MASON-DIXON VARIANT
by
Alan R. Arvold
22.0 Scenario 1944 - Race for the Bomb
The Oil War of 1940 lasted less than two years. The US who
started the war did remarkably well, overrunning almost all of
Texas in less than two months. This was due to their mastery of
the blitzkrieg (with the help of German army advisors). However
the Confederates proved to be fast learners of the blitzkrieg and
in the fall of 1940 mounted a drive which not only recovered all
of Texas but pushed as far north as Denver and Kansas City before
the onset of winter brought the drive to a halt. East of the
Mississippi both sides had built as series of heavily fortified
positions which precluded any serious drives across the border.
In the spring of 1941 the US mounted its counteroffensive back
towards Texas which the Confederates stopped approximately at the
old border line and here the war stalemated by the summer of 41.
Meanwhile overseas World War II was proceeding more or less
along its historical course. There was one big difference though,
on 7 December 1941 the Japanese attacked the British naval base
at Singapore harbor. With the British Pacific Fleet destroyed the
Japanese conquered all British, French, and Dutch possessions in
about four months that they did historically. The US possessions
in the Pacific were not attacked for two reasons. One was that
the US was an ally of their Axis partner Germany. Second was that
the US had shifted most of the military forces in the Pacific
back to the US to help in the prosecution of Oil War and thus was
no threat to the Japanese drives in the western Pacific.
However during the conquest of Dutch Indonesia the oilfields
and refineries were destroyed before the Japanese could take
them. Though the Dutch owned the oilfields and facilities, it was
Confederate Oil companies which actually ran and managed them.
These Southern workers and technicians were responsible for their
destruction and Japanese in retaliation murdered all them upon
their capture. This prompted the CSA to cut off all trade and
diplomatic relations with Japan. Japan then approached the US
with the offer of a twenty year peace treaty between them. In
short if the US would recognise all Japanese conquests in the
Pacific, the Japan would respect all US possessions. In secret
Japan negotiated a deal where if the US supplied workers and
technicians to rebuild and run the destroyed oil fields and
facilities in Indonesia, then the US would receive any surplus
oil from there that Japan did not need. The US agreed and signed
the treaty in April of 1942.
Now that the US was assured of an oil supply it did not need
Southern oil which was what it went to war for in the first place
with the Confederates. The US government offered the CS one an
armistice to go into effect in May of 1942. As both sides were
approching economic exhaustion it was readily accepted. The
original border was restored and both sides demobilized their
expanded forces. By the end of 1942 the borders were quiet. But
leaders from both sides knew that this was only a temperary state
of affairs.
Before the Oil War both sides started research into the
scientific theory of nuclear fission in hopes of creating a new
super-weapon but it was not until after the armistice that
serious development actually started. Although both sides
shrouded their work in secrecy, the respective intellegence
services kept their governments informed of the other's progress.
Meanwhile the economies of both sides not only recovered but
expanded as each was supplying raw and war materials to their
respective allies in the World War. Both sides also took this
time to modernized their armed forces in preparation for the next
round which both thought was about five years away. However in
the spring of 1944 this changed drastically.
In early 1944 both Great Britain and Germany, both who had
been developing the Atomic Bomb on their own, reached the
conclusion that they could not complete development on their own
and sought aid from their respective American allies. Both the
USA and CSA agreed to help in that if Germany and Britain
transfered their technicians, researchers, and materials to the
relative safety of America, upon completion of the work they
could buy warheads from their American Allies until they could
develop the Bomb on their own after the World War was over. Both
belligerents agreed and in the spring of 1944 Atomic Bomb
development accelerated in both American republics. Unfortunately
as a result the intellingence services for both the USA and CSA
reported to their respective leaders that the other side was now
way ahead in developing the Bomb. This caused both sides to
consider launching a preemptive war to defeat the other before
they could complete the Bomb.
22.1 Introduction
Increasing distrust between both nations and fear of possible
nuclear domination upon the other side's completion of the Bomb
leads the leaders of both countries to launch preemptive attacks
upon each other.
22.2 Set Up
Turn: June (1944)
Phase: Air Phase, flip a coin to see who goes first.
CSA: Economy = 20, RP = 10, Forts = 12.
Counters = 57 two sided and 61 one sided, plus Mexican
Protectorate and Central American Colonial
Units.
USA: Economy = 24, RP = 5, Forts = 10.
Counters = 67 two sided and 38 one sided.
22.3 Victory Conditions
The victory conditions are the same as those listed in rules
section 18.3 of the 1940 scenario. Use the rules for victory
through shock (rule 18.6) and through economic exhaustion. Ignore
the rules about victory level shifts for capturing enemy cities.
Instead shifts in the victory level only occur when one or both
sides use the Atomic Bomb on one another. If only one side uses
the Bomb the victory level is shifted one level in its favor. If
both use the Bomb then the shifts cancel each other out.
22.4 Blitzkrieg
As both sides have mastered the blitzkrieg form of war all "V"
counters are available at the beginning of the scenario. In fact
both sides have been modernizing their forces since the end of
the Oil War and have integrated the new units into their armies
as well as improved other units with newer model equipment and
weapons. (Note: All new variant counters mentioned in this
article will have to be fabricated by the players themselves.)
CSA: Use the 1940 set up with the following changes.
a. The eight 6-4-2 mechanized infantry divisions may be set up
anywhere in the CSA with the restriction of one per state.
In turn the Confederate player must remove one of the "S"
marked infantry divisions of his choice from each of these
states and place them in the force pool box.
b. All regular cavalry divisions and brigades are removed from
this scenario. In turn the Confederate player will place
the NBF mechanized cavalry brigade, and four new 3-2-3
mechanized cavalry brigades for this variant in the
respective states where the cavalry divisions were removed
from. Player may choose which unit to place in each state.
c. Delete the four 3-2-1 tank brigades from the scenario.
Replace them with the four new 4-2-1 tank brigades for this
variant. One brigade may be placed anywhere in the CSA, one
is placed in the eliminated units box and the other two are
placed in the force pool box.
d. Add to the GHQ box both paratroop brigades and both
mechanized infantry brigades that are in the original
counter sheet.
e. Delete all (1)-5-6 bomber and 6-0-6 fighter units from the
scenario. Add the following variant counters; one (1)-(6)-7
bomber and two 7-0-7 fighter unit to the GHQ box. Delete
the 7-0-0 point defence fighter unit and add one 8-0-0
point defence jet fighter unit in the force pool box. Add
one heavy bomber unit (with the same values as the USA
ones) to the force pool box.
f. Place the naval carrier unit Manassas in the GHQ box. Add
to the force pool box the 5-(-1)-5 naval carrier units
Vicksburg, Chattanoga, Sharpsburg, and Gettysburg and the
8-(+2)-4 naval surface unit Alabama.
USA: Use the 1940 set up with the following changes.
a. The five armored divisions and five mechanized infantry
divisions are now set up any where in the USA. They replace
the ten motorized infantry divisions which are now placed
in the force pool box.
b. Delete the two cavalry divisions and two cavalry regiments
from this scenario. The 11th Mechanized Cavalry Regiment
may be placed any where in the USA. The 12th Mechanized
Cavalry Regiment and the two variant 4-2-4 mechanized
cavalry regiments are placed in the force pool box.
c. Delete all 4-1-0 and 3-1-1 tank regiments from this
scenario. The 66th and 67th Armored Regiments are placed
anywhere in the USA. The 3rd and 184th Mechanized Infantry
Regiments are placed in the eliminated units box. Place one
variant 5-5-2 armored regiment and one variant 4-4-2
mechanized infantry regiment in the force pool box. Place
the 5-2-1 tank regiment along with three variant 5-2-1 tank
regiments in the force pool box.
d. Place one paratroop division and one marine division in the
GHQ box. Place the other paratroop division and marine
division in the force pool box. Take two 4-4-0 infantry
divisions of your choice out of the GHQ box and place them
in any city within their respective states.
e. Delete all 3-4-5, 4-5-6, and 6-0-6 fighter units and the
(2)-6-6 dive bomber unit from this scenario. Place one
variant 7-0-7 and two variant 5-6-7 fighter units in the
GHQ box. Move one of the heavy bomber units from the force
pool box to the GHQ box. Place in the force pool box one
7-0-7 variant fighter unit, one 5-6-7 variant fighter unit,
and one variant 8-0-0 point defence jet fighter unit.
f. Delete the two 0-(-2)-6 balloon unit from this scenario.
Place the Wisconsin and Missouri naval surface units and
the Yorktown naval carrier unit along with two variant
4-(+1)-7 naval air units into the GHQ box. Place in the
force pool box the variant 6-(-1)-5 naval carrier units
Enterprise, Ranger, Hornet, and Wasp.
22.5 Jet Fighters
Each side gets one point defence jet fighter which starts in
their respective force pool boxes. These jets may only be used
for interception and no other purpose. When used in interception
jet fighter may shoot at any air unit, ignoring any escorting
fighter units the targeted unit may have. Escorting fighter units
may still shoot at the jet though.
Note: The early jet fighters that were developed during the World
War II period while faster than prop driven planes also had
shorter range, thus making them ideal for interception purpose
which was how they were used then (for the most part). When
intercepting bombers they could use their speed to buzz their way
through the escorts to the bombers. Unfortunately they had to
slow down in order to engage the bombers and this gave the
escorting fighters a chance to pounce on the jets.
22.6 Extended Fighter Range
Both sides may double the range factor of their fighter units
during a sortie. To do this 2 RPs must be expended per fighter
sortie.
Note: This reflects the use of drop tanks to increase the range
which were in vogue in most air forces at the time.
22.7 Naval Carrier Unit Production
Both sides may now produce carrier units in two different
ways. One way is the normal production rules listed in the game
which adds another naval unit to a side's forces. The other way
is to trade a naval surface unit for a naval carrier unit. To do
this the player pays half the production cost of a naval unit
(which will in turn halve the production time) and on the turn of
completion place the carrier unit in the GHQ box and delete a
surface unit from there which is removed from the game. A player
can not use a damaged surface unit in the force pool box as his
unit to be deleted. A player may choose which naval surface unit
to delete.
Note: This rule reflects the fact that the world navies at this
time were switching from a battleship oriented force to a carrier
oriented force. What is happening within the context of this rule
is that battleships are being retired from the navy and their
attending cruisers and destroyers are then assigned to the new
carriers being produced thus saving the production costs for new
escort vessels for the carriers.
22.8 Atomic Bomb
Development: Both sides starting in the first month may
allocate 1 RP towards Bomb development. This is done during the
Production Phase when units are built or rebuilt. Players should
keep a running total of RPs allocated during the game on a piece
of scratch paper. Starting in the month that the 12th RP has been
allocated towards Bomb development a player may roll a die to see
if he has successfully completed it. This done in the Production
Phase after the l RP have been spent. A result of 1 means that
development has been completed, any other result means it is not
completed. Each month thereafter the chances of completion go up
by one on the dice roll (second month - 1 or 2, third month
1,2,or 3, etc.) until the chances are 1-5 on the die roll for
successful completion at which point it does not get any better.
During this time a player must continue to allocate 1 RP per
month to continue development. A player may not commit more
than 1 RP per month and if he allocates 0 RPs during a month the
process is halted. The process will resume where it left off when
a player again allocates the 1 RP per month.
Production: Starting in the month that development is
completed the player receives one Atomic Bomb at the end of the
Production Phase. Every third month thereafter the player
recieves another Atomic Bomb at the end of the Production Phase
and so on until the game is over. During production a player must
continue to allocate 1 RP each month and if for some reason no
RPs are allocated in a month production is halted and will not
resume where it left off until RP allocation is resumed. A player
makes a note on his scratch paper as to how many Bombs he has in
his possession.
Combat Use: Atomic Bombs are used during the Air Phase of a
month. They are used in conjunction with a Heavy Bomber Air Unit
on a City Bombing mission. The Heavy Bomber Air Unit which is
used is subject to interception by enemy interceptors and may be
escorted by friendly fighters. If the bomber unit survives
interception it may then drop the Bomb on any enemy city within
range. It may not drop it on an enemy city under friendly control
or friendly city under enemy control.
Effects: A city that has had an Atomic Bomb dropped on it is
automatically destroyed for the duration of the game. All combat
units in the same hex as the city are removed and put into the
force pool. Mark the hex with a variant A-Bomb counter. No ground
units may move into that hex for the rest of the game. The
destroyed city can not act as a supply source for the rest of the
game. In the next Production Phase reduce the RPs generated by
one. A city destroyed by an A-Bomb increases the Shock Level by
the VP value of the city plus five additional for the use of the
Bomb.
Production Facilities: The development and production
facilities for both sides are located off the map and can not be
effected in any way by any enemy combat unit. (The US has it
facilities located on the West Coast and CS has its facilities
located in the Central American Colonies.)
22.9 Optional Rules
Foreign Intervention (21.0) may not be used in this scenario.
(Both Germany and Britain are so embroiled in the Second World
War by this time that they can not spare any military forces to
intervene.) Both sides may use any leaders (20.0) available in
the 1940 scenario and may also use Fort Complexes (18.8) if they
so desire.