , excep t
hen the Suez
Canal
edge is being used,
but
if a die
ll index
is appreciated,
it
exists:
first
die
second die roll
roll 1 2 3
4 5 6
1
500
1100 1700 2300 2900 3500
2 600
t200 1800 2400 3000 3600
3
700
t300 1900 2500 3100
3700
4 800
1400 2000
2600 3200 3800
5
900
1500 2100 2700 3300 3900
6
1000 1600
2200 2800 3400 4000
Point totals
for
both
sides
can
also
be
set
ran
omly by the players , 500
or
1000
is
the total sug
sted in earlier articles,
although
the
pieces
in IW
end to be
priced somewhat
higher
on
the
than
those in P IP a
systematic
is
d es ir ed for
setting
the
point
total
at s tar t ,
the idea
of
a di e rol l i ndex
can
be
plied using
two
die rolls,
instead
of one,
to
in
ease the possible
spread
of results:
Bridges have
totals
equal
to
their
DF
(24), ifthey
in
place
a t the
start
of the
game. Otherwise,
their
is
according to
their
construction time. Normal
taking 60 turns,
Infantry
Bridges 5,
and
uts taking 40
turns
to
place
in
the
same manner.
With t he
individual uni t
point
to ta ls estab
shed, there are still several aspects of any potential
remaining to
be
quali fied . These can
be
i nto three
sections.
Fir st , t he re
are the
prior
to the ini tial setup, including
rale levels,
number
of
turns to
be p layed,
Of boards to
be used
and
their
configura
and , mos t
importantly,
the
total
number
of
nts available
to
each side
to
use in selecting units.
e second
group
involves initial deployment,
and
y factors
that take
place
during
play,
such as late
air
strikes, etc.
Las tly, there are
the
objec
conditions,
and
levels of victory that each side
striving
for.
19
37.5
28
31.5
35
50/52.5
22/44/46
47/69171
128
84
M3
Half
track
Sherman Flail
M-60 AVLB
Twin 20mm on
M3
251br How. OBA
t05mm How.
OBA
155mm How.
OBA
Basic Air
Jet A
Huey Cobra
G
UH-I Transportation
There
are
many alternate
methods for set
up , beyond th e r equir ements for
specific u
noted above, that apply
to
the
general
situation
the scenario.
The
basic
method
is for each s ide
deploy
all of their
units on-board
from the
ginning, each
with a
board to consider
as their
ritory,
and
all units face up. Build ing from
setup, one or
both
sides
can turn some
of their u
upside down
(except
static
counters, like bridg
forts , etc.), even to the extent
that
all units begi
a
hidden state. t
is
quite
easy for
an attacke
be
in the
dark
as
to
the deployment
and strength
his
opponent before
he
joins
battle, just
a
defender may not
always
know what
type of forc
approaching
him.
I
am a firm believer in
hid
movement
for t ac ti ca l games , not
just
unt il
point
of sighting
or con tact , but
also
at any
t
that a unit has
broken contact
to the point whe
cannot
be seen by
any enemy
units.)
The
next step in deployment variation is
reserve
some
units
off-board
at
start,
determi
either
by a
percentage of
the
total
number
of
points, or
simply a
percentage
of the total units
either side
is
allowed
more than one board
setting up,
a set
percentage can
be
determined
each
board tha t
they
occupy,
plus
an
additio
total for off-board.
The
most logical division he
to
halve
the total
in
question,
allowing
one gr
on-board and
the
other off.
While
one
side sets
in this
manner,
the
other
can be allowed to deplo
a
hidden state,
g iving each s ide
an
advantage
some
kind.
In addition
to
l imiting each side to
one
or
boards
for
deployment, there can
be
further
res
tions
according
to area
or Battlegroup desig
tions.
The
first
is
derived
from
examples
fo
once again
in
the game scenarios and
serves a
general restriction for
deployment,
while the
ond point is an
extension
of
the first (also sugge
Infantry 23
Machinegun
19
Combat Eng.
17
Pontoon Eng. t
SSII Missile on M3 54.5
TOWMI13AI 74
COBRA
40
COBRA reload 3
81mm Mortar 23.75
120mm
Mortar
33.75
Truck 8
MI13AI
28
Israeli Unit Point Totals
45
48
55
66
67
64
66
30.5
46.25
36
15.5
32.5
1 -34/85 30
BRDM-I Rocket 62
MTU-2 AVLB 32
1 -55 37
SAGGER
44
GSP
Minelayer
25
T-IOM 39.5
SAGGER
reload 3
PMP
Carrier
15
1 -62
40
82mm Mortar
18
Shilka SPAA 32.5
Centurion III 50.5
120mm
Mortar
28.75 ZPU-414.7mm
22
1 -34/100 39
251br How. 34.75
S-60 57mm 60
SU-lOO
48.5
122mm How. 46.5
122mm
OBA
42
PT-76
28
140mm MRL
43.5 130mm OBA
45.5
106mm RR on jeep 32.5
Truck 8
152mm OBA 49
Infantry
22 MIl3
21
180mm OBA 73.5
Commando 19
BTR
152
16.25 240mm
OBA
43.5
Combat
Eng.
23
BTR 5 2
Basic Air
22/34
Const. Eng. 12
BTR60
21
Jet A 41/53
107mm RG
24
BMP
31
MI-8
G 118
l7tbr
ATG
20 01 62
23.5
MI-8 (H)
86
85mm ATG 22
PT-54 Flail
36
Sherman 5
Sherman 51
Sherman 5I Hv
M-48A5
M-60AI
Centurion
Vlli
Patturion
90mm A
TG
on
M3
AMX-13
Armored
In fantry
Scout Jeep
106mm RR on jeep
rab Unit Point Totals
evenly
among each separa te group, fo r
selecting
units; alternately,
one main g roup
can be allot ted
half of the point to ta l,
with
the remainder
divided
among the remaining, smaller, support groups.
As described in the
methods
a bove , e ac h
element
in s ett in g
up the game is determined
separately, independent
of the
other elements.
These point s can a ls o be
made interdependent
so
that
one
die roll
determines
all
of the
aspects
covered
in th e pre-deployment
segment. The
die
is
rolled
once,
and
indexed with
each
item
to
specify
the number of boards,
their
configuration,
the
number
of t urns , and then rol led a
second
t ime for
t he point tot al
index.
(In
t hi s case, t he
horizontal
line is used with the fi rs t di e rol l, so
that the
longer
games, with
more boards,
will also involve
more
units.)
The second majo r g roup ,
involving Initial
Setup
and
In-Progress factors, dea ls with three
main
point s. F ir st , t he re a re
specific
deployment
restrictions
for the static
unit
types
deployed at
start.
Bridges over the Suez
Canal
must be placed at
least twelve hexes
apart , and Cuts must
be
at
least
three hexes away
from each
pair
(Cuts
are
deployed
in pairs on either side of the
Canal,
with the posi
tioning
signified by
the location
of a
Trench counter
in t he
canal). Another
such
restriction, that can
be
more optional,
comes from another
game
scenario,
in which th e
Fort counters
placed
a t s ta rt
must
be
within
two
hexes of each
other
Fort
counter.
This
is
in tended to
be used with
three
For ts , but
can
be
modified accordingly i f more
are used.
Another element
of
deployment
comes from the
association of areas to the
victory
conditions.
Often,
when a speci fi c hex ( such as a town
or road
junction) is
to f igure in determining victory,
one
side will be
required to
place specific
uni ts on that
hex.
This
usual ly ent ai ls a
fort counter and
in
fantry,
or perhaps
artillery, unit inside it.
3-6
length
1-2
width
456
456
4
1 12 12
15
20
die roll
connected sides
of
turns
roll
of boards
roll
The Morale levels
to
be used can
also
be
corded a
point
total , requiring each p laye r to
them
as they
would regular units . The
raeli player picks first,
and
can choose eitherA
or
the
Arab
player can
select B,
Cor
D.
The
costs
of
ese levels are
equal to the number
of
chances for
at side s
uni ts to
become undispersed, using the
available
t o them
(9, 7, 5, 3,),
multiplied
by
wo, for the
two
different types of
units (infantry,
on the Morale
chart . An a lterna te
is
to
multiply
the
total number
of
units that
side selects by
the percentage
of
favorable
rolls
and
use
that
as the
Morale
an opposite approach to
this item
is
t o app ly
he cost of the
morale
level
chosen, not
as a total
from
those used
to obtain
units, bu t as
he starting victory
point total
for
the opponent.
The
number
of
boards, their configuration, and
number
of
turns
are
probably
the
most
arbitrary
ems. This
can
easily be
left up to
the
whim
of the
depending on
how
l ar ge a scenario they
to play. I n lieu of this
option,
all
three parts
be determined
by a roll of
the
die:
Neutral ounters
An additional variation to
this
total is
derived
om a
battlegroup delineation,
suggested by
the
me scenarios.
When
using this idea
to
help deter
ne the
point
total, ten
percent is added to
the
total
or each spl it within
the players
forces. In
effect,
means that
ten
percent is added i f two
groups
to be used, twenty percent
is added i f
three
oups, etc.
This
new
poi nt t ot al c an
be div ided
Fort
J.P.
Trench
Block
16
6
5
5
Assault Boats
Minefields
Bridge (At Start)
5
10/13/15
24
Normal Bridge
Infantry Bridge
Cut
60
5
40
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Aside from
counting
just the
initial unit
point
in determining the respective totals, the role of
e
static
units, or specific hexes o n th e
board,
can
emphasized by awarding
more
points fo r
nation, occupation or location.
1 pts for assaulting
IOwn held
by enemy
15
pts for occupying town held by enemy
1
pts for assaulting enemy fort
pts for occupying enemy fort
I pt for occupying road junction
2
pts for eliminating bridge
3 pts
for
eliminating bridge
with
enemy unit
on
it
the
situations
given).
An area restriction can
be
within a
certain distance from
a point , or out
of the same; the most
common
usage of this is
r a player to deploy within
x
hexes of the
board
nearest his
side, or to be at least hexes
y from
the
nearest enemy unit. Areas surround
or
one
side
of ,
static
units
or
terrain features
also be used as reference points for this type of
ment restriction.
With s eparate
groups bei ng u sed,
each o ne
begiven a
different
area
to deploy
in,
or
else
different
turn of entry.
Obviously,
the mor e
being used, t he more
units
being used,
and
e
more bat tl eg roups, s ta ti c
units,
and terrain
being
included
in
the
initial
deployment,
e more confus ing it a ll g et s. But
if
that
weren't
there
is still t he thi rd
major
set of alter
late entry.
The easiest method to use
for
determining which
the reinforcements
will
arr ive on
is
to
leave
it
up
to
the players;
units
starting
off-board
enter when ready. This can be used with either
both teams having units off-board, and with fur
divison
into battlegroups.
A di e roll can determine the turn of entry,
cor
spond ing to the results for
number
of boards,
e turns , e tc .:
expressed
tums
of entry can be used as the
turn for deployment, or they can be a
point, allowing entry
either no
earlier or
later
than
indicated. With more
than
one group
late,
each
should
deploy on
a
different
consecutively,
beginning
with
the
turn rolled
r on the
chart
above.
The method of entry concerns the area along
the
uni ts deploy, usual ly
a specified
map
bu t
at
times restricted
to
a
road
hex.
Another
to
consider is
to
vary the turn of entry for
within a
group,
which would otherwise be
ering together. Two die rol ls are used
for
this
though the best results
are obtained
by
the die only
once, and then
using t he s ame
twice.
The number
obtained determines two
ct or s, t he t ur n on which t he uni ts will begin to
and the number
of
units that can deploy per
rn. For example,
a roll of five (being used for
h parts )
would
allow five
uni ts to a rr ive
each
for five turns; any uni ts in excess of this total
u ld enter e ithe r on turn five or six.
The
grand
finale
to
all of this is
the victory deter
just
as in
an
actual
g ame. As
with the
aspects
mentioned previously in this
article,
can be bui lt around several alternate, often
ideas.
Victory
at
the base level revolves
around
the
of
unit points, and the differential
be
the total
elimination
by
either
side
determines
e level
of
victory, as in the game scenarios. With
scenario, the spread
of
points look
like this:
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GENER
Defensive
Preserving units
by-
passed on
exit
board
Retaining possession
of
specific
hex;
preserving unit
Retain a majority
on a speci fic board
Opponent's Air
Strikes
used
Offense's units not
across Canal
Exiting units off
board edge
Offensive
Attacking/capturing
specific hex or unit
Move a majority
of
units onto specific
board
r wriu n i r
Strikes not used
Moving units across
Canal
Using these activities in the victory conditions
can give the players a much harde r p robl em to
solve;
one
side
can
be given
points for
exiting
the
map and not
using
Air
Strikes, while the
opponent
aims
to
keep a
majority
of the forces (more
than
the
first player( on on e
board and retain
possession of
towns or forts on another. The combinations can go
o n a n d on
with each side
having any
number of
op
t ions to obtain points; another
idea is
to
give
each
side a Defensive goal and an Offensiveone,
with
the
opponent taking the respective opposites.
Offensive
Exiting units off board edge
Attacking/capturing specific hex
or unit
Move a majority
of
units
Onto
specific board
Prewritten Air Strikes not used
Moving units across Canal
Defensive
Preserving units bypassed on exit board
Retaining possession of specific hex; preserving unit
Retain a majority on a specific board
Opponent's Air Strikes used
Offense's units not across Canal
15
pts for occupying bridge
5 pts for placing bridge across canal
3
pts
for ferry in position
In addition
to , or i ns te ad of,
counting
victory
points solely from the elimination of the opposing
forces, there can be points awarded
for
activities,
both offensively and defensively. In most cases,
for
each act ivity of
one k ind
(offensive)
there
is
an
opposite (defensive) activity
that
the
other
player
can be conc ern ed with, so that in a particular
scenario
each
side can have its own objectives.
The uni t point tot al s can be used to evaluate the
level
of
victory, just as when total ing the point s
eliminated by either
side,
the difference
being that
only those units which
are
successful in their activity
are
counted (unless unit
point
elimination is also in
cluded in a combination).
One
last
variation on
determination of victory is
the
chance for
an
early victory,
based
on a
ratio
of
the victory points obtained
a t any
given time.
The
players keep a running tota l of the victory points
that
each
has
received
from whatever source (unit
elimination
or activity),
and at any time one
side
can
claim
a
victory based
on the rat io with the levels
awarded as follows: less
than
2 1 rat io equals a
draw, 2 1 equals marginal, 3-1 equals
minor,
etc.,
continuing
up to 6 1
or
more equalling
a decisive
victory.
The players might
agree on a starting point
for this quick
victory, such
as
any
time
after
turn
five, or decide to
count
points
af ter both
players
have moved and attacked on a particular turn.
This article has covered
a
great
deal of
ground,
some of it useless perhaps , but I trust
that
most is
not . The possible variations of my own variat ions
are limited only by desire; the point I
have tried
to
make
is
that
these
might make some interesting
starting places.
Contained
within this
article
ismore
than
enough
information and
suggestion to
keep
even the most dedicated
players
occupied for a
while, but they
probably
already are.
6
1
5
7
3
Level
raw
Marginal
Minor
Substantial
Major
ecisive
2
0-30
31 6
61-90
91 12
121 15
151
+
Differential
of entry
roll
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PE RL H R OR DEFENDED
FLEXffiLE RESPONSE TO IDE L J P NESE STR TEGY
By James M.
VI TORY IN THE P IFI is on e of the
better releases
p ut o ut
by
Avalon
Hil l in
terms
of
playability an d
balance. It combines
broad
strategic
considerations
a nd s om e
interesting
and enjoyable
tactical components. It
provides an opportunity for
many
varying
approaches by
individual players
in
efforts to
defeat
a particular
opponent by attempt
ing
to
take advantage of perceived weaknesses or
a
fondness for specific types o f a ct i on . F o r face-to
face play it is relatively fast-moving, even if a
somewhat t oo l on g
game.
t
ha s
in
effect
captured
much
of
th e flavor of
t he w ar
in th e Pacific. It
ca n
be argued that
it
is a
balanced
g am e o nc e
the
fun
damentals
h ave b een l earn ed .
It
h as b een su gg est ed,
however
t ha t t he re is an
ideal
strategy,
with
varia
tions
depending upon the p r op o n en t , t h at
will en-
sure v ic to ry for t he Japanese player. Th e conclu
sion
drawn
from the
v ario u s su bscri b ers
to this
general
strategy
is that the game is unbalanced and
even in need o f modification. In
a c tu al it y, t he
strategy put
forward
in its
various
versions
is
flawed.
t
is
flawed in
that
some
of
th e
as s umptions that
ar e
made
a re e it he r o ve rl y o pt im is ti c
or result
from
slight misreadings of th e rules. T h ese p o in t s, while
important, do not really negate th e strategy. More
importantly, as is th e case with most other
games,
there
ar e
effective countermeasures
that the
American
player
ca n take
to
c ou nt er t he ideal
Japanese
s tr at eg y. A s
a
r es ul t, t he q ue s ti on
is
not
one of a
need
fo r
reb al an ci n g an al read y
balanced
game
or
introducing new ru le s
b ut r at he r
for-
mulating
an
American
response that
will
i f n ot
in-
validate the ideal s tr a te gy , a t least make it
much
more hazardous f or t he Japanese p la ye r t o p ur s ue .
Whether the Japanese
strategy
even
remains
the
best
al ternat iv e may v ary
depending on opponents ,
but
it is
hardly
likely
to
be
an
optimum
strategy
in
all circumstances,
an d
ma y
even be a very
weak
course to
pursue on certain occasions.
The Ideal Strategy-A Q u ic k K n oc k ou t P u n ch
T he s tr a te gy
that
has been put
forth
as
an
answer
to the
Japanese
p la y er s p ra y er s
has a
number
of variations,
but in essence follows on e
of
the following two patterns. In Turn I, the American
fleet at
Pearl
Harbor
is destroyed.
During
Turns
2
and 3 th e land b as ed a ir h ol d t he perimeter and the
bulk of the Japanese fleet patrols in the Hawaiian
Islands.
A ny A me ri ca n
opposition is
destroyed,
Pearl Harbor
converts
to a Japanese base, an d the
American forces
t ry in g t o
defend
their
major
port
are
destroyed
or
badly
damaged in
an
unequal ac-
tion. Th e
gains
to
the Japanese include
a
shortened
perimeter
I
ndonesia-South
Pacific-Marshalls
Hawaiian
Islands
versus
Indonesia-South Pacific
Marshalls-Central
Pacific-North
Pacific or
Aleu-
tians the forcing of American fleet reinforcements
to S amoa wh ere raid s cannot penetrate to the Home
Islands an d t he d en ia l o f the
repair
facil it ies at
Pearl Harbor to
the
Americans
for at
least
tw o
turns a n d p r ob ab l y
longer. On e
adjunct
t ha t ha s
been
suggested
for this
s tr a te g y r eq ui re s
the
Yokosuka Marines
to
m o ve t o T ru k o n T ur n 1
per-
mitting
th e J ap an es e c om ma nd er to invade
Jo hn son Islan d o n T ur n 2. Some o f t he J ap a ne s e
land-based air units
ca n
then participate in an y bat
tles for
the
Hawaiian Islands o n T ur n 3.
The
second
version
of
this
strategy
is somewhat
more risky for
the
Japanese
player,
but
ap
p ro pr ia te ly c ar ri es m u ch
greater
rewards
if
suc-
cessful. On
Turns
2 an d 3
the Japanese player
tries
to control both t he H aw ai ia n I sl an ds an d the US
Mandate. I f he succeeds in controlling both areas,
M or e i mp or ta nt ly , the major
American rein-
f or c em e nt s a rr iv in g o n l at er
turns
ar e
held
of f th e
board u nt i l ei t her S am o a o r Pearl
Harbor
is recap
t ur ed . T he J ap an es e
perimeter
will be s tr on g a nd
the PO C lead will be so large that the American
player cannot win, even if land based ai r units
manage
to
recapture Samoa by basing in th e New
H eb ri de s p ro vi de d t ha t p or t r em ai ns
American).
Th e American
fleet will
b e f or ce d t o c o nt e st
at least
one of t he a r ea s , an d
it will
b e b ad ly damaged.
this
s ce na ri o h ol ds u p, t he Japanese
will in effect
have won the game by th e en d o f Turn 3. Th e
strategy
is more r is ky f or t he Japanese
player
in this
version since
the
American fleet might
emerge
vic-
torious
if it
concentrates in on e
of
th e
t wo a re as .
Such
a concentration
m ig ht p er m it
the American
p l ay er t o approach parity
in
terms
of
ai r
power in a
given
area. If
the
Japanese
keep
t h eir carri ers
as
r ai de rs , t he
American
placement of all l an d b as e d
ai r in Samoa to be joined by the American fleet car
riers
ca n be
countered
by
sending
all
th e
carri ers t o
the US M a nd a te ) . T h e inevitable
carri er ex chan ge
that
results
wo ul d d estro y
th e
striking
power o f
the
American fleet
particularly
since the fewer
American
carri ers are
at a
distinct
disadvantage fac-
ing a
larger number of Japanese CY s
a nd C YL s
with
t he s a me number of shots,
given th e
n ee d f or
a
carrier s airstrikes to attack only on e ship.
Ameri can su rface
c ra f t m ig ht p os si bl y outnumber
th e Japanese surface u ni ts , b ut t he a t ta c k b o nu s o f
th e
Japanese cruisers
offsets
this a dv an ta ge i f it
should exist.
T he a bo ve
tw o
strategies
ar e
very
compelling
ones
for
the
J apanes e commander. A cautiouscom
mander will
go for the
Hawaiian
Islands
counting
on the
loss
of
Pearl
Harbor
with its
POCs an d
repair
fac il it ies to give him
t he n ee de d e dg e
t o win
the
game.
A
more aggressive J apanes e commander
will try fo r both the Hawaiian Islands an d the
Mandate. Both of these strategies have s ome minor
problems in some cases as
p re s en te d , b ut m os t
im
portantly,
they
ar e
based on the
American
player
responding
in a
predictable fashion. Th e
American
commander, h owever, h as more options then
these
strategies would
seem
to
permit.
Turn I Possibilities or
the
Chance Factor
O ne m in or f law in on e
of the
versions
of the
strategy
as
it h as b ee n p re s en te d
is
that
it
assumes
that
all th e American forces
at Pea rl
Harbor
ar e
destroyed
in
four air raids. Even
a
maximum
J a pa n es e e f f or t is unlikely
to
bottom all th e ships
an d
destroy
the 7t h Ai r
Force
in the first two
ai r
raids. An y surviving c ra ft a nd the land-based
ai r
can, of
co urse, retreat
before the final
tw o
rounds
finish
of f
the
bottomed ships.
Their
escape
will in-
crease t h e
forces
t ha t t he
American
commander
has
available
to use in
Turns
2
and/or
3. A
good raid
will manage to
sink
five or six
of
the
battleships an d
o ne o r b ot h of the cruisers. Bad luck
could
net fewer
ships, leaving even larger American forces available
for deployment.
Occurrences
in the Central
Pacific
on
Turn
I
c a n a ls o
be
important.
sufficient Location
Uncer
tain g r ou p s a p pe a r there
in
strength an d h ol d t he
a re a, t he J ap an es e player has to be aware of the
possibility of American ships at Pearl
Harbor
and/or Midway
raiding
into
the Japanese Islands or
the
Marianas.
the
M a ri a na s a re
not
held by th e
Japanese,
t h e P h il i pp i nes mu st
be
taken
by Marine
assault
or else
control of
Indonesia
is
threatened.
Thus,
t he r esul ts in
the
Central
P aci fic can
be im-
sure
of controlling the
Central
Pacific, he
w ea ke n t he r ai di ng f or ce
on
Pearl Harbor.
Japanese p l ay er co u ld
also
trust
t o l uck
har
preferred
strategy)
an d
s im pl y s e nd w ea k
forc
th e Central Pacific. Most of the presentations
ideal st rat eg y reco gn i ze t h e importance of t he
t ra l P ac if ic a nd a rg ue for holding it in suff
force,
bu t
lucky fo r
t h e American )
die rolls
n eg a te t he
ideal
st rat egy o n
Turn I.
T he American Response
Neither of the above
t wo p oi nt s a re
critic
the
sense that
t he y n eg at e t he
ideal
strategy
fo
Japanese
commander,
although they
m ig ht
t he H aw ai ia n
I sl a nd s- M an da t e d o ub le o p ti
little
riskier.
But even
if the Japanese p l ay er
the Central Pacific through luck or p o wer o n T
an d does extensive damage in the Pearl Harbor
the American
player
retains some very real
op
to
counter
the
proposed
strategy. These
option
i nt o t wo
categories-first,
judicious
allocati
the
L ocation Uncertain groups combined wit
mounting of serious
threats
t o t he Japanese
areas, an d second, th e de la ye d de fe ns e o
Hawaiian Islands an d the US M an da te . T he
options are related an d c an g o a long way
to
di
the
ideal
s t ra t eg y. A t t he
very least they shoul
vent a ny J ap an es e a tt em pt
to
c on tr ol b ot
M a nd a te a n d the
Hawaiian
Islands
excep t a t a
probability
of failure.
The
first key d eci sio n reg ard s t h e p l aceme
t he L oc a ti on Uncertain carriers an d requisite
porting s hi ps w he n t he y return
t o p or t
at the
e
Turn I. I these
c raft are mispla ced, the
s t ra t eg y m a y
in fact
b e co m e t ha t
for
the
Jap
p l ay er. W h en
retreating
f ro m t he H a wa i ia n I s
in
the
face
of
t he P ea rl
Harbor
raid i ng force,
o ft he carri ers, t wo or t hr ee i f possible should
to Australia with the remainder either appear
Pearl
Harbor at th e
beginning
o f Turn 2
sent to Samoa in th e
r e tu rn p ha s e of
Turn I.
Australia
the
American
carriers
in conjunction
the
British fleet
c an p os e
a
s e ri ou s r a id in g t hr
I nd on e si a . T he y c a n a ls o combine
with forces
Samoa or Pearl
Harbor to
t hr ea te n t he S
Pacific or t he M ar sh al ls us ua ll y a poor
choice). the J a pa n es e c o m ma n de r pursue
ideal
strategy,
he
ma y
lose control
of In do n es
so ,
Lae, Singapore, and
t h e P h il i pp i nes
cann
converted to
Japanese
use until
Turn
4 a
earliest
except
by
marine
assault
in
t he c as e o
an d t he P hi li pp in es . Th e
British fleet
bas
Singapore, becomes more useful an d a much
potent
t hr e at t ha n
on e based at Ceyl o n. Rai
the Allies
into
the J ap an e se H o m e Islands an
Marianas
will be
p o ssi bl e. Ob vi o usl y, t h e Jap
player may beef up defenses
in
I nd on es i a
this
move
ca n only come at t he e xp en se o
tempts to control the Hawaiian Islands an d th
Mandate.
Negation
of control in the South P
h as si mil ar advantages. Access
to
Indonesia an
Marianas is
again
enhanced
f or r ai de rs . La
mains
an
Allied base,
an d
a fleet
negating
cont
the South
Pacific could retire to La
Guadalcanal
an d
be
even
more
threatening
th
Australia. the Japanese player opted to s en
YOkosuka
Marines
to Johnson Islands, he w
have
m a ri ne s a va il ab le t o a s sa ul t
these bases
Turn 2 for L ae t he
S a se b o M ar in es o ut of
J
moving
into
Indonesia)
an d Turn
4 for
Guadal
Kure s taging from
Japan
an d
Yokosuka
Sasebo
reappearing
at
Truk). Again,
the forc
defend the South P acifi c mu st
come
from
the f
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Th e ships based in Australia, Lae or
Guadalcanal will remai n av ai l ab l e for t h e d efen se
of the
Hawaiian
Islands
an d
the
Mandate
on Turn
3. Of course, if t he J ap an e se player is
moving
on
b ot h a re a s, t he y will probably be
unable
to give aid
in t he H a wa i ia n I sl an ds unless Japanese
control
in
t he M ar sh al ls h as a ls o
been
negated
by
raiders
on
Turn 2. Some
o f
the
o l der b att l esh ip s
might fail
their speed rolls if
th e
decisive action is t o t ak e p la ce
in
t he H aw ai ia n
Islands.
T he ir n um b er s
will be
limited in an y event since
mo st av ai l ab l e Ameri can
ships
will be
cruisers
an d
carriers
which
do
not have
an y speed roll disabilities. I the Japanese forego at
tempts
to
c o nt ro l t he M a nd a te , the
ballieships can
always be ret urned to Samoa
so
as to be available
for
Hawaiian
Island
action.
If t h e d ang ers of key raids by the
American and
Bri ti sh f leet s in the s outhern areas is not enough,
ships
appearing
at Pearl
Harbor on
Turn 2 can pose
yet another
threat.
These ships, including
some
car
riers
c an m ov e
as raiders on the northern flank. A
raid t o t he A le ut ia ns saves Allu as an American
p or t a nd
as a base for l and -based ai r
f or f ut ur e
turns.
By returning
to
Dutch Harbor, the American
ships ar e av ai l ab l e t o come t o t he de fe ns e of the
Hawaiian
Islands in Turn 3 or to move
on
the
Japanese
Islands,
alone or
in
conjunction
with a
move
from the
direction o f I nd on es ia . T he ir
ultimate use will depend
on
Japanese dispositions in
Turn 3 b ut t he ir
options
cannot help
bu t
create
problems for the Japanese player. Th e
raiding
threats to both fl an ks mi gh t be uti lized to
destroy
isolated
Japanese
u ni ts , t hu s w ea ke ni ng t he forces
available for th e climactic
battles
the Japanese
com
mander is seeking to force. If the Japanese player is
serious about
controlling
the
Hawaiian
Islands
an d
perhaps
the
Mandate,
the
lost POCs in
various
other areas m ay o ff set the disabilities that the
Ameri can p l ay er will
suffer
from the lack of his
major repair facilities.
T he J apanese player
wh o
is
committed
to
on e
o f
the
variations
of
th e
ideal s tr a te g y m a y i gn or e t he
raiding
possibilities presented by the above disposi
tions
o f
the
existing
American
forces.
He
may
decide
that if he
controls
both Samoa
an d
Pearl
Harbor an d
prevents
the major
American
fleet rein
fo rcemen ts from arri v in g , he ca n deal with the fleet
forces an d the few
American land-based
ai r units
that will keep reappearing, even if these
land-based
ai r units have a multitude
o f
a re a s t ha t t he y can con
test.
Th e
arrival of limited
reinforcments
for the
American
late in th e
g am e i f Samoa
is
reconverted)
ma y give the Japanese p l ay er t i me t o gai n enough
POCs in the other areas
an d
whittle down
th e
Allied
forces.
Depending
on ship losses in t he b at tl es f or t he
Hawaiian Islands
and
the Mandate, a relat ively
small
Japanese PO C
lead
ma y
not
prove
to be
enough
to
win the game,
particularly
if the
Americans have a raiding lane open to key Japanese
held
a re as . W it h t he
American
p lay er al way s mo v
ing
second,
it is no t clear that a
decimated
Imperial
Japanese Navy will be a bl e t o h ol d o ff weak Allied
units.
Th e
key battle
ma y
b ecome t h eco n t est for the
US Mandate in
Turns
5 an d 6 by the
Ameri can l and
based air u ni ts t ha t will have reappeared. T hus,
Turns 5
an d
6 ca n be crit ical, as mu ch s o as Turns 2
an d 3 at least if the New
Hebrides
is no t lost
to
in
vading Japanese marines. T he a pp ea ra nc e
o f
American rein f or ce me nt s a s l at e as Turn 7 could
still
turn
the t ide a ga in st t he
Japanese
player
wh o
has only a relat ively small lead. a
mutually
destructive
battle
has
occurred,
t h e Ameri can rein
forcements will t ip t he b al an ce even
more
than
if
they join a largely unhurt fleet.
Th e net effect of the dispositions
outlined
above
is
that
the
Japanese
player
ma y
still try
to
follow
the
ideal strategy an d it might still work, but if it fails
t he g am e is likely to be los t on the spot. F ail u re t o
ne ga te t he a rri va l o f American
reinforcements
w ou ld m e an t ha t a decimated Japanese fleet would
h av e t o face the
remnants
of the American forces
plus the
substantial
reinforcements
du e
t o a rr iv e.
With a diminished PO C lead du e to Allied raids, the
possibilities of a Japanese ~ t o r y will all b u t d i sap
pear. T hus,
the ideal st rat egy may
t ur n o ut
pitting
the outcome
o f
the gam e on m ajo r
battles
in the
Hawaiian Islands an d the Mandate in which t he a d
vantages to the Japanese pl ay er a re m uc h fewer
than s upposed.
I
the
Japanese
player simply
opts
to
try to control the Hawaiian Islands, the
American reinforcements
will
arrive,
an d
the
PO C
ga in s t ha t t he Japanese expec t will be fewer
than
specified in the ideal
strategy,
permitting the
American p l ay er t o compensate f or t he loss of Pearl
Harbor
repair facilities an d the
Hawaiian
Island
POCs.
Delayed Defense
Th e s ec ond m ea su re t o u ti li ze in f ac ing the
Japanese
ideal strategy
is
designed to
enhance
the
prospects of the
American
p la ye r w in ni ng th e
critical battle by choosing the t ime in which t o p ar
t i ci p at e. T h is tactic requ ires t h e d elay ed d efen se o f
the
Hawaiian
Islands
a nd t he
US
Mandate. Rather
t ha n d ef en di ng t he t hr ea te ne d a re a o n T ur n 2 the
American pl ay er c onc ede s t he m t o t he Japanese,
saving strength for
th e
crucial battle
on
Turn 3.
Th e
American
flee t f or ce s
an d
land-based
a ir will
probably be insufficient on Turn 2 t hu s s im pl y
being defeated in detail by the
J apanese. Rather,
th e
sh ip u n it s
threaten the Japanese
perimeter areas
an d t he l an d- ba s ed ai r units ar e placed ou t
o f
harm s
way. S in ce t he
J apanese effort
calls for a
maximum concentration
in the key
areas , any
fleet
moves to
knock
ou t
l and -based ai r
in the Coral Sea
or elsewhere wil l be at
odds more advantageous
to
t h e Ameri can p l ay er
an d
will p ermi t fav orab le at tri
tion. It should be
n ot ed t ha t
to o wide a dispersion
o f
the Japanese carrier forces to damage land-based
a ir m ig ht even permit a Turn 2 challenge in a key
area.
Of
course, this situation would only result
from a
major
deviation by the Japanese player from
th e
ideal strategy, so in effec t the
countermoves
by
the A me rica n
commander
will
already
have
defeated the ideal
strategy
as presented.
O n T ur n 3 the Japanese challenge can be me t in
earnest
with all available
American
forces. Six land
b as ed a ir
units should
b e av ai l ab l e,
a formidable
force versus carriers
s ub je c t t o
disabled results.
At
least three an d maybe four of
th e
five
American car
riers also will be available.
Th e
Japanese will have,
assuming
no
losses I I carriers with 32 b on us a ir
factors plus one additional carrier with 3 strikes if a
speed roll
is
passed.
Th e
Americans will h ave t he six
a ir f ac to rs
with 2
shots
an d 2
to
6 bonus s hots
f ro m t he ir t hr ee
or
four carriers. Thus, the lineup is
9-10
American
units versus 11-12 Japanese ones.
It
is by
n o m e an s c le ar
that
the
edge in thi s case is with
the Japanese given the greater staying power
o f
th e
American
land-based
air. Th e
American
surface
fleet will be
roughly
equal to t he J ap a ne se t o ta l ,
although again t he a tt ac k b on us
o f
the Japanese
cruisers gives the Japanese p la ye r a n edge in a sur
face action. By c om pa ri so n, o n
Turn
2 the
American p la ye r w ou ld h av e only two
or
three ai r
forces an d four
or
five carriers with a
maximum
of
six
regular
an d 6
to
20 bonus s hots .
Th e
Japanese
w ou ld h av e n in e c a rr ie rs f or s ur e with 27 airstrikes
an d possibly two more with five strikes ifspeed rolls
ar e
passed.
More importantly,
t he re w ou ld b e
up
to
eight Ameri can u ni t s versus u p t o Japanese ones.
G iv en t he number of
land-based
a ir a va il ab le , t he
American
chances
ar e
better
on Turn 3. Th e
Americans gain ten
armor
factors three land-based
air an d
assuming
on e 0-2-7
c ar ri er s un k o n
Turn 2
while
the
Japanese
gain
only three
armor
factors.
T h er e a r e a number
o f
possible s ituations that
ca n
o cc ur o n
Turn 3. the J apanes e commander
opts
si mp l y t o
capture
Pearl
Harbor, the American
player will h av e t o d ec id e w he th er or not t o d
th e
Hawaiian Islands. his raids elsewhere
been successful,
the PO C
situation might lea
to
continue his assaults in other
areas
an d
co
th e
loss
o f
Pearl
Harbor.
H e m ig ht d ec id e t o u
land-based
ai r in H aw ai i t o
attrition the J ap
carrier force trading the replaceable
land-bas
for
irreplaceable
in many senses
o f
the
Japanese c a rr ie rs . H e m a y a ls o a cc ep t the cha
in
the Hawaiian
Islands if circumstances so di
but his fleet units
at
S am oa , G ua da lc
Australia,
Midway,
and/or
Dutch
Harbor
w
av ai l ab l e i f n eed ed.
the Japanese player allempts to lan
Yokosuka M arin es at Johnson Island
on
Tur
d i fferen t respo n se
ma y be appropriate. T he
tion
o f
up to six Japanese Ai r flotillas to th e
on
Turn 3 changes
the
bailie
odds
significan
favor
of the Japanese.
On Turn
2 the
Ame
p la ye r m ig ht
consider
placing on e
land-base
unit in the
Hawaiian
Islands in the hope
o f
disa
or
sinking
t he m ar i ne
unit. A lucky s h ot c o
effect n egat e this portion
o f
the Japanese stra
If the Japanese player opts for a n ight actio
succeeds, t h e ai r unit
ca n
simply retreat saving
for Turn 3
action.
Even i f J oh ns on Island
h ow ev er , t he
American
still ha s s om e o p
available. Th e 1st an d 2 n d M ari n es appear at
Harbor on Turn
3.
Lacking
a ny o th er
cour
action
i f t he H aw ai ia n Islands were controll
the Japanese
on
Turn 2 they c an p ut t o s e a in
f or t t o
recapture
Johnson
Island.
Even i f t he
in th e first round of combat the Japanese w
fo rced t o ex pen d ai rst ri k es ag ai n st t h em in or
preserve
the
port
as an airbase. Th e Ame
player will
also
have three
battleships
at se a
Hawaiian
Islands, so the
Japanese
player wil
to
counter
at least these units as well.
Japanese player is concentrating solely on
trolling
t he H aw ai ia n
Islands,
th e
presence
ai r flotillas will
probably
assure victory fo r h i m
he must at least be
c ar ef ul t o
guard a ga in
possibility of
American
raiders rein forcin
Hawaiian
Islands. Reinforcements
combined
a successful
American
invasion could
doom
whole
strategy o f
controlling t h e Hawaii an I
an d
capturing Pearl Harbor.
the Japanese.player is trying
to
contro
the Hawaiian Islands an d the Mandate, t h e
tion is much
different. If
Johnson Island
A m er i ca n, t he
l a nd b as e d
a ir c an
d ef e nd H
an d
th e fleet u n it s co ul d co nt est th e US Man
fo rci ng t wo b att l es, o n ly on e
o f
which
th e
Am
p la ye r n ee ds t o
win.
Th e
fleet uni ts will in
cases be forced to fight in the M a nd a te a r ea
J ap a ne se c o nt r ol o n T u rn 2 would prevent su
ing
Hawai i from Au stral ia. Ameri can raid ers
Pearl Harbor o n T ur n 2
that
succeed in holdi
Central Pacific could a ls o r et ur n t o M id wa y.
forces from
the southern
areas negate Japanes
trol of th e
Marshalls,
then t he se for ce s a s r
could
threaten
t o i n terven e
in
either
th e
Haw
Islands
or the US Mandate. A Japanese
forced
to
deal with both possibilities
could
di
his forces
to o
widely. Since the American
wo ul d mo v e secon d , he wo ul d k n ow wh et h er
t he J ap a ne se player were committed
to
t he
strategy o n T ur n 2
an d
use his raiding forces
appropriate
fashion. Alternately, particularly
J apanes e control J ohnson Island, th e
America
throw his
land-based
ai r u ni ts i nt o
th e
batt
Samoa.
T he J apanes e player,
ifhe
holds his ca
back as raiders, will
know
t ha t t he America
c ho se n t o d ef en d o nl y
th e
Mandate, but at
some o f his other
s urface craft
will already
been committed
to
the
Hawaiian
Islands unl
t ru st s t o luck t o p re ve nt a n A me ri ca n i nv as
Johnson
Island.
Thecombined
American
flee
ai r forces will have a slight superiority o
surface in n um be rs i f not quality an d a s lig
feriority in airstrikes,
although
again
th e
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Table I
Hypothetical Decisive Action
US Mandate
Japanese Strategy Variation and the American Flexible Response
Forces
with
ai r
capability
available:
J apanese: I I CYs
and
CYLs with 32 airstrikes American: 3 CYs with 2 airstrikes
6 ai r forces with 12 airstrikes
sunk . Th e American without overlap
or
over
can expect
to disable
two
ships and
score two h
Th e expected 7
damage
points should sink
or
inn
maximum damage
on two
Japanese carriers. Th
in theexchange, four
Japanese
carriersare remo
f rom the next
round
of action. Th e surviving f
carriers will
have approximately nine
shots
ver
the remaining land-based
ai r
units with e ight .
this
s tage , t he advantage shifts
to
the
land-ba
air.
The
ultimate
outcome
is likely to bea t least
l and based ai r
unit
surviving
to
control
the
area
a
significant
number
of
the
Japanese
carriers su
or damaged . Thus,
while
the
American car
forces ar e
virtually
gone, t he
Japanese
neet wil
virtually impotent from Turn 6 onward to
deal w
the threat of t he Ameri can car ri er s t ha t begin
pearing
in large numbers. Of course, i f the
open
ai r
round goes
poorly,
the Japanese player
wi thdraw from the area , accepting the fai lure of
strategy bu t preserving his carr iers for later acti
Conclusions
From
th e
above comments, it is
obvious
that
Japanese
player can
force
a key battle as
early
Turn 3 in
th e
game if
he so des ires
by
following
Hawaiian
Island-US Mandate variation of
strategy. Th e g amble involved, h owev er,
not iceably l arge r
than
assumed.
Th e dela
defense
approach combined
with
the
losses
valuable POCs
to Ameri can and British
raid
elsewhere may well prove
that
a double assault
the Mandate and the
Hawaiian
Islands will succ
less
often than it
fails. Even the
Japanese
conc
tration
on
the
Hawaiian
Islands
combined wit
dispersal of the forces slated for t he US Mandat
perimeter defense is less likely
to
achieve ult im
victory. Th e
American could very well survive
loss
of
Pearl
Harbor
if
he
has had
successful
r
elsewhere.
Th e
counterstrategy
of an Ame ri can nex
response to the varia tions of the
ideal Japan
attempt to win an ear ly v ic to ry a re
summarized
Table 2. Forces available
to
both sides will
v
depending on previous actions and speed rolls
the
outline
is thesame,
with
the key action proba
occurring in Turn 3, perhaps in t he Hawa
Islands and
perhaps
as a result
of
raids
elsewh
Th e
chances of
victory
ar e a t worst equal
f rom
American point
of
view. t he game is decide
Turn
3 under
these circumstances,
then
so
be i t.
the ideal Japanese strategy will have accomplis
is to
br ing the
game to
a major
decision
early rat
than
late. Balance is still present, given the fact
a few
rolls
of the
dice may determine
victory
defeat. If a veteran
Japanese
player
has
determi
that t he l at er phase
of
V T favors the Americ
or tha t
his
particular opponent
will win i f t he
ga
is not dec ided ear ly , t hen
he
would quite logic
force
an
early
conclus ion to
the
g ame. H e co
not,
however, expect t o emerge v ic to ri ous
m
than half the t ime, and perhaps less.
He
will
deny h imse lf t he
opportunity
of
taking
advant
of potential mistakes by his opponent later in
game.
The foregoing discussion of the ideal Japan
s t ra tegy would indicate that
it
fails t o t ake
into
count all
facets of
V TP lt rests on a tot
predictable response fo r the American
command
Allied raiders threaten no vital a rea, and , in f
the
American
player will obligingly commit
forces piecemeal on Turns 2 an d 3. It must
be
mit te d t ha t
if
t he Amer ican
p laye r does
act
p re dic ta bly , then the s tra te gy will work. F
gamers, however,
ar e
willing
to assume
tha t t
opponents will be so
kind.
A
more
though
American
response provides a greater element
chance
and
largely dest roys the advantages gai
by
the Japanese capture
of
Pearl Harbor and ma
the Hawaiian Island-Mandate
strategy
a
risky
o
this
new
eventuality
or
lessen t he ir l and bas ed a ir
defenses
in
Indonesia.
Aggressive
patrols on
turn
2
with expendable ships can cause a lot of problems
for a Japanese player
unwilling to change his
goals
an d determined to t ake Pearl Harbor.
Table
I
includes an
example
as to
how theact ion
in the Mandate might occur. Th e table assumes
that
only a ir
action occurs since the
number
of
surface
craft
available in a given
game
is variable
and hard
to predict. Similarly, expected losses
froma surface
action
involving many
ships
has
too
many
possibilities.
Th e table also assumes that only three
of t he Ameri can car ri er s a re left
to
participate
as
well as
the
six
air forces.
The Japanese have II
car
riers with 32 airst rikes . On the first
round
of
action,
the three American carr iers
ar e
disabled, sunk,
or
receive maximum damage ,
as do
three of
the
Japanese 4 strike carriers a
typical
occurrence in a
straight carrier
fight
with
bonus
shots).
The
remain
ing car ri er s a ssau lt t he l and-based a ir with
an
ex-
pected
3.3 hits and
11.5
damage.
Thus,
with
average luck and no lost hits
or
overkill on a par
t icul ar a ir uni t, two
of
t he Ameri can uni ts will
be
3 CYs sink
or disable
3
Japanese
four strike CYs
6 AFs
attack
six CYs
and CYLs with
2 disables
and two hits with 7.0 expected damage 2
sunk)
2 AFs at tack 2 CYs and CYLs with .67 disabled
and .67 hits
fo r 2.4
damage
sun
k
and
I disabled)
4
AFs a tt ack 4CYs
and CYLs
with
1.3 expected
disables and 1.3 expected h it s w ith 4 .5
damage
sunk and I disabled)
I AF remaining ensuring American
control
Total expected disables by
American
AF 4 .0
Total expected damage by Ameri can AFs 13.9
American Counter
Raid
north f rom Pearl Harbor
Threaten
Indonesia an d
South
Pacific from
Australia
Continue raids on Turn 3
Possibly contes t Hawai ian Islands with land-
b as ed a ir on Turn
3
Threaten Control
of
the Marshal Islands
Raid as above on Turn 2
Land-based air unit to
attempt
t o s ink
or disable
marines on Turn 2
Continue raids
on
Turn 3
Possible
counterassault
on Johnson Is land with
Is t and 2nd Marines on Turn 3 combined
with
land-based air defense of Hawaiian
Islands
Raids
as above on Turn 2
Land-based a ir def end Hawai ian I sl ands on
Turn 3
with
neet in Mandate,
or
combined
neet
and
land-based air defense of Mandate
Raids as
above
on Turn 2
One land-based
air
attempts to
sink
or
disable
marines on
Turn
2
Maximum
effort
in
Mandate
in
Turn
3
if
Johnson
Island
has fallen
with
marine
counterassault
in
Hawaiian Islands
la
Yokosuka Marines assault Johnson Island
on
Turn2
Japanese Variation
[
Control Hawaiian
Islands
on
Turns 2 and
3
with
major port ion of neet
II
Control Hawaiian
Islands and US Mandate
on Turns
i
and 3 by dividing Japanese
neet
on bot h
Turns
lIa Yokosuka Marines assault Johnson Island
on Turn 2
ROUND 4
Table
2
Total
expected
Japanese
damage
versus
American AFs 21.3
ROUND I
3 CYs
sink
or disable 3 American CYS
8 CYs and CYLs attack ai r forces with 3 .3
expected hits
and 11.5 expected damage
2
AFs sunk)
ROUND 2
4 CYs with 1I strikes attack the 4
AFs
with 1.8
expected
hits and 6.3 expected damage 2 AF
sunk,
including previously damaged
one)
ROUND 3
2
CYs and CYLs
attack 2
AFs with
I
expected
hit for 3 .5 damage
AF sunk a t b es t)
ai r
have
superior
s ta yi ng power . The
anese will
have at
best
II carriers
since
the
cannot
speed roll from the Japanese
The American could
have four carriers and
air forces hardly an
inadequate
force.
In
effect,
delayed defense
of
the key areas will permi t the
player
to
challenge
th e
Japanese
thrust
rom a position
of
much g re ate r s tren gth th an
ha ve b een
the case
during
Turn 2. The
of
the knockou t punch suc ce ed ing a re
Iy red
uced.
Of cou rs e, t he
s impl es t b ut most effective
to any
Japanese
designs on t he Hawai ia n
is to duck
the heavy Japanese
patrols
on
twO and threaten to
control
t he Mar shal l
yourself. the Japanese have ove r
com
their offensive-minded
patrols
they may
t roub le knock ing out a strong
American
t ro l in
the Marshal ls
which
wou ld deny Truk
patrollers
access
to
the
Hawaiian Islands
on
n 3.
Some
players
won t recognize
this unt il it s
o late; others will
be
forced into spreading their
more sparsely than
they
would
ke to cover
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32
AVALON HILL
ST S LL R
LIST
As is our custom, we once a ga in p re se nt t he
sales rankings for the Avalon Hill game line based
on
t ot al s f or
our
1980 F is ca l Y ea r w hi ch b eg an
May
80 and
ended
A pr il 8 1. F ig ur es f or t he All
Time
list include all versions of a t it le s ol d t o date
provided
the
game
system has not
changed
over
the years. D D Y and FOOTB LL STR TEG Y
for instance have collectively gone through eight
different
editions, bu t
are
considered to be
basically the same game. GETTYSBURG on the
other hand,
changed
drastically in each
of
its four
versions and is t herefo re omi tt ed f rom the list
even though the collective totals of its many ver
s io ns w ou ld ordinarily q ua li fy f or 10t h p la ce .
Note
that
the
current
edition of
B
TTLE
0
THE
BULGE
will soon disappear
from
t he l is t
w he n i t is r ep la ce d b y the new versi on whi ch con
stitutes
an
entirely new game. Titles are placed
on
the All Time list only after having soldin excess of
100,000 copies while under Avalon Hill owner
ship. Sales rankings do
no t
include sales made by
a
different
publisher.
1980 AH BEST SELLERS
E N SOUP ND OTHER RECIPES
6. The Expert. Talk l ik e y o u h av e a reput
Use selffulfillment with chatter suchas, I b
last thirty-seven opponents with this strategy
not too worried about
your
defense .
7. Cohorts. B ri ng a lo ng a fr ie nd or t wo
them to stop by and look the game over ever
in a while. T he y should say things like, Isn
the same s tra te gy the last guy you were p
tried?
.
8. S mo ke sc re en . L ig ht up a
cheap
c ig ar
middle of a tight contest and direct the s
towards the board. You should then be a
move some counters around u si ng t he smo
cover, especially since your opponent will pro
be coughing
and
feeli ng il l. However, mak
y ou p os it io n y ou rs el f on
the correct
side
board,
upwind, or
the
smoke
will backfire.
rooms with variable winds.
9. The Lucky Me
Syndrome.
A few g
claim to b e a bl e to control t he die by t he p ow
thought. Of course, they
don t
come
ou t
and
They intimate it through hints
and
subtle ac
It s
amazing how gullible people are
and
how
they are taken i n by such phoni es. You ll neve
anyone
accuse
another of
h av in g this
though, as this
is
an open admission that
power d oe s i nd ee d e xis t, w it h a ll its f ri gh
ramifications. You
too
can have
t he
power
by announcing that y ou ha ve a lw ays be en
with the die. This works best when playi
opponent for the first time.) When you
favorable result, say
you re
sorry you are so b
When
your
opponent th ro ws a bad r es ul
you re sorry; you didn t know you
could cont
rolls so well.
If
y ou l os e, s ig h d ee pl y a s if rel
and say
you re
glad you don t win a ll t he t i
y ou wi n, act matter-of-factly. The word w
around that
you are a
lucky guy ,
and yo
well
on your
way to becoming the Kresk
Kriegspieling.
1 Cry. Preferably real tears.
Of course, after using t he se t ac ti cs , y ou
find that no one will play wit h you anymore.
a ll , a gamer without opponents isn t wort h t h
his beans are in. I know , I know, I should jus
up.
by Alan R. Moon
Throughout
h is tor y a
major
weapon at the
disposal
of
any a rmy
has
been
overlooked.
Bean
soup. Garbonzo beans being especially effective.
But b ean soup is o nl y one of many physically
harmless, bu t psychologically deadly tactics gamers
can u se i n t he ir q ue st f or v ic to ry . S o, t hi s should be
seen as a recipe
book
f or g am er s. M y t en b es t.
I.
Operant conditioning. From
the
moment
you sit
down
at t he ta ble , hum constantly,
preferably
in a l ow t on e. W he ne ve r
your
opponent
makes a good move, rai se t he t one of your humming
slightly.
He
will begin to hesitate and listen for the
higher hum at crucial moments in th e g ame as
reassurance he is m ak in g t he r ig ht m ov e.
That s
whe n you have him.
He s
conditioned. You ca n
now
use your new
found
power in one
of
two ways.
One,
don t hum w he n he is about to
make
a good
move. He ll wait, and think about it, but he ll in
evitably make another move i nstead. Two, hum
higher whe n he m ake s a bad move to confuse his
conditioning. This negative feedback will turn him
i nto a mess of mixed responses
and
f rom then
on
you can hum
or
not hum at random.
2. Consu lt ing The
Oracle.
At impo rtant
moments during your
opponent s turn,
pick
up
the
rulebook.
Ask
him if he s sure his
move
is legal.
Ask
h im r ep ea te dl y h ow many times he s p la ye d t he
game.
Mumble
aha
or
hmmm
a lot when
looking through the rulebook.
3. The Prim Rose
Path.
Study
and
k no w t he
historical situation
and
tell your
opponent
the
mist akes he can
make
by following an historical
pattern. Keep trying to te ll h im h ow h is s tr at eg y is
l eading him to a disast rous histori cal conclusion.
Make parall el s bet ween his play and t he mist akes
made b y t he a ct ua l commanders. your opponent
doesn t
know anything
about
t he actual hi st ory of
the g ame , try to c on vi nc e h im to follo w t he
historical path
oran
ahistorical
path,
depending
on
which will lead to disaster.
4.
Time
In Your Pocket. Play quickly and com
plain i f your opponent t akes l onger than you do.
Look at your watch a lot.
If
he s drinking beer,
complain about t he del ay everyti me he goes to the
bathroom.
5.
Jiggling Jugs. Bring your girlfriend along as
a distraction. Have h er w ea r a h al te r
top and
lean
2
3
4
5
6
8
7
9
11
1979
Rank
ALL-
TIME
BEST SELLERS
1 PANZERBLITZ
2. OUTDOOR SURVIVAL
3. FACTS IN FIVE
4. LUFTWAFFE
5. BLITZKRIEG
6.
PANZER LEADER
7. TACTICS
8. THIRD REICH
9. FOOTBALL STRATEGY
10. MIDWAY
II .
SQUAD LEADER
12. STARSHIP TROOPERS
13. BATTLE OFTHE BULGE
14. AFRIKA KORPS
15. ACQUIRE
Iii D-DAY
17.
RICHTHOFEN S
WAR
18. 1776
19. TWIXT
20. PAY
DIRT
Rank
Title
Rank Title
I. SQUAD LEADER
2. FACTS IN FIVE
3.
WIZARD S QUEST
4. MAJOR
LEAGUE
BASEBALL
5. PAYDIRT
6.
PANZER
LEADER
7. OUTDOOR SURVIVAL
8.
TACTICS
9. FORTRESS
EUROPA
10.
ACQUIRE
II .
CRESCENDO
OF
DOOM
p.
WAR
PEACE
13.
DIPLOMACY
14.
PANZERBLITZ
IS. BOOK OF LISTS
FOOTBALL S T R t \ ~ Y r n _ . , . ~ _
17. FEUDAL
18. CROSS
OF
IRON
INTERN
THIRD
REICH
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Strategy in iplomacy
y
Lewis Pulsipher
Part II o a Three Part Series on the Game With o ice
While negotiation is a means of convincing
players to act as you desire, the art of strategy
choosing the combinations of countries, and
direction of movements (thrust east instead
west, by land instead
of
by sea) which, if
as p lanned , will result in a win. It
is
the
neglected
of
the
th re e a spe ct s of
play, the one in which the average
is most likely deficient, and the one which
arates most experts from merely good players.
average player
is
content to let his negotiations
ermine his strategy rather than vice versa. Con
quently he seldom looks beyond the next game
the immediate identification
of
enemy and
to what he ought to do later in the game.
I assume in the following
that
the player s objec
is to win, or failing that, to draw. Those who
draws in favor
of
survival as someone else
will approach some points of strategy dif
but until late in the game there
is
virtually
difference between the two approaches.
Strategy in
DIPLOM Y is
strongly influenced
the shape
of
the board. Spaces near the edge are
t han central spaces, so
that
movement
is
as fast as movement through the middle.
important , the board is divided into two
rategic areas or spheres . The eastern sphere
cludes Austria , Russia, and Turkey, while the
is
England, France, and Germany. Italy sits
tride one of three avenues between the two
heres. The northern route through Scandinavia
and the Barents Sea enables Russia to have some in
fluence in the western sphere. The central route,
between Germany on one hand and Aus tr ia and
Russia on the other, looks short but
is
rarely used
early in the game.
Normally the game revolves
around
efforts to
dominate the two spheres. Earlyin the game a coun
try rarely moves out
of
its own sphere-it
can t
afford the diversion of effort until the conflict in its
own sphere
is
resolved. However, the country or
alliance which gains control of its own sphere first,
enabling it to invade the other sphere, usually gains
the upper hand in the game as a whole. A con
t inuous tension exists between the need to com
pletely control one s own sphere and the need to
beat the other sphere to the punch. Commonly, two
countries in a sphere will attack the third, attempt
ing at thesame time to arrange a longindecisive war
in the other sphere so
that
i t will be easy to invade
later . Sometimes the two countries will f ight for
supremacy before the winner goes on to the other
sphere; more often, the players
of
the other sphere,
becoming aware
of
the threat from the other side
of
the board, will intervene and perhaps patch up their
own differences. Poor Italy is t rapped in the mid
dle. Naturally an alliance which endeavors to
dominate a sphere wants Italy to move into the
other sphere, probably to establ ish a two vs. two
stalemate. And the odd man out in a sphere turns
first to Ita ly to redress the balance
of
power. In
either case Italy
is
stuck in a long war. An Itali
win
is
usually a long game.
This discuss ion shows us the most importa
principle
of
strategy:
everything th t h ppe
nywhereon the bo rd ffectseverycountry If
yo
concern yourself onlywith two or three neighborin
powers you ll never become an
expeh
playe
though glib negotiation skill can go far to compe
sate for strategic deficiency. If you as Turkey c
influence the move of one French or English unit
may make the difference between a win anda draw
game years hence. If you can strongly affect the e
t ire country s movements , even at that d is tanc
you should go far along the road to victory. The e
pert s trategic player knows where many foreig
uni ts will be ordered each season, and he tries
do so subtly, by misdirection and throug
intermediaries; it
doesn t
do to
att ract too
muc
attention.)
One of the most important considerations
strategy is the attainment of a stalemate line b
your country or alliance. Your long-range goal is
win, but unless you are a quite romantic player wh
prefers instability, your immediate objective is to b
sure you
can t
lose-then worry about going on
win. A stalemate line
is
a posi tion which cann
possibly be breached or pushed back by the enem
The area within
or
protected by the line include
supply centers sufficient to support all the uni
needed to form the line. There are many stalema
lines, but these have been discussed at length
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books and fanzines about DIPLOM CY I will
describe the two major lines, which roughly coin
cide with the two spheres (and not by accident ) ,
and you can find variations ar.d other lines by
studying the board. (U unit, that is, either army or
fleet)
Eastern Line A Vienna, A Budapest S Vienna,
A Trieste S Vienna, U Venice, U Rome, U Naples S
Rome, F Adria tic S Venice, U Apulia S Venice, F
Ionian, F Eastern Med. S Ionian, U Sevastopol, U
Rumania, U Bulgaria S Rumania, U Armenia S
Sevastopol.
Western Line U St. Petersburg, U Norway SSt.
Petersburg, U Kiel, A Ruhr S U Kiel, A Burgundy,
U Marseilles, A Gascony S Marseilles, U Spain, U
Portugal S Spain, F Mid-Atlantic, F English S Mid
Atlantic, (Can be expanded to hold Berlin and
Munich. Alternative:
nothing
in Spain and
Marseilles, F Portugal S Mid-Atlantic, A Brest S
Gascony, A Paris S Burgundy.)
With 3 to 5 centers, or
as
many as 17, within a
ne, a player
is
almost certain
of
a draw. If he
eaches the line soon enough, and alone, he can
ove on to prevent any other player from conquer
ng the rest of the board, and a draw or win is
A drawback
of
reaching a stalemateline is thatit
put other players on their guard against you.
hey know they can t knock you down to size,
ey l l be reluctant to fight one another . This is a
nger any strong country faces, however, and it
be noted that a perfectly played
game will end in a draw, not a win.
This depends par tly on the players styles,
of
game among seven extreme
placers
see last issue) will never be a draw.)
You can win only
if
other players make
stakes. The better the players, the more likely a
w will be.
So far we ve been discussing the fundamental
gic structure of the game. Next we ll consider
at to think about as you devise a strategy, and
stly we ll talk about individual differences be
en countries.
When you devise a strategy you plan thegeneral
of
your movement, expected allies, ex
cted enemies, and what you want countries not
jacen t to yours to do. At each step you should
ve several alternatives, for barring great good
ck something will go wrong. Often the styles and
of
the players will strongly affect the
t rategy you choose. But let s assume that one
is
as suitable (or unsuitable) to your purposes
another. First, consider the nature
of
your coun
Is it a natural land power, a sea power, or both?
it on an outer edge of a sphere, an inner edge
or Austria), or in between (Italy)? Think
out this, look at the board, and decide where
going to get
8
supply centers to win the
me. You must take several centers in one sphere,
r in Italy, even
if
you control the other sphere
tirely. Your plan must include I) a means
of
gain
g control
of
your sphere without hostile incursion
om outside it,
2
attainment of a stalemate line in
least one part of the board, and 3 penetration
to the other sphere (or Italy) to reach
8
centers.
ote that Italy is within the eastern stalemate line,
that the western line is anchored in the eastern
here (St. Petersburg). These seemingly minor
ints may have a strongeffect on your plans.) You
plan to jointly control your sphere with an ally,
then the penetration must amount to eventual
of the o ther sphere as well. You must in
ude a means
of
reacting to any attempt to disrupt
ur plan from outside your sphere. You must pro
ide for other contingencies; for example
if
meone dominates the other sphere before you
minate yours you must be prepared to stop him.
ou must be flexible, though you ll try to imple
Italy is left out in the cold. I taly must e ither be
sure that neither sphere is dominated by any coun
try or alliance early in the game, allowing Italy time
to grow, or i t must quickly dominate one sphere.
From the strategic point of view Italy is definitely
the hardest country to play.
Here
is
a brief example
of
a strategic plan for
England. Let s say you
don t
like the Anglo
German alliance, or the German player is
notoriously unreliable, so you plan to offer a
limited duration alliance to France for
ajoint
attack
on Germany. You ll offer Belgium, Munich, and
Holland to France while you take Denmark, Kiel,
and Berlin. You don t mind
if
Russia and Germany
get into a fight over Sweden, but you want Russia to
concentrate, with Austria, on attacking Turkey.
This will leave Italy free to peck away, initially at
Germany, later
at
France. When your alliance with
France expires you will attack France with Italian
help, and at the same time pick of f Russia s
northern centers (Germany should fall sooner than
Turkey-if
necessary you ll giveTurkey tactical ad
vice). You want Aust ri a to at tack Russia after
Turkey falls. This is important, because Austria
Russia would be a formidable alliance against you.
It is possible but not likely that you could reach a
stalemate line as Italy collapsed to an attack from
Austria,
but
it
is
much better to have most
of
the
eastern units f ighting one another . In the end you
should be grinding down an outnumbered Italy
(England will gain more from attacks on Germany
and France than Italy will, by nature
of
the posi
tions) while Austria keeps Russia busy. For supply
centers you want England, France, Germany, the
Low Countries, Scandinavia, Iberia-a total
of
16-plus two from St. Petersburg, Warsaw,
Moscow, Tunis, and Italy s three. To gointo all the
alternatives would require pages. But as one exam
ple, if necessary you could extend your alliance with
a France who will be worried about Italy, and hope
to march into Russia and the Balkans.
Now we come to individual countries. Reams
of
statistics are available about the success
of
each
country in postal play,
but
the percentages have
varied as years passed, and statistics
of
American
and British postal games show some differences.
Generally, each country has a good chance
of
suc
cess except for Italy, which is handicapped by its
between-spheres posi tion. (The pi rated South
American versions
of DIPLOM CY
give I ta ly a
fleet instead
of
an army in Rome, and add a supply
center in North Africa. These changes strengthen
I taly and probably make
DIPLOM CY
a better
game.) Russia tends to be an all-or-nothing country
because of i ts extra unit, its long borders, and its
connection with the western sphere and stalemate
line. Russia wins outright far more than any other
country. The inner countries, Germany, Austria,
and Italy, are harder to play well.
The next seven sections brief ly sta te what to
look for when you play each count ry .
Natural
neutrals are neutra l supply centers which are
usually captured by the Great Power during 1901.
The most common opening move is also mentioned,
but remember that tactics are subordinat e to
strategy, and even the most common opening is used
no more than half the time. One general point re
mains to be made. Western countries can wait
longer than eastern countries before committing
themselves to agreements. The easterners are too
close, with too many centers at stake, to wait.
Austria Land power, natural neutrals Serbia and
Greece. Turkey and Austria are almost always
enemies, for Austria is at a great disadvantagewhen
the two ally. Turkey usually owns terri tories on
three sides (Mediterranean, Balkans, Russia) if the
alliance
is
successful, and Austria
is
just too easy to
s tab. Russia and Italy are the best alliance pros
pects, especially the former. Russia and Turkey
order to avoid becoming the next victim o
eastern juggernaut. Germany virtually a
agrees to a non-aggression pact, nor shouldA
waste units in the western sphere. The early ga
often a desperate struggle for survival, but a
player can hang on until events elsewhere an
own diplomacy improve his position. Unfortun
normally Austri a must eliminate Italy to
because the seas and crowded German plain
expansion northward; this landpower must be
a sea power in order to grab the last few ce
needed.
Commonly Austria opens with F Tr
Albania and A Budapest-Serbia followed in F
Serbia S Albania-Greece. A Vienna
is
used to
whichever neighbor, Russia or Italy, seems ho
by Vienna-Galicia or Vienna-Trieste or Tyrol
England Seapower, natural neu tral Nor
England has an excellent defensive position
poor expansion prospects. An Anglo-Ge
alliance is not as hard to main ta in as the Au
Turkish, but neither is it easy. England mu
south when allied with Germany, but it can h
avoid a presence in the north, facing Russia, w
puts itall around the German rear. England-F
is a fine alliance but it may favor Francein the
run. Whichever is the ally, England may be ab
acquire Belgium if he works a t it. Pat ience
necessity, however, unless Italy or Russia com
to the western sphere.
either does, one to a
France (or even Germany), the other to attack
many, England must gain centers rapidly
squeezed to death between its former ally an
interloper.
England can win by sweeping through Ger
and Russia, but all too often the eastern stale
line stops this advance short of victory. Simila
southern Mediterranean drive can founder in
but this par t
of
the defenders stalemate l
harder to establish. If England can get up to a
six or seven units it has many alternative
consider.
Usually England opens with F London-No
Edinburgh-Norwegian, A Liverpool-Edinb
The army can be convoyed by either fleet whi
other can intervene on the continent.
France Balanced land and sea, natural ne
Spain and Portugal. France may be the
restricted
of
all the countries, vying with Russ
that distinction. There are many options in a
defensive and offensive posit ion. Alliance
Germany or England are equallypossible, thou
is
easier to coopera te with England . An a
French player can usually
obtain
Bel
regardless
of
which country he allies with. I
movements are important to France, since
penetra tion into the Mediterranean
is
us
necessary late in the game if not sooner. Russi
be helpful against England or Germany. In f
French-Russian-(Italian)
alliance
against
Anglo-Germans
is
possible.
At
any rate, if Fra
attacked there are several players to ask for h
A common French opening is F Brest
Atlantic (heading for Iberia), A Paris-Burgun
Marseilles-Spain.
Germany Land power, natural neutrals Hol
Denmark. Like Austria, Germany must scra
early in the game. But the defensive posit i
better, alliance options are broader-and Italy
quite at one s rear.
Alliance with England is difficult be
England usually sits in the German rear as the
goes on. (As England I have been stabbed (in
tively) several times by Germans who
cou
s tand the s tr ain, though I had
no
plans to a
them.) Germany-France is a better alliance, th
France may gain more from it, and you can b
dangerously extended between France and R
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Fortunately, Austria rarely interferes early
game (nor shouldGermany waste
effort
inthe
sphere) and conflicts with Russia are rare
if
concedes Sweden.
A common opening is F Kiel-Denmark, A
unich-Ruhr, A Berlin-Kiel. Kiel-Holland or
nich-Burgundy are also
common.
Balanced, natural neutral Tunis. Italy needs
and luck to win. Fortunately the defensive
is
good, but
immediate
expansion
ssibilities are very
poor.
Don t be hypnotized by
those Austrian centers so near. f Russia and
ally Italy s lifespan
isn t
much longer
than
-full support of
Austria is required. Italy
to become involved in the eastern sphere more
the western. Unless England
and Germany
are
cking France, Italy stands to gain little in that
ection. Although Turkey seems far away Italy
attack her using the Lapanto
Opening .
1901
A Venice
H,
A Rome-Apulia, F
les-Ionian (which is also the most
common
opening) followed in Fall by A Apulia
F Ionian C Apulia-Tunis, build F Naples.
1902 F Ionian-Eastern Mediterranean (or
F Naples-Ionian. Then in Fall 1902 Italy
convoy A Tunis to Syria. This attack requires
strian cooperation,
of
course.
Balanced,
natural neu trals
Sweden,
mania. With a foot in the western sphere owing
its long border, Russia has
an
advantage in ex
nsion but its defensive position
is
weak despite
extra unit. Russia often feels like two separate
untries, northwest and south, and it may prosper
one area while fai ling in the other. The eastern
is
more important and usually gets three of
ssia s starting four units.
Russia has no obvious enemy. Because the
tro-Turkish alliance
is
so rare Russia can usually
its
ally-but don t
become complacent. In
north Germany can usually be persuaded not to
rfere with Sweden.
An
Anglo-German attack
certainly take Sweden and threa ten St.
tersburg, but Russia can lose its
northern
center
still remain a major power. A Franco-Russian
can be very successful provided Germany
England start the game fighting one another.
A common Russian opening
is
F St. Petersburg
)-Bothnia, F Sevastopol-Black, A Warsaw
raine, A Moscow-Sevastopol . Moscow-St .
is rarely seen (and very anti-English).
is
anti-Austrian (with Moscow
raine). Sevastopol-Rumania
is
very trusting
of
Balanced, natural
neutral
Bulgaria.
rkey has the best defensive pos it ion
on
the
ard. Its immediate expansion prospects are not
, and at one time it was notor ious in postal
for spreading like wildfire once it reached
or seven units. Now players realize th at an
stro-Russian all iance, or the Italian Lepanto
ing, can keep Turkey under control.
Austria
is
an unlikely ally-see Austrian notes
why. Russia-Turkey can be an excellent
ce, but if Russia does well in the north Turkey
find it se lf sl ipping behind . None theless,
can t be choosers.
The
Italo-Turkish
is
seldom seen, perhaps because all too
n Italy becomes the next victim for Russia and
ey. A fight between Italy and Turkey
on
one
and Russia and Austria
on
the other
is
rare, for
y prefers to go west and hope Austria will attack
ssia after fin ishing with Turkey.
Turkey
has
of t ime to look for helpfrom the
other
side of
board while fighting a dour defensive, but help
A commonTurkish opening
is
A Constantinople
Bulgaria, A Smyrna-Constantinople (or Armenia,
to
attack Russia) , F Ankara-Black. The favored
alternative if Russia is definitely friendly
is Ankara
Constantinople, Smyrna
H.
Next time we ll
turn
to an examination
of
tactics
in DIPLOM CY
H
Philosophy Continued from
Pg
OF
THE GIANTS
It
will
contain
many different
types of s ce na rios inc lu ding wars between
k in gd om s, q ue st s, t re as ur e h un ts , e sc ap es , an d
pursuits. In
most
s ce na rios p la ye rs will be a ble to
select their own forces and objectives. Characters
will inc lu de
most
of
the
familiar fantasy a nd h ero
types like
dwarfs,
goblins, ogres, and magicians.
And, of course, giants. Designed
for
two to eight
players.
Three
of the
o the rs are c ard g ames ; o ne
about
gangsters, one about the M id dl e East, and one
about
senatorial politics.
. A la n
R
Moon
S MUR I
Work
has
just
begun on
the
S MUR I update,
so t her e is
not
really
that much to
r ep or t. A
new
game
map
is now in preparation
which
is both at
tractive a nd fu nc tio na l. Eac h p ro vin ce wil l be a d if
ferent
color
f rom its
adjacent provinces; thus per
mitting
immediate recognition. This gives
the map
an appearance similar
to
th os e U.S. map s
you
see
in schools. You
know- the
kind
with
each
state
in a
different
color. The
mountainous
provinces
will
be
d is ting uish ed b y terrain
symbols
rather
than the
s olid o ra ng e c olor u se d on
the current
mapboard.
We re
planning
to
add two additional noble
families,
thereby
increasing
the number
of players
to
six. This will necessitate
slight
alterations
to the
victory
conditions
to
reflect
the
increased
number
of
players. S MUR I is most enjoyable when
diplomacy takes
an
active
rol l; a nd th is inc re as e in
the number
of
players will definitely increase the
diplomatic
infighting.
Several new game mec ha nics are b eing c on
sidered with a v iew towa rd adding new play
options to the game
system.
The most ambitious
of
the se is
the
use of cards instead of dice to deter
mine the sequence of pl ay. Each p la ye r would
choose one card from a hand
of
six. Theplayer with
the lowest
valued card would take his turn
first
and
s o o n. Each c ard c on tain s c ertain a dv an ta ge s a nd
disadvantages; so a player want ing to go first can
also find himself severely penalized in another area.
Thats about
where Ia m righ t now. There ll certainly
be m or e l at er as
the game
progresses.
Mick Uhl
STRUGGLE OF
N TIONS
A
first
phase play
test k it was
sent
out
in
March,
with printed prototype
components.
However, the
rules were in v ery rou gh s ha pe , a nd the playtesters
h av e h ad difficulty
gett ing into
play with what s
been provided t o them so f ar. Ou r weekly testing
sessions here are pr oceeding fine, and a f i rst
draft
of the rules is in p ro gres s. T his wil l g o out to
the
Second Phase p la yt es te rs t hi s s um me r.
Right now
the
g ame is s la te d
fo r
a winter release.
Work is also underway correcting the provisional
components
for
a fin al p rod uc tio n p re ss run .
T he u nu su al step of sending out a design
sketch
with
rules ind ic ated but not always
specified, was tried in an attempt to hurr y up
development toward
an Origins release.
STRUGGLE OF NA TlONS
will
not hurry up.
D UNTLESS G METIE
T his p roje ct h as b ee n ta kin g u p more t ime than
it
was
su pposed t o. A number
of
production in
money
ended u p c os ti ng m or e
of
b ot h, and
th
result is
that
an estimated March release
was
pushe
back
to
late summer.
Sturmovik
has been likewi
affected;
because of production difficulties on th
data cards,
the
old
Expansion
Kit
will
be split
in
two parts if it s done
at
all). STURMOVIK
will
ha
32
aircraft
from the Russian/AsianlPacif
T he atre s, a nd SPITFIRE
will
include
28
aircra
mostly
from
the
period 1939-41 .
. . . Kevin Zuck
OBJECTIVE
TL NT
Progress on
the Avalon
Hill revision of OBJE
TIVE: A TLANTA h as u nd erstan da bly b ee n
slo
due
to the
great number
of
other projects I
am
volved
with.
However,
the
rul es are c ur re n
u nd er go in g a m as si ve r ev is ion
which
I feel
necessary to eliminate
out-of-date
and obscure te
minology. The rules will also be presented in a mo
clearly defined format. After this has been a
complished
to my
s atisfa ction I wil l b eg in work
redesigning
the
charts and organization display
The counters and mapboard I also intend to disca
as I want to
introduce
standard period
symbolis
onto both i tems. As
far
as graphics are concerne
my
p la ns inc lu de c olor-co ding
the
counters
distinguish
the
u ni ts a nd t he ir v ar io us f un ct io n
T he map bo ard I
would
like to airbrush and, if it go
well, should be a
vast
improvement over
th
original.
A.
Sheaf
GUNSLINGER
GUNSLINGER is in final pl ay
test
at last. P
duction
d elay s a nd an
unexpectedly
large
numb
of suggestions and
comments
from enthusias
playtesters have led
to
our missing
the
early su
mer
ORIGINS deadline,
but the
f in al g ame
will
out
later thi s summer .
Actually, the
fulsom
response
might
h av e been e xp ec te d,
for
GU
SLINGER is a completely
new tactic
system-and nothing
generates enthusiasm a
discussion like
novelty
and
tactical
s ys tems. T
b as ic g ame is a
straightforward system that
e
plains
combat
in split-second
showdowns.
Ad
tional rules add stalking
for
longer periods of tim
campaigns that combine
showdowns into
long
games
and role-playing rules that
allow the
playe
to
develop
their
characters
from
game
to
gam
T he res ult
is
a simple,
fast
game
that
can be e
tended
into
a longer,
more
serious game
for
ro
playing enthusiasts and gaming clubs.
M GIC
RE LM
The initial
rewrite
of
the M GI REALM
rul
has travelled strange paths.
Many
people have o
fered some intriguing suggestions
for
improving
th
g ame, s o rathe r
than simply rewri ting the
rules
we
planned last
summer,
we
are reorganizing a
adding
to the
presentation.
With the
gunfighte
fading
i nto t he sunse t at
last, we should
start
playtest of
the new
M
GICREALM
rules
sometim
this
summer
yes,
we
wil l p la y
test
the second e
tion
rules). Players who are familiar
with the
e
i st in g r ules w il l f in d the overall game unchange
with
s ome v ery n ic e c ha ng es
t o the
details of pl
here and there. The delay
comes from the
changes and
the
reorganization in
the
presentatio
ALPHA OMEGA
T he b ig ge st p ro blem with ALPHA OMEGA
restructuring
the game
to fi t
the
Avalon Hill form
have you seen the size
ofthose
maps?). It is agoo
de al l ike fitting a q uar t of water in a pint bott
without
losing anything.
We re working
on this,
b
progress is problematic with o the r pr oj ect s
truding. Fortunately, the game system is qu
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- - - - - - - - ~ ; . . . . . - - - - ~ ~ - - - - - - - . . c - - - - - - -
But What Happens When The Beach Hits Back?
HIT THE BEACH
by
li m
Stahle
Even if he wins one
or
two of these attacks, he
h om e free. I16 an d 117 a re e as il y b ot tl ed u p b
surrounding r iv er s, a nd t he other t hree hex
subje ct to
counterattack
by the four
major
sions, 3 an d 5 Parachute and 77 an d
271
Infa
with 15 attack factors, supported by plentiful
divisions. Even if the Allies do succeed
in
get
toehold on the coast an d s ur vi ve t he e n
counterattack their supply situation will be c
until they
capture
a
port.
Th e only available
are Amst erdam and Rott erdam and Antwe
neighboring Belgium. Holding the fortress of
terdam with its tripled defense, prevents the
from usi ng eit her Amst erdam or Rott erdam
Panzer di vi si on s s tr ea mi ng f ro m t he W es t,
wit h th e r iv er b ar ri er s, will ke ep A nt we rp o
Allied hands.
About t he best that t he Allie s c an e xpe ct
against t he Nort h Sea is to m ak e a 2 1 with thre
borne divisions against Amsterdam, coupled
successful i nvasion against one
of
the two
hexes a dj ac en t t o A ms te rd am . T he G er ma ns
o nl y r etr ea t a c ou ple s ta ti c divisions a cr os
dyke, beef up Rotterdam an d use the Emden a
t o h ol d t he R hi ne . Th e Allies will be bottled u
t iny beachhead wit h suppl y for t wo divisions
hordes of Panzers on t he march See Figure 2)
this is what the Allies get after risking their va
airborne divisions in a
2 1
attack. The Allied
can write of f most of t he Nort h Seaas a viabl e
sion area.
There is o ne m or e be ac h hex
in
t he Nort h
K19. l ooks l ike an easy, unopposed l andi n
look closer. Units invading KI 9 must at tack t
jacent 2SS in O st en d, with r et re at b lo ck ed
HQ.
Since 2SS is
doubled
even
paratroopers
quir ed to m ak e a
I-I.
Wit h t he masses
of
Ge
armor and i nfantry stationed to t he West, t he
that t he All ied player can hope for is a beac
bot tl ed by Dunkirk t he Schei dt River, an d
w erp see F ig ur e 3). N ot m uc h ga in for riski
airborne
division
an d
the first invasion.
N ot e a c ou pl e m or e f eat ure s about t he
Sea defense. Th e hexes most li kely t o be at ta
116 an d 117, are defended by static divisions
m or e v al ua bl e u ni ts ar e positioned on hexe
l ikel y t o be i nvaded, maki ng t hese uni ts safer
also ar e f ar the r west, allowing them to q
a ss is t t he ir c om ra de s d ef en di ng P as de C al a
Havre, Normandy an d Brittany.
Continuing al ong t he coast we e nt er F ra
the
Pa s
de Calais. This is theclosest invasion a
Bri tai n, t he beach t hat Hit ler expected t he A
i nvade. It is the scene of t he Bri ti sh evacuat
Dunkirk and t he debacle at Dieppe. Shou
enemy choose Pas de Calaisas their invasion a
will be t hree in a row.
Pa s
de C al ai s is a ve ry d if fe re nt
sort o
from North Sea. Supply is general ly not a pr
at
Pa s de Cal ai s, whereas i t made an offensive
ly impossible from North Sea. Thereare five c
p or ts t o c h oo se f ro m, w hic h a re t he key t o t he
They are
hard t o t ake, because t hey doubl e o
t he d ef en de r; h ow ev er , t hi s m ak es t he m e a
hold once taken. Pa s de Calais has betterexits
interior t ha n N or th Sea, maki ng an invasion
diffi cult t o bot tl e up. Since Pas de Cal ai s is f
from t he Rhi ne
than
t he N or th S ea , a b ea ch h
no t qui te as dangerous; a l ine can sti ll be form
the Meuse.
Th e
biggest danger comes from iso
t he b ul k of the G er ma n a rm y We st of the
should
t he All ies successfuly i nvade an d q
break out.
Th e German beach defense is cruc ial to the
game. Thi s is one aspect of D D w hic h h as r e
mained constant throughout the game s long
h is to ry . A
poor
d ef ens e c an give t he g am e a wa y
right from t he beginni ng; whi le a good defense can
give the Allied player certain defeat if he invades the
wrong beach. Thi s is as t ru e in
D D
77 as
in
its
predecessors.
On e
approach
to
formi ng a good defense is try
ing to hold everywhere, not allowing the Allies a
3 1
attack
on
an un def end ed bea ch hex anywhere. I
ha ve seen a d efe ns e that all ows t he All ies ashore
fr ee o nl y in one hex in Normandy; e ven t he m os t
re mote beaches in S outh F ra nc e a nd the Bay of
Biscay are 3 1
proof.
However, a good die roll at I-I
or 2 1
in Pas de Cal ai s can pu t the Allies on the
beach with little between them an d t he Rhi ne. I cal l
this ty pe of defense an iron ring with a marsh
mallow center.
the
outer
ring is pierced,
the
rest
fal ls. A defense of this type is useful
if
you believe
that t he Alli es will i nevi tabl y win shoul d t hey get a
be ac hhe ad. It gives the German player a good
chance of winning on Turn 1 a ls o gives him a
good chance
of
losing on Turn I.
I p re fe r a more conservative defense that makes
North Sea,
Pa s
de Calais,
an d
Le Havre impossible,
invasions
at
Normandy Brittany, an d South
France subject to being tightly bottled up and Bay
of Bis cay a very l on g, s lo w m ar ch t o t he R hi ne . A n
example
of
such a defense is s ho wn in F ig ur e I . Let
us t ak e a
tour of
t hi s defense, hex by hex an d beach
by beach, to see how effecti ve it is, an d h ow it c an
react to an invasion of any of the seven beaches.
We will
start
ou r tour at the
G er m an p or t of
Emden. This is s af e f ro m a ny All ie d attack even
a ir bo rn e . W ha t is interesting about Emden is the
masses
of
tanks
an d
panzer grenadiers right outside
the city. From here t he 3SS, 15SS, 25SS,
an d
9SS
d iv is io ns c an q ui ck ly c ov er a N or th S ea i nv as io n
wit hi n a t urn
or
two. Their high mobility can enable
them to reach as far as Lyons or Rennes
in
four
t urn s to help bottle up a South France or Bri tt any
invasion.
A more cent ral posit ion for t hese uni ts would be
t he st arred hexes near Frankfurt
b ut it w ou ld t ak e
t he m t oo long t o b ac ks to p a N or th S ea i nv as io n.
T he y c ou ld a ls o be h al te d by a n as ty r iv er i nt er di c
t io n o n hex 010.
Continuing along the coast we come t o Holl and
an d the North S ea i nv as io n a re a. H er e we do not
want t o gi ve t he All ies an y easy opportunity t o ge t
ashore, since it is so close to Germany. The first five
he xe s a re all d ef en de d by five
or
six defensive fac
t ors, wit h a t ight screen
of
static divisions
and
head
quarters to t he r ea r to keep a way a ny on e falling
from the sky. Th e most that the Allies c an get
against anyone
of
these hexes is two infantry divi
s io ns i nv ad in g f ro m t he s ea , p lu s o ne f ac to r
of
air
support f or a t ot al
of
nine factors. Thus t he best
attack
that
t he enemy can make is a I-Ion any hex.
Figure 1:
6
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including
HQ s)
The defenses of
North
Sea, Pas de Calais,
Le Havre all fol low the same strategy. Depend
strong forces
to
hold the beaches
or counteratta
lucky beachhead , with bot tl ing up of the ene
onlya last resort. In Normandy, Brittany, and So
igur
5: Counterattack VS. R29; welcome ashore.
The third hex, Le Havre, is a fortress garriso
by two static divis ions.
is worth
12
factors
defense. Using four infantry divis ions, two
borne divisions on S30, and a factor of air supp
the Allies can attack with
23 factors-not
quite
The 352nd Infantry division discourages airbo
units from landing across the Seine.
Note that
if
352nd Infantry were on S30, it cou ld be a tt ac
fr om R29 in conjunction with airborne divisio
leading to a bridgehead across the Seine on Tur
However, in T30 it can only be attac ked by
borne, a 2 1 at best, requiring three airborne d
sions. Le Havre falls, but there is no bridgeh
across the Seine, the invasion can be hal ted al
the lower Seine.
airborne seize a bridgehead
Le Havre holds, a counterattack can wipe out
invasion and isolate the paratroopers. Should
Havre fall and the paratroopers be successful,
should be able to eljminate a few airborne divisi
and fall back to the
Seine-if
you sti ll hold Rou
the few that they do, they normally won t surv
turn one.
If
your opponent chooses
Pas
de Cal
sleep well; you have the game in your pocket.
Lit tle Le Havre is only three hexes wide, bu
can be dangerous
if
the Allies get a fi rm footho
The key to Le Havre is Rouen.
the Germans
hold on to Rouen, they can bot tle up the invas
on a line Dieppe -Rouen-Le Hav re , o r at wo
Somme-Amiens-Rouen-Lower Seine, as in Fig
4. Should the Allies secure Rouen early, they
break
out
towards
Paris and
trap
the
troops in N
mandy, Brittany, Bay of Biscay, and South Fran
Rouen can only be attacked by airborne
on
invasion turn. With the two s ta ti c divis ions ,
Allies best odds are I-I, risking all three airbo
divisions.
he loses 2 3 chance), hehas lost mos
his airborne strength. Even if he wins, the Germ
can still counterattack with five infantry divisio
ISS, and Lehr panzer divisions. You can consi
Rouen pretty safe on turn one.
There is also the beach to worry
about.
ISS
Dieppe contributes its strength to the defense of
first beach hex, Q28. The best attack from
beach is 8-14, or 1-2. Using two airborne, the Al
can get a I-I, but this is very risky, and requires
third airborne divi si on to make a
soakoff
agai
Rouen.
Most
Allied commanders won t t ake
risk.
The next hex is undefended The Allies can
ashore free
at
R29,
but
we have quite a welcom
party waiting behind the beaches. See Figure 5
one counterattack possibility.
lYRE
We have seen that Pas de Calais is a very tough
beach.
There
are no free hexes,
and
lots
of
counterattack s tr ength. In mos t games the Allies
won t even consider a
Pas
de Calais invasion, and in
F NTRY P R HUTE
6
5
Dunkirk, Calais, and Boulogne are next. They
are all fortresses defended by two static divisions,
worth 12 factors. The best attack without
paratroopers
consists of two
armored
divisions
with air support , or II factors; again one factor
short of a I-I. Dunkirk can be attacked at I -I with
paratroopers
dropping
on
N22,
bu t
a
soakoff
must
be made against 6/ 2 Parachute Regiment.
Paratroopers landing at N23 can up the odds to I -I
against any two of the fortresses,
but
the 84 Infan
try must be attacked also. Since a I- I only has a .33
chance of succeeding against the coast, it is not too
likely
that
the Allied player will
take
the chance,
nor
succeed if he does. In the unl ikely event of one of
the fortresses falling, you should crush the airborne
divis ion exposed in the open, hold onto the other
fortresses, and build a wall
of
units directly outside
of the captured fortress.
worse comes to worse, it
is back t o t he Meuse, but this will happen only if
you are facing a very bold, very dar ing,
and
very
lucky opponent.
Come on
in
said the spider to the fly. Hexes
025 and
P26 look weak, but they are a
trap
for an
inexper ienced All ied player. They are airborne
proof, but they areeach defended by only two static
divisions.
The
allies can hit both hexes with a tempt
ing 2 1 (however they are one factor short of a 3-1).
The strength of these hexes comes not from the gar
ri sons in the hexes but t he la rge uni ts beh ind the
lines. They
can
be
counterattacked on
the first
turn
by 2SS, ISS, 84, 85, 91, and 352 Infantry, the 6/ 2
Parachute,
and
some static divisions, with at least
30 factors. This is enough to crush units ashore on
both hexes.
Don t
forget about an addit ional 20
factors from Normandy
that
will be available to at
tack on
turn
2. theAllies get ashore here, they will
soon wish that they had attacked elsewhere.
The last hex in Pas de Calais, Dieppe, is de
fended by the crack ISS Panzer Division. Being
doubled in the city, i t is worth 14 factors . Two ar
mored divisions, an airborne division,
and
air sup
port
are required to make a
I-I.
Note
that
retreat
cannot be cut
of f
without attacking the 91 st Infan
try. Attacking Dieppe is taking a bigrisk, with small
chance
of
success. Should the Allies be foolish
enough
to attack
Dieppe,
and
lucky enough
to
win,
tears are in order. When your eyes dry, try
counterattacking
the lonely
airborne
division,
soaking
of f
against the city.
you can t do that, all
is still not lost. Hold onto Amiens
and Rauen
for
dear life, and form a line including the Somme and
the lower Seine. Figure4 shows what can be done to
bottle up Dieppe. Beware: you will have quite a
fight
on
your hands; be sure to evacuate everything
to the west, so that it
won t
be trapped in case the
Allies do break out .
My strategy is to strongly defend the five ports,
being able to drive into the sea any uni ts that
ruggle ashore on any
of
the three clear beach
Ostend, defended by the 2SS Panzer Division, is
proof, and it requires two infantry divisions, an
rborne division, and air support to get a I-I.
hould it be t aken , the Germans are in the same
sition as if KI9 is successfully invaded. Because
Allies would be doubl ed in the c ity, count er
is
out of the question. Fall back to Dunkirk,
Schedlt, and Antwerp as in Figure 3
R CHUTE
3: A successful invasion of K19 bottled up bymassiveGerman
rces, rivers and fortresses after turn 2.
I
The next hex, 121, is a clear terrain hex.
is un
ubled, which makes it easy to
attack,
and easy to
nterattack. The 6/2 Parachute Regiment pro
cts the hex from airborne assault . The Allies can
tack it with
at
most two armored divisions and
rc raft, for a tot al of II factors. Since we have
ree static divisions defending it, the Allies are one
ctor short of a
2 1
attack. We will be seeing a lot
f this one factor shortage up and down the coast.
case the Allies do make a successful
1 1
and gain
toehold, they can be annihilated by 2SS, 6/2
achute, 5 Parachute, 84
and 85
Infantry, and a
of the omnipresent static divisions, with at least
factor s, enough for a
3 1
against an
armored
ivision supported by defensive air.
L21
is not a
althy place for the Allies in
June.
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38
France,
ou r
primary goal is to bottle up theAlliesin
a small area, rather than hold all the beaches and re
lyon
counterattacks.
Normandy
is
the site
of
the actual invasion,
an d
for that reason you can expect some Allied players
t o invade No rman dy . Af ter all, if it work ed for
E is en ho we r, it s ho ul d w or k f or me. W e will m ak e
that a lovely trap t o fall i nt o.
Th e
key feature of Normandy
is that
it
is
a small
peninsula, with good defensive terrain
at
the base.
Ou r
strategy consists of strongly defending the base
of
the peninsula against the initial seaborne inva
sion, an d t hen t o ho ld it ag ain st l an d a tt ac k f ro m
a ny b ea ch he ad t ha t m ay be e st ab li sh ed .
The
key
hexes t o h old ag ai nst th e se ab or ne i nva sio n a re
Caen
an d
Bayeux. Five factors
on
each, doubled
because of the cities
an d
s ur ro un de d by a nt i
paratrooper
d ef en se , a re s uf fi ce nt t o p re ve nt I -I
o dd s. A t 1-2, t he Alli ed p la ye r w ou ld a lm os t ce r
tainly be tossing away two infantry divisions, an d
he usually
won t
take the risk.
Part
of the
paratroop
defense
is
the 12SS
on
Carentan
which serves a d ua l role of defending
R34
an d
S35.
Th e
Allies can land
at
these hexes, but
will have to fight
to
stay. Th e best that they can get
against the 12SS is four infantry divisions, two air
borne in T35,
a nd a n
air factor, totalling
23
factors,
on e short of2-1.
Cherbourg must be held by a static
division.
No t
only does
that
serve to slow down the
Allies, but it prevents them from landing a
paratrooper
in
Cherbourg
in c on ju nc ti on with a
landing in Brittany
or
Le H av re , g iv in g t he m t wo
beachheads for the price of one.
A likely a tt ac k
on
Normandy would involve
landing all
around
Cherbourg,
an d
using airborne
divisions a nd t actica l air t o g ai n 30-6 5-1) o dd s
against Cherbourg. Soaking
of f
against 12SS from
S35 an d
attacking Cherbourg from R34 will force
the Germans to evacuate Carentan
or
come
ou t
into
the open to fight for it. I advise retreating to
an
im
pregnable line along the
Vireo
The key cities are now Bayeux again,
an d
S t. L o
an d
Avranches.
Hold
these with y ou r
armored
strength nearby protect
them
a ga i ns t
paratroopers,
an d
worry mainly
about
the second
invasion.
Th e
Allies will have a tough time getting
even a
1 2
an ywh er e, to m ak e c ar pe t b om bi ng
u se ful . See F ig ur e 6 f or t he German
defense
at
the
end
of Turn
I,
an d
note thatthereare plenty
of
rein
forcements
on
t he way. A
Normandy
invasion will
be b ot tl ed u p wi th t he
cork
welded
on .
igur
6: Allied
beachhead
sealed in
Normandy
on
turn
Moving
around
the coast of France
we
come to
Brittany, which looks like a large Normandy.
Th e
method for holding Brittany is similar to that for
holding Normandy, but
on
a larger scale. Since it
is
farther from Britain, the Allies have fewer troops
landing and supply
is
less plentiful than in
Norman
dy.
On
the
other hand
since it
is
a larger peninsula,
it will require much more of a commitment of Ger
m an t ro op s t o h ol d a line at the base.
This latter fact requires the Brittany garrison to
slow up t he Allies for a few t ur ns t o en ab le rein
f or ce me nt s f ro m N or ma nd y, Bay
of
Biscay,
an d
P as De C al ai s to a rr iv e
to
man the trenches. Since
the Allies will have fewer troops
an d
supplies, the
task
is
easier.
We w an t to d en y t he Allies t he use
of
a
p or t o n
turn
I.
Th e
idea
is
t o f or ce t he m t o use a n e xt ra
turn
to acquire a
port
wi th its l ar ge s up pl y c ap ac it y
before they can attack the main line. Avranches
an d
St. Malo are well defended. Avranches
is
I-I
proof;
the best attack
that
the Allies can make against it
is
12-14. This is important since Avranches is also the
key to themain defense line. St. Malo
is
also needed
for the main line. t can be attacked
at I-I
b ut n ot
2-1. Would you believe
another
23-12?).
Brest
is of
double importance. Not only
is
it the
best port
in
Brittany, but its value as a sub base keeps
the Allies from getting one replacement factor per
turn. t is defended by a tripled 3-4-3. You can ex
pect the Allies to eventually capture B re st , b ut t he
highest odds
that
they can get on Brest
on
the initial
invasion
turn
is, of course, 23-12.
Lorient also has a high supplycapacity. It can be
attacked at 15-6
o n t ur n
one, which
is
a risky 2-1.
Th e
712th Static defending there
is important
for
delaying the Allies on
Turn
2.
Normally,
we
can expect an Allied invasion
of
Brittany to involve four infantry divisions landing
on the beach hexes from V39 to U42, with airborne
landing to seal
of f
Brest. t
is
tempting to counterat
tack this weak force with your nearby panzers,
bu t
t hi s s tr at eg y
could
easily lead to disaster.
Remember that the Allies have air power, airborne
divisions,
an d
six
combat
divisions landing every
turn
fuelling their attack.
The
Germans will take a
long time to concentrate, will be
outnumbered
in a
short time,
an d
the loss of a few key German units
can hurt b ad ly . I n t his c ase , d is cr et io n wins o ve r
valor. It
is
betterto avoid
combat
a nd t o fall b ac k t o
the St. Malo-St. Nazaire line. The712th StaticDivi
sion
is
used h ere t o delay t he Allies f or a t ur n, in
X40, while o th er units move into position. See
Figure 7 for the positions after
turn
I.
igur
7: Allied invasion
of
Brillany
and start of Germanwithdrawal
to
S Ma lo- St. N a za ire line a t the e nd
of turn
1
Figure 8 shows the St. Nazaire-St. Malo defense
line after Turn 2, ready for the first Allied assault.
St. Malo can fall; ifso merely retreat to Avranches.
Rennes is the key point
of
the defense, along with
St. Nazaire.
If
either city
is
taken by the Allies, the
Germans must retreat to the Seine
or
fight the Allies
in t he o pe n. He x A A4 0
is
undoubled. This
isn t
too
dangerous because theAllies canattack it from only
one hex,
an d
the powerful
German armor
nearby
can counterattack any Allied success against AA40.
igur
8: A llie sbottled up by the S t. N az air e- St. Ma lo de fe n
t h e e n d of turn
2.
Beware
of
paratroopers landing right b
f ro nt line t o
surround
your strongpoin
landing deep to the r ear to grab ports. Ga
C he rb ou rg , A vr an ch es , a nd Nan tes for c e
Keep units in La Rochelle, Bayeux, and Caen
to be safe. Having an enterprising airborne c
ing a
port
behind your back, followed by
armo
infantry landing unopposed, can be embarra
to say the least.
You should be moving everyone available
S ou th F ra nc e,
Pas
de Cal ais, a nd re pl ac
centers in Germany, to your critical line.
Pu t
t io na l u ni ts in W3 7, a nd Y38, t o f or ce t he Al
soakoff
additionally if theytry to attackSt. M
Rennes.
Counterattack
any
threat
from
doubled
an d
tripled positions. With any luc
Allies will require a second invasion at Norm
S ou th F ra nc e,
or
Biscay to spr in g th e B r
b ea ch he ad f ree , a nd y ou will b e a b le t o fall b
t he Se in e with no
threat of
a second invasion
your replacements not too far away.
Th e
Bay of Biscay
is
an enigma. On thesu
it looks likea
poor
choice for an invasion. t
f ar f ro m t he R hi ne .
Troops
landing there wil
ou t
s ho e l ea th er a nd t ru ck tir es b ef or e t he y
Germany. Since it is so far from England, the
shipping requirements severely limit the num
divisions
that
c an l an d
at
Biscay t o o nl y f o
turn. This
is
a m er e tr ic kl e c om pa re d to a ny
invasionarea. On
to p
of that, thesupplysitua
no t
very good.
Th e
Allies must secure a
port
e
even have a chance of staying ashore.
Th e
ope
rain behind the beaches makes
it
easy f or t he
m an s t o c ru sh a n in vasio n with a s tr on g a rm
counterattack. Th e Bay of Biscay can be igno
a feasible invasion area by the Germans.
But not safely ignored.
Th e
danger
of
a German counterattack
o
first couple of turns
is
negligible because th
mans
cannot afford
to commit much counter
strength to such
an
out-of-the-way part of F
Similarly, they cannot
pu t
much strength th
prevent a landing. Infantry and static divisi
Biscay will be st ran ded by an Allied b re
a ny wh er e else,
an d
Panzers are neede
discourage landings in more critical areas.
B ut t he wi de o pe n t er ra in t ha t ex po se s
troops
on
thebeach to a counterattack also pr
theGermans from forming a line to bottle up
vasion
short
of the Loire. Strategic moveme
allow a division to rush from La Rochelle to P
only two t urn s, so it
wasn t
as far remo ved
critical areas as it seems.
The
shortage
of
su
an d
l einforcementscan be overcome by captu
port
in n ea rb y B ri tt an y
or
marching overla
Marseilles. No, comrades, the Bay of Biscay c
be ignored.
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The problem o f defending Bay of Biscay is; ho w
d ef en d a
long
stretch of beach
with
only
a few
bile units
that won t
be
trapped
if t he a ct io n is
M y s ol ut i on
is
to hold the
cities
o f
St.
Nantes, La
Rochelle,
an d Bordeux,
using
medium Panzer
formations 4-4-4 s)
an d
a
of
static
divisions.
St.
Nazaire can at bestonly
be
attacked at
2-1 b y
infantry
divisions,
the
airborne
division,
an d
support.
Since it is a
fortress, units
ca n
be
pinned
side it,
an d
there is a
lo t
of
counterattack
strength
door
in
Brittany. Nantes
ca n
o n ly b e
attacked
I-I,
an d
losing
Nantes is
meaningless
if
St .
aire holds,
because
the Allies
ca n
use
Nantes
as
only
if
they
ow n St.
Nazaire an d t he f ar bank
the lower
Loire.
La Rochelle
is
more
promising,
bu t
th e
Allies
only ge t a
I- I
attack
here also.
A
victory
here
pu t
th e Allies so lidly
ashore;
a
defeat
here
ld effectively eliminate the first
invasion.
th e
ar e
going
to
ri sk it all
on
on e
di e
roll,
they
uld be wiser
to
do
it in
th e
North
Se a
or
th e
Pa s
Calais,
no t
in
t he B ay of
Biscay.
Bordeaux is
the soft
spot of
th e German
Here
th e
Allies ca n
make
a 3-1
attack
see
9 without fear
of
counterattack
or of
being
bottled
up.
Note
that Bordeaux
is v er y, v er y
from
the Rhine. yo u
have
to
give
th e
Allies a
eebie, this is
t he b es t
place. Nevertheless,
if
I
ha d
more
d iv is io n, I would
pu t
it in Bordeaux or
to
help
hold the
l ef t f la nk of
th e
Bay
of
;
9: Allied 3-1
a ttac k on
Bordeaux requires
TA C suppor t. Ge r
ns retreat is shown in red.
I f t he
Allies
d o a tt ac k
in
t he B ay of
Biscay,
the
player
must
be careful to a v oi d t w o t em p t
traps.
D o n ot
g et i nv ol ve d i n a
mobile battle ou t
the
open.
y o u a re
not doubled,
yo u
ca n
expect
attrition,
which
yo u
cannot afford. Al though
Allies get
o nl y f o ur
divisions
per
turn,
they
get
four
divisions every
t ur n, a nd don t forget
airpower
an d
those
sneaky airborne
divi
ons, which ca n isolate
half
your attacking forces
if
are
no t
careful. An d if s ec on d i nv as io n t im e
mes with
your
best
troops
slug gin g it
ou t near
you ar e
in
trouble; the
flower of
th e
ca n
be
cu t
of f
by a
dash across
France.
attack
if yo u
a re gu ar an te ed t o
c ru sh t he
i nv as io n i mm ed ia te ly . O th er wi se
slowly
The
second trap
is to
at t empt t o b ot tl e u p t he
in
io n with a line along the
Loire,
from
St. Nazaire
Vichy.
What
works
in
Brittany
will
no t
work
in
because the
line
is to o l on g t o h ol d. is
24
xes long, as
compared
with
21
hexes
of the
Seine
Bes ancon to
Le Havre),
an d you
still
have to
Normandy and
Brittany. A
breakthrough at
leans will
trap everything
west
o f there,
an d
a
ccessful invasion
a t N or ma nd y
will be e qu al ly
With
s uc h a
long
line
garrisoned, there
will be
enough
troops available to
hold
North
Se a
P as d e
Calais.
The
best
move
to
handle
an
invasion of
Bay
of
scay is a s low
retreat
all
th e
way
to th e
Seine
ver, using
your panzers
a s a s cr ee n
to
prevent
th e
from utilizing
strategic
movement.
yo u
ar e
th e
Allies will
arrive
at
th e
Sein e in
strength
a r ou n d T u rn
9.
Our tour
of
the French coast
ends
at the
Mediterranean
beaches
of
South
F r an ce . L on g
a
favorite
resort
area
it was also a
favorite invasion
area, until th e 1965 rules
made
an
invasion
of
South
France
futile
because supply
lines
could
no t
reach
all
th e
wa y
f r om t he p or t s to t he R hi ne . N ow ,
in
th e
1977
edition,
Marseilles
ca n support
up
to
22 divi
sions
up
to
2 4 h ex es
a wa y, f ar e no ug h t o include
St rasbourg and
9 h ex es
acros s the
Rhine.
An
inva
sion of
S o ut h F ra nc e m us t
b e r e ck o ne d w it h.
Since
South
France
is
s o f a r f ro m
th e
other inva
s io n a re as , a ny troops
committed there
wi ll b e
on
their
o wn f or
quite
a w hi le , u nt il
they ca n be
rein
f or ce d f r om a cr os s F r an ce .
Similarly,
they
cannot
b e u se d a ga in st
an
invasion at an y o th e r a r ea fo r
quite
a w hi le .
Fo r
this
reason,
I
d o n ot d ef e nd t he
beaches a t S ou th
France,
n or d o
I plan a
counterat
tack.
Rather
I u se the s ames trategy as I use
at
Brit
tany: bottle up the
invasion.
Th e
Rhone
valley
makes an
excellent
bottle, an d L yons makes
a v er y
good c o rk . H ow ev er , b ew a re of
a ve ry
dangerous
leak
at
Sete.
Initially,
th e
Allies ca n walk as hore anywhere
bu t
Sete;
they
will b e
u n op p os ed . A t
Sete
t he y c an
only
ge t a I-I, which
they
will
frequently
pass
up
in
favor of
easier pickings
to t he E as t. H o we ve r ,
Sete
is th e key
to
th e
whole
area.
igure
to First
German
resistance
to
a n A llied inva sion
of South
France is
established on
turn
2.
Withdraw to
Valence
an d th e mountain
hex
MM31.
This denies
the
Allies
Strategic
Movement
on
t he i r s ec on d t ur n ;
th e
farthes t they
ca n
get is
Mo nt eli mar . Meanwhile, move u p th e
infantry
f ro m L yo n t o
the
Valence-Grenoble area, an d rush
everything that moves
from
th e
Atlantic
to Lyons.
On
Turn
2, y ou c an
build
a formidable l in e w it h
units
in
Grenoble an d
V al en ce , w it h a
delaying unit
in
MM30
see figure 10). Be
wary of putting
anything
in he x MM31
o n T ur n
2 if
MM30
is va
cant; if Valence is successfully
attacked
from
MM30, everyone
i n M M3 1
is cu t
off.
O n turn
3
th e
Allies will
normally
attack
th e
sacrifice unit;
they c a nn ot m o un t
effective attacks
against
Valence
an d
G r en ob l e. N o w
you
ca n
pu t
strength
on
hexes
LL29 an d
LL30, continuing
to
hold
Valence.
Congratulate
th e
Allied
player
if
he
takes
Valence
o n t ur n
4;
your
delaying
troops have
done their jo b
with light losses.
You should be able
to
squeeze
a n ot he r t ur n o r
tw o
ou t of
this
delaying
action, allowing th e Allies
to hit y ou r o ut po st s
h ex es J1 2 4
an d
KK30)
o n t ur n
6
or
7. By t hi s
time
th e
Allied
player
w ill b e
w on de ri ng h ow y ou c on -
igure
Main
line
of
defense
on
the L yons line, w ith
outpost
JJ24 and
KK30.
E st ab li s he d o n t u rn
5 or 6, wi th p le nt y
of
r
forcements on the way.
jured
such
an
impressive line
ou t of nothing
figure II).
With
four
or
five
turns, yo u
ar e
able
build
an unbreakabl e
line
a lo ng t he u pp er R ho
wh ich will
require
a
second invasion
to
crack.
Should
th e
Allies
at tack at
Sete
an d
su cceed ,
above defense is outfl anked and
it s
back to
Seine.
He
simply
marches to th e south and
west,
Toulouse
an d
Vichy,
an d
he ll be
comin round
mountain
in
no
t im e. Y ou c an m an ag e
to
slow
advance with
a screen of
Panzers
and headquarte
bu t
there is
no
stopping it.
is possible
to cont
the advance
w it h a l in e
along the Loire-Eure-Sei
bu t
there
is
no
wa y
that
th e
German Army
c an h
that,
hold
th e
Lyons
line,
an d
still
prepare
f or
second invasion.
Fortunately, defending
Sete is
no t
all
t hat ha
If
the
Allies
attack
it
on t urn
I,
the
best
that they
get
is
a
I-I. they
fail
to
take
it
then,
you
hav
chance to rush s ome reinforcements up there.
T
can t
attack
Sete
overland
until
turn
3
at
earliest,
an d
that gives
you
a chance
t o p ut
a
ba
up position
on
th e
mountain
hex TT40, which eff
tively
blocks the
exit
from
Sete,
an d ca n
lnly
b e
tacked from on e
hex.
Two
4-4-4 s in
TT40can
be
tacked
at 1-2
at
best.
In
fact,
if
Sete gets
threaten
by an enemy on
GG35 its g ar r is on s ho u ld
mediately
pull
b ac k t o
TT40
to
make
their
stan
W e have co mplet ed the tour
of
my Germ
defense.
It is
not an opti mal
defense-I
doubt t h
perfect defense
exists-but it is a ve ry good
one
makes
North
Sea,
Pa s
de
Calais,
an d
Le
Ha
totally unappetizing.
Normandy,
Brittany, a
South Fr an ce pr esent the
A ll ie s w it h
an
e
beachhead
b u t n ot hi ng more,
l ea vi ng t he B ay
Biscay as
th e b es t b et
of a sorry
lot.
Wherever
Allies
hit
t he b ea ch , t he
beach
will h it
back.
Comments and or criticisms may be directed
Jim at his 6617 Mayfair Dr.
Apt
T I F
Church 22042 address. Rule lawyers are ur
to exercise caution however as Jim happens to
the author of the
77
edition rules.
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qu d
le der l n
4
BUNKERS
Mention bunker to a wargamer. Images
course through his mind. Casemented guns at Pas
de Calais. Serried rows
of Dragon s
Teeth
entwined with squat concrete s trongpoints in the
West Wall. Perhaps a concealed log and rock com
mand post within a reverse slope of Okinawa s
Shuri line. Massive structures outside; inside Errol
Flynn brushes of f falling dust as the light bulb
swings to the tune
of
a direct hit by a 12 shell.
These are t the bunkers of SQUAD LEADER
Most field bunkers were dugouts with a roof.
Pits or t renches l ined with whatever was close to
hand. Coconut logs shared honors with c rushed
pumice on many a Pacif ic island. House founda
tions and simple wood patchwork were used
routinely by the Germans. Relatively small, cheap,
and easywereconstruction standards. Sure ittook a
lot of time to throw together but Organization Todt
was busy elsewhere and a good squad leader used
whatever was available.
Why bothe r to cheapen the SL bunker image?
The value
of
a fortification is measured against its
intended use. Avalon
Hill
did
not
provide you with
a portion of theMaginot Line inits original counter
mix. Understand the structure to get the best
tactical use from it. Now that we ve agreed on
exactly what we re talking about let s review the
SQUAD
LEADER bunker s strengths and weak
nesses.
Bunker s Strengths:
53.2-Ifin a wire hex cannot be entered directly
from an adjacent hex in oneAdvance Phase.
may
enter the bunker in the nextMovementPhase unless
occupied by enemy units in which case it may enter
during the next Advance Phase.
55.-Minefields
(but not booby t raps ) may be
placed in a bunker hex (i.e. on top of a bunker) to
By Jon Mishcon
protect against closing infantry without hurting
friendly infantry within the bunker.
56. I
-Strong
fire modifiers, especially from
rear. Note the effect on firegroups listed in the
A section
of
page 34.
56.21-Units inside do NOT count against
exterior hex stacking limits.
56.5-Indirect fire uses rear fire modifiers.
56.51-AP ammunition is t reated as Area Fire
and the most effective result which can begained
is
a normal (M) Morale Check. This
is
a planned, but
yet unpublished, modification of 134.12.
56.52-Flamethrowers outside the covered arc,
add rear modifiers.
56.54-Overruns, use rear modifier.
56.6-Units may rout to a bunkeras
if
it were a
bui lding and broken uni ts within bunker may stay
adjacent to enemy.
56.8I-Units
outside a bunker protect units in
side from immediate Close Combat by advancing
enemy units.
101.9-Units within get bonus for preStuka at
tack Morale Check.
105.3-Units within may remain adjacent to
AFVs in pre-1942 scenarios even if they ll break.
106.I-May not be bypassed by infantry or
vehicles J
12 3
111.8-Cost of entering bunker not doubled in
Deep Snow.
111.93-Allows safer rally attempts in Extreme
Winter.
114.52-Ski troops
can t
enter while
on
skis.
is evident that being bunkered provides strong
fire protection and allows real morale/rally advan
tages. That s why you buil t the damn thing . Now
let s review the weaknesses.
A Bunker s Weaknesses:
25.3-Units
within may not grow conce
counters.
37.37 37.48-Bazookas, Panzer
Panzershrecks and the not yet released Rec
Rifles may not be used from within.
54.2-No entrenchments in same hex.
56.I-Only placed in non-bui lding or
woods hex.
56.22-Costs I
t o leave bunker and
outside receive no benefit from bunker.
36.3-Units
may only fire out along c
arc.
56.4-No vehicles, howitzers, or morta
use.
56.
52-Flamethrowers
firing through C
Arc, add no modifier.
56.81-Units within may never force
Combat on
units
atop
a bunker.
56.82-Units
may NEVER leave bunke
enemy
is
atop.
56.83-Units within may never fire a
bunker top (and vice versa).
56.9-Concealment
counters do not ha
coming fire.
75.9-Not
placable in marsh.
105.2-No morale bonus for being n
AFVs pre-1942.
107.6-Suppression fire effects units
bunker same as those outside.
9
. I-Subject to critical hit.
111.81-Snow smocks no advantage wit
Boil down the weaknesses. Bunkers are
. alluring trap s, but tr ap s nonetheles
essence
of
all-or-nothing defense. The only
covering terrain they may occupy is orchard
means the vast majority
of
the t ime your
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be in open terrain .
And
that means you can't
out without moving in the open. Regardless of
difier are you sure you want adjacent units to be
to fire in when you can't fire back? Never
that one lousy scout sit ting atop can trap a
atoon within the strongest bunker. Most players
learn
that
bunkers are a nice p lace to avoid.
did so many nationalities spend so much time
ilding them?
The answer lies in balancing the various features
ker offers. 1will offer general usage ideas and
they may app ly
to
speci fic scenarios in the
paragraphs before answering the above
The BackwardLoner This
bunker
faces toward
l ines. Usually in front
of
your main line of
Perhaps
just
within small arms range. f
enemy moves past it without neutralizing it, its
an; may allowa rear A
TR
shot or may pre
a r ou t. At temp ts t o engage i t
through
its
Arc Defense Modifier places the attacker
your forces.
is most vulnerable to entry
the Advance
Phase
from
an adjacent
hex.
nsider this for covering the roads in Scenario 21.
The CommandPost This bunker is behind your
in
some covered
spot.
A reverse slope
is
ideal.
an 8-0 l eader within
and
you've creat ed a
ntral rally point for
an
extended f ir ing line.
cked with
an
additional three squads it makes a
counterattack jumpoff point. Hex
304
in
21 can be used for all the troops entrenched
hill 546.
The
Magic Cire e
Popularized by fighter pilots
a bygone era. Three bunkers may be pl aced in a
iangle such
that
the covered arc of each has a clear
to the top and rear
of
its neighbor. Better still,
bunkers can be grouped in a perfect circle
ound a cent ra l open hex. Any attempt to
proach the blind sideof one is met bya hai l of fire
the others. Review Scenario 9 in this l ight.
Why were so many bunkers buil t when their use
so
limited? 1believe there were two basic reasons.
SQUAD LEADER
p layers have yet to ex
erience a powerful preparatory bombardment.
roof of
a
bunker
allows defenders
to
suffer
rough a Field Marshal Monty style blasting with
imal casualti es. Further, if you don't trust your
oops to be able
to
survive the rigors of fire and
the plus modifiers of a bunker
do
stantially even the odds. Refer to Bob
Medrow's
cellent table on probability of uni t survival in
lume 17, Number 2. A 6 morale unit is 8 7 less
t han a 7 moral e uni t to survive a
l2FP
attack
0 DRM. Change the DRM to 3 for both and
the 6 morale uni t is only 7 less likely to sur
the same
attack.
Low moral e unit s benef it
ore from cover t han do crack troops.
Each of these ideas stresses the key points of
nker usage. A bunker
must
be protected; either
othe r bunke rs in a mutual protection plan of
ing fires
or
by outside troops. The fire
and
rale advantages aremost valuable when used for
ops with limited fire and morale abilities. Used
operly they may
add
substantially to
your
defen
capacity. A new scenario has been provided in
issue s inser t page to allow players to exper i
with the ideas contained herein.
One last no te
on
bunkers: the original rules
oklet showed a bunker incorrectly facing a hex
rather
than
a spine Bunkers, like AFVs, must
a hex spine
to
determine their Covered Arc.
H
Philosophy Continued from g 5
nice- apart
from
the
upgraded presentation, the
only
changes
we are contemplating
fall
into the
nature of chrome to jazz up play somewhat.
Richard Hamblen
R
SKY T MORNIN
With the exception of
ARAB ISRAELI WARS
up to now Avalon Hill hasn't produced a single con
temporary era wargame despite the fact
that
most
gamers
seem
highly interested
in the
present
military situation. Now we are taking a long over
due
step
to meet
the
demand for modern era
games.
Keeping
in
mind our stated policy in favor of
playable, competitive-oriented games, Ihave
come
up with a game that
sounds
too good to be t rue.
This game simulates
the
course of a wor ldwide
strategic naval contest between the Soviet Navy
and
the
NATO naval forces now deployed at
sea.
As you might expect the
game focuses
on
the
distinction between the Soviet submarine sea
denial
strategy
and
the
U.S.
strategy based
upon
carrier
task
forces. The order of bat tle includes
all
the major ships and weapons currently in operation
as well
as
ships and weapon sys tems being
developed during
the
current
decade.
Perhaps
the most
interesting aspect of the
game,
however, is the
fact
that
the design is based
on the immensely popular
VICTORY IN THE
PACIFIC. Thus
the
focus of
the
game is on act ion
and playability, notcomplexity. And yet,
we expect
R
SKY
A T MORNING
to be one of the mos t in-
teresting and innovative game systems
we've
ever
developed as the re are tremendous differences
in
contemporary naval weapons from the days of the
U-boat and the batt leship which dominated
the
Second World War; anti-surface and anti
submarine missiles, improved radarlsonar equip
ment, satellite and undersea detection, ballistic
missile submarines, etc.
Since this
game
is still in the design stage, I
in-
vite
any
interested
gamers to
write
to me
if
you are
interested in playtesting, or
if
you have any infor
mation which
will
be of help.
. Frank Davis
P NZERGRUPPE
The revision of
the
PANZER BLITZ PANZER
LEADER game
system is progressing very well.
The playtest kits should be in
the
in
a
few
months. The interest
all
over the country
in
this
revision has been overwhelming. The general con
sensus of opinion is that it is a labor worthy of our
best efforts and long overdue. The only problem
with updating such a viable old system, is that
sometimes
I
am
reminded of
the
90 year old grand
pa who
wanted
to marry the 16 year old girl
But
Grandpa,
what
will
you do
in
ten years,
cried his
children? You ll be 100 and she ll be 26.
Well,
replied the old coot, I r ec on I ll have to
get
me
another 16 year old.
The nuts and bolts of our rewrite can be broken
down into several basic areas.
All
rules modifica
tions and changes are designed to fit in to
one
generic se t of rules, intended to cover the European
Theatre of operations for World War from
September
of '39 to May of '45 . The
new
rules pro
vide a more realistic game and clear up many prob
lems. The spirit of
t he game
remains unchanged.
The flow,
ease
of play and standard format remain
as
before.
Artillery
effects
have been modified to a
system similar to A.I.
W
This has been modified to
reflect W.W.II unit densit ies
and
artillery
tactics.
Movement rates for vehicles have
been
reduced
and a new terrain effects chart with some revised
costs and
effects
produced. These changes correct
two
of the most serious problemswith the
PANZ
BLITZ/PANZER LEADER
system.
A more drastic revision is the incorporation o
step reduction system with backprinted counte
The step reduction
adds
a
new
wrinkle to
C.R.T. and does away with
all
or nothing outcom
of the existing game
system.
The addition
morale rules increase the possible
outcomes
ofa
given combat.
The
Weapons
Effects Chart has been grea
expanded and the different
weapon
capabilities
more
accurately
portrayed. Long range
shots
now more of a hitor miss affair. Infantry u
have
been
brought into
the
Weapon Effects Ch
with their firepower and weapons types adjus
by nationality and year of the war.
It is
our hope with this revision to produc
simulation on the war in North Africa, as well as
pansion kits for PANZER BLITZ and PANZ
LEADER.
On the negat ive side most of y
counters with be obsole te , but on
the
plus si
all equ ipment , rules e tc . will be
100
in
changeable.
Kirk
Bram
STRUGGLE FOR RNHEM BRIDGE
The intense street fighting during the Mar
Garden Operation for control of
the famous
ro
bridge at Arnhem is depicted
in
graphic detail. T
game
is tactical in nature and deals with only th
portion of the city in the immediate vicinity of
bridge where elements of the British 1st Airbo
Division fought for i ts control and finally their v
survival.
The mapboard is 22 x
32
witha scale of
proximately 1 100', and units representing
dividual
squads
or two-three vehicles. To many t
may sound
like SQU
LEADER all over again,
it
has very little
in
common with
the SL
system
first glance at the mapboard which lacks a hex g
of any kind will tell you
that.
Instead, the
game
u
a map divided into various city block
areas-
ea
based on the actual street configuration at the ti
of
the
battle.
All
the famous
buildings
and
stre
have been noted for added color, but the re i
minimum of complexity associated with
the
t
rain-
such information having been factored i
the configuration of the areas themselves.
The
game
i tself revolves largely around
Movement/Fire phase of
each
game turn. Each o
of these phases is divided into a varillble numbe
alternating player impulses. During an impuls
player may either move or fire any number of un
currently occupying a
common
area. Once a u
moves
or fires it is considered
committed
and
turned over to show, in most cases , a reduc
defensive factor. This also symbolizes that
it
m
not move
or fire again during that phase. If a pla
should decide not to perform any act ion, he m
pass. Players must pass
if
they have no units el
ble
to move
or fire
and the phase ends if
b
players pass consecutively. The
strategy
a
timing that
must accompany
a pass option is
tremely important and keeps the excitement le
high throughout. The net result is a
game
turn w
a
simultaneous
feel, yet with the action-reaction
sequential movement games.
Combat
is resolved without a
Combat
Resu
Table of any kind and requires both players to
teract during each attack. The defender
will
usua
have
the
choice of retreating from an a re a t o c
serve casualties or remaining in place and tak
greater losses. Off-board artillery
effects
are a
included, as well as the ability
to
se t fire
to
buildi
within a block to flush units from their position
Victory is determined by control of
the
all
portant areas
surrounding
the
bridge ramp
and
bridge itself. How fast and how thoroughly the G
Continued on Page
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42
e
ARM:
What
is your j ob a t Avalon Hill, Dale?
DAS: Well, I was hired on as a graphics person an d
generally I turn
ou t
most of the components inside
the game boxes.
ARM: Would you expla in how a
mapboard
is
pu t
together?
DAS: Usual ly there s a prototype ma p to work
from. To do the final map though, we start from
scra tch by first creat ing a base ar t which usually
consists
of
the areas and symbols which will
appear
in black. Then overlays are added in order to create
the other colors an d terrain features.
ARM: Is there any limit t o how many colors you
can use?
DAS: What
we
use here at Avalon Hill is a four-
color process which simply means
we
can only use
four colors, bu t since the four colors are usual ly
black and the three primary colors there is
technically no color that
we
cannot create.
ARM: You are a lso in charge of doing most of the
art for THE
GENERAL How
do you recreat e
game components for articles in the magazine?
DAS: We don t really. What we do is have a velox
shot, a kind of photocopy, of the base art an d then
we just build up the mapboard using overlays again
to recreate the origina l. We do the same thing for
the colors of the counters, beginning with the black
an d white ar t an d adding overlays for color.
ARM:
Some people are probably a lit tle confused
by a lot
of
these terms. What do you mean by an
overlay?
DAS: An overlay is a sheet of plastic acetate that is
pu t
down over the base
art.
The overlay itself is not
the co lo r you want it to be. I t is merely a device to
show thecamera department where you
do
wantthe
color. The material we use for overlays is called
amberlith. This is a clear plastic with a kind of
coating over it which can be
cu t
away in areas. So,
when we
ad d
colors to a black
an d
white illustration
we merely leave the amberlith in the areas where we
want color. The camera department makes a
negative f rom this which
is
the reverse
of
the
overlay, which means
that
the amberlith becomes a
clear area in the negative. Th e camera department
ST FF RIEFING
n Interview with Dale Sheaffer
t hen makes a p la te f rom the negative, with these
clear areas becoming holes theprinters run thecolor
through.
Dale A. Sheaffer
Born:
3/23/52
Started Wargaming: 1962
r Experience: None
First Wargame: Gettysburg
Favorite Wargame: Gellysburg 77) and Russian Campaign
Favorite Non-Wargame:
o
Outside Interests: Music, Art, Hisrory
Employed
by
AH: 979
AH Artwork: W P, FE, COD 3R, AW, SON, TLD AF, DL, FT,
BB GOA, FITW CM, GL
ARM: That sounds kind of technical. When I think
of
an
art is t I usually envision someone sit ting in
front of
an
easel with brush in hand, But the re s
rea llya lot moreto whatyoudo. How muchof your
jo b is technical vs. purely artistic?
DAS: The bulk
of
my work
is
technical. Before I
camehere I ha d a good groundingin commercial ar t
bu t I didn t know very much about photographic
procedures which is primarily what is used to create
the game components. I spend a good deal of time
with the camera depar tment an d the prin ter s to
learn their terminology an d the things they can an d
cannot
do.
ARM: Are the box covers
done
the same way as the
rest of the components?
By
Alan
R. Moon
DAS:
No. Since box covers are usually pain
there
is
no base ar t so we can t use the o
method. Instead,
we
shoot a color photogra
the actual painted artwork and then separa
photographically into four different colors;
red, blue, an d yellow. These four colors ar
made in to four negatives which reproduc
painting when printed. This process is called a
separation.
ARM: Which of the two methods mentione
duces the more vivid color?
DAS: There are advantages and disadvanta
both. Color separation eliminates the probl
constructing a base ar t an d overlays which is
ably its biggest plus.
ARM: Why
isn t
this method used for the dia
for
THE GENERAL?
DAS: Two reasons. It is much quicker an d
cheape r to do it t he other way. We have, on
sion, done full color illustrations in
GENERAL mostly map boards that were
painted originally.
ARM:Were you surprisedat what yourduties
ou t
to be
at
Avalon Hill, having been trained
school for something completely different
that
bother
you in any way? Do you ever fe
your artistic talent
is
being wasted?
DAS: Not really. First off I took commerc
which is exactly the kind of training you nee
jo b like this. I was a good pen and ink man
also helps. I haven t done much in the way
an d ink illustrations yet,
bu t
you never know
I ll
be doing in the fu ture. As for my tal en t
wasted,I would also have to say no.
It s
channeled into other directions. There is a
challenge in what I do now, especial ly in t ry
reproduce exactly what I want throug
photographic process.
ARM:
I get a great deal of satisfaction from
the finished product of a game I ve worked o
you get that same kind of satisfaction from w
on
the components?
DAS: I m
always glad when they finally com
righ t, but no real a rti st
is
ever truly satisfie
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any of his finished products.
Th e
minute I see a
finished map, I immediately think
of
a new
or
a dif-
ferent way I should have done i t.
ARM: Of all the things
you ve
worked
on
what
is
the one thing you feel most satisfied with?
DAS:
To
date, the things I am most pleased with
ar e
the
GUNS
OF
A
UGUST ma p
and
FORTRESS
EUROPA counters.
ARM:
What
makes them bet ter
than
some
of
the
other things
you ve
worked
on ?
DAS: In the case
of
the counters for
FORTRESS
EUROPA they finally came
ou t
looking the way I
wanted them to look. Almost all the little problems
that
we
had with them weretaken care
of an d
we got
a finished
product
that sat is fied me. In the case of
theGUNS OFA UGUSTmap I was experimenting
with new techniques
an d
procedures
an d
the
end
product, while not exactly one of ou r flashier maps,
satisified me personally because it meant that what I
had attempted to do worked
an d
worked well.
ARM: How much timedid it t ake to do the GUNS
A UGUST map?
DAS: I could have
sat
down
an d
done it all
at
once, it might have taken a week
an d
a half or two
weeks. As i t was, the project extended over about
two
months due to the fact that we
weren t
sure
until the very end what information was actually
going to
a pp e ar o n
the finished product.
ARM:
Ho w
much time does it take you to
pu t
together all the
ar t
for an issue of THE
GENERAL?
DAS:
About
a
month
or so, depending
on
the dif-
ficulty
of
the illustrations
an d
the difficulty
of
getting the components themselves together.
ARM: Do you play games. Would you consider
yourself a wargamer?
DAS:
Yes. My fathe r
brought
home an original
GETTYSBURG one day,
an d
my
b ro th er a n d
I
literally played it to death. My sister even got into
the act. We were
hooked
from there
on .
ARM:
Ho w
do you think being a gamer effects you
as an art is t working
on
the components of the
games?
DAS: I know what I would like t o see in terms
of
graphics in games. I m responsible for the grey
Westwall symbols
on
thenew THIRD
REICHmap
because I always forgot
about
them when I played
it. I remember purchasing games when I was
younger
that
used to s tart le me with some of their
graphics so now I try not to s tart le myself.
RM: Do you think its more
important
for a
ma p
to
be functional or attractive?
AS: I
think
t he re s room to make component s
both functional
an d
attractive
at
t he same time.
When I do a
ma p
I m not
just
interested in including
the pertinent
information
although that s most
portant. I also
attempt
to create an appearance
for the players so the pieces
an d
the mapboard
art a suggestion
of
the per iod the game takes
ace in.
t sounds to me likeyou
ar e
also interested in
an d
games as simulations. Is
that
true?
Yes,
both.
RM: Ho w does that relate to your work on a
game?
AS: In the case
of
a game from a particular period
in history, I will t ry to find samples of maps
that
were in use
at
the time.
Fo r
ins tance, for a World
War II game I ll try to use the actualsymbology
that
was in use then. This enhances the appearance of
the components
an d
increases the enjoyment
of
people who play the game.
RM: You have t o work p rett y closely with the
developers
at
Avalon Hill. Since everyone s artistic
taste differs, does this pose any problems?
DAS: Only
when I haven t been warned
beforehand. I m perfect ly willing to do a map for a
developer or des igner according to his complete
directions. Th e trouble
that
we sometimesget into
is
when the designer
doesn t
have a clear idea
o f
what
he wants. Usually, however, the finished product
is
the result
of input
from
both
the developer and the
artist.
ARM:
But
aren t
there t imes when you disagree
artistically with what the developer wants and you
just
know that i t would look better some other way.
What
happens in those cases?
DAS: You win some. You lose some.
ARM:
Does that
bother
you.
Or
is that
just
part
o f
the
job?
DAS: t bothers me sometimes, bu t I also get a
chance to tell the developer
I
told you
so
later on.
ARM:
Do you feel this restricts your artistic ability
in any way?
DAS: Sometimes the designer or the developer will
ask meto do something which I may feel
is
wrong or
won t
look right . The challenge then is to make
whatever it may be fit in with wha t I may a lready
have constructe\ . I m always glad
if
it turns
ou t
well, for the players sake anyway.
ARM:
There s always a lot of talk about innovation
in games and a lot o f it has to do with how the com-
ponents
an d
the
artwork are
presented.
Ho w
do you
feel
that
Avalon Hill rates along thelines of innova-
tion?
DAS:
That s
a tough question. All thecomponents
that
are created
at
Avalon Hill
ar e
done f rom
scratch. There
is
no
hard
and fast way
of
doing
things. There are no two maps
that
look alike. We
don t have any kind
of standard
symbology
that
we
use or anything like
that.
So, i t s very difficult to
say. On the other hand, it allows me to be creative
an d
experiment with new symbols for terrain, new
color schemes, etc.
ARM:
Are there restrictions
on
the format
an d
size
of the components?
DAS:
Yes. We always have to work within the
tolerances
that
have beencreated for the games. We
have
standard
sizes from map
board
panels, charts,
an d
counters. The main consideration here is the
box. Avalon Hill has two·
standard
boxes; the
bookcase style and the fla t box. These create their
own limits, bu t you can usual ly get
around
any
problems
that
might come up.
ARM:
What game components are you working on
at
the moment?
DAS:
Well, I ve
just
finished BA TTLE OF THE
BULGE Currently
I m
working
on
components
for GUNSLINGER I am also working
on
the re-
vised
FUR Y
IN THE
WEST
ARM:
Ca n you tell us a little bit about the com-
ponents for
GUNSLINGER?
DAS: There will be eight double sided
mapboards
which were
hand
painted by an outside artist which
have already been printed. The counters will becir-
cular as well as square. There will a lso be a myriad
of
charts and two decks
o f
cards.
ARM:
Along with everything else, you re also
doing the development
of
Battleline s OBJECTIVE
ATLANTA aren t you?
Ca n
you tell us a little bit
about
that?
DAS:
I have grandiose plans for OBJECTIVE
A
TLANTA
but due to the press of my other work
here i t s a very slow process. At this date I have a
revised set of rules in manuscript form, b ut t h at s
about all. My long term hopes for the game include
a
hand
painted
mapboard
an d
new counters.
ARM:
t seems like anyone who plays games winds
up trying to design them
too.
Do you design games
on your own time?
DAS: Yes,
bu t
between working
on
games and p
ing them I don t have much time anymore.
ARM:
We get a lot o f letters from people who w
to submit
ar t
for
THE
GENERAL Do you
any tips for these people.
DAS: They should wri te to Don Greenwood f
He
will send them a form with the guidelines,
letthem know ifwe are looking for anything sp
in the way
of artwork.
It helps to know
tolerances and size limitations so we don t hav
chop up
someone s
piece o f
ar t
because it isn
right size. Most illustrations
that
we use are pen
ink, done in black
an d
white.
ARM:
What do you think
of
the latest Avalon
boxcovers?
DAS: I think Avalon Hill boxcovers are consta
getting better. Rodger MacGowan and M
Wheat ley who we ve used a lot lately continu
impress me with the quality
an d
professionalis
their work.
ARM:
What do you think about the
standard
o
in the hobby?
DAS: As far as the indus try itsel f is concerne
has definitely been improving. Knowing what
been done in the pas t, all
of
us in the industry
constantly trying to do better.
R
TOP 5 LIST
Times Prev
Rank Name On
List
Rating
Ra
1
K
Combs
22 2533XOR
2. W. Dobson
24 2511RJP
3. D. Burdick 21
2179FDL
4. R.
Chiang
30
2178GHN
5.
D.
Garbutt
20
2161EGK
6. T. Oleson
31
2069TTZ
7. B. Sinigaglio
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2037EGF
8.
P.
Kemp
15 2034EEI
9. R. Leach
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2005HLQ
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10.
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2004GJP
1
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J.
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200IFFK
12. L. Kelly
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13.
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14.
D . Ba rk er
29 I
997GHM
I
15.
F. Freeman 15
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16.
L . N e wb u ry 24
I964EGK
1
17.
M.
Sincavage
II
1964DOI
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18. J. Beard 11 I954EFL
1
19.
F.
Reese
2 I886FDE 2
20.
D.
Giordano 2 I
854CEF
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21.
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P. Ford
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23. F. Preissle 19 1876JLV
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24. B. Remsburg
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B.
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26. W.
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29.
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782CEF
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30. G. Charbonneau
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31. F.
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32. D.R. Munsell 17 I760FOI
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41.
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42. W. Letzin 18
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44. N.
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45. G. Smith 2 1679CCI 4
46. R. Rowley
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627CCF
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44
H Philosophy . .
Continued from
Page
man player can wrest control of these vital areas at
the
end of eight game
turns
determines
the
winner
and the level of victory attained.
STRUGGLEFORARNHEMBR DGEis above all
else, a simple
game
to
learn, but is f il led with
countless opportunities f or t he application of dif
ferent
tactics
and that
is
what
makes
it so
fascinating-the complexity
l ies in
the
play
of the
game- not the
reading of
the
rules. Players
must
concentrate
on
the actiontaking
place as
it
unfolds
on
the
mapboard, rather
than
in endless pages of
charts and rules. At
thi s t ime, the
rules are
quite
t ight with final blind
testing about
to begin to assure
proper play balance.
Courtney
Allen
G. .,
NVIL OF VICTORY
G.I. should be approaching the blind playtest
sta ge in about a month. The basic rules have
undergone about
ten
drafts in pre-playtest
scrim
mage with
a
few
hand-picked experts fromthe
play
test
c rew. Ac tua l testing of the
twelve
scenarios now remains
the
largest hurdle to
publication.
Aside
f rom the
press of
other
duties,
the
big
gest
delay in
getting G I onto the
presses has been
an extensive revision
of
the
game
system
itself.
The next project in store fo r
the game system
is
a
completely
rewritten
compendium
of the entire
system.
This
set
of Advanced Squad Leader rules
will be published in loose-leaf binder format inside a
bookcase sleeve. The
net
resul t should be a much
shorter se t of rules and a much cleaner
set
with no
leafing
through
page after page of rules
to
decipher
the differences
between the basic rules and
the
ad
vanced rules.
Along the
way, many design im
provements will
be made to
the
existing game
system
(some of
which
are unveiled in G. .)
to make
the game
more
playable
while
maintaining
the
rigid
attention
to detail that
players seem to crave so
much.
Plans to establish a
system
of CE reverse side
armor
counters
have been dropped, although a
set
of wreck
counters will
be provided to distinguish
burning
wrecks f rom the
more palatable variety.
Similarly, plans to expand the Covered Arc in order
to
improve the per formance
of non-turreted
vehicles ha ve been shelved in favor of a new
stream-lined
TO HIT
system which is
infinitely
cleaner than the old version.
G. .
will have much more of everything than
anything
in the preceding series (except perhaps
rules). The game will
include five mapboards, ter
rain overlays
to
alter existing mapboards,
12-14
scenarios, and more
unit counters than
Icare
to
ad
mit.
Consequently,
you
can
expec t the
highest
price
you ve yet
encountered
fo r
a
i tem-but it
should represent
the
best value of
the
series. Look
fo r
it next spring.
Many of
you
have written us requesting to be
allowed to
become
a
playtester. Usually, we ve
had to
turn
down such requests as
the
existing
playtest crew is a large and exper ienced group.
However,
we are constantly on the
lookout
fo r
people whose
actions back
up their boasts and are
happy
to expand our exist ing playtest crews for
people
who
demonstratethey have what it takes to
be a valuable
contributor.
An opportunity for such a
display occurred at the
seminars
at
both
ORIGINS and GEN CON EAST this year when
volunteers
were
given copies
of the
existing
G I
rules and asked to
submit
critiques. Those
who do
a
creditable job
will
be
rewarded with
an
invitation
to join
the
actual blind playtest that will
start
this
fall.
Hold on fel las it s
coming,
and it
will
be
worth
the wait .
.
. .
Don
Greenwood
NEWS FROM THE SPORTS DEPT
With
the
hiring of
Joe
Balkoski, we
expect
to be
able to speed up both
your production
of new
sports
games
and accessories, and to finally get
ASR onto
some
sort of a regular schedule. Of
course this last requires
the
magazine not being
given the bottom priority it has received forthe past
four years, when every
other
project was deemed
more important . The most recen t issue (the
March issue, which wasf i rs t delayed because of
the
Spring releases, and
then
later because
of the
Summer releases ), which with luck was mailed
out
before
the
end of June,
was the
last
quarterly
issue, and
from now
on ASR wil l be
bi-monthly.
Please
don t
laugh-
we
are serious.
Moving onto more
cheerful
matt ers , t he
STA TIS-PRO FOOTBALL game
is near
completion,
and we hope to have it printed and on sale in
August.
I t w il l inc lude indiv idual cards for every
member
of every NFL
team,
with even third-string
quarterbacks being rated. We believe that i t
will
be
the
best and most playable
statistical
football
game
on the market.
Other works in progress inc lude a tennis and
hockey game, both in their early stages, and some
discussion of
whether
or
not we would
like
statist ical gol f
and horse racing games.
Joe
Balkoski is in
the
process
of writing
a narrat ive
history
of
the 1961
baseball season,
which wil l
accompany
our
set
of player cards
for the
season
for MAJOR
LEAGUE BASEBALL
and if our
type
setters
are able to
get
to it, we also have a
set
of
great
teams of the
past
for SUPERSTAR
BASEBALL which have been provided
by
Bob
Biscontini.
. Bruce Mil ligan
SQUAD LEADER
T SHIRTS
Yes,
we
are following
up on
the success of the
P NZERBLITZ
T-shirts with
yet another offer
ing
on what has become our hottest game. Now
you
too
can become a SQU D
LE DER
whether you
play
the game or
not.
The back of
the
shirt
is adorned with the same Avalon Hil l
logo
you ve
seen before on the P NZERBLITZ
shirts. Be sure
to
specify size: small ,
medium,
large, or extra large.
5.00
plus
5 < :
fo r postage
and
handling.
Maryland residents please add 5 7
state sales tax.
T
WARGAMER S
GUIDE TO MIDWAY
Containing thirty-six
pages of the best
of
T
GENER L
art icles on the game plus previo
unpublished
material as
well, this guide is a m
for every fan of the game. Several official r
changes update the game and erase its few m
flaws. A
tribute to
one
of
the
hobby s
el
citizens
that
has never needed a major revision
game which has grown old
gracefully,
matu
by gett ing
better.
Almost
all
of the reprinted art icles are f
unavailable issues
of
TH E
GENER L m
from volume 9
or
earlier. Included is the
major
variant, Leyte Gulf , and the mos
depth article on the game
to
date T he
MIDW
Thesis by two of
the game's experts, Ha
Totten
and
Donald
Greenwood. T he
Pa
Theatre
Via MIDWAy ,
the
other
major var
that
spawned the
MIDWA
Y
Variant
Kit, has b
expanded include
many more optional
r
(some applicable
to
the
MIDWA
Y game
as
w
and an
additional
scenario.
T he
Battle
Australia , a previously unpublished article a
the
ultimate with
a
hypothetical
monster scen
using the components
of both
the game and
variant
kit.
Other
articles deal with strate
analysis, variants, and other
hypothetical
si
tions.
The
best of three Series Replays
that
h
appeared in THE GENER L is also reprin
usefu l in itself as a f ine examp le
of
the su
strategies
involved
when experienced pla
meet.
THE W ARGAMER S GU IDE
TO
MIDW
sells
for
4.50 plus
1 7
postage and hand
charges, and is available f rom ourmail order d
Maryland
residents please add
5 7 sales
tax.
MAGNETIC
GAMES
Now you can convert your favoJile game
vertical display or secure
in-play
storage
magnetic tape. unmounted boards and jus
hour of your time. Al l you ll need is a metal sur
and an unmounted gameboard. We supply
magnetic strips
with
selfsticking adhesive alre
applied. You
just
cut the Y2
x I
strips
into
inch squares and
apply
them to the
unit
coun
which came
with your
game. The result
is
a
thick
counter which
will
stack six high even w
the mapboard is mounted in a vertical position
display purposes. Never worry a bo ut t hat p
move being jostled again between turns.
Naturally this magnetic treatment will be
valuable fo r counters
with
two-sided printing.
that s ti ll leaves them with
a
multitude of u
NOTE:
it
will be
necessary to be sure that the
portion of
all
unit
counters are
uniformly
app
to the
top
half
of
the magnetic strips. Otherw
the
polarity
may
be
reversed and the counters
actually repel each othe r rat her than attr
Therefore. i t is wise to m ar k the back of
magnetic strips uniformly across the top so a
be sure to apply the top half of the counter to
top
half of the magnetic strip.
Magnetic strips areavailable
from Avalon
fo r
9 < :
a foot or
7.50
for ten feet. Unmoun
.mapboards are available upon request fo r
apiece. Usual postage charges apply.
as
does
5 state
sales
tax
for Maryland
residents.
8/20/2019 The General - Volume 18, Issue 2
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Let ters
to the Editor
Have you ever purchased a rea lly nea t and
new game and then discover lhat you have
body to play with.
So
you play it solitaire a few
s, get bored, and
putthe
game upon
ashelfto
her dusl. I have several dust gatherers
on
my
Recently I took TOBRUK
or r
the shelr,
it of f and began experimenting with
enario I. Scenario I is fairly simple
and
readily
itself to computerized play. I decided to
a program thai would play the German
The computer playsa fast
hard-hiltinggame.
turn sequence will have to be modified, firsl
compuler plays, then you do. Thisis
one
game
rn. Limit
the
game
to 30 t ur ns. I f
any of
the
mputer' s panzers l eave the
board,
simply
Ihem, but don'l count t hem as v ic to ry
ints. You should a lso remove all tanks thai
been k-killed. Anyother instructions needed
found at th e begi nn ing of the computer
This program has specific beginning, mid,
end game rOlltines similar to a chess program.
amount of random
variation
is
built
into
progr am to keep a
human
opponell from
cond guessing the
computer
too
of
len.
Tobl uk
occupies
about
4500 bytes
or
memory.
If
instructions are left aLIt it mighl
fit
i nt o a 4k
chine. This
program
is written
in
Level
I h op e you hav e as much fun p layi ng this
ofTobruk's
Scenario I as I did creat ing
play testing the program. Ialsohope that this
ogram sparks interest in other possibilities for
computers in gaming. We have only begun
scralch thc surface.
Duthie, Ph.D.
hland, Washington
10 REM TOBRUK PANZERS
15 REM Bruce DUlhie, Ph.D.
October, 1980
Prill Tobruk Panzers
Print This program is designed to play the
rman side in scenario
Print on e of Avalon Hill 's Tobruk Game.
domly place Panzer
Print III-H's on hexes B-R. The Panzer IV's
not be used.
To
make
it more fai r for Ihe
computer,
all
rman Panzcrs are
assumed to
be
shooting APCR
shells.
'K'
killed tanks
should
betaken
of f
of
theboard
as
soon
they have been
knocked oul.
The turn sequence has 10
somewhat simplified
Prinl The Germans move f irst t hen you do,
Illay
move or
shoal,
but
Prinl Ilot both. The computer will lell you
it is your turn.
Print Th e computer will ask you a quest ion
time 10 time, you
Print wil l answer with a number. Your
swer should follow the ques-
Print tion mark on the screen, then you press
ter. If a question
mark appears
with no Quest ion, just
enter.
Input
CLS
Print Move all
PZJ's
10 J-2 9
Print move
Panzer-H, number
S 1-17 three
Your Turn
A
=
RND(4)
Ir A I then B 8
Ir A
=
2 then B
=
10
Ir A
=
3 then B
=
12
Ir A 4then
B
14
Print type in th e number
of
hexes to Ihe
granl
Input C
Ir B = > C then 430 else 150
Print how many grants are within
10
hexes
some PZH?
Input A
Ir A>6 then GOSUB 5000 elsc
go to 150
I fA< 4 Ihen go to 6000
Print How Illany PZH's are
'M '
or 'K'
Input K
all
'M '
killed Panzers
continue
to fire
acquired
targets,
Prinl or fire at the c10sesl grant if you have
target.
A
=
RND(6)
530 If A I then Print all Panzers move back
three
squares
540
If
A
=
2 or 3 then Print
fire
at the closest
non 'M ' killed
grant
550
If
A
=
4 th en
Prim
PZH 1-8 move right
front twohexesand pivot
to
facethe closest grant.
PZH
9-17 move left front two hexes
and
pivot 10
face Ihe closest
grant.
560 If A
=
5 then Print a ll Panzers move three
hexes
forward
570 If A
=
6 then Print PZH
1-8
move left from
IwO hexes and pivot to facethe closest grant . PZH
9-17 move right front two hexes and pivot to face
the closest grant.
580 Print
Your
Turn
590 Input
600 Print Type the number
of
grants 'M ' 'K '
killed
610 Input K
620 Print How mallY Panzers can still
move
630 Input M
640 IrK > 8 and M > 2 then 650
645 Go to 500
650 Print All movable Panzers move directly
toward the closest grant
660 Print that presents a flank or rear sho .
670 Print Your Turn
680 Input
690 Print
Fire
if within 7 hexes
of your
target, if
nOI
continued
10 move
700 Print
toward your
selected target, ifyou
'K '
kill
your
target,
pick
710 Print
thcclosest gran(and
move toward it.
720 Print
Your Turn
730 Input
740
Go
to 690
5000 Print PZH
1-2
fire
at
grant I , PZH 3-4 fire
at grant 2
PZH
5-6
rire
5002 Print at
grant
3, PZH 7-8 f ire a t g rant 4 ,
PZH
9-10 first at grant 5
5004 Print PZH 11-12
rir
at gr ant 6,
PZH
13-14 rire at grant 7, PZH 15-16
5006 Print fire at grant 8, PZH 17 fire at grant
9
5030 Print Your
Turn
5040 Input
5050 Print
continue
firing al acquired grants
5060 Print Your Turn
5070 Input
5080 Print type in number of grants
'M '
'K '
killed
5090 Input
B
5100 If B
>6lhen
Prinl pretty good shooting for
a
dumb
machine
huh.
5300
Ir B> 6
t hen Print
all 'M '
killed PZH's
keep firing al acquired grants. Each
PZJ
acquire
theclosest non M killed grant and fire at ilUlltil
it is 'M ' k ill ed. Move all PZH's back Ihree
hexes.
5305 Print
Your Turn
5308 Input
5310 Ir B<5 then 5000
5320 Ir B>6then 5300
5330 Return
6000 If A 3 then Print PZH
1-6
firesat closest
grant , PZH 7-12 firesal next closest gran t, PZH
13-17 fires at next closest grant.
6010 If A 2 then Prim
PZH
1-8 first at closest
gran l, PZH 9-17 fires at next c10sesl grant
6020IF A I then Print all PZH's fireat closest
grant
6022 Print Your Turn
6025 Input
6030 Print
How
many
grants are
now within 10
hexes
or
a PZH
6040 Input B
6050
Ir
B >6then GOSUB 5000
6060 Print
How
many g rant have been 'K '
killed
6070 Input C
6072 A
=
A-C
6080
If
C
>2then
150 else 6000
Mr. Greenwood:
Two hot -sho t repor te rs cover ing the New
York Yankees, were vociferously arguing, who
was the best Yankee right-fielder of all
time?
It
seems they
couldn't
decide between Torn Tresh
and Roger Mar is . Their argument went o n h ot
and heavy fora few innings when thehot-dogven
dor came along, overheard their discussion and
said, What about Babe Ruth. There was stunned
silence the rest
of
the game.
Moral: When trying to
prove how
smart
you
are, don't
ignore the obvious.
Wa rgame rs ha ve never been at a loss f or
words. Art icles
abound
on game variations,
analysis
of
play, strategy, tactics, as well as trick
play
and
rule exploiting. Lately, two writers have
emphasized in-depth analysis (Lockwood in 17.3,
Angiolillo in 17.6),
and
havetargetted chess as the
game to be emulated. They want to analyze
wargames the way chess is analyzed. They break
play down into openings, middle game, and end
game; use terms like posit ional player , l ines
of
p lay , g ambi t
declined , and combina
tions . Apparently they know their competi
tion , as i t were.
But l et' s not kid ourse:lves-WARGAMES
ARENOT CHESSI Lockwood and Angiolillo are
simply putt ing on irs Oh , aren't we erudite
and estimable because our games are like
chess
It reminds me
of
the TV commercial where the
Ford Granada is compared to
a Mercedes; the
reasoning is
t ha t i f
a
Ford
can
masquerade
as a
really
good
car,
it's
somehow elevated
in
stature.
The
situation is laughable at best.
Everybody wants to say they're an exper t a t
something , I suppose , and to many i t' s p laying
wargames. Initial reaction by. the non-wargamer
has usual ly been so what . And, despi te the
non-garner'salleged ignorance, his response is not
so far
out of
line.
To
mastera wargame, assuming
concerted study
and
tournament play over an un
broken t ime period, might require three years (if
that) depending on th e game. To attain master
level in chess has been known to require a lifetime
of dedicated, full-time studyand tournament par
ticipation. The point is that anyone wargame is
so, so shallowcomparedto chess, that youmay do
better trying to compare a birdbath to the Atlantic
Ocean.
Analogous arguments would apply to theidea
that
our
games have a s tate of the
art , or
that
there
should
be
an academy of a rt and
design.
Now rea ll y, wou ld you call t he de si gn er
of
a
miniatures figure a
sculptor?
(Oh yeah,
wasn't
Michaelangelo
one of them?) And
with rare ex
ception,
artwork,
particularly in the
famasy/s
f
f ie ld , has been
sophomoric and
unskilled.
The
only thing
an academy
will provide is a chancefor
certain people to feel elitist (while they
stand
in
their birdbath).
Why don't
we
face it? Wargaming is a hobby
forthe great majority
of
its participants. Wehave
fun,
we
enjoy ourselves
and
the camaraderie,
we
maybe learn something
about
history (definitely
about
dice probability), and
we
mayevencreate a
line of miniature figures. But then
we
go back 10
our regular jobs until next time. There's nothing
wrong with beingdevoted to gaming, but let's not
fool ourselves into making a bigger deal Oul of
it
than it is.
Robert Morss
Westerville, OH
Dear Sir:
The ideas developed by Craig Burke in his
Ai r
Power in VITP THE GENERAL, Vol.
17, No.3), and discussed in Return Fire by
Richard Hamblen, are tantalizing to any gamer
who enjoys playing the
WAS/VITPsystem.
They
offer further expansion and increased navor to a
game I personally enjoy very much, and I wa s
happy to
see them
appear.
In reading
Hamblen's Return
Fire,
in
which he rebuts most
of
the ideas
and comments
favorably
on one or
two, I was struck by the
thought that in a
game
of strategic
scope-as
VITP
mus t be considered-a slrict adherence
to
historical accuracy, while
commendable in
setting
combat
values and speed for individual ships, ef
fectively deprives lhe players.
of
historical options
available to Ihe respeclive supreme commanders
whose roles they play.
One
cou ld argue, for e xample , that the
development
of
a High Seas Supremacy policy
on the part
of
the Kriegsmarineat the
war's
begin
n in g would h av e s timu la ted i nc rea sed sh ip
building
in
Germany; the presence
of
the
Gral
Zeppelin in thegameof
WAS
implies thatthishad
been considered. Would
it
not have been almost
equally logical 10 infer Ihal an increase in naval
approprialions might have led 10 the successful
completion of Seydlitz (a Hipper-class CA hull),
Europa and Gneisenau (both passenger liners) as
aircraft carriers? Or t ha t t he Scharnhorsf and
Gneisenau
e s
might have had their main arma
ment upgraded
to
IS- inch cal iber , wi th cor
responding increase in gunnery factor value?
4
In VITP, assuming that the Japanese playe
manages to carry his power play on into the en
game,
it
might be logical 10 infer that America
naval pol icy might have changed 1O respond t
this (essentially ahistorical) situation. If the U
rights successful night actions in the early gam
battering even the fast bauleships built after th
Washington Treaty disappeared, the U.S. hig
command might well decide
10
go ahead, ful
speed, on the Alaska CB's, allocate priority in th
shipyards to the Iowa 8B's and rush them in
action,
even bui ld the
Montana Super-B8'
designed
to
meet
and
defeat the
Yamato s.
Moreover, changes in
Ihe strategic situatio
might alter entirely
the
times at which units ent
the
game. I f
a rule
could
be evolved, for exampl
g iv ing the U.S. p layer the abi li ty to choose b
tween expending repair points
and
pushing th
construction of new ships, or between providin
the shipping for a new Marine unil
and
speedin
up
the arrival of a capital ship, I bel ieve it wou
go far towards capturing lhe feel
of
occupying Ih
post or CN.O.
Paren thet ical ly , I might men tion Iha t th
jeep c r r i e r s ~ t h e CVE's tha t showed s
superbly off Samar-eQuid be figured into VIT
as carrier lask groups, and into WAS as hunte
killer and escort
groups. If Hermes
can show u
in
Ihe
counter
mix, why not
Card, Bogue
o
Guadalcanal
(even if only
in abstracted
form)?
I look forward 10 receiving the revised,
com
pleted
WAS
Expansion Kit and s trongly urg
t ha t, a ft er ano ther
year
or
two, you t urn you
talents towards the composition
of
a similar k
for
VITP
(with, possibly, addit ional fil lips f
WAS
as they evolve
and
present themselves); I'v
no
doubt thai
i t' ll f ind i ts market.
Rich
Banucci,
D.O.
Bridgeton, NJ
P
.5.:
Suggest ed Values for the O llana BB
might be (6) -9 -5 , inasmuch as they would ha
probably been as fast as the Washington s an
slower than the Iowa s.
One
could even argue f
a defense factor of 10 on the strength
of
vario
construction refinements planned for incorpor
t ion into the MOJllana s as well as on the increa
ing sophistication and efficacy of U.S. dama
control methods.
Gentlemen:
As
a
short
time but loyal
AH
fan, I would l i
to express my opinions on what I feel has been
inordinate
amount
of allention devoted to t
SLICO/ICOD
game
system in the pages
or TH
GENERAL.
Since I've never owned any of the
games I've beendisturbed to see no less than
11
a
ticles (includingscenario evaluations, scenario r
counting, game system design and analysis an
serie s r eplays ) in the l ast six issues of TH
GENERAL. This is far more attention than an
other game or games have received in these sam
issues (Volume
17
as a whole), and I wond
whether this trend will continue? At the risk
receiving
tons of hate
mail from the game syste
loyalists, I
hope
not.
To
be perfect ly honest , I think you have
do
an
excellent
job
with t he forma t
of TH
GENERAL
overal l. I especially
applaud yo
feature art icles recently on such oldies-bu
goodies
as STALiNGRAD and
AFR/K
KORPS. Nevertheless, my reaction upon seeing
new article
on
either SL, COD, or
COl
(or
mo
than
one) has been one
of
Oh no, nOt
anoth
one
I realize you can't please all the people
the
t ime, and Irealize the
enormous popularity
this still-developing game sys tem. I jus t wish
point ou t that such popularitywithtactical WW
infantry combat is far fromuniversal.And while
continue to look for far more art icles or varian
on my personal favorites A/W, AAOC, and
CL
I'm
instead accumulatingpage upon page of wh
to me is use less information on SL and i
variants.
To conclude then,
I'd
just like lO ask, o
behalf of
all
of
us
non-SL
fans
out
here
lO
co
s ider us in future pub li ca tions and not let TH
GENERAL
become SQUAD
LEADE
WORLD. Perhaps I 'l l even purchase SQUA
LEADER one
day,
just
to see what
I'm
missin
Who
knows, I
may
even like it.
Mark Cotter
Old
Town, ME
I try topresent as varieda format as possib
but
we
must weight the coverage to those game
which appeal to the bulk 01our readership. Base
on
What
Have You Been Playing surveys thu
far thatanswerhas been overwhelminglySQUAD
LEADER.
8/20/2019 The General - Volume 18, Issue 2
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-general-volume-18-issue-2 46/50
46
Inline Engine
Tahle
page 20)
Add the result on each die together.)
Scenarios page 2Sff)
Map
edge sides
are
referred
to
bythe
numbers
on the compass rose poiming toward that side.
Example
of
Loaded Modifiers page 17)
Maneuver, level
and
dive spee d incr e me nts
w ou ld b e 3 - 4 , 5 -6 , and 7-8 respec
tively.
Aircraft Identification, Procedure page 20)
ubtract one f rom I dentif ica tion die r oll
for
F
guns.
Q . Wha t happens when an aircraft a lre a dy a
maximum
dive spee d ma ke s a f urther dive?
A. The aircraft isde stroyed. I n orde r to dive
aircraft
w ould have
to
r educe its a ir spe ed f
probably by applying brake factors.
Q. Does the procedure f or s pO il in g t hr o
clouds lake different altitudes
of
the a irc r af t
account, similar to sighting over a hill?
A. No. You
cannot
sight
Over
a c loud.
Q. The optional
rules
state that
a
plane
must
i n t he
maneuver
speed until it
spots an
en
plane. The correspond ing alt it udes of
maneuver
spee ds see m tobe too low
I
thou
bombers
usually flew
the
highest
altitude
could.
A.
Y ou may
stan bombers
a t ma ne uve r
or
l
speed.
Q.
W ill a
plane
that spreads a
half·loop
over
or more turns have to climb or dive it s maxim
rate
every
lurn included?
A, Yes.
A.
No.
All
aircraft
are freed fr om th ei r
plotted movement.
Q. I f a p la ne b ec om es spotted because it f
can
enemy
planes fire
on that
plane
in
that
t
A.
Yes.
VICTORY
IN
THE
PACIFIC:
7 .7 2 D oe s a d am ag ed C Y l os e
ilS
airstrike
att
bonus?
A
No
QUESTIONS ANSWERS
Q. I n S ce na ri o 4 ,
are
t he f la k
guns
specified a
[otal amount divided among all the f la k counters
specified, or d oe s ea ch
counte r contain
the
specified amOunt of flak guns?
A.
The
amount is a t ot al d iv id ed
among
a ll t he
flak counters.
Q. Do
a1l
the
guns
in a flak
counter
f ir e a s
one
unit, or
may
they all fire separately?
A. They m us t a ll f ir e a s one unit.
Q. Does each flak coumer have
to spot
an
enemy
plane be for e the y c an f ir e on that plane ? I n other
w ords, must
16
flak
counters make spotting at
tempts on the sa me plane ?
A. On ce spoued,
an aircraf t
m ay be f ir ed upon
by a ny u ni t in t he g am e; an aircraf t need n ot b e
spotted
b y t he u ni t f ir in g
on
it.
Q.
Do ground
targets have
to
be spotted
to
be
attacked
or
bombed)?
A.
No;
bombardiers
were usually provided with
maps.
Q.
If
three planes on the same side
are
flying in
dividually
and
only
one
spOts
an
e ne my, does
movement have
to
be logged
in
a dv an ce f or t he
other two?
Altitude Loss
at
Non·Level
Bank
page 11)
A
number
of
conditions
have been applied
to
the
mandatory altitude
loss.
An aircraf t
which
ends
the
GameTurn in a non-Level Bank attitude
must lose 100 f ee t
of altitude
unless:
1 The
alc was p lo tt ed t o
perform
a Turn,
Slip, Half-loop
or
Half-RoB [as before].
2.
The
ale
spent
half
its
turn
rounding frac
tions down) in Level bank.
3. The alc ha s not e xpe nde d
enough
Move
ment Poin ts to conduct
a Ma ne uve r .
The
rule
a pplie s a t the e nd
of the
first
Game
Turn in which
the aircraft
is capable
of performing
a maneuver,
but has not·, and every
subsequent turn
after that,
until
1
or 2 a pply.
This
altitude
loss
is
determined
during
the
Status Determination Phase following thepial of
aircraft,
a nd a ff ec ts i ts n ex t turn s a ltitude . A s
this
is
an administrative adjustment , the
f ol lo wi ng r ul es a pp ly w he n u si ng t he
Optional
N ose A ltitude Rules f or combat:
I.
The 100 loss still leaves
the aircraft
in a
Nose-Level altitude.
2.
If
a playe r plotte d a c limb of 100
to
adjust
for the loss, the aircraft
is
still Nose-Level
attitude. I f
however,
more than
100 were plot
ted, th en t he No se -A ttit ude . R ule takes
precedence).
I
~ _ O O _ L ; _ @ _
_ i J _ l J : ~ _ ~ _ [ l _ © _ ~ _ L 3 _ ~ . . . . . I
-2
+1
-I
Inverted
Altitude: Towards
Away
Din
Glide
Bomb
Modifiers, correction
These modifiers
are
f or t he
s
die.
AIR FORCE ERRATA
Charls
Tables:.
A
number of
modifiers, though spe :ified cor
rectly in
the
text
of
t he r ul es , d o n ot appearor are
stated
incorrectly
on
the
Charts
pa ge 31) .
For
Players
convenience they
ought to
m ak e a
nOle
o n t he appropriate Charts.
NT
Ib
Optional Modifiers, add
Target
in Slip -1
Dive Speed Firing
-I
Slip,
Loop,
Roll
Firing each) -2
Spin Firing
-4
Spotting
Modifiers, add
READER U Y E R ~ S GUIDE
TITLE: AIRFORCE A.,.lon H ill r evision only
S UB JE CT : P la ne t o P la ne C om ba t in t he E ur op ea n T he at re of WWII
AVALON HILL RBG
RATING
CHART
The
games a re
ranked by their cumulative scores which is an average of th e 9 categories for
game.
While it may
be
fairly argued
thateach categoryshould
not
weigh equally against
th e
o
we
us e it only as a
generalization of
overall rank. By breaking down a
game s ratings
into
indi
ca tegories the gamer is able to discern for
himself
where t hegame is strong or weak in th e
qua
he va lues
th e most.
Readers ar e reminded that the Game
Length
category is
measured in multip
t en m inut es a nd t ha t a ra ting of
18 would
equal 3
hours.
o
1.82
1. 94
2.07
1.92
2.28
2.10
2.15
2.31
2.32
2.07
2.20
2.45
2.07
2.36
2.05
2.05
2.41
2.43
2.73
2.47
2.32
2.52
2.64
2.53
2.83
2.89
2.75
3.15
2.67
2.68
2.64
2.73
2.77
2.91
2.86
3. 40
3.21
3.05
3.21
2.44
3.05
2.96
3.01
3.15
2.95
3.38
3. 40
3.04
4.20
3.26
2.66
.5 6
1.69
1.78
1.82
2.14
1.88
2.09
2.09
2.29
1.93
2. 34
2.39
2.71
2.63
1.95
2.07
2.14
2.30
2.86
2.22
220
2.51
2.55
1.94
2.80
2.46
3. 40
2.80
2.61
2.76
2.82
2.37
2.91
2.09
2.43
3.11
3.42
2.76
3.02
2.94
2.81
3.00
3.21
2.93
2.81
3.58
2.77
3.28
4. 59
3.39
2. 57
1.36
1.60
2.41
2.02
2.26
1.85
2.00
1. 84
2.54
2.35
2.19
2.66
2.64
2.72
2.24
2.05
3.65
4.57
305
2.38
3.39
2.31
3.07
3.91
4. 20
4. 18
3.00
2.28
2.53
4.69
3.41
3.08
3.57
2.82
2.76
4.06
5.13
3.18
2.46
3.19
3.67
2.11
4.32
5.12
4.11
5.38
2.81
5.15
5.57
4. 06
3. 16
2.18
2.44
2.78
2.36
1.13
2.07
2.62
2.72
2.61
2.43
2.67
2.60
3.36
308
2.59
3.06
1. 86
2.09
3.73
2.55
3.57
3.57
3.43
3.38
2.75
3.25
4. 05
3.30
3.24
2.05
3.73
3.66
3.39
2.99
3.43
4.00
2.23
3.43
3.07
3. 00
2.25
306
3.27
3.73
3.53
2.12
2.42
4. 37
2.32
2. 80
2.93
2.31
2.52
3.07
2.94
2.33
2.39
2.88
2.63
2.56
2.64
2.60
2.94
1.85
2.62
3.22
3. 00
3.07
2.39
2.23
2.87
2.70
2. 70
2.52
2.79
2.43
2.86
3.25
3.53
3. 06
2.29
3.02
2.90
2.29
2.45
298
2.22
2.60
3.05
3.79
1. 94
2.89
2.77
3.11
2.35
3.40
2.33
3.29
2.52
2.18
4. 42
2. 75
o
()
:D 3
C 1;)
3. 20
3.37
2. 24
3.58
2.27
2.88
3.74
2.97
2.34
2.50
3.65
2.63
1.
3.27
4. 15
4. 03
2.83
1.87
2.14
2.90
2.43
3.31
2.26
2.21
1.98
2.25
3. 30
3.20
3.27
2.07
2.86
2.78
2.12
2. 55
2.55
2.00
2.62
3.03
432
2.19
3.14
4.32
2.01
1.74
3.08
2.28
3.69
2.07
1.45
5.29
2.81
em
o
w
0
-
0
2.33
1.88
2.02
1.82
2.93
2.38
1. 94
1.69
2.54
2.57
2.34
2.12
2.78
2.45
2.34
2. 03
2. 34
3.13
2.31
2.42
2.07
1. 86
2. 45
1.85
3. 00
2.03
1.85
2. 40
2.39
3.45
2.04
2.56
2.92
3.00
3. 19
2.80
3. 25
3. 00
2.50
3.69
3.30
2.13
3.11
2.74
3.31
2.64
3.79
3. 40
3.59
3.13
2. 59
o
3
1;)
i
1.64
2.04
1.85
1.85
2.13
3.07
1.74
3. 00
2.32
3.29
2.17
2.62
2.71
1.76
2.47
3. 00
2. 84
2.26
2.36
3.48
3.11
3.03
2.57
2.36
2. 40
2.96
2.05
2. 60
2.82
2.91
3.12
3. 10
4.01
3.21
2.58
2.21
3.10
2.48
4. 54
3.28
4. 68
3.27
3.96
2.80
4.33
4.94
3. 74
4. 30
2.81
2.86
1.93
2.09
1.98
1.97
2.53
2.40
2.11
2.16
2.37
2.21
2.41
2.28
2.92
2.16
2.12
2. 00
2.26
2.35
2.32
2.58
2.27
2. 34
2.62
2.47
2.45
2.04
1. 75
2.23
2.84
2.98
2.41
2.75
3. 04
3.36
2.99
2.69
2.63
2. 80
2.52
3.72
3.39
2.85
3.29
3.18
2.93
3. 18
3.77
3.43
3.43
2.74
2. 60
c
3
c
2. 04
2.17
2. 24
2.25
2.27
2.34
2.36
2.37
2.43
2.44
2.50
2.52
2.53
2.56
2.57
2.58
2. 60
2.60
2.64
2.65
2.67
2.68
2.68
2. 70
2.76
277
2.82
2.83
2.83
2.87
2.87
2.88
2.90
2.91
2.93
2.98
3.03
3.04
3. 04
3.07
3.09
3.10
3.18
3.21
3.21
3.25
3.43
3. 44
3.51
3.54
2.78
On
the
negative side,
the
game
garnered
poor
r at in gs f or Ph ys ic al Q ua li ty 3 .77 ) a nd C om
pone nts 3.79) . W hile these r atings a re
probably
a im ed at t he data cards,
it should
be pointed
out
that
the artwork, particulary on
the
boxcover and
counters,
is
top notc h.
The
w or st r at in g w as f or
Mapboard 4.94) which also seemssomewhat un
fair.
It isn t
easy
to make
a
mapboard
represent
ing
the
sky look very interesting.
e[her be low a ver a ge r a tings w er e f or E ase Of
Understanding
3.69), Completeness Of Rules
3.29), and Overall Value 3.40).
The
Average Playing
Time
9.6)
of
an hour
and
a
half
is
about
r ight f or a sma ll sc ena rio w ith
four to e ight planes.
The
majority of
disc onte nt w ith the A va lon
Hill revision as opposed to the original Battleline
version seems to h av e b ee n a im ed at
the
multi
colored graphic presentation of the data cards;
or igina l ow ne r s
of
the
game
c la im in g [ ha t t he
black
white linear chans w er e much e asier to
understand.
T his isir onic a s
it
w as this ver yc on
c ept w hich de la yed our publica[ion of the AH
version.
To ke ep the RBG list at 50title s, the long suf
fering
and
discontinued
KRIEGSPIEL
has finally
bee n dismissed f rom its r ightful plac e a t the bot
tom of
the chart.
The game
recei ved i ts be st r at in g f or P la y
Balance 2.42), which
is
not surprisingsince most
pla ye rs design their
own
scenarios
and
try
to
establish equal sides. The other twoabove average
r at in gs w er e f or E xc it em en t L ev el 2 .7 7)
and
Realism 2.81).
AIR
FORCE
was
the
53rd game to
undergo
a na ly si s in t he R BG . I ts
Cumulative
Rating
of
3.43 placed
it
a disappointing 46th.
W hile not the f ir st Ba ttleline ga me
to
be r a te d
(that honor going to CIRCUS MAXIMUS AIR
FORCE is
a
good
example
of
peoples
natural
resistance to c ha ng e. I nd ee d, t he a ct ua l r ul e
changes
to
AIR
FORCE
w er e f ar less
than
those
to
CIRCUS MAXIMU The only big
change
in
the
AH
version
of AIR FORCE
was in
the
presen
tation
of the
aircraft
data
cards,
but this change
seems
to
have irked
many
of
the
game s diehard
fans. AIR
FORCE
h as a lw ay s h ad a l ar ge , and
some w ha t f ana tic al, f ollowing w ho w er e a gainst
a nyc ha nge r ight f rom the be ginning. I t
is
not sur
prising
that
this feeling
is
r en ec te d in t he R BG .
H ow ev er , t hi s c as ts
some
serious doubt s on
whether the se r a tings a r e a tr ue r ef lec tion of the
game.
And
since
the
Ba ttleline ver sion w as not
rated,
the
ratings do not r ea lly tell us
how
the
twO
differ.
1.
CRESCENDO OF DOOM
2. CROSS OF IRON
3.
RUSSIAN
CAMPAIGN
4. SQUAD LEADER
5.
CIRCUS
MAXIMUS
6 . W .S . I.M.
7.
ANZIO
8.8ISMARCK
9 . W AR A ND
PEACE
10 . FORTRESS EUROPA
11 .
PANZER LEADER
12 .
RICHTHOFEN S
13. C AESAR ALESIA
1 4 . 1 7 7 6
15 . 3rd
REICH
16 .
PANZER8L1TZ
17 .
KINGMAKER
18 . DIPLOMACY
19 . CAESAR S
LEGIONS
20 . SUBMARINE
21 .
STARSHIP TROOPERS
22 .
ARAB ISRAELI WARS
23 . CHANCELLORSVILLE
24 . VICTORY- PACIFIC
25 .
DUNE
26 .
NAPOLEON
27 .
FRANCE
1940
2 B. T he LONGEST DAY
29 . JUTLAND
30 . RAIL BARON
31 .
LUFTWAFFE
32.
MIDWAY
33 .
AFRIKA KORPS
34 . FURY IN THE WEST
35 .
ALEXANDER
36 . ORIGINS OF WW II
37 . WIZARD S
QUEST
3 8 . C R E TE M A L T A
39 .
GETTYSBURG 7 7
40 . D DAY
7 7
41 .
BLITZKRIEG
42 . TOBRUK
43 .
WATERLOO
44 . WAR AT SEA
45 .
BULGE
46 . FEUDAL
47 .
AIR FORCE
48 .
STALINGRAD
49 . TACTICS
II
50 .
MAGIC REALM
AVERAGE
8/20/2019 The General - Volume 18, Issue 2
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Manufacturing Association (GAMA) who indirec
tax the ir membership by levying a $50/booth f
for attending exhibitors. In any case, the H
reports that the
Adult
Fantasy and Strate
Games category grossed 36,000,000 in 198
This figure compares with
16,000,000
Military Miniatures, Dioramas, and
Structure
34,000,000 for Dol lhouses , 134,000,0
for Model
Railroads , and
298,000,000
Needlecrafts,
Macrame, and Yarns . Ne
fear-
the HIA reports that i f you adjust the def
tion
of
the category
to
include the sales
of
such
dustry giants
as
Parker Brothers, the Adult Ga
category tips the scales at
213,000,000.
Due to the difficulty of answering game que
tions correctly on two very different sets of rule
Avalon Hill will no longer answer questions perta
ing to out-of-date rulebook editions. Questio
must be based on the current rulebook edition,
they will be returned unanswered. This policy
aimed specifically at THIRDREICH, but also appl
to games such
as
D-DA
Y
AFRIKA KORP
BA TTLE OF THE BULGE GETTYSBURG a
BLITZKRIEG. Where rule changes in current e
tions are only of a minor nature this pol icy wil l n
apply, but where changes are extensive such
as
the above mentioned t it les
we
can only answ
questions based on play
of
the
most
curre
editions.
n f i l t r t o r ~ s
Report
·
.332
. 180
157
77
·
7
·
72
·
5
.
5
·
44
17
6
3
Russian
View
REICH Series Replay.
the Jolly Roger .
LEADER Clinic
the Lead
ut
ack to
the
Viipuri
Maniacal
pproach
.
Asylum
.
View
From
the
Other Side
of
theRhine
riefing
. . . . . . . . . . . .
nalysis
Hill Philosophy .
The Charles Roberts Awards were presented
ORIGINS VII on July 3rd. This marked the f irst
that the f inal vot ing was done by members of
Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design
already petitions are circulating to return the
to the public. Membership in the
Academy
wever is not all that exclusive and we urge in
ested parties
to
request membership informa
by sending a stamped, self-addressed
to Academy, POB 656, Wyandotte, MI
Vol. 17,
No.6
polled a
3.27
score
for
the issue
it
the fourth best issue
of
the preceding
As usual, the feature ar ti cle got the l ion's
of the votes in our 200 random sample
which awards three points
for
a first, two
a second, and one point for a third best selec
The complete results were as follows:
Avalon Hill was well represented among the
minees. Both CIRCUS
MAXIMUS
and WAR
were on the bal lo t for Best Pre-20th Cen
ry Boardgame but lost out to SPI's EMPIRES OF
MIDDLEAGES. CRESCENDO OF
DOOM
beat
FORTRESS EUROPA and three other
ominees in winning Best
20th
Century Board
The entire 1980 line ofAH
computer
games
nominated in the Computer category but lost
TEMPLE OF APSHAI by
Automated
Simula
THE GENERAL was a bride 's maid
for
the
time
in as
many
tries
as
FIRE
&
MOVEMENT
t ook top honors in the Professional Board
Magazine category. Gary Gygax gained
overdue admittance to the Hall of Fame as its
inductee. SQUAD LEADER added CAMPAIGN
gazine's Best Game of All T ime award
to
its
of
Kudos.
The second annual Northeast Gaming Associa
Playoffs will consist of a between-club single
mination wargame
tournament
based on popular
war
boardgames. The rules for TEAM·
wil l govern play. Teams wil l consist of
ur players competing in fourindependentsix-hour
hes. Each of the tw o
teams
in a
meet
will be
to
veto
one
of
the six eligible wargames,
leaving four games
to
actually compete in.
ggested (but
yet to be finalized) base games
e played in NGAP '81 are:
Squad Leader Victory
the
Pacific The Russian Campaign Chickamauga
Alexander An 8
team
tournament is planned.
are absolutely no player eligibility rules. Anyone
play including somebody who has already played
r team In this manner,
it
will specifically en-
the formation o f all-star teams and help to
the best possible play in the final stages of
tournament. The tournament
is
scheduled to begin
September A registration fee will be charged for the
10.00 per team). The registration fee will
for a copy of the 98 revised
rules for TE M
as well as a contribution toward the trophy
More details on the scheduling of the tourna
will be announced later.
Send
all directory re
and NGAP correspondence to Jeff Cornett, I I
Frost Drive, Shelton
CT
06484 203-929-6147).
Avalon Hill, always on the lookout for new
product offerings, has recently released a line of
seven Puzzle Stick Games. Although not typical
fare for wargamers,
they
may make
an
interesting
gift idea
for
the non-wargamers in your life
who
are
nonetheless into puzzle solving. Puzzle sticks are
far removed from traditional table puzzles, and may
well
represent the only new puzzle idea to be
patented in several decades. To solve one of these
multi-solution puzzles calls for a keen sense of
percept ion. Your eye must single out related
shapes, color, shadings, and density of print . To
makea whole
outof
seeminglyunrelated parts con
taining minute bits
of
information
is
challenging
to
a
high degree. Each individual stick is almost exactly
alike. Since each puzzle has more than one solu
t ion, the Puzzle Sticks player
must
soon decide
which picture to attempt f irst. Often the puzzle is
almost finished before disclosing the beauty of its
complex subject
and oncecomplete the picture
on the other side might be hopelessly scrambled.
An interlocking frame is enclosed in each package.
Puzzle Sticks are playable either as solitaire devices
or in a variety of versions
with
opponents. Current
subject offer ings in the Stick Puzzle line include;
GIBSON GIRLS PRESIDENTIAL MUNCHIES
H N SCAPES UGUST FRUIT THE BUCK
ST RTS
HERE STICK
PUZZLE
POKER
and
WIND WHEELS and STEAM
Al l are priced at
6.00. For more information on the Puzzle Stick line
send
us
a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
The Hobby Industry Association
of
America in
cluded the Adventure Gaming category in their
Annual Hobby Industry Report for the first t ime this
year.
An
Adventure Gaming division was formed
within the Hobby Association for the f irst t ime in
1980 marking the coming of age of adultgames (be
they
wargames, simulations, fantasy, role playing,
or whatever) in the hobby indust ry . One of the
benefits
of
division status within the Hobby
Association is that the Association will
match
all
funds raised by the division for purposes of hobby
wide promotion of that category. With these funds
advertising making the public more aware of
adventure games
as
a ca tegory can become a
reality. Thus far, the division's only means of raising
funds for this purpose has been the sponsorship
of
the national ORIGINS convention by the Games
Ava lon Hill has been busy acqui ring gam
from other companies again. The latest acqu
tions are ex-OSG products PANZERKRIEG, ROB
HOOD, NAPOLEON AT BA Y AIR COBR
BONAPARTE
IN
ITAL
Y
BA TTLE OF THE
DA YS NAPOLEON A T LEIPZIG, and DEVI
DEN It is not
known
at this t ime when these tit
will be made available from Avalon Hill, or to wh
extent- if
any-they
wi ll be revised f rom th
original versions.
Anyone
interested in applying for a playte
position for the 2 nd Edition of STARSH
TROOPERS
should address their inquiries
to
Alan
Moon. Both expert STARSHIP TROOPERS play
and inexperienced players will be used. Please sta
which
category you qualify
for
in your letter.
A line of copy was erroneously omitted fro
the WAR & PEACE rulebook. Players may
want
make the following addition to their rulebook; Pa
29, Section F part 5: Non-French Player Re
forcements. Add
to
subsect ion f. Janua
1814-
All English, Portuguese, and Spanish forc
listed in Scenario VI. January-August,
1814
- Ea
turn
etc
The winners of Contest No. 100 who correc
surmised that the German's best chance of fi
victory lay ina low odds attack taking Rostov we
A. Battaglin, Chicago, IL; S. Packwood, Tuba C
AZ; R Bouvier, Portland,
OR ;
G Hendrix, Housto
TX; R Papandrea, Warren, MI; C Drong, Spr
Grove, IL; D Kaiser, Lawrenceville, NJ; G Philli
Ann Arbor, MI; F Preissle, State College, PA; a
P Siragusa of Houston, TX. Merchandise cred
were awarded to all of the above despi te th
resemblance to a list of semi- final is ts a t t
AH
500.
The solution to Contest No. 101 consisted
listing the
following
game titles in the correct ord
1. Blitzkrieg, 2. Alexander, 3.
Dune,
Chancellorsville, 5. Cross of Iron, 6. Caesar Ales
7. Anzio, 8. 1776, 9. Napoleon, 10. Stars
Troopers, 11. Air Assault On Crete, 12. Midwa
13. Origins, 14. Squad Leader, 15. D-Day, 1
UFO, 17. Arab-Israeli Wars, 18. Russian Campaig
19. Magic Realm, 20. Tactics II 21. Gettysbu
22. Bismarck, 23. Alpha Omega, 24. War a
Peace, 25. Panzerblitz.
8/20/2019 The General - Volume 18, Issue 2
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OPPONENTS
WANTED
OPPONENTS WANTED
OPPONENTS WANTED
Classicist/Revisionist needs flf
STAL
opponenl
on
(heAlaska fronl. (NOll : New
Addresq.
louis
CO:llncy,
9706
Trappers Lane. JuncaLl,
AK
99801. 19(1)789·0046.
Expcricnccd player wanlS 0l3lurcgamcr f o r f lf .
ra led, unrated
laclical gameS,
Sl . COl,
COD,
WSIM.
others.
Also
mulli-playcrCM, MR.
raloo
ISOO+.
nt'xable
limes.
Joseph
A. PercI, 742 S.
PaNCU
Cif.,
AZ
835·7296.
AK, AIW,
AOC,
DO, GOA.
MO,
NP.PL. Ricky
Thompson,
J005
N. 86th Lane. Phoenix.
AZ
85037,849·2728.
Pbm
player desperalely
ncedOO
for
AL. I 'm
a
beginner but hard
10
bea . A system is needed.
Andy DcLaix. 7921 Tuscany Dr.. Tucson. AZ
85704, 297-6SI4.
Beginner needs players for 3R. AK,
FE, WAS .
Age 29 anyon e in
lillie
Rock a rea? D:wid
Burro ',
50-1
Green Ml.Cir.1i62.L.R.. AZ72211,
(501)225·7392
AREA rlllC'd 1600 scd:s ratedpbm gamesor PB,
STAL. Pn:rer ~ I i t m:J lch in PB. Will pia)' any
body
in
any scenar io. Also pbm. 1\1 : t-likc
Fr isk, 18H7Arrow Hg ·y. Apt G-I03 , Covina,
CA91722,(213)332-8825.
Regular DIP games. 1st 3rd Sat. la1;h month,
noon sharp .Jo in us. ~ i c l 1 ~ c e d 414
W.
Oak. £1
Segundo, CA90245,(213)322·0421.
Ftf ·anted. AZ. [1 10 W&P. NP. SI- , lB,
AK. VITI ' ,WAS. PB. PL,
STAL.GOA.
others.
Mike Bohannon.
1839
E. Washington
IBBO,
Escondido.CA 92027. (14)489-0311.
Adult gamer interested
in
r tfSL.
COl.
\\ISIM.
PL. VITP and lHhc:rs. Ha esome pbmkits. Will
lIns er lI11lr:tlers. Randy Worrell. 3110
E.
Palm
Dr.. 1116. Fullerlon,CA 92631.(714)524-9174.
Unfilted player sc.:king opponents for MD and
VITI'.
Ftf
preLLaltand Beacharea. Send a Iwer
o r c al l. Bret HUby.
11129
Grevillea 134
Inglewood, CA 90304, (213}674-3935.
Adult wallis opponelllsrated or
nOI
for f tf. SL,
COl. COD. FE, AZ. TRC, TLD, or pbrn AZ,
TRC AREA 1200
provo
Craig
'kans.
6$12
Cr( $Cen l S t .. Los Angel es . CA
900U.
(113)
258·5614.
Eltperienced
16
yr.old gamerse-eksopPOnentsror
3R. SUB , SL. Wil l l ea rn o the r wWll games.
AdamSheldon.9849Chicopee
Aw:
.. NOflhridge,
CA 91325. 993-8464.
Postal
KM
Gamesstarting throughout theyear.
Send for details. RussellBalgair. 4015 HoweSt..
/lA,
Oakland, CA 94611. (415) 547-0667.
Teellager with one year's
nperience.
Wants f lf
forSL.COI.
COD,3R.AF. W&P. VITP.Soonn
ill have FE. Brad Larkin, 1451 Onawa Ave..
San Leandro, CA 94579.
(4151
352-7141.
Nonrated III-argamer haspbm tils for AK. JRC,
Will playlhoseand IHherAH utles,::iLgametles,
FE.
AZ.ete.Thomas
Vallejos.14546MereedSt .•
San Leandro. CA 94529, (415)351-8011.
Is
therean)'one
in
myareawho wouldlike 10 form
a c lub to play, analyze. and design wargames?
James Gordon. 1221 S. EI Camino 304. San
M3IeO. CA94402, 574·2980.
The NWA needs represenlation from Ihe north
west plains.Garnersthereand everywherearc in·
i led to inquire concerning
our
activities.
You
may besurprised COnt:CI: Nation:.1 Wargaming
Alliance.9322KenwoodDr. 1218.Spring Valle),
CA92077.(714)697·320S.
AREA 1711 DEIchallengesany AREA
membeT
in tOp
SO
10 one or t o (simultaneous) gamesof
pbm TRC. Richard Phelps ,
1617
Que-en
Charlolle.Sunny ale.
CA
94087,(408)733·8)99.
W a n t ~ d : pbmopponentfor non·serioushighle el
play
in
Anzio
(bask
& optionals).
TRC.
AK
HOllorsystem for die rolls. Gord Ashaeker.1I4
202027
Ave . . S .W. , C alga ry . P r o . , \ Ib er t a,
T2T·IH5,244-9101.
Adult
ne
10 . argaming wantspbm opponenlS
for SL and
COl.
Sendsystemyouprefer:.Illtllers
ans '·ered. all gamcs pla)'ed to t he b il le r end .
J . C ame r on .
2075
Warden A '· e.. Uni t 3 7,
Scarborough, Ont. .
Canada
MITIRI.
(416)
292·8891.
I'm looking for ftf opponents in the Puebloarea
to pia>' C AE . KM, MR. SON , 3 R.
TRC.
FE,
W&P. WAT
or
anylhing
e1.\e
you have. SIeve
Sain . 2025Jerry MurphyApt. 202. Pueblo. CO
81001.545-4107.
Conn.game dub hasmonthlygeneral met'tingat
t he Wes tp or t communi t y ) 'o uth cen te r . Ne
recruiu
and
i si to rs wel come . We p lay SL.
WSIM. CM, SON. VITP Jeff Cornett. II
ROberl
Frost Dr.•Shelton. CT
06484.
929-6147.
Wargame club meets
we-ekly. pia)
all manufae.
LUrers games including CAE,
FE.
GE,
SL. SH.
AF.
DC
and others. Tournaments conducted
also. RoyceBrainard.
110
RobertDr .•
S.
\\Iindor,
CT06074.644-3190.
Adult gamer, avg. player. reliable opponcnts
of
anyaile .pbm.PB, AK. Also ftfStamfordvicinity
forAK.
CAE.GE,
~ \ O PB. PL. GE. SL.
John
Farewell.611\lid[andAve..Stamford, CT06906,
(203) 327--()919.
AREA player
se-eks
allopponents. AREAor lO1.
illplayonh pbm.I haveAK.STAL.WAT.BB.
Will
answer all rcquesls . Ke,in Cronin .
1626
Wilty St.• Holl)·wood.
FL
33020.
Adu lt o ppon ent s wan ted f or f tf . NOI AREA
rated . I ' ll p Ia)' an)' wargllme. Take either s ide.
John Besbekos. Callaway Garden Apts. 11534
Athens. GA 30606. S4S 6376.
Tel:1I
Sludent looking for dubs in Atlanta are3.
Alsolooking for pbmgame ofTRC
or
FR. Con
sider m)'sclfanaveragepla>·er. MarcSchuler. Ga.
Tech Bolt 36551. Atlanta, GA 30322.
(404)
872-2009.
Ntoed
f iropponenu in
south Atlanta.Alsopbm
AK,WAT, BB, andSTALwill pia} AREA l am
1200 p rO\ ) o r n on -AREA. Ge rr y Ge rmond.
1591-A Sheffield
Rd
. . C ol lege Pk . GA 30349 ,
991-8592.
Pbm
opponents wanted for
Sl , COl.
VITP.
WAS. Junior p layer of average ability. Steve
Munsell.
2327
Da,'ron Cir., r-.larielUt, GA 30062,
(404)973·6040.
SL.
COl,
COD fal l: lt ic . age 34. s eeks pbm
opponents . Fast game using
COO or
COl rules
prderrcd. D. G. Walters, Mossquoy. Dcerness,
Orkney, Great Brilain. KWI7209. 0856 74331.
Wanted:experiencedIllinoisopponentsfor TRC,
I . illtra'·el.Willconsider GOA. W&P. FE.Also
IAREAonly) pbmTRC
......AT.
MyAREAr:uing
is 1800+. EdMineman,424Anita Dr.•Belle,·ille.
IL 62221, (618) 233-6845.
MD. JU. STAL. 26 yr. o ld AREA gamer needs
local ftfopponents. Da idM. Seirn.643Gunder
s on Apt .
110,
Carol Stream. IL 60187.
312)
653·2135.
Ftf in
Springf ield area for SL,
COl.
3R.SST.
SUB and olhers. Gary Crolllell where arc you?
NOI
AREA membe r but eon side ri na . Denni s
Collins. 15 Chatham Villa. Chalham. IL 62629,
483-4019.
Mature pla)'erseeks AREA r:ued STAL, WAT.
AK. Prererpbm.
will
answer alllcuen. Richard
Domovic. 3623S. 57th Ave.. Cicero. IL 60650,
(312)863·3031.
Mature playcrs walllel. f tf. pbm. An) ' All Game
SI. Louis area. Craig Stephens . 4509 W3lter .
Granilecity, IL62040. 931-4606.
Membe rs wan ted f or t he Col lege of DuPage
Warsame club.Meetse er)'Sunday. noon, Cam
pusCenter.
'K'
building.
All
games. allgaOlers.
allages-III'dcome Paul S. DeVolp;' 603 Colum
bineA'·e.,
Lislc,IL60532.(312)964-1297.
Experienced gamer
ants ftf opponents for BL.
SL.
COl.
DO. TRC_ Manin Reed. 3930 Ken·
sington Dr.. Lafa)·elle. IN47905.(317)447·7737.
lndire need of moreexpcrience and
bcnercom
petition. NO ice
22
yr. old
sects
AREA
flfoppo
l le ll l{ s) f or 3R) , PB. PL . SL and o th er s. SCOIl
Tomasic, 5980 Roosc elt PI.. Merrillville. IN
46410,(219)980-4638.
Naval gamer seekins competi l ion in MD.
FT.
WAS.
IPT,
BIS . W5IM, SUB , a ll p bm . SL.
COl.COD. ftf. NIH rated. no opponents refused.
Paul Wor th in gton . t 026 Sal em St ., Michigan
CiIY. IN 46360,(219)879-6810.
Friendlyopposition wanted for flf
in
K.C. area.
Have:AK.
BB.
CAE. W&P,
TRC,
DO. FE.SST.
Will learn others. MikeMance, 1605
K i o w ~
Dr.,
Olalhe, KS66061, (9J3) 782 W70.
AREA 746nc.:dsratedpbmorftfgamesAK.SL.
STAL. Bill Smithhart. P.O. Bm187. Marion. KS
66861, (316)3g2-225j.
Wanted pbm opponent for
FE.
4 yrs. CXperiena
ith
PL,
AIWand SL syslems; but
ne
to divi
s ion unit games&pbm; alllcnerans
·ered. Felix
D'AIOOr. 1406Darb)' St.• Plaquemine. LA70764.
687·2642.
Wanted the address of Dan Binsackformerlyof
the)37thASA.andmorerecemlyofFieidStation
Bcriin. Dennis
E.
Mason, RFD
III Box
414.
Hul. son. ME 04449. (207)884-8171.
AREA 1200adult wargamer seeks
rtf in
W&P.
AOC. AIW . o r C L; Orono and B3ngor area.
Mark
Coner,
249 CemerSt., Apt. 2.Old To . n.
ME
04468, 827-6817.
Small group of enthusi:l$IS
in
thesouth Bos ton
area interested
in
opponents forSL,
COl, cOD,
3R.CM. DIP. Non-ratedbut eager to play . Will
learn pbm sySlems. Sean O'Connor.
15
Woodland Dr., Cohassel, MA 02025.383·9361.
Gamer.33.seeksgroupfOrnot·For·bloodevening
play, particularly mUlli·pla>·er SL,
COl.
COD,
MMR, WSIM,
RB.
Stcve McKnighl,
59
Norfolk
St., Needham, MA 02192, 4 4 9 ~ 5 3 7 1
SoutheasternMa:u.....argamers meet e eryTues·
daynight at theSMC LibrarySouth Lounge. We
generally play from se en to ten p.m. William
o....-en.
371 Rtoed St .•
New
Bedford. MA 02740,
999-4120.
Ame ri ca n War gami ng A ss oc . N at io na l
Dem(Xralic all·hobby wargaming fraternal
organization. Monthly
ne
s cller. tournaments,
con ent i on s ad i s o ry boa r d. s peci al ime re st
groups. affiliates, discoums. colleclor's guild,
and more S8/year George Phillies, 122 s Island
Dr .•
11204.
Ann Arbor.
MI
48105.
Pbm opponems
amed for 3R eitherside. your
S)·stcm. Shawn LitlCn,
P.O. Box
21804. GMF.
Guam,MI96921.
ARESA
1200
seekspbm
BL
ratedgames onlyand
unrated
TRC,
AlllettCf$ ans ered. Jack Kuehl,
IJOOOGlenvicwDr.. Bums\·ilte, MN 55337, (612)
890-16Ij.
Flf
pla)'ers aotedforany
AH
gameespecially
to
form teams for TLO campaign. Wish 10 form
mons ter game club. J im Bodine. )33) Harriet
Ave.
5..
Minneapolis.
MN
55408, 824-169j.
Need competition
16
years old, AREA raled .
Have FE. 1776. WS&IM. SL, COt. COD. AO,
FL. Own no pbm kits. Greg Miller. 519
Edgewood
A e
Still
a te r. MN 55082 . ( 612)
439-7253.
Adult rated games of \VAT wanted . Play each
sideonce.My AREA isapprox. 900. Use2nd edi
tionrules.
H.
MePherson,
j(l()9
COUmr) Valley.
Imperial. Mis.souri. 630j2. (314) 296--6645.
AREA 600 beginner looking for rated
or
non
ratedmalches in BL or PD. Either
flfor
pbm.ln·
expericnced.looking to learn. Don Dudenl1oef
fer, 27 Quamilo,
MexiCQ.
MD 6526j , ( 314)
581-4002.
Unrated player
se-eks
opponent s f or SL. COl.
COD, W&P. FE. GOA and manyothers. Ftfor
pbm. Anyone wam
to
t ry macro SL. PB. PL?
Frank Kump, 5147 Mild Dr. • S I. Lou is ,
MO
63129.894-2363.
Ne
in
Omaha,lookingfor flfinSL.
COl.
COD.
3R. TRC. SUB,FE. Anydubs in thearea?Rand)'
Beals.
10067
ArmSlrong. Omaha, NE 68134,
(402»)1-5200.
OMAHA BEACH wargamingclub. invites}'outo
ad emurl' DANGER. joy and accomplishment.
Thisclubisoneyearold;andwishesthesegamers
t o j oi n. J ur ge n C . O lk . 3305 Aug us ta Ave .,
Omaha,
NE 68144, 333-8099.
Bricktown gamer. 33 y rs. o ld . s ee ks l oc al
o ppon ent s. I h a e many g ames inc lu ding SL.
VITP. LW,
10.
KM
& 3R. Bob MaeCary.
19
Vanafll Dr.• Brickto n. NJ 08723. 920·9S67.
CAE, AZ,
TRC,
SST. Know mos tgames. Dave
Maguire. 316 Strawbr idge. Coll ingswood. NJ
08108,S54-5962.
Adult novice player necdsopponenlS. Will play
mostany
AH
game ftfor pbm,
STAL.
PD. Aduh
preferred. [play forfun andenjO}'melll only. Jim
Vroom, P.O. BollS039. Clinton, NJ08809,(201)
188-2603.
Wanted pbm
in
STAL. AK.BL. BB, DO.WAT.
AZ. LW. PB, PL ir )·ou ha e syslem. 16 yr. old
Non·AREA. Bob Pro encher Jr .. IS Rodney
Rd.. E. Bruns ick. NJ08816.(20l)254·6372.
Beginnerunratcd
13
yrs. oldseckspbmOf
ftffor
LW. SUB. SL,3R. TAc' Need pbmsystem. An)
clubs
i nmy
arca? Wanlbeginnersgame3R. Dave
Kcsser.
10
Woodfield Ave .. Lawrenceville, NJ
08040.
(609j896-955S.
Myapologiestoallthosc
hoans
ered byad in
16. I ass .
ampcd.I
couldae«ptonly on a first
comefirst
scr
ed· '
basis.Dan Sullivan. 113 Spear
St .• Oakland. NJ07436.
S. Jersey argamer Assoc. (SJWA)
is
stafling iu
n ew membe rs hip d ri e Mike Crane. 219
Bidge ood Dr .• Nor th fi el d, NJ 08225 .
(609)
646-S124.
Pbm players needed for growing zinc. Crucible
earriesDune, Sourc.:,and more.MikeCrane.
219
Ridgewood Dr.. Northfield . NJ 08225, (609)
646·8124.
Adultgamer,26seel.:srtfcombatinawide
v
ariely
of aames. 1810
3j
yr. olds preferred.
[I.-lust
be
local resident
or
li e nearby. John Barnes, 4)B
RivervaleCI. . ScQteh Plains, NJ07016. 232·5831.
Pbm opponent des ired ror INS, ftf desired for
most
AH
games. Mark E\'ans, Box
121.
Ossipee,
NH 03864. (603)539-2617.
AREA 1500+ oppOnentS desired
f t f o r
pbm
in
AK. WAT. VITP . WAS. Are the re any AREA
garners in l hc Sou th er n Germany a rea? I L t.
DennisCook. ACO, 249lh Engr.
Bn
.. APO.
NY
09360.
OppOnent antedror pbm
or
r tf rorFT.
PD.
PL,
TRC. 3R and
WAS.
Tom
Hastings. 442 W. 258
SI.. Bronx. NY 10471. (212)884-7)83.
Nc«l AREAratedWSIM. WAT,STAL. OfSL.
COl pbm. Will answer all cUCfS. Also f t f any
game.
All
AREA rat ed . J ames J . Pel ly . clo
Kuhns, Mary A,·e .• Lake Kalr ine.
NY
12449,
(914)3g2·2845.
Gamer
will
playSL.
COl.COD
andFE,
flfonly.
You should note that I 'm 10yrs. old. Anthony
Cooper. 48 E. HamillOll Ave..Massapequa. NY
11758.795-45lJ.
Untried AREA
1500
will pbmAF, SL.COI,
PD,
AIW. CL.
Needssystems. Please really ne-ed AF
syStem. MichaelR. Schwenk,41-3545thApI. 5C,
Sunnyside. NY 11104. (212)729.7629.
A\·I
. . r el iabl e, n on· f an a ti c adu lt ould l ik e
friendlynon-rated pbmW&P. TRC.CAE. Rexi
b le as to scenario. side. 1\-lature opponents onl) ,
p lease. Joseph Kolt .
5102
McCormick Rd..
Durham. NC27713.
Ftf in
Ft. Bragg·Fayellevilie area. Pbm 3R.
Chess . Non · ra t cd p lay. I own GOA, SL.
COl.
COD.TRC. BIS.SUB,3R, PL.A1W, FE. WIE.
Puz David Ste'·ens.
Beo
1/325 Airborne Inf Fl.
Bugg,
NC28307. 396·9920.
AREA 900seeks similarl)' raledopponent
in
SL.
WSIM.
Pbm
only. You r s ys tem. All l el le rs
answered . Da,' id Krause, 402 1\lonmouth Dr.•
Gretnsboro,NC27410.
(919)294-5675.
16yr. old
ould like to ftfor pbm,WAS. AIW,
PL. PB. SL. MR. Competent . Forming elub
at
Enl(X HighSchool. Mall Burdell,
RL
3
Box 152
Hodge Rd. , Knigh td al e. NC 27545. (919)
266-9426.
Need explorers for pbm son. I wil l GM with my
l im it ed int el li gence sySt em Some p laye rs
alreadysillnedup,needabout threemorelostall.
John Woodson. 4409 Greenbrier Rd .• Raleigh.
NC27603. {919j 772·7793.
Pbm. rtf TLD. TRC.I
lIIish
to
beGermans
in
all
the games . Also GE. I 'm AREA. J . Brammer,
Box
321. Bdlaire. OH 43906.
Will moderate TLD. operation typhoon. Cam·
paign llamcsonly. Will lakecare of CRT weather
charlJetc. Sendfor detailsand choose yoursidl'.
J. Br3mmer,
Box
321. Bellaire. OH 43906.
Alln. Northerngarners theNWA offersb igclub
services forsmallclubprices.SL fanstournamem
is
now forming for membersonly . For infoeon
tact:J.A.
Brag,g. I509N.8thSI.,MartinsFCff)'.
OH 43935.(614)63J·3ISO.
1200+ player
seeks
samefor ratedpbmgames
of
AK and TRC. Alsoseeks pbmS)stemror WSIM.
Ron Guyre, Star R t. 2
Box
16A, Blakeslc.:. PA
18610,(717) 64(j·8091.
COl. SL. SST . MD. VITP, COD, DL, FL. JU,
RB.
RW, SON, WSIM. LW. J. Bcreda. Jr.,
414
GroveSt..
Bridgeport. PA 19405,(2l5) 277·6656.
Adu lt p bm and f tf o ppon en ts
ant ed f or t he
follo
ingwargames: AF, AZ. BL. BB. DO. FE,
FR. GOA, PL . SST . SUB, TAC. W&:P. many
o the rs . Ha ro ld Rober lS .
S. Nice St ..
Frackvi1le,PA.11931.(717)874·17J6.
A'·g. 24 )·r.old ereran lIIllrgamer scc:ks people 10
playtCSI ne....
WSIM scenariospia)'moderaled
flf
AIW. PB, PL SIMOV. RW. I ha enumerous
olher games : i nf o on l (Xal c lu bs . J ack C,
Thomas . 409Cocoa Ave.. Hershey. PA 17033,
(717)533·2468.
Aduh
looting
forpbm opponents. Iam wiliinglO
playany of thefollowing: TRC. FITW.GOA. or
aoyothers l l lat we mayagree upon. SamuelP.
Gallo.
385
Hulton Rd.,
Oakmont, PA
IjU9,
(411)363-0&48.
AVI.
to
good 16 yr. o ld needs opponents . Pbm
PB, BL,
TRC.
AZ
o r f t r
above plus
COD,
FT.
FE.3R, GOA. GE and others.
Ben
usehncr,
20
Hamilton Cir.. Phila.• PA 19130(215)j68-5236.
3R
fan lookingfor SJopponents ,
rtf
only.Also
F l f opponen t s anted.
WarSamer s c lub
Shamokin. PA Public Library 12 noon to 4 p .m .
every Saturday. openmembership. Clubhas SL.
COl. COD.
Pl ,
TB,AOC. TRC. JOhn Orayit7..j
E.
MontgomerySt., Shamokin. PA 17872.
711)
648·9591.
Join
theonl)' 'zinedevoted
principall)'lo multi·
p layerpbm3R. No in
hs
fourth ) Car. Also
car·
riesW&P, SON. EN Garde. more. Samples
50.:
Mark
Matuschat,
Ij
Connor
SI .. Unionto n.
PA 15401, (412) 4)7-7901.
17 rf. oldbeginnerseekspbm forSI . , COl. 3R.
AOC, AZ needssystem and info. OlaS'·anercd.
Marschgatan42. Borlange, SW. S eden.
Opponcnts wanted
will
play local or pbm, 2yrs.
experience in TAC. BL. VITPunrated bUl cnjo)'s
p laying anyone. Jerry
D.
Forsha. 2570 Mur
fre-esooro Rd., Apt
D-I1,
Nashville.
TN
37217,
(6U)
361-6j72.
Attention Diplomats.
Ha e
you be-en fruslraled
in
) 'o ur PBM D ip Barnes .
B:ld G1>ling?
The
schemerspccializcs in well-run Dipgames. Send
Stamp 10: The Schmer clo Ste \' eo Duke. R I. 3
Fairfield Pike, Shelbyville, TN 31160, (615)
684-8265.
25yr.old needs
ftfopponents
for
CAE.
1776. SL.
TRC, and others in Huntsyille or Conroe area.
SteveWilson. 244SpanishGardensApts., Hunts
vilie. TX 77340. (713)291-1615.
Alln. I ry ing garners . Am interes ted
in
Slarting
club centered
in
S. I rv ing. Prefer ages 11.16 .
Alr eady p lay pB . SST . GL, SL&2. 3R, SUB.
TRC. AK. BL. Tony Lindman, 1305 SandyCir.,
lro·ing.
TX
75060. lj3·1991.
Opponents lII'anted for ftf competition.Will pia)'
a lmos t anyth ing . Prefer land based s tralegical
and
gradn s tralegical games. Any period. Will
p lay ) our games or mine. Oa,' id Smith . 4111
Ridgeway, Plainview.TX 79072. (806) 296·1157.
Adull pbm opponents wanted forTRC. I usc lhe
Viipuri
II
defense. General 17-6. Honor die roll
belie ersonly.Cl1arlesJehlen.2298Mimosa.Pt.
Arlhur. TX 77640.(713) 7J6-1020.
Noviceseeks
flf
for WAS, RW. PL.Anyclubs
in
tllis area? Jack Rogers. 23 N. Independence Dr..
Hampton. VA 23669. Work Phone: 122·9961
Ext. 671.
Adult opponems
an ted f or p bmCAE. CL, TR
andOlherRomangames. Jeff Alsdorf. 7510
Ave.. N.W. Seall c. WA98117, (206)784·21
Tacoma garners
wan
I opponents in teres te
othergames,
liketojoinadub,orjust
play?
have approx.
ten
garners so far . Mike Ma
2222 S . 96s1 n. Tacoma, WA 98444. (
584-8326.
Adult needsopponentfor JR Iha e pbmkitl.
acquirepbm forTRC Of SL. I am lired fpla
bymysclf. ob\iously prefer ftf.Mark AhCfn
l-tarbor St
..
Westport, WA 9g595. 268·4371
Wantcd:All GeneralsrromVol. 11-6toVol. 1
with insertS. Call
or
send
lisl
with prices as
Geo r ge McHugh. 8303 Roanoke A
Washington.
DC
20012. (301)587·0825.
AREA 1500(Prov)seeks flf/pbm TRC. 3R.
KM . DUNE. W &P , WAS, V IT P. N eed
s)·stems. Adultspreferred. Anyclubs
in DC
a
Geor ge McHugh. 8303 Roanoke
A
Washington.
D.c'
20012,(301)587-0825.
Beginnerneedsopponem for VITP. An)One
leresled
in
f orming a pbm lub ? An) ' c lu b
fdlowgamersinWhcelingarea?Willans
·c
letters. MichaelSpink.
53
PinOak Hills. W
ing.
WV
26003. (304) 242-8083.
Ftfopponents
wantedfor PL.BIS.
DDand
Wililearnothcrgames. Peter Klasinski.4S
A
v
c
..
Ste
v
ensPt .• WIS44SI.(718)344-6382
Selling:lll my games. nomoreroom. SendS
for l is l and prices . Roger Daggs . 644 Alva
A\·e..1239,Da,·is.CA95616.t916}753-018
For Sale: Bis '62530.TAC '58S15.others,s
SASE. Wanted: nf 3R. BL. WAS, olhers. T
Strong.
1027
E. 71h SI .. Apt.5 . LongBeach
90813.(213)591-0423.
Calirs lookingfor plarers? Pbmsystem? Ho
zincs? JUSt p la in f un ? COl ll ac r NWA C
Coord . Mike Steagall . 8837 ElIen ood C
Spring Valle}.CA 92077.(714)462·3439.
For s al e o r l rade . o ld Gl'ncralsor games. S
SASEfor list. Alsowanttobu)'1914
in
good
dilion. Brian
R.
Willard.
42
Russell
Dr
. .E . H
ford.Ct 06108.528-0228.
For sale:
C O/8 :O.
Gelly 58. Guadal . 1
Generals, other
games,
and magazines . S
SASE for l is t. pr ice no bidding). andeondi
Bill Lindow,
146
Springl;ide A e.. tB_14.
Ha'·en. CT06515, (203) 387-6049.
Wanted: Out of print AHgame. Civil W a r c o l
to rs i lem. Richard M. Locke. 1566 Oak A
Evanslon, IL 60201. (312) S69-227J.
Watllcd dl',peralcly
AH
games
(iE
(H
GUAD. Civil War.orig. Bismarck.
Wili
pay
for games
in good
condilion. Also wam s
partsto 1914.JamesMcCull,
255
E. Foster.L
Forest.IL60045.
For sale: Vintage games such as LeMans.
'GRAD.
andothers.SendSASE
Of
pho'e fo
and pria' quote.
All
games exc. rondo G
Cudna. 309 Langler Ct., Bel Air. MD 21
(301)879·1512.
Wantcd:Generals
1)·3.13·6.
14·I.I·lIpay
price. Will take
II xI7 lterox
copies.Sen
and price. A[so. f lf opponenlS For Illost
games. UarrySmilh. I CarhonSt.. Bingham
NY 13903, (607)723·3989.
SCl king pbmopponent for
1940
PzL and re
PzL Doc:s anyoneha e pbm sySlemfor AI
Bob Pas samonl i. ] )1 Bur den A '· e .. S . I. ,
10301.
Wanted photocopy
of
rules
to
GET
1958
hex
s ion . Will par reasonable pri(\ . Need b
Larr ) 'L. Bos t ,6106
Elg}
ood Ln.• Chafl
NC28213.
Wanled: General 8·1,8-3,8-6.9-1. 10·5.
11·6.13·2.
])·5
i n gOod
condilion.
Will
reasol1ableprke. Frceman.914W. Mark
A,·e.. Durham. NC 27701. (919) 688·6879.
For sale: GUAD. Complele, perfect condi
unpunchedcounters,look\ like itsrighl orf
shdf. Mike Hall . 2730ElmSt .. Harrisburg
17103.(717)233·2218.
For
sale: Old games . including Guadalc
1914. 1918. original
DDetc.Magazinesalso.S
SASE for l is t. N.E. Be er idge, Jr .. 212 Tea
Borger. TX 79007. (806)274_4966.
GENERAL
BACK
ISSUES
*
On ly I h e following
GENERAL
back
issues
ar e
slitl
ava i lable . p f ice is $2.50 pe r i s s ueplus 10070 poslage
an d
hand l ing
charges. r\'laryland residents please ad d 5OJo Slale sa les lax . GENERA L posrage COl/POliS may
nol be u se d f or I hi s
or
Olhe r pa r iS o rd er s . D u e 10 lo w quantilies o f some i s s ues we r e qu e sl I h a l y o u specify
alternalC
selections shou ld your first c h o ic e b e
no
longer a \ ' a i lab le .
Th e
index be low lislS Ihe con lcnlS
of
each
i s su e by
subject maile r ; feature
articles
a rc des igna ted
by
a n a s te r is k
(*) , s e r i e s replays ar e i la lic ized.
an d
lh e
numbef
fo l low ing each issue is t h e r e a de r r a l in g of I h al p a r t ic u l a r issue as
a
whole. Th e numbers
following
ind iv idua l sub jcc is re fe r to
Ih e
n umbe r o f
articles
abou l lha l game
i n I h al i s su e . I s su e s l i sl e d i n re d
ar e on e
color
reprinls
of
previously
oUI-of-Slock
issues.
*
Vol.
12, No .
2 - · T o b r u k , Pallzerbfirz Bulge , B l i l z kr i e g ,
Pan z er L e ade r . S l a li n g ra d
3.10
Vol. 14, No . 2 - *K i n gm ak e r - 7 , Alexander Squ ad L e a d e r. 3.27
Vol.
14, No .
3 - *A r ab Israeli War s - 3 , Sralingrad Russian Campa ign ,Th i rd Reich, Wa r Al
Sc a
3.17
Vol, 14, No . 4 - ·V i c t o ry in Ih e Pac i f i c - 2 , Slalingrad Third Reich, Rich lho fen s War , JUlland,
1776
2.53
Vol. 14 , No . S - · S q u a d Leade r -3 . WS IM . Ru s si a n Campaign,
Midway , Sla rsh ip
Troopers.
Third
Reich
•
2.7
Vol. 14 ,
No .
6 - ·D -Day , Victory in Ihe Pacific
Pan z er L e ade r .
Caesar s Legions, Tobruk . .3 .51
V ol . I S, N o.
1 - ·Ge l y sbu r g - 3 , Squad Leader
Sta rsh ip
Troopers. Ru ss i an C ampa ign
3.48
V ol . I S, N o.
2 - · P a n z e r
Leader , S ta i ingrad ,
Third
Re i ch , D -D ay,
Rail Bafon,
Victory
in
Th e Pacific
••
3.44
Vol. I S, N o . 3 - ·A s sau l J on
Cfe l e - 3 ,
Invasion o f Malia, Russian Campa ign ,Th i rd Reich, Squ ad L e ade r , Wa r a
Se a
3.44
Vol. 15, No .
5 - ·Midway .
WS & 1M , Origins-Third Reich,
Afr ika
Ko rp s, D -D ay ,
Squad
L e ade r , F e u da l , A l es i a
Wa r
a l S ea , S l ar s hi p
Troopcrs 3.13
V o l. 1 5, No .
6 - *C r o s s o f
l r o n - 3 , Victory
i l l ihe
Pacific,
War
31 Sea . Arab-Is rae l i
Wars ,
Sla rsh ipT roopers ,
Panze
Leadef
2.66
Vol. 16,
No .
1 - *A n z i o - 3 . PonurblilZ Third Reich,
Napo leon ,
1776.
Dip lomacy
2.67
Vol. 16. No .
2 - *B i sma r ck - 4 ,
Panzerblil1. A f r ik a Ko rp s ,
1776,
WS 1M . _ . 3.28
Vol.
16, No . 3 - * P a n z e r Leader,
Cross of Iron W a r a l
Sea, Tobruk .
1776.
Midway
3.33
Vol. 16, No . 4 - ·Mag i c Rea lm -3 , The Russian Campaign
Cross
o f
I ron ,
Third Reich • 3.23
V ol . 1 6, No . 5 - *Th e
Russian
Campa ign , Submar ine ,
Sla rsh ip
TfOOpefS, War at
Se a , P a n z er b l il z ,
Rail
Baron
Napoleon .
Blilzkrieg
3.27
Vol. 16,
No .
6 - ·D l I n e - 3 ,
AI/zio 4 player Diadem
Diplomacy, Outdoor Survival, A nz i o - 2 , Panzerbli lz .
.3 .8
V o l. 1 7.
No .
I ·War P e a c e - 3 , War ar Sea.
Third
Reich.
Cross
of
I r o n. C r c sc e n do
of Doom. Midway , Mag i
Realm,
Luf lwaffc
2.79
Vol. 17, No . 2 - · C re s c e n d o o f Doom-3 ,
Vic/Dry
In The Pacific
Microcompute r
Garnes,
Walc r loo
3.18
V o l. 1 7, No . 3 - ·A f r i ka Korps, Cross
OJ
Iroll Third Reich, Crescendo of Doom, A i r F o r ce . Russian Campaign
Victory in Ih e
Pac i f i c .
_ . 3.34
Vol. 17. No . 4 - · FO rl r e ss E u r o p a - 4 , Cross
of
Iron
Midway, V ITP ,
1776, Wizard s
Que s l, S l a rs h i p
Troopers
Napoleon
_ 3.73
V o l. 1 7,
No .
5- ·C i rc l l s
Maximus ,
Third
Reich 2 Rich lhofen ' s
War ,
Squ ad L c ade r , S l a li n g ra d , P a n ze r L e a de r
K in gmak e r, Mag ic R e a lm
3.07
Vol.
17, No .
6-*Slal ingrad, Third Reich
WS IM.
War Al
S e a, S q ua d L e ad e f,
Longe s l Day. Caesar s Legions
VITP , Russian
Campaign
3.27
Vol.
18. No
1 - · Fu r y In
Th e We st , B ism ar ck , S q ua d L e ad e r, D u ne , D ip l om a cy . A f ri k a K or ps , P a ll lc r bl i lz
Alexander.
Wa r Peace .
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THE GENERA
. .......
·······r·············l······
. .
·
..··........
·
....··. .
READER
BUYER'S
GUIDE :
~ l i S J h : f f ~
i WHAT
HAVE YOU BEEN
• 0 ~ ~ ~ [ ~ l
g
PLAYING?
GLADIATOR 9.00 + ; g 3
Man to Man Game
of Gladiator ial :
i- i
~ t Top ten lIsts are seemingly always in vogue these days. Whether the sub-
Combat
+
2
:
f
Q • ject is books on the Best Seller List, television s Nielsen ratings, or even
t i . + games, the public never seems to tire
of
seeing how their individual favorites
':
;;. ~ ; l l s;:
a.
i • stack up numerically against the competition. Our preoccupation with this
:. s_·
i
S
= i a
ll • national pastime is almost akin to routing the home team
on
to victoryevery
INS.TRUCTIONS: Rate all categories by placing a C t : I : r 0 - W S
number ranging from t through 9
in the
ap. + ii i iii ;; i 1Ji.. iii ' ~ + Sunday. 0
to
further cater to your whims (and to satisfy our own curiosity)
propriate
spaces
to
the right
It
equating excel·
+
iii,.,
a.
: ;,
a.
+
we
unveil
THE
GENERAL s
version
of
the
gamer's TOP
TEN.
+
~ . > _ ~ »
~ o .
lent; 5·a ve ra ge; a nd
9·terrible). EXCEPTION: g g .. ~ ; ; l
g
3
.;
'
+
We won't ask you to objectively rate any game. That sort of thing is
Rate item No 10
in lerms
of minutes necessary +
oS oS
g g
Q
+ already done in these pages and elsewhere. Instead,
we
ask
that
you merely
to play game as recorded
in
1Q-minute incre- + g g ... c ....
C
. 't:I = + I th th ( I h h . . h .
<nents EXAMPLE: If you ve found that it takes .. 1l g 2
S; 110
1St e ree or ess games w IC you ve spen t t e mos t t ime Wit sin you
wo
and a half
hours
to
play
FRANCE
1940.
you + :: ::
:=
::
e,
;: :; • received your last issueof THE GENERAL. With this wecan generatea con-
would give it a GAME LENGTH rating of '5:' +
g
sensus list
of
what's being p l yed
. .
not
just
what is being bought. The
Participate in
these
reviews
only
if you are +
>=; K
;_
=
. degree of correlation between the Best Selling Lists and the Most Played List
familiar
with
t he game in quest ion.
. -- : :; :
: l Q
'
;;; should prove interesting.
1
Physical
Quality
_+ ;;; < J .
Feel free to list any game regardless
of manufacturer. There
will be a
2
Mapboard
-+
~ a g ~
•
built-inAvalon Hill bias to thesurveybecause you all playAvalon
Hillg
ames
3 Components
__+.. : : ;
l- :
to some extent but
it
shouldbe no more prevalent
than
similar projects under-
4 Ease of Understanding
__
•
1:
iii ;;::,
.. •
taken by other magazines with a special interest-based circulation. The
5
Completeness
of
Rules _ . S J l
f •
amount to which this bias affec ts the final outcome will be left to the in-
6 Play Balance _ _+
g ;
g: h e :
dividual s discretion.
7
Realism
_ _+ 'g
: : : ~
' The games
I've
spent the most time playing during the past two months
B
Excitement level = '
o
0
= ll
9
Overall Value = • are:
•
a.g. .
. : 3 ,
=
+
0
Game length
--+ 1: l
;:,;
3 ~
+
1.
_
The review sheet may be
cut ou t,
photocopied,
+
g g g j. t
o r merely drawn o n a sep arate sheet o f paper. t
i=;
So ; + 2. _
Mail it to
our
4517
Harford
Road address with
+ :3
c. :
your contest en try o r opponents wanted ad Mark i g
such correspondence to the
attentIon
of the R
+.
:3
So
3.
D
Department : 8
~ ~ ~
; ~ ; d
t
.................... ~ ~ ; ~
~
~ ~ g ~ ~ ~ ; ~ ~ ~ ; ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ < ~ ~ : : ~ ~ ; ~ ~ . CONTEST NO. 102
2. For Sale,
Trade, or
Wanted To Buy ads will be accepted only when dealing with
collector s
+ Merely write the winning move in the
appropriate
space of the contest
items
out
of
AH games)
and
are
accompanied by
a
1.00 token
fee. No
refunds.
+
form
i n this i ssue s inser t.
Ten
winning entries will receive certificates
3. I ns er t c opy on l in es p rovide d 25 words maximum) and prior name, address,
and phone
+
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4. Please PRINT. If
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5.
So
that as
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possible
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primed wilhin our limited space, we request Ihal you use + the i ssue as a whole , as well as l ist the bes t three art ic les. Remember that
official
Slate
and game
abbreviations.
Don t
list
your
entire colleclion,
list
only those
you
are
moSl
+
in
our
rating
system
the
lower the
number
the better
the rating,
and
vice
interested in locating opponents
For.
:
Afrika
Korps-AK,
Air Force-AF,
Alexander-AL,
Alpha
Omega-AO, Amoeba
Wars-AW, versa. The solution will be announced in Vol. 18, No.3, and the winners
Anzio-AZ, Arab-Israeli Wars-AIW, Armor Supremacy-AS, Assaull On
Crete/Invasion
Of in Vol. 18, No.4.
One
entry per subscriber.
Malta-AOC, Bismarck-BIS, Blitzkrieg-BL, Battle
Of
The Bulge-BB, Caesar Alesia-CAE,
i
Assume
t hat both
air
Caesar s Legions-CL. Chancellorsville-CH, Circus Maximum-eM, Cross Of
Iron-COl,
:ij: w
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ r e ~ ~ m E : ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : = ~ s c ; ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ u ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ s ~ : : : ~ ~ ~ : ~ : ~ ~ y : ~ - : ; g ~ ~ I ~ ~ ~ 1l ~ ~ ~ ~ a r f ~ : ~ ~ e e ~ e ~ ~ ~ ~ e e : ~ u T ~
Gladiator-GL, Guns Of
August-GOA, Insurgency-INS.
JUlland-JU, Kingmaker-KM, The
:J
lii previous turns to perform
LongeSl Day-TLD, Luflwaffe-Lw, Machiavelli-MA, Magic
R ea lm -M R , M id w ay -
+ U) « CO :
.c:
«
U
any maneuver.
The
actua
MD, Napoleon-NP, Naval
War-NW,
Objective: Atlanta-OA, Origins -OR,
Outdoor
+ c:
C
Survival-OS,
Panzerblitz-PB,
Panzer
Leader-PL, Rail Baron-RB, Richlhofen s War-RW, • -
Moves
versions
of
the aircraft con
The
Russian Campaign-TRC, Samurai-SA, Squad Leader-SL, Shenandoah-SH,
~ ...
-+--+---------+---t cerned are the FWl90A an
Stalingrad-STAL,
Starship
Troopers-SST, Source
Of
The Nile-SON,
Submarine-SUB, • P47D.
Tactics
II-TAC,
Third Reich-3R, Tobruk-TB. Trireme-TR, Victo ry In The
Pacific-
+
VITP. Viva Espana-VE, War and
Peace-W&P.
WarAt Sea-WAS, Waterloo-WATt Wizard s •
Quest-WQ, Wooden Ships Iron Men-WSIM. +
+
---
:
Ten winning entries will receivecertificates redeemable for free AH merchandise. To be valid
an entry must be received prior to the mai ling of the nut GENERAL and include a nurr::erical
rating for the issue as a whole as well as l is t the bes t 3 a rt ic le s. The solution will be announced in
the next issue and the winners in the following issue.
I ssue as a w ~ o l e (Rate from 1 to 10, with 1 equal ing excel lent , 10 equating terrible)
Best 3 Articles
NAME PHONE _
_
ST
A
TE
__
ZIP
_
1 ._
2.
_
3. _
NAME
ADDRESS _
CITY
STATE ZIP
_
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THE GENERAL
SEMPER PARATUS
OORDEREN, SOUTHERN HOLLAND, September 27th, 1944: Lieuten
C.P.J. Des Groseil lers urged his straining men to push again. D Company
found a
German
75mm
antitank
gun in the ruins of Oorderen.
The
breech
been hidden and the weapon had been left in the town cen ter with some
rounds of ammunition. Well it just so happened that an enterprising scroun
had found this curious metal block. Lt . Des Groseillers did a little work. Now
Company had its own artillery. Everyone knew that C Company was going
be attacking the
German bunker
line
north
of
the town. D
Company
wo
make
sure that Jerry got back his 75mm shells.
Perhaps
in a slightly used co
tion. The Rileys looked out for their own.
Board Configuration
N
VICTORY CONDITIONS
The Canadian player to win must control 3 bunkers at game s end.
TURN RECORD
CHART
*
German sets
up
first
1
2
3
4
END
0
Canadian moves first
d,I1;
8S7th Grenadier Regiment of 346th Infantry Division. Must set up within bunkers North of row 0 inclusive:
2 3 5
1 3 5
1 5 7
t t
f
Q
~
4
LM
?
Y
~ ~
6-16
2-8
4-6-7
4-3-6
:
812
812
.
•
•
2
6
2
2
2
Royal Hamilton Light Infantry Regiment (RHLI or Riley ). May set up in any building hex South
of
row Q inclusive and enter o
either (not both) East or West
board
edge any troops
and support
weapons
not
setup on
board:
®
75t
4-5-8
10
6-14
8
4
LMG
2-7
811+
Mlr
Q *1-8
51 S,
2
SPECIAL RULES
AFTERMATH:
Division
HQ
hadordered a brief
but
heavy barrage
that
would c
northward through the German lines . Lieutenant-Colonel W.D. Whitaker
di
believe the bombardment would affect the bunkers. Therefore, using covering