PLAYBOOKPLAYBOOK Table of Contents

1.0 Scenarios...... 2 2.0 ZOC Effects Summary...... 10 1.1 Compass...... 2 3.0 OOS Effects Summary...... 10 1.2 Sunflower...... 4 Extended Example of Play...... 11 1.3 Crusader...... 6 1.4 Gazala...... 8 Designer’s Notes...... 19

GMT Games, LLC • P.O. Box 1308, Hanford, CA 93232-1308 • www.GMTGames.com 2 The Dark Sands ~ Playbook

1.0 Scenarios The scenarios are both self-contained and potential starting points in the campaign. The setup instructions contain directions for setting up all units, counters and tracks. The setup instructions also indicate which Units and Assets should be placed on the Reinforcements Track for the scenario being played. Each scenario setup section has the following sections: On Map: Place listed units on the map locations indicated. Available Assets: Place listed Assets in the appropriate “Available Assets” box. Out of Play Units: Place listed units in the game box. Returning Units: Place listed units in their returning location on the “Reinforce- 1.1 COMPASS ments Track.” Operation Compass began as a probing attack by the British Rebuildable Units: Western Desert Force against the much larger Italian 10th Army Place listed units in the appropriate “Rebuildable Units” box. that had invaded Egypt three months previously, but Italian Tracks: weakness quickly turned it into a series of major offensives Set the markers as indicated in this section. that by February had destroyed the Italian forces and cleared the Axis from eastern Libya. 1.1.1 Start Turn The Compass scenario starts on Turn 1 and is two turns long.

1.1.2 Set Up 1.1.3 Victory Conditions All Units and Assets with a hex location listed on their counter There is no losing this scenario for the British. The real test here are placed on the map, per the instructions in the “On Map” is how significantly the British win. Of all the possible levels of section below. All units that are due to arrive on Turn 1 or 2 are victory, anything other than Strategic Victory should be blamed placed on the Reinforcements Track. on the chits and dice—or on a British blunder. On Map: British Apparent Victory Place the “At Start” units as listed below. There are no Axis units in Egypt. Bardia, Tobruk, and Benghazi are Italian controlled. Congratulations. You have followed your orders to the letter. Your Location Italian Units reliable mediocrity will ensure a steady flow of inconsequential 1647 Fortified Box, Cirene assignments and an obscure footnote in someone’s memoirs. 1848 Fortified Box, 1 Meditrn With these results the DAK will not be sent and North Africa will 1949 Fortified Box, 2 Libya, Maletti Group remain a backwater to the war. 2150 Fortified Box, 1 Libya 2436 Sirte British Marginal Victory There are no Axis units in Egypt and Bardia is British controlled. 1839 (Sidi Omar) Garrison Tobruk and Benghazi are Italian controlled. 2045 (Buqbuq) Fortified Box, Catanzaro Congratulations. Your unimaginative but stylish victory appears 2140 (Ft. Capuzzo) 28 October to have placed British forces in an over extended and indefen- 2141 (Sollum) Marmaca sible position. Your next assignment will be less than obscure 2149 (Sidi Barrani) Fortified Box, 3 January but, for the sake of appearances, will be honorable. After all, 2441 (Bardia) 23 March you were victorious. 2830 (Tobruk) Garrison British Tactical Victory There are no Axis units in Egypt and both Bardia and Tobruk are British controlled. Benghazi is Italian controlled. Location British Units 1877 22 Guard Inf Congratulations. Your plodding but aggressive command has achieved what appears to be a true victory. Sadly, this is the worst 1959 11/4 Ind Mot Inf possible result. You will still be in command, probably sipping 2051 3 Coldstream Guard Inf tea in Tobruk, when DAK comes roaring out of the desert and 1951 Selby Mot Inf forces you to scamper back to Egypt. 1650 4/7 Armour, 7/7 Armour, 7SG/7 Mot Inf 1550 5/5 Ind Mot Inf, 7/5 Ind Mot Inf, 16/70 Inf British Operational Victory 1960 Railhead marker There are no Axis units in Egypt, and Bardia, Tobruk, and Benghazi are British controlled. At least one Italian step is still Available Assets: on the board and able to trace an LOS. The following Assets are available and should be placed in the Congratulations. This is the best possible situation. You have appropriate “Available Assets” box. cleared eastern Libya of enemy forces, badly damaging the Italian army in the process. The Italians are being reinforced by DAK; Commonwealth: 6x Fortified Box you have been given two more divisions to complete the conquest of Italian North Africa. Good Luck. You will need it. 4x British Garrison 1x Coastal Navy British Strategic Victory 1x RAF +2 (historical and the only acceptable level) 1x RAF +1 The British player wins immediately at the end of a Victory Out of Play Units: Check Segment if there are no Axis units on the map that can None trace an LOS. Returning Units: Congratulations. You have cleared the map of the enemy. High None Command is convinced the show is over and is stripping you of your better units. The next few months will be a shock to all Rebuildable Units: concerned. None Tracks: Axis Victory Turn Record Track: Turn 1, British Initiative Avoid a British Strategic Victory. Saved Inf Replacements: 0 Any other level of British Victory is actually an Axis Victory Saved Armor Replacements: 0 due British mistakes or extreme bad luck. You should let them Commonwealth VPs: 0 try again. Axis VPs: 0 © 2018 GMT Games, LLC 4 The Dark Sands ~ Playbook

1.2.2 Set Up Turn 3 Reinforcements Action Segment is assumed to have been performed before the play started. The following setup includes the withdrawals and reinforcements that would be part of these action rounds. Note: In the campaign game the players will perform the Reinforcement Action Rounds at the start of the Action Phase prior to the Initiative Action Round. All Units and Assets scheduled to arrive on Turn 3, 4, and 5 are placed on the Reinforcements Track. The units that arrived prior to Turn 3 are setup according to the following instruction. On Map: Place the “At Start” units as listed below.

Location Axis Units El Agheila Entry Area 21 Corps HQ El Agheila Entry Area 132 / Ariete Div 1.2 SUNFLOWER El Agheila Entry Area 8 Ber / Ariete Div El Agheila Entry Area 32 / Ariete Div Operation Sunflower was the code name for Hitler’s reinforcing El Agheila Entry Area Pavia North Africa to prevent the collapse of Italy’s Empire. Rommel El Agheila Entry Area Bologna turned this essentially defensive operation into an offensive that El Agheila Entry Area Brescia threw the British back to the gates of Egypt. El Agheila Entry Area Savona A word to the wise: Do not send Italians into the desert! El Agheila Entry Area Trento 1.2.1 Start Turn El Agheila Entry Area Afrika Corps HQ Sunflower begins on Turn 3, and is three turns long. El Agheila Entry Area 1 / 5 / 21 Pz Sunflower starts with the Turn 3 Replacements Phase and ends El Agheila Entry Area 2 / 5 / 21 Pz after the Turn 5 End Phase. El Agheila Entry Area 3 / 21 El Agheila Entry Area 2 MG El Agheila Entry Area 8 MG

Location British Units 1877 (Alexandria) Garrison 2830 (Tobruk) 24/9 Australian 2830 (Tobruk) Garrison 1960 (Mersa Matruh) 22 Guards 1960 (Mersa Matruh) Garrison 2429 (El Adem) 3 Indian 2906 26/9 Australian 2904 (Benghazi) 20/9 Australian 1905 (Agedabia) 1 /2 British 1905 (Agedabia) 3/2 British 1702 2SG/2 British 1957 Railhead marker

Available Assets: Rebuildable Units: The following Assets are available and should be placed in the Axis: appropriate “Available Assets” box. Sabratha Division German: Tracks: 6x Fortified Box Turn Record Track: Turn 3, German Initiative 2x Italian Garrison Replacement Track: All chits available in pool 2x German Garrison Saved Inf Replacements: 0 21 Corps Arty +1 Saved Armor Replacements: 0 Regia Areo +1 Tank Upgrade: 0 Commonwealth: Commonwealth VPs: 1 6x Fortified Box Axis VPs: 0 1x British Garrison 1.2.3 Victory Conditions 1x Coastal Navy +2 Axis Victory: 1x RAF +1 The Axis player wins immediately at the end of any Victory 1x RAF +2 Check Segment that one of the following apply: Out of Play Units: • He controls El Agheila, Benghazi and Tobruk. All Italian “At Start” Units • There are no British units on the Center map outside Tobruk. Selby Company • It is turn 5 and he controls Benghazi, Bardia, Sollum, and 3 Coldstream Gds Company Hellfire Pass (hex 2042). 6 Australian Division (3 units) British Victory: Returning Units: The British player wins by avoiding the Axis Victory Conditions Turn 4: 7 British Armour Division (3 units) by the end of the scenario. Turn 4: 7/4 and 11/4 Indian Brigades Turn 6: 70 British Div (3units) For Campaign Start only Turn 7: 5/4 Indian Brigade For Campaign Start only

Location Axis Units 2042 (Halfaya Pass) Fortified Box, 200/90 (-) 2041 Fortified Box, 104/21 2040 Fortified Box, Savona (-) 2031 (Bir El Gubi) 132/Ariete, 8 Ber/Ariete, 9Ber/Ariete, 32/Ariete 2727 21 Corps HQ 2728 Trento 2629 Pavia 2630 Bologna (-) 2828 Brescia 2441 (Bardia) Afrika Korps HQ 2437 1/5/21 Pz, 2/5/21 Pz 2337 3/21, 33/15, 580/90 2534 8 MG, 1/8/15 Pz 2435 2/8/15 Pz, 115/15 2730 155/90 (-), 288/90, 361/90 1.3 CRUSADER 1938 Recam 2125 (Bir Hacheim) 65/Trieste, 66/Trieste Operation Crusader was the third attempt to lift the siege of To- bruk. Operations Brevity and Battleaxe had both failed in short order. Each time the British were unable to capitalize on initial successes. Strong defenses and aggressive German counter at- Location British Units tacks quickly drove the British back past Halfaya Pass. 1041 29/5Ind, 3/2SA 1241 22 Guards This time the British invested heavily in planning, preparation, and deception. The Germans were surprised, initially slow to re- 1648 4/2SA, 6/2SA spond, and underestimated British forces. Three weeks of fierce 1740 British 7 Armour (3 Units) back and forth fighting saw the German counter attacks close to 1741 22/1 Armour once again driving the British out of Libya. Stiffening of British 1744 1/1SA, 5/1SA resolve, attrition within the Panzer units, and an unexpectedly 1842 7/4Ind, 1 Armour strong breakout from Tobruk eventually saw Rommel withdraw 1942 2 NZ Division (3 Units) with heavy losses first to Gazala and eventually to El Agheila. 1948 5/4Ind 1.3.1 Start Turn 2043 11/4Ind Crusader starts with the Turn 8 Replacements Phase and ends 2729 23/70, Polish after the Turn 9 End Phase. 2829 16/70, 14/70 1877 (Alexandria) Garrison 1.3.2 Set Up 1960 (Mersa Matruh) 2/1SA All Units and Assets scheduled to arrive on Turn 8 and 9 are 2830 (Tobruk) Garrison, 32 Armour placed on the Reinforcements Track. The units that arrived prior 1546 Railhead marker to Turn 8 are setup according to the following instructions. On Map: Place the “At Start” units as listed below.

Available Assets: Tracks: The following Assets are available and should be placed in the Turn Record Track: Turn 8, British Initiative appropriate “Available Assets” box. Replacements Track: All Repl Chits in pool. Saved Inf Replacements: 0 German: 3x Fortified Boxes Saved Armor Replacements: 0 2x Italian Garrison Commonwealth VPs: 1 2x German Garrison Axis VPs: 0 Regia Areo +1 1.3.3 Victory Conditions 21 Corps Arty +1 Axis Victory: Luftwaffe +1 The Axis player wins immediately at the end of any Victory 1/33 AT Check Segment that one of the following apply: 1/18 AT • The Axis player controls Tobruk and Bardia and can trace an LOS from each port back to El Agheila. Commonwealth: 6x Fortified Boxes • The Axis player avoids the British Victory Conditions at the 2x Garrison end of Turn 9. 1x RAF +1 British Victory: 1x RAF +2 The British player wins immediately at the end of any Victory 1x Coastal Navy +2 Check Segment when: Out of Play Units: • The British player controls Tobruk with an overland LOS to All Italian “At Start” Units Alexandria or Cairo, and Selby Company ◊ there is only one Panzer step on the map, or 3 Coldstream Gds Company ◊ there are no Non-OOS Axis units within 6 hexes of Tobruk, 6 Australian Division (3 units) hex 2830. 2 British Armour Division (3 units) 1.3.4 The Dash to the Wire (optional) Returning Units: Historically Rommel sensed that the will of the 8th Army Com- Turn 10: 3 Indian Brigade For Campaign Start only mander, General Cunningham, was cracking, and launched a raid Turn 13: 9 Australian Division (3 units) For Campaign into Egypt to stampede Cunningham into ordering a withdrawal. Start only This had the intended effect, but unfortunately for Rommel, Rebuildable Units: Cunningham’s boss, General Auchinleck was made of sterner stuff; Cunningham was relieved and the 8th Army continued the Axis: battle until it was Rommel who was forced to retreat. To provide Sabratha Division a motivation for player’s to attempt Rommel’s raid into Egypt, 2 MG Battalion use the following rule: If, on Turn 8, five or more German Panzer steps end a move in Egypt east of hex column xx40, the Axis player immediately rolls one die: on a roll of 1, 2 or 3 remove The Auk from the British player’s Turn 9 available chits.

Location Axis Units 1626 580/90, 288/90, 155/90 1825 1/8/15, 2/8/15, 115/15, 33/15, Pz Army Afrika HQ 1924 104 /21, 3/21, 1/5/21, 2/5/21, Afrika Korps HQ 2024 132/Ariete, 8Ber/Ariete, 32/Ariete, 9Ber/Ariete 2223 65/Trieste, 66/Trieste 2522 Fortified Box, Pavia, Brescia 2622 21 Corps HQ 2722 Fortified Box, Sabratha, Trento 2823 Fortified Box, 361/90, 200/90

Location British Units 1927 7SG/7 2128 4/7 2230 30 Corps HQ 1.4 GAZALA 2324 Fortified Box, 150/50 2428 2/1 Armour Developments in the Mediterranean enabled the rebuild of 2523 Fortified Box, 69/50, 131/50 Axis forces near El Agheila. In late January German advances 2526 Fortified Box, 22 Guards found the British overstretched and forced to fall back. By early February the Germans had advanced to Al Tamimi just west of 2528 22/1 Armour Gazala where the British had mustered the forces to turn and 2535 (Gambut) 10/5 Ind fight. Both sides spent the next three months in preparation. 2625 1 Tank 2723 Fortified Box, 1/1 SA, 2/1 This time Rommel had an advantage that allowed him to mislead and surprise the British. British military operational SA reports were being read by German intelligence shortly after 2729 6/2 SA being transmitted. 2824 32 Armour 2829 4/2 SA When the battle of Gazala began the fighting was chaotic and fierce. But this time the British armored forces are soundly de- 2923 Fortified Box, 5/1 SA feated and the British infantry were unable to resist the Panzers 1877 (Alexandria) Garrison without supporting armor. Tobruk, having been stripped of much 1960 (Mersa Matruh) Garrison of its defenses, fell after three weeks. Ten days later the British 2031 (Bir El Gubi) 29/5 Ind have pulled back to El Alamein. 2125 (Bir Hacheim) Fortified Box, 1 FF 2141 (Sollum) 11/4 Ind 1.4.1 Start Turn 2429 (El Adem) 13 Corps HQ Gazala starts with the Turn 12 Replacements Phase and ends after the Turn 13 End Phase. 2432 (Sidi Rezegh) 3 Ind 2441 (Bardia) 2 FF 1.4.2 Set Up 2830 (Tobruk) 9/5 Ind All Units and Assets scheduled to arrive on Turn 12 and 13 are 2337 Railhead marker placed on the Reinforcements Track. The units that arrived prior to Turn 12 are setup according to the following instructions. On Map: Place the “At Start” units as listed below.

Available Assets: Tracks: The following Assets are available and should be placed in the Turn Record Track: Turn 12, German Initiative appropriate “Available Assets” box. Replacements Track: German Emergency not available, all other 1942 Repl Chits start in the pool. German: Saved Inf Replacements: 0 3x Fortified Boxes Saved Armor Replacements: 0 2x Italian Garrison Commonwealth VPs: 2 2x German Garrison Axis VPs: 0 1x Regia Areo +1 1x 21 Corps Arty +1 1.4.3 Victory Conditions 1x Luftwaffe +1 Axis Victory: 1x 1/18 AT Control El Agheila, Benghazi, Tobruk, Bardia and any named 1x 1/33 AT location on the East map. Commonwealth: British Victory: 2x Garrison Avoid Axis Victory Conditions. 2x RAF +1 1.4.4 Special Rule 1x Coastal Navy +2 British units on the Center map may not enter the East map 1x 13 Corps Arty +2 until they have fewer than 3 Tank steps on the Center Map, or 1x 30 Corps Arty +1 an Axis unit enters Egypt. Out of Play Units: All Italian “At Start” Units Selby Company 3 Coldstream Gds Company Polish Brigade RAF +2 6 Australian Division (3 Units) 2 British Armour Division (3 Units) 70 British Division (3 Units) Returning Units: Turn 12: 2 NZ Division (3 Units), 5/4 Ind Turn 13: 9 Australian Division (3 Units) Turn 15: 7/4 Ind For Campaign Start only Rebuildable Units: Axis: Recam 8 MG 2 MG Savona Bologna Commonwealth: 3/2 SA 7/7 1SG/1

2.0 ZOC Effects Summary This section contains a summary of all ZOC effects. This information is available throughout the rules. This appendix is 3.0 OOS Effects Summary here for the convenience of the player. Nothing in this section This section contains a summary of all OOS effects. OOS is should be construed as over-riding any rules from the Rulebook. when there is an OOS marker on the unit. • A friendly ZOC does not affect other friendly units in any This information is available or inferred throughout the rules. manner. This appendix is here for the convenience of the player. Noth- • A unit must halt its movement on entering a EZOC. ing in this section should be construed as over-riding any rules Exception: German Infiltration Move from the Rulebook. • Units may not move directly from one EZOC to another. • Movement Allowance of 3; Garrisons remain at 0 MP. Exception: German Infiltration Move • OOS movement effect is accumulative with Half Move • A contested EZOC is one that contains a friendly unit. Actions. Round up; i.e., A 6MP unit that is OOS and has an • A stack may retreat through an uncontested EZOC at the cost effective MP of 2. 6/2=3, 3/2=1.5; 1.5 rounds up to 2. of 1 step loss per EZOC retreated through. • May not use Extended Move. • Retreating units may not end their retreat in a EZOC, and if • ZOC does not affect enemy retreats. forced to do so are eliminated. • HQs cannot allocate assets or activate units. • The ZOC of an OOS or Disrupted unit does not affect retreats. • HQ units may still bring in reinforcements, if in LOS. • Advance after Combat ignores the EZOC in the combat hex • Axis may not attach AT Guns. Attached AT Assets return to entered. Asset Box, face down. • Uncontested EZOCs do block the overland portion of an • –2 drm on attack, +2 drm on defense. LOS. • Combat drm is not accumulative with the Disrupted Combat • Uncontested EZOCs do not block the Road/Trail/Rail portion drm. of an LOS. • Eliminated if OOS without LOS during Attrition Segment. • ZOCs do not affect hex control; a unit must enter an enemy Applies to Units, Garrisons, and HQs. controlled hex for control of that hex to change sides.

Extended Example of Play

The above illustration shows the situation at the start of Game Turn 1.

GAME TURN 1 1641. The Cirene Division still has a retreat route north, since ZOCs do not cross escarpment hex sides. It is December 1940 and the British are attacking to push the Italians out of Egypt. The Axis have two VPs, one for holding Benghazi, one for holding Tobruk and Bardia. The British have zero VPs. In addition to the forces here, the Italians have a Garrison in Tobruk and the British have an Infantry Brigade in Alexandria. The British Action Chits: O’Connor, 2x Move/Combat, 2x ½Move/Combat–1 drm. The German Action Chits: 1x Move, 1x Combat, 2x ½Move/ Combat–1 drm, Reinforcements. Many decisions are made based on the chits that remain in the pool. Chit 1: Initiative Chit – O’Connor The British attack force is setup south of the Italian defenses at Sidi Barrani. The British play O’Connor as the Initiative Chit. All British units may move and then attack. Movement: Attacks: Since they can move their full MA, the 22 Guards uses Extended Number 1 Movement to get an infinite MA, and moves from Alexandria The 4th Indian Div, the 16th Brigade of the 70 British Infantry to 2052 where they screen the coastal road. They passed both Div, and the Coldstream Guards supported by the +2 Air Asset Disruption rolls; crossing between maps and at the end of the attack the Italians in a Fortified Box in hex 1949. British AF is Extended Move. The 4th Indian Div found a hole in the Italian 3+3+3+3+1+2 = 15, the Italian DF is 3+1+1=5 for a 3-1 attack. line because ZOCs do not extend into rough terrain. This allowed them to surround hex 1949, and block the Italians in Sidi Bar- Number 2 rani from easily escaping encirclement down the coastal road. The 7th Armour and Selby attack the Italians in a Fortified Box 7th Armour moved into concentric attack position around hex in hex 1647. British AF is 6+6+4+3 = 19, the Italian DF is 3+1 = 4, for a 4-1 attack.

The eliminated Italians are all non-rebuildable, so they go to the game box. The British Air and Axis Fortified Box assets go Combat Results: to their Asset Boxes face down. They will be usable next turn. Number 1 Chit 2: British Combo Move/Combat The British roll a 4 for DR*. The Italians lose one step for the The British decide to take this as a full move to go * result and then retreat. Since the retreat must go through an through the desert and take the Halfaya Pass isolat- EZOC, the retreating stack loses one more step per EZOC ing five Italian divisions. They have to leave a large entered. contingent behind to prevent the Italians from threatening the desert trails providing supply to the British Number 2 advance. The roll is 6 for DR. The Cirene Division retreats 4 hexes to Buqbuq. Chit 3: Logistics Excellent timing for the British. The five Italian divisions are now OOS, less of a threat, and certain The below illustration shows the British moves (Chit 2) and to be eliminated during the attrition segment. the situation at the end of Chit 3’s Logistics.

Chit 4: German Combo ½ Move/Combat –1 drm The British still have one move available that can surround the remainder of the Italian units. So the Italians must take this Combo as a ½ Move and start moving back to the Tobruk line. The Italian OOS units move to make the most of their presence. The ½ Move did not get them to their next line of defense at Tobruk. The remaining chits can spell disaster if drawn in the wrong order.

This illustration shows the Axis moves after Chit 4. Chit 5: British Combo ½ Move/Combat –1 drm Chit 7: British Combo ½ Move/Combat –1 drm The Garrison needs to be cleared from Sidi Omar The British player can use this as either a ½ Move for the British to keep advancing through the desert. or Combat –1 drm. Neither is very useful. They So they use the +1 Air Asset and attack with the decide to play it as a Combat –1 drm even though Selby company supported by the +1 Air Asset. The no attacks are made. This is their second allowed attack is 2-1 with a –1 drm. The roll is 3, resulting in a BL1. Combat Chit. They still have one allowed Move Chit. Selby is reduced and the Garrison is eliminated. The path is Chit 8: German Move open for the British to use Extended Move to El Agheila. The British have not played a Move Chit since the Chit 4 German ½ Move/Combat –1 drm was played as a ½ Move. By playing this chit as a Move, the Italians get two moves in a row. This allows them to get into their next line of defense between 2830 Tobruk and 2031 Bir El Gubi. Refer to the image in Chit 4 German ½ Move/Com- bat –1 chit for the Italian start and the image in Chit 11 British Move/Combat for the Italian ending positions for this chit. The Marmarica Division moves from 2139 Fort Capuzzo to 2729 Tobruk Fort hex. The Italian player wanted to leave a Garrison at Fort Capuzzo but none were available. If the Italian Garrison at Sidi Omar had survived the Marmarica Division would stay. Fort Capuzzo and Sidi Omar is the last line before Tobruk that can be held by two units. The Sirte Division moves from 2438 Chit 6: German Combat Sidi Rezegh through El Adem and Bir El Gubi to 2030 to block This is their second allowed Combat Chit, even the southernmost desert trail. The 23 March Division moves to though no attacks are made. Refer to rule 18.7 Ac- El Adem to block the middle route through the desert. The 28 tion Chit Limits. October Division moves to 2730 where it completes a line from Tobruk to El Adem.

The Italians now have a line from Tobruk to Bir El Gubi that Chit 11: British Combo Move/Combat will force the British to stop and attack. It is a weak line. With The British finally get their full move and close two consecutive moves the British can cross the line between with the Italian line. The 7th Armour moves up the Tobruk and El Adem where the it is only one ZOC deep. The coast road gaining control of Sollum and Bardia ridges north of El Adem and the rough terrain between El Adem VP hexes then starts squeezing between the Tobruk and Bir El Gubi block ZOCs. The Marmarica Division cannot forts and El Adem. The 11/4 Indian and 16/70 British brigades project a ZOC out of the Tobruk Fort hex. The situation would use Extended Move. The 11/4 disrupts. The 11/4 Brigade have been far better if the Reinforcement Chit had been drawn dropped a Garrison as it passed through hex 1933 Gabr Salah. before the Move was drawn. The 22 Guards, 7/4, and 3 Coldstream Guards also move Chit 9: German Reinforcements through the desert to get around the Italians on the coast. They The Italian turn one reinforcements are placed on are stopped by the Cirene Division EZOC being projected onto hex 3418 Derna on the West map section. the trail. The British move has left the OOS Italian units unguarded. But they have no Move Chits left and they will be eliminated during Chit 10: Logistics the Attrition Segment even if there are no enemy units adjacent. None of the OOS units can trace an LOS and all Chit 12: German Combo ½ Move/Combat –1 drm other units can trace an LOS. So no changes in The Germans must play this as a Combat Chit since status. they have already played two Move Chits. The Italians could conceivably attack the British tank brigade in hex 2630 at 1-1 –1 drm, but decide to avoid the risk of losing both attacking divisions.

This illustrates the British moves from play of Chit 11. End of Turn During the End Phase the OOS units are eliminated, the Dis- ruption is removed, and all Assets are flipped to their available side. The Garrison assets stay on the map. No Victory Condi- tions are met.

This shows the units’ positions at the start of Game Turn 2. The Italians also have Pavia, Sabratha, and the Babini group in Derna on the West Map Section. GAME TURN 2 The British Action Chits: O’Connor, Combeforce, Move/ Combat, 2x ½ Move/Combat –1 drm, Reinf. They will also get the Tobruk Falls chit if they capture Tobruk. The Italian Action Chits: 2x Move, 2x ½ Move/Combat –1 drm. Chit 1; Initiative Chit: O’Connor Initiative goes to the British. They again select the O’Connor chit as their Initiative Chit.

Movement: The 7th Armour swings around to attack Tobruk from behind and the units near Sidi Rezegh move to attack the Italian southeast of Tobruk. In the desert south of Buqbuq, the 22 Guards, 7/4 Indian, and 3 Coldstream Guards use Extended Move to get to Sidi Regezh. The 22 Guards is disrupted. 5/4 and a reduced Selby encircle the Sirte Division hoping it goes OOS so they can attack. Combat: 7/7 and 7SG/7 attack Tobruk. The Italian Garrison does not ben- efit from the Tobruk Fort hex so the odds are 5-1. Roll is 6 for a DE*. The Garrison is eliminated and the * result is not applied because the Garrison was defending alone. 4/7, 16/70 and 11/4 attack the 28 October Division in hex 2730. Odds are 3-1 (12 to 4) and the roll is 2; BL1. The 4/7 flips and the 28 October is eliminated. The British add their Tobruk Falls chit to the pool.

Chit 2: German Move Chit 5: British Combo Move/Combat The Marmarica Division moves to hex 2728 to block The British play this as a Move Chit leaving them the coast road. 23 March drops a Garrison on El with one more Move Chit for this turn. The 7/7 Adem to block the middle road and moves west to Brigade moves one hex down the coastal road and join the reinforcements on a second line. The Sirte is stopped by the Marmarica Division EZOC. Division strengthens its hold on the road from Bir El Gubi to Selby moves behind Babini and the 4/7(–) and 7SG/7 brigades Bir Hacheim with a Fortified Box. The second line of defense complete the encirclement of Babini. Two infantry brigades is established by the Sabratha Division, Pavia Division, and follow the 7th Armour through the gap between Tobruk and El Babini tank group starting in 3418 Derna, and the 23 March Adem. Division starting in 2429 El Adem. Pavia moves to 2823. Sa- The 5/4 Indian Brigade shifts to Bir El Gubi. The 7/4 Indian and bratha moves to 2723. Babini moves to 2324, and 23 March 22 Guards brigades prepare to attack El Adem. The 3 Coldstream moves to 2523. Italy continues to effectively block a British Guards moves to Tobruk Fort hex 2730 to complete a line of victory. units or ZOCs from Tobruk to south of Bir El Gubi. Three attacks are ready if the Italians don’t move first.

Chit 6: British Tobruk Falls Chit 3: Logistics The British Tobruk Falls chit is a Combo Move/ The Sirte division cannot trace LOS and becomes Combat that does not count against the move or OOS (as shown in above illustration). combat limits. The British play it as a Combat.

Combat One …is a 3-1 against Babini in hex. Roll is 6 for an Chit 4: German Combo ½ Move/Combat –1 drm EX. Babini has two steps and is eliminated. The British must The Italian plays this combo as a Combat Chit lose two steps. The first loss must be from the non-replaceable because they cannot afford to be without any more Selby and the second loss is the British player’s choice. Selby moves so early in the turn. There are no attacks. is eliminated and the 7SG/7 is flipped. If the non-replaceable Selby had not been available the British first loss would have come from the 4/7 even though the full strength 7SG/7 was also available. Desert warfare is very hard an British and Italian armor. The Panzer Battalions fare a little better. Combat Two …is a 4-1 –2 drm against the Garrison in El Adem. The –2 drm is for the Disrupted attacker. The roll of 2 can only

© 2018 GMT Games, LLC The Dark Sands ~ Playbook 17 be reduced to 1 which is a BL1. The Garrison goes back to the Two brigades of the 70th Infantry arrive in Tobruk and the 3rd Asset Box, face down. The British player opts to flip the 7/4 Indian Brigade lands at Mersa Matruh. Indian Brigade. Combat Three …is a 1-2 +2 drm against the OOS Sirte Divi- sion. A roll of 1 is raised to a 3 which is BL1. The Sirte Division is eliminated and the 5/4 Indian Brigade flips. Combat Four …at the last minute, before drawing the next random chit, the British decides to attack the Marmarica Division with the 7/7 and 3 Coldstream Guards supported a +1 Air Asset. The 2-1 attack rolls a 4 which is a retreat. The Marmarica Divi- sion must retreat four hexes. A disastrous result for the British. The disrupted 22 Guards ZOC will not impede the retreat and the Marmarica Division retreats intact to hex 2327.

Chit 10: British Combo ½ Move/Combat –1 drm The British play this as a Move Chit. They are able to surround two Italians and get adjacent to the remaining two Italians. This will prevent them from using Extended Movement with their remaining Move Chit. The 3rd Indian Brigade uses Naval Movement from Mersa Matruh to Tobruk.

Chit 7: German Combo ½ Move/Combat –1 drm The German plays this Combo as a Combat –1 drm and does nothing. It counts against the Combat Chit limits.

Chit 8: Logistics All units can trace LOS, so none are OOS.

Chit 9: British Reinforcements The three brigades of the 4 Indian Infantry Division are replaced in their current hex by the brigades of the 6 Australian Infantry Division. The brigades of the 4 Indian are placed on the Reinforcement Track at full strength.

Chit 11: German Move Since the previous two chits were British, this chit must be German. The only remaining German chit left is the Move Chit. Pavia moves down the coastal road to the cross roads at El Tamimi. An excellent defensive position. Sabratha Division moves out across the desert and crosses between maps from 2721 to 2719. When a unit exits a map via a hexside of a given color it may enter the adjacent map by crossing any hexside on that map of the same color. Sabratha could have entered the West Map Section at any of the hexes 2919, 2820, or 2719.

Chit 13: British CombeForce The 7/7 Armour Brigade is activated, moves to 2620 without disrupting. Then attacks Sabratha at 2-1 and rolls a 4 for a DR. The Sabratha must retreat 2 hexes and goes to 2618.

Given the current situation and the remaining chits in the pool it is impossible for the British to win a scenario Strategic Victory. But don’t quit now, there are still 15 turns left in the Campaign. Chit 12: British Combo ½ Move/Combat –1 drm End Phase The British have already used two Move Chits so The scenario result is an (arbitrarily named) Tactical Victory. must play this as a Combat Chit and make two attacks. In the context of the Campaign Game the VPs are currently 0 German and 0 British. The British need to hold Benghazi to gain Combat One …is a 3-1 –1 drm against 23 March with support VPs during the game. Tobruk, Bardia, and Sollum only provide from a +2 Air Asset. The roll is 4 reduced to a 3 for a DR which a VP on Game Turn 17. eliminates 23 March. This example shows an exceptionally well managed Italian Combat Two …is a 3-1 against Marmarica. With no disrupted retreat combined with fair luck and a few minor British errors. units nearby it will not escape again. A roll of 3 reduced to 2 The Italian always established a blocking line of defense before results in a BL1. Marmarica is eliminated and the 17/6 Australian the British were able to exploit the collapse of the previous line. Brigade is flipped. The low unit count and numerous axes of advance in the Center Map Section make this scenario very unforgiving of errors.

Designer’s Notes Of all my designs, The Dark Valley: The East Front Campaigns, switching of the initiative from one side to the other. As in TDV, 1941-45 (TDV) is my personal favorite, so it was natural for me these patterns are locked into the list of available chits. In the to see what other campaigns its chit-pull system could be used case of TDS, this represents first of all the difficulty of sustaining for. The choice of North Africa was not, however, an obvious offensive operations in an environment in which not only fuel and one, given the vastly different scale of the fighting between a ammo but also food and water have to be carried long distances to front involving hundreds of divisions across an area a thousand the front. Periods of activity are inevitably followed by the need miles wide and one involving a score of divisions on a narrow to replenish and rebuild. For both sides, the chit selection also front a thousand miles deep. But both campaigns were examples represents the effects of events outside their immediate control: of the advantages and limits of German operational warfare, the the needs of other theaters and for the Axis the difficulty of get- often slow learning curve of their opponents, and the chaos of ting supplies across the Med. And as in TDV, the chits also show armored battle. And most importantly like TDV, North Africa the (slowly) growing skill of the Allied forces. was a fascinating theater that had yet to produce a game that With that in mind, let’s look at the chit variety in a bit more depth. matched exactly what I was looking for on that topic. So I set to First, the Axis chits include the effects of Malta and Allied ef- work on The Dark Sands (TDS). forts to disrupt Axis supply. To make these effects random could The biggest difference betweenTDV and TDS is again a reflec- end up with the game turning on some lucky/unlucky die rolls/ tion of the massive difference in the scale of forces involved. In chit draws, but the only other option would be to play out the TDV the chit pull system is almost entirely random. Apart from Malta campaign with a level of detail inappropriate for TDS’s the Initiative Player choosing the first chit, and the Soviet Stavka chosen level of complexity. So Malta is “baked in.” Likewise, and German Manstein/Model chits, the order the chits played the reinforcements/withdrawals are baked in on a turn-by-turn is the order the chits come out of the cup. In July 1941—when basis, but the inclusion of a Reinforcement Chit means there is the Germans have eight chits to the Soviets two—the German still a limited fog of war in regards to exactly when they will be player could in theory get all eight of his Action Rounds in a useable. The overall effect is to allow operational chaos while row. And yet the size of the forces involved, along with the size keeping the design within reasonable strategic limits. This also of Russia, means that even such a streak of chit pulls is unlikely keeps the system complexity level within reason as well. If you to be decisive. Hence I could let the chits fall where they may. inevitably have more knowledge of the future than your historic It quickly became apparent that given the smaller, more fragile, counterparts, you will find it difficult to make important use of armies of the North African theater—along with the much more that information. restricted geography—this wasn’t going to work in TDS. As with Finally, a word about another unique feature of TDS: the map … my Case Yellow: 1940 design (which used an earlier simpler ver- or rather the maps. Given the narrowness of the North African sion of what became the TDV chit system), TDS would have to theater compared to its length, games on the subject have gener- limit how many activations each side could perform in a row—or ally either had to choose a map with a front-line limited to a few see a lucky player run the board before his opponent could react! hexes, or choose a scale that blows up the game to multiple maps In TDS a player can still get a lucky streak of activations, but to cover the length of the campaign. No Retreat: North Africa both sides know there are limits. If the chaos of the activation came up with the idea of eliminating parts of the front which system is more limited in TDS than in TDV, this is compensated mainly involved pursuit. This was clever and effective, but I felt for by the greater range of chits available: limited movement, missed a trick in not showing the central area of the map, where limited combat, leaders, and headquarters that present a different the bulk of the fighting took place, in greater detail. mix of options. Therefore, in TDS I used the separate maps idea of No Retreat, In both “Dark” designs, chaos is provided by the chit pulls within but by using a different scale for the Center map I was able to a framework that keeps the overall campaigns on a reasonably show the major events of Compass, Battleaxe, Crusader and historic track. This is accomplished by the specific chits available Gazala in greater operational detail. The Gazala Line is actually to each side each turn. In TDV this was reflection of the climate a line in TDS—not just four adjacent hexes. At the same time the with increased German activity in summer, greater relative Soviet bottlenecks of Alamein and El Agheila remain bottlenecks. I note activity in winter, and the pattern of both sides building up their that the Center map is almost the same scale as Campaign for forces during the muddy thaw of spring. The chits available also North Africa, but without the need for a ping-pong table to play! represented the gradual decline of the German armed forces, the Though it underwent major modifications (and special thanks growing skill of the Soviets, and the increasing pressure on Ger- to Developer Tim Wilcox here!), the TDV system has, I believe, man resources from the events in other theaters. proved its adaptability with TDS. I’m currently working on a In TDS climate was less of a factor: though there are certainly “Dark” design covering the Normandy campaign in ’44, and see differences between summer and winter in the desert, major other possibilities for the system as well. campaigns were fought in all seasons. Yet, as with the Eastern Until then, Enjoy the game! Front, the North African front saw recurring patterns of active campaigns followed by lengthy pauses in major activity, and a Ted Raicer © 2018 GMT Games, LLC 20 The Dark Sands ~ Playbook

The Dark Sands Credits Designer: Ted Raicer Developer: Tim Wilcox Art Director and Package Design: Rodger B. MacGowan Map, Counters, Rules Layout: Charles Kibler Playtesters: Gary Quick, Bob Goddard, Dave Deitch, Steven Brooks, Paul Marjoram Proofreaders: John Holden, Hans Korting, Jonathan Squibb Production Coordination: Tony Curtis Producers: Gene Billingsley, Tony Curtis, Rodger MacGowan, Andy Lewis and Mark Simonitch