From: Doug Murphy <dmurphy@WPPOST.DEPAUL.EDU> Subject: QuikStart Notes on East is Red EiR is an op-level Sov invasion of Manchuria in early 70s by Jim Dunnigan at SPI in 1974. 4 scenarios: hasty and prepared (M-30) attack at current/full readiness. 22x34 map by R. Simonsen in early murky SPI style w/lots of shades of blue for Sov terrain, rough, sea, industrial hexes. Turn: 1 week. Hex: 50 km. Map has standard odds-ratio CRT (AE,AR, DR,EX,DE), TEC (diffential effects for mech vs. non-mech units) 6 Major City and 63 industry hexes have intrinsic def.strength. Def doubled and attacking tanks halved in rough. Major City has ZOC. Def tripled/tanks halved in city. Sov kill intrinsic strength in city with DE, EX or industry with DR, DE, EX. Units have attack/def/move factors and are an interesting amalgm of 3 div each...or not quite an Army...Dunnigan notes is as SPI's version of a Chin/Sov corp. Sov units break down to div (which is handy in EX). Sov get a Marine div which can amphib assault (but no paratroops...darn!). 10 Turns: Sov reinforcements/ check Sov supply/ Sov move/ combat / check Sov supply/ Sov mech (again), air, supply units move / Chin reinforcements/ check Chin supply/ move/ combat/ check Chin supply/ Chin mech move/ Atomic demolitions detonated... Must expend MP to enter/leave ZOC. 3 units may move 20 hexes via friendly rail. ZOC semi-rigid. Combat voluntary. 3 unit stacking. Attacking factors doubled in concentric attacks Sov arty units must be adjacent to attacking Sov but not adjacent to Chin unit. Supply is key to this game. Sov supply path: 5 MP to 1of up to 4 supply units then unlimited MP to supply hex on map edge. Air / Arty calculate MP as a mech unit (ugh). Sov auto-supplied on turn 1-4. OOS: move/attack halved. Chin supply trace unlimited MP to supply hex on map edge or indust. hex. Supply unit expended to support Sov attacks w/in 5 hex radii. Air power is handled in an interesting fashion: each Sov air unit has 6 pts which may be added to attacks (only). #pts are diminished w/ range (up to 18 hexes). Air unit can't use pts and move in same turn. So Sov move into China, set up "air units," support attacks, then move some air units, "cover" with non-moving air units. Sov get nukes: double attack factor. Roll for possible contamination. Chin gets 8 Atomic demolitions: secretly target hexside. Once exploded, adds 4 MP next turn+ to move cost/can't trace supply. Use to channel / choke off movement. Both sides get reinforcements. Chin also get up to 6 militia corps and possible Korean intervention. Victory level: #indust.hexes "cut off." "...if the Soviet player feels the Chinese player has provoked him (say he was slow in setting up or thumbed his nose at the Sov player), he may elect to bomb the rest of China (off-map)..." No reinforcements. Almost guarantee Sov win. This is a challenge to Sov. win. Must concentrate. Use airpower/nukes and keep supply. Chin can play havoc with latter. Seek cut-off at least up to Shen-Yang. Must go into Peking area to decisively win. Rough terrain channels attacks. Relatively few Chin units but a couple of bad EX and its all over for the Sov. Compare this with later S&T game The China War, covering all of China at strategic level. Doug Murphy