Training academy

[joegrundman]

In this thread we will practice the basics - and that's all we'll worry about before we get going

[joegrundman]

Theaters, Fronts and Offensives

Theaters

There are two theaters, Pacific and European

Movement and range allowances in the Pacific are shorter than in Europe because of differences in map scale.

E.g. an infantry with a movement of 3 in Europe has a movement of 2 in the Pacific theater, and an air factor with a range of 4 in europe has a range of 3 in the Pacific theater.

Fronts

Each Theater has three Fronts.

The European theater is divided into the Eastern Front, the Western Front and the Mediterannean front.
The Pacific theater is divided into the Pacific Front, the Asian front and the Southeast Asian Front.

Fronts can have weather effects that affect operations at certain times of year.

Offensives

Each turn, before you start moving units, you must decide whether there will be an offensive for each front where you have forces. An offensive is the main way to make big gains. If no offensive is called, then the front will have attrition. Attrition combat wears down the enemy and makes some gains. (An offensive costs 15 Basic resource points for each front - BRP's are the basic unit of economics in this game).

Small limited offensives can be undertaken in a front that is otherwise having attrition. (A maximum of 14 factors can be used in a limited offensive at a BRP cost of 1 for each factor involved)

Any questions?

[joegrundman]

Ground Units

Each ground unit counter has two numbers, e.g. 1-3, 4-6. The first number is the strength of the unit, the second number is it's movement allowance.

Normally a MAXIMUM of two ground units may be on the same hex at the same time. (5 are allowed on bridgeheads)

There are two main kinds of ground unit and several specialist units.
the two main ones are:

Infantry : the most basic unit
Armor: armor units are vital for conducting overruns, making breakthroughs and most importantly exploiting from a breakthrough.

Each unit can move up to it's allowance, taking into consideration the effects of terrain and supply, and then attack.

The attackers strength is the total of the attacking units plus any air support and naval support available. The defender's strength is the total defending strength multiplied by the terrain effects plus any air support.

If you want to win, it's best to have the stronger force!

Overruns. If an attacker can exert a force of 6:1, it can make an overrun in the movement phase (at the cost of 1 movement point - also no more than 2 ground units may combine to make the overrun). The units can then attack AGAIN in the combat phase.

Breakthrough. If an attacker includes an armor unit (with a Combat training level - CTL- above 0) in a succesful attack, this can make breakthrough in the enemy line. Armor units that were not used in the attack, but were adjacent to the attacking units, may move into the breakthrough area.

Exploitation. These armor units may then surge forward behind enemy lines and cause all manner of chaos - attacking, and isolating enemy units. Entire armies can be encircled by successful exploitation attacks, and isolated units, out of supply, have only one turn to try and free themselves before they surrender en masse.

As you can imagine, with a combination of overruns, attacks and exploitation, a well-planned offensive can potentially yield vast rewards.

Specialist units are:

Airborne = may airdrop. this can eliminate the defenisve advantages of lying behind rivers. Airborne units also ignore stacking limits.
Marines = beach invasion specialists. Also ignore stacking limits
Commandos = port invasion specialists
Flak = i guess you know...
chindits = specialist jungle warfare airborne unit
replacements = cheap units for use with attrition losses
Partisans = annoying behind-enemy-lines units made up of resistance fighters. Do not need supply.

Questions?

[joegrundman]

Land based Air are known as Army Air factors (AAF)

Each AAF counter has two numbers, the first is the number of factors present, the second the range (dependent on the theater). So a 2-4 AAF is 2 factors with a range of 4 hexes.

No more than 5 AAF may stack on a port or city or airbase. If one hex has multiple cities and airbase counters, then each of these may stack 5 AAF.

Air factors can perform several missions. A counter with more than one AAF may be split so that some AAF fly one mission while other AAF fly other missions.

The main air missions are:

Offensive ground support = adding the AAF strength to the strength of ground units making an overrun, attack or exploitation attack.

Defensive ground support = adding the AAF strength to defending units which are being attacked.

Interception of defensive ground support = forcing an air combat with enemy AAF before they can support a defending unit

Counter interception = intercepting an intercepting force in the hope that the other mission will be able to accomplish the mission

etc.

Counterair = if in range of an enemy airbase, this mission is an attempt to neutralise enemy air forces by attacking at the enemy base.

Bombing = Economic targets in the enemy country may be bombed

Attacks on Ports, submarines, naval vessels. = as it says.

Flying cover = this mission provides air cover to naval and supply operations within range of a land-based airfield.

specialist air units come at certain times in the game

Air transport = used for air drops of airborne infantry, but also air supply of isolated units and air transport of units.
jets
rockets
Strategic bombers
interceptors (counter or escort strategic bombers)

[joegrundman]

Naval Operations

Types of naval unit

You have light ships;Destroyers (DD1), Cruisers (CA2) and Escort Carriers (CVE1)
You have heavy ships (capitol ships/named ships); fast carriers and battleships
Carriers can be light (CVL2) standard (CV3) and super (CVB4)
Battleships can be Battle cruisers or Pocket battlehsips (BC2/PB2), Battleships (BB3), large battelships (BB4) or extra large (BB5)

the number refers to the number of naval factors.

Heavy ships take longer to build, but are more robust.
Carriers carry Naval Air Squadrons (NAS) - 3 NAS is roughly equivalent to 1 Army Air Factor. A CVL2 can carry 2 NAS, A CV3 can carry 3 NAS and a CVB can carry 4 NAS.

There are specialist naval units

Transports
Submarines
Advanced submarines
ASW units
Japanese Elite Naval Air Squadrons
Kamikazes

SLow and Fast

CVE's, damaged ships and some older battleships are slow. This affects interception chances and some other things.

Ports and Task Forces

Naval units are almost always based in a port and perform all operations from the port. (Max 50 factors per port)

Naval units of between 10 and 25 factors are grouped into Task Forces. The contents of TFs are hidden from the opponents (Max 50% of TF factors may be fast carrier factors)

Main Operations

Shore Bombardment - adding fleet factors to the strength of a ground attack in an adjacent hex
Sea transport - carrying and protecting movement of land and air units, also for seaborne invasions.
Protecting Sea Supply lines - can also carry sea supply.
Interception - disrupting enemy naval activites or sea-supply lines
Counter-interception - disrupting an enemy intercepting force
Patrol - a means of basing at sea to provide effective support for other operations in the area.

Naval Air Ops

Ground support (3 NAS acts as 1 AAF for ground support, so this is an inefficient use of NAS)
Search
Naval Air STrikes
Combat Air Patrol = defensive air mission

Land BAsed AAF can also convert into squadrons for use supporting naval operations, either with search, cover or attack missions within range of the land base.

Naval Combat

In general there are several rounds in a fleet engagement.

First Air squadrons attempt to find the enemy task forces.

Then there are air engagements.

Next surface units engage.

Then one side or other withdraws or another engagement is fought if neither side withdraws.

[Thendash]

Overruns. If an attacker can exert a force of 6:1, it can make an overrun in the movement phase (at the cost of 1 movement point - also no more than 2 ground units may combine to make the overrun). The units can then attack AGAIN in the combat phase.

Airborne = may airdrop. this can eliminate the defenisve advantages of lying behind rivers. Airborne units also ignore stacking limits.
Marines = beach invasion specialists. Also ignore stacking limits
Questions?

By stacking limits do you also mean that more then 2 airborne or marine units can be used in an overrun? Or is that just for the no more then 2 units on a hex at one time rule?

[joegrundman]

Hey, the first question, and it's a good one too

13.52 MECHANICS: Overruns are conducted by moving no more than two units (EXCEPTION: Specialized units may overstack for overruns) through the same hexside into a hex containing enemy unit(s) at odds of 6:1 or greater

So the answer is that Marines or Airborne don't count towards the 2 unit stack limit - this is part of what makes them so useful. But for airborne to be used in this way means they can't be airdropped onto the target hex directly. This is the main advantage of airborne.

If part of an attack doesn't come from across a river or line of fortification, the river defense or fortification advantage is eliminated for all units making the attack. Airdropping an airborne unit directly onto the target as part of a combined arms assault can be a vital way of overcoming a strong line of defense.

[Jimbuna]

Clear, concise and informative

[joegrundman]

Thanks Jimbuna

Submarines and Strategic Warfare

Submarines

Submarines can operate as individual naval units, patrolling and intercepting task forces and supply, or can operate in the Strategic Warfare (SW) box attacking merchant shipping.

Axis Surface ships can also enter the SW box to fight as Commerce raiders

ASW and escort carriers can be put into the SW box to counteract the effects of subamrines.

Otherwise the transports get sunk and that means less oil, resources or units get convoyed.

Each power has a minimum number of transports for optimal economic efficiency. A penalty is incurred for each transport below this number as well as more specific costs associated with being unable to complete your transportation missions.

Bombers

AAF can be joined by Strategic Bombers in bombing enemy economic targets. They can be escorted by AAF and Interceptors while enemy AAF, Flak and interceptors attempt to shoot down bombers.

Bombers that get through inflict economic damage on cities and ports. Enough economic damage can result in firestorms.

Later in the war, jets, rockets and flying bombs get involved

[LobsterBoy]

I've downloaded warplanner, and just got the rules (haven't got to reading anything yet). As 1IC am I restricted in any way to history (not using submarines against merchant shipping as Japan), or am I free to use any doctrine I choose?

[joegrundman]

Hmmm...the rules have certain "historical" restrictions. But in this case Japan can use some submarines for interdicting the US pacific supply line and merchant shipping while others must be assigned for fleet support

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by joegrundman

Hmmm...the rules have certain "historical" restrictions. But in this case Japan can use some submarines for interdicting the US pacific supply line and merchant shipping while others must be assigned for fleet support

This wouldn't be before Pearl Harbour though

[LobsterBoy]

I have instructed my ambassador to inform you that we have no such intentions at this time.

Of course, the nation of Japan cannot be held responsible for any "accidents" that may occur on the high seas

[joegrundman]

That's right. Until Japan is at war with britain and the us, it mostly has the war in china to worry about.

[joegrundman]

The map

There are two maps - both with the starting positions shown - in the map room.

One shows Europe and the other the Pacific theater. As you can see, the pacific is at a different scale from the European map and this is refelcted in different movement rates, air ranges and naval supply and interception ranges.

The map is split into hexagonal areas known as Hexes. Where two hexes meet is known as a hex-side.
Each hex shows it's location reference (only readable using Warplanner) - these can be used when you are writing down your movement orders.

Each hex also shows it's terrain. E.g. sea, lakes, mountain, swamp, jungle, forest, rivers, islands, crossing arrows (where land units may cross water without the use fo naval units) and fortifications

Each hex also shows the position of Capitals, cities, ports, shipbuilding centers (an anchor), oil centers and objectives (in red). Objectives are critical for determining victory.

Terrain.

Sea: land units may not enter hexes entirely made of sea. land units may not cross hex-sides made entirely of water unless there is a crossing arrow.

Lakes: Lakes have no effect unless they cover more than one hex. land units may not cross an all-water hex-side (except northern and eastern lakes and swamps freeze over in winter)

Land: Naval units may not cross an all-land hexside.

Swamp, forest, jungle and mountains: requires extra movement to enter, defenders get an advantage +1 modifier (DM) (exception swamps in russian winter have no effect, mountains have more severe winter effects) - jungle-mountain hexes give +2DM. Cities in jungle can only base 3 AAF instead of the usual 5 (see below)

Himalayas, Outback and Qattara depression: ground units may not cross hexsides completely made up of these features (they are impassable)

Rivers and fortifications: give a defensive advantage, also deny enemy zone of control.

Switzerland: neutrality cannot be violated by land units or air units, by order of the joint rulers of the universe who risk losing all their slush funds if you do, which would cause the sudden collapse of all war economies and a reversion to the stone age.

Cities: each city can base 5 AAF (or therefore 15 Air squadrons)

Ports: each port can base 50 fleet factors and 5 AAF

Shipbuilding port: ports with anchors are where major shipbuilding facilites are located. New constructions arrive at these locations.

Capital city: Important for determining surrender levels -most neutral minor countries surrender if the capital city comes under enemy control. France surrenders if Paris is captured and France fails to liberate it within 1 turn. Capital cities are also Supply centers. Capitals also can abse 5 AAF

Oil centers: Provide between 1 and 3 oil counters per turn. Marked on the board by an oil well symbol. E.g. the critical Ploesti oil field in Rumania.

Objectives: These are cities, ports,oil centers, capitals written in red. they are important for determining victory levels. In addition they have normal effects of their type, and also sometimes have diplomatic and economic advantages to the owning side