At Any Cost: Metz 1 RULES OF PLAY Game Design by Hermann Luttmann GMT Games, LLC • P.O. Box 1308,© 2017 Hanford, GMT Games, CA 93232-1308 LLC • www.GMTGames.com 2 At Any Cost: Metz “It will cost what it will!” 2.0 GAME SCALE AND MAP —Adalbert von Bredow, immediately before he led the famous “Deathride” of the Prussian 12th Cavalry Brigade at Mars-La-Tour. 2.1 Scale The game map depicts the area over which this campaign was fought, stretching from the outskirts of Metz on the eastern board 1.0 INTRODUCTION edge to the Yron River valley on the western edge. Each map hex is On the morning of August 16th, 1870 at the Gravelotte crossroads approximately 500 yards across. Regular Infantry and Cavalry units outside the fortress of Metz, Napoleon III (Emperor of the French represent Brigades. Infantry Detachments (3.4) are groups of bat- Second Empire) turned over command of the Army of the Rhine talions or regiments operating independently of their parent units. to a reluctant Marshal Francois Achille Bazaine. The Army of Artillery units represent division and corps organizational groupings the Rhine, the last intact field army and already the last hope for of batteries and Mitrailleuse units (4.3) are single batteries. Each France during the two-week old Franco-Prussian War, was gathered HQ unit (3.5) represents the corps or division commander, his staff around the protection of the Metz fortress complex. The Prussian and the associated logistical train. One Strength Point (3.1.3) equals First and Second Armies were sweeping forward, hot on the heels about 600 infantry, 450 cavalry, 3 heavy cannon (12 lb.), 4 light of the retiring French. But poor weather and a disorganized cavalry cannon (4 and 6 lb.) and 1.5 Mitrailleuse machineguns . One regular screen allowed the French army to break contact with the pursuing Game Turn represents approximately one hour of real time, while Prussians. Helmuth von Moltke, Chief of the Prussian General Evening and Deep Night Game Turns represent three hours each. Staff, instructed his armies to wheel south of the fortress, cross the Moselle River and attempt to catch the French in the flank. The only 2.2 Map Details problem with this plan was—where were the French? The resulting There are numerous terrain features on the map that can have two-day campaign produced some of the more remarkable battles movement and/or combat effects. Consult the Terrain Effects Chart in military history—the Battles of Mars-La-Tour and Gravelotte-St. for details of these effects. Some special terrain features require Privat. These two battles produced over 60,000 casualties, with further explanation, as follows: each army suffering equally. 2.2.1 Elevations: There are four terrain At Any Cost: Metz 1870 is a game simulating the situation west of elevation levels depicted on the map the Metz fortress during those few days of August 1870. The game (from lowest to highest): Flat, Low, is designed to be a playable, two-player brigade-scale game that Raised and High. Flat terrain is light tan, allows players to experience the unique tactical warfare matchups Low is beige, Raised is greenish brown, that characterized fighting during the Franco-Prussian War. Will and High is dark brown. Slopes are those hexsides that exist be- YOU as the Prussian player be able to withstand an early severe tween two hexes with a one-level elevation difference; Steep Slopes numerical disadvantage and use the audacity of the Prussian soldier are those hexsides (depicted with a darker color) between two and artilleryman to win the day? Can YOU as the French player hexes with an elevation difference of two levels or more. Up Slope overcome the lethargic and uninspired command structure of the is the movement through a Slope or Steep Slope hexside from the Army of the Rhine and allow your tough and well-equipped infantry lower hex to the higher hex. Slope and Steep Slope hexsides are to fight unhindered? important for Movement, Line of Sight and Combat purposes. At Any Cost: Metz 1870 features the Blind Swords chit-pull system 2.2.2 Roads: Roads are the dominant that emphasizes the three “FOW’s” of military conflict:fog-of-war, terrain feature for movement purposes friction-of-war and fortunes-of-war. Unlike more traditional chit- when they appear in a hex. Units that pull mechanisms, the Blind Swords system ensures that no combat move from one hex into an adjacent hex units can be counted on, and conversely, none can be counted out. that is directly connected by the same Road graphic are considered to be using that road and thus may SAMPLE UNITS Artillery Front Back Formation color Unit I.D. Horse Artillery Tactical Cohesion Stripe = Battle- Strength Points Rating (TCR) worn status TCR Movement Allowance Strength Movement Points Allowance Strength Points Mitrailleuse indicator Front Back Commander’s Name Weight Class Indicator Posture Movement Allowance Light Medium Heavy Command Rating Cavalry Cavalry Cavalry © 2017 GMT Games, LLC At Any Cost: Metz 3 benefit from the Road movement rates. There are two types of Road is a measure of the unit’s training, morale and experience. The hexes—Minor Roads (tan-colored) and Major Roads (dark-gray higher the TCR of a unit, the more dependable and effective it is in colored). Minor Road hexes cost all moving units only 1 Movement combat. The printed TCR is modified by the following conditions Point, regardless of other terrain in the hexes or across a hexside and (and this modifier is listed on the associated marker) and applies as long as no other unit is already in that Road hex. Major Roads in all cases where the modified TCR needs to be tested: function the same way as Minor Roads, but also allow the use of the a. Unit is Shaken = reduce testing unit’s TCR by one (–1) Road March Column (11.9) ability to qualified units moving only b. Unit is Disrupted = reduce testing unit’s TCR by two (–2) from one Major Road hex to a connected Major Road hex. c. Unit in a Hasty Works hex = increase testing unit’s TCR by one 2.2.3 Fortresses: The two Metz-complex (+1) fortresses, Fort St. Quentin and Fort d. Unit in an Entrenchments hex = increase testing unit’s TCR by Plappeville, require special rules consid- two (+2). erations. These two Fortress hexes allow 3.1.3 Strength Points: A unit’s Strength Point value (SP) is the only one unit and only a French unit may number or letter on the bottom left of the counter. This represents enter them. Fortress hexes, and any units in them, cannot be fired the unit’s relative size and is used in Fire and Assault Combat upon or assaulted by Prussian units. In addition, Prussian units that resolution. A letter value of “C” represents “cadre strength” and is come within 2 hexes or less of a Fortress hex and within normal the equivalent of 1/2 SP. A unit’s effective SP can be modified by LOS (8.1.2) can be fired at with its inherent 10 SPs of French ar- certain game conditions, such as Fire Combat Range, Morale Hits, tillery fire during the Fire Combat Step of the French Imperial etc. A unit’s initial SP strength always includes adjustment for any Guard Corps Activation (8.9). applied Morale Hit marker as follows: 2.3 Rounding Convention a. Shaken marker = –1 SP If there are any game calculations to be made regarding SP values, b. Disrupted marker = –2 SP Movement Allowances, etc., maintain all fractions throughout the After the initial SP is determined for a unit, then multiply or divide entire calculation and then drop any remaining fraction at the end. the SP for other causes. A unit whose printed SP value has been Exception: a net SP value of “.51” to .99” is rounded down to modified to “0” or less cannot conduct Fire Combat or attack in “.50” (and thus qualifies as a “C” SP value [3.1.3]). Net SP values Assault Combat (note that this is not the same as combat column of “.49” and lower are treated as “0” SPs. shift effects, which are explained later). EXAMPLE: If a unit’s SP value of 7 has to be halved twice for 3.1.3.1 Weight Class: Cavalry units have an additional Weight various game conditions, it is halved the first time to 3.5 and the Class indicator with their SP entry. This is represented by a colored second time to 1.75. The final adjusted SP value therefore is 1. circle around the SP, with a red circle for Heavy cavalry, a blue circle for Medium cavalry and a green circle for Light cavalry. The weight class category reflects the unit’s armament, protection, 3.0 GAME COMPONENTS equipment and relative size of its horses and is referenced when 3.1 Combat Units making a Cavalry Charge (11.6). Combat units represent the fighting troops of each side and donot 3.1.3.2 Mitrailleuse units have an “M” superscript with include HQs. The front side of each counter shows the unit at Fresh their SP as a reminder of the unique status of these (FR) status and the reverse side shows the unit after it has taken units (4.3) and their special Fire Combat column shift. significant combat losses and indicates its Battleworn (BW) status. The BW side of a unit is displayed with a white stripe through the 3.1.4 Movement Allowance: The second number on the counter center to distinguish it from the FR side.