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Rules of Play France ‘40 France ‘40 Sickle Cut: Guderian’s Drive to the Coast & Dynamo: Retreat to Victory RULES OF PLAY T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S . Introduction. 2 16. Fortifications. 13 2. Contents. 2 7. Allied HQs. 13 3. Sequence of Play Outline. 3 8. Supply and Isolation . 14 4. Stacking. 4 9. Reinforcements. 14 5. Zones of Control. 4 20. Special Rules Common to All Scenarios. 15 6. ZOC Bonds . 4 2. Sickle Cut Scenario. 16 7. Movement. 5 22. Dynamo Scenario. 17 8. Combat. 7 Counter Abbreviations . 19 9. Combat Modifiers . 7 Credits. 19 0. Combat Results. 8 Extended Example of Play. 20 11. Determined Defense . 9 Designer’s Notes. 2 2. Retreats . 10 Historical Situation Maps. 23 3. Disruption and Recovery. 11 Counter Scans. 30 4. Advance After Combat . 11 Index. 3 5. Overruns . 12 Charts and Tables. 32 © 203 GMT Games, LLC • P.O. Box 308, Hanford, CA 93232-308 • www.GMTGames.com © 2013 GMT Games, LLC 2 France ‘40 1. INTRODUCTION “...even if the operation were to have only a 10% chance of suc- cess, I would stick with it. For only this can lead to the defeat of the enemy.” —General Halder, Chief of General Staff France ’40 is a game covering the first three weeks of the German See this Think this May 940 attack against the French, British and Belgian armies, and includes two separate, single-map scenarios. Sickle’s Cut deals (2.2.2) Rivers Inside Hexes: Ignore rivers that flow through the with the crucial week in May 940 when the German army broke the middle of a City, Wooded Rough or Marsh hex. The importance of French line on the Meuse and raced to the sea at Abbeville. Dynamo the river as a barrier to movement and an aid to defense has been deals with the British withdrawal to Dunkirk and the evacuation. mitigated by the surrounding terrain. (2.2.3) Underground Canals: A dashed blue line through the middle of a hex indicates an 2. CONTENTS underground canal. It is shown for interest only 2.1 Inventory and has no effect. France ‘40 A complete game of contains the following: 2.3 The Counters • 2 maps (2.3.1) There are two general types of counters: combat units • 2 counter sheets (“units”) and information markers (“markers”). Units represent the • This rule booklet combat formations involved in the campaign. Markers are used to • Two 6-sided dice track game information, unit status and other assets. • Three player aid cards (2.3.2) How to Read the Combat Units 2.2 The Map Attack Strength: The strength of the unit when attacking. (2.2.1) Each hex represents approximately 4 miles (6.4 kilometers). Defense Strength: The strength of the unit when defending. Consult the Terrain Effects Chart (TEC) for a complete list of the Movement Allowance (MA): The maximum number of Movement map’s terrain features and how they affect movement and combat. Points (MPs) the unit may expend for movement and still attack in A hexagonal grid overprints the map and regulates movement. the Combat Phase. Sample Combat Unit Tank silhouette indicates the unit is eli- Unit Size gible for the Armor Shift (9.2) Turn and Entry Hex An Attack Strength in a yellow box indi- Unit I.D. Stacking Points cates the unit is heavy tanks (9.2.4). French flag highlights de Gaulle’s division which is immune to the French GQG Attack Defense Movement Marker rule (2.2.3). Strength Strength Allowance (MA) Defense Strength in yellow indicates the unit is eligible for the Reconnaissance rule Defense Defense Strength (20.3). Strength in red in white box indi- box indicates cates Low Troop Units that start the game on their reduced Elite Troop Quality. side are indicated with a triangle. Quality (TQ) French North African units are indicated Markers with a black unit type box. This has no effect on play. Units that have a Low TQ (2.3.2) have the added visual reminder of a light yellow unit type box. Air Unit Out of Supply Out of Supply Train GQG (st turn) (2nd turn) Range (7..). Box around edge indicates unit has no ZOC (5.). MA in parenthesis indicates unit may not use Extended Movement (7.3). Movement Allowance in a black box Turn Automatic Dyle Line Disrupted Full indicates the unit may not move until Marker Defender Fortifica- Retreat released (2.6). Disrupted tions © 2013 GMT Games, LLC France ‘40 3 Stacking Points: A value ranging from 0 to 3 that indicates how MPs: Movement Points much space the unit takes up inside a hex. OOS: Out of Supply TEC: Terrain Effects Chart Troop Quality (TQ): Units with their Defense Strength in a red TQ: Troop Quality box are Elite. Those with their Defense Strength in a white box are of Low quality. All others are normal. This rating is used for the following purposes: 3. SEQUENCE OF PLAY • For the TQ Shift on the Combat Result Table (9.5). France ‘40 is played in a series of Game Turns each representing • As a DRM on the Determined Defense Table (11.0). one day of the campaign. A Game Turn is composed of two Player • As a DRM in an Isolation Attrition die roll (8.5). Turns. Each Player Turn is subdivided into several Phases. Every • As a DRM in a Combat Zone Recovery die roll (3.3.2) Game Turn is played in the following order: Unit I.D.: The actual name or number of the unit. A. GERMAN PLAYER TURN (2.3.3) Unit Size 1. German Initial Phase II = Battalion XX = Division III = Regiment XXXX = Army The German player flips all Air units from their Used side to their X = Brigade GP = Group Ready side. (+) = with added elements, (-) = without some elements 2. German Movement Phase (2.3.4) Unit Type Summary The German player may move all, some or none of his units. German All units are either Mechanized or Non-Mechanized. This is impor- Reinforcements enter at this time (9.0). tant for determining the cost to move into each hex. 3. German Combat Phase Non-Mechanized Mechanized The German player conducts all his attacks (8.0). Infantry* Tank 4. German Recovery Phase Fortress Infantry* Motorized Infantry* The German player removes or attempts to remove Disruption Mountain Infantry* Reconnaissance markers from his units (3.3). HQ Cavalry HQ 5. German Supply Phase Fort (may not move) a. Check the supply status of all German units (8.0). *Infantry-class unit types. b. Roll for Attrition (8.5) of all German units that are: • Isolated and marked with a red Out of Supply marker (including (2.3.5) Unit Colors those just marked), and The background color of a unit’s counter denotes its nationality or • adjacent to an enemy unit. branch of service. • Beige: British • Gray: German Wehrmacht 6. GQG Phase —Sickle Cut Scenario only • Green: Belgian • Black: German Waffen SS The German player places the GQG markers currently in the GQG • Blue: French • Dark Blue: French Colonial marker Holding Box on Allied stacks containing at least one French • Orange: Dutch unit. He then rolls two dice and removes the GQG markers with • Blue with black NATO symbol: French North African those numbers (2.2.4). Any GQG markers schedule to be removed are removed at this time (2.2.6). (2.3.6) Steps Units have either , 2 or 3 steps. 2-step units have a front and back B. ALLIED PLAYER TURN side. Three step units are indicated with a thin stripe across the re- verse side of their counter (units on their last step are indicated with 1. Allied Initial Phase a much thicker stripe). When a 3-step unit takes a second step loss it The Allied player flips all non-Disrupted HQs from their Used side is replaced with a Remnant (0.3) of the appropriate type. to their Ready side (Sickle Cut scenario only—see 7.2.). The Al- lied player flips all RAF units from their Used side to their Ready side (Dynamo scenario only [22.6]). 2. Allied Movement Phase 3. Allied Combat Phase Full Reduced Remnant Strength Strength 4. Allied Recovery Phase 5. Allied Supply Phase 2.4 Abbreviations NOTE: The Allied Movement, Combat, Recovery and Supply Phases The following abbreviations are used in these rules: are identical to the German like phases except switch the term Ger- CRT: Combat Result Table man with Allied. DRM: Die Roll Modifier EZOC: Enemy Zone of Control C. END PHASE GQG: Grand Quartier Général Record the completion of a Game Turn (by advancing the Game LOS: Line of Supply Turn marker one box) and proceed to the next turn. MA: Movement Allowance © 2013 GMT Games, LLC 4 France ‘40 4. STACKING 5. ZONES OF CONTROL 4.1 Stacking Limits 5.1 General Rule Stacking occurs when multiple units are in one hex. The stacking The six hexes immediately surrounding a hex occupied by one or limit for both sides is 7 Stacking Points. more units constitute the Zone of Control (ZOC) of those units. ZOCs extend across all hexsides except All Sea hexsides. HQs 4.2 Stacking Points and static Fort units do not have ZOCs—units without a ZOC are indicated with a line around the edge of their Stacking Point values are printed on all units and generally follow counter. these guidelines: BATTALIONS = 5.2 ZOCs and Movement REGIMENTS, BRIGADES, and REMNANTS = 2 DIVISIONS = 3 All units must stop upon entering an enemy Zone of Control (EZOC).
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