Well, I offered these rules to WotC to produce as a "featured article" but they never replied to me about it so I thought I would just post them here. Enjoy!
“Close Combat” Axis and Allies Miniatures Campaign System - v.07By Peter Franke
Additional Playtesting and Revision by Zach KrausThe object of this campaign system is to follow a roster of units or a player’s “force” from year to year or day to day throughout the war similar to the campaign system used in the computer game
Close Combat. A campaign consists of a series of “operations” and each operation consists of a series of several individual games or “days”. Generally, an operation is to be played using the “100-point-game” advanced A&AM rules for each game with some additional rules specified below. It is also recommended that players also use the Expanded Axis and Allies rules. Depending on the success of a force during the campaign or operation, the player will be rewarded with “campaign points” for victory. At the conclusion of the campaign or operation, players will compare campaign points and whoever has the most (or meets a particular goal) will be the winner.
SetupChoose a theater of the war to play in and determine the two opposing factions based on the operation description. When playing a campaign, one side will be Axis and the other Allies; their forces may consist of units from multiple nations.
Players get 75 points to build their initial “core” force and unit roster. It must follow the restrictions of year, faction and any optional expanded or special rules as specified by the operation description. A player may not add obstacles to their core roster.
A player’s roster may contain no more than 15 units. Units destroyed during a battle are removed from the roster and units that survive continue on through the operation and campaign (they may even grow in abilities using the optional experience system). Each operation will indicate unit restrictions and/or additional points available to adjust a player’s build based on supply levels during the war.
Operation RulesEach operation specifies which side is the attacker or defender, how long the operation’s length is in games (or days) and how many defender options the defender may choose for each new game/day. Additionally, the operation will have a small description of what the overall historical objectives for both sides were and any special rules or unit restrictions that are in effect.
Defender OptionsEach operation will indicate how many options the defender will receive for the duration of the operation. Listed below are the options the Defender may select at the beginning of each game (borrowed and modified from the Axis and Allies Miniatures Online Campaign). The defender makes these choices and then players determine which map will be used in the game before making any changes to their roster using points from “Operation Resources”.
1. Select Map Configuration (large map configurations from the expanded rulebook must be mutually agreed upon)
2. Move the objective up to 2 hexes any direction into a hex that features terrain that provides cover
3. Choose map edge
4. Change/rotate a single map
5. Add up to 6 points worth of obstacles and/or traps (no more than 5 total obstacles or traps) to their roster. These obstacles and traps do not count towards the roster’s 15 unit limit. These obstacles are not permanently added to the defender’s roster and are used only for this scenario.
6. Place a terrain tile anywhere on the map.
Operation ResourcesAt the beginning of an operation, each player receives additional points to buy new units and/or replacements for his or her core force. These additional points are based on the historical level of supplies available to a particular faction during that era of the war. These points go into a “supply pool” that can be adjusted by adding points from “retired” units or any other special operation rules. Players may spend these points on new units or replacements before each new scenario begins and adjust their roster accordingly. Additional units may not exceed the 15 slot roster nor may a roster ever exceed 110 points in total units. Players may add obstacles to their roster using these points but these obstacles will be lost at the end of the game/day regardless of victory. Each new game/day in the operation will generate more supply points based on the current rank of supplies available.
There are 3 ranks of supplies available for a force during an operation.
Rank 0 – Poor - 15 points
Rank 1 – Good - 25 points
Rank 2 – Excellent - 35 points
Banking SuppliesUnspent points in the supply pool may be carried over or “banked” for use in the next game/day in the operation. A player’s banked supply pool may never be larger than 25 points. Any excess points that could be banked beyond 25 will be lost/redistributed to other theoretical armies on the front. When playing a campaign, supplies may be banked between operations as well.
Retired UnitsPlayers may also “retire a unit” by removing it from their roster. Retired units add half of their value (round up) into the supply pool. Platoons that are retired must retire all units in the platoon, and the retired value is equal half the platoon’s original cost multiplied by the fraction of how many units the platoon has remaining. For example, if a platoon has only 2 remaining units of the original 5 and it is retired, the retired value will be half the platoon’s original cost multiplied by 2/5 and then rounded up. Any units lost from a platoon may not be replaced using the platoon’s adjusted cost, they must be purchased and added to the roster separately.
Lengthening Supply LinesPlayers may lose or gain additional resources based on far they advance or retreat due to their success or failure in the operation. When a player is victorious (gains a campaign point) two games/days in a row, they must downgrade their supply rank by one (to a minimum of 0). When a player looses two games/days in a row, they may upgrade their supply rank by one (to a maximum of 2). This represents an advancing force stretching its supply lines and a retreating force moving closer to its source of supplies and being allocated more resources due to need. These changes are only in effect for the duration of a single operation. A new operation resets the supply levels to the specified rank (when playing a campaign).
Victory ConditionsA simple majority of earned campaign points for the operation means victory. Once victory has been achieved, the operation is over and no more games/days are played from the operation. For example, if players were to play a 5 game/day operation, a player must win 3 of the 5 games, earning 3 campaign points to be the victor of the operation. Some operations will specify different victory conditions to better reflect the historical objectives of the two sides involved.
RetreatAny time during their turn, a player may concede a game and retreat. If a friendly unit is farther than 2 hexes away from an opposing unit, it may escape to fight another day and is retained on a player’s roster. Any units may also successfully escape by exiting (moving) off of a player’s original map edge at any time. If a player wishes to concede and retreat and a disrupted or non-disrupted friendly unit is within 2 hexes of a non-disrupted enemy unit, that friendly unit surrenders, is captured and removed from that player’s roster. Disrupted enemy units cannot capture friendly units who are within two hexes who wish to retreat.
When a game ends due to a player meeting the standard victory conditions (control of the objective or leading in points), all defeated enemy units may escape/retreat regardless of position and disruption.
Spoils of War (optional)Heavy equipment and armor that have been captured due to surrender may be used by the capturing force. This includes any Anti-Tank Guns, Machine-Guns, Mortars, Artillery, Anti-Aircraft Guns and Vehicles. These units may be added to the victorious player’s roster at no cost in supply points if he or she chooses. The captured units still count against roster size and point limit. Any captured units that are not added to the roster immediately following the game they were captured are lost.
Additionally, victorious players may wish to try and “salvage” any destroyed enemy heavy equipment from the battlefield at the end of a game. To try and salvage a destroyed unit of the type above, roll a d6 for each unit: If the result is a 6, the equipment is salvageable and the player may add the unit to his or her roster. Any other result means the equipment is to badly damaged to be of any use. Any destroyed vehicles that have been salvaged must begin the next game with a damaged counter to reflect the poor repair they have gotten by the salvaging player’s force. Any games following the first after they have been salvaged, they may be used as normal without a damaged counter.
Captured enemy units lose all “crew” special abilities and/or earned special abilities through the experience system. These include abilities such as “crack shot”, “seasoned crew” or “improved indirect fire”. Replace any “improved” special abilities with standard ones on these captured units. For example, the allies have captured an Elite Panzer IV Ausf. D. The allied player may use the captured Axis unit but may not use it’s “crack shot” special ability during play as this was a capability associated with the captured vehicle’s former crew.
Campaign – Unit ReplacementsDuring a campaign consisting of linked operations, at the beginning of a new operation, players may be issued unit replacements to fill out their depleted roster. A player’s roster which has less than 75 points of total units, receives additional points to spend on "replacements" equal to the difference. For example a player has completed a previous operation and is left with 33 points worth of total units. That player receives 42 points to spend on replacements to fill out his or her roster before the next operation begins. The 15 unit limit still applies.
Unit Experience (Optional)Players may keep track of the successes of individual units so that they grow in experience and ability. For each enemy unit a soldier, vehicle or aircraft destroys: award that unit with 1 experience point. For each game that a unit participates in, they also earn 1 experience point. Units earn new abilities based on the total experience they gain during a campaign. Units who gain experience must be labeled or named for the duration of the campaign. When playing, use a small scrap of paper or counter to indicate which unit is which. If using the expanded rules platoons, keep track of each individual unit in the platoon separately.
Unit Experience Total (XP) ------
Special Abilities5 XP ------ 1
10 XP ------ 2
20 XP ------ 3
Soldiers and Artillery, Vehicles and Aircraft all earn different abilities. When a unit earns enough experience to gain a new ability, the charts below should be consulted and the new ability recorded next to the unit on the player’s force roster. The special abilities listed below are the same as the pre-existing special ability on various A&AM cards (players will need to reference these cards for the unit abilities). Units may not possess the same ability twice (with the exception of Initiative increases for commanders) and must re-roll duplicate abilities. Units can only gain new abilities between games during an operation.
Soldier/Artillery Special Abilities ------Die roll (d6)
1 - Covering Fire
2 - Endurance
3 - Lead the Way
4 - Steely Resolve
5 - Vast Experience
6 - Crack Shot
Vehicle Special Abilities ------ Die roll (d6)
1 - Battlefield Awareness
2 - Awareness
3 - Overrun
4 - Seasoned Crew
5 - Veteran Crew
6 - Crack Shot
Aircraft Special Abilities ------ Die roll (d6)
(1-2) - Agility
(3-4) - Steady Firing
(5-6) - Ace
Commander Special Abilities ------ Die roll (d6)
1 - Pinpointer
2 - Improved Accuracy
3 - Tenacity
4 - Prepared Defense
5 - Add +1 to Initiative bonus total
6 - Exert Will
Example OperationOperation Barbarossa – Invasion of the Soviet UnionYear: 1941
Attacker: Germany
Defender: USSR
Length: 5 games (days)
Defender Options: 0
Operation Resources
Germany – Rank 2 (Excellent)
Soviet Union – Rank 0 (Poor)
Description:
Germany has invaded the Soviet Union by launching a surprise attack.
Special Rules:
To win the operation, Germany must advance quickly by winning and gaining four campaign points. The soviets win by gaining only two campaign points and thus slowing the German advance. If the Soviets succeed in winning the operation, the Allied player will be rewarded with an additional point if they are playing the Eastern Front campaign.
Due to the poor preparations of the Soviets and the surprise of the German attack, the defending player’s roster may not contain the T-34/76.
Soviet player may also use the following units: any Polish unit, 40mm Bofors L60 and any British AT guns.
German player may also use the following units: any Romanians or Hungarians.
Suggested Maps: Any 1 – 8 “base set” and “expanded rules” (Starter Set + Axis and Allies Expanded Rules) or 11 – 16 “Eastern Front” map configuration.
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Here's a link to my thread featuring the entire
North African campaign operations.
http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=1126168Here's a link to my thread featuring the entire
Eastern Front campaign operations.
http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=1135358(appended for Grenzewolf)
