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House Rules

4. No unit may deliberately move forward into isolated status (defined as being more than 99 MPs from a railhead). Units that are isolated due to being surrounded may only move towards supply. The only exception to this rule is air-landed units which may move in any way.

5. The game is supposed to be fun and historically plausible, they players agree to play accordingly and not try to exploit the game engine or do ”gamey” stuff.

ORIGINAL: Telemecus

Turn 41 Rules and Interpretation

This was another turn in which the Axis team had to debate extensively the rules of the game, and what we could do within them.

The house rules can be found in the sign up thread tm.asp?m=4245675

In particular we have debated two continuously

House Rules

4. No unit may deliberately move forward into isolated status (defined as being more than 99 MPs from a railhead). Units that are isolated due to being surrounded may only move towards supply. The only exception to this rule is air-landed units which may move in any way.

5. The game is supposed to be fun and historically plausible, they players agree to play accordingly and not try to exploit the game engine or do ”gamey” stuff.

Rule 4 in particular caused us many problems over Operation Dumbo Drop and the end of the clear turns before the mud period. Did this apply to units that were suddenly isolated because of mud? Did this mean we could not reseal a broken pocket if they were suddenly isolated? Could units be trapped by just the one side towards supply even though an escape route round an obstacle might exist and so on. The debates went on endlessly. In the end we did lose units and cancel a major operation in 1941 because of what we thought the house rules meant.

This turn rule 5 became the main point of debate. If I knew then what I know now I would have asked that the rule be changed to specific actions rather than a subjective assesment. I consider myself to be a historical player, and get surprised when others say I am not. Similarly I see certain tactics as obviously ahistorical being treated as orthodox on these forums. The question was what exactly is historical and what is "gamey" stuff? And is there any such thing as "historical" other than just meaning "what I did not think of myself" or "what I feel like it should be?"

We did use that principle of legal interpretation often used in common law systems and some others that a law is meant to stop something and not meant to be vacuous. And that as everyone had different views we should look to what the author of the rule meant by historical or gamey. As far as we can see the rules author, Hortlund, only gave one example of what he saw as being ahistorical or "gamey" here tm.asp?m=4210686&mpage=5 - see post 141

In particular they refer to the use of dummy stacked units to prevent a unit reteating the wrong way in this picture



Without expressing any views on whether this is historical or not (and I have many doubts on whether it is a meaningful term at all as I usually see it posted) we have to accept the author of the rule saw it as being so. So if anything is prohibited by this rule, this must be.

It follows from that fact that if anything is included in the rule this must be, and that the rule should not be interpreted as vacuous, that the house rules prohibit this action in this game.

In this turn we faced the exact analogue in that we did not want units that just crossed the river Don being forced to retreat back the wrong way. After debating the rule in the end we did not place other units to prevent this happening.

ORIGINAL: Telemecus

Turn 42 08-April-1942 Air



With mud the Soviet air forces have largely left the map except for some airbases opposite the battles which were raging for a Don Bridghead and three bases near Kazan. Curiously our reconnaisance finds their fighters and fighter bombers at the Don are not providing any interceptor cover, so our bombers bomb them in daylight unescorted and unintercepted. Previously airbases had been placed in swamp hexes so that they would not fly interceptions. Now they will not fly interceptions from airbases not in swamps again! And while there is some fighter cover of Gorky, it is noticeably weak.

ORIGINAL: Telemecus

Turn 41 01-April-1942 Air

Soviets continue to bomb our storks and to ground bomb - but also bomb our transports this turn. As already mentioned during our go they succeed in launching one ground interdiction which meets heavy flak and loses all bar one of their bombers.



The Luftwaffe moves south this turn to join its southern allies and also to cover and support the 1st Panzer army. But as a result the bombing of industry in Gorky takes a rest this turn.



...

Meanwhile the Finns continue to bomb the non-flying biplanes of the north. There are now some Sturmoviks being added to the mix too.

ORIGINAL: Telemecus

This post is being reserved for a future upload of the team allocations of turn 42

ORIGINAL: Zorch

ORIGINAL: Telemecus
This post is being reserved for a future upload of the team allocations of turn 42

Kind of like the old IBM manuals that said "This page intentionally left blank".

ORIGINAL: Telemecus
Another week and another Russian poisoning attempt! The perfidy of the Soviet side knows no bounds as its assassination squad tampered with thedude357's Ragu sauce preventing them from doing their whole go in turn 34.

ORIGINAL: Telemecus

Turn 43: Team

ORIGINAL: Telemecus
Another week and another Russian poisoning attempt! The perfidy of the Soviet side knows no bounds as its assassination squad tampered with thedude357's Ragu sauce preventing them from doing their whole go in turn 34.

The poisoners have been tracked down by intelligence. The Führer has granted the request by our South Commander to personally lead the retaliation raid. While thedude357 is temporarily absent leverkuhn will be deputising for the South command from this turn.