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NO RETREAT! 3 THE French Front May-JUNE 1940DESIGNER’S NOTESWelcome to the third game in the NoRetreat! series, simulating the highlycontroversial German invasion ofFrance, May-June 1940. This was themost difficult subject I have tackled ina game design: how to make the gameinteresting, but not “script” thesituation? How to keep it challengingfor both sides and still keep it realistic?This is where the Plan cards conceptevolved. They goad / limit both sidesinto following one of the many actualcampaign plans that were studied bythe Army Staffs. You won’t know youropponent’s goals at the start: maybethere will be no Ardennes sicklemovement, nor an Allied advance intoBelgium. Switzerland could be invadedand Holland left alone, etc. Thehistorical manoeuvre used by theGerman OKW almost neverhappened. The original plan wasmore or less a replay of the WWIattack. It was only because of a seriesof unforeseen circumstances that itwas changed to the risky Guderianplan (the battle maps having fallen intoBelgian hands).So, could France have staved off totaldefeat in 1940? My conclusion is aresounding “Yes!” Again, a rerun ofthe actual WWI campaign could havehappened, and the Wehrmacht haltedat another “Miracle of the Marne.”Historically, it was a very hard foughtcampaign. The French Army wastailored for defense but had the unitsto defeat the Panzer spearheads(most of these would be lost in theDunkirk pocket). When engaged,these forces fought hard and inflictedsignificant casualties on the Germans(who lost 60% of their Panzers, 40% oftheir aircraft and 210,000 soldiers),amounting to as many German lossesas during the first year of OperationBarbarossa (the invasion of the USSRin 1941)! Given a more sensible AlliedOperational strategy, the Nazionslaught could have been slowedand then stopped.The Germans were not ready for along campaign. When the Armisticewas declared in June, their ammunitionreserves were dangerously low(the German’s pre-war ammunitionexpenditure estimates were off bymore than 400%). This campaigncould have been a more even fightthan the historical outcome suggests,and I hope my game demonstratesthat.The CounterblowsWhat do Counterblows represent?We wanted players to have some sayduring their opponent’s turn, and toreward careful management of theirEvent cards. Players need to envisioncounterblows as local spoiling counterattackslaunched in reaction to theenemy offensives. We did not go asfar as to allow an actual attack by thedefender (this is what players shoulddo on their own turns), but it is close.And because those troops are leavingtheir positions to engage the enemy,they lose their defensive terrainbenefits – thus, some risk is involvedin launching a counterblow.Use the counterblow rule to quicklywipe out pockets of surrounded enemyunits, and to allow your units a chanceto advance during your opponent’sturn (if a CA result is rolled, andfollowed up with a successful counterattackof your own). You can also useit to put pressure on unsupportedfortified cities, lowering their defensiveadvantages, or even as a maneuver togain an end-run advance.The Event Cards / Initiative MarkersThe very heart of the game is theEvent card /Initiative marker “engine;”players simply never know whatsurprise their opponent can springupon them with a sneaky card play.Consequently, perfect planning ofmoves or attacks is never entirelypossible. For example, can you affordto temporarily leave a hole in your line,or will your adversary be able to play acard allowing him to move a unit thereduring your own turn, thus creating anunexpected breakthrough?Those cards are an excellent indicatorof the resources a side still has at hisdisposal. If you start your turn with afull hand of cards, many initiativemarkers, and your opponent has none,then things are potentially very goodfor you! The cards and markers youhave in reserve represent energy thatyou can spend: to replace troops, forBlitz! attacks, for counterblows, etc.With a low count, your options arelimited. Sure, a player can still get byholding only a card/marker or two, butthe game’s initiative is probably being© 2012 Carl Paradis and Victory Point Gamesheld by the opponent who is holdingfive or six cards, and a lot of Initiativemarkers!The Combat Result TablesThe Combat Results Tables are a bitunusual. As an attacker, even at lowerodds, you do not suffer many losses(save for the occasional EX result), butyou could get a CA result, thusopening up interesting possibilities. ACA gives your opponent the option ofcounterattacking and possiblyupsetting your position – thus makingit easier for them to charge at youduring their ensuing Player Turn. Oryour opponent might simply “pass” theopportunity to counterattack and opt toplay it safe and stay on the defensive.The Combat Results Tables aretailored to the counterblow feature.Upon study of the four different CRTs,you will notice subtle differencesbetween them that have a substantialimpact on how to play each side. TheBlitz! and Shock! tables are your mainoffensive tools. The Attrition tables canbe very useful for limited advances,local attacks and mopping upsurrounded enemy troops, but youcannot decisively win this campaign byusing such WWI attrition tactics!The Victory ConditionsYou must carefully study Rule 12.0,How to Win. Although each scenariohas its own, separate victory conditions,this section of the core rulesexplains how to win the CampaignGame. This is the beating heart of thissimulation. There are many ways towin the Campaign Game, and they areall important.The End of Game Victory is straightforwardand works as most traditionalwargamers might expect: capturecities, destroy/evacuate units, and youwin the game. But there are a fewtwists: First, the longer the game lasts,the fewer points the German Playermight score as there is a VP penaltyfor turns 10, 11 and 12. So, theGerman’s goal is to capture Paris assoon as possible, and after scoringenough points, play that Armistice!Event card. Even then, under certaincircumstances, it might be better todelay this, even at the cost of VictoryPoints, as there might be good scoringopportunities left, like exiting…(Continued on inside back cover)