Ah Gen v16n1
44
-
Upload
elcordovez -
Category
Documents
-
view
226 -
download
0
Transcript of Ah Gen v16n1
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 1/44
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 2/44
P G
TH G N R L
II Avalo Hill Phil<?sophy Part 73
Like most of my editorials
this
one
was
prompted
by a less
than f lat ter ing let ter
to
the
edi tor. The name of
the
writer
escapes
meat
the
moment but
is
no t impor tant , for i t
is a
theme
which is invariably repeated
f rom time
to
time
in
one form
or
another. In general terms, Avalon
Hill is often
criticized for
not having designed all
of
its
games. To such cri tics , the designer is
apparently the end-all,
be-all
of a successful
game and deserving o f
100%
o f the pra ise for a
successfu l t it le .
An d
Avalon
Hill,
horrors of
horrors, buys
its
games-i t can't
design
its own
The casua l observer o f a
remark like this
in
the
hobby
press
doubtless l ikens Avalon Hil l t o the
Arabs buying California The particular writer
which prompted
th is column
accused us of foul
play
because
we
did
no t
prominently
display the
names of outside des igners in
our
advertising,
as
if
to
say
Come
on
AH-qui t lying-admit
you
didn't design those
games.
He
then went
on to
list
a
half
dozen
games
which
were great solely
on
the
basis of
t he g en iu s
of
the o rigina l
designers-including
a
number
of
titles
which
occupied a year or more of my
ow n tim e
as
AH's in-house
developer.
So much fo r ego
inflation
Ou r side o f the coin is a bi t more involved
than
that. First AH is a publisher
of
games.
As
with
other companies, we like to think
tha t our
products
are
the
bes t and
our advert ising, not
surpr is ingly, hawks tha t
theme. Avalon Hill
attempts to marke t the
best
line o f s trategy
games anywhere
regardless
of wh o
designed
them. To my knowledge, AH has never been
hung up
on
a we're the only
people
wh o
can
design games kick.
We
have long recognized
that other
folks are doing a
fine
j ob i n the f ie ld of
simulation game design. That's
why we
ag
gressively pursue
t he acquisit ion of qu al it y
games when they b ec om e a va il ab le t o us.
Frankly, we could
care
less
wh o
designs a game
i f i t' s
great, w e w an t i t i n
our
l ineto reinforce
the
best
series
o f s trategy games available .
Far
from
being a weakness, I consider
this
infusion of ne w ideas
and
talent as a vital
element
in
AH's success. Such
radical game
system innovations as those present
in
WS
M KINGMAKER
and
SQUAD
LEADER are all
testimony
to
the advantages of looking else
where for talent
and
ideas.
Doubtless,
there
are
others
out
there
with
fine games which
will
pr of it f rom
AH
development
and
we will
continue
to be on
the
lookout
fo r them.
The
recently acquired SEARCH FOR THE NILE of
Discovery
Games
and
Eon Products'
DUNE are
ju st tw o m or e e xa mp le s o f
ou r
never-ending
search f or t he best games
available.
Th is is not to say that
ou
r ow n R D
department
is
totally
bereft of talent. Rather,
it's
an admission that
we
can't produce quality
games as fast as
we'd
l ike and
welcome the
opportunity to augment our production
with
the
successes
of
others. It is
however, disappoint
ing to
say
the least
that
some
people have
no
appreciation w hat ev er for t he evolut ion
an
outs ide game undergoes while in AH develop
ment. Just
because
a game
has
a freelance
designer
or has been
sold previously under
a
different
label
doesn't mean that
all
we had t odo
was dump
it
into
an
Avalon
Hill box.
Oftentimes,
such an acquisition undergoes a year o r moreo f
extensive redesign,
development,
and p lay
test
b ef or e g oi ng
into
revised artwork
fo r
A
production. Such w as the case with
WOODE
SHIPS
KINGMAKER
and SUBMARINE.
Al l thre
games benefi ted from additional playtest, cla
i f ied rules,
the addi t ion of
an
Advanced Gam
and improved
artwork. All
required
the individ
al services of an AH developer
fo r
a year or mor
These
games
were
all
f ine efforts
at
innovatio
and enjoyable game
systems
before
we
laid ey
on
them. They
were
also
all
badly flawed. It
this attention to deta i l that AH is will ing t o p
into a game
prior
to release which sets it apa
from
its
competitors-at
least
in my ow
admittedly
prejudiced, view.
Other games which were
developed
by
A
really
amounted
more to a codesign
redesign by the AH developer.
THIRD REIC
for
example, never
worked
as
submitted
and h
to be extensively redesigned
by
the
develope
AIW, SQUAD
LEADER COl
ASSAULT
O
CRETE
and
TOBRUK
are all examples of gam
in which the AH developer probably did
much
or more
design
work
t han t he
credite
designer. Admit ted ly , the des igner should s
ge t the l ion 's share of the c redi t for i t
is
his
bas
ideas upon which
the
game is based. Howeve
the pub li c usual ly doesn 't know or apprecia
the extent
to
which a nameless AH develop
has pulled
the fat out of the fire
by mak ing
game work the way the designer intended. T
recent fa ilure of
Frank Dav is to do
just that wi
THE RISING SUN
a ft er 1 8 m on th s
of conce
trated
effort
only
serves
to further i l lustrate
th
point.
Around
here
i t' s the
accepted
norm
th
design is the
easy
part.
Anybody
can design
game,
bu t
a
good
developer is
ha rd t o f ind
Witness the growing
reluc tance of our
staff
work
on outside games
as
opposed to
their
ow
designs.
Even games w hi ch under went relative
minor
changes by AH
personnel
(such
NAPOLEON WAS TRC
andALESIA benefited
great
deal
from
such
f ine tuning.
It is
this
fi
tuning
by
a 3rd party of
an
already
good
gam
which
m ak es A H g am es
something
special
my opinion. No one is per fect , least of a ll us
b
by combining our skills wi th that of the des ign
often a better product results.
Physical
quality
is
another
f ac et o f a go
publisher and
one
which AH
takes
very serious
in staying a s te p a he ad
of
its
competitio
DIPLOMACY
entered
our
line
v ir tu al ly u
changed f ro m the G AM ES RESEARCH versi
save
fo r
a
ne w
ma p
which
improved
on t
original
by
increas ing the size of the
smal
areas to accommodate the play ing pieces a
defining the
player colors
with the
board edge
sm all cha nge but one which neverthele
improved
the
game. On
t he o th er
end
of t
scale
w e j us t spent
$4,500
on camera work
THE
LONGEST DAY mapboard. This is
not t
tota l cost of producing
th e
map
by
any
mean
just the
cost
of making the final
negative
Preliminary camera work, pasteup,
constructi
research
time,
plates and
actual
printing
w
run this
bill
i nt o the ten s o f
thousands.
It
is
t
price we
pay
for protecting
our
reputation as t
leading publisher of
strategy
games.
ontinue on g 3 Col
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 3/44
H G N R L
ITTING TH
IV N W NZIO se
Tom
Oleson
is perhaps
the
most famous of
a
breed
in today s
hobby.
A wargamingveteran
f
almost two
decades,
Tom
is
one of
those rare.
who
s ti ll nurses his fascination with a
e game,
yet
manages to
sample
nearly all
of
the
w offerings within his
field of
interest, regardless
f
manufacturer. Few
o f
us havethe time,
money or
resources Tom enjoys which enable
to be such a highly vis ible
commentator on
the
ame scene. Nevertheless, time
an d
again,
he is
back
to
hisfavorite
pastime,
an d almost
daily
doom
via the post from
any of
a dozen
ANZIO boards simultaneously in play. His
fo r
the
game
is due
no doubt
in
part
to
own proclivityfo r
excellence acquiredin years
of
nstant play. Truly,
few people know
better the
gained from playing
a
game
well.
This acquired exper tise
plus
his s tr ik ingly
ntlemanly ways as he
battered
your editor about
a
postal
battlefield
enabled
him
to convince
once again to give
vent
to his desires to
publish
improved
version
of
A
NZIO.
The
3rd
which resulted represents his
personal
fo r the perfect wargame
and may
well be the
anyone
has
come
to that exclusive title. The
les in question are availablefrom
Avalon Hillfor
plus q;
postage
charges
an d
are all that is
eded to
update
the
game
to the latest standard.
yo u can t
play
the
five new
scenarios
sented here complete with insert
playing
aides,
ld o nto
them. A
NZIO
due largely to Tom s
fforts, will event uall y return to the retail line
splendent in
new packaging a
la
Rodger
and
may eventually find its way int o
collection. These scenarios won t be included
the
game itself or sold separately consider
it a
bonus from Tom
to
anyone
who shares
s enthusiasm for
one game above
all others.
Fo r
t ho se unfamil ia r with it, ANZIO is an
game covering WorId War II in
from September
1943,
to
April, 1945.
The
are organ ized in four steps of increasing
There are scenarios of three different
gths, with
optional
rules offering two more f or a
of f ive different t ime spans. The result that
two
NZIO games need eve r be t he same.
Nonetheless, the two simpler versions, the Basic
and
the added supplementary rules to it, do
extend
into 1944 or 1945. Also, in order
to
play
ny ve rsio n, Basic
or
Advanced it has been
to
start with the Allied i nvas ion, in
of 1943.
The purpose of these newscenarios is.to do away
th the restrictions mentioned above. They include
following:
Basic Game IIA Gustav Line September II,
III 1944. That is, second week of
e ptem be r to third
week of
June.
All
dates
Playable also with Supplementary Rules.
In
either
version, playable for
AREA purposes
two games in one 1943, 1944
. Bas ic Game
lIB Operation
Shingle January
III, 1944.
Playable also with Supplementary Rules.
Advanced Game
B Operation Shingle-
I-June
III, 1944, or January I, 1944-April
, 1945.
Playable a lso w it h
Supplementary
Rules . Be
of the options available in the Advanced
H G N R L
ITTING TH
IV N W NZIO se
Tom
Oleson
is perhaps
the
most famous of
a
breed
in today s
hobby.
A wargamingveteran
f
almost two
decades,
Tom
is
one of
those rare.
who
s ti ll nurses his fascination with a
e game,
yet
manages to
sample
nearly all
of
the
w offerings within his
field of
interest, regardless
f
manufacturer. Few
o f
us havethe time,
money or
resources Tom enjoys which enable
to be such a highly vis ible
commentator on
the
ame scene. Nevertheless, time
an d
again,
he is
back
to
hisfavorite
pastime,
an d almost
daily
doom
via the post from
any of
a dozen
ANZIO boards simultaneously in play. His
fo r
the
game
is due
no doubt
in
part
to
own proclivityfo r
excellence acquiredin years
of
nstant play. Truly,
few people know
better the
gained from playing
a
game
well.
This acquired exper tise
plus
his s tr ik ingly
ntlemanly ways as he
battered
your editor about
a
postal
battlefield
enabled
him
to convince
once again to give
vent
to his desires to
publish
improved
version
of
A
NZIO.
The
3rd
which resulted represents his
personal
fo r the perfect wargame
and may
well be the
anyone
has
come
to that exclusive title. The
les in question are availablefrom
Avalon Hillfor
plus q;
postage
charges
an d
are all that is
eded to
update
the
game
to the latest standard.
yo u can t
play
the
five new
scenarios
sented here complete with insert
playing
aides,
ld o nto
them. A
NZIO
due largely to Tom s
fforts, will event uall y return to the retail line
splendent in
new packaging a
la
Rodger
and
may eventually find its way int o
collection. These scenarios won t be included
the
game itself or sold separately consider
it a
bonus from Tom
to
anyone
who shares
s enthusiasm for
one game above
all others.
Fo r
t ho se unfamil ia r with it, ANZIO is an
game covering WorId War II in
from September
1943,
to
April, 1945.
The
are organ ized in four steps of increasing
There are scenarios of three different
gths, with
optional
rules offering two more f or a
of f ive different t ime spans. The result that
two
NZIO games need eve r be t he same.
Nonetheless, the two simpler versions, the Basic
and
the added supplementary rules to it, do
extend
into 1944 or 1945. Also, in order
to
play
ny ve rsio n, Basic
or
Advanced it has been
to
start with the Allied i nvas ion, in
of 1943.
The purpose of these newscenarios is.to do away
th the restrictions mentioned above. They include
following:
Basic Game IIA Gustav Line September II,
III 1944. That is, second week of
e ptem be r to third
week of
June.
All
dates
Playable also with Supplementary Rules.
In
either
version, playable for
AREA purposes
two games in one 1943, 1944
. Bas ic Game
lIB Operation
Shingle January
III, 1944.
Playable also with Supplementary Rules.
Advanced Game
B Operation Shingle-
I-June
III, 1944, or January I, 1944-April
, 1945.
Playable a lso w it h
Supplementary
Rules . Be
of the options available in the Advanced
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 4/44
PAGE
4
Game
with
Supplementary
Rules,
two addit ional
end points
for this game
would
be possible.
4. Basi c Game
III Diadem May II-June III,
1944.
a.
Playable a lso with Supplementary
Rules.
b . P layable a ls o
under the Advanced rules,
as
well
a s the a ll -out Advanced Supplementary rules.
5. Advanced Game
IIIB Caesar
Line May
1944-April IV, 1945.
a. Playabl e also with Supplementary
Rules,
pro
viding
an
alternative end
point for
the scenario.
b. In
either
v e r s ~ o n
playable
for AREA purposes
as
two
games
in
one (June III,
1944,
and end
of game
in 1945).
Fo r
those
unfamiliar withthe
Italian
Campaign,
th e
Gustav Line
was the German system of
defensive
positions and fortifications
straddling
the
narrow
part
of
the I tal ian peninsula ju st s outh o f Mon te
Cassino.
The new
version
of
th e
Basic Game under
this title conce rn s t ha t p ar t o f the campaign that
ended with the
Allies breaking
through the
Gustav
Line, into central Italy.
Operation Shing le was the
code name
f or t he
first Allied plan designed to force
the
Gustav Line,
by
means
of
an amphibious flanking movement at
Anzio.
Th e two new
scenarios
bearing
this
name
start about the t ime Operation Shingle took place,
but do
no t
oblige
the
Allied
player
to
follow that
same plan.
Shingle having
fa il ed i n its purpose,
t he code
name for
the second
Allied plan
designed
to
crack
the Gustav Line was Diadem. The short s ix -t urn
scenario
called
Diadem covers the period when the
German
defenses at last were
breached,
Rome fell,
and
the
Allies
moved
into
the
northern half of
the
Italian
peninsula.
Th e C ae sar Line
was the sketchy
German
defensive position crossing
the peninsula
just south
of
Rome: the
line
which they
planned
as successor to
the Gustav Line, should it
prove untenable.
The
scenario with this
title
covers the campaign from the
collapse of
the
Gustav and Caesar Lines, to
th e
end
of
the war. This scenario
could
just as well have been
named aft er t he final
German
line
stretched across
the
peninsula, the Gothic Line, but I 'm holding
that
in reserve
fo r
another
scenario dea ling
more
specifically with that final par t o f
the
war
As th e above list
of
the new scenarios illustrates,
play
may
now focus
on
the
1944-45 portions
of th e
war, in a less time-consuming framework.
The
Italian campaign was thoroughly
docu
mented,
but not all presumably authoritat ive
sources agree with each
other,
or with the original
OOB of A NZIO
although this
OOB
has
relatively
few discrepancies . It has rightly
been praised
as
one
of
the most historically accurate of all wargames.
Consistent
with the exi st ing
OOB,
and considera
tions of
play-balance,
the OOBs and victory
conditions
of
these new scenarios
is intended
to
be
as historically faithful
as possible.
I n t he several years
that
I have been researching
and
testing these scenarios,
I
have been helped
by
wargame rs t oo numer ou s t o
list
by
name
here.
Thanks-and please keep
it up
.
Rules
references
below
are
to the
third (1978)
edition
of A
NZIO.
THE RULES
BASIC
GAME
IIA-Gustav Line
1. INTRODUCTION: The ANZIO rule book
contains a Basic Game, hereafter referred to as Basic
Game
I, set in 1943. Gustav Line
inc ludes the
existing
Basic Game I,
bu t
extends it to June II I
1944.
2.
TIME
SPAN WEATHER:
September
II,
1943-June
III,
1944. Mud October I I I -March II,
except
for
fair
weather,
December III-IV.
3.
RULES: Sections
A through C,
plus
G (Appen
dix) as applicable.
Changes
to these rules specified
here.
4 B:
A. In
the
Basic Games , the re a re no
withdrawals
no I
talians,
no
garrisons, and
no r e p l e m e n ~
bonuses for
capturing Napoli or Roma.
B.
Start t he game
by starting
the
Basic Game
as
explained
in
the
rule book, using
the Record
Cards
supplied with the game, which cover the 1943
portion of Gustav Line
Ignore the
German
invasion
reaction
on
the 1943 card.
C. Starting January I, 1944, swi tch to
the
Basic
Game II
Record
Cards as included in this issue of
THE GENERAL. Replacements
are
indicated on
the Time Tracks .
The Germans get
one
armor and
one infantry replacement when
a
2
is
shown. Of
~ o u r s e
t he Uni t
Organization Char ts on
the
1943
OOB
cards
will still be useful, as
those
units
remain
in p lay.
5. INVASION:
A. As in Basic Game I, just
one
Allied second
invasion is allowed,
bu t
the
permitted
time is
changed to
these eleven turns: December I-January
IV, and then again
June
I-III. Any invasion zone is
allowed,
no t
just
in
the
South.
Note- i t
is
no t one
invasion
in
the
earlier
period,
and another later, bu t
just one total , w ith 75 of
permitted
Initial
Lift,
as
explained
in
the
Basic
Game
rules.
B. The Allies get two extra portcounters
January
I,
for a total of six in
the
game.
C. Even
if
the invasion is in 1943, use the German
reaction on
their 1944
OOB card.
6. VICTORY CONDITIONS:
t he s ame two
listed
in the rule book
fo r
the Basic Game, with the se
changes:
A. Later game duration. Victory is decided at the
end
of the June III,
1944 turn.
B. The
time
span of Gustav Line is identical to
Advanced Game
II , s o
the
nine cities listed on
page
8
of
section
E (E.21.E.2)
of the
rules
are
used to
determine victory.
C.
Any six of
these must be
captured, notjust
five.
7. TWO GAMES IN ONE:
A.
Gustav Line
may
be
played
as
two linked games,
therefore counting as t wo cont ests for
AREA
purposes.
B.
At
the
end
of t he l ast 1943 turn, victory is
decided as though
Basic Game I had
been played,
using Game I
victory conditions.
C.
The only change
in
the
Game I rul es
would
be
that
the second invasion would only
be permitted in
December, under Game I restrictions (southern half
of
the
board,
and the entire
R o r r ~ zone). The 1944
OOB invasion
reaction would
be used.
D. The players would
then continue
through the
1944
turns,
with a
second
victory decided under
Gustav Line
rules.
E.
Note
that
the re would
s ti ll be
only one second
invasion. The Allied player would decidewhether to
use it in
December,
1943, under Game I rules,
or
in
1944,
under
Gustav Line
rules.
8.
SUPPLEM,ENTARY RULES:
rule
book
sec
tion D may
also
be incorporated
into
Gustav Line
with these changes:
A. Supporting Fire
in 1944 is
governed
per
Advanced
rule E.13. the Allied
second invasion
is
in a
good
weather 1944
turn, the Germans would
get
two
ai r
factors their next
turn,
which would
be their
allocation
for
that
entire month.
B.
If
Gustav Line
is
p layed as
one game,
then
start ing December I, when
the second invas ion
is
first
permitted,
commandos would no l ong er be
restricted geographically.
p layed as
two
linked
games, then the Game I commando restriction is
valid all
through
1943.
C. The Germans get
one fort
counter
the
first
German t ur n o f each
1944
month, as
well as
their
TH G N R
1943 allocation.
I f
the fort rule is used, Advanc
Game rule E .14 must
also
be used, permitting
o
Air Strike
in 1944.
BASIC
GAME
lIB-Operation Shingle
1. INTRODUCTION: The rules
fo r
Gustav Li
have just been expla ined .
Operation Shingle
essentially
the
1944
section
of the Gustav L
scenario, starting from
the
front line as it existed
the end
of 1943.
2. T IME SPAN WEATHER: January I-Ju
III,
1944.
Mud January-March II.
3. RULES:
Sections
A through C, plus G (Appe
dix) as applicable. Changes to these rules specif
here.
4 B:
A. In the
Basic
Games , the re a re
no
withdrawa
no
Italians,
no
garrisons,
an d n o repla cem
bonuses.
B.
Both
OOBs are
divided
into two
sections, tho
available
at
the start (the entire 1943 Basic Gam
OOB
except replacements), and those
entering la
(use Basic Game II Record Cards).
C.
Replacements enter
per the Basic
Game
I I 19
Record Cards.
There
are
none saved
at
the
s ta rt n
any available from
the
1943 OOB, e x e p ~
explained
below.
5. STARTING THE GAME:
A. The Germans have available for deployment
1943
units included
in
th e
Basic Game I Rec
Card, as suppl ied with the game. Before
setting-
the Germans must reduce this
OOB
by
eight steps
any
way they
choose. I f
they
wish,
they
may
red
as many as four further steps, and take these back
ersatz counters.
The
number
of
armored ersatz un
must
no t exceed
the
numberof infantry ersatz un
B. The Allies
have available
f or dep loyment
1943
units
in
the
Basic Game I Record
Ca
su pp li ed wi th t he g ame.
Before
setting-up,
t
must
reduce
this OOB
by
twelve steps, in any
w
they choose.
C. A
map
is provided of
the
front line on
German Basic Game II Record Card. The Germ
may
deploy
any
or
all
of
their ersatz
units
(see
5
above) p lus
up to four
combat units
of any s
anywhere
north of
the
front line. Other t han
above,
all
German units must s tar t
next
to ,
or
more
than two
hexes distant
f rom, the
front l
Example: a front-line unit couldbe
at
H52,
not at
Terracina.
The German units on the
1
OOB are not
available
at
th e
s ta rt , b ut e nt er
reinforcements or replacements.
D. After the
Germans
deploy, the
Allies
set-up
th
1943 OOB anywhere south of the front l
including
Sicily,
no t
in
German zone
of control. T
Allies t he n s ta rt t he g ame, mov in g first. Re
forcements and replacements
s hown on t he Al
1944 OOB are not
available
for initial
setup,
must
enter by
sea.
E. The Germans
move second,
and
once
their
m
begins,
they
are no
longer restricted
in
their u
placement.
6. INVASION
SEA MOVEMENT:
A.
As in Basic Games I
and IIA, just
one Al
second
invasion is allowed, bu t at any
invas
zone, and
at
any time during
January or June
I-
1944, with 75 of
Initial
Lift. The Allies may t
ad van ta ge o f the initial German dep loym
res tr ict ions by
invading January I, bu t are
obliged
to.
B. Bef or e starting the game, the All ies use
p
counters to
designate as
op en o n
their
side of
front
one
beachhead, and twomajor or minor cit
The South Ends a re a ls o op en, b ut do n ot requ
port counters.
The Allies
also have one
port
coun
saved, and get two mor e January I, as s hown
their Record Card.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 5/44
TH G N R L
C. The German invasion reaction is that
shown
on
the 1944 card.
D. The Allies start the
game
with 100 Build-Up
saved at each open por t (Basic Game rule 5.G.6).
7. VICTORY
CONDITIONS: t he same
as
those
for t he final June II I t urn o f the Gustav
Line
game.
8. SUPPLEMENTARY RULES:
Rule
book
sect ion D
may
also be incorporated into Operation
Shingle
with these changes:
A. 1944 Supporting Fire per Gustav
Line
rule 8A.
B.
Commandos
are
not
restricted to
the
southern
half
of the
map.
C. The Germans
may
inc lude seven for ts in their
initial set-up, all on hexes forming part of the front
line. They also get one addi tional for t
counter
the
first German t urn o f
each
1944 month . I f
the for t
rule is used, Advanced Game rule E.14 must also be
used,
permi tt ing one Air S tr ike
in 1944.
ADVANCED GAME
B-Operation
Shingle
INTRODUCTION: The NZIO rule book
contains an Advanced Game, hereafter referred to
as
Advanced
Game A, all versions of which start in
1943. Operation Shingle is basical ly similar, bu t
excludes 1943. I t s tart s
January
I, 1944, using the
front
line a s it
stood at
the end
of
1943.
Operation
Shingle may end at any of the decis ion points
specified in
Advanced Game
A.
This
scenario isjust
the
same
as
Advanced Games
II
or III
in
the
rule
book, except it starts later.
2 TIME SPAN
WEATHER: January-June
Ill,
1944, or
January
I, 1944-Apri l IV, 1945.
Weather
per
Advanced
Game rules.
3. RULES: since the
Advanced
Game builds on the
simpler versions preceding it, the entire rule book is
in effect,
excep t for
sec tion F, and as
explained
below, it,
t oo , may
be
incorporated.
Changes to
these rules are specified here.
4 B:
A. The Advanced game
may
be played with three
different German OOBs,
and,
excluding the 1943
version,
two
Allied Bs. Before
starting
Opera-
tion Shingle
each
player
should
decide which
OOB
he prefers, the
combination
of which determines the
game length, and victory
conditions,
as
outlined
in
sec tion E of the rule book.
B.
Both OOBs are
divided
into two
sections,
those
available at the start (the entire 1943 Advanced
OOB in the version chosen), and thoseentering later
(1944-45).
C. Replacements
enter
per t he Advanc ed
Game
Time
Record Card. None are
saved at the start , nor
are
any
available f rom the 1943 OOB.
The
Roma
replacement bonus
in effect.
5. STARTING THE GAME:
A. The Germans have available
for deployment
the
1943 uni ts inc luded in the Advanced
Game
B
card, as supplied with the game, for the version they
have chosen: standard, reinforced, or maximum.
Since
the
Allies have
no t
yet
invaded for the second
time,
under
any
German
OOB the two SS p anz er
divisions have
withdrawn. No garr ison
units have
reacted i nt o t he game because of Allied proximity,
although
they may have
been released because of
the
German
B chosen.
Under
the standard
B
18
and 24 panzer divisions would have
withdrawn,
as
well a s Doehla.
Under
the reinforced OOB,
18
panzer would
have left.
B. From the OOB they have chosen, the Germans
must r educe a number o f steps: 12 if it is the
standard
OOB,
10 if
the
reinforced, 8 if the
maximum. No more than two lost steps
can
be from
garrison units,
and
they
must
have been garrison
uni ts abl e to have attacked potentially defecting
Italian units September I I, 1943 ( the source of the
loss). Another two
can
be a
replacement
deficit, at
least one
of
which must be
armor.
The rest must be
taken
from
units available for front-line deploy
ment.
C. As part of
their
initial
deployment, the Germans
may locate eight forts ono r behind their side of the
front
l ine (see map-same
front
a s Basic Game
version of Operation Shingle .
Thereafter,
forts
are
received as per the Time Record Card.
D. Consistent with th eir OOB restr ictions, the
Germans may
deploy
their
1943
OOB anywhere on
or behind their side of the front. The Basic
Game
requirement
to ha ve only a fixed
number of
units
behind the front, is
no t
in force. The German units
on
the 1944-45 OOB are
not
available
at
the start ,
but
enter
as reinforcements or replacements.
E. Af ter the
Germans
deploy, the Allies set-up their
1943
OOB
anywhere south of the front line,
including Sicily, not in German
ZOC. They t hen
start the game, moving first. Reinforcements and
replacements shown on the Allied 1944OOBare not
set up at the start,
but
enter as stipulated in the rules.
Although
the Allies
may
choose between two OOBs,
they are identical unti l June IV, 1944. Note that the
e ight uni ts ava il ab le in the 1943 OOB will have
withdrawn,
and therefore
are
not available for this
game. The Fascist Mantova divis ion, having
successfully defected in 1943
to
the Allies, is
the
only
Italian division from their
September
1943
OOB
inc luded in thi s game.
F. The
Allies have
no
replacements saved. From
1943 units not having withdrawn, a further ten steps
must
be
taken.
6. INVASIONS
SEA MOVEMENT:
A.
Invasions subsequent to
the first invasion
may
take place according to the rules of the game version
chosen.
B. Ports open (with counters are Salerno zone and
city, and
the
cities of Napoli, and Termoli.
The
Allies start with one port counter saved, and then
receive further
counters per
the rules.
The
South
Ends are also open.
C.
German
invasion reactions are specified on the
OOB
card.
D.
The
Allies start the game with 100 Build-Up
saved
at
each
open por t.
7. VICTORY
CONDITIONS: those
in effec t for
Game
II and Game III, whichever is chosen.
8. SUPPLEMENTARY RULES: Operation
Shingle may be played with applicable
parts
of rule
book sec tion F, with the fol lowing
notations:
A. Rule
7-reduce
the German OOB by one
additional step.
B.
Rule
15-the All ied 1943
OOB
would be
i nc reased by the e ight uni ts whose
withdrawal is
cancelled by this
opt ion. The
Allies would have to
reduce their OOB by eight steps, no t ten, when using
this option. Despite the
harsher
victory
conditions
which rule 15 includes for the All ies, i ts use swings
play balance
toward
them.
C. Rule 16B-Since the two SS panzer divisions
have
withdrawn,
if this were chose n, the y
would
return
as reinforcements.
D. Rule 17-the various options available
under
Games
II and III could be chosen in secret, if so
desired. Note that even if rule 17C (Limited
Intelligence)
is no t
in effect, the All ies
may
always
keep secret th e iden tity and existence of rein
forcements in Sicily or the South Ends. Therefore,
they could write down their choice of rule 15 but
not expose the units .
BASIC
GAME III-Diadem
t. INTRODUCTION: This scenario covers just the
l as t six
turns
of the other two new Basic Game
scenarios whose rules
are
included in this art icle.
The success of the German Gustav Line forced the
PAGE
Allies
to
execute Operation Shingle.
thou
stalemated Shingle created an enclave behind t
Gustav Line
without which
Diadem
would not ha
been possible.
2.
TIME
SPAN
WEATHER: May II-June I
1944.
No mud.
3. RULES: Sections A through C, plus G Appe
dix) as applicable.
Changes
to these rules specifi
here.
4. OOB IN GENERAL: in the Basic Games the
are no withdrawals , no
Italians, and
no replaceme
bonuses . In
Diadem
there are
simplified
garris
rules.
Game
Record
Cards
for both sides a
provided
elsewhere in thi s issue as well as a map
the
front
line.
5.
GERMAN OOB: there are six parts:
A. Uni ts available at the
start,
with fixed
locati
indicated.
B. Eight uni ts ident if ied as Reserves.
Any two
these may be deployed anywhere
on
or behind t
German side of
the f ront
line.
The remaining
must be at least one hex behind the front.
F
example,
Lido
would not
be permissible,
Fiumici
would be.
C.
Four infantry
replacements, as
made
availa
by the Time Track.
D. At the
s ta rt o f
the first
German
turn after t
Allies invade,
or
use
their Air Strike, or
have a
u
on
a hex ent irely nor th o f the middle map-fold
any
time , even r et reat ing) , t he Germans get
reaction:
five units stationed at fixed points in North Ita
from
which
they
cannot move, unless and un
released as par t o f this reaction.
2. six units entering as r ei nfor cement s o ff
German
map
edge, one turn
later
than the release
the five units above.
3.
three
units
entering
as reinforcements
o ff
German
map
edge, but two turns later than the f
uni ts in 0.1.
E. It
is probable
that t he Allies will t ri gger
German
reaction in t ime for all uni ts to enter , b
they
are
not obliged to,
therefore the
Germans
not cer ta in t o get these units .
6.
ALLIED
OOB:
there are three
parts:
A. Units shown on boa rd a t the start , including
replacements.
B. Four units
entering
as reinforcements.
C. The replacements received
per
the Time Tra
7.
STARTING
THE GAME:
A. The Germans f ir st set up t he ir
May
II un
including reserves, and alsojncluding
the
five un
frozen in North Italy unless released by the react
rule.
B. The Allies then set up their units on board M
II, anywhere on t he ir side of t he f ront ,
not
German zone of
control . There are
no restrictio
on the All ied set-up, apart from the usual stack
rules,
and
t he fact that 56 stacking points is
capacity of the Anzio beachhead.
The
Allies
th
move first.'
8.
AIR STRIKE:
anyone
Allied
turn,
the
Allies
allowed an
ai r
strike, per rule E I4 This
is
anot
departure
from the usual Basic Game rules.
9. INVASIONS SEA MOVEMENT:
A. Any Allied turn
during
the game, including
ai r
strike
turn,
the All ies
may
invade once on
East Coast,
and
once on the West Coast . The t
invasions may
occur
independently,
or
togeth
Each may lift no more than four stacking poi
under the usual second invasion rules.
Any
invas
zone is permitted.
B.
There are
eight port
counters
in the game. Po
already open with counters are: the cities
of
Nap
Termoli, and Anzio, and
the
Roma zone within
Allied
front
line (the Anzio beachhead .
The
Al
have the other four port counters saved, and get
more.
The
South Ends
are
also open.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 6/44
PAGE
6
THE GENERAL
CROSS OF IRON SCENARIO
SERIES 100
11. ADVANCED GAMES WITH
SUPPLE
MENTARY
RULES:
rule
book section
may
also be included.
A.
Sections
not
relevant
are: 10,13,16,
and
17B
an
F
B. Rule 7 may be reflected by the
German
r emov ing one
step from any unit
ava il ab le f
frontline
deployment May II.
C. I f
the
Allies use rule
15 (Reinforcement Option
the uni ts
shown below
are added
to the ir OOB
o
the
board May II, 1944, and further withdrawals a
cancelled.
Even
i f ru le 17C
is
not
in effect,
the
Alli
may
always conceal
the
identity and
existence
reinforcements
in Sicily or
the South
End
Therefore, they
could write down
their
choice
rule 15,
but not
expose
the
units.
Despite the harsh
victory conditions which rule
15
includes
f or th
Allies, its use in Caesar
Line
swings
play
balan
toward
them.
SERIES 100 is a pad
of
ten new
scenarios
fo
CROSS OF IRON printed on the same inde
stock
and
in the same style used for
both SQUAD
LEADER
and CROSS
OF
IRON
These scenar
os were designed by
CO l
play
tester Courtne
Allen
and play
tested
by
members
of
his
Intere
Group San Francisco
play
test group.
Afterward
they
were retested by
other regional groups of
th
COl play
test team-most
notably Jon
Mishcon
Joe
Suchar, and John
Kenower
who contribute
greatly
to
their
final
evolution.
Fo r
thos
disdaining the design your own approach,
her
is your
chance
to experience
more CO l
scenario
which have been tested
for balance and constitu
top qual i ty playing
aids. Now
is the
chance t
emp loy mor e of those special armor uni
provided
with
COl
which
don t
see
action
in
any
o
the
official scenarios.
The ten
s.cenarios
comprising SERIES
100
ar
t it led a s follows:
BLOCKING
ACTION A
LIPKI
(1941),
SLAMMING
OF THE
DOO
(1941),
BALD HILL
(1941), THE PENETRA
TION
OF
ROSTOV
(1942),
NIGHT BATTL
AT NOROMARYEVKA (1943), BEACHHEA
AT OZEREYKA BAY (1943), DISASTER O
THE DNIEPER
LOOP (1943), BLOCK
BUST
ING IN
BOKRUISK
(1944), COUNTERAT
TACK ON THE VISTULA
(1944),
TH
AGONY OF
DOOM (1945).
SERIES 100 is
available
by ma il
only
fro
Avalon
Hill
for
4.00 plus
usual
postage
charge
Maryland
residents please
add
5
state
sales
ta
1
~ ~
1 1 12
3
3 4 12
4
~ ~
6 8 12
1
I l
1 1 12
2 I
~
2 1 12
3
3 4 12
111
~ ~
1 1 12
United
States
1 1 12
3
3 4 12
2 I
g ~
2 1 12
3
~ ~
3 4 12
4
5 6 12
5
~
5 5 12
3
~ ~
3 3 12
Britain
10.
TWO
GAMES
IN
ONE:
A. Caesar
Line
may be played as
two
linked games,
therefore counting
as
two contests for
AREA
purposes.
B.
At
the
end
of the June
III,
1944
turn,
victory
is
decided per
Diadem
conditions.
C.
The
players
would t hen con ti nue to the end of
Game III,
at which
time
another
victory
would
be
awarded.
8.
INVASIONS
&
SEA
MOVEMENT:
under
standard Game III rules,
no
invasion is permitted in
the Diadem time span,
and two wou ld
be
per
mitted
later. The Caesar Line variant rules differ:
A. During the
six
turn
Diadem time span, Diadem
rule
9A
applies. From June IV 1944
unti l the end
of
Game
III,
just one further invasion is
allowed, with
50 of Initial Lift.
This invasion would,
as usual ,
have
to
be six turns
later
t han any
invasion
in
the
Diadem time-span.
B.
Ports are per
Diadem
rule 9B,
and from
June
IV
onward,
per
Game III rules.
C.
The
Allies
start the
game
with 100
Build-Up
saved
at each
open port .
13. ADVANCED GAME WITH SUPPLEMEN
TARY RULES:
rule
book
sec tion F may a lso be
included.
Sections
not relevant are: 3,9,10,13,14,
15,16,17
(except
C, which
may
be used) . Rule7
may
be reflected bythe Germans
removing
one step from
any
unit
available for front
line
deployment May
II.
9. VICTORY CONDITIONS:
those applicable
to
Game
I II , u si ng
the Reinforced German OOB
standard.
ADVANCED GAME IIIB-Caesar
Line
1 INTRODUCTION: Game
III
is
the
marathon
version
of A
NZIO spanning
79
turns,
September,
1943, to April , 1945. The Caesar
Line
scenario
reduces this to 47 turns, by
picking
up Game
III at
the
start
of the
Diadem offensive, and
playing
it out
to
its
conclusion.
2. T IME SPAN & WEATHER: May I I, 1944
April IV, 1945. Weather
per Advanced
Game
III
rules.
3.
RULES:
since
the
Advanced Game
builds on the
simpler
versions
preceding
it, the
entire
rule book
is
in effect,
except
for
section
F,
and
as
explained
below, it , t oo, may be incorporated.
Changes
to
these rules are specified here.
4. GERMAN
OOB:
A. It
is that
specified
for the
Advanced
Game
version of Diadem
plus the
Caesar
Line additions
at the bottom of
the
card. Essentially,
one
is
playing
an
Advanced
version of the Diadem scenario,
bu t
con tinu ing on to
t he end
of Game III.
B.
The Caesar
Line
OOB
includes
some units
also
l is ted as
pa rt of the reinforcements ava il ab le for
Diadem These
would
enter under whichever OOB
indication
occurred
first. Fo r
example,
i f the
20th
Luftwaffe division
has entered
under
the
Diadem
reaction rule, its
OOB
entry
point
of
August
I
would
be redundant. But if it
had
not
entered,
it
would
enter August I Three garrison infantry
divisions in
Diadem become part o f the Off-Board commands
in
the Caesar
Line
OOB.
C.
Forts are
received
per the TRC. The Germans
may also change the locat ion
of one
or
two
forts
shown on the Diadem
OOB,
t o any permissible hex
on the nor th hal f o f
the
map.
5. ALLIED
OOB:
as specified for
the Advanced
version of Diadem plus
the
Caesar
Line
additions
and withdrawals.
The
Roma replacement bonus is
in effect.
6. STARTING THE
GAME: same
as
Diadem
Advanced version.
7. AIR STRIKE:
same
as
Diadem
Advanced
version. Note that
there is
a
second
ai r strike in 1945.
C. The Allies s ta rt t he game with 100
Build-Up
aved
a t each open por t.
D. I f
the
Allies
invade at
a
zone already partially
heirs,
and
open with a
port
counter,
such
as
the
Roma
zone
in Diadem which
is
friendly and in
peration wit hi n t he Anz io
beachhead,
they
must
xpend a new
counter
to
support
the invasion.
Nonetheless,
they
will have
onl y one
BU for
that
zone, to apportion as
they choose
among
eachhead
zone
hexes. Of
course,
they
could
open
port
if
there is
more
than one
in
the
zone, as
is
in
the
Roma
zone.
Such an
Allied
invasion
uld not exceed the
zone capacity.
0. VICTORY CONDITIONS:
. Rule
Book
C.15.C.
.
Alternatively,
to win, at the
end
of the game
the
llies
must:
. Eliminate
all supplied enemy
units
from all
three
Roma hexes, as well as t he a rea onand sou th of
the
oad from Lido t o
V39.
Unsupplied
enemy
units
in
above areas do not have to be
eliminated
by
the
llies.
Have
friendly,
and
in supply
at
least
one
hex
eet ing the
following
definition:
. A city hex
entirely
no rth of
t he cen te r
fold
would qualify,
Teramo
wouldn t), or
A
bridgehead north
of
the Tiber River
(hexes
D44,E44,F43,G42, H39-42, inclusive).
.
Note that
the
requirement
is
not a t
least
one
hex
f
each sort, but one
of
either sort.
. A llied f ai lu re to
meet
these conditions IS a
erman
victory.
SUPPLEMENTARY RULES:
Diadem
may
played
with applicable parts
of rule
book section
D,
with
the
following notations:
.
The Germans
receive
one Tactical
Air
factor
in
May , whi ch t hey
could use defensively as
part
of
heir
May
II
deployment, or
save
for
later,
and
one
n June. The
Germans do
not get
extra factors
as
an
nvas ion react ion,
as the
second invas ion
has
lready
occurred. The
Allied allocation explained in
ection
D is unchanged. Note that
the
Allies do not
et
the naval factor during an invasion turn, nor the
i r
factors during
the a ir strike.
B. Commandos a re no t restricted
to
the southern
half
of
the map.
Commando
raids
are permitted, but
not on
invasion turns.
Commandosmay participate
in an
invasion,
but as par t o f the four points Initial
Lift permitted.
C. The Germans get
the
thirteen
f or ts l ocat ed a s
shown on the Advanced Game section of the
Diadem Record
Card,
plus the
only one theywould
get under the Time Record Card June I Since there
are
only
thirteen
forts
in the
g ame, o ne
of
the
original
allocation
would
have to be
destroyed
in
order for
it to be recovered
and redeployed
June
I
ADVANCED
GAME:
Diadem may also be
with
applicable parts of
rule
book section
E,
the
following notations:
German OOB;
an
Italian unit is added
to the
erman
reserves
available
at
the s ta rt , b ut the
estriction that only two
reserve
units
may be
on the f ront remains. Two
divisions (90th
nd
15th)
are
split into
regiments, deployed
as
hown.
There
are
seven garrison divisions in
the
Advanced OOB.
Five
on boardat the star t react into
he game as explained in
the
Basic Game version
of
Diadem
or by All ied
proximi ty under s tandard
arrison rules. The
34th and 42nd
infantry divisions
nter
as
reinforcements,
but not for
free use.
They
o
to
the
garrison points
shown, where they would
ollow
standard
garrison rules. Diadem garrisons
have a ten hex
reaction radius. I f
one is
available,
the Germans get another fort June
I
B. The
only
change in
the
Allied OOB is
the
ddition
of
the
two
Italian
units , as
shown.
C.
Supporting
fire
is the same
as in rule
II
A,
above.
D. No change in
victory conditions.
PAGE
6
THE GENERAL
CROSS OF IRON SCENARIO
SERIES 100
11. ADVANCED GAMES WITH
SUPPLE
MENTARY
RULES:
rule
book section
may
also be included.
A.
Sections
not
relevant
are: 10,13,16,
and
17B
an
F
B. Rule 7 may be reflected by the
German
r emov ing one
step from any unit
ava il ab le f
frontline
deployment May II.
C. I f
the
Allies use rule
15 (Reinforcement Option
the uni ts
shown below
are added
to the ir OOB
o
the
board May II, 1944, and further withdrawals a
cancelled.
Even
i f ru le 17C
is
not
in effect,
the
Alli
may
always conceal
the
identity and
existence
reinforcements
in Sicily or
the South
End
Therefore, they
could write down
their
choice
rule 15,
but not
expose
the
units.
Despite the harsh
victory conditions which rule
15
includes
f or th
Allies, its use in Caesar
Line
swings
play
balan
toward
them.
SERIES 100 is a pad
of
ten new
scenarios
fo
CROSS OF IRON printed on the same inde
stock
and
in the same style used for
both SQUAD
LEADER
and CROSS
OF
IRON
These scenar
os were designed by
CO l
play
tester Courtne
Allen
and play
tested
by
members
of
his
Intere
Group San Francisco
play
test group.
Afterward
they
were retested by
other regional groups of
th
COl play
test team-most
notably Jon
Mishcon
Joe
Suchar, and John
Kenower
who contribute
greatly
to
their
final
evolution.
Fo r
thos
disdaining the design your own approach,
her
is your
chance
to experience
more CO l
scenario
which have been tested
for balance and constitu
top qual i ty playing
aids. Now
is the
chance t
emp loy mor e of those special armor uni
provided
with
COl
which
don t
see
action
in
any
o
the
official scenarios.
The ten
s.cenarios
comprising SERIES
100
ar
t it led a s follows:
BLOCKING
ACTION A
LIPKI
(1941),
SLAMMING
OF THE
DOO
(1941),
BALD HILL
(1941), THE PENETRA
TION
OF
ROSTOV
(1942),
NIGHT BATTL
AT NOROMARYEVKA (1943), BEACHHEA
AT OZEREYKA BAY (1943), DISASTER O
THE DNIEPER
LOOP (1943), BLOCK
BUST
ING IN
BOKRUISK
(1944), COUNTERAT
TACK ON THE VISTULA
(1944),
TH
AGONY OF
DOOM (1945).
SERIES 100 is
available
by ma il
only
fro
Avalon
Hill
for
4.00 plus
usual
postage
charge
Maryland
residents please
add
5
state
sales
ta
1
~ ~
1 1 12
3
3 4 12
4
~ ~
6 8 12
1
I l
1 1 12
2 I
~
2 1 12
3
3 4 12
111
~ ~
1 1 12
United
States
1 1 12
3
3 4 12
2 I
g ~
2 1 12
3
~ ~
3 4 12
4
5 6 12
5
~
5 5 12
3
~ ~
3 3 12
Britain
10.
TWO
GAMES
IN
ONE:
A. Caesar
Line
may be played as
two
linked games,
therefore counting
as
two contests for
AREA
purposes.
B.
At
the
end
of the June
III,
1944
turn,
victory
is
decided per
Diadem
conditions.
C.
The
players
would t hen con ti nue to the end of
Game III,
at which
time
another
victory
would
be
awarded.
8.
INVASIONS
&
SEA
MOVEMENT:
under
standard Game III rules,
no
invasion is permitted in
the Diadem time span,
and two wou ld
be
per
mitted
later. The Caesar Line variant rules differ:
A. During the
six
turn
Diadem time span, Diadem
rule
9A
applies. From June IV 1944
unti l the end
of
Game
III,
just one further invasion is
allowed, with
50 of Initial Lift.
This invasion would,
as usual ,
have
to
be six turns
later
t han any
invasion
in
the
Diadem time-span.
B.
Ports are per
Diadem
rule 9B,
and from
June
IV
onward,
per
Game III rules.
C.
The
Allies
start the
game
with 100
Build-Up
saved
at each
open port .
13. ADVANCED GAME WITH SUPPLEMEN
TARY RULES:
rule
book
sec tion F may a lso be
included.
Sections
not relevant are: 3,9,10,13,14,
15,16,17
(except
C, which
may
be used) . Rule7
may
be reflected bythe Germans
removing
one step from
any
unit
available for front
line
deployment May
II.
9. VICTORY CONDITIONS:
those applicable
to
Game
I II , u si ng
the Reinforced German OOB
standard.
ADVANCED GAME IIIB-Caesar
Line
1 INTRODUCTION: Game
III
is
the
marathon
version
of A
NZIO spanning
79
turns,
September,
1943, to April , 1945. The Caesar
Line
scenario
reduces this to 47 turns, by
picking
up Game
III at
the
start
of the
Diadem offensive, and
playing
it out
to
its
conclusion.
2. T IME SPAN & WEATHER: May I I, 1944
April IV, 1945. Weather
per Advanced
Game
III
rules.
3.
RULES:
since
the
Advanced Game
builds on the
simpler
versions
preceding
it, the
entire
rule book
is
in effect,
except
for
section
F,
and
as
explained
below, it , t oo, may be incorporated.
Changes
to
these rules are specified here.
4. GERMAN
OOB:
A. It
is that
specified
for the
Advanced
Game
version of Diadem
plus the
Caesar
Line additions
at the bottom of
the
card. Essentially,
one
is
playing
an
Advanced
version of the Diadem scenario,
bu t
con tinu ing on to
t he end
of Game III.
B.
The Caesar
Line
OOB
includes
some units
also
l is ted as
pa rt of the reinforcements ava il ab le for
Diadem These
would
enter under whichever OOB
indication
occurred
first. Fo r
example,
i f the
20th
Luftwaffe division
has entered
under
the
Diadem
reaction rule, its
OOB
entry
point
of
August
I
would
be redundant. But if it
had
not
entered,
it
would
enter August I Three garrison infantry
divisions in
Diadem become part o f the Off-Board commands
in
the Caesar
Line
OOB.
C.
Forts are
received
per the TRC. The Germans
may also change the locat ion
of one
or
two
forts
shown on the Diadem
OOB,
t o any permissible hex
on the nor th hal f o f
the
map.
5. ALLIED
OOB:
as specified for
the Advanced
version of Diadem plus
the
Caesar
Line
additions
and withdrawals.
The
Roma replacement bonus is
in effect.
6. STARTING THE
GAME: same
as
Diadem
Advanced version.
7. AIR STRIKE:
same
as
Diadem
Advanced
version. Note that
there is
a
second
ai r strike in 1945.
C. The Allies s ta rt t he game with 100
Build-Up
aved
a t each open por t.
D. I f
the
Allies
invade at
a
zone already partially
heirs,
and
open with a
port
counter,
such
as
the
Roma
zone
in Diadem which
is
friendly and in
peration wit hi n t he Anz io
beachhead,
they
must
xpend a new
counter
to
support
the invasion.
Nonetheless,
they
will have
onl y one
BU for
that
zone, to apportion as
they choose
among
eachhead
zone
hexes. Of
course,
they
could
open
port
if
there is
more
than one
in
the
zone, as
is
in
the
Roma
zone.
Such an
Allied
invasion
uld not exceed the
zone capacity.
0. VICTORY CONDITIONS:
. Rule
Book
C.15.C.
.
Alternatively,
to win, at the
end
of the game
the
llies
must:
. Eliminate
all supplied enemy
units
from all
three
Roma hexes, as well as t he a rea onand sou th of
the
oad from Lido t o
V39.
Unsupplied
enemy
units
in
above areas do not have to be
eliminated
by
the
llies.
Have
friendly,
and
in supply
at
least
one
hex
eet ing the
following
definition:
. A city hex
entirely
no rth of
t he cen te r
fold
would qualify,
Teramo
wouldn t), or
A
bridgehead north
of
the Tiber River
(hexes
D44,E44,F43,G42, H39-42, inclusive).
.
Note that
the
requirement
is
not a t
least
one
hex
f
each sort, but one
of
either sort.
. A llied f ai lu re to
meet
these conditions IS a
erman
victory.
SUPPLEMENTARY RULES:
Diadem
may
played
with applicable parts
of rule
book section
D,
with
the
following notations:
.
The Germans
receive
one Tactical
Air
factor
in
May , whi ch t hey
could use defensively as
part
of
heir
May
II
deployment, or
save
for
later,
and
one
n June. The
Germans do
not get
extra factors
as
an
nvas ion react ion,
as the
second invas ion
has
lready
occurred. The
Allied allocation explained in
ection
D is unchanged. Note that
the
Allies do not
et
the naval factor during an invasion turn, nor the
i r
factors during
the a ir strike.
B. Commandos a re no t restricted
to
the southern
half
of
the map.
Commando
raids
are permitted, but
not on
invasion turns.
Commandosmay participate
in an
invasion,
but as par t o f the four points Initial
Lift permitted.
C. The Germans get
the
thirteen
f or ts l ocat ed a s
shown on the Advanced Game section of the
Diadem Record
Card,
plus the
only one theywould
get under the Time Record Card June I Since there
are
only
thirteen
forts
in the
g ame, o ne
of
the
original
allocation
would
have to be
destroyed
in
order for
it to be recovered
and redeployed
June
I
ADVANCED
GAME:
Diadem may also be
with
applicable parts of
rule
book section
E,
the
following notations:
German OOB;
an
Italian unit is added
to the
erman
reserves
available
at
the s ta rt , b ut the
estriction that only two
reserve
units
may be
on the f ront remains. Two
divisions (90th
nd
15th)
are
split into
regiments, deployed
as
hown.
There
are
seven garrison divisions in
the
Advanced OOB.
Five
on boardat the star t react into
he game as explained in
the
Basic Game version
of
Diadem
or by All ied
proximi ty under s tandard
arrison rules. The
34th and 42nd
infantry divisions
nter
as
reinforcements,
but not for
free use.
They
o
to
the
garrison points
shown, where they would
ollow
standard
garrison rules. Diadem garrisons
have a ten hex
reaction radius. I f
one is
available,
the Germans get another fort June
I
B. The
only
change in
the
Allied OOB is
the
ddition
of
the
two
Italian
units , as
shown.
C.
Supporting
fire
is the same
as in rule
II
A,
above.
D. No change in
victory conditions.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 7/44
TH G N R L
P G
N LYZING THE GUST V LINE
Strategy and Tactics in the new nzio Gustav
Line
Scenario
By
Tom
Oleson
Assumptions:
German
invasion reaction
in February.
2 Average step loss
per turn:
Allies
Germans 3
M
A
Y
A
P
R
M
A
R
F
E
B
J
A
N
o
E
C
N
o
V
o
C
T
~
J
/
/
jl
\
\
/
\
\
\
1.8
2.0
7
3
1.6
2
5
4
3 Defense
factors
doubled,
to
reflect
the
abundance of doubling
terrain.
Yet another
point
to
consider
is the average
length of the front line,
coupled
with the fact that a
sustained offensive
is
s el dom product ive f or t he
Germans. This
means
that in that
sector
of the Allies
line which is on the defensive, they need only leave
sufficient s trength to
prevent
a breakthrough, or
loss
of
a unit or key point, s ince a major attack
would serve little purpose for
t he Germans . Thi s
permits the Allies to concentrate
the
bulk
of
their
surplus force
for
a few key
attacks,
which have
the
potential to
force
the
Germans
back.
The Germans , on
the
other hand,
must
spread
their strength fairly evenly along their entire front,
because it
is
usually t he Allies
who
have the
initiative.
I s tress
theword usually
because if
ANZIOwere
simply
a
game
of
the
Allies slogging forward from
one
mountain or river to the next, with the Germans
limited
to
deciding how many factors to put
at
each
spot,
it
would
be
boring.
The German offensive
capability
is limited, but it does exist , and can be
decisive.
ANZIO is a step-reduction game.
Each
unit has
one o r more steps, depending on its strength, and
casualties suffered. Although
there are
many ways
to compare strength in
NZIO comparing steps
available throughout the game is one of the best:
There are many val id ways to compa re
the
strength of the contending armies:
Allied a tt ack fac to r vs. German defense
factors.
2 The
same, but multiplied by
the
number o f
turns
the factors
are
present
in the game.
The ANZ O m.ap of the I ta lian pen insu la is
divided into four equal
North-South
sections. In
the
Gustav Line game,
which
corresponds in
duration
t o Advanced Game II September 1943 to June
1944 ,
the
Allies initially invade in the
bottom
section, or tha t next to it.
To
win, in less than seven
months, they must push the Germans back nearly to
the
topmost
quadrant of the board .
The Allies have two
important
advantages:
Numerical
superiority, discussed in detail
below.
2 The ability to threaten
the
German flanks
from
the
sea.
The Germans have two countervailing weapons:
The difficult terrain, which multiplies
their
strength.
2
The temporary ability to mass superior force
at certain critical junctures of the
game, such
as the
invasions. The Germans can r einforce by land
quicker
and
more massively than the Allies can by
sea , i f they are able and willing to weaken the main
front.
TH G N R L
P G
N LYZING THE GUST V LINE
Strategy and Tactics in the new nzio Gustav
Line
Scenario
By
Tom
Oleson
Assumptions:
German
invasion reaction
in February.
2 Average step loss
per turn:
Allies
Germans 3
M
A
Y
A
P
R
M
A
R
F
E
B
J
A
N
o
E
C
N
o
V
o
C
T
~
J
/
/
jl
\
\
/
\
\
\
1.8
2.0
7
3
1.6
2
5
4
3 Defense
factors
doubled,
to
reflect
the
abundance of doubling
terrain.
Yet another
point
to
consider
is the average
length of the front line,
coupled
with the fact that a
sustained offensive
is
s el dom product ive f or t he
Germans. This
means
that in that
sector
of the Allies
line which is on the defensive, they need only leave
sufficient s trength to
prevent
a breakthrough, or
loss
of
a unit or key point, s ince a major attack
would serve little purpose for
t he Germans . Thi s
permits the Allies to concentrate
the
bulk
of
their
surplus force
for
a few key
attacks,
which have
the
potential to
force
the
Germans
back.
The Germans , on
the
other hand,
must
spread
their strength fairly evenly along their entire front,
because it
is
usually t he Allies
who
have the
initiative.
I s tress
theword usually
because if
ANZIOwere
simply
a
game
of
the
Allies slogging forward from
one
mountain or river to the next, with the Germans
limited
to
deciding how many factors to put
at
each
spot,
it
would
be
boring.
The German offensive
capability
is limited, but it does exist , and can be
decisive.
ANZIO is a step-reduction game.
Each
unit has
one o r more steps, depending on its strength, and
casualties suffered. Although
there are
many ways
to compare strength in
NZIO comparing steps
available throughout the game is one of the best:
There are many val id ways to compa re
the
strength of the contending armies:
Allied a tt ack fac to r vs. German defense
factors.
2 The
same, but multiplied by
the
number o f
turns
the factors
are
present
in the game.
The ANZ O m.ap of the I ta lian pen insu la is
divided into four equal
North-South
sections. In
the
Gustav Line game,
which
corresponds in
duration
t o Advanced Game II September 1943 to June
1944 ,
the
Allies initially invade in the
bottom
section, or tha t next to it.
To
win, in less than seven
months, they must push the Germans back nearly to
the
topmost
quadrant of the board .
The Allies have two
important
advantages:
Numerical
superiority, discussed in detail
below.
2 The ability to threaten
the
German flanks
from
the
sea.
The Germans have two countervailing weapons:
The difficult terrain, which multiplies
their
strength.
2
The temporary ability to mass superior force
at certain critical junctures of the
game, such
as the
invasions. The Germans can r einforce by land
quicker
and
more massively than the Allies can by
sea , i f they are able and willing to weaken the main
front.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 8/44
P G S
In other words, in November, the two armiesare
about equal in steps, while in April the Alliesare just
over half-again as strong.
The chart illustrates the value to the Germans of
crushing th e second invasion, if it can be done
without decimating themselves. If the Allies can
lengthen the front by a successful second invasion,
their inexorably increasing pressure against a long
German line, can cause the
German army
virtually
to vanish by game end.
Returning to the
start of
thegame: inall versions
of
NZ O
which
start
in 1943, I recommend use of
rule
F.I0,
second paragraph. This permits 1Para to
dep loy anywhere f rom Y48-Y54. The new 1978
edition of
NZ O
permits a wider entry from
Taranto.
Ordinarily, if the Allies invade
at
Termoli,
September II they should cross the Fortore River to
the Foggia side. Stationing 1
Para a t
Y
48
prevents
this. In thisway, theGermans havea good chance
to
bottle up the Termoli sector between the Sangroand
Fortore rivers.
One would assume that the wider Taranto entry
makes it no longer feasible for the
Germans to
seal
off the South End, completely preventing Allied
entry there. In play-testing this revised rule, I have
seen that that is not so, although obviously it is no
longer so cheap for the Germans to
do
so. As
an
alternative , they may decide
to
hold the
corridor
between the
Fortore and Ofanto
rivers,
to
delay a
quick l ink-up between a Termol i invas ion , and
Allied units advancing from the
South.
In this way,
a Termoli invasion can be prevented from becoming
such an attractive option that the Germans are
obliged
to
garrison it
September
II with 16th
panzer.
16th Panzer, the
Herman
Goering division,
and
the little
NW
/71 uni t, a re the uni ts besides 1Para,
whose location the Germans must decide before the
game begins.
Nebelwerfer must be placed with HG, because
leaving weak units alone within enemy reach
is an
invitation to an
Automatic
Victory. The two units
should
not
be placed
at
Vesuvio (one of the three
a lt ernat ives) , because doing so d iscourages the
Allies f rom invad ing where the Germans should
pr efer th em to: Salerno. This leaves Napol i
or
Caserta. Either point is very discouraging to an
invasion at Mondragone
or
Napoli,
both o f
them
dubious propositions, anyway, but Caser ta has a
signal advantage. From here, HG can reach T44 the
first turn. This
is
a key hex if the Allies invade at
Termoli, because it can be par t of a counter-attack
to
regain the Sangro River line.
This leaves 16th panzer, with which the Allies
can
be forbidden
any
single zone. makes sense to
deny the Allies the zone most perilous to the
Germans in the Basic Game: Terracina. Below, I will
explain why.
Since I regard Termoli as the second most
dangerous zone for a first invasion, rather than
place 16th pz. right at,
or
behind, Terracina, I prefer
to place it
at
K49. This makes it impossible for the
Allies to t ake J50 on their invasion turn, which
should discourage them sufficiently. From this post,
16th pz. can reach the
mouth
of the Sangro.
An
Allied invasion at Termoli not only should
throw a bridgehead south of the
Fortore
(presuming
1Para is absent),
but nor th o f
the Sangro as well.
Holding the Sangro is vital for the Germans. Once it
is
breached, there is no good defense
of
Pescara, one
of the nine vic tory points in the 1943 Basic Game.
Therefore, if the Allies cross the Sangro, the
Germans must energetically counterattack to push
them
back. The suggested
German
defense is shown
in Figure I.
This setup will vary from game to game. I rarely
use it twice in a row myself, although objectively I
believe it is best . Reasons for varia tion include
experimentation with different theories,
and
to
t hr ow an opponen t off-balance, for example, by
forcing an invasion not at Salerno, where many
Allied players are most comfortable.
On
the Allied side, there are many con
siderations influencing the choice of an invasion
site:
TH G N R
A
Oppos it ion from German initial setup.
the tab le below it is presumed that 16th pz. is n
present in each zone rated.
B Available defensive positions against G
man counterat tack. In the first several turns ,
Allies may be more concerned with protecting th
ports, and building-up, than in attacking.
C. Fast link-up with the
South
Ends.
D. IL, BU,
and
Capacity. One would presu
that
an
invasion must immediately capture a port
beachhead capacity is so limited, but this is
necessarily so.
An
invasion
without
opening a
po
for example
at
the
Mondragone
zone, orat Termo
if 16th pz. g arr isons the port city, is risky a
difficult, but
not
impossible.
E Distance north: an initial Allied lodgem
nor th o f the usually sure-thing Salerno zone i
giant step towards winning the game.
F. Nea rby presence of victory points wh
otherwise would require a second invasion
capture. Another disadvantage
of
Salerno,
example, is that the Allies will usually captur
fairly soon, anyway.
Here is how each of the six possible sites ra
using a scale of 1for Good, 2-Acceptable,
3-Ba
and 5-Unacceptable.
A B C D E F
To
1
Termoli 1 1 2 1 2 2 9
2 Salerno 1
1 1 1 3 3
1
3 Terracina
2 2
3
1 1
1 1
4 Mondragone
2
3 3
3
2 1
1
5
Pescara 1 5 5 2 1
1
1
6
Napoli 3 5
2 1 2
2 1
This is obviously a crude rating, but from it o
can draw the correct conclus ion that Term
Salerno, and
Terracina
are
to
be greatly prefer
over the other three zones.
Particularly with the new wider
Taranto
en
an invasion at
Mondragone
is not to be discard
entirely, but unless the Allies quickly capture
a
open Napoli , the Germans still can seal off
South End, and then take advantage of M
dragone s restricted Capacity
at
their convenien
As for Pesca ra , the zone is so small (only t
hexes), that the only hope would be for a slugg
German reaction.
The same
comments apply to
Napoli.
Putting HG and
NW
at Vesuvio can m
Salerno less attractive under points A
and
B
bu
the cos t
of
weakening the
counterattack
agai
Termoli, thus making
that
zone more attractive
For the ambitious
and
confident Allied playe
comes down to a choice between Termo li
Terracina.
The
panzer division
can protect
one,
not
both. An invas ion at these sites usually lo
something like figure 2
This being the Basic Game, one mayask how
Allies get to the hill overlooking the Liri River
a
Route
6, since it represents a move inland
of
4M
with only 3 permitted. Theanswer is to bounce-o
15th pg. at Formia, with a 1-4attack. The permit
2 hex retreat enables the Allies to reach J50.
If
type of forward retreat troubles you, there are r
in the Advanced Game preventing it. The b
version of
N Z O
is designed to stress playabi
even at the cos t of realism, and as one advan
through the rules, the reverse becomes true.
Which units to s ta tion at each position? So
answers are obvious. For example, the rather tri
attack explained above will probably be a vol
tary 1-4.
That
is, an
attack at
true odds better
t
1-4,
taken
voluntarily at 1-4 to ensure retreat
should definitely include two divisions and
brigades
or
regiments. The former will retreat
J50; the l att er will t ake the losses, and perh
P G S
In other words, in November, the two armiesare
about equal in steps, while in April the Alliesare just
over half-again as strong.
The chart illustrates the value to the Germans of
crushing th e second invasion, if it can be done
without decimating themselves. If the Allies can
lengthen the front by a successful second invasion,
their inexorably increasing pressure against a long
German line, can cause the
German army
virtually
to vanish by game end.
Returning to the
start of
thegame: inall versions
of
NZ O
which
start
in 1943, I recommend use of
rule
F.I0,
second paragraph. This permits 1Para to
dep loy anywhere f rom Y48-Y54. The new 1978
edition of
NZ O
permits a wider entry from
Taranto.
Ordinarily, if the Allies invade
at
Termoli,
September II they should cross the Fortore River to
the Foggia side. Stationing 1
Para a t
Y
48
prevents
this. In thisway, theGermans havea good chance
to
bottle up the Termoli sector between the Sangroand
Fortore rivers.
One would assume that the wider Taranto entry
makes it no longer feasible for the
Germans to
seal
off the South End, completely preventing Allied
entry there. In play-testing this revised rule, I have
seen that that is not so, although obviously it is no
longer so cheap for the Germans to
do
so. As
an
alternative , they may decide
to
hold the
corridor
between the
Fortore and Ofanto
rivers,
to
delay a
quick l ink-up between a Termol i invas ion , and
Allied units advancing from the
South.
In this way,
a Termoli invasion can be prevented from becoming
such an attractive option that the Germans are
obliged
to
garrison it
September
II with 16th
panzer.
16th Panzer, the
Herman
Goering division,
and
the little
NW
/71 uni t, a re the uni ts besides 1Para,
whose location the Germans must decide before the
game begins.
Nebelwerfer must be placed with HG, because
leaving weak units alone within enemy reach
is an
invitation to an
Automatic
Victory. The two units
should
not
be placed
at
Vesuvio (one of the three
a lt ernat ives) , because doing so d iscourages the
Allies f rom invad ing where the Germans should
pr efer th em to: Salerno. This leaves Napol i
or
Caserta. Either point is very discouraging to an
invasion at Mondragone
or
Napoli,
both o f
them
dubious propositions, anyway, but Caser ta has a
signal advantage. From here, HG can reach T44 the
first turn. This
is
a key hex if the Allies invade at
Termoli, because it can be par t of a counter-attack
to
regain the Sangro River line.
This leaves 16th panzer, with which the Allies
can
be forbidden
any
single zone. makes sense to
deny the Allies the zone most perilous to the
Germans in the Basic Game: Terracina. Below, I will
explain why.
Since I regard Termoli as the second most
dangerous zone for a first invasion, rather than
place 16th pz. right at,
or
behind, Terracina, I prefer
to place it
at
K49. This makes it impossible for the
Allies to t ake J50 on their invasion turn, which
should discourage them sufficiently. From this post,
16th pz. can reach the
mouth
of the Sangro.
An
Allied invasion at Termoli not only should
throw a bridgehead south of the
Fortore
(presuming
1Para is absent),
but nor th o f
the Sangro as well.
Holding the Sangro is vital for the Germans. Once it
is
breached, there is no good defense
of
Pescara, one
of the nine vic tory points in the 1943 Basic Game.
Therefore, if the Allies cross the Sangro, the
Germans must energetically counterattack to push
them
back. The suggested
German
defense is shown
in Figure I.
This setup will vary from game to game. I rarely
use it twice in a row myself, although objectively I
believe it is best . Reasons for varia tion include
experimentation with different theories,
and
to
t hr ow an opponen t off-balance, for example, by
forcing an invasion not at Salerno, where many
Allied players are most comfortable.
On
the Allied side, there are many con
siderations influencing the choice of an invasion
site:
TH G N R
A
Oppos it ion from German initial setup.
the tab le below it is presumed that 16th pz. is n
present in each zone rated.
B Available defensive positions against G
man counterat tack. In the first several turns ,
Allies may be more concerned with protecting th
ports, and building-up, than in attacking.
C. Fast link-up with the
South
Ends.
D. IL, BU,
and
Capacity. One would presu
that
an
invasion must immediately capture a port
beachhead capacity is so limited, but this is
necessarily so.
An
invasion
without
opening a
po
for example
at
the
Mondragone
zone, orat Termo
if 16th pz. g arr isons the port city, is risky a
difficult, but
not
impossible.
E Distance north: an initial Allied lodgem
nor th o f the usually sure-thing Salerno zone i
giant step towards winning the game.
F. Nea rby presence of victory points wh
otherwise would require a second invasion
capture. Another disadvantage
of
Salerno,
example, is that the Allies will usually captur
fairly soon, anyway.
Here is how each of the six possible sites ra
using a scale of 1for Good, 2-Acceptable,
3-Ba
and 5-Unacceptable.
A B C D E F
To
1
Termoli 1 1 2 1 2 2 9
2 Salerno 1
1 1 1 3 3
1
3 Terracina
2 2
3
1 1
1 1
4 Mondragone
2
3 3
3
2 1
1
5
Pescara 1 5 5 2 1
1
1
6
Napoli 3 5
2 1 2
2 1
This is obviously a crude rating, but from it o
can draw the correct conclus ion that Term
Salerno, and
Terracina
are
to
be greatly prefer
over the other three zones.
Particularly with the new wider
Taranto
en
an invasion at
Mondragone
is not to be discard
entirely, but unless the Allies quickly capture
a
open Napoli , the Germans still can seal off
South End, and then take advantage of M
dragone s restricted Capacity
at
their convenien
As for Pesca ra , the zone is so small (only t
hexes), that the only hope would be for a slugg
German reaction.
The same
comments apply to
Napoli.
Putting HG and
NW
at Vesuvio can m
Salerno less attractive under points A
and
B
bu
the cos t
of
weakening the
counterattack
agai
Termoli, thus making
that
zone more attractive
For the ambitious
and
confident Allied playe
comes down to a choice between Termo li
Terracina.
The
panzer division
can protect
one,
not
both. An invas ion at these sites usually lo
something like figure 2
This being the Basic Game, one mayask how
Allies get to the hill overlooking the Liri River
a
Route
6, since it represents a move inland
of
4M
with only 3 permitted. Theanswer is to bounce-o
15th pg. at Formia, with a 1-4attack. The permit
2 hex retreat enables the Allies to reach J50.
If
type of forward retreat troubles you, there are r
in the Advanced Game preventing it. The b
version of
N Z O
is designed to stress playabi
even at the cos t of realism, and as one advan
through the rules, the reverse becomes true.
Which units to s ta tion at each position? So
answers are obvious. For example, the rather tri
attack explained above will probably be a vol
tary 1-4.
That
is, an
attack at
true odds better
t
1-4,
taken
voluntarily at 1-4 to ensure retreat
should definitely include two divisions and
brigades
or
regiments. The former will retreat
J50; the l att er will t ake the losses, and perh
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 9/44
TH G N R L
P G
Figure
2:
J50
is
the easternmost Allied
occupied
hex in theTerracina beachhead. U42
is
the northernmost occupied
hex
in Termoli.
evacuate. In the event of a dieroll six, the Allies may
prefer to destroy the two brigades
rather than
weaken J50.
The s trength which the All ies will put at each
other per imeter hex depends on German dis
positions. For example , i f 16th pz.
can t
reach it,
V42 can be held by a brigade. If 16th pz. can reach it,
then the hex should be held by3 or 6 defense factors.
Why not something else? Leaving 1or 2against the 5
attack
factor panzer division is too weak. Leaving 4
or 5 yields a 1 1
attack,
but so would 3 defense
factors, so bet te r to use the extra factor or two
elsewhere. Against
6D
F,the panzer division hasa 1-
2. In order to do bet ter, the Allies would have to
leave more
than
10DF, which they can t spare.
Therefore, 3 or 6 it is.
The same sort of analysis can be used at each
position along the perimeter. Allied Initial Lift
is
limited, and wasting factors in the
manner
explain
ed above can lose the game to a German counterat
tack before it is hardly begun.
I do
not
want to give the impression
t ha t an
invasion at Salerno is sure to fail for the Allies. It is
worth considering against a clever and aggressive
foe who has pushed you back into the sea further
north.
NZIO the game, can accurat el y parallel
historyin September, 1943. Particularlyif the Allied
player has been careless or overly bold in his initial
dispositions, the Germans have the same decent
chance of crushing the initial invasion which they
had historically.
NZIO is
very much a game
of
pacing.
Particularly in the Basic Game, the difference at the
end may be one or two hexes, or
combat
factors.
That
edge may be traceable to incorrect pacing in
early turns.
What
is required is a fine sense ofjust
how fast to push . The re a re moments when
both
sides must decide whether to ease off for a turn o r
two, to rebuild, or
to
press the attack even with
depleted units.
Hold
an exposed river line one
more
turn, or pull back to protect the flanks? These are
decisions that
can
only be weighed in the
context
of
each turn.
If
the game
is
developing as it often does, the
Allies will try to link-up as
soon
as possible,
and
the
Germans will t ry to delay them. Until the l ink-up,
the Germans have interior lines, and can allocate
their forces more efficiently.
However, a situation can develop in which the
Allies prefer not to press for a link-up. A German
front which divides the Allied beachhead from the
units entering from Taranto and Messina, is
bound
to
be a l ong one.
The
Allied player may decide to
invade with the Germans still st rung-out , a
somewhat
risky gamble that can
payoff.
By
November or December, the Allies usually
are up against the Gustav Line, whichruns along the
Rapido
a nd Sangro
Rivers (see map),
and
the
difficult terrain between them. This gives the Allies
four of the five point s they need under the 1943
victory conditions: Napoli, Foggia, Salerno, and
TerCloli. The fifth
and
deciding
point
may be within
reach of a frontal assault: Cassino
or
Pescara.
Al te rna tive ly, a second invasion in 1943 may be
needed, i f the fif th point is to be Anzio, Roma or
Terracina.
Thisdiscussion presumes that the game is played
under
rule 7- Two Games in One , which
is
by far
the more interesting way to do it.
This presents
an
interes ting decis ion for the
Allies:
1 Invade in December,
but not nor th
of Roma.
This helps a 1943 win, but hur ts chances for the
second decision, 1944.
2 Invade anywhere in
January,
or retain the
invasion
weapon
for use at the end of the game. Of
course, this favors the 1944 win at the expense of
1943.
During those turns when the Allies a re ab le to
invade, the
German
front-line is deple ted by the
units withdrawn to guard the coast, particularly if
they must guard the entire coast
north
of the front.
For example , i f the Germans are holding in the
Gustav Line when the game enters 1944,they would
need the equivalent ofat least a half-dozen divisions
to hold key points along the coast. This could equal
1/3 o f their OOB-perhaps 20
of
the 60 steps they
are likely to have available. This is an incentive to
the Allies
to
invade as lateas possible, because while
the German front is so weakened, they can
hammer
it more effectively.
Of course, the Allies mustalso withdrawunits to
the ports, to position them as an invasion threat, but
that
can usually be accomplished with units taking
replacements, or not needed at th e fr ont. Even a
partial invasion threat requires a German defense.
For this reason, the British 3-4-12 divisions, and
the British and US regiments and brigades become
the ideal units to take casualties during the invasion
period. While rebui lding, they pose
an
invasion
threat. Don t take casualt ies in non-US/ British
units at this time, because they can t invade,
ther efor e when pulled back t o rebuild, they ar e
useless.
The Germans can defend against a second
invasion in several ways:
1 Not at al l, except for areas
just
behind the
front, which must be protected to prevent encircle
ment,
and
possible
automatic
victory. The theory
here is an old one: He who defends everything,
defends nothing. The Germans may prefer to hold
the front strongly, conceding the initial landing to
the Allies, reasoning
that
the second invasion is
bound to succeed. I wouldn't call this idea
absolutely futile,
but
I
don t
have the nerve to try it ,
myself
The need to protect the immediate rear from the
sea can pose a problem for the Germans . Usual ly,
weak uni ts are
enough to
seal off a
short
zone
against the Allies. However, ifthe Allies manage to
make the strong unit holding the front retreat, they
can have good second combat chances against the
weak units just behind them.
One place the Germans are obliged to defend
is
Genova. When I des igned the Anzio BasicGame, I
wanted
to
prevent the Germans from stripping their
front on the final turn, in
order
to concentratefor an
unrealistic last-gasp counter-attack,
that
might win
the game. In other words, the Germans had
to
end
the game wi th a f ront -l ine intac t on the map
board.
The concept of the
front is
not easily defin
Is it a front such as that at Verdun in WWI, wher
is
clear exactly who controls each square yard,
o
front such as that Southwest of Astrakhan in t
Fall
of
1942, held by weak reconnaissance units,
not at all. There is
an
explicit definition of the en
game front in NZIO
but
it is sometim
overlooked. If the Allies can t race a line free
German units,
or
their zones of control, from
operating Allied port, off the German / Northwe
North,
or
Northeast edge of the
mapboard, th
represents a hole in the German front l ine. T
means
that
if the Allies can capture
and
retain a
p
free
of
German zoc
at
Genova, they have, in ga
terms, broken the
German
front
off
the Northw
corner of the board.
Many
wargames have flat earth effects: y
bump up againstthe edge of the world. This can le
to
anomalous rules,
and
some consider this rule
such. If so, i t is very easily remedied. The Germ
should devote two defense factors to filling the tw
hex wide Genova zone, and the problem
is
solv
Few would argue that such a gar ri son for a port
Genova's
importance
is unrealistic.
2 Another German strategy is to form a cen
reserve to counterattack the second invasion,
rat
than string divisions out along the coast, there
losing the ability to counterattack in force. Fir
would be a good
point
for such a reserve . Fr
there, it could reach Rimini, as well as the zones
the west coast.
3
The most common strategy is to seal off
more
important
of the short zones, and
to
hold k
points to the rear of the zones too long to seal
(see Figure 3), for example:
a) The hill
just
behind Rimini.
b) The hills behind Livorno, and Cecina.
c) And
that
overlooking Civitavecchia.
d) The Frascati hill,
and Rome
hex G
doubled against an
attack
from the sea.
Even i f the Germans are unable to hold th
positions strongly enough to prevent an All
attack at 3-1, to make such an attack, the Allies w
have to weaken their beachhead flanks, because
the second invasion Initial Lift restriction.
4) Several
of
the victory point cities are po
Unless an Allied invasion would open an overla
link between such a port, and the Allied main fro
the port would not be in supply the invas ion tu
(port
not yet operating). For example, the Al
could
capture
Anzio DecemberIV, and yet
not
us
as a vic tory point under the 1943 conditions, if
operating
port
which would
put
Anzio in supply w
not open until January
1.
TH G N R L
P G
Figure
2:
J50
is
the easternmost Allied
occupied
hex in theTerracina beachhead. U42
is
the northernmost occupied
hex
in Termoli.
evacuate. In the event of a dieroll six, the Allies may
prefer to destroy the two brigades
rather than
weaken J50.
The s trength which the All ies will put at each
other per imeter hex depends on German dis
positions. For example , i f 16th pz.
can t
reach it,
V42 can be held by a brigade. If 16th pz. can reach it,
then the hex should be held by3 or 6 defense factors.
Why not something else? Leaving 1or 2against the 5
attack
factor panzer division is too weak. Leaving 4
or 5 yields a 1 1
attack,
but so would 3 defense
factors, so bet te r to use the extra factor or two
elsewhere. Against
6D
F,the panzer division hasa 1-
2. In order to do bet ter, the Allies would have to
leave more
than
10DF, which they can t spare.
Therefore, 3 or 6 it is.
The same sort of analysis can be used at each
position along the perimeter. Allied Initial Lift
is
limited, and wasting factors in the
manner
explain
ed above can lose the game to a German counterat
tack before it is hardly begun.
I do
not
want to give the impression
t ha t an
invasion at Salerno is sure to fail for the Allies. It is
worth considering against a clever and aggressive
foe who has pushed you back into the sea further
north.
NZIO the game, can accurat el y parallel
historyin September, 1943. Particularlyif the Allied
player has been careless or overly bold in his initial
dispositions, the Germans have the same decent
chance of crushing the initial invasion which they
had historically.
NZIO is
very much a game
of
pacing.
Particularly in the Basic Game, the difference at the
end may be one or two hexes, or
combat
factors.
That
edge may be traceable to incorrect pacing in
early turns.
What
is required is a fine sense ofjust
how fast to push . The re a re moments when
both
sides must decide whether to ease off for a turn o r
two, to rebuild, or
to
press the attack even with
depleted units.
Hold
an exposed river line one
more
turn, or pull back to protect the flanks? These are
decisions that
can
only be weighed in the
context
of
each turn.
If
the game
is
developing as it often does, the
Allies will try to link-up as
soon
as possible,
and
the
Germans will t ry to delay them. Until the l ink-up,
the Germans have interior lines, and can allocate
their forces more efficiently.
However, a situation can develop in which the
Allies prefer not to press for a link-up. A German
front which divides the Allied beachhead from the
units entering from Taranto and Messina, is
bound
to
be a l ong one.
The
Allied player may decide to
invade with the Germans still st rung-out , a
somewhat
risky gamble that can
payoff.
By
November or December, the Allies usually
are up against the Gustav Line, whichruns along the
Rapido
a nd Sangro
Rivers (see map),
and
the
difficult terrain between them. This gives the Allies
four of the five point s they need under the 1943
victory conditions: Napoli, Foggia, Salerno, and
TerCloli. The fifth
and
deciding
point
may be within
reach of a frontal assault: Cassino
or
Pescara.
Al te rna tive ly, a second invasion in 1943 may be
needed, i f the fif th point is to be Anzio, Roma or
Terracina.
Thisdiscussion presumes that the game is played
under
rule 7- Two Games in One , which
is
by far
the more interesting way to do it.
This presents
an
interes ting decis ion for the
Allies:
1 Invade in December,
but not nor th
of Roma.
This helps a 1943 win, but hur ts chances for the
second decision, 1944.
2 Invade anywhere in
January,
or retain the
invasion
weapon
for use at the end of the game. Of
course, this favors the 1944 win at the expense of
1943.
During those turns when the Allies a re ab le to
invade, the
German
front-line is deple ted by the
units withdrawn to guard the coast, particularly if
they must guard the entire coast
north
of the front.
For example , i f the Germans are holding in the
Gustav Line when the game enters 1944,they would
need the equivalent ofat least a half-dozen divisions
to hold key points along the coast. This could equal
1/3 o f their OOB-perhaps 20
of
the 60 steps they
are likely to have available. This is an incentive to
the Allies
to
invade as lateas possible, because while
the German front is so weakened, they can
hammer
it more effectively.
Of course, the Allies mustalso withdrawunits to
the ports, to position them as an invasion threat, but
that
can usually be accomplished with units taking
replacements, or not needed at th e fr ont. Even a
partial invasion threat requires a German defense.
For this reason, the British 3-4-12 divisions, and
the British and US regiments and brigades become
the ideal units to take casualties during the invasion
period. While rebui lding, they pose
an
invasion
threat. Don t take casualt ies in non-US/ British
units at this time, because they can t invade,
ther efor e when pulled back t o rebuild, they ar e
useless.
The Germans can defend against a second
invasion in several ways:
1 Not at al l, except for areas
just
behind the
front, which must be protected to prevent encircle
ment,
and
possible
automatic
victory. The theory
here is an old one: He who defends everything,
defends nothing. The Germans may prefer to hold
the front strongly, conceding the initial landing to
the Allies, reasoning
that
the second invasion is
bound to succeed. I wouldn't call this idea
absolutely futile,
but
I
don t
have the nerve to try it ,
myself
The need to protect the immediate rear from the
sea can pose a problem for the Germans . Usual ly,
weak uni ts are
enough to
seal off a
short
zone
against the Allies. However, ifthe Allies manage to
make the strong unit holding the front retreat, they
can have good second combat chances against the
weak units just behind them.
One place the Germans are obliged to defend
is
Genova. When I des igned the Anzio BasicGame, I
wanted
to
prevent the Germans from stripping their
front on the final turn, in
order
to concentratefor an
unrealistic last-gasp counter-attack,
that
might win
the game. In other words, the Germans had
to
end
the game wi th a f ront -l ine intac t on the map
board.
The concept of the
front is
not easily defin
Is it a front such as that at Verdun in WWI, wher
is
clear exactly who controls each square yard,
o
front such as that Southwest of Astrakhan in t
Fall
of
1942, held by weak reconnaissance units,
not at all. There is
an
explicit definition of the en
game front in NZIO
but
it is sometim
overlooked. If the Allies can t race a line free
German units,
or
their zones of control, from
operating Allied port, off the German / Northwe
North,
or
Northeast edge of the
mapboard, th
represents a hole in the German front l ine. T
means
that
if the Allies can capture
and
retain a
p
free
of
German zoc
at
Genova, they have, in ga
terms, broken the
German
front
off
the Northw
corner of the board.
Many
wargames have flat earth effects: y
bump up againstthe edge of the world. This can le
to
anomalous rules,
and
some consider this rule
such. If so, i t is very easily remedied. The Germ
should devote two defense factors to filling the tw
hex wide Genova zone, and the problem
is
solv
Few would argue that such a gar ri son for a port
Genova's
importance
is unrealistic.
2 Another German strategy is to form a cen
reserve to counterattack the second invasion,
rat
than string divisions out along the coast, there
losing the ability to counterattack in force. Fir
would be a good
point
for such a reserve . Fr
there, it could reach Rimini, as well as the zones
the west coast.
3
The most common strategy is to seal off
more
important
of the short zones, and
to
hold k
points to the rear of the zones too long to seal
(see Figure 3), for example:
a) The hill
just
behind Rimini.
b) The hills behind Livorno, and Cecina.
c) And
that
overlooking Civitavecchia.
d) The Frascati hill,
and Rome
hex G
doubled against an
attack
from the sea.
Even i f the Germans are unable to hold th
positions strongly enough to prevent an All
attack at 3-1, to make such an attack, the Allies w
have to weaken their beachhead flanks, because
the second invasion Initial Lift restriction.
4) Several
of
the victory point cities are po
Unless an Allied invasion would open an overla
link between such a port, and the Allied main fro
the port would not be in supply the invas ion tu
(port
not yet operating). For example, the Al
could
capture
Anzio DecemberIV, and yet
not
us
as a vic tory point under the 1943 conditions, if
operating
port
which would
put
Anzio in supply w
not open until January
1.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 10/44
P G
Figure 3: A recommended
defense of beaches behind the
lines.
TH G N R
Ther efore, a l as t-moment Allied invas
whether in December, 1943, or June, 1944, m
probably
come
on
the penultimate
turn,
if it
i
succeed.
A useful German s tr at egy aga in st such
invasion
is
to hold
just
the invasion ports
forward strategy. F ir st the Germans sho
calculate the attack f ac to rs which the Allies
include in
an
invasion force. Then, they
station
r
at
Anzio, Livorno,
or
appropriate other ports, a
strongenough to ensure
that
the Allies
can t
get
1 attack,
or
2-1, i f the Germans can afford it .
Of
course, the Allies may sti ll invade, takin
chance
on
a
2-1
or
a 1-1,
and
also taking a chanc
bunching
up
theirforces, with a
bad
die roll spe
disaster.
Holding Frascati against
an
invasion the t
week
of
December
is
fine for
mounting
a
coun
attack which might retake Anzio
January
1
or 2,
by then the 1943 game might have been lost.
At the time
of
the second invasion, the
Germ
should have
on
the board all nine e rsat z u
because they are indispensable for invasion pro
t ion . Thi s means a loss
of
strength
along
the m
front, because some
German
units regain
more
one factor by rebuilding one step,
bu t
the flexib
of
having
numerous
units
is worth
the sacri
Then
when the invasion comes, the ersatz units
quickly be used to rebuild weakened
combat
u
If
the Allies are obliged to invade in Decem
to win the first
par t of
the game, such
an
invasi
almost
sure to be
at Roma. Terracina and
Pes
will have been sealed off. This presents the Germ
with
an
interesting choice:
1 Contain
the invasion. This will recreate
historical two-front situation, and eventually
Allies will be able
to
l ink-up. Nonethe les
German losses are kep t low, they still have a
chance
to
win a fraction which should
understood
as
just
an
illustrative,
not
e
probability .
2 Crush
the invasion.
The
Allies stil l
perhaps a chance to win, if their second inva
in the
December/January
invasion
is
repulse
they
don t
lose
too many
units. Theystill have a
time
to
go,
and
as the
chart
shows, the balanc
force becomes increasingly favorable to the A
Nonethe le ss , i f t he
Germans
can cr ush
second invasion, there
is
no question
but what
chance
of
victory rises to
at
least . Therefore
is
an
attractive and feasible German option.
fails, they may have weakened themselves
astrously.
The Allies may decide no t to invade until 1
Perhaps
they
can
win in 1943
without
it,
or
believe a 1943 win is impossible, an d wan
improve their 1944 chances with
an
invasion t
If
the invasion is postponed to 1944, the
question for the Allies is when,
January or Jun
is
easily resolved.
If
the Allies invaded
at
Saler
Termoli, and are still
south of
the Gustav Line,
they need
to
invade in
January.
If, however,
first invaded
at
Terracina,
or
have already br
the Gustav Line,
then
they have pushed
Germans back from the ir best defensive posi
and
probably
will be better served by waiting
June.
Regardless
of
when the Allies intend to inv
they should always have
an
i nvas ion forc
position.
A
January
InvaSIon will have these zone
choose from:
Roma,
Civittavecchia, Gros
Cecina, Livorno, and Rimini. Terracina, Gen
and
Pescar a are deleted, because t he
Germ
should shut them off. Grosseto and Cecina c
also be
shut
off, but the
Germans
would be wis
use the f ou r defense f actors this would req
elsewhere.
P G
Figure 3: A recommended
defense of beaches behind the
lines.
TH G N R
Ther efore, a l as t-moment Allied invas
whether in December, 1943, or June, 1944, m
probably
come
on
the penultimate
turn,
if it
i
succeed.
A useful German s tr at egy aga in st such
invasion
is
to hold
just
the invasion ports
forward strategy. F ir st the Germans sho
calculate the attack f ac to rs which the Allies
include in
an
invasion force. Then, they
station
r
at
Anzio, Livorno,
or
appropriate other ports, a
strongenough to ensure
that
the Allies
can t
get
1 attack,
or
2-1, i f the Germans can afford it .
Of
course, the Allies may sti ll invade, takin
chance
on
a
2-1
or
a 1-1,
and
also taking a chanc
bunching
up
theirforces, with a
bad
die roll spe
disaster.
Holding Frascati against
an
invasion the t
week
of
December
is
fine for
mounting
a
coun
attack which might retake Anzio
January
1
or 2,
by then the 1943 game might have been lost.
At the time
of
the second invasion, the
Germ
should have
on
the board all nine e rsat z u
because they are indispensable for invasion pro
t ion . Thi s means a loss
of
strength
along
the m
front, because some
German
units regain
more
one factor by rebuilding one step,
bu t
the flexib
of
having
numerous
units
is worth
the sacri
Then
when the invasion comes, the ersatz units
quickly be used to rebuild weakened
combat
u
If
the Allies are obliged to invade in Decem
to win the first
par t of
the game, such
an
invasi
almost
sure to be
at Roma. Terracina and
Pes
will have been sealed off. This presents the Germ
with
an
interesting choice:
1 Contain
the invasion. This will recreate
historical two-front situation, and eventually
Allies will be able
to
l ink-up. Nonethe les
German losses are kep t low, they still have a
chance
to
win a fraction which should
understood
as
just
an
illustrative,
not
e
probability .
2 Crush
the invasion.
The
Allies stil l
perhaps a chance to win, if their second inva
in the
December/January
invasion
is
repulse
they
don t
lose
too many
units. Theystill have a
time
to
go,
and
as the
chart
shows, the balanc
force becomes increasingly favorable to the A
Nonethe le ss , i f t he
Germans
can cr ush
second invasion, there
is
no question
but what
chance
of
victory rises to
at
least . Therefore
is
an
attractive and feasible German option.
fails, they may have weakened themselves
astrously.
The Allies may decide no t to invade until 1
Perhaps
they
can
win in 1943
without
it,
or
believe a 1943 win is impossible, an d wan
improve their 1944 chances with
an
invasion t
If
the invasion is postponed to 1944, the
question for the Allies is when,
January or Jun
is
easily resolved.
If
the Allies invaded
at
Saler
Termoli, and are still
south of
the Gustav Line,
they need
to
invade in
January.
If, however,
first invaded
at
Terracina,
or
have already br
the Gustav Line,
then
they have pushed
Germans back from the ir best defensive posi
and
probably
will be better served by waiting
June.
Regardless
of
when the Allies intend to inv
they should always have
an
i nvas ion forc
position.
A
January
InvaSIon will have these zone
choose from:
Roma,
Civittavecchia, Gros
Cecina, Livorno, and Rimini. Terracina, Gen
and
Pescar a are deleted, because t he
Germ
should shut them off. Grosseto and Cecina c
also be
shut
off, but the
Germans
would be wis
use the f ou r defense f actors this would req
elsewhere.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 11/44
TH G N R L
Here are some of th e f ac to rs to weigh when
comparing
these zones:
A.
Ease of German
defense.
B. Available defensive pos it ions aga inst Ger
man
counterattack,
presuming the
initial German
defense is not prohibitive.
C.
Fast
link-up
with
the main f ront .
D. I L, BU, and Capacity.
E. Distance north.
F. Nearby
presence of victory points.
The s ame poi nt comparison is used as in the
chart comparing
September invasion
sites:
A B C D E
F
Total
1. Roma
2 2 I I 2
3 II
2. Livorno
3
3 3
I
I I 12
3.
Rimini
3 2
3
2
1 I 12
4.
Civi ta vecchia
3 3
2
I I 3
13
5. Cecina
3 3
3
2 I 2 14
6.
Grosseto
3 3 3
3
I 2
15
Against a January second invasion North of
Roma,
t he Germans
have
no
choice: they
must
crush it. A Roma invasion, if the line of the Tiber
River
can be
held,
still permits the Germans
to draw
a
relatively
short line across the peninsula, helped
greatly by the
very difficult
terrain across much
of
Italy
at
this point.
an
invasion
north ofRoma
can
be
made t o
stick,
the German line becomes
so
long
that
I bel ieve their
cause
is los t.
A June invasion poses a different problem.
Its
objective
is no t attrition,
but r athe r
a last-minute
g rab o f
one
of the victory cities. Fo r a 1944win, the
Allies must take
six
of
these nine points :
1 Napoli,
Cassino,
and
Pescaracan
be taken by
January or February, at the
latest,
without a second
InvaSIon.
2
Somewhat
later
in
1944,
Roma should also
fall, even without a second invasion.
3 This leaves just two more p oints
needed.
Livorno
or
Rimini a re
vulnerable to invasion, an d
when the Germans plan the ir invas ion
defense,
they
s houl d r emembe r th e
extra
importance of
these
points.
Perugia
is very likely to be at, or near , the
final
front line,
e ven i f
the second invasion
was
at
Roma.
The
last two points, Ancona and Firenze,
are
likely to fall to the Allies only when they have done
so
well
they
no longer
need
them
So the
key
points over which the 1944 game will
be decided
are Livorno ,
Rimini, and Perugia.
The re a re several t ac ti ca l point s to
remember
during the
struggle
up the
peninsula:
I)
The Germans
should keep
up-to-date
a chart
showing the maximum
Allied
attack potent ial per
hex. If they wish to be really accurate, they should
a lso not e
not
only avai lable combat factors, bu t
whe th er t he ir mov emen t f ac to r p erm it s t hem
to
reach the defensive point under consideration.
Most Allied
units
have
one
attack
f ac to r per
stacking point , at full-strength. A few have
more
than one. By keeping t ra ck o f max imum Allied
attack potential, the Germans avoid wast ing
defense
factors.
Fo r
examp le , s uppose that the maximum
number
of factors which the Allies can bring
to bear
on a hex is 28, and the
Germans
wish to prevent
them
f rom get ting bet te r than a I-I. They would
place 8DF
at the
hex,
equalling 16, presuming i t is
doubled. One less factor would permit a 2-1, but the
Germans would
have to add
no less
than
7 factors
to
prevent a I -I . I f the
Germans
place between 8 and 14
factors on the
hex,
the
excess
over 8 is wasted,
because it does not change the Allies attack
potential.
2
On
the Allied side, those
units with attack
factors in
excess
of stacking factors should
be
kept
at
full s trength, when
possible. Ideal
for use in
taking losses are, first, brigades and regiments, with
one
step
reduction to inverted-counter
status.
Then,
divisions which step down to 2 or 3 defense factors,
as
these
can be
shifted
to
defensive sectors
of
the
line.
Where the line runs along a r iver , the Germans
will
have
to
defend
the
entire
line, but the Allies can
let the river do t he work. Why shoul d t he Germans
stick
their nose across it?
It
would mean inviting a
counterat tack, perhaps
at
undoubl ed odds, f or no
significant
gain.
3
Another
tactical question is
just where
along
the German
line
the
Allies
should at tack.
Unless
there are
other
considerations
of
importance,
preference should be given
to
the
northern
section.
Often , the German line does not cut straight across
the peninsula ,
bu t
instead
forms a
loop.
Fo r
examp le , t he mos t nor ther ly part might be near
Roma,
but
taking advantage of the
difficult
terrain
in the center of the peninsula, the line might have its
southern anchor nea r Termo li . Thi s is just one
example.
Against this sort of line, better a 1-2 near Roma,
than
a
2 1
near
Termoli.
Pushing
the
line
back
near
Termoli, in
this
example,
really
does the Germans a
favor, by wasting
a turn,
and
shortening their
front.
Pushing
the line back a t Roma lengthens theirfront,
and will eventually
force
them back
at
Termoli, too,
just as effectively as a frontal at tack.
The other side of th e c oin is that when th e
Germans plan their defense, they should not
seek
to
put even
strength all along
the front. In some places
allowing a 3 1 is a strong enough
defense,
because
the
attack gains
little.
In other
places,
allowing
a I-I
is dangerous.
Fo r example, against a Termoli invasion, the
Germans
should try
not to permi t a
I-I attack
at
the
Sangro
River
south
of Ort on a. On th e oppos ite
flank,
t hey can a ff or d t o permi t a 2-1
or even
a 3-1
attack south across the
Fortore,
because they are
going to evacuate
Foggia, anyway.
Gustav
Line is also playable with the
Supplementary
Rules.
The c omment s a bove a re
valid
for
that game version, too.
The only major difference is that
even
more
emphasis rests on t he success
or failure
of the Allied
second invasion, which is much
more
likely to occur
in December
or January.
Th e Air Strike in the
Spring
of
1944 is the
reason.
During
the Strike,
it
benefits the Allies to have as long a front
as
possible.
They will
be
able to
attack every
defensive position
at favorable odds.
The more at tacks
they make, the
better. Fo r this reason, establishing
an
enclave
behind
German Lines
befor e t he S tr ike is a
big
bonus
for the Allies.
The Shingle scenario
Many of the comments about the Gus tav
Line
game app ly
also
to
the
Basic Game
version of
Operation Shirigle,
sin ce it
amounts
to the 1944
portion
of Gustav Line.
Because
the Germans star t thegame with certain
OOB
restrictions,
one might presume that the Allies
must invade January I, to take advantage of those
restrictions.
This
isn t necessarily
the case.
The Germans
start with 62 steps, the Allies 85.
The Germans shoul d
definitely
take advantage of
the
rule
perm itting them to deploy four ersatz
counters
and
four units behind their l ines, a
total
of
perhaps sixteen
steps,
e qu al t o about
of
their
strength. January
II
they could change this propor
tion, but they don t have the s trength to take much
more away f rom the
front. On
the
other
hand,
they
probably can t
a ff or d t o def end t he
rear
with
less.
Given these constraints on
German
dispositions, the
Allies can consider
delaying
their
second
invasion to
a
later
turn.
Digressing briefly, some wargamers with
whom
I
have
exchanged
impressions
of
Z O regard the
restricted number o f invasions a nd a ir strikes as
unrealistic.
Why shoul d th e Germans
be able
to
P G
relax aft er an
invasion or
an air
strike? W
shouldn t
the Allies be able to employ ei ther or
b
more frequently, perhaps as often
as
they wish? T
reason is that the resources necessary
to
mount
invas ion or an a ir s tr ike in I
taly were
no t free. Th
scarce resources were urgently required elsewh
In
fact, the invasion capability more nea
represents the balance between
wha t t he Germ
thought
it was , and t he much i nf er io r reality.
Return ing to Shingle, unless the
Allies
ma
unusual
progress in January, they probably
w
have t o i nvade
by
the
l as t week
o f t ha t mon
Because the
Germans
start
t he g ame in a
so
defensive position, the Allies
probably can t
affo
the luxury of a June
invasion.
This is all the
more
true if all of the
Supplem
tary
Rules
are
used,
because the Germans start i
fort line. The Allies can bangaway a t it
througho
January , but they ha d be tter invade before
Spring Air Str ike,
not after.
Advanced Game B
I
have been playing
Advanced Anzio
steadily
a
decade.
The only consistent feature
of
these
gam
has been
that no two
have
been closely
similar. It
been
uncanny how many
obscure
corners
of
the
m
have been the
scene
of crucial battles. Particula
with
the
multiple
options
of the
revised
versions
the game, possible
combinat ions are
quite vari
Fo r
this
reason, it is
ha rd t o generalize
about
Advanced game.
Both sides have several
options
to choosefro
Keeping these secret adds
a
lot
of interest to
game. If the Allies choosetheir maximum reinfor
ment option, particularly in secre t, i t provides th
with a very
potent
weapon, despite the
hars
victory condi tions. Most of t he uni ts wit hd ra
from
Italy went to
France,
particularly the invas
of southern France. The impac t these units have
th e g ame add s
credence to
those who argued
t
they should have been left in Italy. This is especi
true of the four paratroop units withdrawn.
Therefore, I can
only
recommend use
of
option against a very able German player. Even
ablest German player will find that if he has cho
the
Standard
OOB, it is likely to
just melt
aw
aga in st t he Allied Reinforcement option.
M
players
consider that the Reinforced
German
is
the best alternative among the
four
the
Germ
can choose, and
this
is probably true. Nonethele
for those
who
enjoy
playing
a
careful, meticul
defense,
the Standard (weakest) OOB is a
v
interesting challenge.
At the opposite extreme, the Maxim
(strongest)
OOB is a nice change of p ac e fo
German pl ay er who wan ts to a tt ack. I t is to
recommended
only
in three circumstances:
I When t ry ing for a quick victory in 1943.
1943 is
exc luded f rom the g ame v ersi on un
discussion, this does
no t
apply.
2 When th e German player guesses that
All ie s will c hoos e t he ir s tro ng es t
B.
T
strongest OOBs on both sides
make
an interest
combination.
3 When
the
Germans plan to cut
the
ga
short
by sel ec ti ng t he ir own panze r- re tent
opt ion. Thi s permi ts the Germans to retain the t
SS
pz.
divisions
normally withdrawn,
and brings
game to an end
March
IV, 1944. Given the locat
at
the start
of Advanced Game B , t he Germ
would only pick this
all-out option,
if they
pla
go over to the offensive
In
the
absence
of the above three
circumstanc
the most
ad va ntag eou s OOB o ptio n
for
Germans is
the
Reinforced.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 12/44
P G
2
TH
G N R L
By Tom Oleson
ANZIO DESIGNER S NOTES
replacements
available in the O.O.B.,
able
to
sta
freely, clever players quickly realized
that
it w
much more
convenient
to use these
units
directly
combat,
removing
them as losses, l eaving
combat units
untouched.
In
this way,
th e
need
withdraw and refit uni ts cou ld nearly be avoid
Raw
recruits, no t even
incorporated in
com
formations,
became
the shock troops , first to t
casualties
in any
combat.
In
my opinion, this was a complete
perversion
the
purpose of
the
step-reduction
system.
There
were
two
basic
ways
to
play
NZIO
unit
elimination, using the old-style
CRT,
or st
reduction.
The former
seemed
to
me
an
unsatisf
tory concession to those to whom the step-reduct
system would
be
unfamiliar, an d
it
was no t
popu
I
eliminated
it, and as a
replacement,
devised a n
Basic Game which did use step-reduction, bu t w
all possible complications
eliminated. In c
respondence with Don Greenwood during
revision he
to ld me
that
he
liked
the basic
design,
no t
the length
or complexity of
th e
step-reduct
version. Don is one o f many able garners who j
don't care
for
a lo t
of
fuss. The Basic Game
NZIO1974 is
designed with
them in mind, a
also as the initial step
of
several leading to the
out
Advanced
Game.
Thanks to Dave Williams' clever
underly
concepts,
the 1974 Basic Game
can develop
in v
interesting
and novel ways, particularly
fo r
a sh
game, with a simple O.O.B.
Another
facet of A
NZIO
1969 that I disliked w
the importance
of
the luck fac tor. It
has
been
experience
that
when strangers to
wargaming
the die b rought out ,
their
estimation of
seriousness
of
th e hobby drops
about 50%.
M
wargamers accept the
validity of the luck
factor,
recurring
experiments
such as matrix CR Ts
attes
the preference
of many to
minimize
the importa
of luck.
Initial
German
reaction
to
th e
September 1
invasion was determined by a serie s of die ro
conditioned
on
the
threat posed by the Al
invasion.
Pete
Menconi, editor
of
the magazin
the oldest wargamingclub,
AHIKS,
vividlydesc
ed t hi s to me as the Hitler
pucker
factor . T
trouble was, one
could never predict just
how m
Adolf
would
pucker A Rome invasion
considered
very threatening, so
the
chance o
strong
reaction
was high, bu t not
certain.
I can re
games in which the Allies invaded
at
Rome, but
German
reaction was
minimal,
and convers
where they invaded in remote Termoli , but
G erm an re ac tio n
was
c ru sh in g. G erm
replacements were also
subject
to a die-roll . T
was easy to change, bu t
changing
t he O .O
reactions
led to a complete revision
of the vict
conditions.
Afte r the
revised
edition
came out , I contin
to do research on
the
campagin. I also recei
many
valuable suggestions
from
others.
D
Burdick, probably
the
best A NZIO
player
arou
was part icular ly helpful in
pointing
ou t fur t
SIGN
Nowadays
the des igner-deve loper
team is
common in wargaming. I don 't know when this
approach
was f irst used, but perhaps
my efforts
in
refining designer
Dave
Williams' 1969 first
edition
of A NZIO leading
to a
second edition
in 1974,
and
now
a 3rd
edition,
were a
pioneering
example of
wargame development.
When I fi rs t started
playing NZIO
1969, I
loved the clever mechanics and colorful graphics,
bu t
hated
the endless
rules
ambiguities, and the
stingy
play-aids.
To try
to
cl ear u p t he
rul es , I be
gan what became vir tual ly
a
book-length
cor
respondence with the
Avalon Hill
judge.
I r ea ll y
appreciated his patience, bu t his lack of playing
experience with
NZIO
con fined h im to a strictly
literal
approach
to
the
rules,
which
I fel t
hurt the
spirit
of
the game.
This issue
of
TH E GENER L could be filled
with
his replies to
my queries,
bu t I'll
just
give
three
examples ofquirks in
th e
1969 rules, to give
the
idea:
The
Battle Manual discusses the two
permitted types of Allied Amphibious Transfer ,
stating
t ha t In
all cases turns end in Naples, Sicily,
or
th e
dead pile. I pointed
ou t
to
the
judge that
th e
Allies invaded at
Salerno,
and th en
at
Anzio, so
wouldn' t t ransfer
between the se
two po rts be
possible in
the game,
if both were open? The reply
was no: the rules clearly state
that
all amphibious
transfers end
in Naples, Sicily, or
th e
dead pile. No t
only does this forbid a transfer between Salerno and
Anzio, bu t
even from
Naples
to
Anzio.
2. Another rule with
bizarre consequences
said
that (non-British and US) Allied uni ts c an only
enter
th e
game through
Naples (when
captured) or
the
South
End options. Games occurred in which
the
Allies
invaded
dis tant f rom Naples:
Termoli,
Terracina,
or
Rome, f or e xampl e. Even though
reinforcements
were
u rgen tly needed, they
were
f orbidden to bri ng in strong divisions
such
as
th e
New Zeal and, o r the Canadian first infantry.
Another Dunki rk might result, with
strong
rein
forcements
idle in S icily.
3. Except for 1914, the CRTs
of
games pr ior to
NZIOmade
no provision for
partial losses. A unit
might
be
destroyed
entirely on turn one, or finish a
long
game
unscathed.
The step-reduction system
changed
all that.
In
A NZIO units
may
lose part
of
their combat
strength, and then may recover
it
by pulling
ou t of
the front line t o absorb
replacements
in steps. At
least that's
the way
it
should
work,
bu t
here
again,
th e
1969 rules contained
loopholes
permitting this
excellent system to
be thwarted . Un der
Replacements , it said that German
replacements
do have defense factors,
and may
enter combat.
Question:
bu t they do not have attack factors. May
they defend, and attack? Allied replacements have
no combat
factor
and
are
eliminated
like
inverted
counters.
Question: does
this mean
they
can enter
comba t, and t ake losses?
Replacements
in
the
1969
game
had
zero
stacking
value . Ina typical turn, there
might
only be
a few a ttacks . With s ix All ied and nine German
AREA TOP
Caesar Line
Omi tt ed f rom these notes is a discussion of
strategy and tactics for Diadem, which
wil l be
the
subject of a separate article.
Caesar Line
is
playable only with the Advanced
rules, and can be played
either
as one
game,
May II,
1944, t o the end
point
fixed by th e options available,
or as
two g ames
in one, May-June Diadem ,
continuing t o t he e nd .
The
second alternative
is considerably
more
interesting, fo r the same reason
that
it
is
more
interesting
to
p lay the September 1943-June 1944
game
as
two-in-one.
A parallel may be drawn with RUSSI N
CA M PAIGN At the
end
of a scenario, both sides
are
tempted
to
burn
out
their
armies, because they
know the campaign is no t going to
continue.
To
overcome this, I like
to play
mid-campaign
RUSSI N C MP IGN
scenarios
with a die rol led
at the end,
to
see i f th e
game
is over, or
whether
one
continues to
the
next
scenario,
and so on.
This
discourages both sides from
no
tomorrow
strategies
on
th e
last turn.
Similarly, if two
games
a re a t s ta ke in playing
Caesar Line, both
sides mus t push dur ing
the
six
turn Diadem
period,
b ut no t so har d t ha t
their
chances for the s econd win a re thrown away.
NOTE: Those
wishing to update
their
original
'69
version
of A
NZIO
may do so by purchasing
the
following parts:
rules ( 2),
playing aids
( 1.50),
and
counters ( 3,
optional).
Add 10%
for pos tage
and
handling. MD residents add 5% sta te sales tax
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 13/44
TH G N R L
refinements. I should also thank
Fred
Helfferich,
now edi to r of Fire Movement magazine, for
historical insights, as well as pointed but construc
tive rules criticism.
All of this resulted in my periodical ly publishing
an addendum, which served as an e rrata sheet , a
compilation
of
new variant rules,
and
inc luded a
revised SRT. This lat ter was in sp ired by Oktay
Oztunali's fervent distaste for los ing s ix s teps in a 2
1
attack
near Cassino, using the
standard
SRT
When the
opportunity
to
revise
ANZIO
again
arose, I wanted to incorporate much
of
the
addendum, as well as
some
new refinements.
Refinement is
almost
a dirty word in
parts
of the
wargaming wor ld these days, but not to Avalon
Hill.
Avalon
Hill
has encouraged
refinement of a
number
of their games, and I believe they deserve
our t hank s f or thi s pol icy. Take D DA for
example: I bel ieve they'd
profit more
by retaining
unchanged the old edi tion , and publishing the
revised rules disguised as
an
entirely newgame: Hi t
the Beaches , or some such. Selling old wine in
new bott les is a
marketing
technique
not
unknown
in t he war gamin g hobby. Ins te ad, Ava lon Hill
makes available improved rules at a modest price.
ANZIO 1978
is
very
much
closer to the 1974
edition,
than
1974 was
to
1969,
but
t he re a re
important changes . All errata hav e b ee n incor
porated, al though undoubtedly new errata will
spring up I really doubt it 's possible
to
write rules
c lear t o all. Here a re two examples of confusion
stemming from the 1974 rules:
1 To
show that
a port
is operating, put
a
por t counter on the port hex, or at sea (nearby) ;
l ater , i t' s explained under
what
circumstances a
German
unit,
or
its zone of
control, could
destroy a
port counter.
I t was pointed ou t to me that if the port
counter
was placed ou t
to
sea, the
Germans couldn't
reach it
It never occurred to me that
anyone
wouldn't realize
the symbolic nature of the port counter. Fo r the
sake of convenience, it might be at sea, but the
port
was still on land
2
The
Fundamental
Rules
state
that
All
MPs
are
expended,
no
other movement
is possible in that
movement
phase. , when crossing a High Apennine
hexside. This seemed clear to me. Nonetheless, more
than one g amer pr es umed that this meant all
remaining
MPs, that
is, a
unit
could use 11 of its
12
MPs,
and then use all remaining MPs to cross a
High Apennine hexside. Of course, this would've
made
such
a hexside one
of
the easiest to cross, not
the hardest. Nonetheless, I believe that if intelligent
wargamers are confused, it is the rules-writer who is
wrong,
no t
them.
One
of the big
problems
I f ind in rules writ ing
is
the
ex tent to
which one should restate that specific
instances must obey general rules. Fo r some years I
was
judge
of the AHIKS club. A
dispute arose
over
a
BV
LG
E
game, because the advanced rules state
that arn10r may withdraw from engagements. One
player had
an armored
unit
completely
surrounded
by the e nemy , r es ul tin g from a combat with an
engaged re su lt. He felt that the rules permitted
him
to withdraw,
Superman style:
Up,
up, and
awaaay .
No
doubt i t seemed redundant
to
the
BVLGE designer to reiterate t ha t a rmor could
withdraw, if it were feasible
under
standard
movement rules. It was presumed that the players
would realize that: a necessary presumption, if rules
a re to
be
kept
to
reasonable
length, but
one
that
can
lead
to
confusion.
Some of the new revisions seem minor, bu t are
important. Fo r example, at t he end
of
your turn,
you may voluntarily destroy
any
of
your
units. This
prevents the enemy from at tacking a weak unit left
in a vulnerable spot, possibly generating extra
breakthrough
movement. In an early review of the
1969 version, i t was
mentioned
that just such weak
units could serve as accelerators .
The most
important
change concer ns t he
controversial
South Ends.
The
1969 rules don't
specify what happens i f t he Germans seal off the
board edges leading to the heel (Taranto),
or
the toe
(Messina).
Perhaps
itwas presumed that they would
always pull back.
Some players felt
that
Allied units should be
allowed
to attack from ordinarily non-playable
board edge hexes, or to enter attacking directly into
German zone of control. I was against this, for two
reasons:
1
I t set up a privileged sanctuary (the South
Ends), from which the Al lies could sally for th to
attack, but the Germans could not follow.
2
Several Anziophiles have
d rawn up maps t o
complete the South End, with rules for their use. I
have played many games using these additions to
complete
the map. I knew
from
that experience that
p la ying with a complete map was easier fo r t he
Germans
than
sealing offthe
South
Ends They had
a
good
chance to retake Taranto,
and
could defend
much f ur the r down on the t oe with two or three
weak units.
The
effect was
more
easily
duplicated
by
perrnitting t hem to seal off' the South Ends.
It
should
be
remembered
that
in
September,
1943, Hitler was resigned
to
the loss of
southern
Italy. Only
token
rear-guards were in the far south.
This led to the ease with which the Allies crossed to
th e toe, and seized Taranto.
Had
the
Germans
wanted
to
make the commitment, they could have
done more. Kesselring showed Hitler
that
the front
in Italy
could
be stablized quite
far
south.
In the game, most
German
players ar e much
more interested in defending the far sou th , and it
works
out
better
than
it would have, historically.
is
always hard in
war
games to simulate intentions
wasn't the
German
intention
to
hold the toe and
heel as more than a d ela ying action, but the
intention
of the player
may
differ. This
can
lead
to
an unhistorically stubborn
German
defense in the
far South .
To resolve this
problem,
I hav e wid ened
the
Taranto entry
area
to where i t geographica lly
belonged f rom the start: hex Y46. The result is that
the opening
moves in
t he sou th a re more
likely
to
develop as they historically did,
bu t w it ho ut
completely d ic ta ti ng the strategy and tactics
available to t he German player.
In
order
to not make
a
Termoli
invasion
too
att ract ive due to this change, the opt ion to dep loy
the
First Paratroop
division
from
Y48-Y54 was
included. My playtesting experience leads me
to
believe these changes improve the game.
Some German
divisions in ANZIO can
break
down into two or three regiments, which can later
recombine into divisional form. The 1969 rules
suggest that this process
should not
be
permitted
during
the entire game,
but
it was left
to
the players
to decide when the Germans have too few units .
German player: I'll need those r eg imen ts in
December of '43,
that's
obvious. Allied player:
No t
really-I
had in mind December of '44 . This
was perhaps the vaguest point in the 1969 rules. The
1974 rules precisely govern use of these counters,
and the 1978 rules further refine the circumstances
under which they can be
exchanged.
Another
example of further ref inement in
succeeding editions concerns armor. The 1969 rules
state that Allied armor
attacking
through rough
terrain, High Apennine, or swamp hexsides, loses
one
attack
factor. How about armored infantry?
Armored
engineers? Why not
German armor?
This last point was particularly sticky. In game
terms, German
armor is
more
of
a distinct class vis
a-vis
o ther German
units than is Al lied
armor,
because t her e a re German armor replacements,
/ P G
while Allied replacements
can
be used for any uni t
had also decided in the 1974 edition
to gra
German armor the same one-hex movement bon
available
to
Allied
armor under certain condition
So in game terms, it
made
sense to
treat
German
an
Allied armor a li ke . But in h is to ri ca l t erms , the
wasn' t much armor
in these ~ a r m o r e d division
particularly in the late stages of the
campaign. Fr
Helfferich, who was with the 26th panzer division
Italy, confirmed this. He then added that the Tig
and Panther
battalions
should
be
treated
as
armo
The last thing I wanted was yet another class of un
German
armor ;(not
really
armor),
and Germ
armor (really
armor).
After considerable thought, I finally decided
treat
all armor in the game alike,
and
the rework
rules
are
in
the
latest edition.
The last important change I want t o cite h
concerns the map. The
ANZIO
map is beau
That fact is widely recognized, bu t functionally,
inadequate. The worst part is not the hexes th
have just a smidgen of river,
mountain,
or road
them, bu t hexes contain ing roads th at d o
intersect, or roads sheathed in rough terrain, b
running
through
plain ter rain . These are featu
which
make movement
hard
to
calculate. A simp
way of
approaching
these problems is in
appendix of the third edition.
Fo r t ho se a lr eady famil ia r with
NZIO
believe the t hi rd edi ti on will be a worthwh
improvement. Fo r t hose new to it, I believe
clearer, and
more
fun, than ever. I will
continue
off er a supplement, at cost. I ts availabil ity wil l
announced later in THE GENERA L It will inclu
the
optional
SRT,
any
errata
pertinent to
the 19
edition, as well as a host of variant rules to
Advanced Game. These have been left out of
rule
book,
in part because they are experiment
and subj<ect to change based on play experience.
an
example, in my continu ing search for ways
introduce uncertainty into
ANZIO
I
dreamed
u
rule giving the Allies more lat itude with th
invasions and
ai r
strikes.
Don
Lowry,
editor
Campaign magazine, has just shown me in a ga
we are playing that the Allies can use this rule ev
more
devastatingly than I
had
planned
Since 1974, I have heard f rom hundred s
ANZIO players. I regret that space doesn't perm
me
to
thank all of
them
by
name
for their
ma
useful ideas. Only two of these people expresse
preference for the 1969 edit ion. Quite a fe
however, regretted the deletion
of
the three mi
games available in the 1969 edition. These focus
attention, in a compact form, on par ts
of
the Ital
campaign
which
are
cover ed in t he
later
editio
only by the longer and more
elaborate
versions. T
is a valid criticism. Since 1975 I have be
developing a number of new scenarios, which
m
be played using all
four
versions of the rules. Th
extend to mid-1944, and focus
on
the mid
sections of the
board.
These
are
included elsewh
in this issue along with similar scenarios concern
with northern Italy. When combined with
current
edition, ANZIO truly offers
something
everyone with great f reedom of cho ice in b
playing time and
complexity.
ANZIO is a unique game. Dave Willia
terrain
rules,
combined
with the
step-reduct
system, and the way in which it a ff ec ts
Automa
Victory
and
Breakthrough Movement, can lead
'battles of startling realism. I'm glad
to
have
had
opportunity
to refine
and
develop these ideas.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 14/44
P G
TH
G N R
BRITISH VICTORY IN THIRD REICH
by Robert Beyma
THIR
REI H is a
game that
gets played.
Players seem
to gravi ta te back to THIR REI H
every so o ft en
after
enjoying many
of
the newer
games.
Maybe
it is
the
allure
of controlling
a world
power
or
it might be
thechance to change European
history. Much,
of
the
attraction
lies in its well
defined multiple player format. Many players enjoy
the intricacies
of
play required to
properly
execute
grand
s tr at egy . A lot
of
players like the wild
and
tense situations
that
more often t han not seem
to
develop in this game.
Many of
the interesting situations occurring in
THIR REI H are created by someone deviating
from
history, strategic blunders,
or
two moves in a
row. The proverbial high road to victory in this
game, however, follows
sound,
conservative play
with a well t imed
gamble
here
and
there.
Sounds
a
lot l ike the
NFL
manual on how
to
get
to
the Super
Bowl, does it not?)
The thrust of
this article is
howto
be st achieve glor y for
the
British Empire. The
British player does
not
desire
to
change history too
much, winning the
war
will
do
just
fine.
British play tends
to
be characterized by caution
particularly early in the war.
The name of
the
game
is survival.
is quite safe to say that the entire Allied
side will collapse if England falls.
France
is doomed
and
the Americans
do not
have
any
play. Playing
Russia is hopeless
without
a threat in the West.
England
must
be held
at
all costs
Most experienced players know that London is
the single
most
important hex
on
the
board. The
Axis should never be allowed to get a 1 1 attack
against
London. This d ictates
that
the Bri ti sh
maintain
a
substantial
part
of
their forces close
to
home. Players
should
quickly recognize
that
the
British cannot
spread their
limited forces and BRPs
too thin
in 1939-1941.
The
British
are strong enough
for a major effort on
one
f ront a t a time. The
question that
immediately comes
to
mind
is
where
do they fight?
Surprise
The
British fight the war in France.
What,
another
Dunkirk,
he says? No, the idea is
to
keep the Germans busy in France for as long as
possible. Every turn
that France
is kept in the
war
improve s the chances
of
British survival and
eventual All ied victory .
Without
a
s trong BEF
France will fall ear ly in 1940. This leaves England
fending
for
herself
for far too
long and will give the
Germans
a healthy
breathing
space
to
get ready
for
the Russian
Campaign. With
a
substantial
British
commitment and competent
play there is a good
chance
of
keeping France in
the game
until the
end
of
1940
and
possibly early 1941.
O.K., one says, this sounds easy bu t how do the
British accomplish this herculean task?
The
British
should
deploy a
minimum of
two
armor corps and
four infan try corps to France as soon as possible.
All
four
British air units
are
positioned so that they
can
cover
the
critical
areas of
the
front
as well as
defend London. The British troops
are
deployed in
t he key
areas of
t he second line of defense.
The
French defend upfront toabsorb the initial German
attacks . The s trong
British units coupled with
20
factors of DAS should cause the Germans some
problems
with their
exploitation attacks.
Figure 1shows a typical late 1939 Allieddefense
in the West.
The
Allies
should
defend as far East ,
a nd away f rom
Paris, as possible.
the
Germans
commit their
armor against
Poland
on
turn 1 the
Allies will be able
to form
a
strong
line.
the
Germans do not grab Lu xembour g the
French
should
declare
war on and
occupy
Luxembourg.
This will not only
push
the front one important hex
to
the east
but
will also triple the
French
behind the
river. If the Germans occupy Luxembourg try
an
attrition option to
retake it.
The French
and British
need
to be a little bit aggressive. they passively sit
around the Germans
will
march
right
to
Paris.
Some
players have even gone as far as invading Belgium.
This course
of action is not recommended
because it
could get
to
be very expensive in terms
of BRPs.
Do
not
get too
overconfident-the Germans
will
breakthrough the Allied line. Keep in mind that the
Germans can
use their airborne
unitto penetrate
the
second line. Defend the crit ical
areas
within the
range of the airborne unit more strongly. Figure 2
shows a typical
German penetration
in the West.
There
are
two ways of.,gping
about
countering the
German
penetration. The first one is for the British
and French to declare
an
offensive opt ion and
counterattack the German spearheads.
There are
a
lot
of
good
1 1
attacks againstGerman armor. Each
armor
unit that the Allies kill means one less
armor
unit to attack
the line next turn. Allied losses
can
be
replaced
and
back in the line by the
end
of
the
turn
provided there
are
sufficient
BRPs
remaining.
The
disadvantages are the BRP cost
of
the offensive
options
and the losses. Also, no one ever said that a
1 1 was a sure thing.
The
alternative
plan
is the
attrition option. The Allies should strive
to
have
enough
forces available
to
roll
on
the 51-60
column
or at
least the 41-50 column.
The attrition option
gives the Allies a good chance of retaking a key hex
or two and inflicting some
German
casualties. This
option has the advantage of conserving Allied
BRPs. The
disadvantages are that there is less
of
a
chance
of recapturing
key hexes
and
that
not too
many German armored
units will be killed.
The RAF
plays a key role in the defense
of
France.
The RAF
is held
back
beyond
German
counterair r ange as shown in figure 3.
protects
London
while also being in position
to
lend
defensive
air
support DAS
to
the British ground
troops. Note
that the rules
do not permit
British air
units
to
fly
DAS
over
French troops.
The
RAF can join the
French air
force in a
devastating
counterair
strike against the Luftwaffe.
Figure 3 presents a situation where the British and
French can
wipe
out
all
12 air
units in one
turn.
Wait
Figure 1: British-Franco defense in the
West,
late 939
a minute Will
that end up
costing the Allies
m
BRPs than the Germans Yes it will,
but
the Fren
can
absorb some
of
the
BRP cost
and the
Germ
will likely bea little short on BRPs themselves
ab
this time. Additionally,
the German air
units w
no t
be around
on
the following
German turn.
T
will considerably lessen the German offens
capabilities until
the
air units are rebuilt. The tim
of
this strike is
important
because the Allies
wan
make sure that they have enough BRPs
to
last
the
remainder of
the year.
There comes a t ime \;Vhen the Germans capt
Paris.
The
Allies mU st immediately
counteratta
usually
at
1-1,
to
retake\
the
city.
The
British
a
French must keep enough ground and a ir fact
within range
of
Paris
to
be able
to guarantee
a
attack.
They must also be careful
to
maintain a
B
reserve
towards
the
end of
1940 in
order to make
counterattack. Note
that
at least one French grou
unit
must
be in the attack
to
reoccupy
Paris
si
British units
are not
allowed
to
enter-the Paris h
Figure 4 shows a typical Bri ti sh-French cou
erattack
to recapture
Paris.
The
Allies can m
sufficient
ground
forces
adjacent to Paris to
ass
their 1 1
a tt ack. Two
British air units and
French air unit can counterair the
three
German
uni ts . The remaining two Bri ti sh air units prov
ground support
for the
1 1
counterattack.
T
means
that
there will be sufficient factors
commit
so
that
two French ground units
can advance
i
Pa ri s in the event
of an
exchange. This gives
Allies a 5/6 chance
of
recapturing Paris and keep
France in the game
for at
least
one more turn.
A final
note on
the
French Campaign.
The A
m ust be careful to
guard
against the Axis get
two moves in a row. The Germans can just
ab
always blitz
through
the line
and
secure
Paris
w
two consecutive moves. The Germans and Itali
can
easily
spend half of
their BRPs in Fall 1939
the
French do nothing but
build in the fall they
have
just
set
up
two consecutive German move
winter-spring
The French
need
to expend eno
BRPs in the fall to get
the
Allied total below
tha
the Axis.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 15/44
TH
G N R L
Defending London and the English homeland is
the
most
important British
war
objective.
The
second edition
of
t he rul es limit s the
number
of
ground
support a ir f ac to rs
to
three times the
number
of
ground
factors. This makes prevention
of
a
1 1
airborne assault
on London
a relatively simple
mat te r. Al l that is needed is 7
or
more
ground
actors stationed in London.
The Germans have two other methods
of
ttacking
England directly. First, they
can
launch
n
invasion in the
conventional
manner.
The
beaches
just
south
of
London are obvioustargets.
If
he beaches
are
undefended the
Germans
can easily
hit
London at
1 1 and have enough air remaining to
prevent a 1 1
counterattack.
The best deterrent
is
to
maintain
a
strong
naval p re sence in the
Channel
rea. Chances are the fleet
can
cripple the German
nvasion forces before they reach England. A
good
backup is
to
have somereplacementunits defending
he beaches
and por ts
as shown in figure 5
The
Germans
must
not only take the shore hex
but
also
must
have
enough
exploiting
armor to at tack
London.
T he Germans mus t
normally
take
London in
ne shot because the British can redeploy enough
naval units
back to
the
homeland
t o block
any
dditional
reinforcements. There
is
another
sneaky
actic that the Germans
can
use to invade England.
Figure 6 shows how a
German airborne
unit
can
irdrop
i nto a
port
and capture
i t. This enables the
Germans to
strategically redeploy several
more
units·
into
England
and
supply them.
Note that
strategic redeployments
cannot
be intercepted by
the British fleets. The solution to this problem is to
arrison all
of
the
ports
within range
of
the
German
irborne unit
with replacement units
or
1 3
infantry.
Preferably,
enough
overlap should be provided
to
orce the
Germans to
kill 2
or
3 units.
Remember
that the
Germans canno t SR adjacent to
British
units. Be especially concerned when the
Germans
et two moves in a row. There might be German
ivilians settling in
London
before the Allies get
to
move again.
Of
course, preventing two consecutive
nemy moves is still the best strategy.
The
Western
front is
the
most
important
t o the
British. However, the
Mediterranean front
is also
very
important . The
British need
to maintain
a
presence here no t only
to
check Axis expansion
but
also
to
keep the
door open
for a counteroffensive
lat er in t he war. The key to the Mediterranean is
Gibraltar.
Gibraltar
is, perhaps, the second
most
important
hex in the game. All sor ts
of
bad
things
happen if Gibraltar falls. First , the British are ou t a
quick
50 BRPs
unless Suez has a lready fallen.
Second, the Axis can easily
shut the Western Allies
ou t
of
t he Med it er ranean . Thi s al lows
them
to
concentrate
heavily in the east
a nd more
easily
defend aga inst the Allies counteroffensive in the
West.
Ear ly in the game a 3-4 infan try and a fleet a re
sufficient to safeguard Gibraltar. One 9
factor
fleet
s ta tioned there will
prohibi t an
Italian invasion.
Th er e are two
other
ways f or the Axis
to
attack
Gibraltar. One, the Axis
can capture French North
Africa and deploy airborne and a ir uni ts within
range
of
Gibraltar.
The
concept
of
defense is similar
to that
of London
except
that
the Italians
can add
shore
bombardment
factors.
If
the Axis
manage to
capture
Gibraltar it will be very difficult
to
retake.
T he o ther method of attacking Gibraltar is to
attack
overland
through
Spain. While
Spain
has a
formidable army and airforce, they will no t
stand up
t o the
German
panzersfor very long.
If
the
Germans
conquer France quickly they maynot have
anything
for the ir
ar my to do
for a couple
of
turns. This is
another
reason
to
keep the
Germans
busy in
France
for as long as possible. (In the
actual war
the
Germans
were negot ia ting with fascist
Spain
to
en ter o n t he ir
side
and
did
n ot w an t t o p ro vo ke
Figure 2: All ied counterattack
against
a German penetration early
them. Spain was suspicious
of
I ta ly , leary
of
England,
and
wanted
Germany to
sweeten the
po t
too
much.
Spain
stayed neutral much
to
Hitler s
annoyance.)
The
Middle East
is
important t o Eng land for
several reasons. The first is the economic interest
of
50
BRPs for losing the Suez Canal (actually Suez
and
Alexandria) . Addit iona lly, there are a lot
of
Figure 3:
British French
counterair strike.
P G
1940;
choice
of offensive or attri t ion
options.
colonies in this
area
valuable for their
BRPs an
strategic position. Loss
of
the Middle Eastwill de
the British a staging
area
for their counteroffensiv
More
ominous,
and perhaps
fatal,
is
the
undermi
ing of Russia s
southern
flank. British-Russi
communications
will be
broken and
Lend Lease
Russia can be effectively terminated.
Turkey
w
fall quickly and Southern Russia will be invade
Russia s collapse is a
matter
of
time.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 16/44
P G
Figure
4:
Allied I-I counterattack t o retake Par is .
What ca n be
d on e t o
prevent this? First , every
available unit that is n ot r eq ui re d in England,
France,
or
Gibraltar
should be d epl oy ed here. A
good defensive deployment is shown in f igure 7
Italy is
no t
the offensive threat that Germany
is
Thus, the pressure should
no t
get
to o
great here
until France falls. The Allies should use this t ime to
bring
the entire
area
east of Crete
under
Allied
control. Hookup with Russia should be accom
plished
through
Iraq
an d
Persia
as
soon
as possible.
England an d
France
might
want
t o e nc ou ra ge t he
Russians to
conquer
Turkey ear ly in the game.
Figure
5:
Defense of England.
A few words need to be said about Vichy France
despite thegallant f ight inthe West, France will fall
98 percent of the time). The Allies need t o m ak e sure
that
as many
of
t he Fr enc h uni ts as pos sib le ,
particularly
armor,
air,
an d
naval units, get
e li mi na te d p ri or t o t he fall of F ra nc e. T hi s will
prevent
t he m f ro m
possibly falling
i nt o G e rm a n
hands
later in the war.
Th e British sh ou l d arran ge with the F re nc h t o
t ak e c on tr ol
of
the
French
colonies when
France
falls. This
is
accomplished priorto the fall of France
by having t h e F ren ch wi th d raw t hei r forces b ac k t o
the
main l an d an d
allow British forces
to
move
into
the colonies. t he col on ie s go F re e F re nc h t he
British ar e in good shape. not the British will have
t o ex pen d
1
BRPs
to declare
w ar o n
Vichy
France.
U nd er n o circumstances sh ou ld t he British sit back
an d
watch th e Axis d ep lo y i nt o Vichy colonies
particularly Lebanon-Syria. Thus far it has been
assumed
that
the French player ma y have to be a
little more diplomatic in the Alliance game, bu t six
British g rou n d co rp s
an d
f ou r a ir units constitute
qui te a carrot.)
Figure 6:
German
airborne invasion of England followed bystrategic
redeployment into a captured port . The airborne unit drops one hex
NE of Dover
and
combines with
an
a ir uni t to
attack
the replacement
TH G N R L
Several n eu tr al c ou nt ri es affect Englan
strategic planning. Russia will become a power
ally later in the war. I t
is to
England s advantage
get Russia in the wa r as early as possible. Howev
Russia will not usually get involved unti l 1941.
the meantime the British sh ou ld co nsu lt with t
Russians
on
joint
wa r
strategy particularlyconcer
ing Lend Lease
and
operations in t he Middle Ea
T he m os t
important
neutral
at
t he s ta r t
of
game
is
Italy. Everyone knows that Italy will en
o n the
Axis s ide; it
is
just
a
question
of
when. I
rarely in the Allied interest
to
declare
w ar o n
Ita
Italy should be forced to spend the 35 BR Ps
declare war. The possible exception is i f the Brit
an d
French
see an opportunity to
knock
Italy
ou t
t he war. This strategy will
probably
requi re t
turns in a r ow t o execute.
The British should be a le rt f or ,Italian ent
Keep in mind that unless Italy began the year w
100 or more
BRPs
she cannot declare
wa r
an d ta
an
offensive option in t he s am e t ur n. I taly is mo
likely to
conquer
Yugoslavia
an d
build in 1939
a
then declare wa r early in 1940. If Italy does
no t
ha
an y
promising offensive prospects she will l ik
t ran sfer h er 1 ai rfact ors t o German control givi
the Germans
an
8 to 6 advantage. Italian pressure
Egypt
ca n
e xp ec t t o increase
towards
the end
1940.
A t emp t in g t arg et fo r E ng l an d is a preempti
invasion of Norway.
Th e
idea here is
to
de
Norway to the Germans. This will sec ure t
northern Lend Lease
route
an d
deny
the
Germa
an easy 1 BRPs. T h e ex ecu ti on of the Norwegi
invasion is shown in figure 8 It will require thr
armor units an d a substantial n um be r o f nav
factors. I t ca n be easily executed with tw o moves
a row
although
it ca n be set up as a one
tu
o pe ra ti on. W he th er the British c an spare t
required forces a nd B RP s
is
a question that w
have to be answered as the game develops. Su
operations
as invading
Norway
could
aptly
described as aggressive British play. Ag ai nst so
German p laye rs t he psycholog ical advantag
gained co ul d o ut wei g h t h e
more
obvious econom
cal disadvantages.
Portugal is
another
practical
invasion s
Portugal, he says? The lost kingdom o f P o rt ug
becomes of significance to England ifit appears th
Spain is
about
to be invaded.
Portugal
ca n
prov
the British a b ase of
o p erati o ns t o
aid S pa in a
p rot ect Gi bralt ar.
Another
consideration is th
P o rt u gal may
become usefulas a
starting pointfo
counteroffensive t o retak e Gi bralt ar, g ain access
the
Mediterranean, or t o t hr e at e n E ur op e s s ou
west flank.
It
is normally
in the Allies bestinterests
to
sec
Iraq an d Persia as early as feasible. This is p ar t
the M id dl e E ast st rat eg y discussed earlier.
Engla
should intervene where feasible to counter A
at
4-1. The airborne advances
after
combat into
G re at Y a rmo
enabling SR into the
port n
t he hex NW of it.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 17/44
TH
G N R L
P G
Figure 7: Middle East defense.
need t o m ake at least one offensive o p ti o n d u ri
t he y ea r. A nd t he n t he re
is
a lw ay s t he
threat
losing an additional 50 BR Ps in 1940 or 19
Figure 9 l is ts p ro je ct ed B ri ti sh BR P expenditu
f or 1940. It is a
good
idea to
maintain
a BR
emergency f un d t o get ou t
of
a t ig ht s po t. they
not
used t hey can provide a v er y important
grow
during the next year start sequence. T he re
usually not too many BRPs left for spec
operations
so
conduct
adventures w it h car e. K eep
mind
that
there
will also be a
h un gr y b ea r a f
England s
BRPs
i n 1941.
In
this game it is wise
keep him well fed.
By
contrast,
the
German
BR P
position con
ues to improve.
Germany
can afford to bu
maximum
V-Boats for s t rat egi c w ar f ar e. T
British have no choice
b ut t o
bui ld maximum AS
e ve ry y ea r u nt il t he V -B oa ts ar e licked.
Th e
Brit
need t o retai n en ou g h
BRPs
at the end of the yea
absorb the excess V-Boats.
the British BR P
to
g oe s n eg at iv e t he y will h av e t o su bt ract the def
from
their base e ac h y ea r thereafter.
Th e British BR P position should impro
somewhat when G e rm a ny a tt a ck s Russia. T
burden
of Lend Lease strategic warfare,
an d
A
d ri ve s i n t he Mediterranean will keep E ng l an d o
t hi n r op e until American entry in 1942. From th
on
things
should
get
much
better.
W h o k no ws, so
BRPs
might e ve n g et p ic ke d
u p a l on g
t he w ay.
is
1942 England has survived
an d
the
ni
States has entered the war. Assuming that genero
Lend Lease
an d
skillful Russian play has k
Russia
in a
t enab le p osi ti on ,
w ha t should
Western Allies do? Th e Allies will get the transiti
al two moves in a r ow a ft er t he A xi s Spring 1
turn.
During t hi s t im e t he Al li es should r egain
strategic initiative although the G e rm a ns m ay s
be attacking in the east. This time should be us ed
setup the British counteroffense i n t he Mediterra
an.
is
i m po r ta n t t h at the Allies ge t a coun
offensive going somewhere.
The
British
alre
have substantial f or ces in the
Mediterranean
a
ca n easily deploy additional forces there. Th e V
BRPs
5
45
6
3
8
5
BRPs
Projected 1940 BRP Expenditures:
Strategic Warfare Builds
Offensive
Option
Air Replacements
Armor
Replacements
Infantry Replacements
Replacement Builds
Strategic Warfare Losses
Figure
10:
Potential Invasion Areas in the Mediterranean.
The trouble with England s BR P position is that
it gets worse in 1940. On e way o r a no th er each
German
V-Boat build will cost the British at l east 3
BRPs. Repl aci ng lost British units particularly air
units will be costly.
The
British player will
probably
27
BRPs
5
3
9
6
54
8
6
4
W in te r: t wo fle et s
one 4-5
armor
Total
Fall: one fleet
one 5-4 a ir u ni t
one 4
air
unit
one 4-5 armor
three 3-4 infantry
aggression. Often t im es a s ingl e B ri ti sh 3-4 infantry
unit can buy a c ru ci al t ur n. T hi s is particularly
attractive where the British ca n pick u p so me BRPs.
As mentioned earlier the British
an d
French should
vigorously
contest
German
control
o
Luxembourg,
Belgium
an d
even Holland.
Figure 9: British 1939-40
BRP
Expenditures
1939 Recommended Build Schedule:
Figure 8: British invasion
of
orway. The invasion force consists
of
five fleets two 4-5 one 2-5 armored units and a 3-4 infantry. A 4-5
and the 3-4 i nv ad e B er ge n a t
3
w it h t wo f ac to rs o f S ho re
Bombardment.
The
remaining armor exploits and takes Oslo at 3-1.
England
is in
almost
as
p oo r B RP position
as
Germany in 1939. A ss um ing no other BRP
expenditures England is s til l 5
B RP s s ho r t o f
being
able to build the available u ni ts in the f or ce pool .
England cannot affo rd t o h av e u ni t s o ut o f play
and
must
build
everything
as
soon
as possible.
Figure
9
s ho ws a
recommended
building schedule for 1939.
T h e F rench p lay er sh ou l d be strongly encouraged to
spend
the BRPs
for Luxembourg,
Persia an d
Iraq.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 18/44
P G
Figure 11: Breakthrough
to
R o me . T h e B ri ti sh u n it s i n r ed ) attack
Naples at 3 1 using o n e a i r f a ct o r a n d d r o p a i r bo r n e o n C a ssi n o which
combines
with 9 factors of
shore
bombardment for a
2
w h i c h a l l o w s
t h e r e ma i ni n g British armor
to
exploit as shown in dark red and
forces ca n easily defend England. Th e U S. p layer
should utilize 1942 to build his forces
and
deploy
them
to England. The l ast two
q ua rt er s o f
1942
should be used to ai d Russia where possible an d
to
regain lost
territory
in
preparation
for the 1943
offensive.
The
British
ar e
ready
to
str ike in the Mediter
r an ea n a nd
t h e Ameri can s
a re p re pa ri ng t o
assault
the Atlantic Wall. This division
of labor
willsave the
British an d Americans BRPs because they will not
both
have
to
pay for offensive
options on
the same
front. Additionally, one less turn
is
required to get
U.S. uni ts
to
the Western
Front rather
than the
M ed it er r an ea n F r on t.
Discussion
of
th e U.S.
counteroffensive in the west
is
left for another time.
The
British player
must
decide where
to
strike in
the Mediterranean.
The
o bv io us t ar ge t
is
Italy.
Other targets
are
Axis allied
minor
countries
and
Axis BR P sources such as Yugoslavia
an d
Greece.
Figure
10
shows a map of Southern Europe
d e p i ~ t i n g some likely invasion sites.
The
mere
threat
of
invasions all over
Southern E urope
will force the
Axis players
to maintain
a large number of garrision
units there. This should help rel ieve
German
pressure
on
Russia. Additionally, the British ca n
provide
s up po rt t o
Russia
through
Persia
an d
Turkey.
Th e main British objective is Rome.
The
British
should ge t a bridgehead in I taly as
soon
as possible.
The most logical locations are t he beaches at
Salerno and
Tarranto.
The
assault
o n R om e
should
be launched as
soon
as the necessary forces ca n be
deployed
to
the Italian mainland. Figure
11
shows a
British
b r ea kt h ro u gh t o
Rome. A
German
style
blitzkrieg
is
executed using i nfant ry, armor,
airborne,
ai r
an d
even naval
f o r s ~
sufficient ai r
factors
can
be saved
to prevent
a
1 1 counterattack
Italy is beaten.
The
collapse of Italy will threaten the
German s outhern
flank an d force the
Germans to
a tt a ck R o me
at
2 using 2 air factors. The 7 remaining air
factors
are
u se d t o counterair t h e I t al i an
air
and t o a ss is t t he airborne
2
should
t h e I ta l ia n fleet intercept
and
inflict
maximum
losses.
shift forces to the
southern
front. Th e Allies are n o w
forcing the
Germans
into the wagon
train
defense.
There
is
a sneaky trick that clever Allied players
enjoy playing
on
unsuspecting Germans. The
situation will normaily occur sometime during the
middle
of
the war when the Germans are spread
ou t
all over the
board. German homefront
security is
la x
an d
there
is
only one
u ni t o n
the beach
at Hamburg.
The British and/ or the U.S. player
ca n
mass three or
four armor
units
an d
a large naval force
an d
launch
a surprise invasion
of
the Nazi
h o m e l ~ d
Figure 2
shows the tac tica l execution of
thIS
plan. AIr
support
is
provided from
Great
Y ~ r m o u ~ h
Germans can
fairly easily defend agaInst thIS stnke
Figure
12: A l li e d i n v a si o n b l i tz to Berlin. The beach is attackedat
2
with a 5 -6 , 3-4, and
t en a i r
factors,
enabling
the
remaining armor
to
exploit
next
to Berlin
where
it combines with a n a ir b or n e
u ni t t o
attack Berlin at 2 1
bu t
surprisingly many
do
not. This move
is
pa rt ic ul arl y effective when the Allies have two
moves in a row.
Historically, the British navy
is
England s first
line
of
defense. In
THIRD REI H
the navy
is
an
integral p ar t o f most British operations. The fleet
effectively prevents a direct
German
invasion
of
England. I t stands between t he I ta li ans
an d
G ib ra lt ar o r Suez. The Brit ish army
is
entirely
dependent
on the navy for t rans fe r
t o F ra nc e
\und
the Mediterranean. Air units going to he M,editer
ranean
must be redeployed by sea.
TH G N R L
The key to eff icient fleet u ti lization
is
distribution. Once the three f leets in the force po
have been bu il t the navy should be dep loyed
follows: four fleets should be left at
home Por
mouth) and four fleets should be d is pa tc he d
Gibraltar. The ninth fleet should remain in ho
water s unt il I ta ly ent er s the war . At t ha t t ime
shoul d be s ent to the
Mediterranean,
preferab
Port
Said.
The
home fleets provide a
deterrent
German
naval activity in the west as well
providing
transport
for the BEF. The
four
fleets
Gibraltar
give the British the capabili ty
to
redepl
four units pe r
turn
to the Mediterranean.
The
French
fleet makes a valuableally.
It
shou
be deployed in the Mediterranean. It ca n be used
1939 to bring French ground forces in the colon
back
to
France. T he F re nc h navy will norma
cause t h e It al i an navy to
maintain
a lowprofile un
after the fall of France. If the Italian navy d
venture forth, intercept
them
with the
French
fl
first.
Then
hit
them
with
the
British fleets. (The ru
prohibit joint interception in the same hex.) It
strategically in the Allied player s interest
t o t ra
fleets with the Italians, especially
French
flee
While it
is true that
the British will miss he r fleets
Italians will miss theirs more The Allies will still
able to
maintain
some naval presence in
Mediterranean. The Axis onthe other hand will n
be able
to
seriously
threaten
the Allied
position
the
Mediterranean
until their fleet
is
rebuilt.
The British fleet should
concentrate
in
Mediterranean
in 1942-1943. A few uni ts could
left in England for redeployments although U
fleets could be used for that
purpose
if n
performing
other
missions. Seven
o r
eight fle
should give the British t he i mpe tus f or th
southern
offensive. T h e Ameri can fleet will likely
deploying to Europe,
conducting
invasions in
west, providing sea escor t for Lend Lease, a
redeploying U.S. forces.
The
Russian fleet ca n
usefu l i f it ca n escape fTom Russia.
I t ca n
be u
against the Italian fleet in the same manner as
French
fleet. T h e Ru ssi an player may, however,
reluctant to r isk his navy unt il Russia
is
assured
being able
t o m ai nt ai n at
least
75 g r ou nd a n d
factors in. play.
Thus far the use of
variant
counters has no t b
considered. Players frequently use one, even t
variant c ou nt er s p er side. Most
of
these aff
England insome manner.
The
best ones for Engla
ar e
3
an d 5 Counter number
3
is
a real
bonanza
t he British. The Free
French
units
make
substantial
addition
to the British force pool. Ev
effort should be
made
to get French units, especia
ai r
a nd a rm or , o ut
of
F ra nc e p ri or t o
the fall
Paris. Counter number 5 is a godsend fo r the Bri
BR P
base. It will
just
about
take
care of the U-B
problem. It
is
w or th a t
least 30
BRPs
a year.
Unfortunately, most of the counters benefit
Axis.
Counter number
4
is
the killer.
Fortunately
ca n only be played
during
the
Spring
1941
turn
the British suspect that t he Axis have the Span
option
they
should
heavily reinforce
Gibra
during
the Winter 1940 turn. Counter number
the Italian player s dream. This can
make
life rou
for the Brit ish in the Mediterranean. This
coun
helps the Italians in tw o ways. One, Italy ca n decl
war and
launch
an
offensive
option
in t h esame tu
Two, the Italians will have sufficient
armor
unit
execute
good
blitzkriegattacks. Variant
number
a significant
concern
·if there
ar e
substantial Vi
forces. If the British suspect counter 3 they sho
strive to eliminate most
of
the
French
units kille
France.
A well planned counteroffensive strategy
required f or t he Allies
to
win
THIRD
REI H T
British should
knock
Haly
ou t
of the
war
in 19
T he A me ri ca n s ho ul d be able to get a
foothold
the
continent
sometime
during
1943. 1944
must
s
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 19/44
H
G N R L
P G
Figure 13: Alliance Game Objective
Hexes
Britain/ United States
U.S.-British-Russian drive to cripple
rmany. This
is
accomplished by simultaneous
on
all three fronts which will
push German
back t o t he Fatherland by late 1944.
The
path
defeating
Germany
lies in destroying her BRP
se. This primarily includes the Balkans, Poland
and the Low countries. The Allies should
im to
get to Berlin by Winter 1944 for a tactical
Getting there two turns earlier will mean a
cisive victory while two
turns
later will yield only
marginal
victory.
Earlier in the game the Allies
must
assure that
Germans do not win. Keeping both
England
and
ssia in t he g ame will prevent an Axis tactical
The Allies have a
tough
time winning ifany
Allied power other than France
is
conquered
Axis
must
be held
to
less
than 28
objective hexes
the end
of
1943 or they will achieve a marginal
If
the Allied counteroffensive is
on
schedule
his will be easy. However, if the Axis
are doing
than average it will require some
sharp
Allied
to s top
an
Axis marginal victory. The Axis
ve a nucleus of 2 easily ·obtainable objectives
lus 3
additional
objective hexes.
The
Allies must
an aggressive defense
to
hold enough objec
The British and Americans may have to make
couple of invasions
during
the
Winter
1943 turn to
apture one
or more
key objective cities.
The
situation is
a lit tle different in the Alliance
me. Vic tory
is
determined by the
n um be r o f
bjective hexes under U S. / British
control In
some
ys this requires more
astute planning
than simply
fo t
Berlin. Figure
3
shows the
number
of
bjec tive hexes needed for each level of victory.
Given reasonable Allied success the Western Allies
hould
have the 8 secured objec tive hexes by
middle to late 1944.
England
and the United
States
need to capture 3 or 4 additional objective hexes for
decisive victory. A list of likely prospects is
summarized by
front
in f igure
3
The Western
Allies need to keep a sharp eye on the Russians so
that they do not sneak inwitha victory. A welltimed
British offensive in
the
Balkans
can snatch
a key
objective just before the Red
Army
arrives.
Churchill would be
proud of
that )
WE W NT YOU
Commencing
with
the
January, 1977 issu
the GENER L
will
pay 5 per
running
10
column of edited text. Letters t o t he Editor ar
not sub ject
to remuneration. Alternatively
authors
may
elect to
take their
remuneration
i
t he f orm of Avalon Hill ,products, paid a t
th
rate o f 150% of the cash remuneration. Not
that i l lustrations and
decorative
type faces ar
not subject to
remuneration except
by prio
agreement with the editor.
It is
general
expected that
articles
will be
accompanied
b
sufficient i l lustrations as a requirement
fo
accepta
nce.
US C
Auto Racing
Official
G ME
of the United StatesAuto Club
to
write
for
the GENER L If you can string
word s tog eth er in to
an
interesting ar ticle
format
on
any Avalon Hill wargame, there's
a
good chance
you're
just
the
person we're
looking fo r. Y ou
can supplement our l iterary
staff with articles of strategy, game analyses,
Series Replays
commentaries,
new scenarios,
or variants.
Al l art ic les should
be
type-written, double
spaced
and accompanied
by a self-addressed
envelope
bearing
first class post age. Other
wise,
rejected
articles
will
not
be
returned.
Art icles should
be
supplemented
with
illustra
tions and/or
charts
whenever possible.
8
9
2
2
Stalemate
Marginal
Victory
Tactical
Victory
Decis ive Victory
Attainable Objective Hexes
England is the key to the Allied side in
THIRD
REI H Flawlessly played, England
should
never
fall. Well played,
England
should be ready to lead
the Allied counteroffensive in 1942. A lot
of
finesse
and
patience
is
required
to
p lay Eng land . A fine
blend of cauti on a nd aggressiveness is needed.
Successful British play can be
almost
as rewarding
as victorious German play.
The
best games
are
ones
played by equa lly
competent
and clever British,
German
and Russian players.
Secured
Objective
Hexes
West
London
Birmingham
Manchester
Paris
Lyons
Marseilles
Antwerp
Essen
Aachen
West
Berlin
Leipzig
Breslau
Budapest
Oslo
Mediterranean
Gibraltar
Malta
Tripoli
Alexandria
Suez
Mosul
Rome
Genoa
Milan
Mediterranean
Athens
Belgrade
Ploesti
Istanbul
Madrid
Who among you hasn't dreamed
of
driving
in a n
Indy
500?
Next to horse racing more peopl e wat ch aut o
racing
than
any ot he r
sport.
There
are a lot of
spectators
sharing your dream
You can make that dream a near reality by playing
this game, A
game
so
authentic that
it is the
only
officially sanctioned auto racing
game
authorized by
the Uni ted
States
Auto Club
Drive
an Indy
500
Auto, YOURSELF'
W el l n ot exactly' But
you
can do the next best
thing In the play ofthis game you actuallytake the part
of a real life driver
who
was one of
33
qualifiers at a
recent Indianapolis 500 As such, you control his car in
an attempt to match or better his actual performance
Based
on
Statistical
Accuracy
Each of the
33 rea l- li fe
qualifying drivers is
represented in the game by a Driver Performance
Card Based' on actual racing stat istics
compiled
by
USAC,
each car will perform o n t he track pretty much
as it di d in re al l ife,
,but
with one big
difference'
Strategy the
Key
to Winning
YOU make
t he k ey decisions, YOU
determine
the
efficacy
of whento enter the pits YOU
decide how
fast
you
must go; when to take risks
and
when to back off
I t s a ll here for
you
in a
game that
will
recreate
the
thr il ls of a championship auto race but in the
safe
confines of you r own game room
Winning doesn 't necessari ly mean
you
have the
b es t c ar Winning is th e a bi li ty of t he driver to think
ahead and p la n h is moves accordingly and that
exactly what this game lets you do
Back in
1978
t he I ndy 500 was won by AI Unse
not so much f or h is c ar bu t because of his ment
discipline,
Small
wonder
he is a
three-time
winne
only the fourth
rac ing car
driver to accomplish th
feat. Quite an accomplishment to strive for;
and
th
difficulties of doing so a re as v iv id in this challengin
game
a s in r ea l life
That's
how realistic
USAC
Au
Racing happens t o be
Ideal S olitaire
Game
Unlike most board
games, USAC
Auto Racing
ca
be as enjoyable by yourself as head-to-head, Th
ultimate
f un i s
getting
al133
cars
on the
track
with
eac
p layer d iv id ing them
up
equally
among
themselve
Here it is possible to recreate every s i tuat ion an
strategical
maneuver that ever happens
in a n actu
race
See
for yourself
l
Try USAC Auto Rac ing
realistic
game designed
for
one
or
more
players age
10 and up
BONUS:
Statistical
performances
are
revise
each
year by USAC with updated Driver Performanc
Cards available at nominal cost d irec tl y f rom Th
Avalon
Hill
Game Company,
COLLECTOR S
ITEM:
All 33 Driver Perform
ance Cards inci l ide the fu ll -co lor photograph of th
championship
driver
an
addition to one's
collect
item shelf that w il l b e a s valuable someday as bubb
gum cards
of
old-time
athletes
2 Reta
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 20/44
PAGE
THE
GENERA
THEAGGRESSIVE TIGHTROPE
rench trategy in
NAPOLEON By Alan R. Moon
Many
garners have
probably taken
a
quick look
at
N POL ON
and t os sed it a si de ,
grumbling
about t oo many die rol ls an d too much luck. A
mistake
t is rare (if non-existent) thatan historical battle
was decided without luck. One side s good fortune
becoming the other side s bad luck,
making
winning
and losing both lucky results. Midway is the classic
example.
Handling
luck in a game is difficult, especially
where
balance is concerned.
Many games (in
particular the system-type games Of recent years)
fai l because
the
luck
has
been
taken ou t
of the
situation. A small force surprising and defeating a
larger force or a smallforce defending successfully is
just
no t possi ble . Yet it
d id happen
in his tory.
Morale
rules,
idiot
rules,
and
idiot opponents
rarely
solve
the problem. Luck then, is the only
answer.
So
why do so many garners
complain
abQut it?
The best way
to handle
luck is to have
more
die
rolls, not less. The theory being the more die rolls,
the
more the
luck will even out in the end. Players
wil l sti ll lose batt les where they have the
advantage,
but t hey will a lso win some where they are at a
disadvantage.
Fo r those
opponents
who complain about no
luck at all, hogwash Roll out o f a paper cup.
t
will
ease your soul if no t their complaining mouths.
Luck tends to
build
character
in
the
as a
commander . Should
yo u t ak e a chance
on
even
odds?
Should you try a ttac king at poor
odds?
Should
you defend wit h a smaller force? Guts
is
a
part of strategy, it s that simple. The saying in sports
is
that
when you re
winning,
you make you r
own
luck. Bel ieve it. Psychology in gaming is greater
than
many peopl e think . When the complaining
opponent uses twice the amoun t o f units needed,
you ve got him over the
barrel. Momentum,
surprise, confidence, and the unexpected are things
you can us Don t complain. Think lucky
Admittedly, there
are
games
where l uck is t he
most important factor. However, N POL ON is
not one of
them. Fa r
from
it.
Luck
and psychology
help, but strategy and tactics win
the
game. A quick
glance misses the subtlety. In fact, N POL ONis a
good example of
being able
to master
the basics but
not the game.
N POL ON may seem to be slightly unbal
anced
in the beginning.
Indeed, the French
have the
tougher
time with two experienced players.
Making
up
for this
though, is
the fact
that
it
is more fun
to
play the
French
and winning with
them is
a greater
reward.
To
win,
the French must
defeat
two
armies,
and
the
burden
of
attack
is t he ir s since t he v ic to ry
conditions are
stacked
against them. If
the
French
do not
fulfill their victory conditions, they lose.
If
both sides fulfill
their
victory
conditions, the French
lose.
So, the French must advance quickly against
two forces before the
twocan
unite, attack wherever
given the chance, defeat both forces without being
defeated themselves, and
do
it before t ime
runs
out.
The
aggressor being the smaller force is a kind of
paradoxical situation not found in many games. In
other words,
to
win, the
French must
walk
The
Aggressive
Tightrope .
Actually, there is a choice between three
tightropes.
Each
is
thin
and
dangerous
bu t
strong
enough to
hold a pract iced walker. Don t
think
about t he roads not t aken , test each
The
WEST
Objective: Ghent and/ or Brussels
Set up the seven infantry units and one artillery
unit
in
Conde
and place
the
rest of the units in Soire.
On tu rn one , move four infantry units to Leuze
(three 3CY,
one 4CY-the
best)
and
three
infantry
uni ts pl us the one artillery unit to Mons. Two
artillery and two cavalry units in
Soire
move directly
to Mons
while t he r est
of
the caval ry
and
horse
a rt il le ry move to Mons using the roads through
Binche and Mauberge.
On turn two, you st il l have only two groups of
units and
can
move
your
whole force.
Move
the
four
infantry units from Leuze t o Renaix.
The
three
infantry units, the art il lery units, and two cavalry
units move
to
Soignes
from
Mons.
Four
cavalry
and
horse arti llery uuits move f rom Mons, via Ath, to
Granmont, while
the remaining
two
cavalry/horse
art il lery uni ts move to Leuze via
Conde
(or stay
put). The four units sent to Granmont should bethe
strongest f or ce possi ble ( th ree 3CY cavalry, one
2CY horse artillery suggested).
On turn three , move
t he three infan try
and
three artillery uni ts f rom Soignes to Braine
Ie
Compte and
send the two cavalry/horse artillery
units
to
Granmont. Move the two units
at
Leuze
Granmont. The cavalry and horse artillery are n
united at Granmont with forces of infantry/artill
on
both sides.
Ghent
and Brussels
are
both wit
reach.
Attack
on turn four.
The
force
march into Gh
or Brussels may hurt a l it tl e bu t waiting will h
more. Rivers wil l l imit
the
number of units
that c
get into the initial
attack,
bu t the rest of the units w
be reinforcements. The Ang lo -Dutch should
divided,
t ry ing to
defend
both
cities.
Waiting
attack is a mistake since turn five is a night turna
will give the Allies more time to prepare. Reme
ber,
the Prussians are
coming.
Of course, All ied moves such as screening
roads with soli tary cavalry units wil l alter this p
as will t he
chance to
attack
small
groups
of
All
units. This should be seen as an opening in ch
with many
variants. the opponent doesn t stick
the
book,
you
can t
either. Sti ll , i t is good to kn
the standard openings.
The
cavalry force at Granmont
may
seem a li
risky, but consider the Anglo-Dutch position. T
on ly have five
cavalry/horse
art i llery units, a
since their units will
probably
be stationed along
Ghent-Brussels
road,
these
are the only
units wh
can attack Granmont.
The
bat tle would be f
Anglo-Dutch
uni ts , a
total of
eleven CY,
aga
four French
uni ts , a
total
of eleven CY. They co
force
march some infan try into the bat tl e
but
invites
trouble
by weakeriing
the
supply cen
cities. Any units which
do
attack are then betw
the
French
forces which
could
also force
march
Granmont.
The advantage to this attack is that it threat
two
supply
centers
f rom the s ta rt . T he two ma
roads;·
Conde-Ghent
and Mons-Brussels
are
cl
enough together
so that cavalry
can
get
from
one
the other fairly easily, meaning that most of
French
force
can
attack either city.
The disadv
t age is that t he F rench are boxed in and chang
p lans is
not
possible. You re
commit ted and
game is a race to beat the Prussians to Brussels. T
Anglo-Dutch must
be defeated before the Pruss
arrival. So, with that in mind, it is the Prussian
up that will dictate
whether or not to
use
strategy. If they are set up heavily to the east, th
the perfect time. they
are spread
eve nly, maybe
they are centralized, forget it. The Anglo-Dutch
up doesn t
matter
much
because they will fal l
b
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 21/44
THE
GENERAL
to
i3russels
a nd G he nt anyway.
Of
course,
a foolish
player
ma y set up Anglo-Dut ch
u n its with in
reach
on
turn one.
Slaughter them.
A
mi nor vari ati on t o
th e
general
plan
to
make
th e force g oi ng d ow n
th e
C o nd e -G h en t r o ad a
cavalry
f or te . A ft er
a few
g am es , t he
Allies
may
decide to give
u p G h en t andjust tr y
to
hold
Brussels.
T he caval ry force c a n t he n get
to
Ghent faster, an d
a t tr it i on o ff o n e o r t wo
Allied
units before
th e
major
battle.
T he E A ST
Objective: Liege
This strategy
is
the
least
favored, t he h ar d es t t o
set
u p, t he hardest
to describe, an d the least likely
to
garner
a
French
vic tory . Yet it exi st s
an d
deserves
mention.
However,
in t hi s case, constantly
think
lucky
Th e
set
up
is
tough because only
eleven
units can
move ou t
of Givet
an d
Phillipeville on turn one. Th e
choice
then between using t wo t ur ns t o
get
things
moving or
using
the
other
seven
u n its s o me whe r e
else.
N eit he r o f
these
alternatives
appealing.
Leaving four units behind
asin th e
Center
strategy)
on e
t hi ng . L ea vi ng
seven behind
another.
Moving
these seven
units
to
Laneffe
on turn on e
n o s ol ut io n e it he r
since
the r oa ds t o
Namur
an d
C ha rl er oi a re
across
rivers an d i mp as sa bl e t o
them
as
a
group
in
o n e t ur n. I n a d di ti o n,
there
will
be no
moves
fo r
them
for quit e awhile
after
turn
on e
since
both moves
will be
needed
f or t he m a in force.
Tw o Initial French O p e n i ng s : O b j ec t i ve Ghent shown at left;
Objective
Liege at
right.
T h e F r e nc h initial setupand
June 15th move
The m ak eu p
of the
tw o
forces
then the
toughest decision. Th e possible combinations
ar e
endless.
The
bes t set
up probably
placing seven
cavalry
/
horse
artillery
units
in Givet
an d th e
four
4C Y
infantry
units
in Phillipeville.
Th e
rest
of
the
un it s c an
go in
Soire,
Conde,
or
Phillipeville.
Placing
them
in
C on d e o r
Soire does
n o t m ak e
a
tw o
f ro nt a dv an ce f or t he r ea so ns
above,
bu t
it
ma y
make
for
a more caut i ous Anglo-Dut ch force.
On
turn
o n e, mo ve
t he f ou r i nf an tr y
units
from
Phillipeville
to
Di nant . T he
cavalry
/
horse
artillery
move to
Ciney,
Marche, or Dinant or
a
combination
of
Di nant and one
of
th e
others. Do
no t move to
all
t hr ee t ow ns
because
you
will t he n n ot be abl e
to
move
every
u ni t o n t ur n
two.
t he P russians have set
up
close
e n ou g h t o
be
attacked on turns
one or two,
attack
them.
Otherwise, on
turn two,
move towards
Liege
down
th e
main ro ad. On
turn
three,
attack something,
anything,
while
moving
forward.
A little reckless-
ness
ma y
be necessary.
If there
an
advantage
to
this
strategy,
it in
attacking
th e
Prussians first see
th e
force compari
so n charts . On th e o t he r h a nd , th e
disadvantages
ar e
clear
an d numerous. T he
major on e
being;
there
ma y n ot
be t ime
to defeat t he Anglo-Dut ch,
if
an d
when
yo u
h a ve d e fe a te d
the
Prussians.
It
four
to wn s t o
Brussels
from
Liege
an d only
tw o
from
Brussels to
Ghent.
The
other
disadvantages
are
leaving
th e
seven
u n its b e hin d, b ein g
boxed in from
a r e s h o wn in r e d. A d v a n ce s during t h e n i g h t a n d J u n e
16th
are shown
in blue
and
green
respectively. Squares
= infantry;
diamonds
=
PAGE
the
s ta rt , a n d th e
fact
that th e P ru ss ia ns m ay n
elect to fight it
ou t
in which case it
would
take eig
t urns after
Liege
c a pt ur ed t o
d e fe a t th em.
The
best
t im e t o
use thi s
strategy w he n t
Prussians
ca n be at tacked on
turn
one. Th e
Ang
Dutch
set
up
irrelevant.
yo u
do
use this
strategy
more
than
once, y
should
t ry t o
vary the composition of
th e
eleven
u
force.
Th e
cavalry
needed,
bu t
if
cavalry
units a
left
b e hin d, th ey
may get
into
t he g a me
later
mo
easily
then infantry
would.
Of
course,
n o m or e t h
eight of
th e
eleven
u ni ts c an
be
infantry/artille
because that s all
that
get to
Dinant
on turn o
What to take an d wh at to
leave
behind
a
tou
choice,
but experi ment ati on
ca n he lp. I ma y ha
yet missed
the right combination.
Th e
CENTER
Objective: Brussels
Place
th e
four
4C Y
i nf an tr y a nd f ou r
cava
/
h or se a rt il le ry u ni ts
in Phillipeville.
P la ce t
infantry
/
artillery
units
an d t he remai ni ng
cava
/
horse artillery units
in Beaumont. The
four
lefto
units should go
in
Conde
as
a
mi nort hreat t o
Che
Unfortunately, it very possible that these
units
no t
get i nto t he
game,
bu t
placing
them in Beaum
or
Phillipeville
an d
trying
to bring them up to
main force hopeless. y ou t ak e t he
time
to
br
them
up,
y ou a re
wa stin g time
an d
losing
th e
ga
in
th e
process.
T h e m a ke u p
of this
f o ur u n it
forc
cavalry; circles are artillery; a nd s ta rs a re
horse
artillery.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 22/44
P GE
THE GENER L
quite important
because
of
this. Most
preferable is
t wo 3 CV
infantry
an d two artillery,
on e
3CV, one
2CV. Infantry
ar e worth more
in
t he l on g r un , bu t
some
artillery
is
needed
f or columns that
turn
into
artillery duels. Th e horse artillery
ma y
be enough,
bu t
t he n a g ai n m ay b e
not.
Other
possibilities
fo r
the
f ou r u ni ts a re
as follows:
1 on e
2CV cavalry,
one·
3 CV i nfa nt ry , t wo arti l lery units, 2 three 3CV
i nf an tr y, o ne 2 CV
artillery, 3 two
3C V i nfantr y,
on e 2CV artillery,
on e
2C V cavalry, etc.
On turn
one, move
the eight units
from
Phillipeville
to
Laneffe
an d
c o nt in u e t h e cavalry
/ horse artillery across th e river t o C har l er oi. Move
the
seven
u ni ts f ro m
Beaumont to Thuin and
continue
three of the four c a va lry/hors e artillery
units
a cr os s t he
river to
Charleroi. t he re a re
Prussian
units in
Charleroi,
this is the perfect
strategy
because
yo u
have seven
attacking units an d
seven reinforcements,
against
a maximum
of four
defenders. If t he re a r e Allied units in Quatre Bras
and/
or
Ligny,
better
still. Should
they
a tt ac k o r
reinforce in turn one, t he g am e is yours.
B arr i ng t he
attack,
o n t ur n t wo m ov e t he
units
from
Laneffe and Thuin to Charleroi.
There
ar e
now fourteen
French units in
Charleroi, threetowns
from
Brussels, an d hopefully between
t he t wo
Allied
armies.
O n t ur n three, attack
anything
yo u can. Use the
eight
cavalry/horse artillery
units
as
t he at tacker s
an d th e
infantry
as reinforcements, or force march.
Speed is essential. Also, m ov e t he f ou r u ni ts f ro m
C on de t o Leuze as your
second
move. -Using this
strategy, many games will en d around th e Waterloo
/ Nivelles/
Quatre
Bras t riangle which
is
certainly
the sign of a good simulation. Of course, the French
los t in his tory, bu t forget
about that.
Th e
advantages
to this strategy are that it is the
quickest
way to Brussels,
the quickest
way to engage
Allied units
most
of
th e
time, an d t he o nl y way
to
have a cho ice
of
fighting
on e a rm y a t
a t ime.
Th e
main disadvantage
is that it leaves
four
French units
ou t
of
th e
game.
No t surprisingly, this
is
the
strategy
that will be
used most of t enaf t er exper imenti ngwi t ht he others.
t m ak es f or
a lot of
quick games an d
a
lo t of one
battle
games, with
t he b at tl e
around
that
triangle.
Considering the victory conditions, this is often the
only chance f or
a win, an d
that s
the final
advantage
that outweighs
an y
disadvantage.
T his st rat egy
is a
must
if
half of each army is
centralized, or i f t hear mi es ar e heavily east an d west.
An d if
the
Allies
ar e
predominantly
south,
it s not
just a must, bu t a winner. If t he Allies are
concentrated around
Brussels, those f ou r F re nc h
units will be missed, a nd a no t he r a tt ac k should be
considered. If
yo u
have to face
the
whole Allied
force, at l east have all your force too.
The Basics
ttacking
Always tr y to a tt ac k r at he r t ha n defend. There
a re t hr ee r ea so ns f or
this:
1 T he defender
gets
no
reinforcements till turn two, meaning he will have
only what unit s ar e being attacked till turn three. He
ma y
be
routed
by then
2
Allied
reinforcements
ma y
only be
o ne p er turn
unless units
from both
ar mi es ar e
in
posi t ion t o
reinforce.
So,
as
t he batt l e
rages,
y ou a re
getting
stronger, more
quickly. 3) As
t heat t acker , you
can
choose
which column to attack
first,
t her eby pi nni ng
Allied
units
in place in
that
column.
Always attack small groups of Allied units (one
to eight) if
y ou c an
outnumber
them
in
the
initial
attack
or
with
reinforcements.
Groups of
five units
or less should a lways be attacked regardless of
possible reinforcements.
With
only- five units or
less), at least on e column will have only on e
unit
in
it.
That s th e
target.
2 Battle Techniques
C ha rg e o ne column with eve ry caval ry unit
available.
Support
this with art i llery o n t ur n one
an d
then
move the artillery t o a n ot h er colum n, or
the reserve if the Allies ar e at tacking in b ot h o f the
other
columns. Move infantry u p
in
the same
column
as
t he caval ry charge
to
p re ve nt t he
d ef en de rs f ro m s qu ar in g. C on si de r
pulling
th e
cavalry
back
if
t he defender
reinforces the column
heavily. Then charge another column. Th e cavalry is
more
mobile
than t he i nfantr y
which
is
probably
defending, so keep the battle as f luid as possible.
Press
advantages
on
o ne c ol um n.
Losses
acceptable i f
you re
winning.
Try to
keep your art il lery f ree to mo
especially
th e
horse artillery.
Fire
an d move or mo
an d fire. Don t stand still with them.
Don t
empty
the reserve. Units sent b ac k t o
reserve because o f b ad morale
ma y
be
more
o
l iabi li ty i n
the battle remember the
vict
conditions). If
yo u
have a choice, press your
atta
against cavalry instead of infantry
(they
don t
suf
as much in routs).
Shoot
at artillery
only
if
that
is
there
is ina
column
(exception: artilleryduels
acr
the middle ground).
As the
attacker,
set
up
as many
units
in
reserve as possible. Use th e first move to depl
after
seeing
the
defensive set up.
Horse
artillery
a
cavalry should
always be set
up
in
th e
reserve.
Weigh retreats carefully. Some units ca n esc
while
o th er s h ol d t he
columns. Examine
th e
c
versus what will be saved. Remember these u
can t
move
n ex t t u rn .
lay alance
If after
fifteen gamesor so,
the
French
ar e
still los
more
than
t hei r shar e
of games,
y ou m ig h t
w an
t ry o ne or more of these play-balance rules.
1)
Increase
the
French morale: Units must
retrea
the Reserve only on a rol l of 1 or 2 no t 1 2 or 3)
this is
not
e n ou gh , m ak e
it
on
a rol l
of
1 only.
give th e French th e o pt io n o f
whether
or no t
retreat to th e Reserve, after a morale check.
2) Increase th e number of units that must be killed
defeat
the
French: To 10. Or
11,
af ter t r yi ng
1
3) Alter the victory conditions: I f b o th sides sat
their
victory
conditions, the
French win. And / o
neither side satisfies their victory conditions,
French win. Though this
would drastically cha
the scope of
the
game.)
4)
Give
th e
French
three
(3) moves on
turn
on
5) Finally, an d this is
th e
best balance, play
th e
th
player version with
the
limited communication r
In fact, this is
on e
of
th e
only real
three-player
ga
around.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 23/44
THE
GENERAL
P
ANZERBLITZ
SCENARIO 10
GERMAN: RICHARD PLOCK
RUSSIAN: ROBERT
LIVERMORE
COMMENTARY: ROBERT CHIANG
PAGE
This
match
was played face-to-face with real
space-line-of-sight determination in effect but no
other
optional
or experimental
rules in p lay . The
players erroneously
assumed
t ha t t he number of
DFs
of
each target type in a
mixed
stackdetermined
target
type
predominancefor
purposes
combina-
tion at ta cks. This very common error has been
allowed
to stand despite its
major
effect
on
the
game
in a pivotal turn
5
attack. The
town
of Opustosche
n ia has frequently been abbreviated as Opu , an d
the
six
additional
T-34s
have
been distinguished by
the addition
of
a I before the seria l number.
Where
stacks
units
eliminate the possibility a
complete illustrative listing, the stack signified by
a single code letter which
identified
in the
illustration caption.
Robert
Chiang, who has buil t his high A
REA
rating
almost
exclusively
on
PANZ£RBLITZ wins,
provides the neutral commentary which appears
below in italics.
RUSSIAN Introductory Remarks and
Setup-
This situation
has
two
distinct
phases;
one
phase
is
played on boa rd
1
and the second
is
played on
board
3 The situation as a
whole
is a
rather
complex
combination of
a
delaying
act ion and
a
meeting
engagement. The
Russian task
here
is
to
get as
much
of his f or ce from
board
2 onto
board
3 while
suffering
a
minimum
of losses. A tal l
order and one
which as
we shall see
requires
that the
German
entry
onto
board
3 be
delayed
as
long
as possible.
But t he German
task,
I bel ieve,
is
even
more
difficult.
Several playings of
this situation have
convinced
me that the expected result is a Russian
decisive
victory to
a
German tactical
victory, given
evenly matched
players and
even luck.
Thus
a tie is
really
a
Russian
loss
an d
I sha ll
make evaluations
from
this perspective. I would also suggest that the
German
Turn
:
The
void
in the center represents the intervening
board 3 as well as the extremities
of
boards I 2 A =two Panthers, a
halftrack
955,954,446
and
the ir passenger s
(RiOe platoons
German victory conditions for
a decisive
ought to
be
no
greater than 35
units and probably should
be
closer
to
30.
The
first
phase
of this
situation
is a
pure delaying
action of
a vastly
superior
force
(the
Germans)
by a
mere
six
t rucks and
six
anti-tank weapons. This
enterprise
is
favored
by the terrain-filled with
such
obstacles
as ravines,
towns, blocked green
hex sides,
an d plenty
of places to hide.
One
should not expect
to do
significant
harm to t he enemy
force in a
delaying action.
The assignment here is to make
the
enemy pay
in
time-number
of
turns-forthe
losses he
causes. One can of
course
hopefor losses,
bu t such
a
hope should never i nt er fe re w it h
the
primary
assignment.
Turn 6 of this situation defines a
rather
important
boundary.
the
German can get
onto
board
3
before turn
si x w it h a l arge force, he
can
probably
win-by
my
definition-that is get a
tactical
tie-
or do
even better .
If
he gets
on after
turn
6, he
has
little
hope
of
winning, and
his
chances a re not
very impressive, if he
enters
on
turn
6 This
conclusion
is
based on
several
previous
playings. Of
course
the German
can
refrain
f rom enter ing the
board
altogether,
and thu s prevent,
relative
to t he
stated
restriction
the Rus si an f rom
entering
the
bo ard a s
well.
This
forces a 0-0 tie.
This
is an
uninteresting and
frustrating result:
but
it can be
avoided by
modifying
the restriction.
Again experience
has
shown that
it
is
virtually
impossible
for the Germans to get on
board
3
before
turn
6,
and
i fhe
manages
to
get
somethingon board
3
before turn
6, it will be a small force. I will not
discuss
th e s ec ond pha se
of
this
game until the
German enters-hopefully
on
or
after turn 6 I shall
also discuss
the setup on board
2 then.
The Russian
player
ought
to expec t
to
lose his
entire
force
on board This
follows from the fact
that the force
is
so weak, and its task
is
a
delaying
145,144,146 .
B= two halftracks 442,441 and towedguns
32,31 .
C =
three halftracks 452,45 I ,443 with their mm mor ta rs a nd a rine
platoon 82,8 I .143 . 0 =
two
Panthers 952.951 a nd t he ir rine
action, an d
finally it can
not escape onto boa
unt il the
Germans enter.
But
he
can
force
German
to use some
of
his force
to chase do
whatever
remains of
the
Russian after the
Germ
enters board 3
RUSSIAN Set up on Board :
The
position
taken here is the most
advan
consistent
with
not
being
overrun or outrun.
last thing
that
the Russian wants is for the
Germ
to get in back of
him,
that is, to the North. Noth
has
been unloaded. This
gives me
maxim
flexibility. Unloading a gun
here
in no way enhan
the delaying
effect
of
this
position. Of course
by
unloading,
I give
up my chance to des troy Germ
units, but flexibility
here
is more
important
t
hopefully destroying
a
halftrack.
Soviet
Setup Comments
The initial Soviet deployment
on boar d
concedes
too
much territory
on
the eastern
fla
(i.e., around the reg ion
1£1 .
A better se
would be to
position trucks on
1
Cl
1D2, 1D3, 1
1C4
an d
1
£4.
The u ni t o n
1C4
would
prevent
German unit from reaching 1£5, while the units
1
Cl 1
D2, an d
1
D3 would
prevent any
Germ
penetration past 1J2 on turn two. Mr. Livermo
defense configuration, however, allows the attac
to thrust deep into theeastern sectionalong the r
on the German second turn. This could easily h
lasting consequences, later in the game.
It s usually a good idea to deploy one anti t
g un u ni t
behind
the front l ines at the start
game, as the
Soviet player
will need empty
tr
units in certain tactical situations later. I prefe
place an a nt i t an k u ni t o n 1BB3 or 1
AA 9
aw
Trucks have a difficult time reaching 1BB] an d
a natural hole fo r any Germanflankingactionin
platoons 142, 141 plus Panther 953.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 24/44
P G
extreme
northern section
of
the board, later in the
battle. And any
competent
So vi et p lay er will
certainly sacrifice a unit
on
1
AA 9
eventually. I do,
however, concur with
Robert
Livermore s view
of
not
u nloa ding a n a nti- ta nk u nit
in
the
forward
defense setup.
German Introductory Comments-
Based upon
previous
experience,
the Rus sian
has a very distinct advantage unless th e German
player settles f or t he d raw by not entering
board
3
at
any
time. It appears impossible
to des troy
40
Russian units
unless
the Russian player
is
complete
ly
incompetent;
while having the final move permits
the Russ ian to bring
al l
his remaining units onto th e
cen ter bo ar d. H ol di ng t he Russian t o
a tactical
victory level (giving a tactical-tactical tie) is
probably the bestresult th e German playercan hope
f or ; e ve n t hi s has a
probability
of less than 50
(about
30-40 in
my opinion). I personally enjoy
playing pos it ions with the odds
heavily
against
me;
the challenge lies
in
seeing how close I
can
come. I
think, however, that
a r ev is ed s et
of victory
conditions
is
advisab le for
this
s i tua tion; most
people
want
good chances to
WIN under
the game
conditions.
T he re a re two d is ti nc t ph as es t o
the
situation.
The
first phase
involves
clearing
board
Assum
ing
reasonably competent
play, this will
take at
least
6, with
bad
luck 8, moves. Since
th e
first move onto
board 3 will
no t
involve combat, the German has at
best 5 moves f or the mor e important
(and
more
interesting) second phase-the attempt
to
closewith
and smash the
main
Russian
force.
Note that the
s trategy to
be
employed
in this
battle
is in part
predetermined by the initial move of the game-see
th e
commentary
f or t he
appropriate
move
7)
of
this replay. If th e German
can
manage to get th e
bulk
of his force in
good position
and have
the
ful l 5
moves for pha se 2, he has
good
chances for the
draw. If, on th e other hand,
he
does no t enter
in
force
until
move 9
or
later, the
probability of
a
Russ ian v ic to ry becomes so overwhelming that I
strongly recommend taking the forced (and uninter
esting)
draw
by
remaining
on board no t losing
is of impor tance e.g.,
in
a tournament), this is
probably
a good idea anyhow-unless,
of
course,
yo u ca n
establish
th e
fact
that
your opponent is
incompetent,
in
which case you may be entering
board 3 quite
early.
The German can win only
if
the
Russian
bungles badly-such as
permitting
the
German to
enter
in
force on or before move 5, or
taking open forward pos it ions during the phase two
battle.
Unfortunately,
my opponent in this
game
is
no t
in
the
habit
of playing
idiotically.
Introduction
Situation 10 has long been one of the
most
appealingscenariosfor tank enthusiasts, involvinga
large
number
of
armored
units on
both
sides,
and
invariably resulting in a fair
amount
of
armored
wrecks. Unfortunately,
most of
these wrecks are
German. Hence players desiring a reasonable degree
ofplay
balance in their games
may
be disappointed
with the scenario.
The Germa n p la yer lacks
both
the t ime
and
degree of sufficiently greater firepower, relative to
his Sovi et opponent s defending force, to win
situation
10.
The attacker
must
first
fight
his way
across the length of
board
one against a delaying
force
of
Soviet trucks
and
anti-tank units. This
operation usually takes at least
half
of the game i.e.,
six
turns),
and is
a tediousprocedure, requiringonly
a
minimum of
competence on the defender s part,
due to the difficult terrain on
board
one. Once this
phase
of
the game
is
completed, the attackerfaces a
bleak prospect of success
on board
three. There, an
entrenched Soviet armoredforce equal in
number
to
the Germanforce, will confront the attacker. Under
such conditions, the victory criteria virtually
guarantee a Soviet decisive victory. And
an expert
S oviet player , with con trol
of
the
tempo of
the
game, can a lmost always hold t he at tac ker to at
most a marginal victory, regardless
of
the expertise
of
his German opponent.
German
MOVE
As ind icated , my entry with in fantry loaded on
tanks commi ts
me
to
a
certain s trategy
later.
Otherwise,
nothing
difficult or unusual. t is
pointless t o have more s trength
in
the
west; I can't
move fas t
enough
through the gullies
t o m ake
it
worthwhile. All I
can
do is threaten
to
flank him and
cu t
the
road
in his
rear (trapping
h im) i f he t ri es
to
hold a fo rward pos it ion. He might have been
wiser
to
leave
onegun
unloaded-say on E3 or K to
try
to
pick
of f
a passenger if I get to o c lose . I have
to
hurry
(remember, I can only afford six
moves),
bu t I
cannot
t ak e c ha nc es o n
losing
tanks or infantry
while
doing
so. Notice I have moved as fa r as I am
able.
TH G N R L
RUSS N TURN
Here of course it was necessary to
unload
a gu
This s itua tion
demanded
that s ev en hol es
plugged and
there
were
only
six
trucks availabl
Given the
considerations already stated,
I think
th
position is
self
explanatory.
Turn One
This is a
pretty
standard German move, with t
fast Panthers
and HTs pushing on
the flanks,
a
the slower
AFVs
traveling along the road. There
really no way
for
the Russians to stop de
penetration
by
German forces along the weste
section i.e., the region
around
1110 and 1G8), sho
of
sacrificing
some
trucks onperhaps
1
C8
and 1C
And such a sacrifice
would
be counterproductive,
the Soviets
could
better use such units in the
mo
critical center region along the road.
Evidently, Ri chard Pl oc k intends to use
Panther-rifle units purely
asforward
spotters vers
trucks, besides being
potential outflanking
units.
so
,
he
may f ind
it a bit
awkward
circumventi
enemy
anti-tank units at crucial chokepoints. Thi
somewhat
unusual, as
most
players load rifles
on
Panthers mainly for spotting purposes versus su
anti-tank units. The combination
of
a Panther
a
rifle
is
potentially less risky than HT-rifle combin
tions,
as
anti-tank unit spotters.
The S oviet p la yer has taken steps to
minim
the consequences
of
the
flaw
in his initial setup.
u nloa ded an a nti- ta nk u nit o n
1
K2,
and
place
truck
on 1
R4. This
is
a good move, as the Germ
spearhead units will cut the
road
between
M a
3
next
turn. The defender needs the empty tru
for the
Sl
region later. Also, any truck loaded w
an anti-tank unit
on 1
K2 can be surrouhded. Y
the hex
must
be occupied, otherwise the Germa
could
reach
1
K5,
and
cut
off
the retreat
of
forward
Soviet trucks.
The only possibly damaging error here,
is
th
the Soviets
did not
occupy 1
P5
No Soviet unit w
be able to reach this
hex next
turn. So any Germ
units
on
the road nort h of K2 will be able
penetrate extremely deep into the center
of
boa
one
around
1
T6
S uch a
move would
circumvent
the road defenses,
and
allow the advance Germ
uni ts to reach the edge
of board
three fairly ea
remember 1BB3
is
unocc upi ed). To s to p suc h
threat, t he S ov ie t pl ay er
would
have to
unlo
another anti-tank unit. Put
424 on 1Q4 34 on 1
33
on
1
K2,
and
423
on
1
J4, with the ot her
fo
trucks
on 1G3 1/3,
1/5 and
1
K6.
German Turn 2: The composition ofgroups A B remains thesame. E = two Panthers and a half
track
951,952,443) carrying three rifle platoons 141,142,143).
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 25/44
THE GENERAL
German MOVE
Again,
I
move
as
far
as I
can (which
is
not
very
far). Now that his
gun is
unloaded, I
cannot
expose
loaded
units.
Fo r example, putting
my
951 or
952
on
N3 gives him a
I shot (automatic elimination) at
loaded
infantry.
I am
sure
he
would
be
overjoyed
at
the
opportunity.
Likewise,
the sta ck A mus t
r emain beh ind the
brown hex
side. I must avoid
giving
him sure sho ts (or
even
3 1 odds)
if
at
all
possible. He can get 2- I
on
a mortar
(which is
useless
for other
purposes),
or
a I I
onan AFV. The
odds
of destroying
the
mortar are small,
and
dispersal of one
does
no ha rm;
zero
chance of
destroying a tank. The
Hummel on C2
keeps him
of f
Q8
on
his
next
move,
while
one of the
Wespes will
fire
at
his
gun. The slope
is
preferable to the hilltop
fo r thi s s ince I am next to the road and can
move
ou t
quickly after destroying
his
gun. Unfortunately, the
s lope hex doe s no t
cover Q8.
Turn Two
Here,
the German p laye r shows how
to
successfully
spot
a sol itary
anti-tank
uni t, whi le
minimizing risk, and
maximizing
penetration. The
lack o a
supportinganti-tank gun on
P5 really fzurts
the Soviet player, as it allows three Panthers, three
rifles and 443 to stroll by 34. Thus, although it was
necessary to sacrifice a
Sovietanti-tank gun on
1K2,
t ha t uni t
did
no t appreciably delay t he German
advance, orforce the attacker to unload a spotting
rifle.
The twin German threats
on
bothflanks o the
central
roadforce the Soviet main
line
o
defense to
retreat to the crossroads region. 424 s occupation o
1Q7 denies slope hexes
1
R8 and
1Q8
to the German
units
on
t he eas tern road. However , the
Soviet
player partially throws away this advantage,
by
leaving 108 open. This will allow the German
stack
on 1J7 to reach 1
Q8
next turn. Additionally, 425
accomplishes nothing on
1
U7
as
no German unit
can reach that
he x on
turn three.
A
much better Soviet turn two
defense
would be
to place
422 on
108,
423 on
1P9,
426 on
1PIO, and
425 on
1
Q10. Such a defense, unlike Mr. Li ver
more s
Sovie t move,
would
prevent any
German
unit
from
reaching 1Q8 This
would
also g ive the
Soviet player the viable option o unloadingan anti
t an k un it o n
1
R9 on
turn three.
108 was occupied, would place an anti-tank
gun on 1L7. There s no purpose in trying to preserve
too
many
anti-tank
unitsfor
turnsfive
and six.
Anti
tank
units serve to slow
down
the German advance,
German
Turn 3:
During
the Russian second turn the 76mm
ATGun
34
i n K2 f ir ed
on
and dispersed the
German
81 mm mortar 82 . I nh i s
and as a threat versus armored targets and
passengers. Use
them
The lack
o any anti-tank unit
on this long stretch o road this turn will really allow
the
Berlin express to
advance
this
coming
turn.
Mr. Livermore picked a poor target
fo r
his 1K2
anti-tank
gun.
34 shouldhavefired
at
953 no t
at 82.
The anti-tank
gun
can t escape being spotted, and
the mortar
is
obviously of no significance. But a
successful dispersal o
953 would
no t
only
take
one
unit from the German
forward
advance, bu t would
slow down
all
unitspassing
along the
easternfork
of
the road.
German
MOVE
This
is no
longer
so
obvious.
The
units
on
the
road must
move first
to clear
a
path
so a s
to obtain
this particular setup. The importance of
having
this
precise
posit ion may develop
in a
couple of
moves
(and again it may be
wasted
effort). The
Wespe is
heading for
hil l 123 via
the
gullies
and may
have
to
be
where
it
is
now t o
reach there at the
right time.
The loaded Panther s a re to
be
my
lead
units
onto
board
3
andcannotwait
for the
clearing
of
the road
and t he t own
Uschas.
The
rest
o f t he
units
simply
move
as fast as
they can , using
unimportant
ones
where there is probable delay (e.g., east edge).
RUSSIAN TURN
Perhaps
un loa ding the g un on
the
road here
might
be
questioned.
I
could
still
block the position
without unloading
the gun,
and it
is
very likely that
i t will be lost,
bu t
I
am
in
good shape
respect
to
the delaying
action,
and can
afford the loss.
Thegun
might
cause
damage,
and
could s u v v ~ a turn in
which case it s placement
hampers German move
ment.
Turn Three
With no ant i- tank guns to worry abou t, t he
Germans can
take
a leisure
motoring
trip
down
the
central road.
Although
the
f orwa rd HTs
and
Panthers have moved to t he ir MF limi t, t his is not
t rue with the slower
following
units. Obviously, in
this FTF game, the Germanplayer moved his units
in b locks , with units within stacks beginning and
ending
their movement with the
same
units.
This is a straightforward German move, bu t it
does have hidden weaknesses. One M k IV from the
stack of931, 932 and 933 should
have
gone
to 1P8.
For the Soviet player decided to dump an anti-
turn,
the
German Wespe
(621) eliminated 34
at
4 1 al lowing the
G er ma ns t o o cc up y t he hex. The
new group
F
consists
of two
PAGE
tank unit on 1P9 on turn three, then ei the r
Panther,
loaded
witha rifle
on
1Q8,
mustfire,
or 4
(on 1Q8), 445 (on 1PI 0), and
both HTs on
1
would have
to f ire. Similarly, there
should ha
been a
tank
or
two on
1L8 t o bri ng f ir e
on
a
potential target on
1
R9. When conducting
advance, a
commander
should always try t o ha
units other then hisforwardspotting units bringf
on spot ted
hexes . This frees the forward
units f
movement.
A peculiar
feature o
this German move is th
only one unit
occupies 108. There s
no
reason
not
occupy
the
he x to
the
stacking
limit.
As long
as
units in t he stack move individually next turn,
road is no t
blocked
at thegreen hexside. Note tha
a
uni t on
108
fired on
a target
on 1
P9, the
ro
would be blocked
by the green
hexside
(between 1
and
1
P9) fo r all
jollowing
units.
The consequences o the
mistakes made
by
defender during the Soviet set up and turn one
becoming more apparent
this turn.
Forw
German units have already reached 1U5 1T6 a
1R7. These
advance German units
will
eventua
get
behind
the northern Soviet defense throu
1BB3. This may be o less importance, now that
German units along the
road
have
made
go
progress. Without a doubt, both advances comp
ment each other,
and
make the defender s
task
t
much more
difficult.
Well, the
Soviets havefinally decided to unlo
an anti-tank unit
on
the
main
road. However, 1U
a very
poor position fo r such
a unit, as it ha
limited LOS,
and is adjacent to severalforesthex
protecting
potential
spotters. A truck
would
do j
as wel l
on
1
U8 It
would
be better
to save the a
tank
unit
fo r maybe he x
1
X8
next turn, where it
simultaneously block the road, and support Usch
German MOVE 4
As anticipated, he used a
gun
to block the ro
His only
t arg et s a re th e
Tigers
and
SG III-7
which
have a defense of 12.
This
gives a
2 1
in
woods; at
worst a dispersal.
He
will probably
after the
Tiger; it
is the stronger . Hence
I keep
th
to
t he r ea r
and
next to the road. My
lead
u
advance at
top
speed 3
whole
hexes-RAH
RA
RAH ) , and the Wespe
as
advertised heads for
123. Note
that had
it
been
one
hex further
back
turn, it
would
be
two
further back this
t ime-it
m
NOT be
exposed to
possible loss.
The Hum
helps harass
the
stray truck in
the
east.
Half
tra
443
and
444
are ready to dash to
Uschas
Panthers (951,952) carrying rifle platoons (141.142).
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 26/44
P G
TH G N R L
German Turn 4: G two Panthers (955,954) carrying rifle platoons (144,145) and H two
half
tracks (443,446)
carrying
two rifle platoons (143,146)
eliminate the gun. The trucks come up to be
potential
cannon fodder. He will
probably
hold
Uschas strongly; it
is
a critical location since the one
hex in effect
controls
the entire western access route.
RUSSI N TURN
This is clearly
the
time
to unload the
guns in the
town
Uschas, since he can press it next turn. I hope
to
hold the town as
long
as possible.
When
the two
trucks can
be
sho t up or
the
town
is
about
to fall,
they will run
for
the woods and
make the
German
chase
them down.
A
gun
has been
unloaded
at
square
1FF 1so
that
it can fire
at whatever
occupies hill 123, ifit survives
that
The
German with his Wasp and his
Bumble-bee hasan extraordinary range
of
fire
from
this
vantage
point. The
gun
placed might get a
dispersal
of one of
these monsters, viz., the Wespe,
or
the Hummel.
Turn Four
The German
commander
here swings a sizable
proportion ofhisforces around the blocked hexes at
1
U8 and U9
There
is
nothing unus ual or
German Turn
5:
During
the Russian
fourth turn the
76mm
ATGun
33 d isper sed t he Tiger 9 72 in T8 at 2-1. In his turn the German
surprising about this move, especially as the road
could be blocked at
X8,
and
will certainly be
blocked
at
AA9
next
turn. Addit ionally, the
attacking units are in aposition to outflank Uschas
in force,
if
fr iendly units cannot successfully spot
1AA 9 next turn.
There is a sub tl e error in this German move .
Note that the only uni t which can f ire on clear
hex
1Z9 is 952(142) on 1W5 Neither 631 on hex 1Q7
nor the triple tank stack on
1
S7 can hit
1
Z9. Hence,
a canny Sovie t turn f ive move would be toplace an
anti-tank unit and truck unit on clear hex 1Z9 1Z9
cannot be overrun, given that the Sovie ts control
Uschas.
An d
952 could only get a 2-1 odds in a
combination attack versus such a target on
Z9. In
other words , the Sovie t player would be virtually
certain to prevent any German unitfrom successful
ly spotting Uschas
hex AA9
on German turnfive
A
more
foresighted German player
would
pu t
a
Wespe on 1N5 to de ter such a move.
The actual Sovie t move
is
a
good
deal more
orthodox
and less ambitious, with Uschas garri
soned with three anti-tank units . I don t see the need
for
two anti-tank units on 1Z10. The German
commander is stillgoing to have to unload two rifles
to clean up the town, andifhe spots
AA9 he llspot
Marders
(811,812) destroy
t he u ni t at
4
a l lowing the hex to
be
occupied in the German move. I = three Panthers (952,954,955)
Z 0 also. A bet termove would be toplace only on
unit on 1Z 0 with the other anti-tank unit stayin
on
1X8.
With an ant i- tank uni t on 1X8, there would b
no need to sacrifice 423 on t ha t hex. Note tha t th
anti-tank unit on
X8 could still hit the cruci
spotting
hex
1Z9 with its
maximum
AF.
An d
42
could be better used
on
hex BB6. The Sovietplay
has
committed
a mistake by leaving BB6 unocc
pied. A t ru ck on
BB6 could still reach the FF ro
forests in onemove, if BB6becamespotted. As it
the Germanforces have a clear path to thenorther
edge through 1BB6.
German MOVE
More or less as expected. My rifle units will serv
to
spot
the gunsin the town. I add both
half
tracks
one of them
since, if he
attacks the s tack
as on
battle, his
attack factor
is halved. A careful readin
of
the rules indica tes he cannot
lump
the tw
halftracks into one battle with the infantry as
second.
Our interpretation is
that it
is
either o
battle,
or
three completely
separate
ones. I have
chance
of
clearing
the town next turn
(42 chan
of
clearing the critical
hex
AA9 by gunfire). I thin
his last
gun
would have been
better
placed
on FF
carrying rifle
platoons
(142,144,145).
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 27/44
THE GENER L
rather than
FF7
since I can now take open
positions
in
the east with myloaded units. Myhurry
with the Wespe may be to no avail; I cannot get
on
hill 123 until the gun is e liminated . I have to use
three halftracks to get the truck, otherwise it hides
on
S3. The only units he can get good odds against
are
not
critically important. A point to note
is that
I
could not be any further this move even had I taken
unreasonable risks,
and
I am still
not
ina position to
enter board 3 next move.
Turn
Five
The Germans continue their
push
through the
unguarded 1BB3
an d
1BB6 approaches to the
extreme
northern edge
of board
one. A large
concentration
of armor is positioned around
the
1Y6 region. Here theycan
move
directly through the
1
BB6
route, or use the quicker Uschas
road
to
board
three. Simultaneously, the attacker has deployed
potential
spotters adjacent to
1
AA 9
and 1
Z10, inan
effort to
spot
the Uschas
road
hex. A good
indication
of
the importance
of
this
town hex is
the
presence of
unloaded
German rifle unitsfor
thefirst
t ime in the game.
Note
that
both
players are using the
following
interpretation: the
number of DFs of
each target
type (i.e.,
armored and
nonarmored) determines
predominance
of target type,
fo r
combination
attacks versus
mixed
s tacks . Hence, the stack
on
1Z9, composed of
two HTs and
one rifle,
and
evenly
divided between
armored
and
nonarmored
DFs, is
considered a
nonarmored
target overall, according
to this criteria.
As
a result, the Soviet player, with
three fir ing anti- tank units , can
only
attain 1 1
combat
odds
in a combina tion at tack versus the
triple stack
on
1Z9. And the defender here cannot
legally execute three multiple attacks versus the
three individualunits in the stack. That s because he
cannot attain theminimum
1-1 odds
prerequisitefor
such an attack, when firing against the rifle.
The defender is veryrapidly running out of
room
on
board
one. Fortunately
for
him, the Soviet s
successfully execute the 1-1
combination
attack
versus the triple German unit stack on
1
Z9.
Consequently,
1
AA 9
will remain under Sov ie t
control, and the
swamp road
denied another turn
rom
the attacker. The ant i- tank guns
on 1
Z10
however, wil l be subject to a 4-1
shot
next turn,
as
they are
spotted by
the solitaryrifle ingully
hex
149.
Realizing this, the defender evacuates his two other
German
Turn 6:
During
the Russian fifth
turn the
Russian used
an
incorrect rules interpretat ion agreed upon in advance by both players
t o make a combined I-I
attack
with his 76mm ATGun (31,32,35) on
adjacent
hex Z9
contain ing two
half
t ra ck s a nd a rifle
unit
trucksfrom 1AA10
to the
FFrowforests.
Thissaves
them
from
apossible CA Tin Uschas, and reinforces
the blocking
position
in the FF row area.
The Sov ie t p layer does leave a truck wi th his
single anti-tank gun
on 1AA9.
The
only
advantage
in doing this
is
to prot ec t the
he x
against two
CA
Ting
rifles i.e.
lowering the CA Ting
odds
from
3-1 to 2-1.
But
with 146 dispersed, only the
gully rifle,
143,
will be able to participate in any
CA T
next
turn.
German
OV
Too
bad , I was hoping to shoot
both
the stacks
in the town; I
had
a 50 chance. However, I
did
get
the two guns
and
the truck blocking the road. (The
truck in thewoods
is of
significance only insofaras it
is a,dead unit towards my count.) My placement is
not
optimum,
but
I could
not count on
dispersing
his gun. I needed to clear the town completely to
achieve best locations; now I must go through the
mountain
hexes. I must knock
out
the gun in the
town next move to have good chances; I willuse the
Marder
for this. Had I cleared the town this turn, I
would be in
good
shape. I have
to enter
next
turn,
town cleared or n9t.
Turn Six
The German advance east of Uschas continues,
with contact established with the
FF
forest Soviet
units. This should be meat
on
the table , as these
luckless defending units have nowhere to escape.
The attacker has
positioned
his units to st op any
Soviet units from infiltrating back
behind
the
German advance.
And no board
one Soviet unit can
run northwards
onto board
three,
until
after the
Germans enter that board.
Herr Plock is also exerting
maximum
pressure
on
the Uschas surivors, wiping out thetwo anti-tank
units
on 1
Z10,
and
moving
up attacking units
adjacent to the
unspotted enemy
units
on
1
AA9.
Those defending units left in Uschas will be subject
to a
4-1 combat
attack the
next
turn. An d so, with
reasonable luck, the main Sov ie t force
around
Uschas will be able to advance through the
swamp
road
onto board
three
next
turn.
To be continued next issue
(146,443,446)
resulting
ina dispersaL In his turn
the
German destroys
AT Gun s 31 and 32 in ZIO at 4-1 with a STGIII (821)
allowing
German occupation of
the
hex. Likewise MklV 931 destroys the truck
in X8
at 4-1
to
allow German
occupation. Halftracks 448 and 449
P GE
INDERS
These binders are ruggedly const ru cted
attractive red leather finish vinyl, with g
embossed logos of the TH E GENERAL and
Avalon Hill Game Company located on the fr
and spine. Each binder measures 9 x 12
holds twelve (12) copies
of
T HE G EN ER
Spring-steel retaining wires hold the issues firml
place, yet your magazines are
not
damaged in
way, and
can
easily be removed from the binde
your desire. The binders are available from Ava
Hill for 5 plus
<t
postage. Maryland resid
please
add
5 state sales tax.
FACTORY OUTLE
Whenever in the Bal timore a rea feel free
drop in a t our Factory Outlet store located in o
design offices at 900 St. Pau l and 20 E. Reed
This store
is
the world's only retail outlet featuri
a complete selection of Avalon Hill games, par
magazines and accessories. Pay by cash or che
o r bring
your.
credi t card, and if visiting
Saturdays free _to stay and attend a m i
session with Interest Group Baltimore and
involved with whatever playtesting happens to
going down. Or jus t drop by and play or talk
games of your choice on Saturday with any
of
locals and enjoy the competition.
Hours: AH Factory
Outlet-Tuesday
t
Saturday; 9 A.M. to 5 P.M.
1GB Playtesting-Saturday;
10
A.M. to 5 P
destroy truck 424 in S4. Rifle unit 143 CATsthe remaining truck
ATGun in AA9at 1-1 yieldinga
Dispersal.
K=halftrack 451 carr
an 81 mm
mortar
plus truck 421 and
Tiger
971.
J = two
halftr
(452,442) carrying a 75mm
AT Gun a nd
81 mm mortar (32,82)
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 28/44
By
Jonathon Lockwood
THE GENERA
THE 77
T SIS
SCENARIO 1:
INVASION
OF
CANADA-17
AMERICANS: The colonists indeed have
hard row to hoe in this scenario if they wan
victory. A more a tt ainable goal is a draw, si
freeing St. Johns, Montreal, an d Quebec of
enemy
combat
units requires either
an
imbecile fo
British
c omma nde r or
ungodly luck with the d
The rules which give the Americansa chanceare
Forced March
an d
bateaux. S imply load all f
RM, supply, an d artilleryunitsinto thetwo bate
provided
at
Ticonderoga
and
sail away. To whe
St. Johns
is
a possible target, but thethree factor
the for t are supp lied by adjacen t Montrea l,
a
therefore doubled. 1-2 odds, even adding onefor
artillery unit, (which is immediately cancelled
ou
the presence of British Regulars) simply
do
warrant a long siege of St. Johns. The 1 B R a nd
guarding the magazine at Montreal is a be
target, since once the magazine supplying St. Jo
is captured, the units in the fort will be unsuppl
an d their defensive advantage nullified. Howe
the most daring move is to sai l with the bate
s traight for Quebec
It
is unmanned by Bri
Regulars, therefore the militia do not suffer
usual penal ty in engaging the
Tory
garrison.
area for
an
extended period of time, entrenchmen
are pratically mandatory. While not affording
much protection as a full fledged fort, they areea
to
construct even when there are no supplies.
MAGAZINES: Invaluable on defense, since
magazine
cannot
be exhausted as a source
supply,
an d
hence is never removed from the boa
unless captured or destroyed. It also has t
advantage of conversion , it being possible
convert a magazine into a mobile supply u ni t a
use i t in mobile
combat
the same turn. A good u
for the British is as a permanent supply source fo
critical fort.
ARTILLERY: This is a
rather
clumsy unit
use in mobile combat unless the fort is nearby or t
unit itself
is
transported, the artillery unit serves
an added enhancement to a defensive position
decreasing the die roll
of
the attacker 1 for eve
artillery uni t present (Unless the attacker h
artillery units
to
counterbalance this). Artille
units are the slowest moving pieces in either arm
an d share with the supply unit the addition
disadvantage o fn o t being able to force march. Th
are useless against troops in the open, so an artille
unit's usual proper place is in the home (fort).
BATE AUX: The transport
that
makes possi
for the American adven tures that he otherw
would
not
dare think a bout. Things such as t
invasion of C a na da, for instance. Unless yo u lea
an escort behind for protecting these fellows, th
become easy prey for some die-hard enemy fact
This is a must optional rule ifyou want anything l
a balanced game in certain scenarios, and especia
if you wa nt realism in the campaign game. They
have
an
advantage over trucks in PANZERBLI
in that a b at ea u c an
dump
i ts cargo
and
ru
provided there are no enemy combat
troops in
area
where it unloads.
Most
of
the foregoing analysis is to prov
background f or the wargamer who usually do
pretty well in the beginning stages of a game,
b
who always seems
to
getbeatenby
an
opponent w
finds some little quirk in the rules
an d
turns it to
advantage. Now we shallsee howthis anaysis can
applied in the various scenarios and in the ca
paign.
E N T R E N C H M E N T S A N D F O R
TIFICA TIONS: These units are invaluable to the
British as an aid in consolidating their control over
strategic towns. Forts must be used
to
securely
c ontrol a n area against incursions by either side. It
also helps if your forts are supplied, since it doesn't
make
to o
much sense to build a fort inthe first place
if lack
of
supply is going to cancel
out
its
advantages. Where forts are
no t
readily available,
and
you are conduct ing a buildup
of
forces in the
reconnaisance in force in
that
its potential gains are
also limited. As the attacker, you will find little use
for this tactic except as an occasional substitute for
the recon gambit.
WITHDRAW: Here
is
the tactic that can prove
to be the American's game-saver. Taking a careful
look
at the Tactical Results Matrix,
we
find that
aga inst every tact ic excep t
Frontal
Assaul t, a
withdrawal will break off combat with no tactical
advantage gained by your opponent (Exception: A
Recon maneuver will
add
2 to your opponent's die
roll.)
Of
course, the greatest danger involved in this
choice lies in the possibility that your
opponent
may
choose to launch a frontal assault, in which case he
adds
3 to his die roll,
an d
you get burnedagain. One
method of countering this possibility (If you know
that
your opponent is
fond
of
frontal assaults)
is
to
launch an enfilade right or left in response to his
expected frontal assault. Since this subtracts 2from
his die roll, this will cause him
to think
twice
about
using the same tactic again, especially in a critical 1-
1
or
3-2 battle.
Soo n er o r
later he will become tired
of getting burned
on
a frontal assault
an d
will vary
his tactics. That is when you can
attempt
to break
off
combat
through withdrawal.
Of
course this
knowledge can
w or k t o
the British
commander s
advantage as well, by patiently slugging away at the
American hoping to crush him if he attempts to
withdraw.
SPECIAL UNITS: Supply units in 1776 ar e
fairly similar
to
those in
AFRIKA
KORPS with the
exception
that
your supply unit must be in the same
stack as your attacking combat units. Where only
one side has a supply uni t, that side pretty much
holds the initiative. Where
both
sides have supplies,
it
is
a
matter
of personal choice whether or
no t
to
withhold supplies. An example
of
thi s k ind
of
situation follows:
Suppose a British force of 10 factors attacks an
equal force
of
American Continentals. Both sides
are supplied. According to the rules regarding
supply, a given side may employsupply once during
a combat phase without having to remove the
supply from the board. The British player does
not
have much flexibility here. He has to use his supply
or fight at half strength. Fo r the American,
however, there are interesting alternatives. He can
use his supply to repel the first a ttack, hoping to
discourage the attacker. Failing in that, the
American can withhold supply the second time
around, trying
to brea k
off
combat
from the British.
This move is no t as foolhardy as it may seem. 2 1
odds for the defender does no t necessarily mean
certa in des truction for the Americans .
Further
more, in order to achieve those odds, the Brit ish
player
must
use his supply a second time, leaving
h im without supp ly in succeeding turns . If the
American succeeds in breaking off combat, he will
still have his supply unit an d be able to counterat
t ack the British, who are now forced to defend
at
half strength
1776
is
a wargame employing many new design
features which set it qui te
apart
from classic
AH
games of a s imilar period in his tory. The feature
which I find most striking is the interchangeability
of
units
of
varying
combat
values.
That
is, 5 1-7's
or
1-8's are just as potent a fighting force in sustained
combat
as a single factor unit. The most beneficial
effect this has
is
to
eliminate strategies
an d
tactical
placements based
upon
a
combat
unit's numerical
value, as in
WATERLOO.
EXAMPLE:Steinmetz
is ideal for holding the center of the Quatres Bras
heights because it
is
an 8-4. OR: PA A cavalry units
are excel lent as delaying units because they are 1-
6's).
C OMB AT R ESULTS
TABLE: If one were to
remove the extreme ends
of
the table, (0-3
an d
7-10)
combat
would become a very staid affair hauntingly
simi lar to
that
in 1914. (And
about
as dull) .
However, throw in AH s Tactical Results Matrix
an d things are livened up quite a bi t. The decisive
edge in
combat
now turns,
not
quite so much on the
single roll of a die, b ut o n howwell oneca n gauge his
opponent s proba ble tactical maneuver and reply
with an
appropriate
tactical countermeasure.
An
analysis
of
these tactics follows:
FRONTAL
ASSAULT: Actually a
rather
conservative tactic, this is most effective against a
numerically inferior force 3 1
or
better.
It
can also
serve as the decisive ripos te to an
opponent
who
attempts to break off
combat
prematurely by
withdrawing. (Add 3
to
die roll.) It also has the
advantage of limiting your own risk, since no matter
w ha t y ou r
opponent
does, you can lose no more
than 2 from thedie roll (with theexception of militia
fighting Regulars.)
R E O N N I S S ~ E I N F OR CE : This tactic
is exactly what its name implies. It is simply a more
cautious type
of
frontal assault. While the potential
risk
to
the
attacker is
somewhat lessened, the
potential gains are also limited. This tactic's chief
value lies in its use as a probe to gain information
about your opponents tactical inclinations without
as much ri sk of getting burnt.
ENFILADE
RIGHT
AND ENFILADE LEFT:
These tactics consist of simple flanking maneuvers
against your opponent s left
or
right. While possibly
very rewarding, they carry potential disaster unless
you have become very famil iar wi th y ou r o pp o
nents' habits in combat.
REFUSE THE L EFT AND RIGHT: These
maneuvers are risky countermeasures against an
enfilading force unless you have a fairly good idea of
which side
of
your line your
opponent
likes to go
for . As the attacker, these maneuvers are useful for
curing a defender
of
counterattacking your flank
to o often when used inconjunction with the frontal
assault.
STAND AND
DEFEND:
A conservat ive
defensive maneuver entailing not as much risk as
refusing a flank
or
withdrawing, it
is
similar
to
the
Jonathan
Lockwood
hasbeena wargamer
of
the
classic school for a long t ime as evidenced
by
his
four straight
fourth round
eliminations in each
of
the
AH
CLASSIC 500 tournaments in thefirstfour
ORIGINS. His Hclassicist or Hperfect
plan
you
prefer approach to 1776 will be serialized in three
parts ofwhich thefollowing comprises the introduc-
tion.
PAGE
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 29/44
THE GENERAL
odds
can
be obtained aga in st the for t,
and
you
quickly take out the major s tronghold for the
British. The
troops at
Ft. Wes te rn should force
march s tr aigh t for S t.
Johns
and pr epa re for a
climacticfinish. The worst the Americans should do
is to draw.
BRITISH: If
the Americans makea
sudden dash
for Quebec, force
march
2
BRto
Quebec in
an
effort
to beat
them there. Failing in
that,
force
march
all
reinforcements
toward Montreal and
t ry to smash
the separated Americans before they can uni te .
If
you should lose all 3 cities
to
the Americans
turn
in
your
Brown Bess.
SCENARIO
#2:
SARATOGA
CAMPAIGN
1777
BRITISH:
The
British forces
at
start
are
confronted
by scattered American forces.
On
the
first move the British should seize every
opportunity
t o c ru sh a fai r portion
of
American strength before
the colonists succeed in withdrawing
out
of
reach to
threaten
your occupied cities
at
game's end.
For
a
British victory
is dependent
upon
whether the
American can seize one
of
your vit al t owns for
victory, (New York, West
Point,
Ticonderoga)
OR
two
of
either
of
those three towns
or
Fort
Stanwix,
Albany, and Philadelphia.
On turn
1 as much
of
the
British force
at
St. Johns as possible should move
on
Ticonderoga , whether by Bateau
or
force
march
(preferably the former).
If you
can t get 3-2 odds on
the
fort
the first move, besiege it until the rest
of
the
force
at
St.
Johns
catches up. West
Point and Ft
Constitution should be crushed immediately
at 4-1
or
bet te r. Send a modes t force
to
sea
to threaten
Philadelphia.
What
you
can t attack
immediately,
threaten
by force marching a force toward it. What
youmust
keep in mind
is that
for thefirst two British
turns, you outnumber the American 2-1. Use
that
superiority
to
flush the colonists
outof
thearea,
and
then
entrench, keeping a mobileforce busy pursuing
and har ra ss ing the Amer icans . The las t
turn is
critical, as you
must
anticipate where
your oppo
nent will strike and move
your
mobile force there
to
meet him.
Then
when the colonists
attack,
YOU
can
now choose the propermoment to break off
combat
and
win
MERIC NS This
is
a c lassical exercise in
how to win by running like a
jackrabbit.
You are
initially confronted by numerically superior, con
centrated British Regulars. Where practicable, you
should avoid comba t. Whe reve r possibl e,
you
should
break off combat
if t he Br it ish force it
on
you. (Bearing in mind,
of
course, the ever present
possibility
of your opponent
catching you with a,
frontal assault). Philadelphia
is
the city in a
most
vulnerable posit ion for a
hit-and-run
raid. It
can
also serve as a
good
place f or a concen tr ate d
American as it has few easyavenues
of
approach for
the British.
Terrain and an
aggressive British player
will often dictate
that
you
have two,
and
possibly
three striking forces in being. Simply staying out
of
reach
is·not
enough.
You
must continually force
march , threa tening a diffe rent c ity each t ime,
or
attacking
a ci ty in
order to draw
the striking force
of
the Bri ti sh in
that
direction.
Try not to
be
drawn
into prolonged combat before the last turn, as this
just
plays
into
the
hands
of
the British.
Your
last
turn
decides your victory
or
defeat. When you do
attack,
remember
that
it
is
in the British interests to
break off combat.
SCENARIO
#3: GREEN S
SOUTHERN
CAMPAIGN-1780
BRITISH: In
this situation the British are really
hurting.
Although
the American forces confronting
you are scattered over much
of
the board, the use of
theinverted decoys by the Americans inconjunction
with the special
Rain
rule
is
going to make effective
pursuit
of
t he colonial s nex t
to
impossible.
In
addition, you do not have a decisive superiority in
number s (19 British
and Tory
factors
to
15
American, not counting the two CA rein
forcements). This means
that
you must, ineffect, go
on
a search
and
destroy
hunt
against suspected
colonial positions
on
the first two or three moves in
order
to do any damage to the Amer ic ans before
they can retreat
and
reassemble.
It is
suggested
that
you give priority
to
the Continental
troops
around
Cheraw,
and
if possible, Thickety
Fort.
Once these
are eliminated, the remaining militia
must
wait for
CA
reinforcements
on turn
4
or
else fight you
at
a
disadvantage.
On your
last turn you should either be
entrenched
or
for ti fied in
Savannah,
Augusta,
Camden,
Charleston, and Ninety-Six. Forget
about
Hillsboro. You simply
do
no t have the
troops
to
adequately defend six cities, especially since
you
will
probably have only one supply if you succeeded in
destroying the Continentals
at
Cheraw.
If
the
Americans
cannot
reach a
town
even
on
thelast
turn
by force marching,
abandon
it. You simply have
to
make sure the American
can t
reach it. As in the
Saratoga
campaign, it
is
in
your
best interests
to
break off combat
when the Amer icans a tt ack,
bearing in mind
that
the American
commander
will
realise this also.
Just
keep in mind the axiom, He
who defends everything, defends nothing.
AMERICAN:
This situation
is
a draw
at
worst for
the Colonists,
and
possibly a win. As
at Saratoga,
you should strive
to
keep from becoming embroiled
with the British in the early going.
Your
biggest aids
are going to be rain
and
yourdecoys. You should be
force marching every turn to stay ou t
of
reach and
withdraw to Charlot te to pick up reinforcements
and occupy Hillsboro if you have not yet done so.
As
soon
as possible
(turn
4
at
the latest) move
toward
the five ci ties with
your
assembled forces
and supply(s). The later you wait to move, thefewer
cities you will be in range to
a tt ack on turn 5,
making
your
opponents'
job on
defense easier. You
hold the key to vic tory on turn 5
SCENARIO
#4:
VIRGINIA-YORKTOWN
CAMPAIGN-
1781
BRITISH:
Besides being the longest of the 4
scenarios,
9
turns) this
is
the only scenario where
the British have to contend with a numerical ly
superior Franco-American player (FA for short).
At
the
start
there are relatively few forces
on
either
side, which
is
good for the British as what few
colonials exist are located in Baltimore (Exception:
1
RM
guards the commerce
counter at
Petersburg).
For
the f irst 6 turns the Bri ti sh have numerical
superiority over the FA. It should bea simple
matter
for the Bri ti sh
to
be able
to
destroy the commerce
counters
at
Charlotte and Petersburg simply
because the
FA
must force
march
6
MP to
temporarily stop you. The
attendant
risks in force
marching
that
far, (especially with a
1/6
chance
of
success) the possibility
of
losing half
your
force
and
also being without supply, make it more likely
that
the
FA
will concentrate
on
delaying
your
destruc
t ion o f
th e o ther two counter s
at
Richmond
and
Charlot tesvil le . Even so,
your
additional rein
forcements shoul d enable you
to
des troy the
remaining counters and prepare to face the
FA
t hrea t on turn 7.
One
of
these preparations should
be the construction
of
a fort
at
Portsmouth.
The
main reason
is
that after the destruc tion
of
the
commerce counters, the sole Bri ti sh object ive
is
preservation
of
the army. The
FA
should be able to
get no better than 1-1 odds on
your
position, adding
one to t he die roll for the adv an tag e
of
the
extra
artillery unit the
FA
will have.
(I t
takes one artillery
uni t t o const ruct a for t, among
other
things. See
rules
under
fortifications.)
If
you
don tthink
the
FA
PAGE
is
going
to
roll a
no
effect in
about
2 dozen die rol
.
on
turn 9 you receive your biggest rei
forcements.
That is
when you move
your
enti
combat force (excluding Arty. units) well into t
a rea def ined by the scenario for vic tory
and
awa
the FA.
When
the
FA
attacks, provided you hav
your
2-3 ratio, you again play for the prop
moment to
withdraw
and
win
FRANCO-AMERICAN:
First
on
t he list
priorit ies for the
FA
is delaying the destruction
your commerce counters for as long as possible.
O
course, this would require
that
you
stand and
fig
instead
of
run
as in previous scenario
Nevertheless, you
must
take
your
chances.
Wou
you prefer rolling the die for 2 dozen
turns or
less
didn t
think so. Should you fail
to
prevent t
destruction
of
the counter s, t ry
to
destroy h
construction
of
his for t, as
that
is
what
enables h
to
s tan d up to you in equal
combat at
all.
Shou
you succeed, remember
that
the British will try
break combat
if he has his 2-3 ratio in comb
points. §
P NZER LITZ
OOKLETS
After hundreds of requests for it we'v
finally
publ ished the
be st o f
the
GENERAL
many art icles on PANZERBLITZ-convention
wargaming's all time bes t sel le r.
Entitle
Wargamer's
Guide to PANZERBLITZ ,
initiates and mayvery well end t he Best of th
GENERAL
series as no other game has bee
t he targe t of a comparable volume
of
l itera
attention.
The 36
pp.
manual
resembles very much a
issue
of
the GENERAL except that
it
is devote
100%
to PANZERBLITZ The
articles
are take
almost exclusively from
back
issues, dating
far back as 1971. In addition,
two
never befo
published
articles appear;
Robert Harmon
Commanders Notebook
which
analyzes th
original 12 scena ri os , plus Phil Kosnet
Chopperbl i tz -a
hypothetical variant
utili
ing helicopters
with
six
new
scenarios.
Reprints include Larry McAneny 's Th
Pieces
of Panzerbli tz
-voted
the
best
artic
ever to appear in the GENERAL Beyon
Situation 13 - twe lve
additional
scenarios
Robert
Harmon;
Parabl itz ; Panzernach
Blind Panzerblitz ; Situation 13 ; Cham
onship
Situations ;
Panzerblitz Concea
ment ; and Incremental Panzerblitz. To
ping it all of f is a complete l isting of
all
erra
on the
game
published to date
where
th
Opponents Wanted Page once ruled
suprem
The
Wargamer's
Guide to PANZERBLI
sells for 3.00 plus 50C postage
and
handli
charges
from
the
Avalon
Hil l Game Compan
4517 Harford
Rd. Baltimore,
MD 2121
Maryland
residents add
5
state sales tax.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 30/44
FIGHT TH
FINNISH
DIPLOM TI STR TEGY IN THE F R NORTH
Walter Buchanan
our
resident DIPLOM CY
editor has
picked
Tom
Hubbard s article to serve as
the first pure
study of game
tactics to appear in the
EN ER L on this relatively recent acquisition.
This
high praise indeed
for
Mr.
Hubbard
when
yo u
consider the
hundreds
of articles which have
appeared on this classic
game
over the years. Walt
Buchanan has seen
them
all
and
chose this selection
whichfirst appearedin thefirst issue of Buchanan s
DIPLOM CY
WORLD
The Scandinavian provinces consist of four
supply centers : St.
Petersburg,
Norway, Sweden,
and
Denmark, as well a s one non-center, Finland.
These five spaces
form
a dis tinct,
separate,
and
easily-defended block of centers,
control
of which s
virtually essential
t o the
victories
of three
players,
and
virtually
unobtainable
by t he other four.
St. Petersburg and Denmark are the only spaces
that
may
be
attacked
by armies
from
the outside. A
land attack must therefore be channelled through
one
of
these
two
provinces.
And
yet , St.
Petersburg
only borders on two inland provinces, while
Denmark only
bounds
one. A player whose forces
will be
composed mainly of
armies,
then, must
send
them into this
area
quickly, or he could easily find
his approaches blocked.
Fleets, thus, are essential
t o t he cap tu re
of this
area. Every land province borders on at least one sea
space, whi le Denmark
borders
four.
Moreover,
every space in or
adjacent to
these provinces, with
the sole
exception
of
Moscow, may
beoccupied bya
fleet. A pl ayer who finds his land
approaches
blocked might sti ll be able
to
convoy his armies into
position.
Russia
s
obviously the most
disadvantaged
player here. He has only
onecenter
in which
to
build
fleets,
compared
with
Germany s two
and
England s
t hr ee . He s perhaps most likely
to
need his uni ts
elsewhere, which will in turn necessitate his building
armies instead of fleets. He has little cause to ally
with
either England
or
Germany,
since a
pact
with
the latter would l imit his frontier , while an English
all iance will require Russia
to
send
armies
through
the Polish
Corridor,
dangerously neglecting his
Balkan flank. French neutrality s also desired, since
a th ree -way
anti-Germany
pact will result in
minimal profit and much waste of t ime in sending
the victorious
armies
elsewhere. Russia has
poten
tial in the Nor th , but his
advantage
will decrease
with time. Either
Germany or
England will wax as
the
other
wanes-or
they
might
be
cooperating
against
France,
which means they ll
probably
take
the Russkies on next.
The
standard anti-English
opening
of F StP
Bot, A Mos-StP can be expanded upon in the fa ll
w it h A StP-Fin and F Bot-Swe. I f the Engli sh have
fallen for the feint and
supported
the ir move t o
Norway,
they
are
l ef t with only
one
build, which
makes
them
strategically vulnerable to the
French
or Germans.
Even ifthe English
do
second-guess
the
move, a fleet built on the North
Coast
of St.
Petersburg can effectively guarantee Norway and
can a lmos t
insure
no fur ther
Engli sh progress in
Scandinavia. If another player in the South
can
be
i nduced to
prevent English
incursions
onto the
Continent, Russia can then concentrate fully on the
Balkans, and
worry about Denmark
when it sui ts
him.
Of course, there s a ser ious r isk here that every
Russian
player
shoul d k now about-namely,
Turkey and
Austria.
The
Balkans are inevitably a
source of contention with players quick to take
advantage
of
another s
weakness.
Perhaps the
best
tactical complement to the above moves would be a
prearranged bounce
in the Black Sea,
and Ukraine
instead of Galicia, so as no t
to
antagonize the
Austrians. Tactics alone, however, can guarantee
nothing. This set s fairly risky,
though
safer than
some which have pai d off, and should
under
no
circumstances be tried unless the Russian is sure he
s secure in the South, and th at at least one of the
other players will have Italy
t o con tend
with.
Dip lomacy , t he name of the game, s f ar mor e
valuable to
a p la ye r
than any amount o f
tactical
skill.
As
far
as
Scandinavia s concerned, Germany s
the second weakest player
of thethree (orthe
second
strongest, ifyou re Germany). You can, ifnecessary,
bui ld two fleets in home centers second-closest to
t he a ct ion.
Your t radi tional
first-year center,
Denmark can be knocked
out
by a
supported
attack
in 1902 (but then, Russia fears the same),. You can
bet ter afford to
wait,
though,
if a
stalemate can
be
maintained in the North. If you d
rather
soften the
Frenchup
first, this
can
be
done-and
will help
your
chances in Scandinavia if you remember to build at
least one more fleet. You can pr obabl y cou nt o n
English aid for bot h o f these plans.
On
the other
hand, an attack on England s probably the best way
to throw
these provinces away. Russia will
want to
get in on the act ion, and even i fhe takes your side,
he ll still
want
Norway. He l l be able to
hold
it,
too,
while using the
extra
unit elsewhere.
y
the t ime
England s
been
dealt
with, you
may
be
too
late
to
knock out the Russians.
An
English campaign will
build up your navy, though. I don t meanto say that
it s impossible
to take
all of
Scandinavia
if
England
s attacked first, but I do believe an a tt ack on
England to
be the
German
strategy
most
likely
to
cost you Scandinavia.
The
first-year
opening most
favored by the
German
with designs on Scandinavia is the Balt ic
Opening.
In the spring,
you
move F Kie-Bal and A
Ber-Kie. The safest
southern
move s probably
Mun-Ruh, as
you want,
if
at
all possible,
to
guarantee
yourself a second build. Then, in the fal l,
s end A Kie -Den , F Ba l-Bot and A Ruh-Hol. This
should
give
you
two
more
centers, with
at
least
one
of
them
guaranteed.
The army
in the Ruhr
can
also
drop back to cover Munich-supported from Kiel
if
absolutely
necessary (i.e., if
there are
unfriendly
units in
both
Burgundy and Tyrolia). Assuming all
goes well, t hough, t he a rmi es in Hol land and
Denmark reassure the English, whose fleet
Norway
s of obvious value.
The
Russians,
who
have
probably opened
with
the Gulf of Bothnia, are given two poor alternatives
for t he
fall:
either
Sweden
or
the Baltic.
If
they try
the latter,
nothing
moves, but the
German
gets two
builds and
can guarantee
himselfSweden
next
year.
If
the Russians t ry to take Sweden, they get a build
but
a suppo rt ed German a tt ack can t ake it away,
while
the
fleets in
Norway and
the
Gulf
of
Bothnia
can press St. Petersburg. A second
German
fleet can
cover
the Baltic
and
later
convoy
units east.
THE GENER L
by Tom Hubbard
England s usually more willing t o wor k wi
Germany against
Russia than vice versa.
Germa
can
also be
of
help
against France,
while
t
conquered German homeland could
easily
becom
the setting for a
Russian-French
stab.
Germanyc
also be more easily kept
under
control by t
English,
and
i f necessary, Engl and and e ith
Austria
or Italy
can
limit
German growth
on
France
and/ or Russia have been dispatched.
When England looks at Scandinavia,
she s
an
exterior, composed
of
Norway,
the
Skag
rak, and the North, Norwegian and Barents Se
These spaces she effective ly controls.
But t
interior spaces, Sweden, Finland, the Gulf
Bothnia
and
the
Baltic Sea,
must
also be considere
To get f rom one to the other s often tricky, bu t the
are
ways.
The t hre e
spaces
that
fleets
can
pa
through,
Sweden, Denmark, and Kiel, are certain
be well pro tected by their owner. Of these thr
Sweden is generally the
most
susceptible. A gulli
German may agree to support the Engl ish
exchange for
Belgium
or some
such),
not
realiz
that he s eventually going to regret t ha t. An
arm
convoyed to Norway,
and
then
dropped
to Finla
s
another way of getting
into
Sweden.
If
t
Englishman can t ime this properly, he can frig
en /
force
Russians to
support St.
Petersburg
holding-and
not
cutting
the
Finnish
support fo
Nwy-Swe. Even a single fleet inside Scandinavi
of immense value
to the Britons-and
a ser io
threat
to bot h o f the others.
Three coastal centers, two fleets at the gam
outset, and
an unexposed position
give
England
overwhelming advantage in Scandinavia. If Fran
and Italy
can
be
persuaded to
fight
each other ,
North
s
as good as taken.
Both Germany and Russia would be far happ
to
ally with
England
than with one
anoth
Ge rmany ca n coopera te with England in t
directions, while
Russia can mount
a
land
offens
through Polandwhile England makes an amphibi
attack. Thus, neither of them will get in each othe
way.
There are actually two different English op
ings,
both
of which
a re known
as
the Church
Opening. The first is F
Lon-Nth,
F Edi-Nwg,
Liv-Yor; the second sends Liverpool to Edinbur
Each
of these has i ts own merits, but I will disc
only the first here, since it adds a modicum of saf
to
a God-awfully risky fall sequence.
There are about a zil lion things that could
wrong,
and
if
you
get nailed unexpectedly, this
p
could
leave
you pretty badly
exposed.
In
Fall 19
send F Nwg-Bar, and convoy A Yor-Nwy. T
gives you one, count it, one bui ld . However
virtually
guarantees you
St.
Petersburg,
and w
probably
cost the Russians Sweden as well. a
forces the Russians
to
build in St.
Petersburg,
wh
i sn t t he bes t thing in
the
world for England,
which ought t o make someone else grateful.
I see t he main
drawback
to this
plan
as the n
for a rock-solid all iance with Germany. If Italy g
for Serbia, the
Germans
will need
to
put consid
able first-year pressure on France. A Ruh S F H
Bel in the fal l
should,
at
the
very least, keep Belgi
open
and
limit the French to one build. If
Germans do
get Belgium,
there s
a
neutral cen
tucked safely behind the lines for Eng land to
t
later, plus the added available support i nt o
Channel. One
army
in Denmark, plus some skil
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 31/44
TH G N R L
P G
d ip lo ma cy s ho ul d lull Russian SUspiCions long
en ou g h t o swing so met hi n g u p No rt h . German y can
do
quite
well by t hi s plan in fac t.
Th e
Russians
c ou ld t hr ow
things
awry by
moving A M o s-S tP . T h is wo ul d force E n gl and t o
gamble
on
the
supported Co nv o y. Fa il i ng to
take
t he B ar en ts
Sea early could seriously jeopardize
Norway
the
only English
beachhead.
If
the
Ru ss i an s h a ve
g on e t o F in la nd
an d built
another
fleet the English could be in serious trouble and
must of necessity depend
on
an
attack
o n W arsaw or
S ev as to po l t o d is tr ac t t he
Russians.
A
German
move on
Warsaw could be
anice ace-in-the-hole or
failing t ha t t he T ur ks o r A us tr ia ns w ou ld n t be
likely
to
miss such
an
opportunity.
A French move t o t h e Ch an n el co ul d also throw
t he p la n
off
bu t would no t
injure
the
English badly.
T he a rm y in Yo rk s hi r e c o ul d c o ve r London while
Belgium an d
Norway
are
taken
with Russia
forgotten for
the
moment. The English
could
simply
s hift s tra te g ie s a nd c on ce ntr at e on F ra nc e first
while gradually
building
up in
the
North.
E n gl and can affo rd t o
wait an d
take Scandinav
ia
when
he a nd t he rest of the b o ard are ready. The
G er ma n c an sometimes do likewise but must be
mu ch mo re
careful
a s h e may n o t be
able
t o sp are t he
units to m ake his move
when
he
wants
to. The
balance
ca n easily be tipped an d spoil the German s
chances.
Russia
ca n
do quite
well in
an early
b
but i f h e t ri es to wait his
chances
fade
rapidly
as
other
two
become stronger. Still Russia
must
t
to
his southern
flank
first a nd may not be
able
spare th e units in time. It possible especially
G er m an y a n d Russia for a
player
to win with
controlling all f ou r o f these centers b u t n o t likely
great n um b er o f tactical
options
are
possible
b
at the
game s beginning
a nd a t any time
thereaf
bu t essentially they all consist
of
getting as
m
units
i nt o t he a r ea as possible with heavy emph
on fleets.
SED ON ON OFTH EST OOKS OF TH YE R
TH OOK
O
LISTS
G M
The 10 worst
f ilms of all
time
7
f amous men who
died virgins
10
sensational thefts
15
famous event
that
happened
in a
bathtub
20 famous high school dropouts
9
breeds
of
dogs
that b ite the
most
10 doctors who t ri ed to get away with murder
The
12
worst human
fears
Plus
much, much morel
contributes toward
the
development
of nuances
play,
especially
where bluffing becomes a key tact
move.
Lists on every
subject
imaginable involv
people, places,
happenings
and things
.. prepa
by Ann Landers , Johnny Cash, Bing Crosby, Jea
Dixon, Dr. Margaret Mead, Charles
M
Schulz. P
Gene
Kel ly, A rnol d Palmer , and
dozens
of
ot
famous people.
Now available in books to res, toy and gam
stores, and better
department
stores in
stationery
direct from
The
Avalon Hill Game Company
10
re
Here s a tas te o f what y ou get
in
the game:
Nowa
GAME
by
The
Avalon Hill Game Company,
world s 1 publisher
of
strategy
and leisure
time
games
l
The BOOK OF LISTS game is bo th a strategy
game that
can
be pl ayed in an
atmosphere
of
cutthroat competition
or at a l ei surel y pace
among
f riends and at parties
l
Whichever,
the
focal
points of
the
game
ar e the same lists
appearing
in the 1
bestseller book of the same name. Each list plus
new
ones
not in the book,
appear
in the
game
on cards, but
in random
sequence so
you-the player-don t know
the real-li fe
order
of
preference
Win with knOWledge, intuit ion, and a bit of bluff ing
..
The object
of the
game
is to
correctly guess
the
exact ranking of a particular i tem. For example, let 's
assume
you
draw
the
card
that lists 14 Worst
Human
Fears . A roll of th e dice might requi re you to s ta te
where
flying ranks.
You might therefore
play
your
chip
to
indicate
you think flying is the 3rd wo rs t
human
fear
Other p layers do
l ikewise, bett ing on the
ranking of
f lying . The answer
is t hen revea led by a
flip to t he
answer
si de of t he card. He who
guesses
right'wins the pot.
Fearof
flying
happens
to be the th
worst human fear.
Lists on every
subject
imaginable
Lest you think the game plays itself out
once
you
run
through
the cards, think again. Not
even
a
Mensa
Society member could memorize over 1,500 items in
exact
order.
Knowledge
of
certain
rankings
actually
Rank Title
1978
AVALON HILL BEST
SELLERS
BEST SELLER LISTS
As
ou r
recent
custom
we proudly present
the
sales rank i ng s fo r
the
Avalon Hill game line
based o n t ot al s f or ou r 1978 Fiscal Year which
began
in Ma y 78
an d
ended
April
1979. Titles
indicated by an
asterisk
indicate that they were not
available during the full fiscal
ye ar d ue t o
recent
introduction.
Figures
for the AL L
TI
M E list
include all versions
of the
game sold t o d ate which
in some cases GETTYSBURG D-DA
FOOTBA
LL
STRA
TEG
ma y include as many
a s fiv e different editions. Titles ar e placed
on
the
AL L T IME list
only
after
having
s old in e xc es s of
1 00 0 00 c op ies while u nd er A va lo n Hill
owner
s hi p. S al es r an ki ng s d o
no t include
sales
made
w hi le i n
the
hands of a
different publisher.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 32/44
PAGE
A.H. Philosophy ontinued from
g
Col 3
But what does it hurt to pay homage to the
designer,
you
ask? Nothing
and
in
all
of
my
ads fo r
T GENERAL
I i nvar iably l is t
the
designer. In addition, they are listed in the
rulebook
with
the
other
credits, but that 's where
management draws
the 1ine.
Understandably, the company directs that
part of
its
advert ising aimed beyond the limits of
the
hobby hard corps to
promote the
qualities of
valon
Hill uppermost-not
a
name
designer.
The
rationale is
both
simple
and logical. AH sells
t he b ulk o f its p rod uc ts outside t he rea lm o f
the
hobby
as
the average GENERAL
reader
perceives that term. To such casua l p layers a
James Dunnigan
or John Hill
are
not readi ly
recognizable
names
and certainly no t
a selling
feature.
Within the hobby,
such a byline mayor
may
not
be
recognizable, but does
just as
much
to
sell
that designer's work on a competing
p roduct . The re fo re , AH
refrains
from
l isting
byl ines on i ts boxcovers, preferring to stress the
image of
the publ isher-AVALON
HILL-as
opposed to that of
a
specific
designer
/develop
er. Thi s hol ds true fo r
in-house
designers as
well.
The
image of the company remains
above
that
of
its component parts. Thi s l as t
bi t
of
company strategy is no t without i ts detractors
among
our R&D
Dept. After all, mom
wDuldget
a
kick ou t
of
seeing
he r boy,
the author up there
on
the shelves. Yet, as a publisher AH takes the
position that the company image is paramount.
An
Ava lon H il l game
should
mean qual i ty to the
consumer, regardless o f
the
personalities
involved.
That
we don' t stress that
a
fel low who
happens to work fo r a different game company
designed the
product
is simply good
business
sense.
And
in
case
a ny of
you
st il l labor
under
the misconception that AH is a crusade
of
starving
zealots wh o
have devoted their
lives
to
improving
wargaming you are sa dly disillu
sioned. We mayyetstarve,
thankstodoubledigit
inflation,
but
A va lon H il l is a business
and
businesses exist
to
make money.
THR N W R L S S
I can't end this column without a fe w words
on
our three
new t it les advertised in
the
special
inser t o f
this issue. A ll th re e are multi-player
fantasy/science f ict ion t itles with beaut iful art
treatment. DUNE and
WIZARD S Q UEST
are
immensely enjoyable
non-complicated
games
which have a h ig h deg ree o f p la ya bilit y and
easily fi t i nto the fam ily mode
of
playa
la
RAIL
B RON or
RISK
M GIC RE LM yes,
it 's
actually
done ) is
a
role playing
game
with
a
great deal of complexi ty fed to you in bits via
Programmed Instruction. It is
no t
fo r
the casual
player. The full sca le version makes SQU D
LEADER
look
like
checkers in comparison. If
you
are
a
D
D enthusiast wh o thrives on
endless
game systems,
you'll
love
M GIC
REALM
ORDER PHONE
We will now accep t
game orders
by phone
fr om tho se i nd iv idu al s
with
currently
valid
MASTERCHARGE, BANKAMERICARD
(VISA), or
AMERICAN EXPRESS
credit cards.
The
number
to
call
is
301-254-5300.
Ask
forClo
e w t o n ~
or ext. 34 and state that you wish
to
place
an order
for
a game:
You
must give
the ordertaker
the number, expiration
date,
and
name
of your
credit card a long with you r o rder and shipping
address.
Phone
orders
are
available
every Mon
day-Friday
from
8:30 AM to 5 PM. Absolutely no
collect phone calls can be accepted.
October 1st
Kamikazee
Finally,
The Ultimate
in
Simulation Gaming
Pilot a Japanese
B5N2 Ka te ,
a G4M I
Betty, an
A6M3 Zero,
and
more.
Select
targets froma
wide
variety
of task forces. Fly the
mission
f rom take-of f to
suicidal
finish.
This is
no t
a game of
luck,
but one of skill
and ingenuity.
Game comes compl et e with
fully
operat ional cockpit ,
realistic
instrument panel, an d electronic
scorer.
Optional
exp lo si ve end . Aut hent ic Japanese flight suit
also
available at
a
slight
extra
cost.
Pu t together by a
highly
acclaimed computer
company,
this is no r ip -o ff wargame. And for only $5,499 (postage
included),
y ou can 't
afford
to
pass
this
one
up.
Order
now
Send check
or
money
order to:
Stimulating
Simulations, Inc.
P.O.
Box
100
Ecstasy, Minnesota 00100
Please a ll ow f ou r t o
six
months for delivery.
(Min imum amoun t o f assembly required)
ecember 26t h
Wearing an authent ic Japanese fli ght s ui t, a
white rac ing
scarf,
and b rand
new
penny
loafers,
Mr. James Shonora
stepped into
the cockpit.
After
checking ou t the
controls,
he began to empty the
sma ll , b la ck gym bag
he
had brought with
him. A
plastic
Jesus
was put on top of the instrument panel.
A Jefferson High School tassle, year 54, was stuck
t o t he
top
of the cockpit
with a p iece
of clear scotch
tape. A box o f kleenex, a comb, and an air-sick bag
were
placed on the f loor between
his legs . Lastly, a
heart-shaped cushion
was placed
on
the seat.
Mr.
Shonora
looked up
at
some imaginary
clouds,
pronounced We
who are
about
to
die
salute
you , saluted, kissed t he J esus , thr ew the gym bag
out,
and closed
thecockpit. The
engines
caught.
The
cockpit began to shake frantically. The plastic cross
fell
o ff t he
instrument
panel.
The noise
became
deafening. Mr.
Shonora threw
up.
THE GENERAL
By
Allan Moon
Several
minutes
later, and slightly paler, he to
off. Perfectly.
His quarry was a task force reported to cont
four Essex class carr iers . One of those would be
target.
The
computer
had punched
ou t
a
perfect
d
for
his
purposes
as
clouds
covered
the
sky from
thousand feet up.
An
hou r a nd
a half
ou t
from
the
field,
M
Shonora spotted
a l arge
group of ships throug
hole in theclouds. Knowingthe American
radar
h
undoubtedly a lr ea dy p icked h im up, t he re was
time for hesitation.
With
the stick full forward,
came ou t
of
t he c louds in a near vertical di
passing
several fighters on CAP
just below the clo
line. They didn't even have a
chance
to get off a sh
At
five hundred feet,
Mr.
Shonora
picked
ou
carrier
to his left, and banked towards it. AA
bur
were
everywhere, bu t
he was
untouched
so far .
cou ld r ead the wri ting
on
the tower now U
Intrepid and
he
could
see
men sca tte ring on de
He closed his eyes.
Fifty yards
from
the ship,
an
AA
burst fina
found its target.
Hitting
the lef t wing, it
threw
p lan e h ar d
to
th e right, missing t he tower , a
c ra sh ing into the
deck. Exploding
on
contact,
plane
then
slid across
the rear elevator
and over
side.
The scoring
console
lit
up NO
MAJO
DAMAGE, 33 POINTS, STAND-BY FO
STYLE POINTS.
The
seconds
passed.
Th
STYLE POINTS-931. Mr. Shonora smiled. T
cockpit blew up.
January 13th
ITE M: The Stimulating Simulations Co. today recal
its
latest game, Kamikazee d ue t o
a
malfunction
in
t
game's scoring
system.
Owners of the game
should
no t
a larmed though because the p rob lem repor tedly, in
way
affects the
safety
o f t he g ame.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 33/44
Letters to the Editor
THE GENERAL
Dear Mr. Greenwood:
I am
greatly
disturbed
bythe
comment in
Part
70
of t he AH Phi lo sophy, Nov -Dec
1978, that
future SL gamettes
will be
held
in
abeyance
pending further sales evaluation. I hope
that
isn t
a pol it e way
of
abandoning
the
project. I m ai l
ordered COlon t he day
I received notice
of
its
availaGility and will do
the
same for every
future
gamette. SL
is far and
away thegreates t wargame
I have
ever
played in my 20
year
career.
SL
was
billed as a game where any small unit action in the
war
could
be recreated.
Don t back
o ff o n
that
promise
now
I m s ur e t he re may
be
other SL
freaks l ik e me
who aredis turbed by
this possibili-
ty.
Perhaps
it
would
be
helpful
if
you
clarified
that
statement
in a
future philosophy.
On
my enclosed
RBG for
COl, my
major
gripe is really
on components,
i.e.,
t ha t t he AFV
counters are
difficult
to read. The problem may
be
that the
counters
are
too glossy,
or
maybe
colored
too
darkly . Youcan barely
see
the
vehicle
outline
at
all
and
have
great
difficulty
readingthe numbers
on t he count er . O ther t han
that
I am pleased as
punch
with COl.
Problems
with the ru les were
to
be
expected, but overall t hey are quit e
clean
and
understandable.
One
l o n g ~ t n d i n g gripe I have is
AH s
reluctance to publish
a
good desert WWII
tactical
game. I thought TOBRUKwould fill the bill, bu t it
didn t. Only
engineers
or someone who
gets
offon
gun size and armor thickness would like TO
BRUK. TOBRUKcould have
beenagood game
if
the designer had taken
the t ime
t o put
in
terrain.
I
kept waiting for a desertgame like PB but it never
happened.
I
would
b e a ll for a
desert gamette of
SL,
called
The Desert
Fox. t
would probably
be
a b ig sel le r.
J im Roche
Spokane , WA
Never fear, more SL gamettes are on the way
(sigh).
CRESCENDO
OF
DOOM
is s ti ll in the
works . The
problem is not our
abandoning the
project but my inability to resist the temptation to
keep building on to t he gamet te s. What were
originally envisioned as simple projects are now
becoming
bigger monsters than the originalgame
itself.
CRESCENDO
will
no t
be disappointing in
that
respect-ending
up larger than CROSS OF
IRON in just about all categories. I m afraid I ll
h ave t o
back down on my
earlier promises that
subsequentgamettes will sellfor less than
$12,
but
am
confident thatthe product willjustify theprice.
When f ini sh ed, the SL gamet te s w il l t ru ly
compr ise a
complete gaming
s ys tem in whi ch
virtually any small scale action can be recreated.
The price y ou pay f or this
is more
money and
longer delays. Yes, I m afriadthat CRESCENDO
will
not
be a va il abl e as
promised
in June. I
applaud
the delay, however, because it meansthat
it (hopefully) will be
done
right thefirst t ime with
no need
for
a 2nd edition rule
book.
As
to thedesert game you seek,players willbe
able to devise their ownfrom the variousgamettes.
CRESCENDO
will include the entire British
OB
and
wemay be willingto offerspecialfeaturessuch
as new boards and
scenariosfrom
t imeto t imeasa
service to GENERAL subscribers. The
third
gamette willfeaturethe Americans and be entitled:
G./.: ANVIL OF VICTORY. Thefourthandfinal
boxed
gamette in the series will be entit led
SAMURAI and deal with the Pacific Theatre.
Dear Mr. Greenwood,
I have been a subscriber to the General for
about one year
now. In th is time,
there
have been a
number
of
things
that have p leased me as wel l as
irritated
me.
Firs t , the
gripes.
The
biggest
beef
is
the publishing schedule for THE G
EN
ERA L
Havingjust read
the
new issue, Iwas glad
to
see an
explanation given
f or t he
late
publication date.
Although I do unders tand the problems that you
encounter monthly, I feel the Company
mustcome
up
with a
solution.
A v ery v ia bl e
one,
as
you
stated, would
be
to
get
some more
employees.
Or
how about the
addition
of
an
assistant editor?
Despite
anything that management
might say, it is
obv ious t ha t you c annot
give
the
necessary time
and a t tention to both a
designer-developer
and
editor
job.
And
I
personally would hate
to see
you
relinquish
either of these,
because
you aredoing
a
very
good jo b on bot h.
Still
another
gripe,
is
your insistence
on
telling us
when
to
expect
new releases.
Personally,
I'm
getting
sick and tired
of reading about when
TH
E
RISING
S UN will
appear. The point
is, why
do you cons tantly
raise
our hopes that
this
game
wil l b e
published soon?
The
pas t yea r
saw
two
projected dates
for
the publicat ion
of this
game
come and
go. In all honesty, I would
rather that
you t el l us t ha t t he game wil l b e published this
year, ra the r than give us a s pec ific mon th o r
season.
The constant
letdowns only increase my
anger.
And
now I read
that
the
game is undergoing
numerous changes for playabi l ity s sake.
It is my
opinion
that the use of a 22 by 28
mapboard,
for
a
game that
professes
to
cover
in
detail every
a sp ec t o f t he
Pacific
campaign,
is
ludicrous. How in the
name
of MacArthur, is the
island of Iwo Jima
going
to be
portrayed on
a scale
of one
hex
equals
150 miles.
t
will
probably
be a
do t t h e size of a pinhead. I sympathize with Larry
Pinsky
and Frank Davis
and
all the
trouble
they've
gone through.
But guys,
the
way t he
game
is
evo lv ing now, it will be little more than an
advanced
version
of VICTORY
I NTHE
PACIF
IC And
I simply
won t
buy it.
Oh
well, I 'l l
just
have to
hope
that somehow Tokyo Express or
Imphal
will f ind
their
ways
into your publicat ion
plans.
Well,
now that
I've
caused
everyone s morale
to
break,
I 'd like to
try
and rally you. First,despite
the publicat ion problems,
the
GENERAL
is still
heads
above the competition. I think
you
havejust
the
right blend
of material to
keep it interestingfor
everyone.
And whenever
I r ec ei ve a n ew i ss ue it
really
makes
my day. So keep
up
the good
work.
Second,
I am
absolutely
ecstatic
over
the
an
nounced plans
for
BULGE.
Although
I m
sure
you ll receive all
sorts of hate
from
BULGE
devotees, I
think
the new mapboard
and
the rule
changes will
make
this
game
fantastic. I will be
anxiously awaiting
its
publication. t
also
sounds
like Randy Reed is doing a
fantastic jo b
on THE
LONGEST
DA
Tell him I've
got
my check all
ready
to go, no
matter what
the cost.
And
f in al ly , I
have read
with
much
interest
the ongoing
battle
between
Richard
Shagrin and
David
Bottger. I
propose
that the two combatants
be
matched against
each
other
in a
game ofThi rd
R ei ch. It
would
once and for a ll s et tl e
their
differences
over
possible strategies,
and ifused
as a
Series Replay
should make for interesting and
enjoyable
reading.
By
the way, I 'l l
put
my
money
on
Mr. Bottger.
Ed Kovach
South Bend, Indiana
I s up po se I h av e be en remiss in
not
com
mentingfurther
on the seeminglyconstant lateness
of the magazine. Many of you complain that our
circulation department
is out
to get you because
you don t receive the magazine until two months
after the supposed publication date. The truth oj
the matter is that THE
GENERAL is
constanti
v
late and NEVER mai led prior to the end oj th e
secondmonth
of
thepublicationdate. When they
are mailed, virtually alloj the magazines go
out
at
approximately the same t ime-no one gets
preferent ia l t reatment . D ispari ties in del ivery
times is s tr ic tly a
puzzle
of t he Po st Of fi ce s
creation. The magazine
is
constantlJ late because
o f twofactors. First, we area captiveorganization
owned b y a print ing company with constant
demands on its press time. THE
GEN
ERA L often
takesa backseatto otherA valon Hillworksuchas
out of stock gamecomponents. Over theyears, the
EN
ERA L has aivvays been the item which could
be
pushed
back until
next
week to
make
room
fo r
more pressing matters. Thus, it
is
rushed into
production only
when I
am
late in preparing it
The second month oj the publication date has
gradually become the accepted normfor printing
the magazine. Second, THE ENERA L remains
predominantl\ a
one-man
operation. I alone am
responsible f or mos t
of
the editing, writing, illus
trating, and paste-up . . . in ad di ti on to han
dling of/ice correspondance
and working
on
games . When something unexpected intervenes,
s uch as
my
unscheduled
bout
with
pneumonia
back in December things seem to fall a trif7e
out
o f
kilter. o if you want t o see THE ENERA
L
remember
my
health in your prayers.
The above problems ure also
symptomatic of
t he d el ay s we ve exp er ienced in mee ti ng game
publishingdeadlines in thepast year. 978was not
a good year fo r the
stafl
health-wise and illness
took
a heavytoll(we reallgettingto bea crotchetr
bunch of
oldfuddy duddies). We ve always been
understaffed anyway, and this combined wit h a
growing desire on the part of our veteran R D
stafl
not to release a t it le unt il it was something
they
could
really be proud o.j has causedus to miss
a lot o.f
promised
deadlines which were wildly
over-optimistic in the first place.
THE RIS1NG
SUN continues to be a ballbusterin this respect as
veteran de signer Frank Davis will allest. I
guarantee
you
that this
monster
will
not
be merel\
an advanced
VICTORY
1N THE
PACIFIC
Th e
temptation to give in
and jus t
s el l t he t hi ng
regardless o.lplayability has been great, but weare
proud of our record as
game
publishers and will
not
sel l a
box
full
of hardware
which isn't
fun to
p lay. As t o when
t he game
wil l b e available
that s anybody s guess.
Dear Don:
Please f ind enclosed my votes
on
the recent
reader
survey
from
Vol. 15, No.5. I ha ve been
playing wargames solitaire
since
about
1959
never have played face to face) and t he r ecent
letters
printed
in THE
GENERAL
were
quite
humorous.
Imagine,
players owning so many
games, deriving hundreds
of
hours
of pleasure
per
year from wargames, gett ing
a magazine
of
high
quality
such as
THE GENERAL
for a mere $6-
7.50/yearcomplaining of paying
a mere $2 for die
counters.
I am reminded o f previous complaints
by
readers at havingto pay
a
mere
Q:
to
get
their
own personal ads
placed in THE GENERAL.
As a
dermatologist
(there
are
only
about
4,000
or
s o i n
the country),
I know how much it
cos ts t o g et
publications that
have limited audi
ences; the
main journal
costs
about
$24
per year
while
another
costs $50
per
ye ar. I
can t
buy a
book in my field
for
under $50. Do the readers
of
THE
GENERAL
honestly believe
that
the
people
a t Ava lon
Hill
work
for free
and c an
give
away
counters,
etc. What
you
people do has got to be a
labor of
love
(oops, forgot about the complaint
about
corny
phrases)
because the work
is
superb
and t he cos t is minimal.
I
might m ake on e
suggestion. If
at
all
p os si bl e, a G
ENERAL index
would be greatly
appreciated. Whatever the
cos t, I fee l i t
would
be
well
worth
the effort.
By the w ay, I have purchased many variant
counters
for ga:nes I rarely play
or
even have not
worked
all
the
way
through. No,
I
am not
r ich, I
just love t he hobby. Many
of
the games I own 3R
SL, etc.) have rules
so
complicated
I
have
no t
been
abl e t o work t hr ough
them. However , this
does
not dismay
me. I even
purchased CROSS OF
IRON although I have n ot w or ke d t hr ou gh
Scenario
4
of SQUAD
LEADER (God,
those
rules
are complica ted , who
has all
that
t ime t o
work
i t a ll
the
way
out.)
Just
keep
up
the
fantastic
wor k a t
such
reasonable
prices. You guys
are
so
fantastic
that I
have even
p ur ch as ed g ame s j us t t o l oo k a t t he
beautiful counte rs , board and rules
(CROSS
OF
IRON)-amazing
and
fantastic.
From
a guy
who
has
had
a 20
year
love
affair
with
Avalon
Hill, Thanks.
Do n
Holshuh, M.D.
Rocky
River,
OH
Dear Mr.
Greenwood:
Thank
you f or
defending
my
interests
from
Mr. Karoly' s attack (Vol. 15 No.5) on my
Southern flank I happen t o be one of thosecasual
wargamers who WOULD
drive 100miles to play
my favorite game (or watch it being played) . I also
enjoy the feature ar ticle regardless of which game
it is o n. It he lps me to
know whether to
buy
that
g ame o r not. Second, since I 'm not a fanatic , it
helps me to play
better from the
start. I especially
enjoy:
I Your editorials,
which helps
put the world
into perspective.
2 Articles which let me
know what
a
game is
l ike-how
complex,
etc.
(replays aregood for
this)
3 Variations
on games I own .
Ip layup to 4
games
a
month, am
involved in2
pbm
games (one is my first
and
only
AREA
game)
and appreciate
the
efforts
you make
to safeguard
the interests of strictly
AH enthusiasts
s uch a s
myself.
Roger Howe,
M.D.
Mount Shas ta , CA
PAGE
Dear
Readers:
The descript ion of the
new
BA TTLE O
THE BULGE
in Volume
15
No. 4
s tated that th
mapboard was expanded to include the primar
German
objective of Liege. Please excuse
th
typingerror. Actually, the board was expanded t
i nc lu de t he p rima ry G erma n objective o
opportunity-Liege.
Liege was
to
be
skirted,
a
Bastogne was to be
skirted
when held strongl
However, Generalmajor
Fritz
Kraemerplanned t
enter
Liege if the opportunity
presented
itself.
In a related
matter
(i.e.,
the
new BULGE),
would
like to publicly
thank those who
helped
the past
five years with
their
time
and/or thought
Bob
Beyma,
MajorGeneral(Ret .) Charles Horn
(Lt . Col . Horner, CO 16th
Regiment,
1st Infantr
Division, 16 Dec 44), Danny
Parker,
Mick Uh
Dave Roberts,
Joe
Angiolillo, Rich
Hamblen,D
Hugh
Cole ( for
his
bibliography,
Paul
Siragus
Dennis
Vetock,
(US Army
War College),
Hann
Zeidlic (OCMH),
Geo rge Wagne r, (Na ti on
Archives) a nd Gar y Fitzp atr ick (N at io n
Archives Map section).
Bruno
Sinigaglio
Delta Junc t ion , A
As y ou may have guessed , Bruno
is
th
designer
of our
long awaited BATTLE OF TH
BULGE revis ion pro ject . You l l be wai ting a b
longerI m afraidas wecan t release hisdesign
unt
we s el l
out of
existing stocks
of
the origin
BULGE game. This will
mean
a wait of a t least
y ea r whi ch we plan to
put
to good use with
prolonged
by-mail
play
test program.
Dear Avalon
Hill,
Well,
you have
finally arrived.
Your origin
1957 version of
GETTYSBURG
is in t he prou
possession of
the Army R.O.T.C. unit
at
Pennsy
vania State
University.
My three
sons and I ha
many
of
your games, among t hem a re b ot h t
original and
the
newest
version
of
GETTYS
BURG.
Which brings me
t o thepoint
of thislette
When
my oldes t
son
left
f or P enn S ta te
August, he took original GETTYSBURG wi
him. He a ls o w as registered
for Army R.O.T.C
Whi le i n
t he c lass room one
day,
the
Off ice r
charge
was
discussing flanking
moves.
Jam
responded
several times rather intelligently to
t
quest ions put
to
the
class by the
instructor. Aft
class
one day,
the
instructor
called Jim aside
an
asked him how he wasso wellversed on tactics an
maneuvers. Jim
thereupon
told the
instructor
about
playing
Avalon
Hill
war g ames a t h om
with h is
father and two brothers.
The
instructor
asked Jim
to
bring GETTY
BURG to
class fo r t he
next term
and t ha t for
t
advanced course
in logistics,
tactics
and mane
vers,
that
he
would
use
Original GETTYSBUR
as
t he model
for demonstrations and
furth
instructions. Therefore, Avalon
Hil l, as I
said
t he beginning of
my letter,
you
have final
arrived. Since
word of
mouth is
sometimesthe
be
way
to
advertise a
product,
I
t hought t ha t y
would
like to know just
how far
your reputat i
has
been
carried
by others.
I do have one problem, however, wi th yo
games.
For the
longest t ime now, weall have be
wai ting for
some
of
your
order games to
the open market .
Your mail order prices are a l it tl e more th
our budget for
five
peoplecan afford.
Can
you
t
me i f any the
of
three aforementioned games w
be
hitting
the
open
market in
the
near future?
James
Brady
McKeesport,
PA
Our
order line is a source of consta
inquiry, especially from specialist hobby deale
who resen t their not
bei ng ab le t o handl e t
merchandise.
Asidefrom
the chance it givesus
revise rules
fo r
the extremely complicated gam
before going retail on a scale
10
times larger, t
order line is the only thing tha t keeps s lo
selling titles inprint. Tojustify thesmallprint ru
o f
gamessuch as
STALINGRAD
or CHANCE
LORS VILLE we must
enjoy
the full
game
ret
markup. The only waywe can
afford
to se ll to t
trade at highdiscounts
is
in large quantitites whi
take advantage o f the economies of scale of lar
p ri nt runs. Game s s uc h as
CHANCELLOR
VILLE, due to low sales appea l, would langui
on
the shelf resulting in our being hung with lar
inventories fo r
prolonged
per io ds . The lar
merchandisers, who
makeup
the
bulk of our
sal
already cherry pick only the hottest selling ite
from
our
over 100 t it les. Never theless, we a
constantly reevaluating
our stand and m
eventuallyoffer these titles
on
alimitedbasisto t
trade-with a warningthat they have limitedsa
appeal. No action on thatpossibility is
expected
the immediate future however.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 34/44
34 THE GENERAL
READER
BUYER S
GUIDE
RAIL BARON 12.00
EmpireBuilding during the
Golden
Age of Railroads
1 __t r _ o o _ ~ _ @ _ J J
~ _ ~ _ [ t ® _ ~ _ _ ~
_ ® _ ~
_
TITLE
SUBJECT
RA
I L B
RO N
was the43rd
game
to
undergo
in the
RBGand pulled
a
strongnumber of
ponses, considering the s t rict ly wargame
of
THE
G
ENERA
L Keeping the
latter
in mind,
the Cumulat ive Rating o f
2.87
just
missed
the halfway
mark
of
games rated
date is probably
high praise.
Even given the natural proclivity of
ers to
look
down
their noses
at
family
or
games
of
th is ilk,
the bottom
20
rating
Components is
hard
to
fathom.
The
card
and
board ar two rk are among ou r
finer efforts to
v iewe r' s e ye . Apparently this rating is a
of d issat is fa ct ion wit h t he standard
playertokens; a f ew raters
commented that
thought miniature
trains should
have been
instead.
Elsewhere t he g am e s
cumulat ive rat ing
l ar ge ly as a r esul t
of
the Real ism rating.
was to
be expected,
t he r at er s
instantly
RAIL
BARON
as a
GAME not
a
Its
abstract treatment of
rail
connec
is
a
simulation
only in t he same sense
that
Y simulates
the
real
estate
business.
I L B AR ON s forte
is enjoyable game
any
recreation of the nitty-gritty
d-the-scenes tactics
of empire
building.
On
the plus side,
the
game polled the 2ndbest
rating
to date for play balance-a
strength shared
by most multi-player, non-historical games.
The
marks
for ease
o f Und er st an di ng and Com
pleteness of Rules also p laced i t in the top 15 of
t hose cat egor ie s
absolute
musts for
a
successful social game if t he entire family
is
going
to be enticed
into
playing.
The p la yi ng t im e c an v ar y with the number
and
experience
of
the players,
but
the figure given
is about
right
f or t he
full
course game
with no
short cuts.
1. Physical Quality 2.98
2. Mapboard 2.82
3. Components 3.45
4. Ease of
Understanding
2.07
5. Completeness of Rules 2.29
6. Play Balance 2.05
7
Realism 4.69
8. Excitement Level 2.76
9. Overall Value 2.68
10. Game Length
..
3
hr.,
36
minutes
CROSS OF
IRON:
17.3
Would
a leader
manning
a MG
alone
have
any effect against an
AFV?
A.
No.
18.2 63.51
Suppose
an
AT
Gun
malfunctions
permanently.
Can
i ts crew still use its
gun
shield as
cover rather than removing it f rom the game?
A. Yes,
but
f or n o
more
than one
game turn. The
gun
would still
draw
fire
and
it
is doubtful whether
the crew would s tay w it h it l ong; therefore it
shouldn t be allowed to
act
as a permanent source
of cover forevermore.
19.4
55.24
May squads advance
I h ex a s
an
entire stack with
a
leader to gain
his
benefit against
mine
attack?
A.
No.
Movement
in the Advance
Phase is
I unit
at
a t ime ,
but the
same beneficial effects
can
be
had
by sending the leader in first without having to
worry about
the
squad tak ing an ex tra MC
if the
leader fails his.
20. 4 & 73.5
Suppose
a Close Combat attack
is
made
against
both
a
CE
(exhausted)
and n on CE
unit. Would the
DR
M
app ly to both
units?
A. No- the
DR
M would
apply
only
to
the CE
unit. Assume the d ice rol l
is
a '6' ; the
CE uni t
would
be
attacked
by a '5' d ice rol l,
the other unit
b y a ' 6' , e ven
though
there was only one dice roll.
The
same logic would be appl ied to 1FT
attackson
combination CE-non CE targets.
20 .5 Is t he firepower of a LMG
doubled
in Close
Combat?
A . No.
2.1 & 75.4 Are flamethrowers halved for firing
from
marsh
hexes?
A. Yes.
22.1-.7 Can a
flamethrower
really f ire through
smoke without adding any DRM?
A.
Yes,
but
the
smokeshouldact as concealment
of
sorts so t reat any
target
being fired at through
smoke
by a
flamethrower
as concealed,
thus
attacked
by only
10
firepower
factors.
This
concealment does n ot app ly t o any o th er firer
nor does it bestow on the
target
real
concealment
status.
23.3 & 103.1 mayan
assault
squad
place
a demo
charge in an
adjacent
hex while aboard a
halftrack
o r o ther
vehicle
as passenger?
A.
No, excep t in the Defensive Fire
Phase as
a
thrown
charge
under the rules
of
103.1.
23.3
Maya unit
which f ires in the
Prep
Fire
Phase
also place a
demolition
charge in the
adjacent hex
i f i t does not move?
A.
Yes,
providing
it
does not
utilize
any o ther
support
weapon.
23.5 & 80.412
Does
the
latter
replace the former in
re: to leadership modif iers affec ting
demolition
charges?
A. No-i t is an exception for a specific instance:
bridge
demolition.
25.4
Do adjacent broken
units
(RE: any )
reveal
concealed units?
A.
Yes.
30.7
Now that AFVs
can move
through the same
hex
occupied by
an enemy
AFV, what happens if
the
moving
vehicle is immobilizedin that hex,
thus
leaving two
opposing AFVs
in
the same
hex.
A. They may
fire
at each o ther a t
I hex
range.
NEW SQUAD LEADERBOARDS
COMING
UP N EXT T IM E
rm
C DX
<n
I
o ()
0
:IJ:3
Cu
em
CD
i ~
Q
o
:
u
i
AVALON HILL RB G RATING CHART
1
The games are
ranked
by
t h e i r cu m ul a t ive
scores which is an
average
of
the
9 categories
for
each
game While
it
may be fairly
argued that
each
category
sh ou l d n o t
weigh
equallyagainst
the others
we use
it
only as a generalization of over all rank By breaking down a g a me s ra ti n g s i n t o i n di vi du a
categories
the
gamer
isable t o d i sce rn f o r
himself
where
the
game is
strong
or
w e ak i n t h e q u a l i ti e s
he v alues
the most Readers are reminded that
the
GameLength category is measured in
multiples
o
ten
minutes and that a r at in g o f 1 8 w ou ld
equal
3
hours.
The boards
will
not come
with any directions
pertaining
to
the new terrain types
nor
will any
quest ions perta ining to them be answered. The
boards
are being offered strictly
on
a
as
they
are
basis for those individuals who
can t
wait t o a dd
new terrain to the i r SL gaming
and
don t mind
making up
thei r own
r ules as theygo a long.
broad expanses of
orchard-a new terrain feature.
Boards
7
and
8 feature wide r ivers (an average
of
f ive hexes across) with accompanying marshland
and u rban
settings.
Although
production
of the SQUAD LEAD-
gamettes
has lagged
behind
schedule we
do
three
additional boards
completed which will
e used in future gamettes. Those SL/COl
who can t
wait for
additional
terrain
n purchase these
boards
separately from our
Order Dept. for
2.00
each
p lu s the u sual
charges for
parts
orders (10
ofthe dollar
for American, 20 for
Canadian, and
for
overseas customers).
The boards
can be
under
the title
SQUAD LEADER boards
7
or
8. Board 6
is
scheduled for use in the next
in the series,
CRESCENDO OF
DOOM
features a large French chalet
surrounded
by
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 35/44
THE
GENERAL
Vol . 15, NO.5 o f t he
GENER L proved
to be
the most
popu
la r of
the
year with a
rati
ng
of
3.1 3
which bested
the
five previous issues.
As
expected,
the
MIDWAY variant ran away
with
best of issue
honors
with
a whopping 39% of
the
vote. We'll be seeing more of such ready to play
add-on variants
in
the future. A lso noteworthy
was the
rat ing for liTHE ASYLUM by the same
author showing that there maywell be a place in
the
GENER L
fo r a ser ies o f short ,
humorous
satires. Alan Moon's
column
will be appearing
on
a
regular bas is in the future.
The
rest o f the
ind ividual art icle
voting on
our 1200 point
maximum
scale
looked
like
this:
Pacific Theatre
via Midway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
467
Wooden Ships Iron Men o f t he Bal ti c 138
Fortress Europe Revisited 137
Another
Afrika
Korps Gambit 84
The Asylum 79
True LOS in SQUAD LEADER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
..
74
Tournament
Level
War A t Sea.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
63
Or ig ins of Thi rd Reich. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 62
For ts in Alesia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..
46
Starship Troopers
Expansion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
34
Feudal-A New Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Avalon Hil l hi losophy 7
THIRD REICH
addicts who are bound and
determined to playthe game
by
mail might
want
to investigate T BUZZ RD S BRE THI a
postal
fan 'zine whose title hopefully doesn' t
ref lect the edi to r' s
personal hygiene. With
22
issues published
to
date
chronicling the
exploits
of no less t han 13 postal3R games, editor Mark
Matuschak has
apparently
proved
that
where
there's a wil l, t here 's a way. His mimeoed
monthly
also
contains other moderated m u t ~
player
games as
well
as the popular
DIPLOMACY style press releases which give fan
'zines
their
special
flavor. A sample
i ssue and
more information can be obtained
from
Mark
for
50C at his Hinman
Box
3223, Dartmouth
College,
Hanover,
NH 03755 address.
Avalon
Hill once again copped top honors
in
the prestigeous GAMES
PUZZLES
Game o f
the Year vot ing for
1978
as
KINGMAKER
replaced
DIPLOMACY
as
the
number one vote
getter by a sizable margin. DIPLOMACY slipped
to second
place, but
CQUIREgained twelve
spots to 7 th . Round ing out
the
top 20
was the
appearance for
the
first
time
of pure wargames
in
the
survey with
SQUAD
LE DER
placing 12th
and
THIRD REICH
20th.
Those
individuals
who
find
it necessarytofi le
a
complaint
against a non-responding opponent
in
the
AREA system
should remember
that their
problem canno t be
acted
upon
if
they don't
provide us with
the
following materials:
(1)
the
AREA number or complete address including zip
code of both themselves
and
their
opponent;
(2)
a
stamped, self-addressed envelope; and
(3)
the
carbon copy of t he f inal warning l et te r sen t to
their
missing
opponent.
Do not report
several
individuals
on the same
sheet
of
paper.
Wayne Rice, th at fe llow
who
had the
miniature THIRD REICH mapsheets
printed
up
for
use in pos ta l
play o f the game, has gone
one
step further and
printed
up an Order o f Bat tle
PBM sheet (both sides of an
8V X
11 sheet) to
supplement
the
former.
Being
strictly a
labor of
love, you
might
be ab le
to
ent ice Wayne
into
providing you
with
a
few
copies for your own use
if
you
send
him a
stamped, self-addressed
envelope along with
your
request
fo r a
possible
price quotation.
n f i l t r t o r ~ s
port
Clifton Sherwood, manning
t he CWA
display
in Woodfield
Shopping Mall.
On February 19th
the
Chicago
Wargamer's
Association took part in President's Day at
Woodfield Shopping
Mall in
Schaumburg, IL,
one
ofthe
largest enclosed shopping malls in the
world. The event
was
celebrated
with
displays of
Revolutionary War
China,
Civil War newspa
pers,
historic documents,
and,
thanks to
the
CWA, wargaming. By demonstrating wargam
ing first hand
in the
mall,
the g roup was
able
to
spark a lo t o f laten t interes t in the hobby and
convert new
faithful
to t he ranks. This
type
of
promotion
is how hobby clubs can promote
the
hobby and themselves while enjoying a day of
gaming
on
the side.
Hopefully, more clubs will
be will ing to
step
forward in their area to raise
the public awareness of
wargaming
as
an
enjoyable hobby pastime.
Once again we remind all
readers
that it
does
no
good
to
ask us
to publ icize
your conventions
in T
GENER L
if you don't give us at least 3
months advance notice.
Otherwise,
word
of your
convention will not be read until it is history.
Keep
in m in d also
t ha t we
require
information
regarding tournaments and other events involv
ing Ava lon Hil l games so t ha t we can
give
the
readership some
idea of
what
they
can expect
to
find
at
your gathering.
Enthusiasts
of
T RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN
game may be interested
in
knowing that a
slightly
revised
3r d edition of the
rulebook
is
available now from
the
parts dept. for
$2.00
plus
usual
pos tage charges . The
changes are no t
major but f or
those
purists who must possess
the latest version, be so advised.
The fee
for
A.R.E.A. l i fetime membership
rose
to $5.00 effective
January
1st. Those
who
joined
in
1974
at
the origina l $2.00
price real ly
got a bargain. If you think you'll ever be
interested in participating in rated play, you
should
give thought to
j oining the pool
now
before
the
f ee goes up again as it undoubtedly
will.
Perhaps the
last
of the nat ional democrat ic
wargaming
clubs is still alive and well according
to noted officer and founder
George
Phill ies. The
American Wargaming Association is now in it s
sixth year and
still
features
a
monthly
newslet
ter. Membership is open to the pub li c for $6.00
annual dues.
Interested parties
should contact
John Koontz, 2915 College
112,
Boulder, CO
80303.
PAGE
GRIPE DEPT: Those of you sending
Opponents
Wanted ads
which are
not printed
the
proper form or a photocopy
of
same are j
throwing your quarters away. We
will
not
ta
the t ime to rewri te your advert isement onto t
proper
form
for you. Those not wishing to se
coins through the mail may
make
their 2
token want-ad
payment in equivalent amou
of uncancelled postage stamps. Readers
also
cautioned that for sale type ads a
accepted
only when
they
apply to
discontinu
Avalon Hill games.
Any
non-qualifying
ad
will
rejected
without
refund.
Contest
No.
88 was easy given
the param
ters o f the possible dice rolls if you remember
to
assure
the German
victory.
The
first step w
a simple exercise in
mathematics to
deduce t
dice
roll
l imitations
each
side was restricted
The German 58 spect rum of mos t
favora
results is a 7 or less, while
the
Russian's 7
range of
least
favorable results turns
out
to b
6 or
greater.
The panzerfaust obviously is the key to t
solution.
The
KVIC s armor modi f ier
eliminat
any
chance
of a guaranteed
kill
vs.
the
tank
w
the weapon. Therefore it should be used agai
t he wooden bui ldin g in
P2
eliminating t
terrain
mod if ie r f or a combined
16
fac
firepower
attack
by t he r emain in g Germ
forces in R3 and 04 which is sure t o score
least a 2 MC which the Russian squad
certain to fail
given
their inabilityto roll less th
6 .
Cpt. Heyman
and
his
squad move
to
where
t he onl y
fire which can be
brought
them
is f rom the tank which
will
miss
with
main
armament because its best dice roll (6) w
be modified by a +3 F inal To Hit modi f ier ( f ir
outside Covered
Arc
+2; Buttoned
Up
+1; Mov
Target +2;
Adjacent
Hex -2 ) and it needs an 8
less to hi t an infantry targe t in the woods . T
tanks' MGs
will
be ineffective
given
the low
possible dice roll and
Heyman's
leaders
modifier,
thus
insuring
an
advance into
02
a
destruction
of
the tank
in
Close Combat.While
P1 Heyman also forces
the
broken squads in
and P2
to rout.
The broken
squad in
01
must
ro
to NO or N1
wh
ich are both ou t
of
LOS
of
the ro
hex. The broken squad in P2 however could ro
through 02
to
R1
and thus foil the
Germ
victory UNLESS the broken SS squad routs to
thus
denying R1 as a potential
haven. Note th
- because it is
the
German player turn the SS u
routs f i rst -and
therein lies
the f ina l importa
key to insure victory.
Contest No. 87 was our most success
puzzle
ever i f number of
entries is a
criteria
success. On
the
other hand we had to
endu
quite a few snide commentsfrom the
majority
entrants
who
either:
1
flatly stated
th at t
contest was unsolvable and that only 14 poi
could
be
guaranteed, or
2)
that
i t w as
too ea
and that
they
had sunk everything in
sight
w
less
planes
than
provided
(which, of
course,
th
hadn't). Nonetheless, the plaudits
from
the
entrants who
were
clever enough
to
deciph
the str tegi
clues and use them to come up w
the winning t ti l solution soothed
o
battered
egos.
Those
surviving the
luck o f t
draw for the f inal 10 winners were: G Bress
Hershey,
PA; A. Lock ton, Los
Angeles,
CA;
Kurumada, Sal t Lake City, UT; E Ostermey
Johnson City, TN; J. Burnett,
Clinton,
TN;
Petty, Ann Arbor, MI; C Weiser,
Wichita,
KS
Weir, Woolstock, IA;
E
Ubaldo,
San
Diego, C
and J . Potter, Dallas, TX.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 36/44
OPPONENTS
W NTED
OPPONENTS
W NTED OPPONENTS
W NTED
e ed pbm AK. PB. No r at ing. H ave p la ye d
lor
about
IY vrs.'Rising rapidly
through
ranks.
Pbm
bl·ginner.
Thom
Foote.
PO
Hox J07.Hethel. AK
99559
Wanted phm
opponents
forAK. Wat .
TRe.
Will
also It I S I.
Cal .
AOe.
SST.
1 1..
J R . T OH
AREA rated 1400+ would prekr AREA rated
games. Michael Warren. 440 N. Ashland. Mesa
AZ g520J. XJJ-OOOI1
Wanted'
Ftl
l or JR . I pr ef e r e i the r s ideand use
advanced rules i l
YOU
want . Send le tte r be lore
coming so
we
can :uTange meeting. Matt Hlack
man. 22X Stockbridge
Ave
.. Alhambra.CA
9IXOJ.
2X2-7X79
Want ftl with any
kllow
wargamer. Games arc
AOe. Sub. Tob. WSIM.
PI..
JUT.
KM.SI . .
JR.
plus othe r s. Randa ll Whea t . X097
Ramble\\ood
Citrus HIS.. CA
951110.
9111-9119-0J7X
Male.
lX.average
plaYer. rated 1200. will piaI '
It
1
or pbm. rated or non-rated. (answer all letters)
Harold
W. Smith. J7XOX
Rd
IIXO Dinuba. CA
H,I\e
good
r at ed 1400. A ls o.
all\ 'one passing
through Fort
Bragg this
summe,
p le as e l ook me up. Tom Addison. J2000 Wes
tWood Dr..
Fort Bragg.
CA
954J7.
7 0 7 9 M ~ 0 5 J
Help' Wife works Sundays. I 'mstuckbabysi t ting
2 year old (makes pooropponent).
Ftl
many AH
litles
nlY home
on
Sundav. John Richardson .
29255 Sieep\ Hollow A\e S· 112OJ. Havward. CA
94545.7X5-5029
Pbmor ftlTRe. Alex. RW. PB. PI..Ciett'77.Cae.
Tac . Wat . W il l answer a ll I ct ter s . wil l play
an)
game. Rel iable. Advanced
and
beginners wel
come. Roger
Trimble.
22400
Rockaway I.n.1I1011.
Havward. CA 94541. 415-5X2-4JIJ
Opronentswanted. Willplayalmostallgamesltl
I 'monll·15buthaveneverlos tagamevet. lhave
1.1 AH games.
Pkase
call.
Carter
Collins. XRidge
Ave
..
Mill VaileI'.
CA
94941. 415-JXJ-0149
Help Non-rated
IS
yr.old wargammer. Wants to
pla\·Itlorpbm.
Will play Alex. Blitz. TRCSub.
11711 JR.
SI .. Pe te r Gowdv. I Marin ViewA\e ..
Mill Valley.
CA
94941.
JXX-2JI17
Weekend
opponents
wanted
in
Butte area.
Am
clubs Non-area rated preler
JR.
TR C SI.(COI)
Ftlonlv.CallalterJp.m.SeanPenn.
Lane . Paradise . CA 95969.
xn-
F tf o r
pbm mos t
anv
AH g'lIne
and
other s. Not
ratedbut wellexperienced. Prekr
VITI)
Wat.
JR.
TRClnl1 . MID.I.W. DD.Gett'77. Garv Emen·.
Box 991.
Quinn'.
CA 95971
Opponent needed with pbm system
or
ftf.
Tob.
RW. SST. Enthusiastic and reliable beginnef
Alsointerestedinanynewsolodevelopments.
Phil
Bruckner.
X47
Portswood Circle.
San
.lose. CA
95120. 997-J023
Adul t (27) seeks
adult opponents
f or pbm r at ed
Pan/erblit .
Must employ only real space 1..0.S
You must
bealreadyratedatXOO-11100.I·mnewll
r at ed a t 900 AAA . You p ic k s it ua ti on s . I l l p i ck
sides. Jerrv Nord. 7151 Via I.omas. San.lose.CA
95IJ9.40X-225-9791
player.
Tom
Frate llo. 904J Nea th St ..
CA9JOOJ.M7-5194
Looking for
It
I opponents in t he P ike' s P ea k
region. I own most AH tit les . butespec ial ly l ike
CAE.
KM. Or ig. TR C
Toh.
Wat.
o r WSIM
Stephen S ai n. 1755 Mes a Road
..
Colorado
Springs.
CO
g0904.
I1J2-X512
Wanted: ftl
opponent
for
ca l and
SI..
AREAor
not AREA. I .owe r C t. onl v. I l ik e A ll ie d s id e
Want
any
inloabout
clubs
i ~ r e a
J()seph
l.ee.4
S
Smith
St..
E.
Norwalk.
CT
06g55. X.X-7270
College age player would l ike It I opposition lor
Sl..
Mike Chiappinelli.
19
Hol low Tr ee Rd
..
Norwalk. CT0I1X54. XI1I1-72X9
Teen-age brothers lookingfor opponents for JR
Younger
brother
looking
l or r tl l or
Alex.
I)D.
TR C
TA C
WAS. l.ooking lor pbm l or D D.
TRe.
Paul
Toro. 1511
East 2nd St .. New Cast le.
DE 19720.J02-J2X-09J4
Help' Need opponents for
It
I AIW. 1313.
131
CAE.
ca l .
Gett'77.
KM.I .W. MR. MID. 113.
PI .. RW.
SI.. SST. SOB. TR C
JR.
VITI'. WSIM. Matt
Wallace.
130
Des
Pinar
Lane . Longwood. FI
J2750.JJ9-X7X5
Average player seeks pbm Chan. using optional
rules.
Your
choice
of
sides. All letters answered
De,an N. Browning. 29X2 Buford Hwy. Apt. 4.
Atlanta.
GA JOJ29. 404-J25-I3JO
Two
teens seek
any
person
or
persons foolish
enough to take us on in pbm
JR.
We plav A.\is
Need good system.
Ed
Fendley.
2 11 W .
Pickwick
Rd
..
Arlington Hts
..
IL WOOS. JI2-9511-1179
Wanted members fora wargame c lub in Bulfalo
Grove-Wheeling-Arlington
Hgh ts . a re a. V in ie
Laurent. J54 Glendale. Bulfalo
Groye.II.W090.
5J7-69JI1
25
yr. old
gamer
seeks Blit
pbm opponents and
desirestoplaywithALl.rules.includingltrs.OnIY
serious gamers need reply. Ben Streeter. 1.1119 E
Hyde
Park
Blvd
..
11504. Chicago. II.
11061S
Need mature gamers to test p bm
ca l
rules
Includes mult i -player. hidden units .
command
structure. and many
more . Mike Vernon.
J76
E
Central St.. Farmington. II.
111511
Members
wanted
lor WargameClub olCollege 01
DePage. Everyone welcome.
MeetsSundavnoon
to p.m.
and
Mondayl1p.m. to
10
p.m.
in Campus
Cente r. weekly. Paul DeVolpi .
I10J Columbine.
Lisle.ILW5J2.JI2-9M-1297
Competent adult 0
looking for
same in
my
immediate v ic in it y. I h ave mos t AH games
It
I
onlY. Harold Hrall.ale. 4.125 Applewood I.n ..
Matteson.11.11044J.747-4941
Keep in t ouch w it h wargaming in Chicago
Subscribe
t o t he C hi ca go
Wargamers
Assoc
monthly newsktter
The Chicago
Wargame
Re
por t. Only $4.00 for
one
year sUbscription.
Tony
Adams. JI105
Bobol ink. Roll ing Meadows.
II
6000X.JI2-J94-511IX
Chicagoland Gamers wanted' Participantsof
all
a ge s f r om p la ye d' t o t e st ed v et er an s. . l oi n
Calumet
Wargame Socie ty meets r egular ly loo
king for boardgamers as wel l as roleplayer s and
members. We meet every three weeks to
promote
gaming . B ra d Ens le n.
2201
West
Mth
Place.
Merrillville. IN 46410. 219-9X0-192J
Nee d f tf
opponents
in c en t ra l
KY or
pbm
anywhere: SL. l.W.
WSIM. BB:
will learn others
Alvaton is outs ide Bowling Green.
KY.
Cluhs
amwhere
near ') Ross
Spears. RR
I . Box 121A.
Alvat<)n, KY 42122. 7gl-4947
20yr.oldsoldierlookingforpbmopponentinPB
Chess.
AREA
rated 1500(I 'rov.).
Remember
Ft
Knox
is
theU.S.'s
Armor
School. Derek Peterson.
Box
136
D-I Ltng. Bde
..
Ft. Knox.
KY
40121
I.ooking
lor
ftf in
Ashland-Huntington
area
Prerer
VITI)
KM. SL.SST. NAP. PI.. will play
any. Easydr iving distance. Carl McGlong. Rt. J .
Box 9.
Grayson.
KY 4114J. 11011-474-5549
Will moderate b li nd pbm PH . P I. . S I. .A l so GM
multi-player Dip.
AREA
rated
or
not.Send
SASE
lor
details. Kevin
Combs.
11225Old Halto. Pike.
Beltsville. MD 20705. JOI-9J7-4497.
AREA
1280needs pbm LW.
·Grad.
SI..
ca l . BB.
WAS.
TA C
SST.
113.
PI..
Abo It
I
espec. SL
and
ca l . Don't
h av e b ut will p la y
TRe.
Patrick
Jonke. 51110 Sharon
Dr .. Glen Arm.
MD
21057.
592-2060
Need ftl
opponent
for
JR.
Im nov ic e. Im
IS.
Not
AREA
r a ted. Wil l play any
other
games i fyou
teach them. Norman White.
JI5
Gruenther Ave
..
Rockville.
MD
20X51.
7112-5229
Adult
opponent
wanted for SL not
AREA
rated
yet . Paul
Lant/.
40
Rantoul
St .. Bever lv. MA
01915.617-927-J2XJ .
Newadult AREA 600sceks
It
or
pbm opponents
lor
SL.
Wankd:
SI.. pbm system.
Anvclubs
in mv
~ ~ O ~ ~ ; ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ 7 d x a _ : ~ 2 ~ o n a s t e r y Rd
..
Brighton.
Any ftfopponentson N a n t u c k e t ~ Y r . old.
reliable. CL 113. RW. TR C WAS. WSIM .
others. Between
June 20 and
Sep t. I onl y. Ke n
C ha se . W Chester S t. Ext .. Nantucket. MA
02554
Looking
lor
pbm
opponent ,I M 113.
Have no
previous experience in p bm n ot r at ed - av er ag e
playerC') lookingfor experience. Tom Clemence.
Box XI .S o . D enni s. MA
021160.
J94-506J
Opponent
wanted
AREA
r a ted onlv
11100 rbm
TRe.
l.W.
11711.
S I. . you s el ec t s ce na ri o a nd I
select side.
Marcde Bethencourt.9DawesCircle.
Woburn. MAOIXOI.9JJ-52.1X
AREA
r a ted pbm RW. I have no systemwill use
you r s i f good.
Ftl
mos t AH games . N ei l V an
DeWouwer. 290 Pinehi l l Dr .. Galesburg. MI
4905J.I1II1-M5-75J7
Adult gamer looking
lor
pbm opponents in
113
Ratedgamesonly.
Myratingisl200+provisional
Je fl r ey De Young. 1300 S. Dorrol l N .E
.. Grand
Rapids. M149505. 11111-JI1I-94XI
Attention
Civil
War a nd
Napoleonic fans
in
Pontiac
a re a. Nee d I tf Gett'n players . Also
WSIM.
Will learn WAT. NAP.
CHAN.
Also inlo
on
l oc al c lubs . B ruce Mal '.
I3X5
Avondale.
Pontiac. MI4X05J.JIJ-I1X2-J4911
PCH\ Wargame
Club
wants
Itlgames.
HaveAK.
CAE.
Fr·40.
Gett·n.
l .W. RW. 11711. SST.
Tob.
VITI'. WAS. WSIM. Not a r ea r at ed . P le as e
provide
transportation. PCH\ WGC c'o
Paul
Athins. JOO West
Huron.
Pontiac.
MI4X05J
~ g : e : : ~ ~ 7 . 4 : : : ; ~ ~ ~ { ~ ~ e ; : : ~ i ~ ~ l ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ ~ : ~ ~ /
Box JX9. Gulfport. MS J9501. 1101-X96-4XX2
Adult gamer seeking same for It I piaI ' w i thin
metro area. Prefer Crete. TR C
JR.
An7.io.
F(40.
KN.
11711.
1313. D ip . wou ld c onsi de r
others
Rona ld Brown. 5219 A
Murdoch.
St. I .ouis.
MO
I1JI09.752-20n
yr. old
wargamer
needs
I tloproncnts forSI
ca l . ANZ. LW. RW. SST. Am I the onlv
wargameraround
here Emery
Wilson.
JX2 Hs i
E..
Columbia
Falls.
MT
59912. X92-4455
MIDWAY VARIANTS wil l umpir e phm Mid
Presently have 44 games
in
progress.
Openingsare
always available
lor
r egular Mid. and variants
SASE lor
information. Rich Molettiere. 129JO
Olive St..
Omaha. NH
I1XIJg. 402-X95-9JJ2
Jo in Combat Command Wargamer 's Club AK
contest. Send
SASE
for
inlormation.
Cash pay
o il s t o w inne rs . e.
F.
Pinkerton.
7X1 Manor
Drive. Reno. NV
X9509.
702-JlJ-1 511 I
PbmDIPI .O in month Iv 7.ine Rurtania.Game
lees
anddeposit$J.00subs5 $1.50. Also.
SFIeatures.
hobby
news.
other
games.
Tony Watson. 201
Minnesota St.. Las Vegas.
NV
X9107.
X7X-nIJ
Opponent wanted: SI .and Iron Cross kit
ItLor
your
pbm system
(cannot
l ind pbm
l )
All replies
answered. RobertL. Wello. 5JO HavansCove Rd
..
Brick Twp.
NJ
OX72J. 4n-555J
Want pbm
or It
I
opponents
for AK.
·Grad.
PB.
Sit. (1-24).
expo
iL Real Space
LO.S.
play two
gamesswitching sides. AREA 11100+ rating. Daye
Giordano.
J27Just ice Dr ive
..
Carnevs Point . NJ
OX0I19.1109-299-20115 .
Wanted:
Tri-stateand
PA area semi-experienced
gamers
to kill
in
Mid
orSub.
Need
Ireshvictims.
tired
of
clobbering thesame
opponents.
Respond
t o: N ic ho la s B iz za rr o. 9 Hyde Ave .. I se li n. N J
OggJO.201-I1JI1-22411
Helpli Young. (13yrs) novice
wargamerneedsftl
opponents
on Ramst ei n A ir For ce Bas e. G er
many. Have
1313 and
Mid . Wil l l ea rn
others
Michael Mahadv.
X6
S I 'S . PSC 19J9. AI'O NY
09009 .
24 y r. o ld nee ds It I in l.ondon. UK. or pbm
opponents in
SI..
TR C
TOH.
JR . SST . WSIM .
DIP.
o ther s. P rovo 1200
AREA.
Non-rated
accepted. YN2 Paul 1 Sallabedra. U.S. Coast
Guard
Activities Europe.Box50.
Fl'O NY
09510
Player 01 average abil i ty. age 29. seeking c lub-
group in South
Nassau
County
area
lor
Itl
competition. Play mostAH
games.T.Spirito.227
So. Bayview Ave .. Freeport. NY 11520. J 7 9 2 ~ 4 7
AREA CHI
1500 player seeks
competent oppo
nentsin
PB.
Ratcdgamesonly. AlsoftfinAlban\
Pittsfield. Kingston region.
Willftfanvgame.Hob
Rowkv.
Box 22X.
Philmont.
NY 12565. 5IX-672
76X6 .
Despera tc for r a ted-'or non-r a ted pbm games
01
Ani. PB. PI .. SI . . 11711.
VITI'.
also Magic Realm.
but need system. Myarea rating is AAA900. Keith
ROlen.
102 Sparta
Rd
. . N .
Wilkesboro.NC
lX659
XJX-4JJI
Experienced gamer seeks new opponents.
AREA
or
not . I v e bee n
gaming lor
7 year s. PBM
DD.
Bulge. AK.
Ftlany
AHgame. Mike Fox . R t. I .
Box 2XO-G. Vilas. NC
2XI192.
7 0 4 2 9 7 2 7 ~ 5
Average player wants
It
I
opponents
in
Dayton.
New Carlisle.Springfieldarea. I have
WSIM.
PI..
LW. DD. RW. Wil l
karn
to play othe r s. Chr is
Roberts. 11.\7
Campbcll Ave.
NewCarlisle.
OH
45J44.X49-11152
AREA
1200 wishes ra ted pbm WAT.
TR C
AK.
seeks players IIOOto 1500.
T..I. Abrahamson.Xl9
NE 55th. Portland. OR 97213
50J-lXl-4JI9
TOm McCov
of
Houtsdale.
still have of my ancient I
want a r ematch.
Anymore
undiscovered
Altoona
gamers Matt Shir ley. 1014 Park Blvd
.. Jun
Altoona. PA 16601.946-J25I
Wanted ' FtfSST.
using wariant
in
Gen. Vol . IS·
III. Callalter7p.m.please' AlanWexelblat.XXOI
Curtis
Terrace.
Wyndmoor.
PA
191 X.lJJ-1149
Corne
join
the C'ombat
Command Wargamers
Club. Send an
SASE
for inlormation.
Ed
Ajootain.6
Potter Lane . Kingston. RI
02gXI
Doesn't
anyone in
t he Cookv il le a re a p la y AH
wargames I want to start a c lub lor the enti r e
Middle Tennessee a rea be tween Nashvi l le
and
Knoxv il le . Mike P an ic al i. R t.
10.
Box 221 .
Cookeville. TN Jg501.
6155J7-9n6
.
Adult
wargamer
seeks ftl
competition.
Will play
mostany AH wargame. interested in multi-player
games. Pbm wil l be considered. Rov Hlackwell.
Jr ..
4274
Gladstone.
Memphis . TN JXI2X. 901
J5J-270X
Adult(J5)
wantstopbm
Mid(includingvariants)
WAS. VITI ' .
AREA
1200 but wil l play unrated
Do not have
pbm
system
lor
WAS.
VITI'
Kennedy. P.O. BoxJ115.
Brackettville.TX
' the
Hamilton Don Mackav. 14J
l.akeshore
Rd
ant. l.is 113
4111-I1J2-J44I
Opponent
wantedfor f tf . HaveSI . . RW. Busine
S tr at eg y. I hav e n ev er b een b eat en. Kei
Andersen. 4929 Dominion St .. Burnabv. H.C
Canada
V5G lOX.
291-11125
.
Desperate'
Need
ftl
KM.
JR. SST. CAE. WSIM
MR. will pbm butneedsystem lo rCAE. MR. W
learn
any
Itf. Glenn Sellar.
1120
College Ave. W
Guelph.
aNT
NIG In .
519-XlJ-51115'
AREA
1200+
pbm An7.. Gett·n. I .W. SI ..
JR
TRe. Itlmost
AHgames.
Hill Harber.210Thom
St..
Oshawa.
ant.
Canada.
1.1.1 IMI.
4111-57
XI120
Canadian opponents
wanted
lo rpbmor rtlTR
·Grad .DIP. lo r
pbm. Forrtlmostothergames.
Duncan. Box InJ . Saskatoon. Sask.
CANAD
1152-I1J09
Still undefeated
(AREA
1(190). Thc
Feud
King accepts allchallenges. (AREAprekrred).
t he re noone
that
can resist
mvarmies Writel
pbm inst ruc t ions. Ron Reed. ' Sharon S t. . S
Catharines. ant.. Canada
UN
JJ4.
9J5-4205.
Average player needs
It
I
opponents AIW. AO
Chan. Cal. Fr ·40. I .W. PB. PI .. 11711. S I. . 1 . M
Hall.
171
Bayview Hts.
Dr .. Toronto.
ant. M4
2Y7 .
Average gamer
lookingfor
opponents in
Vanco
verarea. Willgo
It
Iwith
any
AH game.
Am
clu
in the citv Own SL. COLDD. JR' Don Hee.
n
Gre at N 'o rt he rn Way
IIE70X.
V.ancouver.
H
Canada V51
IE5 X79-1157
Subscribe to Quesbnia. Fan/ine dealing witha
aspects 01 wargaming. $2 for
i ss ue s. S end
SASE
to: Doug Webb. 211594. 112th Ave
Whonnock.
BC
Canada VOM ISO
Who playsgames inGreece')Am desperate. I pl
It
AIW. CI.. DD. Fr·40. CAE. I .W . Mid . P
11711. SL. JR .
Write
or
call: Alex Kalalaiide
Gseferi X. Psihiko.
AthensCountrv.
Greece.
11
1497 .
For
sale:
112 and
'59 U-Boa t. 1914. Air Emp
(mint). Civil War. 111 Bis ( large box) . Get t'
(mint). Gett
112.
'69 Am.io. 112DD+ Gen. Varia
Guad. Sen d SASE lor
l is t. Marc
Schwar/. M
Brewer Dr .. H i ll sborough. CA 94010. 415-J4
1951
Closet clearing sale:
Guad. His.
1914.
LeMa
C O 13&0. many others. Write forlistand pric
.lack Downey. 504
E.
Hillside Drive
..
Bloomin
ton.
IN
47401. XI2-JJI1-44JJ
Wantedold Generals Vol. I-Vol.
11
Vol. 7No. 1
Vo l. 9 No .
I. Photocopies
o k b ut n o m is si
contests. coupons. e tc . Wil l pay perpage p
postage.
Jim
Eliason. Child Hal l I IJ02.
Ca
br idge. MA
0213 X
49X-4147
For sale: I .imited cdition Tobruk $15. DD·115
General Vol. II-Vol. 15call orwritelorissuesa
prices. Donald W. Cook. 115 E. Main S
Chateaugay. NY
12920 . 5 IX- 497- I1 JJ J .
To
buy: General Vol. IJ No. does nothave to
complete . . lus t want both
SST
articles.·W
considerxeroxilabsolutelvnecessarv.Namev
p ri ce . M ik e F ox . R t. I . Bo\
2XO-C;.
Vilas N
2XI192.704-297-2795
Guadalcanal
with
unpunched counters
for sa
Postpaid$19.Alsolistolothcroutofprintgam
W.Goldman2210HrightonSt
. Philadelphia.I '
Dispatcher.
in
go
send Route
N IMPORT NT
NOTICE
ELITE CLUB TICKET
HOLDERS
THE G MER S GUIDE TO
DIPLOM CY
Good news for Elite Club members. From now
on
your
Elite Club Discount coupons a r egood
towards the Mail order purchase of any Avalon
Hill game d ir ec t f rom Aval on Hill-not just the
Mail Order only variety.
Di scoun t s a r e app l ic ab l e onl y t o t ho se mem
bers of
the Elite
Club
who s ta pl e t he ir 1979
calendar
year
Elite
Club
ticket
to thei rorder.
Used
or los t Eli te
Club
tickets
a re n ot
replaced
under
any circumstances.
You
t oo c an
become a member of the Elite
Club. To qual i fy you must place a mail order for
any six Avalon Hill games . No discounts
apply
0
th is qual i fy ing order . When plac ing such an order
RICHTHOFEN S
Vol.
14,
No.4
of
the
GENERAL printed
a
variant
for RICHTHOFEN S
WA
R which
featured the use of a
deck of
27
maneuvercards
to
augment the
mechanical movement
system and
add
a degree
of uncertainty
and
excitment
t o t he
game. Not just a random luck element, use of the
maneuvercards
is dependent upon suchfactors as
turning
ability, attack
position,
and pilot skill.
Using the
maneuver cards one
can
more
vividly
execute
the classic
maneuvers
of the day: Barre l
be s ur e to a sk f or
your
Elite Club membership
card/tickets to insure we
don't
forget.
You'll then bea lifetime member of the Avalon
Hill Elite Club
eligible fordiscounts on games
purchased directlyfrom Avalon Hill every year for
the rest of your l ife-PROVI DINGyou don't lose
the membership card.Absolutely no lost cards will
be replaced.
This
of
leI' does not include a f ree subscription
to the GENERA L
and
is not t o be confused with
the initial offering made
in
1974.
Your
game.order
mus t t ot al
at
l ea st $ 50 t o q ua li fy y ou for
membe rshi p and can not i nc lude any game mor e
than
once.
M NEUVER C RDS
Roll, Falling Leaf, Fla tSpin , Immelmann, Loop,
Nose
Dive, Side-Slip, Tight Circle, and Vertical
Spin in
an a ttempt
(not
always
successful)
to
get
on
the
enemy's
tail, ra the r than just
trade
shots.
This
27
card
deck is professionally illustrated
and
printed and available
from
Avalon Hill with
instruction
sheet for $2.00 plus usual
postage and
handling
charges.
Maryland
residents please
add
5% sales tax.
THE
GAMER S
GUIDE
TO DIPLOMACYis
a 36-page illustrated booklet containing all sorts
of
valuable information for DIPLOMACYbuf f s
of all
levels
f rom beg inne r t o expe rt . Wr it te n
by
Rod
Walker,
one
of the
best-known
writers
on
the
game
today,
the
GAMER S
GUIDE TO
DIPLOMACY
covers in detail almost' every facet of this game
that
h as become an obsession for thousands of
players worldwide.
The
GUIDEis divided
intoeight
sections. In
the
Introduction, Mr.
Walker
discusses the
develop
ment
of thegame, its uncommon nature where
some
vices become virtues, and where ethics become, in
some
cases, a definite liability, playing objectives,
country selection, and more.
In Sect ion II, Elements of the
Game,
you will
read about such thingsas
communications,
alliance
and
treachery, aggression
and
defense, cheating,
s ta lema te s, c onvoyed a tt a ck s, a nd receive some
tact ica l h ints for be tte r play.
The t hi rd s ec ti on of the GUIDE presents a
deta i led s tudy of t he boar d, styles of play, and
choiceopening moves and gamest ra tegiesfor each
of the seven Powers in DIPLOMACY. There are
also several revealing charts showing the re la t ive
successes and failures of all of t he Powe rs ove r t he
course of 803 recorded games.
Section IV presents a s ampl e g am e, w it h
commentary
by the author and
an
analysis
of
the
diplomacy
and tactics of
each
of
the seven
players
involved.
The
commentary is
accompanied
by
several
easy- to- read mapsso youcan
go r ight
along
wi th the progress of the game.
The
fifth section of
the
GUIDE
concerns
itself
with postal DIPLOMA
CY,
whereyou' ll finda little
history, descriptions of the
various
ratings systems
used, and a few s ugge st ions on how you can get
involved in thi s exciting segment of the game.
Section VI is devoted
to
var iants , wi th a f ul l
description of each of several of the better-known
variants, including
Napoleonic
DIPLOMACY,
Bid DIPLOMACY, Th e G re at W ar , and
Twin-Earths DIPLOMA CY. Th ere are also
complete rules for the or ig ina l 1958 version of the
game, and as a bonus theback cover of the G U IDE
is a reproduction of t he o ri gi na l m ap , f or t ho se
readers who wish t o p la y t he first DIPLOMACY.
Section VII deals wi th c lubs and tournaments
an
area that the author feels is growing
importance
as theever-increasing risein postalrates
increasesthe
attraction
of face-to-face
DIP
LO
M
A-
CYplay.
The final s ec ti on , e nt it le d Ques ti ons
and
Answers , attempts
to
deal wi th
the most
common
(and
several most uncommon)
questions
that
may
arise. As the author says,
they
include
some
which
are
frequentlyasked as well as
some
that were asked
only once
and
were
debated at
length
afterwards.
For
anyone
wi th even the mostcasual involve
ment in t hi s h ighl y demanding game, TH E
G AM ER 'S G UI DE T O D IP LO MA CY is
an
absolute must , and well worth the mere $3.00 plus
50 1:
postage that i tcosts. Send your check or money
order made payab le to:
The
Avalon Hill Game
Company, 4517 Harford
Road,
Baltimore, MD
21214. Maryland residents please add 5%state sales
tax.
GENER L B CK
ISSUES
Onlythe following GEN
ERA
L back issues are avai lable. Pr ice is $2.00 per issue plus 10%postage
and
handl ingcharges up to a maximum postage charge of $2.00 . GENERA L postage coupons may
nol
be used
for th is or o the r par ts orders. Dueto low quantities of some numoers we request
that
you specify an alternate
Vol. 12, No.1 - * 1776,
Anziu,
miscellaneous , Panzerbl itz , Chancel lorsvi l le , Panzer Leader, Sta lin-
grad, Tactics II 2.57
Vol. 12,
No.2
- *3
Tobruk,
Panzerblilz Bulge, Blitzkrieg, Panzer Leader, Stal ingrad 3.10
Vol. 12, No.6 - *Chancellorsville,
WS I
M miscellaneous,
Panzer
Leader, Stalingrad. . 3 .42
Vol. 14, No. I - *Caesar-Alesia -5,
The Russ ian
Campaign, Luftwaffe,
Third
Reich,
Arab-Israeli
Wars,
Afrika
Korps,
Panzer Leader
3.56
Vol. 14, No.2 - *Kingmaker -7,
Alexander,
Squad
Leader
3.27
Vol. 14, No.3 - *
Arao
Israeli
Wars
-3.
Slalin/{rad
Russian Campaign,
Third
Reich,
War
AtSea 3.17
Vol.
4
No.4 - *Victory in the Pacific -2,
Slalin/{rad Third
Reich, Richtofen's
War,
Jutland, 1976 2.53
Vol.
4 No.5
-
*Squad
Leader-3 , WS + IM, Russian
Campaign.
Midway, Starship
Troopers, Third
Reich, Miscellaneous .2.77
Vol . 14,
No.6
_
*D-Day,
Victory in the Pacific Panzer Leader, Caesar' s Legions,
Tobruk
3.51
Vol . 15, No.1 -
*Gettysburg-3,
Squad
Leader
Starship Troopers,
Russian
Campaign 3.48
forany se lec tionyou make.The index below lists thecontents of each issueby subject matter:featurearticles
are designated by an *,series replaysare italicized, and the number followingeach issue is thereader ratingof
that
particular
issue.
Vol. 15, No.2 -
*Panzer
Leader, Stalingrad, Third Reich, D-Day, Rail Baron.Victory In
The
Pacific
3.44
Vol. 15,
No.3
- *A ssa ult o n Crete-3, Invasion of Mal ta . R us si an
Campaign,
Thi rd R ei ch ,
Squad
Leader, War At Sea, Mise. .3.44
Vol. 15, No.4 - *Submarine
-2, Caesar s Legions Panzerblitz, Third
Reich,
WS
1M. Squad
Leader,
Waterloo
3.31
Vol. 15, No.5
-- *Midway,
WS & 1M, Origins-Third Reich. Afrika
Korps, D-Day,
Squad
Leader. Feudal.
Alesia, War
at
Sea, Starship
Trooper.
3.13
Vol. 15, No.6 - * CR OS S O F IRON - 3, Victory In the Pacific War a t S ea , A ra b- Is ra el i
Wars, Starship Troopers,
Panzer
Leader
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 37/44
GERMAN RECORD C A R D - B A S I C GAME I
DER OF B A TTL E - G A ME I UNITS, PLUS:
I
Feb
Marchi
April I
Mayl
Junel
3
1
~
§] ±
~
8
2 3 8
2 3 8
2 3 8
2-3-8
2 3 8
e III
2 3 8
APRIL,
Y
JUNE
UNIT ORGANIZATION CHART
To
b e u se d
i n c o n ju n c ti o n w ith Basic
Game
I U n i t O r g an i z at i on C h a r t
3
3
3
4 6 8
3 5 8
2 3 8
2
2 3 8
2
2 8
2 3 8
2
2 8
;;:;2
~ =
3 8
2
2 3 8
2
2 8
2
2 3 8
2
2 8
PANZERGRENADIER
2
2 3 8
2
2 8
2 2
2
~
~
~
3 5 2
2 3 2
1-2-12
2
2
2
4 6 2
3 5 2
2 3 2
2 E
2
E
2
E
c g J ~
3 4 2
2 3 2
2 2
LUFTWAFFE
I ± I
8
SETUP RESTRICTIONS
c Ga me I IA-Gustav Line-Continuation o f B as ic G am e
i c Ga me
l iB-Operation
Shingle-T he
Germans
may deploy
any
ersatz
units
plus
4 combat
units
o f a ny size, anywhere n o rt h o f t h e Gu st a vLine. All other German
i t s m us t s ta rt n ex t
to, or
n o m or e t ha n
two hexes
d i st an t f ro m, t he
front line.
c Ga m e
I I I iadem The
Germans
deploy
units
in
specified
fixed locations. Two
the
eight
reserves may be deployed
anywhere
on or b e hi n d t he G e rm an s i de o f the
l ine non-shaded
side including
t h e A n zi o b e ach he a d. Th e re m ai n i ng si x
reserves
be a t leas t
one
h ex b eh in d t he f ro nt .
The
Allies then set
up
their May II units _-<.
h e re o n
their
side
of
the front,
no t
in GermanZOC, so long as they
don t
exceed the \
stacking
p o in t l im it a ti o n f o r the
Anzio
beachhead.
DESIGN CREDITS
Five
ne w
ANZIO s c enarios fo r
us e i n c o n j u n c t io n w i t h
Vol.
1 6,
No.1
o f
TH E
GENERAL.
No t a v a il a bl e f o r separate sale. C u t a lo n g
dotted
l ine.
Scenario Design: Tom Oleson
Playing Aids: Tom Oleson
Don
Greenwood
C o p y r i g h t 1 9 7 9 ,
Th e
Avalon Hill
Game Co.,
Baltimore,
MD .
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 38/44
GERMAN
DIADEM GAME
RECORD CARD
~
~ ~
3-4-12
G5
~
~ 3
~
~ ~
3-5-8 2-4-8
544 Chieti
H47
[;J
~ 2 1 1
L n ~ ~ : :
2-4-8
2-3-8
8 Q46
2
I
1
111,
~ ~
~ ~ g
~ §
~ §
2-3-8
1-1-12
1-1-12
1-1-12
3
~ ~
5-9-12
3
5-6-12
M49
Frascati
1
I .
3
~ ~ ~
1-1-8
2-3-8
2
~ < v )
3-4-12
At Start: May II 1944
2
~ ~
2-3-8
L5
E46
1
0-1-8 0-1-8
3
~ ~
4-6-12
K51
GAME:
~
G;]
~
1-2-8 4-6-12
D43
Fiumicino
~
I
~ ~
~ < v )
3-5-; 4-6-8
0-1-8
Formia
iJ
4
51
inforcements
D24
RiminiCecina
Genova
3,
2
0-2 2
~ ~
[ g ~
~ ~
~ ~ ~
~ ~
6-7-12
2-3-8
-2-3-8
2-3-8
JUNE
Entering 3rd Tu
3
2
~ ~
~ ; s ;
~
1-2-8
2-3-8
0-
MAY
2 1
.£g.-.
2-3-8 0-1-12
~ ~
2-3-8
Entering
2nd
Turn
3
~ ~
1-2-8
00
~ g ~
2-2-12
I
~ I
1-1-8
1
3
1-1-8
I
en
E§Ji
1-1-8
1
I
~ ~
1-2-12
1s t Turn
J
~ § : ; : -
2-2-12
LINE
To
Above
Advanced Order of
Battle
Add:
~
s e : ~ 1 1 1
~ =
3-5-12
29 9 715
Jan I 19
~
~
C Z J ~
1-1-8
2
~ ~
1-1-8
1945
r:::elva
s ~
0-1-4
1-1-8
~
0
1-1-12
0
1-1-12
Nov
II
6 715
2
2
2
2
3
~ ~
~ ~
~ ~
~ ~
3-4-12 1-2-8 1-2-8
1-2-8
1-2-8
1.1
ug III
Nov I
~
~ ~
1-1-8
JulylV
Augl
3
~
~ ~
[ g ~ .
~ ~
7-8-12
1-2-8
16 18 24 2
II
III
..r::::.ll1
..r::::.I,
1
5 ~ C J
~ ~
~ ~ . - .
0-1-8
0-1-8
0-1-8
III
3 8
eb III
2
E
~ ~
3-4-12
94 3 5
334
2
~ ~
2-3-8
y
3 8
Mar I
2
C2:i
1-1-8
I
I
~ L J ~
0-1-8
2 2 2
~ g ~ ~
2-3-8
2 - 3 - ~
2-3-8
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 39/44
ALLIED DIADEM
GAME RECORD CARD
[;;]
4-5-12
At
Start
May
II 1944:
ASIC
GAME:
BRITAIN
~
-5-12 3-4-12
~
~ ~
3-4-12
n ~ ~
1 ,e
~
1-1-12
~
~ ' V l ~
~
1-1-12 1-1-12 2
STATES
~
§
~ ~
5-6-12
~
~ ~
4-5-12
~
4-5-12
~
~ L f )
5 ~ - l i
~
~
4-5-12
~
4-5-12
NEW ZEALA
5
~ ~
6-
5-
SOUTH
AFRI
o ~
3-4-12
POLAND
~ ~
3-4-12
~
u
2-1-12
5
~ B L f )
6-6-12
ACCUMULATED:
-
-
• -: ,:
1
1
1
1
1
1
f
~ C ' J
~ ~
~
~ C ' J
~ ~
0
@
}
0
<D
8
G
-0-12
0-0-12
0-0-12
0-0-12
0-0-12 0-0-12
0-
x1
Jan III
3.. 3 ..
4-5-12
3-4-12
Any
Br
or
Ind Diy
A P : ~ , I I I
3-4-12
1,,,
k ~ - = S
1-1-12
1,,,
C S J ~
2-2-12
Mar
III
Jan
III
2
I 0
Co
J
1-2-8
2 I _
Ji
1-2-8
Jan
Mar
I
/ 2
I
~ ~
3-1-12
3
.. Vl
~ ~
4-5-12
Jan I
[TI
I·
3 0
~ ~
4-5-12
Jan I 1945
gLf
2-1-12
Any 2-1-12
Feb II
3 ..
5
2
I
2
I
2
8 ~
~
u ~ , J §
5-6-12 6-6-12 2-1-12 1-2-8 1-2-8
Any
lUI Ann,
Any
US Diy
61r
Arm
2-1-12
AESAR
LINE To
Above Advanced Order of ~ a t t l e Add:
when All ies
enter Rome
V 194:.. 4.. C c 3 ~ J U ~ ~ , J U : ~ 1 3.. J U ~ ~ 3.. r u ~ ~
]
~ [ 3 J ~ ~ . . : : M ~ L f ) . : : C S J ~
. : : ~ ~
-6-12 4-5-12
5 ~ - 1 2
2-2-12 1-1-12
4-5-12
4-5-1; 4-5-12
3-4-8 3-4-12 3-4-12 _4_Sr
US34, 85, 88, Brl, Br5 - - 3 repl units each - 34, 85, 88 Brl, 78, 4 85, 88, 85, 88,
III Aug I
34, 91
Sept I Oct I
34,
91 Nov I
,l
LdJ
? ~
~ ~
b t J ~ G ~ J ~ ] ~ ~ I V l ~ I ] ] r . . . . . . . b J - I I - ~ £ -
3-4-8
1-1-8 1-1-8 1-1-8 3-4-8 1-1-8 1-2-12
1-1-12 /-1-8
2-3-12
3-
85, 88, 2 repl
units
each Any 2 rep.
34,
91 US Diy units
v II Decl
Dec
II Dec IV
[ 0 ] ~
~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
-1-12 1-2-8 3-4-12
3-4-12
Ind8, 8, 10
IV 1945 10, 78 Feb
I
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 40/44
ALLIED
RECORD CARD BASIC
GAME II
DER OF BATTLE-GAME I
UNITS
PLUS:
2 a.
~ ~
3 4 12
Jan
IV
~
. ~ C i ~ ~
W
Feb II
1 I
~ ~
1 1 12
2
~ ~ ~
3 4 12
2.
~ ~
2 1 12
Feb IV
3
~ ~
3 4 12
1
I
~ ~
1 1 12
Mar II
~
g<
5 5 1
I
3
~ M
4 5 12
April
III
4
4 5 12
APRIL
2 I
~
2 1 12
April IV
5
~ ~
5 5 12
May II
2
I
2 I
2 I
~
Ocr>
~
2 1 12
2 1 12
2 1 12
June I
2 I
2 1 12
UNIT ORGANIZATION CHART
To be used
i n con junc tion
with Basic
Game
I
Unit
Organization Chart
[§
1 1
~
~ ~
1 1 12
~
~
2 1 12
~
Ocr>
2 1 12
~
~
2 1 12
3
~ ~
2 3 12
3
~ ~
3 4 IZ
5 5
g<D
D<D
4 4 12
2 2 12
BRITAIN
II
3
~ ~ ~
1 2 8
3
~ ~
4 5 12
3
~ ~ ~
2 3 12
~ ~
1 8
UNITED STATES
e
2e
~
~ ~
12 2 3 12
2
~ ~ ~
3 4 12
2.. .
~ ~ ~
2 3 12
2
I
~ ~
2 1 12
4 ..
.. 4
4
~ ~
4 5 12
3 4 12
2 3 12
4
4
..
4 5 12
3 4 12
2 3
AFRICA INDIA
CANADA
5
5
g ~
~ ~
~ ~
4 4 12
2 2 12
3. . 3
E ~ ~
~ ~
3 4 12 2 3 12
5
§B
6 6 12
5
§B ~ § L L
5 5 12
3 3
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 41/44
THE
GENERAL
THE
GENERA
available
in
March at jus ta f raction of the cost of a
newgame, and keep yourgame current fora lifetime
you already own Major League Basebal l f rom a
previous year purchase, s imp ly order the latest
Player Card set by itself. Just
Begin
League
Action
mmediately
Just enclose a check or mo ney order with
coupon below (or simply speci fy credi t card) and
we'll rush youyour Statis Pro Major League Baseball
Game in brand new boxed format with mounted
full-color playing board and over 700 Player Cards.
Sent to you
in
confidence you wil l be playing the
most realisticand accurate table-top baseball game
on
the market.
t
hasthatAvalon Hill quality quality
that's made Avalon Hil l the largest strategy game
maker in the world today
FREE Magazine Subscription
That's right Just order any two games
de -
scri ed
be ow
and we'll send you a full-year
subscription to All-Star Replay, the new magazine
that is to Avalon Hill sports g ame s what Chess
Review is to Chess.
YOUR
GAME N V R OUT OF DATE
What happens next year won't my Player
Cards be obsolete, you might ask.
Yes, they will be Tha t's why we print new,
updated Player Cards each and every year. They're
COMPLETE COUPON AND
TODAY.
because we give you the schedule and all the
players to dojustthat. Actually, onceyou've gotyour
lineups ready you ca n con du ct a mi ni -se ason
schedule all you own and we sti ll guarantee that
the results wil l amaze you with their authenticity.
Great Game for Solitaire
Replay
Because the game-system allows you to play
against yourself, i t's the perfect baseball game for
solitaire play the ideal way to prove if whatwe say
is true.
And for added fun and strategy, we suggestyou
play head-to-head against other basebal l buffs.
Here, your strategy as manager takes over and
is
often the difference between your also-ran and the
real champ making it to the World Series. We
guarantee you'l l have a lot of fun t rying.
Major League Baseball
is
just that a game
based on real-life performances ofallthe big league
players.
There are nodice. No
chance
cards. n fact, the
game has no random luck elements that would take
away from the strategy ofthe real thing.The heart of
Major League Baseball is in the FAST ACTION
system. A patented, unique method of providing
play-results in the same statist ical f requency as
occurs in real life
FAST
ACTION
e limina tes the need of d ice
while speeding upthe play so that
it
approaches the
same level of uncertainty and excitement ofits real
life counterpart.
Small wonder Major League- Baseball is· called
the best simulation of baseball byany table-top
board game.
You Get
Over
7 Players
Not even Steinbrenner can own that many
players. But YOU can Major League Basebal l
comes complete with Stat cards representing
every player of every big league team that
performed regularly in the previous season. That's
more than 700 individual cards
Statistically Accurate
Each Player Card whether the might iest
superstar or a lit tle-used
reserve contains
infor
mationdepicting on-the-field performances in every
department.
A feat not possible before the ad ve nt of the
micro-processor, Avalon Hill has computer
analyzed season-long statist ics for each player's
hit ting, f ielding, pitching, base-stealing, bunting,
game-winning hits, evenstamina converting it all
to FAST ACTION results. I t's our guarantee that
each player should perform
in
this game just as he
does in real life
Replay
an
Entire Season
Don't believe us? Then see for yourself. All you
have to do is p lay the major league schedule
In YOUR
opinion
- ~ . - . . . . . : ; r - - ~ ~ I l I l 2 =
id th sup rst
id
the best te
ere the
V
Believe it or not this
game
actually provides these
answers
and
MOR
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 42/44
THE G E N E R A L
NAME
PHONE _
ADDRESS
_
NAME _
ADDRESS _
CITY STATE
ZIP
CONTEST NO.
89
It
is the
first
t ur n o f th e
new DIADEM variant
for
Z O using
only
the Basic rules plus the Allied
A ir S t ri ke
rule of the
Ad v an c ed Ga me.
As
part
of their initial s e tu p , t h e
Germans
have placed the Panther
4/
I unit at
Q43 which a pp ea rs t o be a safe an d logical p o si ti o n, wit h
tw o
hexes
separating it f ro m t he n ea re st German front line units. As
part
of the first
turn,
three
attacks occur: I) a 1-4 which
equals
a I-I using the ai r s t r i k e ~ 2
a 1-2 which equals a 3 1 using the
ai r
strike); 3) th e
odds
of the third attack
ar e
not given,
b ut t he
d ie rol l
must
be
on e or
two.
Other conditions are: I) No German f ro n t- l in e u n it s a r e d e st r oy e d in
these
t h re e a t ta c ks ;
2)
No
breakthrough
movement
is
generated
by first
combat t t c k s ~ 3) N o i nv as io n is involved, an d because of t he g am e
version,
no
paradrops
o r co mmand o
raids. Th e result of these
three
attacks
is Allied o ccu p at i on o f
Termi
(L37), on th e first turn. De sc r ib e t h e t h re e
attacks by specifying
order
of attack,
defender, an d the necessary
die roll.
Fo r
t h e t h ir d
attack it will be necessary
to
list
th e
number
of
attack
factors
involved in t h e a t ta c k.
Te n winning entries will receive certificates redeemable
for
free AH
merchandise. To be val id an entry
must
be received p ri or t o the mailing of
the
next
G
N
R L
an d include
a
n u me r ic a l r a ti n g f o r t h e
issue as a
whole
as well as l is t t h e b e st 3 articles. Th e
solution
will be announced in
th e
next
issue
an d
t h e win ne r s in the following issue.
Attack Attack
Di e
Order Factors Odds
Roll
Defender
Advance
1.
-
1 1
2.
-
3 1
3. 1 or 2
I S S U E A S A
WHOLE:
Ratefrom I
to
10; with 1
equating
excellent, 10= terriDle)
25¢
12.00
Battle
of
th e Denmark
p lu s h yp ot he ti ca l s ur fa ce
1940-43.
RE DER
BUYER S GUIDE
Naval
Straits
actions
1 Physical Quality
2 Mapboard
3 Components
4
Ease of Understanding
5 Completeness
of Rules
6
Play Balance
7 Realism
8
Excitement level
9 Overall Value
1 Game length
Opponent
Wanted
TITLE: BISMARCK
INSTRUCTIONS: Rate all categories by p lacing a
number ranging from 1 through 9 in
the ap-
propriate
spaces to the
rigf,t 1 equating
excel
lent;
5-average; and
9- te r rib le l . EXCEPTION:
Rate item No.
10
in t el m s of minutes necessary
to
play
game as recorded in 1O m
inute
incre
ments.
EXAMPLE:
If you ve f ound tha t it takes
and a half
hours
to p lay FRANCE
1940,
you
would give it a GAME LENGTH
rating
of
15.
Participate
i n t hese r ev iews only
if you
are
familiar
with
the
game i n question.
The
review
sheet
may
be cut out , photocopied,
or merel y drawn on
a separate sheet of paper.
Mai
I it to our 4517 Harford
Road address with
your contest entry or opponents wanted ad. Mark
such corresponde nce to
the
attention of
the
R
D
Department.
Game to
be
reviewed next: _
CITY
STATE
ZI P
_
I.
Want-ads
will be a c ce p te d o n ly w h e n p r i nt e d
on
this
fo rm o r
a facsimile
and
must be
accompanied
by a
25¢ token fee. N o r e fu n ds.
2. Fo r Sale,
Tra de , o r W a nt e d
to Buy
ads
will be accepted onlywhen dealing withcollector s items games
n o l o ng er a va il ab le f r om
A H ) a nd a r e a c co mp a ni e d by
a 1 .0 0
token
fee.
3. Insert c op y o n lines provided (25
word
m a xi m u m) a n d p ri nt n a me ,
address
a nd p ho ne n u mb e r o n the
appropriate
lines.
4.
P R I N T - i f
illegible
y ou r a d
will
not
be printed.
5.
S o t ha t as m a ny a d s c a n be
printed
as possible within
ou r
limited space we request t h a t y o u useofficial
state
abbreviations
as well ..s the
game abbreviations
listed below:
Arab
Israeli
Wars
= AIW;
Afrika
Korps = AK;
Alexander
= Alex; Anzio = Anz; Assault
on
Crete = AOC;
Battle of
the B ul ge = BB; Bismarck = B is; B li tz kr ie g = BL;
Caesar s Legions
= CL;
Caesar
=CAE;
Chancellorsville
=
Chan; Crescendo
o f D o om
=
C O D ; C r os s o f I r on
=
cal; D-Day
=
D O ; D i pl o ma c y
=
Dip;
Dune;
France 1940 =
Fr
40; Fare
t o F ac e
= FTF;
Fortress
Europa =
FE Gettysburg
= Get 64 or 77;
Jutland
=
J u t ; K i ng m ak e r
=
KM;
Kriegspiel = Krieg; Luftwaffe = LW; Magic
Realm
=
MR ;
Marnon =
MarMidway
=
Mid; Napoleon
=
Nap; Origins o f W W II
= Orig;
Panzerblitz
= PB;
P a nz e r Le ad e r
=
PL;
Play
By Mail = PBM;
Richthofen s
Wa r = RW; 1776; Squad
Leader
= SL;
Stalingrad
= G ra d ; S t a rs h ip
Troopers
=
SST; Submarine
=
Sub;
Tactics II =Tac;
Th e Lo n g es t D a y
=TLD;
The
Rising
Sun
=TRS;
The
Russian Campaign
=
TR C ; Th i rd Reich
= 3R;
Tobruk
=
Tob; Trireme
=
T r i; V i ct o ry I n
the Pacific=
VITP;
W ar a t Sea = W A S; W a te rl oo = Wat; W o o de n S h ip s I ro n M en = WSIM.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 43/44
THE GENER L
OST
CITY
3
/
H
4
j
: 4
Game Company 4517 Har fo rd Rd. Baltimo
MD 21214. Maryland residents please
add
5 st
sales tax.
~
£
I t) l.. .
L
ifj
J
L
I J
r I\
lIl
-,
,
1
t
MAGIC
REALM is available for 15.00 plus
10 postage and handl ing or one postage
coupon
from
THE GENERAL
from: The Ava lon Hill
M GI
REALM
The MAGIC
REA
LM is a land that contains the
of a fabulous civil izat ion, lost in the wilds
at
e edge of the world. A few humans cluster at
ely dwellings where once mighty empires held
and barbarian
horsemen
trot
fearfully
past
en vaults and jewel-encrusted altars hidden in
tangle
and
brush. Off
among
the ruins there are
p laces whe re swarms of monsters dwell,
flying bats tribes of marching goblins
d Dragons watching
over
their treasure troves.
Into this MAGIC REALM come sixteen
drawn by the tales of treasure
and
power waiti ng t o be fo un d amid st t he
ruins.
Soldiers and mighty
warriors are
them-great armored Knigh ts , a famous
an
Amazon a
dough ty Dwa rf a nd
a
Berserker. Elusive and crafty adventurers
here as well;
Swordsman
Elf
and
skilled Woods
Druid
Wizard Pilgr im, Witch , Sorcerer
and
a
Witch
King have come to rediscover
magical arts.
ow YOU can
be
one
of
these sixteen
adventur
i nto the MAGIC REALM seeking treasure
and
renown in an alien land
of
magic
and
Crossing
mountain
ranges
or
venturing
to networks of caves you can meet or avoid
as you find fabulous treasure troves. you
n
deal with native
humans trading
and hiring,
errands fo r gold or leading military cam
ign s aga in st
other
groups. You select the
that you
are
seeking in the MA GIC
A LM and you choos e the st rat egy you will
to
obtain those objectives.
YOU will f ight your battles blow by blow ,
the
speed, force and direction of
your
at
and you r maneuver to avoid enemy attacks .
ndividual duels and
great
melees with
monsters
and
are possible, with blows striking armor
breast
plates
and
shields
and
magical Spells
eing Cast in the midst of
combat.
Treasures weapons
armor
horses and Spells
n be found or bought to enhance your ability to
ight or to move
and
find the objectives you need to
in the game. More items are included than are
needed to win t he game or are ever found during
play, so the players never
know what
they mightfind
or
what
their
opponents
might be carrying.
Each game the
treasures
treasure troves,
natives, monsters and the
map
board itselfare set up
randomly so e ach g ame t he players have a new
MA
GIC REALMto search and
discover. Treasures
and treasure troves are hidden and must be found;
monsters
and
natives
appear and
march
around
the
board unpredictably seeking the adventurers who
are wandering
through
the MAGIC REALM. With
an
initial
setup
that
varies
enormouslyfrom game to
game
and randomly appearing
monsters natives
and treasures MAGIC
REA
LM is full of surprises
each t ime i t is played.
is filled with opportunities
and
dangers
that shift and change every game.
The rules of MAGIC
REA
LM are divided into
seven parts o r ENCOUNTERS
that can
be played
as separate games
and
that gradually introduce all
of
the
components and
rules in the game. As
the
players become familiar with the rules
and compo
nents in
each ENCOU
TER
they can
progress to
t he nex t ENCOUNTER unti l they are playing the
complete game.
MAGIC REALM is a game for any number of
players. One player can set i t up
and
t ry to discover
it h imself , or
many
players
can
each
take
an
adventurer and cooperate
and/
or compete in the
game. e wary if you play alone however, for the
MAGIC
REALM is a
dangerous
place.
7/27/2019 Ah Gen v16n1
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/ah-gen-v16n1 44/44
TH G N R L
TH G N R L
Among
the count less planets inhab it ing the
of the universe, there exi st s a sma ll and
nconspicuous bit of rock
and
s and k nown t o its
nhabitants as
Dune.
It boasts pract ical ly no
egetation and so little water that a man exposed on
its surface would dehydrate in minutes . I ts scarred
terrain is swept by wind
storms
of super-hurricane
velocity and inhabited by giant sandworms often a
quarter mile in l engt h who devour
anything
that
moves in the open.
Dune
is
the
battleground
in
a power struggle
among the worlds' most powerful factions. It, alone,
is the soUrce of melange , a sp ice whi ch prevents
aging
and
confers prescient abilities to its consumer,
essential to deep space navigation upon which
civilisation depends for its continued existence.
Whoever controls
Dune and
its spice,
has
the power
to rule the universe.
You choose one of the six warring factions to
l ead in the conquest
of
Dune.
Liet
Kynes-After
generations
of habitat ion
on
Dune s har sh surface, you r F remen war ri or s a re
inured
to all
hardships.
They
are the greatest
fighters of all. You a re now r eady t o throw off the
yoke of alien domination.
Baron
Nadimir
Harkonnen-You have governed
and
exploited
Dune
for many years. Your
domina
tion is now being threatened, but You have had time
to infiltrate
your
enemys' forces
and
prepare traps.
Emperor Shaddam IV - Years of over-confidence
in
your
galaxial
police-the
feared
Sardaukar-and
your
secret pact with the Harkonnens have robbed
you of your alertness. The situation
upon
Dune now
demands
your immediate attention. Will
your
Sardaukar be able to prevent another group from
taking
over Dune and
using
the
spice to wrest
away
your power.
Edric-Your guild monopol y on space t rave l
depends entirely upon an
uninterrupted
flow of
spice t o you r navigators. It is now in danger. You
must make sure
no
one can use it to
blackmail
you.
Armed invasion may be your only solution.
Reverend
Mother Gaius
Helen Mohian-You and
your sisters in the Bene Gessert have spent
thousands
of
years grooming the various
civilisations and worlds fo r a mess iah wh ich will
b ring you to power. The unplanned appearance
of
th e mess iah in th e person of
Pau l Muad
Dib has
precipitated you to action before you re ready. But
your powers of mysticism and mind con trol a re
secret abi li ties which al low you to make inroads on
Dune without open
aggression.
In each game you get :
• Full Color Mapboard
of
the planet, Dune.
• 6 Shields e ach with a full color illustration of the
player's character
• 120 Circular Counters
representing the armies
DUNEis available now by mail from the Aval
Hill Game Co. for 15.00 plus 10 postage (o
GENERAL postage coupon). Maryland residen
please add 5 state sales tax.
DU N
is
based
on
t he bes t se lling Sci en
Fiction series of t he same name by Frank Herb
and was designed by
EON
GAMES; the same fo
who did OSMI EN OUNTERS A fast
a
highly
playable
game in
the OSMI
OUNTERS mode, DUNE sports the mo
splendid
artwork
ever to grace a conventio
wargame.
Whether
you've read the
books
or n
you won t want to miss the DUNE game.
