A Victory Denied: Crisis at Smolensk, July-September, 1941 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1.0 Introduction
  • 1.1 Scale
  • 1.2 Components
  • 1.3 Calculation Conventions
• 2.0 Game Components
  • 2.1 Map
  • 2.2 Combat Units
  • 2.3 Headquarters
  • 2.4 Command Chits
  • 2.5 Markers
• 3.0 Preparation for Play
• 4.0 Sequence of Play
  • 4.1 Command Phase
    • 4.1.1 Command Chit Selection Phase
    • 4.1.2 Command Execution Phase
  • 4.2 End of Turn Phase
• 5.0 Stacking
• 6.0 Zone of Control
• 7.0 Command
  • 7.1 Command Chit Selection
  • 7.2 Command Execution
  • 7.3 HQs & Command Execution
  • 7.4 Panzer Corps Activation
  • 7.5 Timoshenko Activation
• 8.0 Movement
  • 8.1 Movement Procedure
  • 8.2 ZOC Effects on Movement
  • 8.3 Non-Motorized Strategic Movement
• 9.0 Combat
  • 9.1 Combat Principles
  • 9.2 Combat Procedure
  • 9.3 Combat Ratio Determination
  • 9.4 Combat Result Determination
  • 9.5 Retreat
  • 9.6 Advance After Combat
• 10.0 Supply
  • 10.1 Out of Supply
  • 10.2 Isolation Determination
  • 10.3 Supply Status Effects
  • 10.4 HQ Relocation
  • 10.5 Soviet Disbanding
• 11.0 Reinforcements
  • 11.1 Reinforcement Unit Placement
  • 11.2 Timoshenko Reinforcements
  • 11.3 Soviet "*" Reinforcements
• 12.0 HQ Special Rules
• 13.0 Soviet Art & German Air Power Chits
• 14.0 Minsk Pocket
• 15.0 Hitler Directive
• 16.0 Victory Conditions
• 17.0 Designer Notes
• Credits

1.0 Introduction

A Victory Denied is a two-player game that recreates the intense mobile fighting between German and Soviet forces in the Smolensk Oblast in the Summer of 1941. The Germans, having routed the Soviet frontier armies and captured Minsk, are racing forward to secure the historic "Land Bridge" at Smolensk for the last push to Moscow and perhaps final victory in World War Two. The Soviet forces are trying desperately to rally and form a defensive line to save their capital city and the war. The Germans won the race into position, attacked with their mobile forces while the Soviets were still forming up, and captured key areas on the road to Moscow. Can the Germans hold their gains against ferocious Soviet counterattacks until German infantry and supplies can arrive? Or will Hitler, distracted by other campaigns, take away the vital Panzers just as victory is within reach?

1.1 Scale

A hex represents approximately 10 miles of terrain from side to side. Each turn represents about 7 days. Combat units are mostly divisions for the Germans and corps for the Soviets. The red units in the Soviet force represent elite and/or well-equipped divisions.

1.2 Components

• One 22"x 34" map sheet
• 280 counters
• One rulebook
• One sheet of charts
• One 6-sided die and one 10-sided die

1.3 Calculation Conventions

When halving or quartering, always round fractions down.

EXAMPLES: One half of 5 is 2.5 and is rounded down to 2. One quarter of 3 is 0.75, rounded down to 0.

When the combat strengths of stacked units in a single hex must be halved or quartered, add them up before halving or quartering. Thus a "3" strength unit alone in a hex would be a "1" if halved. Two "3" strength units stacked together would be a "3" if halved.

2.0 Game Components

You will need to supply two coffee cups or other opaque containers to play this game.

2.1 Map

2.1.1 The map represents the area of the Soviet Union over which the historical campaign was fought. A grid of hexagons (hexes) is superimposed on the map to facilitate positioning and movement of the playing pieces. Colored symbols printed on the map show where various German and Soviet units must be set up at game start. Several charts, tables, tracks and boxes are printed around the map:

• The Terrain Effects Chart (TEC) provides a map key and shows the effects of the different terrain features on movement (see section 8.0) and combat (see section 9.0).
• The Turn Track is used to record the turn currently in progress. It also lists the number of Command Chits each side receives that turn. The Turn Track also gives the number of reinforcement points the Soviet player has available to draw units from the Soviet Reserve Box, the PVO ("Protivovozdushnoy") units and Elite Divisions the Soviet player receives each turn during the reinforcement phase, and the number of German units placed Out of Supply. On Turn 8, there are two numbers listed for the German Command chits and the German Units Out of Supply. According to the results from the Hitler Directive Table, a different value will be used for the two possible situations. The number on the left is for Hitler Distracted and the number on the right is for Objective Moscow!
• The Played Command Chits Box is used to hold the Command Chits that have been played in the current turn (see section 7.0).
• The Soviet Timoshenko Reinforcement Box is used to hold the Headquarters (HQ) and combat units of the Timoshenko counterattack force that enters play on Turn 1 (see section 11.2).
• The Soviet Reserve Box is used to hold the reserve Soviet forces.
• Guderian Chit Box is used to hold the Guderian Command Chit.
• The Luftwaffe Airfields Box is used to hold the German Stuka and Bomber counters.
• The Eliminated German Motorized Units Box is used to hold all German Motorized units that have been eliminated during the game and these units are worth victory points to the Soviet player at the end of the game.
• The Victory Chits Box is used to hold the Victory Point (VP) chits captured by the German player during the course of the game.
• Two Unplayed Command Chits Boxes (one German and one Soviet) are used to hold the Command Chits not being used this turn.

2.1.2 Supply Source Hexes: A hex with a red supply source symbol is a supply source for Soviet units; a hex with a black supply source symbol is a supply source for German units.

2.1.3 Bridges: A river hexside crossed by a road is a bridged river hexside. Conversely, a river hexside not crossed by a road is an unbridged river hexside.

2.2 Combat Units

2.2.1 Combat units represent the military forces that took part in the historical campaign. They are color-coded by nationality:

German forces

• 2nd Panzer Group — black with gray ID stripe
• 3rd Panzer Group — gray with black ID stripe
• 9th Army — light gray with gray ID stripe

Soviet forces

• Corps — tan
• Elite Divisions & PVO Unit — red

Combat Unit ID Abbreviations

Soviets

• CavGr: Cavalry Group
• AB: Airborne
• ID: Infantry Division
• M: Mechanized
• 1MRD: 1st Motorized Rifle Division
• PVO: Protivovozdushnoy (Air Defense Force)
• Rokssky: Group Rokossovsky
• Maslnn: Group Maslenniho
• Kalin: Group Kalinin
• Kocholov: Group Kochalov
• Khmnko: Group Khomenko

Germans

• Blue: Spanish Blue Division
• Cav: Cavalry
• 900Lehr: Lehr-Brigade 900 (Motorized Demonstration Brigade)
• Mot: Motorized
• Pz: Panzer ('Armor')
• SSReich: 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich

2.2.2 The numerical ratings and symbols printed on combat units can be read as follows: Unit ID, Unit Type, Reinforcement Information, Movement Allowance, and either a Defense Strength and Attack Strength (for motorized units) or a single Combat Strength (for non-motorized units).

• Unit Type: The symbol indicates the type of the unit (Armor, Motorized Infantry, Cavalry, or Infantry). The German units may have a color to indicate to which Panzer Corps they belong. This has an impact on how these units are activated (see section 7.4).
• Unit ID: This indicates the number or name of the unit.
• Reinforcement Information: The symbol indicates when a unit enters play as a reinforcement. The letter M indicates a German or Soviet unit that starts the game in the Minsk Pocket (see section 14.0). The letter R indicates a Soviet unit that starts the game in the Soviet Reserve Box (see section 11.1.1). An "*" indicates a Soviet unit that has a variable turn that it may enter the game (see section 11.3). A number indicates the turn number that the unit arrives as a reinforcement (1 or 6).
• Combat Strengths: These ratings are used to resolve combat. Motorized units have separate attack and defense strengths. Non-motorized units have only a combat strength; used both as attack strength and defense strength.
• Movement Allowance: This rating determines how far the unit can move and is expressed as a number of Movement Points.

NOTE: The silhouette version of the SS Reich counter has incorrect values. The front should be 8-8-10 and the back 7-7-10. The version of the counter with a symbol has the correct values.

Alternate Counters: The countermix includes alternate counters for all the motorized combat units in the game. These units' counters have their unit type symbols replaced by the silhouettes of the vehicles the units primarily used. The silhouette counters may be used in place of the symbol counters if you wish.

2.2.3 Most combat units have a full-strength side (front) and a reduced-strength side (back) with decreased combat strength; some only have a full-strength side (their back is blank). Full-strength sides have the numbers in white, whereas reduced-strength sides have the numbers in yellow. Combat losses flip a combat unit to its reduced-strength side or eliminate it if it has no reduced side (or eliminate a combat unit already on its reduced-strength side). All combat units are set up or enter the game on their full-strength side.

2.3 Headquarters

2.3.1 Headquarters (HQs) represent the high-echelon formations (mainly armies) that historically took part in the campaign. They are color-coded like the combat units. HQs are not combat units.

2.3.2 The numerical ratings and symbols printed on HQs can be read as on combat units, except the following:

• HQ Type: This is only for historical information. Motorized HQs operate exactly as other HQs, except they may not perform strategic movement.
• Command Range: This rating is used to determine which combat units the HQ can activate (see section 7.3).

Soviet HQ ID Abbreviations

• A: Army
• Tmshnko: Timoshenko

2.3.3 Some special rules apply to HQs. See section 12.0 for more details.

2.4 Command Chits

Command Chits are used to activate specific HQs or units, which in turn allow combat units to move and attack. Each turn, a number of German and Soviet Command Chits are placed in the same cup, from which they are randomly drawn one by one. See section 7.0 for more details.

There are five special Command Chits: Guderian, German Air Power, Soviet ART (artillery), Supply, and Reinf. (reinforcement).

2.5 Markers

The following markers are used in this game:

• Turn Marker: It is placed on the Turn Track to record the turn currently in progress.
• Victory Point (VP) Chits: They are used to determine how many Victory Points a side has obtained for capturing (or re-capturing) key locations for victory purposes (see section 16.2). The chits with a blue star are Minor VP Chits, and those with a gold star are Major VP Chits.
• Out of Command Markers: They can be used when a player feels the need to mark units that are out of Command Range.
• Isolated Markers: Isolated markers are used to show units that are Isolated. Gray and red versions of these markers are provided to be used on German and Soviet units, respectively.
• Out of Supply Markers: These are placed on a unit to show when it is Out of Supply (see section 10.1). Gray and red versions of these markers are provided to be used on German and Soviet units, respectively (however, only German units are placed Out of Supply in A Victory Denied, so the red versions will not be used in this game).

3.0 Preparation for Play

3.1 Select Sides: The players select their side (German or Soviet).

3.2 Place Units: The players choose whether they will use the symbol or silhouette motorized units, and set up their units according to the information printed on the map. All the Soviet units are tan units except for 5 PVO units, 1MRD, 172ID and 187ID, which are all red units.

3.3 Game Turn Marker: Place the Turn Marker on the "1" space of the Turn Track.

3.4 VP Chits: Randomly place the VP Chits (numerical side down — no peeking!) on each Victory Hex (those hexes that have with blue or gold stars). The Minor VP Chits (those with the blue star) are placed in the hexes with the blue stars and the Major VP Chits (those with the gold star) are placed in the hexes with the gold stars. Once again, neither player may look at the numbers on the backs of the VP Chits. The German player then picks up the VP Chits in Vitebsk (3919) and Bobruysk (2110) and places them in the Victory Chits Box (and neither player may look at the value of these chits).

3.5 Mandatory Chits: Get a coffee cup or similar receptacle. Place the German Air Power chit, the Supply chit, and the Reinforcement chit into the cup. The Soviet ART chit is not placed in the cup on Turn 1, but is placed in the cup for all the other turns.

3.6 Soviet Command Chits: The Soviet player sorts out the Soviet Command Chits with an R or a 1 and place them in the Soviet Unplayed Chit Box. He then chooses 2 Soviet Command Chits from the remaining chits and places them into the cup. Place the remaining unused Soviet Command Chits in the Soviet Unplayed Command Chits Box (they will be used for later turns). The Command Chits with an R or a 1 on them only become available when the corresponding HQ is on the map.

3.7 German Command Chits: The German player selects a 3rd Panzer Group Chit and places it aside for later. The German player then selects 3 German Command Chits and places them in the cup. However, if one of the 3 chits selected was the Guderian Command Chit, this is not placed in the cup, and is instead placed in the Guderian Chit Box.

3.8 Soviet Elite Division Cup: Get another coffee cup. The Soviet player places all remaining non-PVO red Soviet units into this cup. These are drawn when he rolls a 10 during combat (see section 9.4.3) or when the Reinforcement chit is drawn. The red PVO units are not placed in the cup, instead, one is placed on each game turn (except 10) on the Turn Track.

3.9 Minsk Pocket: Place the designated German and Soviet units (those with the M reinforcement symbol) within the Minsk Pocket.

3.10 Soviet Reserve Box: Place the designated Soviet units (those with the R reinforcement symbol) within the Soviet Reserve Box.

3.11 Soviet Timoshenko Reinforcement Box: Place the Timoshenko HQ and three Soviet combat units (all marked with a 1 reinforcement symbol) in the Timoshenko Reinforcement Box.

3.12 Rocket, Stuka, and Bomber counters: The Soviet player receives one Rocket counter which he places in front of himself, and the German player receives three Stuka counters and one Bomber counter. Place the Stuka and Bomber counters in the Luftwaffe Airfields Box.

3.13 Soviet "*" Units: These units are placed in front of the Soviet player (see section 11.3).

3.14 German Reinforcements: The German 9th Army reinforcements marked with a 1 reinforcement symbol are placed just off the map near hex 3106. The German 3rd Panzer Group infantry marked with a 1 are placed adjacent to hex 3902 (in the Minsk pocket). Niko's favorite unit, the Spanish Blue Division is placed on turn 6 of the Turn Track.

4.0 Sequence of Play

The game proceeds by following the phases outlined below (more details appear in later rule sections). This sequence of phases constitutes a turn, and must be repeated until either turn 8 or turn 10 is completed (depending on the Hitler Directive Table die roll result), or either player achieves an immediate victory (see section 16.1).

4.1 Command Phase

4.1.1 Command Chit Selection Phase

Both players choose a given number of their available Command Chits and place them into the same cup (see section 7.1). Note that if the German player selects the Guderian Command Chit, this chit is not placed in the cup.

4.1.2 Command Execution Phase

(1) Command Segment: A Command Chit is drawn randomly from the cup. The player to whom this chit belongs becomes the active player: he activates the HQ or units corresponding to the chit (see section 7.2).

(2) Movement Segment: The active player can move his activated units (see section 8.0).

(3) Combat Segment: The active player can attack enemy units using his activated units (see section 9.0).

(4) If there are Command Chits left in the cup, return to step (1). If there are none, go to the End of Turn Phase.

Turn 1 Special Rules: On Turn 1 only, the German player activates all the 2nd Panzer Group units prior to the Command Segment. The activated units perform a normal Combat Segment (i.e., attack enemy units and advance after combat), but they do not get to perform a Movement Segment before this combat (as would be the case in a normal activation). No Command Chit whatsoever is drawn during this Special Combat Segment. After completion of this Special Combat Segment, the first chit in play is automatically the 3rd Panzer Group Command Chit (which was set aside).

Once the 3rd Panzer Group's activation is over, proceed with the regular sequence (steps 1-4) above.

All the German attacks for the entire first turn receive a beneficial 2-column shift to the right on the Combat Results Table (CRT) (see section 9.0), and Stuka counters may be used for additional 2-column shifts. No German units will be placed Out of Supply or marked Isolated during Turn 1 (see sections 10.1 and 10.2).

The Soviet ART chit is not placed in the cup for the first turn.

4.2 End of Turn Phase

(1) HQ Removal Segment: HQs with no friendly combat units within their Command Range are removed from the game (see section 12.5).

(2) Hitler Directive: During the End of Turn Phase of Turn 6, the German player rolls on the Hitler Directive Table (see section 15.0).

(3) Turn Advance Segment: Advance the Turn marker to the next box on the Turn Track, and return to the Command Phase (see section 4.1).

5.0 Stacking

5.1 Two or more friendly units in the same hex constitute a "stack." A maximum of two combat units (whether full- or reduced-strength) and one HQ can occupy a hex. An HQ cannot be stacked with another HQ.

5.2 German and Soviet units can never stack in the same hex. The only time a unit can enter an enemy-occupied hex is when a lone HQ is overrun (see section 12.1).

5.3 Soviet Stacking Restrictions: Two tan Soviet units cannot stack together. A red Soviet unit may stack with a tan Soviet unit or another red unit.

5.4 The stacking limit is enforced at the moment reinforcement units are placed on the map, or at the instant a unit finishes its movement, retreat, or advance after combat. It is not enforced during movement, retreat, or advance after combat.

6.0 Zone of Control

6.1 Every combat unit always exerts a Zone of Control (ZOC) into the six hexes surrounding it. HQs are not combat units and therefore exert no ZOC.

Example: A Soviet unit projects a ZOC into all six hexes that surround it, including an adjacent town, and across an adjacent major river.

6.2 ZOCs affect supply, movement, retreat, and reinforcement placement. See the respective rule sections (10.0, 8.2, 9.5, and 11.1) for more details.

6.3 Two or more ZOCs overlapping in one hex have the same effect as a single ZOC.

7.0 Command

All Soviet combat units and German non-motorized units must be activated by an HQ to move and attack other units. German motorized forces activate by unit. This occurs as per the procedure below.

7.1 Command Chit Selection

7.1.1 Available Command Chits: In the Command Chit Selection Phase, both players gather all their available Command Chits. A Command Chit is available if there is a corresponding HQ on the map (or unit for the German 2nd and 3rd Panzer Group). For the three German 9th Army Command Chits to be available, any single German HQ can be on the map.

7.1.2 Command Chit Selection: The German player secretly selects a number of his available Command Chits (see below), and the Soviet player secretly selects a number of his available Command Chits (see below); the players put the selected Command Chits into the same cup, along with the following mandatory chits:

• the Soviet ART chit (but not on Turn 1);
• the German Air Power chit;
• the Supply and Reinforcement chits.

Example: The Command Chit for the Soviet 22nd Army HQ is pulled, and this HQ becomes active. All Soviet HQs within its Command Range (4 hexes) now become active as well. For instance, a 20th Army HQ two hexes away from the 22nd Army HQ becomes active, but a 13th Army HQ five hexes away does not become active. All Soviet combat units within Command Range of the active HQs now become active and are able to move during the Movement Segment, and then possibly attack during the Combat Segment (and the HQs can move during the Movement Segment); note that enemy ZOC has no effect on the activation of combat units, only on their subsequent movement.

The number of Command Chits each player selects is given on the Turn Track. On Turn 8 there are two listed values for the German player. According to the results from the Hitler Directive Table, a different value will be used for the two possible situations. The number on the left is for the Hitler Distracted result and the number on the right is for the Objective Moscow! result.

The remaining Command Chits are placed face down in the appropriate Unused Command Chits Box (either German or Soviet). If the German player selects the Guderian Command Chit he places this chit in the Guderian Chit Box. The Guderian Command Chit is never placed in the cup. Rather, the German player decides when this chit is played each turn (see section 7.2.2). However, it does count towards the number of Command Chits the German player gets each turn.

7.1.3 A player may never inspect the Command Chits in the cup or in his opponent's Unplayed Command Chit Box.

7.2 Command Execution

7.2.1 Command Chit Draws: In the Command Execution Phase, Command Chits are randomly drawn one by one from the cup; which player draws does not matter. The owner of the drawn chit becomes the active player and activates the HQ or units corresponding to the chit. The activated HQ or unit can in turn activate combat units and HQs (if not a German motorized unit) within its Command Range to move and fight. The player then places the drawn chit face up into the Played Command Chits Box.

7.2.2 HQ Activation: A drawn Command Chit activates the HQ with the same ID, plus all HQs of the same side within Command Range of this selected HQ, with the following three exceptions:

• When a German 9th Army Command Chit is drawn, the German player selects any German HQ on the map and activates it (and this then activates all German HQs within Command Range of the selected German HQ).
• When a German Panzer Group Command Chit is drawn, combat units of the corresponding Panzer Group may be activated (see section 7.4).
• The German Guderian Command chit activates the 2nd Panzer Group. The German player decides when the Guderian Command Chit is played. When any chit is drawn from the cup, the German player can trump this chit with the Guderian Command Chit. The just drawn chit is tossed back in the mug, and the Guderian Command Chit is played instead. If the Guderian Command Chit has not been played after the last chit has been drawn from the mug and played, the Guderian Command Chit is then played, before the End of Turn Phase begins.

7.3 HQs & Command Execution

7.3.1 When a Command Chit is drawn, HQs on the map become activated (unless it is a 2nd Panzer Group, Guderian or 3rd Panzer Group chit).

7.3.2 Soviet Combat Unit Activation: When a Soviet Command Chit is drawn, the HQ that corresponds to the chit is activated. The activated HQ then activates all friendly HQs within its Command Range. The combat units within the Command Range of these activated HQs are now all active, regardless of IDs and type symbol. A combat unit can be activated any number of times in one turn by different HQs following different chit draws. Each eligible Soviet combat unit is activated only once when a chit is drawn, even if it is within Command Range of several activated HQs. The activated units all move during a single Movement Segment; then, the combat units all fight during a single Combat Segment.

NOTE: Things can get confusing as activated HQs and combat units move. The active player may use Out of Command markers to designate combat units that are out of Command Range at the time of activation, or as soon as a risk of confusion arises.

7.3.3 German Combat Unit Activation: When the German 9th Army Command Chit is drawn, the German player selects a German HQ to activate on the map. The activated HQ then activates all friendly HQs within its Command Range. The German combat units within the Command Range of any active HQ are now all active, unless they are motorized units of the 2nd or 3rd Panzer Groups, in which case they do not activate. Each eligible German unit is activated only once, even if it is within Command Range of several activated HQs. The activated units all move during a single Movement Segment; then, the combat units all fight during a single Combat Segment.

When a German 2nd Panzer Group command Chit is drawn (or the Guderian Command Chit is played), 2nd Panzer Group motorized units on the map may activate, and when the German 3rd Panzer Group Command Chit is drawn, 3rd Panzer Group motorized units on the map may activate (see section 7.4).

7.3.4 Command Range: Command Range is expressed as a number of hexes, counted from the HQ. An HQ with a Command Range of 4 can thus activate friendly combat units up to 4 hexes away (3 intervening hexes).

7.3.5 Determine Command Range at the instant the HQ is activated: a combat unit may be activated only if it is within Command Range of the active HQ at that moment. Activated combat units may later leave the HQ's Command Range as a result of movement, retreat, or advance after combat.

7.3.6 Command Range Limitations: Supply status, enemy units, terrain, and enemy ZOCs have no effect on Command Range. (Note for A Victory Lost players: Command Range is not limited by major rivers.)

7.4 Panzer Corps Activation

7.4.1 When a German 2nd Panzer Group, 3rd Panzer Group or Guderian Command Chit is played, the German Panzer Corps motorized units of the corresponding Panzer Group may activate (remember, the Guderian Command Chit activates the 2nd Panzer Group). The Panzer Corps units have a colored symbol for easy identification (or a colored stripe if using the optional vehicle silhouette counters). These Panzer Corps do not use HQs for activation.

7.4.2 Activating a Panzer Corps: When a Panzer Group is activated (due to the appropriate Command Chit being drawn), select a motorized unit from each of the Panzer Corps within that Panzer Group and activate these units. Any motorized unit of the same Panzer Corps that is within 3 hexes of an activated unit of the Panzer Corps is also activated. You may continue this process (in effect "chaining" unit activations) until you have activated all the motorized units of the Panzer Corps that are within 3 hexes of an activated motorized unit of the same Panzer Corps.

Example: The 3rd Panzer Group Command Chit has just been drawn. The German player can activate all four units of a Corps if they are all within three hexes of each other (e.g., one unit is within 3 hexes of a second, which is within 3 hexes of both a third and a fourth). However, if a second Corps' five units do not all lie within three hexes of each other, the German player can activate only one of the two possible three/two-unit groupings, not both.

The 2nd Panzer Group contains three Panzer Corps (colored red — XXXXVII Corps, yellow — XXIV Corps and blue — XXXXVI Corps). The 3rd Panzer Group contains two Panzer Corps (colored green — LVII Corps and purple — XXXIX Corps).

7.5 Timoshenko Activation

7.5.1 If the Timoshenko Command Chit is drawn, Soviet HQ activation occurs as normal. However, during the combat segment, any Soviet unit involved in combat this activation gains a beneficial 1-column shift to the right on the CRT for that attack.

8.0 Movement

In the Movement Segment, the active player can move his activated HQ and combat units.

8.1 Movement Procedure

8.1.1 Units are moved one at a time. A unit cannot start moving until the previous unit has completed its move.

8.1.2 Movement Points: In a Movement Segment, each activated unit receives a number of Movement Points (MPs) equal to its movement allowance. A unit may use all, some, or none of its MPs. Unused MPs are lost; they cannot be kept from one Movement Segment to another.

To enter an adjacent hex, a unit must expend the MP cost indicated by the TEC for the hex (and hexside, if applicable). A unit cannot enter a hex if it has insufficient MPs remaining. For a non-motorized unit, it costs 1 MP to enter an adjacent hex (this is increased if crossing an unbridged river hexside). For a motorized unit it costs 2 MPs to enter woods or swamp hexes, and 1 MP to enter other hex types (again, this is increased if crossing an unbridged river).

8.1.3 River Hexsides: River hexsides have the following additional effects on movement:

• To cross an unbridged minor river hexside, a non-motorized unit must expend one additional MP, and a motorized unit must expend two additional MP, as well as the normal MP cost of the entered hex.
• To cross an unbridged major river hexside, a unit must start its move adjacent to the river. It moves across the river but must then stop, and can go no further in that Movement Segment (see section 8.2.2).
• Crossing a bridged river hexside negates the river movement costs above.

8.1.4 Overruns: A moving combat unit can overrun a lone enemy HQ by simply entering its hex (see section 12.1).

8.1.5 A unit may not move off map.

8.1.6 A PVO unit may never move (but may attack if activated).

8.2 ZOC Effects on Movement

Enemy ZOCs affect movement in the following ways:

8.2.1 MP Expenditure: Entering or leaving a hex in an enemy ZOC costs a unit 2 extra MPs. These extra costs are cumulative.

8.2.2 Major River Hexsides: Crossing a major river hexside is not allowed if the hexes on each side of the river (the hex in which the unit starts and the one it wants to enter) are in enemy ZOCs, even if the river hexside is a bridged hexside, and even if there are friendly units in the enemy ZOCs.

Example: A unit crossing a minor river and moving into a clear hex spends 3 MP, 1 to enter the clear hex plus 2 to cross the unbridged minor river. Moving on into another clear hex that lies in a German ZOC also costs 3 MP (1 for the clear hex plus 2 to enter the enemy ZOC). A unit starting in a German ZOC pays 2 MP to leave that ZOC plus the cost to enter the next clear hex, for a total of 3 MP, then 1 MP to move into another clear hex. A unit entering a woods hex in a German ZOC pays a total of 3 MP: 1 to enter the woods hex and 2 to enter an enemy ZOC. A unit moving from a German ZOC hex into a woods hex that is also in a German ZOC pays 6 MP: 2 to enter the woods hex, 2 to leave an enemy ZOC, and 2 to enter an enemy ZOC. Finally, a non-motorized unit using strategic movement moves along a road for a cost of ⅓ MP per hex entered; it must stop before entering an enemy ZOC, and its entire movement must start, continue, and end on the road.

8.3 Non-Motorized Strategic Movement

8.3.1 A non-motorized unit using a road to enter an adjacent road hex expends only ⅓ MP instead of the normal MP cost of the terrain if the following conditions are met:

• The unit must start the Movement Segment in a hex containing a road and it must keep moving along the road during its entire move.
• The unit must neither start its move in an enemy ZOC nor move adjacent to any enemy unit (combat unit or HQ) or an enemy-controlled Victory Hex (for a Soviet unit this is a Victory Hex without a VP Chit, and for a German unit this is a Victory Hex with a VP Chit).

9.0 Combat

In the Combat Segment, the active player can attack enemy combat units adjacent to his activated combat units. Empty hexes or HQs alone in a hex cannot be attacked.

The active player is termed the Attacker in the Combat Segment, while the other player is termed the Defender, regardless of the overall strategic situation.

9.1 Combat Principles

9.1.1 An activated unit can participate in only one attack during a single Combat Segment. Non-activated units cannot participate in attacks, even when adjacent to enemy units.

9.1.2 Combat is voluntary; activated units are not forced to attack enemy units.

9.1.3 A single unit can attack only one hex; it cannot attack two or more hexes. Two units stacked in the same hex may attack two different hexes separately.

9.1.4 A single hex can be attacked only once per Combat Segment. Units in two or more hexes adjacent to the same hex can attack that hex together. If two or more units want to attack the same hex, their attack strengths are added together, and only one combat is resolved.

9.1.5 If several enemy units are stacked in the attacked hex, the Attacker must attack all of them. The strengths of the Defending units are added together.

9.1.6 Units that have retreated from previous combats during this activation are treated as normal and contribute fully to the defense of a stack.

9.1.7 A PVO unit may attack if active.

9.2 Combat Procedure

Combats are resolved one by one, in the order of the Attacker's choice, according to the following procedure.

(1) Declare which hex is attacked by which units.

(2) Determine the total attack and defense strengths, calculate the Combat Ratio, and modify it if necessary (see section 9.3).

(3) The attacker rolls one die on the CRT and applies the combat result (see section 9.4). When the German player is the attacker, he rolls a six-sided die; when the Soviet player is the attacker, he rolls a ten-sided die.

9.3 Combat Ratio Determination

9.3.1 Attack and Defense Strengths: To resolve a combat, first combine the attack strengths of the Attacker's participating units, then combine the defense strengths of the Defender's participating units.

Several factors can affect attack and defense strengths:

• Units attacking across river hexsides (bridged or unbridged) halve their attack strengths. If a combat involves units that attack across a river hexside and units that do not, only those attacking across the river hexside halve their attack strengths.
• Out of supply units halve their attack strengths.
• Isolated units halve both their attack and defense strengths.

Terrain effects are cumulative with supply effects.

When two combat units stacked in a hex must halve (or quarter) their combat strengths, first add them up before halving (or quartering) and rounding down.

9.3.2 Combat Ratio: The total attack strength divided by the total defense strength gives the Combat Ratio. When calculating ratios, fractions are rounded down, to the nearest column on the CRT. When above 10-1, the Combat Ratio is treated as 10-1.

EXAMPLES: 15:5 gives a 3-1 Combat Ratio. 26:9 gives a 2-1 Combat Ratio. 12:7 gives a 1.5-1 Combat Ratio. 18:13 gives a 1-1 Combat Ratio. 25:2 gives a 10-1 Combat Ratio.

Example: Three Soviet units are attacking a lone German unit. Two of the attacking units are attacking over a river, so this reduces their attack strengths to half the printed value (rounded down), while the third is not attacking over a river and uses its full strength. The total attack strength is 5, compared to a defense strength of 2, giving a Combat Ratio of 2-1. If the defender had been in a city, the ratio would have been shifted two columns to the left, to give a 1-1 Combat Ratio.

9.3.3 Terrain Ratio Shifts: When occupied by the Defending units, some terrain types provide favorable ratio shifts (see the TEC). One shift causes use of the next lowest Combat Ratio column on the CRT (i.e., one to the left). For example, if the combat odds are 10-1 or greater, the Combat Ratio becomes 9-1. Terrain effects are cumulative.

9.3.4 Stuka Ratio Shifts: If the German player plays a Stuka counter, the Combat Ratio is shifted two to the right (if the German player is attacking) or two to the left (if the German player is defending). This shift is applied after any Terrain shifts. The counters must be spent before the die is rolled. Only a single Stuka counter may be used in an attack.

9.3.5 Other Ratio Shifts: On turn 1, all German attacks receive a two-column shift to the right, applied after all other shifts. If the Timoshenko Command Chit is drawn, any attack with an active Soviet unit receives a one-column shift to the right, applied after any terrain or Stuka shifts (see section 7.5).

9.3.6 If the final Combat Ratio is less than 1-1 after all terrain shifts have been applied (but before any other shifts are applied), the attack is not possible. If the final Combat Ratio is greater than or equal to 10-1 (after any terrain shifts and all other shifts have been applied), the combat is resolved on the 10+-1 column of the CRT.

EXAMPLE: Three German units with a combined attack strength of 24 are attacking a Soviet unit with a defense strength of 2 in a woods hex. The Combat Ratio is 10-1, and the woods shifts this down to 9-1. The German player plays a Stuka counter, and this shifts the final odds to 10-1.

9.3.7 If the total defense strength in a hex is reduced to 0 by rounding down, the combat is automatically resolved on the 10+-1 column of the CRT, regardless of possible Terrain Ratio Shifts.

9.4 Combat Result Determination

9.4.1 Once the final Combat Ratio has been computed, the Attacker rolls one die and reads the result on the corresponding row under the appropriate column of the CRT. All results are expressed in terms of step losses and/or number of hexes to retreat.

• — : No effect.
• A : The result affects the Attacker. Remove the indicated number of steps (1, 2, 3, or 4) from among any involved units.
• DR : All involved Defending units must retreat one hex.
• DR2 : All involved Defending units must retreat two hexes.

EXAMPLES: 'A1' indicates the Attacker must remove 1 step from any of his involved units. 'DR' indicates the Defender must retreat all of his involved units one hex. '3DR2' indicates the Defender must remove 3 steps from among any of his involved units, then retreat all of them two hexes.

9.4.2 Step Losses: Remove one step by flipping a full-strength unit to its reduced-strength side, or by eliminating a reduced-strength unit, or by eliminating a unit with no reduced-strength side. The owning player allocates steps losses as he pleases among his units. German eliminated motorized units are placed in the German Eliminated Motorized Units box. Soviet tan eliminated units not under an Isolation marker are placed in the Soviet Reserve Box. Eliminated red units (that are not PVO units) not under an Isolation marker are placed back in the Soviet Elite Division Cup. Eliminated PVO units, Soviet "*" units, and all Soviet Isolated units are removed from the game.

EXAMPLE: If two full-strength units in the same hex suffer a 2-step loss, the owning player can eliminate one unit, or flip both units to their reduced-strength side.

9.4.3 Soviet 10 result: If the Soviet player rolls a 10 (a zero is a ten on the 10-sided die), combat stops, and the Soviet player draws a red unit from the Soviet Elite Division Cup. This unit is stacked with any attacking unit. Recalculate the odds with the new unit in the combat and roll again to obtain a result (if a 10 is rolled again, draw another unit). If a drawn unit cannot be placed due to stacking restrictions, or there are no red units remaining in the cup, use the 9 row on the CRT to determine the result of the attack. Any shifts applied to the original die roll (due to terrain, Stukas or Timoshenko) remain in effect for all subsequent die rolls. Note that when the +1 die roll modifier is in effect (see section 14.0) a roll of a 9 or 10 will cause a unit to be drawn.

Example: A Soviet attack with a Combat Ratio of 2-1 has a 10 rolled on the ten-sided die. The Soviet player randomly draws an elite Soviet division from the cup, drawing an Elite infantry unit, and stacks it with the attacking unit that did not attack over a river. He recalculates the odds with the new unit and determines the Combat Ratio to be 4-1 (8:2 attack/defense ratio). He re-rolls the die, and gets a 3, a DR result. The German unit will have to retreat one hex.

9.5 Retreat

Units affected by 'DR' or 'DR2' results must retreat one or two hexes after combat.

9.5.1 Retreat is not normal movement; retreating units do not expend MPs. Units in a stack that is forced to retreat can split up and retreat into different hexes.

9.5.2 PVO Units: Soviet PVO units may not retreat. Instead, on a DR result a single PVO unit would take a step loss (another unit in that hex would ignore the DR result). On a DR2 result a single PVO unit would take two step losses (another non-PVO unit in the hex would ignore the DR2 result); if there were two PVO units in a hex that took a DR2 result, both would take a step loss. If a hex contains a single reduced-strength PVO and a non-PVO unit, a DR2 result would cause the PVO unit to be eliminated, and a DR result would be applied to the non-PVO unit in the hex.

9.5.3 Retreat Restrictions: A retreating unit always retreats in such a way as to enter the fewest hexes in enemy ZOCs (and thus to suffer the fewest step losses, see 9.5.4). Should step losses be equal using various retreat paths, a retreating unit must satisfy as many as possible of the following conditions:

(1) Each hex entered is closer to a friendly supply source;

(2) The stacking limit is not exceeded in the last hex of retreat.

Condition (1) takes precedence over (2) if both cannot be satisfied.

Example: A German unit forced to retreat finds three empty hexes, but all are in an enemy ZOC. It retreats into the one that will get it closer to a friendly supply source (a city hex), and because that hex is in an enemy ZOC, it must lose one step from the unit.

9.5.4 Enemy ZOCs: Almost all combat units forced to retreat into an enemy ZOC (even if this ZOC contains friendly units) must lose one step (see section 9.4.2). German motorized units (as the only exception to this rule) may retreat into a ZOC and not take a step loss if this hex also contains a German unit.

9.5.5 Stacking Limit: If a unit exceeds the stacking limit in the last hex of a retreat, it must retreat one additional hex, within the 9.5.3 restrictions. If it exceeds the stacking limit in this new hex, it must retreat another hex, and so on until it finds a hex that satisfies section 9.5.3.

9.5.6 Major River Hexsides: Major river hexsides have the following effects on retreats:

• Retreating across an unbridged major river hexside is allowed only if the combat unit starts its retreat adjacent to the hexside.
• Retreating across a major river hexside is not allowed if the hexes on each side of the river (the hex in which the unit starts and the one it enters) are in enemy ZOCs, even if the river hexside is a bridged hexside, and even if there are friendly units in the enemy ZOCs.

9.5.7 Overruns: A retreating combat unit can overrun a lone enemy HQ by simply entering its hex (see section 12.1), within the 9.5.3 restrictions. A combat unit eliminated because an enemy ZOC extends into its retreat hex does not overrun an HQ that would be in this hex.

9.5.8 Units forced to retreat off map, across rivers as prohibited under section 9.5.6, or into hexes they are prohibited from entering (such as a hex containing an enemy unit in it) are eliminated.

9.6 Advance After Combat

9.6.1 If an attacked hex becomes empty as a result of combat (the defending units either retreated or were eliminated), the attacking units may advance one or two hexes:

• Non-motorized combat units may advance one hex;
• Motorized combat units may advance one or two hexes (even if the Defender retreated only one hex);
• HQs may advance with their stack (see section 12.4).

9.6.2 Advance after combat is optional; the Attacker may advance all, some, or none of his attacking units. Advance after combat is not normal movement. Advancing units do not expend MPs and enemy ZOCs are ignored.

9.6.3 The first hex of advance must be the attacked hex. There is no limitation as to the second hex of advance, except that units cannot advance off-map. Motorized units that participated in the same combat can end their advance in different hexes.

9.6.4 Overruns: An advancing combat unit can overrun a lone enemy HQ by simply entering its hex (see section 12.1).

9.6.5 Major River Hexsides: A motorized unit that crossed an unbridged major river hexside on its first hex of advance after combat must stop and cannot advance a second hex. A motorized unit cannot cross an unbridged major river hexside on its second hex of advance after combat.

9.6.6 PVO Units: Soviet PVO units may never advance after combat.

Example: Continuing from the retreat example above, the Soviet attacking units may now advance after combat. A non-motorized Elite infantry unit can advance into the hex attacked, and must stop there. A non-motorized Corps unit can also advance into the hex attacked, and must also stop there. A motorized unit that did not attack over the river can advance into the hex attacked, and then advance into a second hex; this second hex cannot be over the major river, and cannot be into the hex the retreating German unit occupies. Finally, a motorized unit that did attack over the river can advance into the hex attacked, but may not advance any further.

10.0 Supply

When the Supply Chit is drawn, the Supply Phase is performed. The Soviet player places German units Out of Supply, then the players check the Isolation state of their units. Once this is done, all HQs may be voluntarily relocated. Finally the Soviet player can disband some of his combat units. Note that both Soviet and German units can be Isolated, but only German units can be Out of Supply.

10.1 Out of Supply

10.1.1 Removing Out of Supply Markers: When the Supply Chit is drawn, all the Out of Supply Markers are removed from the German units they are currently on.

10.1.2 After the Out of Supply Markers have been removed, the Soviet player gets to place a number of German combat units Out of Supply as indicated on the Turn Track. Units marked Out of Supply just before the Supply Chit was drawn can be marked Out of Supply again.

10.1.3 First Turn Restriction: On Turn 1, no German units can be marked Out of Supply.

10.1.4 Turn Eight: On Turn 8 there are two listed values. According to the results from the Hitler Directive Table, a different value will be used for the two possible situations. The number on the left is for the result Hitler Distracted and the number on the right for the result Objective Moscow!

10.2 Isolation Determination

10.2.1 Both players simultaneously determine the Isolation status of all their combat units. HQs can never be Isolated. A combat unit is not Isolated if it can trace a supply line to a friendly supply source.

10.2.2 Supply Lines: A supply line is a series of adjacent hexes going from a unit to a friendly supply source. There is no limit to the number of hexes a supply line can pass through. However, it cannot pass through an enemy-occupied hex. It cannot pass through a hex in an enemy ZOC unless that hex contains a friendly combat units or HQ. A supply line cannot cross unbridged major river hexsides. Note that the Soviet supply source in hex 1517 is ignored after Turn 4.

10.2.3 Isolation Markers: A unit unable to trace a supply line is Isolated and is marked with an Isolation marker.

If a unit marked with an Isolation marker is able to trace a supply line during the supply phase, the marker is removed.

Example: Checking Isolation status before Turn 5, a PVO unit surrounded by German-occupied hexes and German ZOCs, with no way to trace a path to the supply source, is marked Isolated. An Elite infantry unit can trace a supply line because an adjacent friendly Corps unit negates the German ZOC in that hex; both units can trace a supply line to the supply source. A third Corps unit can also trace a supply line to the supply source. However, another Corps unit is unable to trace a supply line and is marked Isolated, because a supply line can only be traced over a major river if it is bridged, and the hex on the far side of that bridge is in a German ZOC, blocking the supply line (if a Soviet unit occupied that hex instead, it would negate the German ZOC, and a supply line could be traced).

10.3 Supply Status Effects

10.3.1 In Supply: In supply units operate normally.

10.3.2 Out of Supply: Out of supply combat units have their attack strength and movement allowance halved. Their defense strength is not affected.

10.3.3 Isolation: Isolated units have their attack strength, defense strength and movement allowance halved. Additionally, Soviet combat units that are eliminated while Isolated are permanently eliminated.

10.3.4 In Supply, Out of Supply, and Isolation status are in effect until the next Supply Phase, when supply status is checked again.

10.4 HQ Relocation

Once supply status has been checked for all units, HQs may be relocated (see section 12.6).

10.5 Soviet Disbanding

The Soviet player may disband any non-PVO Soviet combat units (but not HQs) on the map. Disbanded combat units not marked Isolated are placed in the Soviet Reserve Box (if tan) or in the Elite Division cup (if red). All isolated units are removed from play if disbanded. PVO units may never disband.

11.0 Reinforcements

When the Reinforcement Chit is drawn, the Reinforcement Phase begins and both players receive and place their reinforcement units due for the turn.

11.1 Reinforcement Unit Placement

11.1.1 Soviet Reinforcements: The Soviet player places all his reinforcements first. Looking at the Turn Track, he draws a number of units from the Soviet Reserve Box up to the given number of reinforcement points (the Soviet player decides which HQs and combat units to pick). It costs 1 reinforcement point to select any combat unit and 2 reinforcement points to select any HQ. If an HQ is selected, for 1 additional reinforcement point, the Command Chit for the HQ is immediately placed in the cup. He then places his reinforcement HQs in a Victory Hex containing a VP Chit, from which a supply line can be traced (see section 10.2.2). Next he places his reinforcement combat units in the same hex as a Soviet HQ, or adjacent to a Soviet HQ (even an HQ just placed). The combat units must also be able to trace a supply line. The combat units may not be placed in a German ZOC unless the hex is a Victory Hex containing a VP Chit, a Soviet combat unit, or a Soviet HQ (but must still be able to trace a supply line). If a Soviet combat unit is placed adjacent to an HQ, and is placed in a Victory Hex that does not contain a VP Chit, the Soviet player draws a VP Chit and places it in this hex (see section 16.2). If more than one Soviet "*" reinforcement is placed in a turn, only one such unit may be placed on or adjacent to each Soviet HQ.

After this, on every game turn (except game Turn 10), the Soviet player moves a single PVO unit from the Turn Track (from the game turn number corresponding to the current turn) to a Victory Hex containing a VP Chit that can trace a supply.

Finally, the Soviet player draws a red Soviet unit from the Soviet Elite Division Cup, and it is placed on the map in a manner identical to the placement of a unit from the reserve box, either in the same hex as a Soviet HQ, or adjacent to a Soviet HQ (even an HQ just placed). The combat units must also be able to trace a supply line. The combat units may not be placed in a German ZOC unless the hex is a Victory Hex containing a VP Chit, a Soviet combat unit, or a Soviet HQ (but must still be able to trace a supply line).

If the Soviet player does not have enough units in the Soviet Reserve Box in order to cover the number of reinforcements he is receiving this turn, the excess value is lost. If the Soviet player does not have any units remaining in the Elite Division cup, he does not receive a red unit reinforcement.

11.1.2 German Reinforcements: After the Soviet player has finished placing all his reinforcements, the German player gets to place his reinforcements. German combat units and HQs received as reinforcements all belong to the 9th Army or 3rd Panzer Group and are moved from off map into hex 3106 (for 9th Army units) or 3902 (for 3rd Panzer Group units), and then these units must continue using strategic movement to move along the roads using one movement segment. After this immediately place a 9th Army Command Chit into the cup. Remember to count the ⅓ MP to move the units into hex 3106 or 3902.

On Turns 1-4, the German player may also release units from the Minsk Pocket (see section 14.0) after the Soviet player has placed his reinforcements for the turn. If the units belong to the 2nd Panzer Group, they are moved into hex 2704, and if the units belong to the 9th Army, they are moved into hex 3106. Then these units must continue using strategic movement to move along the roads using one movement segment. Remember to count the ⅓ MP to move the units into hex 2704 or 3106.

11.1.3 Soviet Minsk Pocket Escapees: If the German player releases any of his units from the Minsk Pocket, Soviet units may be able to escape from the pocket (see section 14.0). The Soviet units that escape are placed on the map in a manner identical to the placement of a unit from the reserve box, either in the same hex as a Soviet HQ, or adjacent to a Soviet HQ (even an HQ just placed). The combat units must also be able to trace a supply line. The combat units may not be placed in a German ZOC unless the hex is a Victory Hex containing a VP Chit, a Soviet combat unit, or a Soviet HQ (but must still be able to trace a supply line).

11.1.4 Command Chits: The Soviet Command Chits corresponding to any Soviet HQs placed on map as reinforcements (but the Command Chit was not purchased to be placed in the cup) will be available for selection in the next turn.

11.2 Timoshenko Reinforcements

11.2.1 The HQs and combat units of Timoshenko are not placed per section 11.1.1. They are instead placed in their reinforcement box during set-up. These reinforcements are placed on the map during the reinforcement phase. They move onto the map from their box when the Reinforcement chit is drawn on Turn 1, before the Soviet player purchases his other reinforcements (and this HQ may be used for placing other Soviet reinforcements that are purchased later in the Reinforcement Phase).

11.2.2 Map Entry: The HQ and combat units in the reinforcement box must enter the map during the Reinforcement Phase when the Reinforcement Chit is drawn on Turn 1. They do so by activating normally – i.e., they enter any hex(es) adjacent to the box, paying normal movement costs, and continue with their Movement Segment and Combat Segment. They can use strategic movement (see section 8.3) if the first hex they enter is a road hex. Once units have left a box, they cannot reenter it.

11.2.3 After the Timoshenko combat units have completed their activation, immediately place the Timoshenko Command Chit into the cup.

11.3 Soviet "*" Reinforcements

The "" units represent organizational groupings of Stavka's Moscow Reserves. Starting on Turn 4, when the reinforcement chit is drawn and after all reinforcements have been placed, the Soviet player rolls a 6-sided die. The number rolled is the number of "" units that are added to the Soviet Reserve Box. Repeat this procedure each turn, until all six units have been moved to the Soviet Reserve Box.

12.0 HQ Special Rules

12.1 Overruns: An HQ alone in a hex may be overrun by enemy combat units when they move, retreat, or advance after combat. The HQ is simply relocated when the combat unit enters the HQ's hex (see section 12.6). Note that an HQ alone in a hex cannot be attacked by enemy combat units during a Combat Segment.

12.2 Combat Losses: HQs never suffer step losses and cannot be eliminated as a result of combat. However, an HQ must be relocated (see section 12.6) if all the combat units stacked with it at the beginning of a combat are eliminated as result of the combat, whether due to step loss, inability to retreat, or retreat into an enemy ZOC.

12.3 Retreats: An HQ stacked with combat units at the start of a combat must retreat with them if they are forced to retreat as result of the combat.

12.4 Advance After Combat: An HQ stacked with combat units at the start of a combat may advance with them, at the Attacker's option. The HQ can advance two hexes if it is stacked with motorized units advancing two hexes.

12.5 Removal: An HQ is removed from the game if there are no friendly combat units within its Command Range at the end of a turn.

12.6 Relocation: The HQ is removed from its current hex and immediately placed back on the map by its owner. The relocation path must be the shortest possible, and each hex along the path must be closer to the same friendly supply source. The destination hex must be:

(1) At least four hexes away from the hex the HQ is relocated from;

(2) Not in an enemy ZOC;

(3) Able to trace a supply line (see section 10.2.2) to a friendly supply source.

Note that a combat unit does not have to be within the relocated HQ's Command Range at the time of relocation, but the HQ risks removal come the end of the turn if the situation does not change (see section 12.5).

If the HQ cannot be relocated, it is eliminated from play.

German units released from the Minsk Pocket are placed in the appropriate entry hex and moved in a manner identical to German reinforcements.

The German player may trace a supply line into the Minsk Pocket, and Command Range can be traced through Minsk Pocket hexes. German units may never move into the Minsk Pocket.

If a Soviet combat unit ever moves into a Minsk Pocket hex, the Soviet player immediately wins the game.

13.0 Soviet Art & German Air Power Chits

13.1 Every turn, except Turn 1, the Soviet ART chit and the German Air Power chit is placed in the cup. On Turn 1, only the German Air Power chit is placed in the cup.

13.2 ART Chit: When the ART chit is drawn, the Soviet player rolls a six-sided die. He divides the die roll by 2 (fractions rounded down) and immediately performs this number of artillery attacks. The hexes the artillery attacks are performed in must be adjacent to a Soviet combat unit or HQ, or two hexes away from a Soviet unit in a hill hex. The attack is performed on the 3-1 column of the CRT, with all column shifts for the defender's terrain applied as normal. Unlike normal Soviet attacks, a 6-sided die is rolled for the artillery attack, not a 10-sided die. The same hex may not be targeted multiple times by an artillery attack in the same turn (but the same Soviet unit can be used to target multiple different hexes). Any result to the attacker on the CRT from this attack is ignored.

In addition, once per game, when the ART chit is drawn, the Soviet player may perform a rocket attack. The attack is performed in a manner identical to the artillery attack (a six-sided die is rolled), except it is resolved on the 7-1 column of the CRT. The Soviet player removes the Rocket counter from play once he has made the attack. As with artillery, the same hex cannot be attacked with both rockets and artillery on the same turn.

13.3 German Stukas, Bombers, and the Air Power Chit: German Stuka counters in the Luftwaffe Airfields Box are available to the German player for use in a combat (one Stuka per combat) whenever he wishes. Once used, a Stuka counter is set aside and is not available for use. The next time the German Air Power Chit is drawn, the German player may place one used Stuka counter back into the Luftwaffe Airfields box. A Stuka counter gives the German player two column shifts on the CRT to the left or to the right (see section 9.3.6).

The German Bomber counter begins the game in the Luftwaffe Airfields Box. It can be used once per game, but only when the Air Power Chit is drawn. It allows the German player to perform an artillery attack on any hex on the 8-1 column of the CRT, with all retreat results ignored (only step losses are applied). Remove the Bomber counter from play after use.

14.0 Minsk Pocket

For the first 3 turns, each time the Reinforcement Chit is drawn, the German player can decide to release some of his units currently within the Minsk Pocket. Each HQ the German player releases has a value of 2, and each combat unit has a value of 1. For each HQ released from the Minsk Pocket, the German player may also immediately purchase a 9th Army Command Chit for 1 point and place the chit immediately in the cup. The German player sums together the value of the units he is releasing, and rolls a 6-sided die on the appropriate column on the Minsk Escape Table (modify the die roll as indicated if it is game Turn 2 or 3). The result indicates the number of Soviet units that are able to escape the pocket. The units that escape are placed on the map in the same manner as Soviet replacement combat units (in a hex with an HQ, or adjacent to an HQ) after the German player has placed his units.

Additionally, if any Soviet units escape, the Soviet player gets a +1 die roll modifier to all his non-ART combat die rolls until the next time the Reinforcement Chit is drawn (to help players remember this, there is a Minsk Pocket +1DR marker that can be placed on the Minsk Pocket). Lastly, some results allow the Soviet player to take one VP Chit the German player starts the game with in the Victory Chit Box. The VP Chit taken will be in the Soviet victory total at the end of the game. Should there be no VP Chits left in the Victory Chit Box when the result is rolled, the game ends in an immediate victory for the Soviet Player. The Soviet player places these VP Chits in front of him, and neither player may inspect them until the end of the game.

When the Reinforcement Chit is drawn on Turn 4, any remaining German units in the Minsk Pocket are released, and there is no roll on the Minsk Escape Table. If any German HQs are released from Minsk Pocket at this time, add one 9th Army Command Chit immediately to the cup for each HQ released (if there are not enough 9th Army Command Chits, add as many as are available). Any Soviet units still in the Minsk Pocket are eliminated and removed from play.

15.0 Hitler Directive

During the end phase of Turn 6, the German player rolls on the Hitler Directive Table. There are three possible results:

15.1 Objective Moscow!: Hitler has directed the German player to capture Moscow. The game ends at the end of Turn 10.

15.2 Hitler Distracted: Hitler has been distracted by other objectives. The game ends at the end of Turn 8. At the start of Turn 7, the German player must remove four of his motorized units. These units are not eliminated, and are not placed in the Eliminated German Motorized Units Box, they are just picked up and removed from play. If the German player does not have four motorized units remaining, he should remove from play all of the motorized units that he has left in play.

15.3 Guderian's Choice: The German player chooses one of the other two results.

16.0 Victory Conditions

16.1 Immediate Victory: If the German player moves any combat unit into one of the three Moscow hexes, the game immediately ends with a German Victory. If the Soviet player moves any combat unit into any hex of the Minsk Pocket, or has to draw more VP Chits than are available (see section 16.2), the game immediately ends with a Soviet victory.

16.2 VP Chits: Both players may gain – and lose – Victory Points (VPs) during play as follows:

When the German player enters a Victory Hex containing a VP Chit, he takes the chit and places it in his area of the Victory Chits Box. No player may look at the value of the VP chit.

If the Soviet player enters a Victory Hex that does not contain a VP Chit (either by moving a unit into the hex or by placing a reinforcement unit that is adjacent to a friendly HQ), he randomly selects one of the VP Chits in the Victory Chit Box, and places it in the hex, with the number of VP face-up. If the German player recaptures the hex, he takes the VP chit and adds it face down in the Victory Chit Box (and should randomize the pool in case the Soviet player has to draw another VP chit later in the game). Note that the Soviet player randomly draws from all of the German Victory chits – the color of the star in the Victory Hex just retaken is irrelevant.

If the Soviet player recaptures a Victory Hex and goes to draw a VP Chit, but there are none remaining in the Victory Chit Box, the Soviet player immediately wins the game.

16.3 Depending on the result of the Hitler Directive, victory is determined in one of two methods. At the end of the game, the players may freely examine the VP chits and their values.

16.3.1 Objective Moscow!: If the German player enters one of the three hexes of Moscow, he immediately wins. Otherwise, at the end of turn 10, he adds together the VP of all the captured VP Chits. The Soviet player then adds double the printed value of all the uncaptured VP Chits (plus any Minsk Pocket captured VP Chits), and adds 6 VP for each unit in the Eliminated German Motorized Units Box (units of 2nd and 3rd Panzer Group). Whichever player has the most Victory Points wins. Should the points be equal, the German player wins.

If the German player selected Objective Moscow (due to rolling "Guderian's Choice" on the Hitler Directive Table), and one of his units did not enter a Moscow hex, the number of Victory Points is determined as described above. If the Soviet player has more Victory Points than the German player, the Soviet player wins. If the German player has equal or more Victory Points than the Soviet player, the game is a draw.

16.3.2 Hitler Distracted: At the end of Turn 8, the German player adds together the VP of all the captured VP Chits, and the Soviet player adds together the value of all the uncaptured VP Chits (plus any Minsk Pocket captured VP Chits) and adds 4 VP for each eliminated German motorized combat unit (units of 2nd and 3rd Panzer Group). The player with the most VP wins. If the number of VP are equal, the game is a draw.

17.0 Designer Notes

Welcome to the Summer game of the Victory series. After the enormous critical and sales success of A Victory Lost, MMP asked me to make a sequel game that would use the same system. After looking at the various battles that would fit, I decided to give the battle of Smolensk a try. This wasn't without some reservations. SPI's Panzergruppe Guderian, the only game on this topic, is an iconic game in this hobby. I knew right from the start that this effort would be compared with that high standard. The first step was to assemble the research materials. I already had Glantz's "The Initial Period of War on the Eastern Front" and Kershaw's "War without Garlands". To supplement these, I picked up Fugate's and Dvoretsky's "Thunder on the Dnepr" and Glantz's "Atlas of Smolensk". This last one was invaluable in providing unit positions for about every 3-day period during the battle.

After reading though these sources, I started to settle on a few salient aspects that I wanted represented in the game. First and foremost, I wanted to get the gestalt of the battle right. That is, I wanted the players to get a sense of the ebb and flow of the actual battle. After doing the research, I was surprised to find that the battle was much more of an even and tense contest than I had realized. Originally, I had thought that the Germans defeated the Soviets at every turn and at the last minute, Hitler choose to snatch victory from the army and divert Army Group Center's tank forces to the south to complete the great encirclement at Kiev. This relatively common perception of the battle turns out to be quite wrong.

Although the Germans did pierce through the initial defenses in the first few days of the attack, the Germans took many risks in the battle and, at times, came quite close to not only losing the battle but also losing the entire Army Group. The gestalt of the battle turned out to be the Germans rushing forward with their mobile forces in the first turn or two of the game and then barely holding on as the Red Army rallied and started to counterattack. It then became a race to see if Germany's infantry force could extricate itself from the Minsk pocket in time to bolster the forward defenses held by the armor units before the German line collapsed. After that happened and a rough stalemate ensued, Hitler didn't as much take victory away as assume that victory couldn't be won here, and he moved to the sure thing of the Kiev pocket. The Germans actually appeared to lose this battle when looked at in this light. The game would have to show this in play. I also had a few things that I wanted to show in the game in more general terms.

For one, I had to give the Germans the option to go for Moscow in the game. Early on, I wasn't sure if I wanted the players to make that choice or have it made for them on a table – but a Moscow option had to be there. I also wanted the Soviet Army's predilection for dramatic variance in quality to be there too. Especially in 1941, a Russian Division could roll over without a shot fired or fight like wildcats. It could be equipped with tanks like the KVs or T-34s that would appear out of thin air to shock the Germans. The random element had to be there as well. Neither side would always know when these "elite" units would show up. Lastly, I wanted to address some of the more controversial aspects of the A Victory Lost design and see if they could be addressed.

AVL was a wonderfully successful design and shows Tetsuya Nakamura's genius of design, but there were aspects of the game that a fair number of people wanted improved. These included down time on certain chits (mostly the "Stavka" chit that allowed the Soviet player to move all of his pieces, and could take some players over a half hour to complete); the length of time it took to play the game to completion; the supply rules; and the use of the railroad for reinforcements. All of these could be addressed but not without changes. I had to modify the activation rules to allow for some of the game play benefits of the Stavka rule, and I had to make activation packets a little larger (but not too large). This quickened play and lessened downtime. I deleted the railroads completely and modified the supply rules to be two independent states. This seemed to work well both in the game and in the history. Next up was to write out an OOB and start testing. This proved to be an eye opener for many reasons and led to some of the decisions that I wanted to mention here.

Probably the most controversial aspect of this game will be the German Panzer unit values. I originally started the game with a few standard assumptions for counter values and started pushing pieces around. The German armor units were 6-4-10, motorized divisions were 4-4-10 and infantry were 3-5. The Soviets started at 3-2-6 for the motorized units and either 1-4s or 2-4s for the infantry divisions. As I mentioned, I knew from the start that I wanted to have "elite" Soviet units. They would be 3-4-6s for the T-34s and 3-4s for those wildcat divisions. Very soon after I started comparing the actual historical movements with what the game was doing, it was apparent that changes in the values would have to be made.

The first thing to go was the Soviet Divisions. Counter density was too high, so the Germans couldn't get through the initial positions (let alone the unwanted increase in playtime created by more counters), and when compared to the Germans, the Soviet forces were just too powerful. As there was nowhere to go lower than one for combat strength, I had to convert those divisions to corps. They became 3-4s and I limited the stacking on these. When adding an elite unit to a corps, the increase in strength became dramatic – this worked exactly as I wanted.

Next up were the Panzer Divisions and their attack values. What they actually achieved was not in synch with a value of 6 and the retreat/defender friendly CRT in AVL. I kept winding up with attacks that had little chance of success when compared to the historical models. I pushed their values up to 9 to give the right "shock and awe" aspect they created when they were attacking in 1941. But in looking at the battle maps that show where units went throughout this battle, I noticed that motorized divisions were given all the grunt work. Whether it was the 29th Motorized being chosen to rush Smolensk or the "fire brigade" use of the Das Reich unit throughout this battle, Panzer Divisions were always left to do the offensive roaming but not any of the set piece defensive battles or tough offensive operations that might subject a force to strong counterattacks. My assumption is that they were being saved for the operations to come and they wouldn't be wasted in defensive battles but the problem was getting the players of the game to use them this way.

So an attack value of 9 worked well for the first few turns but keeping the defense value at 4 was just too high. Players were using them at the end of the game to defend key points and they became far too "all purpose" when compared to how they were actually used. On the other hand, the Motorized Corps were very prolific in how they were used in the middle stages of the battle. The Das Reich division in particular was everywhere there was trouble in the battle and they needed to be useful to the players in the same way. When I reduced the Panzers to 2 in defense, it all started to click. I got exactly the gestalt I wanted and presto, the battle of Smolensk was now being regularly refought on my table. I hope you enjoy the game as much as I did making it for you.

Next up in the system will be A Victory Approaches which will cover the autumn battles in Hungary in 1944. After that, I hope to make A Victory Won and cover the final battle of Berlin. After that, who knows? I would love to do the winter battles in front of Moscow in 1942 or the Ukraine in 1944 – or maybe Case Blue or Kursk for the summers...and maybe something in the fall and spring as well. As long as the games remain popular, I would love to delve into these other famous topics.

Credits

Designer: Adam Starkweather.

Developer: Nick Richardson.

Graphic Artist: Nicolas Eskubi.

Rules Writers: Nick Richardson and Vincent Lefavrais.

VASSAL Support: Brent Easton.

Original Design Concept: Tetsuya Nakamura.

Playtesters: Benjamen Starkweather, Franklin Cohen, Nick Richardson, Tony Tam.

Proofreaders: Jon Gautier and Gary Phillips.

Special Thanks: Brian Youse, Tetsuya Nakamura, Perry Cocke.