$2.

50

The AVALON HILL

July-August 1981

Volume 18, Number 2

GE!Jco
8-1-2

A,--LJ;l.,,,,
L!J~

4-2-3

BRIDGE

&~~

2~~

4-4

4-6

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 THE BULGE is the last word in
accuracy. Official American and German documents, maps and
actual battle 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 did 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 get 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 detail
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
I enhance the flow of play instead of bogging it down in detail.
. Some of the Many 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

10-4

5-4

What's Inside . ..
22" x 28" Fuli-color Mapboard of Ardennes Battlefield
Countersheet with 260 American, British and German Units
countersheet of 117 Utility Markers
Time Record Card
WI German Order of Appearance Card
Allied Order of Appearance Card
Rules Manual
One Die

BATTLE OF THE BULGE is an operational recreation of the famous

Ardennes battle of December, 1944-January, 1945.
Each unit represents one of the regiments that actually
participated (or might have participated) in the battle.
Each hex is approximately 2 miles across.
f'lI 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

t1 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 .
fl The CampGign Scenario extends the Tournament
Scenario to include the Allied counterattacks. This is the
ENTIRE battle. Average playing time four to nine hours.

BA TTLE OFTHEBULGE is available now for $ 16.00 plus 10 % postage

and liandling cnarges (20% for Canadians; 30% for overseas) from Avalon
Hill, 4517 Harford Rd, Baltimore, MD 21214. Maryland residents please
add 5% state sales tax.

BlackSPll

~ardGame
FOR
SNEAKY

PLAYERS

..

SP'l

BLACK SPY is an in~riguing card

game for the whole family. The object
is to be the player with the lowest score
when one player goes out by getting 200
Points.

The BLACK SPY card deck is

composed of five suits, instead of the
regular four. Four ofthe suits haveo~ly
one spy. But the black suit has sf}{.spys.
Those are the guys you have to look out
for.
The rest of the cards are other types
of sneaky and shady characters:
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 thespys, the black
suited guys are the ones to look out for.
All the others are on your side.

You never know what will happen

when you lead a trick in BLACK SPY.
It's not like regular card games where
everyone just follows suit. You may find
a spy in your midst. Or you may wind up
taking the, trick and leading againl
The rules to the game are less than
one page. You can be playing the game
within five minutes. Each game should
last no more than an hour. Several
variations are provided for those who
waQ,t a little more strategy.
BLACK SPY includes a scorepad. card deck, and discard
tray and is available from Avalon Hill, 4517 Harford Rd.,
Baltimore,MD 21214 for $6.00 plUs 100/0 postage and handling (20% for Canadians, 30% overseas). MD. residents
please add 5% state sales tax.

-------------

AIR FORCE ANALYSIS

by David Bottger

An Evaluation of the Planes of the New AIR FORCE

AIR FORCE is Avalon Hill's tactical simulation of aerial combat in the European theater during World War II. In its revision, Avalon Hill has
preserved the best features of the original Battleline
design while cleaning up the rules and adding
several significant new ones. This article will examine these changes and then analyze the game and
the aircraft portrayed with an eye toward the formulation of successful tactics.
THE "NEW" AIR FORCE
For those unfamiliar with the game, Dr.
Bieksza's article "The View from the Cockpit" in
volume 17, number 3 of the GENERAL describes
the AIR FORCE system, Avalon Hill has retained
this basic system with modifications that contribute
to realism or ease of play.
The most common criticism of the Battleline
version centered, ironically, on the game's greatest
strength, the simultaneous movement system. Since
movement for an entire turn must be plotted in advance, neither player can react to his opponent's
maneuvers until the following turn. The result has
been analogized to a pilot flying with his eyes closed
for ten seconds at a time.
Players soon discovered that there was virtually
no advantage to being on the enemy's tail, since it
was almost impossible to stay there. This was
perceived as unrealistic, although my reading suggests that the tail position was less important than
commonly believed, particularly late in the war.
Sequential movement presents the same problem to the player moving first. The second player,
on the other hand, knows the final position of his
opponent before performing any movement
himself. As a result, the first player keeps his blindfold while the second receives an unwarranted
advantage.
To resolve this dilemma Avalon Hill apparently
borrowed the advantage rule from SPI's AIR
WAR. This rule provides that an aircraft at 12
o'clock to its opponent (i.e., directly in front) and
no more than six hexes away and 2,500 feet higher
must execute its movement before its opponent
plots his, unless the opposing aircraft is itself at a

disadvantage. In essence this rule interjects sequential movement into the simultaneous movement
system but it awards the advantage of moving
second to the player who has earned it, rather than
arbitrarily.
Two problems arise. First, as in standard sequential movement games, the advantaged player
knows his opponent's final position before
performing any movement himself. He also knows
the final position of all other disadvantaged aircraft, including those over which he does not hold
an advantage.
Avalon. Hill has elegantly solved both of these
problems by a single rule requiring the advantaged
aircraft to follow as closely as possible the movement of the disadvantaged plane. This rule excellently recreates the historical situation of a pilot
pursuing the enemy as he moves, rather than simply
flying toward his final position. It also prevents the
advantaged player from using his knowledge of the
movement of other disadvantaged aircraft. He
may, of course, choose to pursue a different enemy
aircraft but must first waive his advantage.
In this regan\, the Sequence of Play states that
aircraft which are neither advantaged nor disadvantaged plot and execute their movement at the same
time as disadvantaged aircraft and aircraft which
do not take their advantage option of following the
disadvantaged aircraft.
The next most significant rule change from the
Battleline version imposes a 100-foot altitude loss
on aircraft which end movement in a non-level bank
without having performed a non-banking
maneuver that turn. The actual penalty may be
several hundred feet, counting the 200-300 feet
which most fighters can climb without the loss of
speed points. This rule discourages the common but
unrealistic tactic of flying about in a perpetual right
or left bank in anticipation of future maneuvers.
The combat system has undergone significant
changes as well. As figure I shows, the new aircraft
gunnery table reduces armament effectiveness at all
levels except 16-22 gunnery factors. This is offset
somewhat at lower gunnery factors by the fact that
hit table modi fiers have a greater effect now.

For example, under the old system a plane with

five gunnery factors and a fire modifier of two on
the tail of an enemy aircraft with a silhouette
modifier of two gained only three hit tables as a
result. Under the new system, the benefit is a full six
hit tables. However, at a range of four hexes the
attacker in this hypothetical situation starts with a
basic (before application of modifiers) hit table of
one, while under th. old system he would start on
table three. The net result is a gain of only one hit
table with the revised rules.
Air Gunnery
Total
Gun
Factors
1-2
3-4
5-6
7-8
9-10
11-12
13-15
16-18
19-22
23-26
27+

1
2
4
5
7
9
11
12
15
16
17
19

Range in Hexes
2
3 4
5
2
2
I
I
3
3
2
1
4
5
3
2
6
5
4
2
7
6
4
3
9
7
5
3
4
10
8
6
12
9
7
4
13 10
7
5
14 11
8
5
15 12
8
6

2a Aircraft Gunnery Effectiveness

Total
Gun
Range in Hexes
Factors
2
1
3
4
5
1-2
-1
-1 -2 -2 -3
3-4
1
0
0 -1 -2
5-6
2
2
1
1
0
7-8
4
5
3
2
0
9-10
8
5
5
2
2
11-12
10
8
6
4
2
13-15
11
7
9
6
3
16-18
15 12
7
4
9
19-22
16 13 10
7
5
23-26
18 14 11
8
5
27 +
20 16 13
7
9
Figure 1: Old (top) and New Aircraft Gunnery Tables

6
0
1
I
1
I

1
2
2
2
2
3

6
-3
-2
-1
-1
-1
0
1
2
2
3
4

6
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 factors 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 coordination among gunners.
Of the new rules, my personal favorite involves
the optional 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 onehalf of his movement plot to his pursuer. This rule
adds a needed "human" touch to a game which
otherwise emphasizes machinery.
Figure 2:
PILOT CHARACTERISTICS
DETERMINATION TABLE (OPT)
Find Year on Line corresponding to Nationality

Nationality
German 1939-42
American late '43'45
British '39 & late
'42-'45
Die: I ETTRV
___.-=2.-=ETRV
3 ETTR
r.-_ _.;;...~TT
5
RV

early'43 late '43'44 1945

late '42-'43 early'42
1940-early
'42
ETTRV
ETRV
ETRV
ETR
TR
T
ET
RV
RV
R

Key: E = Experience (roll again to determine ace), T

R = Reflex, V = Vision, = no characteristics.

Training,

Players may discover for themselves the few

other changes incorporated into the new AIR
FORCE. 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 the subject for some time, and certainly
not a better one.
BASIC TACTICS

AIR FORCE is a game of resource management. The resources are altitude, speed, power and
ammunition. Maneuverability is the ability to consume the first three of these effectively. Victory will
go to the player who can get the greatest output
from his resources.

Hit Table Analysis

Table 1
Hit
Tables
I
2-3
4-6
7-12
13-16
17-19
20
1-2iJ

Proportion of
Hit Types (pet.)
F
17
29
27
25
24
24
24
25

W
17
18
24
23
22
23
24
23

E
0
18
20
18
21
9
19
19

Expected Hits

12
13
14
12
12
14
13

0
12
9
12
12
12
11
11

PILOT CHARACTERISTICS TABLE OF EFFECTS (OPT)

Effects of Characteristics on ...
Spotting
Firing
Maneuverability
Advantage Damage
Quality
Bombing
Vision
+ I Modif Shift I col. none
none
none
none
none
R'etle"x""--n~o=n=e---inc. ammo
I~/i arneniae naTfco:r-"niro;;;n:Oe---"nno""ne.------n;o;n;e;.-...

"Experlei1ce

none

7
9
8
8

Central to this proposItion is the deceptively

simple rule that the number of speed factors
available to an aircraft each turn depends on what it
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 considering the common situation where enemy fighters approach 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 followed immediately by a turn of
two hexsides. The result is a 120 degree turn which
may put 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 or 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, but then it is valuable altitude
which is lost.
If serious damage can be inflicted on the enemy,
the result will be worth the price. If 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 the loss of speed and
altitude which the' 'slip-turn" entails may allow the
enemy to get on your tail, a position he may be unwilling to surrender. In short, this tactic resembles
the two-to-one attack on Tobruk in AFRIKA
KORPS-a gamble sometimes worth the risk, but
not to be taken lightly or used indiscriminately.
The insightful player will conclude that the
proper tactic under these circumstances is to make a
head-on pass and then climb. And, as students of
World War II aerial combat know, this is the same
conclusion reached by the actual combatants, particularly when up against an aircraft superior in
maneuverability.
The larger lesson is that every choice in AIR
FORCE has its long-range consequences. The decision 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

Figure 3:

Training

G
0
6
7

by 2

Turn

lot

none

none

none

+I
modif
+ moffiT -';;n;;on~e;;----n;::o::;n:;-;e:------yh'icd;-efcas-;~;t-....,n:;;o;:n;.;e=-- ..c-o-n-'si"'-er-'-'::n::':o::':ne::':"2MP of
"average"
I'lot"
negate
one hit

none

F
.17
.42
.67
.89
1.08

1.3
1.50

.17

0
.25
.50

.2~

.61
.80
1.00
.28
1.50

.64
.96
i.05
1.17

C
0

.If
.33
.50
.54
67
.83

0
.17
.22
.42
.54
.67
.67

G
0
.08
.17
.25
.33
.50
.50

Total
.33
1.33
2.50
3.50
4.45
5.50
6.17

gaining a positional advantage may find himself too

damaged to use it. Conversely, the player who
thinks two, three or more turns ahead will be successful. In short, AIR FORCE rewards the farsighted.
As a corollary, players should endeavor to end
each turn with a few hexes of straight movement.
These hexes "in the bank" can pay dividends in the
next turn by making a maneuver possible much
sooner than would otherwise be the case. Granted,
this tactic takes advantage of the fact that games
divide time into separate turns, but it nonetheless
works.
Beyond these broad principles, it is difficult to
generalize on tactics other than to advise that
players know their own and their enemy's aircraft,
so that they can maximize their plane's advantages
while minimizing those of their opponent. The pilot
of a P-47D can afford to trade shots with almost
anyone; the pilot of an Me-109F cannot. The
maneuverability advantage enjoyed by a Spitfire IX
against an Me-109G disappears when it meets an
Me-109F.
"-(
Nor is performance an absolute. Up to 19,900
feet the FW-I90A is slightly more maneuverable
than the P-5ID, but from 20,000 to 24,900 feet the
Mustang has the advantage. From 25,000 to 29,900
feet they are equal while the P-51 D regains the edge
from 30,000 feet up.
The bulk of this article is devoted to such comparisons. First, however, it is necessary to take a
closer look at the hit tables, where superior tactics
are rewarded.
Table I represents such an analysis. The hit
tables from one to 20 are grouped according to the
number of hits possible, followed by a row
representing all 20 tables. The columns headed
"Proportion of Hit Types" show the proportion of
each type of hit in each group of tables. Thus, wing
hits comprise 230/0 of the hits in tables seven
through 12, while the percentage falls to 22 for
tables 13-16. The columns headed "Expected Hits"
show the average number of hits of each type for
each hit table. On tables four-six, for example, onehalf of an engine hit can be expected per die roll.
Predictably, expected hits in each category increase with the higher hit tables. Each category does
not increase proportionally, however. From table
two to 20, expected fuselage hits increase from .42
to 1.50, or about three and one-half times, while expected engine hits rise from .25 to 1.17, or almost
five times.
On the other hand, the proportion of hits in
each category remains virtually the same
throughout the hit tables. Above table one, the
percentage of gun hits varies between six and nine,
and cockpit hits from 12-14.
At most levels, fuselage hits are most likely,
followed by wing, engine, cockpit, fuel tank and
gun hits. Thus, the fact that three fuel tank hits will
down a Hurricane II may be less significant than the
fact that five fuselage hits will accomplish the same
result.

7
AIRCRAFT EVALUATION
Fighters
AIR FORCE includes 15 "pure" fighters consisting of 14 single-engine aircraft and the twinengine Me-262A. Although players will develop
favorites, they should be familiar with the strengths
and weaknesses of all potential opponents in five
important areas: durability, firepower, maneuverability, power and speed.
Tables 2-6 rate the 15 fighters in these five
categories. Each table is organized in the same way:
aircraft designation on the left, followed by the
"raw score" in each category, then percentage
score, with the best fighter in each category rated at
100 percent.

Durability-An aircraft's durability could be

represented simply by the total damage it can absorb. However, as discussed above, each hit type
does not occur with equal frequency on the hit
tables and thus in the game. Fortunately the proportion of each hit typ~ remains fairly constant
throughout the hit tables, so that wing hits are twice
as common as fuel tank hits regardless of the
firepower employed.
Durability can be expressed more precisely,
therefore, by multiplying the number of hits an aircraft can take in each area by the frequency with
which that hit type occurs on the hit tables, then
totalling these products. The result, called the
Durability Index (D.l.), is computed as follows,
using 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. for two
reasons: (I) elimination of all guns does not destroy
the aircraft but merely results in excess gun hits
becoming fuselage hits, which are already included
in the formula, and (2) gun hits are so infrequent
that in most cases an aircraft will be shot down
before losing all of its guns.
Table 2 presents the D.l. for all AIR FORCE
fighters. Not surprisingly, the P-47D heads the list.
More surprisingly, two German mainstays, the Me109E and F, bring up the rear, with the Me-262A
not far ahead. All three are weak in the fuselage and
wings, which, as Table I shows, are the most common hits.

TEN AIR FORCE SCENARIOS

The following historical or quasi-historical scenarios are offered for those who have exhausted the
few historically-based scenarios accompanying these games and who have tired of throwing randomly
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 aircraft from STURMOVIK) formerly AIR
FORCEIDA UNTLESS Expansion Kit). Scenario 6 requires planes from DA UNTLESS and STURMOVIK 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 solitaire
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 be
reasonably even. Rather, in accord with the comments under "Creating Your Own Scenarios" in the
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 scenarios
are twenty turns long.

Scenario I-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 destroyed
for the purpose of determining victory.
Commentary
This scenario depicts the first combat between the Hawker Hurricane and the Messerschmitt Bf-109.
On March 29, 1940, three Hurricanes of No. I Squadron encountered two ME-109's of JG 53 near
Metz. Flying Officer Ritchey scored the only kill, downing one German. These two aircraft would meet
many more times before the issue was decided.

Table 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

3.69-~~~

3.69
3.44
3.44

Scenario 2-The Battle of Britain

British:
German:

4 Spitfire I at 14,000 feet enter along board edge 2-3 or 5-6 on turn I (all must enter along
same edge)
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 be downed by ramming. Opposing aircraft which end movement in the same hex
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., tallied
30 kills officially, 36 by his own count. He survived German POW camps until January 1945 when he
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 of
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 ~wo.

Scenario 3-The Defense of Greece

British:
3 Gladiators at 14,000 feet begin turn I anywhere
Italian:
2 CR-42, I SM-79 (loaded) at 12,500 feet enter along board edge I on turn I
Victory Conditions
Italian:
Exit loaded SM-79 from board edge 4
British:
Avoid Italian victory
Special Rules
The SM-79 may not be downed by ramming. See special rules for scenario 2.

Firepower-Firepower is a function of the

number of fire factors, the range at which they may
be applied, and ammunition supply. Table 3 lists
the Firepower Index (F.I.), computed as the
product of these three factors, for the 15 fighters.
The earlier fighters are predictably concentrated in
the lower half of the table, while the later models
appear primarily in the upper half. Once again the
Me-109 series rates poorly. The Me-262A outdistances the field by a substantial margin.

Commentary
No one knows how many victories Marmaduke St. John Pattie of the RAF scored during World
War II. Estimates range from 28 to over 40.
In 1940 Pattie was a member 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.

Scenario 4-Attack on Taranto

British:
Italian:

6 Swordfish armed with torpedoes enter anywhere along board edge 5-6 on turn I at altitude
of British player's choice
I BB-I each in hex IV-K4, facing direction 6 (Caio Duilio), hex IV-MI5, facing 4 (Andrea
Doria), hex IV -M7, facing 6 (Giulio Cesare) and hex VI -E I, facing I (Conte di Cavour) I
BB-2 each in hex IV-I7, facing 6 (Littorio) and hex IV-II3, facing 6 (Vittorio Veneto)
1 CA-2 each in hex II-G13, facing 4 (Zara), hex IV-AI, facing 4 (Fiume), and 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, I1IN9, I1I-Nl5., V-N8, II-A13, II-BIl, II-DIO and II-E9.
Conditions
Sink Italian ships worth at least 2000 points
Avoid British victory

Victory
British:
Italian:
Special Rules
All Italian ships are at anchor and cannot move. For this reason, a DRM of a applies to all torpedo
attacks from fore and aft and + 2 to torpedo attacks from all other directions.
Torpedoes cannot be dropped more than six hexes from their target.
Each turn, before the fire phase, a die is rolled for each Italian ship. On a roll of one or two, that ship
may not fire its antiaircraft that turn.
Commentary
On November 11, 1940,21 Swordfish from the carrier Illustrious struck a telling blow to the Italian
fleet anchored at Taranto. The first wave, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Williamson, consisted of six Swordfish with torpedoes and six with bombs and flares. While the bombers made a diversionary attack on shore installations and smaller ships, torpedoes struck the battleships Conte di
Cavour and Littorio. The second wave hit Littorio again and Caio Duilio. As a result of this attack,
Conte di Cavour was put out 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 arm would again demonstrate the vulnerability of a fleet
at anchor.

Scenario 5-The Battle of Midway

Japanese: 4 D3A Val (loaded) at 3,000 feet enter along board edge 1 on turn I
2 A6M2 Zero at 4,000 feet enter along board edge 2-3 or 5-6 (see special rules)
U.S.:
3 F2A Buffaloes, 1 F4F Wildcat at 3,500 feet 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 least 2 D3A Val and exit at least 2 U.S. fighters from edge 4
Japanese: Exit at least 3 D3A Val loaded from board edge 4 or destroy all U.S. fighters
Any other result is a draw
Special Rules
Each turn beginning with turn two the Japanese player rolls one die. On a roll of one, the Zeros enter
that turn. Subtract one from the roll for each turn after turn two.
On the turn of entry, the Japanese player rolls another die. An odd number means the Zeros enter
along board edge 5-6, while an even number means they enter along edge 2-3.
Commentary
Accounts of the Battle of Midway rightly dwell on the successes of American carrier-based aircraft,
but to a large extent these successes were 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 and 17 Vindicators, Air Group 22 was ordered by Nimitz not only to defend its airstrip but to
attack the Japanese carriers.
On June 4, 1942, 12 fighters of A.G. 22 intercepted 13 Japanese carrier-based bombers west of Midway but 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. The rest, as they say, is history.

Table 3

Firepower Index
Aircraft
Me-262A
Tempest V
P-47D
P-51D
FW-190A
P-47B
Spit. IX
Hurri. II
P-51B
Me-109G
Me-109E
Me-109F
Spit. V
Hurri. I
Spit. I

Raw
Score
768
480
480
420
420
400

300
256
240
220
210
204
184
128
128

F.1.
100
62
62
55
55
52
39

33
31
29
27

26
24
17
17

Maneuverability-Maneuverability is harder to
quantify objectively than durability or firepower.
The airplane data cards list the number of hexes of
straight movement required before each of the five
maneuvers at each altitude, but they cannot predict
how many maneuvers of each kind will be performed
in a game.
As a rough approximation, the Maneuverability
Index (M.I.) is the total average costs of two banks,
one turn and one slip. Experience suggests that halfloops and half-rolls occur relatively rarely in the
game. Until AH added the rule requiring a 100 foot
altitude loss for each turn of banked movement
without maneuvering, banking was a less frequent
and therefore less important maneuver. This revision guarantees that banks will occur at least twice
as often as any other maneuver under normal circumstances, giving the advantage to planes with
low banking requirements (e.g., FW-l90A, P-47D)
and disadvantaging otherwise maneuverable planes
like the Spitfire I and V.
Table 4

Maneuverability Index
Aircraft
P-47B
P-47D
FW-I90A
Hurri. I
P-5IB
P-51D
Me-109E
Spit. IX
Me-109F
Spit. V
Tempest V
Hurri. II
Spit. I
Me-109G
Me-262A

Raw
Score
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

M.1.
100
95
89
85
85
84
81
81
80
80
78
78
78
67
43

9
As Table 4 indicates, many of the more
maneuverable fighters saw action early in the war.
This reflects a shift in emphasis rather than 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 and durability cannot be negated.

Power-Later fighters emphasized power, as

shown on Table 5's listing by Power Index (P.I.).
The Power Index is the product of the total number
of power factors available up to 29,900 feet and the
amo,unt of altitude gained per speed factor.

Table 5
Raw
Score
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

P.1.
100
92
92
92
92
85
85
85
77
77
54
51
46
46
41

Speed-Finally, Table 6 provides an indication

of the ability to get there, and more importantly, to
get back. Since most movement occurs in either
maneuver or level speed, the Speed Index (S.I.) is
the average top level speed in each altitude band,
which roughly reflects both maneuver and level
speeds. As expected, the Me-262A literally and
figuratively runs away from the competition.
Table 6

Speed Index
Aircraft
Me-262A
P-5IB
P-51D
Tempest V
P-47B
P-47D
FW-190A
Me-109G
Me-109F
Spit. IX
Spit. V
Spit. I
Me-109E
Hurd. If
Hurd. I

Raw
Score
10.50
8.11
8.00
7.75
7.56
7.50
7.12
7.00
6.87
6.78
6.37
6.28
6.25
5.62
5.57

I
Japanese: 3 Ki.27 Sally (loaded) at 15,000 feet enter anywhere along board edge 4 on 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 draw
Special Rules
This scenario occurs at night, so optional rule XII (visibility options) is in effect. No aircraft are
equipped with radar.
The U.S. airfield consists of hexes IV-A7-AIO. The Japanese bombers must make one pass over
these hexes before dropping their bombs. Both the practice run and the bombing run must pass over all
four airfield hexes from the same direction at the same altitude.
Commentary
On July 30, 1942, Major John R. Alison and Captain Albert T. Baumber of the 75th Fighter
Squadron stationed at Hengyang attempted a night interception of Japanese bombers attacking their
airfield. Flying P-40's not equipped for night combat, they nontheless succeeded in downing four of the
six intruders. For their exploit, Alison was awarded the D.S.O. and Baumber the D.S.C. Alison finished
the war with ten kills in the China-Burma-India theater, making him the fifth-ranking American ace
there.

Power Index
Aircraft
Tempest V
Me-109G
Spit. IX
P-47D
Me-262A
Spit. V
P-51D
Me-109F
Hurd. II
P-5IB
Me-109E
FW-190A
Spit. I
Hurd. I
P-47B

Scenario 6-Night Mission Over Hengyang

u.s.:
2 P-40C at 14,000 feet enter anywhere along board edge 2-3 on turn

S.1.
100
77
76
74
72
71
68
67
65
64
61
60
59
53
53

And the Winner Is-Table 7 summarizes the

results of Tables 2-6. The percentage ratings of each
fighter in each category are totalled, providing a
measure of the relative worth of these fighters. By
this admittedly subjective method the top fighter is
the P-47D Thunderbolt. Of the top ten fighters,
only three are German and only three entered action
before 1943, surely a tribute to the quality of this

Scenario 7-New Guinea Sweep

u.s.:
3 P-47B at 1,000 feet enter from board edge 2-3 on turn

I
Japanese: 3 G3M Nell at 500 feet enter from board edge I on turn I
I KiA3 Oscar 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 least I U.S. aircraft.
If neither or both players achieve their victory conditions, the result is a draw.
Special Rules
The turn of entry of the KiA3 is determined by a die roll made after the movement plotting phase. On
turn two, a roll of one is required for entry; on turn three, a roll of one or two, etc. On the turn of entry,
the Japanese player may then plot the movement of the KiA3 for execution during the immediately
following movement execution phase.
Commentary
On March 5, 1944 three P-47s of 348th Fighter Group, 5th Fighter Command conducted a sweep in
the Wewark area of New Guinea. Colonel Neel Keady, who finished the war with 22 victories, accompanied by captain William D. Dunham (16) and Captain Samuel V. Blair (7), flying at 22,000 feet, spotted three Neils near Dagua Strip at 500 feet. In the process of downing the bombers, Colonel Keady was
bounced by an Oscar. The Japanese fighter was destroyed, but not before inflicting fatal damage on its
target.

Scenario 8-Debut of the Superfort

u. S.:
I B-29 (loaded) at 16,000 feet enters from board edge I on turn 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
The Japanese player may not ram the B-29 (see scenario 2 special rules).
Commentary
On April 26, 1944, Major Charles H. Hansen, piloting his B-29 over the Indo-Burmese frontier with
a cargo of fuel, spotted 12 Oscars 2,000 feet below. After the Japanese pilots studied their new adversary
for 15 minutes, half of their number attacked. Twenty-five minutes later, the first combat for the Superfortress was over, the giant bomber taking eight hits and damaging one Oscar. Notice was served that
the B-29 would be a formidable opponent.

Scenario 9-Escape Over Falaise

British:
German:

I Spitfire IX at 4,700 feet

6 ME-I09G at 5,000 feet begin anywhere within 4 hexes of hex IV-A8, all facing same direction

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 Spitfire
is determined by rolling three dice. The first roll indicates the direction from hex IV-A8, the second roll
the number of hexes in that direction, and the third roll the Spitfire's facing. The British player then
plots his movement and play proceeds.
The fire phase is omitted from turn one.
The British player is an ace and uses the concentrated fire column of the hit tables (optional rule
XIX).

10
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 friendly. Only when he had climbed to within 300 feet of them did he discover his error. 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-Last 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.
Commentary
August 14, 1945, marked the last combat and the last aerial victories 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 by six Franks. Final
score: four Franks downed, one P-38 lost.

trio, the Spitfire IX, FW-I90A and Me-109F. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the Hurricane I rates
slightly above the Spitfire I and the Hurricane II
even with the Spitfire V.

AH's "advantage" rule weakens this argument

somewhat by placing a premium on maneuverability
as the way to get and stay on the enemy's tail. Still,
if the enemy can outrun you, the advantage is lost.

Table 7

Table 8

Composite Ratings
Aircraft
P-47D
Tempest V
Me-262A
P-51D
P-47B
Spit. IX
P-5IB
FW-190A
Me-109G
Me-109F
Spit. V
Hurri. II
Me-109E
Hurri. I
Spit. I

Composite Ratings
(Excluding M.I.)

Total
420
409
408
381
360
353
351
344
332
321
320
320
286
275
271

As the war progressed, maneuverability became

less and less a consideration in aircraft design. To
reflect the effect of this shift in emphasis. Table 8
rates the 15 AIR FORCE fighters without considering the Maneuverability Index. Significantly, the
most advanced fighter of the war, the Me-262A,
vaults to the top of the list, followed by the Tempest
V, P-47D and P-5ID, all advanced designs. A convincing argument may be made that Table 8 rather
than Table 7 validly rates these fighters because
maneuverability yielded no advantage against an
opponent who would not stand (or turn) and fight.

Aircraft
Me-262A
Tempest V
P-47D
P-51D
Spit. IX
P-5IB
Me-109G
P-47B
FW-190A
Hurri. II
Me-109F
Spit. V
Me-109E
Spit. I
Hurri. I

Total
365
331
325
297
272
266
265
260
255
242
241
240
205
193
190

Tables 7 and 8 provide some insight into the

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 MeI09F, 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 9

Single-engine Bombers
Durability
Ju-87B
Ju-870

(0.1.)
4.17
(94)

4.42
(100)

Firepower
(F.I.)
9.75
(85)
11.50
(100)

Maneuver
(M.I.)
3.46
(100)
3.60
(%)

Power
(P.I.)
1.0
(100)
1.0
(100)

Speed
(S.I.)
4.17
(74)
5.60
(100)

Total

453
4%

Single-engine Bombers
AIR FORCE includes only two single-engine
bombers, the Ju-87B and D. Table 9 provides an
analysis of their performance data. The data for
these two aircraft as well as the twin-engine and
four-engine aircraft to follow are computed as they
were for the fighters, with the exception of
firepower. Since flexible armament has unlimited
ammunition for game purposes, the Firepower Index is simply the product of fire factors and range.
And since flexible guns have varying firepower in
different clock sectors, the fire factor used for these
guns is their average fire factor.
As with the Me-109, the D model of the Ju-87
sacrificed maneuverability (less important for a
dive bomber anyway) for durability, firepower, and
speed.
Twin-Engine Aircraft
Twin-engine aircraft in AIR FORCE range
from the Me-262A, included above as a fighter, to
the He-III H, a heavy bomber by Luftwaffe standards. In between are fighter-bombers such as the
Me-110 and Mosquito F.B.VL The performance
data for these planes reflect their divergent
purposes.
Table 10 contains data for the twin-engine aircraft. The bombers dominate in durability while the
fighter-bombers excel in the other categories. The
exception is the Mosquito B.IV, designed to avoid
rather than absorb punishment. Table 10 does not,
of course, consider payload, a prime consideration
in evaluating a bomber.
Since the Me-I 10 was originally intended as a
fighter, reviewing its data may provide some clue
into the reasons for its failure in that role. Compared to the pure fighters, the Me-IIOC would rank
13th overall with 313 index points. Although high in
durability (89 D.L), it falls short in firepower (64
F.L, giving the flexible gun 20 ammo points),
maneuverability (61 M.L), speed (58 S.L) and
power (41 P.L).
Its successor, the Me-IIOG, fares considerably
better as a fighter, totalling 362 points, placing it
just behind the P-5ID. With a Firepower Index of
1306 for a new high, it rates like this in the other
categories:D.L = 94;M.L = 62;P.L = 51;S.L =
55.
Ignoring maneuverability for the reasons stated
above, the Me-llOG and C rank fourth and tenth,
respectively. Based on their game ratings,
therefore, the failure of the Me-IIOC in particular
may be attributed to the way it was used rather than
any inherent weaknesses in design.
Four-engine Bombers
Durability and firepower are the mainstays of
the heavy bomber. Speed and power occupy positions of lesser importance while maneuverability is
virtually irrelevant. For this reason, Table II,
which ranks the heavy bombers, ignores
maneuverability.
The B-17G scores first in three of the four
categories, second only to the Lancaster in power.
The B-17G reflects improvements over the F model
in all categories but principally in firepower, with
the addition of a nose turret. Similarly the B-24J
shows upgrading in firepower but also a marked improvement in speed over the D model.
CONCLUSION
None of this myriad of numbers will guarantee
you success in your next game of AIR FORCE.
Rather, they are intended to highlight the relative
strengths and weaknesses of the aircraft as an aid in
developing tactics. As in the war itself, the aircraft
was only one component of the aerial fighting
machine. It was and is the pilot's job to get the maximum from his aircraft.

"*

11
Table 10

Table II

Twin-engine Aircraft
Durability F;repower Maneuver
(D.I.)
(F.I.)
(M.I.)
Me-1I0G
4.97
165.5
3.92
(82)
(100)
(93)
Mosquito
4.99
116.0
3.78
F.B.VI
(82)
(70)
(96)
Ju-88C
5.95
87.0
4.64
(98)
(52)
(78)
Me-IIOC
4.72
45.75
4.00
(78)
(28)
(93)
Mosquito
4.74
0
3.64
B.IV
(78)
(0)
(100)
He-lllH
5.81
17.75
5.00
(96)
(11)
(73)
Ju-88A
5.83
7.25
5.11
(96)
(4)
(71)
Wellington
6.06
12.0
5.08
(100)
(7)
(72)

AH PHILOSOPHY ... Continued from Page 2

Adorned with one of Rodger MacGowan's

best, the game gets even better once inside the
box. There is a redone mounted 44" x 28" mapboard. There are 1300 counters including every
ship that saw action in the Pacific in 1942. There
are two log sheet pads that together form a 45%
reduction of the mapboard for easy plotting of
units. There are seven playing aid cards for easy
reference.
The rules, though only slightly changed in content, have changed dramatically in style and
organization to allow a complex game to be
presented as easily as possible. The hidden movement system has been modified to allow planes as
well as ships to move on the log sheets, thus
creating a game with total secrecy. The observation procedures have been simplified to streamline
play. More optional rules have been added. The
result is the ultimate game on carrier warfare, and
maybe even the ultimate gaming experience.
To be released at GENCON EAST 81.
DOWN WITH THE KING
DOWN WITH THE KING is a game of intrigue
and treachery in which players compete against
the King and each other. Each player takes the role
of a Fandonian noble. The object is to build a
powerful, political faction and eventually place a
member of the Royal Family, loyal only to you, on
the throne.
DOWN WITH THE KING is a game for two to
six players that has everything that makes a game
fun. Assassinations. Duels. Scandals. Travel.
Hiding. Romance galore, including seductions,
proposals, weddings and court balls. A detailed
justice system to deal with wrongdoers, including
interrogations, hearings, trials, informers,
evidence, alibis, banishments, imprisonments, and
executions. Wars between Fandonia and foreign
countries. Natural disasters. Famines. Plagues. All
sorts of political problems. And more.
Basically, players must gain prestige and influence so they can recruit characters to their
cause. However, the ways in which they can do
so are practically unlimited. At the same time they
must also attempt to gain the support of the
church, the trade guild, the merchants, the army,
the navy, the peasants, the townsmen, and
foreign countries. But even after they have
established a strong faction, they must wait till the
political climate is right. Only then will they be able
to usurp the King. The penalty for failure is death.
No two games will ever be the same. There
are just too many different things that can happen.
Players must cooperate to some extent against
the King, but must always be wary of the stab in
the back. A player cannot afford to make too

Four-engine Bombers

Power
(p.I.)
2.00
(100)
1.70
(85)
1.80
(90)
1.60
(80)
1.60
(80)
.80
(40)
.70
(35)
.50
(25)

Speed
(S.!.)
5.83
(78)
7.43
(100)
5.57
(75)
6.14
(83)
7.43
(100)
4.83
(65)
5.43
(73)
5.50
(74)

Total
Aircraft
B-17G
453
B-24J
433
B-I7F
393
B-24D
362
Lancaster
358

Durability Firepower
(D.!.)
(F.I.)
7.51
61.8
(100)
(100)
6.92
60.0
(92)
(97)
7.28
53.4
(97)
(86)
6.69
52.8
(89)
(85)
6.44
20.0
(86)
(32)

Power
(P.I.)
1.1
(85)
1.1
(85)
1.0
(77)
1.1
(85)

Speed
(S.I.)
6.43
(100)
6.33
(98)
6.00
(93)
5.50
(85)
6.40
(99)

1.3
(100)

Total

385
372
353
344
317

285
279
278

many enemies though, because opponents are

never completely out of the game. A player who is
killed just misses a turn and then returns as the
former player's heir, usually with revenge in mind.
This is not a game where everyone sits around
while one player takes a turn. Players can play
cards, modify die rolls, and take part in many of
the actions during their opponents' turns. There
will 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 till the
game is over.
If intrigue and treachery are what you know
best, DOWN WITH THE KING is for you. The
beloved King will not be strong enough to suppress the evil insurrections you will bring into his
kingdom. 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.
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 clarifications, 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 will be untouched except for several
clarifications. The big changes will be a new, more
pleasing mapboard, bookcase packaging, and
beautiful new box cover art by Rodger MacGowan.
STARSHIP TROOPERS
A second edition rulebook is finally in the
works. While I am coordinating this project, the
work is being done by Jim Stahler and Chester E.
Hendricks, both enthusiast experts. Should be
done by January 1982.

CONTEST

NO. 102

You are in the midst of a dogfight in

AIRFORe. Both your P-47 and the opposing
FW-190 have suffered damaging hits. Using only
the information provided on the log sheet below
determine the best move for your P-47. Assume
you are using a completely simultaneous movement system instead of the advantage rules. Note
that both planes have taken damage as indicated
by the filled-in circles on the respective logs.
Assume that both aircraft have executed
enough forward movement in previous turns to
perform any maneuver. The actual versions of
the aircraft concerned are the FWl90A and
P47D.
Merely write the winning move in the appropriate space of the contest form in this issue's
insert. Ten winning entries will receive certificates redeemable for free AH merchandise.

Type:P.47

.!lF

I--

I-.
~
G

-0

No:

000
.0000
.0000

000

om

'--

'"

START: IKIO
DIRECTION: 1

'"

-0
~

~
eooo
J:-

'"'"
'"
c:
C c
- - .':: c::
a. ....
en ~ CO

0::

'" '"

-0",

.;

::::>

f-

.... .!:

~U

Moves

6 9 L
Type:FW-I90

No:

~
.000

CONQUISTADOR
I have also been given the AH development
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 finally been turned loose to design my
own games. The first one out of the chute should
be a fantasy board game, tentatively entitled LAND

Continued on Pg. 35, Column 2

'"

0::

::::>

I-

11

'"

1l

-0
~

C1>

.:;;

a-

c:

START: IJS
DIRECTION: 1

~ ~

c c c

7 9.0 RB

'" '"

-0 '"

~
.~ ~

.!::.!:

Moves

12

10

23

3-3-7

Fake

llC)1

Fake

llC)IZ

DESERT DECEPTION

byR.J.Gutenkunst

ADDING THE TRUE ROLE OF RECONNAISSANCE TO AFRIKA KORPS

Back in the days when A valon Hill was the only
wargame company in existence and non-A valon
Hill die-cut counters were scarcer than hen's teeth,
Richard Gutenkunst was the only source of decent
variant counters in existence-at least to my
knowledge. I still remember the thrill ofopening the
first set of STALINGRAD variant counters from
. Richard with their upgunned panzer corps and
German airpower in the form of stuka counters
(thus explaining my deja vu feelings upon seeing
RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN for the first time). Well,
fifteen years later Richard is still at it-producing
variants for A valon Hill games with quality components at ridiculous prices. Not only has he shared
one ofthem with us here, he is also going to provide
you with the die-cut counters necessary to play it if
you are interested. You'll find ordering information at the end of the article. Let us know if this
"option to buy" aspect variant article appeals to
you as Richard is just full of good ideas.
Wargamers are blessed with perfect intelligence
-to the point where they're uncomfortable with
the fact. We all have to be smart to play these games
but I think you know what I'm talking about: you
know exactly where your opponent is and exactly
what his strength is. It may be no consolation, but
your opponent knows the same about you.
If you're playing a historical game, that is, one
which attempts to recreate a historical campaign or
battle, trying to recreate the situation where the
opponents didn't know what each other had and
where they had it is very difficult. The World War II
North African campaign is an exception in this
regard. Both sides knew pretty much what formations were available to the other. However, exactly
where they were was something else. Both took
great pains to mislead each other. It's hard to hide a
unit in the desert, but you can do all kinds of things
to make a unit look like something 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
Note the Allied and Axis Deception Counter
Cards. Each consists of six pairs of "fakes", A and
B for the Axis, Y and Z for the Allies. Each fake has
a corresponding board counter. To 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 convenience 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 soon as the fakes get into combat, the one
representing the real unit has to be revealed. One
way to do this is to write the designation of the fake
counter that represents the real unit on a slip of
paper, put it fnformation side down, and turn 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 deception 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
the real unit or units, removes the fakes from the
board and replaces them with the real unit or units.

That is, if he rolls anything but a 1. In that case, the

Allied player chooses which fake is real. If the fakes
represent pure Italian forces, the Axis player
chooses which fake is real unless he rolls a I or 2. If
the fakes are Allied units, the Allied player chooses
which fake is real unless he rolls a I or a 2. For those
of you who want to be historical, you can vary the
Allied die roll with the respective commanders in
charge. For instance, Montgomery was so careful
of his unit assignments that you might want to
eliminate the die roll altogether when he arrives.
The foregoing assumes you are using fake pairs.
If you desire, you can use your fake counters to
represent a unit or units. With four fake counters
standing in for your real units you put the real units
at the juncture of the four fakes you are going to use
(on your Deception Counter Card). You roll the die
to decide if the fake going into combat is real or not.
If it is an actual fake it is removed from the board.
When you are reduced to two fakes representing the
unit or units, go back to pair rules.
With four piece fakes, the odds have to be
changed in favor of the owner of the fakes. This is
because his opponent can declare the piece in combat real, thereby eliminating the other three fakes.
Consequently, when using a three or four piece
fake, if the owner of the fake loses the roll, his
opponent must roll an odd number before he can
declare the fake in question real or not. Otherwise
the choice reverts to the owner.
One point needs emphasizing. A fake must be
resolved as soon as an enemy unit comes in contact
with it. If a fake is attacked, the attacker can bring
up reinforcements if it's real. If it's a true fake the
attacking piece can keep on going to the limit of its
movement factor. So plan your moves carefully.
When a stack of units is represented by fakes,
you can split the units between paired fakes when
revealed, but when there are three or four fake
pieces, one piece must represent all the units in the

13
stack. If the fakes get reduced to two pieces by fake
elimination, paired fake rules hold and you can
then divide the units. However, the player who sets
up the fakes may declare them non-splittable when
he makes the initial substitution. In this case, one
fake must represent all the units in the stack. To indicate this put your bottom-most counter on the
Deception Counter Card upside down. Your
slowest counter should be on top.
If you plan to attack with the units represented
by a set of your fake counters you roll the die for the
counters in question before you move. If you lose
the roll for a three or four fake, your opponent
removes the counter he most desires to be false. You
keep rolling until your real position has been decided.
RECONNAISSANCE
It is quite possible to play the game with the fake
counters alone, with the victory going to the
sneakiest personality, but reconnaissance adds a
whole new skill.
Reconnaissance ability is limited to "RECCE"
type counters. Recon counters are moved first on a
turn. They perform reconnaissance by entering the
zone of control of a fake. If a fake is not screened
you go through the steps to reveal a fake. If its
movement factor allows, the recon unit can then
leave the zone of control it entered, but it must leave
by the same hexagon it entered the zone of control
by. Right. Can't have these fast characters going
behind the lines destroying supply units and cutting
off lines of retreat. A recon unit is only allowed one
reconnaissance mission per move, but it can move
into combat afterwards if it has enough of a movement factor left. This of course could also reveal a
fake. To simplify this rule, consider a recon unit to
have only one back-out or disengagement privilege
per move.
Screening
If a fake has a friendly reconnaissance unit
within two hexagons (one hexagon between the two
units) it is considered screened.
You will note that a reconnaissance unit can be
in position to screen more than one fake. When an
enemy recon unit tries to reconnoiter a fake, the
fake's owner then declares which units are screening the fake in question. After the reconnaissance
attempt has been resolved, the screening units are
temporarily turned upside down to indicate that
they cannot be used to screen other units for that
turn. To assure a successful reconnaissance against
a screened unit, you must have at least three to one
odds against the screening unit(s). At two to one
odds, the reconnaissance is successful if an odd
number is rolled on the die. At one to one odds or
less the reconnaissance fails.
To have fun with reconnaissance, it can be seen
that you're going to need a lot more Allied reconnaissance units. Fortunately they had scads of
them. The reason they were left out of the original
game was that they were pure armored car formations, with plenty of snoop ability but very little
combat value. The corresponding German unit was
a much more balanced force that included motorcycle infantry, engineers and anti-tank guns with
the armored cars. Light AA guns mounted on
halftracks (murderous against infantry) and 88's
(murderous against tanks) were normally attached.
However, enter the "Jock" columns.
The Jock Columns
The Jock columns were originated by Major
General "Jock" Campbell, the commander of the
British Seventh Armored Division. They were fast
moving ad hoc units usually consisting of a fully
mobile battalion of infantry and a battery of 25
pounder field guns supported by anti-tank and antiaircraft guns. The material and manpower was
usually obtained by cherry picking the infantry
brigades. One of their missions was to support

ALLIED DECEPTION COUNTER CARD

fJ

lOy

~Y

If*rz 2i1ftZ
7

3~y
3

~Z
6

armored car units on reconnaissance. Therefore, if

we consider all the Allied recon units supported by
Jock columns, they have enough combat value to
show up as a counter.

t><3 Z
6

5W

Fal<e

6EE~Y

10

5W

12
Z

10

~Z
12

time. That is, when it best suits game playability.

The II Hussars were available at the beginning of
the game, but they were not completely equipped.
They were equipped by June however, with South
African Marmon-Harrington armored cars.
However, they were completely refitted with the
superior Humber armored cars for the November
Crusader offensive. If you opt for the latest arrival,
you can consider the 11 Hussars as part of the South
African armored car formations to which their
Marmon-Harringtons reverted upon their conversion to Humbers.

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 continuously pulling them in and out of the game.
Also, some of the divisions represent almost complete national armies. Historically the British had to
be very careful about these. Since a nation's war
effort was geared to these units, letting them take
crippling casualties could knock the parent nation
out of the war for practical purposes. Strength
could be assigned to these units by "counting
rifles", but allowing for the hindrance to their use
and pulling them in and out of the battle in a
historical fashion would be a nightmare. However,
now that you've got the best part of some of the infantry brigades supporting the reconnaissance
units, the 1-1-6's should be easier to live with. I find
it so anyway.
A deception-reconnaissance version of
AFRIKA KORPS is a new game and consequently
needs new counters to make it work. The following
are descriptions and arrival data for these counters.

LRDG (1-0-14) The Long Raqge Desert Group.

Use this in the main like an ordinary reconnaissance
unit. The zero defense factor means it can be
destroyed by any enemy unit with a non-zero attack
factor, and the enemy unit doesn't have to use a
supply unit to do so. The LRDG cannot be used to
screen a friendly unit. It is independent of supplies
except for attacks. It cannot travel by sea. If you
wish, you can allow the LRDG to destroy Rommel
if he is not stacked with an Axis unit. The full movement factor of this unit is 28, done in two phases of
14 each. This is so it can use one phase to get over an
escarpment. This unit starts at the Allied home base
at initial placement.

ADDITIONAL ALLIED UNITS

2/KDG (1-1-12) The King's Dragoon Guards
(Also facetiously known as the King's Dancing
Girls). This unit is stacked with 2/3 (4-4-7) at initial
placement.
7/II Hussars (1 -1-12) This unit can be started at
the Allied home base at initial placement, brought
on the board with the June 1941 reinforcements or
brought on with the November 1941 reinforcements. Why the choice of arrival times? The
idea is to put it on the board at its effective arrival

1/12 Lancers (1 -1-12) This unit is brought on the

board the first Allied move in November, 1941.
l/Royal Dragoons (1-1-12) This unit is placed
on the board the first Allied move in December,
1941.
I012DY (1-1-12) The 2nd Derbyshire
Yeomanry. This unit is brought on the board the
first Allied move in August, 1942.
IO/HeR (1-1-12) The Household Cavalry Regiment. This unit is brought on the board the first
Allied move in October, 1942.
.

AXIS DECEPTION COUNTER CARD

14

AXIS ORDER OF APPEARANCE

1941
AGHEILA

U~ 21~5
Q

0-0-12

21~104
3-3-10

OR

..

...

MARCH

II:

ItteJ~<

218 3

7-7-10 . 2-2-12 4-5-6

~200
2-2-10

ItrXr

2-3-4

It~~

It~~ It~~

I-

1-

OR

MAY

SEPTEMBER

1941

15~8 15~33 ~300

7-7-10 2-2-12 1-2~
15~115

3-3-10

OR

~~

21~104 90~155

90~55 90~381
2-2-7 3-3-7

FEBRUARY

JUNE

1942

90~200 90tEt!580
2-2-7
2-2-12
ItQJ!

2-2-10

0+3~

"

II>

....
ltD':

HOME
BASE

0-1-3

OR
AGHEILA

NOVEMBER

1941

It~.~

3-4-61-

1942

~sv
288

1-1-4

3-3-10 2-2-10

1-1-6'"

2-2-4

1941

..

... It~~... It~5 c=J1

0-0-10
2-3-4 2-2-4 2-2-4

2-3-4

..

It~'~

It~~

c!:JArko
104

1-1-9

2-0-6

II:

....

It~;

..

.,

It ~Tii
.~

2-3-4 ...

'tlXli

2-2-4~

1.1-6
AUGUST

Cl

't~iu It~~

~51

2-2-4 a::

2-2-4

1942

Cl

ItlQl';

4-5-6 ::;

4-4-7

~~125 ~~433 ~~382 ~B220

2-2-7 2-2-7 2-2-7 1-1-12

~
5

It~~
...
1-1-7

SUBSTITUTE
COUNTER

4-4-10

ALLIED ORDER OF APPEARANCE

MARCH

1941

ELALAMEIN

- ~.,..

;~5

~~7

~~11

1-1-6au=- 1-1-6

1-1-6

1-1-6

'M

Cl

A.

2~KOG
l i l-12

7~~tor
4-4-7 2-2-6

2 @3

OR

..-J'? 31
Idl!lIMotor

1-1-8

JUNE
1941 i--'--.--~--,
7J2]4

4-4-7

7~7
3-3-7

7~S~G.
1-1-7

TOBRUCH

on

~~CIH
1-1-8

MECHILI

7~~ ~LRDG
=
1-0-14
1-1-12~

BENGASI

SALUM

h~~1

~~1

~125l2

1-1-6

1-1-6

4-4-6

22

~~20

2-2-6

50c8J69

1-1-6

c=J1

2-2-6 0-0-10

1941r---.--.-----.----,

7~;G.
2-2-7

SUBSTITUTE
COUNTER

01

TOBRUCH

kSJGds

JULY

OR

I~~ I

MATRUH

HOME BASE

50~51 5012:1150 5~:'

1-1-6
1-1-6 1-1-6

OR

~S:AC
1-1-12

on

7~~ ~~23 7~o~~r

1-1-12~

1-1-6

AUGUST

1941

r------r------,

iii~9

iii~10

1-1-6

1-1-6

1-1-6

7~stAc
1-1-12

~~6

1-1-12

~~4

~~18 70~16

1-1-6

2-2-6

NOVEMBER

"'

lQ]32

1-1-6

1-1-6

1-1-6

1-1-6

1-1-12

:2!r!:!::!.tOiv. 1'<5'2
N~Cav.

1-1-6...

1-1-6

1-1-6

MAY

1-1-6

1-1-10

4-4-7

2-2-7
1[]22

4-4-7

AUGUST

1942 r - - - - r - - - r - - - - ,

1942

10@23

1-1-6

iii~18
1-1-6

$212121

1-1-6

1-1-6

1941

iii~29 70~23

1-1-6

~~7

1-1-6

~~25
1-1-6

JULY

3-3-7

1942
< ..4bI.in i v.
Ol~Cav.

col2J161

1-1-10

1-1-6

3-3-7

10~Y

1-1-12

1~~co
1-1-12~

1~201 7,..!J..1".
l2SJGds
~ ~
2-2-6 1-1-12 ~

DECEMBER

1941
on

1~-g
~

.....

1-1-12l~

OCTOBER

1942

51~1

511812

1-1-6

1-1-6

1-1-12

1-1-6

~~24 44~61 44~132

2-2-6

1-1-6

1-1-6

15
7/4 SAAC (1-1-12) and 6 SAAC (1-1-12) The
4th and 6th South African Armored Car regiments.
These are the correct designations of7/4 SA Motor
(1-1-6) and 50/6 SA Motor (1-1-6). These were
probably used as 1-1-6's to get a reasonable strength
for the South African Infantry divisions without
giving them 2-2-6 counters. However, since the emphasis is now on reconnaissance substitute the
1-1-12's as needed.
7/7 S.C. (2-2-7) The 7th Armored Division's
support group. It contained two infantry battalions, 2 RB and I KRRC, plus the divisional
engineers, anti-tank, anti-aircraft, and field
artillery. The 2nd Armored Division's support
group had exactly half this strength in Libya, which
is why the 7th support group is assigned a 2-2-7.
Now then, I KRRC was available (at the Allied
home base) March 29, 1941, but 2 RB wasn't.
Therefore, for the purposes of this variant we can
be very flexible. 7/7 S.G. can be brought on in
June, 1941 as a 1-1-7 or a 2-2-7. Another option
would be to start it as a 1-1-7 at the Allied home base
at the beginning of the game. If it is not in an
isolated (surrounded) position change it to a 2-2-7
in June, 1941. If the 1-1-7 gets eliminated before
June, 1941 bring 7/7 S.G. on again as a 1-1-7.
70/16 (1-1-6) If you change your South African
motor regiments to 1-1-12's you may need this unit.
It arrives July, 1941. Only 70123 was included in the
original game because the division was pulled out of
Libya in December of 1941. Right. One of those inand-out units that give game designers royal pains.
2NZ/Div.Cav. (1-1-10) The divisional cavalry
regiment of the 2nd New Zealand division. This was
a light tank and Bren gun carrier formation. It has
an armored cavalry type designation because you
may not want to give it full reconnaissance powers
and allow it screening ability only. It arrives
November, 1941.
9A/Div. Cav. (1-1-10) The same type of unit as
2NZ/Div.Cav. (1-1-10). It arrives July, 1942.
9A (4-4-6) The 9th Australian Infantry Division. This is a substitution counter that can only exit
in Tobruk. It can consist of 9A120 (2-2-6), 7A/I
(1-1-6), and 7A12 (1-1-6) or 9A/18 (2-2-6) and
9A124 (2-2-6). The arrival of 9A/18 and 9A124 can
be accelerated to have them be in Tobruk on initial
placement. After November 1941 its use should
probably be discontinued. Its use is strictly optional
and depends on which additional units you add to
the game.
31 Motor (1-1-8) and 4I1CIH (1-1-8) These units
can be used instead of7/3I Motor (2-2-6). 31 motor
consisted of three Indian Cavalry Regiments. As it
had no artillery or support units, attack and defense
factors of one are probably more realistic. 4I/CIH
(Central India Horse) was the divisional cavalry for
the Fourth Indian Infantry Division. No reconnaissance vehicles were available for these units so
they had to make do with trucks. Happily this gives
us an excuse to use them as needed in the
game-Allied reconnaissance units that are comparatively slow. They can keep you informed of
what the Axis player has, but are not really fast
enough to make dangerous end runs. To counterbalance the use of these two units, the Italian Trenta
Division (2-3-4) should be replaced by Trento
(2-2-4) and 7 Bers. (1-1-6).
ADDITIONAL AXIS UNITS
300 OASIS (1-2-6) The 300th Oasis battalion.
This unit operated as separate companies to garrison strong points. There were at least five companies (2,6,10,12,13) and possibly a maximum of
thirteen. Well supported by 88's and heavy
weapons they were tough nuts to crack. Arrives
May, 1941.
III 255 (1-1-4) This was one of five separate infantry battalions sent to Africa. Most of them
became part of the 90th Light Division. This par-

ticular battalion combined with sv 288 to become

Panzergrenadier Regiment Afrika 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 you'll have it doing. Arrives May, 1941.
Arko 104 (2-0-6) All of the German heavy
artillery was lumped under this unit. It fought as a
separate entity, perhaps more familiarly known as
Group Boettcher or Group Mickl. German combat
units can be stacked four high if this unit is one of
them. It has 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. Therefore, since much of an
armored unit's strength depends on its mobility,
you can have Arko 104 cancel the defensive doubling of anyone armored unit it attacks. If it were to
attack two 4-4-7s in Tobruk, the combined defense
factor would be 12. In this case you would want to
use the 9A (4-4-6) substitution counter. Arrives
November, 1941.
sv 288 (2-2-10) Sonderverband 288. This was a
special completely self-sufficient motorized unit of~
all arms that was originally scheduled to be sent to
Iraq. It usually fought under the command of the
90th Light Division. Since it had strong reconnaissance elements it can be used as a reconnaissance 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 its incompletely motorized form
for the Crusader offensive. For play balance you
can bring 90/55 (2-2-7) and 90/361 (3-3-7) on the
board in September of 1941-also the Italian
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 unit of the
164th Light Division. It is doubtful if it ever was
adequately equipped. It can be brought on the
board June 1942 if the Axis player uses one of his
replacement points.
It/CaF (0-1-3) This unit represents about three
battalions of Italian frontier guards supported by
the "Genova" machine gun battalion. They eventually wound up as the Bardia Garrison in
November of 1941. Starts at Axis home base at
initial placement.
It/CC FF(1-1-6) The Giovani Fascisti or Young
Fascist division. This was an Italian armored division that was never supplied with tanks. It did have
three battalions of motorized infantry, one of
which was a heavy weapons unit as in a standard
Italian armored division. However, the battalions
were independent and not formed into a bersaglieri
regiment as in the other 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. If nothing
else you get a little more realism. After all, you
don't plan to use any of your replacement points for
Italian infantry do you? Both the old and the new
unit arrive November 1941.
It/RECAM (1-1-9) The reconnaissance unit for the
Italian Armored Corps (CAM). It is brought on the
board by being placed on the Ariete division in
November, 1941.

It/San Marco (0-1-3) One of the numerous

Italian San Marco Marine battalions. This one was
assigned to garrison Benghazi and had quite a bit of
heavy weaponry to support it. Arrives February,
1942.
200 (2-2-10) Both of the German armored divisions (15 and 21) are in their 1942 configurations.
This is not how they arrived. If you wish, you can
use this counter to get an arrival variation. Bring on
the 21st Panzer (or 5th Light as it was known then)
as 21/5 (7-7-10), 21/3 (2-2-12) and 200 (2-2-10).
Bring the 15th Panzer on as 15/8 (7-7-10), 15/33
(2-2-12), 21/104 (3-3-10) and 90/155 (2-2-10).
90/155 is standing in for 15/115 (2-2-10). 21/104
was originally a two battalion unit of the 15th
Panzer. The division's motorcycle battalion is added
to it here to make it a 3-3-10. In February of 1942,
200 (2-2-10) becomes 901200 (2-2-7), 90/155
becomes 15/115 (3-3-10) and 90/55 becomes
90/155 (2-2-10) if you wish.
15 (4-4-10) Originally this was the brigade command for the 15th Panzer Division's two
Panzergrenadier regiments. It was used by the
Germans for numerous command duties. You can
give the Germans yet more clout by using it as a
substitution counter. The combat factors of the
substituted units must add up to 4 and the movement factors must be 10 or more. Alternately, you
can put the substituted four counters aside and
govern the 15th Brigade counter's speed by the
slowest unit substituted for.
It/Trento (2-2-4) and It/7 Bers. (1-1-6) These
units can replace It/Trenta (2-3-4). The Italian
Trento division was supposed to be a fully motorized division like Trieste. Like Trieste, it had three
regiments instead of the normal two in a standard
Italian infantry division. However, only the 7th
Bersaglieri was motorized. The 7th Bersaglieri was
eventually detached for use as a corps unit leaving
the rest of Trento the composition of a normal infantry division. The substitution of these two units
for It/Trenta (2-3-4) is normally performed to
counter-balance the Allied use of 31 Motor (1-1-8)
and 4I/CIH (1-1-8).
GETTING GOING
If you now have the impression you have more
extra counters than you'll ever need you're right.
These counters are cut easiest in sets of 12 and 14 so
why give you blanks?
If you try to use all the counters immediately
you'll bog down in a welter of confusion. A suggested start is a maximum of four fake counters per
player. Substitute the4and 6 SAAC 1-1-12 units for
the two SA Motor 1-1-6 units and you have a good
beginning. Once you have experience you can throw
in units as you desire. If you balance a unit by one
on the other side brought on at approximately the
same time, things should stay pretty even. In addition to balancing the units, for every extra Allied
unit added, the Axis player gets an extra supply unit
to eliminate it. This is done by giving the Axis player
a cancel for a bad supply roll for every extra Allied
unit added. Thus, if the Allied player takes two
extra units, the Axis player gets supplies for two
turns he normally would not.
As more and more Allied reconaissance units
get added to the game, the more the Axis player will
have to contend with "end runs" in the southern
part of the board. If this gets out of hand, cancel a
reconnaissance unit's defensive doubling if it is not
within five squares of a supply unit or a road
square. Due to its initial position 2/KDG (1-1-12)
can be particularly pesky in this regard. In actual
fact, historically it had its hands full screening 2/3
(4-4-7). Therefore, until 2/3 reaches Tobruk, you
can require 2/KDG to end its movement in screening position of 2/3 or one of the fakes representing
it if used. If the Allied player neglects to do this, the
Axis player can move 2/KDG back to its starting
point and move it to a proper screening position.

16
Until you think you can handle it, do not allow
fakes in the fortresses of Benghazi and Tobruk.
I'd also like to soapbox about AFRIKA KORPS
a little bit. I feel that luck is too much of a factor.
The supply rolls for instance can make the difference between a win or a loss. I would like to suggest the following alternate: The German gets only
one supply unit per month (every other turn) from
July 1941 to November 1941. From April 1941 to
June 1941, the Allied Player can prevent a new
German supply unit from appearing three times,
but the German can cancel one of these. From
December 1941 to the end of the game the Allied
player can declare an arbitrary sunk 5 times, two of
which the German can cancel. This gives you the
average result of the die roll all the time. Also, supplies are most likely to be sunk when the Allies put
maximum effort into it. If the German is in
desperate need of supplies he will put maximum
effort into convoy protection. Note that this
method can be adjusted for perfect game balance.
ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS

You can order precut counters and deception

counter charts for this variant directly from:
Richard Gutenkunst
Box 3301, Traffic Station
MPLS, MN 55403
Cost is $1.00 plus a sturdy stamped selfaddressed envelope bearing 18 postage. The
stamped, self-addressed envelope is vital for same
day service. If you have questions that can be
answered in a few words or a simple yes or no the
answers can be included with the counters.

'*

SO THAT'S WHAT
YOU'VE BEEN PLAYING
Titles Listed: 170
Rank Title
1. S~d Leader
2. Third Reich
3. TRC
4. COl
5. D&D
6. FE
7. Stalingrad
8. l'anzer Leader
9. COD
10. VITP
II. Afrika Korps
12. War At Sea
13. Panzerblitz
14. War & Peace
15. Air Force
16. WS&IM
17. Diplomacy
18. D-Day
19. Midway
20. CM

Pub.

AH
AH
AH
AH
TSR
AH
AH
AH
AH
AH
AH
AH
AH
AH

AH
AH
AH

Total Responses: 934

Rank Times
Freq.
Last
on
Time List Ratio
-I
7.3
3
4
4.1
3
3
3
3.8
3.3
6
3
2.5
8
3
5
2.5
3
15
2.3
3
II
2.2
3
2.2
10
3
3
2.1
9
12
1.7
3
4
1.6
3
13
1.4
3
3
1.3
I
1.2
17
3
1.2

AH

AH
AH

16
2

1.1

I
3
2

LO
1.0
1.0

The Frequency Ratio is derived by dividing the

number of votes received by the number of votes for the
20th place entry. Ties in rank are resolved in favor of the
older title. The Times on List category is based on consecutive preceding times on the list; not total
appearances.
The startling turn-around in the ranking of CIRCUS
MAXIMUS seems to indicate the very heavy influence of
the GENERAL's content on what you're playing. Last
issue, following a feature presentation on CM, that game
shot to second place from all the way off the chart. Only
one issue later it has slid all the way to the bottom rung.
STALlNGRAD, on the other hand, posted the biggest
gain by climbing eight places to 7th following its feature
article status in Vol. 17, No.6.

LYSIS

DESIGN

.56 EffRng
PEN 4.9"
HPWt 11.

The Third THIRD REICH

By Larry Bucher

Larry Bucher was both the main instigator

behind the THIRD REICH revisions and the chief
contributor thereto. Not only has he been the inspiration and main guiding light of the third edition, but he has also handled the THIRD REICH
nutmail chores ever since the project got underway
over a year ago. If anyone has a beller understanding than myself of how badly those rules needed
revision it is Larry. And while we both share a great
feeling ofaccomplishment in the house cleaning we
did on those old rules, I'm not altogether sure that I
believe him when he says his recent overseas
reassignment with the state department in Haiti was
purely coincidental.
If a poll were ever to be taken in the category
"Most Mystifying Rules of an Avalon Hill Game"
THIRD REICH would surely be on the ballot, in
the company of the original ANZIO, 1914, and
Uudging solely from RBG ratings) GETTYSBURG
'77 and MA GIC REALM. I would not want to call
a winner. That THIRD REICH should have attained
its popularity, and won its awards, despite 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 "What Are 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 not 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 myriad of differences that some
will see as changes and some as clarifications-with
no two players able fully to agree on which are
which.
Until 1978 I harbored misconceptions that
Leningrad stood on an equal footing with Moscow
as a Russian supply source, and that fleets of less
than nine factors could 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 strike me as no more
than a formalization of "the way it always was" are
sure to strike others somewhere as changes, reversals of tradition. And vice versa.
What began as simply an effort to rewrite the
existing rules and their interpretations for clarity
and completeness generated a fascinating give and
take debate on the possibilities for improvement
and innovation, 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-DA Yand BLITZKRIEG. For
argument's sake, assume that first edition rules =
60, second edition rules = 65, and perfection =
100. If granted my assumptions, I believe 3R '81
will score at about 95.
Why can't I claim 100 after all the effort? Experience! The new rules have gone through at least
five stages of rewrite (I've lost count) and at each

stage I felt, "Now they're surely perfect-or nearly

so-no one could find any more errors or omissions
of much consequence."
I've been wrong five times. And as will be seen
below, there are at least two things (concerning supply and Spain) that should have been clarified in the
final product. I will take refuge in the quotation
taped to my typewriter: "Nothing would be done at
all if a man waited till he could do it so well that no
one could find fault with it." (That's ascribed to
one John Henry Newman; I confess to never having
heard of him.) An imperfect THIRD REICH in
1981 beats a perfect RISING SUN in 19-whenever.
There seemed to be a majority opinion-though
a shaky one, and without eloquent dissenters-that
the Axis had somewhat the better of play balance. A
number of changes do affect play balance; and
many, but not all, are pro-Allied. Only time will tell
whether the shifts go too far, not far enough, or are
just right.
The new edition contains only one body of
standard rules. There is no "advanced game";
there are no "optionals". This reflects a prejudice
of my own, for which I advance two arguments:
-the tendency of recent games to include basic
and advanced (and sometimes intermediate) versions,each perhaps with its own set of optional
rules, does have its rationale. Players are free to
pick and choose among rules that strike them as
good, bad, too complex, too simple, or whatever,
and tailor the rules they use exactly to their taste. I
think the trend is inevitable, but its accompanying
drawbacks should be recognized: no two players are
likely to agree right down the line, and each new opponent played entails a new round of discussion and
compromise over the rules to be used. It thus
becomes all but impossible to play the same game
against more than one opponent. The acquisition of
expertise is hampered, and the lessons learned
against one opponent may have to be painfully
unlearned when using a different rule mix against
another foe.
-in a broad sense, all rules are optional and do
not need to be labeled as such. Whenever players
can agree to ignore a rule, to modify it, or to insert
one of their own inspiration, they are perfectly free
to do so without seeking advance sanction from
Baltimore. The key word is "agree". It is when
players do not agree that the "official" rules should
be treated as gospel.

A Tour of the Mapboard

It doesn't look all that different at first glance.
You have to look closely to spot the significant
changes, but they are there. AJI coastlines have been
redrawn and sharpened so that there should no
longer be doubt as to whether land (or sea) movement between hex A and hex B is legal. In perhaps a
dozen cases the coastline was drawn exactly to coincide with the intersection of three hexes, these spots
are specified in the rulebook. Hexes with two or
more fragments of unconnected land-whether
mainland and island, or bits of mainland-have
been eliminated. Troublesome islands (such as the

17
two-hex island near Athens) and bits of mainland
have been "blacked out" in the process of correcting this problem.
Switzerland and the unplayable hexes around
the board edge have been "grayed out". Traditional hex-grid coordinates have been printed along
the mapboard edges.
A crossing arrow in Scotland has been replaced
by river, and all others appear clearly on hexsides,
eliminating former rule difficulties arising from
crossing arrows within a hex. Scotland, Wales, and
the Balkans contain some added mountains. The
river Thames appears south of London.
Ireland has been separated into British Ulster
(two hexes) and neutral Eire (zero BRPs). A beach
hex has been added, and thus the rules no longer
need to wrestle with "islands without beaches".
The Hague has migrated a hex northwest (and
France has been given twoO replacement counters at
start, to compensate for what this does to her 1939
defenses). The Vichy border has been more
accurately placed, to encompass Lyons and touch
Switzerland. Tunis has gained port status while
Bengasi has lost it. Sevastopol has become a
fortress, and is in Russian hands at 1942 scenario
start. Istanbul is another "new" port. And it, and
Gibraltar, become full two-front ports with the
same privileges as Kiel. The West Wall appears on
the map in a gray shade, and the sometime capital,
Vichy, is a gray star.

The Scenario Cards . . .

. .. contain comparatively few changes of
substance, but do include a good bit more information and cross-referencing to the rulebook than
previously. France and the U.S. have separate cards
now, with assorted useful tables printed on the
reverse of each. Russia is reduced to two fleets in the
1944 scenario; Germany gets six factors of Italian
partial naval counters. (The latter is to cure a 1944
catch-22 for Germany-she controls several
Mediterranean islands, but had no way to supply a
unit placed on one. For the same reason, Germany
now is able to seize a remnant of the Italian fleet
when Italy departs the war in other scenarios.)
"Surplus SW" appears on 1942 and 1944 cards.
SW construction may now take place before the
start of these scenarios; the surplus represents subs
(1942) and SAC (1944) left over from the previous
year.

On to the Rulebook:
There is no essential difference in the rules for
two-player and multi-player games other than the
victory conditions. A two-player game may see a
player make any' 'diplomatic agreements" between
nations he controls, or with the enemy, that would
be allowable in a multi-player game.
In a two-player campaign game, the Allies must
defeat both Germany and Italy to fulfill their
victory conditions. If the Axis fulfill one of their
victory conditions the game doesn't necessarily
end, unless the Allied player wishes to concede-it
is still theoretically possible, no matter how unlikely,
for the Allies to attain an equal or higher level of
victory.
While on this subject, players might enjoy a
question that was posed in the recent nutmail: twoplayer campaign game; Italy already gone. Allies,
moving second in summer 1945, occupy Berlin. Do
they win a marginal victory? Answer: no, because a
major does not fall until its opportunity to
counterattack its capital fails. This cannot occur
until fall; the Axis are not conquered in Summer.
The correspondent did not explain how the
Allies could have been moving second under such
circumstances! Perhaps the players had agreed not
to use the turn flip-flop rule.

France now achieves stalemate if she is not conquered until Fall 1940, a marginal victory if she is
not conquered until winter, tactical for not falling
until Summer 1941, and a decisive victory if she survives the entire campaign game or 1939 scenario.
Similarly Italy (in 1942 and campaign) achieves
stalemate by not falling until Winter 1943 and a
marginal victory by not falling prior to Summer
1944. In the 1942 scenario she can attain tactical victory by not falling before the Winter 1944 turn and
decisive victory by surviving the game to the time
limit, but in the campaign game she needs, respectively, three and four objective hexes. Note that if
Rome is occupied in the second half of a Winter
1944 turn that the 1942 scenario would end in a
decisive Italian victory even if the Allied player
could prove there is no way that the Axis could
recontrol Rome the following turn, because the
Italian chance to reoccupy would come in the
SpriAg 1945 turn-after the scenario time limit. In
essence, the Italian player has been saved by the
bell.
Neutral objectives are no longer counted when
determining 1944 scenario victory conditions.
Scenario card deployment limits are clarified.
The specified forces may be added to, where
stacking/basing limits permit, but never altered.
Thus Britain could not start 1939 with a 5-4 air unit
in Malta in place of the mandatory 1-4, but she
could place a second ground unit there to augment
the 1-3. Starting a 4-5 armor in Egypt would not
release the 2-5 WDF to start elsewhere. And let's
close a couple more loopholes at Malta while on the
subject: Britain can't start more air there by placing
an airbase counter; Malta can never base more than
five factors, period. Britain can't break down a 5-4
air in order to start another partial in Malta; using
partials during setup has been newly prohibited.
Fortress hexes, except for Malta and Gibraltor,
now lose their fortress status permanently as soon
as occupied by an enemy unit. This cures a couple of
former ills: if the Axis occupied a Maginot hex they
were themselves quadrupled against Allied attack,
and they could exploit from it impervious to the
ZOC of any adjacent Allied armor. If the Maginot
hexes haven't been entered at all by the Axis, they
still lose their status when France falls.
Overstacking when retreating during an attrition is no longer at the retreater's option-it is
allowed only if he has no other choice.
When an entirely cross-river attack is made on a
fortress hex, a bridgehead counter may be placed
even though the defense was quadrupled rather
than tripled. A BH counter may also be placed
when a cross-river attack is untripled solely by an
airborne drop, thus not penalizing attacker for
using his airborne. Attacker must place his BH
counter when his first ground unit advances into an
eligible hex; he can't change his mind and place it
later. A player may place a BH counter, provided
his side has unused ones, with or without the concurrence of his allies but a neutral Russia or Italy
may place only one such counter with concurrence.
A BH counter may be removed whenever the
player who placed it desires, even if he's run out of
counters and wants to reuse it immediately. It must
be removed whenever no longer needed to provide
supply to any unit and no enemy ground units are
within four hexes by land. If removal leaves an
overstack at the end of the player turn, the owner
must eliminate units of his choice.
ASW now eliminates 1 Y, subs per factor in
1943, two per factor from 1944 on.
Whenever SAC inflicts any BRP losses, Germany must remove a 5-4 air unit from the board. It
is not placed in the German force pool (it is out of
the game, at least for a year but Germany gets five
additional interceptor factors for next year start. If
Germany again loses BRPs to SAC, she loses
another 5-4 similarly. But if she does not, she may
retrieve a 5-4 from limbo, exchanging five inter-

ceptor factors for it. If Germany has to give up a 5-4

but doesn't have one on the board, she must build
one in Spring and immediately exchange it for five
interceptors.
The above SW changes were inserted with one
eye on play balance and the other on putting some
guesswork back into the SW building, which had
become a stereotyped all-subs, all-ASW affair. I
suspect that the end result, when players have
digested the changes, will be another stereotype in
which Germany builds just enough interceptors to
offset any possible Allied SAC; while the Allies, expecting Germany to do exactly that, still build all
ASW in the early years and improve their long-term
BRP situation. But the opportunities to burn one's
opponent or perhaps get burnt by departing from
that stereotype should be significantly increased.
10.46 If BRP totals are close enough that SW expenditures
could have an effect on which side plays first in the coming
Spring turn, each side must write their spending decisions
on a sheet of paper, revealing them to each other
simultaneously.

In 1945, SW builds are revealed at the end of the

Spring 1945 turn. Losses are determined, quartered
(rounded down) and deducted at the end of each
game turn that year.
Except in the 1944 scenario, the Axis always
play first in the first turn regardless of any variant
counters affecting BRPs. If any turn should end
with BRP levels exactly equal, the order of play
from the previous turn remains unchanged.
12.13 Italian BRPs are always included in the Axis total
and Germany and Italy conduct their turn together whether
or not Italy has entered the war. Russian and American
BRPs are not included in the Allied total until they are at
war with Germany. However, Russia and the western Allies
conduct their turn together throughout the game, even if a
neutral Russia has a larger BRP total than the Axis.

This alleviates the "unwanted initiative" problem for Russia, previously pointed out by David
Bottger in Vol. 14, No.3. Germany could formerly
arrange to move last in Winter 1940 and first in
Spring 1941, getting two devastating moves against
the Russian defense. It has not been made
impossible-but Germany must now spend much
more freely and get her Winter 1940 BRP figure
below that of Britain in order to pull it off. If
Britain seeks to match German spending, she may
not have enough reserve left to absorb SW losses,
and will then suffer the consequent BRP base
reduction.
In order to take an attrition option on a front, a
nation no longer need end movement with its
ground units in contact with enemy ground units.
The only penalty for failing to do so is inability to
roll on the Attrition Table (which, incidentally,
now reads 1-10 vice 0-10 in the first column). The
pass option will consequently be more rare, but will
still be needed when a player doesn't join his ally's
offensive.
When allies can't agree on what option to use on
a front, the player desiring an offensive prevails.
But a nation choosing an offensive must, on that
front, either make at least one ground attack or
conduct one air or naval mission. This is to deter a
BRP-rich and anti-social player from spending for
an offensive on a front where he has few or no units,
solely to inconvenience his ally who wants to attrition. For similar reasons, Russia, once at war with
the Axis, always determines the Allied option to be
used on the Eastern Front. Until Italy is at war with
the Allies, she may take an offensive option on a
front where Germany takes attrition and vice versa.
Units may be voluntarily destroyed by their
owner, but this can be done only just before his
m@vement phase begins. This can't be used to evade
the permanent loss of an airborne unit (the same
restrictions apply as if it were lost in combat) nor
avoid the effects of isolation (isolated units so
destroyed can't be rebuilt until the following turn).

18
For obvious reasons, French units can't be
destroyed under this rule.
All air and naval units are inverted immediately
after use (or after being counteraired, or designated
to provide supply) and are placed on the board inverted when constructed; all are then faced up at the
end of each game turn. Although a rule, this is actually more of a bookkeeping device or "playing
aid". It is easy for a player to unintentionally use
these units for more than one purpose in the complexities and confusions of combat, particularly so
in the case of supply fleets. In ftf play it is all too
easy for the opponent to fail to notice such lapses.
Fleets providing supply must be based on the
same side of the water as the supply source (rather
than being anywhere on the front as previously).
The supply line must run by land from the source to
the fleet's base. It is possible for a movement-phase
base change to open a sea supply line to otherwise
unsupplied units. Such units are then considered
supplied at the start of their turn and able to move.
Conversely, it is possible for such a base change to
put units out of supply at the start of their turn. For
these reasons fleets are now required to move first
during the movement phase, before ground and air
unit movement. It is also possible to have SR of a
supply fleet open a supply path to unsupplied units
which are otherwise about to be eliminated.
A detailed sequence of play chart has been
placed on the back of the new rulebook. The offensive option combat phase sequence is particularly
worthy of attention:
1. Attacker announces all naval and air
missions (excepting only possible interceptions and
exploitation missions).
2. Counterair is resolved and losses removed.
3. Defender announces any defensive air
support, attacks on naval forces at sea, and naval
interceptions.
4. Attacker announces any air interceptions,
any naval counter interceptions, and any air attacks
on naval interceptors at sea.
5. Steps 3 and 4 can be repeated indefinitely
where naval units are involved, until one side or the
other wishes to commit no more units or has none.
Combats are then resolved in the reverse order they
were announced.
6. Successful sea transport missions are concluded and the naval units returned to base.
7. Airborne drops. (May also be made during
movement phase.)
8. Attacker announces and resolves his attacks.
He may resolve each attack before announcing his
next one-thus being able to cancel a planned
attack if it is made undesirable by the success or
failure of earlier attacks. If he committed ground
support to any hex, he must make a legal attack on
that hex or lose his air units there.
9. Post-combat advances may be made after
each attack, bridgehead counters may be placed
where entitled. All invading and shore bombardment fleets return to base.
10 Exploiting units move to breakthrough
hexes.
II. Air attacks on naval units in port are resolved. As before, this is so that air can't reduce a
9-factor fleet in time to permit an invasion.
12. Exploitation movement, air activity, airdrops, and combat.
When two or more allies have ground forces
participating in an attack, they must agree on which
one of them will control a vacated hex prior to
occupying it after combat. If unable to agree,
neither one may advance. This becomes particularly
relevant when the hex to be occupied is a BRPproducing capital or an objective hex-such hexes
may no longer be transferred from the control of
one ally to the control of another.

During exploitation, the first exploiting unit

may not move more than two hexes. Each subsequent exploiter may do the same, or may duplicate
exactly the move of a previous exploiter then move
two additional hexes of its own. (The unit's movement factor remains a "speed limit" of course, and
enemy ZOC has its usual effect.) Thanks are due
Marcus Watney for the "duplicate exactly" wording which expressed perfectly the idea I'd been trying to get across in much less understandable
fashion. The rule restricts somewhat the number of
behind-the-lines hexes that exploiting units are able
to place under their control, and thereby makes
units encircled by exploiters a bit more susceptible
to rescue.
When exploiting units cross a front boundary,
they must conform to whatever option their owner
chose for the entered front. If it's a pass-option
front, they could exploit only over hexes controlled
at the start of the turn, couldn't pass adjacent to
enemy units and couldn't attack. If it's an attritionoption front, the exploiters could even add their
factors to the attrition total there if they're able to
advance next to enemy and provided their owner
had the foresight (or luck) to conduct the combat
phase on the offensive-option front before turning
to the attrition front!
Breakthrough and exploitation can now be
achieved by "attacking" any vacant hex. (This was
previously possible when invading an undefended
beach hex.) This is intended to allow a player with
armor to spare to advance more rapidly across a
vacant area (e.g. North Africa); I dare say inventive
players will find additional uses for the tactic.
Russia can no longer receive BRPs, by either
Murmansk or Lend-Lease, until she's at war with
the Axis. The cost of opening the Lend-Lease route
can't be paid until then either. In most games, this
will prevent the unrealistic Allied ploy of having
France spend her soon-to-vanish BRPs for this purpose early in the game.
Russia gets some free construction. She may
place four ground units (from her at-start force
pool only) free in Winter 1941, three more (from
her entire force pool) in Spring 1942, two more in
Summer and one in fall. These represent transfers
from Siberia. The number of armor taken in each
turn can't exceed the number of infantry; no airborne can be taken. But there's a catch: if Russia
avails herself of this option, her victory conditions
(Allied conditions in a two-player game) are raised
by one objective hex or season as appropriate. In
the multi-player campaign game only, they are
raised by two objective hexes.
Britain's SRs have been raised from six to seven.
Since BRPs travel from capital to capital, they
can't be SR'd if an enemy unit is adjacent to either
capital. Russia is excepted, naturally.
U.S. initially deploying units may go to France
on an equal footing with Britain if France has not
been conquered. (A "1917" situation.) If Britain
and France both fall, but one or both falls after
U.S. entry, initial deployment may go through any
Atlantic port still in U.S. hands. Initial deployment
may even be made by sea transport if the only ports
the U.S. controls are ineligible to receive sea escort
SRs because of adjacency of Axis units.
It is worth mentioning, also, that U.S. fleets invading, sea transporting, or bombarding from the
U.S. box do not themselves deploy. They perform a
mission from their U.S. base and return there.
Counters removed as attrition losses must
belong to a defending nation that had ground units
actually in contact with the enemy on the front.
Partisans, active minor allies, units of a minor in
which a major has intervened, all count as if they
were the major's units for this rule, but no more of
13ritish replacements being taken as Western Front
attrition losses when the BEF hasn't even landed in
France.

Attacker may not advance across a crossingarrow hexside to gain an attrition option hex.
Attrition sequence has been altered somewhat
when the attacker gets more than one hex. Attacker
first selects all hexes he wants, then defender makes
all his retreats, finally attacker makes all his advances. Defender still can't retreat more than one
hex.
21.4 A major power that declares war on a minor must on

the turn of declaration, either move forces into that minor

or conduct an Offensive or Attrition Option attack against
that minor's forces. If a nation finds itself unable to comply
with this rule, its DoWis revoked and the BRPs lost. The
minor is at peace with all powers and may not be attacked in
the future without a new 10 BRP DoW expenditure.
This was adopted to counter subterfuges such as
France declaring war on Norway or Portugal while
Britain does the work and reaps the BRP benefits. it
doesn't completely prevent such monkey business,
but does make it a bit more inconvenient.
A nation that declares war on a minor must pay
35 BRPs instead of 10 if the declaration will
automatically put it at war with a major. This, I
hope, closes all conceivable loopholes. Germany
and Italy can't attack the same minor until Italy is at
war with Allies; Russia and the Western Allies can't
attack the same minor until Russia is at war with the
Axis. When war is declared on a minor, the minor's
units are set up before front options are announced.
As previously, upon initial conquest of a minor
country its hexes automatically pass to the conqueror's control at the end of his combat phase. An
exception has now been applied to minor allies
(unless they were activated by Allied attack plus
Axis intervention). This prevents Russia from
barging into the Balkans in 1944 and claiming control of all vacant hexes of a minor ally because of a
technical "first conquest".
As previously, minor country (except minor
ally) ground units may not move outside their home
country; they may attack across its borders but may
not advance. Minor air and naval units are still
restricted to basing only in their home country, but
may operate freely from their in-country bases.
24.23 If hostile major power ground units are in the conquered country, and can still trace a line of supply at the
end of the conqueror's Combat phase, the hexes they are on
and the hexes of their supply Hne do not pass to the conqueror's control. The owner of the units in question
chooses exactly which hexes will be his supply route (or
routes ifmore than one is needed), but the routes must beas
few and as short as possible and must go to the nearest port
or controlled friendly border. The conqueror controls all
other hexes. He may not cut the supply route(s) by SRing
armor adjacent to them until a later turn.
This provides some specifics for a BEF trapped
in conquered France as well as assorted other
predicaments. It is intended to allow a reasonable
chance for units to extricate without denying the
conqueror an inordinate amount of real estate. The
rule above quoted is for units trapped in minor
countries; in majors the principles are the same except that there are no restrictions on conqueror's
SRs (these become irrelevant because a major falls
during its own side's player turn).
Examples to clarify some often confusing situations: Germany conquers Belgium. France then
occupies Brussels on the last half of the winter turn.
Both Germany and France receive the Belgian
BRPs at year start-Germany because of the oneturn-to-recapture principle; France because she is
the actual physical possessor (nine points of the
law, remember). Germany will immediately have to
deduct BRPs if she fails to retake Brussels in spring.
If she does retake it, this of course places France in
the same recapture-or-deduct situation. One nation
or the other will eventually have to subtract the
dually-awarded BRPs-probably. In theory, control of Brussels could continue to seesaw for an entire game year, and another dual award could occur
in the following .year start.

~-----

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ------- - - - - - - - -

19
However if Germany occupies Paris in the last
half of a winter turn, the tenth point of the law
prevails. Germany gets nothing-because conquest
of the major cannot occur until the following
spring, when France's counterattack on her capital
fails.
And another however: if the Allies get Paris
back from Germany in the last half of a winter turn,
at any time after the fall of France, a dual award is
made.
Capture of Paris in the 1942 and 1944 scenarios,
and of Rome in the 1944 scenario, does yield 42 and
37 BRPs -respectively to the Allies at year start.
Those captures were previously of no BRP value
because the rules had specified that you got half the
BRP value a major started the scenario with; in the
cited cases that meant zero.
The principle that you can't lose BRPs for a
territory you controlled at scenario start has been
relaxed in one instance: loss of a capital to partisans
in the 1942 and 1944 scenarios. The partisan threat
was much diminished in those scenarios because
they couldn't cost Germany any BRPs if they did
seize their capital.
Major powers may not transfer controlled hexes
to the control of an ally. Thus:
EXAMPLE: Italy may allow German units lO occupy any or all
Albanian hexes. but those hexes (and Albania) remain under lIalian
control. If the Allies conquer Albania and the Axis reconquer it,
either Germany or lIaly could control Albania. Neither country
could receive BRPs for if.
EXAMPLE: Italy alone allacks Yugoslavia; occupying and
therefore controlling Belgrade. Italy later leaves Belgrade and allows
a German unit to enter. This doesn', give Germany any Yugoslav
BRPs, nor does it aher the status of Belgrade as an Italian controlled
objective hex.

EXAMPLE: The Axis make a Cooperative Conquest ofYugos]avia.

Either nation may control Belgrade, whichever one occupied it; and
the Yugoslav BRPs may be split in any agreed manner. Regardless of
the manner in which Yugoslavia was conquered, if the Allies subsequently occupy Belgrade and hold it for one Axis turn, and one Axis
nation alone reconquers Belgrade, that nation receives all of the
Yugoslav BRPs and controls Belgrade. However, if the other Axis
nation has units in, or makes an attack on, any Yugoslav hex, the
reconquest is Cooperative and the resulting BRPs may be split in any
newly agreed manner. Belgrade still goes to the nation that occupies

it.

BRPs derived from a cooperative conquest may

be shared in any manner the conquerors agree on;
they are split evenly only if allies fail to agree. Thus
if Britain and France conquer Libya together, they
can allot five BRPs to France at year start and none
to Britain, or vice versa, or three or four to one and
the remainder to the other. If they can't agree, they
each get two and the odd BRP is lost. Once set, the
division cannot be changed from year to year. If
one of the allies is conquered by the Axis later, the
survivor would get all five BRPs if he still controlled
Libya. If the Axis reconquered Libya, and still later
France and Britain should conquer it again, they
could agree on a new split of the Libyan BRPs. Let
us say British convince France to aid in the conquest
by promising her all five BRPs. Britain could, at
year start, break the agreement and insist on her
half (two) of the BRPs!
If Spain or Turkey is attacked by either side,
either will automatically become a minor ally of any
power that intervenes.
Intervention is automatic and immediate if a
garrisoned minor ally is attacked by the Allies. The
Axis could therefore commit DAS against the initial
Allied attack, if able. The same would apply if an
inactive Vichy, attacked by the Allies, had an Axis
unit present in Vichy territory.
Some geographical limitations have been placed
on the deployment of minor ally units, in addition
to those previously in effect for Finland. In addition to their home country, units may only be used
in areas as follows:
-Bulgaria: Yugoslavia, Greece and European
Turkey.
-Rumania: Yugoslavia, East Europe and
Russia.

-Hungary: Yugoslavia, Poland, East Europe

and Russia.
-Spain and Turkey: the Mediterranean Front
and Russia.
-Iraqis: Persia, Lebanon-Syria, Palestine,
Transjordan and Arabia.
Spanish units may also be in East Europe, and
may SR through the Western Front to reach East
Europe/Russia.
Minor ally air and naval units must base as
shown, but may operate freely from their bases.
Spanish fleets in northern Spain could operate in
the Atlantic-so, conceivably, could Turkish fleets
if able to transit or base at Gibraltar.

NOTE: If Spain, because of Axis attack,

becomes an Allied minor ally, her geographical
limitations change to Mediterranean Front and
Western Front. This provision did not make the
rulebook.
Germany may not place a garrison unit in
Bessarabia before summer 1940 unless she is at war
with Russia. This prevents Germany from claiming
she has denied East Europe's BRPs to Russia by
doing so.
The 20-factor maximum which Germany may
place in her minor allies while inactive has been retained. An added restriction is that no more than
five of the 20 may be in Finland.
Italy can now be made to surrender, somewhat
as in the real war. The rule was plagiarized (but
modified considerably) from a proposal by David
Ritchie in Vol. 15, No.3. Italy surrenders if all of
the following apply:
-a supplied Allied ground unit (not airborne) is
in mainland Italy at the end of an Axis combat
phase.
-there are no Axis forces in Africa (unactivated Vichy don't count).
-Allies control every hex of Sicily, or of both
Sardinia and Corsica.
-Allies moved first in the current game turn.
While Paris is Axis-controlled, France may attack hexes other than Paris if "success could conceivably permit exploitation movement into, or a
1-2 or better attack on, Paris." Similarly a 1-3 or
1-4 French attack on Paris may be made if"an EX
result would remove all Axis ground units from
Paris, and other units, exploiting or paradropping,
could conceivably then occupy it." France can't
counterair except against Axis air units in position
to interfere with a legal French ground attack, can't
take an offensive anywhere but the Western Front,
can't attrition anywhere, and can't declare war on
anyone.
Britain can't normally recapture Paris, because
she's banned from the hex until France falls. But
it's theoretically possible for a British unit to prevent the fall of France by moving through a vacant,
Axis-controlled Paris.
The Axis still gain, and Russia loses, 15 BRPs
each from the capture of Leningrad and Moscow.
This is clarified as a one-time event; there is no
further gain or loss if control of a city seesaws back
and forth. But 15 BRPs per city are subtracted from
Russia and added to Germany at each year start
when appropriate.
In order to force Russian surrender, Russia
must now be reduced to 50 ground and air factors.
This shrinks the role of the Russian navy, the continued existence of which had often been vital to the
Russian player-a situation somewhat at odds with
history. Axis factors must now exceed Russia's by a
3-2 ratio to force surrender. The Axis factors must
be inside Russia's original borders; the Russian
factors may be anywhere on the mapboard.
Tunis and Beirut are supply sources for French
units only (including Vichy and Free French). The
U.S. is a supply source, but only if both London
and Paris are Axis-controlled or isolated from

Atlantic ports. Britain can thus supply a counterattack on an occupied London if she can move
naval factors to the U.S. box (before U.S. entry), or
may be supplied by U.S. fleets after U.S. entry.
Konigsberg and Durazzo are supply sources at the
start of the 1939 or Campaign Game scenarios; they
lose their status as soon as the Axis open a land
supply route to East Prussia and Albania.
The supply rule contains a hazy area that
escaped notice until too late to clarify:
27.22 A unit is in supply if it can trace a line of controlled
hexes, free of enemy zoe, between itself and a supply
source. Enemy zoe over the unit and/or the source does
not block this supply line as long as all hexes in the supply
line between the unit and the source are free of enemy ZOe.
Units adjacent to a supply source are always in supply
unless both the supply source and the adjacent unit are in
zoe of the s~me enemy unit.

If hex A is not controlled by red, Red is clearly

unsupplied because of the "unless" phrase of the
last sentence. But what if Red does control hex A
and it is not in enemy ZOC? Answer: Red is in
supply. The first two sentences override the unless
clause.
A word about supply from bridgeheads may be
in order, because the old rules mentioned
bridgeheads as supply sources. But they never were,
really-the true source was across the water. So if
enemy armor is adjacent to a bridgehead, that ends
the supply line. The bridgehead hex itself can be
supplied by sea, but the line cannot continue out of
it. The same principle applies at a port, of course.
Armor and airborne units which are
automatically in supply by virtue of having exploited or dropped lose their privileged status if
they are moved by SR.
Airbase counters may be used only by air units
of their own nationality during the player turn they
are initially placed on the board. This is intended to
hamper an Axis player who places Italian airbases
primarily for German use, or an Allied player who
places American airbases for British use.
Air combat has been thoroughly revised. Each
combatant rolls a die. The roll is modified for
nationality: -I for Italy, France and Russia, -2 for
all minors, and zero for the other three majors. It's
also modified for superiority, the superior side
getting + I for each factor of excess.
The loser of the modified roll loses air factors
equal to the difference between rolls; the winner
eliminates half as many (rounded down). If it's a
tie, a third die roll is made and each side eliminates
that many factors (but never more than were
present in the smaller force).
Counterair attackers are no longer required to
equal the factors being attacked, success is simply
made unlikely. If defender had the larger force and
won the air combat, any of his surviving factors are
not considered to have been counteraired and continue to be available for use.
Only uninverted air units defend against a
counterair attack, but any inverted units present are
taken as casualties also, if the face-up factors are insufficient to meet the verdict of the die rolls. A hex
containing only inverted air may be counteraired.
Defender has zero factors defending, the die roll is
modified for attacker's superiority above zero, but
no nationality modification is applied to defender.
Interception air combat is identical, and as
before surviving defenders may be applied to DAS
or may return to base at their option. When both
naval and air units are in an attacked hex, attacker
need only win the counterair combat in order to attack the naval units. He does not necessarily have
to eliminate all defending air present.
Attacks on naval units are themselves changed:
one die roll is made for each attacking air factor. In
port, I or 2 eliminates a naval factor, 5 or 6
eliminates the air factor. At sea, I eliminates naval,
6 eliminates air.

20
A limitation has been put on DAS. Like ground
support, it may not exceed three times the number
of ground factors defending.
Moving on to naval matters, Istanbul's twofront port status now allows the Turkish Navy to
operate in the Black Sea. For Sea-Escorted SR or
sea supply lines to pass all the way through the
Turkish straits, all four hexes adjacent to the crossing arrows must be controlled.
Fleets at two-front ports may escape to either
front if their port is overrun. You, the German
player, enter Gibraltar. Force H heads for
Plymouth. You hopefully point out 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 must then flee to the closest
friendly base.
At all straits containing crossing arrows, fleets
may not move through unless both land sides are
under friendly control. They may move into, as
distinct from through, an uncontrolled strait to execute a mission.
Fleets based in the U.S. box may:
-invade and bombard only if no friendly port
exists on the Western Front.
-sea transport only when Axis units are adjacent to all friendly Atlantic ports (thus making sea
escort impossible).
-carry supply only if both London and Paris
are Axis-controlled or isolated from Atlantic ports.
-intercept at maximum range, after U.S.
entry.
A U.S. fleet may initially move from the U.S.
box to Europe only during SR, as an initially
deploying unit. Once having done so, it (and other
Allied fleets) may freely move to and from the U.S.
box during movement or SR phase. It is not again
counted as an initially deploying unit if it returns to
the U.S. box and subsequently leaves there by SR.
U.S. fleets which have not yet initially deployed
may nevertheless sail during combat or SR phase,
but must return to the box 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 cannot, as some previous articles have implied, bombard the same hex before 1942 by remaining in
separate, adjacent hexes.
Both ports involved in a sea transport mission
must have been friendly at the start of the player
turn. (The paradrop followed by sea transport tactic is dead.) A given sea transport mission may load
units at more than one port, but it may discharge
them at only one port. Attacker can of course move
more than one such mission. Embarkation costs
ground units no movement factors, debarkation
costs one-but enemy armor adjacent to the port of
embarkation limits movement normally; embarkation would cost 2 MF in such circumstance, even if
both naval unit and transported unit begin their
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 embarkation; they treat the port of
debarkation as their new air base but cannot fly
counterair missions therefrom (sequence of play
problems result otherwise), and any intended
ground support mission or attack on naval units 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 bom bardment. Invading units must start their turn in a port,
and the fleet that carries them must be based in the
same port. (It could change base during movement
phase to get there.)

EXAMPLE: Two 9 factor fleets carry a 4-5 armor unit and a 1-3 in~
fan try unit. Only 15 naval facotrs are required to carry the ground
units; the other three may provide one factor of Shore Bombardment.
w

Moving fleets may be intercepted, or attacked

by air, at their base hex (since they enter the water
portion of that hex as soon as they leave port), or at
their target hex, or at any intervening hex. Their
target hex is their new base (in the case of
movement-phase base changes), the port of
debarkation (sea transport), the invaded hex, or the
hex being bombarded.
EXAMPLE: An lIalian fleet attempts Sea Transport from Taranlo
lO Tripoli. One British fleet from Gibraltar and two from Alexandria
attempt to intercept it in the Tripoli hex. The Interception die roll for
Gibraltar fails, bUI the one for Alexandria succeeds. haly now
atlempts to Counter Intercept the Alexandria fleet at 1124 with a
second Taranto Oeel and succeeds. Italy now announces an air 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 to and do Counter-Intercept the French at ODI8. Two British
fleets from Gibraltar try to and do Counter-Intercept the Naples
fleets at CC19. Finally, an Italian fleet from Livorno manages to intercept the Gibraltar fleets at CC 17 .
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 {he original 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 the other British fleets
there from making their successful attempt against the Naples fleets.
The air and naval attacks in 1124 can be resolved in either order
the Italian player chooses. Had the neet been 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 have ended. A side
may 001 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 combat. The
superior side gets + 1 if it has 1/3 more factors than
the opposition, + 2 for 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 in any 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 are multiplied by the number of 9-factor
fleets (or equivalent) it had in combat. Let's say the
difference between the modified die rolls was three:
the loser eliminates three factors if he had 17 factors
or less present; six if he had 18-26; nine if he had
27-35; etc. As in air combat, winner eliminates half
(rounded down) as many as defender. The loser
must immediately return to port.
A fleet on an interception mission-only-can
choose, before die rolls are made, to break off combat. Die rolls are still made; the intercepting fleet
automatically loses the combat regardless of the
result, but its losses are halved (rounded down)
from what they would otherwise have been and in
no case can it lose more than half of its factor
strength. The winner's losses are reduced correspondingly.
Replacement counters are not counted in attrition factor totals. This is guaranteed to be the final
word on the conflicting rulings of the past.
An airborne unit that has dropped, and wishes
to drop again in the following turn, must be able to
trace a normal supply line to do so. It 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 who gets to construct
partisans where, the nation with ground forces
closest (as the crow flies) to the country in question
gets first construction and first choice of place-

ment. Russia and Britain both want to build partisans in Greece. Britain has ground units closer.
She gets to build two and has first and third choice
of placement; Russia gets one and second choice. A
partisan unit is controlled and moved by the nation
that constructed it. "Russian" and "Western" partisans can't stack or attack together. A partisancontrolled hex is controlled by no one for victory
condition purposes.
So how do you get rid of a partisan on an objective hex? Unless you constructed it and therefore
can move it, you don't! This allows some
underhanded play in a close multi-player game:
"Russian" partisans sitting in Marseilles or Lyons
to deny it to the Western Allies; "Western" partisans in Belgrade to frustrate the Soviets. This can
be regarded as simulating in a small way the struggles within the liberation movements for postwar
political control. The Axis may also face
choices-given the relative victory prospects of the
opponents, it may sometimes be better to pass up a
chance to attack a particular partisan.
Axis variant 2 (Irish resistance) now has no effect if any part of Ireland is under Axis control
when it is played.
In order for variant 4 (Spain) to be played, Italy
must be at war with a major power and France must
have been conquered.
Variant 5 can now activate all four Axis minors
early. It is no longer played at a specific time point,
Germany must have conquered France and be at
war with Russia.
Variant 8 (reduction of U.S. initial deployment)
is playable if submarines outnumber ASW by a 3-2
ratio. This was lowered from 2-1 because of the
strategic warfare changes.
Variant 10 Uet fighters) has the additional effect
of raising the German air combat roll modifier to
+1.
Allied variant 3 (Free French) is void if France
falls before winter 1940, and if it is played, Free
French armor, air and naval units may not be
reconstructed if lost in combat.
Allied 5 had drawn some criticism: all other
variants represented something that might have
happened-but this one represented something that
did happen, and Britain unfairly was being deprived
of her 50 four-stackers. On the other hand, Britain
normally can build only four (rarely five) ASW in
1940. The ancient destroyers can hardly be said to
have tripled her ASW capacity, as they used to in
the game. The outcome:
U.S. Navy makes full commitment to protect
shipments to Britain from unrestricted submarine warfare.
Allies lose only two BRPs (instead of three) for every surviving submarine factor in Strategic Warfare resolution for
the remainder of the game. Play only in 1941 YSS for immediate resolution.
Allied 6 (U.S. Navy in Atlantic) has the additional effect of raising the U.S. naval combat die
roll modifier to + 2.
I'll have more to say on the subject of variant
counters when we publish our THIRD REICH
feature issue. Making the variant counters part of
the game as opposed to an optional rule has obviously increased their importance. To counteract
this increased role we feel there should be an even
wider selection of variants which might occur
-thus decreasing the likelihood of any particular
one being drawn-and we have a number of good
ones to add to the current list.
The intelligence rule is completely new and owes
its existance at least in part to a desire to give players
a chance to overcome the increased role of fate encompassed in the now mandatory Variant Events.
One player per side may spend five BRPs during
each construction phase to roll two dice on the
following table:

21
dice
results
12+ The opponent's variant counter is nullified if not
yet played. It cannot be replaced.
11 The opponent's variant counter must be disclosed.
10 A nation 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. The counter has no effect beyond its value as a
clue regarding the possible identity of the oppo-

roll

nent's variant.

6,5
4

Opponent must reveal the contents of his SW box.

Opponent must reveal the contents of his
Murmansk box.
No Effect.
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

Italy can. When two or more players on the same
side want to roll, they settle it by die roll. If the die
roll ties, the player with most BRPs wins.
The opposition can spend five BRPs on
counterintelligence. If they do, one is subtracted
from the intelligence roll; if they don't, one is
added.
The rolling player may select any lower result instead of the result he actually rolls. He may keep
any information gained to himself, or may share it
with his allies. He may even choose to use the result
of the roll against a fractious or untrustworthy ally
rather than against the enemy.
Also completely new is the "Foreign Aid" rule,
under which BRPs may be granted to various minor
countries to reduce or enhance the chance of their
activation. Both Germany and Britain may grant
BRPs to the four "standard" Axis minor allies, and
to Turkey, Spain, Vichy, Ireland, and Iraq. Italy
may grant to Spain and Iraq only; Russia may grant
to Bulgaria, Hungary and Rumania. (But Russia is
unlikely to use the option with Rumania, the grants
are void if Russia occupies Bessarabia, which she
must do if she wishes the East Europe BRPs.)
The granted BRPs actually evaporate, since the
minors have no independent BRP levels or force
pools of their own. Grants to minors are limited to
10% of the granting power's year start BRP total.
They are transferred by SR, each destination counting one against SR totals, and require sea escort
where applicable. For this rule only, neutral hexes
are treated as iI' controlled, even in garrisoned,
inactive minor allies. Thus Britain could send BRPs
to Hungary via sea escort-At hens-BulgariaRumania, and could do so even if a German garrison unit was in Budapest. Germany can send
BRPs to Ireland via Dublin, and Britain or
Germany can send to Finland via Helsinki, but using these non-ports costs double SR.
Whenever a minor ally is due to activate-be it
one of the four that normally activate in summer
'41, or one that is to be activated by variant
counter-the activating player must roll one or
higher with one die. Each BRP more that the minor
has received from the opposition subtracts one
from the die roll. (Germany has given two BRPs to
Hungary; Britain has given four-there is a net
modification of -2.) Thus there is no need for the
actual die roll unless the opposition has granted
more BRPs than has the would-be activator.
In the case of Vichy, the modifications are done
as above if the Axis hold variant 113. Otherwise, they
are included in the modifications to the Vichy
activation/deactivation die rolls. Excess Allied aid
to Ireland can in the same way affect the play of
Axis variant 112. When a player tries to activate a

minor by variant counter and fails, he can keep trying. Although the Spain variant is normally played
only in Spring'41, it 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 one but Hitler doubted the outcome. Turkey
may now become a British minor ally under the
right circumstances:
-Allied 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 at least seven of the Mediterranean Front objective hexes.
- Turkey is still neutral.
(As mentioned earlier, Turkey, if attacked,
automatically becomes a minor ally of any intervening power.)
35.5 A sea supply route through one or more of the following 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 factor 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 factors 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 on Cyprus, Crete or 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 if the Allies stationed two 9-factor fleets in
the Mediterranean east "I' the Suez Canal no Axis units
could be "supplied" through the port. NOTE: 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 ports may support 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 or Madrid, or a sea supply line
from Britain to a north Spanish port and across
Spain. But the limits do apply to units at Malta,
even though Malta is a fortress.
Units may SR through the strait if Gibraltar is
controlled, regardless of enemy forces on any hex
near Gibraltar. This is unchanged. They may also
SR into Gibraltar (remaining there) regardless of
adjacent units. The converse is not true; enemy
units may not SR into hex Z8. Gibraltar may be
bombarded or invaded from either front and sea
transport missions from either front may land
there.
At Suez city, displaced fleets must escape to the
Mediterranean if the canal is usable and Gibraltar is
not hostile. If either condition does not 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 cannot be used
again until one side or the other has controlled all
canal-side hexes for two complete game turns. (This
rule also applies to the canal at Kiel-the two ports
are usable, but only as one-front ports until the
damage is repaired.) Either side may use the SuezWestern Front Sea Escort SR route (throughout the
game) at double SR cost, but 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 colony.

Technically it was independent (from 1932)-but
technically so was Egypt (from 1922). World War II
era maps generally showed Iraq in the pink of the
British Empire; British bases and forces were
present much as in Egypt. The Iraqi revolt variant is
still quite playable; if British forces are in Mosul,
the rebels have one turn to capture it for their supply.
BRPs cannot be SR'd through Iraq. The prohibition became necessary to prevent cost-free circumvention of the Lend-Lease route.
Even though Persia is located within the
Mediterranean Front, a player who pays the LendLease activation costs does not thereby gain an offensive option throughout that entire front. In fact,
the old "declaration of war and offensive option"
phrasing has been abandoned entirely in favor of a
flat 25 BRP charge.
Lend-Lease BRPs have been reduced to a maximum of 20 per turn. They require sea escort only
for the first turn of the two-turn transfer process.
They are charged against SRs during both turns,
but are charged against American initial
deployments (if coming from the U.S.) only on the
first of the two turns.
BRPs in the Lend-Lease box can be moved back
to the West instead of on to Russia if surrender of
Russia, cutting of the Lend-Lease route, unjust
Bolshevik commentary on Western shortcomings,
or some other development causes the granter to
change his mind. Or they can remain in the LendLease box for additional turns (to await a hoped-for
reopening of a closed route or a diplomatic
apology, perhaps).
If an eastern Mediterranean port-plus-l and-hex
route through Turkey is friendly, it may be used for
Lend-Lease without paying any activation cost, but
is subject to the same two-turn delay as is the
Persian route. The BRPs are considered to have
reached the port at the end of the first turn and the
Axis may destroy them there if they are able to
occupy the port before the BRPs move on.
Extensive changes have been made to Murmansk
convoy rules. All (vice 90% of) unopposed convoy
BRPs reach Russia. Submarines may oppose convoys even if Germany does not control Norway, but
eliminate one less BRP per factor than they otherwise would. And:
42.42 Axis fleet strength opposing the convoy is compared
to Allied fleet strength. (The latter includes the units Sea
Escorting the BRPs as well as any extra convoy protection
fleets.) If the Axis-to-Allied naval ratio is less than 1-3,
nothing happens. For 1-3 and higher ratios a die roll is
made; results are as follows:
1-3: On die roll of "1", Axis fleets feint sortie-convoy
scatters and loses an extra BRP for each factor of submarine and air attacks.
1-2: On die rolls" I", or "2" Axis fleets sortie, drawing
Allied reaction. Convoy scatters and automatically loses
I0"7. of its BRPs (fractions rounded down) plus an extra
BRP for each factor of submarine and air attacks.
I-I: On die rolls" 1", "2" and "3" Axis fleets sortie. Convoy scatters and loses 20"7. of its BRPs plus an extra BRP
for each factor of submarine and air attacks.
3-2: On die rolls of "1" through "4" Axis fleets sortie.
Convoy scatters and loses 30"7.1' its BRPs plus an extra BRP
for each factor of submarine and air attacks.
Any ratio greater than 3-2 is treated as 3-2. These losses
from surface naval opposition are determined first before
any further BRP deductions are made for successful air or
submarine opposition. If the Axis fleets sortie, both sides
roll a die to determine if a naval battle will occur. The player
rolling the higher number may decide whether to join battle
or not (Axis player wins ties). If battle is joined, naval losses
are extracted in the normal manner. Regardless of naval
losses suffered (if any), the percentage convoy BRP loss is
not affected.
42.43 For each air factor in the Murmansk box a die is rolled with the resulting number indicating the BRPs lost from
the convoy. (There is a + 1 die roll modifier if the convoy
scatters and a -I die roll modifier for every excess 9-factor
fleet beyond those needed to transport the BRPs if the convoy does not scatter. After each air factor attacks another

22
die is rolled to see if the air factor survives. The air factor
survives on any die roll less than "6". There is a + I die roll
modifier for every accompanying 9-fastor fleet providing
protection (i.e. not needed for transport of BRPs) if the
convoy does not scatter.
42.44 For each submarine factor in excess of escorting
ASW factors, 3 BRPs are lost from the convoy (4 if convoy
scatters). Submarine and ASW counters are mutually
eliminated as in SW resolution in whatever ratio was in
force during the YSS of the current year.
Germany's required 25-factor commitment to
the Eastern Front has been reduced to 20, but must
be composed of ground and air only. It must be met
at the end of each German movement phase and
player turn. (The same principle has been applied to
Britain's 10 factors in Ireland when the IRA variant
is played, and to the 45-factor Axis post-conquest
garrison in Russia.) This pretty well ends the German tactic of basing air in the east, staging it west to
France and then SRing back; although it is still permissible for Germany to move or SR units into the
East in order to allow other units to exit during the
same phase. The penalty for a German shortfall is
lifting of the prohibition on Russian declarations of
war. If Germany falls short of the 45-factor requirement the penalty is more elaborate: Germany must
abandon one Eastern Front objective hex of her
choice and return it to the Russian player, must lose
15 BRPs as penalty, and may not use SR for any
purpose other than to correct the shortage until the
45 factors have been reinstated.
Russia may not cross the partition line in Poland
until at war with Germany. Germany may, but must
withdraw to her own side as soon as Poland falls.
If a reckless Nazi declares war on Russia before
Russia declares war on East Europe, Russia may
enter any part of Poland without further ceremony.
Neither Russia nor Germany may enter the Baltic
States until one of them spends 10 BRPs to declare
war on that area. Bessarabia remains a permanent
part of Rumania.
If neither Russia nor Germany deigns to declare
war on East Europe by the end of spring 1940,
eastern Poland belongs to whoever controls Warsaw. The Baltic States become a separate area
worth 25 BRPs, and Bessarabia again remains part
of Rumania.
Previously Germany could evade much or all of
the effect of the Russian Winter rule by arranging to
declare war on a fall or winter turn and having few
or no units across the original Russian frontier at
the onset of winter. This rule is now applied to the
first winter following German declaration of war
on Russia, and Russia may even then be able to
postpone the first winter effects. Four dice are
rolled at the beginning of the first winter following
declaration of war. If the dice sum exceeds the
number of non-Finnish Axis units east of the
original border, Russia may choose to postpone
first winter effects until the following winter.
All pre-1942 restrictions on France-British
cooperation apply equally to cooperation between
Russia and the Western Allies, throughout the
game. The prohibition on combining to attack the
same hex is retained. Neither may give the other any
type of air or naval support, neither may draw
supply from a source controlled by the other, and
neither may use air/naval bases controlled by the
other. No more than ten factors of Western Allied
units may ever be in Russia, and even these would
have to be able to trace their own supply from a
Western-controlled source.
If the Axis declare war on their fellow fascists in
Spain, their good will with other authoritarianinclined regimes plummets. Axis variants 1,3,5 and
7 are cancelled if not yet played, and the Axis must
roll six or higher with one die (as opposed to I) to
activate a minor ally.
Corsica becomes Vichy upon the fall of France.
Although Free French colonies yield BRPs to
Britain, 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 of 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 1940 YSS)
SUBTRACT any BRP deficit resulting from
SW losses
NEW BASE
ADD BRP value of appropriate minor countries, conquests, etc. Germany only: add Moscow/
Leningrad BRPs if controlled.
ADD (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-

Those who playtested the new edition have been

credited in the rulebook and praised in these pages,
and rightly so. I wish also to credit some unknowing
participants-those who sent in questions about the
rules. If during the past year or so you received a
reply with a star next to some of your questions, you
may have had a hand in the new game. Such starred
questions often, although not always, resulted in a
change or an addition to the new rules; at the very
least they sent me back to the manuscript to ponder
and review what had been done. I will conclude with
my favorite:
Q: If Berlin falls, can I SR to Argentina?
A: Yes, if the Russian player doesn't SR you to
Siberia first.

THIRD REICH '81

struction

Divide by two, dropping any fraction. (This

gives the spending limit per /Urn for the coming
year.)
Axis upon Vichy activation. If a French colony had
been conquered by the Axis before France fell, or if
a Vichy colony was lost to the Allies and reconquered by the Axis, then 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 recapture an Allied-controlled Paris. Partisans in either city don't result in the deactivation
of Vichy.
A few changes have been made to the Vichy activation table. The + I for all colonies Vichy has
been dropped. The + 2 for Gibraltar or Suez/Alexandria has been clarified; there can be a total + 4
addition if the Axis control both areas. There is a-2
if the Axis declare war on Spain. Several -I 's are
clarified:
-if all French colonies are under Allied control.
-if 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.
-if 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 port 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 at the start of this scenario.
In multi-player games, 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 consent. A player 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 move
any more units in that vicinity. This procedure may be used
either during Movement, Combat, Exploitation, or SR;
and may be adapted for the other instances where allies cannot reach agreement on how to proceed. Since such
disagreements indicate a strain on the alliance, units of the
allies concerned may not stack together on that front for the
remainder of that player turn-though units already stacked together could remain so if they did not move.

Few wargames have maintained their

popularity over the years as well as THIRD
REICH; the winner of various hobby "Best"
awards, and to this day the holder of CAMPAIGN magazine's "Best Game of all Time"
honors. This popularity is even more remarkable
in light of the game's admittedly poorly developed
rules. In recognition of the special qualities of this
title, Avalon Hill has put THIRD REICH through
the development process again. A team of
THIRD REICH enthusiasts from all around the
globe was assembled to test the revised edition.
Years of experience with the earlier edition helped
formulate the revision during a blind playtest
session. The results have been more than gratifying with our most enthusiastic testing response
ever.

THIRD REICH '81 is much more than a

cleaned up version of the old game, although the
rules presentation itself is much improved over
the first edition. Among the changes is a completely revised map board with terrain changes
that have profound effects on the game, while
being both more functional (no ambiguous hexes)
and attractive. The scenario cards have been revised to provide more useful information at the
player's fingertips and also provide the U.S. and
French players with their own separate cards.
However, the biggest change is in the rules
themselves. Not only are they more complete and
better organized, but they contain many design
changes which drastically improve play of the
game. Paramount among these changes are revisions to the Strategic Warfare rules which bring
the U-boats under control by 1944 and account
for the Luftwaffe's absence from the battlefield
as they are withdrawn to protect the Reich from
Allied strategic bombing. A free Russian Replacement rule portrays the influx of Siberian forces at
the crucial point of the Eastern Front, and major
changes to the Murmansk Convoy rules make that
aspect of the game almost a game in its own right.
A completely new innovation is provided in the
form of Intelligence and Foreign Aid rules which
allow more political maneuvering outside the
purely military sphere of the game.

THIRD REICH '81 is available now in a revised 3rd edition box for $16.00 plus 10% (20070
Canadian; 30% overseas) postage charges from
Avalon Hill. Those wishing only to update their
old game may order the parts separately (mapboard $8.00, rules $2.00, scenario cards $2.(0).
Maryland residents please add 5% state sales tax.

23

STATE OF THE ART TOBRUK

By Lorrin Bird

It is hard to believe that anyone would challenge

the realism of TOBR UK. Playability or excitement
level sure, but the historicity? Designer Hal Hoch
brought more impressive credentials to his design
than anyone else before or since. We're not saying
Mr. Bird is correct; we'll let you decide if his
changes give the game a beller "feel".
When TOBR UK first came out in 1975, manyof
the ideas included in the game were among the most
advanced concepts in armor miniatures gaming.
Over the last five years, however, innovations and
improvements in the world of armor simulation
have rendered many of TOBRUK's rules relatively
out-of-date. This article investigates several of the
major rules where current thinking has evolved to
the point where a revision might help, and offers
optional solutions.
When our group first played TOBRUKback in
1977, there was no doubt in any of our minds that
the game represented the ultimate in armor gaming
on the I: I scale (one tank equals one tank, unlike
PANZER LEADER where a tank counter was a
platoon). From the relative rate of fire (which
caused many a sore wrist the next day for the British
players) to the different armor thicknesses over the
parts of a tank (upper hull, lower hull, turret
mantlet, etc.), this game had it all, and in a simpler
system than many of the fancy miniatures rules.
As time went on, and we experimented with the
various miniatures rules that started to become
available, problems with TOBRUK came to light.
Rules for miniature tank battles with scale models
contained many shortcuts which served to shorten
playing time, although they did overly generalize
some of the combat steps. We occasionally found
the forty turn TOBRUK scenario a little unwieldy,
and felt that we were actually sitting out there in the
sweltering desert as the hours ticked by with dice
rolls predominating. We all agreed that the game
could use some streamlining.
Combat results also held a few relative misgivings, as some of the determinations conflicted with
armor miniatures rules and what thinking we could
drum up regarding the issue. In particular, the large
number of automatic ricochets on frontal hits
sometimes left one feeling odd, as the ferocious
"88" rounds trickled off of the tinniest armor
going. Whyfore, we brazenly asked?
Since TOBRUK will always remain dear to our
hearts, and really detailed games or rules covering
the 1942 North African conflict are in short supply,
we decided to take all of the most recent design innovations and see if the old (game) warhorse could
be instilled with new blood. To our satisfaction, we
found that TOBRUK's system was lively enough to
accept a number of revisions without crumbling or
becoming a "monster of unplayability", and the
following represents our findings and suggested
rule updates.

The "88" Phenomena

Based on our readings on North African battles,
there was no doubt that the German 88 millimeter
gun was the most feared and productive part of the
Afrika Korps battle plan. Whether on the defense,
where they were used to cut apart British armor
after they were lured into a trap, or used offensively
to blow away any enemy tanks at long range that
dared to counterattack, 88's were the most lethal
weapon in Africa.
The equally feared (for a while, anyway)
Matilda, whose armor was beyond the means of
PzKw IIIg's and MI3/40's with their low velocity

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 1941 Africa.
The German Flak 18 not only stopped the vaunted
Matilda, but proceeded to dismantle their turrets
and terrorize British armor crews. It appeared that
even the 80mm thick hide of the Matilda was no
match for the panzer wonderweapon, which must
have made the cruiser crews (protected by 15-40mm
of plate) a bit nervous.
After reading about the 88's total 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.
Getting into the armor mechanics of the thing,
one finds further proof that something is amiss. At
525 meters, or about seven hexes in TOBRUK, an
88 can penetrate 130mm of armor hit head on.
Stuarts, according to our data, have about 40mm of
frontal armor, so the 88 can blast through three
times the Stuart armor at seven hexes. Even
accounting for angled hits, there is very little logic
that suggests that 88 hits will bounce away three
times in every five hits.
Of course, one could always assume that the
rounds blew through the target tank, but without
hitting anything? An 88mm shell is about 3.5 inches
across, and even if it didn't hit anything, the metal it
would throw around the tank interior would certainly make things a little uncomfortable, if not
totally chaotic (would you stay in a tank that had
been port holed by a gun, and would certainly be in
store for more rounds if you didn't give some sign
that the tank was out of action-like bailing out).
To our way of thinking, the tendency of rounds
to bounce off armor due to angle of hit is a function
of shell penetration to armor relationships, and the
general procedure of having hits ricochet without
distinction was too simple.
This, of course, requires an adjustment to the
hit determination and shell damage charts, but fortunately it was relatively simple. Instead of a different 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, would be included in the damage
resolution procedure.
We decided to use the following for hit
determination:
Die Roll Aspect Hit
2-5
6-7

8-9
10-12

Turret
Upper Hull
Lower Hull
Suspension or Track

In our system, front, side and rear hits would all use
the same chart, which is a gross simplification but
speeds things up considerably.
The simplified handling of turret mantlet and
frontal face hits will be handled as part of the
damage determination, where a lot of the separate
steps previously required will be wrapped into a
number of very basic assumptions.
Having done away with the automatic ricochets,
the next step is to work them into the damage
system. As previously noted, the tendency of shells
to bounce should be a function of how much their
penetration exceeded the armor they hit. More particularly, consider the following data that was
derived from U.S. Army Field Manuals:

Angle of Hit

Increase in
Armor Resistance

30
45
60

25"10
70"10
160"10

0
0

A 40mm plate, when hit at an angle of 30 degrees

from the perpendicular (see figure one), resists
penetration as if it were 25070 thicker, or 50mm in
thickness. While a shell capable of wasting 130mm
of armor wouldn't feel too much more resistance at
a 30 degree angle, a round with 45mm penetration
would probably ricochet since the effective
armor exceeds the shell penetration. So ricochets
should be a function of penetration to armor, but
how do we pop this into our game system in a
playable manner?
Resorting to the old gross assumption toolbox
for a "quick and dirty" method, the following
policy was formulated:

6O~

"'igure 1: As angle of shell incidence increases, the armor to be

penetrated also increases

If a shell can penetrate an armor plate out to a

given range when hitting head on, towards the outer
limits of that range there will be a tendency to
bounce off due to angle hits.
In game terms, we just assumed that at the outer
six hexes where penetration is possible, one third of
all hits will bounce off (besides angle effects, individual rounds always deviate a little from the
average penetration figure). This means that if a
50mmL/42 shell can damage a tank out to 12 hexes,
from 7-12 hexes one third of the hits will ricochet.
Six hexes was chosen since it represents 450
meters, a distance within which shells usually lose a
good share of their penetration, and the one-third
ricochet factor was picked so that a fair share of
non-bouncing hits would accrue.
So, if our 50mmL/42 did hit at II hexes a piece
of armor it was only capable of damaging out to 12
hexes, after the hit one die would be rolled. On a roll
of five or six, the shot failed to damage (this also
provides for penetrations that got into the tank but
did nothing).
The end result is that the favored 88, after
hitting a Stuart front at any range, will never
ricochet (a change my British opponents will never
forget or forgive). Besides being a bit more logical,
things like this will help speed up play, since
ricochets helped build the number of rolls needed to
knockout a target vehicle.

Target Aspect Definition

As defined in TOBR UK, where the vehicles face
the flat part of a hex (figure 2), the angle of front
hits is limited to 30 degrees either side of the target
direction. While this selection simplifies the frontal
angles that might conceivably come up, it makes it
too simple to score a flank hit, and distorts the armor rating system.

Figure 2:

24
To get into it a little deeper, the arc in which
flank shots are defined extends for a range of 120
degrees, twice that of the frontal arc. Since getting a
flank hit often spells doom for the poor target, the
relatively liberal range of flank hits makes careless
placement a deadly game.

FRONT

SIDE

SHOT

Figure 3: The TOBRUK nank sho! definition allows side hils at 60

angles

What compounds the large flank arc is the effect

on armor resistance of allowing hits at 60 degrees
from head on to be treated as perpendicular flank
shots. Figure 3 shows a target PzKw IIIh being hit
from just inside the flank arc, a round that will
probably KO the tank due to the flimsy side armor.
In reality, at that angle of shot, the flank armor will
resist penetration as if it were 2.6 times its basic
thickness (due to the effects of angled hits that were
previously described).
Instead of being a chintzy 30mm thick, the side
of the panzer III will react to armor piercing shot as
if it were 78mm thick, the equivalent of a Matilda
II's front.

FRONT
SHOTS

Suspension Hits
If TOBRUK were taken literally, the answer to
the King Tiger would had to have been the Bofors
anti-aircraft gun. What better tactic could one
think of than attacking the most heavily armored
beast on the battlefield, one which could defeat hits
by any gun, with a weapon that almost always
would blow the tracks off the Tiger II. Once the
giant were immobilized, the assault would peter
out, and artillery could bury the enemy panzer.
As it stands now, track hits always immobilize,
which is a very simplified version of the truth, if
ever there were one.
Logic would tell us, right off the bat, that a
track capable of carting around a seventy ton tank
would sometimes be able to ward off hits by Y2 inch
anti-tank rifle shells, let alone shells with practically
no penetrating capability at all. While nothing in
North Africa approached a King Tiger (or even half
of one), the assumption that Bofors, anti-tank rifle
and 20mm hits would always tear apart tracks and
bust wheels is just too general and weak.
Without getting into considerations of relative
track strengths, one can put together a reasonably
detailed and realistic model by assuming the following:
Weapon Type
ATR's
Up to 41mm
Up to 57mm
Up to 90mm

Roll to
Immobilize
2-4
2-5
2-8
2-10

Notes
20mm Breda,
PzKw II gun
2pdr., Bofors
6pdr.
Included here is 25 pdr.

The added lethality oflarger shells is due to their

size, weight (75mm rounds scale out at about 15
pounds, while 40mm rounds are under 2 pounds),
and explosive charge (they have more chance of
blowing off a wheel, or bending an axle).
REAR

Figure 4: Alternative target aspect system (movement into one of two

frontal hexes)

What this all suggests is that the arc of flank

shots be reduced, both to more realistically reflect
what constitutes a side hit (at 60 degrees from the
side perpendicular, many hits would land on the
frontal armor, a problem we would like to glance
over for playability purposes), and to resolve the
angle effects issue with the least offensive assumptions possible.

Figure S: Movement mechanics

The solution appears to be, at its simplest level,

to ape the SQUAD LEADER system and point
tanks towards the corners of the hex. This greatly
reduces the ease with which one previously scored a
flank hit, and while avoiding a direct confrontation
with angle effects (which would really fill out the
playing hours with die rolls and mathematical gyrations), gives us a more reasonable model of target
aspect problems. While things are still too simplistic
for the purity freaks, TOBRUK's primary concern
should be a playable game, and not something that
Einstein would have trouble finding fault with (let
alone playing a game inside of a light year).

High Explosive Tank Fire

While the Grant is one 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 land in the target hex. A 75 meter wide
hex may be a big area (about 250 feet across), but
having a gun incapable of hitting a tank at 1300
meters landing an HE shell inside a 75 meter circle
at that range boggles the mind. And this is more
than a moot point, since the Grant can immobilize
trucks, halftracks and 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 the fragmentation factors will ever hurt anybody. While one can always
put forth the fact that HE shots don't have to hit
directly, but only land nearby, we can reply with
two facts;
I. HE shell lethal areas are 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 inaccurate.
With quite a bit of logic on our side, we can
safely say that HE fragmentation factors from
direct fire weapons should have to undergo the
same hit/miss procedure as anti-tank fire (but no
target size modifiers in deference to the lethal radius
of HE rounds).

Armor and Shell Revisions

While the various sources commonly used for
armor gaming almost always differ in their armor
thicknesses and shell penetration, we prefer sources
that give different results from TOBRUK.
Using Von Senger and Etterlin and the TANK
CHARTS set of armor miniatures rules, we
modified the following damage ranges:

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
Front

50mm
Short
(APCR)
50mm
Long
50mm
Long
(APCR)

Matilda II
Front
All
Front 50mm Short
(APCR)
Front 50mm Long
Side 50mm Short
(APCR)
Side 50mm Long
Valentine
Front 50mm Short
(APCR)
Front 50mm Long
Side 50mm Short
(APCR)
Side 50mm Long

Maximum Effective Range

no KG YS. turret any range
Use TUR for LH
13 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
4 hexes YS. LH
3 hexes YS. LH
20 hexes YS. LH
4 hexes YS. UH
16 vs. LH
9 hexes

YS.

UH & LH

~r

7 hexes

YS.

UH & LH

4 hexes

YS.

TU R

!'

Treat LH & UH the same

7 hexes YS. LH, 9 YS. TUR
7 hexes YS. TUR
7 YS. UH, II YS. LH, 9 vs. TUR
3 YS. UH, 7 YS. TUR
II hexes
13
13

YS.
YS.

YS.

UH & LH, 10 YS. TUR

LH & UH, 12 YS. TUR

LH & UH, 11 YS. TUR

16 YS. LH & UH, 13 vs. TUR

These changes are basically major problem

areas that were discovered while pouring over every
armor statistic and gun capability. Given the enormous amounts of research that were required to put
the game together, we assume that somewhere
along the line a few mistakes were input into the.
machinery. For instance, the Valentine had
60-65mm of frontal armor, with 65mm on the turret
front. The German 50mm long could penetrate
78mm at 500 meters, so should be able to destroy a
Valentine frontally beyond the 225 meter range that
TOBRUK now allows.
The PzKw IIIh changes are somewhat more subtle, since they are based on the relative mix of the
various Mark III models in the desert.
The Afrika Korps could never claim strict
adherence to a firm mix of tank models, since at the
time of Gazala the pz III's were made up of IIIf, g
and h models, each with differing armor. And even
the IIIH's could differ, since a solid 75mm hit on
the frontal spaced armor would probably blow the'
plate to bits (most of the IIIj 's that are shown in pictures don't retain the turret spaced armor, the likely
victim of a 6 pdr. or 75mm hit). What is included in
our optional changes is a fair common ground upon
which to determine likely damage results, and no
claim to strict purity is advanced.
We did not try to get into the different levels of
tank damage that TOBRUK does with our revisions, but would suggest that players treat damaging hits as KO's for simplicity sake.
Rate Of Fire
This, as far as we could tell, was one of the worst
causes of the WAR A T SEA atmosphere that
permeated most of the dice throwing TOBRUK
games. Throwing for 3-11 shots per weapon, target
section hits and then damage was just too much. So,
along comes another one of those beautiful
simplifications that will make the game more
playable.

:.

t.
'

'.

f
(

25
Instead of rolling for every shot, why not roll
once but allow for multiple hits?
For example, a weapon with one shot rolls once
for a hit, but if two shots are called for, rolling the
hit score obtains one hit, but rolling two above the
hit score results in two hits. Three above the hit
score allows three hits (given a ROF of 3, of course),
etc. Say a PzKw IIIh is firing on an acquired
Crusader, and needs a hit score of 6 for a successful
shot. Then here is how the dice rolls would be interpreted:
Number of Hits
2-5
None
6-7
One Hit
8
Two Hits
9
Three Hits
1O-l2
Four Hits
If the ROF had gone up to six, then the chart
would have been extended.
Note that while this chart does not strictly relate
the probabilities of throwing individual rolls to the
percentages presented on the table, it has enough
"saving graces" to excuse the differences. For one
thing, a weapon with 35 shots will never score more
than six or seven hits (depending on the hit score),
which not only saves your wrist from future
arthritis pains, but assumes multiple hits on one
target section will not create the additional mayhem
that more rolls would require. Cutting down on the
plethora of hits has got to liven things up.
Roll

'.

On the negative side, an awful lot of shot throws

will result in no hits, which may be a wild assumption considering that six shots may be involved.
Keep in mind, however, that this will really speed
things up and will even bring a little suspense into
the game (it's now a totally "hit or miss" affair. It
also intuitively brings into play the duel concept,
since if all six shots miss with one roll, one can
assume that the enemy hit the tank before the majority of rounds could be fired off (if it is done in).
Since tank combat is a wild and wooly affair, and is
not easily simulated (a few Churchill tanks once
overran a horde of firing "88's", PzKw Ill's and
IV's and 75mm anti-tank guns, a feat none of my
games ever duplicated), assumptions really can't be
proved or disproved with any degree of certainty.
In fact, carrying this a bit further, the use of
alternate tank fire in TOBRUK is an assumption
that aids in the play but has no relationship to
reality. No tank is going to wait until the other tanks
have fired off all of their rounds before opening up.
The use of one roll to simulate many shots is no
more "in the wrong" than alternate tank shots, and
it is upon this gross assumption that the use of
"many shots rolled into one" systems are based.
TOBRUK is a game, and assumes things for
playability (or should have) that are not technically
correct. So there, nitpickers!
While on the subject of alternating fire, here's
an additional rule to consider.
Instead of alternating fire, tank by tank, why
not use a priority system that bases who fires first
on ROF, crew morale, and a random roll. Before
combat starts (but after movement), each side rolls
two six-sided dice, with the higher score giving the
thrower the first shot based on the following
system:
I. Higher ROF always goes first if they've acquired a target.
2. Higher roll fires all his units first, if no tanks
have acquired a target, or many have (higher roll
breaks acquisition tie).
3. Anti-tank guns always fire first.
Modifiers: - I to roll if British and defending.
If two PzKw IIIh are firing on a Matilda, and
one pz III and the Matilda are firing on acquired
targets, and the roll is higher for the panzers (or is a
tie, which goes to the DAK), the firing order is:
PzKw IIIh with acquisition, Matilda, remaining
PzKw I1Ih.

Instead of playing these sort of games, we usually

limit tanks to their initial rate of fire (battlefields
are confused, dusty and panic stricken, and proving
ground ROF may be too high), and whoever rolls
higher fires off all their weapons first. Allowing for
no hits helps to reduce the overwhelming advantage
first fire might otherwise allow. Players can experiment with this further, and assume their own conventions, but anything that quickens play will be a
big plus.

Visibility
While the good old 88 is- 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, just can't be seen beyond 500 meters, especially
if they're stationary. Add on to this the fact that
hedgehogs, weapon pits and other defensive positions were often camouflaged, and one can appreciate 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 until 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 invisible 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 distances). 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 article are used, the
end result is a streamlined game of TOBRUK that
becomes considerably 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 ball 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 indicated that 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 great
degree.

Conclusion
As this article has stated several times, these suggested revisions are put forth primarily to get
players into an experimenting mode, and are not intended to be the final word on the subjects. With
time, any system will naturally grow old, stale and
behind the times, and by occasionally reviewing recent accomplishments and concepts the old can be
revived, and brought into a competitive position
with the best of the new.

MICROCOMPUTER GAMES
UPDATED
The Microcomputer Game Division of Avalon
Hill has expanded its line to provide cassette
programs for the ATARI 800 as well as diskettes
for the TRS-80 II, APPLE II, and ATARI 800
computers.
All four cassette versions come in the same
package; unless specified otherwise below; that is
TRS-80 II, APPLE II, PET, and ATARI 800 versions are spaced at intervals on the same tape.
Diskette versions come with only one version to a
package so it is important that you specify the
computer you intend to use the program for as
well as noting the varying memory requirements
of the different programs. A complete listing of
Microcomputer offerings follows.
B-1 NUCLEAR BOMBER is available in 16K
cassettes for all four computers for $15.00. A 32K
diskette is available for the TRS-80 and APPLE,
and a 24K version for the ATARI for $20.
MIDWAY CAMPAIGN is available in 16K
cassettes for the TRS-80, APPLE, and PET and
32K for the ATARI for $15. 32K diskette versions
are available for the TRS-80 and APPLE, and a
40K version for the ATARI for $20.
NORTH A TLANTlC CONVOY RAIDER
and NUKEWAR are available in 16K cassettes for
all four computers for $15 each. 32K Diskettes for
the TRS-80 and APPLE, and a 24K version for
the ATARI are available for $20.
PLANETMINERS is available in 16K cassettes
for the TRS-80, APPLE, and PET and a 24K version for the ATARI for $15. 32K diskettes are
available for the TRS-80, APPLE, and ATARI
for $20.00 each.
LORDS OF KARMA is available in 48K
cassette for the TRS-80, 32K for the APPLE and
PET, and 40K for the ATARI for $20.00. 48K
diskette versions are available for the TRS-80 and
APPLE only for $25.
COMPUTER ACQUIRE is available in 16K
cassettes for the TRS-80, APPLE, and PET for
$20. 32K diskettes are available for the TRS-80
and APPLE for $25.
CONFLICT 2500 is available in 16K cassettes
for the TRS-80, APPLE and PET, and a 32K version for the ATARI for $15.00. 32K diskettes are
available for the TRS-80 and APPLE, and a 40K
version for the ATARI for $20.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL is available
in a 16K cassette version for the TRS-80, and a
32K version for the APPLE for $25.00. A 32K
diskette for the TRS-80 and a 48K diskette for the
APPLE are available for $30.00.
EMPIRE OF THE OVERMIND is available
in 48K cassettes for the TRS-80 and APPLE and a
40K version for the ATARI for $30.00. 48K
diskettes for the TRS-80 and APPLE are
available for $35 each.
TANKTlCS is available in 16K cassettes for
the TRS-80, APPLE, and PET and 24K for the
ATARI for $24. 32K diskettes for the TRS-80 and
APPLE, and a 40K version for the ATARI are
available for $29.00.

26

AIW POINT BY POINT

By James C. Gordon

OR, LOOK WHAT YOU'VE STARTED TOM OLESONI

If imitation is truly the sincerest form offlattery,

Tom Oleson has to be feeling prelly good by now.
The premise for his 1971 article "Situation 13" has
fostered more spin-offs than Mary Tyler Moore
and D&D combined. The concept should be getting
a bit tired by now, but on the off chance that some
AIW enthusiast out there is frustrated because
someone hasn't applied the formula to his game,
here we go again . ..
In the spirit of Tom Oleson's "Situation 13"
(THE GENERAL, Vol. 8, No. I) and Robert
Chiang's "Abstract Panzer Leader" (Vol. 14, No.
6), this is a third generation article. The objective is
to re-establish the system for 'free unit selection'
scenarios using the same basic concept of 'unit
point totals'. A single point value is derived for all
units in the game, and each player is allowed to
choose whichever units he desires as long as the
total number of points expended does not exceed an
agreed upon maximum.
Although all three games are similar, each has
its own unique pieces and game system which
necessitate developing new standards for
calculating the point totals. In AIW, there are new
unit capabilities to consider, along with the new
unit types that have arisen in modern armies, and a
variety of changes in these weapons' effectiveness.
Another difference between AIW and the earlier
games is the increased participation of air units, in
Basic and Advanced capacities, allowing a number
of weapon types to be carried.
For most units, the four basic factors (AF, RF,
DF, MF) are summed with allowances and
modifications for twelve capabilities (or incapabilities), some of which are in contrast to the
systems devised in the earlier articles. A few units
have specific modifiers that apply only to that
weapon type, which will be explained with their
respective categories.
In the chart below are listed the modifying
factors, and the changes that they enact.
Hull Down
Smoke
Overrun
without SMF
without Carry
CAT

DF + lor 2
Cross Country MF - V<
Truck
MF - Y,
DF + 1
2MF-I
AF&MF + 2 Amphibious
MF-V<
Carry "T"
MF X 2
MF-V<
Special Infantry MF x 2
Wire Guidance DF - Y,
AF + 2 or 3

Since tanks and" A" type tank destroyers are

the basic weapon in all three games, that is again the
starting point for summing the basic factors. The
standard capability of the tanks and TD's, when
their factors are combined into a single total, is the
model against which all other AFVs will be compared and modified.
Contrasting the earlier articles, all tanks, plus
the Arab SU-lOO, add two to their AF and MFfor
overruns. representing the addition to the die roll
and the movement points required. The RF remains
the same, and the DF is raised for Hull Down (two
for the Israelis, one for the Arabs), and for Smoke
(if the unit is capable). All Arab units, plus the
Israeli TDs, are without Split-Fire-and-Movement
and Carrying abilities. both lowering the MF by
one-quarter. (The base MF is lowered by onequarter, twice, before the two is added for
Overrun.)
The light armor category contains a mixture of
units, with the common element being mobility
(and Hull Down). The light tanks are totalled as
regular tanks, although the Israeli AMX-13 is
without Carry; the Arab PT-76 is missing Carry,

SMF and Smoke, but it is Amphibious. The

recoilless rifle jeeps have a modification for Cross
Country movement only. The Israeli armored infantry and scout jeep mount "I" class weapons,
counting their RF as one, 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 effective range for CAT attacks. All infantry 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 antitank weapons of an "A" class, and against
armored targets the split 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 destroyers, which can
only attack armored targets. All units use their total
AF, and subtract two from their RF, except for the
Israeli TOW MI13AI (the only units 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, carrying "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 modifiers include Cross Country, Amphibious, 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.
Engineer vehicles present a unique problem
because their standard factors do not include any
allowance for special engineering abilities. The
basic factors are totalled like other units, except
that no points are lost 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 flailing ability; the A VLB bridgers
add 3MF + I, to include the single turn expenditure
in laying a bridge and the maximum of three per
game that can be installed. Ferry units are Amphibious, and must expend their entire MF twice to
transfer one unit; their MF is totalled as 2 (2MF-I).
Finally, the Arab PMP bridgeplayer and MLG
minelayer are totalled exactly the same, each moving at the Truck rate, and doubling their MF for
engineering abilities.
Artillery comes in four varieties: towed (including mortars), self-propelled, off-board, and
anti-aircraft. Beyond the standard DF and MF
modifications (disregarding SMF and Carry).
regular artillery is factored mainly for indirect fire
ability, counting RF- V. (the usable percentage) and
AF-Y, (strength against armored targets); AA units
use Y,AF if the RF is over six. Off-board AFs come
from the game scenarios, and is combined with
"3AF" for the RF.

Assessing the totals for Basic Air Strikes is

similar to that for Off-board artillery. First, the
AFs are taken from the game scenarios; the Arabs
can use 10 or 16, while the Israelis choose from 10,
21 or 22. All attacks are class "A". Next, the standard range for Basic strikes is one, but there is the
option to shift the target hex by one on the turn of
attack, making the RF two. Combining the class
"A" weapon and the range of two on the WEC
doubles the AF for all strikes. There is no DF or MF
involved in the Basic rules, and each strike can be
used only once.
Advanced Air Strikes differ from the Basic in
that they use jet and helicopter counters, and can
carry a variety of weapon types, attack strengths,
and corresponding range factors. In addition, the
Israeli helicopters have organic weapons, and both
sides have units capable of transporting infantry
types.
The Israeli Huey Cobra, with an "A" class
weapon, is totalled as an anti-tank weapon, retaining all four factors as they appear. The UH-I
mounts an "I" weapon, but retains its total AF
against (strictly) non-armored targets. Both
transport units, the UH-I and the Arab Mi-8,
double their MF for their Carry "31" ability. Jet
units have a DF, but not any MF because of their
unlimited movement. They can be placed on any
hex on any turn.
The AF and RF for air strikes carried by these
units varies according to the weapon type and the
WECo Individual point totals for the" A", "G"
and "H/(H)" class AFs are restricted to those used
in the game scenarios. Class" A" strikes use the
same AFs as the Basic game (doubled), plus an RF
of three. The Israeli "G" strikes have an AF of 40,
while the Arabs use 30, with a range factor of
twelve. With "H/(H)" attacks, the Israelis use 45,
the Arabs 20, and the range is zero. The AF for
"G" strikes is totalled at face value, while the last
type is halved; jet units add their DF, and
helicopters also add their MF. Like Basic strikes,
Advanced strikes can only be used once (although
the helicopters can use their organic weapons any
number of times).
Neutral counters are also included in the
calculations, and given point totals appropriate for
their participation in the game. Fort counters start
with their DF of ten, and add two for the die roll addition, and four more for the improvement on the
morale table, for infantry types. The last two totals
also apply to Improved Position counters.
Minefields are totalled by adding all relevant
factors; specifically, the odds they attack at, the
number of favorable results, and the factors involved in removing them: the odds that engineers
"attack" at to remove them, their chances for a
favorable result, and the minimum number of turns
for this activity. The three types of minefields, I-I,
2-1 and 3-1 have three, five and six chances for a
result of some kind, respectively. Engineers always
"attack" at2-1 odds (giving them two chances for a
result), and must attack at least twice to disarm the
entire field.
Block and Trench counters each cost five points
for their relative effect on movement, and the
engineering requirements to remove them. Assault
Boats, though not included as counters, have costs
for their DF (I), their singular usage (I), and MF
costs (x3) in transporting units across the canal.

27
Bridges have totals equal to their DF (24), if they
are in place at the start of the game. Otherwise, their
cost is according to their construction time. Normal
Bridges taking 60 turns, Infantry Bridges 5, and
Cuts taking 40 turns to place in the same manner.
With the individual unit point totals established, there are still several aspects of any potential
scenario remaining to be qualified. These can be
divided into three sections. First, there are the
determinants prior to the initial setup, including
Morale levels, number of turns to be played,
number Of boards to be used and their configuration, and, most importantly, the total number of
points available to each side to use in selecting units.
The second group involves initial deployment, and
any factors that take place during play, such as late
entry, air strikes, etc. Lastly, there are the objectives, conditions, and levels of victory that each side
is striving for.
The Morale levels to be used can also be
accorded a point total, requiring each player to
"purchase" them as they would regular units. The
Israeli player picks first, and can choose either A or
B; the Arab player can select B, Cor D. The costs of
these levels are equal to the number of chances for
that side's units to become undispersed, using the
levels available to them (9, 7, 5, 3,), multiplied by
two, for the two different types of units (infantry,
non-infantry) on the Morale chart. An alternate
method is to multiply the total number of units that
each side selects by the percentage of favorable rolls
(75010,60%,40%,25070), and use that as the Morale
cost; an opposite approach to this item is to apply
the cost of the morale level chosen, not as a total
subtracted from those used to obtain units, but as
the starting victory point total for the opponent.
The number of boards, their configuration, and
the number of turns are probably the most arbitrary
items. This can easily be left up to the whim of the
players, depending on how large a scenario they
wish to play. In lieu of this option, all three parts
can be determined by a roll of the die:
die roll
number of boards

23456
22334

die roll
number of turns

23456
10
12
12
15
20

Board configuration can really be trivial, except

when the Suez Canal edge is being used, but if a die
roll index is appreciated, it exists:
die roll
connected sides

1-2
width

3-6
length

Point totals for both sides can also be set randomly by the players, 500 or 1000 is the total suggested in earlier articles, although the pieces inAIW
tend to be "priced" somewhat higher on the
average than those in PBIPL. If a systematic
method is desired for setting the point total
available at start, the idea of a die roll index can be
applied using two die rolls, instead of one, to increase the possible spread of results:
first
die
roll
1
2
3
4
5
6

1
500
600
700
800
900
1000

second die roll

4
2
3
1100
1700
2300
t200
1800
2400
t300
1900
2500
2600
1400
2000
1500
2100
2700
2200
2800
1600

5
2900
3000
3100
3200
3300
3400

6
3500
3600
3700
3800
3900
4000

An additional variation to this total is derived

from a "battlegroup" delineation, suggested by the
game scenarios. When using this idea to help determine the point total, ten percent is added to the total
for each split within the players' forces. In effect,
this means that ten percent is added if two groups
are to be used, twenty percent is added if three
groups, etc. This new point total can be divided

evenly among each separate group, for selecting

units; alternately, one main group can be allotted
half of the point total, with the remainder divided
among the remaining, smaller, support groups.
As described in the methods above, each
element in setting up the game is determined
separately, independent of the other elements.
These points can also be made interdependent so
that one die roll determines all of the aspects
covered in the pre-deployment segment. The die is
rolled once, and indexed with each item to specify
the number of boards, their configuration, the
number of turns, and then rolled a second time for
the point total index. (In this case, the horizontal
line is used with the first die roll, so that the longer
games, with more boards, will also involve more
units.)
The second major group, involving Initial
Setup and In-Progress factors, deals with three
main points. First, there are 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 positioning signi fied by the location of a Trench counter
in the canal). Another such restriction, that can be
more optional, comes from another game scenario,
in which the Fort counters placed at start must be
within two hexes of each other Fort counter. This is
intended to be used with three Forts, but can be
modified accordingly if more are used.
Another element of deployment comes from the
association of areas to the victory conditions.
Often, when a specific hex (such as a town or road
junction) is to figure in determining victory, one
side will be required to place specific units on that
hex. This usually entails a fort counter and infantry, or perhaps artillery, unit inside it.

There are many alternate methods for setting

up, beyond the requirements for specific units
noted above, that apply to the general situation of
the scenario. The basic method is for each side to
deploy all of their units on-board from the beginning, each with a board to consider as their territory, and all units face up. Building from this
setup, one or both sides can turn some of their units
upside down (except static counters, like bridges,
forts, etc.), even to the extent that all units begin in
a "hidden" state. It is quite easy for an attacker to
be in the dark as to the deployment and strength of
his opponent before he joins battle, just as a
defender may not always know what type of force is
approaching him. (I am a firm believer in hidden
movement for tactical games, not just until the
point of sighting or contact, but also at any time
that a unit has broken contact to the point where it
cannot be seen by any enemy units.)
The next step in deployment variation is to
reserve some units off-board at start, determined
either by a percentage of the total number of unit
points, or simply a percentage of the total units. If
either side is allowed more than one board for
setting up, a set percentage can be determined for
each board that they occupy, plus an additional
total for off-board. The most logical division here is
to halve the total in question, allowing one group
on-board and the other off. While one side sets up
in this manner, the other can be allowed to deploy in
a hidden state, giving each side an advantage of
some kind.
In addition to limiting each side to one or two
boards for deployment, there can be further restrictions according to area or Battlegroup designations. The first is derived from examples found
once again in the game scenarios and serves as a
general restriction for deployment, while the second point is an extension of the first (also suggested

Arab Unit Point Totals

BRDM-I Rocket
SAGGER
SAGGER reload
82mm Mortar
120mm Mortar
251br How.
122mm How.
140mm MRL
Truck
MIl3
BTR 152
BTR 50
BTR60
BMP
01'62
PT-54 Flail

1'-34/85
1'-55
T-IOM
1'-62
Centurion III
1'-34/100
SU-lOO
PT-76
106mm RR on jeep
Infantry
Commando
Combat Eng.
Const. Eng.
107mm RG
l7tbr ATG
85mm ATG

30
37
39.5
40
50.5
39
48.5
28
32.5
22
19
23
12
24
20
22

Sherman 50
Sherman 51
Sherman 5 I Hv
M-48A5
M-60AI
Centurion Vlli
Patturion
90mm ATG on M3
AMX-13
Armored In fantry
Scout Jeep
106mm RR on jeep

45
48
55
66
67
64
66
30.5
46.25
36
15.5
32.5

Infantry
Machinegun
Combat Eng.
Pontoon Eng.
SSII Missile on M3
TOWMI13AI
COBRA
COBRA reload
81mm Mortar
120mm Mortar
Truck
MI13AI

Fort
J.P.
Trench
Block

16
6
5
5

Assault Boats
Minefields
Bridge (At Start)

62
44
30
18
28.75
34.75
46.5
43.5
8
21
16.25
20
21
31
23.5
36

MTU-2 AVLB
GSP Minelayer
PMP Carrier
Shilka SPAA
ZPU-414.7mm
S-60 57mm
122mm OBA
130mm OBA
152mm OBA
180mm OBA
240mm OBA
Basic Air
Jet "A"
MI-8 "G"
MI-8 "(H)"

32
25
15
32.5
22
60
42
45.5
49
73.5
43.5
22/34
41/53
118
86

M3 Halftrack
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

19
37.5
28
31.5
35
50/52.5
22/44/46
47/69171
128
84

Normal Bridge
Infantry Bridge
Cut

60
5
40

Israeli Unit Point Totals

23
19
17
to
54.5
74
40
30
23.75
33.75
8
28

27

Neutral Counters
5
10/13/15
24

28
by the situations given). An area restriction can be
either within a certain distance from a point, or outside of the same; the most common usage of this is
for a player to deploy within "x" hexes of the board
edge nearest "his" side, or to be at least "x" hexes
away from the nearest enemy unit. Areas surrounding, or one side of, static units or terrain features
can also be used as reference points for this type of
deployment restriction.
With separate groups being used, each one
should be given a different area to deploy in, or else
a different turn of entry. Obviously, the more
boards being used, the more units being used, and
the more battlegroups, static units, and terrain
features being included in the initial deployment,
the more confusing it all gets. But if that weren't
enough, there is still the third major set of alternatives: late entry.
The easiest method to use for determining which
turn the reinforcements will arrive on is to leave it
entirely up to the players; units starting off-board
can enter when ready. This can be used with either
or both teams having units off-board, and with further divison into battlegroups.
A die roll can determine the turn of entry, corresponding to the results for number of boards,
game turns, etc.:
die roll
turn of entry

3
6

4
7

10

These expressed tums of entry can be used as the

specific turn for deployment, or they can be a
reference point, allowing entry either no earlier or
no later than indicated. With more than one group
entering late, each should deploy on a different
turn, consecutively, beginning with the turn rolled
for on the chart above.
The method of entry concerns the area along
which the units deploy, usually a specified map
edge, but at times restricted to a road hex. Another
point to consider is to vary the turn of entry for
units within a group, which would otherwise be
entering together. Two die rolls are used for this
procedure, though the best results are obtained by
rolling the die only once, and then using the same
total twice. The number obtained determines two
factors, the turn on which the units will begin to
deploy, and the number of units that can deploy per
turn. For example, a roll of five (being used for
both parts) would allow five units to arrive each
turn, for five turns; any units in excess of this total
would enter either on turn five or six.
The grand finale to all of this is the victory determination, just as in an actual game. As with the
general aspects mentioned previously in this article,
victory can be built around several alternate, often
supplementary, ideas.
Victory at the base level revolves around the
elimination of unit points, and the differential between the total elimination by either side determines
the level of victory, as in the game scenarios. With
this scenario, the spread of points look like this:
Differential
0-30
31-60
61-90

91-120
121-150
151 +

Level
Draw

Marginal
Minor
Substantial
Major
Decisive

Aside from counting just the initial unit point

costs in determining the respective totals, the role of
the static units, or specific hexes on the board, can
be emphasized by awarding more points for
elimination, occupation or location.
10 pts
15 pts
10 pts
15 pts
I pt
20 pts
30 pts

for assaulting IOwn held by enemy

for occupying town held by enemy
for assaulting enemy fort
for occupying enemy fort
for occupying road junction
for eliminating bridge
for eliminating bridge with enemy unit on it

15 pts for occupying bridge

5 pts for placing bridge across canal
30 pts for ferry in position
In addition to, or instead 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 activity of one kind (offensive) there is an
opposite (defensive) activity that the other player
can be concerned with, so that in a particular
scenario each side can have its own objectives.
Offensive
Exiting units off
board edge

Defensive
Preserving units bypassed on exit
board
Attacking/capturing Retaining possession
specific hex or unit of specific hex;
preserving unit
Move a majority of Retain a majority
units onto specific
on a speci fic board
board
Prewriuen Air
Opponent's Air
Strikes not used
Strikes used
Moving units across Offense's units not
Canal
across Canal
Using these activities in the victory conditions
can give the players a much harder problem 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 one board and retain possession of
towns or forts on another. The com binations can go
on and on with each side having any number of options to obtain points; another idea is to give each
side a Defensive goal and an Offensive one, 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
The unit point totals can be used to evaluate the
level of victory, just as when totaling the points
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 included 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 at any given time. The
players keep a running total 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 ratio with the levels
awarded as follows: less than 2-1 ratio 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 after 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 variations
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 is more
than enough information and suggestion to keep
even the most dedicated players occupied for a
while, but they probably already are.

ORDER BY PHONE
TOLL FREE
If your favorite game store does not have the
game you want in stock and you have a valid
American Express, Master Charge, or VISA
credit card, call our Toll Free number
800-638-9292 from anywhere in the Continental
United States except Maryland to place your
order. Our prompt mail order service will then
speed your order to you with our usual lightning
dispatch. You must give the order taker the
number, expiration date, and name of your credit
card along with your order and shipping address.
We ship UPS wherever possible. If you Nefer
Parcel Post, be sure to specify this.
The Toll Free number is good only for ordering games or other merchandise from Avalon Hill
by credit card payment. No C.O.D. orders can be
accepted. The operator will be unable to answer
game questions or switch calls to someone who
can.
Maryland residents must call 301-254-5300
and ask for extension 34. Absolutely no collect
phone calls can be accepted. The Toll Free
number is not valid in Maryland.

WE WANT YOU .. .
to write for the GENERAL. If you can string
words together into an interesting article
format on any Avalon Hill wargame, there's a
good chance you're just the person we're
looking for. You can supplement our literary
staff with articles of strategy, game analyses.
Series Replays, commentaries. new scenarios,
or variants.
All articles should be type-written, doublespaced and accompanied by a self-addressed
envelope bearing first class postage. Otherwise. rejected articles will not be returned.
Articles should be supplemented with illustrations and/or charts whenever possible.
Commencing with the January, 1977 issue
the GENERAL will pay $6 per running 10"
column of edited text. Letters to the Editor are
not subject to remuneration. Alternatively,
authors may elect to take their remuneration in
the form of Avalon Hill products, paid at the
rate of 150% of the cash remuneration. Note
that illustrations and decorative type faces are
not subject to remuneration except by prior
agreement with the editor. It is generally
expected that articles will be accompanied by
sufficient illustrations as a requirement for
acceptance.
At the end of each calendar year an
EDITOR'S CHOICE article will be selected. The
author of this article will receive a $100 bonus
and a lifetime subscription to the GENERAL.

29

PEARL HARBOR DEFENDED

By James M. Lutz

A FLEXffiLE RESPONSE TO AN IDEAL JAPANESE STRATEGY

VICTORY IN THE PACIFIC is one of the
better releases put out by Avalon Hill in terms of
playability and balance. It combines broad strategic
considerations and some interesting and enjoyable
tactical components. It provides an opportunity for
many varying approaches by individual players in
efforts to defeat a particular opponent by attempting to take advantage of perceived weaknesses or a
fondness for specific types of action. For face-toface play it is relatively fast-moving, even if a
somewhat too long game. It has in effect captured
much of the flavor of the war in the Pacific. It can
be argued that it is a balanced game once the fundamentals have been learned. It has been suggested,
however, that there is an ideal strategy, with variations depending upon the proponent, that will ensure victory for the Japanese player. The conclusion drawn from the various subscribers to this
general strategy is that the game is unbalanced and
even in need of modification. In actuality, the
strategy put forward in its various versions is flawed.
It is flawed in that some of the assumptions that are
made are either overly optimistic or result from
slight misreadings of the rules. These points, while
important, do not really negate the strategy. More
importantly, as is the case with most other games,
there are effective countermeasures that the
American player can take to counter the ideal
Japanese strategy. As a result, the question is not
one of a need for rebalancing an already balanced
game or introducing new rules, but rather formulating an American response that will, if not invalidate the ideal strategy, at least make it much
more hazardous for the Japanese player to pursue.
Whether the Japanese strategy even remains the
best alternative may vary depending on opponents,
but it is hardly likely to be an optimum strategy in
all circumstances, and may even be a very weak
course to pursue on certain occasions.
The Ideal Strategy-A Quick Knockout Punch
The strategy that has been put forth as an
answer to the Japanese player's prayers has a
number of variations, but in essence follows one of
the following two patterns. In Turn I, the American
fleet at Pearl Harbor is destroyed. During Turns 2
and 3, the land based air hold the perimeter and the
bulk of the Japanese fleet patrols in the Hawaiian
Islands. Any American opposition is destroyed,
Pearl Harbor converts to a Japanese base, and the
American forces trying to defend their major port
are destroyed or badly damaged in an unequal action. The gains to the Japanese include a shortened
perimeter (I ndonesia-South Pacific-MarshallsHawaiian Islands versus Indonesia-South PacificMarshalls-Central Pacific-North Pacific or Aleutians), the forcing of American fleet reinforcements
to Samoa where raids cannot penetrate to the Home
Islands, and the denial of the repair facilities at
Pearl Harbor to the Americans for at least two
turns and probably longer. One adjunct that has
been suggested for this strategy requires the
Yokosuka Marines to move to Truk on Turn 1, permitting the Japanese commander to invade
Johnson Island on Turn 2. Some of the Japanese
land-based air units can then participate in any battles for the Hawaiian Islands on Turn 3.
The second version of this strategy is somewhat
more risky for the Japanese player, but appropriately carries much greater rewards if successful. On Turns 2 and 3, the Japanese player tries
to control both the Hawaiian Islands and the US
Mandate. If he succeeds in controlling both areas,
Pearl Harbor and Samoa become Japanese bases.

More importantly, the major American reinforcements arriving on later turns are held off the
board until either Samoa or Pearl Harbor is recaptured. The Japanese perimeter will be strong and
the POC lead will be so large that the American
player cannot win, even if land based air units
manage to recapture Samoa by basing in the New
Hebrides (provided that port remains American).
The American fleet will be forced to contest at least
one of the areas, and it will be badly damaged. If
this scenario holds up, the Japanese will in effect
have won the game by the end of Turn 3. The
strategy is more risky for the Japanese player in this
version since the American fleet might emerge victorious if it concentrates in one of the two areas.
Such a concentration might permit the American
player to approach parity in terms of air power in a
given area. (If the Japanese keep their carriers as
raiders, the American placement of all land based
air in Samoa to be joined by the American fleet carriers can be countered by sending all the carriers to
the US Mandate). The inevitable carrier exchange
that results would destroy the striking power of the
American fleet, particularly since the fewer
American carriers are at a distinct disadvantage facing a larger number of Japanese CYs and CYLs
with the same number of shots, given the need for a
carrier's airstrikes to attack only one ship.
American surface craft might possibly outnumber
the Japanese surface units, but the attack bonus of
the Japanese cruisers offsets this advantage if it
should exist.
The above two strategies are very compelling
ones for the Japanese commander. A cautious commander will go for the Hawaiian Islands counting
on the loss of Pearl Harbor with its POCs and
repair facilities to give him the needed edge to win
the game. A more aggressive Japanese commander
will try for both the Hawaiian Islands and the
Mandate. Both of these strategies have some minor
problems in some cases as presented, but most importantly, they are based on the American player
responding in a predictable fashion. The American
commander, however, has more options then these
strategies would seem to permit.
Turn I Possibilities or the Chance Factor
One minor flaw in one of the versions of the
strategy as it has been presented is that it assumes
that all the American forces at Pearl Harbor are
destroyed in four air raids. Even a maximum
Japanese effort is unlikely to bottom all the ships
and destroy the 7th Air Force in the first two air
raids. Any surviving craft and the land-based air
can, of course, retreat before the final two rounds
finish off the bottomed ships. Their escape will increase the forces that the 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 and
one or both 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
can also be important. If su fficient Location Uncertain groups appear there in strength and hold the
area, the Japanese 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. If the Marianas are not held by the
Japanese, the Philippines must be taken by Marine
assault or else control of Indonesia is threatened.
Thus, the results in the Central Pacific can be important. If the Japanese commander attempts to be

sure of controlling the Central Pacific, he must

weaken the raiding force on Pearl Harbor. The
Japanese player could also trust to luck (hardly a
preferred strategy) and simply send weak forces to
the Central Pacific. Most of the presentations of the
ideal strategy recognize the importance of the Central Pacific and argue for holding it in sufficient
force, but lucky (for the American) die rolls could
negate the ideal strategy on Turn I.
The American Response
Neither of the above two points are critical in
the sense that they negate the ideal strategy for the
Japanese commander, although they might make
the Hawaiian Islands-Mandate double option a
little riskier. But even if the Japanese player holds
the Central Pacific through luck or power on Turn I
and does extensive damage in the Pearl Harbor raid,
the American player retains some very real options
to counter the proposed strategy. These options fall
into two categories-first, judicious allocation of
the Location Uncertain groups combined with the
mounting of serious threats to the Japanese home
areas, and second, the delayed defense of the
Hawaiian Islands and the US Mandate. The two
options are related and can go a long way to disrupt
the ideal strategy. At the very least, they should prevent any Japanese attempt to control both the
Mandate and the Hawaiian Islands except at a high
probability of failure.
The first key decision regards the placement of
the Location Uncertain carriers and requisite supporting ships when they return to port at the end of
Turn I. I r these craft are misplaced, the ideal
strategy may in fact become that for the Japanese
player. When retreating from the Hawaiian Islands
in the face of the Pearl Harbor raiding force, some
oft he carriers, two or three if possi ble, should retire
to Australia with the remainder either appearing in
Pearl Harbor at the beginning of Turn 2 or being
sent to Samoa in the return phase of Turn I. From
Australia the American carriers in conjunction with
the British fleet can pose a serious raiding threat to
Indonesia. They can also combine with forces from
Samoa or Pearl Harbor to threaten the South
Pacific or the Marshalls (usually a poor third
choice). If the Japanese commander pursues his
ideal strategy, he may lose control of Indonesia. If
so, Lae, Singapore, and the Philippines cannot be
converted to Japanese use until Turn 4 at the
earliest except by marine assault in the case of Lae
and the Philippines. The British fleet based at
Singapore, becomes more useful and a much more
potent threat than one based at Ceylon. Raids by
the Allies into the Japanese Home Islands and the
Marianas will be possible. Obviously, the Japanese
player may beef up defenses in Indonesia, but
this move can only come at the expense of attempts to control the Hawaiian Islands and the US
Mandate. Negation of control in the South Pacific
has similar advantages. Access to Indonesia and the
Marianas is again enhanced for raiders. Lae remains an Allied base, and a fleet negating control of
the South Pacific could retire to Lae or
Guadalcanal and be even more threatening than at
Australia. If the Japanese player opted to send the
YOkosuka Marines to Johnson Islands, he will not
have marines available to assault these bases until
Turn 2 for Lae (the Sasebo Marines out of Japan
moving into Indonesia) and Turn 4 for Guadalcanal
(Kure staging from Japan and Yokosuka and
Sasebo reappearing at Truk). Again, the forces to
defend the South Pacific must come from the forces
designated to control the other two areas.

30
The ships based in Australia, Lae, or
Guadalcanal will remain available for the defense
of the Hawaiian Islands and the Mandate on Turn
3. Of course, if the Japanese player is moving on
both areas, they will probably be unable to give aid
in the Hawaiian Islands unless Japanese control in
the Marshalls has also been negated by raiders on
Turn 2. Some of the older battleships might fail
their speed rolls if the decisive action is to take place
in the Hawaiian Islands. Their numbers will be
limited in any event since most available American
ships will be cruisers and carriers which do not have
any speed roll disabilities. II' the Japanese forego attempts to control the Mandate, the ballieships can
always be ret urned to Samoa so as to be available
for Hawaiian Island action.
If the dangers of key raids by the American and
British fleets in the southern areas is not enough,
ships appearing at Pearl Harbor on Turn 2 can pose
yet another threat. These ships, including some carriers can move as raiders on the northern flank. A
raid to the Aleutians saves Allu as an American
port and as a base for land-based air for future
turns. By returning to Dutch Harbor, the American
ships are available to come to the defense of the
Hawaiian Islands in Turn 3 or to move on the
Japanese Islands, alone or in conjunction with a
move from the direction of Indonesia. Their
ultimate use will depend on Japanese dispositions in
Turn 3, but their options cannot help but create
problems for the Japanese player. The raiding
threats to both flanks might be utilized to destroy
isolated Japanese units, thus weakening the forces
available for the climactic battles the Japanese commander is seeking to force. If the Japanese player is
serious about controlling the Hawaiian Islands and
perhaps the Mandate, the lost POCs in various
other areas may offset the disabilities that the
American player will suffer from the lack of his
major repair facilities.
The Japanese player who is committed to one of
the variations of the ideal strategy may ignore the
raiding possibilities presented by the above dispositions of the existing American forces. He may
decide that if he controls both Samoa and Pearl
Harbor and prevents the major American fleet reinforcements from arriving, he can deal with the fleet
forces and the few American land-based air units
that will keep reappearing, even if these land-based
air units have a multitude of areas that they can contest. The arrival of limited reinforcments for the
American late in the game (if Samoa is reconverted)
may give the Japanese player time to gain enough
POCs in the other areas and whittle down the Allied
forces.
Depending on ship losses in the battles for the
Hawaiian Islands and the Mandate, a relatively
small Japanese POC lead may not prove to be
enough to win the game, particularly if the
Americans have a raiding lane open to key Japanese
held areas. With the American player always moving second, it is not clear that a decimated Imperial
Japanese Navy will be able to hold off weak Allied
units. The key battle may become the contest for the
US Mandate in Turns 5 and 6 by the American land
based air units that will have reappeared. Thus,
Turns 5 and 6 can be critical, as much so as Turns 2
and 3, at least if the New Hebrides is not lost to invading Japanese marines. The appearance of
American rein forcements as late as Turn 7 could
still turn the tide against the Japanese player who
has only a relatively small lead. If a mutually
destructive battle has occurred, the American reinforcements will tip the balance even more than if
they join a largely unhurt fleet.
The net effect of the dispositions outlined above
is that the Japanese player may still try to follow the
ideal strategy and it might still work, but if it fails,
the game is likely to be lost on the spot. Failure to
negate the arrival of American reinforcements

would mean that a decimated Japanese fleet would

have to face the remnants of the American forces
plus the substantial reinforcements due to arrive.
With a diminished POC lead due to Allied raids, the
possibilities of a Japanese ~ictory will all but disappear. Thus, the ideal strategy may turn out pitting
the outcome of the game on major battles in the
Hawaiian Islands and the Mandate in which the advantages to the Japanese player are much fewer
than supposed. II' the Japanese player simply opts
to try to control the Hawaiian Islands, the
American reinforcements will arrive, and the POC
gains that the Japanese expect will be fewer than
specified in the ideal strategy, permitting the
American player to compensate for the loss of Pearl
Harbor repair facilities and the Hawaiian Island
POCs.
Delayed Defense
The second measure to utilize in facing the
Japanese ideal strategy is designed to enhance the
prospects of the American player winning the
critical battle by choosing the time in which to participate. This tactic requires the delayed defense of
the Hawaiian Islands and the US Mandate. Rather
than defending the threatened area on Turn 2, the
American player concedes them to the Japanese,
saving strength for the crucial battle on Turn 3. The
American fleet forces and land-based air will
probably be insufficient on Turn 2, thus simply
being defeated in detail by the Japanese. Rather,
the ship units threaten the Japanese perimeter areas
and the land-based air units are placed out of
harm's way. Since the Japanese effort calls for a
maximum concentration in the key areas, any fleet
moves to knock out land-based air in the Coral Sea
or elsewhere will be at odds more advantageous to
the American player and will permit favorable attrition. It should be noted that too wide a dispersion
of the Japanese carrier forces to damage land-based
air might 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
the ideal strategy, so in effect the countermoves by
the American commander will already have
defeated the ideal strategy as presented.
On Turn 3, the Japanese challenge can be met in
earnest with all available American forces. Six landbased air units should be available, a formidable
force versus carriers subject to disabled results. At
least three and maybe four of the five American carriers also will be available. The Japanese will have,
assuming no losses, I I carriers with 32 bonus air
factors plus one additional carrier with 3 strikes if a
speed roll is passed. The Americans will have the six
air factors with 12 shots and 12 to 16 bonus shots
from their three or four carriers. Thus, the lineup is
9-10 American units versus 11-12 Japanese ones. It
is by no means clear that the edge in this case is with
the Japanese given the greater staying power of the
American land-based air. The American surface
fleet will be roughly equal to the Japanese total,
although again the attack bonus of the Japanese
cruisers gives the Japanese player an edge in a surface action. By comparison, on Turn 2 the
American player would have only two or three air
forces and four or five carriers with a maximum of
six regular and 16 to 20 bonus shots. The Japanese
would have nine carriers for sure with 27 airstrikes
and possibly two more with five strikes ifspeed rolls
are passed. More importantly, there would be up to
eight American units versus up to 11 Japanese ones.
Given the number of land-based air available, the
American chances are better on Turn 3. The
Americans gain ten armor factors (three land-based
air and assuming one 0-2-7 carrier sunk on Turn 2)
while the Japanese gain only three armor factors.
There are a number of possible situations that
can occur on Turn 3. If the Japanese commander
opts simply to capture Pearl Harbor, the American

player will have to decide whether or not to defend

the Hawaiian Islands. If his raids elsewhere have
been successful, the POC situation might lead him
to continue his assaults in other areas and concede
the loss of Pearl Harbor. He might decide to use his
land-based air in Hawaii to attrition the Japanese
carrier force, trading the replaceable land-based air
for irreplaceable (in many senses of the word)
Japanese carriers. He may also accept the challenge
in the Hawaiian Islands if circumstances so dictate,
but his fleet units at Samoa, Guadalcanal,
Australia, Midway, and/or Dutch Harbor will be
available if needed.
If the Japanese player allempts to land the
Yokosuka Marines at Johnson Island on Turn 2, a
different response may be appropriate. The addition of up to six Japanese Air flotillas to the battle
on Turn 3 changes the bailie odds significantly in
favor of the Japanese. On Turn 2 the American
player might consider placing one land-based air
unit in the Hawaiian Islands in the hope of disabling
or sinking the marine unit. A lucky shot could in
effect negate this portion of the Japanese strategy.
If the Japanese player opts for a night action and
succeeds, the air unit can simply retreat saving itself
for Turn 3 action. Even if Johnson Island falls,
however, the American still has some options
available. The 1st and 2nd Marines appear at Pearl
Harbor on Turn 3. Lacking any other course of
action if the Hawaiian Islands were controlled by
the Japanese on Turn 2, they can put to sea in an effort to recapture Johnson Island. Even if they fail,
in the first round of combat the Japanese will be
forced to expend airstrikes against them in order to
preserve the port as an airbase. The American
player will also have three battleships at sea in the
Hawaiian Islands, so the Japanese player will have
to counter at least these units as well. If the
Japanese player is concentrating solely on controlling the Hawaiian Islands, the presence of the
air flotillas will probably assure victory for him, but
he must at least be careful to guard against the
possibility of American raiders rein forcing the
Hawaiian Islands. Reinforcements combined with
a successful American invasion could doom the
whole strategy of controlling the Hawaiian Islands
and capturing Pearl Harbor.
If the Japanese.player is trying to control both
the Hawaiian Islands and the Mandate, the situation is much different. If Johnson Island is still
American, the land based air can defend Hawaii,
and the fleet units could contest the US Mandate,
forcing two battles, only one of which the American
player needs to win. The fleet units will in most
cases be forced to fight in the Mandate area since
Japanese control on Turn 2 would prevent supporting Hawaii from Australia. American raiders out of
Pearl Harbor on Turn 2 that succeed in holding the
Central Pacific could also return to Midway. If the
forces from the southern areas negate Japanese control of the Marshalls, then these forces as raiders
could threaten to intervene in either the Hawaiian
Islands or the US Mandate. A Japanese player
forced to deal with both possibilities could disperse
his forces too widely. Since the American player
would move second, he would know whether or not
the Japanese player were committed to the dual
strategy on Turn 2 and use his raiding forces in an
appropriate fashion. Alternately, particularly if the
Japanese control Johnson Island, the American can
throw his land-based air units into the battle for
Samoa. The Japanese player, ifhe holds his carriers
back as raiders, will know that the American has
chosen to defend only the Mandate, but at least
some of his other surface craft will already have
been committed to the Hawaiian Islands unless he
trusts to luck to prevent an American invasion of
Johnson Island. Thecombined American fleets and
air forces will have a slight superiority on the
surface in numbers if not quality and a slight inferiority in airstrikes, although again the land-

31
Table I

Hypothetical Decisive Action in US Mandate

Forces with air capability available:
Japanese: II CYs and CYLs with 32 airstrikes
American: 3 CYs with 12 airstrikes
6 air forces with 12 airstrikes
ROUND I
3 CYs sink or disable 3 American CYS
3 CYs sink or disable 3 Japanese four strike CYs
8 CYs and CYLs attack air forces with 3.3
6 AFs attack six CYs and CYLs with 2 disables
expected hits and 11.5 expected damage
and two hits with 7.0 expected damage (2 sunk)
(2 AFs sunk)
ROUND 2
4 CYs with 1I strikes attack the 4 AFs with 1.8
4 AFs attack 4CYs and CYLs with 1.3 expected
expected hits and 6.3 expected damage (2 AF
disables and 1.3 expected hits with 4.5 damage
sunk, including previously damaged one)
(1 sunk and I disabled)
ROUND 3
2 CYs and CYLs attack 2 AFs with I expected
2 AFs attack 2 CYs and CYLs with .67 disabled
hit for 3.5 damage (I AF sunk at best)
and .67 hits for 2.4 damage (I sun k and
I disabled)
ROUND 4
I AF remaining ensuring American control
Total expected Japanese damage versus
Total expected disables by American AF 4.0
American AFs 21.3
Total expected damage by American AFs 13.9

based air have superior staying power. The

Japanese will have at best II carriers since the
twelfth cannot speed roll from the Japanese
Islands. The American could have four carriers and
six air forces, hardly an inadequate force. In effect,
the delayed defense of the key areas will permit the
American player to challenge the Japanese thrust
from a position of much greater strength than
would have been the case during Turn 2. The
chances of the knockout punch succeeding are
great Iy red uced.
Of course, the simplest but most effective
counter to any Japanese designs on the Hawaiian
Islands is to duck the heavy Japanese patrols on
turn twO and threaten to control the Marshall
Islands yourself. If the Japanese have over committed their offensive-minded patrols they may
have trouble knocking out a strong American
patrol in the Marshalls which would deny Truk
based patrollers access to the Hawaiian Islands on
Turn 3. Some players won't recognize this unt il it's
too late; others will be forced into spreading their
carriers more sparsely than t hey would Ii ke to cover

this new eventuality or lessen their land based air

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
and determined to take Pearl Harbor.
Table I includes an example as to how the action
in the Mandate might occur. The table assumes that
only air 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. The table also assumes that only three
of the American carriers are left to participate as
well as the six air forces. The Japanese have II carriers with 32 airstrikes. On the first round of action,
the three American carriers are 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 remaining carriers assault the land-based air with an expected 3.3 hits and 11.5 damage. Thus, with
average luck and no lost hits or overkill on a particular air unit, two of the American units will be

Table 2

Japanese Strategy Variation and the American Flexible Response

Japanese Variation
[ Control Hawaiian Islands on Turns 2 and
3 with major portion of neet

la Yokosuka Marines assault Johnson Island

on Turn2

American Counter
Raid north from Pearl Harbor
Threaten Indonesia and South Pacific from
Australia
Continue raids on Turn 3
Possibly contest Hawaiian Islands with landbased air on Turn 3
Threaten Control of the Marshal Islands
Raid as above on Turn 2
Land-based air unit to attempt to sink or disable
marines on Turn 2
Continue raids on Turn 3
Possible counterassault on Johnson Island with
Ist and 2nd Marines on Turn 3 combined with
land-based air defense of Hawaiian Islands

II Control Hawaiian Islands and US Mandate

on Turns i and 3 by dividing Japanese
neet on both Turns

Raids as above on Turn 2

Land-based air defend Hawaiian Islands on
Turn 3 with neet in Mandate, or combined neet
and land-based air defense of Mandate

lIa Yokosuka Marines assault Johnson Island

on Turn 2

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

"sunk". The American without overlap or overkill

can expect to disable two ships and score two hits.
The expected 7 damage points should sink or innict
maximum damage on two Japanese carriers. Thus,
in the exchange, four Japanese carriers are removed
from the next round of action. The surviving four
carriers will have approximately nine shots versus
the remaining land-based air units with eight. At
this stage, the advantage shifts to the land-based
air. The ultimate outcome is likely to be at least one
land based air unit surviving to control the area and
a significant number of the Japanese carriers sunk
or damaged. Thus, while the American carrier
forces are virtually gone, the Japanese neet will be
virtually impotent from Turn 6 onward to deal with
the threat of the American carriers that begin appearing in large numbers. Of course, if the opening
air round goes poorly, the Japanese player can
withdraw from the area, accepting the failure of the
strategy but preserving his carriers for later action.
Conclusions
From the above comments, it is obvious that the
Japanese player can force a key battle as early as
Turn 3 in the game if he so desires by following the
Hawaiian Island-US Mandate variation of the
strategy. The gamble involved, however, is
noticeably larger than assumed. The delayed
defense approach combined with the losses of
valuable POCs to American and British raiders
elsewhere may well prove that a double assault on
the Mandate and the Hawaiian Islands will succeed
less often than it fails. Even the Japanese concentration on the Hawaiian Islands combined with a
dispersal of the forces slated for the US Mandate to
perimeter defense is less likely to achieve ultimate
victory. The American could very well survive the
loss of Pearl Harbor if he has had successful raids
elsewhere.
The counterstrategy of an American nexible
response to the variations of the ideal Japanese
attempt to win an early victory are summarized in
Table 2. Forces available to both sides will vary,
depending on previous actions and speed rolls, but
the outline is the same, with the key action probably
occurring in Turn 3, perhaps in the Hawaiian
Islands and perhaps as a result of raids elsewhere.
The chances of victory are at worst equal from the
American point of view. Ifthe game is decided in
Turn 3 under these circumstances, then so be it. All
the ideal Japanese strategy will have accomplished
is to bring the game to a major decision early rather
than late. Balance is still present, given the fact that
a few rolls of the dice may determine victory or
defeat. If a veteran Japanese player has determined
that the later phase of VITP favors the Americans
or that his particular opponent will win if the game
is not decided early, then he would quite logically
force an early conclusion to the game. He could
not, however, expect to emerge victorious more
than half the time, and perhaps less. He will also
deny himself the opportunity of taking advantage
of potential mistakes by his opponent later in the
game.
The foregoing discussion of the ideal Japanese
strategy would indicate that it fails to take into account all facets of VITP. lt rests on a totally
predictable response for the American commander.
Allied raiders threaten no vital area, and, in fact,
the American player will obligingly commit his
forces piecemeal on Turns 2 and 3. It must be admitted that if the American player does act so
predictably, then the strategy will work. Few
gamers, however, are willing to assume that their
opponents will be so kind. A more thoughtful
American response provides a greater element of
chance and largely destroys the advantages gained
by the Japanese capture of Pearl Harbor and makes
the Hawaiian Island-Mandate strategy a risky one.

32

AVALON HILL
BEST SELLER LIST
As is our custom, we once again present the
sales rankings for the Avalon Hill game line based
on totals for our 1980 Fiscal Year which began
May '80 and ended April '81. Figures for the All
Time list include all versions of a title sold to date
provided the game system has not changed over
the years. D-DA Y and FOOTBALL STRA TEG Y
for instance have collectively gone through eight
different editions, but are considered to be
basically the same game. GETTYSBURG, on the
other hand, changed drastically in each of its four
versions and is therefore omitted from the list
even though the collective totals of its many versions would ordinarily qualify for 10th place.
Note that the current edition of BA TTLE 0
THE BULGE will soon disappear from the list
when it is replaced by the new version which constitutes an entirely new game. Titles are placed on
the All Time list only after having sold in excess of
100,000 copies while under Avalon Hill ownership. Sales rankings do not include sales made by
a different publisher.

BEAN SOUP AND OTHER RECIPES

1980 AH BEST SELLERS

by Alan R. Moon
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 II
9. FORTRESS EUROPA
10. ACQUIRE
II. CRESCENDO OF DOOM
p. WAR & PEACE
13. DIPLOMACY
14. PANZERBLITZ
IS. BOOK OF LISTS
~6. FOOTBALL STRt\I~GYrn_.,.'"~_
17. FEUDAL
18. CROSS OF IRON
~9. INTERN
~O. THIRD REICH

ALL-TIME BEST SELLERS

Rank Title
1. PANZERBLITZ
2. OUTDOOR SURVIVAL
3. FACTS IN FIVE
4. LUFTWAFFE
5. BLITZKRIEG
6. PANZER LEADER
7. TACTICS II
8. THIRD REICH
9. FOOTBALL STRATEGY
10. MIDWAY
II. SQUAD LEADER
12. STARSHIP TROOPERS
13. BATTLE OF THE BULGE
14. AFRIKA KORPS
15. ACQUIRE
Iii. D-DAY
17. RICHTHOFEN'S WAR
18. 1776
19. TWIXT
20. PAY DIRT

1979
Rank
I
2
3
4
5
6

8
7
9
11

Throughout history a major weapon at the

disposal of any army has been overlooked. Bean
soup. Garbonzo beans being especially effective.
But bean soup is only one of many physically
harmless, but psychologically deadly tactics gamers
can use in their quest for victory. So, this should be
seen as a recipe book for gamers. My ten best.
I. Operant conditioning. From the moment
you sit down at the table, hum constantly,
preferably in a low tone. Whenever your opponent
makes a good move, raise the tone of your humming
slightly. He will begin to hesitate and listen for the
higher hum at crucial moments in the game as
reassurance he is making the right move. That's
when you have him. He's conditioned. You can
now use your new found power in one of two ways.
One, don't hum when he is about to make a good
move. He'll wait, and think about it, but he'll inevitably make another move instead. Two, hum
higher when he makes a bad move to confuse his
conditioning. This negative feedback will turn him
into a mess of mixed responses and from then on
you can hum or not hum at random.
2. Consulting The Oracle. At important
moments during your opponent's turn, pick up the
rulebook. Ask him if he's sure his move is legal. Ask
him repeatedly how many times he's played the
game. Mumble "aha" or "hmmm" a lot when
looking through the rulebook.
3. The Prim Rose Path. Study and know the
historical situation and tell your opponent the
mistakes he can make by following an historical
pattern. Keep trying to tell him how his strategy is
leading him to a disastrous historical conclusion.
Make parallels between his play and the mistakes
made by the actual commanders. If your opponent
doesn't know anything about the actual history of
the game, try to convince him to follow the
historical path or an ahistorical path, depending on
which will lead to disaster.
4. Time In Your Pocket. Play quickly and complain if your opponent takes longer than you do.
Look at your watch a lot. If he's drinking beer,
complain about the delay everytime he goes to the
bathroom.
5. Jiggling Jugs. Bring your girlfriend along as
a distraction. Have her wear a halter top and lean
towards your opponent a lot.

6. The Expert. Talk like you have a reputation.

Use self fulfillment with chatter such as, "I beat my
last thirty-seven opponents with this strategy so I'm
not too worried about your defense".
7. Cohorts. Bring along a friend or two. Tell
them to stop by and look the game over every once
in a while. They should say things like, "Isn't that
the same strategy the last guy you were playing
tried?" .
8. Smokescreen. Light up a cheap cigar in the
middle of a tight contest and direct the smoke
towards the board. You should then be able to
move some counters around using the smoke as
cover, especially since your opponent will probably
be coughing and feeling ill. However, make sure
you position yourself on the correct side of the
board, upwind, or the smoke will backfire. Avoid
rooms with variable winds.
9. The "Lucky Me" Syndrome. A few garners
claim to be able to control the die by the power of
thought. Of course, they don't come out and say it.
They intimate it through hints and subtle actions.
It's amazing how gullible people are and how easily
they are taken in by such phonies. You'll never hear
anyone accuse another of having this ability
though, as this is an open admission that "the
power" does indeed exist, with all its frightening
ramifications. You too can have "the power" simply
by announcing that you have always been lucky
with the die. (This works best when playing an
opponent for the first time.) When you roll a
favorable result, say you're sorry you are so blessed.
When your opponent throws a bad result, say
you're sorry; you didn't know you could control his
rolls so well. If you lose, sigh deeply as if relieved,
and say you're glad you don't win all the time. If
you win, act matter-of-factly. The word will get
around that you are "lucky guy", and you'll be
well on your way to becoming the Kreskin of
Kriegspieling.
10. Cry. Preferably real tears.
Of course, after using these tactics, you may
find that no one will play with you anymore. After
all, a gamer without opponents isn't worth the soup
his beans are in. I know, I know, I should just clam
up.

33

Strategy in Diplomacy

By Lewis Pulsipher

Part II of a Three Part Series on the Game With No Dice

While negotiation is a means of convincing
other players to act as you desire, the art of strategy
is choosing the combinations of countries, and
overall direction of movements (thrust east instead
of west, by land instead of by sea) which, if
executed as planned, will result in a win. It is the
most neglected of the three aspects of
DIPLOMACY play, the one in which the average
player is most likely deficient, and the one which
separates most experts from merely good players.
The average player is content to let his negotiations
determine his strategy rather than vice versa. Consequently he seldom looks beyond the next game
year, the immediate identification of enemy and
ally, to what he ought to do later in the game.
I assume in the following that the player's objective is to win, or failing that, to draw. Those who
eschew draws in favor of survival as someone else
wins will approach some points of strategy differently, but until late in the game there is virtually
no difference between the two approaches.
Strategy in DIPLOMACY is strongly influenced
by the shape of the board. Spaces near the edge are
larger than central spaces, so that movement
around is as fast as movement through the middle.
More important, the board is divided into two
strategic areas or "spheres". The eastern sphere
includes Austria, Russia, and Turkey, while the
western is England, France, and Germany. Italy sits
astride one of three avenues between the two
spheres. The northern route through Scandinavia

and the Barents Sea enables Russia to have some influence in the western sphere. The central route,
between Germany on one hand and Austria 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. Early in the game a country 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 continuous tension exists between the need to completely 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, attempting at the same time to arrange a long indecisive war
in the other sphere so that it will be easy to invade
later. Sometimes the two countries will fight 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 trapped in the middle. Naturally an alliance which endeavors to
dominate a sphere wants Italy to move into the
other sphere, probably to establish a two vs. two
stalemate. And the odd man out in a sphere turns
first to Italy to redress the balance of power. In

either case Italy is stuck in a long war. An Italian

win is usually a long game.
This discussion shows us the most important
principle of strategy: everything that happens
anywhere on the board affects every country. If you
concern yourself only with two or three neighboring
powers you'll never become an expeh player,
though glib negotiation skill can go far to compensate for strategic deficiency. If you as Turkey can
influence the move of one French or English unit it
may make the difference between a win and a draw,
game years hence. If you can strongly affect the entire country's movements, even at that distance,
you should go far along the road to victory. The expert strategic player knows where many foreign
units will be ordered each season, and he tries to
do so subtly, by misdirection and through
intermediaries; it doesn't do to attract too much
attention.)
One of the most important considerations of
strategy is the attainment of a "stalemate line" by
your country or alliance. Your long-range goal is to
win, but unless you are a quite romantic player who
prefers instability, your immediate objective is to be
sure you can't lose-then worry about going on to
win. A stalemate line is a position which cannot
possibly be breached or pushed back by the enemy.
The area within or protected by the line includes
supply centers sufficient to support all the units
needed to form the line. There are many stalemate
lines, but these have been discussed at length in

34
books and fanzines about DIPLOMACY. I will
describe the two major lines, which roughly coincide 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 Adriatic 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 S St.

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 MidAtlantic, (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 13 to 15 centers, or as many as 17, within a
line, a player is almost certain of a draw. If he
reaches the line soon enough, and alone, he can
move on to prevent any other player from conquering the rest of the board, and a draw or win is
assured.
A drawback of reaching a stalemate line is that it
can put other players on their guard against you. If
they know they can't knock you down to size,
they'll be reluctant to fight one another. This is a
danger any strong country faces, however, and it
must be noted that a perfectly played
DIPLOMACY game will end in a draw, not a win.
(This depends partly on the players' styles, of
course-a game among seven extreme "placers"
(see last issue) will never be a draw.)
You can win only if other players make
mistakes. The better the players, the more likely a
draw will be.
So far we've been discussing the fundamental
strategic structure of the game. Next we'll consider
what to think about as you devise a strategy, and
lastly we'll talk about individual differences between countries.
When you devise a strategy you plan the general
direction of your movement, expected allies, expected enemies, and what you want countries not
adjacent to yours to do. At each step you should
have several alternatives, for barring great good
luck something will go wrong. Often the styles and
personalities of the players will strongly affect the
strategy you choose. But let's assume that one
player is as suitable (or unsuitable) to your purposes
as another. First, consider the nature of your country. Is it a natural land power, a sea power, or both?
Is it on an outer edge of a sphere, an inner edge
(dermany or Austria), or in between (Italy)? Think
about this, look at the board, and decide where
you're going to get 18 supply centers to win the
game. You must take several centers in one sphere,
or in Italy, even if you control the other sphere
entirely. Your plan must include I) a means of gaining control of your sphere without hostile incursion
from outside it, 2) attainment of a stalemate line in
at least one part of the board, and 3) penetration
into the other sphere (or Italy) to reach 18 centers.
(Note that Italy is within the eastern stalemate line,
and that the western line is anchored in the eastern
sphere (St. Petersburg). These seemingly minor
points may have a strong effect on your plans.) You
can plan to jointly control your sphere with an ally,
but then the penetration must amount to eventual
control of the other sphere as well. You must include a means of reacting to any attempt to disrupt
your plan from outside your sphere. You must provide for other contingencies; for example if
someone dominates the other sphere before you
dominate yours you must be prepared to stop him.
You must be flexible, though you'll try to implement your original plan.

Italy is left out in the cold. Italy must either be

sure that neither sphere is dominated by any country or alliance early in the game, allowing Italy time
to grow, or it 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 AngloGerman 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 off Russia's
northern centers (Germany should fall sooner than
Turkey-if necessary you'll give Turkey tactical advice). You want Austria to attack Russia after
Turkey falls. This is important, because AustriaRussia 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 fighting 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 positions) 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 go into all the
alternatives would require pages. But as one example, 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 success except for Italy, which is handicapped by its
between-spheres position. (The pirated South
American versions of DIPLOMACY give Italy a
fleet instead of an army in Rome, and add a supply
center in North Africa. These changes strengthen
Italy and probably make DIPLOMACY a better
game.) Russia tends to be an all-or-nothing country
because of its 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 briefly state what to
look for when you play each country. "Natural
neutrals" are neutral 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 subordinate to
strategy, and even the most common opening is used
no more than half the time. One general point remains 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 disadvantage when
the two ally. Turkey usually owns territories on
three sides (Mediterranean, Balkans, Russia) if the
alliance is successful, and Austria is just too easy to
stab. Russia and Italy are the best alliance prospects, especially the former. If Russia and Turkey
ally, Italy can often be persuaded to aid Austria in

order to avoid becoming the next victim of the

eastern juggernaut. Germany virtually always
agrees to a non-aggression pact, nor should Austria
waste units in the western sphere. The early game is
often a desperate struggle for survival, but a good
player can hang on until events elsewhere and his
own diplomacy improve his position. Unfortunately,
normally Austria must eliminate Italy to win
because the seas and crowded German plains halt
expansion northward; this land power must become
a sea power in order to grab the last few centers
needed.
Commonly Austria opens with F TriesteAlbania and A Budapest-Serbia followed in Fall by
Serbia S Albania-Greece. A Vienna is used to block
whichever neighbor, Russia or Italy, seems hostile,
by Vienna-Galicia or Vienna-Trieste or Tyrolia.
England. Seapower, natural neutral Norway.
England has an excellent defensive position but
poor expansion prospects. An Anglo-German
alliance is not as hard to maintain as the AustroTurkish, but neither is it easy. England must go
south when allied with Germany, but it can hardly
avoid a presence in the north, facing Russia, which
puts it all around the German rear. England-France
is a fine alliance but it may favor France in the long
run. Whichever is the ally, England may be able to
acquire Belgium if he works at it. Patience is a
necessity, however, unless Italy or Russia comes into the western sphere. If either does, one to attack
France (or even Germany), the other to attack Germany, England must gain centers rapidly or be
squeezed to death between its former ally and the
interloper.
England can win by sweeping through Germany
and Russia, but all too often the eastern stalemate
line stops this advance short of victory. Similarly, a
southern Mediterranean drive can founder in Italy,
but this part of the defenders' stalemate line is
harder to establish. If England can get up to about
six or seven units it has many alternatives to
consider.
Usually England opens with F London-North, F
Edinburgh-Norwegian, A Liverpool-Edinburgh.
The army can be convoyed by either fleet while the
other can intervene on the continent.

France. Balanced land and sea, natural neutrals

Spain and Portugal. France may be the least
restricted of all the countries, vying with Russia for
that distinction. There are many options in a good
defensive and offensive position. Alliance with
Germany or England are equally possible, though it
is easier to cooperate with England. An astute
French player can usually obtain Belgium
regardless of which country he allies with. Italy's
movements are important to France, since some
penetration into the Mediterranean is usually
necessary late in the game if not sooner. Russia can
be helpful against England or Germany. In fact, a
French-Russian-(Italian) alliance against the
Anglo-Germans is possible. At any rate, if France is
attacked there are several players to ask for help.
A common French opening is F Brest-MidAtlantic (heading for Iberia), A Paris-Burgundy, A
Marseilles-Spain.
Germany. Land power, natural neutrals Holland,
Denmark. Like Austria, Germany must scramble
early in the game. But the defensive position is
better, alliance options are broader-and Italy isn't
quite at one's rear.
Alliance with England is difficult because
England usually sits in the German rear as the game
goes on. (As England I have been stabbed (ineffectively) several times by Germans who couldn't
stand the strain, though I had no plans to attack
them.) Germany-France is a better alliance, though
France may gain more from it, and you can be left
dangerously extended between France and Russia.
Either romantic methods or great patience is re-

35
quired. Fortunately, Austria rarely interferes early
in the game (nor should Germany waste effort in the
eastern sphere) and conflicts with Russia are rare if
Germany concedes Sweden.
A common opening is F Kiel-Denmark, A
Munich-Ruhr, A Berlin-Kiel. Kiel-Holland or
Munich-Burgundy are also common.

A common Turkish opening is A ConstantinopleBulgaria, A Smyrna-Constantinople (or Armenia,

to attack Russia), F Ankara-Black. The favored
alternative if Russia is definitely friendly is AnkaraConstantinople, Smyrna H.
Next time we'll turn to an examination of tactics
in DIPLOMACY.

Italy. Balanced, natural neutral Tunis. Italy needs

AH Philosophy . .. Continued from Pg. 11

patience and luck to win. Fortunately the defensive

position is good, but immediate expansion
possibilities are very poor. Don't be hypnotized by
all those Austrian centers so near. If Russia and
Turkey ally Italy's lifespan isn't much longer than
Austria's-full support of Austria is required. Italy
tends to become involved in the eastern sphere more
than the western. Unless England and Germany are
attacking France, Italy stands to gain little in that
direction. Although Turkey seems far away Italy
can attack her using the "Lapanto Opening".
Spring 1901 A Venice H, A Rome-Apulia, F
Naples-Ionian (which is also the most common
Italian opening) followed in Fall by A ApuliaTunis, F Ionian C Apulia-Tunis, build F Naples.
Spring 1902 F Ionian-Eastern Mediterranean (or
Aegean), F Naples-Ionian. Then in Fall 1902 Italy
can convoy A Tunis to Syria. This attack requires
Austrian cooperation, of course.
Balanced, natural neutrals Sweden,
Rumania. With a foot in the western sphere owing
to its long border, Russia has an advantage in expansion but its defensive position is weak despite
the extra unit. Russia often feels like two separate
countries, northwest and south, and it may prosper
in one area while failing in the other. The eastern
sphere is more important and usually gets three of
Russia's starting four units.
Russia has no obvious enemy. Because the
Austro-Turkish alliance is so rare Russia can usually
choose its ally-but don't become complacent. In
the north Germany can usually be persuaded not to
interfere with Sweden. An Anglo-German attack
will certainly take Sweden and threaten St.
Petersburg, but Russia can lose its northern center
and still remain a major power. A Franco-Russian
alliance can be very successful provided Germany
and England start the game fighting one another.
A common Russian opening is F St. Petersburg
(sc)-Bothnia, F Sevastopol-Black, A WarsawUkraine, A Moscow-Sevastopol. Moscow-St.
Petersburg is rarely seen (and very anti-English).
Warsaw-Galicia is anti-Austrian (with MoscowUkraine). Sevastopol-Rumania is very trusting of
Turkey.
Russia.

Turkey. Balanced, natural neutral Bulgaria.

Turkey has the best defensive position on the
board. Its immediate expansion prospects are not
bad, and at one time it was notorious in postal
circles for "spreading like wildfire" once it reached
six or seven units. Now players realize that an
Austro-Russian alliance, or the Italian Lepanto
opening, can keep Turkey under control.
Austria is an unlikely ally-see Austrian notes
for why. Russia-Turkey can be an excellent
alliance, but if Russia does well in the north Turkey
will find itself slipping behind. Nonetheless,
beggars can't be choosers. The Italo-Turkish
alliance is seldom seen, perhaps because all too
often Italy becomes the next victim for Russia and
Turkey. A fight between Italy and Turkey on one
side and Russia and Austria on the other is rare, for
Italy prefers to go west and hope Austria will attack
Russia after finishing with Turkey. Turkey has
plenty of time to look for help from the other side of
the board while fighting a dour defensive, but help
usually comes too late.

*****

OF THE GIANTS. It will contain many different

types of scenarios including wars between
kingdoms, quests, treasure hunts, escapes, and
pursuits. In most scenarios players will be able to
select their own forces and objectives. Characters
will include most of the familiar fantasy and hero
types like dwarfs, goblins, ogres, and magicians.
And, of course, giants. Designed for two to eight
players.
Three of the others are card games; one about
gangsters, one about the Middle East, and one
about senatorial politics.
. Alan R. Moon
SAMURAI
Work has just begun on the SAMURAI update,
so there is not really that much to report. A new
game map is now in preparation which is both attractive and functional. Each province will be a different color from its adjacent provinces; thus permitting immediate recognition. This gives the map
an appearance similar to those U.S. maps you see
in schools. You know- the kind with each state in a
different color. The mountainous provinces will be
distinguished by terrain symbols rather than the
solid orange color used 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. SAMURAI is most enjoyable when
diplomacy takes an active roll; and this increase in
the number of players will definitely increase the
diplomatic infighting.
Several new game mechanics are being considered with a view toward adding new play
options to the game system. The most ambitious of
these is the use of cards instead of dice to determine the sequence of play. Each player would
choose one card from a hand of six. The player with
the lowest valued card would take his turn first and
so on. Each card contains certain advantages and
disadvantages; so a player wanting to go first can
also find himself severely penalized in another area.
Thats about where I am right now. There'll certainly
be more later as the game progresses.
... Mick Uhl
STRUGGLE OF NATIONS
A first phase playtest kit was sent out in March,
with printed prototype components. However, the
rules were in very rough shape, and the playtesters
have had difficulty getting into play with what's
been provided to them so far. Our weekly testing
sessions here are proceeding fine, and a "first
draft" of the rules is in progress. This will go out to
the "Second Phase" playtesters this summer.
Right now the game is slated for a winter release.
Work is also underway correcting the provisional
components for a final production press run.
The unusual step of sending out a "design
sketch" with rules indicated but not always
specified, was tried in an attempt to hurry up
development toward an Origins release.
STRUGGLE OF NA TlONS will not hurry up.
DAUNTLESS GAMETIE
This project has been taking up more time than
it was supposed to. A number of production innovations which were supposed to save time and

money ended up costing more of both, and the

result is that an estimated March release was pushed
back to late summer. Sturmovik has been likewise
affected; because of production difficulties on the
data cards, the old "Expansion Kit" will be split into
two parts (if it's done at all). STURMO VIK will have
32 aircraft from the Russian/ AsianlPacific
Theatres, and SPITFIRE will include 28 aircraft,
mostly from the period 1939-41 .
. . . Kevin Zucker

OBJECTIVE ATLANTA

Progress on the Avalon Hill revision of OBJECTIVE: A TLANTA has understandably been slow
due to the great number of other projects I am involved with. However, the rules are currently
undergoing a massive revision which I feel is
necessary to eliminate out-of-date and obscure terminology. The rules will also be presented in a more
clearly defined format. After this has been accomplished to my satisfaction I will begin work on
redesigning the charts and organization displays.
The counters and mapboard I also intend to discard
as I want to introduce standard period symbolism
onto both items. As far as graphics are concerned,
my plans include color-coding the counters to
distinguish the units and their various functions.
The mapboard I would like to airbrush and, if it goes
well, should be a vast improvement over the
original.
... D. A. Sheaffer
GUNSLINGER

GUNSLINGER is in final playtest at last. Production delays and an unexpectedly large number
of suggestions and comments from enthusiastic
playtesters have led to our missing the early summer ORIGINS deadline, but the final game will be
out later this summer. Actually, the fulsome
response might have been expected, for GUNSLINGER is a completely new tactical
system-and nothing generates enthusiasm and
discussion like novelty and tactical systems. The
basic game is a straightforward system that explains combat in split-second showdowns. Additional rules add stalking for longer periods of time,
campaigns that combine showdowns into longer
games and role-playing rules that allow the players
to develop their characters from game to game.
The result is a simple, fast game that can be extended into a longer, more serious game for roleplaying enthusiasts and gaming clubs.
MAGIC REALM
The initial rewrite of the MAGIC REALM rules
has travelled strange paths. Many people have offered some intriguing suggestions for improving the
game, so rather than simply rewriting the rules as
we planned last summer, we are reorganizing and
adding to the presentation. With the gunfighters
fading into the sunset at last, we should start a
playtest of the new MA GIC REALM rules sometime
this summer (yes, we will playtest the second edition rules). Players who are familiar with the existing rules will find the overall game unchanged,
with some very nice changes to the details of play
here and there. The delay comes from these
changes and the reorganization in the presentation.

ALPHA OMEGA
The biggest problem with ALPHA OMEGA is
restructuring the game to fit the Avalon Hill format
(have you seen the size ofthose maps?). It is a good
deal like fitting a quart of water in a pint bottle
without losing anything. We're working on this, but
progress is problematic with other projects intruding. Fortunately, the game system is quite

Continued on Pg. 41

36
Figure 1:

HIT THE BEACH!

by lim Stahler

But What Happens When The Beach Hits Back?

The German beach defense is crucial to the
game. This is one aspect of D-DA Y which has remained constant throughout the game's long
history. A poor defense can give the game away
right from the beginning; while a good defense can
give the Allied player certain defeat if he invades the
wrong beach. This is as true in D-DA Y '77 as in its
predecessors.
One approach to forming a good defense is trying to hold everywhere, not allowing the Allies a 3-1
attack on an undefended beach hex anywhere. I
have seen a defense that allows the Allies ashore
free only in one hex in Normandy; even the most
remote beaches in South France and the Bay of
Biscay are 3-1 proof. However, a good die roll at I-I
or 2-1 in Pas de Calais can put the Allies on the
beach with little between them and the Rhine. I call
this type of defense an iron ring with a marshmallow center. If the outer ring is pierced, the rest
falls. A defense of this type is useful if you believe
that the Allies will inevitably win should they get a
beachhead. It gives the German player a good
chance of winning on Turn 1. It also gives him a
good chance of losing on Turn I.
I prefer a more conservative defense that makes
North Sea, Pas de Calais, and Le Havre impossible,
invasions at Normandy, Brittany, and South
France subject to being tightly bottled up, and Bay
of Biscay a very long, slow march to the Rhine. An
example of such a defense is shown in Figure I. Let
us take a tour of this defense, hex by hex and beach
by beach, to see how effective it is, and how it can
react to an invasion of any of the seven beaches.
We will start our tour at the German port of
Emden. This is safe from any Allied attack, even
airborne. What is interesting about Emden is the
masses of tanks and panzer grenadiers right outside
the city. From here the 3SS, 15SS, 25SS, and 9SS
divisions can quickly cover a North Sea invasion
within a turn or two. Their high mobility can enable
them to reach as far as Lyons or Rennes in four
turns to help bottle up a South France or Brittany
invasion.
A more central position for these units would be
the starred hexes near Frankfurt, but it would take
them too long to backstop a North Sea invasion.
They could also be halted by a nasty river interdiction on hex 010.
Continuing along the coast we come to Holland
and the North Sea invasion area. Here we do not
want to give the Allies any easy opportunity to get
ashore, since it is so close to Germany. The first five
hexes are all defended by five or six defensive factors, with a tight screen of static divisions and headquarters to the rear to keep away anyone falling
from the sky. The most that the Allies can get
against anyone of these hexes is two infantry divisions invading from the sea, plus one factor of air
support, for a total of nine factors. Thus, the best
attack that the enemy can make is a I-Ion any hex.

...

---------~;.....----~~-------..,""c-------,

Even if he wins one or two of these attacks, he is not

home free. I16 and 1 17 are easily bottled up by the
surrounding rivers, and the other three hexes are
subject to counterattack by the four major divisions, 3 and 5 Parachute, and 77 and 271 Infantry,
with 15 attack factors, supported by plentiful static
divisions. Even if the Allies do succeed in getting a
toehold on the coast and survive the ensuing
counterattack, their supply situation will be critical
until they capture a port. The only available ports
are Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and Antwerp in
neighboring Belgium. Holding the fortress of Rotterdam, with its tripled defense, prevents the Allies
from using either Amsterdam or Rotterdam. The
Panzer divisions streaming from the West, along
with the river barriers, will keep Antwerp out of
Allied hands.
About the best that the Allies can expect to do
against the North Sea is to make a 2-1 with three airborne divisions against Amsterdam, coupled with a
successful invasion against one of the two beach
hexes adjacent to Amsterdam. The Germans need
only retreat a couple static divisions across the
dyke, beef up Rotterdam, and use the Emden armor
to hold the Rhine. The Allies will be bottled up in a
tiny beachhead with supply for two divisions, and
hordes of Panzers on the march (See Figure 2). And
this is what the Allies get after risking their valuable
airborne divisions in a 2-1 attack. The Allied player
can write off most of the North Sea as a viable invasion area.
There is one more beach hex in the North Sea:
K19. It looks like an easy, unopposed landing, but
look closer. Units invading KI9 must attack the adjacent 2SS in Ostend, with retreat blocked by 15
HQ. Since 2SS is doubled, even paratroopers are required to make a I-I. With the masses of German
armor and infantry stationed to the West, the most
that the Allied player can hope for is a beachhead
bottled by Dunkirk, the Scheidt River, and Antwerp (see Figure 3). Not much gain for risking an
airborne division and the first invasion.
Note a couple more features about the North
Sea defense. The hexes most likely to be attacked,
116 and 117, are defended by static divisions. The
more valuable units are positioned on hexes less
likely to be invaded, making these units safer. They
also are farther west, allowing them to quickly
assist their comrades defending Pas de Calais, Le
Havre, Normandy, and Brittany.
Continuing along the coast we enter France at
the Pas de Calais. This is the closest invasion area to
Britain, the beach that Hitler expected the Allies to
invade. It is the scene of the British evacuation at
Dunkirk, and the debacle at Dieppe. Should the
enemy choose Pas de Calais as their invasion area, it
will be three in a row.
Pas de Calais is a very different sort of area
from North Sea. Supply is generally not a problem
at Pas de Calais, whereas it made an offensive nearly impossible from North Sea. There are five coastal
ports to choose from, which are the key to the area.
They are hard to take, because they double or triple
the defender; however, this makes them easier to
hold once taken. Pas de Calais has better exits to the
interior than North Sea, making an invasion more
difficult to bottle up. Since Pas de Calais is farther
from the Rhine than the North Sea, a beachhead is
not quite as dangerous; a line can still be formed on
the Meuse. The biggest danger comes from isolating
the bulk of the German army West of the Seine,
should the Allies successfuly invade and quickly
break out.

37

My strategy is to strongly defend the five ports,

while being able to drive into the sea any units that
struggle ashore on any of the three clear beach
hexes.
Ostend, defended by the 2SS Panzer Division, is
2-1 proof, and it requires two infantry divisions, an
airborne division, and air support to get a I-I.
Should it be taken, the Germans are in the same
position as if KI9 is successfully invaded. Because
the Allies would be doubled in the city, counterattack is out of the question. Fall back to Dunkirk,
the Schedlt, and Antwerp as in Figure 3.

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, but 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 Infantry 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 unlikely event of one of
the fortresses falling, you should crush the airborne
division exposed in the open, hold onto the other
fortresses, and build a wall of units directly outside
of the captured fortress. If worse comes to worse, it
is back to the Meuse, but this will happen only if
you are facing a very bold, very daring, 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
inexperienced Allied player. They are airborneproof, but they are each defended by only two static
divisions. The allies can hit both hexes with a tempting 2-1 (however they are one factor short of a 3-1).
The strength of these hexes comes not from the garrisons in the hexes but the large units behind 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 additional 20
factors from Normandy that will be available to attack on turn 2. If the Allies get ashore here, they will
soon wish that they had attacked elsewhere.
The last hex in Pas de Calais, Dieppe, is defended by the crack ISS Panzer Division. Being
doubled in the city, it is worth 14 factors. Two armored divisions, an airborne division, and air support are required to make a I-I. Note that retreat
cannot be cut off without attacking the 91 st Infantry. Attacking Dieppe is taking a big risk, 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 off against the city. If 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. Figure 4 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.

AI5
'ARACHUTE

er including HQ's)

Figure 3: A successful invasion of K19 bottled up by massive German

forces, rivers and fortresses after turn 2.

The next hex, 121, is a clear terrain hex. It is undoubled, which makes it easy to attack, and easy to
counterattack. The 6/2 Parachute Regiment protects the hex from airborne assault. The Allies can
attack it with at most two armored divisions and
aircraft, for a total of II factors. Since we have
three static divisions defending it, the Allies are one
factor short of a 2-1 attack. We will be seeing a lot
of this one factor shortage up and down the coast.
In case the Allies do make a successful 1-1 and gain
a toehold, they can be annihilated by 2SS, 6/2
Parachute, 5 Parachute, 84 and 85 Infantry, and a
few of the omnipresent static divisions, with at least
18 factors, enough for a 3-1 against an armored
division supported by defensive air. L21 is not a
healthy place for the Allies in June.

lYRE
FANTRY PARACHUTE
6

We have seen that Pas de Calais is a very tough

beach. There are no free hexes, and lots of
counterattack strength. In most games the Allies
won't even consider a Pas de Calais invasion, and in

the few that they do, they normally won't survive

turn one. If your opponent chooses Pas de Calais,
sleep well; you have the game in your pocket.
Little Le Havre is only three hexes wide, but it
can be dangerous if the Allies get a firm foothold.
The key to Le Havre is Rouen. If the Germans can
hold on to Rouen, they can bottle up the invasion
on a line Dieppe-Rouen-Le Havre, or at worst
Somme-Amiens-Rouen-Lower Seine, as in Figure
4. Should the Allies secure Rouen early, they can
break out towards Paris and trap the troops in Normandy, Brittany, Bay of Biscay, and South France.
Rouen can only be attacked by airborne on the
invasion turn. With the two static divisions, the
Allies' best odds are I-I, risking all three airborne
divisions. If he loses (213 chance), he has lost most of
his airborne strength. Even if he wins, the Germans
can still counterattack with five infantry divisions,
I SS, and Lehr panzer divisions. You can consider
Rouen pretty safe on turn one.
There is also the beach to worry about. ISS in
Dieppe contributes its strength to the defense of the
first beach hex, Q28. The best attack from the
beach is 8-14, or 1-2. Using two airborne, the Allies
can get a I-I, but this is very risky, and requires the
third airborne division to make a soakoff against
Rouen. Most Allied commanders won't take the
risk.
The next hex is undefended! The Allies can get
ashore free at R29, but we have quite a welcoming
party waiting behind the beaches. See Figure 5 for
one counterattack possibility.

Figure 5: Counterattack

VS.

R29; welcome ashore.

The third hex, Le Havre, is a fortress garrisoned

by two static divisions. It is worth 12 factors in
defense. Using four infantry divisions, two airborne divisions on S30, and a factor of air support,
the Allies can attack with 23 factors-not quite 2-1.
The 352nd Infantry division discourages airborne
units from landing across the Seine. Note that if the
352nd Infantry were on S30, it could be attacked
from R29 in conjunction with airborne divisions,
leading to a bridgehead across the Seine on Turn I.
However, in T30 it can only be attacked by airborne, a 2-1 at best, requiring three airborne divisions. If Le Havre falls, but there is no bridgehead
across the Seine, the invasion can be halted along
the lower Seine. If airborne seize a bridgehead but
Le Havre holds, a counterattack can wipe out the
invasion and isolate the paratroopers. Should Le
Havre fall and the paratroopers be successful, you
should be able to eljminate a few airborne divisions
and fall back to the Seine-if you still hold Rouen.
The defenses of North Sea, Pas de Calais, and
Le Havre all follow the same strategy. Depend on
strong forces to hold the beaches or counterattack a
lucky beachhead, with bottling up of the enemy
only a last resort. In Normandy, Brittany, and South

38
France, our primary goal is to bottle up the Allies in
a small area, rather than hold all the beaches and relyon counterattacks.
Normandy is the site of the actual invasion, and
for that reason you can expect some Allied players
to invade Normandy. After all, if it worked for
Eisenhower, it should work for me. We will make
that a lovely trap to fall into.
The key feature of Normandy is that it is a small
peninsula, with good defensive terrain at the base.
Our strategy consists of strongly defending the base
of the peninsula against the initial seaborne invasion, and then to hold it against land attack from
any beachhead that may be established. The key
hexes to hold against the seaborne invasion are
Caen and Bayeux. Five factors on each, doubled
because of the cities and surrounded by antiparatrooper defense, are sufficent to prevent I-I
odds. At 1-2, the Allied player would almost certainly be tossing away two infantry divisions, and
he usually won't take the risk.
Part of the paratroop defense is the 12SS on
Carentan, which serves a dual role of defending
R34 and S35. The Allies can land at these hexes, but
will have to fight to stay. The best that they can get
against the 12SS is four infantry divisions, two airborne in T35, and an air factor, totalling 23 factors,
one short of2-1. Cherbourg must be held by a static
division. Not only does that serve to slow down the
Allies, but it prevents them from landing a
paratrooper in Cherbourg in conjunction with a
landing in Brittany or Le Havre, giving them two
beachheads for the price of one.
A likely attack on Normandy would involve
landing all around Cherbourg, and using airborne
divisions and tactical air to gain 30-6 (5-1) odds
against Cherbourg. Soaking off against 12SS from
S35 and attacking Cherbourg from R34 will force
the Germans to evacuate Carentan or come out into
the open to fight for it. I advise retreating to an impregnable line along the Vireo
The key cities are now Bayeux again, and St. Lo
and Avranches. Hold these with your armored
strength nearby, protect them against
paratroopers, and worry mainly about the second
invasion. The Allies will have a tough time getting
even a 1-2 anywhere, to make carpet bombing
useful. See Figure 6 for the German defense at the
end of Turn I, and note that there are plenty of reinforcements on the way. A Normandy invasion will
be bottled up with the cork welded on.

This latter fact requires the Brittany garrison to

slow up the Allies for a few turns to enable reinforcements from Normandy, Bay of Biscay, and
Pas De Calais to arrive to man the trenches. Since
the Allies will have fewer troops and supplies, the
task is easier.
We want to deny the Allies the use of a port on
turn I. The idea is to force them to use an extra turn
to acquire a port with its large supply capacity
before they can attack the main line. Avranches and
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 the main defense line. St. Malo is also needed
for the main line. It can be attacked at I-I, but not
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. It is defended by a tripled 3-4-3. You can expect the Allies to eventually capture Brest, but the
highest odds that they can get on Brest on the initial
invasion turn is, of course, 23-12.
Lorient also has a high supply capacity. It can be
attacked at 15-6 on turn one, which is a risky 2-1.
The 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 off Brest. It is tempting to counterattack this weak force with your nearby panzers, but
this strategy could easily lead to disaster.
Remember that the Allies have air power, airborne
divisions, and 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, and the loss of a few key German units
can hurt badly. In this case, discretion wins over
valor. It is better to avoid combat and to fall back to
the St. Malo-St. Nazaire line. The 712th Static Division is used here to delay the Allies for a turn, in
X40, while other units move into position. See
Figure 7 for the positions after turn I.

Figure 7: Allied invasion of Brillany and start of German withdrawal

to S1. Malo-St. Nazaire line at the end of turn 1.
~

Figure 6: Allied beachhead sealed in Normandy on turn I.

Moving around the coast of France we come to

Brittany, which looks like a large Normandy. The
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 Normandy. On the other hand, since it is a larger peninsula,
it will require much more of a commitment of German troops to hold a line at the base.

Figure 8 shows the St. Nazaire-St. Malo defense

line after Turn 2, ready for the first Allied assault.
St. Malo can fall; if so 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 the open. Hex AA40 is undoubled. This isn't too
dangerous because the Allies can attack it from only
one hex, and the powerful German armor nearby
can counterattack any Allied success against AA40.

Figure 8: Allies bottled up by the St. Nazaire-St. Malo defense line at

the end of turn 2.

Beware of paratroopers landing right behind

front line to surround your strongpoints, or
landing deep to the rear to grab ports. Garrison
Cherbourg, Avranches, and Nantes for certain.
Keep units in La Rochelle, Bayeux, and Caen, just
to be safe. Having an enterprising airborne capturing a port behind your back, followed by armor and
infantry landing unopposed, can be embarrassing,
to say the least.
You should be moving everyone available from
South France, Pas de Calais, and replacement
centers in Germany, to your critical line. Put additional units in W37, and Y38, to force the Allies to
soakoff additionally if they try to attack St. Malo or
Rennes. Counterattack any threat from your
doubled and tripled positions. With any luck, the
Allies will require a second invasion at Normandy,
South France, or Biscay to spring the Brittany
beachhead free, and you will be able to fall back to
the Seine with no threat of a second invasion, and
your replacements not too far away.
The Bay of Biscay is an enigma. On the surface,
it looks like a poor choice for an invasion. It is very
far from the Rhine. Troops landing there will wear
out shoe leather and truck tires before they reach
Germany. Since it is so far from England, the heavy
shipping requirements severely limit the number of
divisions that can land at Biscay to only four per
turn. This is a mere trickle compared to any other
invasion area. On top of that, the supply situation is
not very good. The Allies must secure a port early to
even have a chance of staying ashore. The open terrain behind the beaches makes it easy for the Germans to crush an invasion with a strong armored
counterattack. The Bay of Biscay can be ignored as
a feasible invasion area by the Germans.
But not safely ignored.
The danger of a German counterattack on the
first couple of turns is negligible because the Germans cannot afford to commit much counterattack
strength to such an out-of-the-way part of France.
Similarly, they cannot put much strength there to
prevent a landing. Infantry and static divisions in
Biscay will be stranded by an Allied breakout
anywhere else, and Panzers are needed to
discourage landings in more critical areas.
But the wide open terrain that exposes Allied
troops on the beach to a counterattack also prevents
the Germans from forming a line to bottle up an invasion short of the Loire. Strategic movement will
allow a division to rush from La Rochelle to Paris in
only two turns, so it wasn't as far removed from
critical areas as it seems. The shortage of supplies
and l'einforcements can be overcome by capturing a
port in nearby Brittany or marching overland to
Marseilles. No, comrades, the Bay of Biscay cannot
be ignored.

~our

39
The problem of defending Bay of Biscay is; how
to defend a long stretch of beach with only a few
mobile units that won't be trapped if the action is
elsewhere. My solution is to hold the cities of St.
Nazaire, Nantes, La Rochelle, and Bordeux, using
only medium Panzer formations (4-4-4's) and a
couple of static divisions.
St. Nazaire can at best only be attacked at 2-1 by
two infantry divisions, the airborne division, and
air support. Since it is a fortress, units can be pinned
inside it, and there is a lot of counterattack strength
next door in Brittany. Nantes can only be attacked
at I-I, and losing Nantes is meaningless if St.
Nazaire holds, because the Allies can use Nantes as
a port only if they own St. Nazaire and the far bank
of the lower Loire.
La Rochelle is more promising, but the Allies
can only get a I-I attack here also. A victory here
would put the Allies solidly ashore; a defeat here
would effectively eliminate the first invasion. If the
Allies are going to risk it all on one die roll, they
would be wiser to do it in the North Sea or the Pas
de Calais, not in the Bay of Biscay.
Bordeaux is the soft spot of the German
defense. Here the Allies can make a 3-1 attack (see
Figure 9) without fear of counterattack or of being
easily bottled up. Note that Bordeaux is very, very
far from the Rhine. If you have to give the Allies a
freebie, this is the best place. Nevertheless, if I had
one more division, I would put it in Bordeaux or
1I42, to help hold the left flank of the Bay of
Biscay.
I
;-'

Our tour of the French coast ends at the

Mediterranean beaches of South France. Long a
favorite resort area it was also a favorite invasion
area, until the 1965 rules made an invasion of South
France futile because supply lines could not reach
all the way from the ports to the Rhine. Now, in the
1977 edition, Marseilles can support up to 22 divisions up to 24 hexes away, far enough to include
Strasbourg and 9 hexes across the Rhine. An invasion of South France must be reckoned with.
Since South France is so far from the other invasion areas, any troops committed there will be on
their own for quite a while, until they can be reinforced from across France. Similarly, they cannot
be used against an invasion at any other area for
quite a while. For this reason, I do not defend the
beaches at South France, nor do I plan a counterattack. Rather I use the same strategy as I use at Brittany: bottle up the invasion. The Rhone valley
makes an excellent bottle, and Lyons makes a very
good cork. However, beware of a very dangerous
leak at Sete.
Initially, the Allies can walk ashore anywhere
but Sete; they will be unopposed. At Sete they can
only get a I-I, which they will frequently pass up in
favor of easier pickings to the East. However, Sete
is the key to the whole area.
Figure 11: Main line of defense on the Lyons line, with outposts on
JJ24 and KK30. Established on turn 5 or 6, with plenty of rein-

forcements on the way.

jured such an impressive line out of nothing (see

figure II). With four or five turns, you are able to
build an unbreakable line along the upper Rhone,
which will require a second invasion to crack.

Should the Allies attack at Sete and succeed, the

above defense is outflanked and it's back to the
Seine. He simply marches to the south and west, via
Toulouse and Vichy, and he'll be comin' round the
mountain in no time. You can manage to slow the
advance with a screen of Panzers and headquarters,
but there is no stopping it. It is possible to contain
the advance with a line along the Loire-Eure-Seine,
but there is no way that the German Army can hold
that, hold the Lyons line, and still prepare for the
second invasion.

Figure 9: Allied 3-1 attack on Bordeaux requires TAC support. Germans retreat is shown in red.

If the Allies do attack in the Bay of Biscay, the

German player must be careful to avoid two tempting traps. Do not get involved in a mobile battle out
in the open. If you are not doubled, you can expect
even attrition, which you cannot afford. Although
the Allies get only four divisions per turn, they get
those four divisions every turn, and don't forget
about airpower and those sneaky airborne divisions, which can isolate half your attacking forces if
you are not careful. And if second invasion time
comes with your best troops slugging it out near
Bordeaux, you are in trouble; the flower of the
Wehrmacht can be cut off by a dash across France.
Only attack if you are guaranteed to crush the
Allied invasion immediately. Otherwise slowly
withdraw.
The second trap is to attempt to bottle up the invasion with a line along the Loire, from St. Nazaire
to Vichy. What works in Brittany will not work in
Biscay, because the line is too long to hold. It is 24
hexes long, as compared with 21 hexes of the Seine
line (Besancon to Le Havre), and you still have to
defend Normandy and Brittany. A breakthrough at
Orleans will trap everything west of there, and a
successful invasion at Normandy will be equally
fatal. With such a long line garrisoned, there will be
barely enough troops available to hold North Sea
and Pas de Calais.
The best move to handle an invasion of Bay of
Biscay is a slow retreat all the way to the Seine
River, using your panzers as a screen to prevent the
Allies from utilizing strategic movement. If you are
clever, the Allies will arrive at the Seine in strength
only around Turn 9.

Figure to: First German resistance to an Allied invasion of South

France is established on turn 2.

Withdraw to Valence and the mountain hex

MM31. This denies the Allies Strategic Movement
on their second turn; the farthest they can get is
Montelimar. Meanwhile, move up the infantry
from Lyon to the Valence-Grenoble area, and rush
everything that moves from the Atlantic to Lyons.
On Turn 2, you can build a formidable line with
units in Grenoble and Valence, with a delaying unit
in MM30 (see figure 10). Be wary of putting
anything in hex MM31 on Turn 2 if MM30 is vacant; if Valence is successfully attacked from
MM30, everyone in MM31 is cut off.
On turn 3 the Allies will normally attack the
sacrifice unit; they cannot mount effective attacks
against Valence and Grenoble. Now you can put
strength on hexes LL29 and LL30, continuing to
hold Valence. Congratulate the Allied player if he
takes Valence on turn 4; your delaying troops have
done their job with light losses. You should be able
to squeeze another turn or two out of this delaying
action, allowing the Allies to hit your outposts
(hexes J 124 and KK30) on turn 6 or 7. By this time
the Allied player will be wondering how you con-

Fortunately, defending Sete is not all that hard.

If the Allies attack it on turn I, the best that they can
get is a I-I. If they fail to take it then, you have a
chance to rush some reinforcements up there. They
can't attack Sete overland until turn 3 at the
earliest, and that gives you a chance to put a backup position on the mountain hex TT40, which effectively blocks the exit from Sete, and can (lnly be attacked from one hex. Two 4-4-4's in TT40can be attacked at 1-2 at best. In fact, if Sete gets threatened
by an enemy on GG35, its garrison should immediately pull back to TT40 to make their stand.
We have completed the tour of my German
defense. It is not an optimal defense-I doubt that a
perfect defense exists-but it is a very good one. It
makes North Sea, Pas de Calais, and Le Havre
totally unappetizing. Normandy, Brittany, and
South France present the Allies with an easy
beachhead but nothing more, leaving the Bay of
Biscay as the best bet of a sorry lot. Wherever the
Allies hit the beach, the beach will hit back.

Comments and/or criticisms may be directed to

Jim at his 6617 Mayfair Dr., Apt. T-I, Falls
Church, VA 22042 address. Rule lawyers are urged
to exercise caution however as Jim happens to be
the author of the '77 edition rules.

40

Squad
leader
EliniE
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 strongpoints in the
West Wall. Perhaps a concealed log and rock command post within a reverse slope of Okinawa's
Shuri line. Massive structures outside; inside Errol
Flynn brushes off falling dust as the light bulb
swings to the tune of a direct hit by a 12" shell.
These are not the bunkers of SQUAD LEADER.
Most field bunkers were dugouts with a roof.
Pits or trenches lined with whatever was close to
hand. Coconut logs shared honors with crushed
pumice on many a Pacific island. House foundations and simple wood patchwork were used
routinely by the Germans. Relatively small, cheap,
and easy were construction standards. Sure it took a
lot of time to throw together but Organization Todt
was busy elsewhere and a good squad leader used
whatever was available.
Why bother 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 the Maginot Line in its 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 weaknesses.
A Bunker's Strengths:
53.2-Ifin a wire hex cannot be entered directly
from an adjacent hex in one Advance Phase. It may
enter the bunker in the next Movement Phase unless
occupied by enemy units in which case it may enter
during the next Advance Phase.
55.-Minefields (but not booby traps) 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 Q &
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 treated as Area Fire
and the most effective result which can be gained 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 bunker as if it were a
building and broken units within bunker may stay
adjacent to enemy.
56.8I-Units outside a bunker protect units inside from immediate Close Combat by advancing
enemy units.
101.9-Units within get bonus for preStuka attack 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.
It is evident that being bunkered provides strong

fire protection and allows real morale/rally advantages. That's why you built the damn thing. Now
let's review the weaknesses.

A Bunker's Weaknesses:

25.3-Units within may not grow concealment

counters.
37.37 & 37.48-Bazookas, Panzerfausts,
Panzershrecks and the not yet released Recoilless
Rifles may not be used from within.
54.2-No entrenchments in same hex.
56.I-Only placed in non-building or nonwoods hex.
56.22-Costs I MF to leave bunker and units
outside receive no benefit from bunker.
36.3-Units may only fire out along covered
arc.
56.4-No vehicles, howitzers, or mortars may
use.
56. 52-Flamethrowers firing through Covered
Arc, add no modifier.
56.81-Units within may never force Close
Combat on units atop a bunker.
56.82-Units may NEVER leave bunker when
enemy is atop.
56.83-Units within may never fire at own
bunker top (and vice versa).
56.9-Concealment counters do not halve incoming fire.
75.9-Not placable in marsh.
105.2-No morale bonus for being next to
AFVs pre-1942.
107.6-Suppression fire effects units within
bunker same as those outside.
109. I-Subject to critical hit.
111.81-Snow smocks no advantage within.
Boil down the weaknesses. Bunkers are traps
. alluring traps, but traps nonetheless. The
essence of all-or-nothing defense. The only pre GI
covering terrain they may occupy is orchard. That
means the vast majority of the time your bunker

41
will be in open terrain. And that means you can't
get out without moving in the open. Regardless of
modifier are you sure you want adjacent units to be
able to fire in when you can't fire back? Never
forget that one lousy scout sitting atop can trap a
platoon within the strongest bunker. Most players
soon learn that bunkers are a nice place to avoid.
Why did so many nationalities spend so much time
building them?
The answer lies in balancing the various features
a bunker offers. 1will offer general usage ideas and
how they may apply to specific scenarios in the
following paragraphs before answering the above
question.

The Backward Loner. This bunker faces toward

your lines. Usually in front of your main line of
resistance. Perhaps just within small arms range. If
an enemy moves past it without neutralizing it, its
covered an; may allow a rear ATR shot or may prevent a rout. Attempts to engage it through its
Covered Arc Defense Modifier places the attacker
between your forces. It is most vulnerable to entry
during the Advance Phase from an adjacent hex.
Consider this for covering the roads in Scenario 21.
The Command Post. This bunker is behind your
lines in some covered spot. A reverse slope is ideal.
Stick an 8-0 leader within and you've created a
central rally point for an extended firing line.
Stacked with an additional three squads it makes a
powerful counterattack jumpoff point. Hex 304 in
Scenario 21 can be used for all the troops entrenched
atop hill 546.
The Magic Cire/e. Popularized by fighter pilots
of a bygone era. Three bunkers may be placed in a
triangle such that the covered arc of each has a clear
LOS to the top and rear of its neighbor. Better still,
six bunkers can be grouped in a perfect circle
around a central open hex. Any attempt to
approach the blind side of one is met by a hail of fire
from the others. Review Scenario 9 in this light.
Why were so many bunkers built when their use
is so limited? 1 believe there were two basic reasons.
First SQUAD LEADER players have yet to experience a powerful preparatory bombardment.
The roof of a bunker allows defenders to suffer
through a Field Marshal Monty style blasting with
minimal casualties. Further, if you don't trust your
troops to be able to survive the rigors of fire and
movement the plus modifiers of a bunker do
substantially even the odds. Refer to Bob Medrow's
excellent table on probability of unit survival in
Volume 17, Number 2. A 6 morale unit is 8070 less
likely than a 7 morale unit to survive a l2FP attack
at 0 DRM. Change the DRM to + 3 for both and
now the 6 morale unit is only 4070 less likely to survive the same attack. Low morale units benefit
more from cover than do crack troops.
Each of these ideas stresses the key points of
bunker usage. A bunker must be protected; either
by other bunkers in a mutual protection plan of
interlocking fires or by outside troops. The fire and
morale advantages are most valuable when used for
troops with limited fire and morale abilities. Used
properly they may add substantially to your defensive capacity. A new scenario has been provided in
this issue's insert page to allow players to experiment with the ideas contained herein.
One last note on bunkers: the original rules
booklet showed a bunker incorrectly facing a hexside rather than a spine. Bunkers, like AFVs, must
face a hex spine to determine their Covered Arc.

AH Philosophy . .. Continued from Pg. 35

two of the most serious problems with the PANZER

BLITZ/PANZER LEADER system.

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
RED SKY AT MORNING

With the exception of ARAB-ISRAELI WARS,

up to now Avalon Hill hasn't produced a single contemporary era wargame despite the fact that most
gamers seem highly interested in the present
military situation. Now we are taking a long overdue 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 true.
This game simulates the course of a worldwide
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 battle includes all
the major ships and weapons currently in operation
as well as ships and weapon systems 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 action
and playability, not complexity. And yet, we expect
RED SKY A T MORNING to be one of the most interesting and innovative game systems we've ever
developed as there are tremendous differences in
contemporary naval weapons from the days of the
U-boat and the battleship which dominated the
Second World War; anti-surface and antisubmarine missiles, improved radarlsonar equipment, satellite and undersea detection, ballistic
missile submarines, etc.
Since this game is still in the design stage, I invite any interested gamers to write to me if you are
interested in playtesting, or if you have any information which will be of help.
. .. Frank Davis

PANZERGRUPPE

The revision of the PANZER BLITZ, PANZER

LEADER game system is progressing very well.
The playtest kits should be in the mail in a few
months. The interest all over the country in this
revision has been overwhelming. The general consensus 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 Iam reminded of the 90 year old grandpa 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 rec' 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 modifications and changes are designed to fit into one
generic set of rules, intended to cover the European
Theatre of operations for World War II from
September of '39 to May of' 45. The new rules provide a more realistic game and clear up many problems. The spirit of the 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 densities 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

A more drastic revision is the incorporation of a

step reduction system with backprinted counters.
The step reduction adds a new wrinkle to the
C.R.T. and does away with all or nothing outcomes
of the existing game system. The addition of
morale rules increase the possible outcomes of any
given combat.
The Weapons Effects Chart has been greatly
expanded and the different weapon capabilities are
more accurately portrayed. Long range shots are
now more of a "hit or miss' affair. Infantry units
have been brought into the Weapon Effects Chart
with their firepower and weapons types adjusted
by nationality and year of the war.
It is our hope with this revision to produce a
simulation on the war in North Africa, as well as expansion kits for PANZER BLITZ and PANZER
LEADER. On the negative side most of your
counters with be obsolete, but on the plus side,
all equipment, rules etc. will be 100% interchangeable.
... Kirk Bramlett
STRUGGLE FOR ARNHEM BRIDGE

The intense street fighting during the Market

Garden Operation for control of the famous road
bridge at Arnhem is depicted in graphic detail. The
game is tactical in nature and deals with only that
portion of the city in the immediate vicinity of the
bridge where elements of the British 1st Airborne
Division fought for its control and finally their very
survival.
The mapboard is 22" x 32" with a scale of approximately 1" = 100', and units representing individual squads or two-three vehicles. To many this
may sound like SQUAD LEADER all over again, but
it has very little in common with the SL system. A
first glance at the mapboard which lacks a hex grid
of any kind will tell you that. Instead, the game uses
a map divided into various city block areas- each
based on the actual street configuration at the time
of the battle. All the famous buildings and streets
have been noted for added color, but there is a
minimum of complexity associated with the terrain- such information having been factored into
the configuration of the areas themselves.
The game itself revolves largely around the
Movement/Fire phase of each game turn. Each one
of these phases is divided into a varillble number of
alternating player impulses. During an impulse a
player may either move or fire any number of units
currently occupying a common area. Once a unit
moves or fires it is considered committed and is
turned over to show, in most cases, a reduced
defensive factor. This also symbolizes that it may
not move or fire again during that phase. If a player
should decide not to perform any action, he may
pass. Players must pass if they have no units eligible to move or fire and the phase ends if both
players pass consecutively. The strategy and
timing that must accompany a pass option is extremely important and keeps the excitement level
high throughout. The net result is a game turn with
a simultaneous feel, yet with the action-reaction of
sequential movement games.
Combat is resolved without a Combat Results
Table of any kind and requires both players to interact during each attack. The defender will usually
have the choice of retreating from an area to conserve casualties or remaining in place and taking
greater losses. Off-board artillery effects are also
included, as well as the ability to set fire to buildings
within a block to flush units from their positions.
Victory is determined by control of the all important areas surrounding the bridge ramp and the
bridge itself. How fast and how thoroughly the Ger-

Continued on Page 44

42

STAFF BRIEFING

ReM

An Interview with Dale Sheaffer

ARM: What is your job at Avalon Hill, Dale?
DAS: Well, I was hired on as a graphics person and
generally I turn out most of the components inside
the game boxes.

then makes a plate from the negative, with these

clear areas becoming holes the printers run the color
through.

ARM: Would you explain how a mapboard is put

together?
DAS: Usually there's a prototype map to work
from. To do the final map though, we start from
scratch by first creating a base art which usually
consists of the areas and symbols which will appear
in black. Then overlays are added in order to create
the other colors and terrain features.
ARM: Is there any limit to how many colors you
can use?

DAS: An overlay is a sheet of plastic acetate that is

put down over the base art. The overlay itself is not
the color you want it to be. It is merely a device to
show the camera department where you do want the
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 cut away in areas. So,
when we add colors to a black and white illustration
we merely leave the amberlith in the areas where we
want color. The camera department makes a
negative from this which is the reverse of the
overlay, which means that the amberlith becomes a
clear area in the negative. The camera department

DAS: No. Since box covers are usually paintings,

there is no base art so we can't use the overlay
method. Instead, we shoot a color photograph of
the actual painted artwork and then separate this
photographically into four different colors; black,
red, blue, and yellow. These four colors are then
made into four negatives which reproduce the
painting when printed. This process is called a color
separation.
ARM: Which of the two methods mentioned produces the more vivid color?
DAS: There are advantages and disadvantages to
both. Color separation eliminates the problem of
constructing a base art and overlays which is probably its biggest plus.

DAS: What we use here at Avalon Hill is a fourcolor process which simply means we can only use
four colors, but since the four colors are usually
black and the three primary colors there is
technically no color that we cannot create.
ARM: You are also in charge of doing most of the
art for THE GENERAL. How do you recreate
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, and then
we just build up the mapboard using overlays again
to recreate the original. We do the same thing for
the colors of the counters, beginning with the black
and white art and adding overlays for color.
ARM: Some people are probably a little confused
by a lot of these terms. What do you mean by an
overlay?

By Alan R. Moon

Dale A. Sheaffer
Born: 3/23/52
Started Wargaming: 1962
rOM Experience: None
First Warga me: Gettysburg
Favorite Wargame: Gellysburg ('77) and Russian Campaign
Favorite Non-Wargame: Go
Outside Interests: Music, Art, Hisrory
Employed by AH: 1979

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 artist I usually envision someone sitting in
front of an easel with brush in hand, But there's
really a lot more to what you do. How much of your
job is technical vs. purely artistic?
DAS: The bulk of my work is technical. Before I
came here I had a good grounding in commercial art
but 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 department and the printers to
learn their terminology and the things they can and
cannot do.
ARM: Are the box covers done the same way as the
rest of the components?

ARM: Why isn't this method used for the diagrams

for THE GENERAL?
DAS: Two reasons. It is much quicker and much
cheaper to do it the other way. We have, on occasion, done full color illustrations in THE
GENERAL, mostly map boards that were hand
painted originally.
ARM: Were you surprised at what your duties turned
out to be at Avalon Hill, having been trained in art
school for something completely different? Did
that bother you in any way? Do you ever feel that
your artistic talent is being wasted?
DAS: Not really. First off, I took commercial art
which is exactly the kind of training you need for a
job like this. I was a good pen and ink man which
also helps. I haven't done much in the way of pen
and ink illustrations yet, but you never know what
I'll be doing in the future. As for my talent being
wasted,I would also have to say no. It's been
channeled into other directions. There is a lot of
challenge in what I do now, especially in trying to
reproduce exactly what I want through the
photographic process.
ARM: I get a great deal of satisfaction from seeing
the finished product of a game I've worked on. Do
you get that same kind of satisfaction from working
on the components?
DAS: I'm always glad when they finally come out
right, but no real artist is ever truly satisfied with

43
any of his finished products. The minute I see a
finished map, I immediately think of a new or a different way I should have done it.

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 are
the GUNS OF A UGUST map and FORTRESS
EUROPA counters.
ARM: What makes them better than some of the
other things you've worked on?
DAS: In the case of the counters for FORTRESS
EUROPA, they finally came out looking the way I
wanted them to look. Almost all the little problems
that we had with them were taken care of and we got
a finished product that satisfied me. In the case of
the GUNS OF A UGUSTmap, I was experimenting
with new techniques and procedures and the end
product, while not exactly one of our flashier maps,
satisified me personally because it meant that what I
had attempted to do worked and worked well.
ARM: How much time did it take to do the GUNS
OF A UGUST map?
DAS: If I could have sat down and done it all at
once, it might have taken a week and a half or two
weeks. As it 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 appear on the finished product.
ARM: How much time does it take you to put
together all the art for an issue of THE
GENERAL?
DAS: About a month or so, depending on the difficulty of the illustrations and the difficulty of
getting the components themselves together.
ARM: Do you play games. Would you consider
yourself a wargamer?
DAS: Yes. My father brought home an original
GETTYSBURG one day, and my brother and I
literally played it to death. My sister even got into
the act. We were hooked from there on.
ARM: How do you think being a gamer effects you
as an artist working on the components of the
games?
DAS: I know what I would like to see in terms of
graphics in games. I'm responsible for the grey
Westwall symbols on the new THIRD REICH map,
because I always forgot about them when I played
it. I remember purchasing games when I was
younger that used to startle me with some of their
graphics so now I try not to startle myself.
ARM: Do you think its more important for a map
to be functional or attractive?
DAS: I think there's room to make components
both functional and attractive at the same time.
When I do a map I'm not just interested in including
all the pertinent information, although that's most
important. I also attempt to create an appearance
for the players so the pieces and the mapboard
impart a suggestion of the period the game takes
place in.
ARM: It sounds to me like you are also interested in
history and games as simulations. Is that true?
DAS: Yes, both.
ARM: How does that relate to your work on a
game?
DAS: In the case of a game from a particular period
in history, I will try to find samples of maps that
were in use at the time. For instance, for a World
War II game I'll try to use the actual symbology that
was in use then. This enhances the appearance of
the components and increases the enjoyment of
people who play the game.
ARM: You have to work pretty 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 perfectly willing to do a map for a
developer or designer according to his complete
directions. The trouble that we sometimes get into is
when the designer doesn't have a clear idea of 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 times when you disagree
artistically with what the developer wants and you
just know that it 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 of
the job?
DAS: It bothers me sometimes, but 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 me to 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 what I may already
have constructe\!. I'm always glad if it turns out
well, for the players' sake anyway.
ARM: There's always a lot of talk about innovation
in games and a lot of it has to do with how the components and the artwork are presented. How do you
feel that Avalon Hill rates along the lines of innovation?
DAS: That's a tough question. All the components
that are created at Avalon Hill are done from
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 sym bology that we
use or anything like that. So, it's very difficult to
say. On the other hand, it allows me to be creative
and experiment with new symbols for terrain, new
color schemes, etc.
ARM: Are there restrictions on the format and size
of the components?
DAS: Yes. We always have to work within the
tolerances that have been created for the games. We
have standard sizes from map board panels, charts,
and counters. The main consideration here is the
box. Avalon Hill has two standard boxes; the
bookcase style and the flat box. These create their
own limits, but you can usually 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 revised FUR Y IN THE WEST.
ARM: Can you tell us a little bit about the components 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 be circular as well as square. There will also be a myriad
of charts and two decks of cards.
ARM: Along with everything else, you're also
doing the development of Battleline's OBJECTIVE
ATLANTA aren't you? Can 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 it's a very slow process. At this date I have a
revised set of rules in manuscript form, but that's
about all. My long term hopes for the game include
a hand painted mapboard and new counters.
ARM: It seems like anyone who plays games winds
up trying to design them too. Do you design games
on your own time?

DAS: Yes, but between working on games and playing them I don't have much time anymore.
ARM: We get a lot of letters from people who want
to submit art for THE GENERAL. Do you have
any tips for these people.
DAS: They should write to Don Greenwood first.
He will send them a form with the guidelines, and
let them know if we are looking for anything special
in the way of artwork. It helps to know the
tolerances and size limitations so we don't have to
chop up someone's piece of art because it isn't the
right size. Most illustrations that we use are pen and
ink, done in black and white.
ARM: What do you think of the latest Avalon Hill
boxcovers?
DAS: I think Avalon Hill boxcovers are constantly
getting better. Rodger MacGowan and Mark
Wheatley who we've used a lot lately continually
impress me with the quality and professionalism of
their work.
ARM: What do you think about the standard of art
in the hobby?
DAS: As far as the industry itself is concerned, it
has definitely been improving. Knowing what has
been done in the past, all of us in the industry are
constantly trying to do better.

AREA TOP 50 LIST

Rank

Name

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
II.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.

K. Combs
W. Dobson
D. Burdick
R. Chiang
D. Garbutt
T. Oleson
B. Sinigaglio
P. Kemp
R. Leach
J. Zajicek
J. Kreuz
L. Kelly
P. Siragusa
D. Barker
F. Freeman
L. Newbury
M. Sincavage
J. Beard
F. Reese
D. Giordano
I. LeBouef, Jr.
P. Ford
F. Preissle
B. Remsburg
B. Downing
W. Scott
K. Blanch
S. Martin
N. Markevich
G. Charbonneau
F. Ornstein
D.R. Munsell
F. Sebastian
D. Greenwood
E. Miller
R.M. Phelps
W. Knapp
J.D. Mueller
R. Zajac
D.L. McCarty
W. Kolvick
W. Letzin
C. Braun
N. Cromartie
G. Smith
R. Rowley
D. Tierney
P. Carson
D. Stephens
L. Jerkich

40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.,

Times
On List Rating
22
24
21
30
20
31
7
15
24
25
17
15
15
29
15
24
II
11

2
2
10
2
19
5
11
18
24
15
14
5
5
17
17
22
8
3
16
1
2
8
7
18
3
7
2
3
I
I
I
I

2533XOR
2511RJP
2179FDL
2178GHN
2161EGK
2069TTZ
2037EGF
2034EEI
2005HLQ
2004GJP
200IFFK
1999VWZ
I999CEG
I997GHM
1981EEF
I964EGK
1964DOI
I954EFL
I886FDE
I854CEF
1853HJR
1853ECK
1876JLV
I832EGL
1815EGJ
1809HGP
1790GIM
I790EGI
I782CEF
1775CEG
I766EGK
I760FOI
1758FNN
I756FFI
1739GJO
1738DFI
1723JLR
I723MJY
1719FGH
1713DEI
1710DEH
17IODEH
1706FIN
1693FGM
1679CCI
1666EGK
I660CEI
I650FCE
1636HIP
I627CCF

Previous
Rank
I
2
5
3
4
6
8
7
17

19
9
15
10
II
12
14
13
16
24
22
29
20
23
34
28
25
18
27
30
26
33
35
36
32
39
42
38

40
41
43
44
37
47
48
50

44
AH Philosophy . .. Continued from Page 41
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.
STRUGGLE FOR ARNHEM BR!DGEis, above all
else, a simple game to learn, but is filled with
countless opportunities for the application of different tactics and that is what makes it so
fascinating-the complexity lies in the play of the
game- not the reading of the rules. Players must
concentrate on the action taking place as it unfolds
on the mapboard, rather than in endless pages of
charts and rules. At this time, the rules are quite
tight with final blind testing about to begin to assure
proper play balance.
... Courtney Allen

G.!., ANVIL OF VICTORY

G.I. should be approaching the blind playtest
stage in about a month. The basic rules have
undergone about ten drafts in pre-playtest "scrimmage" with a few hand-picked experts from the SL
playtest crew. Actual testing of the twelve
scenarios now remains the largest hurdle to
publication.
Aside from the press of other duties, the biggest delay in getting G.I. onto the presses has been
an extensive revision of the game system itself.
The next project in store for the SL 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 result should be a much
shorter set 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 advanced rules. Along the way, many design improvements 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 SL 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 from the more palatable variety.
Similarly, plans to expand the Covered Arc in order
to improve the performance of non-turreted
vehicles have 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, terrain overlays to alter existing mapboards, 12-14
scenarios, and more unit counters than I care to admit. Consequently, you can expect the highest
price you've yet encountered for a SL item-but it
should represent the best value of the series. Look
for it next spring.
Many of you have written us requesting to be
allowed to become a SL playtester. Usually, we've
had to turn down such requests as the existing
playtest crew is a large and experienced group.
However, we are constantly on the lookout for
people whose actions back up their boasts and are
happy to expand our existing playtest crews for
people who demonstrate they have what it takes to
be a valuable contributor. An opportunity for such a
display occurred at the SL 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.
it's coming, and it will be
Hold on fellas
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 for the past
four years, when every other project was deemed
more important. The most recent issue (the
"March" issue, which was first 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 will be bi-monthly.
Please don't laugh- we are serious.
Moving onto more cheerful matters, the
STA TIS-PRO FOO TBALL game is near completion,
and we hope to have it printed and on sale in
August. It will include individual cards for every
member of every NFL team, with even third-string
quarterbacks being rated. We believe that it will be
the best and most playable statistical football game
on the market.
Other works in progress include a tennis and
hockey game, both in their early stages, and some
discussion of whether or not we would like
statistical golf and horse racing games. Joe
Balkoski is in the process of writing a narrative
history of the 1961 baseball season, which will
accompany our set of player cards for the season
for MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, and if our typesetters 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 Milligan

THE WARGAMER'S
GUIDE TO MIDWAY
Containing thirty-six pages of the best of THE
GENERAL articles on the game plus previously
unpublished material as well, this guide is a must
for every fan of the game. Several official rules
changes update the game and erase its few minor
flaws. A tribute to one of the hobby's eldest
citizens that has never needed a major revision. A
game which has grown old gracefully, maturing
by getting better.
Almost all of the reprinted articles are from
unavailable issues of THE GENERAL, many
from volume 9 or earlier. Included is the first
major variant, "Leyte Gulf", and the most indepth article on the game to date "The MIDWAY
Thesis" by two of the game's experts, Harold
Totten and Donald Greenwood. "The Pacific
Theatre Via MIDWA y", the other major variant
that spawned the MIDWA Y Variant Kit, has been
expanded to include many more optional rules
(some applicable to the MIDWA Y game as well)
and an additional scenario. "The Battle For
Australia", a previously unpublished article adds
the ultimate with a hypothetical monster scenario
using the components of both the game and the
variant kit. Other articles deal with strategy,
analysis, variants, and other hypothetical situations. The best of three Series Replays that have
appeared in THE GENERAL is also reprinted,
useful in itself as a fine example of the subtle
strategies involved when experienced players
meet.
THE W ARGAMER'S GU IDE TO MIDW A Y
sells for $4.50 plus 10070 postage and handling
charges, and is available from our mail order dept.
Maryland residents please add 5070 sales tax.

SQUAD LEADER
T-SHIRTS

MAGNETIC
GAMES

Yes, we are following up on the success of the

PANZERBLITZ T-shirts with yet another offering on what has become our hottest game. Now
you too can become a SQUAD LEADER
whether you play the game or not. The back of
the shirt is adorned with the same Avalon Hill
logo you've seen before on the PANZERBLITZ
shirts. Be sure to specify size: small, medium,
large, or extra large. $5.00 plus 50<1: for postage
and handling. Maryland residents please add 5070
state sales tax.

Now you can convert your favoJile game for

vertical display or secure in-play storage with
magnetic tape. unmounted boards and just an
hour of your time. All you'll need is a metal surface
and an unmounted gameboard. We supply the
magnetic strips with self sticking adhesive already
applied. You just cut the Y2" .x I' strips into half
inch squares and apply them to the unit counters
which came with your game. The result is a )1,"
thick counter which will stack six high even when
the mapboard is mounted in a vertical position for
display purposes. Never worry about that pbm
move being jostled again between turns.
Naturally this magnetic treatment will be less
valuable for counters with two-sided printing. but
that still leaves them with a multitude of uses.
NOTE: it will be necessary to be sure that the top
portion of all unit counters are uniformly applied
to the top half of the magnetic strips. Otherwise.
the polarity may be reversed and the counters will
actually repel each other rather than attract.
Therefore. it is wise to mark the back of the
magnetic strips uniformly across the top so as to
be sure to apply the top half of the counter to the
top half of the magnetic strip.
Magnetic strips areavailable from Avalon Hill
for 90<1: a foot or $7.50 for ten feet. Unmounted
.mapboards are available upon request for $6.00
apiece. Usual postage charges apply. as does the
5% state sales tax for Maryland residents.

45
Gentlemen:
Have you ever purchased a really neat and
nifty new game and then discover lhat you have
nobody to play with. So you play it solitaire a few
times, get bored, and put the game up on a shelf to
gather dusl. I have several dust gatherers on my
shelf. Recently I took TOBRUK orr the shelr,
dusted it off and began experimenting with
scenario I. Scenario I is fairly simple and readily
lends itself to computerized play. I decided to
:Ievelop a program thai would play the German
)idc.
The computer plays a fast hard-hiltinggame.
The turn sequence will have to be modified, firsl
Ihecompuler plays, then you do. This is one game
turn. Limit the game to 30 turns. If any of the
computer's panzers leave the board, simply
remove Ihem, but don'l count them as victory
points. You should also remove all tanks thai
have been k-killed. Any other instructions needed
arc found at the beginning of the computer
program.
This program has specific beginning, mid,
and end game rOlltines similar to a chess program.
Acenain amount of random variation is built into
Ihe program to keep a human opponell! from
second guessing the computer too oflen. Tobl'uk
Panzers occupies about 4500 bytes or memory. If
the instructions are left aLIt it mighl fit into a 4k
machine. This program is written in Level II
Basic.
I hope you have as much fun playing this
variation ofTobruk's Scenario I as I did creating
and play testing the program. I also hope that this
program sparks interest in other possibilities for
home computers in gaming. We have only begun
to scralch thc surface.
Bruce Duthie, Ph. D.
Richland, Washington
10 REM

TOBRUK PANZERS

15 REM

Bruce DUlhie, Ph.D.

October, 1980

17 Prill! "Tobruk Panzers"

25 Print
30 Print "This program is designed to play the
German side in scenario"
35 Print "one of Avalon Hill's Tobruk Game.
Randomly place Panzer"
40 Print "III-H's on hexes B-R. The Panzer IV's
will not be used. To"
45 Print "make it more fair for Ihe computer, all
German Panzcrs are"
50 Print "assumed to be shooting APCR shells.
All 'K' killed tanks"
55 Print "should be taken off of the board as soon
as they have been"
60 Print "knocked oul. The turn sequence has 10
be somewhat simplified"
65 Prinl "The Germans move first then you do,
you Illay move or shoal, but"
70 Prinl "Ilot both. The computer will lell you
when it is your turn."
75 Print "The computer will ask you a question
from time 10 time, you"
80 Print "will answer with a number. Your
answer should follow the ques-"
85 Print"tion mark on the screen, then you press
enter. If a question"
90 Print "mark appears with no Question, just
press enter."
100 Input
120 CLS
140 Print "Move all PZJ's 10 J-2 9"
150 Print "move Panzer-H, number S 1-17 three
forward"
210 Print "Your Turn"
300 A = RND(4)
310 Ir A = I then B = 8
320 Ir A = 2 then B = 10
lJO Ir A = 3 then B = 12
340 Ir A = 4then B = 14
400 Print "type in the number of hexes to Ihe
closest granl"
410 Input C
420 Ir B = > C then 430 else 150
430 Print "how many grants are within 10 hexes
of some PZH?"
440 Input A
450 Ir A >6 then GOSUB 5000 elsc
460
455 go to 150
460 If A< 4 Ihen go to 6000
470 Print "How Illany PZH's are 'M' or 'K'
killed?"
480 Input K
4901fK<6thcn150
500 Print "all 'M' killed Panzers continue to fire
at acquired targets,"
510 Prinl "or fire at the c10sesl grant if you have
no target. "
520 A = RND(6)

Letters to the Editor

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 then Prim "PZH 1-8 move right
front two hexes and pivot to face the closest grant.
PZH 9-17 move left front two hexes and pivot 10
face Ihe closest grant."
560 If A = 5 then Print "all Panzers move three
hexes forward"
570 If A = 6 then Print "PZH 1-8 move left from
IwO hexes and pivot to face the 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, if you '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 fire at grant 4,
PZH 9-10 first at grant 5"
5004 Print "PZH 11-12 rir" at grant 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 then Print "all 'M' killed PZH's
keep firing al acquired grants. Each PZJ acquire
the closest non "M" killed grant and fire at ilUlltil
it is 'M' killed. 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 grant, PZH
13-17 fires at next closest grant."
6010 If A = 2 then Prim "PZH 1-8 first at closest
granl, PZH 9-17 fires at next c10sesl grant"
6020 IF 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 grant have been 'K'
killed"
6070 Input C
6072 A = A-C
6080 If. C >2then 150 else 6000

*****
Mr. Greenwood:
Two hot-shot reporters covering 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 Maris. Their argument went on hot
and heavy for a few innings when the hot-dog vendor 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.

Wargamers have never been at a loss for

words. Articles 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 have targetted 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 endgame; use terms like "positional player", "lines
of play", "gambit declined", and "combinations". Apparently they "know their competition", as it were.
But let's not kid ourse:lves-WARGAMES
ARE NOT CHESSI Lockwood and Angiolillo are
simply putting on airs-"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 that if 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 expert at
something, I suppose, and to many it's playing
wargames. Initial reaction by. the non-warga mer
has usually been "so what". And, despite the
non-garner's alleged ignorance, his response is not
so far out of line. To master a wargame, assuming
concerted study and tournament play over an unbroken time period, might require three years (if
that) depending on the game. To attain master
level in chess has been known to require a lifetime
of dedicated, full-time study and tournament participation. The point is that anyone wargame is
so, so shallow compared to chess, that you may do
better trying to compare a birdbath to the Atlantic
Ocean.
Analogous arguments would apply to the idea
that our games have a "state of the art", or that
there should be an academy of art and design.
Now really, would you call the designer of a
miniatures figure a sculptor? (Oh yeah, wasn't
Michaelangelo one of them?) And with rare exception, artwork, particularly in the famasy/s f
field, has been sophomoric and unskilled. The
only thing an academy will provide is a chance for
certain people to feel elitist (while they stand in
their birdbath).
Why don't we face it? Wargaming is a hobby
for the great majority of its participants. We have
fun, we enjoy ourselves and the camaraderie, we
maybe learn something about history (definitely
about dice probability), and we may even create a
line of miniature figures. But then we go back 10
our regular jobs until next time. There's nothing
wrong with being devoted 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

"Air 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 was
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 must be considered-a slrict adherence to
historical accuracy, while commendable in setting
combat values and speed for individual ships, effectively deprives lhe players.of historical options
available to Ihe respeclive supreme commanders
whose roles they play.
One could argue, for example, that the
development of a "High Seas Supremacy" policy
on the part of the Kriegsmarineat the war's beginning would have stimulated increased shipbuilding in Germany; the presence of the Gral
Zeppelin in thegameof WAS implies that this had
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 that the Scharnhorsf and
Gneisenau Be's might have had their main armament upgraded to IS-inch caliber, with corresponding increase in gunnery factor value?

In VITP, assuming that the Japanese player

manages to carry his power play on into the end
game, it might be logical 10 infer that American
naval policy might have changed 1O respond to
this (essentially ahistorical) situation. If the UN
rights successful night actions in the early game,
battering even the fast bauleships built after the
Washington Treaty disappeared, the U.S. high
command might well decide 10 go ahead, fullspeed, on the Alaska CB's, allocate priority in the
shipyards to the Iowa 8B's" and rush them into
action, even build the Montana "Super-B8's"
designed to meet and defeat the Yamato's.
Moreover, changes in Ihe strategic situation
might alter entirely the times at which units enter
the game. If a rule could be evolved, for example,
giving the U.S. player the ability to choose between expending repair points and "pushing" the
construction of new ships, or between providing
the shipping for a new Marine unil and speeding
up the arrival of a capital ship, I believe it would
go far towards capturing lhe feel of occupying Ihe
post or CN.O.
Parenthetically, I might mention Ihat the
"jeep carriers"~the CVE's that showed so
superbly off Samar-eQuid be figured into VITP
as carrier lask groups, and into WAS as "hunterkiller" and escort groups. If Hermes can show up
in Ihe counter mix, why not Card, Bogue or
Guadalcanal (even if only in abstracted form)?
I look forward 10 receiving the revised, completed WAS Expansion Kit and strongly urge
that, after another year or two, you turn your
talents towards the composition of a similar kit
for VITP (with, possibly, additional fillips for
WAS as they evolve and present themselves); I've
no doubt thai it'll find its market.
Rich Banucci, D.O.
Bridgeton, NJ
P .5.: Suggested Values for the MOJllana BB's
might be (6)-9-5, inasmuch as they would have
probably been as fast as the Washington's and
slower than the Iowa's. One could even argue for
a defense factor of 10 on the strength of various
construction refinements planned for incorporation into the MOJllana's as well as on the increasing sophistication and efficacy of U.S. damage
control methods.

*****
Gentlemen:
As a short time but loyal AH fan, I would like
to express my opinions on what I feel has been an
inordinate amount of allention devoted to the
SLICO/ICOD game system in the pages or THE
GENERAL. Since I've never owned any of these
games I've been disturbed to see no less than 11 articles (including scenario evaluations, scenario recounting, game system design and analysis and
series replays) in the last six issues of THE
GENERAL. This is far more attention than any
other game or games have received in these same
issues (Volume 17 as a whole), and I wonder
whether this trend will continue? At the risk of
receiving tons of hate mail from the game system
loyalists, I hope not.
To be perfectly honest, I think you have done
an excellent job with the format of THE
GENERAL overall. I especially applaud your
feature articles recently on such oldies-butgoodies as STALiNGRAD and AFR/KA
KORPS. Nevertheless, my reaction upon seeing a
new article on either SL, COD, or COl (or more
than one) has been one of "Oh no, nOt another
one!" I realize you can't please all the people all
the time, and I realize the enormous popularity of
this still-developing game system. I just wish to
point out that such popularity with tactical WWII
infantry combat is far from universal. And while I
continue to look for far more articles or variants
on my personal favorites (A/W, AAOC, and CL),
I'm instead accumulating page upon page of what
to me is useless information on SL and its'
variants.
To conclude then, I'd just like lO ask, on
behalf of all of us non-SL fans out here lO consider us in future publications and not let THE
GENERAL become SQUAD LEADER
WORLD. Perhaps I'll even purchase SQUAD
LEADER one day, just to see what I'm missing.
Who knows, I may even like it.
Mark Cotter
Old Town, ME

I try to present as varied a format as possible

but we must weight the coverage to those games
which appeal to the bulk 01 our readership. Based
on "What Have You Been Playing" surveys thus
far that answer has been overwhelmingly SQUAD
LEADER.

46
AIR FORCE ERRATA
Charls & Tables:.
A number of modifiers, though spe':ified correctly in the text of the rules, do not appear or are
stated incorrectly on the Charts (page 31). For
Players' convenience they ought to make a nOle
on the appropriate Charts.

NT. Ib Optional Modifiers, add

Target in Slip
-1
-I
Dive Speed Firing
Slip, Loop, Roll
Firing (each)
-2
Spin Firing
-4
Spotting Modifiers, add
Inverted
Altitude: Towards

-2
+1
-I

Away

Din & Glide Bomb Modifiers, correction

These modifiers are for the /s( die.

Example of Loaded Modifiers (page 17)

Maneuver, level and dive speed increments
... would be "3-4", "5-6", and "7-8" respectively.
Aircraft Identification, Procedure (page 20)
Subtract "one" from Identification die roll
for "F" guns.
Inline Engine Tahle (page 20)
(Add the result on each die together.)
Scenarios (page 2Sff)
Map edge sides are referred to by the numbers
on the compass rose poiming toward that side.

READER

~_OO_L;_@_()_i!)J_lJ:~_~_[l__~_L3_~__~_ _

While not the first Battleline game to be rated

(that honor going to CIRCUS MAXIMUS), AIR
FORCE is a good example of peoples' natural
resistance to change. Indeed, the actual rule
changes to AIR FORCE were far less than those
to CIRCUS MAXIM US. The only big change in
the AH version of AIR FORCE was in the presentation of the aircraft data cards, but this change
seems to have irked many of the game's diehard
fans. AIR FORCE has always had a large, and
somewhat fanatical, following who were against
any change right from the beginning. It is not surprising that this feeling is renected in the RBG.
However, this casts some serious doubts on
whether these ratings are a true reflection of the
game. And since the Battleline version was not
rated, the ratings do not really tell us how the twO
differ.
The game received its best rating for Play
Balance (2.42), which is not surprising since most
players design their own scenarios and try to
establish equal sides. The other two above average
ratings were for Excitement Level (2.77) and
Realism (2.81).

...

Q. Do a1l the guns in a flak counter fire as one

unit, or may they all fire separately?
A. They must all fire as one unit.

Q. Does each flak coumer have to spot an enemy

plane before they can fire on that plane? In other
words, must 16 flak counters make spotting attempts on the same plane?
A. Once spoued, an aircraft may be fired upon
by any unit in the game; an aircraft need not be
spotted by the unit firing 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 individually and only one spOts an enemy, does
movement have to be logged in advance for the
other two?

Q. Does the procedure for spOiling through

clouds lake different altitudes of the aircraft into
account, similar to sighting over a hill?
A. No. You cannot sight Over a cloud.
Q. The optional rules state that a plane must stay
in the "maneuver" speed until it spots an enemy
plane. The corresponding altitudes of the
maneuver speeds seem to be too low ... I thought
bombers usually flew the highest altitude they
could.
A. You may stan bombers at maneuver or level
speed.
Q. Will a plane that spreads a halfloop over two
or more turns have to climb or dive it's maximum
rate every lurn included?
A, Yes.

VICTORY IN THE PACIFIC:

7.72 Does a damaged CY lose ilS airstrike attack
bonus?
A. No

The games are ranked by their cumulative scores which is an average of the 9 categories for each
game. While it may be fairly argued that each category should not weigh equally against the others,
we use it only as a generalization of overall rank. By breaking down a game's ratings into individual
categories the gamer is able to discern for himself where the game is strong or weak in the qualities
he values the most. Readers are reminded that the Game Length category is measured in multiples of
ten minutes and that a rating of 18 would equal 3 hours.

On the negative side, the game garnered poor

ratings for Physical Quality (3.77) and Components (3.79). While these ratings are probably
aimed at the data cards, it should be pointed out
that the artwork, particulary on the boxcover and
counters, is top notch. The worst rating was for
Mapboard (4.94) which also seems somewhat unfair. It isn't easy to make a mapboard representing the sky look very interesting.
e[her below average ratings were for Ease 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 right for a small scenario with
four to eight planes.
The majority of discontent with the Avalon
Hill revision as opposed to the original Battleline
version seems to have been aimed at the multicolored graphic presentation of the data cards;
original owners of the game claiming [hat the
black & white linear chans were much easier to
understand. This is ironic as it was this very concept which delayed our publica[ion of the AH
version.
To keep the RBG list at 50 titles, the long suffering and discontinued KRIEGSPIEL has finally
been dismissed from its rightful place at the bottom of the chart.

Q. What happens when an aircraft already at its

maximum dive speed makes a further dive?
A. The aircraft is destroyed. In order to dive the
aircraft would have to reduce its airspeed first,
probably by applying brake factors.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q. In Scenario 4, are the flak guns specified a
[otal amount divided among all the flak counters
specified, or does each counter contain the
specified amOunt of flak guns?
A. The amount is a total divided among all the
flak counters.

AVALON HILL RBG RATING CHART

GUIDE

TITLE:
AIRFORCE A.,.lon Hill revision only
SUBJECT: Plane to Plane Combat in the European Theatre of WWII
AIR FORCE was the 53rd game to undergo
analysis in the RBG. Its Cumulative Rating of
3.43 placed it a disappointing 46th.

Q. I f a plane becomes spotted because it fires,

can enemy planes fire on that plane in that turn?
A. Yes.

.....I

Altitude Loss at NonLevel Bank (page 11)

A number of conditions have been applied to
the mandatory altitude loss. An aircraft which
ends the Game Turn in a non-Level Bank attitude
must lose 100 feet of altitude unless:
1. The alc was plotted to perform a Turn,
Slip, Half-loop or Half-RoB [as before].
2. The ale spent half its turn (rounding fractions down) in Level bank.
3. The alc has not expended enough Movement Points to conduct a Maneuver. The rule
applies at the end 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 apply.
This altitude loss is determined during the
Status Determination Phase following the pial of
aircraft, and affects its next turn's altitude. As
this is an "administrative adjustment", the
following rules apply when using the Optional
Nose Altitude Rules for combat:
I. The 100' loss still leaves the aircraft in a
Nose-Level altitude.
2. If a player plotted a climb of 100' to adjust
for the loss, the aircraft is still Nose-Level
attitude. (If however, more than 100' were plotted, then the Nose-Attitude. Rule takes
precedence).

BUYER~S

A. No. All aircraft are freed from their preplotted movement.

()

()

o
3

3
c

1;)

~.

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. WAR AND PEACE
10. FORTRESS EUROPA
11. PANZER LEADER
12. RICHTHOFEN'S
13. CAESAR-ALESIA
14.1776
15. 3rd REICH
16. PANZER8L1TZ
17. KINGMAKER
18. DIPLOMACY
19. CAESAR'S LEGIONS
20. SUBMARINE
21. STARSHIP TROOPERS
23.
CHANCELLORSVILLE
22. ARAB
ISRAELI WARS
24.
25.
26.
27.
2B.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.

VICTORY - PACIFIC
DUNE
NAPOLEON
FRANCE 1940
The LONGEST DAY
JUTLAND
RAIL BARON
LUFTWAFFE
MIDWAY
AFRIKA KORPS
FURY IN THE WEST
ALEXANDER
ORIGINS OF WW II
WIZARD'S QUEST
CRETE-MALTA
GETTYSBURG '77
D-DAY '77
BLITZKRIEG
TOBRUK
WATERLOO
WAR AT SEA
BULGE
FEUDAL
AIR FORCE
STALINGRAD
TACTICS II
MAGIC REALM
AVERAGE

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

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

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

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

em
o w
O-~

~ 0

0~.

o ()

-0

:D3
C 1;)

- ~f

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. 71
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

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

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

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
2.93 3.16

.56
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

1.82
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

19.5
20.5
28.5
13.6
11.6
9.2
21.7
18.8
17.0
44.1
13.1
6.0
27.9
33.4
34.9
14.0
20.2
32.6
13.5
12.1
17.3
13.5
18.8
18.0
11.9
9.1
16.0
171.
29.7
21.6
24.2
15.7
13.5

17.8
12.7
9.6
13.2
18.8

27.6
20.2
24.0

21.6
16.2
6.9
20.0
7.5
9.6
20.0
11.6
19.9
21.4

47
Vol. 17, No.6 polled a 3.27 score for the issue
making it the fourth best issue of the preceding
year. As usual, the feature article got the lion's
share of the votes in our 200 random sample
system which awards three points for a first, two
for a second, and one point for a third best selection. The complete results were as follows:
The Russian View.
THIRD REICH Series Replay.

Hoisting the Jolly Roger .

SQUAD LEADER Clinic

Getting the Lead Out.

Back to the Viipuri
The Maniacal Approach .
The Asylum .
WARATSEASl.

Infiltrator~s

Report

.332
.
180
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
.... 141
.. 77

..
..
..
. ...

74
72
52
45

Due to the difficulty of answering game questions correctly on two very different sets of rules,
Avalon Hill will no longer answer questions pertaining to out-of-date rulebook editions. Questions
must be based on the current rulebook edition, or
they will be returned unanswered. This policy is
aimed specifically at THIRD REICH, but also applies
to games such as D-DA Y, AFRIKA KORPS,
BA TTLE OF THE BULGE, GETTYSBURG and
BLITZKRIEG. Where rule changes in current editions are only of a minor nature this policy will not
apply, but where changes are extensive such as in
the above mentioned titles we can only answer
questions based on play of the most current
editions.

AView From the Other Side of the Rhine.

.. 44
Staff Briefing
. . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . 17
Design Analysis
....... 6
Avalon Hill Philosophy
.
............ 3

The Charles Roberts Awards were presented

at ORIGINS VII on July 3rd. This marked the first
time that the final voting was done by members of
the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design
and already petitions are circulating to return the
vote to the public. Membership in the Academy
however is not all that exclusive and we urge interested parties to request membership information by sending a stamped, self-addressed
envelope to Academy, POB 656, Wyandotte, MI
48192.

Avalon Hill was well represented among the

nominees. Both CIRCUS MAXIMUS and WAR &
PEACE were on the ballot for Best Pre-20th Century Boardgame but lost out to SPI's EMPIRES OF
THE MIDDLE AGES. CRESCENDO OF DOOM beat
out FORTRESS EUROPA and three other
nominees in winning Best 20th Century Boardgame. The entire 1980 line of AH computer games
was nominated in the Computer category but lost
to TEMPLE OF APSHAI by Automated Simulations. THE GENERAL was a bride's maid for the
7th time in as many tries as FIRE & MOVEMENT
again took top honors in the Professional Boardgaming Magazine category. Gary Gygax gained
long overdue admittance to the Hall of Fame as its
7th inductee. SQUAD LEADER added CAMPAIGN
magazine's Best Game of All Time award to its
collection of Kudos.

The second annual Northeast Gaming Association Playoffs will consist of a between-club single
elimination wargame tournament based on popular
2-player war boardgames. The rules for TEAM
GAMING will govern play. Teams will consist of
four players competing in fourindependentsix-hour
matches. Each of the two teams in a meet will be
able to "veto" one of the six eligible wargames,
thus leaving four games to actually compete in.
Suggested (but yet to be finalized) "base" games
tobe played in NGAP '81 are: Squad Leader, Victory

in the Pacific, The Russian Campaign, Chickamauga,

WSIM, Alexander. An 8 team tournament is planned.
There are absolutely no player eligibility rules. Anyone
may play including somebody who has already played
for another team! In this manner, it will specifically encourage the formation of" all-star" teams and help to
guarantee the best possible play in the final stages of
the tournament. The tournament is scheduled to begin
in September. A registration fee will be charged for the
tournament ($10.00 per team). The registration fee will
pay for a copy of the 1981 revised rules for TEAM
GAMING as well as a contribution toward the trophy
fund. More details on the scheduling of the tournament will be announced later. Send all directory requests and NGAP correspondence to Jeff Cornett, I I
Robert Frost Drive, Shelton CT 06484 (203-929-6147).

Manufacturing Association (GAMA) who indirectly

tax their membership by levying a $ 50/booth fee
for attending exhibitors. In any case, the HIA
reports that the "Adult Fantasy and Strategy
Games" category grossed $36,000,000 in 1980.
This figure compares with $16,000,000 for
"Military Miniatures, Dioramas, and Structures",
$34,000,000 for "Dollhouses", $134,000,000
for "Model Railroads", and $298,000,000 for
"Needlecrafts, Macrame, and Yarns". Never
fear- the HIA reports that if you adjust the definition of the category to include the sales of such industry giants as Parker Brothers, the Adult Game
category tips the scales at $213,000,000.

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
perception. Your eye must single out related
shapes, color, shadings, and density of print. To
make a whole out of seemingly unrelated parts containing minute bits of information is challenging to a
high degree. Each individual stick is almost exactly
alike. Since each puzzle has more than one solution, the Puzzle Sticks player must soon decide
which picture to attempt first. Often the puzzle is
almost finished before disclosing the beauty of its
complex subject ... and once complete 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 offerings in the Stick Puzzle line include;

GIBSON GIRLS, PRESIDENTIAL MUNCHIES,

HAND SCAPES, AUGUST FRUIT, THE BUCK
STARTS HERE, STICK PUZZLE POKER, and
WIND, WHEELS and STEAM. All 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 included the" Adventure Gaming" category in their
Annual Hobby Industry Report for the first time this
year. An Adventure Gaming division was formed
within the Hobby Association for the first time in
1980 marking the coming of age of adult games (be
they wargames, simulations, fantasy, role playing,
or whatever) in the hobby industry. 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 hobbywide promotion of that category. With these funds
advertising making the public more aware of
"adventure games" as a category 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

Avalon Hill has been busy acquiring games

from other companies again. The latest acquisitions are ex-OSG products PANZERKRIEG, ROBIN
HOOD, NAPOLEON AT BA Y, AIR COBRA,
BONAPARTE IN ITAL Y, BA TTLE OF THE 100
DA YS, NAPOLEON A T LEIPZIG, and DEVIL'S
DEN. It is not known at this time when these titles
will be made available from Avalon Hill, or to what
extent- if any-they will be revised from their
original versions.
Anyone interested in applying for a playtest
position for the 2nd Edition of STARSHIP
TROOPERS should address their inquiries to Alan R.
Moon. Both expert STARSHIP TROOPERS players
and inexperienced players will be used. Please state
which category you qualify for in your letter.
A line of copy was erroneously omitted from
the WAR & PEACE rulebook. Players may want to
make the following addition to their rule book; Page
29, Section F, part 5: "Non-French Player Reinforcements." Add to subsection f. "January,
1814- All English, Portuguese, and Spanish forces
listed in Scenario VI. January-August, 1814 - Each
turn ..." etc
The winners of Contest No. 100 who correctly
surmised that the German's best chance of final
victory lay in a low odds attack taking Rostov were:
A. Battaglin, Chicago, IL; S. Packwood, Tuba City,
AZ; R. Bouvier, Portland, OR; G. Hendrix, Houston,
TX; R. Papandrea, Warren, MI; C. Drong, Spring
Grove, IL; D. Kaiser, Lawrenceville, NJ; G. Phillies,
Ann Arbor, MI; F. Preissle, State College, PA; and
P. Siragusa of Houston, TX. Merchandise credits
were awarded to all of the above despite their
resemblance to a list of semi-finalists at the
AH 500.
The solution to Contest No. 101 consisted of
listing the following game titles in the correct order;
1. Blitzkrieg, 2. Alexander, 3. Dune, 4.
Chancellorsville, 5. Cross of Iron, 6. Caesar Alesia,
7. Anzio, 8. 1776, 9. Napoleon, 10. Starship
Troopers, 11. Air Assault On Crete, 12. Midway,
13. Origins, 14. Squad Leader, 15. D-Day, 16.
UFO, 17. Arab-Israeli Wars, 18. Russian Campaign,
19. Magic Realm, 20. Tactics II, 21. Gettysburg,
22. Bismarck, 23. Alpha Omega, 24. War and
Peace, 25. Panzerblitz.

OPPONENTS WANTED
Classicist/Revisionist needs flf STAL opponenl
on (he Alaska fronl. (NOll': New Addresq. louis
CO:llncy, 9706 Trappers Lane. JuncaLl, AK
99801. 19(1) 7890046.
Expcricnccd player wanlS 0l3lurcgamcr for flf.
raled, unrated laclical game'S, Sl. COl, COD,
WSIM. others. Also mulli-playcrCM, MR. raloo
ISOO+. nt'xable limes. Joseph A. PercI, 742 S.
PaNCU Cif., M~. AZ U2~. 8357296.

AK, AIW, AOC, DO, GOA. MO, NP. PL. Ricky

Thompson, .J005 N. 86th Lane. Phoenix. AZ
85037,8492728.
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 anyone in lillie Rock area? D:wid
Burro"', 50-1 Green Ml. Cir.1i62. L.R .. AZ 72211,
(501)2257392
AREA rlllC'd 1600 scd:s rated pbm games or PB,
STAL. Pn:rer ~Iit m:Jlch in PB. Will pia)' any
"body" in any scenario. Also pbm. 1\1.:. t-likc
Frisk, 18H7 Arrow Hg...y. Apt G-I03, Covina,
CA91722,(213)332-8825.
Regular DIP games. 1st &: 3rd Sat. l'a1;h month,
noon sharp. Join us. ~icl1 ~ced, 414 W. Oak. 1
Segundo, CA90245, (213)3220421.
Ftf ...anted. AZ. [1.'10. 3~. 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 rtf SL. COl. \\ISIM.
PL. VITP and lHhc:rs. Ha"esome pbm kits. 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 preL Lalt and Beach area. Send a Iwer
or call. Bret HUby. 11129 Grevillea 134,
Inglewood, CA 90304, (213}674-3935.
Adult wallis opponellls rated or nOI for ftf. SL,
COl. COD. FE, AZ. TRC, TLD, or pbrn AZ,
TRC AREA 1200 provo Craig "'kans. 6$12
Cr($Cenl St .. Los Angeles. CA 900U. (113)
2585614.
Eltperienced 16 yr. old gamer se-eksopPOnents ror
3R. SUB, SL. Will learn other wWll games.
Adam Sheldon. 9849 Chicopee Aw:.. NOflhridge,
CA 91325. 993-8464.
Postal KM! Games starting throughout the year.
Send for details. Russell Balgair. 4015 Howe St ..
/lA, Oakland, CA 94611. (415) 547-0667.
Teellager with one year's nperience. Wants flf
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 has pbm tils for AK. JRC,
Will play lhose and IHher AH utles,::iL gametles,
FE. AZ.ete. Thomas Vallejos.14546MereedSt .
San Leandro. CA 94529, (415) 351-8011.
Is there an)'one in my area who would like 10 form
a club to play, analyze. and design wargames?
James Gordon. 1221 S. EI Camino
San
M3IeO. CA94402, 5742980.
The NWA needs represenlation from Ihe northwest plains. Garners there and everywhere arc in
"iled to inquire concerning our activities. You
may be surprised! COnt:'CI: Nation:.1 Wargaming
Alliance. 9322 Kenwood Dr. 1218. Spring Valle)',
CA92077.(714)697320S.
AREA 1711 DEI challenges any AREA membeT
in tOp SO 10 one or t....o (simultaneous) games of
pbm TRC. Richard Phelps, 1617 Que-en
Charlolle. Sunny"ale. CA 94087, (408)7338)99.
Want~'d: pbm opponent for nonserious high le"el
play in Anzio (bask & optionals). TRC. AK
HOllorsystem for die rolls. Gord Ashaeker.1I4
202027 Ave.. S.W., Calgary. Pro". ,\Iberta,
T2TIH5,244-9101.
Adult ne..... 10 .....argaming wants pbm opponenlS
for SL and COl. Send system you prefer :.Illtllers
ans"'ered. all gamcs pla)'ed to the biller end.
J. Cameron. 2075 Warden A'e.. Unit 37,
Scarborough, Ont .. Canada MITIRI. (416)
2928891.

"'304.

I'm looking for ftf opponents in the Pueblo area

to pia>' CAE. KM, MR. SON, 3R. TRC. FE,
W&P. WAT or anylhing e1.\e you have. SIeve
Sain. 2025 Jerry Murphy Apt. 202. Pueblo. CO
81001.545-4107.
Conn. game dub has monthly general met'tingat
the Westport community )'outh center. Ne....
recruiu and "isitors welcome. We play 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. Royce Brainard. 110 Robert Dr . S. \\Iindor,
CT06074.644-3190.
Adult gamer, avg. player. reliable opponcnts of
any aile. pbm. PB, AK. Also ftfStamford vicinity
for AK. CAE. GE, ~'\O. PB. PL. GE. SL. John
Farewell. 611\lid[and Ave.. Stamford, CT06906,
(203) 327--()919.
AREA player se-eks all opponents. AREA or !lO1.
....i llplayonh"pbm.I haveAK.STAL. WAT.BB.
Will answer all rcquesls. Ke,in Cronin. 1626
Wilty St . Holl)wood. FL 33020.
Adult opponents wanted for ftf. NOI AREA
rated. I'll pIa)' an)' wargllme. Take either side.
John Besbekos. Callaway Garden Apts. 11534.
Athens. GA 30606. S4S-6376.
Tel:1I Sludent looking for dubs in Atlanta are3.
Also looking for pbm game ofTRC or FR. Consider m)'sclfan averagepla>er. Marc Schuler. Ga.
Tech Bolt 36551. Atlanta, GA 30322. (404)
872-2009.
Ntoed fir opponenu in south Atlanta. Also pbm
AK, WAT, BB, andSTALwill pia}' AREA (l am
1200 prO\') or non-AREA. Gerry Germond.
1591-A Sheffield Rd .. College Pk. GA 30349,
991-8592.
Pbm opponents wanted for Sl, COl. VITP.
WAS. Junior player of average ability. Steve
Munsell. 2327 Da,'ron Cir., r-.larielUt, GA 30062,
(404)9736040.
SL. COl, COD fall:ltic. age 34. seeks pbm
opponents. Fast game using COO or COl rules
prderrcd. D. G. Walters, Mossquoy. Dcerness,
Orkney, Great Brilain. KWI7209. 0856 74 331.
Wanted: experienced Illinois opponents for TRC,
I .....illtra'el. Will consider GOA. W&P. FE. Also
IAREAonly) pbmTRC......AT. MyAREAr:uing
is 1800+. Ed Mineman, 424 Anita Dr. Belle,ille.
IL 62221, (618) 233-6845.
MD. JU. STAL. 26 yr. old AREA gamer needs
local ftfopponents. Da"idM. Seirn.643Gunderson Apt. 110, Carol Stream. IL 60187. (312)
6532135.
Ftf in Springfield area for SL, COl. 3R. SST.
SUB and olhers. Gary Crolll'ell where arc you?
NOI AREA member but eonsiderina. Dennis
Collins. 15 Chatham Villa. Chalham. IL 62629,
483-4019.
Mature pla)'er seeks AREA r:ued STAL, WAT.
AK. Prerer pbm. will answer alllcuen. Richard
Domovic. 3623 S. 57th Ave.. Cicero. IL 60650,
(312)8633031.
Mature playcrs walllel.! ftf. pbm. An)' All Game
SI. Louis area. Craig Stephens. 4509 W3lter.
Granilecity, IL62040. 931-4606.
Members wanted for the College of DuPage
Warsame club. Meets e"er)' Sunday. noon, Campus Center. 'K' building. All games. all gaOlers.
all ages-III'dcome! Paul S. DeVolp;' 603 ColumbineA'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)4477737.
lndire need of more expcrience and bcnercompetition. NO"ice 22 yr. old sects AREA flfoppollelll{s) for 3R), PB. PL. SL and others. SCOIl
Tomasic, 5980 Roosc"elt PI.. Merrillville. IN
46410,(219)980-4638.
Naval gamer seekins competilion in MD. FT.
WAS. "IPT, BIS. W5IM, SUB, all pbm. SL.
COl. COD. ftf. NIH rated. no opponents refused.
Paul Worthington. t026 Salem St., Michigan
CiIY. IN 46360, (219)879-6810.

OPPONENTS WANTED
Friendly opposition wanted for flf in K.C. area.
Have: AK. BB. CAE. W&P, TRC, DO. FE. SST.
Will learn others. Mike Mance, 1605 Kiow~ 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. C'Xperiena'
.....ith PL, AIW and SL syslems; but ne ..... to division unit games & pbm; alllcner ans....ered. Felix
D' AIOOr. 1406 Darb)' St. Plaquemine. LA 70764.
6872642.
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 1200 adult wargamer seeks rtf in W&P.
AOC. AIW. or CL; Orono and B3ngor area.
Mark Coner, 249 Cemer St., Apt. 2. Old To..... n.
ME 04468, 827-6817.
Small group of enthusi:l$IS in the south Boston
area interested in opponents for SL, COl, cOD,
3R. CM. DIP. Non-rated but eager to play. Will
learn pbm sySlems. Sean O'Connor. 15
Woodland Dr., Cohassel, MA 02025.3839361.
Gamer. 33. seeks groupfOrnotForbloodevening
play, particularly mUllipla>er SL, COl. COD,
MMR, WSIM, RB. Stcve McKnighl, 59 Norfolk
St., Needham, MA 02192, 449~5371.
Southeastern Ma:u.....argamers meet e"ery Tues
day night at the SMC Library South Lounge. We
generally play from se"en to ten p.m. William
o....-en. 371 Rtoed St . New Bedford. MA 02740,
999-4120.
American Wargaming Assoc. National
Dem(Xralic allhobby wargaming fraternal
organization. Monthly ne.....s!cller. tournaments,
con"entions ad"isory board. special imerest
groups. affiliates, discoums. colleclor's guild,
and more! S8/year! George Phillies, 122's Island
Dr . 11204. Ann Arbor. MI 48105.
Pbm opponems .....amed for 3R either side. your
S)stcm. Shawn LitlCn, P.O. Box 21804. GMF.
Guam,MI96921.
ARESA 1200 seeks pbm BL rated games only and
unrated TRC, AlllettCf$ ans....ered. Jack Kuehl,
IJOOOGlenvicw Dr.. Bums\ilte, MN 55337, (612)
890-16Ij.
Flf pla)'ers .....aoted for any AH game especially to
form teams for TLO campaign. Wish 10 form
monster game club. Jim 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....ater. MN 55082. (612)
439-7253.
Adult rated games of \VAT wanted. Play each
side once. My AREA isapprox. 900. Use 2nd edition rules. H. MePherson, j(l()9 COUmr)' Valley.
Imperial. Mis.souri. 630j2. (314) 296--6645.
AREA 600 beginner looking for rated or nonrated malches in BL or PD. Either flfor pbm.ln
expericnced.looking to learn. Don Dudenl1oeffer, 27 Quamilo, MexiCQ. MD 6526j, (314)
581-4002.
Unrated player se-eks opponents for SL. COl.
COD, W&P. FE. GOA and many others. Ftfor
pbm. Anyone wam to try macro SL. PB. PL?
Frank Kump, 5147 Mild Dr. SI. Louis, MO
63129.894-2363.
Ne..... in Omaha, looking for flfin SL. COl. COD.
3R. TRC. SUB, FE. Any dubs in the area? Rand)'
Beals. 10067 ArmSlrong. Omaha, NE 68134,
(402)1-5200.
OMAHA BEACH wargamingclub. invites}'ou to
ad"emurl' DANGER. joy and accomplishment.
Thisclubisoneyearold;andwishesthesegamers
to join. Jurgen C. Olk. 3305 Augusta Ave.,
Omaha, NE 68144, 333-8099.
Bricktown gamer. 33 yrs. old. seeks local
opponents. I ha"e many games including SL.
VITP. LW,
KM & 3R. Bob MaeCary. 19
Vanafll Dr. Brickto..... n. NJ 08723. 9209S67.

"''10.

CAE, AZ, TRC, SST. Know most games. Dave

Maguire. 316 Strawbridge. Collingswood. NJ
08108,S54-5962.
Adult novice player necdsopponenlS. Will play
most any AH game ftfor pbm, STAL. PD. Aduh
preferred. [play for fun andenjO}'melll only. Jim
Vroom, P.O. Boll S039. Clinton, NJ 08809, (201)
188-2603.
Wanted pbm in STAL. AK. BL. BB, DO. WAT.
AZ. LW. PB, PL ir )ou ha"e syslem. 16 yr. old
NonAREA. Bob Pro"encher Jr.. IS Rodney
Rd.. E. Bruns.....ick. NJ 08816. (20l) 2546372.
Beginnerunratcd 13 yrs. old secks pbmOf ftffor
LW. SUB. SL, 3R. TAc' Need pbmsystem. An)'
clubs in my arca? Wanl beginners game 3R. Dave
Kcsser. 10 Woodfield Ave .. Lawrenceville, NJ
08040. (609j896-955S.
Myapologiestoallthosc ....hoans.....ered by ad in
16. I ....ass .....ampcd.I couldaeptonly on a"first
come first scr.. ed' basis. Dan Sullivan. 113 Spear
St . Oakland. NJ07436.
S. Jersey ....argamer Assoc. (SJWA) is stafling iu
new membership dri"e! Mike Crane. 219
Bidge.....ood Dr. Northfield, NJ 08225. (609)
646-S124.
Pbm players needed for growing zinc. Crucible
earries Dune, Sourc.:, and more. Mike Crane. 219
Ridgewood Dr.. Northfield. NJ 08225, (609)
6468124.
Adultgamer,26seel.:srtfcombatinawide variely
of aames. 1810 3j yr. olds preferred. [I.-lust be
local resident or li"e nearby. John Barnes, 4)B
Rivervale CI.. ScQteh Plains, NJ 07016. 2325831.
Pbm opponent desired ror INS, ftf desired for
most AH games. Mark E\'ans, Box 121. Ossipee,
NH 03864. (603)539-2617.
AREA 1500+ oppOnentS desired ftf or pbm in
AK. WAT. VITP. WAS. Are there any AREA
garners in lhc Southern Germany area? I Lt.
Dennis Cook. ACO, 249lh Engr. Bn.. APO. NY
09360.
OppOnent ....anted ror pbm or rtf ror FT. PD. PL,
TRC. 3R and WAS. Tom Hastings. 442 W. 258
SI.. Bronx. NY 10471. (212)884-7)83.

Ncl AREA rated WSIM. WAT, STAL. OfSL.

COl pbm. Will answer all !cUCfS. Also ftf any
game. All AREA rated. James J. Pelly. clo
Kuhns, Mary A,e. Lake Kalrine. NY 12449,
(914)3g22845.
Gamer will play SL. COl. COD and FE, flfonly.
You should note that I'm 10yrs. old. Anthony
Cooper. 48 E. HamillOll Ave.. Massapequa. NY
11758.795-45lJ.
Untried AREA 1500 will pbm AF, SL.COI, PD,
AIW. CL. Needs systems. Please really ne-ed AF
syStem. Michael R. Schwenk, 41-3545th ApI. 5C,
Sunnyside. NY 11104. (212)729.7629.
A\I.. reliable, nonfanatic adult .....ould like
friendly non-rated pbm W&P. TRC. CAE. Rexible as to scenario. side. 1\-lature opponents onl)",
please. Joseph Kolt. 5102 McCormick Rd ..
Durham. NC27713.
Ftf in Ft. BraggFayellevilie area. Pbm 3R.
Chess. Nonratcd play. 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. 3969920.
AREA 900 seeks similarl)' raled opponent in SL.
WSIM. Pbm only. Your system. All lellers
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 High School. Mall Burdell, RL 3 Box 152
Hodge Rd., Knightdale. NC 27545. (919)
266-9426.
Need explorers for pbm son. I will GM with my
limited intelligence syStem
Some players
alreadysillnedup, need about threemorelostall.
John Woodson. 4409 Greenbrier Rd . Raleigh.
NC27603. {919j 7727793.
Pbm. rtf, TLD. TRC.I lII'ish to be Germans in all
the games. Also GE. I'm AREA. J. Brammer,
Box 321. Bdlaire. OH 43906.

OPPONENTS WANTED
Will moderate TLD. operation typhoon. Cam
paign llamcsonly. Will lake care of CRT weather
charlJ etc. Send for details and choose yoursidl'.
J. Br3mmer, Box 321. Bellaire. OH 43906.
Alln. Northern garners the NWA offers big club
services for small club prices. SL fans tournamem
is now forming for members only. For info eontact:J.A. Brag,g. I509N.8thSI.,MartinsFCff)'.
OH 43935. (614)63J3ISO.
1200+ player seeks same for rated pbm games of
AK and TRC. Also seeks pbm S)'stem ror WSIM.
Ron Guyre, Star Rt. 2 Box 16A, Blakeslc.:. PA
18610, (717) 64(j8091.
COl. SL. SST. MD. VITP, COD, DL, FL. JU,
RB. RW, SON, WSIM. LW. J. Bcreda. Jr., 414
GroveSt.. Bridgeport. PA 19405, (2l5) 2776656.
Adult pbm and ftf opponents ....anted for the
follo.....ing wargames: AF, AZ. BL. BB. DO. FE,
FR. GOA, PL. SST. SUB, TAC. W&:P. many
others. Harold RoberlS. 311 S. Nice St ..
Frackvi1le,PA.11931.(717)87417J6.
A'g. 24 )r. old "ereran lII'llrgamer scc:ks people 10
playtCSI ne.... WSIM scenarios pia)' moderaled flf
AIW. PB, PL& SIMOV. RW. I ha"enumerous
olher games &: info on l(Xal clubs. Jack C,
Thomas. 409 Cocoa Ave.. Hershey. PA 17033,
(717)5332468.
Aduh looting for pbm opponents. I am wiliinglO
play any of the following: TRC. FITW. GOA. or
aoy others lllat we may agree upon. Samuel P.
Gallo. 385 Hulton Rd., Oakmont, PA IjU9,
(411)363-0&48.
AVI. to good 16 yr. old needs opponents. Pbm
PB, BL, TRC. AZ or ftr above plus COD, FT.
FE. 3R, GOA. GE and others. Ben usehncr, 20
Hamilton Cir .. Phila. PA 19130(215)j68-5236.
3R fan looking for SJ opponents, rtf only. Also
Flf opponents .....anted. WarSamers club
Shamokin. PA Public Library 12 noon to 4 p.m.
every Saturday. open membership. Club has SL.
COl. COD. Pl, TB, AOC. TRC. JOhn Orayit7.. j
E. Montgomery St., Shamokin. PA 17872. (711)
6489591.
Join theonl)' 'zinedevoted principall)'lo multi
player pbm 3R. No..... in hs fourth )"Car. Also car
ries W&P, SON. EN Garde. more. Samples 50.:
Mark Matuschat, Ij Connor SI .. Unionto.....n.
PA 15401, (412) 4)7-7901.
17 rf. old beginner seeks pbm for SI., COl. 3R.
AOC, AZ needs system and info. Ola S'anercd.
Marschgatan42. Borlange, SW. S....eden.
Opponcnts wanted will play local or pbm, 2yrs.
experience in TAC. BL. VITP unrated bUl cnjo)'s
playing anyone. Jerry D. Forsha. 2570 Murfre-esooro Rd., Apt D-I1, Nashville. TN 37217,
(6U) 361-6j72.
Attention Diplomats.! Ha"e you be-en fruslraled
in )'our PBM Dip Barnes'.' B:ld G1>ling? The
schemerspccializcs in well-run Dip games. Send
Stamp 10: The Schmer clo Ste\'eo Duke. RI. 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.
Steve Wilson. 244SpanishGardensApts., Huntsvilie. TX 77340. (713)291-1615.
Alln. Irying garners. Am interested in Slarting
club centered in S. Irving. Prefer ages 11.16.
Already play pB. SST. GL, SL&2. 3R, SUB.
TRC. AK. BL. Tony Lindman, 1305 Sandy Cir.,
lroing. TX 75060. lj31991.
Opponents lII'anted for ftf competition. Will pia)'
almost anything. Prefer land based stralegical
and gradn stralegical games. Any period. Will
play )"our games or mine. Oa,'id Smith. 4111
Ridgeway, Plainview. TX 79072. (806) 2961157.
Adull pbm opponents wanted for TRC. I usc lhe
Viipuri II defense. General 17-6. Honor die roll
belie"ersonly.Cl1arlesJehlen.2298Mimosa.Pt.
Arlhur. TX 77640. (713) 7J6-1020.
Novice seeks flf for WAS, RW. PL. Anyclubs in
tllis area? Jack Rogers. 23 N. Independence Dr..
Hampton. VA 23669. Work Phone: 1229961
Ext. 671.
Adult opponems .....anted for pbm CAE. CL, TR

andOlher Roman games. Jeff Alsdorf. 751018tll

Ave.. N.W. Seall!c. WA98117, (206)7842148.
Tacoma garners wan I opponents interested ;n
other games, liketojoinadub,orjust play? We
have approx. ten garners so far. Mike Martin.
2222 S. 96s1 n. Tacoma, WA 98444. (206)
584-8326.
Adult needs opponent for JR Iha"e pbm kitl.....iIl
acquire pbm for TRC Of SL. I am lired "fplaying
bymysclf. ob\iously prefer ftf. Mark AhCfn, 321
l-tarbor St .. Westport, WA 9g595. 2684371.
Wantcd: All Generals rrom Vol. 11-6toVol. 141.
with insertS. Call or send lisl with prices asked.
George McHugh. 8303 Roanoke Aye ..
Washington. DC 20012. (301)5870825.
AREA 1500(Prov) seeks flf/pbm TRC. 3R. FE.
KM. DUNE. W&P, WAS, VITP. Need pbm
s)stems. Adults preferred. Any clubs in DC area?
George McHugh. 8303 Roanoke Ave.,
Washington. D.c' 20012,(301)587-0825.
Beginner needs opponem for VITP. An)'One in
leresled in forming a pbm lub? An)' clubs or
fdlowgamersinWhcelingarea?Willans....crall
letters. Michael Spink. 53 Pin Oak Hills. Wheel
ing. WV 26003. (304) 242-8083.
Ftfopponents wanted for PL. BIS. DDand MD.
Wililearnothcrgames. Peter Klasinski.4S06th
Avc.. Ste vensPt . WIS44SI.(718)344-6382.
Selling:lll my games. no more room. Send SASE
for lisl and prices. Roger Daggs. 644 Alvarado
A\e.. 1239,Da,is.CA95616.t916}753-0189.
For Sale: Bis '62530. TAC '58 S15. others, scnd
SASE. Wanted: nf 3R. BL. WAS, olhers. Tony
Strong. 1027 E. 71h SI.. Apt. 5. Long Beach. CA
90813.(213)591-0423.
Calirs looking for plarers? Pbm system? Hobby
zincs? JUSt plain fun? COlllacr NWA Calif.
Coord. Mike Steagall. 8837 ElIen.... ood Cir.,
Spring Valle}'. CA 92077. (714)4623439.
For sale or lrade. old Gl'ncralsor games. Send
SASE for list. Also want tobu)'1914 in good condilion. Brian R. Willard. 42 Russell Dr .. E. Harlford.Ct 06108.528-0228.
For sale: C&O/8&:O. Gelly 58. Guadal. 1914.
Generals, other games, and magazines. Send
SASE for list. price (no bidding). and eondilion.
Bill Lindow, 146 Springl;ide A"e.. tB_14. New
Ha'en. CT06515, (203) 387-6049.
Wanted: Out of print AH game. Civil Warcolle~:
tors ilem. Richard M. Locke. 1566 Oak Ave.,
Evanslon, IL 60201. (312) S69-227J.
Watllcd dl',peralcly AH games (iE (Hex).
GUAD. Civil War. orig. Bismarck. Wili pay well
for games in good condilion. Also wam spare
parts to 1914. James McCull, 255 E. Foster. Lake
Forest.IL60045.
For sale: Vintage games such as LeMans. BIS.
'GRAD. and others. Send SASE Of pho'e for lisl
and pria' quote. All games exc. rondo Glenn
Cudna. 309 Langler Ct., Bel Air. MD 21014.
(301)8791512.
Wantcd:Generals 1)3.136. 14I.IlIpay)our
price. Will take II"xI7"lterox copies. Send lisl
and price. A[so. flf opponenlS For Illost AH
games. Uarry Smilh. I Carhon St.. Binghamlon,
NY 13903, (607)7233989.
SCl"king pbm opponent for 1940 PzL and regular
PzL Doc:s anyone ha"e pbm sySlem for AIW's.
Bob Passamonli. ])1 Burden A'e.. S.I., NY
10301.
Wanted photocopy of rules to GET 1958 hex "ersion. Will par reasonable pri(\". Need badly.
Larr)' L. Bost, 6106 ...Elg}...... ood Ln. ChafloHe,
NC28213.
Wanled: General 81,8-3,8-6.9-1. 105. 11-2.
116.132. ])5 in gOod condilion. Will pay
reasol1ableprke. ~ay Frceman.914W. Markham
A,e.. Durham. NC 27701. (919) 6886879.
For sale: GUAD. Complele, perfect condition,
unpunched counters, look\ like its righl orfslore
shdf. Mike Hall. 2730 Elm St.. Harrisburg. PA
17103.(717)2332218.
For sale: Old games. including Guadalcanal.
1914. 1918. original DDetc.Magazinesalso.Scnd
SASE for list. N.E. Be"eridge, Jr.. 212 Teague.
Borger. TX 79007. (806) 274_4966.

GENERAL BACK ISSUES

Only Ihe following GENERAL back issues are slitl available. pfice is $2.50 per issue plus 10070 poslage
and handling charges. r\'laryland residents please add 5OJo Slale sales lax. GENERA L posrage COl/POliS may
nol be used for Ihis or Olher pariS orders. Due 10 low quantilies of some issues we requesl Ihal you specify
alternalC selections should your first choice be no longer a\'ailable. The index below lislS Ihe conlcnlS of

each issue by subject mailer; feature articles arc designated by an asterisk (*), series replays are ilalicized.
and lhe numbef following each issue is the reader raling of Ihal particular issue as a whole. The numbers
following individual subjccis refer to Ihe numberof articles aboullhal game in Ihal issue. Issues lisled in red
are one color reprinls of previously oUI-of-Slock issues.

Vol.
Vol.
Vol.
Vol,

12,
14,
14,
14,

No.
No.
No.
No.

2-Tobruk, Pallzerbfirz, Bulge, Blilzkrieg, Panzer Leader. Slalingrad . . . 3.10

2-*Kingmaker-7, Alexander, Squad Leader.
3.27
3-*Arab Israeli Wars-3, Sralingrad, Russian Campaign, Third Reich, War Al Sca . . . 3.17
4-Victory in Ihe Pacific-2, Slalingrad, Third Reich, Richlhofen's War, JUlland, 1776 . . . 2.53

Vol. 14, No. S-Squad Leader-3. WS&IM. Russian Campaign, Midway, Slarship Troopers. Third Reich . . 2.77
Vol. 14, No. 6-D-Day, Victory in Ihe Pacific, Panzer Leader. Caesar's Legions, Tobruk.
.3.51
Vol. IS, No. 1-Ge!lysburg-3, Squad Leader, Starship Troopers. Russian Campaign . . . 3.48
Vol. IS, No. 2-Panzer Leader, Staiingrad, Third Reich, D-Day, Rail Bafon, Victory in The Pacific . 3.44
Vol. IS, No. 3-AssaulJ on Cfele-3, Invasion of Malia, Russian Campaign, Third Reich, Squad Leader, War at
Sea . . . 3.44
Vol. 15, No. 5-Midway. WS & 1M, Origins-Third Reich, Afrika Korps, D-Day, Squad Leader, Feudal, Alesia.
War al Sea, Slarship Troopcrs . . . 3.13
Vol. 15, No. 6-*Cross of lron-3, Victory illihe Pacific, War 31 Sea. Arab-Israeli Wars, Slarship Troopers, Panzer
Leadef . . . 2.66
Vol. 16, No. 1-*Anzio-3. PonurblilZ, Third Reich, Napoleon, 1776. Diplomacy . . 2.67
Vol. 16. No. 2-*Bismarck-4, Panzerblil1., Afrika Korps, 1776, WS & 1M . _ . 3.28
Vol. 16, No. 3-*Panzer Leader, Cross of Iron, Waral Sea, Tobruk. 1776. Midway . . . 3.33
Vol. 16, No. 4-Magic Realm-3, The Russian Campaign, Cross of Iron, Third Reich . . 3.23
Vol. 16, No. 5-*The Russian Campaign, Submarine, Slarship TfOOpefS, War at Sea, Panzerblilz, Rail Baron.
Napoleon. Blilzkrieg . . . 3.27
Vol. 16, No. 6-DlIne-3, AI/zio 4 player Diadem, Diplomacy, Outdoor Survival, Anzio-2, Panzerblilz.
.3.82
Vol. 17. No. I-War & Peace-3, War ar Sea. Third Reich. Cross of Iron. Crcscendo of Doom. Midway, Magic
Realm, Luflwaffc . . . 2.79
Vol. 17, No. 2-Crescendo of Doom-3, Vic/Dry In The Pacific, Microcomputer Garnes, Walcrloo
3.18
Vol. 17, No. 3-Afrika Korps, Cross OJ Iroll, Third Reich, Crescendo of Doom, Air Force. Russian Campaign,
Victory in Ihe Pacific. _ . 3.34
Vol. 17. No. 4-FOrlress Europa-4,
Napoleon _ . . 3.73

Cross of Iron,

Midway, VITP, 1776, Wizard's Quesl, Slarship Troopers.

Vol. 17, No. 5-Circlls Maximus, Third Reich-2, Richlhofen's War, Squad Lcader, Slalingrad, Panzer Leader,
Kingmaker, Magic Realm . . . 3.07
Vol. 17, No. 6-*Slalingrad, Third Reich, WS&IM. War Al Sea, Squad Leadef, Longesl Day. Caesar's Legions,
VITP, Russian Campaign . . . 3.27
Vol. 18. No 1-Fury In The West, Bismarck, Squad Leader, Dune, Diplomacy. Afrika Korps, Palllcrblilz,
Alexander. War & Peace.

THE GENERAL
~

,........rl..................
;

READER BUYER'S GUIDE

+
+ GLADIATOR

$9.00

Man to Man Game of Gladiatorial:

Combat

+
+

If

Participate in these reviews only if you are

1. Physical Quality
2. Mapboard
3. Components
4. Ease of Understanding
5. Completeness of Rules
6. Play Balance
7. Realism
B. Excitement level
9. Overall Value
10. Game length

i
+
+
:

~; ~

"C't:I"':r

"0 -

~.,,>_~

." 't:I

~~

~~

3'

". --

~~~

~~. ~

>=;

:!l Q !'

;;;

..,

_+
-+

3 .;

c .... C
~:.

~~~

~ ~~

;;;

S; ~

&.

~~ ~

~;~

~a g~ ~
~: ~. ~~.
~ ~ ~ 1: iii ;;::, ~

~ S' J!l

f~

'"

110

gO.
K,;_ ::;= :+.

+..::;!

__
__
_.
__
__

~; ~

~
<"J.

~
l- :

..

+ g ~ ;. ~ g: h ~ e :'
+ = ~ ~'" ~o'~ :::~~ =~ "ll
=+!
~ ~ ~~12~ ~; ~ ~=- +
+

""a.g."" ;:,;
--+!1:!l
+
gg g
j.
t
t
+
+ ~:;: ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ i g
+. ~ ~ So ~ ~; ~
'g

'"

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN

PLAYING?

Top ten lIsts are seemingly always in vogue these days. Whether the subject is books on the Best Seller List, television's Nielsen ratings, or even
games, the public never seems to tire of seeing how their individual favorites
stack up numerically against the competition. Our preoccupation with this
national pastime is almost akin to routing the home team on to victory every
S
Sunday. 0 to further cater to your whims (and to satisfy our own curiosity)
we unveil THE GENERAL's.version
of the gamer's TOP TEN.
.
We won't ask you to objectively rate any game. That sort of thing is
already done in these pages and elsewhere. Instead, we ask that you merely
I' th th
( I)
h' h '
h
.
.h .
1St e ree or ess games w IC you ve spent t e most time Wit since you
received your last issue of THE GENERAL. With this we can generate a consensus list of what's being played . .. not just what is being bought. The
degree of correlation between the Best Selling Lists and the Most Played List
should prove interesting.
Feel free to list any game regardless of manufacturer. There will be a
built-in Avalon Hill bias to the survey because you all play Avalon Hillgames
to some extent but it should be no more prevalent than similar projects undertaken by other magazines with a special interest-based circulation. The
amount to which this bias affects the final outcome will be left to the individual's discretion.
The games I've spent the most time playing during the past two months

W(l)~

The review sheet may be cut out, photocopied,

or merely drawn on a separate sheet of paper.

+
+
+
D

~o."

~;;l:

1Q-minute

familiar with the game in question.

~; ~; ~ i

t
+

': ~. ; . ~;ll s;: a. i

~ :. s_ i S = i ~ a "ll

iii iii ;; i 1Ji.. iii ~ '" ~

+
! ! iii,., a. ~ !:;, a. ~ +
g g ..
g.
+
oS oS ~ g ~ g ~ ~ ~ Q +
g g ...
=+
.. 1l" -g
2'
:: ~ :: := :: e, ;:!:; ~

Rate all categories by placing a

play

~~~[~l ~g g
;..g ~ 3 ~~ ;~-g
~ ~ ~ "i- ~ ~ i ~ ~ ~
2' !1: ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~f

+number ranging from through 9 in the ap. +

: propriate spaces to the right It equating excel +
+
lent; 5average; and 9terrible). EXCEPTION:
+
+ toRate itemgameNo. as10 inrecorded
lerms of minutes necessary +
in
incre- +
<nents. EXAMPLE: you've found that it takes
: 'wo and a half hours to play FRANCE 1940. you +
would give it a GAME LENGTH rating of "'5:' +
INS.TRUCTIONS:

~ liS'Jh:!ff~

Mail it to our 4517 Harford Road address with

your contest entry or opponents wanted ad Mark
such correspondence to the attentIon of the R &

~~

i=;" ~:;

~ ~

~ :3 ~

~ ~

.:"3",
3~ ~

...

=r

~
~
So ~ ;
~ c. ~

1.

2.

:3

are:

~~~ ;~;.d

+
t

3.

1.................... ~~:;.~...
Department

~~g~~~";~~"~",;~~~:~,~~,~~~<~~::~~;~~.
CONTEST NO. 102
+

For Sale, Trade, or Wanted To Buy ads will be accepted only when dealing with collector's
items (out of print AH games) and are accompanied by a $1.00 token fee. No refunds.
3. Insert copy on lines provided (25 words maximum) and prior name, address, and phone
number on the appropriale lines.
4. Please PRINT. If your ad is illegible, II will not be printed.
5. So that as many ads as possible can be primed wilhin our limited space, we request Ihal you use
official Slate and game abbreviations. Don't list your entire colleclion, list only those you are moSl
2.

interested in locating opponents For.

Afrika Korps-AK, Air Force-AF, Alexander-AL, Alpha Omega-AO, Amoeba Wars-AW,

Anzio-AZ, Arab-Israeli Wars-AIW, Armor Supremacy-AS, Assaull On Crete/Invasion Of
Malta-AOC, Bismarck-BIS, Blitzkrieg-BL, Battle Of The Bulge-BB, Caesar Alesia-CAE,
Caesar's Legions-CL. Chancellorsville-CH, Circus Maximum-eM, Cross Of Iron-COl,

~~~~~~ ~~re~~mE-:~~~~~~~~:=~sc;~~~~~~u~~~'~~~~s~:::~~~: ~:~~y:~-:;g~~I~~

Gladiator-GL, Guns Of August-GOA, Insurgency-INS. JUlland-JU, Kingmaker-KM, The

LongeSl Day-TLD, Luflwaffe-Lw, Machiavelli-MA, Magic Realm-MR, MidwayMD, Napoleon-NP, Naval War-NW, Objective: Atlanta-OA, Origins-OR, Outdoor

Survival-OS, Panzerblitz-PB, Panzer Leader-PL, Rail Baron-RB, Richlhofen's War-RW,

The Russian Campaign-TRC, Samurai-SA, Squad Leader-SL, Shenandoah-SH,
Stalingrad-STAL, Starship Troopers-SST, Source Of The Nile-SON, Submarine-SUB,

+
+

+
+

i
:

Quest-WQ, Wooden Ships & Iron Men-WSIM.

versa. The solution will be announced in Vol. 18, No.3, and the winners
in Vol. 18, No.4. One entry per subscriber.
Assume that both air:ij:

...

~...

~ 1l ~ ~

+
+

+
+
+
---+

Tactics II-TAC, Third Reich-3R, Tobruk-TB. Trireme-TR, Victory In The PacificVITP. Viva Espana-VE, War and Peace-W&P. War At Sea-WAS, Waterloo-WATt Wizard's

Merely write the winning move in the appropriate space of the contest
form in this issue's insert. Ten winning entries will receive certificates
redeemable for free AH merchandise. To be valid an entry must be received
prior to the mailing of Vol. 18,No. 3 and include a numerical rating of
the issue as a whole, as well as list the best three articles. Remember that
in our rating system the lower the number the better the rating, and vice

:J

U)

c:

~--+-

COC
~

~ ~ ~~arf~ :~~e e~e~~~~ee:~uT~

lii

.~
!: .c:
U

...-+--+---------+---t
-

Moves

previous turns to perform

any maneuver. The actual
versions of the aircraft concerned are the FWl90A and
P47D.

Ten winning entries will receive certificates redeemable for free AH merchandise. To be valid
an entry must be received prior to the mailing of the nut GENERAL and include a nurr::erical
rating for the issue as a whole as well as list the best 3 articles. The solution will be announced in
the next issue and the winners in the following issue.
Issue as a w~ole ... (Rate from 1 to 10, with 1 equaling excellent, 10 equating terrible)
Best 3 Articles

NAME

PHONE

1._---------------------------2.

~~

3.

ADDRESS
CITY

_
STATE _ _ ZIP

NAME
ADDRESS

CITY

_
STATE

ZIP

THE GENERAL

SEMPER PARATUS
OORDEREN, SOUTHERN HOLLAND, September 27th, 1944: Lieutenant
C.P.J. Des Groseillers urged his straining men to push again. D Company had
found a German 75mm antitank gun in the ruins of Oorderen. The breech had
been hidden and the weapon had been left in the town center with some 200
rounds of ammunition. Well it just so happened that an enterprising scrounger
had found this curious metal block. Lt. Des Groseillers did a little work. Now D
Company had its own artillery. Everyone knew that C Company was going to
be attacking the German bunker line north of the town. D Company would
make sure that Jerry got back his 75mm shells. Perhaps in a slightly used condition. 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

'c

1 2 3 4

Canadian moves first

d,I1;

END

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

~)~

Y
2

!t!t feA
4-6-7 4-3-6 ~
5

eO

eO

~MG
" 6-16
...:..- 812

LMG

2-8
812

Royal Hamilton Light Infantry Regiment (RHLI or "Riley"). May set up in any building hex South of row Q inclusive and enter on
either (not both) East or West board edge any troops and support weapons not setup on board:

$, ~T

75t

~4-5-8~

HMG

"

6-14

812

LMG

2-7

811+

"

Mlr

51 S,

Q)

*1-8

10

"

SPECIAL RULES
1. All buildings are wooden and first level except hex IOW8 which is
wooden and second level.
2. German 75mm is a captured weapon and must be setup on board.
Smoke is available.
3. There are no wheat fields .
4. All German units have just survived a suppression bombardment. All of
rule 107.6 applies as if the Germans have undergone two consecutive game
turns of FFE.
S. Fire is allowed against a bunker's Covered Arc Defense Modifier only
from hexes the bunker may fire out at.

AFTERMATH: Division HQ had ordered a brief but heavy barrage that would creep
northward through the German lines. Lieutenant-Colonel W.D. Whitaker didn't
believe the bombardment would affect the bunkers. Therefore, using covering fire
from the town, he sent C Company around the west flank of the bunkers. The plan
was to attack away from the bombardment while the Germans concentrated on their
front.
The bunkers easily withstood the blast effects but the Germans directed their
defensive fire southward against the town while the Rileys swept in from the rear.
Within one hour the attack was successful at a cost of four Canadian dead. The
entrapped Germans had been isolated and destroyed. Regretfully, Lt. Des Groseillers
used up all his ammunition in attempts to reduce some of the bunkers, and D Company had to leave their private artillery behind as the Rileys advanced to the Scheidt
Estuary.