1943 Standard Game Setup

1943
BATTALION LEVEL GROUND COMBAT FOR WWII

Standard Game Setup

This page offers a sequence of setup guidelines which will help players to create their own scenario. All of the following setup options including barrages, defenses, etc. should be used at the player's discretion. For example; players may wish to set up their own 1943 scenario with only a small amount of 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. Players may simply play until they run out of troops, then declare a lull and start all over again.

Set up Sequence: 1) Decide which side is the attacker and which is defender. In case of debate about this, each side roll a die with the high roller deciding who is attacker.; 2) Roll for Air Superiority; 3) Roll for Airstrikes (request chits); 4) Roll for Barrages (request chits); 5) Roll for availability of Defensive Works. (This is very optional; players may want to dispense with or severely limit presence of any defenses); 6) Fill the Request and Wait boxes on the barrage and airstrike requests sheet; 7) Roll for Setup Proximity; 8) Place troops and start game. Players may want to arrange for basic troop placement to be written out ahead of time in order to avoid the problem of players who setup slowly while watching enemy "deployment".; 9) As required during game play, consult the Combat Lull section for lull actions.

Air Superiority - Each side rolls 1D6, with the axis player applying the modifiers shown above. The high roller has air superiority and rolls for airstrike ability. A tie results in no airstrike presence for either side. The modifiers above also count for allies of the nations shown (i.e. - German modifiers count toward Italians, etc.)

	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945
Germany
Russia/Poland	+4	-	+4	+2	0	-2	-4
France/Belgium	-	+2	-	-	-	-5	-5
Africa/Italy	-	-	0	-1	-3	-4	-5

Japan
China	+3	+3	+3	+2	0	-1	-3
Field Force	-	-	+1	0	-1	-3	-5
Island Garrison	-	-	-1	-2	-3	-4	-5

Airstrike Availability - The numbered columns represent the amount by which the rolling player won or lost the air superiority roll. Hence, the greater air superiority victory results in greater airstrike availability. The ½D6, 1D6 and 2D6 are the numbers of six sided dice rolled, with the resulting value being the number of airstrikes available to that player. The numbers 5, 6, etc. are the results required on a six sided dice roll in order for one airstrike to be available to that player

	-1	0	+1	+2	+3	+4	+5 or more
United States	5,6	½D6	½D6	1D6	1D6	2D6	2D6
Germany, UK, USSR	6	5,6	½D6	½D6	½D6	1D6	1D6
France, Japan, Italy	None	None	6	5,6	½D6	½D6	1D6

Artillery Barrages - Both sides decide which artillery intensity will be used for the game. Each side then rolls one six sided die (1D6) and consults the chart below. The decimal values indicate the number of barrages that side receives per sub-unit present on the battlefield (totalled for both sides).

Example: A game which sets a French regiment of two 4-unit battalions against a German regiment of three 4-unit battalions plus two assault units, will have a battlefield total of 20 units present. A barrage result of .45 on the chart will allow the player who roles that value to multiply .45 by 20 (.45 x 20) giving that player 9 barrages. Standard rounding rules apply to final values.

Players may (but do not have to) use dummy requests chits equal to the number of real requests chits received as a result of this die roll.

Die Roll	Local Attack		Major Offensive		Naval Barrage		Stalemated Front
Die Roll	Attacker	Defender	Attacker	Defender	Attacker	Defender	Attacker	Defender
1	.15	.00	.20	.10	.35	.00	.10	.05
2	.15	.00	.25	.15	.40	.05	.10	.05
3	.20	.05	.30	.20	.50	.10	.15	.10
4	.25	.10	.45	.30	.65	.20	.15	.15
5	.35	.15	.60	.45	.70	.30	.15	.20
6	.40	.20	.70	.55	.85	.40	.20	.30

Historical Barrage Examples
Local Attack: Bloody Ridge, Cherbourg, Tobruk, Sedan
Major Offensive: Kursk, Stalingrad, Cassino
Naval Barrage: Tarawa, Okinawa, Normandy
Stalemated Front: Just about anywhere

Notes & Die Roll Modifiers
1939: Most scenarios should use stalemated front or local attack.
1940: Most scenarios should use stalemated front or local attack.
1941: Italians -1.
1942: Japanese -1. Italians -2. Americans -1.
1943: Japanese -1.
1944: Japanese -2. Germans -1. Russians +1. British +2. Americans +3.
1945: Japanese -3. Germans -2. Americans +1. Russians +2.

Defensive Works - Each side rolls for each category once per 200 total bases present for both sides. Defending player receives +1 die on all categories.

		Trenches (x10")	Pillboxes	Bunkers	Minefields
German
	West - 40	½D6	-	-	-
	44 45	1D6	½D6	½D6	1D6
	East - 41 42	½D6	-	-	-
	43 44 45	1D6	½D6	-	3D6
	South	2D6	½D6	-	1D6

Russian	41 42	1D6	½D6	-	1D6
	43	2D6	½D6	½D6	5D6
	44 45	½D6	-	-	2D6

American	Pacific	2D6	-	-	-
	Europe	1D6	-	-	1D6

Japanese	China	1D6	½D6	-	1D6
	Field Force	1D6	1D6	1D6	1D6
	Island Garrison	2D6	2D6	2D6	4D6

British	Africa	3D6	1D6	½D6	6D6
	Europe 40	½D6	-	-	½D6

Setup Proximity - 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.

	1	2	3	4	5	6
Constricted Terrain	80 yds	160 yds	200 yds	250 yds	300 yds	400 yds
Open Terrain	120 yds	200 yds	300 yds	400 yds	500 yds	600 yds
Wide Open Terrain	200 yds	300 yds	400 yds	500 yds	700 yds	1000 yds

Ref: Large scale 1" = 20 yards, Medium Scale 1" = 30 yards, Small Scale 1" = 40 yards.

Combat Lulls - 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 demoralized unit may not attempt to recover from its current demoralized status. But that same unit will recover during a long lull if it can roll a 5 or 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	6	4 - 6
Repair Roll: Command Base Damage ¹	6	5,6
Repair : MG Jam	Automatic	Automatic
Recovery : Demoralized Unit	No recovery	5,6
Reorganize : Units ²	No reorganzing	All unpinned units
Extra Resource Roll : Barrages ³	No	Yes
Extra Resource Roll : Airstrikes ³	Yes	Yes

¹ — A command base may repair a maximum of one damage point during a short lull, and three 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 barrages not used in the previous round may be kept and used in the next round of fighting. Unused air strikes are lost.

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