Case Yellow

Each game turn is divided into eight action segments. Each player has four action chits. The initiative player selects the first action chit to play. The remaining seven chits are placed in an opaque cup and drawn randomly. In most cases the Germans have the initiative and go first by playing one of their four action chits. Each German chit is marked for movement or combat, and the German player chooses what his army will do (though the German player during the course of a turn must use two chits for movement and two chits for combat). At the end of movement, any panzer or motorized formation adjacent to Allied units has the option to attack. If combat is chosen, all German units adjacent to Allied units may attack if allowed by terrain. Two Allied chits are marked two for movement and two for combat – not both. The creaky Allied command structure will bedevil the Allied player throughout the game. Need to move? Sorry – you just drew a combat chit. Set up to attack? You drew a move chit, and only the number of motorized formations equaling the roll of a six-sided die can attack. Zones of control reflect that the infantry of both sides still fight by the rules of World War One. Infantry units must stop when entering an enemy zone of control. Mount a one hex infantry attack against a defender hex, and you attack only the units in the defender hex. Mount a two hex (or greater) infantry attack against a defender hex, and all adjacent enemy hexes must also be attacked (large-scale infantry attacks take time to set up, and the defender has the time to integrate adjacent units into the defense plan). Motorized units play by different rules, though the Germans with their better-trained, veteran formations do it much better than the Allies. Simply stated, any motorized unit with a Troop Quality (TQ) higher than any adjacent unit may disregard those adjacent units’ zones of control for purposes of movement, combat and retreat. Only a solid line is proof against motorized unit exploitation and envelopment, and only so long as combat does not create gaps. Additionally, motorized units only may attack a defender hex from two hexes without engaging any other adjacent defender units – the speed of motorized concentration allows the attack to go in before a traditional defensive response can be established. The Luftwaffe is present in overwhelming strength, allowing the German player to negate the toughest defensive positions if necessary. Each Luftwaffe asset marker provides a one column shift on the combat table. Each Allied air asset marker provides the same shift, but there are far fewer Allied markers – not that the Allies had far fewer planes (they had almost as many), but the Allied air-ground coordination was so cumbersome that planes usually did not arrive in time to influence the battles being fought. Features: One map of western Europe covering western Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and France extending to just south of Strasbourg. An order of battle featuring corps, divisions and a few brigades and regiments Flexible German Movement and Combat Phases; Rigidly determined Allied Combat and Movement Phases Limited attack supply provided by motorized supply units Fortresses representing Eban Email and the Maginot and Siegfried lines Allied Defensive works German ARKO unit representing the German super-heavy artillery deployed against the Maginot Line German and Allied tactical air assets German parachute and air landing units German terror bombing Refugees Operation Dynamo evacuation option available to the Allied player Fluid zones of control for motorized unit movement and retreat when motorized unit TQ exceeds all adjacent enemy TQs German panzer division mechanical attrition French railroad movement Scenarios: Fortress Holland This scenario is playable on an 8.5 x 11 map inset. It features the major Dutch and German units that fought in The Netherlands. Duration is two game turns. The German player employs airborne and air landing troops to form a friendly corridor for German motorized troops to reach the heart of the Netherlands and end the war in The Netherlands quickly before the Dutch can fully mobilize. Can you pull off a flawless airborne landing instead of the historical disaster around The Hague that almost doomed the German efforts? The Historical Campaign Ten game turns and the entire map. Both players command the historical forces. The Allied player must advance into Belgium as was done historically, and must suffer the consequences of the “Allied Blind Spot” in the Ardennes. The Allied player will face repeated disasters, and will be hard-pressed to halt the German invader. Still, the German player must equal or exceed the historical German victory, or lose the game. Heavy panzer losses will prove disastrous. What If Scenario One Ten game turns and the entire map. The Allies are still saddled with their obsolete command and control and tactical doctrines, but at least they have improved intelligence. They have free set up and no longer must advance into Belgium or ignore the Ardennes. The Germans require a much smaller margin of victory to win. What if Scenario Two Ten game turns and the entire map. The Allies have all the advantages of What If Scenario One, but now their command and control has improved. They receive optional units representing forces that could have easily been available and they also have the double-sided Move/Combat segment chits the Germans have always used. This scenario will be challenging for the German player. If the German player is ahead by even one VP at the end of the scenario, he wins. Components: One 22 x 34 inch full color map One 11 x 17 Full color Fortress Holland Introductory Scenario card Two 9/16 inch counter sheets Rule and scenario booklet Two identical player aid cards Two six-sided dice