While playing around on the Europa E-mail list recently, I had occasion to spout off about some of the House Rules I use. Frank Watson asked me to cobble them together for the magazine, so here are some of them. I am a confirmed "Chromaholic" - I love minor little rules that don't affect things too much, or that apply to only one or two units. I don't usually mess with major, core systems but rather concentrate on minutiae - unique events, a particular class of unit, one-time events. In other words, all of those things that are either too complicated, too minor, or too pointless to wan-ant placement in the regular rules. As well, much of my chrome is based upon personal biases derived from the reading I've done; just because I think it's historically accurate doesn't mean it actually is, or was. With those caveats in mind, on with the show...

Terrain Capability Effects: Units that pay reduced MP costs for terrain may receive combat modifications when attacking into, or defending in, such terrain. During non-Snow game turns, the following rules apply:

All units that pay reduced MP costs, per the TEC, involved in a combat where the defender is in a hex where that modifier would apply, are considered to be Terrain Capable (TC).

Cross-index the TC level of the attacker with the level of TC of the defender on the Special Combat chart to obtain the die roll modification. [ The Special Combat Chart is the Winterization chart from SE.]

Terrain Capability is calculated on a RE basis, by dividing the total number of REs participating in combat into the number of TC REs. There are three levels of TC: less than 1/7 TC, at least 1/7 but less than 1/2 TC, and 1/2 or more TC. Use of Terrain Capability triggers the requirement to take Required Losses.

Special Combat Chart
Defender	Attacker
	less 1/7	1/7 to 1/2	1/2 or more
less than 1/7	-	-	-
1/7 to 1/2	+1	-	-
1/2 or more	+2	+1	-

Note: do not use A Winter War's Finnish Woodsmanship rule in concert with this rule, simply treat all Finnish Infantry, Ski and Bicycle units as Light Infantry, and allow Finnish units the use the above rule during any weather conditions.

Commandos and Air-droppable units

Surprise attacks: All attacking commando units participating in a combat modified by a successful surprise attack are considered to be AEC neutral for purposes of AEC.

Special combat abilities: All commando units (except marine commandos) involved in combat eligible for the engineer modifier are ignored when calculating the engineer proportion.

Stealth: Any commando (except c/m and/or marine commando) units are treated as light infantry for all movement and combat purposes.

Unique units: Treat the 1-5 Glider-Engineer II "I I" (WitD) as an Assault Engineer and a Commando for all movement, combat and commando rules. It has no construction ability. It does not require any GT air units to make an airdrop - that is, it is fully air-droppable as an airborne unit. [Its unit type can be represented as a parachute-assault engineer: Gull wings crossing a vertical arrow.]

Units with Commando-like abilities: Air-droppable units may launch surprise attacks. During a player turn in which an air-droppable unit makes an airdrop, it may, if not disrupted, attempt a surprise attack. This is handled in the same manner as a commando surprise attack and the eligible unit is considered a commando unit while making the attempt; that is, it may be destroyed on a *F result and no more than one surprise attack attempt may be made per combat.

Spoiling attacks: Units eligible to make surprise attacks may make spoiling attacks. A spoiling attack is similar to a surprise attack, except that it is launched by the defender in combat. Immediately before the attacker announces any surprise attacks, the defender may announce and resolve any spoiling attack attempts. These are handled as surprise attack attempts, except that if successful, the combat die roll is modified by -1.

Airborne surprise: Non-disrupted air-droppable units that have made an airdrop are considered, for combats during that player turn's combat phase, to be: AEC neutral, ignored for engineer modifiers and ignored for Terrain Capability calculations. Disrupted air-droppable units have no AEC and are considered for Engineer and Terrain Capability calculations.

Airborne reaction: Enemy units may react to airborne landings. Handle this per the amphibious reaction rules, except that c/m units have only one MP, just like non-c/m units.

Bridges: One non-disrupted air-droppable unit per hex, which arrived in that hex by air drop, may attempt to capture an enemy owned bridge, in a manner exactly like a commando bridge capture attempt. Only one attempt per hex may be made, regardless of whether it is made using commando rules or these air drop rules.

Airborne capture: Non-disrupted air-droppable units arriving in an enemy owned hex via air drop can attempt to capture ports and/or air bases in that hex. No capture attempts may be made during a movement phase unless the hex is free of enemy units when the attempt is made. Airborne capture attempts are made after resolving any possible airborne overruns. Ports and air bases in friendly owned hexes are automatically captured during the combat phase.

During friendly movement phases, resolve the capture attempt using the Success Table. Each air-droppable unit may make one capture attempt, choosing a bridge, port or air base prior to making the capture attempt. The following modifiers to the success table apply to both bridge and port/air base capture attempts:

+2 Clear or Frost weather
+1 if GT or GHT used by unit
+1 if unit is air-droppable commando
-1 Winter/Snow weather
-1 if unit in an enemy occupied hex
-1 if hex contains any enemy fortification
-2 Mud weather

Note: that enemy fort counters modify the success die roll and are not removed until after all capture attempts are resolved.

Ports and air bases that are not captured are considered to be enemy owned for the remainder of that movement phase, for the purposes of all rules, even though the hex they are in may be owned by the air dropping units.

Miscellaneous Rules

Attacking from overstack: Units that began the friendly initial phase overstacked in a hex may attack, with certain limitations and restrictions. Units from overstack, equal to normal stacking limits, may be included in an attack. Nonartillery units have their attack strengths reduced by 50%, artillery units have their attack strengths reduced by 25%, prior to any other modifications.

Units attacking from overstack may use no special combat abilities and are ignored for purposes of calculating allowable GS air units. They are counted for the engineer proportion, except that, if an engineer, they are counted as artillery for this calculation. If AEC capable they are instead considered to be armor neutral. They may not advance after combat. They may not fire AA. They may not provide support for non-overstacked units and are not considered for Rule 14B with regards to nonoverstacked artillery units (including NGS).

Immediately prior to rolling the combat die for a combat involving any overstacked units, the Allied player must check for loss of command and control. Roll on the success table, on any result other than "S", modify the following combat die roll by -1, in addition to any other modifiers. Use the following modifiers when rolling on the success table: note: all modifiers are cumulative:

+1 for Western Allied attack on or after Jul I 43
+1 for Soviet attack in poor weather
+1 for Soviet attack on or after Jul I 43
+1 for Soviet attack on or after Jul I 44
-1 for Western Allied mixed contingent attack
-1 for mixed German - Axis-Ally (inc. Italian) attack
-1 during Winter/Snow weather
-2 during Mud weather

Denmark: Ignore the Axis Denmark Garrison, it may not enter play within the context of SF. Due to defensive forces not represented in the game, no Allied unit may enter Denmark.

Axis units which Form in Denmark may enter play from any friendly owned map edge hex in Denmark, may be placed in Odense or may appear in the turn following their formation at any Axis owned Baltic Sea port.

Garrisons: Units in garrisons are deployed on the map, either during initial set up, or when added to or returned to a garrison. Units in garrison may move within the borders of their district, but may not leave their garrison district. A unit in garrison must end each player turn in a hex that contains either a city, printed fortification or point city. Mark units in garrison by any agreeable means. Rotating them 180 degrees relative to other friendly units can work, or use the template provided with this article to make "Garrison" markers.

Follow normal garrison activation rules, except that units in garrison are released only during friendly player turns; there is no "half total RE release" during enemy player turns.

The only units that can return to a garrison are those units that match released units, in terms of unit type and size. Historical IDs, strength and supported status can be ignored.

[ Note the Rules Court ruling #216 in this issue addressing the Rules as Written garrison rules and also John Astell's comments in this issues 'Inside Europe.' A template for making garrison markers is provided at the end of this article. Except for occasional stacking problems, marking garrisons is also a good use of tile spacers (sometimes sold at higher prices to wargamers as "KT Markers") available at you local hardware store. - FEW]

Limited Intelligence: To better reflect the Axis' almost total lack of a long range reconnaissance ability, the Axis player may never examine Allied off-map holding boxes; keep forces in any Allied Holding Boxes secret from the Axis player. (Note: this requires a measure of trust between players/teams. If you think your opponent will cheat, don't play with them.)

Werewolf Partisans: The Axis player may make one partisan attack per month, per WK, in enemy owned hexes of Greater Germany. Follow normal partisan attack rules to resolve this.

Strategic Air War: The Axis player may choose to increase his commitment to the Strategic Air War. From the May 1 44 turn on the following rules apply.

During any Axis player turn, the Axis player may add operative German type F and HF air units to the Greater Germany Strategic Air War holding box. Immediately after making eligible air units operative, simply take the air unit from any non-isolated air base and place it in the holding box. (Keep added air units separate form regular Strategic Air units.)

Such added air units may be returned to play during any subsequent Axis air reinforcement/replacement phase by being placed at any non-isolated friendly owned air base. These additional air units are counted when calculating the number of the air units in the Strategic Air holding box and may be activated, along with other air units, when the Axis player calls up the Strategic Air force.

The Strategic Air War die roll is modified by +I for every 10 (total) additional German air units present in the Greater Germany holding box when the Allied player makes the Strategic Air War die roll.

Regimental equivalents:> Divisional-sized units have 3 REs, except for the following;

Divisional-sized units (except for German Army Panzer Grenadier) that break down have their RE size based upon their non-HQ breakdown components.

German Army Panzer Grenadier divisions have only 2 REs.
German non-artillery, non-AA Brigades have 1.5 REs.
All Italian divisional-sized units, except mot Inf and Cavalry, have 2 REs. Exception: for purposes of Italian Surrender count each Italian divisional-sized unit lost as being 3 REs in size.

Heavy Tanks: German 4-3-8 Pz battalions represent Tiger tanks which usually had a greater effect in combat than their mere numbers would warrant. Therefore, treat German 4-3-8 Pz Ils as being one full RE in size when calculating AEC/ATEC values.

Jagdpanzers: Similarly, German 2-8 and 3-8 Assault Gun Il's represent particularly effective and powerful specialized antitank armor. Therefore, treat these units as having one full RE when calculating ATEC values.

Port demolition: Axis assault engineer units may demolish the capacity of a port just as construction capable engineers may. C/m assault engineers count as double their RE size when damaging the capacity of a port.

Mining coastal waters:Mines in coastal waters and ports can interfere with friendly shipping (abstracted out of the game but of some importance none the less).

At the end of each player turn, the phasing player must pay a penalty if mines (friendly or enemy) exist in friendly owned coastal hexes. This penalty is 1/4 VP per mine level in each mined friendly owned non-isolated coastal hex; double the penalty if the hex contains a port; double the penalty for the Axis player if the hex is part of Greater Germany or Mainland Italy; halve the penalty if a LOC can be traced from the hex to a non-isolated enemy unit; halve the penalty for the Axis player if the hex is in an Axis Danger Zone.

(Comment: This is messy, I know, but the intent is to get players to abide by real world considerations; you simply did not mine coasts or ports which were important for your own shipping.

More Inside Europa

Crating Air Units
Garrisons
Second Front Player Sequence
British Cadres
Second Front Off-Map Movement