Red Storm Rising Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Set Up
• Game Length and Victory
• Airborne Units and VPs
• Sequence Of Play
  • Step 1: Air Deployment
  • Step 2: Air-to-Air Combat
  • Step 3: Warsaw Pact Attacks
  • Step 4: Warsaw Pact Movement
  • Step 5: NATO Movement
  • Step 6: NATO Attacks
  • Step 7: Reinforcements
• Attacking
  • Assets
  • Support Markers
  • Place Air Units attempting Ground Attacks
  • Land Unit Attacks
  • Hits
  • Retreats
  • Breakthrough
• Movement
  • Opponent places Air Units Attempting Air Interdiction
  • Division Breakdowns
  • Movement of Ground Units
  • Moving Through Cities
  • Crowding
• Reinforcements
  • Support Markers
  • Air Reinforcements
  • Replacements
  • Land Reinforcements
• The Air / Land Game
  • Colour coded Attack Ratings
  • Stealth Fighters
  • Air Deployment
  • Command Mission and Air-Air Combat
  • Attacking Command Mission Aircraft
  • Air Superiority
  • Air-to-Air Combat Effects
  • Tactical Air Missions
  • Airstrike Loss Tables
  • Terrain Effects on Tactical missions
  • Air to Ground Attacks
  • Air Interdiction
• Air Transport
• Chemical Munitions
  • Assets
  • Terrain Effects
  • Airstrike Loss Table Modifiers

Set Up

NATO – 35 Units - set up first within set up areas and must have at least 1 Unit in every space along the iron curtain.

• Orange – Denmark / Netherlands = 5 Units (3 x DE, 2 x NL)
• White – Belgium / United Kingdom = 5 Units (2 x BL, 3 x UK)
• Red – United States / Canada = 9 Units (8 x US, 1 x CN)
• Yellow – France = 5 Units (5 x F)
• West Germany = 11 Units (11 x WG) set up anywhere in West Germany
• Airborne = 4 Units (2 x US, 2 x WG), may be set up on board or start off-board to be brought on by Air Transport or as Reinforcements

Warsaw Pact – 36 Units – set up last within set up areas

• Grey – 2nd Guards Tank Army = 7 Units (16G, 2G, 207, 94G, 21, 4G-EG, 1G-EG)
• Blue – 20th Guards Army = 6 Units (90G, 32G, 25, 20G, 9-EG, 35)
• Yellow – 3rd Shock Army = 5 Units (10G, 72G, 47G, 7-EG, 3)
• Orange – 8th Guards Army = 6 Units (79G, 8G, 39G, 57G, 27G, 8-EG)
• White – 1st Guards Army = 5 Units (11G, 9, 6G, 1G, 20G)
• Purple – Central Group of forces = 7 Units (15G, 31, 1Cz, 18G, 48, 30G, 2Cz)
• Airborne – 6 Units (103G, 76G, 7G, CF, NF, WF), may be set up on board or start off-board to be brought on by Air Transport or as Reinforcements

The reminder (27 NATO and 29 Warsaw Pact) form the reinforcement pools.

• Each player places their Assets (24 Warsaw Pact and 18 NATO) in their respective on board boxes.

• The Warsaw Pact player places 15 Support Markers in their on board Support box.

Each player has an Air Reinforcement Pool (9 Air Units for NATO, 12 Air Units for the Warsaw Pact).

NATO Air Reinforcements

• 1 US E-3 Sentry (AWAC)
• 1 US A-10
• 3 US F-4
• 1 US Cobra
• 1 UK Tornado
• 1 French Jaguar
• 1 Belgian Alphajet

Warsaw Pact Air Reinforcements

• 1 Mainstay (AWAC)
• 4 Mig-21
• 3 Mig-23
• 2 Su-17
• 2 Su-24

The remaining Air Units (31 for NATO, 37 for Warsaw Pact) are the Air Units available on the first Turn.

Game Length and Victory

The Game lasts a variable number of Turns (the NATO 27 reinforcements can be used to track Turns the last NATO reinforcements being received on Turn 9)

• End of Turn 9 roll 1d10 with 7-10 ending the game
• End of Turn 10 roll 1d10 with 5-10 ending the game
• End of Turn 11, game ends automatically At game end total up each sides controlled Cities with bonus Cities being worth 2 if controlled by the opponent (Warsaw Pact controlling NATO bonus Cities and NATO controlling Warsaw Pact bonus Cities).
• Warsaw Pact greater than NATO = Warsaw Pact win
• Warsaw Pact equals NATO = Draw
• Warsaw Pact less than NATO = NATO win

Airborne Units and VPs

Airborne Units can take control of cities but these do not count for VPs until occupied by a friendly non-airborne Land Unit or trace path of 4 or less spaces, unoccupied by enemy Land Units or enemy controlled cities, to friendly Ground Unit.

Sequence Of Play

Step 1: Air Deployment

• Both sides secretly distribute Air Units amongst Northern and Southern Sector Air Missions – Command, Tactical and Air Superiority

Step 2: Air-to-Air Combat

• Command Mission Aircraft Attacks declared and performed (by Sector)
• Air to-Air Combat (by Sector)

Step 3: Warsaw Pact Attacks

• Add or remove Assets
• Add Support Markers (maximum 6 per Turn)
• Attempt to place Tactical Mission Air units in any space to perform Ground attacks (by Sector)
• Perform Ground and Air Attacks

Step 4: Warsaw Pact Movement

• NATO attempts to place any Tactical Mission Air Units in Spaces to perform Interdiction (by Sector)
• May Breakdown 4 AR Infantry or 5 AR Armour
• Movement of Ground Units, including attempted placement of up to 3 off-board Airborne Units

Step 5: NATO Movement

• Warsaw Pact attempts to place any Tactical Mission Air Units in Spaces to perform Interdiction (by Sector)
• May Breakdown 4 AR Infantry or 5 AR Armour
• Movement of Ground Units, including attempted placement of up to 3 off-board Airborne Units

Step 6: NATO Attacks

• Add or remove Assets
• Add Support Markers (maximum 6 per Turn)
• Attempt to place Tactical Mission Air units in any space to perform Ground attacks (by Sector)
• Perform Ground and Air Attacks

Step 7: Reinforcements

• Each side receives 1 Support Marker
• Both randomly draw 3 Air Units if available
• Each side may receive 3 Ground Unit replacements
• NATO draws and places 3 Reinforcements and off-board Airborne Units may arrive as Reinforcements
• Warsaw Pact draws and places 1d10 on Turns 1 and 2, or 1d10 halved (round-down) thereafter, and off-board Airborne Units may arrive as Reinforcements

Attacking

Assets

At start of a player Attack Step can choose to add or remove Assets from Land Units (cannot remove an Asset and place it on another Unit in the same Turn). NATO assets must be assigned to army pieces with matching nationality whilst Warsaw Pact Assets must be placed with their correct Army, with exception of striped Assets which can be assigned to any Warsaw Pact Land Units. Maximum of 2 Assets on an undamaged Land Unit or 1 Asset on a piece with 1 or 2 Hits (if 2 Assets and take a Hit, controlling player chooses which Asset to return to Asset Box).

• Artillery Asset – increase AR of Unit by 1
• Armour Asset (Warsaw Pact only) – increases AR of Unit by 1
• Engineer Asset – Unit ignores rivers, both when attacking and moving.

Support Markers

Place Support Markers before any Attacks are made. The Warsaw Pact can play up to 6 Support Markers and NATO can play up to 2 per Turn Allow the front Unit to roll 2d10 and pick the best result. Can place 2 Support Markers on a space with an Armour Unit to the rear, allowing any Breakthrough attack to also roll 2d10 and pick the best result, but if the first space is not cleared the extra Supply Marker is discarded unused. All Support Markers are discarded after used.

Place Air Units attempting Ground Attacks

Place all Air Units from Tactical Missions by Sector with up to 3 per space wish to perform ground attacks against. The opponent then rolls on the appropriate Airstrike loss table for each (see tactical Air Missions). Any remaining can then be used to Attack Ground Units in their space at any time during the Attack Step.

Land Unit Attacks

Land Units can attack enemy Land Units in an adjacent space. Each Unit may only attack one enemy space per Turn. If 2 Units in the Attackers space only the front unit attacks. If 2 Units in the opponents space only their front unit is attacked initially but if retreats or eliminated get to immediately attack the second Unit. Roll 1d10 against the Units modified AR

• +1 AR per Artillery Asset
• +1 AR per Armour asset
• -1 if across a minor river (negated if Engineer Asset)
• -2 if across a major river (negated if Engineer Asset)
• -1 if into a Forest space
• -1 if into a Rough space
• -1 if Armour Unit attacking into a city space If Roll equal or less the modified AR (or 1) the attack succeeds.
• Roll equal to modified AR - the opponent can take a Hit or retreat.
• Roll below AR but greater than 1 – opponent takes a Hit and retreats.
• Roll of 1 – if modified AR equal or higher than opponents modified (for Assets) AR the Unit is eliminated and loses an Asset (chosen by the controlling player), otherwise if AR below opponents AR the Unit takes a Hit, retreats and loses an Asset.

Hits

Hits are marked on the Unit using a damage flag

• 1 to 2 AR Unit is eliminated on first Hit
• 3 AR Unit can take 1 Hit
• 4 or 5 AR Unit can take 2 Hits

Retreats

Can retreat into any adjacent space holding 1 friendly Land Unit (cannot retreat into space holding 2 friendly Land Units) Can retreat into an adjacent empty space providing are no closer to enemy’s map edge in spaces than space retreating from. Additionally must retreat into a space that is not adjacent to an enemy Unit if possible.

Breakthrough

If a space attacked is cleared of enemy Units, have an Armour Unit in the same space and at the back of the attacking Unit, can use this to perform a Breakthrough. Cannot perform a Breakthrough over a major river (unless the Armour Unit has an Engineer Asset) The Armour Unit is moved into the cleared space and can then attack enemy Units in an adjacent space (even against previously retreated).

Movement

Opponent places Air Units Attempting Air Interdiction

The opponent places any Air Units in Tactical Missions by Sector with up to 2 per space wish to perform Air Interdiction. Once all placed, the opponent then rolls on the appropriate Airstrike loss table for each (see tactical Air Missions). Any remaining will then get to perform Air Interdiction against each Land Unit that enters that space.

Division Breakdowns

Each player has 12 Breakdown Units, broken down into 4 groups numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4. Each group represents the components of a Division with NATO further dividing into 2 US groups and 2 WG groups.

• 4 AR infantry replaced by 2, 1, 1 group.
• 5 AR Armour replaced by 2, 2, 1 group. NATO Units must be broken down into a group of the same nationality.

If the Unit has a Hit replace with any 2 Breakdown Units of that group, whilst if 2 Hits replace with any 1 of that group. Cannot recombine breakdown Units back into a division. If all breakdown Units of a group are eliminated, another Unit can reuse them. All breakdown Units of a group are placed in the same space but must have a maximum of 2 Land Units per space at the end of movement.

Movement of Ground Units

Normally each Land Unit can move up to 2 spaces but not into any space containing enemy Land Units. If a Land Unit does not start and does not move adjacent to a space holding an enemy Land Unit can move up to 4 spaces that Turn. If cross a minor or major river then movement is reduced by 1 space, unless have an Engineer Asset when is ignored. Additionally during movement can freely rearrange any spaces holding 2 of their Land Units front-to-back.

Moving Through Cities

If a Land Unit enters an enemy controlled City they capture it, place a Control marker, or flip if a Control maker already there. The Land Unit can continue moving.

Crowding

At the end of a players move cannot have more than 2 Land Units per space. If more than 2 Land Units the player must eliminate any excess. When a second land Unit enters a space, including retreats, must arrange so one is placed in front of the other.

Reinforcements

Support Markers

Each player receives 1 Support marker placed in their pool.

Air Reinforcements

Each player randomly draws 3 Air Unit reinforcements if available.

Replacements

Land Units with Hits can remove one Hit if not adjacent to an enemy Land Unit and within 2 spaces of a friendly city that has never been held by the enemy (cities with a control marker cannot be used for replacements). Each player can only repair up to 3 Units and only 1 Hit per Unit.

Land Reinforcements

NATO randomly draws 3 Land Unit reinforcements with BL, F and NL Units starting in their native countries, whilst WG, US or UK set op on or next to a NATO controlled city in West Germany. The Warsaw Pact randomly draws 1d10 on Turns 1 or 2, or 1d10 halved round-down, on subsequent Turns, Land Units which are place on or next to a Warsaw Pact city not controlled by NATO. Reinforcements cannot be placed adjacent to enemy Land Units and can never have more than 2 Land Units per space. Both players are free to bring on off-board airborne Units, provided not aborted from an attempted air transport move this Turn.

The Air / Land Game

Colour coded Attack Ratings

• Yellow AR – roll 2d10 when attacking other Air Units, against land units have 1d10 and 1 AR
• Green AR – roll 2d10 against Land Units but against other Air Units have 1d10 and 1 AR
• Black AR – Attack both land and air with 1d10 using same AR for both

Stealth Fighters

The 2 NATO F-19s have several special properties

• On first Turn an F-19 on an Air Superiority Mission can choose to Attack the Warsaw Pacts Command Mission Aircraft in that Sector and no Warsaw Pact Air Units can be used to attack them. If both F-19s in same Sector can use both in that Sector.
• On Tactical Missions with an F-19 the Warsaw Pact has a +2 on Airstrike loss roll.
• If F-19 used in Air-to-Air combat Warsaw Pact Air Units have -2 AR against them (minimum of 1).

Air Deployment

Place a divider down the middle of the Air Board so neither player can see the opponent’s side, only revealing when both have placed their Air Units. Each player secretly divides their Air Units amongst the Northern and Southern Sectors Missions – Command Tactical or Air Superiority. Command Missions are for AWACs only If have 2+ Air Units assigned to a particular Mission type must assign Air Units to both Sectors and must have at least ¼ of those Units in the weaker Sector.

Command Mission and Air-Air Combat

If 1+ AWACs in a Command Mission then all air-to-air attacks for that Sector are increased by +1 AR.

Attacking Command Mission Aircraft

These are assumed to occur simultaneously but with the Warsaw Pact declaring first, may assign up to 1 Air Unit from each Sectors Air Supremacy Mission to attack the opponents AWACs in that Sector. The opponent gets to use as many Air Superiority Mission Air Units in that Sector as wished to perform air-to-air attacks against the opponents Air Unit (exception F-19s on first Turn), and only if survive this does the Air Unit get to perform air-to-air attacks against the AWACs. Regardless of the outcome all Air Units used are removed from the Air Board.

Air Superiority

Each Sector is performed separately. Warsaw Pact matches up the opponents Air Superiority Air Units matching up as evenly as possible. Must assign 1 Air Unit against an enemy Air Unit before can assign a second, etc. If outnumbered can use Air Units with Yellow AR to attack 2 enemy Air Units with 1d10 against each. If equal or outnumber each can only attack 1 Air Unit. Once the Warsaw Pact has performed all their attacks the process is reversed with the NATO player matching up their Air Units to those of the Warsaw Pact

Air-to-Air Combat Effects

All attacks are assumed to occur simultaneously

• If roll equal to AR enemy Air Unit is Aborted
• If roll under AR enemy Unit is Damaged and Aborted A Damaged Air Unit is flipped over if blank or have already been Damaged are eliminated instead. An Air Unit suffering more than 1 hit is eliminated. Each Air Unit Aborted, Aborted and Damaged or Eliminated is placed in the appropriate box, only after all attacks have been rolled by both sides are these acted upon. Aborted are removed off board for use in another turn, Aborted and Damaged are flipped to their Damaged side and also placed off-board, whilst eliminated are permanently removed from play.

If both players have 1+ Air Units (or both have 0 Air Units) in a Sector, then is contested. If only 1 player has Air Units in that Sector then they have Air Superiority.

Tactical Air Missions

Any Air Units in a player’s Tactical Mission boxes by Sector on the Air board can be used to perform attacks or interdict enemy Land Units in the opponents move.

Airstrike Loss Tables

Regardless of when placed, opponent rolls 1d10 against every Unit attempt to place on the board.

• -1 Helicopter
• +1 space contains no enemy Units
• +1 space contains friendly Unit (paratroopers dropped this Turn NA)
• +2 US F-19 Consult the Airstrike loss table by Air Superiority in that Sector of the player placing the Unit.
• An Aborted unit is placed off-board.
• An Aborted and damaged unit takes damage (or a hit if airborne Unit), if survive is placed off-board.
• A damage and mission performed takes damage (Hit) but if survives is placed on board.
• Mission performed means successfully brought down.

Terrain Effects on Tactical missions

For both Air Attacks and Interdiction the Air Units AR may be modified, down to minimum of 1 AR.

• Forest -1 AR
• City -1 AR

Air to Ground Attacks

At the start of the Attack Step can attempt to place up to 3 Air Units per space holding enemy Units by Sector. Once all placed the opponent rolls for Airstrike loss against each. Remaining Air Units can then attack enemy Units in that space at any time during that Attack Step Can attack any Land Unit, regardless of if front or behind or can attack one of the Land Units Assets.

• If roll AR or less the Land Unit takes one Hit or if against Asset is eliminated. If a Green AR then get to perform 2 attacks, either against the same Unit or Asset or against another, but the targets must be declared before make the first roll. Air attacks do not force a Land Unit to retreat and nor does rolling a 1 have any special effect. As Air Attacks are performed remove the Air Unit off- board

Air Interdiction

At the start of a player’s Movement Step, opponent can attempt to bring down up to 2 Air Units per space by Sector. Once all placed opponent rolls for Airstrike Loss against each. Remaining Air Units then perform Interdiction against each and every Land Unit that moves into their space that Turn.

• If equal AR the Land Unit stops move.
• If less than AR, land Unit stops move and takes 1 Hit. If a space being Interdicted by enemy Air Units contains 2 Land Units no further Land Units can enter that space. At the end of the opponents move all Interdicting Air Units are removed off-board.

Air Transport

During a players movement can attempt to bring down up to 3 Airborne Units by Air Transport. Place the Airborne Unit on an appropriate space, the opponent then gets to roll on the appropriate Airstrike loss table (see Tactical Air Missions). Aborted Units cannot be brought on by air transport or as reinforcements until a future Turn. Moving by air transport, counts as the Units entire move. Once brought onto the map an Airborne Unit cannot again use air transport.

• Paratroops – can only be placed on a clear space (not a rugged, forest or city space) without enemy Land Units.
• Airmobile – can be placed on any space holding a friendly Land Unit, including a paratroop Unit also brought on by air transport that Turn.

Chemical Munitions

Both players have special Chemical Assets, 5 for the Warsaw Pact and 2 for NATO.

• A Chemical Asset adds +2 AR to that Land Unit

NATO cannot use (including placing) their chemical assets until after the Warsaw Pact has used any of theirs. If the Warsaw Pact uses a Chemical Asset (defined as placing one on any Land Unit), immediately remove all remaining EG Units from play.

Assets

Asset	Effect
Artillery	+1 AR
Armour	+1 AR
Chemical*	+2 AR
Engineer	Rivers NA attack and move

*Warsaw Pact must use first and lose all EG Land Units

Terrain Effects

Terrain	Ground	Tactical Air
Rough	-1
Forest	-1	-1
City	-1 (Armour)	-1
Minor River	-1 (Eng. NA)*
Major River	-2 (Eng. NA)**

*+1 Space of movement to cross (Eng. NA) **+1 Space of movement to cross, no Breakthrough (Eng. NA)

Airstrike Loss Table Modifiers

Modifier	Value
Helicopter	-1
US F-19	+2
Space with no enemy Unit	+1
Space with Friendly Unit*	+1

*Unless Paratrooper brought in by air transport that Turn