Arnhem '44: The Operation Market Garden Boardgame
Arnhem '44: The Operation Market Garden Boardgame Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- A Short Walkthrough
- Ten-Sided Dice
- The Game Board and Game Components
- The Units
- Set Up
- A Single Round
- Phase 1 – Barrage Fire: Artillery Units Only
- Phase 2.1 – Airborne Troops
- Phase 2.2 – Supplies
- Phase 2.3 – Distributing Supplies
- Phase 3.1 – Diffuse Explosive Charges
- Phase 3.2 – Blowing Up Bridges
- Phase 3.3 – Install Explosive Charges
- Phase 3.4 – Constructing Bailey Bridges
- Phase 4.1 – The Allies Move Their Units
- Phase 4.2 – Combat
- Phase 5.1 – German Player Moves His Troops
- Phase 5.2 – Combat
- Phase 6.1 – The Weather
- Phase 6.2 – The Allies Bring In Reserves
- Phase 6.3 – The German Player Receives His Reserves
- Rules of Engagement
- Movement Phase (Phase 4.1 and 5.1)
- Airborne Divisions
- Supplies
- Artillery and Barrage Fire
- The 1st Round
- Jokers
- Veterans Only
A Short Walkthrough
The game extends from Sunday September 17 noon until the night of September 25 and lasts 18 rounds.
Two consecutive rounds represent a full day. The odd rounds are day, the even rounds are night. A night round differs fundamentally from the day round, especially the troop movement.
The game begins Sunday September 17, at noon, when thousands of airborne troops land at five separate drop zones nearby Arnhem, Nijmegen, Grave and Eindhoven. The Allies have the initiative and briefly overwhelm the surprised German troops.
The airborne troops will try to capture and secure as many bridges as possible to ensure a swift and safe passage of the ground army, operation GARDEN. The paratroopers have limited food and ammunition. If they run out of supplies they will have to fight at half their strength or worse. So the Allied player has the difficult task of combining two major, but very different missions: secure the strategic objective and guard the drop zone in order to guarantee a steady flow of supplies.
Supplies are stashed and kept track of for each of the four airborne groups separately, up until the moment contact is made with the operation GARDEN for each of the groups.
The German player has the opportunity to undermine and blow several strategically important bridges. In doing so, he can slow down the whole operation or even halt a swift breakthrough. But with every bridge he destroys the German player loses points.
Playing the Game
Every round consists of 6 recurring blocks. First both players, alternating sides, will have the opportunity to give barrage fire: this is phase 1. During phase 2 airborne troops land, air supplies are dropped and supplies distributed. Phase 3: blowing up bridges, placing explosives and building Bailey bridges.
Phase 4: the Allied players move their troops. This is a tactical board game, so there's no strolling in or out of enemy territory; crossing a bridge can be very difficult and will need some serious planning. And the defender has the advantage! A balanced combination of units will make it hard to enter a well-defended sector. After the movement part there's an obligatory phase of combat.
Phase 5 is identical to phase 4 but this time for the German player(s): first movement of the troops, afterwards combat.
Phase 6 consists of determining the weather and the arrival of replacements.
At the end of the round move the round indicator one step on. There's no special token foreseen: you can of course use any token or pawn but we suggest you use something sturdy and rather large. Something that stands out and stays put when moving the pawns in the region of Arnhem.
Winning the Game
The winner of the game is the player with the most points at the end of round 18. Of course a game can end earlier: when either side is eliminated or forfeits the game. The winner has the right to proclaim a major victory when he has gathered twice the points his opponent has.
Every captured bridge has a predefined value. The bridge at Arnhem is the most important bridge in the game and therefore holds the highest value. The Allied player can construct a limited amount of Bailey bridges but gains little or no points in doing so. At the start of the game the total value of the bridges represents 100 points.
Ten-Sided Dice
This game is played with ten-sided dice (D10). With a combination of green, black and white D10, you can resolve the most complex battles in a single throw!
A result of 0 (zero) always marks failure:
- When rolled to determine hits: a miss.
- When rolled to detonate a box of dynamite: the dynamite fails to explode, just burns and is lost in the try.
- When rolled distributing the hits: the enemy was hit but not harmed in any way, a ricochet.
- When rolled in an attempt to defuse a crate of dynamite: the operation fails and the bridge is destroyed after all.
- During the barrage fire into a disputed sector: your troops sustain casualties under friendly fire!
The Game Board and Game Components
The game board and components:
- A game board (2 parts)
- 1 Rulebook
- 26 D10 (6 green, 8 black, 12 white)
- 17 plastic bridges: 9 small, 4 major bridges (2-parts)
- 12 Bailey bridges
- About 131 plastic military figures (infantry, armour, artillery)
- 4 supply and HQ charts (one for each airborne group)
- 1 airborne and supply chart / set up chart
- 1 turn-order chart / bridge value chart
- Fine weather / night chart
- Bad weather / dark night chart
- 3 joker cards: "NO zero" / "one sector extra move"
- 11 construction markers (20, 10 and 5)
- 36 construction markers/damage markers
- 29 supply tokens
- 5 ferry markers
- 30 dynamite markers
The Map
The map is divided into sectors. There are 5 types of sectors: open field, forest, polder, village and town/bunker. Each type has the same basic colour; differences in shade are meant to give the game board somewhat more variation, but this is merely to brighten the game. For instance: the vast plains in Holland at that time were mostly meadow, grass and grazing land; so the basic colour for OPEN FIELD is light green or grass green.
Each type of sector has the same three numbers; the first number is related to infantry, the second number indicates the strength of tanks and the third number is relevant for artillery.
Take a look at the first number in the five different types. The figure will vary from 4 to 7 and specifies the strength of infantry troops in that sector. It's a green digit in a green circle. When infantry battles it has to roll equal or lower than the stated number to score a hit. Remember, a roll of 0 (zero) always results in failure.
The second number, a black digit in a black circle, varies between 2 and 7. This number regulates the strength of armour or tanks. In combat, armour has to roll equal or lower than the stated number to score a hit.
The third number, a white digit in a white circle with red crosshairs, regulates the hit chance of artillery pieces. The numeral will vary between 2 and 6. Artillery has 2 very dissimilar roles!
Artillery must fight within a disputed sector as an anti-tank weapon and at reduced strength. It cannot hit anything but tanks! In sectors free of enemy troops, artillery works as a long range weapon. It fires with devastating power up to 2 sectors away.
Waterways
Canals, rivers, streams and the 13 bridges across the waterways are the essence of the game. All of the 13 in-game bridges can be destroyed; even the throughout the game constructed Bailey bridges. A player is only in control of a bridge when both sides of the bridge are free of enemy troops. At the start of the game the German player controls all of the 13 bridges; the German player always starts with the complete 100 points.
Canals and rivers are light blue and can be crossed by infantry (and infantry only) without the necessity of a bridge. Armour and artillery cannot cross any waterway except by bridge or ferry.
Nieder-Rhine, Waal and Maas are 3 streams and are coloured deep blue. None of the 3 different army types, infantry, armour or artillery, can cross over these major waterways without a bridge or ferry.
Bridges
There are 3 kinds of bridges: small bridges (one segment), major bridges (2 sections) and emergency or Bailey bridges (one segment and flat).
The small bridges are on rivers or canals. The major bridges are on the large streams: Nieder-Rhine, Waal and Maas.
Every bridge can be rigged with explosives. The German player may attach any number of crates of dynamite, but he can never use an explosive charge of 5 or more on a major bridge. You can find more details about building bridges and blowing stuff up further on (see page 14).
Ferry
On the game board are 5 empty ferry indicators. Place the ferry markers on the map. Only the German player may use the ferry. When allied troops reach the ferry, flip over the token; the German player can still use the ferry point until the end of his turn: at the end of the round the marker must be removed. There are no victory points earned in neutralising ferry points.
The Units
There are three colours of playing pieces:
- Germany = dark grey
- UK = tan. The Polish brigade is also tan.
- USA = dark green
In General
The identification tags are presented on both sides of the game board.
All units have 3 basic attributes:
- Firepower
- Hit points
- Movement points
Firepower is the number in the upper left corner on the identification tag. It determines the offensive strength of the unit. The digit states the number of D10 the player must roll when the unit attacks. A unit's firepower is unaffected by night or day.
An infantry unit has firepower 2; it rolls 2 D10 fighting the enemy.
Hit points are the number in the upper right hand corner of the identification tag. Hit points are a digit stating the defensive strength of a unit. The number signifies the amount of damage a unit can sustain. Units that lose half or more than half their hit points in combat (phase 4.2 and 5.2) must withdraw from battle; they flee the combat! A unit that loses all of its hit points is removed from the game; the unit is killed or taken prisoner: later in the game referred to as "elimination".
There is a huge difference between withdrawal from combat in phase 4.2 and 5.2 (fleeing) and fall back (organised retreat). Both terms are fully explained on page 18 (withdrawal) and page 21 (fall back).
Movement points are the number in the lower right hand corner on the identification tag.
Each unit has a standard number of movement points. It costs one movement point to go from one sector to another.
- Crossing a bridge is free.
- Using the ferry is free.
- An infantry unit can cross a river or canal without a bridge or ferry: during daytime this costs one movement point; at night this is free.
- At night all units have only half their movement points: tanks can move up to 2 sectors, infantry and artillery can move but one sector.
Infantry
- Firepower: 2 green D10
- Hit points: 2
- Movement points (daytime): 2
- Uses the first digit in each set of three numbers of a sector, a green digit in a green circle.
- Can cross rivers and canals without a bridge or ferry. To be able to cross the waterway an infantry unit must start its movement phase within the sector next to the waterway. Crossing a waterway without a bridge consumes all movement points of that unit.*
* The joker cannot be used to cross a waterway, but only to move the unit(s) an extra sector AFTER crossing the river or canal.
German and Allied units have the same attributes.
Has, during the movement phase at night, the ability to fall back without being spotted.
Tanks
- Firepower: 4 black D10
- Hit points: 3 (Allied tanks) and 4 (German tanks)
- Movement points (daytime): 4
- Uses the second digit in each set of three numbers of a sector, the black digit in a black circle.
- Needs a ferry or bridge to cross any waterway.
Artillery (as a Long Range Weapon)
- Firepower: 6 (long range weapon, in phase 1) white D10
- Hit points: 2
- Movement points (daytime): 2
- Uses the third digit in each set of three numbers of a sector, a white digit in a white circle of the sector where it's firing at!
- Needs a ferry or bridge to cross any waterway.
- Fires one or two sectors away from its own sector.
- Cannot operate as a long range weapon out of enemy territory / disputed sector!
- Fights in its own sector (phases 4.2 and 5.2, combat phases) or during the movement phase as an anti-tank weapon: see below.
Artillery (as an Anti-Tank Weapon)
Artillery functions as an anti-tank weapon during fighting phases; thus every phase but phase 1, the barrage fire. It's a strong anti-tank weapon: it can't hit anything but tanks, so it is completely helpless against enemy infantry.
- Firepower: 2 (Allies) or 3 (Germans) white D10
- Movement and hit points are unchanged (see artillery).
- Uses the third digit in each set of three numbers of a sector, a white digit in a white circle.
- Needs a ferry or bridge to cross any waterway.
Two (or more) opposing artillery units in a single sector result in a special situation. Both sides are present but cannot fight; still this sector is enemy territory for both sides and a disputed sector.
Set Up
First Things First
Place the game board between the players and arrange for the German player or team to sit at the east side; this way he will have a clear view of his reserve troops. Arrange 9 small bridges and 4 major bridges on the designated spots. Put the 5 ferry markers in their position, with the active, blue side up. Select the good weather card and organise the HQ charts next to the game board. Follow the set up table instructions.
The German Player Goes First
The German player arranges his troops on the map. Some units must be stationed in a specific village or sector. Example: a group of 2 units, a tank unit and an infantry unit, must be placed at Oosterbeek.
Some units get the notation "+ 1 zone": these units may be arranged on the target sector or on one of the adjacent sectors. A "+ 2 zones" indication gives even more freedom to arrange the troops. These units can be placed up to 2 sectors away.
Some units get the notation "above the Scheldt-Maas canal": these units may be placed anywhere above the canal.
Every sector can hold 9 units of one side at most; so 18 units max if both sides are fully present in a single, disputed sector.
After organising his troops, the German player may freely undermine any of the 13 in-game bridges with one or more explosives. He must conceal the numeric value in doing so.*
* The German player is free to undermine any of the 13 bridges. The in-game rule that stipulates that a bridge can only be rigged with explosives if friendly troops are adjacent to the bridge does not apply during the set up of the game. But remember: he needs to have at least one friendly unit present to detonate the explosives!
Explosives in General
In the set up of the game the German player receives 5 crates with explosives. He or she may place any amount of crates underneath any number of the 13 bridges. The German player must do so before the Allied player sets up his troops south of the Belgian canal. The German player must conceal the strength of the charges by placing them with the numeral side facedown.
- Only explosive charges of 4 or less are to be placed underneath the 4 major bridges.
- The German player may exchange a higher number (7, 6 or 5) from his stash with a 4, giving him or her the opportunity to rig all major bridges with explosives. He can do this at ANY time during the game. The German player may never upgrade an explosive charge.
- There's no obligation to place all of the explosives. The German player may keep any amount in reserve.
The Allied Player's Turn to Set Up
The Allied player(s) has a total of 42 units available at set up, with only 27 units to be placed on the map. The remaining units have to be kept in reserve on the "R..." track, the long track with the black D10 indicator. The Allied player (or team) must evenly divide his 12 artillery units, 4 units per sector. He must fill up the remaining space with 5 other units per sector.
- US troops can only enter the game by means of the centre sector beneath the Scheldt-Maas canal!
- Every sector can hold 9 units of one side at most. This limit can never be exceeded at any time, even when just passing through! UK and US units are on the same side, so the limit counts towards the total of the allied units present.
- The remaining units are placed on the "R1" to "R15" squares in any order according to the Allied player or team's choice.
- The long track with "R1"-"R15" squares, the black D10, the UK and US symbols represent the regular reserves.
- The short track with the green D10 depicts the engineer's track that is used for building Bailey bridges. See building Bailey bridges on page 14.
A Single Round
Each round consists of 6 blocks. Each block groups a set of phases. The order of play is the same in each and every round and must be followed in a strict way.
Structural Overview
- Barrage fire: Phase 1: artillery fire (out of undisputed sectors only).
- Airborne troops: Phase 2.1: landing of airborne units (only on odd rounds). Phase 2.2: supply by air (only on odd rounds, but not on round 3). Phase 2.3: distribution of food and ammunition.
- Explosives and bridges: Phase 3.1: diffuse explosives. Phase 3.2: detonate explosives. Phase 3.3: placing explosives. Phase 3.4: constructing Bailey bridges.
- Allied player's turn to move: Phase 4.1: movement phase, Allied troops. Phase 4.2: combat (mandatory).
- German player's turn to move: Phase 5.1: movement phase, German troops. Phase 5.2: combat (mandatory).
- Weather and calling in reserves: Phase 6.1: determine tomorrow's weather (only on even rounds). Phase 6.2: Allied reserves. Phase 6.3: German reserves.
Phase 1 – Barrage Fire: Artillery Units Only
Each player may, alternating turns, fire his artillery out of undisputed sectors, one sector at a time. He may give barrage fire upon enemy sectors or disputed sectors. On targeting disputed sectors, every artillery unit firing gets a +1D10 bonus.
In skipping a turn to give barrage fire, a player ends his barrage fire phase. Giving barrage fire is never an obligation.
At the beginning of the barrage fire phase, both players roll one D10. The highest roll has the initiative and MUST start the barrage fire.
There is no phase 1 in the first round!
Phase 2.1 – Airborne Troops
The airborne units arrive on a strict schedule: see the set up/airborne chart.
The Allied player places his airborne troops according to schedule, using the green markers in good weather, using the black markers in bad weather. He rolls one D10 for each unit. He must roll a white D10 for airborne artillery in differentiation to the infantry.
There are 6 distinctive drop zones. Each drop zone has a numeral, varying from 1 to 6. Each drop zone has exactly 10 green markers, going from 0 to 9, and 10 unique black markers. For units landing on top of enemy troops, see: Anti-Aircraft Fire, page 27.
Phase 2.2 – Supplies
Airborne troops automatically collect their supplies on landing. Collected supplies are stacked on the appropriate HQ card of the units who picked up the supply tokens. During the rest of the game the supplies are dropped at random according to the weather, odd rounds only. The Allied player rolls one D10 for each supply and places it on the map following the rules stated above.
The 1st Airborne receives fresh supplies in round 5, 7, 9, 11 and so forth; 3 units of supplies each time.
Phase 2.3 – Distributing Supplies
To maintain full strength, each HQ must provide his group with ammunition, rations and medication. To distribute supplies the Allied player picks up a single supply token from HQ and removes it from the game, no matter the number of units of that particular HQ still in play. As long as HQ has at least one supply token stacked onto the "HQ-card", the group fights at full capacity. There are 4 airborne groups active: the 1st Airborne Division (UK), the 101st (US, Screaming Eagles), the 82nd (US, All American) and the 1st Independent Polish Brigade.
When an HQ distributes its last supply token, the text field "- D10 if no supplies" shows. Every unit in that group suffers a firepower penalty of minus one D10. Infantry and artillery (as anti-tank weapon) roll thus 1 D10 instead of 2; artillery rolls 5 D10 instead of 6 in the barrage fire phase.
If HQ cannot provide any supplies at all, the HQ card is flipped over: each unit of the group now suffers a minus 2 D10 penalty! It takes a supply token to flip over the HQ again.
Supplies picked up during the movement phase have an immediate effect. In case of shortage, acquired supplies are distributed automatically. Any obtained token must be taken away without delay to flip the HQ status back to normal.
Phase 3.1 – Diffuse Explosive Charges
The Allied player has the option to try to diffuse explosives. To diffuse a charge the Allied player has to have at least one unit at the bridge; which side or sector does not matter. He rolls 1 (one) D10. If the result is HIGHER than the number on the crate, the attempt to diffuse the dynamite is a success. If the result is lower or equal to the numeric value, nothing happens: the bridge stays intact; the explosives are still in place and can still be detonated by the German player. If the result of the roll is zero, the bridge is lost and the explosives are to be removed from the game.
The German player also has the possibility to diffuse his own explosive charges and reinstall them elsewhere. Both players follow the same rules.
In case both players are attempting to diffuse the same charge, the German player goes first!
Phase 3.2 – Blowing Up Bridges
The German player has the option to blow up bridges rigged with explosives.
How to Use Explosives
During play the German player receives another 7 crates of dynamite. For more information please take a look at the reinforcements table. So the German player has 12 crates at his disposal, just one crate short to rig every bridge. The last crates arrive only halfway through the game!
The German player can fix explosives underneath bridges, remove or diffuse explosives and of course blow up stuff; but there are some rules to be followed:
- To detonate a charge at least one German unit must be at the bridge; which side or sector does not matter.
- To detonate a charge the German player rolls 1 (one) D10. If the result is lower or equal to the numeric value of the crate underneath the bridge, the action is a success and both the crate of dynamite and the bridge are removed from the game. However a roll of 0 (zero) is a complete failure: remove the crate; the dynamite just flashes and burns out leaving little or no damage to the bridge. If the German player rolls higher than the numeric value of the explosives, the charge does not explode this round. The player then swaps the crate with a value minus one; a 5 becomes a 4, and so on. In case of failure of a charge of 1 (one), the crate is simply removed.
- If one charge explodes, all of the charges underneath the bridge are destroyed and subsequently removed from the game.
Phase 3.3 – Install Explosive Charges
Only the German player can install crates of dynamite.
- Only explosive charges of 4 or less are allowed underneath the 4 major bridges.
- To rig a bridge with explosives at least one German unit must be at the bridge; which side or sector does not matter.
Phase 3.4 – Constructing Bailey Bridges
Only the Allied player has the option to construct Bailey bridges. The requirements to start building a bridge are:
- Both sectors must be undisputed, thus free of enemy units.
- The Allied player removes the required amount of units from one of the two possible sectors where the bridge will be erected. He places the units on the free spaces E01 to E08 (Engineer squares). A player cannot initiate construction if there's not enough free space!
- All units must come from the same sector.
- All units must have the same nationality (no mixing US troops with UK troops).
- Airborne troops cannot be engaged in constructing Bailey bridges until they've made contact with operation GARDEN.
- The Allied player cannot work on a bridge the same turn he started the construction. All the material has to be transported towards the point of assembly and this takes time.
The Allied player can start constructing one large and one small bridge or two small bridges at the same time: there are only 8 engineer spaces available. Later in the game, when reserves are called in, the units on the "E" squares are free to move forward towards the first "E01" square and thus making it possible to start building again.
A Small Bailey Bridge
A small Bailey bridge can connect sectors separated by rivers or canals. It's not necessary to build a Bailey bridge next to a destroyed bridge. It can be placed anywhere on the map; however the bridge must go from one sector to another; it cannot be constructed on the borderline of two or more sectors. To erect a small Bailey bridge the Allied player takes a bridge token and puts it upside down at the construction site, moves 3 units to the "engineer" squares and places 10 construction markers next to the bridge under construction.
A Large Bailey Bridge
A large Bailey bridge connects two sectors separated by one of the 3 major rivers or streams. A large Bailey bridge costs 5 units and requires 20 construction markers. The tokens are identical for small and large Bailey bridges.
The Assembly of a Bridge
Every round the Allied player gets the opportunity to work on the Bailey bridges. The player gets to roll 1 (one) D10 per bridge. He goes through the steps bridge after bridge. He can only continue the assembly on the condition that no enemy troops are present at either side of the construction site. The Allied player then removes the amount of construction markers equal to the number rolled. With eventually all markers removed, the bridge is finished and immediately becomes accessible to all units.
Phase 4.1 – The Allies Move Their Units
See page 21 concerning the movement rules and illustrations.
Phase 4.2 – Combat
This is an obligatory phase for both players. In every sector where both sides are present, one turn of combat takes place. Combat is simultaneous; in theory both players roll the dice at the same time.
Units that lose half or more hit points without being eliminated must withdraw.
See page 18 for more information.
Phase 5.1 – German Player Moves His Troops
See page 21 regarding the movement rules and illustrations.
Phase 5.2 – Combat
This is a mandatory phase for both players, identical to phase 4.2.
Phase 6.1 – The Weather
At the end of each even round, one of the players rolls one D10 to determine tomorrow's weather. On a roll of 1, 2 or 3 the weather is fine: select the appropriate card and use the green D10 for air droppings. There's however a 70% chance of bad weather; the other card will thus be used so much more.
Phase 6.2 – The Allies Bring In Reserves
The Allied player must place his reserve troops if possible. He has the choice to roll one black D10 (regular reserves) or one green D10 (engineers), but only if there are units on the "E" squares. The player mounts the number of units rolled. He cannot divide his roll between (black) the regular reserves and (green) the "E" reserves. If the result exceeds the number of reserves still available, the surplus is lost.
The Allied player or team mounts his units at the south side of the map, south of the Scheldt-Maas canal. US units must enter the map by way of the centre sector!
If the Allied player chooses to use the regular reserves, he throws the black die and takes the equivalent number of units from the row marked with the black die, from left to right. The first 15 spaces are filled with the leftovers of the initial set up at the beginning of the game. The arrangement of these units cannot be changed after set up.
Upon arriving at the predetermined part of the reserves, the Allied player takes the fitting number of units from the stash of playing pieces, according to the colour and type of each of the printed icons. He marks the next first upcoming reserve unit with a token or the correct playing piece.
In order to bring in reserves from the "E" track, units used during the game to build Bailey bridges, a player casts the GREEN die. If the result exceeds the number of reserves available on the track, the surplus is lost. When a player brings in units from the "E" squares, the rest of the units on the ENGINEER track (the green track) are slid towards the "E1" square. The empty spaces give room to build more Bailey bridges.
Phase 6.3 – The German Player Receives His Reserves
The German player has 2 different groups of reserve units: a group of units that MUST be placed above the Rhine and a group that can be placed under the Rhine. However, the German player is free to place any or all units of the second group above the Rhine.
The black arrow points towards the units under the Rhine; the grey arrow points towards the units above the Rhine.
Near the end of round 1, during phase 6.3, the German player receives 5 units ABOVE the Rhine: 2 infantry, 2 tanks and a single artillery unit.
The German player mounts his reserves on any space with a German flag, free of enemy troops.
Reserve units must be placed, but explosive charges may be kept in stock for later use. Crates with explosives are NEVER moved around across the map like regular units; they are simply kept in stock and placed where needed.
Rules of Engagement
Basic Concepts
Enemy territory: Each sector with enemy units is enemy territory, whether or not friendly troops are present too. Hence every disputed sector is enemy territory.
Disputed sectors: Sectors with both armies present are disputed sectors, even if these units cannot fight each other.
Elimination versus injured: Units that lose all hit points are "eliminated": KIA (killed in action) or taken prisoner. Injured units are hit but not eliminated; a ricochet does not count as damage since it didn't do any harm.
Withdrawal from combat (fleeing): A unit that loses half its hit points or more must withdraw to an adjacent sector. Withdrawal is an enforced action as a result of combat during phases 4.2 or 5.2.
Falling back (organised retreat), movement phase: A unit that moves out of a disputed sector falls back. Falling back is an entirely voluntary action during the movement phase (4.1 and 5.1).
Hit probability: Each unit has a number of D10 at its disposal, defined as firepower. To score a hit, the digit rolled must be lower or equal to the target value. The target value is the numeral in the according colour in each sector: green is infantry, black is armour and white stands for artillery/anti-tank.
Infantry in the FOREST must roll 6 or less to score a hit. Every die is a possible hit. So if a player rolls 2 dice, there's a chance to score two hits. The type of sector determines the chance to hit. Different types of units have dissimilar probabilities to hit the same enemy in the same sector.
A hit: A hit is the outcome of the die roll with a result equal to or lower than the target value of the sector for that type of unit.
In the forest infantry has a 60% chance to hit any opponent, tanks hit with 40% probability and artillery has but 20% chance to strike enemy tanks!
Distributing the hits: Hits are distributed at random amongst the enemy units. It is not up to the defender to choose which units are wounded or eliminated, nor can the attacker specify preferable targets.
The attacker rerolls the dice that were hits. Each 1 rolled strikes the first unit with one damage, making it lose one hit point. Every 2 strikes the second unit, making it lose one hit point, and so on.
The hits are always distributed in the same order: (all) infantry, then (all) tanks, then (all) artillery.
If the result is higher than the number of units, the count up continues in a loop. With 3 units present: all numbers 1, 4 and 7 strike the first unit; all numbers 2, 5 and 8 strike the second unit; all the numbers 3, 6 and 9 strike the third and last unit.
No hits are lost, unless:
- A unit gets more damage than it has hit points (overkill).
- A zero is rolled: a ricochet (10% chance). The enemy was hit but not injured.
Combat in Disputed Sectors (Phase 4.2 and 5.2)
During phase 4.2 and 5.2 combat takes place in all disputed sectors. All units must engage the enemy. Combat takes place simultaneously, so it doesn't really matter which player goes first. In most cases it's possible to roll all the required dice at once, using the correct colour for each unit. In this way even complex battles are resolved in a swift manner.
In some cases units will find their firepower reduced to zero: lack of ammunition or the absence of a valid target is a probable reason. However this does not exclude a unit from battle to function as a target itself.
During combat players will always roll twice: the first time the hits are determined; the second roll is needed to distribute the damage, even with just a single enemy unit present. If the attacker throws one or more zeros on the second roll, the hit bounces off: the enemy was hit but not injured!
On the map are on both sides sets of tables with handy distribution lay outs. The top line is the number of targets; the rest shows how to distribute the hits.
Injured Units Don't Have a Memory
Damage doesn't hang onto a unit in/over different phases of the game. Not even over two fights during the movement phase. Only bridges (veteran rules only) keep their damage points.
Withdrawal
Only after combat: Injured units that have lost half their hit points or more must withdraw! The strongest side (the one with the most firepower) after the duel decides who is to withdraw first. In case of a tie both players roll one die to settle the clash.
Where to run? A fleeing unit may NEVER:
- cross a bridge or waterway,
- run to disputed or enemy territory.
If an injured unit cannot withdraw according to the rules above, it is eliminated: the troops are captured or killed during their withdrawal.
The list beneath is to be followed until the first item is met that can be performed. After following the 2 fundamental rules above, a unit that withdraws, runs:
- towards friendly troops
- away from the enemy
- the Allies to the south, the Germans to the north
- towards a sector selected by the strongest (figuratively speaking) of the two players
Movement Phase (Phase 4.1 and 5.1)
Basic Concepts
Units cannot just wander in and out of enemy territory; they must fight to get in or out. A unit can however move around enemy sectors without being hindered. Hostile troops do not exert ZOC (zone of control) outside their own sector.
Invade or intrude enemy territory: A voluntary action during the movement phase when units are trying to enter enemy territory.
Fall back: A voluntary action during the movement phase when units are trying to leave enemy territory.
Withdrawal: An obligatory action after combat (phase 4.2 and 5.2)!
A maximum of 9 units per sector: There's a limit of 9 units per sector per side; a sector can hold 18 units at most, 9 Allied units and 9 German troops at the same time.
Movement Outside Enemy Territory
The Allied player moves his troops in phase 4.1, the German player in phase 5.1. A player cannot pass troops through a sector that already holds 9 friendly units.
Moving is an option, not an obligation.
At night units move but half their movement points.
Enemy Contact
Each unit that makes contact with enemy troops must halt. Moving into enemy territory will be challenged by the enemy. In the special case that a unit leaves a disputed sector (enemy territory) and enters another one, that unit can move but 1 sector max, since it must halt on making contact (again)!
The defender will try to hinder the intruding units or even block them out. The defender goes first. After the defensive battle the attacker fights back. However units that were eliminated by the defender have no right to battle.
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Only elimination counts: killed units are removed from the game.
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Intruding units that are injured during the invasion cannot enter the targeted sector but remain in the sector wherefrom the invasive action took place.
Example: a tank moves 3 sectors and with the final movement point tries to infiltrate enemy space; the armour takes a single hit and thus gets injured. The injured tank returns to the last sector it moved through before it entered enemy territory. The tank has not been eliminated, so it has the right to attack.
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Injured defenders are unaffected!
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Any attempt to intrude enemy territory always consumes all remaining movement points. Units that participated in an intrusive action may not move afterwards, even if the intrusion failed and they had to stay behind in their own sector; not even if the enemy was eliminated in the action.
A player may try to invade an enemy sector:
- With 9 units maximum; or less if friendly troops are already present.
- From different sectors at the same time: the limit of 9 units still counts.
- In more than one action, but the rules above still stand.
Friendly troops already present do not take part in the encounter!
For instance: the German player can invade a sector with already a single friendly unit present, from 2 sides with 3 units and afterwards make another intrusion with 2 more units. Even with all German invaders eliminated (there's still but one single German unit in the target sector) the player cannot take any more invasive actions on that particular sector.
Rules of Engagement When Entering Enemy Territory
The defender has the advantage! The conflict is regulated conform the normal rules of engagement, but the defender goes first. After the hits are distributed and the kills are removed from the game, it's the attacker's turn.
The defender uses the target values of his sector.
The attacker uses the lowest target value out of two possibilities: the starting sector or the target sector.
Important rule: the target values used by the attacker can never exceed those of the defender!
Rules of Engagement for the Defender
- Defender goes first.
- Uses the target value of the defender's sector.
- Only killed units are affected and removed from the game.
Rules of Engagement for the Intruder/Attacker
- Maximum 9 units minus the number of troops already present in the sector.
- Eliminated intruders do not battle.
- The lowest target value must be used to calculate the hits.
- Injured invaders cannot enter the target sector.
Crossing Waterways
Invading units may cross waterways by bridge; infantry can even cross waterways without a bridge. All of these actions are high risk operations!
Crossing a bridge: The normal rules regulating entering enemy territory stand, but the defender obtains a bonus: every defending unit receives +2D10!
For example: an Allied infantry and artillery unit defend a bridge: the infantry rolls 2+2 D10 and the artillery 2+2 D10; in fact in this particular case both units double their firepower! Would there have been a tank defending, the tank would have rolled 4+2 D10.
Crossing a waterway without a bridge: The normal rules still apply, but there's an enormous difference between night and daytime operations.
Crossing a waterway without a bridge in daytime: Each defending unit gets a +3D10 bonus. Crossing a river or canal in daytime is an extremely dangerous operation; especially in a cardboard boat under hostile fire!
The result of the example on page 25: 2 infantry killed, 2 units injured, they cannot enter the sector, one infantry unit unharmed. The single Allied infantry now faces a German tank in the combat phase!
Crossing a waterway without a bridge at night: Every defending unit gets a +1D10 bonus. The cloak of darkness gives the invaders a higher chance of survival.
Fall Back
During the movement phase a player can make his troops fall back. In this case the same rules apply as for invading a sector:
- Units that don't fall back will not participate in the struggle (conform with "friendly troops already present").
- The defender is the player who is NOT in his movement phase.
The defender has the advantage! Units on the move are vulnerable! So the defender has the advantage, he uses the target values of his own sector; on the other hand his rival is obliged to use the lowest target value: the start sector value or the target sector value.
In daytime: Not a single unit can fall back in daytime without the chance of being spotted by the enemy. Infantry has a chance; artillery and tanks don't. The player that falls back rolls one die per infantry unit that moves out of the disputed sector. To be successful he must roll HIGHER than a calculated value S (spotted!):
- E = the number of Enemy troops present
- F = the TOTAL number of units that Fall back, tanks and artillery included
- S (spotted) = E + F
If the player rolls S+1 or more, the infantry can fall back without being spotted and is free to move out without a fight. The player can still change his mind and use the infantry to support other retreating units, but any infantry unit injured in this way must stay behind in the disputed sector.
For instance: two German infantry try to sneak out of enemy territory; a single enemy artillery and an allied tank are present. The German player rolls a 4 and a 5: one infantry can tiptoe out; the other unit has to fight. Now it's up to the German player to decide how he's going to handle this situation.
Retreating units that have not been spotted may give support to spotted friendly units falling back from the same sector. But if they are injured in the process, they must stay behind!
At night: Infantry can always retreat or fall back at night without being spotted. At night even tanks and artillery have a serious chance to fall back without being seen.
The player that falls back rolls one die per tank or artillery unit that moves out of the disputed sector. To be successful he must roll HIGHER than a calculated value S (spotted!):
- E = the number of Enemy troops present
- F = the TOTAL number of units that Fall back, infantry included.
- S (spotted) = E + F
Retreating infantry may give support to friendly units falling back from the same sector. But if they are injured in the process, they must stay behind!
Fall back and invade in a single move: Occasionally a player will try to manoeuvre his units to a somewhat better position, even if this holds some risk. This move is a bit more complicated: first the falling back is resolved, afterwards the invasive part. Just follow the rules as stated above and everything will work out fine.
Airborne Divisions
Important: The airborne troops arrive in round 1, 3 and 7. On landing they automatically receive their assigned supplies. DO NOT ROLL the dice for the supplies during this turn!
On landing airborne units automatically receive their assigned supplies!
Drop Zones
The airborne units arrive on a strict schedule: see the set up/airborne chart. There are 6 distinctive drop zones. Each drop zone, marked with identical numbered parachutes, has a numeral, varying from 1 to 6. Each drop zone has exactly 10 green markers, going from 0 to 9, and 10 unique black markers.
In good weather the green numbers on the left of the parachutes mark the actual drop zone. The Allied player rolls one die per supply token or airborne unit that lands. To avoid confusion we suggest rolling the green dice in good weather and the black dice in bad weather. That way you can always use a white die for the airborne artillery.
In bad weather the Allied player uses the black indicators on the right of the parachutes. During the game there's a 70% prospect of getting bad weather.
Anti-Aircraft Fire
Airborne units that land into enemy territory are subjected to anti-aircraft fire. Each German unit rolls the number of dice according to its firepower; artillery rolls 6 dice.
The German player rolls the dice but ONCE. Every "1" hits the first unit, every "2" the second unit and so on. There's no need to reroll the dice to distribute the hits! If the outcome of the roll is higher than the number of enemy units available, then the roll is a miss.
Only elimination counts (see page 18). Injured units (a single hit only) do NOT withdraw! In the unfortunate event that Allied artillery is part of the airborne group, the artillery automatically has the highest number of that group.
Example: The German player decides to intercept the paratroopers at Veghel and positions his three units, an infantry, a tank and an artillery unit, in the drop zone. Four Allied units land in that zone, three infantry units and an artillery unit. The artillery unit automatically receives the highest ranking or hit location: position no. 4.
The German player rolls the dice at full strength to give anti-aircraft fire, shooting at the four units landing: the infantry rolls 2 green D10, the panzer rolls 4 black D10 and the artillery rolls 6 white D10.
The German player casts the dice but a single time, immediately distributing the hits: every "1" hits the first unit, every "2" the second, and so on. Because there are only 4 targets available, every 5, 6 and higher are lost. Zero is, like always in this game, a miss.
The German distributes the hits, merely eliminating a single infantry unit. All the other units are hit but a single time. This has no effect: only elimination counts. The injured Allied units do not move because of their injuries (otherwise they would receive an extra sector movement). They can move in phase 4.1 as they would normally do.
After the interception, 6 units share the same sector: 3 German units (an infantry, a panzer and an artillery unit) and 3 Allied units (2 infantry and an artillery unit).
Supplies
Picking Up Supply Tokens
Each unit can pick up any amount of tokens, even if these tokens were actually another group's stockpile. Once an airborne group makes contact with operation GARDEN, there's no need to keep track of their supplies.
To bring in a supply token it is sufficient to have an Allied unit in the sector NEXT TO IT the moment the supplies are dropped. If a supply token drops down in enemy territory, the most powerful side (most firepower) gets the token. In case of a tie the dice (what else...) are used to settle the dispute.
Supply tokens scattered around on the map can be picked up by both sides by moving to or through the sector, but NEVER during the combat phase!
Waterways
Supply tokens on the other side of a waterway cannot be collected automatically; not even if there is a bridge connecting the two sectors. To collect the supply a unit must actually move into the sector to pick up the supply token.
Artillery and Barrage Fire
Barrage Fire
Each player may, alternating turns, fire his artillery units out of undisputed sectors, one sector at a time. He may give barrage fire upon enemy sectors or disputed sectors. On targeting disputed sectors, every artillery unit firing gets a +1D10 bonus. Units killed in the barrage fire are removed straight away: artillery eliminated in this way has no right to return fire!
There's no requirement to use the full capacity of an artillery battery on a single enemy sector. For instance: a player has an artillery battery of 3 artillery units in the sector GRAVE. He may prefer to fire two units at sector "A" and one unit at sector "B". What he can't do is use artillery pieces from different sectors to fire simultaneously at the same enemy sector!
Injured units do not withdraw; only elimination counts.
In skipping a turn giving barrage fire, a player ends his barrage fire phase. Giving barrage fire can never be an obligation. At the beginning of the barrage fire phase, both players roll one D10. The highest roll has the initiative and MUST start the barrage fire.
There is no phase 1 in the first round!
Barrage on Disputed Sectors
When giving barrage fire upon disputed sectors the attacker gets a 1D10 bonus per artillery unit because his spotter communicates the so-needed corrections to the artillery units. The downside is that with every zero rolled the friendly troops sustain damage under friendly fire. Reroll the zeros to distribute the hits among the friendly units. Injured casualties do not move, only kills are immediately removed from the game.
Artillery in Disputed Sectors or Enemy Territory
Artillery in disputed sectors cannot give barrage fire; they have other priorities; they function as anti-tank weapons!
The 1st Round
The first round is somewhat different:
- The weather is always fine at the start of the game.
- ROUND 1 starts with the landing of the airborne troops, so there's NO barrage fire the first round.
- During the first hours of operation MARKET the Allied airborne troops have the advantage: they gain a +1D10 bonus per unit during phase 4.1 and 4.2, but the Germans soon get a grip after the initial surprise, so the advantage doesn't last that long.
Jokers
There are 3 jokers; for each player one single joker. A player can use a joker but once:
- To counter a single throw of one D10 when a ZERO is rolled: reroll the D10, but the next result stands!
- ALL units from one single sector gain an extra movement point. They don't have to move as a group. They are authorised to move to different sectors. A joker cannot be used to cross a river or canal; it can however be used to move infantry units that so need an extra sector AFTER the unit has crossed the waterway.
- If the game consists of 3 (or more) players, the first Allied player to use his JOKER hands over his card to the German player. So the German player can use 2 jokers if the Allied players decide to use at least one of theirs.
Veterans Only
For the experienced players we raised additional, somewhat more challenging rules.
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The major bridge at Arnhem cannot be destructed until the very last round: it was a direct order from the German High Command to hold this bridge as long as possible. It was their decision to keep this bridge intact to ensure a swift counter attack! Difficulty rating: ●●●●
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The (last) major bridge north of Nijmegen cannot be detonated before the first Allied tanks reach the south end of the bridge or an adjacent sector. But after round 10 the bridge can be blown without restriction. Two German commanders, Model and Bittrich, were in disagreement about exactly when to blow up this important bridge across the Waal.
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The option to play with 3 players (or teams): Germany, UK (and Poland) and US. Allied players CANNOT move or fight but with their own units: so NO combined actions. The Allied turn is split up into a UK and a US part, to be played separately. UK goes first. During the barrage there is no rolling the dice concerning the initiative: the standard order of play is: one UK artillery battery (one sector!) - one German artillery battery (one sector) - one US battery (one sector) - Germany - etc. If one of the Allies cannot give barrage fire, the other one steps in. Difficulty rating: ●●●○
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Bridges can suffer collateral damage during invasive/fall back actions. Whenever assaults across a bridge take place (invasive action or fall back), each ZERO rolled by tanks or artillery units of ANY side is a possible hit damaging the bridge. All zeros must be rolled again, even if there's just one bridge: a second roll of ZERO is a ricochet, just like during regular combat. Small bridges and Bailey bridges have 10 hit points; the 4 main bridges have 20 hit points. A bridge is completely destroyed when it has no hit points left. A bridge allows that many units to cross into enemy territory as the number of hit points it has left. A Bailey bridge that has sustained 4 hits has 6 hit points left: only 6 units can cross the bridge at once to invade/leave the enemy territory! If both sides are free of enemy troops there's no limitation whatsoever concerning the traffic across the bridge. Difficulty rating: ●●○○
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No jokers. Difficulty rating: ●○○○