The Rhineland War,
1936-37 (RW), designed by Joseph
Miranda, is a strategic-level
simulation of intermediate complexity that covers an alternative World War II
in Europe, one that began in 1936. The assumption is, when Hitler ordered his
army to march into the Rhineland, the Allied powers, instead of appeasing him,
ordered their armed forces to resist. The ensuing chain of events leads to the
war expanding throughout Europe. A war fought at that time would’ve found all
European militaries woefully unprepared.
Central
to the play of the game are its “crisis chits.” They represent various
diplomatic and military events that could bring other powers into the war.
Players pick crisis chits depending on the number of crisis hexes (printed on
the map) they control. The more such hexes they control, the greater the
chances they have of gaining more allies. At the same time, grabbing too much
territory can lead to political collapse at home, as domestic foes work to
undermine your power before the conflict explodes into a wider war.
Rhineland
War is a two-player game. One player
commands the Axis, controlling Germany and the countries that choose to align
with Berlin. The other is the Allied player, who controls the anti-German
forces. Each hex on the map represents 62 miles (100 km) from side to opposite
side. Each full game turn represents one month. Units of maneuver are corps and
armies.
Special
rules cover: crises, political collapse, reinforcements, replacements, terror
bombing, railroads, fog of war, airpower, naval and amphibious operations,
weather, neutrals, the Soviet Union, armistice and surrender, the Spanish Civil
War, expeditionary forces, airborne units, air transport, fifth columns, alpine
units, and anti-aircraft units. The turn sequence is as follows.
I. Axis Player Turn
A. Axis Mobilization Phase
B. Axis Terror Bombing Phase
C. Axis Movement Phase
D. Axis Combat Phase
E. Axis Rally Phase
F.
Axis Crisis Phase
II. Allied Player
Turn
A.
Allied Mobilization Phase
B.
Allied Terror Bombing Phase
C. Allied Movement
Phase
D. Allied Combat
Phase
E.
Allied Rally Phase.
F.
Allied Crisis Phase
III. End of Turn Phase
Other Articles:
- What If: War Over the Rhineland, 1936
- RAF Bomber Command
- The Jiangxi Soviet
- Merrill’s Marauders
