From: "Brandon Einhorn" <brandon@global-tech.com>
Subject: Re: Variants

Eastfront (Columbia Games)

Supply:

1) Units no longer suffer an automatic step loss for being put out of
supply. Rather, each unit that starts the turn out of supply has
until the end of its turn to get back in supply. If it is still out
of supply, it takes a step loss. If a unit voluntarily moves out of
supply, it takes a step loss at the end of the opponents turn if its
still out of supply.

2) The rail net can be advanced three hexes a turn in clear weather,
and one hex per turn in mud or snow.

3) Units that are involved in combat while out of supply inflict one
hit for every two hits rolled.

4) Mech units have a movement allowance of one when they start the
turn out of supply. But if a mech unit has just been put out of supply,
it may expend 2 MP if it moves so as to be back in supply and does not
attack. [A unit putting a front out of supply will no longer
automatically destroy 5-10 steps, they have a chance to retreat]

Friendly Terrain: Hexes "behind" the main line become friendly after
two turns. [An area surrounded on turn 4 becomes friendly at the end
of turn 6.]

Cut off Cities: Cities that are not connected by rail to the main
production grid produce resource points that may only be consumed by
units in that hex. Engaged units in ports that are bypassed and more
than 3 hexes from the friendly main line are subject to the following
attrition roll: At the end of each turn roll a die, on a 7 or higher
each unit in the hex takes a loss. One is added for each turn of
isolation after the first turn of isolation. Leningrad and Sevastapol
can supply one unit for free. [Currently its too expensive to capture
Riga and Odessa if they are garrisoned with a 3]

Difficult Terrain: When fighting in forest, mountain, or city tank
units fire SF not DF or TF. Units in forest are not doubled on
defense. Units in fortresses are now doubled on defense not tripled.
They still fire TF. [Fortresses are simply too powerful. Tanks
should not be the weapon of choice for rough terrain, that falls on
infantry]

Decoys: The Russian gets 4 dummy blocks in the November 1941
production segment. Starting at the beginning of the game The German
gets 4 extra blocks that represent detached divisions. Each block may
be created and assigned one strength by placing them in a hex with an
infantry corps, and reducing the corps one step. [Without this rule
for the Germans they don't have enough units to form a front line
along the north and attack in the center or south. If the German
leaves a gap then a soviet unit can put the whole front out of supply]

Air Strikes: They target the entire hex, not just one unit.

First Turn Paralysis: The Russian player may not move any combat
units more than one hex east during the first turn. Nor may he
abandon any production city voluntarily until August. Through turn 3,
if at any time the German player takes a number of production cities
equal to the turn number, he wins the game. Thus if by turn 3 he
takes  Riga, Minsk, and Bryansk he wins. [These rules help to prevent
the unrealistic political abandonment of Russia]

Enhanced Command:  Both sides may activate one stack a turn for
movement for free. Also both sides may launch one free attack a turn.
[Note: this allows an isolated part of the line to be attacked
without the major commitment of an HQ which represents an army group
level combat.]

EXPERIMENTAL RULES:

Overrun: A stack containing at lease one tank unit that enters an
enemy occupied hex and out numbers that enemy unit by 10-1 or more
may simply eliminate that unit and continue movement. The stack
moves into the hex and the player asks if the overrun is successful.
If there is more than one factor he is informed that the stack must
stop and there will be combat. However, if the friendly unit started
the movement phase in a hex with enemy units, it may not move out.
[I have not tried this rule and it may be too hard on the Russians
in 1941. I don't like the idea of a 1 point units holding up and
advance for TWO WEEKS!]

High Intensity Attack: A stack attacking a city may perform a high
intensity attack. The defender adds +1 to each of his shots. Then
the surviving attacking units fire back, adding +1 to each of their
shots. I have not tried this either. Since I took away the tanks DF
in cities, there has to be a way to take a city with infantry only
(like at Stalingrad)

brandon@global-tech.com