THE MAPS

The maps show an evolutionary improvement over previous Europa maps. Point cities and the names of rivers, major mountain ranges, regions, and so on make their appearances. Ports are printed directly on the map, rather than hidden in the rules and charts. All this makes the maps more informative and easier to use.

In the past, Europa maps showed railroads and roads. Railroads were high-volume lines of major military importance. Roads, on the other hand, were a collection of low-volume rail lines and important roads. Now, low-volume railroads and roads get separate symbols and treatment. Narrow straits hexsides show the straits between bodies of land that are narrow enough for ground forces to cross. This removes the need to have special rules listing all such places. Well, it gets rid of almost all the special rules. For some reason, I thought the low-volume rail line crossing from mainland Greece to Euboea was sufficient to show narrow straits there, and I realized my mistake too late. Thus, these straits are defined in the rules (Rule 14F) rather than on the map. If you dare mark your maps, draw a narrow straits symbol across the hexside at 15B:0610/0711.

Marita-Merkur used the alternate spelling "Jugoslavia" for Yugoslavia. I felt this was too affected and have used the more standard English name. Alas, perhaps, the name game has spread to Yugoslavia's neighbor, Romania. Previously appearing as "Rumania," Rumania, Romania, and Roumania are all acceptable English spellings. I've gone with the "o" version, which matches how the Romanians themselves spell the name of their country, even though the "u" version is more common in modern English.

All place names within a country are their official names in the language of the governing power as of the start of World War II. Some place names are accompanied by parenthetical names. These names show:

• the name of the place in the language of its inhabitants, if this differs from that of the rulers. For example, Albania technically was part of Italy, and Italian names are used for Albanian towns. The Albanian names for the towns appear in parentheses.
• for an area conquered and annexed by another state, the new official names (if any) given to those places. For example, Italy annexed part of Slovenia, and Ljubljana became Lubiana. Likewise, the Backa became part of Hungary and received its Hungarian names.
• the German name of significant Volksdeutsch areas. The Volksdeutsch were ethnic Germans living in countries outside Germany and Austria. In eastern Europe, they often traced their ancestry back to German colonists who arrived in the Middle Ages or during the period when Austria dominated this part of Europe. On the map, cities that had a sizable German minority and were governed by traditional German town law (instead of the laws of the owning nation) are given their German names and are marked with an asterisk. (The asterisk will be used in Grand Europa to show where Germany can recruit Volksdeutsch personnel into the German armed forces.) For example, Maribor in Yugoslavia is Marburg, and Timisoara in Romania is Temeschburg.

Map Comparison: Old and New (very slow: 241K)

THE COUNTERS

As mentioned above, Winston developed a computerized system to produce the counters. While he was at it, he worked long and hard to increase the legibility of the air units -- nothing's really changed, but they're much easier to read.

In response to long and ardent demand (mostly from Australia, I admit), I've tweaked the British Empire color schemes so that the Australians and New Zealanders have distinctive colors.

The backs of the corps markers have a new symbol, unexplained and unused in the game. This is the overstacking symbol. I'm developing a set of rules to handle overstacked situations. They're in testing for Second Front and not finalized yet, but when they're ready, the Balkan Front counters can handle them without modification. Eagle-eyed Europa players will notice that the backs of German divisions sport "cadre" symbols, the same as all other nations, instead of the old "Divisionsgruppe" marking. One less tongue-twister to deal with!

The Polish unit and the Royal Marine unit are in non-standard Europa colors. It made little sense to increase the cost of the game simply to customize these units. Instead, the next Europa game that has a number of Poles and Royal Marines in it will also have these two counters in their proper colors.

More Balkan Front Designer's Notes

Dedication and Acknowledgements
Maps and Counters
Rules
Orders of Battle
Q&A
Errata Sheet