Collect Income, Movement, and Combat
Collect Income
During this phase, collect the PU value of the territories under your control, as well as whatever PUs your industrial cities (ICs) and minor production centers (MPCs) entitle you to. However, some territories require you to have a transport next to them for you to collect income from them. Most islands are this way, as are some land territories in Africa, South America, and elsewhere. The Panama land territory is unique in that a player must have transports on both sides of the territory to collect income from it.
Also collect the MP value of the territories under your control. (Bear in mind that you cannot collect MPs from a territory unless your nation started the game with it.)
Combat Move
During this phase, you may move your units into enemy territories or into sea zones with enemy units present. Most land units may move one space into a combat situation. Land units with multiple movement points may move multiple spaces. However, they must stop upon arriving at a territory with enemy units. During this phase, you are allowed to move a tank into an empty enemy territory with its first move, and into a friendly territory with its second move. You are never allowed to move units into, through, or over neutral territories.
If a sea zone contains enemy ships, your own ships may move into or through that sea zone. Any of your ships or planes which end their combat move in a sea zone with hostile units will participate in combat during the combat phase. (Except for planes loaded on transports, which as always are considered passive cargo.)
You may load transports even if enemy units are present in the same sea zone as your transports. You may also announce your intention to unload the transports during this phase. However, you must destroy all enemy units in the relevant sea zone before the unloading can be accomplished. If you lose the sea battle, your transports do not get to unload. If a transport with units is destroyed, its units are lost with it. Transports can be used to ship land and air units. Units aboard transports are considered cargo, and do not participate in combat.
A land or air unit which is either loaded onto, or unloaded from, a transport uses up its entire movement for the turn. A unit may be loaded onto and unloaded from a transport on the same turn, or may remain on the transport for multiple turns. Transports may only unload air units into friendly territories, but may unload land units into either friendly territories or into enemy territories. Once a transport has unloaded units, it may not move again for the rest of the turn. However, a transport may unload units into multiple territories.
Example: a German destroyer is in the sea zone to the west of Western Europe. The British player moves a battleship and four transports into that sea zone. The British player loads the transports and announces his intention to unload them into Western Europe, pending the outcome of the naval battle. Assuming Britain wins the naval battle, its transports immediately unload into Western Europe. The resulting land battle is then resolved. During the non-combat phase, the British player then unloads an artillery and a fighter from the transports into Great Britain. In the highly unlikely event Britain fails to clear the sea zone of hostile units, Britain may not unload the transports into either Western Europe, Britain, or any other territory.
When moving your aircraft into combat situations, remember that you must have a legal landing place for them. For the calculation of landing spaces, you are not allowed to assume that some of your aircraft will be taken casualty in the upcoming battles. However, you are allowed to assume that each of your aircraft carriers will survive combat.
Your aircraft may fly over your own territory, your allies’ territory, or enemy territory during this phase.
Naval Movement
There are two canals present in the game: the Suez Canal (which connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean) and the Panama Canal (which connects the Atlantic with the Pacific). For your naval units to use a canal in either the combat movement phase or the non-combat movement phase, your side must have controlled the associated land territories at the beginning of your turn.
In addition, there are three narrow passageways present in the game: the entrance to the Baltic Sea, the western entrance to the Mediterranean Sea, and the passage between the Mediterranean and Black Seas. To use a narrow passageway, you must, at the beginning of your turn, have controlled the land territory with which the passageway is associated. The western Mediterranean passageway is controlled by the Gibraltar land territory, the entrance to the Baltic is controlled by the Denmark land territory, and the passageway between the Mediterranean and Black Seas is controlled by Turkey.
Air movement
During the combat movement phase, you may move your aircraft to targets within range. However, your aircraft must have a legal landing place available.
Example: You have a P-51 fighter with a range of 6. A potential combat opportunity is four spaces away. You may move your aircraft into combat, but only if there is an available landing opportunity within two spaces.
Example: You have an aircraft carrier with three planes on board, each with a range of 4. Your planes begin their movement from the starting location of the aircraft carrier. You move your planes three spaces so that they can participate in combat in the Philippine sea zone. Your intention is to move your carrier two spaces toward the Philippines in your non-combat move. That will provide your planes a safe landing spot just one space away from combat.
After your aircraft have safely landed from their combat missions, they may make a second, non-combat flight on your turn. Example: the Soviet player flies a dive bomber two spaces west to take part in a land battle. After the battle is over, the Soviet player flies that plane back to a territory owned by the Soviets since the start of his turn. Then in his noncombat move, he flies it four spaces to the east to another territory he owned since the start of his turn, in order to make it available for use against Japan.
Aircraft that do not participate in combat may fly and land once, then fly and land again. For example, an American aircraft in Hawaii may fly to the mainland United States on its first movement, land, then fly to Britain on its second movement.
Legal landing places for aircraft include your nation’s aircraft carriers (see above), as well as any territory which your nation or one of your allies has owned since the start of your turn. No team may land its aircraft on any of its allies’ aircraft carriers.
If an aircraft is unable to reach a legal landing space, it is destroyed. If, on an enemy turn, your aircraft carrier is destroyed, all the aircraft on the carrier may move up to four spaces in search of a legal landing space. If they are unable to reach such a space, they are destroyed. Moving from a land zone to a sea zone, or vice versa, counts as moving one space.
Basic Game Mechanics
Land units are divided into three categories:
Naval units are divided into four categories:
Air units are divided into three categories:
Each unit has the following attributes:
Die Rolling
“Combat value” means “number of hits per unit per combat round.” For example, suppose you have six units firing at once, each of which has a combat value of 3.2. To calculate the number of hits you score against the enemy, multiply your number of units by their combat value. In this case, 6 units x a combat value of 3.2 = 19.2 hits. To see whether the 19.2 should be rounded up to 20 or down to 19, roll a ten-sided die. A roll of 2 or lower means that the fractional hit gets rounded up to 20, and a roll of 3 or higher means it gets rounded down to 19. If the number was 19.4, you would need a 4 or lower on that ten-sided die to get your fractional hit. This is the only die-rolling system this game uses for combat. All descriptions of combat should be interpreted to be consistent with this section of the rules. The phrase “rolls accordingly” means this section of the rules is being referenced.
A unit’s hit points indicates the number of hits it can absorb before it is destroyed. Land units also have the “size” attribute, which is relevant for moving the unit via transports or rail networks.
Land Combat
Dogfight
Step 1: The attacker adds up the total air combat value of his air and land units and rolls accordingly. He allocates the resulting hits to enemy aircraft of his choice.
Step 2: The defender adds up the total air combat value of his air and land units, and rolls accordingly. He allocates the resulting hits to attacking aircraft of his choice.
Step 3: Both sides’ destroyed aircraft are removed from combat.
Main Combat
Step 1: The attacker adds up the total land combat value of his remaining land and air units, and rolls accordingly. During the first combat round only, attacking aircraft and artillery fire at twice their normal land combat values. The attacker must allocate hits to defending infantry first, defending tanks second, and defending artillery third.
Step 2: The defender adds up the total land combat value of his land and air units, and rolls accordingly. During the first combat round only, defending aircraft and artillery fire at twice their normal land combat values. The defender must allocate hits to attacking infantry first, attacking tanks second, and attacking artillery third.
Step 3: Both sides’ destroyed units are removed from play.
Combat Completion
Combat ends when one or both sides’ land forces have been destroyed. If the defender has lost his land force, and if the attacker still has land units, the defender’s remaining air units must evacuate to an adjacent friendly territory. If there is no such territory available, the defender’s aircraft are lost.
Whichever side has a land force present in the territory at the end of combat takes control of it. If neither side has land units present when combat ends, one of two things will happen. 1) If the attacker does not possess any land territories adjacent to the territory just attacked, that territory remains in control of the defender. 2) If the attacker has at least one land territory adjacent to the territory in which the battle had been fought, that territory becomes no-man’s land. No-man’s land territories do not produce income for any nation, and are not considered anyone’s territory.
You can convert an enemy territory into a no-man’s land territory by moving a land unit into and out of that territory. (You are only allowed to do this if there are no enemy units present in the territory.) Alternatively, you may conquer an empty enemy or no-man’s territory for yourself by leaving one of your land units in that territory.
Injured units are restored to full health after combat is over.
After any combat round, either the attacker or the defender may choose to withdraw to any friendly territory. (A territory is not considered friendly if there is an unresolved combat set to occur in it.) Should one side choose to withdraw, the following happens:
Step 1: The non-withdrawing player adds up the land combat value of his planes and tanks, multiplies by two, and rolls accordingly. He allocates hits among the withdrawing player’s land units. He must allocate hits to infantry first, tanks second, artillery third.
Step 2: The withdrawing player adds up the land combat value of his aircraft present in the battle, and rolls accordingly. He allocates hits among the non-withdrawing player’s land units. He must allocate hits to infantry first, tanks second, artillery third.
Step 3: Destroyed units are removed from play.
If neither side withdraws, and if both sides still have a land force present, another combat round begins. A combat round begins with the dogfight phase.
Note: while both sides must have a land force present for combat to continue past the first round, a land force is not necessary for land combat to be initiated in the first place. For example, someone may wish to attack a land territory with air units only. A combat like this will last only one round. The attacker cannot choose to continue to a second round because he has no land units present. If the attacker owns a territory adjacent to the territory being attacked, and if the defender’s land units are destroyed during the battle, the territory will be converted into no-man’s land.
Liberation: if your army obtains control over a territory originally owned by one of your allies, that ally gains ownership of the territory. For example, the Ukraine begins the game under German control. The Soviet Union conquers the Ukraine from Germany. Japan conquers the Ukraine from the Soviet Union. Germany gains ownership of the Ukraine.
Terrain
Some territories have features, such as mountains, which make them easier to defend. The effect of this terrain is summarized below.
Level 0 terrain: no effect.
Level 1 terrain: For every ten hits scored by the defender during the main combat phase, one bonus hit is added. This bonus lasts for the duration of the land battle.
Level 2 terrain: For every ten hits scored by the defender during the main combat phase, two bonus hits are added. This bonus lasts for the duration of the land battle.
Terrain can be up to level 10. Each increase in defensive terrain adds to the bonus hits received by the defender.
The effective level of terrain can be modified via technology. For example, a territory with level 10 terrain is owned by the Soviet Union (which has acquired layered defense technology) is being attacked by Japan. Its effective level of defensive terrain is 13.
It is possible for the effective level of a territory’s defensive terrain to be negative. Level -1 defensive terrain would imply that for every ten hits the attacker receives during the main combat phase, one bonus hit is added. Level -2 defensive terrain would imply that the attacker receives two bonus hits for every ten hits during the main combat phase, and so on.
Naval Combat
Dogfight
Step 1: The attacker adds up the total air combat value of his aircraft and ships, and rolls accordingly. He allocates the resulting hits to enemy aircraft of his choice.
Step 2: The defender adds up the total air combat value of his aircraft and ships, and rolls accordingly. He allocates the resulting hits to attacking aircraft of his choice.
Step 3: Both sides’ destroyed aircraft are removed from combat.
Main Combat
Step 1: The attacker adds up the total naval combat value of all his units present and rolls accordingly. In addition, he adds up the total anti-sub value of all his units present, and rolls accordingly. He can then apply anti-sub hits to enemy subs of his choice, and anti-naval hits to enemy surface ships of his choice. However, for every hit he applies to an enemy sub, he must use up one of his anti-naval hits. For example, if he scores two anti-naval hits and one anti-sub hit, he may either apply two hits to enemy surface ships, or one hit to a surface ship and one hit to an enemy sub.
Step 2: The defender adds up the total naval combat value of all his units present and rolls accordingly. In addition, he adds up the total anti-sub value of all his units present, and rolls accordingly. He can then apply anti-sub hits to enemy subs of his choice, and anti-naval hits to enemy surface ships of his choice. However, for every hit he applies to an enemy sub, he must use up one of his anti-naval hits. For example, if he scores two anti-naval hits and one anti-sub hit, he may either apply two hits to enemy surface ships, or one hit to a surface ship and one hit to an enemy sub.
Step 3: Both sides’ destroyed units are removed.
Combat Completion
After the second combat round or later, either the attacker or the defender may choose to withdraw from combat. Whichever player decides to withdraw must retreat all his naval forces present in that combat to an adjacent non-hostile sea zone. A sea zone is considered non-hostile if there are no enemy surface ships or submarines present. If there is no such sea zone present, a team may withdraw its air units from combat, but not its naval units. Injured units are restored to full health after combat is over.
If neither side chooses (or is able) to withdraw from combat, combat continues until one of the following happens:
One or both sides’ units are destroyed.
Both sides’ remaining units are no longer able to harm each other. For example, if both sides have only transports. If this occurs, the attacker must withdraw his naval force to an adjacent non-hostile sea zone. If no such sea zones exist, the attacker loses his naval force, but not his aircraft.
Amphibious Combat
Launching an amphibious assault results in the following sequence.
Step 1: Naval combat. Resolve all naval combat in the sea zones adjacent to the land territory being invaded. If the attacker’s force was able to resolve the naval combat in one round, or if there were no defending units in the attacking fleet’s sea zone, the attacker may choose to proceed either to step 2 or step 4. If the attacker required multiple rounds of combat to clear sea zone of hostile naval units, proceed directly to step 4. If the attacker failed to clear the sea zone of hostile naval units at all, proceed directly to step 5.
Step 2: Naval bombardment. Use your destroyers, cruisers, and battleships to bombard. Use their naval combat values as land combat values. Allocate resulting hits to defending infantry first, tanks second, artillery third.
Step 3: Counter-bombardment. The defending player adds up the land combat value of his blockhouses, and rolls accordingly. The defender allocates the resulting hits among the attacker’s destroyers, cruisers, and battleships.
Step 4: Transports unload. The attacking player may choose to unload any or all of his transports adjacent to the territory being invaded.
Step 5: Land combat. Land combat begins normally. However, attacking land units which arrived amphibiously do not get to fire until the second combat round.
If an attacker has naval forces in multiple sea zones adjacent to a land territory being invaded, proceed as follows.
Step 1. Naval combat Resolve step 1 as described above with all adjacent fleets before proceeding to step 2 with any of those fleets.
Step 2. Bombardment. If you choose to bombard, decide which of your fleets you are going to bombard with. Remember that a fleet cannot have used more than one combat round to clear a sea zone of enemy units if it’s going to bombard. If you have multiple bombarding fleets, they all bombard at once, in this stage.
Step 3. Counter-bombardment. The defender fires for his blockhouses, and may allocate hits among the destroyers, cruisers, and battleships of any fleet which chose to bombard in step 2.
Step 4. Transports unload. Resolve as described above.
Step 5. Land combat. Resolve as described above.
Strategic Bombing Raids
Aircraft may elect to participate in strategic bombing raids against enemy industrial cities, nuclear production centers, minor production centers, rocket centers, research centers, or rail network hubs. To perform a strategic bombing raid, follow the below steps:
Step 1: The attacker moves aircraft to his intended target.
Step 2: The defender may move fighters and flying wings to the intended target. However, the fighters and flying wings may only move half their range. For example, if the defender’s fighters have a range of four, only fighters within two spaces of the target may move to defend it.
Step 3: The attacker adds up the total air combat value of his aircraft present and rolls accordingly. He applies the resulting hits to enemy aircraft of his choice.
Step 4: The defender adds up the total air combat value of his aircraft that are present, as well as the air combat value of the targeted city, minor production center, or research center. He applies the resulting hits to enemy aircraft of his choice.
Step 5: Destroyed aircraft are removed from play.
Step 6: The attacker adds up the total strategic bombing value of his remaining aircraft and rolls accordingly. The resulting hits are applied to the targeted minor production center, industrial city, nuclear production center, research center, or rail network hub. If the attacking player had decided to launch a rocket attack against the target in question, his hits from the rocket attack are also applied during this phase. Ten hits are required to reduce a minor production center, industrial city, nuclear production center, or rail network by one level. Once an industrial city has been reduced to level 0, an additional 30 hits will destroy it. Only ten hits are required to eliminate a level 1 minor production center, or a level 1 rail network.
Airfield Attacks
Aircraft may elect to participate in airfield attacks against enemy aircraft on the ground. To perform an airfield attack, follow the below steps:
Step 1: The attacker moves aircraft to an enemy territory, and declares an airfield attack.
Step 2: The attacker adds up the total air combat value of his aircraft present, and rolls accordingly. He applies the resulting hits to enemy aircraft of his choice.
Step 3: The defender adds up the total air combat value of his aircraft that are present, and rolls accordingly. He applies the resulting hits to enemy aircraft of his choice.
Step 4: Destroyed aircraft are removed from play.
Step 5: If this is the first round of combat, return to step 1. If this is the second round of combat, proceed to step 6.
Step 6: The attacker adds up the total land combat value of his remaining aircraft and rolls accordingly. The resulting hits are applied to enemy aircraft of the attacker’s choice.
Non-Combat Movement
Land units that did not participate in combat may move during this phase. You may move land and air units into or through territory owned by you or your allies. Naval units that did not participate in combat may move during this phase.
Rail Networks
A rail network allows you to move land units along it during the noncombat phase of your turn. There is no limit to the distance the land units can be moved, as long as there is a contiguous path along your rail network. (Your nation must own every territory along the path for it to be considered valid.) A territory conquered on your turn does not become part of your rail network immediately. You must own it at the beginning of your next turn. There is a limit to the number of land units that can be shipped on a rail network. A level 1 rail network gives you a rail capacity of 5; a level 2 network gives you a capacity of 10, etc. A size 1 land unit consumes one unit of capacity when shipped by rail; a size 2 unit consumes two units of rail capacity, and so on.
