Campaign: Fall Blau Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Setup
• Components
• How to Play
  • 1. Adjust the Calendar
  • 2. Ready Generals
  • 3. Draw Events
  • 4. Issue Orders
    • Advance Order
    • Attack! Order
    • Consolidate Order
  • Ending the Turn
  • 5. Local Soviet Counter-Attacks
  • Reorganizing the Frontline
• The Event Deck
• Major Soviet Counter-Attacks
• Losing a General
• Deploying Campaign Cards
• Victory Points and Soviet Reinforcements
• Ending the Game
• Panzertruppen Rule vs Mountains and Fortified Cities
• Additional Game Modes
  • Hard Mode
  • Missions Mode
• German Spelling of Cards
• Glossary of Terms

Overview

The objective of the game is to defeat enough Campaign cards and Counter-Attacks to amass 27 or more Victory Points (VPs) in order to achieve either a Victory or Brilliant Victory (30+ VPs) before time runs out in late November 1942. See the "End game" section for more details.

Setup

1. Place the Battle Board in front of the player and the Game Mat to the right of the Battle Board.
2. Choose any 3 Generals and place them on the Battle Board in the three grey slots on the frontline section. The player chooses the order in which they are placed. Add a number of grey cubes under each General equal to that respective General's starting cube strength (the number of grey cubes illustrated on the General's card).
3. Place all the Soviet cubes and any remaining German cubes near the Battle Board for easy access.
4. Find the "Voronezh" Campaign card and place it above the Battle Board next to the unlocked Campaigns section. Place the remaining Campaign cards beside the Battle Board next to the Locked Campaigns section.
5. Shuffle the Event deck and place it facedown below the Game Mat. Add the 4 Hard Mode cards now for a more difficult game (these cards are the event cards marked with a skull logo).
6. On the Game Mat, place the white cube on the July 1942 "Start Here" box on the Operational Calendar to mark the date. Place the supply cube on the number 5 box on the supply depot, named "Starting Reserves." Finally, place the yellow cube on the square marked zero on the Campaign Progress tracker to mark the number of VPs you have earned.

Components

• 1 Battle Board
• 1 Game Mat
• 5 General Cards
• 15 Campaign Cards
• 31 Event Cards
• 9 Dice (6 white, 3 Black)
• 39 cubes (20 Soviet, 16 German, 1 calendar, 1 supply and 1 VP)

How to Play

The game is divided into turns. Each turn represents roughly 10 days in time. Each turn has 5 steps performed in sequence: 1. Adjust the Operational Calendar, 2. Ready all Generals, 3. Draw Event cards, 4. Issue the Generals' Orders and 5. Launch Local Soviet Counter-Attacks.

1. Adjust the Calendar

At the beginning of each turn, advance the white cube on the Operational Calendar (found on the Game Mat) one box to the right (e.g. If last turn was Early July, this turn becomes Mid July).

When moving from a "Late" box, move the white cube down to the "Early" box of the next month. When the white cube moves into the "Soviet Winter Offensive" space, the game ends immediately. See the "End Game" section.

2. Ready Generals

Generals become exhausted either when issued an order or due to an Event card effect. An exhausted General is portrayed by sliding the card down slightly until the word "Exhausted" is revealed on the Battle board.

To complete this step, ready all of your Generals by sliding their cards upward until the word "Exhausted" on the Battle Board is covered entirely by the card.

3. Draw Events

Once the Calendar is adjusted and the Generals are readied, draw two Event cards from the Event deck.

Cards (apart from events with the stop icon, which must be resolved immediately) may be played at any time during the turn or saved for future turns.

Your maximum hand size is five cards. If you need to draw more cards, before drawing, choose and discard one card (See "the Event Deck" on page 4 for more details).

IMPORTANT! If any Event cards have the stop icon on them, play and resolve these cards immediately.

4. Issue Orders

You may only issue an order to a General who is "Ready." After the General resolves an order, he becomes exhausted and cannot be issued any orders until he becomes ready again. Orders can only be issued to Generals if they have the necessary supplies.

Advance Order

The Advance order moves ANY unlocked Campaign card from the unlocked queue to the frontline. A General that already has a Campaign card directly in front of him may not perform this order. This order may not be given if there are no Campaign cards in the unlocked queue.

Generals who command regular armies pay 1 supply to bring a Campaign card from the unlocked queue to the frontlines, directly in front of the acting General (See the Deploying Campaign Cards section for more details.)

Generals commanding Panzer armies follow all of the rules above. However, they may pay an additional supply to bring a second Campaign card from the queue to an empty space adjacent to them on the frontline.

Attack! Order

An Attack! order is used to attack and capture Campaign cards or certain Event cards. The General that is issuing this order may only attack a Campaign card directly in front of him on the frontline or a Campaign card adjacent to that card.

An Attack! order costs 1 supply. However, some Campaign cards have an additional supply cost when attacked, as indicated by their card text.

To attack, roll a number of white dice equal to the number of grey cubes under the attacking General's card. Generals can also attack adjacent Campaign cards by rolling dice equal to half of the grey cubes on that General's card, rounded up.

Each die roll of (3) or more destroys one red cube (remove the red cube and put it in the reserve pool). Each die roll of (1) destroys one grey cube (remove a grey cube and put it in the reserve pool).

When you attack a Campaign card with a Mountains icon or a Fortress icon, subtract -1 from each die roll. This means that you now lose a grey cube on rolls of (1) or (2) and a roll of (4) or more is needed to remove a red cube.

If your attack removes all Soviet red cubes, the Campaign card is captured and added to the completed Campaigns pile. Add the number of VPs on the card to the Campaign Progress tracker. The player also unlocks any Campaign cards listed at the bottom of the Campaign card next to the unlock (padlock) icon and places them in the unlocked queue.

OVERKILL RULE (stop icon): When making an Attack! order against a Campaign card or Event card, never lose more grey cubes than the total amount of red cubes on the card that you are attacking. For example, if you use an Attack! order and roll a 1, 1, 1, 3 and 5 and the targeted card only has 2 red cubes defending it, only remove 2 grey cubes even though you rolled three 1's.

Consolidate Order

The Consolidate order allows Generals to replenish troops and supplies. When performed, add a grey cube to the General's card, but do not exceed the starting number. These cubes can only be added to the General who performs the Consolidate order. In addition add 2 supply to the Supply depot.

Ending the Turn

Once all Generals are "exhausted," or the player is finished issuing orders and playing Event cards, the Germans lose the Initiative. The Soviets now respond by launching Local Counter-Attacks, if possible.

5. Local Soviet Counter-Attacks

During the final step of each turn, the Soviets launch Local Counter-Attacks. If there are no Campaign cards in play, ignore this rule. Any Campaign card in play on the frontline launches a Counter-Attack. Counter-Attacks are resolved one at a time. Each Campaign card Counter-Attacks the General directly in front of it.

Roll a die for each red cube below the campaign card. Each die roll of (1) destroys a grey cube of the General facing that campaign card. (Note: Certain event cards such as General Zhukov and Chuikov, when in play, give re-rolls or other bonuses during the Counter-Attack.) The -1 modifier to dice rolls for attacking Mountains or Fortress icons DOES NOT APPLY when the Soviets Counter-Attack.

Reorganizing the Frontline

At any point during your turn, you may re-organize the frontline at the cost of one supply. By doing this, you may change the order in which your Generals appear on the frontline. This tactic may be useful if you want a certain General to face a particular Campaign card.

The Event Deck

Every turn, draw two Event cards. Events marked with a stop icon must be played and resolved immediately. All cards marked with a "stays in play" icon stay in play and affect the game as indicated on the card. All other cards can be played at your discretion during the current turn or a future turn. However, remember that your maximum hand size is five cards. If you need to draw more cards, before drawing, choose and discard one card.

Most Event cards can be used to gain a grey cube or supply or to add extra dice to an Attack! order. When dice are added to an Attack! order from an Event card, these additional black dice do not result in the removal of a grey cube on a roll of (1).

Only ONE Event card can be used to add extra dice to each Attack! order, and the decision to use the Event card must be made before any dice are rolled.

In addition, the Luftwaffe Support and the Dora Rail-Gun Event cards allow you to make a separate special attack with black dice (without the need to use an Attack! order). However, these attacks do not capture Campaign cards and these special attacks cannot result in the loss of any grey cube. If this attack removes all Soviet red cubes on the Campaign card, you must still issue an Attack! order to a General to capture the Campaign card.

Any unused cards stay in your hand for next turn. When the Event deck runs out of cards, Exhaust a General of your choosing and re-shuffle all discarded Event cards to form a new Event deck.

Major Soviet Counter-Attacks

In addition to Local Counter-Attacks, some Event cards produce Major Counter-Attacks. These cards resolve immediately and are deployed to the frontline with priority given to any empty space on the frontline. If more than one space is empty, the card will deploy in front of the General with the fewest cubes. In case of a tie, choose where to deploy the card.

The Event card Counter-Attacks immediately. Once this Counter-Attack is resolved, it acts like a normal Campaign card (i.e. the card stays in play until captured).

If all frontline slots are currently filled, the Major Counter-Attack will temporarily deploy in front of the General with the fewest cubes. In case of a tie, you may choose where to deploy the card. Upon deployment, resolve the Counter-Attack immediately, as normal. When finished, place the red cubes from the Counter-Attack card on the Campaign card facing the General who was targeted. Then, discard the Counter-Attack card.

Losing a General

If any General loses all of their grey cubes, that General and his entire army are wiped out. The General's card is removed from the game. This may be due to rolling too many (1)'s when attacking or because of a Soviet Counter-Attack; you must continue the game with one less General. In addition, deduct -2 VPs per General lost at the end of the game.

Any Campaign cards on the frontline that do not have a General facing them (due to losing a General) remain in play, but do not Counter-Attack as long as no General is directly in front of the card. (See "Reorganizing the Frontline" section on page 4 for details on how to re-deploy Generals on the frontline.)

Deploying Campaign Cards

Once a General performs an Advance! order, the player may choose any ONE Campaign card currently in the unlocked queue and deploy it in front of that General's card. Generals who lead Panzer armies (tank icon) have the option to pay an extra supply to deploy a second unlocked Campaign card to an empty space adjacent to the originally placed Campaign card. A maximum of ONE Campaign card can be deployed in front of each General.

Once a Campaign card is deployed to the frontline, place a number of red cubes on it equal to the number of red cubes depicted on the card.

Finally, some Campaign cards place conditions on the number of red cubes deployed. In this case, if a certain game condition is met, e.g. "if Grozny is not Captured," the player will deploy additional red cubes.

Example: The Astrakhan Campaign card has five red cubes depicted on it. When deployed to the frontline, place five red cubes on the card.

Example: The Elista Campaign card usually deploys with two red cubes. However, if you have not already captured the Grozny Campaign card, place four red cubes instead. (Card text: "When deployed, if Grozny is not yet captured, Add 2 red cubes to this card." / "All Attack! orders made against this card cost an extra supply.")

Victory Points and Soviet Reinforcements

Victory Points (VPs) are gained by capturing Campaign cards. Each Campaign card is worth a certain amount of VPs as indicated on the card. Certain Event cards can also earn VPs. Each Campaign card has a white circle with a number inside the laurel leaves indicating how many VPs the card is worth. For example, the Voronezh Campaign card is worth 1 VP.

Any time the player gains VPs and the yellow cube on the Campaign Progress tracker stops on a red circle, add 2 red cubes to the Campaign card on the frontlines worth the most VPs.

If there is a tie, the player chooses which Campaign card to deploy the cubes to.

If there are no Campaign cards currently in play, ignore this reinforcement rule.

For example, if the player has accumulated 9 VPs and the yellow VP cube has landed on the number 9 box of the Campaign Progress tracker, which contains a red circle.

Ending the Game

The game ends either when all of the Campaign cards are captured or when the white [the printed rules say "yellow" here; setup and the turn sequence use the white cube for the calendar] Operational Calendar tracking cube lands on the "Soviet Winter Offensive" space.

Use the Campaign Progress tracker to determine how many VPs the player has earned.

Note: The Green Victory and Brilliant Victory boxes on the Campaign Progress tracker are only used for Hard Mode games (See "Hard Mode Section" on page 7 for more details).

If you have at least 27 VPs at the end of the game, you have won the game with a Standard Victory.

If you have 30 or more VPs at the end of the game, you have won a Brilliant Victory.

If you have earned less than 27 VPs, the Germans are defeated and you have lost the game.

Panzertruppen Rule vs Mountains and Fortified Cities

When using an Attack! order against Campaign cards with Mountains or Fortress icons, Panzer armies will not be able to use the "Panzertruppen" special rule. This is because the -1 to the attack dice from these Campaign cards makes it impossible to roll a (6) on any die.

You can cancel out this effect with Event cards such as "Allied Romanian Mountain Corps" or "Pionier Battalions." These cards eliminate the negative modifier to all attack dice against Campaign cards with the Mountains or Fortress icons, respectively.

Additional Game Modes

In addition to the regular game, there are two additional modes that can be added for variety: Hard Mode and Mission Mode. Either mode may be added individually or they may be combined.

Hard Mode

After playing a few games, you might want a more difficult challenge. You can play in Hard Mode by adding the 4 extra "Hard Mode" events to the Event deck during setup. (The four Hard Mode cards include a green circle with a skull icon.) The green Victory and Brilliant Victory boxes on the Campaign Progress tracker are used for Hard Mode games (see Ending the Game).

Missions Mode

Missions Mode adds specific Missions to each month of your campaign. These Missions may be completed to earn extra VPs or supplies. During the setup of the game, shuffle all ten Mission cards to form a Mission deck.

At the beginning of each month (marked "Early" on the Calendar), draw two Mission cards from the Mission deck. These two cards are left face up and placed below the Battle Board.

Each Mission card has a game condition that needs to be met in order for you to gain the extra VPs or Supply specified on the card.

At the beginning of each month, any mission cards without their conditions fully met are discarded. Two new Mission cards are drawn.

If the Mission conditions are met at any time during the game month, discard the Mission card and adjust the Campaign Progress track or Supply Depot track accordingly.

While the missions allow you to earn extra VPs, you will need a higher VP total to win the game. In Missions Mode, a total of 32 VPs are needed for a Standard Victory and 36 VPs for a Brilliant Victory. The new win conditions when using Missions are marked in green on the Campaign Progress track.

Example Mission card: "Axis Allied Propaganda" (worth 1 VP): Capture a Campaign card worth at least 3 VPs while using an event card to add dice to a single Attack! order OR an Attack! order from an Event card General.

German Spelling of Cards

The decision to use German spelling and unit names for the Event cards in Campaign: Fall Blau was in order to reflect the historical context of the game's setting. The use of German language and terminology adds an element of authenticity and will hopefully help immerse players in the game's history.

Glossary of Terms

• Stays-in-play icon: Event cards with this icon remain in play for the rest of the game.
• Panzer icon: Generals with this icon command a Panzer army.
• Infantry icon: Generals with this icon command a regular army.
• Stop icon: Event cards with this icon must be played and resolved immediately when drawn.
• Unlock (padlock): When capturing a Campaign card, any Campaign cards next to this icon on the captured card become unlocked and placed in the unlocked queue.
• Grey cube: Used as a resource to determine the fighting strength of German Generals.
• Red cube: Used as a resource to determine the fighting strength of the Soviets on either Campaign cards or some Event cards.
• Supply: A supply resource. Used for Attack! and Advance orders.
• Mountains: When attacking Campaign cards with this icon, all attack dice rolls are modified at -1.
• Fortress city: When attacking Campaign cards or certain Event cards with this icon, all attack dice rolls are modified at -1.