Allied Strategy………………………………………………………………………39
General Tips……………………………………………….…………………….…..40
VII. CAMPAIGN EDITOR
Creating A New Campaign……….…………………………………………………41
Opening An Existing Campaign….…………………………………………………41
Saving Campaigns……………….………………………………………………….41
Activating Countries…………….…………………………………………………..41
Changing Hex Control………….…………………………………………………...42
Adding Units………………………………………………………………………...42
Setting Up Research Levels…………………………………………………………42
Editing Campaign Data……………………………………………………………...43
Editing Units………………………………………………………………………...43
Limitations…………………………………………………………………………..43
VIII. TROUBLESHOOTING
Installation Issues……………………………………………………………………44
Video Issues………………………………………………………………………….44
Sound Issues…………………………………………………………………………45
IX. TABLES
Abbreviations………………………………………………………………………...46
Combat Target Values……………………………………………..…………………46
Terrain Values………………………………………………………………………..47
Supply Values………………………………………………………………………..48
X. TECHNICAL
Hardware Requirements……………………………………………………………..49
XI. CREDITS
………………………………………………………………………………..50
2
I. OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Total War is not a succession of mere episodes in a day or a week. It is a long drawn out and intricately
planned business, and the longer it continues the heavier are the demands on the character of the men
engaged in it.
– General George C. Marshall June 1941
Strategic Command – European Theater is WWII Grand Strategy at its best. As the
supreme commander of the Axis or Allied forces, the player shapes the fates of the
nations at war during the Second World War in Europe. Political options, research and
upgrade of equipment, management of supply and resources and the strategic
employment of one's armed forces are some of the keys to success. With limited phase
restrictions and wide-open turns you are in complete control to try many different
approaches and entertain just as many possible outcomes. The future of Europe and
perhaps ultimate glory is in your hands.
GAME BASICS
SCALE
Each hex represents about 80 kilometres or 50 miles. Turns vary in length and are
dependant on the time of year.
SEASON TURN LENGTH
Summer 1 week
Fall, Spring 2 weeks
Winter 1 month
MAP LAYOUT
The map covers an area that stretches horizontally from the east coast of North America
to the Ural Mountains in Russia, and vertically from just below the Arctic Circle to the
North Coast of Africa.
3
Each of the major combatants is represented by a different colour on the map, essentially
representing the territory controlled by that particular country. The colour scheme is as
follows:
United Kingdom & Allied Minor
France
USA
USSR
Germany & Axis Minor
Italy
Neutral Countries
SYMBOLS ON THE MAP
Each type of terrain or resource can have several different properties depending upon
whether or not a unit is attacking or defending on that particular hex. Please refer to the
Terrain Values Table for further detail on terrain values with respect to combat.
4
TERRAIN SYMBOLS
Forest Marsh Mountain
STRATEGIC RESOURCE SYMBOLS
City Capital City Fortification
UNIT SYMBOLS
Port Oil Mine
Head Quarters (HQ)
Corps
Army
Tank Group
Air Fleet
Rocket Detachment
Battleship
Cruiser
Carrier
Sub
Strategic Bombers
Transport
5
II. REFERENCE
GENERAL UNIT CHARACTERISTICS
The following table outlines the six basic characteristics for all units:
CHARACTERISTIC MAX VALUE
Strength 10 (max 15)
Supply 10
Experience 4
Readiness* Determined by Formula
Action Points** Unit’s AP Value
Entrenchment*** Terrain’s Maximum Value
*Refer to the Unit Formulas section for further detail
**Refer to the Combat Target Values Table for further detail on Action Points
***This characteristic does not apply to naval units, since they cannot be entrenched
Each unit type also has combat values for:
• Spotting
• Strike Range
• Soft Attack
• Tank Attack
• Air Attack
• Naval Attack
• Strategic Attack
• Soft Defence
• Tank Defence
• Air Defence
• Naval Defence
These values can be improved through research and development. Please refer to the
Research and Development section for further details.
LAND UNITS
Land units are vital in defeating enemy land forces as well as in capturing enemy territory
and resources. The effective use of land forces can be the difference between total
6
victory and bitter defeat. The following is a breakdown of the different land units found
in the game.
HEADQUARTERS
Both land and air units are attached to an Army Group Commander specified by a Head
Quarters (HQ) unit. This can be seen in the command breakdown diagram given below:
HQ
Note: Unit attachment to an HQ is limited to the five closest ‘home’ units that are within at least five hexes
to an HQ. If there is more than one HQ in the area then the game will attempt to allocate attachment as
best fits the above requirement.
Army Group Commanders are available in a pool at production time with a
predetermined commander rating.
Examples:
ARMY GROUP COMMANDER COMMANDER RATING
Rommel 8
Zhukov 8
Patton 7
Wavell 7
The higher the commander rating of an Army Group Commander, the higher the
readiness value for all units attached to his HQ. Please refer to the Unit Formulas
section for further detail on calculating combat readiness.
In addition to influencing the readiness of units under its command, HQ’s can also pass
on a combat morale bonus depending upon how well units perform in the field. Any
unit that performs well when attached to an HQ will increase that HQ’s command
experience and subsequently increase their combat morale bonus at the same time.
While if units under an HQ face some sort of disaster, then this HQ’s command
experience is reduced, in turn reducing the combat morale bonuses for all units under
its command.
7
Although HQ’s are administrative in nature and cannot attack, they can also increase a
unit’s supply value when extended from other supply resources. Please refer to the Unit Supply ValuesTable for further detail.
CORPS
Generally an operational unit, the standard Corps in the Second World War comprised of
approximately 40,000 to 60,000 men.
ARMY
More of a strategic unit, armies were made up of one or more Corps plus any special
attached formations and usually comprised of approximately 60,000 to 100,000 men.
TANK GROUPS
As a tactical unit, Tank Groups started the war comprising of one or more motorized
Corps that also consisted of one or more Tank Divisions. Future developments of Tank
Groups, notably in Germany led to larger more strategic formations such as the Tank or
Panzer Armies.
ROCKET DETACHMENTS
Rocket units can be used to attack strategic resources as well as regular land, air or naval
units. The key benefit of rocket detachments is that its attacks cannot be defended
against, so rocket detachments can only lose strength points from direct attack by other
units. This specialized unit’s effectiveness is greatly increased through rocket research
and development. Please refer to the Research and Development section for further
detail.
Used as a strategic unit, rockets were developed primarily by Germany in the hopes of
bringing decisive victory at a minimal cost. In the end though, rockets failed to play this
decisive role due to their late introduction and the limited numbers available.
AIR UNITS
Air units can play an important role in pre-emptive strikes as well as in destroying an
enemy’s strategic assets.
8
AIR FLEETS
Air Fleets can be used to attack any valid land, air, or naval targets, while their strategic
attacks are limited. Air Fleets are very useful when placed in the immediate vicinity of
either tactical or strategic targets and will be automatically activated in a defensive role
for all friendly units adjacent to them within their flight radius.
In general, Air Fleets were normally made up of fighter, tactical bomber, and transport
wings all of which together comprised of the normal day to day air operations throughout
the war.
STRATEGIC BOMBERS
Bombers can be used to attack any valid land, air, or naval units, but are very useful in
attacking strategic resources. The bombing of enemy cities and other resource areas can
reduce their operational strengths, which in turn reduces the overall number of MPP’s
collected at the end of an enemy’s turn. Please refer to the Military Production section
for further detail on the collection of military production points (MPP’s).
As a strategic unit, bombers played an integral role in the Second World War. Most
notably, the Allies’ use of heavy bombers in the closing stages of the war severely
hampered Germany’s war machine and was instrumental to their eventual surrender.
NAVAL UNITS
Naval units can help control sea-lanes as well as perform shore bombardments preceding
amphibious assaults.
BATTLESHIPS
Battleships can be used in regular naval combat as well as in shore bombardments. Shore
bombardments can be commenced upon regular land or air units as well as strategic
resources.
Prior to the Second World War, Battleships were considered by many nations as the
pinnacle symbol of naval power, yet as the war progressed, these capital ships lost much
of their lustre. In general, the advances in sub design and the effective use of aircraft
carriers, particularly in the Pacific Theater, commanded a lot of rethinking with respect to
the Battleships’ role in modern warfare.
9
CRUISERS
Cruisers can be used in regular naval combat as well as in shore bombardments. Shore
bombardments can be commenced upon regular land or air units as well as strategic
resources.
The Battle Cruiser solved the dilemma of trying to balance speed and firepower in a
capital ship. Battle Cruisers were often able to outgun most opponents, while being fast
enough to escape any ship that out classed them.
CARRIERS
With an effective strike range, Carrier units can be extremely useful in advanced strikes
upon land, air and other naval units.
The advent of Carriers marked the beginning of a new form of naval warfare. While
effectively demonstrated in the Pacific Theater, aircraft Carriers did not have as great an
impact in the European Theater due to the close proximity of most combatants.
SUBS
Subs can be used in regular naval combat as well as for disrupting Allied convoys in the
North Atlantic and Mediterranean. Surface raiding by subs is covered in more detail
under the Special Rules section.
Although Subs were instrumental in bringing about a premature end to the First World
War, the Washington Treaties did not state any limitations on their design or numbers.
This lack of restriction resulted in countries like Germany experimenting with new
submarine designs and tactics. One notable development, the idea of a submarine wolf pack, was extremely successful in wreaking havoc on many allied convoys throughout
the Second World War.
TRANSPORTS
Transports can be used to transport land units across fixed bodies of water. In terms of
combat, transports are very weak since they cannot attack and their defence is very
limited, yet their existence was essential to any campaign in the European Theater.
Please refer to the Game Play section for further detail.
10
MILITARY PRODUCTION
Military Production Points (MPP’s) are collected at the beginning of each round and are
based on the number of cities, ports, mining sites and oil production areas currently
owned or occupied by either the Axis or Allied sides. Only the following major countries
will control their own production while all other countries will fall under either Axis or Allied Minor control.
• United Kingdom
• France
• USA
• USSR
• Germany
• Italy
In general, a country’s production can only occur in those cities or ports that can trace a
direct line of land hexes back to their capital city. For example, since the sea effectively
cuts off London from the mainland, the United Kingdom could never build units in
mainland Europe. Rather, they would have to build them in England first, and then
transport them there if it was so required.
The following table outlines the conditions that determine the maximum operational
strength value of a city or strategic resource:
CONDITION MAX STRENGTH VALUE
In Direct Connection With Capital city10
Cut Off From Capital City 5
Occupied City/Resource* 8
Cut Off And Occupied** 5
*Occupied cities or resources in the USSR will have a max strength = 5
**Cut off and occupied cities or resources in the USSR will have a max strength = 3
Strategic bombing, air attack, naval bombardment, or rocket attack can reduce the
operational strength value of any valid strategic resource. This results in strength losses
and directly affects the number of MPP’s collected at the beginning of each round.
Subsequently, for each turn that a strategic resource is not attacked, the operational
strength for that strategic resource is increased by +1 point automatically up to their
maximum attainable value. This simulates rebuilding and repair.
The following table outlines the MPP values assigned to strategic resources:
STRATEGIC RESOURCE MPP VALUE
City 1 MPP * Operational Strength
Capital City 2 MPP * Operational Strength
11
Port 1 MPP * Operational Strength
Mining Site 2 MPP * Operational Strength
Oil Site 3 MPP * Operational Strength
The sum of these values for each type of strategic resource controlled will determine the
total MPP’s collected at the beginning of each round for each major country.
The following table outlines the production costs for each unit type:
UNIT MILITARY PRODUCTION COST
HQ 350 + 15 * Rating
Corps 125
Army 250
Rocket Detachment 350
Tank Group 325
Air Fleet 400
Strategic Bombers 500
Battleship 600
Cruiser 500
Carrier 700
Sub 325
Research and development can improve the combat effectiveness of various units, but it
will also result in an increase of the unit’s overall production cost. The following
formula reflects the cost of units for which applicable research levels have been achieved:
Cost of Unit = Production Cost + (10% of Production Cost * # of applicable research levels)
Please see the Research and Development section for further detail on the various types
of research available.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Only the Axis and Allied Major countries can conduct research and development. The
following list of technologies is available for further research and development:
• Anti-Tank Weapons
• Heavy Tanks
• Anti-Aircraft Radar
• Long Range Aircraft
• Jet Aircraft
• Heavy Bombers
• Sonar
• Advanced Subs
12
• Gun Laying Radar
• Rockets
• Industrial Techno logy
Each research type has a maximum level of 5 and a maximum number of 5 research
points that can be put against it. At the beginning of each turn, each research point has a
5% chance of returning the next level of research (so 5 research points in anti-tank
research will give you a 25% chance per turn of getting the next level), so the more
research points put against a particular type of research, the better the chances of
achieving the next level. Each research point costs 250 MPP’s and the total maximum
research funding cannot exceed 2500 MPP’s. Also, depending upon the type of research,
a variety of results can be achieved with each new level. The following is a breakdown
of the benefits for each type:
ANTI-TANK RESEARCH
Anti-tank research encompasses anti-tank guns as well as the later panzerfausts or
bazookas developed by Germany and the USA respectively.
Each new level of anti-tank research increases the tank defence and maximum strength
values for both Corps and Army units.
HEAVY TANK RESEARCH
Both the Axis and Allies put extensive research into developing the next generation of
medium to heavy tanks. Some of the more notable heavy tanks of the war included
Germany’s Tiger I & II, and the USSR’s KV series of tanks.
Each new level of heavy tank research increases the tank attack, tank defence and maximum strength values for Tank Groups.
ANTI-AIRCRAFT RADAR RESEARCH
This research provided both sides with a more effective defence from air attacks with
improved detection and accuracy.
Every new level of anti-aircraft radar research improves the air defence values for all
Strategic Resources. As an added bonus defending units located on these resources will
also receive the anti-aircraft radar bonus when defending against air attacks.
13
LONG-RANGE AIRCRAFT RESEARCH
An essential development throughout the war years, long-range aircraft provided an
effective means of attack and defence on almost every front. Notably, long-range aircraft
enabled the Allies to finally close the air gap in the mid Atlantic as well as allow for the
deep penetration into Axis held territory.
Every new level of long-range aircraft research increases the spotting, action points, and
strike range values for both Air Fleets, and Strategic Bombers. Also, every new level of
long-range aircraft research increases the spotting, strike range, and maximum strength
values of Carriers.
JET AIRCRAFT RESEARCH
Jet aircraft, such as the ME 262 fighter and the Arado 234 bomber, both produced by
Germany, shocked the Allied Air Commands in the closing stages of the war. Yet,
production problems and limited numbers never truly allowed these aircraft to impact the
course of the war. Nevertheless, many historians agree that had such aircraft been
developed earlier, the outcome of the war could have ended much differently for the
combined Allied forces.
Every new level of jet aircraft research improves the air defence, and air attack for both
Air Fleets and Carriers, while the air defence value for Strategic Bombers is increased.
In addition, the maximum strength value for Air Fleets is increased.
HEAVY BOMBER RESEARCH
As the Second World War came to an end, heavy bombers emerged as pivotal players in
the role of disrupting supply lines and destroying vital factories and resources.
Every new level of heavy bomber research improves the strategic attack and maximum strength values for Strategic Bomber units.
SONAR RESEARCH
Sonar development was essential in defending from submarine attack, as well as
submarine detection and destruction.
Every new level of sonar research improves the naval defence values o f Battleships,
Cruisers and Carriers when attacked by submarines.
14
ADVANCED SUB RESEARCH
Advances in sub design and technology allowed the German Navy to re-enter the Battle
of the Atlantic in the later stages of the war. Most notably, the snorkel allowed German
subs to remain submerged while recharging their batteries with their diesel engines.
Again, these and other developments failed to have any serious impact on the course of
the war due to production problems and dwindling resources as the war drew to a close.
Every new level of advanced sub research improves the naval attack and maximum strength values for submarines. Also, submarines in general have a 25% chance of
successfully diving from either naval or air attack, but with each new level of advanced
sub research, this percentage improves by +5%.
GUN LAYING RADAR RESEARCH
Both the Axis and Allied navies experimented with various types of radar to improve the
accuracy of their big guns for naval combat.
Every new level of gun laying radar research improves the naval attack, naval defence
and maximum strength values for both Battleships and Cruisers.
ROCKET RESEARCH
Both sides worked on developing various types of surface-to-air, surface-to-surface, airto-surface, and air-to-air rocket technology. Some of the most notable rocket
developments of the war were the V-1 and V-2 rockets developed by Germany. While
the V-1 became more of a nuisance to the Allies, the V-2 presented a potentially serious
threat. Luckily for the Allies the V-2 program suffered from many of the common
problems Germany faced in the later stages of the war, material and fuel shortages, as
well as disrupted production.
Every level of rocket research improves the attack values and strike range for all Rocket
Detachments.
INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH
In general, the penalty for attaining new levels for any of the above research results in a
production cost increase of 10% for the unit(s) it applies to. Thus, to offset this penalty,
developing industrial technology improves the capacity and development time of war
production and materials.
Every new level of industrial technology decreases the cost of production for each unit by
10%.
15
Loading...
+ 35 hidden pages
You need points to download manuals.
1 point = 1 manual.
You can buy points or you can get point for every manual you upload.