Operation Konrad
Rules Page 3
The Orders Phase
This
phase is the heart of the system, and the most detailed section. Just try to
use common sense when reading this, and not make it more complicated than it
really is.
After weather has been determined, The OAC
should plan his strategy, and confer with the players on his side. This process should be done as speedily as
possible, as time constraints will not allow emails to go back and forth
between players for a month as they decide what general strategy is best. Each
side may set up their own secret message board if that will help. But at some
point, the OAC must submit to his players what he wishes them to do in the
coming day. They can be as detailed as he wishes, or may be a simple “move into
sector D5”, or “hold C7 at all costs” type of message.
The player must then decide how to best
fulfill his commander’s wishes by issuing orders to his RCUs
as described below in detail. The player will send his OAC the specifics for
every RCU in his DSU, and he is encouraged to use the form, notations, and
abbreviations as described below. After the OAC has received the orders from
his DSU commanders, he fills out the Orders Form for his side and sends it to
the GoW. The Orders Form must be complete and
correct, and used the notations as described below, so that the GoW may process it quickly and accurately. Once the OAC has
received the orders from the DSU commanders, he may NOT change them…they are
considered already issued to the units! Thus, the OAC must be certain the
players understand what he wishes them to do. If a player ignores the wishes of
his commander, and issues orders that contradict what the OAC intended, then
such is war! The OAC does have the option of sacking the commander at the end
of the day though…
The Orders Form (OF) is a text document that
lists every RCU of every DSU on a side. It has a place to type the orders in
the prescribed fashion, to list attachments, and anything special that should
be noted. The OF is designed to easily be printed out if wished, and to be
zipped and sent when filled out. Since it lists the OOB for the side, it should
be considered a secret document and not sent to an enemy player for any reason.
Put simply, every RCU must receive an order,
and that order tells it to either move, defend, or go in reserve and rest. Most
orders need 3 parts to be complete, and the format is referred to as the “M.A.D.”
format…this stands for “Mode, Area, and Deployment.” Mode refers to whether the
unit is moving, not moving, or back in reserve. Area refers to what compass
bearing of the sector the unit is moving or sitting in. Deployment refers to
how the unit arrives or deploys on the sector in relation to fellow units and
the front line.
There are 3 possible Modes:
There are 9 possible Areas: N, NE, E, SE, S,
SW, W, NW, and C. These are all actual compass bearings based on the sector the
unit starts in, except the “C”, which stands for Center. These bearings refer
to the direction the unit is moving in its own sector, or where the unit is
set-up if it’s not going to move. Units with
There are 2 possible deployments: Front and
Rear. For moving units, it refers to what part of the entire echelon it is in…Front
units are leading the way, and Rear units are following behind it. For non-moving
units, it refers to what part of the sector it is in relation to the frontline
and the enemy.
Mobile Order (MOB)
An
RCU moves by receiving a MOB order. Except by forced retreat, this is the only
way to be certain that a RCU can move. To notate an MOB order
on the OF, simply type MOB in the space next to the RCU. The sector
moved into must be adjacent to the sector occupied by the RCU. Diagonal
movement is not allowed, only in the 4 primary directions. Note that a unit can
list the current sector it occupies as its destination by typing MOB and the
current sector it occupies. For example, “MOBC6” orders the RCU to remain in C6…it
is mobilized but staying put. RCUs receiving a MOB
order will start the scenario loaded onto transport if available.
MOB
orders can be further modified by a compass bearing that signifies the part of
the map it will enter. This is the Area order, and listed as a compass bearing
in reference to the sector it occupies. First, an initial direction of movement
must be notated…either N, E, S, or W. This signifies
which sector it is going to try to move into.
This initial direction of movement is modified by a further description
of intent, in reference to which part of the new sector it is actually going to
enter. The total bearings are: E, NE, N, NW, W, SW, S, SE, and C. However, in regard
to movement such as moving into an adjacent sector, common sense must be used.
If a unit is in C5 and wants to move into C6 (a “MOB-E…” order), the only
possible Areas to be listed are NE, E, or SE. In other words, for moving units,
the Area is the direction it will move and enter…note that upon entering the C6
sector, it would actually enter either the NW, W, or SW Area of C6…do not let
this confuse you! Thus, “MOB-E-NE” notates that the RCU in C5 will attempt to
move into C6, and it will enter the top left portion of the C6 sector from the west
side. Just remember the top of any map in this tourney is always going to be north,
and this concept should be understandable.
MOB orders can be further modified by noting
that it is a “forward” (FORW) or “rear” (REAR) unit. Simply put, a FORW order puts the RCU closer
to the fighting on the map, while a REAR places the RCU behind the leading
echelon, usually to arrive as a reinforcement in the
battle. This is useful to alleviate congestion at the beginning of the game,
and to preserve more valuable units until the terrain has been scouted a bit by
other units. A FORW RCU is not required to have a REAR RCU, nor is a REAR RCU
required to have a FORW RCU present. All eligible RCUs
can receive REAR orders or FORW orders. The order is simply a way to preadjust the tempo of the coming battle. Thus, “MOB-E-NE-FORW”
notes that the RCU is moving into C6 as a front element.
Defend Order (DEF)
A RCU receiving a DEF order is considered to
primarily be setting up defensive positions. It tries to stay put, digging in,
setting up minefields, etc. Units receiving a DEF order will be allowed to set
up with Improved Positions, Trenches, etc, as detailed later. For notation, all
DEF orders are modified just as the
If the DSU actually moves into an adjacent
sector because a RCU has received a MOB order, any other RCUs
in the DSU that received a DEF order will make an attempt to join the battle if
it was a DEF-FORW order. They are digging-in
off map, but hearing the sounds of battle, and perhaps urged by their
commander, they will abandon their digging and march
towards the enemy sector. They will try to enter the battle as a reinforcement
starting on turn 5…foot units will have a 50% chance of entering (using the
game engine’s percentage of arrival), and wheeled tracked units will have a 75%
chance of entering…this is usually set up at the battalion level. DEF units are
never loaded onto transport, so any units requiring transport will not appear.
Units which received
a DEF-REAR order will never appear in an enemy sector during battle.
Reserve Order (RES)
A RCU receiving a reserve order is
considered off the map. It is in a rear area and resting. No other
modifications are added to the RES order.
Units in RES contribute nothing at all to a battle (except when a DSU is
surrounded, as will be explained later) unless they have indirect fire
capabilities. If a RSU is in a “shattered” state, it can only receive a RES
order.
Details regarding the DSU as a whole
While a DSU is made up of separate RCUs that can receive differing orders, the DSU must remain
as a whole unit that occupies only one sector at any given time. There is some
abstraction required here. The main HQ of a DSU is always considered off the
map except under very special conditions. Any units in RES or not attached to
an RCU are also off the map. In a scenario, a Division HQ will usually enter
the map for each side…this is mainly for command control reasons in regard to
the players’ units, and this HQ merely represents a forward HQ element and not
the actual HQ of the division.
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If any
RCU receives a MOB order to try to move into a different sector, and the RCU actually
moves into the sector and is able to remain there after combat, then the whole
DSU is considered to have moved into that sector too (after the fight, if there
was one)…regardless of the orders of the other RCUs.
This is an important rule to remember!
-
Generally,
a DSU will have several RCUs. Anytime a DSU has more than one RCUs, at least one
of these RCUs must receive a RES order. Read this line again and remember it!!!! If a
DSU has four RCUs, three may receive MOB orders, but
the other one must receive a RES order. In other words, a DSU must always have
at least one RCU in reserve. (This is a historical reality, and virtually every
division commander kept a regiment in reserve at all times, except in the
direst of emergencies. This actually went all the way down to the company
level, with every company keeping a reserve platoon, but for the purposes of this campaign,
we’ll leave that up to the person playing to make that decision. We only
enforce this at the division level.)
Likewise, a DSU must also have at least one RCU not in reserve. If a DSU
has only one RCU left, it cannot receive a RES order.
-
The DSU
can try to move into only one sector at a time. Do not have RSU#1 plotted with
a “MOB-E-NE-FORW” order and RSU#2 plotted with a “MOB-N-NE-FORW” order…here
RSU#1 would be trying to move into the sector to the east, and RSU#2 would be
trying to move into the sector to the north. Make sure all RSUs
of a DSU with MOB orders have the same direction for the initial movement
notation…they can enter separate areas of the new sector though.
Orders and how they translate onto the battlefield:
Obviously, there will be several
combinations of orders in effect at the same time, and the fact that one player
is the attacker and the other is the defender will have an effect on what
actually happens when these orders are carried out.
Assume Player One is moving into sector C6
from C5. Player Two is already in C6. Player One has 3 RSUs.
-RSU #1 has received a “MOB-E-NE-FORW”
order. It will start the scenario on the map near the NW border of C6, close to
the west edge. Any units eligible will be already loaded onto transport. If it
had received a “MOB-E-SE-REAR” order, it would enter C6 early in the game as a reinforcement, and in the SW corner.
-RSU #2 has received a “DEF-E-FORW” order.
Since RSU#1 is doing a MOB order and engaging in combat, the units of RSU #2
are going to come out of their trenches and march to the sound of the guns. It
will try to arrive as a reinforcement beginning turn 5. It will not be loaded
on transport, and any units requiring transport to move will not enter. It will
enter the W section of C6. If RSU #2 had received a “DEF-C-REAR” order, it
would not enter the battle at all, staying behind and happily digging trenches
in front of the division rear somewhere off the map to the west.
-RSU #3 has received a “RES” order. It does
not enter the battle at all, but any artillery units can fire as OBA.
Now, let’s look at Player Two.
-RSU#1 has received a “MOB-W-NW-FORW” order.
However, Player 2 was unable to move into C5 (the initiative rules regarding
this will be explained later), and his whole DSU remains in C5. RSU#1 will be
set up in C5 near the middle top of the map, and loaded onto transport. If it
had been a “MOB-REAR” order, then it would arrive as a
reinforcement from the east, early in the game.
-RSU#2 has received a “DEF-C-FORW” order. It
will set up on the map near the middle, unloaded, and with prepared positions
as will be described later. If it had been a “DEF-SE-REAR” order, it would
start the scenario with prepared positions in the lower right part of the map,
close to the east edge .
-RSU#3 has a “RES” order, and does not
appear. If OBA is possible, it may contribute to the battle.
A Summary of Percentage of Arrival
For the attacker: “MOB-FORW” units have a
100% chance of starting on map on turn 1. “MOB-REAR” units have a 75% chance of
arriving starting with turn 2. “DEF-FORW” units have a 50% chance of arrival
starting with turn 5. “DEF-REAR” units have no chance of arrival.
For the defender: “MOB-FORW” units have a
100% chance of starting on map on turn 1. “MOB-REAR” units have a 75% chance of
arrival starting on turn 2. “DEF-FORW” and “DEF-REAR” have a 100% chance of
starting on map on turn 1.
All chances are always processed at the
battalion level if possible.
Attachments and RCUs
Listed on a division’s OOB page are several
small units that can be attached to the RCUs. These
divisional assets must remain with its parent division, but can be attached to
any RCU in that division. Every RCU can have up to 2 attachments. An attachment
is noted on the OF, and a unit remains attached until noted otherwise attached
to another RCU. Once attached, it is considered part of that RCU for all
purposes. Any asset not attached to an RCU is considered in reserve, and has no
effect on play.
The HQ itself may have 2 attachments also,
and noted on the OF as OBA. As they remain offboard,
the only purpose of this is to create offboard
artillery. If an asset doesn’t have indirect fire capabilities, there is no
reason to note it as attached to the HQ as OBA. Note that any artillery
attached directly to an RCU will not be OBA, unless that RCU is in reserve.
Army Assets and Attachments
OACs will also have non-DSU units listed on their
high-level Army OOB page. These assets may be distributed as he sees fit to the
units below him per the following rules:
German side:
The German OAC may send an Army asset to a DSU player at the beginning of the
day. He simply informs the player that he will have, for example, the 589th
Heavy Armor Battalion as an asset on that day, and the player should attach the
unit to an RSU. When the OAC sends the OF in to the GoW,
he must be certain that the attachment is noted on the form. There are no
restrictions as far as moving these high level assets back and forth, day by
day.
Russian side:
The Russian players, however do have restrictions.
Army or Front assets must be placed with a corps first, and then the asset may
be sent to a particular DSU in the corps on the next day. Thus, it will take
two game days for a high level asset to actually arrive at a DSU for the
Russian player. When unattached, the asset may move directly to another division
in the corps, but if the division is in a different corps, it must be sent to
that corps first, with a delay.
Russian assets that are noted as corps
assets on the OOB pages must always remain in that corps, but can be attached
and unattached without any delay just like the German’s. It is only the higher
level assets that undergo this delay.
All this will require a close cooperation
between the Russian OAC and CCs.