The following is a list of changes which will probably be instated in the next OCS game (Enemy at the Gates). A popular question will be "but I thought you guys were going to keep to the series concept."

The answer is "yes, we are as firmly wedded to it as ever." I opened the door to changes in this system because numerous ideas came forward which represented improved ways of doing things, ideas which dispensed with gamey techniques, ideas which eliminated bogus ways of play, and ideas which made the game a better simulation of operational warfare. In short, sheer inertia aside, these make the game better.

When I opened the door to controlled change, I also added the caveat- "OK, but we will make any changes we are going to make with this edition. Then the door slams shut, after publication there will be no further change, except to post errata." That is still my deal and still what I am going to do-you have my word on it. Unless something is wrong, official changes end here. The rest is for house rules and optionals for the magazine, NOT for the official rulebook.

A. SEQUENCE OF PLAY:

Eliminate Current Turn cycle, including the Overphase followed by two turn approach.

New Turn Sequence:

Pre-Turn Phase
Weather Determination Segment
First Player Determination Segment

1st Player, Player Turn
Air Unit Return Phase Return air units, remove all interdiction markers generated by the first player.
Air Unit Refit Phase
Reinforcement and Reorganization Phase Placement of reinforcements, Variable Reinforcements, New SPs, Reorganizations, Unit Rebuilds, Unit Consolidations
Mode Determination and Movement Phase Airbase Construction, Hedgehog building, Breakdown Regiments, Mode determination and movement, expend fuel if needed.
Supply Phase Pay supply for units which can't trace, supply airbases
Reaction Phase Movement Segment (Expend Fuel if needed) Barrage Segment Combat Segment
Combat Phase Barrage Segment Combat Segment
Exploitation Phase Movement Segment (Expend Fuel if needed) Barrage Segment Combat Segment
Clean Up Phase Remove or Flip "Fuel" Markers, Remove DG Markers.

2nd Player, Player Turn
Air Unit Return Phase
Air Unit Refit Phase
Reinforcement and Reorganization Phase
Mode Determination and Movement Phase
Supply Phase
Reaction Phase
Combat Phase
Exploitation Phase
Clean Up Phase
Turn End

Sequence of Play Notes:

1) Hedgehog building, airbase construction, destruction of these things, all occur during the consolidated Mode Determination & Movement Phase. These things require units which have not and will not move which are in Combat Mode.

2) Airbase construction: Meet all the requirements to build, pay 2T, and roll one die. In the open, a roll of 2-6 is successful, in the close the roll is 3-6, in very close 5-6 and in Extremely Close 6 (based on the combat terrain type of the hex). If the roll is successful, improve or build the airbase--if not, the supply expended is lost.

3) Because of this shift, a turn is 1/2 week. Airbase costs are 2T per level for operations and 2T to attempt to improve. Hedgehogs are 2T each. Some things will happen faster and sometimes cheaper than before.

4) Supply costs for "overphase" purposes are IT per division and all divisions are the same for that purpose--no DSE issues or concept. SP scale changed to 600 tons, token equals 150 tons.

5) All airbases are automatically supplied to level I before the game starts (to avoid mass air unit shut downs on the first turn...

B. COUNTER-MIX LIMITATIONS:

All counter-mix limitations (H-Hogs, Reserve Mode Markers, etc.) have been eliminated. A set game limit (per side) of color coded Reserve Markers for each game will be provided. Reserve marker limits do not limit the number of exploit markers available.

C. STACKING & LIMITED INTELLIGENCE:

Order of stacking precedence which will preclude weird gamey things being used for so-called 'limited intell'.
A) Active Air Units (not on an airbase card)
B) Hedgehogs, Mode Markers (mode markers on top affect all units below), HQs, Combat Units
C) Supplies, Trucks
D) Airbases
E) Railhead Markers

Note: Where more than one thing is listed in a particular position, no particular order is called for.

The enemy player can look at the top combat unit or divisional marker in any hex adjacent to his units-i.e. under Hogs, game markers of all types, HQs, etc. He can ONLY see the top combat unit in this way. The top combat unit must be one with an ATTACK combat strength of one or more, if one exists in the hex OR a Divisional Marker.

Furthermore, at the instant of combat, each side MUST place his action rating unit atop of its stack so that the enemy in the combat can see the unit (if inside a Divisional Marker, bring the AR unit on to the map and atop the stack).

D. ZONES OF CONTROL:

Only units with an ATTACK strength of I or more (unmodified, defense only units do not count, nor do artillery) give the game's ZOC effects. Furthermore, only these units can take enemy dumps or airbases. In all cases where this "attack strength of I" rule is used, it represents the counter strength of the unit, unmodified for supply, DG or Reserve Modes, terrain, etc.

Be sure to make list of new ZOC effects complete in rules: retreats, example of DG effects (and when, what if unit retreats into a hex getting DGd and there are other units there which are not DGd as yet), reserve stuff. Units retreating into a ZOC hex which are already DGd lose their step and DG the stack.

E. REBUILDING & CONSOLIDATION:

1. Only things in the dead pile and units on the map with step losses are eligible for rebuild. Units which have yet to arrive cannot be built as suicide units.

2. There will be a rule allowing shattered units to be consolidated (for example, two wrecked Panzer Divisions can be combined into one full strength one, etc).

F. SUPPLY:

1. There is no Full/ Low Supply distinction. Units are either Supplied or Unsupplied.

2. The Player can choose to unsupply units. (and send them to the attrition table ... ) At any rate, the "must supply if it is there" rule has been eliminated.

3. All draw and throws of supply to or from HQs (only) need only be made to the hex adjacent -to make it consistent all the way around.

G. Substitute a trace-like system for basic supply considerations:

1. Most supply on the map will be only for ammo and fuel purposes, subsistence Supply Phase supply will generally be a trace operation with the unit tracing to the HQ and the HQ to a railhead. Once to the railhead, the trace must lead to a supply source.

2. Units which cannot 'make their trace' must expend onmap supply attherateof IT per division plus IT for the drawing group (like the DSE stuff before, only no such thing as a DSE, or divisions which cost more than one). Calibration: Any SPs expended for units which can't make their trace are given to the player in his next Reinforcement Phase. For instance, if the player must expend an additional 5T of on-map supplies for subsistence purposes, that player will get an additional 5T on the next turn. The 5T is given above and beyond the amount he would have gotten anyway. The 5T would arrive in ths way even if the forces expending the 5T are in an isolated pocket, etc.

3. Trace ranges are limited to the draw range of the HQ + one (which must make it to a detrainable hex). From that point along contiguous usable rail hexes (ignore interdiction) any distance to a supply source. Also, HQs or units can draw directly from a supply source. Any number of units which can make the trace through an HQ can be supplied in this manner.

4. Multi-unit divisions can only trace "for free" if all parts can trace through the same HQ. If not, one HQ's part can trace for free, for every HQ beyond the first required to pay for the division pay 1T each from on-map supply.

5. The tracing system does add the abstraction of infinitely large pipe-lines, but this should rarely be a problem or even noticeable.

6. Combat, Fuel, and Construction supplies handled literally as before (with the new addition of fuel).

H. Extenders

1. Truck and Wagon units will have a 5 point value unit which has a regular truck-wagon on one side and a truck-wagon "extender" on the other. These counters, when on their extender side, can be used to help bridge gaps for trace purposes only (if they are to be used for real supply movement on the map, they must be converted back into regular truck or wagon points). 5 points of truck or wagons must be used for each extender.

2. Extenders can only be used to bridge the gap between an HQ and a RR, between two unconnected RRs and between an RR or HQ and a supply source. Extenders can link together to form chains. Wagons can bridge 5 MPs, trucks 20 MPs. The bridge goes from the extender's counter back the range given. RR connection points must be detrainable hexes. Place the extender counter at the furthest point of the extension from the supply source.

3. To flip over to its extender side, a truck-wagon must not move in the cur-rent phase and it is part of the Mode & Movement Phase. Extenders can flip to their regular side and move in the same phase, only the converse is restricted. No truck-wagon can ever flip more than once in a single phase.

4. Extenders must count MPs into the hex of draw, not adjacent as in the case of HQs.

I. Fuel Supply:

1. To reestablish some of the detail taken away above (as well as to emplace an operational consideration ignored before), Fuel supply costs are added.

2. Units which are to move using tracked or truck MPs cannot do so unless their fuel cost is paid first-not even one hex. There is no provision to pay less than full fuel costs for proportional movement. Units which move using leg MPs (even if the Move Mode side of the counter is something else, do not pay fuel costs. EXCEPTIONS: Units can have combat (attacker or defender), barrage, advance after combat, and retreat without worrying about fuel payment or not. Truck Points can move without fuel costs unless the game specifies otherwise.

3. According to the below, pay fuel costs in any phase in which the player incurs them.

A) Pay 1 SP per Multi-counter division which contains any tracked or truck MA units. (This payment lasts until next Friendly Clean Up Phase.) If the division cannot all draw from one HQ or dump, apply C to any parts which cannot draw from the common supply source.

B) Pay 1 SP per HQ to fuel the independent units within its range. (This payment lasts until next Friendly Clean Up Phase)

C) Alternatively (when theplayersees ittobe in his own interest) pay IT per unit which has tracked or trucked MPs. (Lasts for current phase only)

4. Abuse Rule: The cost incurred in B) is supposed to, apply to no more than 10 REs of independent tracked-trucked units. Generally, play can be conducted without worrying about the exact number assigned to each HQ. If you are playing with someone who will abuse this and place all his independents under one HQ to get them cheap, charge 1 T per independent unit applied to an HQ above the 10 RE limit. If not, ignore this "abuse clause" entirely.

J. Organic Trucks:

1. To show the organic transport capability of some units (such as Panzer Divisions), a small truck unit will be given to each appropriate unit. These truck points have the following restrictions: they can never unload their contents on the map (if loaded, they remain so until the supplies are used), and only units of their own organization can ever use the supplies they carry. These can be consolidated from one division to another or they are destroyed when their division ceases to be-if part of the division is rebuilt, they do not come back. No division can acquire more than its printed amount of organic trucks.

2. Each organic truck unit would either be divided into 1 SP parts. A 2 truck point divisional column would require two 1 truck point counters.

3. Organic trucks (unlike regular trucks) can be put into reserve mode and take advantage of that rule.

K. Internal Stocks:

1. These can be used for combat supply for units. They can be used whether the unit can or cannot draw combat supply, for attacks or defense. The first time a unit draws combat supply from internal stocks, allow it to fight normally and mark it with a "Depleted" marker. The next time they do so, mark them "Exhausted". Internal stocks cannot be used to make barrages. Combats using internal stocks fight with normal strengths. Once exhausted, combat units act as in the current No Combat supply rules. Exhausted units that can draw regular combat supply fight normally. Players can choose to use internal stocks or regular draw. If a stack uses internal stocks, every unit in the hex reduces its internal stocks at once.

2. Recovery: During the Supply Phase, marked units MUST recover (if they are supplied)-2T per level recovered per RE (paid for from the on-map SPs). Units are paid for in the Supply Phase (they "eat") before any unit is replenished. Units the player chooses to leave Unsupplied need not replenish.

3. Unsupplied units are automatically marked as depleted (same counter) the first time they are found to be unsuppliedsubsequent times they are automatically exhausted as well. When the unit subsequently becomes supplied, mark the unit with the normal Depleted or Exhausted marker. Remember, replenishment is mandatory if the supply is available.

4. Units which become unsupplied which already have a Depleted or Exhausted marker automatically are marked with an "Unsupplied-Exhausted" marker.

5. Marking: internal stock markers are placed under owning unit. Optional: Jot down on paper any units which have used their internal supply.

L. Combat Supply:

1. Attacker supply is expended as follows: 1 T per RE or unit (whichever costs more in supply) Defender combat supply is adjusted as follows:

1 RE or Less: 1T
More than 1 RE: 2T

2. Combat supply cannot be withheld.

3. If a unit cannot have its full attack supply requirement fulfilled, it cannot attack. (Optional rule covering partial payment for multiple RE units.) Unsupplied units which find combat supply (so as to allow an attack) attack at 1/2 strength.

4. Artillery which has supply fires at full value. There is no half barrage value fire involved. The player either has the supply or not. Battalions cost 1 T, regiments 2T, brigades 1 SP. Rocket Artillery costs 2x the regular artillery cost (but does not go away after firing). Barrage strength is unaffected by being Unsupplied.

M. RECON BY FORCE-RESERVE SUPPRESSION

Reserves are no longer automatically "popped" when enemy units move adjacent to them. Ground units can conduct recon by force to see what is in enemy stacks. To do so, the recon'ing unit must expend the MPs required to enter the enemy's hex during movement +3 MPs and have an unmodified ATTACK strength of I or more. The player recon'ing the hex may then look through the hex and see all the units in the hex including those in Divisional Markers and the amount of supply in the hex. Truck MP units can only recon one hex before either overrunning it or ceasing movement. Other units may recon as many hexes as they can given their MA. After a hex is recon'd, remove any reserve markers from it, and roll one die: if the roll equals or is less than the best action rating of the reconning stack, the recon units can leave unscathed (the recon pops the reserve and the reserves just sit in the hex).

If the roll is greater than that action rating, the recon force can immediately be attacked by any former reserves in the hex (owning player's option). First barrage the recon with any formerreserve artillery in the hex, then attack with former-reserve ground units. Regardless of the results of any barrages or attacks (or if none at all can be made), the recon unit is finished with its movement IF it blows this die roll.

The recon die roll is made REGARDLESS of whether or not there are any Reserves in the hex.

N. RESERVES:

1. Reserves defend at x 1/2. Reserve units can move adj acent to enemy units themselves OR enemy units can move adjacent to them with no ill-effects. Release adjacent to enemy units has no special requirements. Reserves can move adjacent to enemy units (or have them move adjacent to them) with no ill effects-BUT a unit can never be placed into Reserve if adjacent to the enemy. (In other words, it can be adjacent to enemy units at any time, but cannot be adjacent when it first enters reserve status. Units while in Reserve cannot attack, barrage, or overrun.

2. Reserve Movement (during regular movement phase) x 1/4, not x 1/2. Movement of reserves after release remains the same as before. Where a unit has 1/2 MP of movement (or less), do not round down to zero and one hex of movement is allowed. Even this 1/4 movement requires the expenditure of fuel.

3. To force the enemy to lose reserve using the Combat Table (see also Recon above), a defender result of some kind on the combat table is needed-even if it is only a Dot. The application of the D result does not matter, only its presence. Barrage Table results of DG or more remove the reserve marker.

0. SURPRISE:

1. Surprise is no longer optional.

2. The Surprise Rolls are altered as follows: Overrun: 2-5 Defender, 10-12 Attacker Regular: 2-4 Defender, 11-12 Attacker

Add 1 to the defender's Action Rating if the defending units occupy a Hedgehog (any level).

P. COMBAT:

1. For each attacking stack, the defender can choose to apply the Special Modifiers for either the defending hex OR the hexside crossed (these are not cumulative). This is done PRIOR to the attacker revealing the composition of his stacks. The terrain of the defender's hex is that used to determine the terrain line of the combat table to use.

2. Delete At All Costs attacks and Anti-Overrun Barrages from the game.

3. A max of one artillery unit may apply its defense value to the hex it is in. (In other words, three artillery units in a hex would have a defense of 1, not 3). If there is more than one artillery unit in the hex, the remaining artillery units must also defend, but contribute 0 to the defensive strength of the stack-but are fully subject to adverse combat results.

4. Exploit combat results ONLY APPLY to combats occurring in the player's regular Combat Phase. Exploit results are never awarded at any other time.

5. The Bar-rage Tables cannot be used to destroy hedgehogs.

6. Barrage attacks cause rail hexes to be "interdicted" not destroyed (ground units can still destroy Tail hexes). A successful barrage attack on a rail hex results in an "Interdiction" marker being placed on the hex. Rail movement can be done through interdiction hexes, but the rail cap cost of the move is x2 if one or more such hexes must be crossed during the rail move. Interdiction Makers do not affect trace supply. Remove all interdiction markers during the next Air Unit Return Phase (of the player who generated the Interdiction markers). Destroying rail lines and rail repair activities are retained only where ground units do the damage. Interdiction markers are only placed by the GS vs. Facility Table and cannot be affected by any unit.

Q. AIR RULES:

1. The Hip Shoots rules are no longer optional.

2. Airbase cards will only allow air units to be placed off map-not supply or "garrisons".

R. Direct Line Air Movement:

All air unit movements in the game must conform to the following:

1) The moving player must announce that he is moving air units and the starting hex. He must decide on the ending hex, but need not announce it (unless players cannot be trusted ... )

2) The mission must move in a direct line path (or best approximate) between the starting hex and the ending hex. (No deviation around fighter zones is allowed.) Where two hexes are equally under the direct line path, the moving player selects the one he wants to use and may do so freely-even if it means he manages to miss an interception zone. It is the moving player's responsibility to ensure that his flight path be as direct as possible between the starting and ending hexes.

S. Put Up or Shut Up:

Whenever a fighter air unit takes up station in a hex (which can be any time during the player's phase, so that he can coordinate this action with other air units the way he wants), the moving player can declare "Put up or shut up". When the moving player makes this declaration, all enemy air units at or within 5 hexes of the station hex must either 1) Abort and head for a friendly airbase & become inactive

OR enter the station hex to receive air-to-air combat as the defender. If the non-moving air units win (those which were pulled into the enemy's station hex), they may re-deploy freely afterward to any hex at or within 5 hexes of the combat hex.

Any station hexes the phasing player leaves at or within 5 hexes of enemy air units which do not have "Put up or Shut up" declared for them when the player announces that he has finished his phase must automatically abort and return to base. (It would be best to do a mutual check for these before ending the phase so that the player declares all those he can.)

T. Other Air Rules:

1. Interdiction must explicitly apply to supply draw in addition to unit movement. Specifically state that air interdiction can be used to up the MP cost of a hex such that Overruns cannot be done into it. (and a good idea, too ... )

2. When an airbase is captured, inactive air units are destroyed right off (like before) but the player must roll for the active ones. One die. 1-3 reduce the unit, 4-6 don't.

3. Aborting or Returning air units cannot be intercepted.

4. Voluntary aborts are OK after winning air combats.

5. SPs only add a flak point to a hex if there is I SP or more in the hex.

U. ATTRITION

In order to give more teeth to the concept of being un supplied, replace the current Attrition Table with the below. Note that it is now done stack by stack (not unit by unit) and that there is no "first time", 11 subsequent time" stuff. Yes, the table is a killer. It was meant to be and was justified using four historical pockets and their 'life-spans'. It also replaces the need for isolation rules, etc.

Attrition Table
Two Dice Result

1 or less All
2 5
3 4
4 3
5 3
6 3
7 2
8 1
9 1
10 or more No Result

Modifiers: Add the best Action Rating in the stack to the roll, Subtract the number of steps in the stack.
Number is the number of steps the stack must lose.

V. OTHER:

1. Railroads: Fully define single-track railroads in the Series rules. Converted or repaired railroads cannot be used in the turn they are converted or repaired.

2.-Breakdown Rgts: Breakdowns and absorption occurs during regular movement. Breakdown Rgts which are stacked with units at the end of any phase that could have created them MUST reabsorb. Breakdown Rgts can only be generated by Infantry- type divisions whose Action Rating is equal to or greater than the action rating of the breakdown Rgt generated. Add "unless called for by the scenario, no breakdown regiments can be set up at start" to the set up notes.

3. Dump Capture: Dump captured on the ground-% is captured, rest destroyed. When with trucks or wagons, % is captured, rest displaces. The new owner cannot move captured trucks during the phase of capture.

4. HQ Units: HQs count for stacking as I RE and for all modifier purposes (such as barrage). Move Mode HQs have a defense strength of 1. HQ mode has no affect on throw or draw and HQs can throw and draw in any phase regardless of mode. HQs add to the flak strength of a hex. Only one HQ in a hex can add to the regular defense of the hex. A max of one HQ may apply its defense value to the hex itis in. (In other words, three HQs in combat mode in ahex would have a defense of 5, not 15). If there is more than one HQ in the hex, the remaining HQs must also defend, but contribute 0 to the defensive strength of the stack-but are fully subject to adverse combat results.

5. Village or City Control: Any rail movement OR units in Strat Move or Reserve Mode can't move through villages (or either type of city) unless another unit has already "cleared" them. Once cleared for a particular side, it remains cleared for that side until the enemy sweeps through and clears it for its uses. To "clear" a village (or either type of city), move a unit in combat or move mode (only) with an ATTACK strength of 1 or more (unmodified, defense only strengths do not count) into it. **The clearing unit need not stop nor pay extra MPs.

Conclusion

The above changes are presented to improve this game series. They either fix problems found after the publication of GB (when thousands of eyes and minds applied themselves to that game) or attempt to further the game's simulation of operational warfare. They are presented here for you to examine and to let me know what you think of them. Remember, much of this was based on the playtests of Enemy at the Gates, an environment which is different from GB and one which brought forward the behavior of the game (and the gamers !) in a different realm. Let me know what you think.