Why is it always the seemingly innocuous that messes everything up? In SP, the Soviet player is allowed to set up on his start line or in back of it--no big deal really-and most people set up on the line like we did. If you do so, the game plays just fine and the victory conditions are balancedbecause that was how the game was designed to be played.

Enter the Canadians. (Why is it always Canadians? It must be their superior education system, months locked-in by snowdrifts, or something.) Ken Hole and Keith Martens of the estimable Canadian Wargamers Journal (if you don't get it, you should-if for no other reason than to get a perspective on the hobby which doesn't come out of DG) set up in a perfectly legal fashion which blew the whole system apart--they set up all the Soviets to the rear of the start lines with the exception of the Rocket artillery. In doing so, they freed the entire Soviet army from EZOCs which allowed them to make an un-ending stream of low odds overrun attacks on the first turn which can rip the Rumanian line apart. That clears the way for a quick exploit and the development of the pocket on turn one or two (at the latest). While I have never seen this done, I can easily understand how it would work. I am also eagerly awaiting a game when I can play a Soviet player schooled in the above to see if I can develop a German plan to survive such an onslaught. At any rate, the Canadian solution skews the entire game in favor of the Soviets and invalidates the victory conditions.

The problem has to do with the freedom offered in the Soviet set up. Most players won't notice the problem because, like me, they will set up on the start line figuring they don't want to have to waste time moving up into position for those initial attacks. The freedom I gave was there to simplify Masahiro's original set ups which had small numbers of forces in the rear of the start lines. To avoid the tedium of having to set up all these odds and ends the hard way, I simply assigned each Soviet army a zone of front and the area in back of it.

The following restrictions are designed to bring the Soviet set up more into line with Masahiro's original version, preserve some freedom of placement, add a bit of doctrinal effect, and invalidate the Canadian Solution. Essentially, all I have done is to assign the bulk of the Soviet army to the first echelon and a small portion to the second echelon. Had this been later in the war, a more substantial second echelon would have been the rule.

First echelon forces must set up on a set up area line. Second echelon forces may set up anywhere in the army's area as per the original set ups. Second echelon formations may set up on the start line if desired. (they are not required to be in the rear.) The second echelon for each army is given as a number of counters. This number of counters can be made up of any type, strength, of step size of unit-one counter equals one counter regardless of circumstances.

Number of counters allowed to be designated Second Echelon

Apply the 2nd Echelon of each army included in a scenario 1 or 3. There are no 2nd Echelon forces designated for scenario 2.

1 Gds Army, 66 Army: 2
5 Tank Army: 9
21 Army, 62 Army, 64 Army, 57 Army, 51 Army: 4
65 Army, 24 Army: 3

It maybe possible to defeat the Canadian Solution using the regular setups and German forces. It might not. At any rate, the above more accurately reflects the way the game was intended to be played and will work correctly with the existing victory conditions.