24

PLAYERS NOTES TRAVEL NOTES For Driving on Stalingrad by Dave Robertson

Drive on Sialingrad is one of tt10se games, Rules Errala to the South to take these cities before the the opt im um opera ti onal plan for which will Before discussing the game, it is Soviet can reinforce the area. This sou th ern always ramam somewhat elusive . Because necessary to note that the original version of shift also dovetails with some aspects of the of its untri ed unit system and Hitl er Directive the game is nawed. The nature of the flaw is Hitler Directives. ru les, each playing is essent ia lly a new game. not obvious because the naw is not so much a Hiller Directh'es There are, nevertheless, some poin ters well question of "realism" as it is a question of The most fru strating problem faced by worth kee ping in mind as one drives acro ss ··playability." Most players considered it so the German player arc the Hitler Directives the deceptively open-seeming te rrain of th e weighted in favor of the Soviets that SPI has that randomly create chaos in any consistent, ma p. Dave parti Cipated in mu ch of the test­ publi shed a post-publication errata to correct developing plan. These directives constrain ing on th e game and herewith gives you this. These errata arc published in this issuc geographical thrusts (tending to force ar­ so~e of the benefit of his experie nce. - RAS of MOVES. The events leading to the for­ mored units to take the Caucasus and to keep mulat ion 0 I' the erra t a could well form the the Germans from crossing the Don), troop SPI has recently produced another east basis of an article di . cu ssing the strategic allocations, and territory that /TIUS{ be cap­ front game called Drive on Sta/il/grad, which situation of Drive and it s reflection of reality tu red. Generally. t he supreme commander simulates the German summer offensive of in the light of playability. requires the seizure of Stalingrad. Unfor· 1942 known :15 Operation Blue. Subtitled tunately, the capture of Stalingrad may be Sel-Up "Road to Ruin," the game is designcd on a mandated without allowing the Axis player From the standpoint of playability. "grand operational" level with 600 counters to usc armor in allempting to grab it. Since Drive is relatively easy to setup - the front is representing Soviet divi sions, Axi s Infantry the directives may change, the German printed on the map and there is no "this unit divisions and Axis armored and mechanized player may find himself shifting his forces up must go there" rule . Both player. arc free regiment s. The playing surface is two and down the front without sufl'icient time to frol11 the hair pulling experience of cross­ "regular" size (34 " x 22 ") maps representing capture any cities. referencing hex numbers with unit strengths the southern portion of the Soviet Union Axis Strategy for an hour. The set-up rules arc not a roughly bounded by Voronezh and Stratov burden on the eye or patience. Choosing the cities for capture and try­ in the North to Tuapse and Gros,,),y in the ing to garner the bonus points available for SOlit h. It s sixteen pages of rules arc based on Victory Conditions and firsl nHI\'e some of the cities will dictate the direction tltc Pal/::.ergruppe Guderian sy tem with Before the German player starts tearing and pace of the Axi s st rategy. For example, if modifications pertinent to t he situation. through the Soviet line, he has to consult the the Axis player i to win without bonus Anyone familiar with the Pall'l.ergmppe victory conditions to sec where he has to go. points, he mu st take cities worth 140 of the system will quickly pick up tricks of Drive. Victory is in term of captured cities with 2 10 victory points (i.e., 140 vs 70). The Ru s­ The four major features of the parent system various point values printed on the map. The sian player c'ln win by merely holding every· are t he core of t his game: cities, victory points, and hex numbers arc thing north of the Don except Voronezh and a. Soviet infantry units are "untried" summarized in a separate chart with the holding Astrakhan, Elista, and tbe - i.e., their actual strengths are unknown to game. "Bonus" points are garnered by the Georgiyevsk and "east southern" cities. In either player until the instant of the first COI11- Axis for taking particular cities by a given t he face of a sluggish Axis Drive, t he Russian bat in which the units engage; game turn. player can just wait - he cannot lose. b. Non-infantry units have a second The Axis player must study carefully the If, though, the Axis player is aggressive, movement (or impulse) phase after combat; map and the victory point values of the cities he can get a 2-1 ratio of victory points in a and - he has to be cunning. The cities have a beller way . Kalach, Maykop, Novorossiysk, c. Axis mechanized units (i.e., armor IOtal va lue of 210 points. To win, the Ger­ Nevinnomyssk, Rostov, and Stalingrad offer and mechanized infantry) benefit from a man needs twice as many points as the Soviet 60 bonus points, thus, the Ru ssians can hold "doubled" combat strength when all player has at t he end of t he game. I I' t he Ger­ three or four more ci ties and sti ll lose. This regiments of a division arc tacked in the man player ever gets three times the Soviet analysis must be made, if the Axi s player same hex; player's point s, the game stops and the Ger­ hopes to win. d. Soviet units "coordinate" supply man player automatically wins. The German Soyiet Stralegy from headquarters units that have a given player can also get a small number of victory The Soviet player docs not have to make supply or command range. points if the Soviet player elects to make a close calculations in this game. He pulls back The new gimmicks added in Drive are "strategic withdrawal" - move from Axis and waits for his army to build up to for­ these: zones of cont rol - or t he German player can midable size. He covers the Don in the North a. Axis alli es (Hungarians. Rumanians, interdict the Volga. The key to victory, and slows the German drive to Stalingrad and It alians) arc untried andmu t coordinate t hough, is tak ing t he cit ie . while holding stronger units in reserve to be their supply from their own headquarters The difficult task of controlling a large used in the Russian counter-attack. units in a manner much like the Soviets. number of cities is made somewhat easier for Although the "real" Ru ssian offensiye oc· b. The extension of Axis supply net · the German player by the "Bonus point" curred on November 19 (Game-Turn 21), works through trucked pipelines and rail rule which grants double point value for tak­ many Soviet players will not wait that long in conversion is simulated in a way like that of ing a city by a given game turn. For example, the game. Since the game "ends" after 25 War in {i1e East and Breakoul and Pllrsllil; Stalingrad's capture can generate bonus turns (correspondin g to December 19), there c. A "Hitler directive" phase that points if it is captured by Game-Turn 12, cor­ is no real reason for the Ru ssian player to simulates the ruehrer's rulings from back responding 10 September 12, 1942. delay his big push past Game-Turn 15 (Oc­ home and ti ghtly limit s the freedom of action Many points lie in the Caucasus, and the tober 10), or even to avoid trapping loose, for the Axis pl aye r. German player must quickly shift hi s armor unsupplied Axi s panzer divisions. 25

Combat and Overruns Panzergruppe. In Drive, three whole mech same number of turns that the Axis player The combat system in Drive is similar to divisions can stack and both sides have plen­ has to receive the bonus points). The Don in the system in Panzergruppe in the respect ty of armor to throw around. Some care is re­ front of Stalingrad is the natural place for the that the same type of combat results table is quired in effecting an overrun, though, to Russian player to stand to force the Axis used with the owning player's option of avoid wearing the armor out too soon. When player to pause for his supply to arrive via retreat or taking a step reduction. The con­ possible, armor should be stacked with in­ repair of the Russian rail net. siderations of whether to engage in combat fantry so that the infantry can absorb losses. In the South, neither side is troubled by differ somewhat from the considerations in­ Three stacked armored divisions make the having to consider frontage or extensive sup­ volved in Panzergruppe because the Russian strongest force for overruns, and can literally ply problems - the Axis player has a tough depth-per-hex is greater in Drive. Certain romp all over the map (a stack of three un­ time of it. Russian activity in the southern Russian units have two steps, and the Rus­ supplied panzer divisions is stronger than one map depends on a strong point defense plan. sian player in Drive can enjoy the luxury of fully supplied division!). The added strength Reinforcements can be placed in the moun­ holding a particular position for a longer of stacked armored divisions allows some tainous cities and a larger relief force can be period. The Axis unit density per hex is also substantial Axis operations in the Caucasus built up near Groznyy, where there is little greater in Drive, because three panzer (or where there is no hope for supply beyond chance of Axis interference for six or seven motorized infantry) divisions can stack in the that provided by the sporadic availability of turns. This southern force will be earmarked same hex. This means that Axis units can "Truck" supply. for the counter-attack and the defense of muster up to 48 strength point in a hex In regular combat and in overruns, the Astrakhan. against a SO'Viet maximum of 30 to 36. (In supply status of a unit is determined at the The Germans must move quickly in the Panzergruppe, the maximum is 27 - three moment of combat. Being unsupplied causes south to out run the Soviet build up. The German infantry divisions). a one-half reduction in a unit's combat bonus points for Rostov are easy to get if suf­ This increased ability to concentrate strength. Consequently, some finesse is need­ ficient armor is shifted from the north map in force allows the German panzers to create a ed to sequence attacks and overruns so that the second turn. The Russian player has to powerful overrun capability against isolated units may be cut off from supply when final­ decide how much of his army he will sacrifice Russian units. The Axis player must quickly ly attacked. The Axis player can isolate or in holding Rostov for four turns to deny the use this to rip holes in the Soviet line and sur­ eliminate Soviet HQ units and render several Axis player the bonus points. The units lost round the remnants before the Soviet player Russian divisions unsupplied in a single in a futile attempt defending Rostov are can mass his army to a sufficient strength for blow. Conversely, the Russian player can much better employed in defending the counterattack. sacrifice a unit or two by advancing them southern cities and preventing the German The German player should attack across the already extended Axis supply lines player from gaining any more bonus victory vigorously for the first few turns to eliminate to cut off the Axis front from further real points for captured southern cities. In the as many Russian units as possible - he must combat capabilities or extended movement. south, the German player must deploy his devote some attention to the nitty gritty of The chance to use this ploy comes easily on truck units to conduct attacks in spurts of in­ what odds are needed to assure destruction. the double size map where long stretches of tensive activity followed by periods of deter­ When the German player attacks at odds front are held by fewer and fewer units as the mined defense against a Soviet force of in­ where there is the chance of an "engaged" Axis forces concentrate at the extreme limits creasing strength. The Axis player should combat result, (i .e. , both attacker and of their supply lines . deploy his mountain divisions to surround defender suffer a one step loss) he should in­ The Russian rail net should be seen as a the Soviets defending the Caucasus because clude in the attack at least one infantry divi­ major asset of the Soviet player and the Axis only mountain units have zones of control in sion so that the strong armored units will not player should attack it as if it were a juicy the mountainous hexes. suffer the effect of an adverse result. The target - a few cuts here and there will inhibit In conducting the Big Retreat, the Axis player can use reduced infantry divisions the Soviet player's escape from the initial Soviet player should look at what the Axis to serve in this role as cannon fodder. onslaught. player must do to win, and he soon realizes When a player suffers an adverse result The Soviet player should conserve his that only certain cities have to be held to pre­ he must decide whether to retreat or accept a HQ units because he needs them to supply his vent an Axis victory. Those cities form the step reduction - the opposing player may long front. Generally, the HQ units should point of no retreat. choose the path of retreat followed by his op­ be one or two hexes behind the front so that ponent's unit. Since the path of retreat may they will not be trapped in a zone of control. cause more units to be encircled than would This kind of flexibility is very important for be lost through a step reduction, frequently it the Soviet player because the Axis player will Where and When is better to take a step reduction than to not hesitate attacking any Russian units if Of course, the pace of any particular retreat. they can be encircled and eliminated in game of Drive on Stalingrad is greatly depen­ Combat in the Voronezh area can get detail. The HQ units cannot be bunched up dent on the particular strategies adopted by dicey, and it deserves special mention. The because they must be spread out for continui­ the Players (to say nothing of Hitler). Never­ Axis should not put any panzer divisions ty of supply into the rear areas (so the advan­ theless, the location of the Victory Points across the Don into the city, because they will cing units can move at full movement and the schedule of Bonuses is immutable. never free themselves. They cannot escape allowances.) The HQ units with ratings of 4 The optimum Axis advance - in terms of the zones of control of adjacent Soviet units or 5 can provide supply for the flanks more Victory Points - can literally be scheduled, and they cannot retreat after combat across easily than the waste of several units with and the chances for victory by both sides is the Don. They just get stuck there. Infantry lower ratings. dependent on how well this schedule is divisions are fine to throw into the city to The Big Retreat maintained. hold to against a Russian counterattack. The When the game starts, the Russian Turn J: Breakthrough in North, a stab Axis player should avoid sending his units on player must decide how far and how fast he for Voronezh if it is weakly defended. frolics across the Don outside the city of will run away from the advancing German Turn 2: Clear as much away from Voronezh - there is nothing to gain there ex­ Army. The limit in the north is the Don - it around Rostov as possible, while sending the cept triggering the increase of Russian rein­ must be held and the Axis player must be bulk of the armor due East. forcements (the increased reinforcements forced to burn out some' of his divisions Turn 3: Take Rostov and breach the rule simulates the effect of the Axis' causing where the Soviet player is defending at triple Don to the south. the Soviets to think that Moscow was the ob­ strength. Also the Soviet player should try to Turn 4: Sweep away any lingering jective of the 1942 offensive). slow the Axis advance toward Stalingrad by Soviets south of Rostov. If opposition is The overrun attack in Drive is a stronger denying him the bonus points for Kalach weak, try for Kalach-na-Donu, although this Axis (and Russian) tactic than it is in (i.e., the Soviet player must hold it for the will have to be with out-of-suppy armor. {continued on page 23/ 23

\I !lenlhe comb31 or overrun was r' olved. I f this i. COBRA n t pos~iblc, the c mbat rcsultll1u t be ati fied by taking . lep lo ~~c .. ERRATA 110.25) (correetl(m) crman unit mu st be wit hin [15.41] NAVAL MELEE the ol1lmand radius of olle Headquarters lInit to COMBAT RESU LTS (as of31 January 78) utilize the bonus n b th atta~k and deren. c. TABLE (Boarding) David Werden 110.261 (correction) The American Hcadquarter unil may grant it s combat bOl1u • if any unit in ­ Combat Oirferential volved in an attack is within the omlllllnd radius. (A lIacker minus Defender) Posl-publication playte ting has in­ dicaled the need ror the following correc­ 110.291 (addition) For supply and relreat pur­ tWi -3 -2 -1 0 I 2 3 4 t ion and clari ficat ion poses, Headqu3rtcrs units do 110t negatc enemy 1 I ZO 's in the hex they occupy. Headquarter unil may not be moved into an Enemy ZO . 2 D D Counters: 11 4.tl (correctioll) German reinforcemcnts elller 3 D D Correction: The 10110ss should start in hex 3205 east of hex 4101. not west. 4 I D D L (nol hex 3206). The anadian 3rd Div. should 116.11 (correctioll) The German player gets one start in hex 3504 (not he. 3505). VP ror each infantry "regiment" exiled. "Divi­ 5 D D D L L Clarification: The 101 s, 1025s, and Ihe 503 2-12 sian" is incorrect. 6 D D 0 L L L uniLS are the three German Tiger Tank bOllia li ons 116.2) (correction) Vi ctory Point s for exiting U. . and arc worth one poinl for victory purposes. ":xplonlliion: mcchaniz.cd unils should read: Up to three U.S. Reinforcement Track: Divisions may exit the southwest edge of th e map - = No effect; I = In effective: for the ne t for Victory purposes. Impulse. the ship's Movcmcnt Allowance is Clarification: All Allied reinforcements during halved. and the hip may not melee attack. only Game-Turn Two enter during the Mechanized I VP for each U.S. armored regiment or brigade defend; 0 = Ship permanently damaged: ship's Movement Phase. There are no German reinforce­ that cxils the west edge of the map, hexes 0123 Movemcnt Allowance is halved, a arc it Ram menl during Game· Turn Two. IhroughOI34.onGame- urn Seven. and Melee Slrcngths; I. = Lose I: for Byzantine 2 VP for each U.S . armored regiment or brigade ship, the affccted hip i eliminated. An OttO­ Weather Table: that exits the southwes t mapcdgc on Game·Turn man ship loses one step (i.e .. it is nipped over to Clarification: The weather during the entire fir t Six. th e reduced ide unles~ the ship is alrcady on its Game-Turn is clear. At the beginning of the sec­ 4 VP for each U.S. armored regiment or brigade reduced ide, in which case the Ottoman ship is ond German Weather DClerminalion Phase, the that exits thc southwest mapcdge 011 Game-Turn eliminated). Differcnti~ls less than -3 (greater wealher is determined by rolling on thc Clear five. than + 4)aretrcatcdas-3 ( 4). column. 6 VP ror each U.S. armored regi ment or brigade Rules: that e.xit s the soulhwest mapcdge on Game-Turn four or before. [6.251 (correction) All fractions ilrc rounded up. [6.471 (clarification) This rule comes into effect [16.31 VI<""TORY POINTSCHEDUL.E the moment one Allied un it is exited off the Arter the Victory Points arc totaled at the end of southwest mapcdgc. the game, Players subtract Ihe German total from 16.911 (correctiOIl) "During Iris Replacemellt the Allied to determine the level of Victory. Phase," should replace "durillg his Mechanized Level 0/ Victory Di//eretlfial [15.42] RAMMING TABLE Movement Phase, after all hi s movemenl is COI11- Allied Decisive + 31 or morc Ram Strength of AUaeking plct cd . .. . "The Sequcnee of Play is correct. Allied Operational 21 to 30 Ram IJdense: (Moving) hip [6.91) (additioll) He may 31 0 place it on a rein· Allied Marginal + II to + 20 Non-Ph3sing forcemenl which i entering during that gamc turn. Ship 1 2 3 4 Draw (Historic Result) 010 + 10 [9.77] (additioll) A retreating unit mu st be German Marginal - 10 to - I A 1-2 1-3· 1-4· 1-5· retreated as far away (in hexes) a the combat German Operational - 20 to - II B 1-2 1-3· 1-4· result indicatC!s from the hex which it occlIpied German Decisive - 2 I or Ie s C 1-2 1-3· Conversely, the Soviet Player who can, D 1-2 1-2 Travel Notes say, hold onto Rostov unlil Game-Turn 4 /C'onllltutd Irom paJ!~ 2JJ· and Stalingrad unlil Game-Turn \3, will find E plllnlliion: Turns 5-6: Concelllrate on Maykop in himself down only 135 to 170, with an Axis # ~ Die Roll Needed to Pin Defending Ship; the south, while awaiting supply at Stal­ automatic victory a laughable proposilion, • = Roll again; if a 5 or 6 is rolled, the defending ingrad. and every prospect of regaining enough ship i unk; - = 0 Effccl. The Defending ship Turns 7-8: Make sure of Nevinnomyssk may not be pinned. Poinls to knock the deficit well down below and Novorossiysk in Ihe oUlh and sh ift the the 2: I Axis superiority criterion necessary tf II 6 is rolled at any time, the Ramming ship is main weight to the bailie at Stalingrad. for an Axis Victory. Especially since even in considered Damaged (Movement Allowance Establish a supplied unit adjacent to the halved, Ram and Melee trengths halved. the best of limes, the Axis is likely to uffer Volga to garner that Victory Point. Leave some allrition of Victory Point for failing 10 enough in the South lo worry at Tuapse and please Berlin. Georgiyevsk with. What If? Turns //-12: Capture Stalingrad! Arter playing Drive, ome players may The Axis Player who meets Ihis schedule wonder what would happen if Ihe Hiller will find himself wilh a comfortable margin Directives were ignored and the Axis field for the 2: I ralio of superiority in Victory commander had a free reign on hi army. Poinls he needs to win the game. He should This cenario is much more pleasing for the CORRECTIONS even be within striking dislancc of a 3: 1 Axis piayer to conlemplate than for the There were two error. in Charle T . Kamps. knockout. Assuming an Axis failure to lake Soviet player to consider. The capture of Jr.'s Fulda Gap Variant article in MOVES 36. Voronezh, Kalach, or Maykop on time, but Stalingrad i ignificalllly easier if the The 14 pz Bde 6-4, under the WG 51h Panzer success everywhere else, the score would be panzer are 1101 ent off 10 the oUlh and the Division, hould be indicated in hex J 213 rather than 1312. The 2nd Bdc 4-6, under the something like 170-70 in favor of the Axis, drive on Slalingrad is made by swooping 8th Infantry Division (Meehl, should be indi­ and the pressure would' be heavy on the down on it from Ihe norlh. Bul, lhen, il cated in hex 0325 rather I han 0326. Soviet Player (who could lose the game wou ldn't be 100 much fun for the Soviels. outright by losing Astrakhan, for example) Perhap Hiller was indeed Stalin' greatcsi Lo hold onto everything plus regain a lot. ally.