Peter McCord - 06:15pm Aug 8, 1998 PST (#5 of 27) Recent Games: Proud Monster/Death and Destruction, A Raging Storm, Black Wednesday Here are some Optional rules, presented in no particular order: Allow the Germans to substitute for General Withdrawals, as long as the following 2 conditions are met: (1) there must be no eligible units in play available to wd and (2) the substitute unit must equal or exceed both the combat and step strength possibility of the required unit. (3) such a unit can never return to play. Optionally, charge the Germans 1VP only for invoking this rule (one time only-all further like-strength substitutions must still be made, but don't cost VPs). Allow the soviet player to substitute TC/MC steps (or even M repl points) for each TB that is unavailable to be wd in 1942. This is not a choice and is only available when there aren't enough TBs to make the cut. (the first withdrawal could cost the soviets 9vps without this rule (they receive 8 TBs and must remove 17-without this rule, the Sovs could easily blow the game here-this rule prevents such an odd occurrence, and costs the Soviet player and equal or greater amount of pain). Optionally, charge the Soviets 1VP for invoking this rule (one-time only). Limit Soviet Original TB dice rolls to a range of 5 to 9. Re-roll 2-4 and 10-12, but still deduct for Moscow/Leningrad Capture from the final original roll (it is still possible to get none). Calculate Soviet Replacements normally, but once their multiple reaches 6 allow for a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 27. Starting with turn 211, move the maximum to 30, and keep the 12 minimum. All Panzer and Tank Units on both sides (including the Arm Cav, but NOT including AGbns or Hvy Bns) are halved (FRD, just like DD Rivers) attacking Major Forts (the 2L jobbers only) and Major Cities (again, not Large Towns). This does not apply to PGD, MD, MRD, MC, GMC, etc., nor Cav…. In F weather, treat marsh as "Forest in D weather", rather than as "Clear in D weather". Mech units will have to pay 2mps and get a 1L shift on MAs. Peter McCord - 06:16pm Aug 8, 1998 PST (#6 of 27) Recent Games: Proud Monster/Death and Destruction, A Raging Storm, Black Wednesday The following rules are for players who experience too many German wins, but be forewarned its effects could be rather severe, depending on your style of play (use them alone or together): During 1941 PM play only, when the weather is D or F (only, never in M, S or R), ANY GERMAN UNIT that begins its movement on the East Side of the GAS line has its movement allowance reduced by one. If supply concentration is used, those supplied units still get full MPs (ignore this rule, although they still are affected by weather), and the other units still get their one-hex move. This rule, combined with the PZer rule vs. cities, will hamper the Germans sufficiently, and seems justified. The supply problems as the Germans move east should affect both movement and combat, not just combat. Eliminate PM 14.7, there is no fog of war. Untried units may never be inspected, but stacks may otherwise be examined, by both sides. This hurts the Germans much more since most Russians are untried anyway (and color-coded anyway). I think this should be standard, I don't like the "shell" game of hiding the full strength, German, 12mp units under other units. This rule helps the Russian player economize during the great retreat turns. Peter McCord - 06:17pm Aug 8, 1998 PST (#7 of 27) Recent Games: Proud Monster/Death and Destruction, A Raging Storm, Black Wednesday If you experience too many Soviet Wins, try either or both of the following (again, both of these are seemingly minor but could throw the game drastically, so be careful): Limited Soviet Concentric ability (again, this one is historically justified) in 1941: The Sovs gain no concentric shift on turn 1 of PM. Thereafter, they must roll when they are otherwise eligible for a concentric attack, at the instant of combat. The die roll needed for success is the less than or equal to the current Turn # minus 1. Turn 2, <=1, Turn 3, <=2, etc. Thus, by Turn 7, the Soviets have gotten their act together somewhat. More Historical Soviet Set-Up: at least 8 TDs and 4 MRDs (FRU) from the FZ must set up North of Brest Litovsk (but they may not be in the border hexes) OR at least 10 TDs and 5 MRDs from the IZ must set up north of the Pripet Marsh, and on/west of the Riga N-S hexrow. If the second option is selected, those units can be used to qualify for the setup requirements of one unit per city, and 4 per hex row, as long as the minimum number of each is present in the defined region. Soviet Player chooses, one or the other of above (or both, but that is not advisable!). Peter McCord - 06:18pm Aug 8, 1998 PST (#8 of 27) Recent Games: Proud Monster/Death and Destruction, A Raging Storm, Black Wednesday Here is my home-brewed Turn Reminder Chart: Turn -- Event -- DDRule# 124 Begin DD and all non-retroactive general rules 124 RVGK 10 Unit limit shifts to 10 Step limit (my interpretation--the rules are vague on retroactivity) 8.34 124 Soviets may Withdraw units into the RVGK 8.34 124 Begin Soviet Rifle Division Removal (perm elim lettered divs) 8.23 124 Soviet Repl eligibility (all corps, RD, CD, Art D, all guards) 8.24 First non-F, non-S weather in '42: River effect change (1L becomes 50% reduction, FRD) 14.1 201 German Repls 8.14 203 Soviet Offensive Supply required (the first SUP unit arrives) 9.6 203 RVGK Increases to 28 steps 8.34 203 Remove Soviet 6th Interceptor Air unit 10.2 204 Last possible turn for Moscow sudden death victory 4.8 205 Begin German Strategic Movement (8 steps/couplet) 12.2 205 Eliminate the GAS restrictions 9.1 205 Possible Map C use (and volga interdiction in 5912,5913) 3.1 205 Both sides suffer from Supply Map restrictions 9.2 206 Begin German rear-area comb-outs 8.17 207 Soviet Corps Step limit=2 8.31 209 German Aircraft Return (perm=6 factors each) 10.1 210 Begin German Stalingrad Dead Pile Use *after* this turn 8.6 211 Reduced German Air Supply (remove one counter, remainder gets 7 hexes) 9.5 211, 212 or 213 German '42 Offensive Declaration (only after a Lull) 15.2 213 Soviet Corps Step limit=3 8.31 217 (the second soviet SUP unit arrives) 9.6 217 RVGK Increases to 36 steps 8.34 218 South Weather Zone Shift 13.2 221 (the second soviet SUP unit arrives) 9.6 221 RVGK Increases to 28 steps 8.34 221 Soviet Corps Step limit=4 8.31 305 Italian Withdrawl 7.4 311 German Anti-partisan Warfare 15.8 311 Lower Dnepr restrictions for the Germans 12.1 311, 312 or 313 German '43 Offensive Declaration 15.3 311, 312 or 313 Manstein's Gambit 15.4 313 German Infantry Downgrade 8.22 313 through 318: Soviet '43 Airdrop 15.7 318 South Weather Zone Shift 13.2 323 Soviet Repl decline (from 6per city to 4per city) 8.36 401 Lift Soviet 1/2 Mech Repl restriction 8.33 Peter McCord - 06:25pm Aug 8, 1998 PST (#9 of 27) Recent Games: Proud Monster/Death and Destruction, A Raging Storm, Black Wednesday Finally, I have some rather eye-opening step, step loss, stacking, replacement and shipping costs charts, but they are in Excel and are impossible to post neatly here. These are very valuable, if for no other reason they tell you quickly who can be replaced (and who can't), who can be shipped (or not), etc., at a glance, along with costs. It alleviates much of the confusion in the rules, which aren't ever lumped together and are spread out over a number of cases in two rulebooks. If you would like a copy of this 2-sheet workbook (excel '97 for Windows '95, although it should work on a MAC too), simply email me (pmcswat@aol.com) with your request and I will send it to you as an attached file, no charge of course. I am not official, so use them at your own risk :-)