Brian Dewitt brought one of the latest Avalon Hill outputs over, a game called BREAKOUT AT NORMANDY. This was an area game of June, 1944, the northern French coast, complete with Juno, Omah, Gold, etc., beaches, airstrikes, naval bombardments, etc.
Each area had an inherent defensive value, which was then added to the combat points of the German troops placed in the area. There really weren't too many innovative procedures, but the game proved pleasant enough. History aside, one interesting gaming device was what I term the the "roll-it-again" ploy... the Allies were given a token, and could, at any time, ask for a re-roll of any of their dice throws. Once this was done, the token passed to the Germans, who were then enabled to re-roll one of their outcomes... the token then was given back to the Allies... and so on.
My thought was... if Avalon Hill can do a D-Day type game, why can't I? And out came my ping-pong-table-size area map, a tessalated, sort of randomized, mosaic map as shown below (Figure l) with each of the areas about 6-inches by 6-inches in size.
Along with the map, out came my inventory of 15mm armor, and I defined the forces as follows:
- 1 stand (infantry, armor, artillery): a regiment
2 stands: a brigade
3 or 4 brigades (6 to 8 stands): a division
To keep the movement and combat procedures simple, and to keep the map from becoming too cluttered with tokens, I decreed that an area could contain no more than 2 stands, i.e., one brigade.
Each division had a Headquarters stand, and the elements of the division were not permitted to roam farther than 3 areas from Headquarters.
In command of the defenders, fighting for freedom, liberty and equality, was Hob Hurst. In charge of the invading forces, fighting for honor, brotherhood and justice, was the dynamic duo: Tony Figlia and Brian Dewitt.
Figure 2 is a sketch of the table-top battle field. Note that most of Hurst's defending armor divisions were off-table. In setting up the game's initial force dispositions, I decided that the defenders would not abide by the Rommel-type defense, i.e., a direct defense of the beach areas, but instead, would be set up inland, as the German High Command had dictated in 1944.
The invaders' objectives were: (a) knock out the airfield and the defending air force, (b) capture the factory, and (c) take and hold the three towns located at the southern edge of the field. Item (c) was quite critical... these three towns were the entry points for all off-board defending units. Entry through a town would be blocked if the town was occupied by any invading unit.
Each side was given an action deck, and the cards were alternately drawn. There were 3 basic types o! cards: (a) movement cards, indicating that forces could move, coma ashore, etc., (b) assault cards, indicating that combat could occur, and (c) airstrike cards, indicating that aircraft would appear overhead, dropping death and destruction from the skies.
When an aircraft card was drawn, all other movement ceased. Planes were permitted to zip along at 8-areas per aircraft-phase. Each plane carried 4 "bombs" (4 Hit Dice) for its run, and a toss of 1,2,3,4 on the 10-sided Hit Die was a hit on the target. If desired, the 4 dice could be concentrated on targets in a single area.
The length of the table was about 16 areas, hence a flight of planes could sweep on, and then off, the table in 2 aircraftphases. Aircraft-phases continued until the active planes completed their runs, or were shot down. A plane had to overfly an area to drop its bombs on targets in the area, and defending AA units could pop away at the planes (2 Hit Dice) if the aircraft came within 2 areas of an anti-aircraft installation.
The Figlian invading air force concentrated on Hurst's defenders' air field. Hurst's aircraft were, by definition, parked on the field between their own flights (the draw of their own air strike cards), hence when the dreaded Figlian F-999's appeared, the defending planes were sitting ducks.
An aircraft took 4 hits to destroy it, and each flight of four of the swept-wing F-999's, carrying a total of 16 bombs, made short work of the Hurstian planes.
I think it took 3 sweeps, and the defending air force was no more.
Cards
I noted there were movement cards, and assault cards. When movement was called for, each stand was given 6 Movement Points (MP) , and MP were used as follows:
- Move through an area: 2 MP
Move through a road area: 1 MP
Forces could not move into an enemy-occupied area. When an assault card was drawn, forces adjacent to each other could engage in combat; here, the attacker (the side whose assault card was drawn) selected his lead brigade, and declared which adjacent enemy brigade he was targeting. This, in effect, also determined the enemy's lead brigade.
Each lead brigade could then call on friendly units for support. A supporting brigade, to lend its combat points, did not have to be adjacent to the area in which the combat occurred... it only had to be adjacent to a lead brigade.
Each type of unit had a per-stand combat value:
- Heavy armor 40 points per stand
Light armor 30 points per stand
Assault infantry 25 points per stand
Regular infantry 20 points per stand
Artillery 15 points per stand
The stands in the lead brigade contributed their full value of combat points. All stands in supporting brigades contributed half their combat value.
After the combat points of both sides are totaled, combat is resolved in two phases.
As example, consider the configuration shown in Figure 3. Here, as a lead unit, a heavy armor brigade in area A1 decides to attack a light armor brigade in area B1.
Both lead units call on adjacent brigades for support. The brigade in A1 calls on those in A2, A3, and A4; the brigade in B1 calls on those in B2 and B3. A listing of the combat values is as follows:
| Area | Type of Brigade | Function | Nominal Combat Value | Actual Value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Hvy Armor | Lead | 80 | 80 |
| A2 | Infantry | Support | 40 | 20 |
| A3 | Light armor | Support | 60 | 30 |
| A4 | Infantry | Support | 40 | 20 |
| Total... | 150 | |||
| B1 | Heavy Armor | Lead | 80 | 80 |
| B2 | Infantry | Support | 40 | 20 |
| B3 | Infantry | Support | 40 | 20 |
| Total... | 120 | |||
| *Note that support brigades are at half-value | ||||
Each side now takes its total points, and divides them into two categories, defined as follows:
- Category T(I) Here, 'Z' is for 'Inflict casualties'. Each 10 points in this category yields a 10-sided Hit Die, and a toss of 1,2,3,4 is a hit on the opposing lead brigade.
Category T(C) Here, 'C' is for 'Capture the position'. All of the T(C) points are to be added to a percentage dice throw, and the higher total will cause its opponent to retreat.
The two categories provide the opportunity of focusing either on inflicting maximum enemy casualties, i.e., attritting the enemy, or of carrying the position despite casualties suffered. Note in the example on the previous page, that A-Force outnumbers B-Force, 150 to 120. Side A may wish to ensure that it drives Side B back, and so it could divide its points into:
- T(I) = 40 points
T (C) = 110 points
Side A tosses only 4 Hit Dice, but it will add 110 points to its percentage dice throw to carry the position.
It may be that Side B doesn't care about the position, and is concerned only with inflicting casualties on A, hence B may use all of its 120 points to toss Hit Dice (12 of them), and save no points for the 'hold the position' throw. Which means that Side A will advance, but, if B has a string of hits on its Hit Dice, at heavy loss.
Neither side knows which category the other will emphasize, forcing both, in each combat, to determine which is of more importance... that of inflicting casualties , or of holding a position.
I noted that as the combined Figlia/Dewitt forces landed on the
beaches and advanced inland, General Hurst focused on Category
T(I) ; most of his combat points were devoted to attritting the
enemy. He left few points towards forcing the enemy back.
The good General Figlia landed a huge assault force on the western
side of the field; he quickly overran Entry Town A and captured the
airbase. But, after these initial successes, he was stopped... he
couldn't seem to make headway.
In most of the combats, the Figlia points, like the Hurst points,
were also devoted to attrittinq the enemy, and the result was that
both parties had few T(C) points to add to their percentage dice
throws in the determination of who carried the position. General
Hurst seemed to luck out; he consistently tossed high, and the
result was that, despite taking very heavy losses from Figlia's Hit
Dice, the Hurstmen kept forcing the Figliamen back.
If one refers to figure 2, showing the initial disposition of Hurst's defending forces, one will note that General Hurst was sorely disadvantaged. As scenario designer, I had placed all of his heavy armor divisions (3 of them) and half his infantry divisions (3 of them) way, way, off board. Each movement phase, these divisions were, in theory, slowly wending their way toward the entry towns... the only question was whether or not there would be an entry town when they finally arrived.
Each off-board movement, from one town junction to the next, had a 70 percent chance of being successfully completed. Unfortunately for the Hurst forces, General Hurst failed many a 70$ throw, and his off-board divisions seemed in no great hurry to advance.
General Figlia had taken Entry Town A, while General Dewitt had occupied Entry Town C... this left only Entry Town B... if Town B fell, 'twould all be over.
As the impartial, unbiased, neutral umpire, I saw that the Hurst defenders on the table would be ground down way before help arrived from the off-board reserves. What to do??
As many of my predecessors before me, I referred to the Umpire's Handbook, Chapter 34, for guidance, and looked up Section 12, titled 'Cheating".
Aha! I received my inspiration... no longer would the Hurstites require a 70 percent dice toss to advance along the off-board road system. Now the armor simply rumbled forward each movement phase... and sure enough!... there appeared, in Town B, the 13th Armor Division!! Eight stands of heavy armor, each stand worth 40 points each. And right behind them, the 5th Infantry Division.
Both of these newly arrived divisions were quickly diverted to the eastern edge of the field to counter the Dewitt advance. One or two encounters later, and with a judicious use of T(I) and T(C) points, the 13th Armor forced the Dewitt troops back... the 13th had recaptured Town C.
One interesting encounter occurred just to the east of the factory, across the river, and north of Town C (see Figure 2). Here, one of the Hurst light armor divisions and supporting infantry were caught in the pocket, backs to the river, with nowhere to go should they lose a combat.
And lose they did. Here, the infantry and the armor were treated differently. Half the retreating armor was immediately removed from the field. For the infantry, however, we referred to its data sheet. Each brigade was tracked as follows:
- 1st Brigade:
- OOOO
OOOO
2nd Brigade:
- OOO
OOO
Note that the 1st Brigade can take more hits than can the 2nd. Each hit on a brigade crossed off one box; when a row of boxes was gone, one of the two brigade tokens was removed. We decided that the retreating infantry, fleeing across the river, would lose only one box, in contrast to the armor loss.
The end result of the scenario was that the Figlia/Dewitt invasion forces were victorious. General Hurst's reserve units, thanks to the scenario maker-upper, arrived too late to stem the invaders.
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