Absolute War!

Sequence of Play (Basic Game)

I. New Turn Housekeeping 3. Card Phase 5. Movement Phase 8. Used Marker Phase
1. Advance Turn Marker a. Draw 4 Events • Leg/Mobile Stack = 2/3 MPs • Remove Phasing player’s Major
2. Game Turn Event (ignore * events) • Ignore Event text & War Goals • Air to any friendly-controlled Zone Offensive/Disrupt/Armor markers
3. War Status Check • -1 card per enemy-controlled War (Total # not limited by Weather) • -1 WSP per Major Offensive
• Determine War Initiative per Turn Econ. Site / Game Turn Event o Unsupplied: 1 MP (only friendly) removed from uncontrolled Zone
Track (Re-shuffle decks if it changes) • +1 card per flipped Lend-Lease o Disrupted: 2 MP • Remove both players’ Done
• Major Offensives: Init.=2, Non-Init.=1 • War Initiative may redraw 1st card o Cannot enter enemy-occupied Hex markers
(Germans = 0 in General Winter) b. May discard cards and flip Industry or Area (unless only Air → Return
enemy Air to Air box); III. Soviet Player Turn
markers to gain RPs (1 RP each)
II. German Player Turn o Cannot enter boxes Same as German Player Turn
1. Supply Phase • Max RPs: 4 (Germans)/6 (Soviets)
o Phase end: Enforce stacking limits
a. Both players check Supply c. Discard down to 6 cards IV. End Of Turn
• Unsupplied Stack which cannot 6. Combat Phase Check Victory Conditions
4. Strategic Phase 1) Place Major Offensives in enemy (War Initiative player first)
trace unlimited Supply Line → a. Withdraw Units (Air → Air Box)
Captured (Sov./Ger. = -1/2 WSP) /contested Zones (max 1 each) Instant Victory:
b. Upgrade Units (-1 WSP per unplaced marker) • Germans control 4 Soviet War Aims
• Unsupplied Stack which can trace
• Flip Soviet Upgrade: Untrained →
unlimited Supply Line → Disrupt 2) Choose target Stack and Attacker • Soviets control 1 German War Aim
Trained → Front Upgrade (= CPs)
• Stack which cannot trace unlimited o Place Attack marker on Attacker • Initiative player has 19 WSP and
• Flip Soviet Upgrade/Spend 2 RP:
Supply Line → Unsupplied o Combat mandatory in Contested opponent has 0 WSP
Flip reduced 2-step unit
• Unoccupied Zone cannot trace Soviet Initiative=No Axis Upgrade
Zone unless Fort present End Game Victory:
unlimited Supply Line → Change o Each stack can only attack/be • Soviets win if: Soviet-controlled
• Spend 1 CM → Flip Air/Fort Greater Germany Zones > German-
control targeted once per player turn
c. Reinforcements controlled Soviet Zones
b. Phasing player flips Industry/ Lend- 3) Resolve Combat
• Spend 1 CM → Reserve • Otherwise: Most WSP wins!
Lease markers to ‘Ready’ • Free → Friendly Minor/Major City 4) Repeat from Step 2 as desired
c. Phasing player removes all Pockets with Supply Line (No Sea Supply) 7. Reserve Phase War Status Points
• Non-Phasing player gains +1 RP in unit’s home country • Deploy Reserves → Any friendly- Capture Major City/
per Pocket removed from zone not • Front Upgrade → Set aside +1
controlled zone with Supply Line Oil Well
controlled by phasing player • Fort → Friendly Zone (face down) (No Sea Supply) Capture War Aim Site +1
2. Combat Marker Phase d. Replace Eliminated Units (in order) (Axis Allies in limited locations) Major Offensive failed/
-1
• Regain all Combat Markers 1) Shattered → Reserve (free) unused
o Attack CMs not limited by Weather 2) Destroyed → Reserve (1 RP each) Soviet/German/Axis
-1/-2/0
o Only 1 Mobile/Armor marker if Oil 3) Captured Soviets/Germans → unit Captured
Well Zone is enemy-controlled Reserve/Destroyed (1/2 RP each) Successful Pocket +1
e. Create Reserves Per WSP > 19 -1 (opp.)
• Move units from map → Reserve
(1 CM each; Max 4 in Reserve)
 Combat Sequence Supply Special Units
1. Combat Marker Phase 5. Advance After Combat • Source: Colored dotted map edge Axis Allies
1) Declare Support Stacks • Attacker/Support units can (German = West, Soviet = East) • No Upgrade if Soviet War Initiative
• Non-Initiative player first Advance into target Zone • Supply Line: Trace any number of • Axis AK: Not used
• 1 Stack per Zone in/adjacent to • Enforce Stacking Limits zones via friendly (not contested/ • Finnish: May only Deploy/Attack
target Zone (No Defense Support • Advance to Zone with lone impassable) Zones Helsinki & Motti Lands (but may
between adjacent Areas unless enemy Air? → Air Box (may trace via Lakes/Straits/Rivers) Move anywhere with no Soviets);
Target Contested or Air Support) o German/Axis adj. Baltic Sea Permanently remove both Finnish
6. Mobile Exploitation
• No Unsupply/Disrupt/Done stack trace directly to Germany units when Soviet War Initiative
Mobile units with an Armor marker
o Soviets adj. Black/Caspian Sea and Soviet controls both Motti Land
2) Commit 1 Event for CP bonus (or which spend a Mobile marker)
trace directly to Siberia • Hungarian: Deploy to Kharkov;
• Non-Initiative player first may Advance 1 extra Zone:
o Finnish in Motti always supplied Cannot stack w/ Romania
• Only into/from Zone if Terrain &
3) Attacker may attempt Pincer
Weather allows • Italian: Deploy to Kharkov
Stacking
2. Total Combat Strength • Not if Disrupted/Unsupplied • Romanian: Deploy to Bucharest/
• Stack: 1 Leg/Mobile + 1 Air + 1 Fort
• Card CPs in allowed years Odessa; Cannot stack with Hungary;
• Not in Area with 2 enemy Stacks • Hex: 1 Stack; Area: 2 Stacks (total)
• Attacker/Target: Allowed CPs Become Soviet-controlled when
• Exploit to Zone with lone enemy • Over-Stacked? Remove excess
• Support Stack: Yellow CPs only Soviet War Initiative and Soviets
Air? → Air Box Stacks, Phasing player first:
control/contest Bucharest
• Terrain/Weather: Defense CPs • Mobile Armor Stack without Supplied → Shattered
• Major Offensive: 1 RP → +1 CP Armor marker may place Pincer Unsupplied → Destroyed Special Units
o Disrupt/Unsupply Stack: -1/-2 CP in Exploit Zone (always) • German Group F: Not used
3. Resolve Combat
Eliminated Units • Soviet Shock Armies: Use only
7. Flip Combat Markers
• Unsupplied → Captured face-down Large unit, not 3 Small units
Combat type determined by Terrain: • Flip ‘Attack/Support’ → ‘Done’
• Supplied → Destroyed current side • Basic Game Small Units: Only
a) Battle Odds = Attack – Defense CP
(Draw Attacker Event for Result) • Fort/Air → Destroyed (always) Fortified I + II (Soviet) and Heer AK I
+ II (Germans) used; Treat as Large
b) Assault Odds = (Attack CP + Event Pincer Requirements
SP) – (Defense CP + Event SP) • Attacker is Mobile Armor (place Forts
Armor marker) • 1-step if complete; else 0-steps
4. Apply Combat Results • Incomplete: Enemy units may enter
• Target’s top unit is not Armor
• Successful Pincer? +1 WSP; Zone (if they do→ eliminate Fort)
Enemy cannot Retreat; • Major Offensive in target zone
• Attacking from 2+ different Zones • Sevastopol: Cannot Rebuild/Upgrade
Place Pocket (max 4)
• Not prevented by Terrain/Weather Air
• Retreat? Cannot enter enemy/ --OR-- • 1-step (either side)
contested/impassable Zone; • Mobile Armor stack without Armor • May Advance, but not Exploit
Cannot split; Eliminate if cannot marker enters target Zone by • Return to Air Box if must Retreat
Retreat (Air → Air Box always) Mobile Exploitation • Cannot Attack if alone
• Losses? Attacker/Target must
lose step unless noted otherwise