USS Philadelphia

I doubt if it will come as news to anyone, but Sicily coming this summer will contain the new version of the standard OCS rules, v3.0. Those involved in the discussions on the gamers-l e-mail list are familiar with the many decisions made which created these rules. Others might have had a chance to download the draft documents from the web site (a subset of which have been very helpful to me in refining the text). This article is written for both groups as well as those who did not have a chance to catch either. The rules are still available at the web site if you put this down and want to see it all.

I went into v3.0 with two goals in mind. First, I wanted to correct every item of known errata, no matter how tiny. Second, I wanted to make some final decisions about what would become of the many optional rules I've proposed in the last few years. A number of guys were interested in the latter as they wanted to consolidate all those rules floating about into one rule book. Once involved in this project, I found a number of other tasks which I wanted to take care of while I had the chance. A number of rules have been repeated frequently in game-specific rules and were generally applicable to the whole series. These were incorporated directly into the series rules. Terminology was standardized where possible to avoid clumsy expressions ("Transport Points" replaces all the "Trucks, Wagons, Mules, Elephants and so on" statements, for instance).

Battle Wagons

I also found that this was a very good time to flesh out the system's naval rules. Sicily required extensive material on landing craft, ships, and gliders. The glider rules I chose were the same as those presented in Burma, so I decided I might as well make them series standard (along with Burma's airdrop routines) to avoid duplication in later game rules as well. The Sicily naval sections were (for the most part) moved into series standard as well. Once there, I saw that this would be a good time to standardize the naval material to handle the types of naval interactions that would take place in Rod Miller's Korea game as well as any potential Pacific campaigns we might want to examine in the future. I painted a naval structure appropriate to the system--one that is capable of showing naval warfare at this level, but not one bogged down in the tactical issues of ship combat. Several minor "bench test" scenarios exist (and were also posted on our web site with the v3.0 rules) for those who want to test drive these rules in isolation. I'm looking forward to doing some the combined campaigns of the Pacific Theater in future OCS games. An important note to those looking at these Naval rules: The OCS naval system is designed as an overlay to the existing ground and air modules which allows the interaction of ships with each other and with other units (especially air). It is not a tactical naval system!

System Refinements

I won't try to detail all of the changes that exist in the new rules set (these are marked in the rules text to make them easy to find when you download them or get the printed version next summer). I do want to hit some of the high points of things that might not have been in the optionals already and explain why.

For the most part, the important optionals have been adopted as standard (things such as the combined arms rules and new air rules). A number of them (the more trivial) did not make the cut.

A very few rules remain as optional. These are rules regarding recon (the old recon rules were eliminated), proportional strength (just for those trying to squeeze some extra strength out of their breakdown combinations), and a small rule to control excesses when it comes to independent units.

On the Combat Table, the freedom from option results enjoyed by units when the other side dies is now gone. Also, the defender is only subject to the number of his own option result that the attacker takes as losses. The first rule is designed to make attacking single units a more costly experience (and hence not as trivial an affair). The older optional rules introduced a large number of, well, goofy rules designed to allow a single step unit the ability to live. I found those to be too tedious and subject to their own abuses. Not letting the attacker off the hook in a case like Ao1/DL1 means that he'll need to think twice about smashing the small-fry. In other words, it doesn't come free.

The second rule compensates for the first's change when it comes to the defender and "throw away" attacks. Let's say the second rule didn't exist and the attacker proceeds to overrun with a one step unit. With a result of, say, AL1o1/DL1o2 the attacker would die (of course), but the defender (no longer freed from his option) would be stuck dealing with both his step loss and the o2 result, all of which the attacker got "on the cheap." To avoid that situation, the second rule makes it so that the defender is only subject to the amount of option equal to the options the attacker took as step losses. In our example, the attacker took none of his option result (o1) as step losses, so the defender can ignore his o2 result (he must still take the L1). Units can no longer freely choose to use internal stocks at the time when they know they are going to die. That just involves too much skillful control of assets and is well beyond the ability of the real commander to optimize like that. Now, if real supply exists in the area, the player must make use of it before looking to internal stocks.

Shermans in British service in North Africa

Strategic Move Mode units are in for a few hits. These are all designed to eliminate their utility as deep raiding forces. Strat Movers are now automatically assumed to have an AR of zero, a strength of zero and cannot use on-map supplies (if they roll for attrition, they must use their new zero Action Rating). Combine this with their new inability to capture dumps. transport points, cities, villages, ports, airfields and such and you'll find that sending a unit on a deep raid means they will be going to a certain death. Either the enemy will be able to attack them and wipe them out (0 AR, 0 defense units are easy), or they will almost certainly starve to death in the coming Supply Phase. If supply trace elements are able to keep up with these guys, and regular units are around to protect them, then I'd say it is a major offensive or in the friendly rear; either case isn't a violation of the purposes of Strat Move the way it was being used before.

Air Power

Besides the all-new naval rules, the air system came into the most work. The optional air system in DAK and Burma was directly loaded with a number of smaller additions and deletions to make for a more consistent whole. Stacking of four was made standard (except for the air base benefit), but I also decided to allow air units to move in groups of four as well (no separate movement stacking limit). Disorganized air units from the optionals is there, but I changed the term to Dispersed to eliminate any confusion with the completely different ground concept of DG. The biggest modification to the air rules that was not in the earlier optionals is the restriction that only single air unit stacks (one air unit in a hex) can intercept.

This was done for a number of reasons. I wanted the CAP air units to spread out more (having them in separate hexes makes big zero-sum air battles a thing of the past). The moving player can still send four fighters to take out a CAP hex, but unless other CAP hexes are in that same flight line, it will not be able to ruin the enemy CAP in one massive strike (it also won't be able to win its air battle and set up a very strong CAP location of its own). Spread out CAP and the requirement to take them on a little at a time means that you'll have more, smaller, air battles (better feel) plus the CAP will degrade with these little fights rather than all disappearing in one major fight. Also, the limitations on interception once again reinforces the idea that you don't fight an air war by dueling CAP groups, you do it by hitting the other guy's air bases!

"Interdiction" and "Serious Interdiction" have been combined into a single interdiction concept. It takes some air power to establish (like the old SI), and once you do it adds +4 to Truck/Track movement in the hex and +1 to Leg movement (making the proportions come out more favorably for the Legs than the road-bound vehicular units). Refitting now costs 1T per base, rather than the 1T per level as in the optionals. This change was made to give the player more reason to consolidate his air force so he must decide on the cross-purposes of dispersal vs efficiency. Likewise, each air base can now protect one air unit, not one air unit per level.

Add to the above some special restrictions on S-type bombers (now that we are starting to see them) and the removal of the die roll for air base construction, and you have a reasonably good picture of the v3.0 air rules (assuming you were familiar with the optionals). [Ed. note: For the more detailed explanation, see "Up in the Air!" on page 22.]

I've really enjoyed working on the v3.0 rules, and the numerous guys who took the time to download the rules from the web site and send me comments are to be commended.