[BFD] Blitzkrieg for Dummies, Game 6 - A Coup!

[Gen. Marshall]

Blitzkrieg for Dummies - A Coup!

Welcome to our new players, welcome back to our battered veterans.

I've been granted the great honour to GM the sixth edition of ThunderHawk's renowned forum game; Blitzkrieg for Dummies [BFD]. BFD (Blitzkrieg for Dummies) is all about conquering the map with very limited resources and very little time to do so - through clever diplomacy or good strategy, whichever you can use to your advantage.

The Rules post will follow. The gist of it is that there's a diplomacy and deployment phase, where you position units, followed by the battle phase. Then you have just five turns to defeat your opponents.

The starting colors are preset (see above). To join just tell me what color you want.

IE:

In (blue please)

I'll start the game once all four slots are filled.

 

[Gen. Marshall]

This game uses slightly different rules than you may be used to in Thunderhawk's games. The balance of some units has been tweaked and the reinforcement system has been reworked.

Here's the list of rules changes for returning players:

- Industrial Centers now no longer heal units at the start of your turn. Instead, for each IC you control at the start of your turn of the War Phase, you gain $10 for your treasury.
- Reinforcements can no longer be purchased at discount price. Instead, they can be purchased during the War Phase with the money in your treasury.
- Players no longer gain a free unit of infantry as reinforcements.
- To deploy reinforcements at an IC, you must now control said IC from the start of your turn.
- Veteran units no longer take only half damage from the units they specialize against (but still deal double damage).
- Intelligence tokens now reveal units only to the player who uses them (by PM).
- Scouts now cost $10, are reduced to 2 strength but have 3 moves.
- There is now a "fifth player" (black) whose territory interacts as enemy to all players. For the sake of clarity, black squares are not inaccessible.

 

[Gen. Marshall]

Full Rules

Blitzkrieg for Dummies

Short Rules

• There are two phases, both of which last only five turns
• You use money to buy units in the Diplomacy phase
• You can choose to attack during the diplomacy phase, starting the war phase
• Every unit has a strength
• Units deal half their strength in damage to each other when they fight
• If a unit is attacked by a stronger unit, it retreats
• Units are destroyed when then run out of strength
• Units that would retreat but can't (ie: are encircled) are destroyed
• Units are in supply if they are linked to supply caches by hexes you control
• If a player runs out of supply caches, that player is defeated
• The player that controls the most territory at the end of the game wins
• Defeating another player gives you a powerful blitzkrieg token
• Blitzkrieg tokens, when played, let you take an extra turn immediately

BFD is separated into halves ("phases"): 1) the Diplomacy phase, during which you do diplomacy and unit deployment and redeployment, and 2) the War phase, during which you try to conquer the map. Each phase lasts a maximum of five turns. Whoever ends the game with the most territory wins.

Diplomacy Phase Rules

Spoiler

During the diplomacy phase, each player starts with $250 with which they can buy units and place them wherever they please within their own territory. There can only be one unit in any given hex.

Note that purchase and deployment orders should be PMed to me rather than posted in thread, since the identity of your units not on a border will be unknown to your opponents at the start of the game, and your opponents will not know if you have any tokens.

After the initial deployment, the map will be updated and then we'll start Diplomacy Phase Turn 1. From this point on, every player gets $50 every turn (does not carry over between turns) to spend however they choose. As above, you should make your purchases and deployments in secret, over PM. Instead of purchasing, you may choose to ATTACK! If you choose to attack, the Diplomacy Phase immediately ends and the Battle Phase begins - for all players. Deployments other players made are carried out. If you chose to attack, you critically become first (along with other players who chose to attack) in the turn order for the battle phase, which can be a big advantage. However, the player who attacks does not get to spend his $50 for that turn.

If no one chooses to attack after five turns of diplomacy, the battle phase begins automatically.

Unit Costs

Spoiler

$5 - Militia
$5 - Decoys (x2)
$5 - Garrison
$5 - Minefield
$10 - Infantry
$10 - Scouts
$15 - Engineers
$15 - Artillery
$20 - Paratroopers (Airborne)
$25 - Veteran Infantry (Assault Pioneers, Stormtroopers, Tank Hunters)
$30 - Armour

x2 cost - Elite unit

$5 - Road (x2)
$10 - Supply Cache
$10 - Intelligence Token
$20 - Order 227 Token
$50 - Blitzkrieg Token

Unit Descriptors

Spoiler

$5 - Militia - 5 str, 2 moves - ignores supply
$5 - Decoys (x2) - 0 str, 1 moves - destroyed if attacked, cannot capture territory
$5 - Garrison - 10 str, 1 moves - cannot attack, cannot capture territory
$5 - Minefield - Not a unit. A unit that strikes an enemy minefield (attacks or attempts to move through) cannot move or attack for the rest of the turn and takes half its strength in damage (but at least 5). The minefield then disappears. Can be cleared by engineers. Your units can pass through your own minefields.
$10 - Infantry - 10 str, 2 moves - the workhorse of any army, no special qualities
$10 - Scouts - 2 str, 3 moves - instantly reveals units it is adjacent to
$15 - Engineers - 10 str, 2 moves - can clear a minefield or build a road or lay a minefield instead of attacking
$15 - Artillery - 10 str, 2 moves - attacks from range 3, destroyed instantly if attacked in "melee"
$20 - Paratroopers (Airborne) - As infantry, except paratroopers are not on the map and act like a token until played. When played, Paratroopers appear instantly at any clear hex you designate. They count as in supply for their first turn after deployment. Otherwise they act like ordinary infantry.
$25 - Assault Pioneers - 15 str, 2 moves - has all engineer abilities, is a veteran infantry unit, does double damage to and takes half damage from garrisons
$25 - Stormtroopers - 15 str, 2 moves - is a veteran infantry unit, does double damage to and takes half damage from infantry, militia, paratroopers, and engineers, does not retreat from any of the same
$25 - Tank Hunters - 15 str, 3 moves - is a veteran infantry unit, does double damage to and takes half damage from tanks, does not retreat from tanks
$30 - Armor (Tanks) - 20 str, 4 moves, 2 attacks - cannot attack if without supply (and only has 1 move if without supply, as normal)

x2 - Elite Unit - elite units half 1.5x starting strength and can move 1 hex further while in supply. Elite units do not retreat.

**You cannot put more than one minefield in a hex.

War Phase Rules

Spoiler

The turn order in the battle phase is partially determined by the diplomacy phase. Players who chose to attack in the last turn of the diplomacy phase get priority placement in the turn order (ie: are placed at the top of the turn order).

Each player gets to take their turn in order. When every player has taken 5 turns in the battle phase, not counting extra turns due to expenditure of blitzkrieg tokens, the game ends.

During your battle phase you may play tokens, move every one of your units in any order, and play tokens whenever you feel like it. Your orders during this phase are public. You may stop and request a map update at any time. When you're ready to end your turn, tell me so clearly and we'll move on the next player.

You do not know what tokens other players have. Units that start away from the borders between players are covered in the "fog of war" initially. Other players will be able to see there is a unit in that hex but they will not know what kind of unit. Unguarded supply caches will appear as units under the fog of war.

The identities of these units are revealed if they attack, are attacked, or if the controlling player ends his turn with these units on a border.

Combat Rules

Spoiler

Basically here's how combat works in BFD:
Every unit has a numerical strength. When two units fight each other, they do damage to each other equal to half their strength, rounded up. If a unit is attacked by a unit of higher strength, the defender retreats. (Artillery attacks work differently and never cause a retreat.)

IE: Suppose a 10 strength unit attacks an 8 strength unit. The first does 5 damage to the second and the second does 4 damage to the first, leaving them at 6 strength and 3 strength, respectively. The second unit retreats because it was attacked by a stronger unit.

Only one unit can be in a hex in a time. Just because you caused a unit to retreat doesn't mean you must advance to occupy the hex it vacated. Units can occupy the same hexes as minefields, roads, and supply caches, as these are not units.

If you attack into a minefield where there is also an enemy unit, the minefield's effect activates before the battle.

Attacks are not the same as moves. A unit can attack any unit in an adjacent hex. (Except artillery, which can attack units up to three hexes away.) IE: Infantry can move twice then attack. Armor can move four times and attack twice all in the same turns!

Elite units get x1.5 strength and +1 move but cost twice as much as regular units. They do not retreat.

If you attack a supply cache, you gain control of that cache and other benefits (see below). Moving over a revealed supply cache will capture it, but an unrevealed supply cache must be attacked.

When a unit you control moves through a hex, you take control of that hex.

Units that run out of strength are destroyed.

Encirclement - if an encircled unit is attacked by a stronger unit it is automatically destroyed. (Encircled means it has no valid retreat path - that means it can be in a larger pocket, or even blocked by friendly units.)

Retreating

Spoiler

Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor and cowardice is the better part of discretion.

If a unit is attacked by a stronger unit, it automatically retreats. It tries to retreat into the adjacent, empty hex YOU CONTROL that is furthest from the unit that attacked it. (in the event of a tie, right-handed retreats are preferred) If no such hexes are available, the unit can instead retreat two hexes, "across" a friendly unit.

Units cannot retreat into hexes controlled by another player.

If a unit has no valid retreat paths, it is destroyed under the encirclement rule. That means it can be boxed in by friendly units as well as enemy units.

You can temporarily stop your units from retreating using the Order 227 token. If this token is played, your units will fight to the death instead of retreating until your next turn.

Elite units do not retreat and fight to the death.

Veterancy

Spoiler

It's possible to buy veterans directly but the game as currently designed intends for you to get them by winning battles.

If an infantry unit destroys another unit (other than scouts or artillery) in BFD, it gains veteran status, instantly gaining +5 strength and becoming one of the three types of veteran infantry. (Elite infantry instead gain +8 strength when becoming Elite Veterans)

An infantry unit that destroys a garrison becomes an Assault Pioneer, who I will usually just call pioneer. Assault Pioneers do double damage to garrisons. They can also use all engineer abilities, including clearing minefields.

An infantry unit that destroys another infantry unit, militia, engineers, or paratroopers becomes a Stormtrooper unit. Stormtroopers deal double damage to these same unit types.

An infantry unit that destroys a tank becomes a Tank Hunter. Tank Hunters deal double damage to tanks. They also gain +1 movement.

The max strength of all three configurations of veteran infantry is 15. Elite Veterans have a maximum strength of 23 and three movement (or in the case of Elite Tank Hunters, 4 movement).

Supply and Industrial Centers

Spoiler

A unit is in supply if it starts its turn connected by a string of hexes you control to a supply cache you control. If it doesn't, it is without supply.

Units without supply can only move one hex per turn. Armor without supply cannot attack. Units without supply get no advantage from roads.

Capturing enemy supply cache has big advantages. The unit that captures the supply cache is healed to full strength. (This only happens the first time the cache is captured.) If you capture an opponent's final supply cache, you additionally gain a free blitzkrieg token. Capturing a cache counts as an attack.

Industrial centers are exactly like supply caches, with a few big differences. First, they are pre-positioned by me (the GM) at the start of the game and you don't get to choose where they are. Second, for each IC you control at the start of your turn of the War Phase, you gain $10 for your treasury. Third, industrial centers are worth more score. They do not give any benefit if captured. Additionally, industrial centers act like roads for movement purposes.

Capturing an industrial center gives no immediate benefit. Industrial centers provide supply like supply caches. You cannot buy industrial centers. Industrial centers start revealed.

If you lose all your supply caches and industrial centers you are defeated, so take care not to lose all of them.

Reinforcements

Spoiler

A newer concept in BFD are reinforcements, and for this game, it has been revamped to prevent players from using too unorthodox strategies.

At the start of your turn, the amount of industrial centers you control is counted. For each center you control, your treasury increases by $10. Furthermore, money not used during a player's diplomacy phases is deposited in their treasury. The money in your treasury can be used to buy units, as if it were the diplomacy phase, with one important exception: reinforcements can only deploy from an industrial center you control. You can move reinforcements out of the way and then deploy more, but they have to be deployed in an industrial center hex.

You may if you wish, or if you don't have an industrial center, choose to delay deploying reinforcements to a later turn than you buy them.

Paratroopers can't be bought as reinforcements. Neither can minefields, roads, supply caches, tokens, etc.

Roads

Spoiler

I initially planned a much more complicated role for roads in Blitzkrieg for Dummies, but now they just make units move faster. Armor can move for free along roads if they are in supply. Infantry and all other units can move at half-movement cost, so long as they are in supply.

Tokens

Spoiler

There are three powerful tokens in Blitzkrieg for Dummies.

The first is the Order 227 token. Once played, the Order 227 token prevents any of your units from retreating until your next turn. They still take battle damage and can be destroyed as usual, but cannot be destroyed due to encirclement.

The second is the Blitzkrieg token. The Blitzkrieg token allows you to take another turn immediately after finishing your current turn.

The newest is the Intelligence token. You can play this token at any time to instantly reveal the unit and features in one hex. Only you get to see the results - they are revealed to you by PM.

Victory

Spoiler

The game ends after 5 turns of battle phase or when only one player remains. In the former case, whoever has gained the most territory wins. Hexes with industrial centers are worth 10 hexes.

If a player is defeated, all his remaining units disappear.

Addendums and Clarifications (FAQ)

Spoiler

Engineers' turn ends when they lay a minefield or build a road but not when they clear a minefield.

Engineers can only lay a minefield or build a road in the hex they currently occupy.

Engineers can build minefields and roads during the diplomacy phase, but not on the turn they are purchased.

Engineers may only perform one 'action' per turn.

Minefields do a minimum of five damage in addition to their other effects.

Minefields, supply caches, and roads are mutually exclusive.

Decoys can overlap with units as if they were a non-unit or with non-units as if they were a unit but not both at once.

Order 227 tokens may be played during the diplomacy phase, but if war does not break out that turn the token is wasted. (IE: If an order 227 token is played in the 1st turn of the Diplomacy Phase, it only does anything if a player chooses to attack in the 1st turn of the Diplomacy Phase.)

Moving over a revealed supply cache will capture it, but an unrevealed supply cache must be attacked.

 

[Gen. Marshall]

Symbol reference:

From upper right to lower left by rows:
Militia, decoy, garrison, minefield, infantry
Engineers, artillery, paratroopers, armor, scouts
(blank row)
Road, supply cache, unknown unit, industrial center

Note that paratroopers are the same as infantry. Paratroopers act like infantry after they drop. Scouts are lighthouse-lookin' thing on the end of the second row.

Player Roster:

Blue: Barkardes
Yellow: Rovsea
Grey: Madchemist
Green: aedan777

 

[ThunderHawk3]

I'm not playing, but I'll watch with interest, particularly the altered reinforcement rules.

<flees>

 

[barkardes]

In as Blue!

 

[Rovsea]

In as White Yellow.

 

[Gen. Marshall]

In as Blue!

In as White Yellow.

Glad to have you. Consider yourselves added to the roster.

 

[Gen. Marshall]

Seems there isn't as much interest for the game to continue as I'd hoped. I've sent out invites to all former players and I'll give them one more day to join, but if no one does, I think I'll make another BFD challenge out of this.

 

[Rovsea]

Seems there isn't as much interest for the game to continue as I'd hoped. I've sent out invites to all former players and I'll give them one more day to join, but if no one does, I think I'll make another BFD challenge out of this.

Fair enough. The challenge was a fun exercise.

 

[madchemist]

I've actually been watching the other games of this; seems like an interesting game. Kinda busy this week (and always, but still), but I'll try my hand as gray.

 

[Tornadoli]

Looks quite complicated, how much time dedication is necessary? Potentially in, if it's not too much of a commitment.

 

[Rovsea]

Looks quite complicated, how much time dedication is necessary? Potentially in, if it's not too much of a commitment.

There's time commitment necessary, but it's more in bursts than Werewolf is. Instead of steady commitment to the thread you need to be able to take some time to give somewhat thoughtful orders. That's about it, though. I would consider reading a couple of the past games to get an idea of the game, how complex it is, and if you do decide to play to have some insight into strategy.

 

[Gen. Marshall]

I've actually been watching the other games of this; seems like an interesting game. Kinda busy this week (and always, but still), but I'll try my hand as gray.

Great! I've added you to the roster. At the moment it seems like I'll be setting this Friday as a soft deadline for the deployment orders (which rarely take much time), so you certainly won't need to play any War Phases this week.

Looks quite complicated, how much time dedication is necessary? Potentially in, if it's not too much of a commitment.

What Rovsea said is certainly true; I'd say you generally play a turn every four days, which will take you about half an hour if you type it up in one go. If you're zealous enough, some of the crazy blitz strategies Rovsea and I used in the past took the entirety of a night to play out, but that's entirely optional.

I'm also more than willing to wait a bit every now and then if that means having you aboard

 

[Tornadoli]

I'm also more than willing to wait a bit every now and then if that means having you aboard

Sorry, I've thought about it and I'm actually a bit too busy at this time. I will observe how this one goes and probably join one in a couple of months.

 

[Gen. Marshall]

Sorry, I've thought about it and I'm actually a bit too busy at this time. I will observe how this one goes and probably join one in a couple of months.

That's a shame; hopefully we'll see you in a couple of months, then.

Now, seeing as we only need a fourth player, do any of you happen to know someone who'd possibly be interested in this? Or perhaps @ThunderHawk3 would like to play after all?

Playing this with 3 should also be an option but I think it should be more fun with 4 players.

 

[aedan777]

Meh. In as green.

 

[Gen. Marshall]

Meh. In as green.

Splendid, that brings us to 4.

Diplomacy Phase - Turn 0

It is the year 1949. Despite remaining neutral throughout the Second World War, the global conflict took its toll on the Black Empire. Increased military spending led to shortages in food and luxury items, which in turn led to a steep decline in the Emperor's popularity. A Fascist coup could only barely be fought off, yet shortly after, Communist protesters took to the streets. The situation seemed tense, but tenable.

Then, in April this year, the Emperor died. Chaos broke out. Both Right and Left, various groups of nationalists and corrupt officials who called themselves "Loyalists", they all saw a chance to rekindle their rebellions. And to make matters worse, each group had military support in some form or another - the Imperial Army as a unifying force was no more. Soldiers were called upon to fight, so were militias. Shots were fired. Factions scrambled to secure industry and resources for themselves. Civilians had to fear for their lives as the country rapidly descended in a state of lawlessness.

This went on for some three weeks until, finally, four major factions came out on top: the Yellows, the Greys, the Greens and the Blues. Each faction is led by a strong military leader, each faction has secured its own territory and is starting to form a professional army. For now, the country is once again at rest - but this is merely the calm before the storm, surely.

----

The game is on. Each of you has $250 to spend on your initial deployments. PM me your deployments when you have them planned.

For our new players, I highly recommend you to read the previous games if you haven't yet (1 2 3 5). I will probably not be available to answer questions between 11:00 GMT tomorrow and 15:00 GMT on Friday, but feel free to ask me any question you may have about the game mechanics and I'll send you an answer as soon as possible.

Good luck, Generals.

 

[Rovsea]

2 things: You've made it even harder for a single unit to kill an Elite armor and survive (read: tank hunters nerfed) and does invading black trigger war phase?

 

[Gen. Marshall]

2 things: You've made it even harder for a single unit to kill an Elite armor and survive (read: tank hunters nerfed) and does invading black trigger war phase?

In previous games both elite armour and elite tank hunters have taken turns being ludicrously strong. Needless to say there's a balance to be found and I hope that this game nails it, but TH3 and I are keeping a close eye on this for future games. And yes, invading Black triggers the War Phase. Think of it like a fifth player who doesn't end up deploying any units.

One more thing. Minefields do damage to an opponent; unfortunately that part of the rules has been vague ever since Game 1 and I completely forgot to change it. When a unit above 10 strength strikes an enemy minefield it takes half its strength in damage. When a unit below 10 strength does, it always takes 5 damage. I've now edited the minefield's unit description to reflect that.

EDIT: As another clarification, you cannot purchase tokens as reinforcements in the War Phase.