These rules have not been playtested. They expand our "Red and White" rules set and offer game masters additional scope for setting up miniature battles in the Russian Civil War. The would probably work as "stand-alone" rules for games of this period no matter what set is used for the primary game mechanics of moving, shooting etc. RULES CONCERNING SHIPS, BOATS, AND ICE SHIPS Are fairly large self-propelled vessels. They may be from the size of a fishing schooner up to warships. Ships may tow up to three boats. Some ships carry boats on board and may launch them in one turn on a D6 die roll equal to or greater than the number of boats being launched. Ships have a morale number of 6 unless otherwise specified. Ships may carry numbers of stands of figures of any type and quantity allowed by the game master. The default is 12 stands unless otherwise specified. Ships may move 4 D6 each turn unless otherwise specified. Warships may not carry cavalry or any horses unless specifically allowed by the game master. Merchant ships may carry horses. LAUNCHES Are boats with engines, either internal combustion or (more likely) steam engines. They may hold one stand of figures such as infantry, MGs, Artillerists, or command personnel. They may not hold mounted cavalry. A launch may tow up to one boat. Launches may move 3D6 each turn or 2D6 if towing a boat. BOATS Have no engines and may be propelled by oars or may be towed by ships or launches. A ship may tow up to 3 boats. A launch may tow only one boat. They may hold one stand of figures such as infantry, MGs, Artillerists, or command personnel. They may not hold mounted cavalry. Boats propelled by oars may move 2D6 each turn. Ice & Rivers Rivers may be in four states, Frozen, Thin-Ice, Unfrozen, and Ice-choked FROZEN rivers may be crossed by Infantry, Machine guns, and Cavalry. IF the game master specifies, Artillery, wagons and vehicles may cross, but not unless the game master does so specify. Ships and boats may not move into or in frozen rivers. A ship may not act as an (icebreaker to break a frozen river. THIN-ICE rivers may be crossed by Infantry, Machine guns and Cavalry and droshkys. Each stand that crosses must roll an ICE DIE. If the ice die result is 1 or 2, that many figures are lost per stand. Other results on the Ice die are no losses. Example, a unit of 4 stands would roll 4 ice dice. If the results were: 1, 2, 4, and 6, the unit would lose 3 figures that had fallen through the ice. Ships may move through a Thin-Ice river but at the loss of 2 dice in speed. The river must be divided by the gamemaster into sections 2" long or less. Each section will have an ice thickness number assigned by the game master to represent the thickness of the ice. The lead ship is acting as an icebreaker and must test morale each time it moves. This is done by rolling on a D6 a number a number equal to or less than the morale point of the ship, while adding the ice thickness to the die roll. Any damage on a ship is subtracted from the morale point. If the morale fails the ship halts for that turn. If it fails two turns in a row, the lead ship will turn and exit the game. The next ship in line may now (become the icebreaker by passing a morale test. The Ice in the wake of the icebreaker will be treated as Ice choked river) UNFROZEN rivers may be crossed by land units at bridges only, unless the game master designates fords or rules to search for fords. Ships and Boats may move freely under bridges, unless specified as too low to be passed under by the gamemaster. Water too shallow to admit ships or boats does not exist unless specified by the game master. ICE-CHOKED rivers may not be crossed by land unit. Ships may move through an ice-choaked river but at the loss of 2 dice in speed. The river must be divided by the gamemaster into sections 2" long or less. Each section will have an ice thickness number assigned by the game master to represent the thickness of the ice. Ships must test morale each time they try to enter a section of river. This is done by rolling on a D6 a number a number equal to or less than the morale point of the ship, while adding the ice thickness to the die roll. Any damage on a ship is subtracted from the morale point. Boats may try to move on an ice-choked river at 2 D6 per turn, but each turn must roll a D6 for safety. On a roll of 1, the boat overturns and all figures and equipment in it are lost. EXAMPLE: A ship steaming along an ice-choked river comes to a new section. The ice thickness number is 2. The ship is undamaged and thus has a morale point of 6. To enter the new section of ice-choked river, the ship must roll 1-4 on a D6. These numbers added to the ice thickness number would equal the morale point of 6 or less. A morale die roll of 5 or 6 would (when added to the ice thickness number) exceed the morale point of the ship. The captain of the ship, judging the ice too thick, would not enter that section of river. RULES CONCERNING AIRCRAFT AIRCRAFT AVAILABILITY The scenario being played should specify if an aircraft or multiple aircraft are available and to which side or sides. It should also specify on what turn the aircraft appear. If the turn of arrival is not specified, roll a D6 for each aircraft, the result being the turn of arrival. AIRCRAFT TYPES Aircraft may be Bombers, which attack ground troops by bombing or strafing; or Fighters, which may strafe ground troops or attack enemy aircraft. If a Fighter aircraft appears above the battlefield, it may Patrol or it may attack. Bombers may not patrol, they must attack. FLIGHT TURNS & REGULAR TURNS An attacking aircraft stops all normal movement. Attacking aircraft move on Flight turns. There are 6 Flight turns in a regular turn. The aircraft may stay over the table till it runs out of flight turns, expends all weapons, fails morale, or is shot down. The plane is allowed 5 D6 movement on the game table for each Flight turn.. AIRCRAFT WEAPONS Strafing, Treat as one 2-man MG team for each machine gun the aircraft has that fires forward.. Treat bombs as a hit by an artillery piece. Bombers can carry a D6 of bombs. ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE If the airplane flies within 12 of a machine gun the machine gun may shoot at the airplane, hits with 6 on a D6. Roll once for each section of machine guns. Machine guns on tanks or armored cars may not shoot at airplanes, they are not sufficiently flexible. If the airplane flies within 24 of an anti-aircraft gun, the gun may shoot at the airplane. Hits with 6 on a D6. Only warships can have anti-aircraft guns unless spedified by the game master AIRCRAFT MORALE Aircraft have a morale point of 6. Each hit reduces morale by 1. Aircraft must test morale at end of each air turn. Failure means that they fly away from the field and out of the game. A pass means that they may make another air turn. DAMAGE TO AIRPLANES Roll a D6 to see the effect of each hit: 1, = Miss! - Insufficient elevation or poor range estimate 2,3,4 = Damaged! Subtract 1 point from aircraft's morale 5 = Damaged! Subtract 2 points from aircraft's morale 6 = Machine seriously hit, Roll D6 again FROM ABOVE: If result is 1,2,3, the aircraft crashes on the field. FROM ABOVE: If 4,5,6, it flies away smoking. Will probably crash Even if not damaged, Once the aircraft's Flight turns are gone the machine must leave the field. Aircraft on Patrol will stay over the table for a D6 number of turns (NOT Flight turns). If an enemy aircraft appears over the table while an aircraft is on patrol, the aircraft will both go to flight turns and attack each other. AIRCRAFT VS AIRCRAFT Fighters roll 2 D6 when vs. Other aircraft. Observation or bombing aircraft roll 1 D6. High score wins and scores damage on enemy aircraft equal to the points difference between the die scores. 8 points damage and the machine must leave the table. 10 points damage and the aircraft crashes. Back to The Gauntlet No. 20 Table of Contents Back to The Gauntlet List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by Craig Martelle Publications This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com