Somme 1918: Bloody Spring Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 2.0 Game Components
  • 2.1 The Map
  • 2.2 The Playing Pieces
    • 2.2.2 Support Units
  • 2.3 The Dice
• 3.0 Glossary
• 4.0 Stacking
• 5.0 Zones of Control
• 6.0 Step Losses
• 7.0 Game Sequence
  • Administrative Sequence
  • Player with Initiative Conducts Operations
  • Reacting Player Conducts Operations
  • 2nd Operational Sequence (if an offensive is being carried out)
  • 3rd Operational Sequence (if an offensive is being carried out)
  • 8.0 Declaring an Offensive
• 9.0 Supply Phase
  • 9.1 Checking Supply Status
  • 9.2 Effects of Being Out of Supply on Combat Units
  • 9.3 Effects of Being Out of Supply on Support Units
• 10.0 Weather
• 11.0 Movement
  • 11.1 Overview
    • 11.1.1 Basic Principles
    • 11.1.2 Minimum Movement
    • 11.1.3 Road Movement
    • 11.1.4 Rail Movement
    • 11.1.5 Reinforcements
  • 11.2 Movement of Combat Units
    • 11.2.1 Movement and Zones of Control
    • 11.2.2 Relief
    • 11.2.3 Crossing Major Rivers
    • 11.2.4 Pontoon Bridges
      • 11.2.4.1 German Pontoon Bridges
      • 11.2.4.2 Allied Pontoon Bridges
    • 11.2.5 Destroying and Repairing Bridges
    • 11.2.6 Forced March
    • 11.2.7 Disengagement Markers
    • 11.2.8 Reserve Markers
  • 11.3 Movement of Support Units
    • 11.3.1 Artillery Movement
      • 11.3.1.1 Army Artillery Units in Offensive Mode
      • 11.3.1.2 Army Artillery in Bombardment Mode and Corps Artillery
    • 11.3.2 Stosstruppen Movement
    • 11.3.3 HQ Movement
    • 11.3.4 Air Formation Movement
• 12.0 Combat Phase
  • 12.1 Overview
  • 12.2 Combat Resolution
    • 12.2.1 Designating the Target Hex (Step 1)
    • 12.2.2 Designating Attacking and Defending Artillery and Conducting Bombardments (Steps 2, 3, 4 and 5)
    • 12.2.3 Designating the Lead Unit (Step 6)
    • 12.2.4 Calculating the Odds Ratio (Step 7)
    • The Tactical Coordination Results
    • 12.2.5 Combat Resolution (Step 8)
    • 12.2.6 Tactical Coordination on the Battlefield (Step 9)
    • 12.2.7 Applying Combat Results
    • 12.2.8 Converting Hit Points (Step 10)
  • 12.3 Retreat After Combat
  • 12.4 Advance After Combat
  • 12.5 Disorganization / Reorganization
• 13.0 Disengagement
• 14.0 Exploitation
  • 14.1 Exploitation Combat
  • 14.2 Exploitation Movement
  • 14.3 Marker Adjustment
• 15.0 Support Units
  • 15.1 HQ Units
  • 15.2 Artillery Units
    • 15.2.1 Movement
    • 15.2.2 Bombardment
    • 15.2.3 Activating Army Artillery Units
  • 15.3 Stosstruppen
  • 15.4 Tank Units
    • 15.4.1 Allied Tanks
    • 15.4.2 German Tanks
• 16.0 Victory Point Determination and End of the Turn
• 17.0 Air Units
  • 17.2 Air Support Missions
• Scenarios
  • Scenario 1 - v.Hutier Strikes
  • Scenario 2 - Operation Michael
  • Scenario 3 - The Final Push
• Comprehensive Example of Combat
• Basic Game Sequence Summary
  • Administrative Sequence
  • 1st Operational Sequence
  • 2nd Operational Sequence (if an offensive is underway)
  • 3rd Operational Sequence (if an offensive is underway)
  • Victory Point Sequence and End of Turn
• A. The Advanced Rules
  • Description of New Player Game Aids
  • Campaign Set Up
  • Glossary
• B. New Sequence of Play
• C. Random Event Chit Draw Phase
  • C.1 – Description of Random Events
  • C.2 – Set Up of Random Events
  • C.3 – Drawing and Use of Random Events
• D. Declaration of Offensives Phase
  • D.1 – General Concepts
  • D.2 – Description of Offensive Markers
  • D.3 – Setting Up the Offensive
  • D.4 – The Strategic Reserve Box
  • D.5 – Initiative
• E. Supply Phase
  • E.1 – Verification of the Supply Status of Units and Effect of Being Out of Supply
• F. Optional Rules: Reaction Player Offensive Preparation Phase
• G. Replacement Phase
• H. Air Superiority Phase
• I. Weather
• J. Reinforcements Phase
• K. Movement Phase
• L. Combat Phase
• M. Disengagement Phase
• N. Exploitation Phase
• O. The Strategic Reserve Box
• P. Determining Victory Points
  • P.1 – German "Objectives" Markers
  • P.2 – Ending the Game by Decisive Victory
  • P.3 – Determining Victory at the End of the Game
• Campaign Scenario: Somme 1918 – Bloody Spring
• Designer's Notes
  • Line Divisions and Elite Divisions
  • The Stosstruppen
  • Tanks
  • Artillery
  • French Tactical Doctrine
  • Relief and Disengagement
  • Combat and Tactical Coordination
  • Reserves and Exploitation
  • Aviation
  • Random Events
  • Victory
  • To Be Continued...

2.0 Game Components

Each copy of Somme 1918 - Bloody Spring contains the following parts:

• The game map
• Two sheets of die-cut counters
• A Basic Rules booklet
• An Advanced Rules booklet
• Game Aids
• Four 6 sided die

2.1 The Map

The map represents the geographical zone where the historical military operations took place.

A hexagonal grid is superimposed over the terrain to facilitate the placement and movement of the counters. These hexagons (called 'hexes' hereafter) are numbered in order to allow easy identification and positioning. Each hex is approximately 3 kilometers across.

A terrain key on the edge of the map explains the different terrain types represented and their effects on movement and combat.

Important Note: The terrain type of a hex is determined by whatever is shown in the center of that hex. For example, woods drawn around the border of a hex do not make that hex forest terrain; they are drawn in for aesthetic reasons.

2.2 The Playing Pieces

Each copy of the game contains two sheets of die-cut counters, which contain game units and game markers. Markers are considered neutral and may be used by either player. Each nationality is represented by a different background color for its units.

• German: field grey
• French: sky blue
• British: tan
• Canadians: orange
• Australians: dark blue, red NATO unit symbol
• New Zealanders: dark blue, green NATO unit symbols

Regiment sized units are in a slightly darker tone of their nationality.

Each player has two types of game units:

• Combat Units
• Support units

Note: In game terms, regiment and brigade sized units are equivalent. Any rule that applies to regiments also applies to brigades.

There are no rules for divisional integrity. However, stacking regiments from the same division gives benefits for exploitation (see 14.0).

Unit counters show: unit ID, unit type, morale, attack strength, defense strength, and movement allowance. Full strength units are shown on the front side of the counter, and reduced strength units on the back side.

2.2.2 Support Units

Support unit types include: Army HQ, Stosstruppen, Air Unit, Corps Artillery, Army Artillery, and Naval Infantry (Marines). Support unit counters show a combination of: command range, movement allowance, bombardment rating, range, and coordination bonus, depending on the unit type. Army and Corps artillery units have a front side (front) and back side, and can also be flipped to offensive mode or counter-battery mode.

Note: Markers that are not mentioned in the equipment list above are not used in the Basic rules: their use will be explained in the Advanced Rules. Markers used include: Pinned (12.2.6), Disorganized (12.5), Weather (10.0), Game Turn, Reorganizing (12.5), Exploitation (14.0), Disengagement (13.0), German Pontoon Bridges (11.2.4), Destroyed Bridge (11.2.5), Step Loss (12.2.1), Sequence, Reserve (11.2.8), Out of Supply (9.2), and Redoubt.

2.3 The Dice

Each game contains four six sided die of different colors.

• The two white die are used to resolve attacks on the Combat Resolution Table (CRT)
• One blue die is used to for the Allied tactical coordination rolls
• One green die is used to for the German tactical coordination rolls.

To speed up combat resolution, all 4 die should be rolled simultaneously.

• Each game turn lasts two to three days.
• Each game unit represents a division, a regiment, a brigade, or a group of planes, tanks, or artillery.
• Each hex is approximately three kilometers from side to side.

3.0 Glossary

• Friendly or enemy units: Units controlled by a player are called friendly units, those controlled by the opposing player are enemy units.

• Player with Initiative/Reacting Player: Each scenario designates which player has the initiative at the start. The other player is called 'the reacting player'. Initiative can change sides from one turn to another.

• Phasing Player: This term designates the player whose turn it is to move his units or carry out attacks.

• Unit: The term 'unit' refers to combat and support units.

• Combat Unit: This refers to all infantry and cavalry regiments and divisions, and tank units.

• Support units: This term designates all artillery units, air units, Stosstruppen, and HQs. These units are not combat units and they move and fight by different rules.

• Attack factor: The attack factor represents a unit's ability to attack. The higher the number, the stronger the unit.

• Defense factor: The defense factor represent's a unit's ability to mount an effective defense. The higher the number, the more tenacious the unit fights.

• Morale: This number reflects the unit's training, its aggressiveness, and its experience.

• Movement factor: This number represents the unit's mobility. The higher the number, the more distance the unit can travel in a turn.

• Zone of Control or ZOC: The six hexes that surround a combat unit's position make up its zone of control (ZOC).

• Hit points: The results of combats and bombardments will inflict hit points which must be converted into losses for each side's units. It takes two hit points to cause a step loss to a regiment, and three points to inflict a loss on a division. Leftover hit points which cannot be converted are used to cause disorganization on units (12.2.8).

• Stosstruppen: Stosstruppen units can be stacked with German regiments (11.3.2). Units that are stacked with a Stosstruppen unit receive bonuses when attacking (12.2.4), for tactical mastery (12.2.6) and can advance after combat into an enemy ZOC (12.4). Stacks containing a Stosstruppen can conduct special movement through ZOC of pinned units (see results on the tactical mastery table 12.2.6).

• Step Losses: According to the results of combat, units will suffer step losses, which represent losses of men and material (6.0).

• Doctrine: The Allied player's actions are subject to certain restrictions depending on his military doctrine which is currently in effect. There are three possible Allied doctrines:

  • The Foch doctrine
  • Evolving doctrine
  • The Petain doctrine

4.0 Stacking

Stacking refers to physically placing more than one friendly unit in the same hex. Units placed together in the same hex are referred to as a 'stack'.

Each hex may only contain a limited number of friendly combat units. Up to four combat units can occupy the same hex at the end of each game phase. A full strength division (front side up) counts as three units. A reduced division (reverse side up), whether or not it has additional step loss markers placed on it, counts as two units. A regiment sized unit or tank group counts as one unit. Support units in the same hex do not count against stacking limits. An infinite number of support units could occupy the same hex during any game phase. Exception: Stosstruppen units do not count for stacking limits, but the number of such units allowed in a single hex is limited (11.3.2).

If stacking limits in a hex are exceeded at the end of a game phase, the owning player must eliminate the extra units to meet the limit of the equivalent of four units.

5.0 Zones of Control

The six hexes surrounding the hex a combat unit occupies make up its zone of control (ZoC). These hexes are considered under the control of that unit. All combat units exert a ZoC, including tank units. Support units do not exert a ZoC. A ZoC extends into and across all terrain types. Zones of control extend into hexes occupied by other units even if they are enemy units. In some cases, the presence of a friendly unit in a hex can cancel out an enemy ZoC. Zones of control from different units can overlap in the same hex. Zones of control play a major role in affecting units' movements and combat.

6.0 Step Losses

A regiment sized unit contains two steps. When it suffers its first loss, the unit counter is flipped over to its reduced side. If a reduced regiment suffers any additional loss, it is eliminated.

Divisions with a morale value of 2 or 3 possess two steps. After the first step loss the division counter is flipped to its reduced side. A second loss will eliminate it.

Divisions with a morale value of 4 possess three steps. After the first loss the division counter is flipped to its reduced side. When a second step loss occurs, the unit is marked with a Loss marker. With a third step loss the unit is eliminated.

Tank groups and Stosstruppen are eliminated after one step loss.

Support units (with the exception of Stosstruppen) do not have any steps.

7.0 Game Sequence

The game is divided into turns. Each game turn corresponds to two or three days of real time. Each turn is further divided into sequences which are grouped into phases. The players use the markers Game Turn and Current Sequence on the Turn record track on the map to indicate the current turn in play.

The game sequence for the Basic Game is simpler and differs from that of the Advanced Rules.

A complete game turn consists of the following:

Administrative Sequence

• Player with Initiative declares offensives – the player who holds the initiative states if he will launch an offensive this turn, and if he does he turns one (or two) Army level artillery unit on its (their) 'Offensive' side (8.0).
• Supply Phase – each player checks to see if their units are in supply. Combat units that are not supplied are indicated by placing the corresponding marker on them. Support units that are unsupplied are eliminated from play (9.0).
• Air Superiority Phase – the player with the initiative consults the Air Superiority Table to determine the number of air support units available for the turn (17.0).
• Weather – The player who has the initiative rolls 2 die to determine the weather for the current sequence, and indicates the resulting weather by placing a marker on weather track (10.0).

Player with Initiative Conducts Operations

• Movement – the player can move some or all of his units, up to their movement capacity (11.0).
• Combat – the player can make attacks with any or all of his units that are adjacent to enemy units (12.0).
• Disengagement – the player now resolves attempts to disengage his units that are marked with a Disengagement marker (13.0).
• Exploitation – the player can conduct combat or movement his units that are marked with a Exploitation or Reserve marker, then the markers for both sides are adjusted (14.0).

Reacting Player Conducts Operations

• The reacting player now carries out his operations for this sequence, following the same four phases in order as did the player with initiative.
• After both players have conducted their operations, if the player with the initiative had declared an offensive for this turn, a second and third operational sequence are now played, following the same procedure as the first sequence.

2nd Operational Sequence (if an offensive is being carried out)

3rd Operational Sequence (if an offensive is being carried out)

After all operational sequences are finished, the game turn is over, the marker is advanced one box on the Turn record track, and a new round of play commences. If the completed turn was the last one, the players count up their victory points earned by each side and determines the winner.

8.0 Declaring an Offensive

During this phase the player with the initiative decides if he will launch an offensive during this turn. The scenario special rules indicate which player(s) can do so during the game.

Declaring an offensive conveys the following advantages:

• The turn will now have two additional operational sequences.
• One or two (according to the scenario rules) army level artillery units can be placed in an Offensive mode.
• Units attacking a hex within range of an army level artillery unit in Offensive mode receive an Offensive Modifier when resolving their combat (12.2.4 and 12.2.6). The value of the modification is specified in the scenario rules.

9.0 Supply Phase

9.1 Checking Supply Status

During this phase all units are checked to see if they are in supply from a friendly HQ.

An army HQ must be able to trace a supply line of contiguous hexes, of unlimited length, to a supply source. This supply line cannot cross a hex occupied by an enemy unit and cannot cross a hex in an enemy ZoC unless a friendly unit is in that hex.

If a valid supply line can't be traced, the HQ unit is moved (regardless of enemy units or their ZoC) towards the nearest supply source, until it reaches a hex where it now has a valid supply line.

The supply sources for each side are shown on the game map by hexes containing supply symbols; on the North and East edges for the Germans, and the North, West and South edges for the Allies.

Once army HQs have been checked for supply, each unit is checked in turn to see if it is within the command range of an HQ. This command range is 15 hexes, counted in hexes, not movement points. The distance is counted from the HQ (exclusive) to the unit (inclusive). The command path cannot pass through an enemy unit or enemy ZOC unless the ZOC is negated by the presence of a friendly unit. Unless it is traced over a bridge or pontoon, the command path cannot go beyond the first hex on the other side of a major river.

Units that cannot trace a valid supply line are unsupplied, and are indicated by placing an out of supply marker on them.

Example: The HQ unit of the French IIIrd Army is able to trace a valid supply line (free of enemy units and ZoC) to the southern map edge. All French units are within the command radius of their HQ, with the exception of the 53rd ID, so it is unsupplied. This is because the supply line going through hex 3935 is blocked by the ZoC of the German 238th and 103rd ID. If a French unit were in that hex, then the 53rd ID would be in supply.

9.2 Effects of Being Out of Supply on Combat Units

The effects of being unsupplied on combat units are as follows:

• They cannot attack. If they are attacked they suffer a penalty on defense.
• They may only move towards a friendly HQ unit or a supply source hex to try and get back into supply as quick as possible.

Units which still have an out of supply marker at the start of the Supply Phase are eliminated if they are not within the command radius of a friendly HQ or a supply source.

9.3 Effects of Being Out of Supply on Support Units

Unsupplied support units are immediately eliminated. Stosstroppen are not considered to be support units for this rule and obey the same rules as German combat units.

10.0 Weather

During this phase, the player with the initiative rolls 2d6 to determine the weather for the current operational phase:

• 2-6: fair weather
• 7: morning fog, then fair weather
• 8: overcast in March game turns, fair weather in April game turns
• 9-12: overcast

The Meteo marker is placed in the corresponding box.

The result "morning fog" only affects the initiative player's phases:

• Neither player can place air units during the initiative player's movement phase.
• During his combat and exploitation phases, the initiative player suffers one less hit point loss during combat resolution.

For the remainder of that operational sequence (the reacting player's phases) the weather is fair.

The result "overcast" means no air operations can be conducted.

The result "fair weather" means there are no effects on game play.

11.0 Movement

During his movement phase, a player can move any or all of his units up to the limit of their movement allowance. A player can move his units individually or together in a stack. Units that move as a stack must all end their units in the same hex, i.e. units cannot be dropped off from a moving stack.

11.1 Overview

11.1.1 Basic Principles

A unit spends movement points (MPs) each time it enters a new hex. The movement point cost for each hex is depends on its terrain type (refer to the terrain Table on the game map for the MP costs for each terrain type). The MP cost for entering a hex is cumulative if several different types of terrain are entered or crossed.

Example: A unit crosses a minor river hex side and moves into a wooded and cratered hex. The total MP cost is 4: 2MPs for woods, +1 for craters, and +1 for the minor river.

A unit may move freely through a hex that contains friendly unit without any additional MP cost. Unused MPs may not be saved from one turn to the next, and they may not be transferred from one unit to another.

A unit can never enter or move through a hex containing an enemy unit.

11.1.2 Minimum Movement

Whatever its movement potential, a unit may always move at least one hex during its movement phase, as long as it does not move from one enemy ZOC to another, or leave an enemy ZOC without being relieved (see 11.2.2).

This minimum move rule applies equally to exploitation movement, reserve movement, or reaction results from the tactical coordination table.

11.1.3 Road Movement

Units moving along a road, from one road hex to another along a connected route, use the MP cost for road movement, ignoring the other terrain costs in the road hex or the cost of hex sides crossed. Roads that end in the same town are considered to be connected through the town.

A road that crosses a major or minor river indicates the presence of a bridge.

11.1.4 Rail Movement

There is no rail movement in Somme 1918 – Bloody Spring. The railroad network is used only to move army artillery support units. In order to move by rail during their exploitation phase, army artillery units in offensive mode must be able to trace a valid supply line along a rail line to a friendly supply source. Enemy units adjacent to or on a rail line prevent rail movement.

Where a rail line crosses a major or minor river a railway bridge is present in that hex. Railway bridges can be used by combat units and support units to move across a river; the MP cost is +1 for a major river to cross and no additional cost for a minor river.

11.1.5 Reinforcements

Each scenario indicates what reinforcements are available for each side. Reinforcements arrive during the movement phase, either via a friendly map edge, or directly in a hex location specified by the scenario. Units that enter from a map edge must pay the MP cost to enter their first hex. Units arriving stacked with an HQ unit must be placed with it before the HQ unit moves.

11.2 Movement of Combat Units

11.2.1 Movement and Zones of Control

Game note: Air support units are placed first when the movement phase begins (see 17.0).

A friendly combat unit that enters a hex in an enemy ZoC must stop immediately. A friendly unit does not negate the enemy ZOC in this instance. Moving from one enemy ZoC hex directly to another is not allowed (including for relief and minimal movement) during the movement or exploitation phases. There are no extra MP costs for entering or leaving an enemy ZoC.

11.2.2 Relief

A combat unit that begins its movement phase by itself in an enemy ZoC cannot leave that hex unless another friendly unit moves in to relieve it. Another friendly unit must first move into the hex, ending its movement for the phase, and then the original unit can move away up to its full MP limit.

The choice to move a relieved unit out of a hex must be made immediately by the phasing player, before any other friendly unit is moved. Units that begin stacked in an enemy ZoC may freely leave the hex as long as one unit stays in position.

Relief example: The German 111st ID controls the 6 surrounding hexes. The British 19th ID begins its movement phase in an enemy ZoC. The British 18th ID is moved into the 19th ID's hex, enters the ZoC, and ends its movement. The Allied player can now choose to relieve the 19th ID and move it out of the hex immediately. If he does not exercise this option, the 19th ID cannot move unless another friendly unit enters its hex. Whatever the player decides, the 18th ID cannot move any further; it cannot be relieved this phase.

11.2.3 Crossing Major Rivers

Crossing a major river over a road bridge does not cost any extra MPs. Crossing over a rail bridge costs one additional MP.

If no bridge is available, a combat can cross if it starts its movement or exploitation phase adjacent to the major river. It spends its entire movement allowance to cross, subject to the restrictions for a minimal move.

11.2.4 Pontoon Bridges

11.2.4.1 German Pontoon Bridges

At any moment during movement (in the movement or exploitation phases, but not during an advance after combat) a German combat unit that moves next to a major or minor river hex can attempt to build a pontoon bridge to cross over. The German player throws a 1d6. On a die roll of 1-4 the attempt succeeds and a Pontoon Bridge marker is placed in the unit's hex, with the arrow pointing to the river hexside.

Die roll modifiers:

• +1 if an Allied unit is within 1 or 2 hexes of the German unit
• -2 if a friendly unit occupies the other side of the river hexside
• -1 if attempting to bridge a minor river

Whatever the result, the German unit can continue moving, including crossing over the newly built bridge. Attempting to build a pontoon bridge does not cost any MPs. The same German unit can make several tries to build a bridge if the first attempt fails. The German player is limited to 3 attempts per operational sequence, and there may be only 2 pontoon bridges total in play at the same time. The German player can remove a deployed bridge marker at any time.

A pontoon bridge enables combat units (and Stosstruppen stacked with them) to cross the river hexside indicated by the arrow on the marker:

• Crossing a minor river costs no extra MPs
• Crossing a major river costs +1 MP

HQ and artillery units may not use pontoon bridges.

Only the German player can use pontoon bridges he constructs. If an Allied unit moves adjacent to a German pontoon bridge that is not stacked with other German units, the bridge marker is immediately removed.

11.2.4.2 Allied Pontoon Bridges

The Allied player also has two pontoon bridge markers at his disposal. The rules to place and use Allied pontoon bridges are the same as for German bridges, with the exception that the Allied player succeeds automatically whenever he makes a bridging attempt. The Allied player may not place more than two bridge markers per operational sequence.

11.2.5 Destroying and Repairing Bridges

Only bridges over major rivers may be destroyed.

At the end of his movement phase, the player can try to destroy bridges. In order to attempt to destroy a bridge the following two conditions must apply:

• An enemy unit must be within 3 hexes of one end of the bridge
• AND either end hex of the bridge must be within the command range of a friendly HQ unit. The path from the bridge hex to the HQ is traced like a supply path (see 9.1).

The player rolls one die, and on a result of 1 to 4 the bridge is destroyed. A Destroyed Bridge marker is then placed on either end of the bridge.

Rebuilding destroyed bridges: At the end of his movement phase a player can try to repair bridges. In order to attempt to repair a bridge, the following two conditions must apply:

• A friendly unit must occupy one of the end bridge hexes, and the other end hex cannot be in an enemy ZoC, unless a friendly unit is in that hex to negate the ZoC.
• AND both end hexes of the bridge must be within the command radius of a friendly HQ unit. The path from the bridge hexes to the HQ unit is traced like a supply path (see 9.1).

The player rolls one die, and on a result of 1 to 4 the bridge is repaired. The Destroyed Bridge marker is removed, and the bridge may be used immediately.

DRMs:

• +2 if one end of the bridge is in an enemy ZoC.

If there are several bridges crossing the same hexside (for example a road bridge and a railroad bridge) they are treated as a single bridge for the above rules of destruction and repair.

11.2.6 Forced March

Any combat unit (except for tanks) can increase its movement by forced march, if the following conditions are met:

• The unit moves its entire movement allowance along a road
• The unit does not move within 2 hexes of an enemy combat or support unit.

If these two conditions are met, the unit may double its movement potential.

At the end of a forced march, if an offensive is underway, the unit becomes disorganized.

Forced march may not be conducted during the exploitation phase (see 14.2).

11.2.7 Disengagement Markers

At the start of his movement phase, a player may place a Disengagement marker on any of his units that are in an enemy ZoC and that have not yet moved in the current phase. These units may not conduct attacks in the upcoming attack phase, but they may try to move out of the enemy ZoC (see 13.0).

11.2.8 Reserve Markers

At the end of his movement phase, a player may place a Reserve marker on any of his full strength units that have not moved during the phase, are not in an enemy ZoC, and are within bombardment range of friendly artillery unit that is in "offensive" mode (or in range of 'v. Hutier' marker; see the scenarios). The number of units that may be placed in Reserve is limited by the number of markers provided for each player.

Units placed in reserve may move during the exploitation with a benefit of 2 additional movement points.

11.3 Movement of Support Units

11.3.1 Artillery Movement

An artillery unit may never enter an enemy ZOC, even if there is a friendly combat unit in the hex. If an enemy combat unit enters a hex adjacent to an artillery unit alone in a hex, or if an artillery unit is left alone in a hex after combat, it is immediately eliminated.

Artillery units may not cross a river except at a bridge (road or rail).

11.3.1.1 Army Artillery Units in Offensive Mode

Army artillery units in "Offensive mode" can move one hex at the end of each friendly exploitation phase after all other movements and combats are finished. The artillery unit could move two hexes if the following three conditions are met:

• The artillery unit begins its movement in a hex that contains a road or railroad.
• The artillery unit spends the movement along a road or railroad and does not leave it.
• During this movement the artillery unit does not move into an enemy ZoC or within bombardment range of an enemy artillery unit.

Example: The army artillery unit is on its "Offensive" side, so at the end of its exploitation phase it can move one or two hexes. The German army artillery unit in offensive mode can move to hex 4321 even though the hex is within the bombardment range of the British artillery unit, because it is moving only one hex. It may not continue to move along the road to hex 4220 because it too is within the British artillery unit bombardment range and it would be the German unit's second hex. The German artillery could move into hex 4419 and then move a second hex into 4319 by following the road.

11.3.1.2 Army Artillery in Bombardment Mode and Corps Artillery

Army artillery units in Bombardment mode and Corps artillery units are moved like combat units during the movement phase, obeying the limitations of bridges and enemy ZoC.

Example: The corps artillery cannot move and stack with the 16st Res ID because that unit is in the ZoC of an enemy combat unit.

11.3.2 Stosstruppen Movement

Stosstruppen units must always be stacked with a German regiment. The counter is placed under the regiment unit and it moves stacked with it, at the movement rate of that regimental unit.

If several different regiments start the movement phased stacked with a Stosstruppen unit, is can be assigned to any of them at the beginning of the game turn.

Only one Stosstruppen unit can be assigned to a regiment.

If at the end of any combat there are more Stosstruppen units than regiments in the hex, the excess Stosstruppen units are eliminated.

11.3.3 HQ Movement

HQ units move just like combat units during the movement phase. They can also cross rivers without using a road or rail bridge.

Like artillery units, an HQ can never move into an enemy ZoC, even if a friendly combat unit is in the ZoC hex. If an enemy combat unit moves adjacent to an HQ unit, and the HQ unit is alone in a hex or is left alone after combat resolution, the HQ is eliminated.

11.3.4 Air Formation Movement

The rules for moving air formations are described in section 17.0. Air units are moved first during the movement phase.

12.0 Combat Phase

12.1 Overview

During his combat phase, the phasing player may attack enemy units that are adjacent to his units.

The phasing player decides which hexes will be attacked and in what order the attacks will be resolved. The phasing player is named the attacker and the non-phasing player the defender, regardless of the actual game situation.

Each combat is fully resolved before going on to the next one.

A unit can only attack enemy units that are adjacent to it.

All friendly units that are adjacent to an enemy unit may participate in the attack.

A given hex may only be attacked once per combat phase, and all of the enemy units in the hex have to be attacked together.

A unit is never required to attack, and if it chooses to do so it is not required to attack every enemy unit in its ZoC, just the ones in the hex it is targeting for combat.

A unit can only attack once per combat phase or exploitation phase.

Friendly stacked units can attack different adjacent hexes, but each unit in the stack may only attack once.

12.2 Combat Resolution

Each combat is resolved by carrying out the following sequence of steps in strict order. Each combat is resolved by using the Combat results table (CRT) and possibly the Bombardment Table.

• Step 1: The phasing player, the attacker, chooses the hex he will attack and what units he will use.
• Step 2: The attacker chooses which of his artillery units will support the attack.
• Step 3: The non-phasing player, the defender, states which of his artillery units will support his attacked units, and if any of his artillery will conduct counter battery fire.
• Step 4: The attacker now states which of his supporting artillery units will conduct counter battery fire.
• Step 5: Bombardment attacks are resolved, first the attacker, then the defender.
• Step 6: The attacker and the defender state which of their participating combat units will be their lead unit.
• Step 7: Determine the combat odds.
• Step 8: Combat resolution: the attacker rolls 4d6 and consults the CRT.
• Step 9: The defender, and then the attacker find their tactical coordination results.
• Step 10: The defender, followed by the attacker, converts his hits suffered into step losses, taking into account the results of their respective tactical coordination results.

12.2.1 Designating the Target Hex (Step 1)

During step 1 the phasing player states which hex he is attacking and which of his units will participate in the attack. All of the defender's units in the target hex are attacked together and are subject to the results of the combat. Only the phasing player's units that have been designated to attack may take part in the combat, and they are subject to the combat results.

Once the player has designated his attacking units the choice is final and can't be changed during the following steps. Units belonging to the phasing player that are in hexes adjacent to the target hex that are not taking part in the attack will not be affected by the combat results.

12.2.2 Designating Attacking and Defending Artillery and Conducting Bombardments (Steps 2, 3, 4 and 5)

During steps 2, 3, 4 and 5 the players will designate what artillery units will participate in the combat and then resolve their bombardments.

There are no limits to the number of corps or army artillery units that can be used in a combat by either side. However, only one army artillery unit in Offensive mode can be used in a combat.

The attacker states first which of his artillery units will support his attack. The defender then does the same, and flips any artillery units that he will use for counter battery fire to the corresponding side.

The attacker can then choose, from among the artillery units that he has designated for the attack, to flip some to use for counter battery fire. The attacker must designate at least as many artillery units in bombardment mode as the defender has placed artillery units in counter-battery mode. An army artillery unit counts as two corps artillery units.

Within these limits, the attacker may decide which of his artillery units will be used for counter-battery fire.

The specific rules for resolving artillery and counter battery fire are given in section 15.2.2.

If all of the defending units in the target hex are eliminated by artillery fire, the attacker is considered to have won the combat. Only the attacker rolls for his tactical coordination table and applies the results to his leading unit (including the result misunderstood orders).

Example 1: The attacker assigns one army and three corps artillery units to participate in the combat (step 2). Then the defender chooses one army and one corps artillery of his own to support his defending units (step 3) and he flips his corps artillery over to use it for counter-battery fire. Finally (step 4) the attacker responds by flipping one of his corps artillery units for counter-battery fire.

When the attacker conducts bombardment, he will use the '5' column of the bombardment table: one army artillery unit (3 pts) + two corps units (2 x 2 pts = 4 pts) minus 2 pts due to the defender's corps unit which is in counter battery mode = 5 pts total.

The defender will use the '1' column: one artillery unit (3 pts) minus 2 pts due to the attacker's corps unit which is in counter battery mode = 1 pt total.

Example 2: During step 2 the attacker assigns two of his corps artillery unit to participate in combat. Next in step 3 the defender chooses to use one army and two corps artillery units to support his defenders, and he flips both corps units for counter battery fire. In step 4 the attacker has no choice, he has to place both his units in bombardment mode as there are two defending artillery units in counter-battery mode.

As a result, the attacker has no units left to conduct bombardment, and the defender will use the '3' column: 3 pts for his army artillery unit.

12.2.3 Designating the Lead Unit (Step 6)

In step 6 each player, beginning with the attacker, chooses which of his participating units will be designated the lead unit. The morale rating of the lead units on attack and defense will be used for calculating the morale differential for combat resolution during steps 8 and 9.

The attacker's lead unit must a morale rating of at least 4 or more, and it cannot be disorganized.

If the attacker is unable to designate a valid lead unit within the command radius of an HQ (for example after defensive bombardment), the combat is cancelled, the attacker immediately loses 3 steps from the participating units with the highest morale.

The lead unit will suffer the first loss from the combat results.

Exceptions:

• If a tank unit is used in the attack, it suffers the first loss. The second loss will be taken by the lead unit.
• The German player may eliminate a Stosstruppen rather than reduce the lead unit.

12.2.4 Calculating the Odds Ratio (Step 7)

During step 7 the players calculate the combat odds as an odds ratio.

The defender begins by totaling up the defense strengths of all of his participating units. The attacker then totals the attack strength of all of his attacking units. The attack and defense strengths of each unit may be modified by terrain. Do not round off any fractions at this time.

The total attack strength is divided by the total defense strength to obtain the odds ratio, which is expressed as a fraction. The odds ratio is always rounded in favor of the defender.

Example: 35 attack points versus 10 defense points gives a ratio of 35/10, 3.5 to 1, which is rounded to 3/1.

6 attack points versus 10 defense points gives a ratio of 0.6 to 1, which is rounded to 1/2.

This odds ratio may now be further modified by column shifts called for by terrain and combat modifiers. This could result in a ratio that is 'off' the limits of the CRT. In this case a 'virtual column' is used for the calculation; although the CRT has no lower odds than 1/2, one can consider there to be a 1/3 column to the left, followed by a 1/4 column, and so on.

Example: An initial odds ratio of 1/2 is modified by two column shifts to the left to a '1/4' column, followed by three column shifts to the right will give a final odds column of 1/1. The right shift is calculated as moving from a '1/4' to a '1/3' to the 1/2 column on the left of the CRT to the 1/1 column.

At this stage if the odds ratio after all shifts have been applied is still less than 1/2, the attack is cancelled and the attacker immediately loses three steps from the attacking units with the highest morale.

Terrain modifiers:

• Defender is in a woods hex: 1 column shift left
• Defender is in a village hex: 1 column shift left
• Defender is in a town hex: defense factor is doubled
• Defender is in a trench hex: defense factor is tripled
• Attacker attacking up across a slope hex: attack factor is halved
• Attacking across a minor river: 1 column shift left if all attackers are on the other side from the defender
• Attacking across a major river: attack factors are halved

Other modifiers:

• If Stosstruppen are attacking: 1 column shift to right, regardless of the number of Stosstruppen units involved.
• Difference between attacking lead unit morale rating minus defending lead unit morale: # of column shifts in favor of the side with the higher morale: left shift for defender, right shift for attacker.
• Defender is unsupplied: 1 column shift right
• Foch Doctrine in effect: 1 column shift right for Allies when attacking
• Offensive modifier: if the defending hex is within range of an army artillery unit in offensive mode, then # column shifts to right. The number of columns shifted is equal to the offensive modifier for the scenario being played, and is given in the scenario rules.
• Concentric attack: If all six adjacent hexes to the defending hex are occupied by enemy combat units or in enemy ZoC, then 1 column shift right. The presence of a friendly unit in a hex cancel out enemy ZoC.
• If Tanks are used in the attack: # column shift to right, where # equals the tank unit's coordination bonus.

All modifiers are cumulative. After all appropriate modifiers are applied, the final result is the odds column that will be used to resolve the attack.

The Tactical Coordination Results

If the colored die roll is a natural 6 (before any modifiers applied) or the modified die roll is 6 or more, the tactical coordination is perfect and the player receives the following benefits:

Perfect coordination (natural 6 or modified roll of 6 or more)

For the Defender:

• May choose to retreat up to 3 hexes.
• For each hex retreated, 3 hit points are removed from the combat result.
• If Foch doctrine is in effect or the defending unit is disorganized, the retreat is limited to 2 hexes.

For the Attacker:

• May place up to 2 unit in exploitation mode.
• May advance after combat the same number of hexes that the defender retreats. The first hex advanced into must be the hex attacked.
• May move up to 2 combat units (even if disorganized) that are within 3 hexes of the hex attacked, and that are not in an enemy ZoC, up to half of their movement allowance (rounded up), including into the hex attacked if there are surviving defenders still there.

12.2.5 Combat Resolution (Step 8)

In step 8 the combat is resolved by using the Combat Results Table (CRT).

The attacker finds the odds column he will use as determined by the sequence in step 7. He rolls four d6, adds up the values of the two white die, and cross references this value on the odds column to determine the combat result. The green and blue die rolls are used for determining the tactical coordination results.

Explanation of combat results:

• A# number of hit points taken by the attacker
• D# number of hit points inflicted on the defender
• an asterisk indicates a Stosstruppen loss

If the modified die roll is between 3 and 5, the tactical coordination is partial and the player receives the following benefits (see below).

The number of hit points given can be modified by the following factors:

• If morning fog is in effect, the units of the player with the initiative this phase will suffer 1 less hit point than the results call for.
• Foch Doctrine in effect: when the Allies are attacking they receive 2 hit points more.

12.2.6 Tactical Coordination on the Battlefield (Step 9)

In this step, first the defender then the attacker checks their tactical coordination results. This game mechanic represents the ability of both sides to take advantage of the opportunities that occur during a battle, both in attack and defense: exploiting success, moving up reserves, tactical withdrawals, and so on. The die roll for determining tactical coordination results is separate from the die roll used for combat results.

Each side uses the die roll result of their colored die that was determined in the previous stage (blue for the Allies and green for the Germans) and applies the following modifiers to that die roll.

Defender:

• Trenches +2
• Redoubt +2
• Lead unit is elite +1
• Friendly air unit in hex being attacked +1
• Enemy air unit in hex being attacked -1
• If at least one unit is disorganized -1
• Bruchmuller Offensive -2
• Foch Doctrine in effect -1
• Units of different nationalities -1

Attacker:

• One or more Stosstruppen attacking +1
• Lead unit is elite +1
• Friendly air unit in hex being attacked +1
• Enemy air unit in hex being attacked -1
• Units of different nationalities -1
• Offensive modifier 0 to +3 (see scenario)
• Foch Doctrine in effect +1
• Petain doctrine in effect +1
• At least one division with morale of 3 is attacking -1 (not cumulative with the modifier below)
• At least one division with morale 2 is attacking -2 (not cumulative with the modifier above)

Results of Tactical Coordination

The attacker and defender may use all or part of the possibilities given by the following results.

Partial coordination (modified roll is 3 to 5)

For the Defender:

• May choose to retreat up to 2 hexes.
• For each hex retreated, 3 hit points are removed from the combat results.
• If the Foch Doctrine is in effect, the retreat is limited to 1 hex.

For the Attacker:

• May place 1 unit in exploitation mode.
• May advance after combat into the hex attacked.
• May move 1 combat unit (even if disorganized) that are within 3 hexes of the hex attacked, and that are not in an enemy ZoC, up to half of their movement allowance (rounded up), including into the hex attacked if there are surviving defenders still there.

If the modified die roll is 1 or 2, or the natural die roll was a 1, then there is no tactical coordination and thus no extra benefits for the player. In addition, if it is the attacking player who gets the no coordination result, the defending player immediately removes one Reserve or Exploitation marker from the attacker's units or stacks that are within 3 hexes of the hex attacked.

If the modified die roll is 0 or less (including a natural 1 that gets a negative modifier), then there is not only no coordination but the player is penalized from misunderstood orders. The player who suffers this result now rolls another 1d6 and consults the following table to see what effects occur:

Misunderstood orders (modified 0 or less)

• DR 1 – Defender: Sacrifice: each side takes an additional step loss. Attacker: Fierce fighting: each side takes an additional step loss.
• DR 2 – Defender: Panic: retreat an additional 1 hex, no change in step losses. Attacker: Confusion: one of the attacker's combat units becomes disorganized, defender's choice.
• DR 3 – Defender: Suicidal Counter Attack: One additional step loss for the defender. Attacker: Persistent Attacks: one additional step loss for the attacker.
• DR 4 – Defender: Rout: 3 less hit points on the attacker. Attacker: Panic: one attacking unit retreats 1 hex.
• DR 5 – Defender: Indecision: the defending units receive a Pinned marker. Attacker: Half Hearted Attack: 3 less hit points for the defender.
• DR 6 – Defender: Reserves misdirected: the attacker can move one of the defender's units that is not in an enemy ZoC and that is within 3 hexes of the attacked hex, 1 hex. Attacker: Orders Countermanded: the defender can remove a Reserve or Exploitation marker from a unit or stack that is within 3 hexes of the attacked hex.

Effects of Pinned Marker: When units stacked with a Stosstruppen unit or a Tank unit move adjacent to a pinned unit or stack, they do not have to stop and may continue moving, and they may freely leave a pinned unit or stack's ZoC.

12.2.7 Applying Combat Results

Once the tactical coordination die roll results are known, these coordination results are applied immediately by the players before the CRT results are applied (step 10). Coordination results are applied in the following order:

• If the defender receives misunderstood orders result, the effects are applied immediately. The hit points lost by each side from the CRT could become modified later on.
• If the attacker suffers misunderstood orders, the effects are applied immediately. The hit points lost by each side from the CRT could become modified later on.
• If the attacker receives no tactical coordination, the defender may remove a Reserve or Exploitation marker from an attacking unit or stack within 3 hexes of the attacked hex.
• If the defender obtains partial or perfect coordination, he now carries out the corresponding actions he chooses, and reduces his CRT hit points accordingly.
• The defender and then the attacker now convert their remaining CRT hit points into step losses or disorganization (step 10).
• If the attacker obtains partial or perfect coordination, he can now carry out the corresponding actions (advance after combat and placing exploitation markers).

12.2.8 Converting Hit Points (Step 10)

Once the total of hit points is known, after any coordination modifiers are applied, the defender and then the attacker convert their hit points into step losses and disorganization as follows:

• A step loss for a regiment costs 2 hit points
• A step loss for a division costs 3 hit points
• Disorganizing a unit costs 1 hit point
• Inflicting a step loss to a Tank unit costs the number of hit points equal to the unit's protection rating
• Inflicting a loss on a Stosstruppen unit costs 2 hit points. The Stosstruppen that takes the loss must be paired with a regiment (11.3.2) that participated in the combat. Only one Stosstruppen unit per combat may absorb a step loss (but additional losses may result from an asterisk * result on the CRT).

The distribution of step losses is carried out in the following order:

To begin, the first step loss of each combat is always given to the lead unit of the attacker and the defender, if there are enough hit points available to damage that sized unit.

Exception: A Tank unit that is attacking will always be the first unit to take losses if the number of hit points is equal or greater than its protection rating. After that, any additional hit points would then go to the lead attacking unit (12.2.3). When a tank unit is defending or under Bombardment, it will be the last unit to take a hit point.

Exception: The German player can choose to eliminate a Stosstruppen unit instead of giving a step loss to his lead unit.

After this, the remaining hit points are distributed however the player chooses among his other units involved in the combat. Wherever possible, hit points must be converted to step losses. The player can choose to inflict enough step losses to eliminate a unit, including the lead unit, before giving step losses to other units.

Finally, any remaining hit points are used to disorganize units, at the cost of one hit point per unit. To show this a Disorganized marker is placed on that unit. The lead unit, if it has survived, must be the first unit chosen to be disorganized.

If there are any leftover hit points after all possible step losses and disorganizations have been carried out, they are lost and have no further effect.

Examples:

A) The defender has a stack of one regiment with one step loss and a division with two step losses, and the regiment is designated as the lead unit. The stack suffers 7 hit points of damage. The hit points are applied as follows: 2 hit points are used to give a step loss to the regiment, and it is eliminated; 3 hit points are used to give a step loss to the division; 1 hit point is used to Disorganize the division. The remaining hit point cannot be used.

B) The attacker has a stack of a division and a regiment, and the division is designated the lead unit. The stack takes 2 hit points. These are not enough to cause a step loss to the lead unit (a division costs 3 hit points for a step loss) so the regiment takes a step loss instead. Step losses must be taken if possible, so the player could not have chosen to Disorganize both units.

C) The attacker has a stack of a division and a regiment and designates the regiment as the lead unit. The stack takes 3 hit points of damage. 2 hit points are used to give a step loss to the regiment, since it's the lead unit. The remaining hit point is used to disorganize the division.

D) The attacker has a stack of a division and a regiment, and chooses the regiment as his lead unit. The stack takes 4 hit points of damage. 2 hit points are used to give a step loss to the regiment. The remaining 2 hit points have to be converted to step losses if possible, so the player must give another step loss to the same regiment and it is eliminated. He could not have given the remaining 2 hit points to his division, since they are not enough to cause a step loss to that unit.

When an asterisk '*' result is listed on the CRT, the German player who suffers that result must eliminate a Stosstruppen unit if one was used to give a favorable column shift for that combat. This loss is in addition to any that are caused by hit points, and it does not negate the requirement of first loss being applied to the lead unit.

12.3 Retreat After Combat

Note: The terms "withdrawal" and "retreat" are equivalent.

The tactical coordination result may cause the defender to retreat one or more hexes, independently of hit points suffered.

The rules governing retreats are the same, whatever the cause of the retreat; retreat after combat or disengagement (see 13.0). It is always the defender who chooses his retreat path, respecting to the following points.

All units in the defending hex must retreat. They may retreat into different hexes. Support units however may never retreat. Retreating units must move as much as possible towards a friendly supply source, or towards a friendly HQ. A unit that retreats due to a partial or perfect coordination result (as opposed to a disengagement) may disregard this point in order to avoid entering an enemy ZOC.

For each hex entered that is an enemy ZOC that is not negated by a friendly unit, the retreating stack suffers an additional step loss. The defender chooses which unit takes the step loss.

If the final hex is overstacked after a retreat, the owning player may retreat as many additional hexes as necessary to avoid overstacking.

If a unit or stack retreats through other units or stacks, all are disorganized.

A unit that retreats 2 or 3 hexes after a combat or after an "R3" result during disengagement becomes disorganized.

If a unit or stack retreats over an unbridged (bridge or pontoon bridge) major river hexside, it stops its retreat and becomes disorganized.

Following a misunderstood orders result, a single attacking unit may have to retreat. It must respect all the preceding rules when doing so.

A unit that retreats into a hex occupied by an enemy air unit on an interdiction mission suffers an additional step loss (17.2).

12.4 Advance After Combat

The attacker may be able to advance after combat if he obtains that result from his tactical coordination die roll.

Only full strength units that are not disorganized can advance after combat.

If the result is partial coordination, the attacker may occupy the defender's hex with some of all of his units, if the defender has retreated or is eliminated.

If the result is perfect coordination and if the defender retreats, the attacker may advance as many hexes as the defender retreated.

If the result is perfect coordination and if the defender is eliminated, the attacker may advance up to 2 hexes.

The first hex of the advance must always be the hex that was attacked.

After the first hex, it is forbidden to advance directly from one enemy ZOC to another, unless the advancing unit is a German regiment associated with a Stosstruppen unit, in which case it can ignore Allied ZOCs.

Advance after combat is made without taking into account the movement point cost of the terrain.

Exceptions:

• If an advancing unit crosses an unbridged major river, it must stop in the first hex after it crosses even if it could advance further.
• An advancing unit that moves up a slope on the second or third hex of an advance becomes immediately disorganized.

12.5 Disorganization / Reorganization

Units of either side can become disorganized as a result of combat, disengagement, or forced march.

Their status is shown by placing a Disorganized marker on the unit.

Support units can never become disorganized. During the marker adjustment segment (see 14.3) the marker can be flipped over to its Reorganizing side.

A unit that is Disorganized or Reorganizing suffers the following penalties:

• Movement allowance is halved (rounding down)
• Unit may not attack (but it may disengage)
• Advance after combat and exploitation are not allowed

During the combat procedure, Disorganization results are applied by unit, not by stacks. One hit point can only be used to disorganize a single unit.

A Disorganized result that occurs to a stack during a retreat, disengagement, or a forced march does affect the whole stack.

A 'disorganized' unit that receives another Disorganized result does not suffer any additional penalties. A 'reorganizing' unit that receives another Disorganized result has its Reorganizing marker flipped back to the Disorganized side.

13.0 Disengagement

Once all of the combats for the operational sequence have been resolved, the phasing player can try to disengage his combat units that are in enemy ZoC. Support units cannot try to disengage.

Disengagement is only possible at the end of the combat phase. Units cannot try to disengage after the exploitation phase. To attempt disengagement, a unit must have been given a Disengagement marker at the end of the preceding friendly movement phase. The player makes a 1d6 die roll, applies the appropriate modifiers, and looks up the final result on the following table. If there is a stack of units trying to disengage, the player chooses which unit form the stack will use its morale for the die roll modifier.

Modifiers:

• -2 for a unit morale of 2
• -1 for a morale of 3
• +1 for a morale of 5
• +2 for a morale of 6
• +2 for a tank or cavalry
• +3 if attempting to exit a trench hex
• +1 if attempting to exit a town hex
• -3 if the disengaging units are surrounded by enemy units or ZoC. The presence of a friendly unit in a hex cancels out enemy ZoC.
• -2 if there is a disorganized or reorganizing unit(s)

Explanation of results:

• *: the unit whose morale was used for a modifier suffers a step loss
• r1: the unit(s) retreat 1 hex
• r2: the unit(s) retreat 2 hexes
• r3: the unit(s) retreat 3 hexes
• R3: the unit(s) retreat 3 hexes, but the retreat path is chosen by the non-phasing player (but still according to the preceding rules and route priorities). At the end of movement the unit(s) becomes disorganized.

The resulting retreat movement is conducted in accordance with the retreat after combat route priorities. All rules concerning retreat after combat are applied to disengagement, with the exception that unit(s) that receive a r2 or r3 result do not become disorganized.

Disengaging units can move through enemy ZoC but they suffer an additional step loss for each hex crossed (see 12.3) unless a friendly unit negates the ZoC.

14.0 Exploitation

The results from the tactical coordination die roll may allow the phasing player to place an Exploitation marker on some of his units.

Exploitation markers are placed after any advance after combat moves are carried out (and before beginning any other combat).

Only combat units at full strength, that are not disorganized, and that took place in the combat are eligible to receive an Exploitation marker.

A German regiment that is assigned a Stosstruppen unit counts as one unit for the purposes of assigning exploitation. Regiments of the same division (plus any assigned Stosstruppen units for the German player) that are stacked in the same hex also count as one unit, provided there are no other units in their hex. However, only regiments that are full strength and not disorganized are eligible to exploit.

Example 1: The Allied player obtains a perfect coordination result and receives two Exploitation markers for use. The 3 regiments of an elite division are stacked in the same hex. One of its regiments is disorganized. One Exploitation marker can be placed on the stack and this enables the two full strength regiments to exploit, since they are part of the same division. The remaining exploitation marker can be used for another unit or eligible stack.

Example 2: 3 regiments of a French elite Infantry Division are stacked in the same hex along with a Schneider Tank unit. The Allied player obtains a perfect coordination result and has 2 Exploitation markers at his disposal. Although the regiments all belong to the same division, the presence of the Tank unit prevents the player from activating all three regiments with one Exploitation marker. The player could use his 2 markers to activate 2 regiments, or one regiment and the Tank unit.

During the Exploitation phase, only those units marked with an Exploitation or a Reserve marker can move and attack.

The exploitation phase consists of three segments:

• The attacker starts by carrying out any combats he wishes with his Exploitation units that are adjacent to enemy units.
• Once all desired combats have been resolved, he now moves his units marked with Exploitation and Reserve that have not engaged in combat.
• When he is finished with his moves, the attacker proceeds to the marker adjustment segment.

If the attacker has no units marked for Exploitation or in Reserve, the only segment played for the Exploitation phase is the marker adjustment segment.

14.1 Exploitation Combat

The phasing player can now carry out combats with his Exploitation marked units that are adjacent to enemy units. This combat follows all the rules of the Combat phase, with the following exceptions:

• Whatever the result of the tactical coordination die roll, the player may not place any more Exploitation markers.
• Artillery can't be used to support the attack, except for counter battery fire.

After each exploitation combat is resolved, the Exploitation marker is removed from the participating unit(s). Once all the combats are resolved, any Exploitation units that are in enemy ZoC have their marker removed.

Tank units and German regiments associated with a Stosstruppen unit ignore enemy ZoC if that enemy unit is Pinned.

14.2 Exploitation Movement

Once all exploitation combat is finished, the player may now move his Exploitation marked units that remain up to one half of their movement allowance (fractions rounded up).

Units marked Reserve during the preceding friendly movement phase may also move at this time, and their movement allowance is increased by 2 points during this segment.

This movement is subject to all the rules found in the Movement phase (see 11.0), with the exception that forced marches are not allowed. At the end of this movement all Exploitation and Reserve markers are removed.

At this time the phasing player can also move any of his army artillery units that are in Offensive mode, as per 11.3.1.1.

14.3 Marker Adjustment

During this segment the phasing player adjusts the markers on both side's units. He does so in the following order:

1. All Reorganizing markers are removed from units not in enemy ZoC.
2. All Disorganized markers are flipped to their Reorganizing side.
3. All remaining Exploitation and Reserve markers are removed.
4. All remaining Disengagement markers are removed.
5. All Pinned markers are removed.

Example: A French division carries out a forced march, moving the entire time on a road. At the end of its move it becomes disorganized. During the following Marker adjustment phase the marker is automatically flipped to its RG 'reorganizing' side. During the following German turn, a German combat unit ends its movement adjacent to the reorganizing unit. The RG marker cannot be removed in the next marker adjustment phase because the French unit is in an enemy ZoC.

15.0 Support Units

15.1 HQ Units

HQ units move as described in 11.3.3.

The only function of HQ units in the Basic Game is to provide supply and to allow the building and demolition of bridges.

15.2 Artillery Units

15.2.1 Movement

The movement of artillery units is described in 11.3.1.

15.2.2 Bombardment

The use of artillery units in combat is given in 12.2.2. Bombardment may happen only during combat.

Army and corps level artillery units can participate in combat by carrying out bombardments, to inflict losses or disorganize the enemy.

Artillery units that bombard in attack or defense, or carry out counter-battery fire, may only do so if the attacked hex is within their bombardment range.

An army artillery unit in Offensive mode can be used to support up to 4 attacks per combat phase on hexes within its Bombardment range. It can only be used to support one combat in defense per phase.

An army artillery unit in Bombardment mode or a corps artillery unit can only take part in one combat per phase.

Only corps artillery units may conduct counter-battery fire. They are flipped to their counter-battery side to signify this. The sum of the bombardment values of a player's counter-battery units is subtracted from the opposing player's bombardment strength. If the final result is zero or less, no bombardment may be carried out. At the end of all of the combats for the ongoing phase, the artillery units in counter-battery mode are flipped back to their front sides.

During the exploitation phase, the defender can again use all of his available artillery units. The attacker can only use his available corps artillery units, and they can only be used for counter-battery fire, not bombardments (see 14.1).

Some scenarios indicate that the German player gets the benefit of the 'Bruchmuller' random event. This event applies to any combat that is within the range of an army artillery unit that is in "Offensive mode" during the first operational sequence of that turn when the event is played. The German player receives a bonus of +3 DRM to the Bombardment Table die roll, and a penalty of -2 DRM to the defender's Tactical Coordination die roll (see 12.2.6).

Note: Bruchmuller was a German artillery officer who developed a new, highly effective method for conducting artillery bombardments to neutralize enemy troops and disrupt their command centers, in preparation for an offensive.

Procedure: Each player adds up the strengths of his bombarding units, and he subtracts from this total the sum of the strengths of the opposing player's counter-battery units. The final result is used to find which column on the Bombardment Table to use.

First the attacker and then the defender make a die roll and find the result on the Bombardment Table, cross-referencing the total bombardment strength (1 to 6+) against the die roll (2 to 12+).

Die roll modifiers:

• Bruchmuller artillery plan event in effect: +3 DRM during the first operational sequence only.
• Defender in a trench hex: -2 DRM
• Defender in a town: -1 DRM
• If all the defender's units in the target hex are under the Petain doctrine (applies to French units only): -1 DRM
• Friendly air unit flying an Observation mission: 1 column shift to right

These modifiers are cumulative, and are only applied to the attacker's die roll.

The Bombardment Table results are the number of hit points inflicted. They are applied immediately, and resolved as described in 12.2.8. Only units taking place in the combat for the target hex are affected, and any losses called for are determined by the owning player.

15.2.3 Activating Army Artillery Units

Army artillery units can be in one of 2 modes: a normal mode where they function in the same way as corps artillery units (able to support only one attack) and an offensive mode in which they may support up to 4 attacks within their Bombardment Range.

In the Basic Game, army artillery units that are in Offensive Mode are flipped back to their normal side at the start of each administrative sequence. During the declaration of offensives phase, the player with the initiative can flip one or two army artillery units into Offensive Mode if he is declaring an offensive for that turn (see 8.0 and the specific scenario rules).

15.3 Stosstruppen

The rules for Stosstruppen movement are described in 11.3.2.

Stosstruppen units give special movement capabilities to the regiments that they are stacked with, enabling those regiments to move from one enemy ZoC hex directly to another ZoC hex, during advance after combat (see 12.4).

They also provide an attack bonus to their stack. If the German player decides to use a Stosstruppen unit in an attack, the final odds ratio is shifted one column to the right on the CRT. There are no additional column shifts if more than one Stosstruppen unit is used in the attack.

If the CRT result has an asterisk "*", the German player must eliminate a Stosstruppen unit if one was used to give a column shift.

The German player can also choose to assign 2 hit points of damage to one of his participating Stosstruppen units. This option can be used only once per combat round being resolved. The losses can be absorbed by any Stosstruppen unit that is stacked with a regiment that participated in the combat. This assignment of hit points can be used to avoid having to inflict a loss on the lead unit. This option cannot be used when converting hit points suffered from Bombardments.

Any loss inflicted on a Stosstruppen unit eliminates it.

15.4 Tank Units

15.4.1 Allied Tanks

Allied tank units are treated as combat units. A tank counter counts as a combat unit for stacking purposes, and it has one step loss. Tank units do exert ZoC, and they can become disorganized.

During combat, their attack strength or defense strength are added in the same as infantry units. When attacking, tank units have these special capabilities:

• The coordination bonus on the tank counter is the number of column shifts to the right on the CRT.
• The protection rating is the number of hit points that must be inflicted on the tank unit to eliminate it.

If a tank unit is defending alone, its morale is equal to its coordination bonus.

During an attack where a tank unit takes part, if the number of hit points inflicted on the attacker is greater than or equal to the tank's protection rating, the tank is eliminated as the first loss. Any remaining hit points are applied as usual, starting with the lead unit. If the number of hit points inflicted is less than the tank's protection rating, then the tank unit takes no hit points and they are instead applied as usual beginning with the lead unit (see 12.2.8 and 12.3).

Example: A French regiment stacked with a Renault tank (protection rating 3) suffers an A6 result from the CRT. The number of hit points inflicted is greater than the tank's protection rating of 3, so the tank takes 3 hit points and is eliminated. The remaining three hit points are used to inflict one step loss (2 hit points for a regiment) and disorganize the regiment (1 hit point). If the same stack suffers a result of A2, the tank would not receive any damage and the regiment would suffer a step loss.

Only one tank unit can be used to support an attack.

The use of tanks for attacks is limited by the terrain. They may not cross a slope or a body of water except via a bridge. Tanks cannot attack units in cities, across a slope hexside, or across a major or minor river.

15.4.2 German Tanks

German Tanks are only present in the Advanced game. They are used in the same way as Allied tanks with the following differences:

• The German tank unit has no movement allowance.
• It is placed unit during step 1 of the combat phase, directly onto a unit that is attacking during that phase.
• It counts as a single unit for stacking purposes.
• At the end of the combat the tank unit is removed BUT it can still be used to absorb a hit point like Allied tanks.

16.0 Victory Point Determination and End of the Turn

If the turn that is ended is the last turn of the scenario, the players count up their victory points and the winner of the game is determined. If it is not the last turn, the Turn marker is advanced one box on the turn track and a new turn begins. The victory conditions are given in each scenario.

17.0 Air Units

The rules for air units are an optional rule when playing the scenarios. They have been rewritten for this game Somme 1918 – Bloody Spring.

The scenarios specify what air units are available for each side. At the start of the game, these available air units are placed in their corresponding "Available Supports" box. Air units that enter as reinforcements are placed in the same box at the start of the Administrative sequence of the turn they arrive.

During the "Air superiority" phase of the Administrative sequence, all air units in the "Air Missions for the Turn" box are returned to their respective "Available Supports" box. Next, one player rolls a die, with any modifiers applied, and consults the Air Superiority Table. The modified die result gives the number of air units available for one player. The affected player randomly chooses the number of air units obtained from those available in his "Available Supports" box and places them in the "Air Missions for the Turn" box. If the number indicated by the table exceeds the number of air support available, the player in question gets all its supports.

Only the air units that are in the "Air Missions for the turn" box can be used to carry out missions (if allowed by the current weather condition, see 10.0), as described in 17.2.

An air unit that is used for a mission is placed in a given hex on the game map and remains there until the end of the current operational sequence. A maximum of two air units from each side may be placed in the same hex on a mission.

Air units can be placed on a mission on any hex within 15 hexes of a friendly HQ unit at the beginning of the movement phase.

At the end of each mission, a test is made. The player rolls a die for each of his units that are on the map flying missions. On a die roll of 1 or 2, the air unit is returned to the "Air missions for the turn" box. On any other result, the unit is returned to the "Available Supports" box.

17.2 Air Support Missions

Each air unit can carry out one of three types of missions:

• Interdiction: The player places an air unit on a hex within range of a friendly HQ. The effects of this mission type are as follows: +1 movement point cost for enemy units to enter the hex, and enemy units that retreat into the hex suffer an extra step loss per stack.
• Observation: The player places an air unit on a hex occupied by at least one friendly or enemy unit within range of a friendly HQ. If the units in the hex are attacked, the total bombardment value of friendly artillery used for support in that hex is given a one column shift to the right on the Bombardment Table. In addition, the die roll on the Tactical Coordination table for the units engaged in the combat is modified (see 12.2.6).
• Aerial Bombardment: A bombardment mission can be performed for attack or defense. A bombardment mission is carried out in conjunction with an observation mission (in effect, this mission requires two friendly air units in the target hex, one for the observation mission and one to carry out the bombardment mission). Aerial bombardment is carried out during combat phase only. If the units in the hex are attacked, the bombardment rating value of the air unit flying the bombardment mission is added to the total bombardment value of friendly artillery to determine the final bombardment value. A hex can be bombarded by air units alone if the hex is out of range of artillery. Enemy artillery units on counter-battery mode cannot cancel out the bombardment rating used by an air unit.

Example of air missions: The German air unit Grp I is placed on an observation mission. If a bombardment is made on the British 18th DI, the air unit gives a one column shift to the right on the Bombardment Table in favor of the German player. In addition, the die roll on the Tactical Coordination table for the German player gets a +1 DRM and the French player receives a -1 DRM to his die roll.

Note that a second German air unit would have to be in the hex in order to perform an aerial bombardment mission.

The German player could also place an air unit on an Interdiction mission in a hex. Entering the hex would cost one extra MP. In addition, if a British division had to retreat into the hex, it would suffer an additional step loss.

Scenarios

Each scenario depicts a German offensive that took place during this campaign. Scenario 1 "von Hutier strikes" is good for learning the game mechanics. It uses few counters and can be played in an hour. Scenario 2 "Operation Michael" allows playing the early turns of the German offensive in its entirety. We recommend playing it several times before attempting the complete campaign. Playing time is about six hours. Scenario 3 "The last push" is very balanced and both players get to attack and defend. The game takes about three hours to play.

Each scenario description follows the same pattern:

• Length: the game turns to be played.
• Playing Area: indicates which part of the map will be used for the game. Units cannot move outside of this area and are eliminated if they are forced to leave the playing area.
• Initial set-up: indicates the unit positions for each side.
• Reinforcements: indicates the units which each side receives as reinforcements.

Each line is presented in the same way. The first information is the unit type and designation from the counter.

Example: 69th DI indicates the 69th infantry division. Some of the abbreviations used on the counters:

• DI: Infantry Division
• DCP: Division de Cavaliers à Pieds or Division of Dismounted Cavalry
• Cav.: Cavalry Division
• Res: Reserve
• Bav: Bavarian
• Gd: Guards
• Ldw: Landwehr

Lastly, the unit's morale is indicated in bold after the symbol "/". Example: /3.

Support units are clearly indicated.

• Special rules: rules specific to the individual scenario.
• Victory conditions: indicates scenario-specific objectives and how to determine the winner.

Scenario 1 - v.Hutier Strikes

This scenario simulates the early days of Michael's offensive on the southern part of the front, where General von Hutier gets a breakthrough against the Fifth British Army.

• Length: Scenario lasts 1 turn, from March 21st to March 23rd 1918 (turn 1).
• Playing Area: Only a part of the map is used for this scenario. The playing area is bounded to the south by the map edge and to the north by row xx17 inclusive.
• Initial Allied set up: The Allied player sets up first, using the Allied setup playing aid card. The units for this scenario are those whose hex placement is followed by a "*" symbol on playing aid card.
• Initial German set up: The German player sets up second, using the German setup playing aid card. The units for this scenario are those whose hex placement is followed by a "*" symbol on playing aid card.
• British reinforcements: Turn 1, 1st operational sequence: 1st Cav /2, 2 tanks Mark IV by hex 44.17.

Special rules:

1 - Offensive

The German player holds the initiative during this scenario. During the first turn, he must launch an offensive with the following characteristics:

• offensive bonus: +3 / +2 / +1
• one army artillery unit can be placed in offensive mode

The German player may play the Bruchmuller marker during the first operational sequence of the 1st turn. The marker must be placed on an army artillery unit within the 8 hexes of the HQ where v.Hutier is stacked. The Bruchmuller effects will only apply to the combats in range of this artillery.

2 – Weather and Allied Doctrine

Weather is "morning fog" during the 1st sequence of turn 1.

Allied Doctrine is as follows:

• French: Foch doctrine
• British: evolving doctrine

3 – Allied Cooperation

At the start of the German offensive the Allies did not have a unified command, and other than for some agreements about strategy, each nation conducted their military operations independently. The nomination of Foch at the Doullens conference helped to promote cooperation between the Allies, but it was still not total.

The following rules apply for the whole scenario:

• Stacking restrictions: Units of different nationalities may never stack together. In case of a retreat where a unit moves into a hex with units from a different nationality, the retreating unit must move one extra hex to remedy this. Units that have a unit from another nationality retreating through their hex become disorganized at the end of the units' retreat.
• Combat restrictions: Units of different nationalities may not attack the same hex. Artillery units cannot participate in attack and defense in combat with units of a different nationality. Air units may not fly missions with air units of different nationalities.

Clarification: For the purposes of this rule Canadian, Australian and New Zealand units are considered British nationality.

4 - General von Hutier

The German general von Hutier had perfectly mastered the new combat techniques thanks to his experience using them on the Russian and Italian fronts. He was also close to Colonel Bruchmuller, expert in the use of artillery.

At the start of the initial game set up, the marker v.Hutier is placed on the HQ of the XVIII Army. He must remain with this HQ for the entire game, or until the event marker "von Hutier is reassigned" is played. If the HQ unit that v.Hutier is stacked with is eliminated, he is removed from the game.

The v.Hutier marker gives the following bonuses:

• Combats that occur within 8 hexes of the HQ where v.Hutier is stacked will receive the benefits for participating Stosstruppen units (combat bonus shift, bonus for the tactical coordination table, and advance after combat through enemy ZoC).
• Combats involving Stosstruppen units outside of 8 hexes do not receive any special bonuses. However, a Stosstruppen unit can be used to absorb hit points as stated in the Basic rules.
• The "Bruchmuller" marker must be placed within the 8 hexes of the HQ where v.Hutier is stacked.
• During an offensive, combat units within 4 hexes of the HQ unit stacked with v.Hutier may be placed in reserve.
• The HQ unit that is stacked with von Hutier cannot move during the movement phase, but it may move in the exploitation phase with its full movement allowance.

5 – Air Units

There is no "Air Superiority" phase. Instead, the German player automatically puts two German air support units in the "Air Missions for the Turn" box.

6 – Redoubts

The Allied player has 5 "Redoubt" markers at the beginning of the game. Allied units stacked with a "Redoubt" marker receive the following benefit: +2 to the tactical coordination die roll.

A "Redoubt" marker is eliminated as soon as there is no Allied unit in its hex.

Victory Conditions: The German player wins if he controls both sides of a bridge (road or rail) on the "Canal du nord" river (from 4431 to 4219).

Scenario 2 - Operation Michael

This scenario depicts the first German offensive of spring 1918, which saw the destruction of the Fifth British Army.

• Length: Scenario lasts 4 turns, from March 21st to April 1st 1918 (turn 1 through turn 4 inclusive).
• Playing Area: The whole map is used for this scenario.
• Initial Allied set up: The Allied player sets up first, using the Allied setup playing aid card.
• Initial German set up: The German player sets up second, using the German setup playing aid card.

French reinforcements:

• Turn 2, administrative sequence: one French air support unit.
• Turn 2, 1st operational sequence: 35th DI /4, 55th DI /3, 125th DI /3 via a hex on the south map edge; one corps artillery unit via a hex on the south map edge.
• Turn 2, 3rd operational sequence: 1st DI /4, 22nd DI /4, 36th DI /4, one army artillery unit, one corps artillery unit via a hex on the south map edge.
• Turn 3, administrative sequence: 2 French air support units (see special rules below).
• Turn 3, 1st operational sequence: 4th Cav /2, 5th Cav /2, 12nd DI /4, VIth Army HQ via a hex on the south map edge.
• Turn 3, 2nd operational sequence: 53rd DI /3, 38th DI (3 regiments) /5, 56th DI (3 regiments) /5, one army artillery unit, one corps artillery unit via a hex on the south map edge.
• Turn 3, 3rd operational sequence: 166th DI /3, 70th DI (3 regiments) /5, 133rd DI (3 regiments) /5, one corps artillery unit via a hex on the south map edge.
• Turn 4, 1st operational sequence: 1st DCP/4, 29th DI (3 regiments) /5, 45th DI (3 regiments) /5, 67th DI /3, 77th DI /4, 127th DI /3, Ist Army HQ, one army artillery unit, one corps artillery unit via a hex on the south map edge.

British reinforcements:

• Turn 2, 1st operational sequence: 8th DI /3, via a hex containing a road that goes through hex 2530 to Amiens.
• Turn 2, 2nd operational sequence: 35th DI /3, via a hex containing a road that goes through hex 2530 to Amiens; 42nd DI /3, one corps artillery unit via a hex on the north map edge, west of hex 3701 inclusive.
• Turn 2, 3rd operational sequence: NZ DI (3 regiments) /5, one corps artillery unit via a hex containing a road that goes through hex 2530 to Amiens.
• Turn 3, 1st operational sequence: 32nd DI /4, 4th AUS DI (4th Brigade) /6, one corps artillery unit via a hex on the north map edge, west of hex 3701 inclusive; 12nd DI /4, via a hex containing a road that goes through hex 2530 to Amiens.
• Turn 3, 2nd operational sequence: 1ère CAN DI (3 regiments) /5, one army artillery unit via a hex on the north map edge, west of hex 3701 inclusive.
• Turn 4, 1st operational sequence: 3rd AUS DI (3 Brigades) /6, 37th DI /4 via a hex on the north map edge, west of hex 3701 inclusive.

Alternative arrival for French and British reinforcements: At the Allied player's choice, reinforcements may arrive either stacked with or adjacent to a friendly HQ unit that is located on a road hex or railway hex that leads to a supply source and that can trace a valid supply line (see 9.1). Reinforcement units cannot be placed in an enemy ZoC. A maximum of 2 divisions (an artillery unit counts as a division for this rule) may enter in this manner. This limit of two divisions is global to the two nationalities per operational sequence.

German reinforcements:

• Turn 1, 3rd operational sequence: 12th DI /4, stacked with or adjacent to a German HQ unit.
• Turn 2, 2nd operational sequence: 16th Bav DI /4, 26th Res DI /4, 33rd DI (3 regiments) /5 stacked with or adjacent to a German HQ unit. The German player must remove two corps artillery units of his choice from the map.
• Turn 3, 2nd operational sequence: 241st DI /2, 243rd DI /3, 2 Guard DI (3 regiments) /6, 26th DI (3 regiments) /5, 52nd DI (3 regiments) /5 stacked with or adjacent to a German HQ unit.
• Turn 4, 1st operational sequence: 75th Res DI /2, 242nd DI /3, 2nd Bav DI (3 regiments) /6, VIIth army HQ stacked with or adjacent to a German HQ unit.

Special rules:

1 – Offensive:

The German player holds the initiative at the start of the game and must launch during turn 1 the offensives "Michael North" and "Michael South", with the following characteristics:

• Two army artillery units may be flipped to place them in "offensive" mode. One of the two batteries must be placed in hex 43.07.
• Offensive modifiers: +1/0/0 for the artillery in hex 43.07; +3/+2/+1 for the other artillery.

The German player may play the Bruchmuller marker during the first operational sequence of the 1st turn. The marker must be placed on an army artillery unit within the 8 hexes of the HQ where v.Hutier is stacked. The Bruchmuller effects will only apply to the combats in range of this artillery.

On turn 2, the German player must launch an offensive with the following characteristics: offensive bonus: +1 / 0 / 0; one army artillery unit can be placed in offensive mode.

On turn 3, the German player must launch an offensive with the following characteristics: offensive bonus: +1 / 0 / 0; one army artillery unit can be placed in offensive mode.

On turn 4, the Allied Player MAY launch an offensive with the following characteristics: offensive bonus: +1 / 0 / 0; one FRENCH army artillery unit can be placed in offensive mode. If he chooses to launch an offensive, the Allied player gains the initiative for the turn.

2 – Weather and Allied Doctrine:

Weather is "morning fog" during the 1st sequence of turn 1.

Allied Doctrine is as follows:

• French: Foch doctrine
• British: evolving doctrine

3 – Petain's Reluctance:

Marshal Petain was extremely reticent to send reinforcements to his British counterpart General Haig, especially in light of the British rout during the first days of the battle.

At the beginning of turn 2, before each Allied movement phase:

• dr 1,2: Full cooperation. All French reinforcements arrive as scheduled this turn.
• dr 3: During all of turn 2 and 1st operational sequence of turn 3, French reinforcements arrive during the sequence being played with their artillery (see rule below). After turn 3, treat this die roll result as no effect.
• dr 4: One French division, at the choice of the Allied player, scheduled to arrive this sequence will arrive instead during the next operational sequence. If this result occurs during the 3rd operational sequence, the scheduled reinforcement is delayed until the 1st sequence of the next game turn.
• dr 5: The British must hold! The Allied player must first move all of his British units, but none of his French units. If he does not place more than three "Disengagement" markers on his British units, he can then move his French units freely. If four or more markers are placed, the French units remain in place. French reinforcements arrive normally, but may not move further pending the actions of the British units.
• dr 6: The British must fight! The Allied player must first move all of his British units, but none of his French units. If he decides to declare two combats with his British units (this declaration is an exception to the Basic Rules) and the odds ratio before adding in bombardments is at least 1/1, then he can move his French units freely. If he does not, the French units remain in place. French reinforcements arrive normally, but may not move further pending the actions of the British units.

4 – French Reinforcements and "No Artillery" Markers

To try to quickly shore up the catastrophic situation caused by the German attack, French divisions were rushed to the front without their usual complement of divisional artillery.

At the start of turn 2 and during the 1st operational sequence of turn 3, French divisions arriving as reinforcements are marked with a "no artillery" marker when they are placed on the map board.

A "no artillery" marker gives the following penalties:

• Morale: -1
• Attack and Defense strength: divided by 2 (fractions rounded up)
• Movement allowance: +2

At the start of the German combat phase, the Allied player makes a 1d6 roll for each of his "no artillery" marked units:

• dr 1 or less, the marker is removed and there are no penalties
• dr 2 or more, the marker remains

DRMs: units on a railroad: -2; units on a road: -1; units in terrain other than clear: +1.

The railroad or road that is being used for the favorable DRM must not be in an enemy ZoC. Friendly units do negate enemy ZoC for this purpose.

5 – Allied Cooperation

At the start of the German offensive the Allies did not have a unified command, and other than for some agreements about strategy, each nation conducted their military operations independently. The nomination of Foch at the Doullens conference helped to promote cooperation between the Allies, but it was still not total.

The following rules apply for the whole scenario:

• Stacking restrictions: Units of different nationalities may never stack together. In case of a retreat where a unit moves into a hex with units from a different nationality, the retreating unit must move one extra hex to remedy this. Units that have a unit from another nationality retreating through their hex become disorganized at the end of the units' retreat.
• Combat restrictions: Units of different nationalities may not attack the same hex. Artillery units cannot participate in attack and defense in combat with units of a different nationality. Air units may not fly missions with air units of different nationalities.

Clarification: For the purposes of this rule Canadian, Australian and New Zealand units are considered British nationality.

6 – General von Hutier:

The German general von Hutier had perfectly mastered the new combat techniques thanks to his experience using them on the Russian and Italian fronts. He was also close to Colonel Bruchmuller, expert in the use of artillery.

At the start of the initial game set up, the marker v.Hutier is placed on the HQ of the XVIII Army. He must remain with this HQ for the entire game, or until the event marker "von Hutier is reassigned" is played. If the HQ unit that v.Hutier is stacked with is eliminated, he is removed from the game.

The v.Hutier marker gives the following bonuses:

• Combats that occur within 8 hexes of the HQ where v.Hutier is stacked will receive the benefits for participating Stosstruppen units (combat bonus shift, bonus for the tactical coordination table, and advance after combat through enemy ZoC).
• Combats involving Stosstruppen units outside of 8 hexes do not receive any special bonuses. However, a Stosstruppen unit can be used to absorb hit points as stated in the Basic rules.
• The "Bruchmuller" marker must be placed within the 8 hexes of the HQ where v.Hutier is stacked.
• During an offensive, combat units within 4 hexes of the HQ unit stacked with v.Hutier may be placed in reserve.
• The HQ unit that is stacked with von Hutier cannot move during the movement phase, but it may move in the exploitation phase with its full movement allowance.

7 – Air Support Units

The Allied player begins the scenario with 2 British air support units in the "Available Supports" box.

The German player begins the scenario with 3 air support units and the "Red Baron" marker in the "Available Supports" box.

On turn 3, there is no "Air Superiority" phase. Instead, the Allied player automatically puts three French and one British air support units in the "Air Missions for the Turn" box.

8 – Redoubts

The Allied player has 5 "Redoubt" markers at the beginning of the game. Allied units stacked with a "Redoubt" marker receive the following benefit: +2 to the tactical coordination die roll.

A "Redoubt" marker is eliminated as soon as there is no Allied unit in its hex.

Victory Conditions:

• German strategic victory: As soon as the German player captures Amiens, the game ends on a German strategic victory.
• German operational Victory: At the end of the game, the German player has a unit present in Arras OR he has at least one supplied unit within three hexes of the railroad running from hex 1326 to Amiens. If the German meets these two conditions at the end of the game, he won a strategic victory.
• Tactical victory: If none of these victories is achieved, victory will be decided according to the following hexes captured: Corbie (3119) / Villers-Bretonneux (3121) / Saint Just (3034) / Montdidier (3329) / Cuvilly (3733) / Thourotte (4135) / Roye (3927) / Noyon (4531) / Chauny (5130) / Tergnier (5228) / Ham (4725) / Péronne (4318) / Albert (3517) / Bapaume (4012) / Achicourt (3806) / Saint Laurent Blangy (3905).

At the end of play, the German player is awarded one victory point per hex above with a supplied German unit. He gains a 2 victory point bonus if the Allied player has launched an offensive on turn 4.

Victory Levels:

• 16 VP or more: major German tactical victory
• Between 11 and 15 VP: German tactical victory
• 9 or 10 VP: draw
• 8 VP or less: Allied tactical victory

Scenario 3 - The Final Push

This scenario simulates the last effort made by the Germans to capture Amiens and the strong Allied counteroffensive that will end the final operation Michael.

• Length: Scenario lasts 3 turns, from April 1st to April 8th 1918 (turn 5 through turn 7 inclusive).
• Playing Area: Only the part of the map south of the Somme river is used for this scenario.
• Initial Allied set up: The Allied player sets up first, using the Allied setup playing aid card.
• Initial German set up: The German player sets up second, using the German setup playing aid card.

French Reinforcements:

• Turn 5, first operational phase: 2nd DI/3, 162 DI/4, 163rd DI/3 via a hex on the south map edge.
• Turn 6, first operational phase: 169th DI (3 regiments)/5, 15th DI/4, 17th DI/2, and one corps artillery unit via a hex on the south map edge.
• Turn 7, first operational phase: 64th DI /3, and 65th DI/3 via a hex on the south map edge.

Alternative arrival for French and British reinforcements: At the Allied player's choice, reinforcements may arrive either stacked with or adjacent to a friendly HQ unit that is located on a road hex or railway hex that leads to a supply source and that can trace a valid supply line (see 9.1). Reinforcement units cannot be placed in an enemy ZoC. A maximum of 2 divisions (an artillery unit counts as a division for this rule) may enter in this manner. This limit of two divisions is global to the two nationalities per operational sequence.

German Reinforcements:

• Turn 5, first operational phase: 5th Res DI/4, 3rd Bav DI /4, 9th Bav Res DI /4, 14th DI /4, 51st Res DI /4, 54th DI /4, 80th Res DI/3, 204th DI/3, two corps artillery units. These units are placed within 5 hexes of a German HQ, and at least three hexes from an enemy unit.
• Turn 6, first operational phase: 5th Bav Res DI /4, stacked with or adjacent to a German HQ unit.
• Turn 7, first operational phase: 200th DI /4, stacked with or adjacent to a German HQ unit.

Special rules:

1 – Offensive:

The German player holds the initiative at the start of the game and must launch during turn 5 an offensive, with the following characteristics: One army artillery unit may be flipped to place in "offensive" mode; offensive modifiers: +1/0/0.

On turn 7, the Allied Player MAY launch an offensive with the following characteristics: offensive bonus: +1 / 0 / 0; one FRENCH army artillery unit can be placed in offensive mode. In addition, the Allied player places on or adjacent to a French HQ the following units: 2 Schneider tank units, 2 Saint-Chamond tank units. If he chooses to launch an offensive, the Allied player gains the initiative for the turn.

2 – Weather and Allied Doctrine:

A die is rolled for Weather at the start of turn 5.

Allied Doctrine is as follows:

• French: Foch doctrine
• British: evolving doctrine

3 – General von Hutier:

The German general von Hutier had perfectly mastered the new combat techniques thanks to his experience using them on the Russian and Italian fronts. He was also close to Colonel Bruchmuller, expert in the use of artillery.

At the start of the initial game set up, the marker v.Hutier is placed on the HQ of the XVIII Army. He must remain with this HQ for the entire game, or until the event marker "von Hutier is reassigned" is played. If the HQ unit that v.Hutier is stacked with is eliminated, he is removed from the game.

The v.Hutier marker gives the following bonuses:

• Combats that occur within 8 hexes of the HQ where v.Hutier is stacked will receive the benefits for participating Stosstruppen units (combat bonus shift, bonus for the tactical coordination table, and advance after combat through enemy ZoC).
• Combats involving Stosstruppen units outside of 8 hexes do not receive any special bonuses. However, a Stosstruppen unit can be used to absorb hit points as stated in the Basic rules.
• The "Bruchmuller" marker must be placed within the 8 hexes of the HQ where v.Hutier is stacked.
• During an offensive, combat units within 4 hexes of the HQ unit stacked with v.Hutier may be placed in reserve.
• The HQ unit that is stacked with von Hutier cannot move during the movement phase, but it may move in the exploitation phase with its full movement allowance.

4 – Air Support Units

The Allied player begins the scenario with 2 British and 3 French air support units in the "Available Supports" box.

The German player begins the scenario with 3 air support units and the "Red Baron" marker in the "Available Supports" box.

5 – Allied Cooperation

French and British units are considered to be of the same nationality and can stack and fight together.

Victory Conditions:

Each player makes the sum of the "Iron Cross" captured in the hexes initially controlled by his opponent. The player who captured the most "Iron Cross" is the winner.

If the Allied player has chosen to launch an offensive, he must have captured at least two more Iron Crosses than his opponent to win. If he captures only one more, the game is a draw.

If each player gets the same amount or no Iron Cross has been captured, the game is concluded as a draw.

Comprehensive Example of Combat

The German player has declared an offensive – Operation Michael, which gives an offensive bonus of +3 DRM for the sequence to be played. The army artillery unit is flipped to its "offensive" side. All combats within a 4 hex radius of the army artillery unit will now benefit from a favorable column shift on the CRT and a beneficial DRM on the Tactical Coordination die roll. The weather is determined to be morning fog.

German attacker:

• Hex 54.23: 3 regiments (3-4-5, 3-4-5, 2-4-5, morale 5) stacked with two Stosstruppen units.
• Hex 55.24: 1 division (8-12-4, morale 4).
• Artillery: 1 army artillery unit in Offensive mode (bombardment value of 4), one corps artillery unit (2).
• Offensive bonus +3, Bruchmuller event is in play.

Allied defender:

• Hex 54.24: 1 division (7-9-4, morale 4) in a trench hex.
• Artillery: 1 corps artillery unit (2).
• Allied doctrine: doctrine in evolution.

Step 1: Designation of the target hex and the combat units that will conduct the attack by the phasing player. The German player declares that all of his units will attack hex 54.24.

Step 2: The attacker designates which artillery units will support the attack. Both German artillery units will be used to support the attack.

Step 3: The defender designates which of his artillery units will support his defending units, and chooses which units will fire counter-battery fire. The Allied player will use his one artillery unit in support, and flips it over to the Counter-Battery side.

Step 4: The attacker indicates which of his artillery units will conduct counter-battery fire. There is a British unit in counter-battery mode, so the German player can't use his single corps artillery unit for counter-battery fire (12.2.2).

Step 5: Bombardment resolution, starting with the attacker and then the defender. The attacker's bombardment total is 4 (4+2-2) so he rolls on the 4 column on the Bombardment Table. DR 4, modifiers +3 Bruchmuller event, -2 defender in trench hex, which gives a modified final DR of 5, which results in 4 hit points. The defender loses one step (3 hit points for a division) and the unit is then disorganized (1 hit point). The defender does not have any artillery firing bombardment, so he has no rolls to make.

Step 6: The lead unit is designated for attack and defense. The attacker chooses the 1/1 Bav regiment (3-4-5) as his lead unit. The defender only has one unit, so it is automatically his lead unit.

Step 7: Determining the combat odds ratio. The Attacker's strength total is 8 for his stack (3+3+2) plus 8 for his division for a total of 16, versus the defender's total of 15 (5 x 3 for the trench hex), which becomes a 1:1 odds ratio.

Column shifts: +1 for Stosstruppen unit; +1 for morale difference between the lead units (German 5 – Allied 4); +3 Offensive bonus. Which gives a 5 column shift to the right on the CRT, so the attack is resolved on the 6:1 odds column.

Step 8: Combat resolution. The attacker rolls 4d6 (two white die, plus a green and blue die) and rolls an 8 on the sum of his white die. This gives a CRT result of A2D8. Because of the morning fog weather conditions, the attacker's result is reduced to A1 – no change for the defender.

Step 9: Tactical Coordination table results – defender goes first, then the attacker. The blue die roll result from step 8 is a 2 for the defending Allies. Modifiers: disorganized unit -1, trenches +2, Bruchmuller event -2, for a final result of 2. This gives a no coordination result. The green die roll result for the German attacker is 6. Since it is a natural 6, the modifiers don't matter and the result is Perfect coordination.

Step 10: The defender and then the attacker convert their hit points into combat results, and then apply their tactical coordination results. Because he has a no coordination result, the defender must convert all his hit points into losses. He suffers 2 step losses for 6 hit points, which eliminates his division. The extra 2 hit points have no effect and are discarded. The attacker suffers one hit point and his lead unit becomes disorganized.

Because the defender is eliminated and the attacker benefits from perfect coordination, his units which have not suffered step losses or become disorganized may advance up to 2 hexes, moving first into the hex where the combat took place. The 34th DI ends its advance in hex 53.25, eliminating the British artillery unit that it has moved adjacent to because the artillery unit finds itself alone in an enemy ZoC. The two undamaged infantry regiments from the stack in hex 54.23 advance through the combat hex into hex 54.25.

The German player also has 2 Exploitation markers available. He places one on his division and one on his stack in hex 54.25. Because the two regiments in the stack are part of the same division, they can both be activated with one marker. The units marked for exploitation will be able to move up to one half of their movement allowance during the coming Exploitation phase.

Basic Game Sequence Summary

Administrative Sequence

• Offensive declaration phase: The player holding the initiative declares if he is launching an offensive. Declaring an offensive gives the following benefits: the turn has 2 additional operational sequences; depending on the scenario, 1 or 2 army artillery units can be placed in offensive mode; units attacking a hex in range of artillery in offensive mode are awarded an offensive bonus in combat (12.2.4 and 12.2.6); the initiative player can place units in Reserve (11.2.6).
• Supply Phase: Each player checks whether all his units are in supply (9.0). Unsupplied combat units receive an Out of supply marker and suffer from the following effects: an unsupplied unit may not attack, if attacked it suffers from an unfavourable modifier (12.2.4); it can only move in order to move back into supply as quickly as possible. Unsupplied support units are removed from play (9.0).
• Air Superiority Phase: The player with the initiative consults the Air Superiority Table to determine the number of air support units available for the turn (17.0).

1st Operational Sequence

• Weather phase: The initiative player rolls 2 dice to determine the weather conditions for the current sequence (10.0).
• Initiative player movement phase: The initiative player can move all or some of his units (11.0): Air units are moved before any other units (17.0); Reinforcements arrival (11.1.5); Relief (11.2.2); Pontoon bridges construction (11.2.4); Bridge Destruction / Repairing (11.2.5); Forced March (11.2.6); Put Reserve markers (11.2.7) and Disengagement markers (11.2.8) on units that have not moved.
• Initiative player combat phase: The initiative player can carry out attacks with all or some of his units that are adjacent to enemy units (12.0):
  • Step 1: The phasing player designates the attacking units and the target(s).
  • Step 2: The attacker designates any artillery units that will be used to support the attack (12.2.1).
  • Step 3: The defender states which of his artillery units will support the defenders, and which will carry out counter-battery fire (12.2.2).
  • Step 4: The attacker states which of his artillery units will carry out counter-battery fire (12.2.2).
  • Step 5: The bombardment results are determined, first on the attacking units, then on the defending units (12.2.2 and 15.2.2).
  • Step 6: The attacker and the defender state which are their leading units (12.2.3).
  • Step 7: The combat odds ratio is determined (12.2.4).
  • Step 8: Combat resolution (12.2.5).
  • Step 9: The defender tests his tactical coordination, followed by the attacker (12.2.7).
  • Step 10: The defender then the attacker convert their hits into step losses, taking into account the results of their respective tactical coordination rolls (12.2.7 and 12.2.8). Defender can retreat (12.3) and attacker can advance (12.4) after combat.
• Initiative player disengagement phase: Disengagement is performed like retreat after combat (13.0 and 12.3).
• Initiative player exploitation phase: The initiative player can do the following: exploitation combat by units adjacent to enemy units (14.1); Exploitation markers on units in enemy ZoC are removed; exploitation movement with exploitation units (half of movement allowance, rounded up) and reserve units (movement allowance +2) (14.2); marker adjustment for both sides (14.3): players remove any RG markers on units that are not in an enemy ZOC, DG markers are flipped to their RG side, Exploitation, Reserve, Disengagement and Pinned markers are removed from map.
• Reaction player movement, combat, disengagement and exploitation phases: the reacting player carries out these 4 phases with his own units in the same manner as the initiative player previously.

At the end of the 1st operational sequence, if the initiative player declared an offensive, 2 additional operational sequences are played, each following the same sequence as the first.

2nd Operational Sequence (if an offensive is underway)

Follows the same sequence.

3rd Operational Sequence (if an offensive is underway)

Follows the same sequence.

Victory Point Sequence and End of Turn

Each player adds any victory points earned during the turn to the victory point track on the map. If it is the final turn of the game, they then determine who has won. If not, the game-turn marker is moved into the next space on the turn record track and the players begin the next turn.

A. The Advanced Rules

The advanced rules allow for a campaign game that simulates all of Operation 'Michael' from March 21st to April 8th, the date when Operation 'Georgette', the German offensive in Flanders was launched.

The advanced rules introduce several new concepts that recreate specific factors that affected the actual campaign: Allied coordination, the evolution of Stosstruppen tactics, and the impact of outside events on the campaign itself.

These rules are not meant to make the game more complex! They are organized in such a way as to enable the players to learn the rules as they use them. In addition, most of these new rules come directly from the description of the effects from the random events that are part of the advanced game. We suggest that the players don't study the random events in too much detail ahead of time, so that when they are pulled and played the players will enjoy the element of surprise and discovery as the game progresses.

These rules are organized by letters to distinguish them from the Basic rules set.

If a conflict between the two rules sets occurs, the Advanced rules will always take precedent over the Basic rules when the campaign game is being played.

Note to players who have the game Marne 1918: The advanced rules for Somme 1918 are different from those for Marne 1918. The rationale for this in the game design is that Operation Michael historically only lasted several weeks, which would not allow the full use of the campaign rules from Marne 1918. The victory conditions in Somme 1918 are also judged differently and do not depend on the success of each offensive, but on the final result of the campaign.

The next title in the series will cover the German offensive in Flanders and will be able to be linked into one grand campaign game to play out the Somme and Flanders offensives. The next title will use new advanced rules, based on the experience from its two predecessors.

Description of New Player Game Aids

Each player has a game aid card that will have the following elements:

For the German player, the card has a Strategic Reserve box where units can be placed with the use of "Offensive", "Strategic Reserve" and/or "Better Organization" events.

The German player's card also has a German Objectives box where the captured "German objective" markers are placed.

Both players' cards have a Destroyed Units box and a Replacement table that is used to return eliminated units to the game.

Both cards have an Events on hand box for holding the player's random event markers that haven't been played yet.

Both cards have an Events in Cup box where the players can put their cups containing the random events.

Campaign Set Up

The players set up their units according to the campaign scenario initial set up.

The "German objective" markers are put into a pool, and randomly drawn and placed, one at a time, according to the set up directions with the "Iron Cross" side face up.

Each player draws his random events as described in C.2.

Glossary

• Strategic Reserve box: box on player's game aid where units are placed and held until they are put into play as reinforcements during an offensive.
• Offensive marker: random event marker allowing a player to launch an offensive. Characteristics of the offensive are written on the marker. "Offensive" markers are obtained by a random chit pull.
• Initiative: The player that has the initiative goes first during a turn. The player who launched the last offensive will hold the initiative. The other player is the reacting player.
• Destroyed units box: box on the player's game aid where units destroyed in combat are placed. They may return to the game depending on the results on the Replacement Table.
• Random Events: markers that are randomly drawn by players each turn to simulate the random aspects of the campaign. The events have a large effect on the progress of the game.

B. New Sequence of Play

The Advanced game sequence of play is as follows:

Administrative sequence:

• Random event marker chit pull
• Declaration and placement of offensives: determination of initiative
• Supply phase
• Optional: Offensive preparation phase by the reacting player
• Replacement phase
• Reinforcement phase
• Air superiority phase

1st Operational Sequence:

• Weather
• Initiative player movement phase
• Initiative player combat phase
• Initiative player disengagement phase
• Initiative player exploitation phase
• Initiative player strategic movement phase
• Reaction player movement phase
• Reaction player combat phase
• Reaction player disengagement phase
• Reaction player exploitation phase
• Reaction player strategic movement phase

2nd Operational Sequence (if an offensive was declared): follows the same sequence.

3rd Operational Sequence (if an offensive was declared): follows same sequence.

End of Turn Sequence

C. Random Event Chit Draw Phase

C.1 – Description of Random Events

Each side has a set of random event markers, distinguished by the color of the counters and the symbols on the back side: a cockade for the Allies and an iron cross for the Germans.

Each event is described in detail on the player game aids of each side.

Sample random event marker: front side shows the name of the event (for example "Charge of the Canadian Cavalry"); the back side indicates the turn when the event is put into the player's draw pool (for example, 3).

In addition, each event is characterized in the description of its effect by one or more symbols, noted on each side's game aid card:

• @: The event must be played this turn if its conditions are met. Otherwise, it is returned to the draw cup.
• &: The event can be kept and played in a later turn, or it can be returned to the draw cup.
• #: The event can only occur one time in the game.
• %: The event may be returned to the draw cup after it is played, or the player can choose to remove it from the game.
• $: The event must be returned to the draw cup after it is played.

C.2 – Set Up of Random Events

At the start of the game, each player sorts his event markers by the numbers printed on the back side. The events numbered 1 are placed in an opaque container, one for each player.

The other event markers are placed on the turn track on the turn box with the corresponding number on the marker.

The containers represent the draw cup for each player.

C.3 – Drawing and Use of Random Events

During the Administrative sequence, each player randomly draws three random event markers from his draw cup.

The events with a red stripe on the back side must be played immediately, following the appropriate instructions.

For each event marker that the player draws, he must decide during the Administrative phase if he will keep it, return it to the draw cup, or remove it from the game. He places the markers he will keep in the Events on hand box on his game aid.

At the end of the Administrative sequence, each player may have no more than three event markers. Exception: the three marker limit does not apply to the German player on the first game turn.

Each event is precisely described on the corresponding Allied or German random events card.

There is no limit to the number of events that can be played during a single turn.

In case of a rules conflict, the Advanced game rules for random events take precedent over the Basic rules.

D. Declaration of Offensives Phase

This chapter revises and replaces most of Chapter 8.0 in the Basic rules.

D.1 – General Concepts

During this phase each player, beginning with the player who holds the initiative, can decide to declare he is launching an offensive. In order to do so, the player must have available:

• An Offensive random event marker
• At least one Army Artillery unit on the map or in the Strategic Reserve box
• Optional Rule (see paragraph F below): For the reacting player only, an HQ unit on its "offensive possible" side.

If these preconditions are met, an offensive can be declared.

The act of declaring an offensive will give the player several advantages, described in Chapter 8.0 of the Basic rules.

D.2 – Description of Offensive Markers

The players obtain Offensive markers by randomly pulling them from the draw cup. Each marker is characterized by the following information:

The Name of the Offensive is shown, for historical reference.

The number of cannons shown on the counter indicates the Number of Army Artillery Units that may be placed in Offensive mode. The artillery units are immediately flipped to their back side.

The offensive bonus indicates for each operational sequence to come the bonus to apply for combat resolution and tactical coordination. The numbers, from left to right, correspond respectively to the offensive bonus for the three operational sequences.

D.3 – Setting Up the Offensive

The player who declared an offensive for this turn starts by placing the number of army artillery units indicated by the Offensive marker being played into offensive mode (see D.2). One army artillery unit from the Strategic reserve box can be chosen for this purpose. Next, the German player has the possibility of moving units from the Strategic reserve box onto the map. These units must be placed within five hexes of one or several friendly HQ units that are already on the map at the beginning of the turn, in their command radius, and at least three hexes from the nearest enemy unit.

Optional rule: If it is the reaction player who is declaring an offensive, one or more friendly HQ units must have been flipped to their "offensive possible" face (see F).

Stacking limits must be obeyed during the placement of these units.

Important note: If one of the artillery units placed in "Offensive mode" came from the Strategic Reserve box, it must be placed on a non-precarious railroad hex, where a supply line can be traced along the railroad to a supply source.

D.4 – The Strategic Reserve Box

The German player has a Strategic reserve box on his player aid card, where he may place units via the random events "better organization", "Strategic reserve", "Offensive Mars" and "Offensive Valkyrie".

An unlimited number of units can be in the Strategic reserve box at any given time.

An unlimited number of units can be moved out of the Strategic reserve box during the set up for an offensive (see D.3).

D.5 – Initiative

The player with the initiative plays first during the different operational sequences. His opponent is called the reaction player. The initiative belongs to the player who launched the last offensive.

During the declaration of offensives phase, the player with the initiative gets to choose first if he wants to launch a new offensive. If he does so, his opponent may not launch his own offensive this turn, even if he has the necessary preconditions for doing so.

On the other hand if the reacting player is able to launch an offensive during the declaration of offensives phase, then he will gain the initiative and his opponent will switch roles.

If no offensives are declared, the player who has the initiative retains it for the turn.

E. Supply Phase

E.1 – Verification of the Supply Status of Units and Effect of Being Out of Supply

These rules are the same as in the Basic rules set (see 9.0).

F. Optional Rules: Reaction Player Offensive Preparation Phase

This rule is designed to prevent the reaction player from preparing for his offensive in the next turn by launching attacks in the preceding turn to weaken his opponent's defenses (flip-flop effect). The rule may be ignored if both players agree to play "in the spirit of the rules".

During this phase, the reaction player can choose to turn all or some of his HQs on their "Offensive Possible" face or in their original face. The "Offensive Possible" face is indicated by the abbreviation "Off" on the national flag of the HQ. The movement allowance of the HQ is reduced to zero.

Only the HQs situated on a road or railway can be placed in their "Offensive Possible" mode.

The following constraints are applied to HQs placed in "Offensive Possible" mode:

• These HQs cannot be moved freely.
• No attacks can be declared by the reaction player within the command range of these HQs.

The reaction player can, at any time, flip an HQ in "Offensive Possible" mode onto its normal face, but he is penalized one victory point per HQ flipped.

G. Replacement Phase

During this phase each player throws 2d6 and checks the result on the Replacement Table to see how many of his previously eliminated units, located in the Destroyed Units box on his game card, can be rebuilt.

The 2d6 roll can be modified as shown on the table.

The results on the Replacement Table give for each type of division the number of step losses, or the number of corps artillery units, that can be rebuilt. If there are no units of that type in the Destroyed Units box, the player can choose a unit from the left-hand column from the unit type that would have been rebuilt.

Example: On a result of 11, if the player has no artillery units that were destroyed, he can choose instead to rebuild one step loss of a division of morale 2 to 6.

Rebuilt units only recover one step loss; they cannot be built back to full strength. Rebuilt units can be immediately placed on the map on or adjacent to an HQ of the same nationality. They cannot set up in an enemy ZoC. They can move freely the same turn they are placed.

H. Air Superiority Phase

These rules are unchanged from the Basic rules set (see 17.0).

I. Weather

These rules are the same as the Basic rules (see 10.0).

Several consecutive turns of overcast weather will change 'plains' terrain hexes to 'flooded plains' hexes (see Campaign Special Rules).

J. Reinforcements Phase

During this phase, each player consults his list of scheduled reinforcements.

This shows what reinforcements are available and the turn that they will arrive.

Reinforcements arrive during the movement phase of the specified operational sequence:

• Via a specific entry hex (spending movement points to enter that hex as the first hex moved). For the Allied player, if the specified entry hex is in an enemy ZoC, the reinforcements will enter instead on a supply source that is closest to, and to the west of, the original entry hex.
• Either stacked with or adjacent to a friendly HQ unit that is located on a road hex or railway hex that leads to a supply source and that can trace a valid supply line (see 9.1). Reinforcement units cannot be placed in an enemy ZoC. A maximum of 2 divisions (an artillery unit counts as a division for this rule) may enter in this manner. This limit of two divisions is global to the two nationalities.

Air units that arrive as reinforcements are placed directly into the "available air support" box at the beginning of the Air Superiority phase, and are immediately available.

K. Movement Phase

The rules for moving combat and support units are the same as in the Basic rules (see 9.0).

L. Combat Phase

The rules for resolving combat and determining tactical coordination results are the same as in the Basic rules (see 12.0).

In the Advanced game, units eliminated in combat are placed in the Destroyed Units box on the player's card and are available for replacements (see G).

M. Disengagement Phase

The rules are the same as in the Basic rules (see 13.0).

N. Exploitation Phase

The rules are the same as in the Basic game (see 14.0).

O. The Strategic Reserve Box

The German player's game card has a Strategic Reserve box where he can temporarily place units with the purpose of bringing them into play as reinforcements for an offensive.

An unlimited number of units may be in the Strategic Reserve at any given time.

Units are removed from the Strategic reserve box and placed on the map as part of the preparations for an offensive (see D.4).

A unit is placed into the Strategic Reserve box under the following conditions:

• The German player plays the event "Strategic reserve" possibly with the event "Better Organization".
• The German player plays the event "Offensive Mars" or "Offensive Valkyrie".

P. Determining Victory Points

P.1 – German "Objectives" Markers

Winning the Campaign scenario depends on which territorial objectives have been captured by the German player. These objectives are represented by the markers labeled "German Objectives" (hereafter referred to as "objective markers").

The front side of an objective marker has from one to three Iron Cross symbol(s) depicted. The marker is placed front side up on the map, as indicated by the Campaign scenario special rules.

The back side of the objective marker gives the following information:

• Number of Victory Points, from 0 to 9.
• Possibly, a portrait of a French general: Foch, Petain, or Joffre.

When the German player captures for the first time a hex that contains an objective marker, he removes it from the map and places it in the "German Objectives" box on his game card.

These markers will be used first to resolve the random event "Doullens Conference" (see special rules) and at the end of the game to determine the winner.

P.2 – Ending the Game by Decisive Victory

If at the end of an Allied operational sequence the German player has a combat unit in Arras AND Amiens, and if these units can trace a valid line of supply, the game ends immediately as a German Strategic Victory.

P.3 – Determining Victory at the End of the Game

At the end of the game the German player totals up his earned victory points from the objective markers that he has captured. He adds or subtracts victory points for the following:

• +5 VP to his total if he has at least 5 Stosstruppen units on the map at the end of the game
• +10 VP for capturing Arras
• +20 VP for capturing Amiens
• +3 VP if Joffre was named Generalissimo
• +15 VP if Petain was named Generalissimo
• +5 VP if the Doullens Conference random event was not played
• -5 VP if Foch was named Generalissimo

The Victory Point total is used to determine the winner and the level of victory:

• 0 to 15 VP: Allied strategic victory
• 16 to 20 VP: Allied operational victory
• 21 to 25 VP: Allied tactical victory
• 26 to 32 VP: Draw. This was the historical result. Even if this campaign can be regarded as a German victory, the German player must do better than his historical counterpart to win the game.
• 33 to 45 VP: German tactical victory
• 46 to 69 VP: German operational victory
• 70 or more VP: German strategic victory

Campaign Scenario: Somme 1918 – Bloody Spring

This scenario covers the entire campaign, from the start of Operation Michael to the stabilization of the front.

• Length: The campaign scenario lasts 7 turns, from March 21st to April 8th 1918.
• Playing Area: The entire game map is used for the campaign scenario.
• Initial Allied set up: The Allied player sets up first, using the Allied setup playing aid card.
• Initial German set up: The German player sets up second, using the German setup playing aid card.

Placement of "German Objective" markers:

• The Allied player places all of the objective markers with one Iron Cross symbol on the front side into an opaque container. He draws them one at a time and places them on the map front side up, without revealing the back side, on the hexes marked with a single Iron Cross symbol: 44.14, 43.18, 42.19, 42.20, 42.24, 43.26, 47.25, 52.28, and 51.30.
• Next, the Allied player places all of the objective markers marked with two Iron Crosses on the front side into the container. He draws them one at a time and places them front side up on the map without revealing the back side, on hexes marked with two Iron Cross symbols: 33.29, 37.33, 39.27, 41.35, 45.31, 31.19, 31.21, 35.16, 40.12, and 48.12.
• Finally the Allied player places the objective markers with three Iron Crosses on the front side into the container, and draws them one at a time and places them front side up on the map without revealing the back side, on hexes marked with three Iron Cross symbols: 25.20, 27.21, 27.19, 25.30, 36.06, 38.05, and 55.36.

Reinforcement schedule: Reinforcements arrive as described in Chapter J of the Advanced rules.

French reinforcements:

• Turn 2, first operational phase: 35th DI/4, 55th DI/3, 125th DI/3 via a hex on the south map edge. One corps artillery unit via a hex on the south map edge.
• Turn 2, third operational phase: 1st DI/4, 22nd DI/4, 36th DI/4, an army artillery unit, and a corps artillery unit via a hex on the south map edge.
• Turn 3, first operational phase: 4th Cav/2, 5th Cav/2, 12th DI/4, HQ VIth Army via a hex on the south map edge.
• Turn 3, second operational phase: 53rd DI/3, 38th DI (3 regiments)/5, 56th DI (3 regiments)/5, an army artillery unit, and a corps artillery unit via a hex on the south map edge.
• Turn 4, first operational phase: 1st DCP/4, 29th DI (3 regiments)/5, 45th DI (3 regiments)/5, 67th DI/3, 77th DI/4, 127th DI/3, HQ Ist Army, one army artillery unit, and one corps artillery unit via a hex on the south map edge.
• Turn 5, first operational phase: 2nd DCP/3, 163rd DI/3 via a hex on the south map edge.
• Turn 6, first operational phase: 196th DI (3 regiments)/5, 15th DI/4, 17th DI/2, and one corps artillery unit via a hex on the south map edge.
• Turn 7, first operational phase: 64th DI/3, and 65th DI/3 via a hex on the south map edge.

British reinforcements:

• Turn 2, first operational phase: 8th DI/3 on a hex containing a road that goes through hex 25.30 to Amiens.
• Turn 2, second operational phase: 35th DI/3, on a hex containing a road that goes through hex 25.30 to Amiens. 42nd DI/3, and one corps artillery unit via a hex on the north map edge, west of hex 3701 inclusive.
• Turn 2, third operational phase: NZ DI (3 regiments)/5, and one corps level artillery unit on a hex containing a road that goes through hex 25.30 to Amiens.
• Turn 3, first operational phase: 32nd DI/4, 4th AUS DI (4th Brigade)/6, and one corps level artillery unit via a hex on the north map edge, west of hex 3701 inclusive. 12th DI/4 on a hex containing a road that goes through hex 25.30 to Amiens.
• Turn 3, second operational phase: 1ère CAN DI (3 regiments)/5 and one army artillery unit via a hex on the north map edge, west of hex 3701 inclusive.
• Turn 4, first operational phase: 3rd AUS DI (3 brigades)/6, and 37th DI/4 via a hex on the north map edge, west of hex 3701 inclusive.

German reinforcements:

• Turn 1, third operational phase: 12th DI/4, via a hex on the east map edge, north of hex 5832.
• Turn 2, second operational phase: 16th Bav DI/4, 26th Res DI/4, and 33rd DI (3 regiments)/5 via a hex on the east map edge north of hex 5832. The German player must remove two corps artillery units of his choice from the map. They return when the event marker "Operation Valkyrie" is played.
• Turn 4, first operational phase: 75th Res DI/2, 242nd DI/3, and 2 Bav DI (3 regiments)/6, VIIth army HQ via a hex on the east map edge north of hex 5832.
• Turn 6, first operational phase: 5th Bav Res DI/4 via a hex on the east map edge, north of hex 5832.
• Turn 7, first operational phase: 200th DI/4 via a hex on the east map edge north of hex 5832.

Weather and Allied doctrine: The doctrine of the Allied troops is as follows:

• French: Foch doctrine
• British: evolving doctrine

Special Rules for Somme 1918:

1 - Offensive:

The German player begins the game holding the following event markers: Offensive Michael North, Offensive Michael South, Offensive Michael 2, Offensive Mars, and Bruchmuller.

Note: the events "Offensive Michael North" and "Offensive Michael South" represent the same event, "Operation Michael 1". The two markers are placed on different German army artillery level units to indicate the different modifiers.

The German player holds the initiative at the start of the game and must launch during turn 1 the offensives "Michael North" and "Michael South", with the following characteristics:

• Two army artillery units may be flipped to place them in "offensive" mode. One of the two units must be in hex 4307.
• Offensive modifiers: +1/0/0 for the artillery in hex 4307; +3/+2/+1 for the other artillery.

The German player also receives the benefits from the Bruchmuller event marker as described in 15.2.2 of the Basic rules. This marker must be placed on an army artillery unit within the command radius of the XVIII th Army HQ.

On turn 2, the German player must launch "Offensive Michael 2."

On turn 3 the German player must launch "Offensive Mars".

2 - General von Hutier:

The German general von Hutier had perfectly mastered the new combat techniques thanks to his experience using them on the Russian and Italian fronts. He was also close to Colonel Bruchmuller, and expert in the use of artillery.

At the start of the initial game set up, the marker v.Hutier is placed on the HQ of the XVIII Army. He must remain with this HQ for the entire game, or until the event marker "von Hutier is reassigned" is played. If the HQ unit that v.Hutier is stacked with is eliminated, he is removed from the game.

The v. Hutier marker gives the following bonuses:

• Combats that occur within 8 hexes of the HQ where v.Hutier is stacked will receive the benefits for participating Stosstruppen units (combat bonus shift, bonus for the tactical coordination table, and advance after combat through enemy ZoC).
• Combats involving Stosstruppen units outside of 8 hexes do not receive any special bonuses. However, a Stosstruppen unit can be used to absorb hit points as stated in the Basic rules.
• The "Bruchmuller" marker must be placed within the 8 hexes of the HQ where v.Hutier is stacked.
• During an offensive, combat units within 4 hexes of the HQ unit stacked with v.Hutier may be placed in reserve.
• The HQ unit that is stacked with von Hutier cannot move during the movement phase, but it may move in the exploitation phase with its full movement allowance.

3 - Ludendorff Hesitates:

During the campaign the overall German commander Ludendorff hesitated several times over the strategic goals for his operation, interfering with how it was carried out.

The German player cannot use the same army artillery unit in "offensive mode" for two consecutive turns.

Once the "Choice of Strategy" random event is played this rule no longer has effect for the remainder of the game.

4 - Flooded Plains:

At the start of the game the terrain hex type of 'flooded plains' is treated as clear terrain for all effects. During the game, if the weather conditions result 'overcast' is rolled five times (in total, not consecutively) the modifiers for 'flooded plains' then applies for the rest of the game.

5 - Petain's Reluctance:

Marshal Petain was extremely reticent to send reinforcements to his British counterpart General Haig, especially in light of the British rout during the first days of the battle.

At the beginning of turn 2, before each Allied movement phase the Allied player throws a 1d6 and consults the following table:

• dr 1,2: Full cooperation. All French reinforcements arrive as scheduled this turn.
• dr 3: During all of turn 2 and 1st operational sequence of turn 3, French reinforcements arrive during the sequence being played with their artillery. After turn 3, treat this die roll result as no effect.
• dr 4: One French division, at the choice of the Allied player, scheduled to arrive this sequence will arrive instead during the next operational sequence. If this result occurs during the 3rd operational sequence, the scheduled reinforcement is delayed until the 1st sequence of the next game turn.
• dr 5: The British must hold! The Allied player must first move all of his British units, but none of his French units. If he does not place more than three "Disengagement" markers on his British units, he can then move his French units freely. If four or more markers are placed, the French units remain in place. French reinforcements arrive normally, but may not move further pending the actions of the British units.
• dr 6: The British must fight! The Allied player must first move all of his British units, but none of his French units. If he decides to declare two combats with his British units (this declaration is an exception to the Basic Rules) and the odds ratio before adding in bombardments is at least 1/1, then he can move his French units freely. If he does not, the French units remain in place. French reinforcements arrive normally, but may not move further pending the actions of the British units.

6 - French Reinforcements and "No Artillery" Markers

To try to quickly shore up the catastrophic situation caused by the German attack, French divisions were rushed to the front without their usual complement of divisional artillery.

During turn 2 and during the 1st operational sequence of turn 3, French divisions arriving as reinforcements are marked with a "no artillery" marker when they are placed on the map board.

A "no artillery" marker gives the following modifications:

• Morale: -1
• Attack and Defense strength: divided by 2 (fractions rounded up)
• Movement allowance: +2

At the start of the German combat phase, the Allied player makes a 1d6 roll for each of his "no artillery" marked units:

• dr 1 or less, the marker is removed and there are no penalties
• dr 2 or more, the marker remains

DRMs:

• Units on a railroad: -2
• Units on a road: -1
• Units in terrain other than clear: +1

The railroad or road that is being used for the favorable DRM must not be in an enemy ZoC. Friendly units do negate enemy ZoC for this purpose.

7 - Allied Cooperation

At the start of the German offensive the Allies did not have a unified command, and other than for some agreements about strategy, each nation conducted their military operations independently. The nomination of Foch at the Doullens conference helped to promote cooperation between the Allies, but it was still not total.

The following rules apply at the start of the game, and remain in effect until the outcome of the "Doullens conference" event.

• Stacking restrictions: Units of different nationalities may never stack together. In case of a retreat where a unit moves into a hex with units from a different nationality, the retreating unit must move one extra hex to remedy this. Units that have a unit from another nationality retreating through their hex become disorganized at the end of the units' retreat.
• Combat restrictions: Units of different nationalities may not attack the same hex. Artillery units cannot participate in attack and defense in combat with units of a different nationality. Air units may not fly missions on behalf of another nation.

Clarification: For the purposes of this rule Canadian, Australian and New Zealand units are considered British nationality.

When the event "Doullens conference" is resolved, all or part of these restrictions may be negated during the rest of the game, depending on who is named as Generalissimo.

If Foch is Generalissimo, and the random event "Cooperation" is played, all of the above restrictions are negated.

If Joffre is Generalissimo and the event "Cooperation" is played, the Allied player can negate ONE of the above restrictions for the turn. The "Cooperation" marker is then returned to the draw cup.

8 - Evolution of Stosstruppen Tactics

The doctrine of infiltration tactics for the use of Stosstruppen units was developed mainly by the work of General von Hutier, during the battles of Riga on the Russian front and Caporetto in the Italian theater. At the beginning of Operation Michael, the generals commanding the German II and XVII Armies used their Stosstruppen for costly frontal assaults, bleeding these elite troops, much to the anger of Ludendorff.

The doctrine for using Stosstruppen units will be evolving all during the game. Initially the German player places the "Stoss Doctrine" marker in the "von Hutier's mastery" box on the Evolution of Stoss doctrine track on the map.

At the start of the game, only combats that take place within an 8 hex radius of the German HQ that is stacked with the von Hutier marker will receive the benefits of Stosstruppen units in combat (combat bonus, bonus on the Tactical Coordination table [TCT] and advance after combat through enemy ZoCs). Any other combats outside this radius where Stosstruppen units are participating do not receive any extra bonus. However, a Stosstruppen unit can be used to absorb hit points as stated in the Basic rules.

The "Stoss Doctrine" marker can be moved to the "TCT bonus" box on the Evolution of Stoss doctrine track when the "Stosstruppen doctrine" random event is played that turn. The effect is that combats involving Stosstruppen units more than 8 hexes from the von Hutier marker will get the TCT bonus.

If the "Stoss Doctrine" marker is already in the "TCT bonus" box when the "Stosstruppen doctrine" event is played, the marker is advanced to the "Combat bonus" box. The effect is that combats involving Stosstruppen units more than 8 hexes from the von Hutier marker will get the TCT bonus and combat bonus.

Finally if the "Stoss Doctrine" marker is already in the "Combat Bonus" box when "Stosstruppen doctrine" event is played, the marker is moved to the "Infiltration" box. The effect is that any combat involving Stosstruppen units receives all their benefits regardless of their distance from the von Hutier marker.

9 - The Doullens Conference

During the chaos of the German offensive, and with the French Army, under Petain's urging, ready to break off contact with the British, the English General Haig agreed, at the Allied conference called Doullens, to place himself under the authority of the French General Foch, finally allowing for the creation of a joint supreme Allied command.

The conference takes place when the "Doullens" Allied random event marker is played.

The German player gathers up all of the objective markers that he has captured so far in the game and puts them in an opaque container. All of the level 1 objective markers (one Iron Cross symbol) still on the map are removed from the map and set aside; they will not be counted for the victory point total at the end of the game used to determine the winner.

The Allied player then randomly draws five objective markers from the container and places them face up on the "Doullens" track located on the map.

If there are less than five markers in the container, then Foch is automatically promoted to Generalissimo.

The result of the Doullens conference depends on the objective markers that the Allied player has drawn. The objective markers show on their back side the portrait of a French general: Foch, Petain, or Joffre (or possibly no portrait).

Whoever has the most portrait objective markers visible is promoted to Generalissimo of the Allied Armies, with the consequences described below.

If no general has a majority, the conference has not concluded. The five markers are returned to the "German Objectives" box on the German player's game card, and markers that were not drawn by the Allied player are left in the container.

As long as the conference is not concluded, the Allied player repeats the random draw of objective markers in the following turn's Administrative phase. If the German player captures more objective markers, they are added to the container when the next turn begins.

Once the conference is concluded by the naming of a French personality as Generalissimo, or if the game has ended, all of the objective markers are returned to the German player's game card.

Outcome of the Doullens Conference:

If Foch is named Generalissimo:

1. The event "Cooperation" is added to the Allied random event pool.
2. If "Cooperation" event is played by the Allied player, all restrictions to Allied cooperation are lifted.
3. The rule requiring cohesion of the French front line is negated. The random event marker for this is removed from the Allied pool.
4. The event "Offensive Foch" is added to the Allied random event pool.
5. The special rule "Petain's reluctance" is negated for the remainder of the game.

If Joffre is named Generalissimo:

1. The event "Cooperation" is added to the Allied random event pool.
2. If "Cooperation" event is played by the Allied player, one restriction, either stacking or combat, is negated. The marker is then returned to the draw cup.
3. The rule requiring cohesion of the French front line is negated. The random event marker for this is removed from the Allied pool.
4. The event "Offensive Foch" is removed from the game.

If Petain is named Generalissimo:

1. The event marker "Cooperation" is removed from the Allied random events pool and all the rules restricting cooperation remain in effect for the rest of the game.
2. The event "Offensive Foch" is removed from the game.
3. The French army goes directly to the Petain Doctrine.
4. The special rule "Petain's reluctance" is negated for the remainder of the game.
5. No French units can move or operate north of the River Somme for the rest of the game. Any French units that are north of the river must move south of it as rapidly as possible.

Designer's Notes

The success and acclaim for Marne 1918 pushed the designers to develop another game using the same system. The natural choice fell upon Plan Michael, the best known of the 1918 spring offensives that determined the outcome of the Great War. There was already plenty of solid documentation from research for Marne 1918, and the exact Order of Battle for both sides was easy to obtain. The two games (and future releases) were meant to be compatible, at least in their simulation of the operational aspects of the campaigns. This meant that the same game scale (terrain: 1 hex = 3 km and 1 turn = 2 to 3 days actual time) had to be used. During early playtests it was pleasantly surprising to see that the historical results for the first several turns were obtained by using the unchanged basic rules of Marne 1918. The game system was thus a reasonable simulation for both events, even though the nature of the 1918 Marne and Somme offensives were totally different. Once the basic game system was confirmed valid, development could begin on the details for the new game.

It quickly became obvious that the nature of the two battles meant that the advanced campaign rules for Marne 1918 could not be used for Somme 1918. The Marne campaign saw successive offensives, with multiple attacks of short duration occurring over a time span of two months. At the Somme there was one gigantic attack, Operation Michael, which only lasted several weeks. The rhythm of the two games was not the same. The planning of offensives and reserves, the way that units were rebuilt, all of these elements played out very differently at the Somme.

After several attempts at trying to force Somme 1918 into the same mold as Marne 1918 no matter what, the designer finally gave up. Even with some adjustments to the Marne rules, the resulting depiction of the Somme didn't feel right. Admittedly the gamers who already owned Marne 1918 might find some consistency with the tweaks to the rules, but players would be put off or confused by the necessary complication of the rules and the artificial limitations to game play. So the decision was made to cut to the chase and make one of the more difficult things to do in game design: simplify.

The campaign rules turned out in the end to be much easier than those in Marne 1918. All of the new rules put in place resulted in simpler game play (replacement tables, random events). They did not complicate the basic game and experienced players could get into the campaign game very quickly. The loss of the planning and strategy required to be successful in Marne 1918 is largely made up by the dynamic interaction between the players and the tension for each side, which lasts for the whole campaign, when playing Somme.

The following notes are largely taken from the first edition of Marne 1918.

Line Divisions and Elite Divisions

By the spring of 1918 the belligerents were exhausted and for the most part the troops had lost their fighting edge. The Allied blockade was strangling Germany and the civilians were suffering heavily from the effects, causing a drop in the soldiers' morale. On the other side the French and English armies were spent by their bloody and fruitless offensives of the previous year. The French army in particular was on the brink of disintegration after the disaster of the Chemin des Dames attacks in 1917 and was just now starting to rally. Only the Americans, fresh and blissfully unaware of the horrors of the war, were fielding an army with overall high morale.

Faced with the same problems, both sides adopted a similar approach to deploying their spent forces. The majority of divisions were hunkered down in defensive positions where they could still be effective, while the remaining elite troops were regrouped into assault or shock divisions, and they benefited from better supplies and weaponry.

This is translated in game terms by having two kinds of combat units: line divisions, represented by a single counter, and elite divisions, which are made up of three regimental counters. Elite divisions have better morale ratings, higher movement factors, and can take more step losses than a line division, to represent their higher cohesion in the face of combat.

The Stosstruppen

These elite assault units (sturmtruppen) have long been touted as the decisive factor in the final German offensives, but nonetheless they were only one part of the new German tactics that were so effective during Ludendorff's hammer blows. Intensively trained and lavishly supplied, these units nonetheless benefited greatly from the panic created by the initial bombardment orchestrated by Bruchmuller.

In the Somme 1918 game, Stosstruppen units confer a combat bonus that can be decisive when they are stacked with the attacking units in an offensive. They also allow the regiments they are stacked with to ignore enemy ZoC during advance after combat. However, players will quickly find that without artillery support and against enemy elite units, their "Stoss" units will not perform miracles and they will be quickly reduced if used as mere cannon fodder in head on attacks (as happened historically).

Unlike Marne 1918, the combat bonuses given by Stosstruppen units are not automatic. Historically the Somme offensive was the first time that these elite units were employed on a grand scale. Although von Hutier, the father of these innovative infiltration tactics, knew well how to make the best use of these units' special abilities, this was not the case for the other army commanders. They squandered their allotted Stoss units in costly frontal attacks, and the Stosstruppen were bled white during the first days of the offensive against Arras and Flesquieres. In the game rules, only the Stosstruppen under the direct command of von Hutier will have the full combat bonuses that the players of Marne 1918 are familiar with. Along the rest of the front, the Stoss units gradually increase their effectiveness during the course of the game by the playing of random events.

Tanks

In game terms, the effects of tank units give three advantages: they add their attack factor to combats they participate in, they give a bonus on the CRT, and finally, reflecting the protection they gave to the infantry, they can be used to absorb step losses. The effects will vary depending on the type of tank.

Unlike Marne 1918, tanks will not play a decisive role in Somme 1918. Historically in March 1918 the mass production of tanks was just gearing up, and they would not be available in large numbers until the end of spring, especially the superior turreted French Renault 17 tank, the "tank of victory".

In Somme 1918 the Allied player will only have at his disposal several units of British Mk IV tanks, with more limited capabilities than the tanks of Marne 1918. They will nonetheless prove very effective in carrying out local counter attacks and to cut down on potential losses for the rare British elite units. The Allied player should resist the temptation to employ his tanks on defense to try and stem the German breakthrough, and save them for the end of the game when they will make a real difference when he has troops available to attack, for example by helping to recapture a key victory hex.

Artillery

It is stating the obvious to recall that artillery played a primary role during the Great War. It is the same in Somme 1918. By inflicting losses and disorganizing units, bombardments will negate the players' attempts to get the optimal odds ratio. An army artillery unit in Offensive mode, if it is grouped with several corps artillery units, can destroy a defensive line by itself.

On defense, the presence of a strong concentration of artillery can deter an attacker from combat, especially during the Exploitation phase.

In Somme 1918 artillery is represented somewhat abstractly by "support" units, which are used differently from combat units. There are two reasons for this. One was to limit the number of counters and to prevent overloading the game with a multitude of artillery batteries of all types. The other was to prevent the players from using their artillery units as a defensive wall or to plug gaps as seen in too many wargames. Even though an artillery battery could be deployed tactically to slow down an enemy advance, there are few historical examples from the Great War of artillery units without supporting friendly troops that were used to hold up the advance of enemy divisions (the heroic action of British gunners in sacrificing themselves and their guns during the first days of Operation Michael is nonetheless accounted for by a random event; this was a rare exception). In the setting of the game, the player will find it essential to safeguard his precious support units.

It is impossible in Somme 1918 to conduct artillery bombardments without engaging in a combat at the same time. This rule was intentional. It seemed unrealistic to be able to render a division or even a regiment out of action in a day, as the Bombardment table results would allow, by just an artillery barrage that was not coordinated with a ground assault. What's more, the players would be able on calm parts of their fronts to inflict disproportionate losses by conducting reciprocal barrages, and this would slow down the game. The intent of this rule was to make for a more fluid game, requiring the players to use their artillery just to support an offensive, and as combat support.

French Tactical Doctrine

The rule on Tactical Doctrine in Somme 1918 is not as important as in Marne 1918. Operation Michael was first and foremost a confrontation between the German and British armies, who in game terms are not affected by the rules on tactical doctrine. Only French troops that go on the attack during the game will see their performance modified. To their disadvantage, at the beginning of the game French units will have to restrict themselves to a defensive role, and will have to take step losses rather than retreat when applying results from the Tactical Coordination table. But by the end of the game when the Allied player will be able to go on the offensive, the effects of attacking under Tactical Doctrine will enable his French troops to crush the now weakened German troops.

Relief and Disengagement

Another factor that must be taken into account when trying to correctly simulate a campaign of the Great War on the Western Front is the necessity to maintain a continuous front, with the constant worry of hanging on to the ground that had been so costly won. It is very hard in Somme 1918 to carry out a large scale retreat or to willingly abandon a portion of the front lines.

The effect of the rules is that a unit cannot leave a hex unless it is replaced by another unit, and if it takes the risk of trying disengagement, it could result in losses or an uncontrolled retreat.

Under these two constraints the players will find themselves trying to maintain their positions and to use their units in a historical manner.

Combat and Tactical Coordination

This section of the rules required the most work. In the game, combats will be rare, no more than five or six each sequence, and their outcome will be crucial. The challenge was to introduce some tactical elements into combat resolution while keeping the operational scale of the game.

The intent was to account for the effects of the key elements that influenced combat during this period of the war: Elite units, Stosstruppen, tanks, air power, artillery, tactical doctrine, terrain, and fortifications.

In Somme 1918, each of these elements plays a major role. A quick glance at the Combat Results Table will show that combat results are bloody and that the defender is favored. It is only at odds of 5/1 or 6/1 that an attacker has a chance to get a favorable result.

As a result, like their historical counterparts, players will have to bring to bear as many of their tactical innovations as possible, along with strong artillery support, in order for their attacks to succeed.

But besides the heavy losses that each side expected, it was essential to try and simulate how the troops would behave during and after a combat. Would the defender abandon his positions or hold in place, would he bring up reserves? Would the attacker exploit his success by advancing deeply into a breakthrough or would he hold his positions because of not receiving orders? The die rolls on the Tactical Coordination Table answer perfectly all of these questions. The players will quickly discover that it is their TCT results that will make the difference between a combat that is successful and one that has failed. Once again, the TCT modifiers that a player can bring to bear will help assure his chances of a favorable result.

From the point of playability, the Tactical Coordination Table helps make the game very exciting. In each combat there is always the chance that a seemingly desperate situation can suddenly turn into a spectacular success.

The precise and detailed combat resolution rules are somewhat complex. Players are recommended to carefully follow each step in the combat resolution sequence during their first games. The combat conclusion, where the tactical coordination results and step losses are applied, demands the most care. Nonetheless, after several games the rules will quickly become second nature for the players.

Reserves and Exploitation

Historically the difficulty in employing reserves during the Great War was always the Achilles heel of an offensive. If the reserve troops were thrown in too soon they created confusion, and if they were too late the defender had the chance to launch a counter attack.

The main reason for this was the artillery preparation. It could last for several days or even weeks, rendering the terrain in front of the attacker so devastated that it would slow up his advance, and it allowed the enemy to bring up his own reserves and mass his troops in anticipation of the coming attack.

These tactics would change in 1918 with the innovations developed by both sides.

The Germans would call upon the genius of Colonel Bruchmuller to pummel the enemy first lines with a short but devastating barrage that also targeted the enemy's command centers. Disorganized, panicked by the appearance of Stosstruppen infiltrating to their rear, the enemy would not be able to hold but would abandon the field to the arriving German reserves.

The Allies looked to obtain the same results by the deployment of large numbers of tanks, in place of a preliminary bombardment, overrunning the centers of resistance and striking deep into the German rear areas.

In both cases the use of reserves was carefully planned. This is why in game terms players cannot place units into reserve unless they are conducting an offensive.

The mechanics of exploitation more or less follow classic "advance after combat" rules, allowing an attacker to fight again or to advance half of his movement allowance. Nonetheless, the conditions for exploitation are quite specific, and only fresh troops will be able to benefit from it. The restrictions of the rule encourage players to keep the regiments of their elite divisions together and not spread them around in order for them to act effectively during the exploitation phase.

Aviation

The rules for air support were for the most part revised for Somme 1918. While reviewing them it appeared that the rules that first appeared in Marne 1918 were too ponderous and particularly inelegant. Even though the types of air missions haven't changed, the game rules are now much simpler. The number of air units for one side available for a turn is now determined by a simple die roll and table, and airplane units are only placed on the game map as they carry out their missions. All of the work in placing air support units alternatively on or under an HQ unit has disappeared from these rules.

Random Events

The players of Somme 1918 are put in the role of Army group commanders. They control the battlefield more or less at an operational level, but are subject to tactical elements (the luck of the die roll), strategic impositions (the decisions of their respective commanders, Foch and Hindenburg), and even political events.

The random events are there to simulate these uncertainties. The players will not be able to always launch an offensive at the right time, or prevent the shortcomings of their subordinates.

Nonetheless in analyzing this rule, the players will perceive that these events are not completely random, that they will have the chance to make good use of their events by playing them in a timely fashion.

Victory

Determining the winner was pretty easy for Somme 1918. The German objective is clear, it's capturing Amiens. Seizing this town would almost cut the French armies from the British armies. Victory in the game is determined as a function of capturing certain geographic objectives, symbolized by the "Iron Cross" markers. Each marker will have from one to three crosses, depending on the strategic value of the objective hex. It appeared interesting to add to the simple and classic system of victory points two other elements to spice things up.

First, the victory points gained by capturing markers are unknown to the players. Right up to the end of the game there will remain an element of uncertainty as to who will win, except in the event of a decisive strategic victory.

Second, the victory conditions are linked to which general's portrait is on the back of the "Iron Cross" marker from the outcome of the Doullens conference event. I thought it important to tie in this major historical event of the campaign to the victory conditions. The conference will become the heart of the game, and its conclusion, with the naming of the Allied Generalissimo, constitutes a game within the game.

To Be Continued...

Logically, the next work in the series will cover the operations in April 1918 that took place in Flanders, under the code name Operation Georgette. This campaign, the battle of the Lys, saw the Germans try to take advantage of the weakening of the British following Operation Michael, to break through to the coast and seize the North Sea ports. Despite initial success, the German advance only several kilometers and the front rapidly stabilized thanks to the muddy conditions and the exhaustion of the troops.

Flanders 1918 will be of triple interest for enthusiasts of the series. It will allow:

• To game the battle of the Lys at the proper scale, where 1 hex equals 1 kilometer and each counter represents a regiment, in order to replay this campaign by zooming in on the critical area where the major fighting took place.
• Linking Somme 1918 with Flanders 1918 to play the entire campaign beginning with Operation Michael to the end of the battle of the Lys (the game map will be printed front and back).
• To combine all three games in the series to play the entire Spring 1918 campaign in France and Belgium.

Naturally the last goal will require the most development. As explained above, there are major differences already between the rules of Marne 1918 and Somme 1918, and in order to have a coherent rules set for them both will demand a lot of work, with the aim of having a grand campaign game properly tested and play balanced. The task promises to be daunting, but there is a good starting point with several interesting approaches already being explored.