--------------------------------- CLASH OF STEEL - CLARIFICATIONS --------------------------------- Richard Wein . Last updated 17 July 1998. *****Additional comments by Tim Smith, marked with asterisks*************************** Since I started playing Clash of Steel, I've found many errors and omissions in the manual, and I've put together this list of all the things that I've discovered. I hope you find it useful. If you find any errors in it, please let me know. PROGRAM VERSIONS ---------------- The final version of the COS program is version 1.1, and this list is based on that version. If you purchased COS as part of a collection on a CD-ROM, you probably already have version 1.1. (I got mine as part of the 'Twenty Wargame Classics' collection.) To check if you have this version, look for 'V1.1' in the bottom right-hand corner of the main menu. If you have version 1.0, you can download a patch from SSI's web site (http://www.ssionline.com/support/tech/support_cos.html). The manual referred to here is the one provided on a CD-ROM with the 'Twenty Wargames Classics' collection. I believe there may have been a previous version of the manual. INSTALLATION ------------ The booklet that comes with 'Twenty Wargames Classics' warns you that the programs may not run correctly under Windows 95, and advises you to make a boot disk. Personally, I have had no problems at all with running COS under Windows 95 in an MS-DOS window. I run COS by means of a shortcut to COS.BAT. If you don't want to see the intro screen every time you run COS, delete the command 'vp' from COS.BAT. Saved game files are stored in a subdirectory of the COS directory, called SAVE. However, the installation program fails to create this subdirectory, which means the game will crash whenever you try to save a game. This is easy to fix. Just create a \COS\SAVE directory. DEFINITIONS ----------- Here are definitions of a few terms I use in these notes. The manual is rather vague about these concepts. HOME COUNTRY: the territory of any country, as shown in the Map/Country Display. For the Commonwealth, this includes Egypt, Gibraltar and Malta. For France (or Vichy France), it includes French North Africa and Syria. For Russia, after Poland is conquered, it includes the Baltic States and the eastern part of Poland. For Germany, after Poland is conquered, it includes the western part of Poland, and, if Vichy France has been created, it includes Benelux and the northern part of France. AXIS: can refer to (a) any country represented by 'AX' in the Politics Display, (b) the Axis production pool (see below), (c) the Axis player. ALLIES: can refer to (a) any country represented by 'AL' in the Politics Display, (b) the Allied production pool (see below), (c) the Allied player. NEUTRAL: any country represented by a number in the Politics Display. PRODUCTION POOLS: in each Economy Phase, production points (PPs) are added to the following 5 production pools, as shown in the Status Display: (a) Axis (all Axis countries except Italy) (b) Italy (c) Allied (all Allied countries except US and Russia) (d) US (e) Russia The PPs in a pool can be spent on the units of any of the countries which contribute to the pool. THE SETUP MENU -------------- Bug! The Setup Menu has separate buttons for Allied and Russian computer players, but, if you attempt to play the Allies only (Axis and Russian set to computer), Russia never builds anything. Similarly, if you attempt to play Russia only (Axis and Allied set to computer), the Commonwealth and France never build anything. In effect, you can't choose to play the Allies only, or the Russians only. I've been told that this bug did not exist in version 1.0, but I can't confirm that. LOADING/SAVING THE GAME ----------------------- Bug! When you load a saved game, it's safest to do it immediately after starting up the program. If, while you're playing an Allied impulse, you load a saved game which was saved at an Axis impulse (or vice versa), the program gets very confused, and strange things start to happen. Note that each saved game consists of *two* files: xxx.sav and xxx.mov. TURN SEQUENCE ------------- The Turn Sequence in the manual contains many errors. Here's a corrected version: ECONOMY PHASE Test for entry into war (Italy, US, Greece, Yugoslavia) Strategic bombing Convoys Receive new PPs Reorganisation Develop new weapons Build forts Test for Russian preparation for war Production (players select which units to build, Axis then Allies) Determine initiative IMPULSES Determine weather (odd impulses only) Supply Phase (both players in impulse 1, otherwise active player only) Orders Phase (active player takes any actions he wishes) Test for surrender of any country Test for German Disorganization/Dissolution (impulse 2 only) Naval Phase (impulses 1 & 2 only): Test for naval encounters (Search Table) and resolve battles Test for ship repairs Test for damage due to no harbor Test for end of turn Test For End of Turn. Here are the probabilities (chances out of 6) of the turn continuing after each impulse, depending on the current weather in the Temperate Zone (most of Europe): --Impulse no.-- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10+ Weather Clear 6 6 6 6 5 5 4 3 2 1 Mud 6 4 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Snow 6 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Note that the minimum number of impulses in May/Jun and Jul/Aug is 5, as the weather is always clear. In other turns, the minimum number is 2. There is no maximum number. Exception: in Sep/Oct 1939, the weather is always clear, so the minimum number of impulses is 5. Determine Initiative. Here are the probabilities (chances out of 6) for the Axis to have the initiative, depending on the date: 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 Jan/Feb - 5 4 2 2 2 1 Mar/Apr - 5 5 3 3 2 1 May/Jun - 6 6 4 3 2 1 Jul/Aug - 6 6 4 3 2 1 Sep/Oct 6 4 4 3 2 2 1 Nov/Dec 6 4 1 2 2 4 1 Note: the numbers shown in the initiative display, at the start of each turn, are one higher than this, and the Axis gets the initiative if the die roll is *less* than the number shown there. STATUS DISPLAY (INFO MENU) -------------------------- Bug! Convoy points are usually included in the Status Display only when you have a valid convoy route. However, sometimes they're included even when you don't have a valid convoy route. Bug! The US 'current modified production' is always shown as 0. Bug! Until Russia enters the war or begins preparing for war, its production is divided by 4 (rounded down). However, the Russian 'current modified production' figure does not reflect this fact. During this period, Russia's production is normally 10 PP per turn. ORDER OF BATTLE DISPLAY (INFO MENU) ----------------------------------- Bug! The following units are shown as 'purchasable' in the OB Display, even though they're not: (a) Ships which have been sunk (only transports can be rebuilt). (b) Units which have been eliminated and cannot be rebuilt for a year. The production costs shown in the OB Display take into account the effects of strategic bombing, but they don't take into account the additional cost resulting from unit upgrades. UNITS ----- The different types of units can be confusing. Ignore the names of the units, which have no effect on play, and just look at the unit symbol. The symbols are as follows: CORPS: large X inside a rectangle (conventional wargame symbol for infantry). ARMY: XXXX (except Russian armies, which have a silhouette of a missile launcher on a truck). ARMY GROUP: national symbol (cross, star or flag). PANZERS (AFVs): silhouette of a tank. ENGINEERS: letter E on its side. ARTIFICIAL HARBOR: anchor. PARATROOPS: silhouette of a parachute. Air and naval units are obvious. Unfortunately, the symbols used for army groups and panzers in displays other than the main map (in the OB display, the Reserve Box, etc) differ from those listed above: ARMY GROUP: half-filled circle (conventional wargame symbol for supply). PANZERS: oval inside a rectangle (conventional wargame symbol for armor). Although the names of the units can be ignored, here are a few notes about them: (a) Russian corps are named 'Army'. (b) Russian armies are named 'Shock'. (c) Russian army groups are named 'Front', except for 'Zhukov'. (d) All other army groups are named after their commander. (e) German and US panzers (tanks) are named after their commander. RESEARCH -------- The number of research points is not fixed at 10 (as stated in the manual). At the start of the 1939 scenario, each side has 5 research points. In later scenarios you start with more (but both sides always start with the same). You can buy additional research points, from the Research Menu. The 6th point costs 6 PPs, the 7th costs 8 PPs, the 8th costs 10 PPs, and so on in increments of 2 PPs. You can redistribute your research points among the various fields of research whenever you wish. You can never lose research points. Bug! Your units don't receive any efficiency bonuses for developments you already possess at the start of the scenario. LAND MOVEMENT ------------- A unit with a supply value of zero has its AP allowance halved, rounding down (the manual says rounding up). A unit's AP allowance cannot be reduced below 2 by supply considerations. In Mud, a unit's APs are reduced to 2 (or 1 for an army group), regardless of supply value. Axis units in the Arctic and Arctic Circle weather zones suffer an additional penalty in Snow conditions, not mentioned in the manual: their AP allowance is halved (rounding up). Supply has no effect on the APs of air units. OPERATIONAL MOVEMENT -------------------- Each production pool except Italy (Axis, Allies, USA and Russia) is allowed to make one operational move per impulse. Italy cannot make any. From the time Russia enters the war up to and including the impulse in which the Russian Winter strikes, *neither* side can use operational movement in Russia. Prior to entering the war, the Russians *can* use operational movement. Air units can use operational movement, but only to a hex which is connected by land. This is a major restriction. It means that, if the Allies create a second front in Southern Europe, there is no way they can move air units to that front (unless they invade Italy via Sicily, in which case they can rebase from Tunisia). Bug! Sometimes, when you try to move a unit by operational movement, you get the 'No connection' message, even when there clearly is a connection. RESERVE MOVEMENT & PLACEMENT OF NEW UNITS ----------------------------------------- Each production pool except Italy (Axis, Allies, USA and Russia) is allowed to make 3 reserve moves per turn. Italy can only make 1. Units which are put into reserve must be placed back on the map (using the New button) in the same impulse, or be eliminated. (The game will prompt you if you forget.) When placing ground units from reserve onto the map, they have to be placed in or adjacent to a friendly city in the same supply partition from which they were removed (so they can't move across sea). The city need not be in the unit's home country. If you get a 'Not possible' message when trying to place a unit from reserve, it could be for any of these reasons: (a) the hex isn't a city hex or adjacent to a city hex; (b) the hex is in an enemy zone of control; (c) the hex isn't in the same supply partition as the one the unit came from. If you get a 'No supply or not next to city' message, this actually means that the hex is not controlled. Air units don't have to be placed next to a city. Axis air units can be placed in *any* partition - a connection is not required. Commonwealth, US and French air units can be placed in the partition from which they were removed *or* any partition containing a Commonwealth or French city. Russian air units can be placed in the partition from which they were removed *or* any partition containing a Russian city. Up to and including the impulse in which the Russian Winter strikes, Axis units in Russia cannot use reserve movement. Units from outside Russia *can* use reserve movement into Russia. There's a special rule (not mentioned in the manual) that allows Allied units to be shipped around 'Cape Horn' (I think they mean the Cape of Good Hope). If you put an Allied unit (of any nationality) into reserve from anywhere in Britain, Gibraltar or Egypt, you'll be asked 'Ship unit around Cape Horn?'. If you answer No, the unit goes into reserve in the usual way. If you answer Yes, the unit disappears until the start of the next turn. It then reappears in the reserve, and is treated the same as a newly built unit (see below). Despite the name, the Cape Horn option can be used to move units between Britain and Gibraltar. Movement via Cape Horn doesn't require any ships and doesn't count against the reserve movement limit of 3 units. Newly built units are located in the reserve, and you place them on the map in the same way as units using reserve movement, except: (a) Newly built units don't have to be placed immediately. They can be left until a later turn, though you still have to place them in impulse 1 or 2. (b) A newly built ground unit may be placed at any non-isolated city in any supply partition which contains a city of the unit's country. For example, in 1939, both French and Commonwealth units may be placed at Alexandria or Beirut, since Alexandria is a Commonwealth city, Beirut is a French city, and both are in the same supply partition. Exception: Tripoli, Tobruk and Tirana *don't* count as Italian cities for the purpose of placing new units. New Italian units cannot be placed at these cities unless an overland connection is established. Note: the manual says that sea supply is not sufficient for insertion of new units. In fact, sea supply is sufficient to satisfy the 'non-isolated' requirement, but the partition must still contain a home country city. For example, if Russia supplies Sevastopol by sea after it has been isolated, new Russian units *can* be inserted there. (c) Newly built US units are placed as Commonwealth units. (d) Newly built ships must be placed in a port of the country whose ship it is, using the New button in the Navy Display. (Italian ships cannot be placed in Germany, and vice versa.) SHIPS ----- If a ship is in a port when the port is captured by the enemy, it moves to the Fleet #1 box of the adjacent sea zone, but not until the start of the next impulse. This means the attacking player may not have a chance to attack the ship before it can move to another port. German ships in the North Sea, North Atlantic and South Atlantic are not affected by the harbor requirement rule. Submarines are never affected by it. CONVOYS ------- To receive convoy points, you must have a non-sub ship in each of the sea zones listed in the Convoy Table. It may be in any of the formation boxes. The presence of enemy ships cannot prevent you from tracing a valid convoy route (as stated in the manual), although enemy ships can make you lose convoy points. Ships can raid from any naval formation box, not just the raider boxes. However, only one ship can raid from each formation box. The number of convoy points destroyed by a ship is a random number in the range 0 to (raid value minus 1). So a typical sub, with raid value 4, will destroy 0, 1, 2 or 3 points from *each* convoy route passing through the sea zone. It seems to make no difference if the sub is damaged. The manual says that each BB and CV has a 1/6 chance of sinking each raiding sub during the Convoy Phase. This is untrue. No ship combat takes place in the Convoy Phase. Corrections to the Convoy Table: (a) PPs for American convoys are added to the US pool, not the Allied pool. (b) For Italy to receive its convoy points, Tripoli must be Axis controlled. (c) For the Axis to receive convoy points from Sweden, Stockholm must be Axis controlled or neutral. LAND COMBAT ----------- Here's the combat results table. Note that retreats are possible at 2-1 odds (the manual says 'above 2-1'). --Odds-- Die roll <1-2 1-2 1-1 2-1 3-1 4-1 5-1 10-1 (D10) 1 A2 A2 A1 A1 A1 A1 - DR 2 A2 A1 A1 - - - D1 DR 3 A2 A1 A1 - - - DR DR 4 A1 A1 - - - D1 DR DR 5 A1 A1 - - - DR DR DR 6 A1 A1 A1/D1 A1/D1 DR DR DR DR 7 A1 - D1 D1 DR DR DR DR 8 A1 - D1 DR DR DR DR DR 9 - D1 D1 DR DR DR DR DR 10 - D1 D1 DR DR DR DR DR A1 = Attacker loses 1 SP A2 = Attacker loses 2 SP D1 = Defender loses 1 SP DR = Defender retreats AND loses 1 SP ****************Additional comment by Tim Smith******************************************** Suggestion: I believe that the table gives too much random variation in possible combat results. It is possible to build up an assault team that makes the odds 4-1 in your favour, yet still fail and lose a strength point (and massive morale loss!). Conversely, you can be outnumbered 2-1 and still succeed. This seems unrealistic in a army-level wargame, and not much fun. The game should be far more about strategy and tactics than chance die rolls. (Note that morale and efficiency are handled well in the game, and make the issue more than that of basic strength points alone. Given an high supply value, the British 8th Army unit can be as effective in combat as the Italian Garibaldi unit, despite the fact that Garibaldi has 6 strength points and the 8th Army has only 4.) Therefore, I suggest that results of 1-2 and 9-10 be ignored (reload the impulse if this occurs.) This will balance the game for both sides and make freak results far less common. It does mean that the player will have to save that game after every combat, which is annoying to start with, but you will gradually get used to it until you can do it in seconds. ******************************************************************************************* The above table doesn't say anything about loss of morale. I can't give any figures for this, but, in general, higher odds and higher die rolls mean higher morale loss for the defender and lower for the attacker. An overrunning unit attacks with 77% of its effective strength (not 70% as stated in the manual). A unit assaulting on its own attacks with 70% of its effective strength. Two or more units assaulting together attack with 85% of their effective strength. A defending unit can only be assaulted once per impulse, but it can be subjected to any number of overrun attacks. German Kampfgruppe only applies to defending German units. Russian Exploitation. Up until January 1944, each time a Russian unit makes an overrun attack, it pays a random number of APs, from 1 up to the number of APs it has remaining. Bug! An AT-Barrier result can only occur in an overrun attack, not in an assault. The manual section 'AT-Guns/Heavy Tanks' refers to 'HQ units'. It means army groups. AIR COMBAT ---------- The range for interception of ground-striking aircraft is 4 hexes (not 7 as stated in the manual). You don't have to give your aircraft interception orders - they will attempt interception automatically, but they don't always succeed. The strength of ground strikes is divided by 3 in mud and snow, not halved. The terrain modifiers for air strikes are cumulative. So a strike against a fortified city receives a -3 modifier. The modified air strength cannot be be reduced below 1. Ground strikes and shore bombardment can only inflict morale losses, not strength point losses, on the defending unit (land or air). However, an attacking air unit *can* lose strength points: Die Modified air strength roll 1 2 3 4 5 (D6) 1 2 1 - - - ) 2 1 - - - - ) no. of SPs lost by air unit 3+ - - - - - ) Bug! The first time in a game that each air unit is refitted, the refit costs nothing (in most cases). Thereafter, the refit cost for an air unit is not based on the number of strength points lost, but on the maximum strength of the air unit, as follows: Maximum strength: 3 4 5 Refit cost (Pps): 2 3 4 *****************Additional Comment by Tim Smith******************************************* Suggestion: That air attack rolls of 1, 2 or 6 be ignored (reload the impulse if this happens). The reason for this is that due to the above bug air units have to be refitted at higher cost than they should be. Therefore, strength point losses should be avoided. To compensate, the most favourable result of 6 should also be ignored. This suggestion can also be applied to both sides rolls during an air interception. ******************************************************************************************* In an air interception, either side may suffer strength point losses. Ground units can overrun air units, but cannot assault them. When resolving an overrun attack on an air unit, the air unit has an effective strength of 0.1. SP losses do not affect it, but a retreat result dissolves it. In practice, overrun attacks on air units almost always dissolve the air unit, because the odds are usually so high. Bug! If a successful amphibious invasion is made in a hex containing an enemy air unit, the air unit is lost permanently! (The OB display shows it as 'On Map' even though it isn't.) STRATEGIC BOMBING ----------------- All Axis countries are affected by Allied strategic bombing. Only the Commonwealth or Russia is affected by Axis strategic bombing. Strategic bombing of factories affects all types of units, including ships. The number of hits on factories inflicted by one strategic bomber point appears to be a random number evenly distributed in the range 0-14 (the manual says 0-15). This gives an average of 7 hits. However, my tests appear to show that the number of hits falls when you have more bombers. With 20 bomber points, the average is only about 4 per bomber point. Strategic bombing of oil facilities cannot reduce a unit's AP allowance below 2. AA-Radar appears to have no effect on strategic bombing of oil facilities. A strategic bombing report normally appears for each side during the Economy Phase. If it doesn't appear for one side or the other, it means that side scored no hits. The strategic bombing report refers to hits on both Commonwealth and Russian targets as hits on 'Allied' targets. It refers to hits on factories as hits on 'industry'. In the Strategic Bomber Menu, the button for bombing the Commonwealth is labelled 'England'. A new feature was added in version 1.1, allowing air units to intercept strategic bombers. To be eligible for such interception, they must be put on Guard duty. Select an air unit on the map, and click on the Guard button. The unit's AP allowance changes to a * to show that it can't do anything else while on Guard duty. To remove it from Guard duty, select the unit and click on the Normal button. Air units on Guard duty have a chance to repulse or shoot down strategic bombers. Note the following: (a) Interceptors are only effective if located in the home country of the nation being attacked (Germany, Commonwealth or Russia). For the Commonwealth, this includes Gibraltar and Egypt. (b) Air units on Guard duty can still participate in air-to-sea battles, if they're on the coast. (c) It costs no APs to put a unit on Guard duty or to release it. (d) The effectiveness of a unit on Guard duty does not seem to be affected by its strength. Some players believe there are serious problems with the way Guard duty works, making it far too effective and making strategic bombers not worth building. In their opinion the game is better balanced if players refrain from using this feature. The computer player doesn't use it. *******************Additional Comment by Tim Smith***************************************** Although guard duty is very effective against bombers, there is the fact the the guarding air unit has to be in its home country. In the early part of the war this is not a problem, as the air units can generally remain in their own country anyway and still support ground forces, and the bombers run into heavy interception and are likely to be destroyed within the first six turns. (This is historically accurate - Polish, British, French, German and Italian bombers all suffered very heavy casualties from daylight bombing in 1939-41.) In the middle part of the war, the main areas of ground fighting are in North Africa and Russia. Air units on guard duty in Britain and Germany are thus not available to support the ground forces, and this can make a great difference to the outcome of the fighting there. So, the advantages of Guard duty are balanced by its disadvantages. In the latter part of the war the US can afford to purchase large numbers of bombers. Germany should only buy many bombers (V-weapons) if the Rocket research level has been developed to maximum (7). ******************************************************************************************* NAVAL COMBAT ------------ Submarines do *not* fire in air-to-sea battles (as stated in the manual). Bug! According to the naval battle display, damaged ships have their strength reduced by one. However, they still hit on the same die roll range as before! Only one shore bombardment is allowed per sea zone per impulse. The strength of the bombardment is found by totalling the number of BBs plus CVs in the zone and applying the terrain modifier (as for air strikes). The final strength is limited to a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 4. SEA TRANSPORT ------------- Each sea zone through which a ground unit is being transported must contain a friendly non-sub ship. This ship may be in any of the formation boxes. A transport ship is only required in the sea zone adjacent to the port of embarkation. The EVAC option is almost useless. I've never yet been able to make use of it. But here's how it works anyway. A unit can embark at a non-port hex, using the EVAC button. It will be either dissolved or eliminated. If dissolved, it automatically appears in reserve the next turn, at no cost, and must be reinserted in the partition from which it was evacuated! If you choose not to insert it, it will be eliminated. If you can't insert it, then it remains in Reserve until the following turn, when you can insert it like a newly built unit. Furthermore, a unit can't use the EVAC option if its morale is below 25. There is no advantage in landing at a port. The ground unit will still have only 1 AP to use after landing. Upon landing, a unit's morale is reduced. A ground unit takes up 2 points of transport capacity instead of 1 if its full, unmodified number of strength points is 5 or more. Air units cannot be moved by sea transport. Units being transported are shown in the blue (At Sea) band of the Reserve Box. In the Order of Battle Display, they're listed as 'Reserve'. If they don't land by the end of the impulse, they go into normal reserve. Up to and including the impulse in which the Russian Winter strikes, Axis units in Russia cannot use sea transport. Units from outside Russia *can* use sea transport into Russia. Sea transport to a friendly hex is allowed in any weather, and the ground unit lands with no risk of being dissolved or damaged. However, it may be eliminated by interception. All sea transport, whether to a friendly or unfriendly hex, is subject to naval interception. NAVAL INTERCEPTION ------------------ For each zone in which you land any units, a die roll is made on the following table, to see which enemy ships may intercept: 1 No interception 2-3 Ships in destination sea zone only 4-6 Ships in destination sea zone, adjacent sea zones, and ports adjacent to these sea zones All ships in the indicated locations automatically participate in the interception, except transport ships (which never intercept) and ships in a raider formation box (which sometimes intercept). (Ignore what the manual says about the percentage chance of interception being affected by the number of naval strengths points present.) The transports involved in the landing are accompanied by all friendly ships in Fleet boxes in the sea zone where the landing is taking place. Friendly ships in other formation boxes, or in adjacent ports and sea zones, do *not* participate. This is important: if you put your transports and escorts together in a Transporter box, the escorts will *not* protect the transports from interception (I've made this mistake). (Exception: friendly transports in adjacent ports and sea zones will also accompany the transports involved in the landing. I assume this to be a bug.) Land based air units never participate in naval interceptions, on either side. Interception battles are neither sea-to-sea nor air-to-sea. All types of ships can fire. Transports are not screened by escorts. They are just as likely to be hit as any other ship. If a transport is damaged, all units it is carrying are eliminated. Only one interception may be made per sea zone per impulse. When an interception occurs, all ground units ordered to land in the same sea zone are vulnerable to elimination. If the transporting fleet doesn't retreat, all surviving ground units may then come ashore without further interception. If a transporting fleet retreats from an interception, the ground units are dissolved and no further landings may be attempted in the same sea zone for the rest of that impulse. However, the same transport may still attempt a landing in another sea zone. A ship may make interceptions in more than one sea zone per impulse. AMPHIBIOUS INVASION ------------------- Sea transport to an enemy or contested hex is termed an 'amphibious invasion'. The success probabilities given in the manual disagree with those displayed in the game. Based on repeated trials, I believe that the probabilities displayed in the game are the correct ones: (a) For an invading combat unit, the base probability of success is 70% for an empty hex, and 40% for a hex containing a fort. Halve these if the hex contains a unit or city (quarter if it contains both). So the probability of success in a hex containing a fort, a unit *and* a city is only 10%. (b) For an artificial harbor, the probability is 70% for an empty hex *or* a hex containing a fort, 35% for a hex containing a unit, and 20% for a hex containing a unit *and* a fort. Note: these figures are the probability of the unit coming ashore without taking losses. There is *in addition* a chance that the unit will take losses but still get ashore. So the overall chance of getting ashore is higher than indicated. However, a unit which takes losses has no APs remaining and is reduced to 1 strength point and extremely low morale. This result is usually worse than being dissolved, since the unit is likely to be eliminated by an enemy attack. Amphibious invasions may be affected by bad weather (mud or snow). The success probability may be halved, or it may become totally impossible. It depends on the location (it's easier in the Mediterranean) and the date (it gets easier later in the war). Artificial Harbors. When built, an artificial harbor automatically appears at sea (in the blue band of the Reserve Box), so it doesn't need to be embarked. It can remain at sea indefinitely, and is unaffected by naval combat. It can land in any sea zone, regardless of the presence of friendly ships. Once landed, it only remains in play for up to two turns and is then removed, so don't land it until you need it. (You will be offered the option to remove it after one turn, in case you want to rebuild and reuse it as soon as possible.) After removal, it can be rebuilt at full cost. Artificial harbors act as a port for purposes of supply. But note that units dissolved while dependent on an artificial harbor for supply are eliminated. The game allows you to land an artificial harbor in a sea hex. Don't do this - it won't be any use there. Artificial harbors can never be destroyed while at sea. When an artificial harbor lands, an interception may take place, but the artificial harbor is not affected by it. POLITICS -------- When you declare war on a neutral country, it enters the war on the other side, as an Axis or Allied country. The Axis cannot declare war on Italy. The Allies cannot declare war on Russia or the US. All other neutral countries can have war declared on them by either side. (Exception: in the 1941 scenario, the Allies cannot declare war on Vichy France.) Both sides begin the game with 20 political points. If you start a turn with 20 points or less, you gain a random number of points (0-5?). If you start a turn with more than 20 points, you lose a random number of points. The only other way to gain political points is from conquering countries. An unsuccessful Press attempt costs you a random number of political points. A successful Press attempt costs you nothing. You may continue making Press attempts as long as you have any political points left. The manual says that 'when a neutral country's Alliance Level is at 50 or above, it will lend its cities and resources to either the Allied or Axis production pool'. In fact, only resource hexes are lent, not cities. Balkan Pact. When you declare war on a Balkan Pact member, each other member has a chance of declaring war on you. So beware, you could unexpectedly find yourself at war with Turkey! Italian Entry. Italy enters the war at the start of any turn if the Axis controls two Maginot Line hexes *or* Paris. Rumanian Entry. Rumania's Alliance Level does *not* shift 60 points toward the Axis when the Axis declares war on Russia, if this occurs before 1941. It only shifts by a small amount, which may be plus or minus. Hungary's Alliance Level shifts 60 points toward the Axis *whenever* the Axis declares war on Russia. US Entry. If the Axis declares war on Russia in 1939 or 1940, the US Alliance Level increases by 5-25 points, not 40-70 points as stated in the manual. If the US Alliance Level reaches 100 as a result of an Axis declaration of war, the US enters the war, but no message is displayed about it. According to my calculations, each declaration of war will speed up or delay US entry by 3 turns on average, so think twice before declaring war! *******************Additional Comment by Tim Smith***************************************** Note: It is 'possible' for the US to join the Axis side. The Axis have virtually no chance of successfully influencing the US politically. However, if the Allied player becomes EXTREMELY aggressive early in the war, and declares war on several neutral countries (see below for possible examples), then there is a very small chance that the US Alliance level could reach 100 (pro-Axis). If this occurs, the US may build no units, but the US Pps (all from convoys) will be added to the Italian production pool! (This would result in an extremely powerful Italy (through purchase of all units and unit upgrades via research). Possible acts of Allied aggression: Allied invasions of Benelux and Norway in order to deny their territory to Germany. Invasion of Sweden (via Norway) to get Swedish production and deny Swedish convoys to Germany. Invasion of Persia to control oil supplies. Declaration of war on Vichy France in order to invade Syria or Tunisia. Declaration of war on Spain in order to invade Spanish Morocco, then Tunisia and Libya from the west. Invasions of Greece, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia as alternatives to Channel invasion. If early Russian declaration of war (before Germany invades) possible Russian invasion of Turkey in 1941. ******************************************************************************************* Russian Preparation For War Table. The two percentage columns in this table have been reversed. A roll is automatically made on the table each turn. If a positive result is obtained, a dialogue box appears during the Economy Phase, saying: 'Stalin Urges for War - You have the option to start war on [date]'. If you select 'Do this', then Russia receives full production, starting from the following Economy Phase, and will automatically declare war on the Axis (with no effect on the US Alliance Level) at the start of the indicated turn. If you select 'Deny', then nothing happens, and you may be offered the choice again later. NEUTRAL COUNTRIES ----------------- While neutral, Italy and Russia function as active countries in most respects, receiving production points, building new units, moving their units, etc. They move in the Axis or Allied impulse respectively. They cannot declare war, but war may be declared against them. Their units cannot move outside their own territory. Their hexes are shown as Axis or Allied controlled, but units of other countries cannot enter them. The US, while neutral, receives no production points and plays no part in the game at all. When it enters the war, it has no existing units. It must build its forces from scratch. The Baltic States, Ireland and Vichy France have no units. The units of other neutral countries (Benelux, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Norway, Persia, Rumania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Yugoslavia) appear on the map in predetermined positions when the country enters the war. If dissolved or eliminated, these units can be rebuilt with PPs from the Axis or Allied production pool, as long as the country hasn't been conquered. Bug! After one of these countries enters the war, its units are shown as Russian paratroops in all displays other than on the map (in the Order of Battle Display, the Reserve Box, etc). This doesn't apply to countries which are already in the war at the beginning of the scenario. HEX CONTROL & ZONES OF CONTROL ------------------------------ Don't confuse hex control with zones of control. They are quite different. 1) Your zones of control consist of all hexes adjacent to your units (including air units). Zones of control slow movement of enemy units, and prevent placement of enemy units on the map from reserve. They don't affect supply lines or retreats. 2) Friendly-controlled hexes are the hexes of which you've gained control, as described on page 31 of the manual. Hex control affects many elements of the game. In particular, your units can only retreat and trace supply through friendly-controlled hexes. For example, Germany moves two units adjacent to a Polish unit, occupying the hexes to the west and east of the Polish unit, and moving through the hexes to the south-west and south-east of the Polish unit on the way: _____ _____ | | | *P* = Polish unit | p | p | *G* = German unit __|__ __|__ __|__ | | | | p = Polish control | *G* | *P* | *G* | g = German control |_____|_____|_____| | | | | g | g | |_____|_____| Until the end of the Axis impulse, the Polish unit remains unisolated and able to retreat, because the hexes to its north are still Polish controlled. At the start of the next impulse, hex control is reassessed, and these hexes become contested. The Polish unit is now isolated and unable to retreat. When calculating who controls a hex, the game counts the number of APs it would cost to move from the hex to the nearest unit or city (rather than from the unit or city to the hex). For example, if an empty hex is adjacent to an Allied unit in a clear hex and adjacent to an Axis unit in a mountain hex, it will be Allied controlled, because it would cost 1 AP to move to the hex containing the Allied unit, but 2 APs to move to the hex containing the Axis unit. Bug! The game occasionally makes mistakes in calculating who controls a hex. Bug! The manual says that control of a hex changes 'if the defender retreats or is dissolved'. In other words, the attacker doesn't have to occupy the defender's now empty hex in order to gain control of it. This is true for some purposes. However, you cannot move to this hex by operational or reserve movement in the same impulse, even though you could do so if you'd captured the hex by moving through it. Zones of control *do* extend across borders into and out of neutral countries. SUPPLIES -------- The manual is misleading about the definition of isolation. Here's a summary of the true situation: UNITS CITIES SUPPLY PARTITION CONTAINS... ISOLATED? ISOLATED? (a) Less than 2 cities Yes Yes (b) 2 or more cities, no home country cities Yes No (c) 2 or more cities, inc. a home country city No No An example of case (b): German forces have been surrounded in a partition containing just Kursk and Stalino. The units in the partition are considered isolated, and will be eliminated if dissolved. Any army group in the partition is isolated, and so has a supply value of only 3. However, the cities themselves are not considered isolated, and so still have a supply value of 5. Bug! I've found that isolated Russian cities are sometimes treated as if they aren't isolated. (This may apply to other cities too, but I've only noticed it in Russia.) Contrary to what the manual says, Tripoli and Tobruk *do* count for supply. So the Axis forces in Libya don't need an external source of supply, providing Tripoli and Tobruk are connected. Also, Helsinki is another major city (omitted from the manual's list), and counts as two cities. So Axis forces in Finland don't need an external source of supply either. A major city in an enemy country does not count as two cities. For example, Moscow, if Axis controlled and isolated, has a supply value of 0. A city is considered 'home country' if it is located in a friendly country, including friendly countries which have been conquered. But note that, in the 1940-44 scenarios, Oslo (Norway) is treated as an Axis home country city, and, in the 1943-44 scenarios, Vichy French cities are treated as Allied home country cities, even though, historically, Norway fought the Axis and Vichy France fought the Allies. In impulse 1 of each turn, supply is calculated for *both* sides. In other impulses, it's only calculated for the active player. Bug! Under normal circumstances, a unit cannot have a supply value of 1. If a unit's calculated supply value is 1 (eg it is 9 APs distance from a value 10 supply source), it is assigned an actual supply value of 0 instead. (Exception: a unit may have a supply value of 1 due to Blitzkrieg, Russian Winter or Partisans.) Army group Garibaldi acts as only a limited supply source, with a supply value of only 5. Morale Adjustment. The second formula given in the manual is wrong. It should be: MORALE:= MORALE + (EFFICIENCY - MORALE) x SUPPLY VALUE/10 (rounded down to the next lower 1%). The following table shows the effect of supply on morale. For example, a unit with a supply value of 6 will have morale equal to 83% of its efficiency. Note, however, that changes in supply value do not take full effect immediately, so it may take several impulses for the unit's morale to reach this value. Also, the unit's morale may be further reduced by other effects, such as combat. Supply Value 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Morale 100% 96% 93% 88% 83% 76% 68% 58% 44% 27% The morale of a unit with zero supply value is multiplied by 70% (rounded down) each supply phase. A unit is never dissolved solely due to lack of supply. But, if out of supply for long enough, its morale will eventually fall to zero. Bug! The morale of air units declines during the course of each turn to about 75% of its initial value, even if their supply value doesn't change and they aren't involved in combat. Sea supply is only established (or broken) during a friendly supply phase. Examples: (a) A unit makes an amphibious invasion and captures a port. In the following impulse, the enemy attacks and dissolves the unit. Since the unit has not yet had a chance to establish a sea supply line, it is eliminated. (b) The Russians wish to place a newly built unit in Sevastopol, which is currently isolated, and the Sovjetzki (the only Russian ship on the Black Sea) is in harbor. Even if the Sovjetzki moves out to sea, the new unit cannot be placed in Sevastopol in the current impulse, because no sea supply line existed in the supply phase. An army group automatically has a supply value of 10 (Garibaldi only 5) in the next friendly supply phase after being transported by sea, even if it cannot trace a supply line. However it is still liable to elimination for being dissolved while isolated. Allied units can be supplied by Russian ships, even while Russia is neutral. This could be important in the event of a Norwegian campaign, as Norway's sole port is on the Baltic Sea. PRODUCTION ---------- Each city, whether normal or major, provides 1 PP, except the following, which provide none: Gibraltar, Malta, Palermo, Tirana, Tobruk, Tripoli. You don't receive any PPs from captured enemy cities until the country has been conquered. Once a country has been conquered, its territory becomes a free-for-all. Both sides then receive PPs for control of individual cities. As soon as you capture an enemy resource hex, you start receiving PPs from it, regardless of whether the country has been conquered. Bug! When you capture an enemy resource hex, the enemy continues to receive the PPs from it, so both sides are receiving PPs from the same resource hex! This makes it less attractive to invade a neutral country with a resource hex, since the enemy will receive an extra 2 PPs per turn, even after you conquer the country. Exceptions: (a) Resource hexes in Russia work correctly. (b) The Allies no longer receive PPs from the resource hexes in France and Poland once these hexes have been incorporated into Germany. (Note that, if the Axis conquers France instead of accepting a Vichy government, the French resource hexes are not incorporated into Germany, so the Allies continue to receive the PPs from them.) Note: I think the Norwegian resource hex ought to be in Britain anyway. PPs from captured enemy cities or resource hexes are always added to the Axis or Allied pool (not US, Russia or Italy), regardless of who captured them. Exception: after a conquest of Italy, PPs from any Italian cities controlled by the Allies go into the US production pool. Lend-Lease aid to Russia is not represented in the game. It's built into the Russian production levels. If Saratov is captured, Lend-Lease to Russia ends. This is somewhat unrealistic (as US aid went through Iraq / Iran via Russian cities east of the Urals) - however, there is no way round the problem - Russia must defend Saratov at all costs, perhaps even more than Moscow, Leningrad and Stalingrad. The cost to rebuild a unit is 33% of the full cost (rounded down), not 40%. Normally, eliminated units cannot be rebuilt until a year after their elimination. However, in the following cases, an eliminated unit can be rebuilt immediately (at full cost and normal construction time): (a) Transport ships (other ships cannot be rebuilt at all). (b) Units eliminated during their own impulse. Bug! Occasionally a unit which should be eliminated (because it was destroyed while isolated) is only dissolved. Unit Upgrade Level. The effect of upgrading is to increase a unit's *effective* strength by 10%, not its number of strength points (as stated in the manual). The cost to build a unit is increased by 20% (rounded down) for each upgrade level you possess. Air and naval units don't benefit from upgrades, but their cost is increased anyway. Unit Refit. Refit cost is increased by 10% for each upgrade level. Units with a supply level of 0 are not refitted. (Isolated units with supply >0 *are* refitted.) Bug! The first time in a game that each air unit is refitted, the refit costs nothing (in most cases). Thereafter, the refit cost for an air unit is not based on the number of strength points lost, but on the maximum strength of the air unit, as follows: Maximum strength: 3 4 5 Refit cost (PPs): 2 3 4 Hint: Try to avoid suffering losses to air units by not attacking if the unit's modified air strength is less than 1. WEATHER ------- There are four weather zones: Mediterranean, Temperate, Arctic and Arctic Circle. Each zone has its own weather table. I haven't been able to work out the probabilities of the different weathers occurring, as the die rolls aren't displayed, but the following table shows the *possible* weather in each zone, depending on the time of year: Med. Temp. Arctic Arctic Circle Jan/Feb C-- CMS -MS --S Mar/Apr C-- CMS CMS CMS May/Jun C-- C-- C-- C-- Jul/Aug C-- C-- C-- C-- Sep/Oct C-- CM- CM- CMS Nov/Dec C-- -MS --S --S Sept/Oct 1939 is a special case. It's treated as a Jul/Aug turn. Axis units in the Arctic and Arctic Circle weather zones suffer an additional penalty in snow conditions, not mentioned in the manual: their AP allowance is halved (rounded up). Russian Winter: (a) The Russian Winter strikes when, at the start of an impulse, Russia is in the war and the weather in the Arctic Zone is snow. Snow in the Arctic Circle Zone is not sufficient to trigger it. Note: If the Axis attacks Russia in May/Jun (the usual time), the Russian Winter will certainly strike in impulse 1 of the following Nov/Dec turn. If the Axis attacks Russia in Mar/Apr, the Russian Winter may strike in that turn, making this a risky option. (b) When the Russian Winter strikes, the efficiency of Russian units is increased by 20, *except* for air units. (c) The maximum AP allowance of all Russian corps rises from 2 to 3 (not their maximum strength, as stated in the manual). (d) These efficiency and AP increases are permanent. In the 1942-44 scenarios, the Russian Winter is assumed to have occurred already, so these increases are received from the start of the scenario, except that paratroops, Shock armies and Zhukov do not receive the usual +20 efficiency bonus. (e) Axis supply is only affected in the impulse in which the Russian Winter strikes, not for the whole turn. During this impulse, Axis supply values are cut by *more* than half (the manual says half). Note: If the Russian Winter strikes in impulse 1 of a turn, as is usually the case, the Axis will suffer the supply penalty immediately, regardless of initiative, because both sides check their supply in impulse 1. If the Allies have the initiative (usual), the Axis will receive normal supply in impulse 2 (Axis). If the Axis has the initiative, the supply penalty will still be in effect during impulse 2 (Allied), since the Axis will not recheck its supply until impulse 3. Either way, the Russians get one impulse to attack the Germans while they are weakened by the supply penalty. However, if the Russian Winter strikes in an Allied impulse other than impulse 1, then the Axis will never suffer the supply penalty, since Axis supply is not checked in such an impulse. SPECIAL RULES ------------- Blitzkrieg. Not all Allied units are affected by the Blitzkrieg. The units to be affected are randomly selected when the Axis declares war on Benelux, and reselected at the start of each Allied impulse for the rest of the turn. The Blitzkrieg only lasts for one turn. Air units are never affected. Units south of the hex row containing Paris are never affected. The Belgian Army is never affected in the impulse in which the Axis declares war, but can be affected in subsequent impulses (if it survives that long). All affected units have their supply value reduced to 1 or 2. Fortifications. The manual says that the computer player's units receive an additional 70% strength bonus when defending in a fort. It would be more accurate to say that the defender receives this bonus if the attacker is a human player. In a human vs human game, both players receive this bonus. In a computer vs computer game, they don't. An engineer requires no APs to fortify, so it can use reserve or operational movement and then fortify in the same impulse. If an engineer stops fortifying (by means of the Move button), it will have no APs to use in the current impulse, even if it has not yet moved. Norway. The special Norway supply rule applies to Allied units, as well as Axis, and it applies in any weather, not only clear. (However, successful amphibious invasions of Norway can usually only be carried out in clear weather). Home Guard. The strength of Commonwealth ground units in Britain is doubled on both attack and defence. Paratroops. Paratroops *can* drop alone, provided that no other friendly unit is in a position to assault. To do this, highlight the unit to be assaulted and click 'ASSAULT' *twice* - on the second click, the paratroop unit will assault. (In this way, it is possible for the Fsjgr unit to attack and eliminate the Allied unit on Malta, provided Gibraltar is in Axis hands, *prior* to an amphibious invasion. The Axis should occupy Malta with an Italian unit to prevent the Allies from taking it back.) The range of paratroops is 4 and they can only drop in the 1st or 2nd impulse, as correctly stated on page 36 of the manual. The description of paratroops' abilities on page 5 is wrong. A paratroop unit requires no APs to prepare, so it can use reserve or operational movement and then prepare in the same impulse. When a paratroop unit leaves prepared mode (by means of the Unprep button), it has no APs to use in the current impulse, even if it has not yet moved. International Co-operation. There appear to be no restrictions on co-operation between different countries on the same side. For example, Russia and the Allies can make joint assaults, base ships at each other's ports, etc. VICTORY CONDITIONS ------------------ If the game ends in July/August 1945 with neither side conquered, it could be a victory for the Axis or a draw, depending on the current position. Conquest of Germany. Germany surrenders when the Allies control Berlin, Cologne and Hanover. The game ends at this time, even if Italy has not been conquered. Conquest of Italy. Italy surrenders when the Allies control all Italian cities, including Tripoli, Tobruk and Tirana. Conquest of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth surrenders when the Axis controls London, Liverpool and Alexandria. All Commonwealth *and* US units are removed from the game. France, if not yet conquered (highly unlikely), fights on. Conquest of France. France will only offer to install a Vichy government if the Axis controls Paris. Judging by my tests, when Paris is first captured, there is a 1/2 chance of a Vichy government being offered. When a second mainland French city is captured there is a 2/3 chance of a Vichy government being offered. And when a third mainland French city is captured, a Vichy government will certainly be offered (unless the fourth city is captured at the same time). When all four mainland French cities have been captured, France surrenders. Note: in my opinion, a Vichy government is much better for the Axis than a French surrender, so the Axis player should avoid capturing all 3 of Brest, Bordeaux and Marseilles. Bug! Sometimes, when a French city has been captured but a Vichy government has not been installed, a strange bug occurs, in which units of both sides are unable to enter potential Vichy French hexes (although no border is shown on the map). If a Vichy government is offered and rejected, then France continues to fight, just as if no offer had been made, except that about 80% of French units not on the map (purchasable, dissolved, eliminated or in reserve) are permanently removed from the game. These units are chosen at random. Vichy France. If the Axis player accepts the offer of a Vichy government, then the following conditions apply (in addition to the ones mentioned in the manual): (a) Northern France and Benelux are incorporated into Germany (even if Benelux was still neutral). (b) French North Africa and Syria become part of neutral Vichy France (even if Tunis or Beirut has been captured by the Axis). To conquer Vichy France, you must capture Marseilles, Tunis and Beirut. (c) French ships have a chance of remaining in play under Allied control. (d) Vichy France has no armed forces. (e) The 1941 scenario begins with Vichy France already in existence. In this scenario only, the Allies cannot declare war on Vichy France. If France surrenders, the Axis gains control of all of France, including French North Africa and Syria, and gains PPs for all 6 cities therein. In this case, France is treated as a normal conquered country, and Benelux remains as a separate country. To conquer Spain, you must capture Madrid plus any one other city. ORDER OF BATTLE --------------- The Order of Battle charts in the manual contain many errors. Note in particular: (a) Artificial harbors take 3 turns to build (not 5). (b) British and French armies take 5 turns to build (not 2 or 3). (c) US armies and army groups take 3 turns to build (not 2 or 5). (d) Russian Shock armies take 3 turns to rebuild. (d) Russian corps all cost 2 PPs less than shown in the manual. (e) Britain has another 10 ships, in addition to those listed. (f) Spain and Turkey receive additional units (one and two respectively), in reserve. (g) Rumania, Hungary and Bulgaria each receive one less unit than listed. In the 1939 and 1940 scenarios, all their units are corps, not armies. (h) The Slovenian Expeditionary Corps, which is listed as a Yugoslav unit, is really an Axis unit that appears only in the 1941-44 scenarios. I've produced corrected order of battle charts (in the form of a Word 95 document), which you have probably downloaded together with this file. MAP CLARIFICATIONS ------------------ Denmark is treated as part of Norway. The following straits can be crossed by ground units: Scapa Flow, Gibraltar (2 hex-sides), Istanbul and Messina (Sicily). In the case of Gibraltar, units pay 1 extra AP to cross. In the other cases, they pay nothing extra. Their is no penalty for attacking across straits. Bug! An attacker is *not* halved when attacking across a river in a northwest or southwest direction. Exceptions: an attacker *is* halved when attacking from the following hexes (in the indicated direction): 14/14(SW), 14/17(SW), 20/13(NW&SW), 35/13(SW) and 36/20(SW). Bug! An attacker is also *not* halved when attacking across any of the upper 5 hex-sides of the Danube river (all those adjoining hexes 30/25 and 30/26), in either direction. Bug! An attacker *is* halved when attacking from the following hexes (in the indicated direction) even though no river is shown: 39/20 (SW), 34/19(NW) and 46/15(SW). I expect there are other such hex-sides that I haven't yet discovered. Bug! The Norwegian hexes 13/3 and 14/5 are clear, although they look like mountains. Bug! In the 1941 scenario, Tirana (Albania) is not treated as a city for any purpose. Playable hexes. Some hexes look as though they should be playable, but aren't. One way to find out which hexes are playable is to look at the Country Display (Map Menu). All playable hexes are shown on this display as squares. Note that Corsica is unplayable, as are most smaller islands. This display is also useful for seeing which country any island or colony belongs to. The partial hexes along the eastern map edge are playable. Bug! Although the northernmost row of hexes is playable, some peculiar things happen there. In particular, it's impossible for either side to move units round the northern end of Lake Ladoga (on the Russia-Finland border). Ports. Every coastal city is a 'port', and can be used for embarking units and for sea supply. However, only those ports which are shown as a box on the Navy Display can be used for basing ships or for meeting the Harbor Requirement rule. Each port is only adjacent to one sea zone, even if it's right on the edge of the zone. For example, Scapa Flow is not adjacent to the North Sea. Gibraltar is not adjacent to the Western Mediterranean. PLAY BY EMAIL (PBEM) -------------------- I recommend playing Clash of Steel by email. It's much better than playing against the computer. However, it can be quite a long game, because of the number of impulses in each turn. There are also a few complications resulting from the turn sequence. I suggest the following procedure. 1. When you finish playing an impulse, don't click on the End button. Just save the game and send it. The saved game consists of *two* files: xxx.sav and xxx.mov. Remember to send both of them. 2. When you receive a saved game, copy the two files to your \COS\SAVE directory, load the game, and click on the End button. If any events occur which require your opponent to make a decision, follow his advance orders (see below). I suggest you run the game under Windows 95, so you can switch to your email program, read your opponent's advance orders, and switch back to the game. Also, make a note of anything that happens (results of naval battles, results of strategic bombing, technological advances, etc), and give your opponent this information in your next email. 3. Then play your impulse. If the impulse turns out to be your opponent's and not yours (this can happen if he has the last impulse of one turn and the first impulse of the next turn), just save the game and send it back without playing. (In this case, your opponent mustn't click on the End button when he loads the game.) 4. Some of your decisions need to be entered by your opponent while he is playing the game. This means that you must give him advance orders, so he knows what you want to do. Here's a list of the orders you need to give. To save time, you can give standing orders, which remain in force until further notice, rather than giving orders every turn. Of course, you can change your orders whenever you want. Orders can be made conditional, eg 'intercept if my ships outnumber the enemy ships by 2-1'. If your orders are not clear, your opponent will try to interpret them as best he can, but don't blame him if he fails to read your mind correctly! (a) Production. You should include production orders (what units you want to build) with your first impulse of each turn. If you fail to give production orders, and the turn finishes after the current impulse, your opponent will assume that you want to save your PPs, and you will produce nothing. (The May/June and July/August turns have at least 5 impulses each, so you don't need to give your production orders until the 4th or 5th impulse, but it's wise to give them with your first impulse, in case you forget later.) (b) Naval Battles. If, at the end of your impulse, you have ships in a sea zone with enemy ships, you should give orders for whether they will 'Battle' or 'Flee' at the end of any round of naval combat. If you have more than one formation in a sea zone, you should specify which formations will 'Join' a battle. If you fail to give orders, your ships will flee. (c) Interceptions. You should give standing orders for whether your ships will 'Continue' or 'Retreat' if they have the chance to intercept an enemy naval transport. If you fail to give orders, your ships will retreat. (d) In any turn that the Axis player captures a French city, he should say whether he will accept an offer of a Vichy government. If he doesn't say, then the Vichy goverment will be accepted. (e) In any turn that a player places an artificial harbor, he should say whether he wishes to remove it at the end of the turn. If he doesn't say, it will *not* be removed. (f) The Allied player should give standing orders for whether he will 'Do This' or 'Deny' if 'Stalin Urges for War' (ie whether he wants Russia to prepare for war or not). If he fails to give orders, 'Do This' will be selected. Whichever player receives this message, he must inform his opponent if Russia is preparing for war, and the date on which Russia is due to enter the war. 5. The History Display (Info Menu) lets you review your opponent's moves. However, you have to run it from the beginning of the game every time. As the game progresses, you'll need to use the plus key to speed through the early part of the game, and then use the minus key to slow it down just before you reach the last impulse. In fact, it's so awkward that it's hardly worth using. In any case, it doesn't show attacks. I suggest you make a note of any particularly important or surprising moves/attacks and other events, and report them to your opponent by email. 6. There's an annoying bug involving the weather, which can effect PBEM play. Sometimes, when you load the saved game, the weather conditions are not the same as when your opponent saved the game. I suggest that, when you save the game, you send your opponent a note of the weather conditions: for example, write 'CMSS' to indicate that it's Clear in the Mediterranean Zone, Mud in the Temperate Zone, and Snow in the other two zones. When you receive the game and load it, check that the weather is as reported. If it isn't, you need to keep reloading until the weather comes out right. I think it's important to get the correct weather before proceeding, even if it's an even numbered impulse (so the weather will change after you click on End), because the weather conditions influence the probability of the turn finishing. However, you don't need to worry about any of this in May/June and July/August, since the weather then is always clear. ---------- End of File ----------