2 1.0 INTRODUCTION 2.22 All division and battlegroup counters are printed on both sides. Each side is called a step, and all combat units have two Shifting Sands: The Campaign for North Africa, 1940-1943 is a steps. The front of every counter represents the unit at full two-player game simulating the Second World War in the strength; the reverse side represents the unit at reduced Mediterranean Theatre of Operations between the Italian strength. Note that, for most units, the reduced side has a declaration of war in June, 1940 and the final Axis surrender in weaker Combat Factor than the full strength side, while the Tunisia in May, 1943. Loss Factor and Movement Factor are unchanged. 2.0 COMPONENTS 2.23 Combat units come in two different types: infantry and armor. All armor units have a tank illustration on the counter. Shifting Sands includes the following: 2.24 There are several types of 5/8” game marker pieces • One 22” by 34” map included with the game. Their use is described throughout the • 264 5/8” diecut counters rules. • 130 1/2” diecut counters • Two player reference cards 2.3 The Strategy Cards • One rules booklet • Two decks of strategy cards (55 each) Each player has his own deck of 55 strategy cards: 14 cards • Two six-sided dice labeled 1940, 20 cards labeled 1941, and 21 cards labeled 1942. 2.1 The Game Map The game map consists of spaces (squares and eight-pointed stars) that are connected to one another by lines. Spaces connected by a line are considered adjacent. All spaces include coloring to show which side controls them initially, the type of terrain they contain, whether the space contains contains a port and/or fort, and whether the space counts for Victory Point purposes. The game map also contains a number of charts and tracks to record various game functions. These include two Action Round Charts, a Turn Record Track and a General Records Track (used to record the accumulation of Replacement Points and Axis Victory Points). 2.2 The Playing Pieces 2.21 Combat units come in two different sizes: divisions and battlegroups. Divisions are large bodies of troops, supported by artillery, air power, etc., and are represented by 5/8” counters. 2.4 Unit Nationality Abbreviations Battlegroups are forces ranging from battalion to brigade size, and Color References and are represented by the smaller 1/2” counters. Allied Counter Nationality Color Scheme _____________________________________________ AUS Australian Tan/Light Green BR British Tan FF British-controlled Light Blue Free French FF US-Controlled Green/Light Blue Free French GK Greek Blue IND Indian Tan/Red NZ New Zealand Tan/Blue POL Polish Red SA South African Tan/White US United States Green 3 Axis Draw Pile: The deck of strategy cards a player draws his cards from during each Draw Strategy Card Phase. Counter Nationality Color Scheme _____________________________________________ Discard Pile: The „Played‟ boxes on the map are where each player places a strategy card played for Operations, EG Egyptian Gray/Orange Redeployment, Replacements, as an Event (other than “*” GE German Gray Events), or removed from his hand at the beginning of the IR Iraqi Gray/Pink Draw Strategy Card Phase. IT Italian Blue green/Light Green VF Vichy French Gray/Light Blue Die roll modifier (drm): A drm is a number that is added or subtracted to a specified die roll. 3.0 SYMBOLS AND TERMINOLOGY Full Supply: The supply status of combat units within three spaces of a Supply Source. (Asterisk): If a strategy card marked with an asterisk is played as an Event, the card is permanently removed from Limited Supply: The supply status of combat units that are the game after the Action Round in which it was played. It is more than three spaces from a Supply Source. not removed from the game if used as an Operations, Redeployment, or Replacement Points card. Loss Factor (LF): A numerical measure of a unit‟s ability to absorb casualties. Activated: When a space has had its movement or combat Activation cost paid for during an Action Round, all the units in Loss Number: The result from a Fire Table during Combat. the space are considered Activated and can conduct the action indicated by the Activation marker. Note: Activated armor Movement Factor (MF): The number of contiguous spaces a units can both move and attack in the same Action Round. unit may enter during an Action Round when Activated for movement. Active Player: The player taking an action during his part of the Action Round. During combat the Active Player is also the ►Operations Value (OPS): The number of Activation Attacker, while his opponent is the Defender. Points that a player may spend for movement and/or combat in an Action Round. Each strategy card has an OPS value from 2 Allied Minor Nations: British-controlled Free French, Greek, to 5. and Polish battlegroups. ►Out of Supply (OOS): A unit is OOS when it cannot trace Card/Event Name: Each strategy card is named to describe the a Supply Line to a friendly Supply Source. An OOS unit event or action that it represents. If the name is in red it suffers several restrictions, and is eliminated during the indicates that Event that is a prerequisite for another Event. Attrition Phase if still OOS. Combat Card: Combat Cards are a special type of Event that Redeployment (RD): This is an action by which players are played during the Combat Phase. Note: For simplicity the move units great distance within friendly territory. Note: The rules refer simply to Combat Cards rather than Combat Card Redeployment Value of a strategy card is the same number of Events. points as a card’s OPS Value. Combat Factor (CF): This is the numerical measure of a unit‟s Replacement Points (RP): Replacement Points are used to ability to inflict damage. The CF is used to resolve combat on rebuild reduced strength units and to re-create eliminated the Fire Tables. The CF of a Fort space is printed on the map units. Note: some units have a black dot on their right hand next to it. Note: A battlegroup may be weaker in combat than a side to indicate they may not be rebuilt or re-created. division with a lower CF. This is because divisions conduct Offensive and Defensive Fire on a better Combat Fire Table Supply Line: A string of than battlegroups. contiguous friendly controlled spaces or ports leading from a Control: Each space on the map is at all times controlled by unit to a Supply Source. either the Allied or the Axis player. At the beginning of the Campaign Game all green spaces are Allied-controlled, all gray Supply Source: A space on spaces are Axis-controlled. A space controlled by you is the map from which a Supply considered friendly. A space controlled by your opponent is Line terminates. A corner enemy. Control of a friendly space changes to the enemy when graphic of a port anchor inside an enemy unit enters it, or if the space becomes Out of Supply. a diamond indicates that a 4 space may be used as a Supply Source by that side. 5.0 SEQUENCE OF PLAY Torch Landing Cards: Strategy cards from the year 5.1 Draw Strategy Card Phase 1942 that may only be played as Events after the Allied player has played the Torch Event. These cards ►5.11 Both players have the opportunity to discard any or all have a black „T‟ inside an orange diamond at the top of of the strategy cards remaining in their hand from the previous the card. turn immediately before they draw new cards in the Draw Strategy Card Phase. Place the cards face down in the Victory Point (VP) Space: Any space with a yellow name and player‟s Discard Pile. Players may never examine an outline. When control of these spaces changes, the VP marker is opponent‟s Discard Pile. adjusted on the General Records Track. ►5.12 Each player draws strategy cards from his Draw Pile to bring his hand up to its maximum size for the forthcoming 4.0 PREPARE FOR PLAY turn. The maximum hand size is as follows: (THE SHIFTING SANDS CAMPAIGN GAME) 1940 turns: 7 cards 4.1 Markers 1941 turns: 8 cards 1942 turns: 9 cards 4.11 Place the Turn marker on the “Summer 1940” space on the 1943 turns: 10 cards Turn Record Track. ►5.13 If there are insufficient strategy cards in the Draw Pile 4.12 Place the VP marker on the “10” space of the General to fill a player‟s hand back up to its maximum size, take all the Records Track. available cards. Then reshuffle the discards into a new Draw Pile and draw from this up to the maximum hand size. 4.13 Place the GE, IT, BR, CW and the Allied Replacement Point markers on the “0” space of the General Records Track. 5.2 Action Phase The US Replacement Point marker is not used until the Torch Event has been played (7.416). Each Action Phase is divided into six identical Action Rounds. Each Action Round allows both players to take one action. 4.14 Place six Action markers near each player‟s Action Round The Axis player takes his action first in each Action Round. Chart. After all six Action Rounds are completed, play proceeds to the next phase. 4.15 Place five Move/Attack markers near the Axis player, because he will take the first action.