Ukrainian Crisis & The Little War Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Ukrainian Crisis
  • 1.0 Introduction
    • 1.1 General Course of Play
  • 2.0 Game Components and Concepts
    • 2.1 Resource Chits
    • 2.2 Counters
    • 2.3 Event Cards
    • 2.4 Maps & Displays & Player Aids, Oh My!
    • 2.5 Game Concepts
  • 3.0 Setting Up the Game
  • 4.0 Sequence of Play
  • 5.0 Event Card Phase
  • 6.0 Chit Play, Turn Type & Resolution Phase
    • 6.1 Military Area Options: Mobilizing and Deploying Units
    • 6.2 Diplomatic Area Options
    • 6.3 Information Area Options
  • 7.0 Operations Phase
    • 7.1 Action Segments
    • 7.2 Movement and Recovery
    • 7.3 Combat
  • 8.0 Final Phase
  • 9.0 Game End, Victory Points & How to Win
  • 10.0 Playing Card Variant
  • 11.0 Designer's Notes
• The Little War
  • 1.0 Introduction
    • 1.1 General Course of Play
  • 2.0 Game Components and Concepts
    • 2.1 Counters
    • 2.3 Maps and Displays and Playing Aids
    • 2.4 Game Concepts
  • 3.0 Setting Up the Game
  • 4.0 Sequence of Play
  • 5.0 Card Selection Phase
  • 6.0 Card Play and Resolution Phase
    • 6.1 Movement

Ukrainian Crisis

1.0 Introduction

Ukrainian Crisis is a politico-military game for two players exploring some possible resolutions of the situation in the spring and summer of 2014 between the governments of Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Players represent the political and military leaders of these respective governments. The action begins in late February as elected President Yanukovytch departs from the capital of Kyiv and a new government is formed. The time covered by an entire game may represent several weeks to six or eight months, depending on events within the game.

1.1 General Course of Play

The play of the game is divided into 9 Game Turns. Each Game Turn may be either a Strategic Turn or a Combat Turn.

• In Strategic Turns, players play Resource chits on a matrix divided into Military, Diplomatic, and Information areas. Players' military units may be placed on the map but may not move or engage in combat (6.1).
• In Combat Turns, players play Resource chits on the matrix, but options are different and the Turn will also contain a variable number of Action Segments during which each player's military units move on the map and engage in combat (7.0).

Each Turn is treated differently. It is possible to play a game without a Combat Turn ever being declared (there must be at least one Strategic Turn, though, to allow for some mobilization of forces).

The game must end if a player's Prestige is zero in the Game End Check at the beginning of the Final Phase of any turn, or if it is the Final Phase of the 9th Game Turn. In either case, play stops and players judge victory as in 9.0.

2.0 Game Components and Concepts

Each game comes with 146 counters, an area-movement map of the general region of Ukraine, a Player Aid Card, 18 Event Cards, four six-sided dice (d6), and these rules. A more deterministic form of the game can be played by using an ordinary deck of playing cards as directed in 10.1 to replace the Resource Chits and Event Cards.

2.1 Resource Chits

This group of 54 chits is divided into two identical sets of 27 (one set for each player), further divided into Minor (13), Moderate (9), and Maximum (5) Efforts. Each category potentially provides greater amounts of Resource Points (RP) to whatever activity it is being applied, depending on the roll of one or two d6 on the Effort Chart. The effects of a given chit depend on what area it is played on (Military, Diplomatic, or Information) and whether it is a Strategic or Combat Turn (6.0). Resource chits are laid aside after resolution and not used again during the game.

2.2 Counters

Besides the Resource chits, there are 92 counters in the game. Ten of them are informational markers used to keep track of the status of different record tracks, and mostly their use is obvious. The remainder represent military formations that could be used in the event of armed conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and so are deployed and moved on the map. These are called units and each one has certain pieces of information on it.

• Type symbol. This will tell you what type of formation the counter represents, and its troop type (Irregular, Regular or Special Forces). See the Identification Chart.
• Combat Values. Each Irregular and Regular unit has a Combat Value (CV) printed underneath its troop type symbol. This is the number of d6 it will roll during combat (7.3). Note that Special Forces units have no Combat Value: this means they may not be engaged in combat of any type; see 7.32. Also, the reverse side of each unit with a CV has a stripe behind the CV, to denote that it has been Neutralized in combat and cannot attack (however, it can defend itself). See 7.33.
• Nationality. Russian units are red; Ukrainian units are yellow.

2.3 Event Cards

At the beginning of each Turn, each player draws one of the 18 Random Event Cards. Its effects can be good or bad for one or both players, depending on the general situation.

2.4 Maps & Displays & Player Aids, Oh My!

2.41 Map. The map is an area movement map of the eastern two-thirds of Ukraine and the immediate region. Each area in Ukraine is equal to an oblast (an administrative division). During Action Segments, units move from one area to another (7.2).

• Some areas are marked with airfield (triangle) or port (anchor) symbols; these are used to determine whether units can use Airborne or Amphibious movement to leave that area (7.21).
• Each area in Ukraine is marked with a Victory Point value that is potentially awarded to the player in sole possession of it at the end of the game (that is, only that player has non-neutralized Regular or Irregular units in it – Special Forces units do not count either way).
• Note that the city of Kyiv is a special area, located entirely inside the Kyivs'ka area. It belongs to both Ethnic Zones (2.5) and is coloured orange.
• "Sevastopol" is a special enclave of Russian territory within the "Respublika Krym" area, representing the pre-existing Russian military bases there. It is treated as part of Russia and belongs to no Ethnic Zone (2.5).

2.42 Displays. Also located on the map sheet are the Foreign Relations Display, the All-purpose Record Track, the Resource Chit Matrix, and a Unit Box (with Reserve and Mobilized areas) for each player to group his units.

2.43 Player Aid. Finally, there is a player aid card that contains a detailed guide to the sequence of play in each Turn, the Effort Chart, and the Events Chart.

2.5 Game Concepts

Countries and International relations. Seven foreign countries appear in the game as potential allies of Ukraine. Each country has a marker with a two-letter code to identify it (ISO 3166 country codes, to be precise), and a number denoting its Rank (a quantification of its relative power and ability to influence the situation). The attitudes of their respective governments towards Ukraine are portrayed on the Foreign Relations Display. During the game, the Ukrainian player will be trying through diplomacy to build a coalition of countries willing to support his government against perceived Russian aggression, through various means. Due to the general political and diplomatic situation, Russia does not have any allied countries (at least none in any position to affect this crisis) and so is more concerned with manoeuvring potential Ukrainian allies towards neutrality. Units belonging to the European Union (EU) have a special "ring of stars" symbol to help identify them quickly when resolving some Event Cards.

Ethnic Zones. With a certain degree of simplification (to put it mildly), the political divisions and cultural aspirations of Ukrainian citizens, and their ethnicities, are congruent geographically. That is, pro-Russian sentiment is concentrated, along with many ethnic Russians, in the eastern zone of the country while Ukrainian nationalism is concentrated in the western zone. Consequently certain areas on the map are coloured yellowish (for pro-Ukrainian) or brown-reddish (for pro-Russian). For example, Poltavs'ka is pro-Ukrainian, while Sums'ka is pro-Russian. The city of Kyiv is considered to be in both Ethnic Zones (and so is coloured orange).

Prestige. During play, a player will have a greater or lesser amount of Prestige, recorded on the All-Purpose Record Track. In the game, the term "Prestige" does not have quite the positive connotation of respect or high esteem it normally does – in effect, it is a quantification and combination of several things, including:

• the amount of intimidation or dominance a player can exert on, or the compliance they can exact from, the other player or the Countries portrayed in the game;
• the general stability or resolve of the Ukrainian or Russian government and leaders to pursue the crisis, particularly with respect to using military force to resolve it;
• the country's international standing, occupation of the "moral high ground" (in a very relative sense), and ability to control or shape information on events;
• the country's overall economic health and future prospects; etc.

There are occasions during the game when the player may voluntarily expend Prestige to get something he wants. This can represent making deals for future concessions, political or diplomatic negotiations, threats that are or are not delivered, and so on. The game will end if one player's Prestige score is zero at the end of any Turn (this signifies a collapse of will to continue, or resignation to the situation, or conclusion of some form of negotiations), at which time victory is judged. In cases where a player's Prestige is currently zero, he may not voluntarily expend Prestige, and any Prestige points he may be required to lose are instead added to the other player's Prestige.

Scale. The game has an abstract scale in all respects. There is no fixed ratio of Resources to any physical commodity, numbers of people or equipment to any military unit, or interval of time to any turn (though Combat Turns represent a much shorter period of time than Strategic Turns).

Victory. At the end of the game players total up their Victory Points, which they have collected for various activities during the game. See 9.0.

3.0 Setting Up the Game

Shuffle the Event Cards and put them in a mutually convenient place on the table.

Sort the Resource chits, Regular and Irregular unit counters out by nationality. Put the Regular units of both sides in the "Reserve" sections of their Unit Boxes. Put the Russian Special Forces units and all Irregular units of both sides in the "Mobilized" sections of their Unit Boxes. Put the Resource chits in a small pile for each player.

Take the 7 Country counters and place them on the Foreign Relations Display as follows (If players wish to alter the starting positions of Countries to make things harder or easier for either player, or if they have a different view of the relative attitude of each country, then feel free to do so.):

• BY, DE, FR, GB, RO: Neutral
• US, PL: Support

Place markers on the All-Purpose Record Track to show a Strategic Turn for Turn 1, and a starting Prestige of 16 for the Ukrainian player and 32 for the Russian (again, this can be adjusted if players wish).

This game is simple and free-form enough that players should be able to alter such game parameters as the opposing orders of battle, opening Prestige scores, VP scores for areas, or arrangements on the Foreign Relations Display to make the game more or less difficult for either player, or to better reflect their view of how the crisis played out in real life, or could have done. So feel free.

4.0 Sequence of Play

Each Game Turn is organized into the following Phases, performed in order. The body of the rules explain what to do in each Phase.

1. Event Card Phase
2. Chit Play, Turn Type and Resolution Phase
3. (Combat Turn only) Operations Phase
4. Final Phase
5. (start next Turn with the Event Card Phase)

5.0 Event Card Phase

Each player will draw one Event Card at random. Cards with a red title are Mandatory and must be immediately resolved. Otherwise the player has a choice of whether or how to implement the event during the Turn, at an appropriate or relevant time. Event Cards are discarded in the Final Phase of the current Turn: use 'em or lose 'em.

6.0 Chit Play, Turn Type & Resolution Phase

Chit play. Each player will select THREE Resource chits of their choice from their as yet-unplayed stock and place one chit in each of the three areas of the Matrix (Military, Diplomatic and Information), face down. Again, you get to select which chits you want to play, but once you have played them they are discarded.

What Kind of Turn? Either player may, at this moment only, declare whether they wish to play a Combat Turn. If only one player desires to have a Combat Turn, the other player may attempt to get a Ceasefire (6.24), through immediately resolving play in the Diplomatic area of the Matrix. If that player succeeds, or if no one wanted a Combat Turn, then a Strategic Turn is played. Flip the Turn Marker if required to show what kind of turn you are playing (and if you need to be reminded).

Resolution of the Matrix. The player who has the higher Prestige at the moment (Russian wins ties) may choose which area of the Matrix will be resolved first (exception: if one player attempts to get a Ceasefire, the two players must resolve the Diplomatic area first – the player with higher Prestige may then choose which area is resolved next). Both players turn up their chits and roll 1 or 2 d6 on the Effort Chart as dictated by the type of Resource chit played (Minor, Moderate or Maximum Effort), which will give them a number of Resource Points (RP) to apply or use in some fashion in resolving action for that area.

Critical Incidents: if a player plays a Maximum Effort chit and rolls doubles, a Critical Incident has occurred. Resolve the incident depending on which double number was rolled, then the player receives the indicated number of RP and play continues.

Area by area, the player with more Prestige at the moment (Russian wins ties) either goes first to expend the RP he has received or tells the other player to go first. A player's options of how to expend the RP depend on what area the chit was played in, and whether it is a Strategic or Combat Turn. Refer to the following table. A player may choose only one of the options presented. Any leftover RP are lost when players move on to another area.

Area	Strategic Turn	Combat Turn
Military	Mobilize/deploy units (6.1)	Determine number of Action Segments this Turn, and the number of units that can move or recover in each Action Segment (7.0)
Diplomatic	Attempt to move one or more countries on Foreign Relations Display (6.2)	Resolve a Ceasefire attempt (6.24)
Information	Reduce enemy's Prestige score (and their own, see 6.31) OR Add to own Prestige OR Neutralize deployed enemy units (6.32)	Neutralize deployed enemy units (6.32)

6.1 Military Area Options: Mobilizing and Deploying Units

Players will mobilize and deploy their military units during Strategic Turns. Units move, recover, and engage in combat only during Combat Turns; see 7.0.

6.11 Mobilizing units. A unit is mobilized by moving it from the Reserve section to the Mobilized section of the Unit box. It costs 1 RP to mobilize a unit of any type.

6.12 Deploying units. To deploy a unit, take it from the Mobilized section of the Unit Box and place it in an area on the map, within the following guidelines depending on its type. It costs 1 RP to deploy a unit of any type. A unit may be mobilized and deployed in the same Turn.

• Regular: any area within the player's country that is either empty or contains friendly units (Special Forces units do not count as friendly or enemy units). Depending on the resolution of the "Belarus" Event, the Russian player may be able to deploy Regular units to Belarus. Also, depending on the outcome of the "Moldova" Event, he may deploy a maximum of 1 Regular combat unit in Moldova (but may not deploy any other units there). In addition to the 1 RP cost of deploying a Regular unit, the player must also deduct 1 Prestige (to reflect the escalating tension of moving units out of barracks into assembly areas in the field).
• Irregular:
  • Ukrainian: any area within Ukraine.
  • Russian: any area in the pro-Russian Ethnic Zone that contains a Special Forces unit.
• Special Forces: any area on the map (including Belarus or Moldova, regardless of whether the Event Cards involving these countries have been played).

Play note: Therefore, while Special Forces units cannot participate in combat or hold territory, they allow the placement of Russian Irregular units.

6.13 Redeploying units. Units do not move in Strategic Turns. However, a player may remove a unit from the map and replace it in the Mobilized Section of the Unit Box, from where it may be redeployed to the map in a later Turn. This does not cost any RP, but does not recover any RP for the player (nor any Prestige, in the case of a Regular unit).

6.2 Diplomatic Area Options

6.21 Moving Countries on the Foreign Relations Display. A player may expend RP and Prestige to attempt to move the counter representing a foreign country on the Foreign Relations Display. The Ukrainian player will want to move the counters towards the Support or Intervention Zones on the display, while the Russian player will want to move them towards the Neutral Zone.

The minimum required number of RP for an attempt to move a country's counter "up" or "down" one Zone on the Display is indicated in the arrow connecting the two Zones. Players may try to move a given country only one Zone in a given attempt. A player may divide their RP as they wish in order to influence more than one country, and may make multiple but separate attempts to influence the same country.

To make the attempt, a player will expend at least the required number of RP (1, 2 or 3 RP). If a player is attempting to move a marker "upwards" on the Foreign Relations Display (that is, towards Intervention), they must also expend Resource and/or Prestige Points (any combination thereof) equal to the country's Rank. If a player is attempting to move a marker "downwards" on the Foreign Relations Display (that is, towards Neutral), per the arrow, they are not required to expend more than the minimum cost of 1 or 2 RP.

They may at this time also voluntarily expend additional RP and Prestige points. They then roll a number of d6 equal to the country's Rank, and take the total. If the total is equal to or less than the total of RP and Prestige expended, the country's counter is moved to the new Zone; otherwise, nothing changes. In either case, the RP and Prestige are expended.

Example: The Ukrainian player plays a Minor Effort chit in the Diplomatic Area. The roll of "5" on the Effort Chart yields 3 RP. To attempt to move Great Britain, from Support to Intervention the player spends 3 RP (since the cost for the Intervention Zone is 3). He must also spend RP and/or Prestige to account for the country's Rank of 2. He chooses to expend 2 Prestige to make a total of 5. He expends 2 more Prestige to improve the odds, for a combined total of 7 RP/Prestige expended. He rolls 2d6 (because Great Britain is a Rank 2 country) and gets a "5". This is less than the 7 total RP/Prestige expended, so the country will move to Intervention.

6.22 Positive effects of Allies. It's good to have friends:

• In the beginning of the Chit Play, Turn and Resolution Phase of each Turn, the Ukrainian player receives a total of "at large" RP equal to the Rank of each country whose marker is currently in the Intervention Zone. These RP may be added to the resolution in any one area of their choice of the Matrix, in that turn only (use it or lose it!).
• At the end of the Final Phase of each Turn (except the 9th one), the Prestige Track will be adjusted in the Ukrainian player's favour by an amount equal to the Rank of each country that it is the Support or Intervention Zones. The Prestige is added to the Ukrainian Prestige in a Strategic Turn, and subtracted from the Russian Prestige in a Combat Turn.

6.23 Belarus. When the "Belarus" Event Card is played, its marker is removed from the Foreign Relations Display regardless of the outcome (the country has either decisively declared for Russia, or is determined not to take any further part in the crisis while continuing to declare verbal support for Ukraine).

6.24 Ceasefire. If, at the beginning of the Chit Play, Turn and Resolution Phase, one player wants a Combat Turn and the other one doesn't, the latter may attempt a Ceasefire. Players immediately resolve the Diplomatic area of the Matrix.

The two players reveal the chits they have played in the Diplomatic area, and roll on the Effort Chart to derive their RP. The player with more RP gets his way. If they are still tied, the Russian player decides.

Note that this is the only function for chits in the Diplomatic area of the Matrix in a Combat Turn.

Example: The Ukrainian player wants a Strategic Turn to get some breathing room to mobilize more forces. He plays a Moderate Effort in the Diplomatic area, and when the Russian player says he wants a Combat Turn he proposes a Ceasefire. The Russian player has also played a Moderate Effort, so they both roll 1d6. The Ukrainian rolls "4" on one die on the Moderate row of the Effort Chart and so gets 4 Resource Points. The Russian rolls "2" and gets 3 points. The Ukrainian player gets his Ceasefire, so they play a Strategic Turn instead.

6.3 Information Area Options

6.31 Reducing the enemy's Prestige. If a player chooses to reduce the enemy's Prestige through exercising that option in the Information area, they must roll the die or dice twice, reading off the row of the Effort Chart corresponding to the Resource chit played. The higher of the two rolls will reduce the enemy's Prestige, the lower will reduce their own Prestige (this represents a range of activity not limited to economic threats, trade sanctions or boycotts, and can backfire).

6.32 Increasing his own Prestige. The player simply rolls the die or dice on the Effort Chart, reading off the row corresponding to the Resource chit played, and adds that number of Prestige Points (this represents both domestic and international propaganda, manipulation of news and media, measures to "strengthen domestic discipline", and so forth).

6.33 Neutralizing the enemy's units. If a player chooses this option, they first roll the die or dice and consult the Effort Chart corresponding to the chit played. The player may make 1, 2 or 3 attempts to Neutralize enemy units that have been deployed onto the map, depending on if they played a Minor, Moderate or Maximum Effort respectively. On each attempt they roll 1d6 and if they score equal to or less than the number of RP derived on the Effort Chart, the enemy unit is Neutralized (flipped to its white stripe, combat-ineffective side). Attempts can be made only on units already deployed on the map, not the Reserve or Mobilized boxes. There is no additional effect of Neutralizing an already-Neutralized unit.

Editor's note: the Information-area table above cites this option as "6.32", but the rule itself is printed as 6.33 and 6.32 is "Increasing his own Prestige". The table citation is transcribed as printed.

Example: The Russian player plays a Moderate Effort card and chooses to neutralize Ukrainian units. He rolls a "4" on the Effort Chart, which gets him 4 RP. He may make 2 attempts (because it was a Moderate card). He chooses 2 Ukrainian regular units and rolls 1d6 twice, trying to get a "4" or less each time.

Designer's note: This is a way to disable enemy forces before any actual combat, since the neutralized units cannot Recover until a Combat Turn is played.

7.0 Operations Phase

In Combat Turns, the Resource chit a player plays in the Military area of the Matrix in the Turn is used to determine how many Action Segments there will be during that Turn, and how many of his units may move or recover from Neutralization in each Action Segment during that Turn.

The players will reveal the chits they played. The strongest chit played (Maximum is stronger than Moderate, which is stronger than Minor) determines the number of Action Segments that each player will play during the turn: 3 for a Maximum Effort, 2 for Moderate, and 1 for Minor.

During each Action Segment, players will determine from rolls on the Effort Chart the number of units to move or recover in that Action Segment. The Ukrainian player may also add his "at large" RP gained from alliances (6.22). After moving or recovering his units, the player may engage in combat (7.3).

7.1 Action Segments

During the Operations Phase, each player will take 1, 2 or 3 Action Segments. In each Action Segment, the player will first determine how many of his units may move or recover from neutralization, from rolling on the Effort Chart in accordance with the chit they played. At this time the Ukrainian player may also expend any "at large" RP he may get from his alliances (6.22). After this, opposing units in the same area may then conduct combat.

The Russian player takes an Action Segment first, then the Ukrainian player, alternating until each side has completed the number of Action Segments for the Operations Phase. After the Action Segments are done, go to the Final Phase of the Turn.

Example: This particular turn is a Combat Turn. The Russian player played a Moderate Effort chit and the Ukrainian player played a Minor Effort chit in the Military area of the Matrix. The Moderate chit is the strongest one played so each player will have 2 Action Segments. In each of their 2 Action Segments the Russian Player will roll 1d6 on the Moderate column of the Effort Chart to see how many of his units may move or recover in that Segment, and the Ukrainian will roll on the Minor column.

7.2 Movement and Recovery

During each Action Segment, a given number of friendly units may move from area to area on the map or, instead of moving, recover from Neutralization.

7.21 Movement. Normally, a player may move one unit from one area to an adjacent area (that is, the two areas share a land border). Any number of units may be present in an area, and enemy units do not block a unit's passage out of or into it.

• Irregular units do not move.
• The Ukrainian player's units may never enter another country.
• The Russian player may be able to deploy his Regular units in or move through Belarus or Moldova, depending on the outcome of the related Event Cards; otherwise he may not use these countries. He may never enter Romania.
• Russian Special Forces units may move into any area or country at all times.
• Airborne movement: a Parachute or Special Forces unit may move from an area in its own country that contains an airfield (triangle symbol) to any other area on the map.
• Amphibious movement: any Regular unit may move from an area in its own country that contains a port (anchor symbol) to any coastal area on the map (that is, any area touched by the Black Sea).

7.22 Recovery from Neutralization. Instead of moving, a Neutralized unit may recover from its Neutralized state. Simply flip the unit back over to the side that doesn't have the white stripe. A unit may not both move and recover in the same Action Segment.

7.3 Combat

When a player has completed all their movement and recovery, they may initiate combat in areas where both friendly and enemy units are present. There are three types of combat, but each type of combat is resolved simultaneously in the same way, with all combat results being applied at the end of resolution.

The player whose Action Segment it is, is called the Attacker, and the other player is the Defender, no matter what the overall strategic situation. Combat is voluntary on the part of the Attacker, but if attacked the Defender must defend himself.

7.31 Combat procedure.

• Pre-Combat Grouping Step. The Attacker examines his Regular and Irregular units in the area and declares which unit or units will attack which defending units. He may now group the attacking and defending units how he likes; he does not have to attack every defending unit, nor does he have to use all of his units to attack.
• Combat Type Determination Step. The attacker chooses the type of combat, but his choice is determined by the troop type of units present in the attacking and defending groups. If half or more of the units in a given group are Regular, the whole group is considered Regular; otherwise, they are considered Irregular. A group that is attacking an enemy group of the same troop type may choose Symbolic or Kinetic combat. A group that is attacking an enemy group of the opposite troop type may choose Symbolic or Asymmetric combat.
• Combat Resolution Step. Each player simultaneously throws a number of d6 equal to the total Combat Value of the troops in the group, then applies the result to the units in the enemy group. A "5" or "6" scores one Hit. The effect of a Hit depends on the type of combat:
  • Symbolic combat: each Hit reduces the enemy's Prestige by one. A player cannot inflict more Hits than the number of units in the enemy group.
  • Kinetic combat: each Hit Neutralizes one enemy unit (inflicting player's choice). A second Hit on an already neutralized unit eliminates it, and both players lose one Prestige. Eliminated units are placed in the Reserve section of the owning player's Unit Box in a non-neutralized state; they may be mobilized later.
  • Asymmetric combat: each Hit by a group of Irregular units will reduce the enemy's Prestige by one. Each Hit by a group of Regular units will Neutralize one enemy unit; however, a unit may be Neutralized only once and cannot be eliminated.
• Excess Neutralizations: If, through Kinetic or Asymmetric combat, a player has inflicted more Neutralizations on the enemy group than are able to be absorbed by the group, then the player loses one Prestige for each excess Neutralization (this represents collateral damage to the civilian population and infrastructure).

7.32 Special Forces. Special Forces units cannot be engaged in any form of combat. They do not form part of attacking or defending groups.

7.33 Neutralized units. Neutralized units may move but may not initiate attacks. They may defend themselves in combat. They are eliminated if Neutralized again in Kinetic combat. A Neutralized unit may recover in an Action Segment if the owning player desires it to (7.22), but it may not both move and recover in the same Action Segment.

Example: The Russian player has decided to have his group of two Regular units (each of CV=4) attack a mixed Ukrainian group of two Irregular units (each of CV=1) and one Regular unit (CV=2). One of the Irregular units is neutralized from a previous combat. Because the two groups are different types, the Russian can choose Symbolic or Asymmetric Combat. He chooses Asymmetric and rolls 8d6, getting two "5"s and a "6" for a total of 3 Hits. The Ukrainian rolls 4d6 and gets one "5". Both players apply results simultaneously: the Russian Neutralizes the remaining Irregular and the Regular units, but there is one Hit left over (because in Asymmetric Combat, units cannot be eliminated) so his Prestige is reduced by one. The Ukrainian player also reduces the Russian Prestige by one.

8.0 Final Phase

8.1 Game End Check. At the end of the Chit Play and Resolution Phase (Strategic Turn) or the end of the Operations Phase (Combat Turn), players check to see if the game ends. If either player's Prestige is zero, or the 9th Game Turn is about to be completed, the game ends. Both players judge victory according to section 9.0.

8.2 Not Over Yet? If the game does not end, then:

• Both players discard any Resource Chits and Event Cards played.
• The Ukrainian player adjusts the Prestige Track depending on the state of his alliances (6.22): Prestige is added to his Prestige if this was a Strategic Turn, and subtracted from the Russian Prestige if this was a Combat Turn.
• Players begin the next Game Turn with the Event Card Phase.

9.0 Game End, Victory Points & How to Win

At the end of the game, each player totals his Victory Points as follows:

• If no Combat Turns were played, each players' Victory Points are equal to their current Prestige;
• If (and only if) one or more Combat Turns were played, players' Victory Points are equal to half of their current Prestige (round up) PLUS the Victory Point value of each area where they are the sole player with non-neutralized units (that is, the only one with at least one non-neutralized Regular or Irregular unit there; Special Forces units do not count either way).

9.1 Levels of Victory. The player who ends the game with more Victory Points than the other player wins some variety of victory; see the table below. A tie is possible but truly, an exercise in futility.

VP Difference	Type of victory	Result
1-10	Draw	The crisis has stabilized for now, possibly in some form of temporary ceasefire, though the basic issues are still not resolved. The advantage will be to the country with more points should it resume.
11-25	Tactical Victory	Russia will continue to be the primary influence in Ukraine's decision calculus. OR Ukraine, with the firm support of the Western world and international organizations, has successfully stood off the Russian aggression for now. The Russian Federation's economy and international standing have been damaged.
26+	Smashing Victory	Russia now politically and economically, if not militarily, dominates the government of what is left of Ukraine, and has evaded most of the damaging diplomatic and economic repercussions. OR Ukraine has managed to survive with its government and territory intact, though likely owing many favours and concessions in return for the material and diplomatic support of Western Europe and the United States. President Putin, smarting from this defeat, is undeterred and resolves to use it as an example of anti-Russian conspiracy, to stoke further nationalist feeling at home.

10.0 Playing Card Variant

To treat this game as a semi-deterministic exercise, you may play this game with a deck of ordinary playing cards, including the Jokers. (This will give a higher-powered game, as the 27 cards used by each side will give a total of at least 115 Resources to allocate during the game, versus the average expected total of 99 with the randomized results from the Effort Chart.)

Remove the Jokers, 10s and face cards from the deck. You can either not use these cards at all, using the Event Cards provided, or you can use these cards in lieu of the Event Cards, using the Events Chart. The remaining red cards (two sets of A-9 each) become the Russian player's Resource chits; the black ones are the Ukrainian player's. The number of the card played is the number of RP gained, with no die roll and no Critical Incidents.

At the end of the 6th Turn, each player shuffles all his expended cards and draws 9 randomly: use these for the remaining 3 Turns.

In situations where a card is played in the Information area of the Matrix to reduce the enemy's Prestige (6.3), the player who chose the option will lose Prestige equal to the lower of the two cards played in the area, and the other player will lose Prestige equal to the higher of the two cards.

11.0 Designer's Notes

Why did you bother to do this? This game was initially designed in the middle of the crisis itself, over a weekend in March 2014, with little indication as to its ultimate outcome though a Russian invasion of Ukraine seemed very likely at the time. Think of it as the result of a one-man "game jam", or an attempt to conduct journalism in the form of a wargame.

Were you right? The game was first released in a free print-and-play edition in March 2014. As of the date of the latest revision to these notes (end of 2016), the crisis has not been completely resolved: ethnic violence continues inside Ukraine, but there was no overt Russian invasion except for the occupation of Crimea. The game analogy to the real life chain of events could be thought of as a draw, ending in September 2014 with the adoption of the first Minsk Protocol. Granted, the Protocol and the partial ceasefire it brought did collapse, but it took several months and by that time the threat of a large overt invasion by formed units of the Russian Army had passed.

What about that map? The Victory Point values for the map areas in the pro-Russian Ethnic Zone were assigned in rough proportion to the number of people in each oblast, about one per million, adjusted upward for each area in the Zone that has an especially strong (40-80+%) ethnic Russian population. The thinking here is that the avowed casus belli for a Russian incursion is to protect these people, and not to conquer Ukraine completely – which is why one-third of Ukraine, containing about eleven million people but only a small minority of Russians, was left off the map, and there are no Victory Points awarded for areas in the Ukrainian Ethnic Zone (though the special zone of Kyiv contains enough ethnic Russians that it may be contested, so it belongs to both Zones,). Similarly, the Ukrainian player is motivated not to accept a partition of his country and therefore to fight for its eastern areas.

Does it have to come to war? It is possible to play the game to a conclusion without playing any Combat Turns. Both players have an ability to reduce the other's Prestige to zero, through adroit Chit Play on the Diplomatic and Information fronts while the other's main effort is spent on mobilizing for war; however, as in the military arena most of the advantages lie with the Russian player, who may also be reverse-provoked into an invasion if he sees the Prestige clock winding down too fast on him.

Meanwhile, either player, not just the Russian, may declare a Combat Turn. The thinking behind this is that the Ukrainian player may want to do this in order to carry out a violent crackdown on a large presence of pro-Russian Irregular units created by Russian SF units (the SF counters do not always literally mean the presence of detachments of Spetsnaz troops, but also represent autonomous pro-Russian groups taking up arms in response to local provocations, Russian propaganda and encouragement, or covert supply of weapons and trainers). This could provoke a near-automatic Russian military response, so beginning an overt invasion of Ukraine itself.

"Hey, there are no NATO units!" Yes, that's right; unlike other games on this hypothetical subject, no military formations from NATO member countries appear in the game. In the designer's opinion, it is highly unlikely that troops from any country that is a full member of NATO would be placed in a position where they would potentially be shooting at Russian soldiers. So far, the governments of NATO's member countries seem to be firmly of the opinion that while Ukraine should be supported against Russian aggression, it is not worth starting World War III over.

The Little War

1.0 Introduction

The Little War is a military game for two players exploring the short but spirited border conflict between Slovakia and Hungary in March, 1939. Players represent the local military leaders of these respective governments. The action begins on March 23, 1939. The time covered by an entire game may represent up to 8-12 days, depending on events within the game (historically, there was a ceasefire on March 31, and a treaty signed on April 4).

1.1 General Course of Play

The play of the game is divided into 7 Game Turns. Each Game Turn is divided into several Phases, which are further divided into Segments. See 4.0 for the Sequence of Play. In general terms, both players will draw a number of cards from a deck of ordinary playing cards, then will expend them alternately to conduct different activities with their counters on the map.

The game will end in the Final Phase of the 7th Game Turn, at which time play stops and players judge victory (see 8.0).

2.0 Game Components and Concepts

Each game comes with 30 counters, an area-movement map of the general region of eastern Slovakia, charts and tables on the back of this rulebook, four six-sided dice (d6), and these rules. Players will also need a deck of ordinary playing cards (with 2 Jokers).

2.1 Counters

There are 30 counters in the game. They represent military formations that saw action in this brief border war, and so are deployed and moved on the map. These are called units and each one has certain pieces of information on it.

• Type symbol. This will tell you what type of formation the counter represents. Ground units have a "box symbol" denoting their troop type (irregular, infantry, infantry gun, armored cavalry, or motorized). Air units have a silhouette of an aircraft; Fighter Air are marked with an "F".
• Combat Values. Each unit has a Combat Value (CV) printed underneath its troop type symbol. This is the number of d6 it will roll during combat (7.3). Also, the reverse side of most ground units with a CV has a stripe behind the CV, to denote that it has been Disrupted and cannot attack (however, it can defend itself); see 6.2. Air units have a blank back to denote they are Disrupted (and cannot do anything); fighter air units are the only ones that do not have a CV with a stripe behind it, which means they are the only air units that can attack enemy air units in combat (6.22).
• Nationality. Slovak units are blue; Hungarian units are grey.

Editor's note: the source prints no section 2.2; the headings run 2.1 Counters, then 2.3 Maps and Displays and Playing Aids. Transcribed as printed.

2.3 Maps and Displays and Playing Aids

2.31 Map. The map is an area movement map of a part of eastern Slovakia. During Game Turns, units move from one area to another (see 7.2). Some areas contain tree and/or mountain symbols; these are used to denote rough or closed terrain that aids the defender in combat. Areas with mountains in them denote rough and unroaded areas that are impassable to armored cavalry or motorized units.

Five areas in Slovakia are marked with a Victory Point value that is awarded to the Hungarian player if he controls it at the end of the game (see 9.0 for definitions).

2.32 Displays. Also located on the map sheet are Unit Boxes for each side, divided into "Damaged" and "Ready" sections. Each side also has a box labelled "Airfields" which represents off-map aircraft bases.

2.33 Player Aids. Finally, there are charts and tables on the back of this rulebook that contain a detailed guide to the sequence of play in each Turn, the Events Chart and the Card Matrix.

2.4 Game Concepts

Damage: A unit that takes significant casualties or leadership losses is damaged, and is placed in the "Damaged" section of the owning player's Unit Box. Units recover from this state through use of Special Action cards or die rolls in the Final Phase (7.0).

Disruption: A unit may be disrupted for a variety of reasons, usually as a result of combat. It is flipped over to show its reverse side. A disrupted ground unit may move but cannot attack; a disrupted air unit cannot do anything. Units recover from this state through use of Special Action cards or die rolls in the Final Phase (7.0).

Scale: The map is drawn at a scale of about 1:250,000 or about 1 inch to 4 miles. Each game-turn represents about one day of activity. The unit counters represent groups of men and equipment of varying size: each air unit is 9-10 aircraft, and each ground unit is a battalion of 300-500 men except for the Slovakian armored cavalry unit, which represents about 15 light armored vehicles.

3.0 Setting Up the Game

Take the deck of playing cards. Remove the face cards (Jack, Queen and King) and give the red ones to the Hungarian player, and the Black ones to the Slovakian player. Shuffle the remaining cards (including the 2 Jokers) and put them in a stack in a mutually convenient place on the table.

Sort the unit counters out by nationality and place them as directed in charts and tables (either on the map or in the "Ready" or "Damaged" sections of their respective Unit Boxes).

4.0 Sequence of Play

Each Game Turn is organized into the following Phases, performed in order. The body of the rules explain what to do in each Phase.

1. Card Selection Phase
2. Card Play and Resolution Phase
3. Final Phase
4. (start next Turn with the Card Selection Phase)

5.0 Card Selection Phase

One player (it doesn't matter who) draws SIX cards from the top of the deck. The Hungarian player is given all the RED cards. The Slovakian player is given all the BLACK cards. Players examine their hands of cards and frown while planning what they will do during the following Phase.

It is unlikely, but possible, that sometimes one player will get all six cards and the other player none. Reflect that everyone has a bad day sometimes and that this event is nearly equally probable for either player, so it could have just as easily been you. In fact, the odds of you getting all six on a future turn have just risen. Meanwhile, you can still play whatever Special Action cards you happen to have in hand (6.3).

6.0 Card Play and Resolution Phase

Players will play one card each in alternating sequence, beginning with the player who received the most cards in the Card Selection Phase (the Hungarian player wins ties). Cards are discarded after playing. The cards have differing effects depending on their suit or rank:

• HEART or CLUB cards of rank Ace – 10 are Movement cards. Players use these cards to move an equal number of units on the map or have them enter play from the "Ready" section of the Unit Box. See 6.1.
• SPADE or DIAMOND cards of rank Ace – 10 are Combat cards. Players use these cards to have an equal number of their units attack enemy units in the same areas or boxes where they are located. See 6.2.
• Any FACE card is a Special Action card. Players start the game holding all six of these (red or black), and may play one of these cards instead of one of the newly drawn cards in the Card Selection Phase. Special Action cards have several functions, see 6.3.
• A JOKER denotes that a random event has occurred – after the two players have taken their respective red or black cards, one player (it doesn't matter who) immediately rolls 1d6 on the Random Events Chart and implements the result, then discards the JOKER.

6.1 Movement

When a player plays a Movement card, he may move a number of units on or onto the map up to the rank of the card (so, 1-10 units). Ground units may move from one area to an adjacent area, or from the "Ready" section of the Unit Box to areas on the map marked "BASE" in their home countries (note the Hungarian player has a choice of two such areas; units entering the map may go to either one). Air units may move from the "Airfields" box to any area on the map or to the enemy "Airfields" box, or from the "Ready" section of the Unit Box to the "Airfields" box.

6.11 Movement limits. A given unit may move only once per Movement card (it may move more than once per turn, though). A ground unit that is in an area with undisrupted enemy ground units may not move out of that area. (Exception: the Hungarian RG "Ragged Guard" unit; see optional rule 10.2.) Editor's note: the printed cross-reference reads "10.2"; the optional rule is printed as 9.2 (The "Rongyos Garda" (Ragged Guard)). Transcribed as printed.

Armored cavalry and motorized units may not enter areas with mountains. Slovakian units may not enter Hungary.

6.2 Combat

Playing one Combat card will allow a player to engage in combat in up to all areas where his units are co-located with enemy ground units, with a total number of ground and air units up to the rank of the card (so, 1-10 units). The player who played the card is called the Attacker, and the other player is the Defender, no matter what the overall strategic situation. Combat is voluntary on the part of the Attacker; that is, he does not have to have combat in all eligible areas, but if attacked the Defender must defend himself with all units in the area. Only undisrupted units may attack, and a given unit may attack only once per Combat card (it may attack more than once per turn, though).

6.21 Combat procedure

The following procedure is followed in each area where the Attacker wishes to have combat.

Remember the total of attacking units determined by the rank of the Combat card played is the total for all ground and air units in all areas, not per area.

• Pre-Combat Step. The Attacker designates an area where combat will occur; this is called the Battle area. The attacker designates all ground units that will participate in the combat, up to all undisrupted ground units in the area (he may designate fewer, and may have to depending on the rank of the Combat card played). He may also designate undisrupted air units that are either already in the Battle area or are added from his Airfield Box, up to the number of attacking ground units. Air units may not attack ground units on their own. Instead, each air unit may assist attacking ground units in its area by adding 1d6 per air unit, up to the number of friendly ground units involved.

  At this time only, the Defender may play a Special Action card to call for a Reaction Move. The Move may consist of either moving undisrupted air units from his Airfield Box to the Battle area, up to the number of defending units in the area, or moving up to 2 units (total) into the Battle area from 1 or 2 adjacent areas.

• Air-to-Air Combat Resolution Step. After both players have committed all air units desired to combat in the Battle area, they will conduct air-to-air combat as described in 6.22 if fighter aircraft are present on one or both sides.

• Ground Combat Resolution Step. After any air-to-air combat is resolved, both players simultaneously roll a number of d6 equal to the total Combat Value of the ground and air units in their groups. The defender adds 1d6 for each terrain type (woods or mountain) in the area. Both players add 1d6 for each undisrupted air unit assisting their units (after air-to-air combat, see 6.22). A "5" or "6" on a d6 scores a Hit.

  The player inflicting the hits decides which involved enemy units receive how many hits. Air units may not have hits inflicted on them. The Attacker allocates Hits scored on enemy units before the Defender does. What happens next is determined by whether the suffering unit was attacking or defending, and/or was disrupted or undisrupted at the time the hits were inflicted.

  • An undisrupted defending unit that receives at least 1 hit, but less than its CV of hits, is potentially disrupted. If the Defender wishes, the unit may stay and be disrupted (flip the unit over to show its CV in parentheses), or it may retreat (see 6.25) and stay undisrupted.

6.22 Air to Air combat

If fighter air units (that is, an air unit without a stripe behind its CV, see 2.1) are present in an area with enemy air units, then the fighter units may engage enemy air units in combat before ground unit combat is resolved. Each player with fighter air units present rolls a number of d6 equal to the total CV of their fighter air units. (In addition to the black silhouette, fighter units are marked with an "F".) A "5" or "6" on a d6 scores a Hit. The player inflicting the hits decides which enemy air units receive how many hits. The Attacker allocates hits scored on enemy air units before the Defender does; however, each fighter air unit the Defender has present must have at least 1 Hit allocated to it before any hits may be allocated to any other air units. The Defender may allocate Hits as they wish. An air unit that receives at least 1 hit, but less than its CV of hits, is disrupted and returns to its Airfield Box, face down to show its disrupted (blank) side. An air unit that receives equal to or more than its CV of hits is damaged and is placed (face up) in the "Damaged" section of the Unit Box.

Any air units that survived the air to air combat undisrupted may assist their ground-pounder comrades, each adding 1d6 to the total dice rolled by their side.

6.23 Retreats

Undisrupted defending units may retreat if the Defender chooses. Defending disrupted units must retreat. Attacking units may not retreat. A retreating unit cannot retreat into a space with undisrupted enemy units in it, nor can it retreat into an area from which the attacking units entered the Battle area. A unit that must retreat and cannot is damaged.

6.3 Special Action Cards

A player playing a Special Action card may use it in a number of ways. A Special Action card may be played when it is that player's turn to play a card, or when permitted by the rules. Cards are discarded after use.

6.31 Repairing and refitting units. A player may do the following by playing a Special Action card:

• undisrupt all disrupted ground units in ONE area on the map, or
• undisrupt all air units currently in their Airfield Box, or
• move all units (ground and air) in the "Damaged" section of their Unit Box to the "Ready" section.

6.32 Reaction Move. At the end of the Pre-Combat Step, the defender may play a Special Action card to make a Reaction Move. This may take one of two forms:

• Air: a number of undisrupted air units up to the total defending units in the Battle Area may be moved from the Airfield Box to the Battle area (this may trigger air-to-air combat); or
• Ground: a total of up to 2 undisrupted ground units may enter the Battle area from up to 2 adjacent areas (that is, 2 from 1 area, or 1 each from 2 areas). The ground units may not move if there are undisrupted enemy ground units in their area.

6.33 Raiding the enemy Airfield Box. A player may play a Special Action card to carry out a raid on the enemy Airfield Box. They play the card and then move up to all undisrupted air units from their Airfield Box to the enemy Airfield Box. The player then rolls a number of d6 equal to the total CV of the raiding air units. A "5" or "6" on a die scores 1 Hit. If the raiding player scores 3 or more hits, then all air units currently in the enemy Airfield Box are placed in the "Damaged" section of the Unit Box, and any air units returning to the Box in the Final Phase of the Game Turn will be disrupted.

Meanwhile, the enemy Airfield Box has a CV of (3) marked in it to denote local anti-aircraft defences and dispersal of aircraft. To defend the Box, the enemy player will roll 3d6 (note: the player rolls only 3d6; any undisrupted air units that are in the Airfield Box at the time are assumed to be caught on the ground and cannot defend themselves). A "5" or "6" on a die scores 1 hit. Each hit damages 1 raiding air unit (enemy player's choice).

7.0 Final Phase

When both players have played and discarded all the drawn and Special Action cards they are willing or able to, the Game Turn enters the Final Phase. If this is the 7th Game turn, the game ends and players judge Victory (see 8.0). If not, then:

• All air units return to their respective Airfield Boxes – if the Airfield Box has been damaged by enemy air raids (6.24), the air units are disrupted on landing. Editor's note: the printed cross-reference for air raids reads "6.24"; the raid rules are printed as 6.33. Transcribed as printed.
• Some units may spontaneously recover from disruption or damage. Players roll 1d6 for each disrupted ground unit on the map, and for each ground or air unit in the "Damaged" section of the Unit Box. On a "5" or "6" a disrupted unit is undisrupted, and a damaged unit is moved to the "Ready" section of the Unit Box.

8.0 Game End and Victory

The game ends at the end of the Final Phase of the 7th Game Turn. To judge victory, players examine each area on the map. Five named areas in Slovakia are marked with a red Victory Point (VP) value. The Hungarian player is awarded the VP for an area if he is the only one with an undisrupted ground unit in it. The final grade of victory depends on the total Hungarian VP:

• 0 to 2: Slovakian player wins
• 3: Draw
• 4 to 9: Hungarian player wins

9.0 Optional Rules

9.1 Varying C3 (Command, Control and Communications)

Comparatively, Hungarian units were not only better equipped, they were more organized and nimble. In contrast, the Army of the First Slovak Republic had been created less than 10 days before, as the regiments of the Czechoslovakian Army tore themselves apart into Czech and Slovak contingents and the German Army was occupying Bohemia and Moravia. This is partly reflected in the higher CV of Hungarian units, but to give even more prominence to this important difference between the two forces, the Slovakian player should start with fewer than 6 Special Action cards: take as many of these out as players may mutually agree to, but the Hungarian player will subtract Victory Points at the end, at the rate of 1 VP for every 2 cards removed (round up).

9.2 The "Rongyos Garda" (Ragged Guard)

This was a unit of Hungarian irregular troops that had thoroughly infiltrated this part of Slovakia before the beginning of the war. The unit counter is marked "RG" and has a CV of 1. Players may use this unit in the game if both agree. The Ragged Guard cannot attack but can move into or out of any area regardless of the presence of enemy units. It is never disrupted (so note that because of that it does interfere with movement of Slovakian units) but if damaged due to excess hits, it is removed from the game. Air units cannot assist the Ragged Guard if it is the only unit involved in the combat.

10.0 Designer's Notes

Yes, this was another one of those games designed on a dare… how many times has this happened to you? In late October 2015 some of us were joking around on Consimworld.com about minor, ungamed wars and the Polish-Czech War of January 1919 (a border conflict over the city of Teschen) came up. One thing led to another and I was soon looking up details on the Slovak-Hungarian War of March 1939, which was equally short but seemed to offer more potential for action by both sides, and a more interesting variety of equipment.

Really though, my main concern was not to show this unfortunate though brief chapter in Slovak-Hungarian relations in detail, but to hang a short game on an armature of using a deck of ordinary playing cards to drive the action, with some simple combat resolution mechanics… and to do it with only 30 counters, to fit the counter template!

Editor's note: the Little War's Designer's Notes sign-off and credits block are omitted.