Europa Twilight Campaign – Rules.

NOTE: The rules for this campaign are dived into two parts. Rules for players and rules for battles.

Rules for players.

Players in Europa twilight have three options to choose from when choosing forces.

a)	Core Force
b)	Non Core Force
c)	Elite Core Force

At the start of the tournament players have the option of choosing one of the three above. Whatever their choice once chosen they cannot change the composition of their force. The only exception to this is when units are being upgraded between rounds (see upgrade rule). For example if Bob chooses an infantry core then he must always take an infantry core for all battles. The only exception to this is after a cauldron battle (see cauldron battle rule).

A.) Core Forces.

A core force is composed units which are core, support and auxiliary units.  Core forces represent units which continue to fight together throughout the campaign, developing in strength and skill but also limited by which type of core is chosen. Players can choose to have either of the following as their core.

1)	Infantry Core: Players must take two battalions (totaling six companies of infantry) for every battle and must take the same type of infantry for all battles. For example Bob chooses to take a core force of Russian SMG infantry. He must take at least six companies of SMG infantry for all battles he participates in. He may take extra infantry if he wishes but the minimum amount of infantry for all battles must be six companies of SMG infantry. 

Players may choose to take more infantry after their core has been purchased but they must always purchase their core first. 

Each Core Company must consist of at least three platoons of infantry. Platoons may have MGs or mortars attached to them as part of the basic platoon structure. Mortars may not exceed 120mm. 

Platoons may also have heavy weapons squads attached to them but these can only be attached if the squads come as part of the purchase of the company formation. 

MGs, Mortars and Heavy weapons may not be attached if such squads are not available to that company as part of a company purchase.

Infantry cores come in three types; rifle, motorized and mechanized. The following rules apply…

·	Rifle units have no transport available as part of the core force. All units move on foot unless transport units are purchased as part of the Auxiliary.
·	Motorized units have trucks available as part of the core force. All core infantry and support must be able to be transported by truck at the beginning of the game. Trucks may be armored or unarmored. Trucks must be available for all support units if needed.
·	Mechanized units must have APCs available as part of the core force. All core infantry and support must be able to be transported by APC at the beginning of the game. APCs or tucks must be available for all support units if needed.

If a core is motorized or mechanized then all units of the core and support must have the appropriate transport available to it at the start of the game. Units which are auxiliary need not have transport allocated to if the player does not wish.

2)	Tank Core: Players must take two companies (totaling no less than 24 of one type of tank) of tanks and must take the same type of tanks for all battles. For example Don chooses to take two companies of T-34s as his core force. He must take at least two companies of T-34s for all battles he participates in. He may take extra tanks if he wishes but the minimum amount of tanks for all battles must be two companies of T-34s.

Players may choose to take more tanks after their core is purchased but must always purchase their core first.

Each core company must consist of no less than twelve tanks of one type. Companies may have other vehicles such as scout cares or other tanks attached to them as part of the company formation but only if such vehicles are available as part of the company purchase.

Companies may have recon elements attached to them as part of the company purchase including scout cars, motorbikes or APCs but only if these elements are available as part of the company purchase.

Support Units: A core force (either infantry or tank) may have other vehicles or units attached to the core as support units. Support units are not compulsory and may or may not be taken when the core force is being chosen, but if support units are chosen as part of the core force then they must always be taken and in the numbers they are first purchased as. Support units may be any of the following…

1	SP Guns (for tank core only)
2	SP AA (for tank core only)
3	SP AT guns (for tank core only)
4	SP artillery (for tank core only)
5	AA units (for infantry core only)
6	FO units (for both core types)
7	Scout units: be they motorized or on foot (for both core types)
8	AT Guns (for infantry core only)
9	MGs (for infantry core only)
10	Mortars (up to 120mm) (for infantry core only)
11	Transport units such as trucks or APCs. (for infantry core only)

Players are under no obligation to take any units as support. But if they choose to take support units they must always take the same support units for all battles.

If a core force has any units designated as Support then these units must be purchased after the core units have been purchased and before any auxiliary units are purchased. 

Players may take units listed as support as auxiliary but if the restrictions for a particular battle forbid them then they would not be able to take them where a player with those units in his support would. For example if the rules for a battle say that no FO units are allowed then a player with FO units in his support may take up to the amount of FOs in his support but no more while a player with no FO units in his support would not be able to take any.

Support units can only be purchased in groups of three or four (as sections/platoons) and not as individual units. 

Each Infantry company may have one kind of support unit attached. For example Bob gives three of his SMG companies a support squad of AA each with transport attached (3 AA guns per company with three trucks for transport per company). His other three SMG companies have no support attached.

Each tank company may have two types of support units attached. For example Don gives one of his T-34 companies a unit of SP AT and a unit of SP AA consisting of the 3 SP AA units and 3 SP AT units. His other tank company has no support attached.

Auxiliary Units: Auxiliary units are any units that are purchased after the core and support units have been purchased. Auxiliary units must be purchased in accordance with the particular rules for each battle. For example if Bob’s infantry core totals 40% of his total force points and his limit for the battle is 50% infantry then bob may only purchase auxiliary infantry up to the 50% limit or another 10% worth of infantry to add to his 40% core. Auxiliary purchases are only limited by the conditions for each battle.

Upgrading game preferences for Core Forces: Any player who decided to take a core force may increase certain in game preferences as the campaign progresses by five percent (5%) per battle for up to five rounds or a maximum increase of 25% over the base values assigned at the start of the tournament. The in game preferences that may be increased are…

1	Searching: Base 60%
2	Hitting: Base 80%
3	Troop Quality: Base for Germany – 70%; Base for Russia – 60%
4	Infantry Toughness: Base 100%

These increases are to reflect the development of the core over time as men and machines are wielding into an effective fighting force. 

Advantages of a core force: Core forces get stronger over time as their preferences increase and also have the option to upgrade to newer and better units as the war progresses. Tank cores may get the latest model tanks and infantry cores may upgrade from rifle to motorized and finally to mechanized should the player wish to do so. Also core forces may disregard certain rules and limits for units for a particular battle if the units that comprise the core are prohibited by the rules. For example if a rule for the battle says “no Tiger Tanks” then a player with a core of Tiger Tanks may disregard that rule until his core has been purchased but may not buy any support or auxiliary units which are Tiger Tanks.

Disadvantages of a core force: Core forces must be taken for every battle regardless of the weather, season or terrain which may or may not be suitable for that type of core. A tank core may find itself fighting in a built up area or in forested terrain. Also the core must always be purchased before any other support or auxiliary units are purchased. This means that once a core is purchased there may only be a few points left for other units such as artillery, planes or other men and tanks. In such cases the core force player must make do with what he has regardless of how tough the battle is with his limited forces. For example Don has 8000 points to purchase units for the battle, after purchasing his core and support he has only 2000 points left for any auxiliary units he needs, he decided to get 500 points of infantry, 500 of artillery and spend the rest on trucks, ammo and tanks.

B.) Non Core Force

A non core force is the opposite of a core force. A player is free to choose a totally different force for every battle giving them much more flexibility than a core player but conversely a non core player does not gain any of the bonuses that a core player gets so that their force will not get stronger over time and they must follow all restrictions for each battle.

A non core force is a trade off between flexibility and strength. A non core player may not upgrade his preferences over the limit set in the first round which are...

1	Searching: Base 60%
2	Hitting: Base 80%
3	Troop Quality: Base for Germany – 70%; Base for Russia – 60%
4	Infantry Toughness: Base 100%

This means that as the tournament progresses battles between core and non core players can see major differences between these preferences which will make a difference in battle but this does not mean that a core player will win against a non core player but they will have an advantage in preferences while the non core will have an advantage in flexibility of forces. Before choosing to take a non core force a player should decide if they wish to fight in such a manner.

The only limitation that a non core player has on what units they choose are the various percentages listed at the start of the battle and in any particular rules for that battle.

C.) Elite Core Force

An elite core is similar to a core player but there are several notable differences. Only an Elite player may have elite troops in his OOB. Non elite players may not take elites under any circumstances except where expressly specified in the rules for that particular battle. This means that the particular strengths and weapons available only to elite troops are only available to elite players. Choosing an elite core gives many advantages (special weapons and stronger units) but also several disadvantages which a balance out the particular strengths of the elites and so keep any battle on an even footing.

Elite players must still choose a core force of either infantry or tanks and is still subject to the rules for Core, Support and Auxiliary but with the differences listed below. An elite player still has a core and may choose support units and auxiliary units but must follow all rules regarding elites over those for normal core players first.

Disadvantages

1. An elite core may only be composed of Elite units for infantry and tanks with the only exception being where certain units are not available.
2. The amount of points available for an elite core is reduced by 10% from what a non elite player is allowed.
3. If you choose elites you may only choose one kind of elite.

Advantages

1. An elite player is not limited by percentage restrictions on forces for a battle. The only proviso for this is that the percentage of any particular unit chosen may not exceed double the percentage of that unit that the opponent has.
2. Elite players get the same preference increases that core players do but can also increase rout/rally preference at plus 5% per battle as well.

These particular differences will be explained more below.

What are elites?

Elites are considered to be any units which have any bonus to their moral and experience stats (as can be seen on their selection screen at the top) as well as by their particular type. For example all of the following units are considered to be elite.

1. SS (Axis)
2. Mountain Troops
3. Marines (Russia)
4. Ski Troops
5. Guards (Russia)
6. Paras
7. Brandenburgers (German)
8. Commandos
9. Any units with a bonus to their moral and experience.

Engineers are not considered to be elite units except when they are attached to elite units such as SS engineers or Guards engineers.

Buying the Best.

An elite core player must only purchase elites for their core and if not able to get elite units for their support and auxiliary must get the most expensive units of that particular type. For example if unable to get elite scout units then a player must get the most expensive scout units available or if unable to get elite armored cars then they must get the most expensive armored cars available.

The core of the elite players force must only be elite units, no non elite units may be in the core be they either tanks or infantry. For example an Elite SS tank core could only have SS tanks in it. There could not be any non SS tanks as part of the core.

In the case of artillery they can choose any caliber but must get the most expensive of that caliber. Also if elite artillery is available then it must be purchased over regular artillery.

Reduced Numbers.

Elite players have a 10% penalty on the amount of points available to by forces at the start of the battle. This is to reflect the fact that elite forces are not as numerous as regular normal line units. For example if a core and non core player has 10,000 points to buy units for the battle the elite player has only 9000. 

One Kind of Elite Only.

If a player chooses an elite core then they can only take one kind of elite for that battle. They may not mix and match elites such as paras and SS, or Marines and Guards. If any player is caught doing so then they will be severely penalized. For example a player who decided to take SS troops as his elite may take non SS units if he cannot get SS of that type except when they belong to another type of elite. So a SS player who needs a FO unit cannot take a Brandenburger FO unit but may take a normal FO unit.

Not Limited by Force Percentages.

An elite player does not have to follow the force percentages given at the start of the battle. This means that an elite player may have more than that percentage at no penalty, giving them the ability to weight their forces more heavily than core and non core players. The only restriction on this is the double the enemy percentage rule which means that an elite player may not go over double his opponent’s percentage for that type of unit. For example a Guards player may take more than the 40% Tanks limit for the battle but if his Opponent has a 30% Tanks limit then he may only take up to 60% tanks not 80%. This is to prevent an elite player overwhelming his opponent with one kind of unit.

Increased Rout/Rally.

Apart from increasing searching, hitting, quality and toughness an elite player can increase his rout/rally preferences at 5% per battle. This means that an elite players ability to rally in battle increase as the tournament progresses and reflects the stronger nature of elite troops in combat. At the beginning of the tournament the rout/rally for all players is set at 100%. By the fourth round an elite player has a rout/rally of 115% percent to non elite players 100%.

Rifle, Motorized or Mechanized.

Elite infantry must be classified as either Rifle, Motorized or Mechanized as normal core infantry and are subject to all the rules regarding this. For example a player who starts the game with a motorized infantry elite has the option to upgrade his transport in the same manner as a regular core player.

Cannot Choose the Cheapest.

An elite player may never take units such as conscripts, volstrum or any unit which has a negative to its moral and experience. This is to reflect that elite units have an esprit de corps which they would not compromise by mixing with such lowly units such as conscripts, volkstrum or any unit which is not at least regular army.

Rules for battles

Apart from rules for players there are also several rules for battles which affect all players and some which may affect only certain players. These rules occur either in the time between rounds (upgrading units etc) or in the setup phase for a battle (certain restrictions on units or special rules etc) or in regards to particular battle types (assault, river crossing or raid etc).

Some rules will be particular to certain rounds, players, sectors or battle types. They can also come into play due to terrain, weather or sector. Finally there is the Random Factor which can change all manner of variables for a battle, for both players, or for just one, imposing limitations or bestowing bonuses, its all luck of the draw.

Rules pertaining to certain rounds will not be listed here but the major rules that can affect all or most players will.

Upgrades

Any player that has a core or an elite force has the option to upgrade their cores between battles. For example a player who has PZ III's as his core in round two may upgrade to PZ IV's for round three. The only restriction on this is that upgrades need to be cleared with the game referee and must be linear in nature not jumps or switches. For example a player with an infantry core cannot switch to a tank core at any point through the tournament, he must stick with his tanks come good or bad. Also a player with PZ III's cannot jump to Tigers or Panthers without first going through PZ IV's first.

Increasing Preferences

As mentioned earlier both elite and core players may increase certain preferences between battles. These increases at 5% per round until round five when they will cease increasing. This means that by the end of round five both elite and core players will have preferences 20% greater than a non core player for the rest of the tournament.

The Firefighters Rule.

(This rule applies only to player on the offensive.)

When choosing sectors to attack all available sectors to be attacked must have at least one player assigned to them. If a sector does not have at least one attacking player assigned to it then the firefighters rule is in effect and the following things happen.

a.) One player on the defending side is chosen at random and allowed to go on the offensive in that sector while a random player from the Offensive side is chosen to be on the defensive.

Also any elite players on the original offensive side are more likely to be chosen to defend that sector, reflecting the nature of using elite units to fill gaps in the lines and fight any breakthroughs when they threaten.

b.) The attacking player is given a 20% points bonus and the defending player has a 20% points loss (on top of the 10% if they are elites, which would be in total 30%). This means that a the attacking player in a battle with 10000 points for the attacker would then have 12000 points while the defender would have either 8000 or 7000 (if elite).

c.) If the attacking player in that battle wins then the entire front switches from offensive to defensive regardless of the results of all other battles. For example if the Russian team (on the offensive) fail to cover the Crimea sector then one German player is allowed to go on the offensive there while all other battles in all other sectors continue as normal. The German player will get a bonus to their points for the battle and the defender (an unlucky Guards unit) is rushed to the front to prevent the breakthrough. The points for the start of the battle come to 12000 for the Germans and 7000 for the Russian. If the German player wins then Germany will be on the offensive in the next round even if all other German players lost their battles.

Who sets up a battle?

The player on the offensive side always sets up a battle unless both players decide other otherwise.

Size Zero Units.

Players may not take more than five (5) size zero units (such as snipers) per company of infantry bought. The only exception to this is when a purchase of a company comes with more than five such units in the purchase. For example Bob buys a SS infantry company and it comes with four (4) snipers and four (4) scout units. Bob is allowed these size zero units but may not get any more size zero units for this company.

Equipment Overkill

Players may not buy large numbers of certain items (such as AA or AT guns for example) which may be considered historically unrealistic unless battle conditions are the following…

•	There are air units allocated to the enemy side
•	It is a defensive battle

Please use the following as a guide …

•	One company of AA guns per battalion of infantry or one company of tanks.
•	One (on the offensive) to two companies (on the defensive) of AT guns per battalion of infantry or one company of tanks.
•	No more than six (6) ammo trucks or bunkers per battery of artillery or no more than one ammo truck per artillery piece/tube.

The above is not a hard and fast rule but more of a guide. Players are encouraged to follow these but in the event of a complaint being laid these will be what is used to judge if a player has gone over or not.

If the battle has air units allocated or is defensive then a player may use their own fair judgment to decide what is acceptable and fair in the circumstances.

Turn Zero artillery.

Turn zero artillery fire is allowed unless specifically disallowed and for the following battles.

•	Raid battles: defending player may not plot turn zero artillery.
•	Beach landings: defending player may not plot turn zero artillery.
•	Meeting battles: neither player may plot turn zero artillery.
•	Cauldron battles: The non surrounded player may not plot turn zero artillery.

FO Units

The FO rule as commonly used by player on the Blitz Steel Panthers ladder is not in effect.

Point Ratios.

The ratio of points for players is set to the following.

•	Assault/Defend – one point seven five (1.75) to One (1) for the attacking player. (1.75 to 1)
•	Meeting Engagement – One to One for players.
(1 to 1)

Cauldron Battles

If a sector is surrounded by enemy units at the end of a round (this does not include the edges of the map) then a cauldron battle must be fought in the next round.

Cauldron battles represent when troops are caught in a pocket by the enemy and must break through enemy lines to escape. It is a desperate attempt to break the enemies’ lines and is not considered to be an even battle. It is a last ditch attempt to get through and if not successful then the player is considered to have had their troops surrounded and destroyed or captured. A surrounded player who looses a cauldron battle has the following happen.

•	If the player has a core force all preference bonuses built up over the tournament are returned to the base level at the start of the tournament. 

The defensive players that fought in the sector in the last round must engage in the cauldron battle.

For example Tom and Bob (German players) are surrounded in the Crimean sector at the end of round three. They must remain in the Crimea and engage in a Cauldron battle in round four. They cannot be moved to other sectors of the battle map and other players cannot be substituted for them. Any two players from the opposing side may be selected to fight in the cauldron battle. The two surrounded players must fight a battle under special conditions. To win the battle they must satisfy certain conditions.

For cauldron battles the surrounded player is the attacker and the other player is considered to be on the defensive.

The following rules apply for the battle.

•	The surrounded player may not have any ammo re-supply units.
•	The surrounded player may not have any off board artillery.
•	The surrounded player has their artillery set at half their opponents.
•	Surrounded players with Motorized or Mechanized infantry cores may not take any trucks or APCs for their cores. No trucks or APCs of any kind may be taken for any units, they are expressly forbidden for the surrounded player.
•	Surrounded players gain an “all or nothing/do or die” bonus to their rout/rally preference of plus 30% for the battle. This represents the desperation factor of surrounded troops who have nothing to loose in attacking.
•	The non surrounded player may not plot turn zero artillery.
•	Three VH’s will be set on the map. The attacking player must have a non routed unit closer to the VH than any non routed enemy units at the end of the game to claim the VH as their own.
•	If the surrounded player can claim any one of the three VH’s as their own then the battle is considered a win for the attacking/surrounded player. If the surrounded player is not in control of any of the VH’s then they are considered to have lost the battle.
•	If the surrounded player’s team is on the offensive in the round they fight the cauldron battle then they may have air units to support them. If their team is on the defensive then they may not have any air units. 
•	The only air units allowed for a cauldron battle is bombers or ground attack aircraft no transport planes are allowed.

Miscellaneous and Special Rules

For all battles certain variables will come into play. These variables are based on many different factors. These variables can cause each battle (even ones being fought in the same sector) to have small or big differences in how the battle is setup, the rules being used and other factors.

These variables are…

•	Weather – Weather can change many things from the map itself to giving bonuses or restrictions to forces in the battle.
•	Season – All seasons have an effect on the battle. Tank cores gain bonuses for attacking in summer and infantry cores gain bonuses for defending in winter, as well as others.
•	Sector – Some sectors give advantages to certain teams or types of units in battle or impose restrictions on them.
•	Random factor – The random factor can improve or reduce many things for a player from points, units allowed or special rules (both good and bad)
•	Intel score – Intel score can provide access to spotter planes and thus improved intelligence.
•	Terrain - Urban terrain favors infantry while open terrain tanks. Swamp terrain changes with the season and rivers require boats or amphibious units to cross.
•	Special rules – there are many special rules which can be brought into play by the game master. These include…

Ammo shortages - No ammo re-supply allowed

certain vehicles only - like the T-34 rule, this can also be applied to the Germans

No support vehicles - no trucks or APCs (excepting core forces)

Day or night - Reduced or expanded visibility

Season - reduced or expanded visibility

Smoke - reduced visibility

Cauldron/Pocket battle - sector is surrounded, units must fight to escape or be destroyed (read loss of core force)

Elite duel - Elites face off

Tank duel - Tank cores face off

Infantry Duel - Infantry cores face off

Counter battery - Suppressed arty (reduced or eliminated)

Mud bath - Russian mud (enough said)

Non core flexibility - Non core players get a free for all on purchases, ie the German Fighting group/Russian battle group hastily assembled for an emergency

Last stand - Core forces only, no other points allowed for purchases, if fighting a non core Opp they get equivalent points

Aces High - abundance of planes

Bonus targets - specific non terrain objectives assigned (ie - destroy the enemy arty park for bonus battle points/ Opp must have arty in designated arty park)

Forlorn hope - Potential suicide mission/death or glory

Brothers in arms - cores of a particular type assigned to a certain sector.

Reserves - player given bonus points to get reserves but must deploy on friendly map edge and cannot use them until halfway through the game Enemy cannot attack them until then.

Air strike west/east - players planes can only enter from one direction.

Snow storm - Visibility very low, ski units allowed, lots of snow drifts

Battalion HQ – The A0 unit must be located within 5 hexes of a certain location.

FO/Lookout – The FO unit must be located within 5 hexes of a certain location.

Minefields – Mines may only be laid in special marked areas on the map.

Raid – The Defending player does not know where the VH’s are located until a certain point through the game while the attacker knows from the start. NOTE this is different from a raid battle.

And others which may come to mind.