And Speaking of Slick

It's trick time again, and I've got some dillies for you this time out. Following are some "Guest Tricks" mailed in by Rick Parker, a Huntsville Rules Twister, accompanied by my comments:

Trick #1:

(7A3) While retreating in the Arctic and Finnish theate rs, Soviet rail engineers regauge Soviet rail to standard gauge. This slows the German/ Finnish advance. This regauging was worse before the Finns were given a railroad engineer in TEN #7, but the trick can still slow an advance. As a house rule, our group has banned RRE units from regauging to a rail gauge that their side can not use.

[A commendable approach, which in my opinion should be made official. -RG]

Trick #2:

(14B) Stack a 1-RE 0-defense Axis artillery unit with a 1/2 RE unsupported unit. This not only provides support to the non-artillery unit, but also increases the defense strength of the artillery unit to 1, as "all Axis artillery units in excess of (the REs of non-artillery units) defend with a total strength of 1."

[Boo! This is a sick trick, taking advantage of a missing sentence in the SE rules. Artillery rule 14B in Fall of France covered this point quite eloquently by adding this sentence: "Artillery with a defense factor of 0 never contributes anything to the defense." This sentence was probably lost in an intervening rules set for a game which contained no 0 strength artillery units, and then was overlooked when doing the SE rules. It will be added back, if and when the SE rules are reprinted. -RG]

Trick #3: (7A1) Form Soviet defense lines on rails if possible. When evacuation becomes necessary, units can rail through German ZOCs without cost.

[This item is a standard part of any competent Soviet general's repertoire. Pay attention boys and girls. A 1-point Pos AA unit with orders to stay in the hex while all its friends rail away is just the ticket. A 1-6 rifle regiment is also good fodder for performing this rearguard duty. - RG]

Trucks

You might recall that I started a commentary on trucks in TEM #16. I will honor my commitment and elaborate further on proper truck usage during the Barbarossa period of FitE. However, this topic deserves a full-length, cohesive treatment to allow for the proper development and coverage of all the myriad variables of this Axis logistical dilemma.

Unfortunately, this will have to wait for a while until I can set aside a block of time appropriate to deal with this complex subject, as well as to create the proper graphics to illustrate the finer issues involved.

Sorry, Deen, I know I promised, but... no plan survives contact with the enemy, and my biggest enemy is time.

Upcoming Attractions

Future issues of the Europa magazine will contain numerous items of interest for your reading entertainment:

Frank Watson introduces additional information on point cities and other notable features of North Africa; Peter Robbins explains how he plays Europa by phone; Ben Knight weighs in with a trio of articles covering Balkan Front, Western Desert, and Spain and Portugal respectively; Harold Andrews provides revised Soviet OBs for Arkhangelsk and Leningrad Military Districts; Mark Pitcavage plots strategy for Case White; James Broshot expounds upon several Commonwealth units; and our readers continue to share their experiences gained while playing Europa.

Additional material under development includes a First to Fight chronology; new slick and sick tricks; updates on various aspects of Supermarina; more coverage of Shelby Stanton's history of Europa counters; and more glimpses "Inside Europa" with John Astell.

Later this year we plan to devote an entire issue to Scorched Earth. This "theme issue" will contain a number of actual 1941 deployments; a detailed play analysis of The Urals' 1943 Scenario; a 1944 Battle Scenario; an interesting potpourri of "home brewed" chrome rules; and a detailed study of how best to employ the forces of Rumania in the Barbarossa invasion.

The State of the Union