The Gamers, Inc. A Complete Copy of Hube’s Pocket Includes: 1x Box 1x OCS Series Rulebook (v2.0i) 1x Game Specific Rulebook 2x Dice (one red, one white) 1 & 1/2 x 22x 34” Maps Operational Combat Series: 5x 280-counter countersheets 1x 140-counter countersheet 1x Registration Card 1x Current Price List Assorted Advertising Flyers (which our collaters Hube’s Pocket love to hate...) If you are missing something, contact us. If you have something extra, Merry Christmas! ©1996. The Gamers, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hube’s Pocket: The Battle for the Introduction 1.2 Weather Ukraine, 1944 Hube’s Pocket depicts the campaign Weather played an important role in in the Western Ukraine from January to these battles—swinging from blizzard to Operational Combat Series April, 1944. It pits Manstein’s Army Group balmy sunshine. Game Number 4-04 South against the 1st and 2nd Ukrainian Roll on the Weather Table to determine Fronts in three encirclement battles— the Weather. Weather affects ground Game Design: David A. Friedrichs Kirovograd, Korsun, and Kamenets- conditions and air operations. Series Design: Dean N. Essig Podoliskiy. 1.2a Weather Effects. Air and Ground Graphic Design & Game Development: Both sides confront difficult strategic effects are listed on their respective Effect Dean N. Essig and tactical problems. The still potent Charts. Production: Sara Essig German army holds a vulnerable position. Adjust the Ground condition after Playtesting & Proofreading: Perry Andrus, Poor logistics happers the maturing Red determining the turn’s Weather. Cross Carl Barden, Jay Boley, Dean Essig, Lee Army. reference the Ground Condition from last Forester, Dave Friedrichs, Don Gilbertson, turn with this turn’s Weather. The result is Steve Graham, Rod Miller, Dave Powell, this turn’s Ground Condition. The Ground Boyd Schorzman, Greg Ullrich 1.0 General Special Condition to use for reference on the first Rules turn is listed in each scenario. Dedication:To my son Colin, who shows 1.1 Scenario Notes 1.2b Weather Enforced Game Ending. me that the future is more important than If a turn’s weather roll results in a new the past. A) The Axis player always sets up Ground Condition of “End”, the Spring first. The Soviet player must set up East Thaw arrives and the game ends. Table of Contents and North of the Axis frontline (unless specified otherwise). That frontline is “the 1.3 Off-Map Air Bases Page Item forward edge of Axis troop deployments, 1 Introduction with logical and reasonable connections Each player has one off-map air base. 1.0 General Special Rules between units separated by one or more These air bases are always in supply and 2 2.0 Soviet Special Rules hexes.” See 1.9. have unlimited supply for air transport. 3 3.0 Axis Special Rules Each off-map air base is associated with 4 4.0 Minor Variants B) The Soviet player is the first player one exit hex (the actual exit hex is the one 5 5.0 Victory Conditions in the first turn of each scenario. 6 Scenario 1 C) Reinforcements always come from with the marker box, it is not directly on the 7 Scenario 2 the Orders of Arrival. map’s edge). The air base is 3 hexes away 9 Scenario 3 D) Each scenario can also be a starting from its associated exit hex. A round trip to 11 Scenario 4 point of a campaign game (Scenario 1 is the and from the exit hex costs 6 hexes of 13 Scenario 5 full campaign game). When playing a range. No unit (air or otherwise) can remain 15 Historical Notes campaign game, ignore the scenario victory off the map; the air bases can only be used 18 Annotated Bibliography for round trips (ending back on the map) for Designer’s Notes conditions. resupply purposes. 19 Soviet Player’s Notes E) “KG” sized units (there are two of Axis Player’s Notes them—KG 167 Infantry and KG 2 FJ While the enemy can never use the Counter Manifest Parachute Infantry, both German) are other side’s off-map air base, it can 22 Weather Table Regiments (1 RE). “capture” it and put it permanently out of Air Effects Chart F) Any division that can support action by moving any attack capable unit Ground Effects Chart breakdown regiments can set up with through the exit hex (there is no requirement Common Rebuild Table to exit that unit). 23 Axis Order of Arrival regiments split off in any hex where the Soviet Order of Arrival division itself could set up. 24 Terrain Effects on Combat Terrain Effects on Movement Page 1 Hube’s Pocket OCS #4 1.4 Breakdown 2.0 Soviet Special 2.5 Soviet Unit Sizes Regiments Rules The unit designations on the Soviet Breakdown Regiments can only be counters represent their actual size. For created and re-absorbed by units with the 2.1 Reinforcements instance, Soviet Tank Regiments are same Action rating as the Breakdown Soviet reinforcements, SPs and actually equivelent to Western tank Regiment. Soviet 12-2-2 Infantry Divisions replacements (Repls) can arrive on any battalions and are marked as such. cannot break down. north or east edge road or railroad hex under Soviet control (on the Soviet side of 2.6 Pontoon Units 1.5 Rail Hex Control the current frontline) where the road or The Soviet player has two pontoon railroad exits the map. Alternatively, the There is no concept of railroad control units. To bridge with one, the pontoon unit reinforcements can arrive in any hex of here. As long as a rail hex is the gauge of the must be in Combat Mode (DG has no effect Kiev. Units entering at Kiev do not count nationality using it, it can be used. on this ability). Pontoon bridges (unlike against the player’s rail capacity. The limit of the Soviet gauge railroads HQs) totally negate the feature’s MP cost. 2.1a Supply Sources. Any hex is listed in each scenario. Railhexes west of Pontoon bridges cannot bridge swamp allowing reinforcement entry, except Kiev, the limit are German gauge; those on or features or lake hexsides. Pontoons never can be used as a supply source for trace east of it are Soviet gauge. negate combat effects. During any supply purposes. Movement Phase—even while in Combat 1.6 Engineer Mode—a pontoon unit can “flip” across 2.2 Reserve Markers the river it is bridging. Pontoons affect all Capabilities The Soviet player has 12 “free” reserve the hexsides that make up the hex the unit Only HQ units have full engineering markers. He can also purchase additional occupies. The Germans can never capture capabilities. Rail repair units have only Reserve Markers before play begins at a or use Soviet pontoon bridges. their rail repair capability and pontoon units cost of 1/2 VP per marker. Thge countermix (see 2.6) have only bridging capability. is the final limit. Reserve marker purchases 2.7 Kiev are secret and cannot be changed later. Kiev acts as a replacement center for 1.7 Air Drops the Soviet Army. Treat each Major City Although both sides have airborne 2.3 Hip Shoot hex of Kiev as an HQ for unit rebuild units, unit air drops are not allowed. Supply Soviet air units cannot conduct Hip purposes. points can be air dropped as per OCS rule Shoots. If 4.2 is used, IL2m3 air units 14.19. (only) can Hip Shoot. 2.8 Guard Unit Symbol Colors 1.8 Special Terrain 2.4 Exiting the Map To avoid interpreting all un-colored Types 2.4a Reinforcing the Flanks. If there Guards unit symbols as “mech” (“they are 1.8a Dual Terrain. When a hex contains are no German units adjacent to the Dnepr red, aren’t they...”). Non-mech and non- two terrain types apply the terrain type River on or before turn 16, the Soviet armor Guards units are colored white in most advantageous to the defender for player can move 14 steps off either the their unit symbols. combat and barrage purposes. Apply the south and/or north map edge(s). The steps most costly for movement purposes. This can be of any unit type, but must include at is regardless of the amount of the terrain least one Army HQ. Once exited, they type shown in the hex. cannot return. Doing this gives the Soviet 1.8b City Hexes and Railroads. All player 6 VPs and can only be done once. Major and Minor City hexes are assumed After turn 16, this rule cannot be invoked. to contain Multi-Track Railroads. 2.4b Axis Southern Wing Collapse— Soviet Requirements. If the Axis player 1.9 Frontlines declares the southern wing’s collapse, the Soviet Player must exit as many attack Numerous set ups require the use of a capable unit Counters off the south edge as “frontline” to determine unit set up. The the Axis player does (see 3.4 for Axis “frontline” is the forward edge of the troops requirements). For every 10 Soviet counters of the first player to set up (wherever that exited, one Army HQ and 2 Truck (or might be). In cases where no continuous Wagon) Points must also exit. These units frontline exists, use common sense to must exit before 5 turns have elapsed since “connect the dots” using whatever terrain the declaration. (Breakdown regiments (river lines, etc.) available. Be alert for count as 1/4 Counter for purposes of this enemy pockets—while not part of the rule.) frontline, they do form perimeters in which If this is not done, the German player friendly troops cannot set up.