Downfall of the Third Reich
Downfall of the Third Reich Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Map Overview
- 1. Components
- 2. Warring Factions
- 3. Turns
- 4. Actions
- 5. Stacking
- 6. Area Control
- 7. Line of Supply
- 8. Army Operations
- 9. Political Restrictions on Operations
- 10. Accumulated Armor
- 11. Air Missions
- 12. Submarine Missions
- 13. Development
- 14. Strategic Bombing
- 15. Resources
- 16. Terrain, Fortresses and Fortified Lines
- 17. Combat
- 18. Surrender
- 19. Winter Turns
- 20. Victory
- 21. Deployment
- 22. Examples
- 23. List of Armies
- 24. Designer's Notes
Map Overview
The map is divided into areas and shows, among other features: the Battle of the Atlantic and Strategic Bombing boxes, landing lines and landing areas, impassable areas (neutral countries), country capitals (shown in white letters), Supply areas, Key areas, Key areas lost by the USSR, Oil areas, the Accumulated missions box, the Developments in progress box, the Completed actions box, and the turn sequence track, along with the Accumulated supply marker and Accumulated armor marker spaces.
1. Components
- 1 Map (divided into areas)
- 105 Army counters
- 22 Air mission counters
- 4 Submarine mission counters
- 25 Development tiles
- 1 Turn marker
- 30 Control markers
- 15 Army activation markers
- 3 Accumulated armor markers
- 3 Accumulated supply markers
- 4 Out of supply markers
- 12 Actions completed markers
- 3 Dice
- 1 Rulebook
The combat unit of the game is the army. Armies can be infantry or armor.
A player can, at the beginning of his turn, eliminate any of his armies from the map. He can also convert armor armies into infantry.
Army counters show a full side and a reduced side, and each carries a combat factor and a support factor. Mission counters are Air missions and Naval missions (Axis only); development counters include Aviation, Advanced aviation, Submarines and Advanced submarines (each with a face and a back). Other markers track army activation, area control, and completed actions.
2. Warring Factions
The warring factions and the countries that comprise them at the start of the game are:
- Axis (Germany and Finland).
- Allies (United Kingdom and France).
- Soviet Union or USSR.
Each player controls one side. With two players, one player leads the Allies and the Soviet Union.
The following countries enter the war as follows:
- Belgium: with the Allies in turn 2.
- Italy: with the Axis after the surrender of France.
- Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria: with the Axis in 1941.
- Greece: with the Allies in 1941.
- Yugoslavia: with the Allies in 1942.
- United States: with the Allies in 1942.
These countries go to war earlier if they are invaded by the other side. Denmark and Norway can be invaded (they surrender but do not go to war). Other countries do not intervene in the game.
Germany, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States are the Major Powers.
3. Turns
Twenty-two three-month turns are played, starting in winter 1940, when Germany is preparing to invade France (having started World War II by invading Poland) and the Soviet Union has already attacked Finland.
Each turn is played first by the Axis, then by the Allies and finally by the Soviet Union.
Each turn Actions are played and Stock (supply for army operations, armor steps and missions) can be spent including the resolution of combats. All this can be done in any order (example 1). Spending the Stock accumulated does not have to be done all at once, but supply cannot be spent after combats are performed.
4. Actions
Possible actions are the following:
- Supply
- Reinforcements (Major Powers)
- Armor Production
- Air Missions
- Submarine Missions (Axis only)
- Development
- Lend Lease (Allies only)
In a turn only one Action of each type can be performed, except the Allies who can perform two of each type in Total War (only one of Lend Lease) and the Soviet Union who can perform two Developments in 1943 turns and two Supply in 1944 turns, the turns that there is Lend Lease.
In 1942 all sides enter Total War.
The entry into Total War of some sides may be earlier in the following cases:
- The Soviet Union and the Axis enter into Total War the turn following Barbarossa (Axis invasion of the Soviet Union) or a German attack in Karelia.
- The Axis also enters into Total War if the Soviet Union invades Germany, Romania or Hungary.
Actions per turn
| Power | Limited War | Total War |
|---|---|---|
| Axis | 3 | 4 a) |
| Allies | 2 b) | 5 b) |
| USSR | 2 | 3 c) |
a) One Action less for each German Supply area not controlled, for Strategic Bombing and for not controlling Trondheim (winter and spring).
b) One Action less if the Axis controls London, or for submarines (maximum one Action lost).
c) One Action less if the Axis controls Moscow.
4.1 Supply
The Supply Action creates 5 supply units (12 is the maximum stock).
4.2 Reinforcements
Reinforcements are infantry if no accumulated armor steps are spent.
Building an entire army costs two reinforcement points. Building a reduced army or upgrading a reduced army to a full army costs one reinforcement point.
Mayor Powers' armies are built in their Supply Areas (Canada and Suez belong to the United Kingdom. Note that Moscow has a Line of Supply because it is a Capital, but it is not a Supply Area). Those of other countries, are built in their capital. Upgrading an army from reduced to full can be done anywhere, if it has Line of Supply.
Reinforcements for major powers can be placed at any time during the turn (example 7).
Reinforcement points (per Reinforcement Action)
| Power | Points |
|---|---|
| Germany | 4 a) |
| UK (Limited War) | 2 |
| Allies (Total War) | 4 b) |
| USSR (Limited War) | 4 |
| USSR (Total War: until end of 1943) | 8 a) |
| USSR (Total War 1944-1945) | 4 fixed |
a) 0.5 points less, rounding up, for each Key Area they do not control.
b) Maximum 2 for the United Kingdom per turn.
Reinforcements for countries that are not Major Powers
It is done every corresponding turn, at the beginning of his turn, not being an Action.
- Italian and French infantry: 1 every turn.
- Other Minor Powers: 1 every winter and summer.
In addition, while Italy is at war, the Axis receives 3 supply units at the start of every turn.
4.3 Armor Production
The Armor Production Action creates 3 armor steps.
4.4 Air Missions
The Air Missions Action provides 2 air missions, that are placed in the missions box of the map.
To perform the Air Missions Action it is necessary to have the Aviation development.
4.5 Submarine Missions
The Submarine Missions Action provides the Axis with 3 submarine missions.
4.6 Development
The Development Action consists of placing a tile on the Developments in progress box of the map. If the tile is already on the box, another Development Action, in a later turn, removes the tile and makes the development available.
Developments can be secret until used.
The Allies cannot use the Development Action in 1940. Starting in 1944 one Action is enough to obtain a development.
4.7 Lend Lease
This Action can only be performed from Barbarossa, or from spring 1942, up to and including 1944. It provides an additional Action to the Soviet Union this turn. To do so in 1941, the Soviet Union must control Karelia.
5. Stacking
A side can have a maximum of 3 armies per area (except in America where stacking is unlimited). It is possible to pass through an area where there are three armies but not to finish the movement in the area.
6. Area Control
Areas are initially controlled by the side to which they belong, they change to the control of the last side that occupies them alone with one or more armies, although the control change takes place at the end of the active player's army operations.
7. Line of Supply
Armies (whether or not in a controlled area) have a Line of Supply if they can trace a path to a Supply Area of their side or to the Capital of their country, through controlled areas.
Without the Blitzkrieg development no Line of Supply is traced through controlled areas if there are armies of another side in them (example 2). In Supply areas or the Capital, if they are controlled, there is always Line of Supply.
If the Blitzkrieg development is available, a Line of Supply is also traced through areas with own armies, even if the areas are not controlled (example 3).
There is Line of Supply by sea between controlled areas and in the areas where an Amphibious Landing has been conducted, with the following exceptions:
- Soviet Union's armies across the Baltic Sea.
- Axis armies across the Black Sea or in Egypt.
Armies that have no Line of Supply at the end of their turn are eliminated and are available to be created again (example 4).
8. Army Operations
Supply units (SU) are used by armies to perform one of the following operations:
- Tactical movement.
- Attack (or support).
- Tactical movement and attack (or support).
- Strategic movement.
- Naval movement.
- Amphibious Landing (and if necessary, attack).
Each army operation costs 1 SU, except to move more than one sea area and Amphibious Landings which cost 2 SU.
The following operations exceptionally cost 2 SU instead of 1 SU:
- Allied operations 1, 2 or 3 in France or Belgium, the turn that Germany attacks France or Belgium, if it is in 1940.
- All Soviet Union operations on the Barbarossa turn if it happens before 1942.
- All Axis operations in the Soviet Union in winter 1942, and those carried out east of the Eastern Line.
A tactical movement allows an infantry army to move up to 3 areas and an armor army up to 4 areas.
From an area containing enemy armies, it is not possible move tactically (all the movement) to uncontrolled areas or to areas with enemy armies, except with a Blitzkrieg exploitation movement (examples 5 and 6).
To attack (or support) is to attack with one army an enemy army located in the same area (or to support an attack).
To do a tactical movement and attack (or support) is to do both in a single operation, but the movement is reduced by one area (2 areas for infantry and 3 for armor).
To do a strategic movement is to move through controlled areas, including the area of departure and arrival, any number of areas (even just one). The Axis can strategically move a maximum of 2 armies through areas of the Soviet Union, per turn.
A naval movement is a movement between two controlled coastal areas. Axis armies cannot cross the Strait of Gibraltar or move across the Black Sea.
An Amphibious Landing is to move from a controlled coastal area to an uncontrolled coastal area. Without the development Amphibious Landings this is only possible with one infantry army per turn and following Landing Lines (LL).
Attacks must be resolved after all movements have been made.
An army can only perform one operation per turn provided it has a Line of Supply at the start of the turn.
9. Political Restrictions on Operations
Finnish, Belgian, Yugoslav and Greek armies can only operate in their country. In addition to their country, the following armies can only operate in:
- Bulgarian in Greece and Yugoslavia.
- Romanians and Hungarians in the Soviet Union.
- Italians in Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece or Africa. If there are at least 4 in these areas, the rest can operate anywhere.
In Calais you can only attack British armies if you also attack French armies in the area.
Allied armies cannot move on turn 1, except if Germany attacks France or Belgium.
Finnish armies cannot attack in Karelia if it is controlled by the Soviet Union, but they can support attacks.
Until 1941, Germany cannot move its armies into Finland, Greece or Africa, nor use air missions in these areas.
Until the Axis is in Total War, Romania allows the passage of only one German infantry army.
Soviet armies in Kiev and in the areas bordering Germany and Romania cannot move until Barbarossa or until 1942, except if they move to Axis areas.
10. Accumulated Armor
Accumulated armor are used to convert infantry to armor in home Supply Areas of their side (two armor per full army or one armor per reduced army). Reduced armor armies can be upgraded to full armies anywhere by spending one reinforcement point and one accumulated armor step (i.e. the Reinforcement Action must be made at the time of upgrading).
11. Air Missions
Air missions are used for:
- Provide +2 to the attack of one army.
- Strategic Bombing.
- Counter enemy air missions during the enemy player's turn.
When a player places air missions, the target player can counter them with his accumulated air missions, and both are eliminated. This process can be repeated as many times as desired.
Air mission tokens will be available to be created again after fulfilling their task: combat, Strategic Bombing or countering.
12. Submarine Missions
If the Axis places 2 missions in the Battle of the Atlantic box, the Allies will subtract one Action on their next turn (placing missions can be done at any time, it is not an Action). At the end of the Allied turn these missions are removed and become available to be created again.
13. Development
The following developments are available:
| Development | Axis | Allies | USSR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blitzkrieg | S | ||
| Aviation | S | S | |
| Advanced tanks | |||
| Urals industry | |||
| Guards | |||
| Tank industry | |||
| Air industry | |||
| Logistics | |||
| Amph. Landings | |||
| Advanced warships | |||
| Advanced aviation |
S = Developed at the beginning of the game
13.1 Blitzkrieg
It provides two important skills, which are:
- Exploitation Movement: If an army is attacked with an Adjusted Combat Factor of +4 or more, in plain terrain without Fortress, armor armies (that have not contributed to provide the +4), can cross this area to a contiguous uncontrolled area, but not beyond (example 9).
- Line of Supply: Own armies provide Line of Supply through uncontrolled areas (remember that, without this development, enemy armies cut it).
The Soviet Union cannot develop it until 1942.
13.2 Aviation
Air missions available.
13.3 Advanced Tanks
Advanced armor armies available. The Axis cannot develop it until 1942.
Armor steps accumulated before this development can be used for advanced armor armies.
13.4 Urals Industry
The Soviet Union requires it to obtain: Logistics, Guards, Tank Industry and Air Industry. It cannot be developed until 1941.
13.5 Guards
Russian Guard armies available (combat factor 5 infantry armies).
13.6 Tank Industry
With each Armor Production Action, 5 armor steps are accumulated.
13.7 Air Industry
With each Air Missions Action, 4 missions are accumulated.
13.8 Logistics
Provides 7 supply units when the Supply Action is done.
13.9 Amphibious Landings
It cannot be developed until 1942.
It allows up to 3 infantry or armor armies to do Amphibious Landings per turn (up to 4 armies in 1944). Three armies can do Amphibious Landings along Landing Lines (but only one in Trondheim). Also one army can do an Amphibious Landing in the following areas:
- In the UK and Ireland, except London, from America.
- Nantes and Bordeaux, from America or the UK.
- Casablanca, Oran, Algiers and Suez from America.
- In Brussels and Bergen, from the UK.
- In Marseilles, from Tunisia.
13.10 Advanced Warships
It cannot be developed until 1943.
With this development, the Axis has the advanced submarine missions available. A single one of these missions subtracts one Action from the Allies, if the Allies do not have this development when the mission is placed.
Also if the Allies have Advanced Warships, the non-advanced submarine missions have no effect.
13.11 Advanced Aviation
It cannot be developed until 1943.
Advanced air missions available.
Advanced air missions can only be countered with Advanced air missions.
Each turn, the first two Axis advanced air missions that counter Allied missions performing Strategic Bombing, counter two missions instead of one.
14. Strategic Bombing
The Allies, if they control London, in their turn, can place Advanced air missions in the Strategic Bombing box, and the Axis can counter them with their Advanced air missions.
If there are two Allied air missions left in the Strategic Bombing box the Axis has one action less the following turn. Then, the missions are withdrawn and become available to be accumulated again.
15. Resources
If the Allied player controls Trondheim, the Axis has one Action less in Total War winter and spring turns.
If the USSR or the Allies control Bucharest, the Axis receives 2 fewer supply units for each Supply Action.
If the Axis controls Grozny, it receives 2 more supply units for each Supply Action.
If the Axis controls Baku, the Soviet Union receives 2 supply units less for each Supply Action.
If the Axis controls Suez, the Allies receive 2 supply units less for each Supply Action up to and including 1943.
16. Terrain, Fortresses and Fortified Lines
The terrain types are: Plain, Forest, Swamp, Narrow pass, Mountain, High Mountain, Coast, River and Strait. Except for the Plain type, terrain benefits the defenders.
High Mountain is impassable if it is defended by an enemy army. If an area with High Mountain is attacked from a border without High Mountain, it does not benefit the defenders.
Coast, River (only in the area where it is) and Strait only benefit the defenders when the attacking armies cross them (example 10).
- River, Coast, Strait, Fortified line — Defenders add +1 to their CF (+2 if fortified line). Defenders only benefit when the attackers cross them.
- Forest, Marsh, Mountains, Narrow pass — Defenders add +1 to their combat factor.
- Plain — No effect.
- Fortress — Defenders add +1 to their combat factor if they control the area.
- High mountain — Impassable if there are defenders on the other side.
The benefit (bonus) for terrain is to add 1 to the Combat Factor (CF) of defending armies in non-Plain terrain (even if they do not control the area).
Fortresses add 1 to the CF of defending armies, if they control the area (Soviet ones only to Soviets). Fortified Lines add 2 to the CF of the defending armies, when the attacking armies cross them.
The benefits for different terrain in an area, as well as for Fortress and Fortified Line are cumulative.
Blitzkrieg allows Exploitation Movement in any terrain in Africa. In the rest of the map, it can only be used if the area with enemy armies is a Plain without Fortress and no High mountain is crossed (example 11).
17. Combat
(Examples 12 and 13)
Combats are army-to-army and are resolved after all moves have been made.
In an area where the attacker has more armies than the defender, the extra armies can be activated to support the attacks of other armies. All armies have an attack support factor of +2 when they are full and +1 when reduced. Amphibious Landing armies cannot support.
If armies supporting an attack enter the area by River, Strait or Fortified Line, but the attacking army does not, the defenders have no defensive bonus.
When moving into an area with an enemy army(s) and no armies of your own, at least one of the armies moving into this area must attack.
Allies and Soviet Union armies cannot attack the same Axis army in the same turn.
Adjusted Combat Factors (ACF) of attacking and defending armies are calculated as follows:
Attacker
- Army Combat Factor (CF) *.
- Plus support factors from other armies.
- +2 for an attacking air mission (no more than one mission can be placed per attack).
Defender
- Army Combat Factor (CF) *.
- Plus bonus for Terrain, Fortress and Fortified Line.
* Afrika Korps (DAK), 7-4 in Africa and 5-3 in other areas.
* Defending Italian armies add 1 if they share area with German armies.
* Axis armies subtract 1 in winter 1942 in the Soviet Union.
Attacker and defender add 1D6 roll to their Adjusted Combat Factor, to determine the combat score.
German armor in the Soviet Union (not in Forest, Swamp or Mountain), and the Afrika Korps and British armor in Africa, turn a die roll of 1 or 2 into 3.
17.1 Combat Result
The highest scorer wins the combat and receives 1 casualty (flip the army from full to reduced, or eliminates it if it was already reduced).
The defeated army receives 2 casualties. If the defeated army was a reduced army, the victorious army receives no casualties.
The victor receives no casualties if it scores double or more than the defeated army.
If there is a tie, each army receives 1 casualty.
18. Surrender
(Example 14)
France surrenders if, at the end of its turn, Belgium has surrendered and there are German armies in 3 areas of France.
All other countries surrender at the end of the turn of the player causing the surrender.
Italy and Belgium surrender if there are two enemy armies in their country (Italian colonial areas do not count).
Other minor powers surrender by controlling their capital.
The Soviet Union and Germany surrender by controlling all their Supply areas.
The United Kingdom and the United States do not surrender.
When a country surrenders, its armies are eliminated and its areas become controlled by the surrendering side. There are two special cases:
- When France surrenders, French North Africa becomes a neutral country. It can only be invaded by the Allies. If they do it by Amphibious Landing, it has to be with three full armies at the same time, in which case, the areas east of Algiers pass to the control of the Axis.
- Partisans: If Yugoslavia surrenders; in the summer of 1942 it returns to the war. At the beginning of winter and summer Allied turns, it receives two reinforcement points (instead of one), in any area of the country where there are no Axis armies. Partisans only control the area they are in and always have Line of Supply.
19. Winter Turns
In winter air missions cannot be used to support attacks, except in Africa or the Allies in 1945.
In winter no Amphibious Landings can be made except through Landing Lines in the Mediterranean Sea.
In winter 1942 Axis armies in the Soviet Union subtract 1 from their CF and their operations cost 2 supply units.
20. Victory
If Germany surrenders on the last turn, it is a draw.
If Germany surrenders before the last turn, the war ends and the Allies and the Soviet Union win the game.
If at the end of the last turn Germany has not surrendered, the Axis win the game.
21. Deployment
GERMANY
| Area | Armies | Type | Factors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Königsberg | 2 | I | 5-3 |
| Warsaw | 2 | I | 5-3 |
| Tarnow | 1 | I | 5-3 reduced |
| Hamburg | 1 | I | 5-3 reduced |
| Ruhr | 1 | A | 6-4 |
| Ruhr | 2 | I | 5-3 |
| Frankfurt | 2 | A | 6-4 |
| Frankfurt | 1 | I | 5-3 |
| Stuttgart | 3 | I | 5-3 |
Has the Blitzkrieg and Aviation developments.
4 supplies accumulated.
4 air missions and 3 submarine missions accumulated.
UNITED KINGDOM
| Area | Armies | Type | Factors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calais | 2 | I | 4-2 |
| Alexandria | 1 | A | 5-3 reduced |
| Alexandria | 1 | I | 4-2 |
| El Alamein | 1 | I | 4-2 |
| Scotland | 1 | I | 4-2 reduced |
Has the Aviation development.
2 supplies and 2 armor accumulated.
FRANCE
| Area | Armies | Type | Factors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calais | 1 | I | 3-2 |
| Reims | 2 | I | 3-2 |
| Reims | 1 | A | 5-3 |
| Nancy | 2 | I | 3-2 |
| Paris | 2 | I | 3-2 |
| Paris | 1 | A | 5-3 |
SOVIET UNION
| Area | Armies | Type | Factors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riga | 2 | I | 3-2 |
| Vilnius | 2 | I | 3-2 |
| Kovel | 2 | I | 3-2 |
| Tarnopol | 2 | I | 3-2 |
| Minsk | 1 | A | 5-3 reduced |
| Vinnitsa | 1 | A | 5-3 reduced |
| Odessa | 1 | I | 3-2 |
| Karelia | 2 | I | 3-2 |
| Karelia (Axis control) | 1 | A | 5-3 reduced |
| Leningrad | 1 | I | 3-2 |
| Kiev | 2 | I | 3-2 |
| Kiev | 1 | A | 5-3 reduced |
| Kharkov | 1 | A | 5-3 reduced |
Aviation in the development box.
2 supplies accumulated.
FINLAND
| Area | Armies | Type | Factors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karelia | 1 | I | 4-2 |
| Helsinki | 1 | I | 4-2 |
BELGIUM
| Area | Armies | Type | Factors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brussels | 2 | I | 3-2 |
ITALY
| Area | Armies | Type | Factors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milan | 1 | I | 3-2 |
| Albania | 3 | I | 3-2 |
| Tobruk | 1 | I | 3-2 |
| Benghazi | 1 | I | 3-2 |
| El Agheila | 1 | I | 3-2 |
| Rome | 1 | I | 3-2 |
ROMANIA
| Area | Armies | Type | Factors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Constanta | 1 | I | 4-2 |
| Brasov | 1 | I | 4-2 |
HUNGARY
| Area | Armies | Type | Factors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debrecen | 1 | I | 4-2 |
BULGARIA
| Area | Armies | Type | Factors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sofia | 1 | I | 3-2 |
GREECE
| Area | Armies | Type | Factors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ioanina | 2 | I | 3-2 |
YUGOSLAVIA
| Area | Armies | Type | Factors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgrad | 1 | I | 3-2 |
| Zagreb | 1 | I | 3-2 |
| Nis | 1 | I | 3-2 |
22. Examples
22.1 Example 1
On turn 7, the Axis does the following:
- Receives Italian reinforcements and supply.
- Conducts army operations with the accumulated supply.
- Places air missions in attacks.
- Conduct one Supply Action.
- Conduct more operations with other armies.
- Place more air missions in attacks.
- Resolve attacks.
- Perform the Armor Production Action.
- Perform the Reinforcements Action.
22.2 Example 2
After resolving the Axis attacks of turn 7, which was Barbarossa's turn, a section of the Soviet Union ends up as shown in Figure 1.
In this example, each country controls its home areas. The only exception is Dvinsk which is controlled by the Axis (it is the last side to occupy it alone).
The Soviet Union does not yet have the Blitzkrieg development. Therefore, the Soviet armies in Vilnius have no Line of Supply, as there are German armies in all the surrounding areas. The rest of the Soviet armies do have Line of Supply.
22.3 Example 3
The German armor armies in Figure 1 have Line of Supply, because having the Blitzkrieg development, they trace Line of Supply through the German armies in Riga or Kovel, even if these areas are not controlled by Germany.
22.4 Example 4
After the Soviet Union has completed turn 7, the section of example 2 ends up as you can see in Figure 2 (the reduced German armies have been upgraded to full armies as indicated in examples 6 and 7):
Two of the armies moved by the Soviet Union are the infantry armies in Kiev, which could not move until this turn. The armies in Vilnius have been eliminated as they have not recovered the Line of Supply.
22.5 Example 5
Let's look at Figure 1 and see some tactical moves that the Soviet Union cannot make:
- The Soviet army in Riga cannot move to Königsberg because it does not control it (not even passing first through a controlled area like Vilnius).
- The Soviet army in Riga cannot move to Dvinsk because it neither controls it nor can it end up in an area with enemy armies (not even passing first through a controlled area like Tallinn).
- The Soviet army in Kovel cannot tactically move to Minsk, despite controlling both areas, because in Minsk there are enemy armies.
On the other hand, the Soviet army in Kovel could move strategically to Minsk, since the Soviet Union controls both areas (the prohibition for tactical movement is to prevent it from being able to attack or support, which cannot be done with strategic movement).
The armies in Vilnius cannot move because they have no Line of Supply at the start of their turn.
22.6 Example 6
Situation in Figure 3 has been reached after the Soviet turn (the attack of a Soviet armor army has destroyed an Italian army in Voronezh and has allowed the movement of another Soviet armor army to Lugansk).
The German armies in Stalingrad have Line of Supply through Voronezh and Rostov, so they can attack in Stalingrad, but they cannot tactically exit from there because they would pass through areas with enemy armies or controlled by the enemy.
The German armies also cannot leave Stalingrad with strategic movement because they do not control Stalingrad.
22.7 Example 7
In example 2 you can see how after resolving the attacks, some German armies are reduced. Following the sequence of example 1, these armies can be upgraded to full armies after having moved and attacked.
Reinforcements for Italy, France and Minor countries can only be made at the beginning of the turn.
22.8 Example 8
Following the example above, of the 4 reinforcement points from the German Reinforcement Action, one is spent on upgrading the reduced armor army in Figure 1.
The infantry armies seen in Figure 1 cannot be converted to armor armies, as this has to be done in Supply areas. In Supply areas, infantry armies can be converted to armor armies at any time during the turn. It is not necessary to do so when performing the Reinforcement Action. Obviously, you must have accumulated armor steps and spend them.
22.9 Example 9
The situation in Figure 1 was reached after the operations of the German armies detailed below and shown in Figure 4.
Three German infantry armies have moved to Riga, one of which attacks a Soviet army and one of which supports it (it can do so as there are three German armies against two Soviet ones). The German army has an adjusted combat factor (ACF) of 7 (5+2 from the support), the Soviet army has an ACF of 3. As the German's ACF is +4 with respect to the Soviet, German armor armies can make exploitation movement through Riga, which is what the army that moves to Dvinsk does.
Two German infantry armies move to Kovel. One of them attacks a Soviet army with a supporting air mission. The ACF of the German army is +4 with respect to the Soviet (5+2 from the air mission = 7, with respect to 3), which permits exploitation movement through Kovel, and it is what the armor armies that move to Minsk do, one of which attacks a Soviet army, also with a supporting air mission.
Note that the three German armies that have not attacked the second Soviet army at Riga, Kovel and Minsk, could have done so and would have fought 5 to 3, 5 to 3 and 6 to 5 respectively.
22.10 Example 10
In Figure 5 two allied armies have moved to Brussels, the infantry conducting an Amphibious Landing from the UK and the armor with a tactical movement from Calais, and two allied armies have moved from Reims to Frankfurt (one of them attacks). Let's see how affects the terrain:
In Brussels: If the attacker is the infantry army, the German army has a +1 CF because the attacking army is landing (even if the armor army supports the attack). If the attacker is the armor army, the German army does not have the +1, but the infantry army cannot support because it is doing an Amphibious landing.
In Frankfurt: The attacked German army has +1 CF because the attacking army does it crossing the Rhine river. In the following turn the German armies in Frankfurt would no longer benefit from the +1 if they are attacked by one of the allied armor armies already in Frankfurt.
If in the following turn, the German armies in the Ruhr area move to Brussels attacking an allied army, the latter will not benefit from +1 CF, since the river is in the Ruhr area and is not considered to be crossed in the attack.
22.11 Example 11
In Figure 6, three German armies have moved to Kalinin and two to Tula. In Tula the Axis player decides to attack with the armor army and the support of the infantry army, and also an air mission. The adjusted combat factor in Tula is +4 (10 to 6). However, the Bryansk armor army cannot exploit through Tula because there is a Fortress. If there was no Fortress, it could have exploited to Moscow.
We see that Moscow's terrain is Forest and also has a Fortress, so the Soviet armies defending in this area add +2 to their combat factor (1 for the Forest and 1 for the Fortress). In the situation in Figure 6 it has not been necessary to place any Soviet army in Moscow since the Germans cannot reach it.
22.12 Example 12
Let's see how the attacks in Figures 5 and 6 would be resolved, with hypothetical die rolls:
Brussels: The Allied player decides to attack with the Amphibious landing infantry army, with the support of the armor army. The ACFs are 8 for the British (4+2+2) and 6 for the Germans (5+1). The British get a 2 on the die roll and the Germans a 5. The result is 10 to 11 in favor of the Germans. The British infantry army is eliminated and the German army is flipped to its reduced side (the supporting American armor army remains intact in the area).
Frankfurt: An American army attacks a German one (the other American army does not attack, but it cannot support either because the two sides have the same number of armies in the area). The ACFs are 8 for the Americans (6+2) and 6 for the Germans (5+1). The American army gets a 3 on the die roll and the German a 5. The result is 11 to 11. Both armies are flipped to its reduced side.
Kalinin: The German player decides to attack only one Soviet army (as the German extra army can only support one attack, attacking the other Soviet army is considered risky). The ACFs are 7 (5+2) to 4 (3+1). The German army gets a 5 on the die roll, and the Soviet 2. The German's result (12) is double the Soviet's (6), so the Soviet army is eliminated and the German takes no casualties.
Tula: The German's ACF is 10 (6+2+2) to the Soviet's 6 (5+1). The German's die roll result is 1 and the Soviet's 6. The German die roll becomes 3 because it is armor in the Soviet Union on Plain terrain. The combat result is therefore, 13 to 12. The Soviet army is eliminated and the German armor army is flipped.
22.13 Example 13
Two German armies have moved to Reims, one of which attacks a French infantry army with air support. As the combat factor is +4 (7 to 3), one German armor army moves to Nancy through Reims, skipping the Maginot Line, and attacks a French infantry army.
Another German infantry army moves to Nancy across the Maginot Line but does not attack. The ACF at Nancy is 8 (6+2) to 3. If the German infantry army at Nancy had attacked, the ACF would have been 5 to 5 (3+2).
If a third German infantry army had moved to Nancy (across the Maginot Line), it could have supported the attack of the armor army without the French army benefiting from the Maginot Line, since it counts where the attacking army comes from, not the supporting one.
22.14 Example 14
France is the only country that does not surrender at the end of the turn of the player causing the surrender, but does so at the end of its turn, if the surrender conditions are met. Let's see in Figure 8 a possible situation at the end of Axis turn 2 (before the surrender).
In this case Belgium would automatically surrender as there would be at least two German armies in Belgium, so the Belgian army is removed. France would still not surrender and would have a counterattack option.
The Allies could, for example, naval transport the two British armies to London and attack with two armies from Paris, the armor army and one of infantry, the German armies in Calais (the cost is 6 supply units). If the two German armies are eliminated France would not surrender. Should a German army survive, France would surrender at the end of Allied turn 2.
23. List of Armies
ALLIES
| Army | Count |
|---|---|
| British infantry (4/2) | 6 |
| British armor (5/3) | 2 |
| British advanced armor (6/4) | 2 |
| American infantry (4/2) | 3 |
| American advanced armor (6/4) | 6 |
| French infantry (3/2) | 7 |
| French armor (5/3) | 2 |
| Dutch and Belgians (3/2) | 2 |
| Greeks (3/2) | 2 |
| Yugoslavs (3/2) | 4 |
USSR
| Army | Count |
|---|---|
| Soviet infantry (3/2) | 18 |
| Soviet armor (5/3) | 5 |
| Soviet advanced armor (7/4) | 4 |
| Guards (5/3) | 4 |
AXIS
| Army | Count |
|---|---|
| German infantry (5/3) | 16 |
| German armor (6/4) | 5 |
| Afrika Korps (7/4)-(5/3) | 1 |
| German advanced armor (8/5) | 2 |
| Italians (3/2) | 8 |
| Finns (4/2) | 2 |
| Romanians (4/2) | 2 |
| Hungarians (4/2) | 1 |
| Bulgarians (3/2) | 1 |
AIR MISSIONS
| Side | Count |
|---|---|
| German | 6 |
| British | 5 |
| American | 6 |
| Soviet | 5 |
SUBMARINE MISSIONS
| Side | Count |
|---|---|
| German | 4 |
24. Designer's Notes
In 2005 I published BLITZWAR, a game whose objective was to faithfully simulate the Second World War in the European Theater, at a strategic level, with simple rules and short duration games.
DOWNFALL OF THE THIRD REICH was born with the same objective, but with the aim of simplifying the rules and shortening the duration of the games, without losing simulation fidelity. The rules of the game take up just 7 pages and a game can be played in one sitting, when you are familiar with it.
The parallel objective of the game was that it should be exciting and that countless games could be played without getting boring.
DOWNFALL OF THE THIRD REICH (DoTR) was inspired by the mechanics I used in DOWNFALL OF EMPIRES (World War I simulation game, which I created before) so it can be considered of the same family. Some of these mechanisms are: the combat unit is the army, the combat is army to army with supports, each player does a certain number of Actions per turn, one of the Actions is to perform Developments, etc.
The system of Actions per turn, which forces players to choose among multiple alternatives, is one of the pillars of the game.
In addition to performing Actions, players, in their turn, can spend what they have accumulated in previous Actions (missions, armor and supply).
One of the challenges of DoTR was to introduce armor armies and have them behave historically. This is achieved with the Blitzkrieg development, which allows you to break through enemy lines and surround armies.
DoTR also has its operational component. You have to play well to penetrate enemy lines, surround armies and prevent your own armies from being surrounded. There is a tactical movement rule that is necessary for the game to function correctly at the operational level, which is: "From an area in which there are armies of another side you cannot move tactically to uncontrolled areas nor to areas with armies of another side, ..."
The above rule caused me, playing as a German, to suffer the pocketing of two armor armies in Stalingrad (see example 6). It was a surprise that reaffirmed its good performance.
The aviation (which has great importance) and naval warfare (Battle of the Atlantic) works with the mission system. After much thought I decided not to include surface fleets. It is up to the German player to decide how much resources to devote to submarines at the expense of other military efforts.
Special rules are included only when necessary to represent facts that are needed for the game to work well as a historical simulation. For example, those included in the section on Political Restrictions on Operations and the surrender conditions of certain countries such as France and Belgium.
The special rule - German armor, in the Soviet Union, if not Forest, Swamp or Mountain, and Africa Korps and British armor in Africa, turn a die roll of 1 or 2 into 3 - was necessary to represent the historical efficiency of some units and to encourage players to use these units in a logical way.
Perhaps the most artificial rule of the game is the one relating to North Africa in Vichy France. I preferred to solve this aspect of the game in this way, rather than over-complicate the rules.
The control of Trondheim represents the control of Northern Norway, especially the port of Narvik. The importance of its control in DoTR, simulates the one that occurred, with the consequent large number of German troops stationed there.
DoTR games can be very different, given the innumerable possibilities that the players have, as well as the randomness provided by the dice (which represents very well the randomness in wars).
In many games the Axis is successful in its first operations and can make a powerful Barbarossa. In others, if it has bad luck at the beginning, it may be preferable to focus on the fight against the Allies, keeping a more defensive strategy with the Soviet Union.
Despite the many possibilities, it is surprising that when players on all three sides play well, most games end with German surrender in the last turns or very close to surrender.
I hope you enjoy Downfall of the Third Reich very much.