The Gamers, Inc. Operational Combat Series: Baltic Gap ©2009. Multi-Man Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Game Design: John Kisner and Hans single player per side. Expect each turn of 1.1e Hexes containing multiple terrain Mielants. play to take an hour or two, depending on the features (such as woods and hills) are Series Design: Dean Essig. complexity of the moves and combats. usually handled per series rule 6.2d. The Research Assistance: John Bowen, Jim exception is “wooded bog” which is a nasty Broshot, Thomas Burke, Kevin Caldwell, For errata and downloads, visit www. terrain type with its own effects (per the Roland LeBlanc, Ernesto Sassot, Charles gamersarchive.net. Terrain Effects Chart). Sharp, and Ludwig van Schoor. Playtesters: Johan Arve, Larry Barrett, 1.1f The Panther Line of hedgehogs is Allen Beach, Andrea Brusati, John Buse, 1.0 General Special printed on the East Map. These only benefi t John Collis, Dick Eichenlaub, Jeff Emde, Rules German units, and are considered erased Kurt Gillies, Monte Gray, Carl Gruber, 1.1 Map & Terrain after a Soviet combat unit enters the hex. Morris Hadley, Mathias Hardel, Michael There are two maps, East (E) and West 1.1g Special Hedgehog Reduction. A Junkin, Roland LeBlanc, Peter Lindahl, (W). Hexes are identifi ed by a map letter hedgehog is reduced by one level when Andreas Lundin, Chuck McKenzie, Dave and number. On the East Map, for instance, captured. (Note this applies only to hogs Mignerey, Linden Moore, Alan Murphy, the city of Polotsk is hex E9.07. Steve Olson, Steve Poitinger, Jay Potter, shown by counters; use 1.1f for the Panther Line.) Jim Reasoner, Mike Riley, Dick Sauer, 1.1a The Terrain Key and numerous game Matt Severns, Russell Stewart, Angela specifi c charts, tables and play aids are Sutton, Mark Veerman, Tom West, and printed on the map or in the back of this 1.2 Railroads Max Workman. rules book. There are three types of rail lines printed on the map: normal, multi-track, and narrow Dedicated to the memory of our good friend 1.1b Some cities and villages have a gauge. Rail transport exclusively made on Linden Moore. Population (POP) value printed on the the multi-track lines uses half the normal map. The last side to move a combat unit shipping capacity. If any portion of a rail Introduction through a POP location “controls” it for transport is made on narrow gauge lines, it Baltic Gap depicts the Soviet drive into victory determination (4.0). uses double the normal capacity. Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania during the summer of 1944. As the game begins, the Design Note: This is a bit of a misnomer, Normal and multi-track lines are always defense of Vitebsk, a Byelorussian fortifi ed in that POP values are based on a town’s in one of two gauges: broad or standard. city located just a few hexes beyond the industry, airfi elds, and ports, as well as its Players change the gauge of these lines southeast corner of the playing surface, has population. Note that Estonian values have using rail repair units, per series rule 13.3f. just collapsed. 1st Baltic Front is advancing been increased to refl ect Hitler’s demand For railing cargo and trace supply, the westward through the shredded German that this area not be abandoned. German player can only use standard and line, and will soon threaten all of Army narrow-gauge rail lines; the Soviet player Group North with encirclement. Finally, 1.1c Entry Hexes are marked by letters on can use only broad and narrow-gauge lines. after four months of fi erce battle, the the map edges. These are mostly used to The scenarios defi ne the starting gauge of Red Army will win the great prize of this mark where reinforcements will enter the each rail line. Show the limits of broad campaign, Riga, and pocket the enemy in map (1.9b) and which hexes are potential gauge using rail head markers. the Courland region of Latvia. sources of trace supply (2.1 and 3.1). Narrow-gauge lines can never be re- The game allows players to explore this 1.1d All-lake and all-sea hexsides prohibit gauged. interesting campaign from a variety of land movement except at the yellow historical and hypothetical vantage points. crossing arrows near Rapina (E51.19). To be used for trace supply or transport, Long campaign games can be enjoyed by up Moving across a yellow arrow has the same a railroad must be connected to a friendly to fi ve players. Several short scenarios are cost as a major river hexside. supply source (see 2.1 and 3.1) by tracks also provided, and these work best with a of the proper gauge. Multi-Man Publishing, Inc. 403 Headquarters Drive, Suite 7, Millersville MD 21108 © 2009 All Rights Reserved. Page 1 Baltic Gap, OCS #11 1.2a Narrow-gauge lines cannot be used 1.3c Kaunas, Narva, and Saaremaa. These collapse (1.4f). German Sea Cap will be as part of the rail portion of a trace supply are essentially just holding boxes for immediately reduced to refl ect refugee connection back to a supply source. But reinforcements (see 1.4). evacuations (2.2a). narrow-gauge rails can be used as part of a connection to a supply source to obtain Player Note: Unlike some OCS games, the 1.4c Saaremaa Event (October). Soviet marginal supply (1.11). off-map boxes are not sources of “free” units from Saaremaa arrive at Entry H supply to be shipped onto the map. after the period of delay (1.4d), at which Design Note: This shows the limited value point this changes from a German to a of narrow-gauge tracks without getting 1.4 Kaunas, Narva, and Soviet supply source. There are no German into the complexities of tying them into the reinforcements triggered by this event. See overall broad/standard network. Saaremaa Events 1.5b for Saaremaa’s powerful effect on The struggle for the Baltics was directly ships and shipping. 1.2b Rail moves cannot make “off-map” infl uenced by events happening outside connections (such as from Entry C to the map frame. Of critical importance are 1.4d Delay. When the Kaunas, Narva, and Entry D). the battles at Kaunas and Narva, the end of Saaremaa events occur, each player openly which would lead to massive reinforcement rolls one die to determine the delay for 1.2c Reference locations and Entry hexes arrivals. Almost as important are Soviet his units released from the box. Soviet are considered to be detrainable (these in landings on the island of Saaremaa. reinforcements arrive after a delay of that addition to the terrain types listed in series number of turns; for German reinforcements rule 13.3c). South of the map, elements of Army Group halve the delay roll, rounding up, to Center are defending Kaunas. Following determine the number of turns. Neither the struggle near this city, the Germans will player can voluntarily delay a group’s 1.3 Off-Map Boxes shift two panzer corps to northern Lithuania, arrival past the turn determined by the There are several types of off-map boxes. with Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army hot delay roll. No combat or barrage is ever allowed in on their heels. To the north, above Lake these boxes. Peipus, Armeeabteilung Narwa is under Example: The Narva Event occurs on 5 constant attack by Leningrad Front and September. The German player rolls ‘3’ 1.3a Air Box. Both players have off-map eventually forced to retreat from northern for his reinforcements, half of which which boxes containing air bases. In an Air Box, Estonia, falling back toward Riga. This in rounds to a delay of two turns. These units there is no SP cost to refi t planes. turn makes it possible for the Soviets to will arrive on 12 September. invade Saaremaa, and as a result German The Germans control the Luftfl otte I Box; shipping will be effectively barred from 1.4e Losses. A multi-unit formation (e.g., the others are Soviet boxes. The bases in the Gulf of Riga. a panzer division or tank corps) released each box are a certain number of hexes from Kaunas or Narva takes one loss from a listed Entry Hex, as noted in the These off-map battles are concluded when released. The unit should be chosen box. Missions must take this distance into randomly. In August, the German player randomly from the Attack-Capable units account. makes a roll during every Weather Phase of the division or corps and added to until release from Kaunas occurs. The same Dead Pile. Cargo for an air transport/drop mission procedure is used in September to check fl own from an Air Box is loaded/unloaded for the Narva event, and in October for 1.4f Estonian Collapse. The Narva Event at the Entry Hex noted in the Box. For Saaremaa. These rolls use the same chart, also triggers Estonian Collapse. Roll two example, cargo for a mission from the 3rd which has an increasing event chance as dice and eliminate that number of the Air Army Box is loaded at any of the three the month progresses. A given event can German Player's Estonian steps (his choice) Entry A hexes. Ground units are never only occur once, and can only occur in the from the map and/or Narva Box. placed in an Air Box. month indicated. 1.3b Königsberg and Leningrad. The 1.4a Kaunas Event (August).