Desert Victory: North Africa, 1940-1942

Desert Victory: North Africa, 1940-1942 Rulebook

Table of Contents

1.0 Introduction

Desert Victory: North Africa, 1940-42 (DV) is an easy-to-grasp, highly re-playable, summary level game of the entire Western Desert campaign in WWII. It begins with the abortive Italian invasion of Egypt from Eastern Libya and ends when Rommel flees the western edge of the map to Tunisia to counter the Western Allied invasions of Vichy North Africa. One does not have to have a mastery level understanding of the historical campaign to enjoy the game, and in many ways, this game will serve as an introduction to the theater that might then cause players who want to learn more to explore other games or books with greater detail on this topic; of which several suggestions for further playing or reading are provided in the Designer Notes at the end of these Rules.

Desert Victory introduces new concepts that may not be familiar to hex and counter gamers, such as Support, Supply Zone boundaries, Disruption (1/2 Step loss), Slippery Zones of Control, and Posture selection. These mechanics will be explained in an easy-to-grasp manner and are designed to give the players similar tactical and strategic dilemmas faced by the actual combatants. Each turn players will decide how much Supply to expend, and when to do so while factoring in the opponent's Supply level. One's units can only be pressed so far before Army collapse is a real threat, as is represented in the Disrupt mechanic. Geography is paramount: should one stick to the coastal road and its readily available Depot Towns, or strike-out into the interior in an end run to turn the flank on an opponent? Also, easily negated Zones of Control mean that frequent freewheeling battles can occur as was often the case in the Western Desert Campaign, where front lines were regularly penetrated or skirted by mobile formations.

2.0 Course of Play, Scale & Stacking

During a Turn, players will follow the Sequence of Play (SOP) as shown at the top of the map. This will likely include several Action Phases as players go back and forth engaging in various Actions based on their chosen Posture. It's possible for one player to have several back-to-back Actions if the other player has expended all of their Supply or has chosen to Pass.

The scale of the game is quarterly (three month) turns, 25 miles per hex (same as Battle for Kursk, The Tigers Are Burning, 1943, the first game in the C3i Combined Arms Series), and units are Brigade, Division or Corps in size, based on the number of "X" symbols on the counter:

X = Brigade
X X = Division
X X X = Corps

The stacking limit for most hexes is 6 Brigade equivalents, meaning a player can stack as many counters as they like in the hex, as long as the total number of "Xs" on the counters does not exceed six. For example, two Corps stacked in a hex would be fully stacked, as would two Divisions with two Brigades. Stacking limits may be temporarily exceeded during movement, retreat, and advance, but must be complied with afterwards, before engaging in combat. Note that a Mountain hex may only stack three "Xs". Similarly, the Port location of Tobruk may stack an equivalent of three "Xs", and the Port locations of Benghazi and Bardia only two "Xs". These three Port locations are considered a separate space within their hex and units placed under the Port counter are subject to Port stacking limits and do not count toward the hex stacking limits. A unit may be designated to be inside a Port location in its hex as an immediate reaction to the first enemy unit entering an adjacent hex during each opponent's Operations phase, or as a result of retreat from combat. These are the only times a unit may enter a Port.

3.0 Game Components and Setup

CONTENTS:

One 22" x 34" map sheet
One counter sheet
One Rules booklet with Designer's Notes
Two identical 8.5" x 11" player aid cards

A complete game of Desert Victory includes one full-color map, two identical double-sided Player Aid Cards (PAC—one for each player), and 80 double-sided playing pieces.

The map should be placed so that the Allied player sits at the bottom right of the map, and the Axis player can sit either on the bottom left or top left of the map, depending on player preference. Place the turn marker on the Game Turn Track Axis side up. Place each side's Box / Mines counters, Supply markers, and Disrupt markers in their Markers box in their respective Nationality Display. Place the Posture and Attack markers close by. Place the three Port counters on their respective Besieged Holding Boxes or in the hex containing the Port location as a mnemonic that there is a separate location inside that hex that can become besieged.

Set up the rest of the game components per the instructions in the Scenario being played as defined in the Scenarios section below. Any of the combat units that do not begin the game on the map or in the Nationality Display will be placed on the Game Turn Track to come in as reinforcements.

Note that some of the units start on their back side and are so indicated by the wedge in the top right corner of the front side of their marker and the placement of their turn of entry number on the back side. The number of counters in the game is a strict limit. A six-sided die is also required for play.

Units have a small turn of entry number just to the left of their symbol to help with placement on the Game Turn Track. Each combat unit in the game is rated for its combat value and movement value. The first number is the combat value and is used in both attack and defense and can be adjusted downwards by Disruption and distance to a Supply Head. The second number is the movement value and is the number of Movement Points (MP) that unit may expend during a given Operations phase and can similarly be adjusted by game conditions. The cost of hex and hex side terrain is given on the Terrain Effects Chart on the backside of the Player Aid Card (PAC). A unit may not exceed its movement value nor transfer unused movement points to another unit. If a unit has a red movement value, it is considered an Armor(ed) unit and has its MP costs affected by certain terrain features and Disruption. Infantry units are not affected the same way as Armor units but are considered leg born and have their movement value reduced to 2 total if they are not in Full Supply at the moment of Activation.

4.0 Glossary

Significant Game Terms are listed in Initial Cap in the text and most are further defined in this glossary and in the rules.

Action Phase: A series of phases in which players chose one of the Action Types and both players execute them back-to-back in initiative order, including the Pause Action.
Activation: The moment a combat unit is activated for Movement, Combat or Advance, and a LOC is checked to see if the unit's performance is degraded in any way.
Battle: Combat between all of the units in an attacking hex and a defending hex and any Supporting units from either side adjacent to either hex, as designated by the placement of an Attack marker and the pointing of the top of Supporting units towards the Battle hexes.
Besieged Holding Box: A separate box next to each of Benghazi, Tobruk and Bardia that will hold the Port counter associated with that hex when there is not an ongoing siege and hold the defending units when there is an active siege.
Box / Mines: A counter of which there are three for the Axis and five for the Allies that acts as both a fortified position (Box) and a hindrance to enemy movement (Mines). A player may build up to two of these per turn by performing the Engineering Operation. Only a Division or Corps may place these markers and may only do one per turn per unit and may only do so in their hex or in an adjacent hex with no unnegated enemy ZOC. These effect movement, combat and retreat.
Control: A Depot Town / Supply Source is considered controlled by the last side to have occupied it with a combat unit or placed an un-negated ZOC on that hex.
Combat Modifiers: The various adjustments to combat values or column shifts as described on the Player Aid Card (PAC).
Depot Town: A location on the map on the coastal road as signified by a supply symbol and at which a Supply Head marker may be placed.

5.0 Sequence of Play

A turn of Desert Victory consists of the following Phases as shown on the Sequence of Play (SOP) found on the map:

Step	Phase Description	Procedure
1	Supply	Consult the TRC for the current turn and add that number of Supply markers to each side's Available Supply.
2	Replacements	Players adjust the number of Steps on their combat units based on Replacement Steps arrivals or departures.
3	Reinforcements	Place Reinforcements & newly built units in / adjacent to a friendly Supply Head Location, but not in an unnegated enemy ZOC.
4	Initiative	Side with the most Available Supply has the Initiative (Axis wins ties) and adjusts the Turn Marker to show their side's symbol.
5	Posture Selection	Players secretly select one of the Postures below for the next Action Phase. Simultaneously reveal them and pay one Supply (except Pause).
5.1	Operations	All units of that side may move and combat. Place Attack markers to designate Battle hexes.
5.2

Comprehensive Example of the Phases: It is the start of turn 4 in the Campaign Game, with the Axis Supply Head in Benghazi and the Allied in Tobruk. During Phase 1 of the turn, the Axis move four Supply Markers and the Allied one Supply marker from their Markers Box to their respective Available Supply boxes. There are no Replacement Points arriving this turn so Phase 2 is skipped. Reinforcements are placed in or adjacent to their Supply Head during Phase 3. In Phase 4, the Axis are granted the Initiative because they have more Supply markers than the Allies, and the Turn marker is adjusted to display the Axis symbols. During Phase 5 Posture Selection, the Axis secretly choose Operations while the Allies choose Pause. See Illustration #1 for what the Axis Nationality Box looks like at this point, before one Supply is moved to the Markers box to pay for the Operations Action. The Axis Operate during Phase 6, but Phase 7 is skipped as the Allies chose Pause. During Phase 8, since the Axis still have Supply markers and both players did not choose Pause, the Action Cycle resumes with Phase 4 where it is determined that the Axis maintain the Initiative, since the Supply count is 3 to 1 in their favor.

Each of these Phases will be described in greater detail in the rules that follow.

6.0 Supply

During the Supply Phase, both players consult the Turn Record Chart (TRC) at the bottom of the map to determine the number of Supply markers they receive. Move this number from the Markers box to the Available Supply box on each respective Nationality Display. Supply Markers are double-sided with "1" on the front and "2" on the back. Supply not consumed in a turn is available in the next turn. There is a strict Supply marker limit in the game such that the Axis player may never store more than eight total supply points and the Allies no more than ten; any more than this are considered diverted to another theater and lost.

To represent advanced logistical preparation, if a side has four or more Available Supply at the end of Phase 1 (Supply), then once during that turn at the beginning of any Action Phase, that player may move their Supply Head forward to the furthest advanced friendly controlled, in-supply Depot Town just as if this was the beginning of an Administration Phase. This movement is in addition to the end of turn Supply Head move in Phase 9.

Each side's Supply Head marker draws supply from a Supply Source (El Agheila for the Axis and Alexandria for the Allies). Supply is traced from the Supply Source via connected roads (not tracks) to a Supply Head counter in a Depot Town. All combat units in the Supply Zone (defined by the dashed blue lines and the International border) where the friendly Supply Head is located, and in all Supply Zones between the Supply Head counter and the Supply Source, and who can trace an unobstructed Line of Communications (LOC) of any length to that Supply Head or any Supplied Depot Town between the Supply Head and the Supply Sources at the moment of Activation are considered in Full Supply and have no degradation to their capabilities. Un-negated enemy ZOC, enemy units, enemy controlled Depot Towns and certain terrain features block the tracing of a Supply line or a LOC. A unit must be in Full Supply to receive Replacements, place a Box / Mines counter, or engage in Combat without degradation, but need only have a LOC of any length to a Friendly Supply Head location to Reorganize. See Glossary for succinct definitions of the above if needed.

For each Supply Zone Boundary (including the International Border) that a unit must cross to trace its LOC through to get to the closest friendly Supply Head Location (see Glossary), it must subtract one from its Combat Value and one from its Armor Movement value, down to a minimum of one remaining for each. Count a boundary each time it is crossed no matter how circuitous the length of the LOC. If a unit is unable to trace a LOC of any length, consider its Combat and Armor movement values to be halved (rounded down) before factoring in Disrupt effects, and it suffers a negative column shift in Combat (see PAC). These reductions are assessed at the moment of Activation for the unit in question for the activity in which it is engaged. Additionally, any Infantry unit that has a movement value greater than two has it reduced to two (total) if not in Full Supply at the moment of unit movement Activation.

EXCEPTION: If a unit is within two hexes of a friendly Supply Head Location, and has a LOC to it, that unit is considered in Full Supply even if the LOC crosses a Supply Zone Boundary.

DESIGN NOTE: Infantry units with a movement allowance of two are leg-borne and are assumed to be moving with only minimal assistance from motorized transport.

Comprehensive Example of Tracing Supply: Continuing the previous example, the Axis conduct Operations during their first Action Phase, and the Supply Status of each of their units is assessed at the moment of individual unit activation for Movement. In Illustration #2, the Italian 23rd Corps on the coast road can trace an LOC to the Axis Supply Head in Benghazi, but because the Supply line crosses one Supply Zone boundary (blue dashed line), the unit is not considered in Full Supply and has 1 subtracted from its Combat value. Its movement value is not impacted because it is a leg-borne infantry unit (with a value of 2). If it were an Armor unit (red movement value) it would have one subtracted from its movement value, and if it were an infantry unit with a Movement Value greater than two, it would be reduced to two. The other two Italian Infantry Corps are in the same supply status as the 23rd Corps, while all the Axis units in and around Benghazi are in Full Supply. No units in this example are unable to trace a LOC, but if they were, both the Movement and Combat values would be reduced by half rounded down. No unit's values can be reduced below 1 for Combat or Movement. During the movement portion of the Operations Phase, the 21st Panzer moves along the track at 1 MP per hex to end in hex 1607 with the 20th Corps, for a total of 6 MP expended. There are now five Brigade Equivalents (five Xs) in this hex, so it is not over stacked. On the coast road, the 23rd Corps moves into Derna, where it must stop due to the ZOC exerted by the 4th India Division on the hex. But, it now negates the enemy ZOC allowing the 22nd Corps to advance through Derna and on into 1706 where it must now stop. The presence of the friendly unit in Derna allows the 22nd Corps to leap-frog the enemy ZOC previously exerted into Derna. The Afrika brigade now joins the coming offensive by moving along the coast road to Derna, and 132nd Ariete moves up to the Salt Marsh in Wadi al Qarn.

A friendly Supply Head counter is displaced whenever an enemy unit enters its hex, places an un-negated ZOC on the hex or on the only road hex between it and its Supply Source, or physically blocks the only road path available. At that moment, immediately relocate the Supply Head counter to the next closest Depot Town with an unobstructed road path to its Supply Source. Afterwards, count the number of friendly Supply Markers in the Available Supply box of that side then roll a single six-sided die to determine if any of the stored supply are impacted. If the die roll is greater than the number of Supply markers, there is no effect. If the die roll is equal to the number of markers, one friendly Supply is destroyed, removed from Available supply and placed back in the Markers box. If the roll is less than the number of Available Supply, then one supply is captured by the opponent. Move a Supply Marker from the opponent's Markers Box to their Available Supply and remove one from your Available supply and place it back in the Markers box. A side may not capture a Supply marker if in so doing it exceeds their counter mix limits; it would be considered destroyed instead of captured. No Axis or Allied counters are ever moved between their respective Nationality Display boxes (i.e., an Allied Supply marker is never placed in an Axis Available Supply box or vice versa). Supply Head markers are only moved forward at the end of the turn (see Administration Phase below).

7.0 Replacements

During the Replacement Phase, both players, starting with the one that has Initiative, reference the Turn Record Chart (TRC) at the bottom of the map to determine the type and amount of Replacement Points (RP) they receive. Players can spend these points to restore Steps to half-strength friendly units on the map or rebuild friendly units from the Eliminated Units box. Each RP spent restores 1 Step of a unit, thus, to rebuild a Division or Corps to full-strength would require the expenditure of 2 RP of the same type. An on-map unit may only receive RP if it is in Full Supply. A unit may only receive RP of the type of unit that it is as represented per the TRC Key listed on the bottom of the map. Allied units in a besieged Port may receive RP, though Axis units may not.

On Turn 3 the Allies have negative replacements (red values) representing units moved to other fronts. The Allied player must remove this number of Steps and place any units eliminated in the Eliminated Units box. Steps may be removed even if those units are not in Full Supply or have an LOC. If there are not enough Steps to remove, the Allied player must try to remove as many as they can of the types of Steps required, ignoring any balance that cannot be removed.

Any units that are rebuilt from the Eliminated Units box arrive as Reinforcements this turn in the very next phase (Reinforcements). Note, units that are already scheduled to arrive this turn as half-strength Reinforcements may not receive replacements in the same turn they arrive. Unused RP are considered to have been transferred to another theater and are lost.

8.0 Reinforcements

During the Reinforcement Phase, both players reference the Game Turn Track at the top of the map to determine how many reinforcing units arrive this turn. These units are added to the units that were rebuilt from the Eliminated Units box in the preceding Replacements phase and are placed on the map together at the same time, starting with the player with the Initiative. Reinforcing units are placed on or adjacent to the Supply Head and/or a Depot Town between the Supply Head and that side's Supply Source, or directly in the Supply Source. Units may be placed in a negated enemy ZOC, but not in an enemy hex. Stacking limits must be followed during placement. If there is insufficient room to bring the units on the map, place them on the Game Turn Track to arrive next turn.

DESIGN NOTE: Many games on North Africa have players place their units at the Supply Source and much time is spent in the game counting movement points moving the counters forward to the front. Desert Victory with quarterly turns can abstract this by placing arriving units directly in the forward Supply Head or any major bivouac location (Depot Town) between the Supply Head and the Supply Source. This speeds up play and rewards a player who can keep / move their Supply Head forward.

9.0 Initiative

During the Initiative phase, both players count the number of Supply they have in their Available Supply box, and the player with the greater number has the initiative and adjusts the turn marker to show their nationality symbol. In the event of a tie, the Axis player has the initiative. This initiative check may occur many times during the turn, and it's possible for the initiative to switch back and forth depending on how frequently either side chooses the Pause action to conserve Supply.

10.0 Posture Selection

During the Posture Selection Phase, both players secretly determine what posture their forces will follow for the upcoming Action Phase and place their Posture marker in that box. Use your hand or the Player Aid Card (PAC) to cover your selection until your opponent has made their choice. Once ready, simultaneously reveal the choices, and each side pays one Supply, unless that side chooses Pause. If one player no longer has any supply remaining, they are required to choose the Pause posture. The player with the initiative will implement their Action choice first, followed by the other player. Once completed, a player should flip their Posture marker to the Done side as a mnemonic that they have already completed their portion of the Action Phase.

SOLITAIRE PLAY SUGGESTION: When playing the game solitaire and making the best move for each side, the player should determine posture sequentially with the side having the Initiative deciding first.

11.0 Operations

The Operations Action is the heart of the game and allows a player to maneuver their forces and engage in combat. Players should have the Player Aid Card (PAC) handy while reading this section of the rules.

Movement

The Operations Action begins with a Movement Segment allowing a player to move all their counters one-at-a-time on the map expending Movement Points per the terrain costs shown on the PAC, up to each unit's Movement Allowance. Units may exceed Stacking Limits temporarily during movement but must conform to the limits afterwards and before engaging in combat. It may be useful to turn a counter slightly sideways to show when it has completed its movement. The number of Movement Points a unit has is impacted by Supply status and Disruption for armor units. A non-Fully Supplied infantry unit is assumed to be leg mobile and only has a maximum of 2 MP. An Armor unit has its MP reduced by 1 if Disrupted, and another –1 for each Supply Zone boundary its LOC must cross to reach the Supply Head. A unit may always move one hex, even if it has insufficient MP to enter, though it may never traverse impassable terrain or hex sides.

Zone of Control (ZOC)

Each Division and Corps has a Zone of Control (ZOC) that extends into adjacent hexes (terrain permitting …see PAC restrictions). Brigade-size units do not have a ZOC and are so signified with a white line encircling the edge of their counter. An enemy ZOC blocks the tracing of Supply along the coastal road as well as a LOC being traced from a unit to a Supply Head Location. A friendly unit must end movement as soon as it enters an enemy ZOC. A friendly unit negates enemy ZOC for all purposes, thus although a unit that moves into a ZOC must stop, it now negates that enemy ZOC allowing other units to move freely through that hex or establish a LOC through that hex. There are penalties when retreating through an Enemy ZOC as described in Combat below. If both sides have a ZOC on an unoccupied hex, they do not cancel each other out and both sides would be similarly restricted by that ZOC until one player occupies the hex.

DESIGN NOTE: The ZOC rules in this game are very "slippery" and are designed as such to allow the quick flanking or penetration of incomplete lines, as was frequently the case in this theater. Players are advised to learn how ZOCs can be negated through maneuver and how this opens up opportunities in Movement and Combat and the tracing of Supply or establishing LOCs.

Combat

After all movement is completed, the Active player may engage in Combat. Each Battle has one Attacking and one Defending hex. Before any Battles are resolved, the Active player designates all of the Battles and the order they will be resolved by taking the numbered (1-5) Attack markers and placing them in an Attacking Hex and pointing the arrow towards the Defending hex or Port marker if a Siege Battle. In the rare occurrence that more than five Battles are taking place, use some other device, such as placing a die (or dice) in the Attacking hex next to the Defending hex to mark those battles in their respective order above five. Battles are resolved by following this procedure below and as shown on the PAC:

Combat Procedure

Determine the next Battle to occur based on the order of the Attack marker numbers.
Align Attacking / Supporting units to face the Defending or Attacking hex.
Defender assigns Support in a similar manner.
Calculate Odds and apply Column Shifts per the CRT Modifiers.
Roll the die and consult the CRT.
Apply the Results immediately, Defender first.
Conduct any Advances following Combat resolution.
Conduct next Combat (if any).

SUPPORT. The Attacker and then the Defender may designate support for the current Battle. A unit may be designated for Support if it is adjacent to either the Attacking or the Defending hex. This is done by pointing the top of the Supporting unit toward either hex. A unit may not be designated to provide support if it is already committed to a future battle through an Attack marker placement and being located in that future Attacking or Defending hex. Note that certain hex side terrain, such as escarpment or all sea hex side, prevents providing support across that barrier, and that a Pass or Wadi allows only one unit per Battle to provide support across that hex side. Each Supporting unit provides one column shift in the favor of the side providing it, regardless of Combat Value. Multiple units in a hex may provide support (terrain permitting). A unit may provide support even if it is not in LOC, not at full strength or if Disrupted. After a unit has provided Support and shared the combat results of its side, cock the counter slightly as a mnemonic that it may not provide Support or its Combat Value to a future Battle in the current Action Phase.

DESIGN NOTE: In order to represent the free-wheeling battles commonly fought in the Western Desert, either side's units can support the battle by being adjacent to either the Attacking or Defending hex. Support represents units that are adjacent to the battle aiding through artillery fire, detached elements, sharing of reserves and supply, or harassing actions. Brigades are able to provide as much support as a division or corps due to their inherent flexibility when operating on the periphery of a battle. Supporting units share the same Retreat or Advance results of the main battle hex to show rapid changes in the front line that so often occurred in the Western Desert. Support is designated one battle at a time so there is some degree of jockeying between players to decide if reserves will be used to support the current battle or a future battle nearby that is designated but has not yet taken place.

UNIT STRENGTH. Apply all reductions to a unit's combat value from Supply and Disruption, before applying any doubling for terrain.

COLUMN SHIFTS. The PAC provides a description of the Combat modifiers which are represented as Column Shifts on the CRT. Players should consult this regularly for the first few Battles until the process becomes second nature. Initial Odds are calculated based on the current numeric strength of the units in the Attacking hex and the Defending hex only, and are rounded in favor of the defender, such that an 11 to 6 attack is rounded to 1-1. Similarly, the Combined Arms bonus is only based on the composition of units in the Attacking hex and the Defending hex, not the surrounding Support. When calculating odds, the Attacker applies all Column Shifts first, and it's possible these may go less than or greater than the odds columns shown on the CRT, in which case apply shifts as if there were other columns such as 7:1, 8:1 or 1:3, 1:4 etc. After all Column Shifts are applied from both sides, if the odds are greater than 6:1 or less than 1:2, resolve the combat on those columns respectively.

RESULTS. The PAC shows the results that can occur in Battle and defines how they are applied. Results to the left of the / (slash) apply to the Attacker and to the right to the Defender. The owner applies all results to their own units. The Defender must apply results first, and they must be applied in the order of Disrupt D, Loss L, then Retreat R. An O means No Effect. D & L Results must be collectively distributed across all units equally, including Supporting units, before any unit takes a second D or L result in that battle. Any preexisting battle damage does not factor into the distribution of results. Disrupt Markers must be of the same Nationality as the unit they are placed on. Place the Disrupt marker on the top left of the unit so it does not conceal the unit's other key values. Each L is a Step loss that causes a full-strength unit to flip to its reduced strength side. Brigades and half strength Divisions and Corps are eliminated after suffering 1 Step loss and are placed in the Eliminated Units box, where they may be rebuilt in future turns through the Replacements process. A defending force that takes a Loss result may convert it to a Disrupt result by increasing the number of Retreat results by one for that side, and this may be done more than once in the same battle.

Should a Nationality not be able to place a Disrupt marker because it has placed all that were in its Markers box, then immediately apply a Step loss to all Disrupted units of that Nationality wherever they are on the map and return all Disrupt markers of that nationality back to the Markers box, and then place one per the current combat result. Should a defending unit in a declared battle be eliminated before the battle is resolved because of this rule, continue the attack as planned but have it occur against an empty hex with a notional 1 defense value unit with 0 steps remaining, and then calculate the odds and results based on that.

DESIGN NOTE: National Army Degradation is modeled by the Disruption process. If a particular nationality is low on Disruption markers in their Markers box, it would be best for them to avoid combat until they can take time to Reorganize, which entails training, merging units, applying local reserves to front line formations, resupply, and Rest and Relaxation (R&R). Historically the Italian 10th army in the Western Desert was destroyed on Turn 2 because they exceeded their ability to absorb damage and continue to function as a cohesive unit and did not have the ability to Reorganize for future action.

RETREATS. After all Disrupts and Losses are applied, the Defender resolves any Retreat results. All Combat and Supporting units must retreat a number of hexes equal to the final modified "R" result on the Combat Results Table (CRT). Defending and Supporting Units in a Box / Mines hex are only required to retreat one hex regardless of the actual final result. Terrain costs do not factor into retreats, but prohibited hexes, hex sides and enemy ZOC do influence retreat (though ZOC can be negated). Units may not retreat into a hex occupied by an enemy combat unit, Supply Head counter, or Box / Mines counter. Units are retreated one at a time and may retreat in any direction, though they must avoid Enemy ZOC if possible, and may not retreat adjacent to the Attacker's hex, unless there is no other choice. If the units must retreat more than one hex, then all Defending units retreat one hex first (one at a time, owners' choice), then they all retreat the second hex and so on, in impulse fashion. Units in a multi-hex retreat may not voluntarily end up in or adjacent to the Battle's defended hex unless terrain, enemy units or enemy ZOC leaves no other choice. If forced to retreat into an un-negated enemy ZOC, the first unit entering that hex becomes Disrupted, though other units retreating into the same hex would not as the enemy ZOC would be negated by the unit that just entered that hex (unless the first unit was eliminated by taking the Disrupt result). If unable to complete the retreat either due to terrain, map edge and/or enemy units, each unfulfilled R result becomes an L result instead for one unit in that group. If stacking limits are violated at the end of retreat, excess units are eliminated (owners' choice). Retreated units' counters should be rotated slightly to signify that they cannot influence future battles either by providing combat value if in a future battle hex or provide Support if adjacent. If in a future battle hex, they would suffer the same result as the occupants and could be used to take losses.

ADVANCES. All Attacking units, including Support, may advance a number of hexes equal to the final R result the defender received, including any conversions of L's to R's (or the reductions of R's to L's due to inability to retreat). EXCEPTION: There are no advances after Siege Combat. Remember that units retreating from a hex with a Box / Mines counter only retreat one hex. Like retreats, each hex advanced into only costs one hex regardless of terrain, though a unit may not advance across prohibited terrain or end in violation of stacking limits. A unit must end its advance if it enters an Enemy ZOC, though other units may continue advancing if eligible now that that ZOC has been negated. Other terrain such as Box / Mines and Mountains also cause an advance to end, even if along a road. Infantry may only advance one hex regardless of the actual result. Armor units may not advance further in hexes than their current Movement Value at the moment of advance activation. If the defender is eliminated, the attacker still gets to advance equal to the "R" result and may advance a number of bonus hexes equal to the number of unfulfilled "L" results. After the advance is complete, rotate the counters slightly to show that those Combat units may not participate in any future Battles that Operations phase in either the Battle hex or as Support.

PLAY NOTE: Retreats and Advances are also designed to be very slippery…look for opportunities there and think of them as if they are continued maneuvers in an ongoing battle.

Combat example (Illustration #3): Continuing from the previous example, the Axis player has completed movement and has designated one Attack via placement of Attack marker #1. An Attack is composed of one hex (1607) Attacking one Defending hex (1608). The Axis have designated four units in Support by turning the tops of those units to face either the Attacking hex or the Defending hex. Afterwards, the Allied player designates two units in support. Note that 9th Australian Division in hex 1409 is unable to support the Battle because it is adjacent to neither the Attacker's nor the Defender's hex.

The calculation of odds for the battle proceeds as follows: First determine if any of the attacking or defending units are decreased in strength due to Supply considerations. All of the Axis units trace a LOC that crosses one Supply Zone Boundary before reaching their Supply Head, so each of them is individually reduced one Combat Value. The Allied units in the defending hex also have to cross one Supply Zone Boundary to reach their Supply Head, but since they are within two hexes of the Supply Head, they are considered in Full supply anyway. So, the initial battle odds, which only factor in the Attacking and Defending hexes, are Axis 8 to Allied 5, so an initial odds of 1-1. The attacker has Combined Arms both because the attack hex has an armor and an infantry unit, and because the German Armor unit always qualifies for Combined Arms, even if alone in the hex, but the Axis player only received 1 positive column shift regardless. So, starting with 1-1 odds, adding in +1 from Combined Arms, and then 4 Supporting units, the odds are now 6-1. The Defender also has Combined Arms in the Defending hex, and two supporting units, so the odds are shifted down 3 columns to 3-1. The Attacker now rolls a six-sided die and gets a result of 6, which on the 3-1 column is D1 / D1 L1 R2, which means the attacker places a Disrupt marker on a unit, and the Defender places a Disrupt, takes one Step Loss and Retreats two hexes.

The Defender goes first and places a Disrupt marker on the 4th Tank Brigade, and takes a step loss on the 4th Indian Division, which since it is only half strength to begin with, removes it to the Eliminated Units box. All Allied participating units retreat two hexes individually and in impulse fashion one hex at a time as follows: 4th Tank Brigade to Sidi Mufta. 32nd Tank to Gazala (it does not have to take a Disrupt for retreating in an enemy ZOC because the 2nd New Zealand is currently in the hex and negates the ZOC). Now the 2nd New Zealand retreats to Tobruk and ends its retreat there because it began the battle in a Box / Mines hex and therefore only needs to retreat one hex maximum. Now the remaining Allied units retreat their second hex with the 4th Tank Brigade going to El Adem, and the 32nd Tank going to Tobruk. Note that retreating units are able to move in any direction they choose as long as it does not violate terrain or enemy unit restrictions, and will suffer an additional Disrupt result when retreating into an unnegated enemy ZOC.

The Axis player now places an Italian Disrupt marker on the 23rd Corps to satisfy the D1 result the Attacker received. Since the Defender retreated two hexes, now the Attacking Axis forces are able to advance two hexes if they choose to. Note that Infantry units may never advance more than one hex regardless of the result, and Armor units may never advance more than their movement value based on their current Supply situation. 22nd Corps advances into Gazala and immediately flips the Allied Box / Mines marker over to its red X side to show that one will be removed at the end of the Operations Phase (but it will still stop advances for the rest of this phase). 23rd Corps and the Afrika Brigade both advance to 1708 and stop since they can only advance one hex as infantry. 20th Corps and 21st Panzer now move into the original Defender's hex (1608). Lastly 132nd Ariete moves into 1607 as it must advance out of the Salt Marsh hex along the track and in no other direction. Note that advancing units can move in any direction (subject to terrain restrictions) and are not required to enter the defender's hex. Now the advancing Axis armor units may advance a second hex, with the German armor moving into Gazala and stopping and the Italian armor into 1608. Finally, the Allied Box / Mines marker in Gazala is now removed to the Allied Markers box, and the end result is shown in Illustration 4.

Ports & Sieges

DESIGN NOTE: Think of the Port as a small separate location only adjacent to the larger hex the Port is in and apply all rules using that logic.

Place the three Port counters on their respective Besieged Holding Boxes at the beginning of each scenario. The three Ports of Benghazi, Tobruk and Bardia are considered separate locations within their own hex and may stack a number of Brigade equivalents under their counter equal to the number of "X's" on the Port counter during an active siege. Friendly units may enter the Port location by being placed / stacked in the Besieged Holding Box, but only as a reaction to the first enemy movement / activation adjacent to their hex as part of an Operations phase or as a result of Retreat. If the unit must Retreat further after entering that Port location, apply a "D" result to that stack for each additional Retreat hex required. Not all units in the hex are required to occupy the Port (some may stay in the hex itself or retreat elsewhere).

Once all other defending units have been cleared out of the hex, and only the defending unit(s) remain inside the Besieged Holding box, attacking units may besiege by placing those unit(s) adjacent to and facing the Port counter in the hex. Flip the Port marker over to show that it is an active siege and as a reminder that the Defender is doubled on defense. All attacking units in the hex would be considered besiegers and would negate any ZOC coming from the Besieged Port, thus allowing free movement and the tracing of a LOC within the hex containing the Port. Besieging Tobruk allows for Supply to be traced along the bypass road around the Port, thus allowing for a Supply Head to advance forward beyond the Besieged location. The Ports of Benghazi and Bardia must be cleared of defending forces before a Supply Head may advance beyond them.

Sieges are conducted like any other Combat, except that there is no Support allowed from either the attacking or defending forces; only the units in the hex itself and the Port location count towards the basic odds calculation, and there are no advances after combat resolution. Units defending in the Port location are doubled on defense after all other modifiers to the combat value are applied. Allied units defending in a Port are in Full Supply and can receive Replacements and Reinforcements up to the Port Stacking Limit and may be Reorganized. Axis units besieged in a Port are not in Full Supply and are –1 to both their Combat and Armor movement value but may be Reorganized.

Should units from outside the Port hex attack into that hex, friendly units besieged inside the Port location may provide support to that relief effort. Similarly, besieging units may provide support to battles outside their hex, and the besieged units may provide support if the hex their Port is in is the Attacking or Defending hex. Besieged units may engage in combat against their besiegers using the same rules as Siege combat, though the defending besiegers are not doubled, though they could benefit from any Box / Mines counter built in their hex.

Besiegers are not required to attack, but if they ever leave the hex voluntarily or as a result of combat, the Siege is immediately lifted, and the defending units are moved into the larger hex, and the Port marker is flipped to its non-siege side. This would also be true if defending units occupy a Port Besieged Holding Box during an Operation, but then no enemy units enter or remain in that Port hex during the Operations phase; in that case return the defending units back to the Port hex at the end of the Operations Phase. They may return inside the Port again if so triggered by enemy action as described above. Note that at the end of the turn during the Administration phase, all besieged Corps and Division size units will have a Disrupt marker placed on them.

Siege example (Illustrations #4-#6): Continuing from the previous Combat example, the Axis player commences another Operation and activates the 21st Panzer for movement. Since this is the first unit to be activated or moved adjacent to the Port hex of Tobruk during this Operation, the Allied player must decide if his units in that hex will remain in place or move into the defenses of the Port by being placed in the Besieged Holding Box or split the units between the two options. The Allied player moves both the 32nd Tank and the 2nd New Zealand into the Port. With those units now considered inside a separate location within that hex, the Axis player continues his move as shown in Illustration #5, and then designates a siege combat by placing an Attack marker facing the Port counter. The odds for the battle are calculated like for any other Attack, except there is no Support. In this case the Defender has a combined strength of 5, which is doubled to 10 for defending in a Port. The Attacking units all have 2 subtracted from their combat value because the friendly Supply Head is back in Benghazi, and the LOC traces through two blue-dashed Supply Zone Boundary lines to get there. Thus, the combined attack strength of the Axis is 7, which would make for a 1:2 attack. Both sides qualify for the Combined Arms bonus, and so those column shifts cancel each other out.

The Axis player realizing that he will receive significant reinforcements next turn, decides to attack anyway despite the poor odds. He rolls a 5 on the 1:2 table, which is a D1/D1 result, so both sides place a Disrupt marker. The Axis place it on the Italian 20th Corps, which is a bit risky as this is the second of three Disrupts that the Italians have placed, making them that much closer to not having Disrupt markers to place in the future, and thus halfway to triggering National Army Degradation. The Allied player places the Disrupt marker on the 32nd Tank Brigade. He does this because the 2nd New Zealand will also receive a Disrupt marker at the end of the turn Administration Phase for being a Division under siege, and he hopes to do a reorganization move at the beginning of Turn 5 to remove both Disrupts for his units under Siege in Tobruk. The end of turn situation is shown in Illustration #6.

12.0 Engineering

The Engineering Action allows a player to place up to two Box / Mines counters in or adjacent to friendly unit(s). A unit may only place a Box / Mines counter in its current hex or a hex within its ZOC (i.e., not through an Escarpment or into an enemy occupied hex, etc.). A Box / Mines marker may not be placed in an un-negated enemy ZOC. Only Corps and Division size units may place a Box / Mines counter, and each such unit may only place one per Engineering Phase. The number of Box / Mines counters is a strict limit per side (Axis 3 and Allied 5), but a player may freely relocate a friendly Box / Mines counter from another location to its new location as part of an Engineering Action. A Box / Mines counter may not be constructed in the following terrain types: Mountain, Qattara Depression, Salt Marsh, City, or inside a Port location (though it may be constructed in the hex the Port is in). A unit must be in Full Supply to place a Box / Mines counter.

An armor unit that moves into a Box / Mines hex immediately consumes an additional 2 MP after entering that hex, which may consume all of its remaining movement, and if so it must end movement in that hex. Anytime a unit enters a hex with an enemy Box / Mines counter through Movement or Advance, immediately flip the counter over to its red-X side. A flipped Box / Mines counter continues to have full effect for the rest of the current Operations phase but is considered swept and removed from the map at the end of the phase and returned to the owner's Markers box.

A Box / Mines counter provides a two-column shift to the left for combat when it is in the Defender's hex. Also, a Defending or Supporting unit that begins the battle in a Box / Mines hex and receives a retreat result only retreats 1 hex even if it suffers a larger retreat result (including converting L's to R's, though the additional D's would still apply). Any unit advancing into an enemy Box / Mines hex must immediately end its advance. A unit may not retreat into an enemy Box / Mines counter, even if empty of other enemy units.

DESIGN NOTE: The Box / Mines counter represents defensive fortifications built to provide cover and fields of fire in the otherwise open desert terrain, and the extensive minefields used to channel movement and attacks. The counter mix limit shows the inherent Allied advantage in both logistics and doctrine in the use of these engineering defenses.

13.0 Reorganization

The Reorganization Action allows players to remove Disrupt markers from their combat units. This is done by returning to the Markers box all Disrupt markers from your side (for the Axis, this includes both German and Italian Disruption markers). A unit does not have to be in Full Supply to have Disruption removed, it only needs to trace a LOC of any length. Units besieged in a Port may have Disruption removed.

PLAY NOTE: There are severe consequences should a given nationality run out of Disruption markers as described above under Combat, so be sure to manage how much wear and tear your army is taking. The number of Disrupt markers is a strict limit per nationality (Italian 3, German 5 and British/Commonwealth 7), and signifies the historical resiliency of those nationalities to suffering sustained losses in this theater of operations.

14.0 Continuation & Administration

After both players have completed their respective Action phases, return to the Initiative phase to commence the next Action cycle. If both players choose Pause, or neither player has any remaining Supply, then move immediately to the Administration Phase.

During the Administration Phase, both players move their Supply Head forward to the furthest advanced Depot Town controlled by their side with an unobstructed Supply Path back to their Supply Source. A Depot Town / Supply Source is considered controlled by the last side to have occupied it with a combat unit or placed an un-negated ZOC on that hex. A Besieged Port location makes that Depot Town uncontrolled by either side and ineligible for Supply Head placement. A Besieged Port also blocks the road for either side to advance their Supply Head any further down the line, except in the case of Tobruk, where a Bypass Road allows players to skip that Depot Town and place their Supply head further along the line if they maintain the siege of Tobruk, thus negating enemy ZOC in that hex. Also, to represent the cumulative effects of being besieged, place a Disrupt marker on all Corps or Division size units that are currently under Siege.

15.0 Special Units

German Armored Divisions (e.g. 15th Panzer): German Armored Divisions had inherent Panzer Grenadier and / or Motorized Infantry and the training to coordinate combat operations with infantry, artillery and other formations contained within the division. German Armored Divisions are granted the Combined Arms modifier even when Attacking or Defending alone in their hex, or stacked only with other armored units, and are so signified with a yellow box surrounding their Combat Value. Only one Combined Arms modifier is given per Battle, even if multiple German Armored Divisions are stacked in the same combat hex.

Afrika: Frequently German formations in North Africa acted in small, ad hoc groupings that were the result of fast-paced maneuvers, chaotic reinforcement arrival schedules and real-time contingencies. These units would include machine gun or reconnaissance battalions that frequently operated independently and are too small to be represented in a game of this scale but had a real-world impact. Collectively, the Afrika unit represents the combined effect of these units, but otherwise has no special properties.

Combe Force: The Allied Combe Force began as a scratch flying column to interdict the Italian retreat through Cyrenaica and succeeded in cutting the coastal road south of Benghazi a mere half hour before the lead elements of the retreating Italian 10th Army arrived. In game terms, the unit also represents the combined effects of the British Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), Special Air Service (SAS), and similar special units that hampered Axis logistics, airfield operations and other rear area elements. The first time any Axis unit moves adjacent to the Combe Force (regardless of hex side or hex terrain) during an Axis Operation phase, the Allied player may choose to immediately conduct an emergency move of the Combe Force using its current available Movement Allowance. Once this emergency move is complete, adjust the Combe Force counter sideways to show that it cannot perform this special move again during this current Axis Operation, though it may in later Axis Operations, even in the same turn. The Combe Force may only provide support to an Allied Attack or Defense if it is adjacent to the Axis Combat Hex and is not adjacent to the Allied Combat Hex (figuratively operating behind enemy lines).

Free French: Nearly all the Allied infantry units in the game are either British or Commonwealth. The Free French unit is an exception, and also represents several other minor units from Allied nations that fought in the Western Desert and drew supply from the British Army but are too small to be represented by a unit in the game, including Polish and Greek units. Collectively, the Free French unit represents the combined effect of these units, but otherwise has no special properties. It draws Replacements as if it were a Commonwealth unit.

16.0 Victory Conditions

The Axis player wins an Automatic Victory immediately upon control of Alexandria. The Allied player wins an Automatic Victory immediately upon control of El Agheila. As with a Depot Town, Control is defined by occupation of the hex with a combat unit or placing the hex in an un-negated ZOC. No LOC is required for an Automatic Victory to be achieved.

Should neither player achieve an Automatic Victory, the victor is determined at the end of Turn 10 by whichever player's Supply Head is further away, as measured by counting Depot Towns from their Supply Source (El Agheila for Axis and Alexandria for Allies). Note that a Supply Head may not occupy a Besieged Port hex and may only advance along the coast road past a besieged Port if it is Tobruk, which has a bypass road. If both sides are tied for distance at the end of Turn 10, then the winner is the player with the least number of units in their Eliminated Units box, including those that began the game in the box at the start of the scenario. If still a tie, the game ends in an Axis victory.

PLAY EXAMPLE: If at the end of the Administration Phase of Turn 10, the Axis Supply Head is at Derna (two Depot Towns away from El Agheila) and the Allied Supply head is at Tobruk (three Depot Towns away from Alexandria), then the Allied player wins.

HISTORICAL NOTE: At the end of the Western Desert Campaign the Axis supply head was at El Agheila, and the Allied Supply Head was at Benghazi, resulting in an Allied win. Neither side achieved the equivalent of an Automatic Victory during the time covered by the game, though in early 1943 the Axis would abandon El Agheila and flee to Tunisia to confront the Western Allied Torch landings that occurred in Vichy French North Africa in November 1942.

DESIGN NOTE: Future scenarios that cover specific Battles or Operations in this theater may end before Turn 10 and will have specific victory conditions for their use. If players do not have time to complete a full 10-turn game, they can measure the progress of their side by comparing where their Supply Head advanced to on the last turn completed with where it would be historically on the next turn using the Turn Record Chart (TRC) at the bottom of the map.

17.0 Scenarios

Desert Victory comes with two scenarios, a Campaign Game that begins on Turn 1 and a Tournament Scenario that begins on Turn 4. It is likely that other scenarios will be designed in the future and published in C3i Magazine. Unless victory is achieved earlier or specified otherwise, scenarios end at the conclusion of Turn 10. The starting location of the units involved are given in the scenario description. Scenarios begin with Step 4 Initiative Determination.

Campaign Game

After much debate at the highest levels on how Italy could best aid the Axis war effort, the Italian 10th Army advanced across the Egyptian frontier on 9 September 1940, thus initiating the World War II Campaign for North Africa. Italian forces quickly marched near unopposed 60 miles to Sidi Barrani, where they paused to build fortified camps. The British response was overwhelming and set-up the elastic nature of the campaign which would sweep across this broad swath of desert landscape no less than five times before its final act was played out.

Axis Set-up:

Bardia: Libya, Maletti, Axis Supply Head
Hex 1412: 21st Corps
Available Supply: 2 Supply
Eliminated Units Box: None

Allied Set-up:

Hex 1515: 7th Armored
Hex 1417: 4th Tank
Mersa Matruh: 32nd Tank, 4th Indian, Allied Supply Head
Available Supply: 2 Supply
Eliminated Units Box: None

Tournament Scenario

Following the loss of Cyrenaica, and then the British withdrawal to support operations in the Balkans and elsewhere, the Axis high command finally committed German troops to North Africa in a bid to distract British operations in the Mediterranean. Rommel arrived on 12 February 1941. The soon to be monikered Desert Fox exceeded orders and went on the offensive on 24 March 1941, achieving successes that would make his name legendary in desert warfare and initiating the second phase of the elastic Western Desert Campaign.

Axis Set-up:

El Agheila: 21st Panzer (half strength), Afrika, 20th Corps, Axis Supply Head
Hex 1002: 132nd Ariete (half strength), 22nd Corps
Available Supply: 4 Supply
Eliminated Units Box: Maletti, Babini, Libya, 21st Corps, 23rd Corps

Allied Set-up:

Hex 1102: 2nd Armored
Benghazi: Allied Supply Head
Tobruk: 9th Australian
Mersa Matruh: 2nd N. Zealand (half strength)
Available Supply: 1 Supply
Eliminated Units Box: 7th Armored, 4th Tank, 32nd Tank, Combe Force, 4th Indian, 6th Australian

HISTORICAL NOTE: Many of the Allied units in the Eliminated Units box have not actually been eliminated, but were deployed to other theaters, and are brought back into play through the Replacement process.