THE SITUATION

The Soviets are invading West Germany with extreme prejudice. They want to "liberate" as much territory as possible, particularly the city of Frankfurt, before NATO can muster its imperialist lackeys to repel the invasion. For NATO, the feces has struck the rotating blade device: they are unprepared, outgunned, and being overrun by hordes of godless communists. But help is on the way. All they have to do is hold off the Red Tide until reinforcements arrive. Until then, they are far from helpless - if Ivan thinks he's going to waltz into Frankfurt without firing a shot, he's got another think coming!

INTRODUCTION

DRIVE ON FRANKFURT constantly offers you decisions. Some are strategic decisions which affect the course of the entire game; others are tactical, affecting a single combat. All depend on an understanding of the game system and the capabilities of the Soviet and NATO armies. Players unfamiliar with impulse movement games may at first be overwhelmed by the novel game mechanics, including the multitude of unit types (artillery, electronic warfare, helicopters, airmobile, etc.). However, the more you play, the more you will appreciate the uses and interactions of the game's elements. You will be continually learning during each play, making replays fun.

In the game, players alternate taking either of two types of impulses, general or formation. In a general impulse, you can activate any three units. In a formation impulse, you can activate a whole formation, a division of 8-9 units for the Soviets, or a NATO brigade of 4-5 units. Activated units can move and attack, then are flipped over and remain in place the rest of the turn. The system provides a changing situation constantly, with little dead times waiting for your turn.

In each impulse you have to ask yourself two key questions:

1. Which units should I move?
2. How can I use them to accomplish my goals?

The answer to the first question depends on the current situation, as well as your strategic objectives. Usually, you will want to choose a formation impulse and for your choice, you should consider which enemy formations have not been activated. These are the current threats.

Formations that have already been activated are history - they've done their damage. Preparing to meet the actions from units that haven't been used is a way of blunting those actions when thy do occur. The answer to the second question - the how to use them - is much less clear cut, but it is the essence of the game. It depends on a good grasp of the game mechanics, as well as an appreciation of the roles the different units play in the overall operations. It takes mastery of both these aspects to win at DRIVE ON FRANKFURT.

SOVIET STRATEGY

As the Soviet player, you are on the offensive, so your actions will largely determine the overall course of the game. All of your units enter as reinforcements from the map edge; and you win by capturing a sufficient number of West German cities, inflicting losses on NATO, and minimizing your own losses. In general, if you concentrate on territorial objectives, the victory points for step losses will come as a by-product. (Of course, if NATO hands you a unit on a silver platter, it shouldn't be refused!) By far the biggest prize on the map is the Frankfurt area, and this should be the main objective of any Soviet drive. You can win without taking any part of Frankfurt, however.

You have the initiative and superior forces, but time is on NATO's side. Don't get bogged down near the East German border - maintain mobility. Keep the NATO player off balance by never attacking where he expects. If this means changing the thrust of your offensive slightly, do so. Most importantly, keep the NATO front line stretched out, with their units spread thin, while your divisions stay close-knit and concentrated for the attacks.

The most direct route from East Germany to Frankfurt is through the famous Fulda Gap, a swath of clear terrain around the city of Fulda. The Fulda Gap is also where NATO is likely to offer the heaviest resistance. An alternate route is through the city of Kassel, near the northern edge of the map. The Kassel route is longer, but has the advantage of being farther from NATO's reinforcement points. It is unlikely, however, that you can get to Frankfurt solely with an offensive through Kassel. But attacking there can provide several options that will force a counter move by NATO. It could allow you to roll up the northern flank of the NATO forward defense, act as a simple diversion, or garner victory points through the capture of the cities in the area Kassel itself is worth 24 points, the same as four hexes of Frankfurt. One good strategy is to make a strong thrust through Fulda in the first few turns, drawing units away from the Kassel area, then take a reinforcement division into the north to tie down NATO units or to exploit a NATO weakness.

Between Kassel and Fulda is an area with plenty of good defensive terrain. In general it is better to steer the action away from this area since it is far from Frankfurt and easily defended. But keep an eye out for gaps and weaknesses in the NATO line. If this central area is too quiet, NATO may pull units out to counter the heavier threats and, without units to occupy it, that defensive terrain can become a highway into the NATO rear.

Once Fulda is secured, you can proceed directly against Frankfurt, with a secondary drive toward the heavily wooded area east of the city. If the NATO player doesn't guard against this secondary push, he can end up defending a line the entire length of the map, with the Soviets on the outskirts of Frankfurt. If NATO adequately defends the area, however, little progress will be made.

SOVIET TACTICS

As the Soviet player, you must master the technique of the modern blitzkrieg. In DRIVE ON FRANKFURT, this means making an effective attack on a weak point in the enemy line and exploiting through the hole on the same impulse. A formation impulse is almost always called for. After choosing the point that will be the objective of the attack, soften the defenses up with artillery bombardment or area jamming. Then attack the position with the fewest number of units needed to ensure at least a 3-1 attack after all terrain modifiers. (Remember, if a unit isn't either disrupted or jammed, it can call for artillery, helicopter, or air support and your 3-1 could become a 1-1 with a -2 modifier, i.e. a nightmare). After the "successful" attack, exploit the hole with the rest of the activated division, attacking any units blocking the advance. In short, use the Soviet echelon attack strategy. Surround enemy units if possible, but take the important ground first. Destroy NATO Headquarters whenever possible - this could cripple a whole division! Look for other attractive targets: electronic warfare units, lone artillery units, or (a real joy!) an unguarded helicopter base.

In most cases use deliberate attacks. Hasty attacks limit you to one supporting artillery unit, restrict helicopters to half radius, and have combat penalties, particularly for infantry. They can be effective against weak positions that you want to destroy with as little delay as possible. Assault attacks usually require the expenditure of too many movement points. Deliberate attacks only cost one movement point, but are substantially more effective than a hasty attack.

Don't hesitate to attack just because it might be costly to you. In most cases, an exchange of step losses is to the Soviet advantage, since you get two victory points for destroying a NATO step, but lose only one point for your step loss. However, don't get carried away with eliminating units and neglect to advance. Concentrate on destroying the cohesiveness of the NATO line rather than body counts.

The Soviet Army has basically two kinds of artillery units: Regimental Artillery Groups (RAGs) and Divisional Artillery Groups (DAGs). Each division has two RAGs and one DAG. The RAGs are best stacked with the spearhead combat units of the division and used to support their attacks. The DAG is best kept behind the lines for pre-attack bombardment, since it has a higher bombardment value and greater range that a RAG, but its attack support modifiers are not that great.

The Barrage phase is rarely useful for the Soviet players, since any units that bombard cannot move in the coming turn. However, bombardment can be useful in impeding the movement of particular NATO units; for example, to keep NATO from closing a newly created hole before it can be exploited, or to prevent units in exposed positions from escaping, allowing them to be surrounded and destroyed. Even in these cases, it is only marginally useful, since disruption costs units only two movement points and units whose headquarters are disrupted still have a chance to move.

Soviet airmobile units are primarily useful for two missions: to deny NATO access to critical defensive terrain, and to delay NATO reinforcements. NATO can usually brush aside a single airmobile unit, but a pair placed on separate hexes can cause some problems, especially if they can hold up a brigade at a critical time. Needless to say, airmobile units which go up against an entire brigade are not known for their longevity, but they can make their sacrifice worthwhile. It is usually not practical to use these airmobile units to help surround enemy units, since they don't have a zone of control on the impulse they are dropped (and it is suicide to drop them into an enemy zone of control). Using them to threaten an enemy position by dropping them so their zone of control will cut off the enemy next impulse is a good tactic, especially if all the NATO units in the area have already been activated. Even if they haven't, it might convince the NATO player to retreat from the position - unfortunately, it's usually right over the top of those airmobile units ...

Helicopters can be effective offensive weapons when used properly. Add them to your attacking force when you think the NATO player might use his helicopters or supporting artillery. Using them for precursory bombardment is useful against armor, since the helicopters are doubled when bombarding them. One bombarding helicopter has a 60% chance of disrupting an armor unit; two helicopters together have a 90% chance! Once the armor is disrupted, it can't call in its own helicopters to support itself. If NATO has a lot of helicopters left, it's usually more useful to have your helicopters bombard rather than face those American choppers.

Soviet Electronic Warfare (EW) units are best used for area jamming, because of the -3 modifier. They are useful as precursors to attacks, similar to artillery bombardment, or used in conjunction with a bombardment against particularly strong positions. Formation jamming can be useful if NATO has left an important headquarters vulnerable, but area jamming usually gives more coverage for the effort.

Soviet air strikes are useful for a variety of things. Used as close air support, they can make up for a lack of artillery in a particular sector. They can be used the same way for bombardment, but they can also reach further than the tubes to strike at enemy headquarters or helicopter bases behind the lines. An airstrike has a 50% chance of disrupting a base or HQ; two strikes in conjunction raise that to an impressive 80%. Disruption of a key helicopter base can be as useful as disrupting the front line unit being attacked (and thus keeping it from calling for support). Air strikes are not critical, but they can add some punch if used properly.

To be successful as the Soviet player, you must attack ruthlessly, but not recklessly, killing NATO units wherever possible without wasting time in your advance. Attack where NATO is weak; bypass him where he is strong. Shift the direction of your attacks to keep him off-balance, but maintain the forward pressure toward your objectives. Stretch the NATO line; shatter it; and drive on Frankfurt!

NATO STRATEGY

At the beginning of the game, the NATO forces are spread across the map, with the Germans in the north and the Americans in the south near Frankfurt. You get a limited amount of pregame movement to prepare for the Soviet onslaught, which will come from the north and east map edges. Your reinforcements arrive piecemeal in the Frankfurt area.

There are basically two phases to NATO strategy: the forward defense phase, and the fighting withdrawal phase. In the forward defense phase, you defend along the line of protective terrain running between Fulda and Kassel. In the fighting withdrawal phase, you fall back from this line toward Frankfurt, executing a delaying action. Ideally, the first phase will last all game, but against a skilled Soviet player, you will probably have to withdraw at some point or be overwhelmed. Knowing when, where, and how to withdraw are the keys to successful NATO play.

Nevertheless you should never abandon the Fulda-Kassel line until you absolutely have to. It provides some of the best defensive terrain on the map and it is a relatively short line. Its drawbacks are that it is closer to the Soviet reinforcement hexes than to yours and it can potentially be breached before you have a chance to consolidate it. The weak point is Fulda itself, and most of your reinforcements should be directed there. Be careful not to let the Soviets roll up the flanks, either from south of Fulda or north from Kassel. Garrison the north to keep the Soviets from a cheap harvest of city victory points around Kassel. Strive to keep the German and American armies separate - they don't mix well, since they can't stack together or use each other's artillery or helicopter assets. During the withdrawal phase, it is imperative not to allow units to be surrounded, since this will spell their destruction. You might consider taking a couple of expendable units and running them around the Soviet rear area to block autobahns, retake cities, and generally harass him. Keep a close eye out for exposed Soviet headquarters - destroying one can take the steam out of the offensive for a while.

NATO TACTICS

For the most part, you will have to remain on the defensive, except for bombardment. Massing ground forces for an attack usually depletes other areas of needed units. And the victory point schedule doesn't heavily reward you for killing units; so if you attack, have a set territorial goal in mind.

If you can disrupt a Soviet unit, then surround and attack it, without significantly weakening your line, by all means do it. It may not cripple the Soviet advance, but it will make him less adventurous. In most cases, though, it is wiser to fall back rather than attack. Bombardment with artillery, helicopters (doubled against armor), or air strikes can be an excellent way of attacking those Red spearheads.

Defend in depth when possible, blocking roads and autobahns, so the Soviets can't scream through a hole they've punched in your line. Keep your headquarters garrisoned and well behind your lines. Occupy rough terrain and cities, but not at the expense of exposing units to being surrounded.

Your first inclination may be to put your artillery behind your lines, so they can give support to as many units as possible. This has advantages, but if the Soviets disrupt the unit under attack, that support can't be utilized. Artillery can always support their own hex, so put them at important hexes in the line. They can still support nearby units if their own hex is not under attack. Be careful about firing artillery during impulses because it can't be used again during the impulse - not even to support its own hex! However, fire every artillery unit you have during the barrage phase - it's a freebie, and every unit you disrupt is all but useless to the Soviet in the coming turn. Try to concentrate your fire as much as possible; you may even walk away with a few kills. If the Soviets advance a headquarters within range of your tubes, hit it with everything that will bear.

Put your helicopters within range of as much of your front line as you can. The existence of their support capability will inject needed uncertainty into the Soviet plans. But don't let bases be overrun - they make a tempting target for the Soviet spearheads, particularly if on a road or autobahn. Don't use all your choppers early in the turn, make the Soviets worry about them constantly. If, midway through the turn, you haven't used any helicopters, bombard some Soviet armor that hasn't moved as yet. A single helicopter has an 80% chance of disrupting armor. It is a waste of time to disrupt an armor unit that has already moved, since it has a 70% chance of recovering before it moves again.

The most effective way of using the NATO EW assets is formation jamming. Not only does NATO have a -1 modifier for area jamming, but it is simply not that detrimental to the Soviets - it only affects units in one hex. Formation jamming, on the other hand, can mess up a planned Soviet advance. Formation jammed units may be able to move, but the Soviet player can't count on them. Since he has to move one unit before rolling for the next, he will have difficulty structuring an effective attack. The rule of thumb here is the same, though: jam the formations that have yet to activate.

NATO air strikes are useful for close air support to those key defensive positions. However, the Soviets will try their best to disrupt the units so they can't call the aircraft in. For this reason it is best not to allocate all of your air to close air support. Allocate some to bombardment and use them in conjunction with the helicopters against enemy armor.

Successful NATO play depends on using every trick at your disposal to harass the Soviet. Never let him take anything for free and never let him move his divisions around at will - use your EW and artillery to hit his spearheads and headquarters.

Above all, don't panic. Time is on your side.

Drive on Frankfurt

Wargame Rules by Jonathan Southard
Designer's Notes by Jonathan Southard
Player's Notes by C.R. McKinney
Units of Drive on Frankfurt by Jonathan Southard