Another Situation 13: Parablitz

AIRMOBILE PANZERBLITZ
by Christopher Chyba

	ParaBlitz was conceived out of a desire for a totally  unique  PANZERBLITZ  situation. Although  the  following rules are  laden  withvarious charts, ParaBlitz is not really very complex, 	The situation dealt with in ParaBlitz is that of an attempt by the Russians to stop a German offensive  before  it  begins.  The  Germans  are beginning to mass forward elements of a tank regiment on  the  western  half of board two. However, most of the regiment is still over a
week away. Behind the forward elements of the regiment is a vast road network which is susceptible to Russian counterattack, especially counter-attack from the air. To the protection of this road  network,  the  Germans  have  assigned remnants of an assault gun brigade as well as
elements of a reconnaissance battalion.
	The  Russian  objective:  Force the forward elements of the German tank regiment back, at the same time cutting roads within German held territory. The more roads the Russian cuts deep within German territory,  the farther the main German battle force must push to get back to its original starting point.
	However, the Russian's forces are very limited. Although the exact size of his force is not known to the German player as the game progresses, it consists of elements of a tank brigade and a SP artillery  regiment,  along  with the  Russian paraforce.
	GERMAN FORCES: one 20(4)mm, three Security, two Rifle, two Wagons, one Puma, three Sdkfz 234 1, one StuH 42, one GW 38(M), two Wirblewind, one Lynx, three MkIVh, one Panther, two Hetzersand a Maultier.
Step 1: The German secretly records the positions  of all  his units, which may  be set up anywhere on boards one and two. No German unit is placed on the board at this time. 
Step 2: After the German records the position of his units, the Russian rolls the die to determine
wind direction and speed. To determine wind direction, the die is rolled once. If a one is rolled, the wind is blowing to the north. If a two is rolled, the wind is blowing northwesterly, and so on. To determine wind speed, the Russian player rolls once again, consulting the Wind  Speed Table. Wind speed and direction should be kept track of carefully, as they are very important with regard to paradrops.
Step 3: The Russian player then rolls to determine the size of his main battle force. The die is rolled separately for each of the columns in the Russian Attack Force Table.

	The number of Russian units in the main battle  force  is  never  revealed  to  the  German player.  The  Russian  player  must  also  roll  to determine the size of his paraforce, as well as when it enters the board. To determine the paraforce size, the Russian player rolls the die separately for each of the following columns:

	These "die roll dependent forces", though they may turn many of you off, are necessary to maintain the element of surprise for the Russian. As in real life, the German player will not know exactly how many Russian units will be dropping upon him from the sky. However, it should be noted here that only enough variance has been built  into these charts to insure uncertainty on the part of the German, without affecting play balance considerably.
Step 4: The Russian player must separate his main paraforce into three separate smaller ones. The number (not type) of units in each of these paraforces  must  be  made  to  be  as equal as possible.  Any  leftover  units  which  cannot  be divided  evenly  are  distributed as the  Russian player wishes. In dividing his units into separate paraforces, the  Russian player needs this information:
A - The first Russian paraforce always must paradrop on turn one.
B - To determine on which turn the second and third paraforces must drop on, the Russian player consults the Paraforce Entrance Table.

Explanation: The Russian player cross-indexes the paraforce number with the die roll. The  resulting number is the latest turn that the Russian player is allowed to bring that paraforce onto the board. If the  Russian player does not  bring that  paraforce in by that turn, it is considered eliminated, although the German player need not be told of its elimination. Paraforce  I  must always paradrop on turn one.
Example: In determining which turn the second paraforce enters, the Russian rolls a five. This means that paraforce 2 may never paradrop after turn four. However, the second paraforce may paradrop on any turn before turn four, at the Russian player's option.

OUTLINE OF PLAY
Turn 1: After determining the size of his forces, wind direction, and  wind speed, the Russian player drops onto the board all units in paraforce one, as well as any. none, or all of his para-units
which paradrop on a later turn. The Russian has the choice of dropping his units on any or all of
the boards.
	The German units are then placed on the mapboard. They are free to move and attack, except that they may not enter board 3 unless Russian units have paradropped into or immediately adjacent to it.
Turn 2: To begin with. the Russian player must first determine if the wind speed or direction has
changed. If the wind speed on the previous turn was no. low, or medium, the Russian consults the Wind Direction Change Tables to determine how much, if any, the wind has changed direction.

Explanation: The die roll is cross-indexed with the speed of the wind. If a "ww" or a "w" is rolled,  the   Russian  player  then  consults  the second table.  If an "a" results in the second
table, the wind changes direction two hex sides. If a "b"  results, the wind changes direction one
hex side, and if a "c" results, the wind does not change direction. The presence of an "L" or a
"R" before the letter determines whether the wind shifts in direction to the right or to the left of the way it is presently blowing.
	After wind direction is determined, a change in wind speed is resolved on the Wind Speed Change Table.

	Explanation: The die roll is cross-indexed with the wind speed of the previous turn to determine the wind speed of the present turn.
	After wind speed and direction is determined, the Russian then paradrops all units, if any, that must be paradropped on turn two. He is also free to  paradrop  any units which enter on a later turn. The Russian is then free  to  move  and attack. He has the option of entering any or all
of the units of his attack force onto the western half of board three. Once any Russian unit has entered or moved adjacent to board three, the German player is free to move and attack on this
board. Whether Russian units have entered board three or not, the German then takes his half of
the turn. This procedure is followed for the rest of the game.

PARADROPPING

A - The Russian player may never paradrop a unit after the turn that its paraforce is assigned to drop on by the Paraforce Entrance Table, The units may, however, drop anywhere on the entire
board. The Russian player need not plan ahead where to drop his para-units, rather, he makes that decision when he drops them.
B -  Paradropping units are subject to being scattered throughout a number of squares. Hereafter, this scattering will be known as "dispersal". This is not to be confused with combat results.
C - The unit being paradropped is First placed onto the square which the Russian player wishes to drop it on (Hereafter known as the "target square",) The unit  being paradropped  is then subjected to dispersal, dependent upon speed and direction of the wind.
D - How badly the paradropping unit is dispersed is determined by the Paradrop Dispersal Table.

	The Russian player rolls the di.e once for each unit  being paradropped.  The  die roll is cross-indexed with the wind speed on the Paradrop Dispersal Table. The resulting letter is matched with  the correct  row in  the Dispersal Chart corresponding to  the  unit being paradropped. Immediately behind the corresponding letter in the  correct  chart  is  a  number  or  series  of numbers. The first number in the series designates the number of breakdown units of the paradropping unit which landed in the target square. The following number designates the number of breakdown units which dropped into the next adjacent downwind square.

Example:

	The Russian player is attempting to paradrop a SMG Company into target square X in a medium wind. He rolls a 6 which he cross-indexes with the column "medium" in the Paradrop Dispersal Table. The result is an "E" which, when matched with row "E" in the SMG Dispersal Chart, gives the result of 02211101. Thus, no breakdown units  land  in  target  square  X,  but  they  are scattered in a string downwind from it. Note also that, due to the zero just before the last I in the result, no breakdown units land in square Y. No breakdown units drop past square Z.
E - Breakdown units may never separate. However, they may join together.  For example, five Rifle breakdown units may join together to form an entire Rifle Company, but the Rifle Company may never separate into five breakdown units. This holds for any amount of breakdown units in the same square belonging to the same company.
F - Breakdown units, until (if ever), they have joined together to form an entire company, may
be attacked selectively, in combination, or in any other manner subject to the normal rules.
G - Breakdown units' defense and range are cumulative. For example, two Guards breakdown
units stacked together have a combined defense of six and a range of two. However, each may
fire separately, in which case their ranges are one. Range is cumulative because range is dependent upon how much fire one can accurately pump into a square. Obviously, the fewer guns one has to  shoot  with,  the  fewer  bullets  which  will accurately reach the square being fired upon. Thus, the unit's range of accurate Fire is reduced. 
	Breakdown units' combined range may never exceed the range of their entire company when whole.  Units of different  companies may  not combine ranges.
H - The only exception to the above is that when seven SMG breakdown units are stacked together,  their defense becomes ten, not seven. Also, when six are stacked together, their defense is  eight.  When  five  are  stacked  together,  their defense is merely five. However, SMG breakdown units of different companies cannot obtain this bonus by stacking together.
I - To represent the advanced training of Russian para-units, these units may act as engineers, if,
and only if, they have formed into one complete company unit. These para-units need not be
stacked  with  another  unit  to  gain  engineer capacity.
J - In order to form a complete company, the breakdown units must begin their turn in the same  square.  In  the  turn  of forming  the company, the breakdown units may not attack in any manner, although the complete company may move in that turn (but not at the road movement rate). Breakdown units of different companies  may  never join  together  as  one company.
K  -  Notice  that  landing  "A" on all  three Dispersal Charts has all of the breakdown units landing in the same square. These units may form into a company no sooner than the turn after
they paradrop.
L - Para-units may not attack or move until the turn after they paradrop.
M - Breakdown units which, as a result of dispersal,  land  off  the  board,  are  considered
eliminated.
N - Breakdown units which paradrop onto a German unit other than a lone wagon are considered eliminated. If breakdown units land on a lone wagon, that wagon must vacate that
square on its next move. If breakdown units land on a loaded wagon, the wagon immediately
unloads and the breakdown units landing in that square are eliminated. German units of all types
except lone wagons may not move or fire in a turn which Russian units paradrop directly onto
them.
O - If a Russian player picks as a target square a square in which the German player has a Wirbelwind, that complete para-unit is eliminated (Its plane was shot down.)
P - The same stacking rules exist for the Russian as always,  except  that now fractions must be
taken into consideration. A stack in which a Russian AFV is stacked with breakdown units which,  when  totalled,  eqiial  less  than  one company, is considered to be an armored target.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

	Basically, the Russian player tries to cut roads, while the German player attempts to prevent the cutting of roads with minimum casulties. Cutting a road is defined as having any unit, except unloaded transport, occupying any square along the length of the road at the end of the game. In some cases, holding an intersection will block two roads simultaneously.
	To block a road from a city square, it is necessary to hold the city square into which the
road first enters.
	The Russian player receives the following amount of points for cutting the following roads. Obviously, the deeper into German territory the cut road is, the more it hurts the Germans, so the more ooints the Russian receives for outline it.

STRATEGY

	German: In general, your A-class vehicles should be set up on the western half of board three, ready to repel the Russian Attack Force. Your H-class should  be  guarding the roads one and two, ready to respond quickly to Russian paradrops.  However, you must be careful not to
commit all of your rear guard in one area. Be prepared for a Russian second and third paradrop. You should be able to tell by what the Russian drops on turn one roughly how many units  he  has  left  to drop.  You must respond quickly to a Russian drop, but not with everything  you  have.  Garrison  road  intersections heavily, especially the intersection at J-S.
	You should keep in mind that you only have to  destroy  one  breakdown  unit to keep the
Russian from forming an entire company from the  remainder  of  those breakdown units and
gaining engineer capacity. It is much better to make a selective attack on one breakdown unit
from each company, rather than to attempt to destroy one entire company at a time.
	Russian: You must keep the German guessing. Do your best to keep him from knowing if you have any  paraunits left  to drop.  If the German commits most of his force in one area, seize upon that chance to land para-units wherever he isn't. This will give you time to group your breakdown units into complete companies.
	On the first turn, don't paradrop units directly upon road intersections, for the German will
probably have them well guarded. Usually it is best to paradrop most of your units onto board one, since roughly half of board two (and of course, all of board three), should be liberated by
your attack force. However, give consideration to landing some of your para-units on board three to give your attack force a hand.
	Remember that the later you drop your paraunits, the less time the German will have to blast you off the road. However, due to the Paraforce Entrance Table, you cannot simply drop all of your units as late as you wish. You must decide whether it is best to drop your entire force together on turn one, or to drop parts of each paraforce separately on different turns.
	If  at  all  possible,  the  Russian  should  risk counterattacks on the Maultier.  It is not as
difficult  as  it  might  seem  to  get  good  odds against  the German,  if you  have  some whole
companies to act as engineers.
	Also, remember that when considering victory conditions, a wagon is just as valuable a target as a Panther. This is admittedly unrealistic, and I probably could have worked out a point system for German units.  However, I doubt if any of you could have stood another chart.

PLAY BALANCE

	Generally, the game is well balanced. However, if you  find  the German winning very easily, use hidden movement. If you are using third person hidden  movement,  consider  breakdown  units landing within four squares of a German unit to be seen by the Germans. If the Russian player wins too easily (a more likely occurrence), use Jerry Thomas' Experimental PanzerBlitz rules as given in the General, Volume 10, No. 1.