Operational Studies Group News October 29 2001 Page Five HIGHWAY TO THE KREMLIN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS As published on Consimworld... Dick Vohlers I received my HTTK the other day, and have just finished setting it up and reviewing the rules. Here are some setup questions: Q) Excl. para [70]: This says the Russians can't use more than 5 Cossacks before 9 October, yet some new Cossacks arrive 9 September. I assume the latter date is correct, yes? A) Right Q) Which unit is the Vistula Legion a division substitute for--the Old Guard? A) Yes, the Old Guard. Q) I see several division substitutes for the Fr. XI Corps, but no corps unit. It seems that Augereau was off map to the west. I assume therefore that there shouldn't be any corps unit, and that the divisions are all "independent." A) Yes, Right. Q) The Russian Reinforcement Manifest shows Essen II arriving on 4 Nov., but doesn't list any strength. What should he start with? A) Reinforcement units enter at the same strength shown for the start of the following Scenario on the Unit Manifest. Q) While not listed on the same manifest, I assume that Kaminski and Lambert come on with Tormassov on 14 July, yes? If so, what are their starting strengths? Also, Nafziger shows Markoff's corps with Tormassov--are his units just factored into the others? A) (see above) Use their 4 August strengths. Q) Pinsk is more than 9 primary road hexes from the nearest depot, and more than 18 primary road hexes from the map edge. Is there some way it can be activated? It seems misplaced to me. A) You have a point about Pinsk, though it is rare for anybody to enter the town. I got my list of depots (like so much else in this game) from Richard K. Riehn's "1812." He says, on page 153 ... "The Russians ... could avail themselves of fifteen already existing collecting points [listed in a footnote as: Vilna, Svenciany, Koltyniani, Grodno, Slonim, Slusk, Pinsk, Mozyr, Brest, Kovel, Lutzk, Dubno, Sasslavl, Staro-Konstantinovo, and Ostrog.]. Still, new magazines were established along the roads leading from the Niemen to St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Kiev [Riga, Dunaburg, Drissa, Sevesh, Velizh, Bobruisk, Rogatshev, Zhitomir, Kiev, Novgorod, Veliki-Luki, Kaluga, Trubschensk, and Zossmiza.] ... In addition, reserve magazines were established along the expected routes of operations at intervals of about an 8 days march." Those depots were located at Smolensk, Vyazma, Gzhatsk, and Mozhaysk. Eight days march equals 8 hexes, but we made the distance 9 to allow for roads zig-zagging. The West Point Atlas shows a few more depots (map 119), and confirms many of the others. I've discussed elsewhere about the reason for the 8-day distance limit. However, the function of the depot at Pinsk remains a mystery. Either there is a missing road connecting it to Kovel or Pruzhany, or there is another depot on the road from Nesvich or Kovno, or else there was a special rule for this depot allowing it to be used despite the distance. Q) The Russians can use the depot in Kaluga just fine since it is within 18 Primary Road hexes of two map edge supply sources. However, there are no other depot hexes within 9 Primary Road hexes of Kaluga, so that there is no way for the French to activate the depot there. It is my understanding, though, that before the French were deflected at Malo Yaroslavets back to the main Moscow-Smolensk highway, that Napoleon was planning to march back via Kaluga. In the game, that would render the army completely OOS. (Though, given their distance at that point, the army is effectively OOS anyway.) Your thoughts? A) Exclusive Rule [101.] allows a depot to be built in any town or city where the Center of Ops happens to reside at that moment. That is, depots are not restricted to hexes containing the depot symbol, but may also be established in any town or city occupied by the Center of Operations. This ability to construct depots has to be expanded. I am considering the following... "...and either the friendly Center of Operations or a printed depot symbol. In addition, if the hex is within Dispatch Distance of the Center of Operations, a depot can be constructed at a cost of 2 APs. Garrisons are created during ... Operational Studies Group News October 29 2001 Page Seven HIGHWAY TO THE KREMLIN QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Norbert Moehring - www.g-h-s.org Q) Is the Russian Cuirassier Division of the Vth Corps really a substitute unit? I assume it's an organic unit like the Cavalry Division Valence for French Ist Corps. A) I think I would use the words 'Organic' and 'substitute' interchangeably. These terms would be synonymous. Q) Generally, how to you detach organic units which don't begin with their parent corps (like Claparede, Dombrowski) especially the cavalry units (Valence for the French or the cuirassiers for the Russians)? A) This works just like creating a March Division. Just deduct the points from the parent unit. Q) Is this also true for Valence and the Russian Cuirassiers (Deduct 1 SP from an inf corps and create a cav unit)? A) Valence's unit was organic to Nansouty's I Cavalry Corps. You can see that by looking at the counter. (Although it is a bit hard to read, it says IC/5H, meaning the 5th Heavy Division belonging to the 1st Cavalry Corps.) The rule remains in effect, that you cannot deduct strength from an infantry unit to create a cavalry unit. Q) What exactly means "other French depots must be ... captured from the Russians" [99]. Is "capture" merely another term for creating a depot on a depot town which was formerly a Russian one or do I miss something? A) "Capture" is intended in the sense you wrote. Q) I don't understand the depot "resurrection" rule [105]. Example: The depot of Minks was removed because of blocking LOC. After several turns the LOC is restored. It is correct that Minks now gets automatically and immediately its garrison? And what happens if the Minks Garrison counter is used elsewhere in the meantime? A) Minsk does not automatically get its garrison back. It has to be created with an SP. If necessary use another garrison marker if available. Q) And what is a "AP level of 2" [105]? The second AP column (7-10 APs) or the AP column for a forage rating of 2 (4-6 APs)? A) "AP Level of 2" = the 1-3 column (which you would use if you had 2 APs on your track). Q) How do you mark an inactive COO? The reserve side of the COO is "NO LOC" and both terms are not identical. The reverse side of the COO marks the "No LOC" function, e .g. if you chance the active supply source or your LOC is cutted. For the "Inactive" function of the COO, your COO e. g. has a greater distance than 9 primary road hexes to a funcional depot. The terms "inactive" and "No LOC" are *not* interchangeable. I ask because the active supply source marker as on its reverse side the word "inactive". Strange! I suppose the reverse sides of the COO and supply source markers has to be changed... A) [Editor's Note: I have proposed flipping the counter over to show either condition. Norbert doesn't agree. I would like to hear from gamers who can clarify this problem.]