Using doctrine and history as the basis for evaluation of the mobility of Europa units shows that the movement system:

1. For non-motorized units:
a. Understates the march distance of units marching into contact by 50% of their base movement rate.
b. Understates administrative march distances by 50% of the base movement rate.

2. For units marching into enemy territory and not engaging in combat:

a. Understates by 100% march distances for non-motorized units.
b. Understates by 25% march distances for motorized units.

3. Understates by 50% the mobility of non-motorized units in contact with the enemy.

4. Makes no provision for a mobile defense.

5. Understates the possibility of envelopment.

What is needed is a clean way of redressing the understated movement while providing for the missing tactical phenomena. By implementing the following modifications to the movement rule, all march values align closely to their expected values regardless of the unit's activity. These modifications are:

1. Implement unopposed movement.
2. Grant non-motorized units exploitation movement equal to 1/2 their base movement value.

With these modifications "Rule 6 - Movement" now reads:

Rule 6 - Movement

All phasing units may move during the movement phase. During the exploitation phase, all phasing combat/motorized units may move at their full movement point value; all other phasing units may move at 1/2 their movement point value. A unit may always move a single hex (except into or across prohibited terrain) in a movement or exploitation phase.

Unopposed Marches

The unopposed march rate may be used in the movement phase only. A unit making an unopposed march is considered to have movement points equal to 1.5 times its printed movement point value, and may move into enemy territory. A unit may make an unopposed march only if the following conditions are met:

The unit must be in general supply at the start of the turn. Units marching unopposed may not engage in combat; however, they may overrun enemy units. A unit making an unopposed march may never start, move, or end movement adjacent to any enemy-occupied hex, except for hexes occupied by partisans or units which are overrun under Rule 13. Units making unopposed marches may only spend movement points for movement and paying overrun costs.

Another Europa Innovation

In Europa, full exploitation is taken for granted for mechanized units. That was not the case when DNO was first released. Its implementation of exploitation was revolutionary as a game mechanic, and in the effects that it produced. Limited exploitation for non-motorized units will improve the basic Europa game model in a similar fashion. Imagine what playing Europa without exploitation for armored units would be like and you will have a measure of the positive effect that half exploitation has as a game mechanic for non-motorized units.

It is important to realize that the exploitation abilities of non-motorized units are limited in two respects: movement point values of non-motorized units are generally lower than for motorized units, and non-motorized units are only allowed half of their rated value in exploitation. This preserves the differentiation between the abilities of motorized and non-motorized units. Half exploitation for non-motorized units is by no means excessive, especially when you consider that moving through a single ZOC will take every movement point the unit has available.

More Forward...March! A Re-evaluation of March Rates

Introduction
Doctrinal March Rates
How Much Time Does Combat Take?
The Solution to Understated Movement
Final Results and Footnotes

Astell's Rebuttal to Forward March