This Hard & Calcined Earth A Card Wargame of World War II Neal Reid 2016 Published by Vexillia Limited www.vexillia.com
This Hard & Calcined Earth A Card Wargame of World War II Neal Reid 2016 Published by Vexillia Limited www.vexillia.com
Contents 1. Introduction 3 2. Setting up the Game 3 3. The Cards 3 3.1 Terrain Cards 4 3.2 Strategic Cards 5 3.3 Operational Convoy Cards 6 3.4 Operational Combat Cards 6 4. Sequence of Play 7 4.1 Strategic Phase 7 4.2 Running a Supply Convoy 7 4.3 Launching an Attack 8 5. Victory & Defeat 8 Appendix Chronology 9 Dedication To Grandad who went there and back again. Acknowledgement The title is a quotation taken from the beginning of episode 8 of the famous 1973 Thames TV series "The World At War". Image Credits All images & maps Crown Copyright 1940-45. Obtained from www.battlefieldhistorian.com.
This Hard & Calcined Earth 1. Introduction This is a two player card game covering the entire North Africa Campaign of WW2 from June 1940 to May 1943. For a historical overview see the chronology in Appendix I. One player controls the Axis forces, comprising the Italian and Germans, and the other the British and Commonwealth forces. The American involvement in the campaign is included through various strategic cards. The objective of the game is to force the opposing player off the North African coast. For the Allied player the objective is Tunis and for the Axis player Alexandria. 2. Setting up the Game The game consists of fifty two cards. To set up a game: Sort the cards into terrain, strategic and operational card decks. Lay the numbered terrain cards out in sequence from left to right starting with card #1 on the left. Place the Gibraltar, Malta and Sicily cards in sequence above the line of terrain cards. Place the Front Line card below the line of terrain cards between the Tobruk and Alexandria cards. Decide who will be the Axis player and who will be playing the Allies. Shuffle the strategic cards and deal all but the last two cards to the players. Place the last two strategic cards to one side face down as they will not be used in the game. Give each player these three operational cards: Axis - Axis Fortlet defence, Axis forces, & Methodical attack. Allies - Allied Armour Thrust, Allied Support forces & Supply Convoy (+2) Shuffle the remaining operational cards and place them face down between the players. This becomes the game deck. Each player should have nine strategic cards and three operational cards in two separate hands. It is best not to mix strategic and operational cards. You are now ready to start the game. 3. The Cards All the information you require to play the game is given on the cards. Many cards are divided in half. It is important that players only act on the appropriate half. At no point should a player act on the other player s half. There are three basic types: terrain (11), strategic (20) and operational (21). The operational card deck contains both combat (12) and convoy (9) cards. The cards are described below. 3
This Hard & Calcined Earth 3.1 Terrain Cards There are eleven terrain cards. Seven of these cards represent the main towns, cities or ports along the North African coast. These cards are named and numbered like the example above and should be arranged in sequence from left to right starting with card #1 on the left. Two of the terrain cards provide players with a defensive advantage if they were in possession of the terrain at the start of the game. Tripoli provides an advantage when defended by Axis forces and El Alamein provides an advantage when defended by the Allies. Three cards represent Gibraltar, Malta & Sicily; places which had a major influence on the North African campaign. They are marked as Convoy Routes and should be placed in sequence above the line of terrain cards. 4
This Hard & Calcined Earth The final terrain card represents the front line between the Axis and Allied forces. It is moved as the front line advances and retreats along the coastline. 3.2 Strategic Cards There are twenty strategic cards. The cards are divided in half, one half for the Axis and the other for the Allies. The cards describe an event, its effects and whether the card stays on the table and has a long term effect on the game. The most common effect of a strategic card is that of forcing an opponent to loose operational cards from their hand or allowing the player to draw additional cards for their own hand from the game deck. Strategic cards with short term effects are added to the discarded deck for eventual reuse in the game deck. Certain strategic cards can only be used once and must not be re-used. They are marked with an N and should be put to one side once played. 5
This Hard & Calcined Earth V1.01 December 2016 3.3 Operational Convoy Cards There are six convoy cards which are vital to success in the game. Players need convoys to arrive safely to support their next attack and cannot attack without them. The convoy cards are not divided in half and can be used by either player. They can be held in a player s hand or they can be placed below terrain cards #1 or #7 if they have been played and arrived safely. All operational convoy cards are returned to the discard deck if they fail to arrive safely or once they have been used to initiate an attack. 3.4 Operational Combat Cards There are fifteen operational combat cards. The combat cards describe an event and its effects. They too are divided in half; one half for the Axis and the other for the Allies. 6
This Hard & Calcined Earth In addition to the point values of the cards, combat cards are assigned to one or more groups. There are three cards in each group. This is shown by the number(s) in the grey circle. The groups are important because playing a full set of three cards from a group during a combat, in attack or defence, adds two additional points to a player s score (see below). All operational combat cards are returned to the discard deck once used. 4. Sequence of Play Each turn starts with the Axis player followed by the Allied player. The basic sequence involves three steps or phases. The active player has the option to play one strategic card, then attempt to run a successful convoy and finally to launch one or more attacks. None of the options is mandatory and you may pass any or all of them. Each step must be completed before the next one begins. Only strategic cards with a permanent effect are carried over from one turn to the next. All others are spent. 4.1 Strategic Phase If a player does not have a strategic card, or they do not wish to play any of the strategic cards they hold, they draw a card from the game deck and the phase ends. If player decides to play a strategic card and it results in card loses the opposing player chooses which cards are lost from their hand. Only operational cards are lost at this stage. If the card results in card gains these are drawn from the game deck. One Allied card allows the Allies to invade Sicily. This requires that the Allies lose six operational cards as the logistical price of the operation. If the Allied player does not hold six operational cards they cannot play this card. There are a few strategic cards that require certain conditions to be met and these cards should be played with care as if played in error they cannot be withdrawn. Used strategic cards are treated as follows: If it is marked Permanent place it face up and below the terrain cards on the player s side of the front line. If it is marked Do not reuse put it to one side. Do not put it in the discard deck. The Italian fleet at sea card should be held over, face up, until the end of the next phase. Finally, the active player should draw a card from the game deck to add to their hand. This is in addition to any cards gained from playing the strategic card. 4.2 Running a Supply Convoy If the player holds a supply convoy card, or has drawn one in the previous phase, they may attempt to resupply their troops by running a convoy. 7
This Hard & Calcined Earth At the start of the game Sicily belongs to the Axis forces while Gibraltar and Malta belong to the Allies. All three convoy route cards provide valuable support in the shape of convoy points to their controlling powers. The control of these locations may change during the game. If it does it will have a big impact on the player s ability to run successful convoys. To run a convoy the active player must play a supply convoy card face up. The overall strength of the convoy is then calculated by adding together the convoy points from: the player s convoy route cards, their strategic cards, and, of course, the supply convoy card itself. This total is compared with the corresponding figure for the opposing player. If the active player has beaten their opponent s score the convoy has succeeded. A successful convoy supports one attack but does not have to be used immediately and can be stockpiled for later use. To do this place the card face up and below terrain cards #1 or #7. Do not keep it in your hand where it may get mixed up with convoy cards yet to run. Unsuccessful convoy cards must be discarded along with any held over strategic cards. Convoy cards can be merged to create a stronger convoy by simply adding the convoy points together. Merged convoys only count as one convoy regardless of how many cards are involved. If a merged convoy fails all cards are lost. There is one strategic card that gives an automatic supply convoy. This card should be kept in the hand and used at the start of the next phase. 4.3 Launching an Attack To launch an attack a player must hold a successful supply convoy card. After showing it to their opponent the convoy card is spent. The attacking player then selects a set of operational cards from their hand to form their attack. The cards are placed face down on the table. The defending player then selects a set of cards to form their defence and does likewise. When both players are ready the cards are turned face up. The total combat points are calculated for both sides. If either player has played three cards from the same group they gain two additional points. If either player is defending terrain with defences they gain the points from the terrain card. The player with the highest number of points wins. They push the losing player back and the front line card is moved two cards towards the losing player s base. The combat ends when all the cards used by both sides are returned to the discard deck. As long as the attacking player holds additional successful supply convoy cards they may initiate further attacks. Successful convoys are not required to defend and they have no defensive value. 5. Victory & Defeat Victory is declared when a player is pushed beyond their original home base. 8
Chronology of the North African Campaign 1940-43 - This Hard & Calcined Earth 1940 Global Strategic Operational 04 June Evacuation of Dunkirk ends. 10 June Italy declares war on France and Britain. 14 June Commonwealth forces cross the Libyan border and capture Fort Capuzzo. 22 June France signs an armistice with Axis. 28 June Italian convoy to Africa attacked in the Battle of Espero. 03 July British attack the French fleet at Oran. 04 July Italian troops invade British Sudan. 09 July Italian convoy to Africa attacked in the Battle of Calabria. 10 July Start of the Battle of Britain. 03 August Italian troops invade British Somaliland. 24 August Hitler approves the plan to invade Gibraltar (Operation Felix). 13 September Italian troops invade Egypt from Libya. 21 September First U-Boats arrive in the Mediterranean. 31 October End of the Battle of Britain. 11 November British attack the Italian Fleet at Taranto. 09 December Commonwealth forces launch Operation Compass.
Chronology of the North African Campaign 1940-43 - This Hard & Calcined Earth 1941 Global Strategic Operational 06 January British convoy to Malta (Operation Excess) attacked. 08 January Commonwealth forces capture Tobruk. 30 January Commonwealth forces capture Derna. 01 February British Sudan recaptured from Italians. 06 February Commonwealth forces capture Benghazi. 07 February Italian X Army surrenders to the Commonwealth forces. 09 February Churchill orders withdrawal of forces to defend Greece. Commonwealth forces reach El Agheila. 14 February Operation Sonnenblume: first units of the German Africa Corps arrive in Libya. 24 February Axis forces recapture El Agheila. 01 April Italian Eritrea captured by British forces. 04 April Axis forces recapture Benghazi. 06 April Axis forces recapture Derna. 06 April German troops invade Greece. 08 April British campaign to recapture Somaliland ends. 10 April Axis siege of Tobruk begins. 15 April Commonwealth forces are pushed back to the Libyan border with Egypt.
Chronology of the North African Campaign 1940-43 - This Hard & Calcined Earth 1941 cont d Global Strategic Operational 16 April Italian convoy to Africa attacked in the Battle of the Tarigo Convoy. 21 April Commonwealth evacuation of Greece begins. 15 May Commonwealth troops launch Operation Brevity as a prelude to Battleaxe. 16 May Final surrender of Italian East Africa. 20 May German invasion of Crete. 26 May The Axis forces launch Operation Skorpion against Brevitys gains. 01 June German invasion of Cyprus planned for later in the month. 08 June Commonwealth forces invade Vichy French Syria. 15 June Commonwealth troops launch Operation Battleaxe which fails. 21 June Barbarossa, the German invasion of Russia begins. 10 July Italians begin to send troops to fight in Russia. 12 July Vichy French Syria surrenders to the Commonwealth forces. 23 July British convoy to Malta (Operation Substance) attacked. 25 August Allies invade Persia to forestall an Axis Coup.
Chronology of the North African Campaign 1940-43 - This Hard & Calcined Earth 1941 cont d Global Strategic Operational 19 September Replacement of Australian forces in Tobruk begins. British convoy to Malta (Operation Halberd) attacked. 25 October Replacement of Australian forces in Tobruk ends. 08 November Axis convoy to Africa destroyed in the Battle of the Duisburg Convoy. 15 November Operation Typhoon begins against Moscow. 18 November Commonwealth troops launch Operation Crusader pushing Axis forces back. 05 December German Operation Typhoon is called off as Russians launch counter offensive around Moscow. 07 December Pearl Harbour: America enters the war. 13 December Italian convoy to Africa attacked in the Battle of Cape Bon. 17 December Axis and British convoys clash in thefirst Battle of Sirte. 19 December Italian manned subs attack Alexandria Naval base. 24 December Commonwealth forces capture Benghazi. 31 December Front lines settle at El Agheila.
Chronology of the North African Campaign 1940-43 - This Hard & Calcined Earth 1942 Global Strategic Operational 07 January Russian Moscow counteroffensive is called off. 21 January The Axis second offensive begins. 29 January Axis forces capture Benghazi. 04 February British forces take over Egyptian government. 22 March British convoy to Africa attacked in the Second Battle of Sirte. 07 May Axis Operation Fall Blau begins in Russia. 15 June British convoy to Malta (Operation Harpoon) is attacked as another to Africa (Operation Vigorous) is beaten back. 21 June The Axis captures Tobruk. 30 June The first Battle of Alamein begins. 01 July Axis invasion of Malta planned for later in the month. 15 August British convoy (Operation Pedestal) to Malta attacked. 23 October Operation Lightfoot begins the second Battle of Alamein. 08 November Operation Torch. American forces land in Morocco and Algeria. 13 November Allied forces capture Tobruk.
Chronology of the North African Campaign 1940-43 - This Hard & Calcined Earth 1942 cont d Global Strategic Operational 15 November Allied forces capture Derna. 16 November Axis seizes 96 Vichy French merchantmen for convoy duty. 19 November Russians launch offensive at Stalingrad. 20 November British convoy to Malta (Operation Stone Age) succeeds as Allied forces capture Benghazi. 02 December Italian convoy to Africa destroyed in the Battle of Skerki Bank. 12 December Allied forces capture El Agheila. 24 December Vichy French Admiral Darlan is assassinated.
Chronology of the North African Campaign 1940-43 - This Hard & Calcined Earth 1943 Global Strategic Operational 14 January Casablanca conference. 23 January Allies capture Tripoli. 19 February Battle of Kasserine Pass. 02 February Axis forces in Stalingrad surrender. 06 March Axis launches Operation Capri. 19 March Allies launch Operation Pugilist. 26 March Allies launch Operation Supercharge II. 16 April Italian convoy to Africa attacked in the Battle of the Cigno Convoy. 22 April Allies launch Operation Vulcan. 03 May Italian convoy destroyed in the Battle of the Campobasso Convoy. 06 May Allies launch Operation Strike. 07 May Allies enter Tunis. 13 May Axis forces surrender in Tunisia. 02 June Italian convoy to Africa destroyed in the Battle of the Messina Convoy. 09 July Allied Invasion of Sicily.
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