From: Hank Meyer Subject: GPW Addenda/Additions/Variants Here is some unofficial addenda to GDW's Great Patriotic War: (1) The following was published in TEN (The Europe Newsletter) #10 and authored by Frank Chadwick: Rule Amendment - Great Patriotic War Add the following to the descriptions to the "Axis Panzer Movement Phase" and "Soviet Armored Movement Phase": "In addition, any other unit (i.e. any infantry, mountain, airborne, or shock unit) which begins the phase not in an enemy ZOC may move half of its movement allowance." Note: This rule amendment is specifically designed to prevent the "fall back one hex a turn" tactic without eliminating the difference between mobile and non-mobile troops. There is now considerable motivation to leave behind delaying forces, and a general breaking off of contact will lead to a rapid general pursuit. In the course of preparing this rule amendment, a much more substantial mechanical change occurred to me and I would like to present it as well. Europa players are, after all, incurable tinkerers in my experience, and you may enjoy tinkering with this rule. Note that when using this sequence of play, you should *not* use the rule amendment presented above. SEQUENCE OF PLAY The Sequence of play is altered as shown below. FIRST PLAYER'S TURN 1. Reinforcement-Replacement Phase 2. General Movement Phase 3. Combat Phase 4. Rail Movement Phase 5. Panzer/Armored Movement Phase SECOND PLAYER'S TURN 6. Reinforcement-Replacement Phase 7. Rail Movement Phase 8. Panzer/Armored Movement Phase 9. Combat Phase 10. General Movement Phase INITIATIVE: Players determine initiative at the start of each game turn. Each player rolls one die and adds to that number the total of the command values (command radii) of all of his commanders currently in play. One turn 1, for example, the German player would add 6 (3-Rundsteadt, 3-Bock) while the Soviet player would add 0. The player with the highest modified die roll decides which player will be the first player and which will be the second for the current turn. Whenever a player launches a shock attack, no initiative roll is made; the player launching the shock, attack automatically has the initiative and moves first. Infantry is not allowed the 1 hex move in the Panzer/Armored Movement Phase when this rule is used. Instead, all attacks are conducted with a +1 column shift. ----- (2) Lou Coatney's proposed Stacking Rule (submitted to Frank Chadwick): There is no stacking allowed in the game -- this adds some, but only for the Germans... "A German Infantry corps may stack with any one other German unit." ----- (3) Hank Meyer's proposed Soviet Effective Armor Group Rule: The Russian June '41 armored forces are excessively abbreviated. To account for the possibility of effective use of some of the mechanized/ tank groups that existed at that time (but which are not included in the OB) and to add some uncertainity to the exact nature of the Russian set- up, use the following: "After both the Soviet and German players have set up for the Operation Barbarossa scenario, the Soviet player determines where and how strong his Effective Armor Group (a 14-8 Tank Army from the reinforcement pool) is. He rolls one die with the following results:" "1 - place the Tank Army on its full (14-8) side in Orsha (B 1105) 2,3 - place the Tank Army on its reduced (7-8) side in Orsha (B 1105) 4 - place the Tank Army on its full (14-8) side in Zhitomir (B 2004) 5,6 - place the Tank Army on its reduced (7-8) side in Zhitomir (B 2004)" "This unit may not be rebuilt if destroyed but arrives normally in the force pool along with the other Tank Armies on GT 8 (May 42)." Alternatively, try the following deployment if you think the impact is too favorable and/or gives too much flexibility to the Soviets: "1 - place the Tank Army on its reduced (7-8) side in Riga (B 0812) 2,3 - place the Tank Army on its reduced (7-8) side in Minsk (B 1407) 4 - place the Tank Army on its full (14-8) side in Minsk (B 1407) 5,6 - place the Tank Army on its reduced (7-8) side in Lwow (B 2210)" ----- (4) There are variant rules and additional errata for GPW in Battleplan #7 pp12-14, Canadian Wargamers Journal #15 (Feb/Mar 89) pp 2-8, and Moves #73 (Dec-Holiday 92) pp 48-50. Battleplan #7 (Aug 1988) contained the general errata for the game along with some new rules and variants. These include Allied Lend Lease, Axis Unpreparedness for Bad Weather, Ukranian Separatists and Vlasov Volunteers, National War Efforts of Axis Minor Allies, German Army Refit, Soviet Marines, Soviet Artillery Corps, and Western Allied Strategic Bombing Effects. Canadian Wargamers Journal #15 (Feb 1989) contained two reviews of the game, a rules repair/variant article, and a revised set of victory conditions for the scenarios. The variants/fixes include adding Forced March of Infantry in the Armored Movement Phase, changes to Supply, and a fundamental rewriting of the Aircraft rules. Moves #73 (Dec 1992) contains an article entitled "Giving the Blitzkrieg Its Due: Additional Rules for GDW's Great Patriotic War." This includes changes to Armored Overrun and Exploitation, Rail Movement, ZOCs, Terrain Modifications, and Shock Attacks. Hank hcmeyer@uci.edu