BREAKOUT NORMANDY Q/A

as found on Web Grognards

updated 0311101

What follows is a letter with rules questions about Breakout: Normandy that I sent to AH, and their answers. In response to an earlier letter to them, they mentioned that I needed no permission to distribute answers that have not been published, so I hope they don't mind me posting this.

Text in braces was written by AH (presumably Don Greenwood), while
that in square brackets was later added by me.

From: bas@phys.uva.nl (Bas de Bakker)
Description: Breakout: Normandy Q&A

• 6.2 If both players have a choice of Zone/Beach-Approach-Box to place their reinforcements, who has to commit himself first as to where they are placed? {German}[Expected, as the Germans have to do everything first.]
  
• 8.34 & 8.54 Rule 8.54 states that after an Assault in the active area, all units are considered to have expanded 1 or 2 MF. Rule 8.34 states that an infantry unit needs all its MF to exit a contested area. From this I would conclude that after an assault in the active area that does not eliminate all defenders, no infantry unit can exit the active area anymore. Nevertheless, in example of play #8 it is stated that the 29th division can do exactly this. After an Assault in the Active Area that does not eliminate/retreat all defenders, can Non-Armor units indeed still exit the Area? {Yes}
  
  If yes, can they
  a) even do this while crossing an unbridged river (as Infantry)? {No}
  b) even do this while entering a Zone? {No}
  
  Inspired by the "Turning Point: Stalingrad" formulation of similar rules, I have interpreted the first sentence of rule 8.34 to really mean: "Non-Armor units starting their impulse in a Contested Area may only move to a Free Area and must end its movement there." Is this a correct interpretation? {Yes}
  
  {You have correctly discovered a hole in the rules. It should read asyou suggest.}
  
• 8.54 Which of these two alternatives is correct?
  a) The Assault in the Active Area has to be the first action of thatimpulse.
  b) I can exit units before resolving the Assault in the Active Area toavoid the MF penalty for those units. [This alternative was circled.]
  
• 11.23 "The Sunset DRM does not affect Weather Changes." Does this really mean that as long as the Sunset DRM is negative the Weather cannot change as an Original Sunset DR equal to the current Impulse number would imply the end of the Daylight Phase? {Yes}
  
  [I don't like asking "is this really true" questions, but I still think this is strange.]
  
• 12.61 Can the supply line from a German Depot to a German-controlled Zone be traced through Contested (but German-controlled) Areas? {Yes}
  
  Comment: taking the rule literally the answer to the above question would be 'Yes', but 12.71 states that this is not allowed for Allied Depots and I was somewhat surprised by the difference.
  
• 12.71 If the Germans regain control of a Beach which is subsequently Contested (but not yet Controlled) by the Allies, can the Allies use a Depot in that Beach to supply units in that Beach, just as they can right after the invasion? {Yes}
  
  [I hadn't expected this. It's contrary to my literal interpretation of the rules. Furthermore, it raises the question about what happens in the Refit Phase of the day the Allies regain control of the beach, as they can only use it normally for supply the day _after_ that. I presume that they can only supply the units in that beach, but there's no rule that says so.]
  
• 24.5 The Turn Record Track shows Storm as the June 19th Weather. If the Storm has already occured, what is the initial Weather on June 19th? {Overcast}
  {Good questions. You should have been a playtester.} [I feel flattered. I'll quote that if I ever apply to be a playtester.]
  [They actually added a question of their own.]
  
• {22.3 If the only supply source for a VP Area is a Contested Beach, do the Allies get credit for that VP Area?
  A. No. Supply + supply lines can be traced through a Contested Area to the source, but a Contested Beach cannot supply anything outside its own Area. Similarly, supply cannot be traced from a British-controlled Area to a US Beach for VP purposes.}