Terms and Definitions


Abort: The requirement of aircraft to return to a base and become Inactive.

Action Rating: How good a unit is at fighting. Training, experience, doctrine and leadership

Active Aircraft: An aircraft which has been refitted and is capable of flying air missions.

Air Base Level: The size of an Air Base’s facilities.

Armor Unit: A unit that is very heavy in AFVs with little or no organic infantry. These units are marked by yellow backgrounds on their unit symbols.

Attack-Capable Unit: A combat unit that has a non-parenthesized Combat Strength of zero or more.

Barrage: An attack made by artillery, ships, or aircraft.

Break-Down Regiment: A portion of a multi-step unit detached to allow the division to cover more than one hex.

Bridging: The use of Engineer-Capable units to lessen the MP cost of crossing river features.

Burrito as Big as Your Head: A food item sold by a local establishment which was about a foot long and four inches wide. Many a design decision in this series was made over these three pound burritos. (That way we knew what to blame…)

Close Terrain: Terrain types providing limited mobility to AFVs as well as some cover. Such terrain in the defender’s hex would require the use of the Close Terrain line of the Combat Table.

Combat Mode: A unit mode with a lower movement allowance and a higher combat value. In this mode, the unit is deployed for action.

Combat Supply: The supply required to fight using the regular Combat Table and required by artillery units to fire their Barrage Strengths.

Combat Unit: A ground unit with a Combat Strength of zero or more.

Combo Type Aircraft: A plane that can fulfill two of the basic aircraft roles. Usually, this will be limited to aircraft which can function as either Tactical Bombers or Transports.

Consolidation: Realignment of units so that a single stronger formation is generated from two or more crippled ones.

Construction: The creation or repair of facilities (air bases, ports, hedgehogs) using Engineer-Capable units.

Dead Pile: Each player should keep his eliminated units organized for possible rebuilding.

Detrain: The act of ending a rail move.

Detrainable Hex: A railroad hex that contains either a village, minor city, major city, port, or Combat Mode HQ.

Die or Dice Roll Modifier (DRM): Any one of a number of additions or subtractions from the die (or dice) rolled on the game’s tables.

Direct Draw: The act of using SP that are within the supply draw range of a unit (for whatever purpose) without using the assistance of an HQ.

Disorganized Mode (DG): A state of chaos generated by enemy activity which inhibits a unit’s smooth functioning.

Divisional Unit: A unit which is either a division itself, or part of a multi-unit formation.

DUKW: D = year of manufacture (the 4th year of the war); U = utility vehicle, K = all-wheel drive, W = wheel driven… basically amphibious trucks. Built by General Motors with the full designation DUKW-353

Dumps: Any stack of SP on the map, whether on the ground or loaded on a Transport Point, etc.

Engineer-Capable Unit: An engineer or HQ unit in Combat Mode. (Note that related types such as Rail Repair, Assault Engineers, Pioneers, and Para/ Glider Engineers are not considered engineer capable.)

Entrain: The act of loading something onto a train in order to use rail capacity.

Eq Repl: A replacement unit consisting of heavy vehicles, aircraft, or weapons needed to rebuild heavy units.

Exhausted: Internal stocks have had both of their two allotments used.

Exploitation Mode: A combat result that allows units to move and attack in the Exploitation Phase.

Exploitation Result (e): Combat results which might put some attacking units into Exploitation Mode.

Extender: A 5-point Transport Point dedicated to providing connections for trace supply purposes.

Extremely Close Terrain: A heavily built-up urban area or mountainous terrain which is easily defended by few units.

Fighters (F-Type): A fighter type air unit.

Flak: The ability of ground units and ships to resist air attack.

Formation Marker: A counter used to replace any number of units from the same higher formation (generally a division, or a Soviet Corps) so as to eliminate big stacks and create some limits on intelligence.

Fortifications: Features permanently printed on the map which assist ground units in defense.

Fuel: Supply which is used to move tracked or truck units about.

Fully-Motorized: A combat unit with two wheels under its unit symbol—one with enough transport for all to ride.

Game Turn: Game play corresponding to a half-week or quarter-week of real time consisting of two Player Turns.

Hedgehog: A moderate degree of fieldworks in a hex to assist ground units in defense.

Hip Shoot: An air Barrage that behaves much like an Overrun. Named for the technique of stopping a mortar unit while on the road to deploy and shoot with no warning.

HQ: A headquarters and its support systems. Each HQ also represents many smaller service units, and the logistical capacity to support a group of units.

Inactive Aircraft: An aircraft which has expended its capabilities and has yet to refit. Such units cannot fly at all.

Inactivation: The process making an Active aircraft become Inactive after it is “used.”

Independent Units: Combat units that are neither multi-step units nor part of a multi-unit formation.

Internal Stocks: Combat Supply a unit carries about by itself.

In Supply: A unit which has successfully traced supply or had on-map supply expended for it.

Involuntary Mode: A mode that players cannot select, that is inflicted as a result of combat.

Landing Craft: Small boats used for transporting units and SP from larger ships to landing beaches or ports.

Leapfrogging: The prohibited act of loading something, moving it, loading it onto another transport unit and moving it again.

Leg MP: Movement points generated by foot or hoof which are shown on the counter in white.

Low: Internal stocks have had one of their two allotments used.

LST: Landing Ship, Tank. A large ship supporting amphibious operations.

MA: Abbreviation used for Movement Allowance.

Mech Unit: A unit with both a heavy AFV component and a large infantry component. These units provide their own combined arms teams. Such units have a red unit symbol background.

Move Mode: A unit mode with a lower combat value and a higher movement allowance. The unit has sacrificed some security for speed.

Multi-Track Railroad: A modern RR featuring two or more track sets, many sidings, and support facilities. Top of the line rail transport support.

Non-Combat Unit: Any ground unit without a Combat Strength such as SP, Air Bases, or Transport Points.

Non-Divisional Unit: Any unit which is neither a division itself nor part of a multi-counter formation.

Non-Motorized: A unit that requires shoe leather or horses to get around.

Non-Phasing Player: The guy whose player turn it isn’t.

Offensive Aircraft: Planes that have non-parenthesized Air Combat Ratings.

Open Terrain: Terrain essentially free of obstruction.

Option Number or Option Result: A portion of a combat result which gives the player a choice between step losses or hexes of retreat.

Organic Truck: A Transport Point that is assigned to a specific formation. These represent the internal transportation in these units. While generically referred to as ‘trucks’ other types of Transport Point might actually be used (as shown on the counter).

“Other type” Unit: A unit which is neither mech nor armor.

Overruns: Attacks made by units during movement.

Patrol Zone: The area within 10 hexes of an Active Fighter on its Air Base. This represents the normal operation of Fighters to contest the use of that air space.

Pax Repl: A replacement unit made up of little more than warm bodies.

Phasing Player: The guy whose player turn it is.

Player Turn: One half of a Game Turn, in which one player goes through the sequence of play from his Aircraft Refit through his Clean Up.

Rail Capacity: The total number of SP of rail transport a player can use in a single player turn.

Railhead: A boundary between usable and unusable railroad hexes.

Rail Repair (aka RR) Units: Combat units capable of railroad conversion.

Refitting: The act of converting Inactive aircraft into Active ones. Essentially, the aircraft are being over-hauled, rearmed, and refueled to participate in future air operations.

Regimental Equivalents (RE): A quick and dirty measure of unit size.

Replacement Units (Repls): Combat units that can be combined in different ways to rebuild dead or damaged units.

Replenishment: The refilling of used internal stocks.

Reserve Mode: Shows a unit which is awaiting orders or otherwise in readiness for quick action.

Reserve Release: When a player decides to remove a unit from Reserve Mode and deploy it into action.

Road: This term is used when a rule is meant to apply to all road-like features in the game (roads of different caliber, tracks, and railroads).

Rounding Rule: The standard method of dealing with fractions in any Gamers brand game.

Strat Bomber (S): A strategic bomber.

Semi-Motorized: A combat unit with some trucks and other transport, but not enough to be fully motorized. These units have one wheel under their unit symbol.

Single-Track Railroads: The standard railroad feature in the game.

Steps, Step Loss: A portion of a unit’s strength and size used to keep track of the attrition effects of combat.

Strat Mode: A combat unit that is in full road movement posture. Most security precautions have been dumped to allow fast movement.

Supply Points (SP): The measure of bulk supply. Stockpiled by the “great quartermaster in the sky” in just the right proportions of everything units need at different times—luckily for us, right?

Surprise: Units being caught tactically unprepared; the gaming equivalent of bringing a knife to a gun fight.

Tactical Bombers (T-type): These air units fight at lower altitudes than do strategic bombers, often in close support of ground units.

Throw Range: The distance HQs are able to provide SP and Trace Supply to units which need them.

Trainbusting Zone: The area affected by a successful Trainbusting mission.

Transports (Tpt): A Transport aircraft.

Trace Supply: The basic handling of subsistence supply.

Transportation Equivalents: This is a determination of the SP “weight” of units to allow a quick assessment of the capacity needed to transport them.

Track MP: Movement points of all- terrain vehicles (tracked or wheeled) which are shown on the counter in red.

Truck MP: Movement points of less maneuverable vehicles (usually trucks) that are shown on the counter in black.

Very Close Terrain: Terrain which is extremely tight for vehicles and which provides much cover and concealment.

Via HQ Supply: A supply path using an HQ’s throw range.

Voluntary Mode: Modes which a player can select during the Movement Phase.

Zones of Control (ZOCs): The effect of combat units projected into hexes adjacent to their location. While the game has no ZOCs for most purposes, some things (supply trace, truck MP movement, etc.) are influenced by the presence of enemy units.

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