From Fire and Movement 11 Drive on Stalingrad ERRATA & ADDENDA 1/23/78 Ad: Fred Helfferich Ex: Brad Hessel Re: Drive on Stalingrad 'I am sorry to have taken so long to answer your letter of the 3rd and also of the 16th, but in the interim I have determined that you are right and that I was wrong and have been testing changes. I have enclosed a copy of the revised errata, which is pretty much the final direction - I am holding off for just a bit to allow a little more time for feedback to wander in, but that should not affect any of the changes... Here is a summary of the changes that are pertinent to the playbalance: (1) Three Rail hexes per turn may be cleared by the Axis; (2) Three panzer divisions may be stacked together (as long as they have divisional integration); (3) Casualties in attacks made against units in Major Cities are doubled (this is two-edged, of course); (4) All Soviet untried units have one step (the way I had it originally, before I lowered the victory ratio); (5) Strategic withdrawal may not be used 'offensively': (6) Axis gets one point/Game-turn units are on the Volga. I have put your question about retreats into the errata as well, although I doubt it will have much effect on the game balance (I see your point about its importance, however). As for reinforcements, they may be moved in the Game-Turn in which they arrive, as they are brought into the game during the Initial Movement Phase... Anyhow, I want to thank you for persistently crying out in the wilderness and bringing (the above) to my attention. I am pretty upset about making such an error in judgement on the Victory Conditions in this game, and it would have been worse still if you hadn't come along and opened my eyes...' (The above letter shows the professional concern a designer and reviewer can have concerning a game that is 'in trouble.' Together they have worked-out the problems. I wanted you to see how closely we try to work with game designers on our reviews. The following is the up-dated errata on DOS - Ed.) MAP 'Vornezh' should be 'Voronezh' The Victory Point Index, mentioned in Section 19.0 (Procedure), was omitted. One cannot move a unit from S1202 to S1304 by way of S1303. 'Fractional' land hexes (such as S3243, S2848, and S2452) are off limits - Players should use reasonable judgment, or roll a die if they cannot agree. COUNTERS Grosse Deutschland is erroneously indicated to be an SS unit. Two Soviet HQ units were omitted: 40/Parsegov/2-12 and 38/Moskaleko/2-12. TABLES (9.5) Combat Results Table (Correction) Ae (or De) = All Attacking (or Defending) units are eliminated. Opposing Player may advance two hexes (see 9.86). (15.5) Game-Turn Record and Reinforcement Track Turn 3: the Hungarian 1-11 should be 3-11 Turn 8: the Russian receives two Guards divisions in the North; zero in the South. Turn 13: the Mt. troops are Italian, not Rumanian. (16.23) Directive Contents Index - 11th Army deployment is in effect under C and D, not under E and F as listed incorrectly (16.7 is correct). (19.2) City Victory Point Values (Addition) - Nevinnomyssk (hex S2728) is worth 5 Victory Points; the Bonus Points Game-Turn Deadline is 8. RULES (5.12) (Addition) Soviet Control Markers are also placed in the following hexes: Balashov (N0924), Saratov (N0811, N0812), and Tambov (N0132). (5.2) (Clarification) Soviet Guards cavalry divisions are selected as reinforcements from among other Soviet Guards divisions. (5.21) (Correction) 'six Untried cavalry divisions' (5.24) (Correction) 'Up to 14 of the selected initial forces' (5.31d) (Correction) 'one 3-11 Italian mechanized division' (5.33) (Addition) '(d) one 6-9 German Jaeger division' (5.34a) (Correction) nine 9-9 German infantry divisions (6.38) (Change) Units may be moved by Rail from hex S1001 or S0601 to hex N1701 or N1001 (or vice versa) at a cost of 40 Rail Movement Points. Units may be moved from hex N0811 to N0911 (or vice versa) at a cost of 10 Rail Movement Points. (6.39) (Addition) Units may be moved from hex N2154 to hex N2253 (or vice versa) by expending 4 Rail Movement Points. Units may be moved from either hex N2154 or N2253 to hex N3754 (or vice versa) by expending 25 Rail Movement Points. (6.42) (Change) 'the Axis Player can clear up to three Rail hexes' (6.43b) (Change) 'The Axis Player may clear three consecutive Rail hexes' (6.46) (Correction) 'east' not 'west' (7.1) (Clarification) Trucks and air units do not count toward the stacking limit. (7.2) (German Divisional Integration - Change: Whole Case) Each German Panzer Division has one Panzer and two Panzergrenadier regiments, and each Panzergrenadier division has two regiments. When stacked together, units of the same Panzer or Panzergrenadier division have Divisional Integrity. (7.21) If all of the regiments comprising a particular Panzer or Panzergrenadier division are present in a single hex. their total Combat Strength is doubled on both attack and defense. (7.22) If all of the regiments comprising a particular Panzer or Panzergrenadier division are present in a single hex, they may be treated as 'one combat unit' for the purposes of Case 7.1. That is, the Axis Player may stack three entire Panzer Divisions (nine regiments) in one hex, if he so desires. (7.23) If any regiment in a division is eliminated. that division can no longer attain Divisional Integrity. German infantry, and non-German divisions never have Divisional Integrity. (8.13) (Addition) Zones of Control, except for those of Mountain divisions, do not extend into Mountain hexes. (9.33) (Addition) Whenever an attack is made against a unit or stack of units in a major city hex, all step losses called for on the CRT may be doubled for both the Attacker and Defender at the option of the Attacking Player. This option may be exercised only if both Players choose to stand; if either Player retreats his units, the results as printed are applied normally. (9.65) (Change) All Soviet Untried units have one step. Whenever such a unit incurs a combat loss, it is removed from the game and considered eliminated. (9.72) (Clarification) A unit that is retreated must always end up in a hex as far away from the hex in which it was attacked as possible; i.e., if a unit incurs a 'D2' result, that unit must be retreated to a hex that is two hexes away from its initial position (or take step losses). (10.23) (Correction: the second sentence should be replaced with the following) 'However, no unit may ever be moved through a Don River hexside into a hex that is in the ZOC of an enemy unit that is adjacent to the Don River, unless that hex is occupied by a Friendly unit.' (11.5) (Clarification) Disrupted HQ units may not be evacuated. (13.4) (Omit entire Case) (14.6) (Correction) Case '10.4' should be '11.5.' (14.24) (Addition) If the Attacking Player allocates more Air Points to an attack than the Defending Player, then any river defensive benefit that the defending units would normally receive is negated. (15.0) (Correction) General Rule: All reinforcements are considered to be in Supply for the first Movement Phase after their entrance onto the map. (15.1) (Correction) 'one Slovakian 2-6 infantry division' (16.0 Procedure) (Addition) Should the Axis Player have fewer than 30 Victory Points at any time during the game, the '30 to 39' column of the Hitler Directive Table is utilized. However, prayer would probably be more appropriate. Also, the example should cite a Die Roll Bonus of '7,' not '11'. (18.11) (Clarification) 'East' means 'in an easterly direction;' i.e.. the unit may be moved into hexes to the cast, northeast, or southeast of the hex it is in. (18.12) (Change) Any Soviet unit that is moved through Enemy ZOCs in accordance with Case 18.11 during a particular Soviet Movement Phase may not be left in any hex in an Enemy ZOC at the end of that Movement Phase - Initial or Mechanized - any Soviet units that executed a strategic withdrawal that Game-Turn that are in an Enemy ZOC are eliminated. (18.15) (Addition) Any unit that attacks during the Soviet Player's Combat Phase cannot execute a strategic withdrawal during the Mechanized Movement Phase of that Player-turn. (18.16) (Addition) Any unit that executes a strategic withdrawal during a Soviet Player-turn loses its ZOC for the remainder of that Player-turn. (19.13) (Correction) Reference to Case '18.27' should be '18.22.' (19.17) (Addition) The Axis Player receives one Victory Point each Game-Turn Indication Phase that a supplied Axis Combat unit is in a hex adjacent to the Volga River. (20.2) (Corrections) Turn 2: delete 51st Army; add 57th Army. Turn 8: delete 27th Guards Rifle Division. Turn 18: add 5th Tank Army; 58th Army HQ units. (The following are Suggestions for a Second Edition of DOS by Fred. Maybe you can put some of these ideas to the test in your game - Ed.) 1. New map with brighter colors and better terrain. Items: white 'glaciers' for impassable mountain hexes or hexsides (mountain passes); . steppe' with advantage for attacker (column shift on CRT) for lack of cover, but with limitations on supply; 'desert/salt marshes' with same as steppe. but reduced mobility and more severe restrictions; no 'light forest' on eastern rivers, but all rivers should have some rough terrain on west bank (only). (West banks had steep cliffs and undulating terrain. while east banks were flat and coverless.) Also, printed airfields. 2. Counters to include engineers (for bridge destruction/construction) and aircraft (ground support and transport separate) to operate from printed airfields (only). 3. Weather rules with rain and snow in fall and winter. 4. Rules for bridge destruction/construction. More penalty for supply lines being traced across larger rivers in absence of bridge. 5. Hitler Directive rule less complicated and so rewritten that limitation may be defied at cost in victory points. 6. No victory points for objectives in northernmost portion of map. Axis victory contingent on attaining objectives in south. 7. Scrap all special rules for Don River except movement point penalty for crossing and tripling of defender. 8. Allocate initial Soviet forces to sectors (like Axis forces) and make Rostov sector not too strong. 9. Modify combat system by introduction of rule allowing attacker to press at extra cost in casualties; and defender to hold in face of such pressure at an extra cost in casualties. Extra casualties should result in attrition favoring the defender, but be so costly that the Soviets can only employ this option sparingly. 10. Tune game-balance through playtesting - only the strongest Soviet unit should have second steps. Limit can be raised or lowered to give the Soviet Player fewer or more two-step units. Comments: Terrain, weather, bridge, and aircraft rules are designed to improve on the validity of the simulation and 'feel' of the game. Hitler Directives need not be as unresilient as they are now, in order to prevent Axis 'northern strategy'. (Also, ludicrous situations will be avoided where units unable to disengage are 'transferred to Leningrad' while those able to disengage may remain in the south.) Elimination of special Don rules tones down overblown importance of river as natural obstacle and makes it easier for the Axis to cross and possible for the Soviets to launch historical counteroffensives deep into the northern flank of the Axis. Combat modification will enable Soviets to hold under attrition unfavorable for Axis, but only at a few selected points (such as Stalingrad) as opposed to defending on a broad front in mass. (The following errata is 'unofficial'. Fred presents this for your possible use in cleaning-up the game - Ed.) MAP Correct following place names: N3228 Osinovskiy, N3636 Kamesk Shaklitinskiy, S1129 Proletarskaya, S1539 Pavlovskaya, S1737 Tikhoretsk, S2124 Petrovskoye. TABLES Table 19.2, Astrakhan is S1001; Correct spelling is Likhovskoy, Tuapse (Table 16.23 is Trapse). COUNTERS Field-gray counter 2-6 marked 'Cz' should be 'Slov'. Two Soviet mechanized units are erroneously back-printed with infantry symbols. RULES [3.1] Delete reference to Victory Point Track on map. [5.12] Replace 'Donskaya' with 'Kalach na Donu'. [5.34d] Replace 'Divisions' by 'Division'. [6.4] Soviet railway guage was wider than standard European. [15.3] [Addition] If Soviet Order of Appearance calls for a unit beyond those provided in the counter mix, a unit of the same type is to be taken from the 'deadpile' at random. [18.14] There is no penalty for strategic withdrawal in the first Game-Turn. NB submitted by John Kula (kula@telus.net) on behalf of the Strategy Gaming Society (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/~sgs), originally collected by Andrew Webber (gbm@wwwebbers.com)