Iron, Blood, Snow & Mud Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Game Setup
  • Axis Player
  • Soviet Player
• Victory Conditions
• Counters
  • Generals
• The Map
  • Hexes
  • Urban Locations
  • Obstacles
• Obstacle Explanation Table
• Game Length & Initiative
  • Years, Seasons & Turns
  • Initiative
• Sequence of Play
• The Phases
  • Phase 1: Fleet & Air Support
  • Phase 2: Movement
    • Advance
    • Convoy
    • Blitz (Tanks only)
    • Disengagement
  • Phase 3: Combat
    • Calculating Combat dice
    • Combat resolution
    • Retreat
    • Fortress Units in Combat
  • Phase 4: Anti-Partisan Activity (Axis only)
• Generals Tokens
  • Axis Tokens
  • Soviets Tokens
• Optional Rule
  • Axis Anti-Partisan Division
• Example of Play

Components

The box of this game contains:

• This rulebook
• A game board
• 2 Player aids
• 2 Turn markers
• 14 Combat Dice (7 Axis, 7 Soviet)
• Axis counters:
  • 13 Regular Units (7 Infantry and 6 Tank)
  • 4 Air Units
  • 1 Fleet Unit
  • 14 Axis Control Markers
  • 5 General Tokens
• Soviet counters:
  • 19 Regular Units (12 Infantry and 7 Tank)
  • 4 Air Units
  • 1 Fleet Unit
  • 8 Partisan Units
  • 4 General Tokens
  • 2 Fortress Units
  • 1 Stalin Meeple (counter alternative also in box)

Game Setup

Axis Player

1. Place a Turn marker Axis side-up on the '1941 - Clear' box on the Turn Track at the top of the board, and the other Turn marker Axis side-up on the first space on the Sequence of Play Track at the bottom of the board.
2. Place the 4 Axis Air Units in the Axis air box.
3. Place the Axis Fleet Unit on the Ostsee Baltic Sea.
4. Freely deploy your Regular Units in any legal hex in Axis-Controlled starting territory. The set-up in the image in the rulebook is the suggested setup for beginners.
5. Shuffle all the Axis General Tokens face down. Place 1 token face down on the Mud season of each year, take 1 into your hand (this is usable straight away), and remove the last 1 from the game without looking at it (unless using the optional rule Axis Anti-Partisan Division - see the Optional Rule section for the Axis General Tokens set-up if using this rule).

Soviet Player

6. Place the 'Stalin' meeple in Moscow.
7. Place 1 Soviet Air Unit in the Soviet air box. Place the remaining Soviet Air Units by the side of the board.
8. Place the Soviet Fleet Unit on the Chernoye More Black Sea.
9. Place Regular Units on the indicated hexes on the board (relevant hexes are indicated by an image of a Tank or Infantry Unit) and the Fortress Units in Leningrad and Sevastopol. Place the remaining Regular Units by the side of the board.
10. Shuffle all the Soviet General Tokens face down. Place 1 token face down on the Snow season of each year (unlike the Axis player you do not begin the game with a General Token in your hand).

Victory Conditions

As the Axis player you win if:

• In the Victory Check Phase you Control the City where Stalin is located; OR
• At the end of the Snow Season 1944 (the end of the game) you have Destroyed at least 1 Fortress and Control either Moscow or 3 Industrial Centers.

As the Soviet player you win if:

• In the Victory Check Phase you control any City in Axis starting territory; OR
• If the Axis player does not win by the end of the Snow Season 1944 (the end of the game).

Counters

Each player has Regular and Support Units (collectively "Units"). Please take note of the distinction between Regular and Support units, it is important throughout the game for Movement, Retreat and Supply purposes:

• Regular Units: Tank, Infantry.
• Support Units: Air, Fleet, Fortress (Soviets only), Partisan (Soviets only).

These (Support) Units do not have individual combat values (except the Fortress Unit), but can affect the number of dice used in Combat, and may impact upon Enemy Movement, Retreat and Supply.

Generals

Both players receive General Tokens over the course of the game depending on the Season. The Axis player begins with 1 randomly drawn General Token.

The Map

Hexes

The map consists of hexagonal spaces ("hexes"). Hexes on the left side of the board (west of the border line) represent the home territory of the Axis player. All the other hexes are Soviet territory.

Certain hexes have a border line between them to delineate Axis and Soviet starting territory. Soviet Partisan Units cannot be placed on Axis starting territory. Other than this, the border line has no impact on the game.

Each hex is either a Sea hex or a Land hex. Sea hexes are out of play except for Fleet and Air Units.

Each Land hex can have one of the following three terrain types: Clear, Swamp, Mountain.

All other types of terrain are for thematic purposes only and can be ignored.

Where a hex contains more than 1 type of terrain, assume it only contains the terrain that is most prominent in the hex. (Example: if the most prominent terrain on a hex is Swamp or Mountain, treat the hex as Swamp or Mountain terrain; if the most prominent terrain is Clear, treat the hex as Clear.)

Swamp and Mountain hexes are out of play for Tank and Air Units. They can only be entered by Infantry or Partisan Units.

Important: There can only be 1 Regular Unit of each player on a single hex, but multiple Support Units.

Coastal: Independent of its terrain type (Clear, Swamp or Mountain), a Land hex is also considered a Coastal hex if it touches a Sea hex. There are 4 such hexes in the Ostsee where the Axis Fleet Unit may be placed, and 8 in the Chernoye More where the Soviet Fleet Unit may be placed. All Coastal hexes are in Supply from the Fleet Unit unless the Fleet Unit is disrupted by an Enemy Air Unit (see Supply rule).

(Example: In the Ostsee there are 4 Coastal hexes. Leningrad is a Coastal hex. The Swamp hex south-west of Leningrad is not a Coastal Hex because it doesn't touch the sea at any point. The hex north-west of the Swamp hex is a Sea hex.)

Rivers: Certain hexes also have Rivers running adjacent to them, which can act as an Obstacle. (Note that a River is ignored where it passes through an Urban Location - bridges span it).

Urban Locations

A hex may also form part or all of an Urban Location. There are 2 types of Urban Locations:

• Cities - with a red star if initially Soviet-Controlled, and German cross if initially Axis-Controlled, spanning 1 hex (Königsberg) or 2 hexes (all the other Cities).
• Industrial Centers - with a yellow star and tank icon, spanning 3 hexes (Moscow) or 2 hexes (all other Industrial Centers).

An Urban Location may span more than 1 hex. To gain Control of an Urban Location you need to occupy all the hexes that make up that location with your Regular Units during the Control check phase of the turn (e.g. to gain Control of Moscow the Axis player needs to have Regular Units occupying all 3 Moscow hexes during the Control check phase).

If the Axis player gains Control of a Soviet Urban location, they place an Axis Control Marker on the location star. If the Soviet player takes it back, they remove the Axis Control Marker. Note that the Axis Control Markers have a tank icon on one face. Use this side to mark Control of an Industrial Center (to help quickly determine the type of location).

A location is Friendly if you Control it, it is Enemy if your opponent Controls it.

Obstacles

An Obstacle is: a hex; a unit in a hex; or a River adjacent to a hex, that stops Retreat, Supply, and some types of Movement.

Some Obstacles are only applicable to certain Units. Refer to the table below and on the Player Aid for the relevant rules. Further details and examples are provided under the relevant sections on Movement, Combat and Supply.

Obstacle Explanation Table

Swamp & Mountain hexes

• Advance / Convoy / Retreat: Infantry Units may begin a Convoy in a Swamp/Mountain hex but may not Convoy into one. Infantry Units may Advance and Retreat into a Swamp/Mountain hex. Tank and Air Units may not enter a Swamp/Mountain hex.
• Supply: Blocks Supply line unless a Friendly Infantry, Fleet or Partisan Unit is present in the hex.

River

• Advance / Convoy / Retreat: A Convoy may not pass through a River. A Regular Unit may not Retreat through a River. Infantry Units do not count as being adjacent for Combat purposes across a River.
• Supply: Blocks Supply line.

Enemy Regular or Support Unit

• A Convoy may not pass into a hex containing an Enemy Regular or Support Unit.
• A Regular Unit may Advance or Convoy out of a hex containing an enemy Support Unit at the start of its movement.
• A Regular Unit may Advance or Blitz into a hex with an Enemy Regular or Support Unit.
• An Infantry Unit may only exit a hex with an Enemy Regular Unit if it is able to successfully Disengage (roll a '3').
• A Tank Unit may freely exit a hex with an Enemy Infantry Unit, including via a Blitz, but must successfully Disengage (roll a '3') if the hex it is exiting contains an Enemy Tank Unit.
• No Regular Unit may Retreat into a hex with an Enemy Support or Regular Unit present (even if its own Support Units are also present).
• Supply: Blocks Supply line unless a Friendly Unit is also present in the hex.

Friendly Regular or Support Unit

• Regular Units may not Advance/Blitz/Retreat into a hex with another Friendly Regular Unit.
• Regular Units may Advance/Blitz/Retreat into a hex with a Friendly Support Unit (including a Partisan or Fortress Unit), providing there is no Enemy Unit present (Regular or Support) if Retreating.
• Supply: If a Friendly Regular or Support Unit is present in a hex the player may draw a line of Supply, even if an Enemy Unit is also present.

Enemy-Controlled Urban Location

• A Convoy may begin in an Enemy-Controlled Urban Location but may not pass into adjacent hexes of the same Enemy-Controlled Urban Location.
• No Regular Unit may Retreat into adjacent hexes of the same Enemy-Controlled Urban Location.
• Supply: Blocks Supply line passing into adjacent hexes of the same Enemy-Controlled Urban Location.

Game Length & Initiative

Years, Seasons & Turns

The game is played over 4 years: 1941-1944. Each year comprises 3 turns, known as Seasons (with the exception of 1941, which only has 2 Seasons). This means in total the game lasts 11 turns (Seasons). The 3 Seasons each year are: Mud, Clear, Snow.

Each Season has a different game impact:

Mud:

• Prohibits both players from using the Convoy and Blitz Movement actions.
• Provides Infantry and Air Unit Reinforcements for the Soviet player.
• Provides a General Token for the Axis player.

Clear:

• Provides Infantry and Tank Unit Reinforcements for the Soviet player.

Snow:

• Prohibits both players from using Air Units.
• Provides a General Token for the Soviet player.

Each Season consists of 9 Phases, of which 7 are common to both players, 1 is only relevant for the Axis player (Phase 4), and 1 is only relevant for the Soviet player (Phase 8).

Initiative

During the first 2 years (5 Seasons), the Axis player has the Initiative. If Stalin has not been moved from Moscow by the beginning of 1943, the Soviet player takes the Initiative. The Soviet player retains the Initiative for the rest of the game (the remaining 6 Seasons). Exception: if at any point Stalin is moved by the Soviet player from Moscow, the Axis player has the Initiative for the remainder of the game.

The player with the Initiative:

• Allocates their Air and Fleet Units first.
• Moves their Regular Units first.
• Decides the order in which Combat will be resolved.
• Wins ties in Combat.

Sequence of Play

1. Fleet & Air Support (Initiative player first)
2. Movement (Initiative player first)
3. Combat (Initiative player determines order of resolution)
4. Anti-Partisan activity (Axis only)
5. Control & Victory Check (Initiative player first)
6. Supply (non-Initiative player checks first)
7. Fleet & Air recall (both players simultaneously)
8. Reinforcements (Soviet only)
9. Calendar, Generals and Initiative

The Phases

Phase 1: Fleet & Air Support

ACTION: The Initiative player places all their available Fleet and Air Units, then the non-Initiative player does the same.

Place the prow of your Fleet counter on any of the Coastal hexes of the Sea where your Fleet operates (Ostsee for Axis and Chernoye More for Soviets). The Fleet Unit is now considered to occupy this hex.

Then take your available Air Units from their holding boxes off the map (not all Air Units are available for the Soviets at the beginning of the game) and place them freely on the map. You can place multiple Air Units on a single hex, but remember that you cannot place Air Units on a Swamp or Mountain hex, and no Air Units can be placed during the Snow Season. Design note: this means you place your Air and Fleet Units before you know where Combat will take place, so place them wisely.

Air and Fleet Units are treated as Obstacles for the Enemy. They also provide a Combat die per Unit if there is a Combat on the hex that they occupy. In addition, Fleet Units provide a source of Supply to all Coastal hexes of the Sea in which they are located, and, like all Friendly Units, Friendly Air Units negate the effect of an Obstacle on a hex where they are placed for Supply line purposes. You can place an Air Unit on the hex where the Enemy Fleet Unit is to disrupt it for a whole Season. If so, for the rest of the Season this hex is treated as if there were no Fleet on it, and the Fleet does not provide Supply to Coastal hexes (see Supply for more information).

Phase 2: Movement

ACTION: The Initiative player moves their Regular Units via Advance, Convoy or Blitz, then the non-Initiative player does the same.

In this Phase you may move your Regular Units. Units are not required to move. Support Units cannot be moved in any way during this Phase.

Each Regular Unit completes its Movement before the next Unit moves. Once a Unit has finished its movement, flip it to its lighter side, and position it so that the coloured triangle shows where it moved from (this may be important for Combat resolution). A Unit that begins its Movement Phase in a hex containing an enemy Regular Unit cannot undertake a Movement, unless it is able to successfully Disengage first.

In the game you have 3 types of Movement:

Advance

Movement by Advance means moving a Unit into a legal adjacent hex. When using this method of Movement, Units can pass through Rivers or enter Enemy-Controlled Urban Locations or locations with Enemy Units.

REMEMBER: Tank Units cannot move into Swamp or Mountain hexes, and no Regular Unit can move into a hex containing a friendly Regular Unit, unless making a Convoy movement.

Example: The Soviet Tank Unit has moved via an Advance one hex westwards. It has completed its Movement so the counter is flipped to its lighter side and the red triangle positioned to show the hex that the Unit came from.

Convoy

Movement by Convoy allows Regular Units to move through a chain of adjacent hexes, each of which contains a Friendly Regular Unit, and no Obstacles. There is no limit to the amount of hexes a Unit can Convoy through, provided it meets the above requirements.

When the moving Unit reaches the last hex (i.e. the last hex with a friendly Unit) in the Convoy line, it may then Advance into a legal adjacent hex as part of the same movement.

Design note: It is possible if done well to Convoy Units a considerable distance in a single Movement Phase, though at the risk that your attacking line becomes vulnerable to counter-attacks and Supply line issues.

REMEMBER: Convoy Movement cannot be used during the Mud season.

Example: 2 Axis Units (an Infantry and a Tank) have advanced into Smolensk and finished their Movement. Since Smolensk is still Soviet-Controlled (Control doesn't change until the Control Check phase of the Season) the unactivated Axis Infantry Unit west of Smolensk is unable to Convoy across it (adjacent hexes of an Enemy-Controlled City are an Obstacle). However, it could Convoy over the Tank Unit in the top half of Smolensk, and then Advance eastwards. Alternatively it could Advance directly south-east across the River to engage the Soviet Infantry Unit, though this would be dangerous since if the Axis Infantry Unit lost the Combat it would have no eligible Retreat option (it cannot Retreat across the River as that is an Obstacle) and so would be eliminated. But, sometimes you need to take risks...

Example: Early in the game it is possible, though not necessarily sensible, for Axis forces to Convoy deep into Soviet territory in a single Movement Phase, leap-frogging over each other. In this example, the Axis Tank Unit starting in west Warschau is able to begin its Movement by Convoying to east Warschau (Warschau is Friendly-Controlled so it is not an Obstacle). It is able to continue to Convoy over the chain of Friendly Regular Units until it reaches the last Unit in the chain, the Infantry Unit north-west of Smolensk, where it ends its Convoy and is then able to Advance as part of the same movement. Since it is a Tank Unit, after the Advance it could attempt to Blitz to continue its Movement even further.

Example: The unactivated Axis Infantry Unit can begin a Convoy action in the Swamp hex where it is currently located but cannot Convoy into a Swamp, as a Swamp is an Obstacle. So it could not Convoy south-east into the adjacent Swamp hex, but it could Convoy north-east through to the top half of Minsk and Advance from there. Or it could simply choose not to Convoy and instead Advance eastwards.

Blitz (Tanks only)

After moving by Advance, a Tank Unit can attempt to move additional hexes through a Blitz Movement. To perform a Blitz, after completing the Advance Movement roll a die. If the result is a '2' or '3', you can Advance the Tank Unit to any adjacent legal hex. You can perform this action multiple times until you fail to roll a '2' or '3'. You can perform this action from a hex containing an Enemy Regular Unit, but only if you are able to first successfully Disengage from that Enemy Unit (see below).

REMEMBER: Blitz Movement cannot be used during the Mud season.

Example: The Soviet Tank Unit begins its Movement two hexes south of Moscow. It does a Convoy Movement two hexes to south-west Moscow, and then Advances westwards into the hex with the Axis Infantry Unit. It could choose to stay there, but instead wants to Blitz to attack the Axis Tank Unit in Smolensk. It does not need to roll to Disengage from the Axis Infantry Unit because Tank Units automatically succeed when Disengaging from Infantry Units. However it does need to roll a 2 or 3 on a die to succeed in making the Blitz action. If it fails the Blitz roll, it will remain in the hex with the Axis Infantry Unit, and resolve a Combat with it.

Disengagement

A Regular Unit in a hex containing an Enemy Support Unit may exit that hex freely as part of its Movement. A Regular Unit in a hex containing an Enemy Regular Unit can only leave such a hex if it is able to successfully Disengage.

To attempt to Disengage a Unit, roll a die. If the result is a '3', you can move the Unit by Advance, Convoy or Blitz (for Tank Units), including to the hex where the Enemy Unit came from, if relevant. With any other result the Unit must stay in that hex.

EXCEPTION: Tank Units automatically succeed the Disengagement roll from a hex containing an Enemy Infantry (but must still roll a '3' to Disengage from Enemy Tank Units).

Example: It's the start of the Soviet player's Movement Phase. The Soviet Infantry Unit in the middle has an Axis Air Unit on it. It may freely Advance, or Convoy over the Infantry Unit south-west, because the Axis Air Unit is a Support Unit and so the Soviet Unit does not need to Disengage in order to move. It could not Convoy north-west though because it cannot Convoy into a hex containing an Enemy unit (Regular or Support). By contrast the Soviet Infantry Unit at the top has an Axis Infantry Unit in its hex. It needs to roll a '3' in order to successfully Disengage and Move. If successful, the Soviet Unit could Advance, but it could not Convoy through the Infantry Unit south-east because, again, it cannot Convoy into a hex containing an Enemy Unit (Regular or Support).

Phase 3: Combat

ACTION: The Initiative player determines the order in which Combat between opposing Regular Units is resolved, with the players resolving them one by one.

In this Phase you will be resolving Combat in each hex where there are opposing Regular and Fortress Units*. Combat is mandatory in all such hexes.

*Combat occurs even if there is no Soviet Regular Unit with the Fortress Unit. However, the presence of a Soviet Regular Unit adds to the number of Soviet Combat dice. See below for Fortress combat.

Combat always follows these steps:

1. Each player separately calculates their number of Combat dice based on their Unit dice and any support dice, and rolls.
2. The players compare and apply the results.

Calculating Combat dice

You receive your starting Combat dice as follows:

• 2 dice for an Infantry Unit
• 3 dice for a Tank Unit
• 4 dice for a Fortress Unit (note: since a Fortress Unit is a Support Unit, a Fortress hex may also contain a Friendly Regular Unit. In this case the Soviet player's starting dice are the sum of these two Units. E.g. if Leningrad has a Soviet Infantry Unit present when the Axis attack, the Soviet player would have 6 starting Combat dice).

You receive additional support dice as follows:

• 1 die per adjacent Friendly Infantry Unit* (not counting Infantry Units in hexes also containing Enemy Regular or Support Units, or Infantry Units across a River).
• 1 die per Friendly Air and/or Fleet Unit in the Combat hex.
• 1 die if the Combat takes place in a Friendly-Controlled Urban Location.

*An Infantry Unit can provide support dice to multiple adjacent Combats, even if this Unit was previously directly involved in a Combat earlier in this Phase, and even if it Retreated this Phase and as a result became adjacent to the Combat hex.

Example: There is a Combat in the south-west hex of Moscow. Both players calculate the number of Combat dice they will roll. The Axis player gets 6 dice: 3 dice for the Tank Unit, 2 for the 2 Air Units in the hex, and 1 for the adjacent infantry Unit. The Soviet player gets 4 dice: 2 dice for the Infantry Unit being attacked, 1 for the adjacent Friendly Infantry Unit; and 1 because Combat is taking place in a Friendly-Controlled Urban Location (Moscow). Note: if an adjacent Infantry Unit had enemy Units in its space (e.g. Air Units), that Infantry Unit would not provide the additional support dice.

Combat resolution

Both players roll their Combat dice and count the hits scored (each number rolled on a die counts as a hit). The outcome is resolved as follows:

• The player with the highest total number wins the Combat. If the outcome is a tie, the Initiative player wins the Combat.
• If the winner has twice as many, or more, hits than their opponent, the defeated Regular Unit is eliminated.

Example: The Axis player scored 10 hits, twice as many as the Soviet player. So the Soviet Infantry Unit is eliminated.

Retreat

If a Unit is defeated but not eliminated, it must Retreat. Its priority order for the hex it must Retreat to is as follows:

1. The hex it entered from (if possible).
2. For Soviet Units, a hex eastwards of its current location. For Axis Units, a hex westwards. This does not need to be directly eastwards or westwards, it can be north-east/west or south-east/west.

A Unit may not Retreat into a hex that:

• Contains an Obstacle.*
• Is the hex that the Opponent's Regular Unit entered from.

*Design note: The consequence of this is that a Unit can leave a hex with an Enemy Support Unit (or Enemy Regular Unit if it successfully Disengages) to attack an adjacent Enemy Unit, but then cannot Retreat back into it if it loses the Combat. This represents the deadly impact of that Enemy Unit on a disorganized Retreat.

Retreating Units that cannot fulfill this criteria are eliminated.

Support Units are not affected by the outcome of Combat in a hex where they are present.

Example: The defeated Axis Tank Unit may not Retreat across the City because the City is not Friendly-Controlled, and so is an Obstacle.

Fortress Units in Combat

There are 2 Fortress Units in the game, in Leningrad and Sevastopol. A Fortress Unit is a special type of fixed Support Unit representing the historic fortified garrisons present in these locations. If a Combat occurs with a Fortress Unit and the Axis wins the Combat, the Unit in the hex is eliminated and the Fortress is Destroyed. Flip the Unit marker to its Destroyed side. This hex now counts as Clear terrain for the remainder of the game. If the Axis wins the Combat and a Soviet Regular Unit is present, the Soviet Unit is eliminated as normal if the Axis player scores twice as many, or more, hits in the Combat. Otherwise the Soviet Regular Unit must Retreat as per the above rules, and the Fortress is Destroyed.

Phase 4: Anti-Partisan Activity (Axis only)

ACTION: The Axis player removes Partisan Units from every hex that also contains any Axis Unit (Regular or Support).

Phase 5: Control & Victory Check

ACTION: The Initiative player adds or removes Axis Control Markers from Urban Locations. Both players check to see if they have met their respective Victory Conditions.

If you have a Regular Unit on every hex that an Enemy Urban Location spans over, place your Control Marker on this Location (if you are the Axis player) or remove the opponent's one (if you are the Soviet player).

If the Soviet player takes Control of any Urban Location located in Axis starting territory, they win immediately.

If the Axis player takes Control of the Urban Location where Stalin is, they win immediately. (Note: to Control Moscow the Axis player must have Regular Units on all 3 Moscow hexes at the start of this Phase).

If both of these Victory Conditions are met in the same Season, the player that holds the Initiative wins.

Example: The Axis player has Regular Units in both Minsk hexes, so in the Control phase they place an Axis Control Marker on the location, to designate it is now Axis-Controlled.

Phase 6: Supply

ACTION: Both players check if their Regular Units are in Supply. The non-Initiative player checks first. Any that are not in Supply are eliminated.

To be in Supply, a Unit must be able to trace a continuous line of hexes to any Friendly-Controlled Urban Location in its home territory (not a Controlled Urban Location in the opponent's territory), or a Coastal hex supplied by a non-disrupted Friendly Fleet Unit.

The line being traced must not pass through a hex containing an Obstacle, nor may the supply source contain an Obstacle, unless it is also occupied by a Friendly Unit.

This line may be of any length and go in any direction provided that it meets the above criteria.

If a Regular Unit cannot trace a line of Supply, it is eliminated.

Example: The Tank Unit on the hex just west of Dnepr River is in Supply as it can trace Supply through empty non-Obstacle hexes and its own Units.

Example: The Axis Fleet provides Supply to all Coastal hexes in the Ostsee. The Axis Tank Unit is able to draw Supply through the Swamp hex to the Coastal hex (north Riga) because there is a Friendly Unit on the Swamp hex. It could not draw Supply through Leningrad as it contains an Obstacle (the Soviet Fortress Unit, a Support Unit) and no Friendly Unit.

Example: The Axis Tank Unit cannot trace Supply directly west or north-west as the two Partisan Units block the Supply line. The Swamp hexes south are Obstacles and so would typically block Supply, however in this case the Swamp hex to the south-west has a Friendly Infantry Unit on it, allowing the Tank Unit to draw Supply through that hex.

Phase 7: Fleet & Air Recall

ACTION: Both players return their Air Units to the off-map Air Unit spaces, and their Fleet Unit to its starting location in the relevant Sea space.

Phase 8: Reinforcements, Partisans, Stalin (Soviets only)

ACTION: Depending on the Season, the Soviet player deploys their Reinforcements, then in all Seasons their Partisan Units, then - optionally - they may attempt to move Stalin from Moscow.

Reinforcements

In the Mud season, the Soviet player receives 1 Infantry Unit and 1 Air Unit. In the Clear season they receive 1 Infantry Unit and 1 Tank Unit (as marked on the Turn Track).

Infantry Units can be placed in any empty Friendly-Controlled Urban Location hex.

Tank Units can be placed in any empty Friendly-Controlled Industrial Center hex (not a City).

New Air Units are placed into the off-map Air Unit box. They will be available to be placed during the first Phase of the next Season.

Partisans

After placing any Reinforcements, the Soviet player rolls a die. The result of the roll is the number of Partisan Units that Soviet player must deploy. Partisan Units can be deployed on any empty hex (no Units of either side) in Soviet territory. Partisans can never move, their purpose is to act as an Obstacle for the Axis player's Convoy Movement, Retreat and Supply. They remain in place until removed by an Axis Unit being placed in the same hex (they are removed in Phase 4).

Note that Partisans are placed in the Reinforcements Phase of every Season, not only when the Soviet player receives Regular Units.

Stalin

Optionally, the Soviet player can attempt to relocate Stalin from Moscow. They may want to do this if they are concerned that the Axis player is close to capturing Stalin in Moscow.

To attempt this, the Soviet player rolls a die. If the result is '2' or '3', they can move the Stalin meeple to any Friendly-Controlled City (not an Industrial Center). That can be attempted once per Season.

IMPORTANT: Once Stalin has been moved he can never be moved again. As soon as Stalin moves out of Moscow, the Initiative goes to / remains with the Axis player for the remainder of the game.

Phase 9: Calendar, Generals and Initiative

ACTION: The Initiative player advances the Season Turn marker.

At the end of the 1944 Snow season, the game ends and victory is determined, as per the Victory conditions (see Victory Conditions).

Otherwise, flip all moved Regular Units back to their unmoved side, and move the Season turn marker forward 1 space. Take into your hand any General token of your color on the new Season space. If the Season is Spring 1943 flip the Turn marker to the Soviet star. The Initiative has now changed to the Soviet player for the remainder of the game (unless Stalin moves).

Generals Tokens

The Generals Tokens provide both players with one-off boosts, representing a heroic action or strategic masterstroke by commanders from both sides during the Eastern Front campaign.

The Tokens are obtained over the course of the game depending on the Season. They are available to use as soon as the Season on which they are placed begins.

They are kept secret by the owning player, and played at the appropriate time as per the instructions below.

In a Combat situation, where it is possible for both players to play a General Token, the non-Initiative player plays first.

IMPORTANT: All General Tokens are one use only, and you can only play one such token per Combat.

Axis Tokens

• Add 1 additional Combat die to your Combat roll.
• Use after any of your dice rolls. Re-roll 1 of your dice.
• Use after Movement of any of your Units. Advance that Unit into a legal adjacent hex (can be used during the Mud season).
• Use after Combat Dice roll. Add 2 hits to that roll.
• Use during your Movement Phase. If you have an Infantry Unit off the board, deploy it in any of your home Cities in Axis territory. You may then move it as normal.

Soviets Tokens

• Add 1 additional Combat die to your Combat roll.
• Use after any of your dice rolls. Re-roll 1 of your dice.
• Use during your Reinforcements Phase. Deploy 1 Tank Unit instead of an Infantry Unit (if available).
• Use during your Partisan Phase. Deploy 1 additional Partisan Unit (if available).

Optional Rule

Axis Anti-Partisan Division

Reflective of the historical situation that faced the Axis as they advanced into Soviet territory, as the game proceeds it can become increasingly difficult for the Axis player to maintain their Supply lines, particularly due to the impact of Partisans. For players new to the game, this can make playing the Axis harder than the Soviets.

If players wish to address this, they may optionally use the Axis Anti-Partisan Division rule. During set-up, the Axis player takes this Axis General Token and places it on the Clear 1943 space on the turn track. All the other Axis General tokens are set-up as per the standard set-up instructions. As soon as the Turn counter moves to the Clear 1943 space the Axis player places an eliminated Infantry Unit in a City in Axis starting territory. The token is then removed from the game. If the Axis player does not have an eliminated Infantry Unit at this point, the token is removed and there is no effect.

The impact of this rule is two-fold. The Axis player will get one General Token more than in the standard rules. More importantly, they will get a returning Infantry Unit that they can use for the purpose of removing Partisan Units and keeping lines of Supply open.

Example of Play

It's Turn 1, which is a Clear Season, meaning the Season has no impact on play. Rachel, the Axis player, is the Initiative player.

Her first action is to place her Fleet and Air Units. She places her Fleet Unit in the South Riga hex, to support a planned attack on the Soviet Infantry Unit there. She places 1 Air Unit on the Soviet Fleet, disrupting it for the rest of the turn. She places another 2 Air Units on the Soviet Infantry Unit in Odessa, which she intends to attack this turn. She places her final Air Unit in east Dnipropetrovsk, to prevent the Soviet Infantry Unit from retreating should it not be automatically eliminated in Combat (1).

Ernest, the Soviet player, cannot place his Fleet Unit on a Coastal hex as it is disrupted. He has 1 Air Unit to place. He doesn't think the Unit in Odessa has much chance of surviving, even with an Air Unit to support it, so he places the Air Unit on his Infantry Unit in South Riga (2).

Now Rachel can move her Regular Units. For the rest of this example we'll focus on just what happens in the north part of the map. Rachel wants to take advantage of the Convoy action to move quickly eastwards. Her first action is to Advance an Infantry Unit 1 space east (3). This is done both to set-up a Convoy, and have an Infantry Unit in a central location to support adjacent Combats. She then Convoys the Infantry Unit south of Warschau over the Tank Unit in east Warschau and the newly placed Infantry Unit. It then Advances 1 hex north-east (4). The Tank Unit in west Warschau then Convoys over 2 hexes and Advances into north Minsk (5). As it's a Tank Unit, Rachel could attempt to Blitz to continue the movement. She couldn't Blitz into south Minsk as Tank Units cannot enter Swamp Terrain. She could attempt to attack the Soviet Tank unit east of Minsk, but that would take her Tank away from supporting Infantry Units, so she ends its movement there. For her penultimate movement she Convoys the Tank Unit in east Warschau over 2 hexes, and then Advances it east (6). For her final movement she Advances the Infantry Unit in Konigsberg to attack the Soviet Infantry Unit in South Riga (7).

It's now the Soviet movement phase. Ernest could try to Disengage his Infantry Unit in Riga, to move it from the Combat. He would need to roll a '3'. Looking at the odds, he thinks it's unlikely that Unit would be eliminated in the Combat, and if it wins it will hold up the Axis advance, so he decides not to try and Disengage. Similarly, he decides to attack the Axis Tank Unit in Minsk by Advancing into that hex with his Tank Unit (8). While it's unlikely he'll win the Combat, there's little chance his Tank Unit will be eliminated, and if he does win the Combat, the Axis Tank Unit will not be able to Retreat - all the westward hexes contain Obstacles - and so will be Eliminated.

It's now the Combat phase and as the Initiative player Rachel gets to decide the order of resolution. She decides to resolve the Combat in Riga first. Both players calculate and roll their Combat dice. Rachel has 5 dice: 2 for the Infantry Unit engaging in Combat, 2 for the 2 adjacent unengaged Infantry Units, and 1 from the Fleet Unit. Ernest has 4 dice: 2 for the defending Infantry Unit, 1 from his Air Unit, and 1 because the combat is taking place in Riga, a Friendly-Controlled Urban Location. Rachel scores 8 hits in total, Ernest 7. Rachel wins but does not eliminate the unit (she would have needed to score twice as many hits or more for that). The Soviet Infantry Unit cannot retreat east or south east as the hexes contain Obstacles (Axis Infantry Units). But it can retreat to north Riga, which it does (9).

The players then calculate and roll the Combat dice for the tank battle in Minsk. Rachel has 5 (3 for the Tank Unit, 2 for the adjacent Infantry Units). Ernest has 4 (3 for the Tank, 1 because the Combat is taking place in a Friendly-Controlled City). Both players score 7 hits. Luckily for Rachel she is the Initiative player and so wins ties in Combat. The Soviet Tank Unit must Retreat to the hex it entered from (10).

Combat in this part of the map has ended. Rachel has achieved her goals but is disappointed that she didn't manage to eliminate any Soviet Units.

There's no Partisans on the board so the next phase of play is skipped. The players then check for any change of Control of Urban Locations. There's no change in the north, but down south Rachel was able to eliminate the Axis Infantry Unit in Odessa. Because she has Regular Units in both hexes of Odessa, she puts down an Axis Control marker on the City.

No other locations have changed control. Now both players check for Supply - all their Units are in Supply. They then return their Fleet and Air Unit markers to the starting spaces.

On to the Reinforcements Phase. The Soviets get a Tank and Infantry Unit, which Ernest places in Kiev and Dnipropetrovsk, respectively (11). He then rolls the die and gets a '1'. He places 1 Partisan Unit in west Dnipropetrovsk to foul up any Axis Convoy that Rachel would want to make there next turn (12).

That's the end of the Turn. Both players flip their Regular Units back to their unmoved side. Rachel advances the Turn marker to Turn 2. Ernest takes the General Token on Turn 2 into his hand. Because it's now Snow Season neither player can place Air Units, so Rachel's first and only choice for the first phase of the turn is where to place her Naval Unit. We'll leave her to ponder her choice...