The second edition of Illusions of Glory: The Great War on the Eastern Front (“IoG”) is currently on the P-500 list. Links to prototype unit counters, player aid cards, mapboard, and playbook can be found on the IoG webpage. The following discussion includes rule references in parentheses. The rulebook can also be found on the IoG webpage. 

One big difference between IoG and the CDGs “Pursuit of Glory” or “Paths of Glory” is the operation of Troop Quality (“TQ”). This is a measure of combat effectiveness, as shown by the downward (negative) movement of Russian (“RU”), German (“GE”), Italian (“IT”), and Austro-Hungarian (“AH”) Troop Quality markers on the General Records Track. 

Troop Quality is reduced by combat losses and by playing Reinforcement cards. It addresses players’ comments that reinforcements have combat factors which are unrealistically strong when compared to regular units that start the games. Their comments are valid because reserves and home guards who are later called up as reinforcements are not as capable as regular units. 

There are 15 Troop Quality spaces on the General Records Track. Troop Quality starts in the “16” space, and Poor Troop Quality is the “1” space. This is shown in the following illustration: 

Each time that a GE, AH, RU, or IT corps is destroyed, the TQ marker of that Nation moves –1 on the General Records Track (but the destroyed LCU can be rebuilt). Each time that a GE, AH, RU, or IT LCU permanently eliminated, the TQ marker of that Nation moves –1 on the General Records Track (and the eliminated LCU cannot be rebuilt). Each time that a Strategy Card is played to bring GE, AH, RU, or IT reinforcements onto the mapboard, the TQ marker of that Nation moves –2 on the General Records Track (24.1). This is shown in the next illustration: 

When the RU, IT, GE, or AH Troop Quality marker reaches Poor Troop Quality, infantry reinforcements of that Nation are placed on the mapboard with a step reduction for each arriving unit (24.2). Elite units may be exempted from this effect by the Reinforcement Card. Look at the following cards: 

In this way, reinforcements have combat factors that are weaker when compared to units that start the game. Troop Quality is a simple system that represents reinforcements made up of reserves and home guards as less capable than regular units. 

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