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Basic Game Setup
This page offers a sequence of setup guidelines which will help players to
balance theri games in a somewhat historical way. Players should keep in mind
however, that all of the following options including gas, defenses, etc. are
rolled for at gamer's discretion. For example; players may wish to set up their
own 1914 scenario with only a small amount of on-call artillery for each side,
dispensing with all other defenses, etc. In such cases, players are advised to
at least roll two dice (2D6) in order to set a Lull deadline, although even
this is optional.
Setup Sequence
- Decide in which year the scenario is taking place and
which sides are attacker and defender. In case of debate about this, the
numerically superior side becomes the attacker. Also, decide whether the battle
represents a local attack or big push (this affects the type of pre-game
barrage chosen).
- Each side rolls for barrage/on-call
artillery/airstrike/gas availability.
- Each side rolls for extra heavy weapon availability.
- Each side rolls for availability of defensive works.
- Roll for setup proximity, note Lull die roll value.
- Place defensive works
- Place troops. Personnel type units may begin the game
prone. Players may want to arrange for basic troop placement to be written out
ahead of time so as to avoid the problem of players who setup slowly while
watching enemy "deployment". Another option is to have first the defender, and
then the attacker place their infantry sub-units only. The defender followed by
the attacker then attaches or places all other supporting bases such as machine
guns, cannon, tanks, etc.
- Conduct counter-battery fire for pre-game barrages.
- Conduct pre-game barrages, mark gassed units and check
morale for all units having suffered casualties.
Barrages/Airstrikes/Gas - Each side rolls one six sided die (1D6)
for each category, applying the appropriate modifiers posted below. Barrage
results are decimal values which indicate the number of barrages recieved per
sub-unit present on the battlefield (totalled for both sides). For low
intensity campaign areas (Africa, Palestine, etc.) players may only want to use
on-call artillery.
Example: A game which sets a French regiment
of three five-unit battalions against a German regiment of six six-unit
battalions plus two assault units, will have a battlefield total of 35 units
present. A barrage result of .40 on the chart will allow the player who roles
that value to multiply .40 by 35 (.40 x 35) giving that player 14 barrages.
Standard rounding rules apply to final values.
Airstrike values indicate
the number of airstrikes received for game use. Gas availability is either
available or unavailable.
| Die Roll |
Local Attack Barrage |
Big Push Barrage
(Starting 1916) |
On-Call
Barrage |
Airstrike
(Attacker, starting 1915) |
Gas available
(Starting 1915) |
Barrage/On-call die roll modifiers:
Germans 1918 =
+2
Russian 1914 = -2
Russian 1915 = -3
Russian 1915 = -1
Italian
afer 1917 = -3 |
| Attacker |
Defender |
Attacker |
Defender |
German |
Other |
| 1 or less |
.20 |
.10 |
.30 |
.15 |
.05 |
- |
no |
no |
| 2 |
.25 |
.15 |
.35 |
.25 |
.10 |
- |
no |
no |
| 3 |
.30 |
.20 |
.45 |
.30 |
.15 |
- |
no |
no |
| 4 |
.40 |
.25 |
.55 |
.40 |
.20 |
1 |
no |
no |
| 5 |
.50 |
.35 |
.65 |
.45 |
.30 |
2 |
yes |
no |
| 6 |
.60 |
.45 |
.75 |
.55 |
.40 |
3 |
yes |
yes |
| 7 |
.65 |
.50 |
.80 |
.60 |
.45 |
3 |
- |
- |
| 8 or
more |
.70 |
.55 |
.85 |
.65 |
.50 |
3 |
- |
- |
Pre-Game Bombardment
The number rolled for
Barrages represents the number of enemy sub-units or command
bases which suffer pre-game barrage fire. For each barrage that hits it, every
base in the target unit must roll once on the Area Weapons Chart with all
normal modifiers. All supporting bases within a sub-unit's deployment area must
also roll once on the same chart. Note that any one barrage may only be
expended against a unit and its supporting bases or a command base, not both.
Barrages may be distributed in any manner, either throughout an enemy force, or
concentrated on a few units, forcing their component bases to roll multiple
times for loss and damage.
Counterbattery fire - Before assigning barrages,
players may expend their barrage hits to "attack" enemy barrages. This uses up
any barrages used for this, but if successful, will reduce enemy barrages
available. For each barrage used for counterbattery fire, roll one six-sided
die. A 5 or 6 result will destroy one enemy barrage.
Gas - If gas is available to a side, it may be used
to modify all pre-game barrage rolls according to the area weapons chart
modifiers. A unit which loses one or more bases as a result of a pre-game
bombardment laced with gas is considered a "gassed unit" and suffers that
morale modifier for the rest of the game. Any side using gas also receives a +1
on all counterbattery fire. No gas is allowed for the on-call artillery used
during game play.
Extra Heavy
Weapons | The chart below allows players to roll for possible acquisition
of extra heavy weapon bases including field guns (cannon), trench mortars and
more rarely, extra machine guns. Qualfied players roll one six sided die (1D6)
for each allowable category. Results are decimal values which indicate the
number of heavy weapon bases of that type recieved per friendly sub-unit.
Example: A player in command of a regiment composed of three
five-unit battalions will have a total of 15 units within his control. If it is
1914 and he rolls a .55 value on the chart when rolling to acquire field guns,
the resulting calculations (.55 x 15) will give him 8 field gun bases for
game-board use.
| Die
Roll |
A |
B
|
C |
D
|
F
|
| 1 |
.70 |
.45 |
.25 |
.05 |
.00 |
| 2 |
.75 |
.50 |
.30 |
.10 |
.00 |
| 3 |
.80 |
.55 |
.35 |
.15 |
.00 |
| 4 |
.90 |
.65 |
.45 |
.25 |
.05 |
| 5 |
.95 |
.70 |
.50 |
.30 |
.10 |
| 6 |
1.00 |
.75 |
.55 |
.35 |
.15 |
- Heavy Weapon Die Roll Recommendations (all nations
unless noted)
- 1914: Field Gun C
- 1915: Field Gun D | Light Trench Mortar D |
French & Commonwealth LMG = D
- 1916: Field Gun F | Light Trench Mortar C |
German HMG = F
- 1917: Field Gun F | Medium Trench Mortar
F
- 1918: Field Gun D | Medium Trench Mortar F
| German HMG = F | American LMG = C
Note that several of the chart columns are not yet
assigned a specific use. Players should feel free to use them as tools for
creating scenarios, for example as an alternative method to control heavy and
light machine gun availability.
Defensive
Positions | Each side rolls for each category (trenches, barbed wire
entanglements, pillboxes and bunkers) once per 20 sub-units present for both
sides according to the values shown in the Troop Lists and Notes section for
that nationality. For example, a French player fighting a battle in 1915 would
roll to acquire trenches, wire and pillboxes, but not bunkers. Consult the
links below for defense die rolls:
British · French
(Also American) · German (Also Turkish)
· Russian (also Austrian, Italian,
Balkan)
Setup Proximity
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
| Constricted Terrain |
80 yds |
160 yds |
200 yds |
250 yds |
300 yds |
400 yds |
| Open
Terrain |
100 yds |
180 yds |
250 yds |
320 yds |
400 yds |
500 yds |
| Wide Open Terrain |
120 yds |
200 yds |
300 yds |
400 yds |
500 yds |
600 yds |
Ref: Large scale 1" = 20
yards, Medium Scale 1" = 30 yards, Small Scale 1" = 40 yards.
Cross index the roll of one six sided die (top row) with the location and year
(left column) to obtain the nearest point (in yards) to the defender that the
attacker may place his nearest combat units or defenses. Also, the die value
(number of dots) actually rolled is the turn number that players begin rolling
for lulls in combat. See the Combat Lull section below for more information.
Lull in
Fighting - When players roll for proximity on the set up chart, the
unmodified die result is used to establish the turn upon which players begin
rolling on one six-sided die (1D6) for a combat lull, which will occur on an
unmodified roll result of 6. The lull is considered to be a short
lull if it occurs before the seventh game turn, and is considered to be a long
lull if it occurs on or after the seventh game turn. Players may mutually
declare either type of combat lull at any time during the game.
The
Lull Features column below shows the various attempts at base repair, unit
recover and resource acquisition which player may attempt during combat lulls.
The values shown under the Short Lull and Long Lull columns below indicate the
permissions or die rolls required to achieve the operations shown at left. For
example: During a short lull, a unit which was gassed may not attempt to
recover from its gassed status. But that same unit will recover during a long
lull if it can roll a 6 on a recovery die roll. A damaged combat base
may repair itself on a die roll of 6 during a short lull and on a
4 through 6 during a long lull.
| Lull
Feature |
Short
Lull |
Long
Lull |
| Extra Defenses |
Hasty Dig-in : Unlimited |
Trenchline: ½10 |
| Repair Roll : Combat
Base Damage |
No |
5,6 |
| Repair Roll: Command Base Damage
¹ |
No |
5,6 |
| Repair : MG Jam |
Automatic |
Automatic |
| Recovery Roll : Gassed Unit |
No |
5,6 |
| Reorganize : Units
² |
No |
All unpinned
units |
| Extra Resource Roll : On-call barrages
³ |
No |
Yes |
| Extra Resource Roll :
Airstrikes ³ |
Yes |
Yes |
¹ — A command base may repair
a maximum of two damage points during a long lull.
² —
Re-configure battalion subunits to more favorable strengths.
This may include eliminating existing subunits in order to reinforce others in
the same battalion. May only be done within a battalion, hence inferior grade
troops may not be used to replace better grade troops, etc. Pinned units
remained pinned, and therefore may not take part in any
reorganization.
³ — Unused on-call
artillery not used in the previous round may be kept and used in the next round
of fighting. Unused air strikes are lost. |
Reinforcements (For lulls only)
| Die Roll |
Attacker |
Defender |
| 1 |
none |
none |
| 2 |
none |
1 inf. sub-unit |
| 3 |
none |
2 inf. sub-units & 1 HMG |
| 4 |
2 inf. sub-units |
3 inf. sub-units &
1 HMG |
| 5 |
2 inf. sub-units & 1 HMG |
4 inf. sub-units & 2 HMG |
| 6 |
3 inf. sub-units &
2 HMG |
5 inf. sub-units &
2 HMG |
Reinforcements arrive at the rear edge of the receiving
player's setup. |
