In our first article we introduced the design features of Chad Jensen’s strategic game on the three years that ended World War II in Europe. Now we will zoom into the mechanics of Orders, Action Cards and Combat by walking through a typical game opening. The Soviet faction begins the game with the initiative and so will go first.

Shown here is a portion of the map, with the initial set up reflecting the situation on the eastern front in November 1942. Red units are Soviets. All other units are the German and Axis-Allied nations making up the OKH faction.

At the start of the game the weather is snow. The Soviet faction has the initiative because their Initiative marker is in a lower-numbered space on the Initiative Track than all the other faction’s markers. That means its time for the Soviets to select and perform an order.

The Action Track currently holds two Soviet orders among its available order markers randomly drawn from the Orders cup. The Soviet player could select Partisan Warfare or STAVKA as their order.

The Soviet/OKW Orders Display holds order markers already played in the current game turn (before the game’s start in this case). On the far right of the display is the Planning box; it holds one order marker previously selected and saved for later play. The Soviet Player could select the Attack order from planning, allowing them to conduct three attacks each with a shock or armor unit leading the attack. 

However, the Soviet Player has another option. As mentioned in our previous Downfall article, each faction receives Action cards at the start of the game and during play. The Soviet player starts with five action cards in hand, including the one shown here:

This gives the Soviet player interesting choices to start the game: Select an order marker from the Action track or Planning box, or first play the Operation Uranus Action card.  They choose to play the Action card, which will give them an immediate free attack order. A free order has no initiative cost, so the Soviets will still have the initiative after their attack to choose an order marker.

The Soviets declare their free attack: Three Soviet units will attack the Romanian unit just west of Stalingrad. As shown by the unit symbols on the Action card, the attack must include a tank, mechanized or shock unit as the primary attacker. The 2-strength mechanized unit will be the primary attacker. The other two units are considered flanking attackers. 

The Soviet attack strength is calculated as follows:

• The number of strength pips on the lead unit: 2
• One for each flanking attacking unit: +2
• One for each armored unit in snow: +3 (tank and mechanized units are considered armored)
• More Elite badges (stars) than the defender: +1

The attacker may play an HQ (a type of Action card) to increase their strength. The Soviet player declines to do so.

The total attack strength is 8. 

Next the OKH defense strength is calculated:

• The number of strength pips on all defending units: 2
• All Soviet units attacking across a river: +1

The defender may play an HQ Action card. They do not.

The total defense strength is 3.

Now the attacker and defender may play additional Action cards for advantages in combat but both choose not to do so.

Next the combat differential is calculated by subtracting Defender strength from Attacker strength. The diffferential is “+5”.

The final step before rolling the dice is to calculate the die modifers.

• Snow weather: -2
• Soviet air superiority in Snow: +1 (The Soviets have two air units in range of the combat while OKW has only one)
• Soviet Operation Uranus Action card dice modifier: +2
• Event card Soviet dice modifier: +1 (this bonus appears on the Event card depicted in the first article)

The net dice roll modifier is +2

So when using the Combat Results Table, the combat will be resolved on the “+5” column and 2 will be added to the dice roll.

The Soviet player rolls two dice with a result of 8, modified to a 10. Locating this result in the “+5” column of the Combat Results Table yields a result of “1/4G.”  The attacker suffers one hit and the defender 4 hits. The “G” indicates that the defender result would be reduced by one if the defending unit were German, but it is not.   

The attacker’s first hit must be applied by flipping an armor unit to its non-armor side, so the Soviets flip  their tank unit to its motorized infantry side.  The defender can apply two hits (up to half their total hits, rounded up), by retreating two hexes. All other defender hits must be applied by losing strength pips. In this case the defending unit has only two pips, so is eliminated.

The attacking units can advance into the vacated combat hex, up to the stacking limit of two units..

Here is the situation after defender elimination, attacker armor loss and attacker advance.

Upon completion of the free attack, the Soviet player discards the Operation Uranus Action card. The Soviets still have the initiative and may now select and execute one of their available order markers.

Stay tuned for Part Three to see what the Soviets do next!

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Downfall: Conquest of the Third Reich Preview 1 — The Game Design in the Map