Operation Konrad - Rules Thread

[OnePingOnly]

Edited Nov 15, 2023

This thread is for the official rules, and Q&A re: the rules for the Operation Konrad campaign.

I will keep this top post updated with the post current rules.

Current Version: 11.2 March 23, 2024
1) Changes to Fog of War: Battles will be initially set up by the GM, using parameters determined by the Schedule in Tables 1 & 3, subject to any Soviet counterattacks, and the choice of formations selected by the players involved. To preserve “Fog of War” to the extent possible, Player 1 will be assigned to the Commander that has the choice of Service (I.e., “Guards,” Waffen SS,” etc.). Where both Commanders have these options, Player 1 will be assigned to the Defender.
2) Purchasing Restrictions - QB Purchasing:
a) Removing PzGrenadier Battalion B as a Core formation option for German Armored Infantry in table 6.
b) When purchasing single vehicles as add-ons to formations, no more than 4 ARMED vehicles of the same specific type/version may be added, and no more than 6 ARMED vehicles in TOTAL may be added. UNARMED vehicles are exempt.
c) When purchasing additional NON-CORE formations, such formations may not add more than 6 ARMED, non-transport vehicles to the overall force. This impacts SdKfz 250/251 support variants, for example, but not transport variants such as /1, /3, /7. It also does not impact CORE formations, such as Armored Infantry + Armor hybrids, when allowed by the battle.
d) When purchasing single teams as add-ons to formations, no more than 4 teams of the same type may be added, and NO additional ON-MAP mortar teams may be purchased.
e) Infantry-only units are entitled to purchase up to 2 trucks
3) Battle Outcomes - Units/Casualties:
Clarified that If a Defender achieves VICTORY but loses >60% casualties in men, then the Defending Battalion is also removed from play. Clarified who is the DEFENDER in certain situations.
4) Unit Purchasing - Rarity (QB Set-Up
Changed Rarity – Use STANDARD for most battles. Use LOOSE for battles where either side is using Armored Infantry or Armor units.
Previously, the LOOSE Rarity was only for Armored Reserves on the ATTACK.
5) Weather - Table 7
Weather for Round 4 is changed from "Snow" to "Heavy Snow."

Prior Version: 11.1 November 15, 2023
*Clarified QB Purchasing: Additional formations can be purchased from same or "lesser" force types - i.e., "Infantry" or "Armored Infantry" when your Core unit is "Armored Infantry"
*StuG III (Latest) is allowed in StuG formations. StuG III (Concrete) is still excluded. There were plenty of StuG IIIs meeting CM's "Latest" configuration that were present for Op Konrad.

Prior Version: 11.0 June 14, 2023
*Clarified sequence of making Reserve moves, declaring counterattacks, and selecting Battalions for use in combat.
*Waived the loss of Battalions for victorious ATTACKERS that take >60% casualties. Rule NOT changed for victorious DEFENDERS.
*German Probes converted to Attacks

Prior Version: 10.0 April 18, 2023
*Budapest battles changed from Soviet Attacks to Soviet Probes. Further play-testing confirmed that even with recent map changes, the Attacks were going to be cake-walks for the Soviets. Keep in mind that Budapest held out until after Konrad I-III were over, so this should not be easy for the Soviets.
*Clarified that German Armored Infantry "SPG" in Table 6 includes Wespe, Hummel, Grille, Marder
*Excluded naval artillery in Table 6B, as we are a bit far from the coast
*Made explicit that pre-planned artillery and air may not be used in Meeting Engagement or Attacker set-up zones (No D-bag rule).

Prior Version: 9.0 April 9, 2023
*Casualty rate for Battalion loss changed from >50% to >60%
*Budapest changes: Added a German reserves zone. Clarified who controls a zone if both sides lose their unit. Clarified that units that engage in combat remain "stuck" in that zone.
*Soviet Team Leader now assigns Commanders for Round 1 AND Round 7.
*Reserves now have a schedule for the earliest round in which they will appear (Table 4). Some Reserves will always show up on these dates; others are at GM discretion for game-balancing purposes.
*New Reserve units added to both sides
*Changes to SS Infantry and StuG core allowable formations

Prior Version: 8.4 March 28, 2023
*Corrected the QB points allocations in Table #9

Prior Version: 8.3 March 26, 2023
*Set difficulty level as ELITE
*Clarified what happens for certain DRAW outcomes in QBs.
*Added more detail on purchasing units with the 40% of QB points not required to be spent on Core formation

 

[Drifter Man]

Thanks, that's quite the rulebook. "Surrendering is highly discouraged" should be the motto of the campaign!

• What difficulty setting for the quick battles, e.g., Warrior, Elite, Iron?
• Are 23 Tank Corps and 7 Mech Corps Soviet Guards units? Only Guards units can have IS tanks in CMRT.
• At least 60% points are spent on the core formations. How do I know what I can and can't do with the remaining 40%? Can I buy a completely unrelated formation?
  • For example, 3rd Panzer has an armored infantry component and an armor only component with Pz IV. So, I will have set a mixed force for that battle. I suppose the 40% is intended for things like flak, pioneers, artillery, fortifications etc. But can I buy additional armor other than Pz IV, and if so, how do I decide which types I can have?
  • If there isn't a simple answer to this, I think it would be reasonable to restrict the players to the specified formations entirely and only let them spend points on artillery, air and fortifications outside of these.
• Battles sometimes end in a stalemate without either side taking 50% losses (or anything close to it). Does the loser of that stalemate still lose his (or her ) battalion?

 

[OnePingOnly]

Thank you, @Drifter Man , for the good questions. This is the sort of thing I want - to make sure I have been as complete and thorough as possible.

1) What difficulty setting for QB's: Elite

2) IS-2s only available to Guards units: YIKES...good catch, @Drifter Man . IRL, the 23 Tank Corps and 7th Mech Corps are both non-Guards units, and both definitely had IS-2s as the majority of their reported armor as of Jan 1945. As I can't detect any meaningful difference between the Guards and Soviet Army infantry units, I have updated Table 5 & 6 to use Guards formations for these units.

3) What can be purchased using the 40% QB points that are not required to be used on the Core formation(s)? Page 10 updated and Table 6B added to describe the restrictions. Beyond purchasing additional formations of the same type as the "Core" formation (e.g. - a second Rifle Battalion) and the same vehicle types are noted for the Core unit, other items that may be purchased are of a "support" nature - artillery, aircraft, fortifications, and support units (AT, AA, recon, etc).

4) What happens if a battle is a draw, but one or both sides take <50% casualties?
A DRAW is considered as a loss for both sides, regardless of casualties. "Keep moving forward, or you will be shot!"

Added clarification for map/battle outcomes where both combatants' units are destroyed.

Added clarification that the Team Leader for each side is ALSO a Commander for Battles - not a separate, extra person on the team.

Thank you -

 

[Drifter Man]

Great, thanks for the clarifications. I'll have another read and let you know if anything comes up.
Looking forward to the show.

 

[Artkin]

might have been a heavy tank brigade attached from the army or front level. Only guards tank corps recieved is-2 AFAIK otherwise.

 

[OnePingOnly]

Thanks to @jackal , I corrected the QB points in Table 9 - some of these were flipped.

might have been a heavy tank brigade attached from the army or front level. Only guards tank corps recieved is-2 AFAIK otherwise.

This is what I thought, too. At first I had these as Guards units, but multiple sources seemed to confirm they did not have that title. IS-2s were fairly common in various Konrad combat actions with multiple non-Guards units, so I assume they must have been doled out from the higher organization as the Soviet command attempted to stem the initial tide and then counterattack.

 

[Drifter Man]

Here I am again!

1. In Budapest, a zone can become uncontrolled after a battle. Does it mean that in the next round, the Soviet commander can take the zone without opposition, and no battle is fought?
2. The 30-minute time limit seems brutal, considering that many of the maps aren't exactly small. Are you sure about this? Normally I wouldn't play a medium battle shorter than 60 minutes.
3. St.Art-Bde 303 has only one battalion - StuG, with no accompanying infantry. StuG/JPz formations have no or almost no organic infantry... this unit is unviable alone in battle.
4. Speaking of StuGs, is the omission of StuG IV in Table 6 intentional?

 

[JTimo]

Hey @OnePingOnly , I read the rules, and just want to say that I am really impressed with the depth of work you have put into this. When I first joined FGM, there was a member who went by the handle FredRocker. He put together a campaign based on "A Bridge Too Far", which was also very impressive. I haven't seen anything to rival that until this. Kudos to you for a job well done!

Keep me in mind as a reserve. I'd love to be part of this, just don't feel that I can devote full time to it.

Thanks,
Joe

 

[jackal]

Here I am again!

1. In Budapest, a zone can become uncontrolled after a battle. Does it mean that in the next round, the Soviet commander can take the zone without opposition, and no battle is fought?
2. The 30-minute time limit seems brutal, considering that many of the maps aren't exactly small. Are you sure about this? Normally I wouldn't play a medium battle shorter than 60 minutes.
3. St.Art-Bde 303 has only one battalion - StuG, with no accompanying infantry. StuG/JPz formations have no or almost no organic infantry... this unit is unviable alone in battle.
4. Speaking of StuGs, is the omission of StuG IV in Table 6 intentional?

hmmm i think the 30 minutes is als pretty short imo than u cant avoid getting unnessary casualties.

 

[JTimo]

@jackal makes a good point. Yet, upping the game time to 45 will likely result in rounds that many players will not complete in an appropriate time. This is one of the things that caused FredRocker's campaign to not go to completion. In that campaign the player roster had a large turnover, often due to players getting involved in other things, and not being able to take on another game when the next round finally began. That, and he developed health issues that prevented him for doing his GM duties.

This is just a suggestion, but perhaps increasing the casualty percentage to 60 or more before a unit ceases to exist would allow players to play a little less cautiously and thus make for a better 30 minute game.

 

[OnePingOnly]

is the omission of StuG IV in Table 6 intentional?

I’ll double-check. This may have been due to a lack of StuG IV in the unit TOEs (imperfect as the info is). It has been a while since I set the unit compositions. I believe I’ve seen photos of StuG IV in Hungary, but these may have been 6th Army/Op Sring Awakening.

St.Art-Bde 303 has only one battalion - StuG, with no accompanying infantry. StuG/JPz formations have no or almost no organic infantry... this unit is unviable alone in battle.

The SturmArtillerie Brigade formation has a Begleit Infantry company and Aufkkarung Platoon attached, which I have used in WB in the past (and one can afford to buy these plus ~1 platoon of StuGs. I agree the other formations are not viable, and I can remove. I’ll look to add an Infantry option since the StBde would not have been used in isolation.

n Budapest, a zone can become uncontrolled after a battle. Does it mean that in the next round, the Soviet commander can take the zone without opposition, and no battle is fought?

The intent is NOT that the Soviets can just claim the uncontrolled zone. The intent is that a new battle would be fought, if the Soviets choose to have another go at that zone. They might decide that somewhere else is easier in their quest to control 4. However, I need to think through the sequence of how units are placed during the “Orders Phase” so that each Zone targeted by the Soviets always has both opponents. Great question, thank you.

 

[OnePingOnly]

The 30-minute time limit seems brutal, considering that many of the maps aren't exactly small. Are you sure about this?

Well, no, I’m not sure about it…….I worry about the time limit in relationship to map size, objective setup, and potential unit density more than any other factor. It’s where this thing could most likely come off the rails and be a NPE.

Some thoughts:

Fact: Most scenarios of MEDIUM size and 1km-1.5km dimensions give >60 minutes for recon, maneuver, and actual fighting. As pointed out, less time means unnecessary casualties required for an Attacker to push fast. To some extent, I am prepared to accept that gameplay concession, but if every battle bleeds the participants white, it causes other problems. Changing the casualty threshold may be a good solution.

Strong belief: the further the per-battle time limit gets over 30 minutes, the more likely it is that the campaign will stall out and/or face a revolving door of players. I expect a 20% turnover rate due to real life stuff, but don’t want to drive it higher. I think 45 minutes is about the furthest I would go.

Belief: More time usually favors the attacker. So, especially in Budapest, I don’t want to give too MUCH time.

Belief: I don’t think the MEDIUM size will impact turn rate much. In testing and the recent Cold War Cup I didn’t think this was an obnoxious number of units to manage.

All that said, I’m continuing to review the maps and adjust final sizing, setup zones, and objective locations to compensate. In the CW Cup, the biggest problem for the MEDIUM battles was objectives - having a number and location that were achievable and minimized Draws. Probably better to edit the maps than change overall design.

I welcome the feedback…truly.

 

[Drifter Man]

Yes please - don't get me wrong - I also appreciate the huge amount of work you have put into this campaign. I want to do my bit to help making it a success... by reading the instructions first

The intent is NOT that the Soviets can just claim the uncontrolled zone. The intent is that a new battle would be fought, if the Soviets choose to have another go at that zone. They might decide that somewhere else is easier in their quest to control 4. However, I need to think through the sequence of how units are placed during the “Orders Phase” so that each Zone targeted by the Soviets always has both opponents. Great question, thank you.

Hmm, since "Units committed to a zone remain in that zone for the duration of the game, with one exception: a German Budapest breakout attempt" (VII B 5), how can Germans move any unit to re-occupy the zone? And wouldn't that just leave another zone uncontrolled, since they have no reserves in Budapest?

The SturmArtillerie Brigade formation has a Begleit Infantry company and Aufkkarung Platoon attached, which I have used in WB in the past (and one can afford to buy these plus ~1 platoon of StuGs. I agree the other formations are not viable, and I can remove. I’ll look to add an Infantry option since the StBde would not have been used in isolation.

True, I actually missed that one, I was only aware of the pioneers. But the Begleit company has Unique rarity...

All that said, I’m continuing to review the maps and adjust final sizing, setup zones, and objective locations to compensate. In the CW Cup, the biggest problem for the MEDIUM battles was objectives - having a number and location that were achievable and minimized Draws. Probably better to edit the maps than change overall design.

Yes, please consider these options. As you know, Titan and I played a mirror attack on Budapest Hills. Titan wasn't wasting time but still needed 75 minutes to win in his attack. A rush to the flags in 30 minutes is just a massacre on a map of that size.
It matters less in ME as long as the setup is symmetric. ME battles will just end up being inconclusive, with one or the other party claiming the win depending on how the initial contact played out. At least that's what I expect.

 

[OnePingOnly]

Hey @Drifter Man -
I DO appreciate the feedback. I don't want this whole thing to be a giant train wreck.

True, I actually missed that one, I was only aware of the pioneers. But the Begleit company has Unique rarity...

Ugh. I can solve this by using the clause from Section VIII, A,k:
"Rarity – Use STANDARD for most battles. Use LOOSE for battles where the Attacker is using Armor Reserves." When I use Loose rarity in a Medium Probe, I can buy the Begleit Company, the Aufklarung platoon, and a StuG platoon which seems like a decent force. I think I will also add a foot or Motorized PzG option for this unit as well. In any case, this is one of my Reserve reserves - which I can deploy as GM if everything is getting bled white and the campaign may collapse. Hopefully we will never see it, but I will make sure there is a standard in case we do.

Hmm, since "Units committed to a zone remain in that zone for the duration of the game, with one exception: a German Budapest breakout attempt" (VII B 5), how can Germans move any unit to re-occupy the zone? And wouldn't that just leave another zone uncontrolled, since they have no reserves in Budapest?

I will create a reserve for the Germans in Budapest, with weak formations. There are a couple of reasons for doing so, but in this case, the Reserves can be used to contest an uncontrolled zone.

Feedback on this feedback is welcome!

I will be away for the next week, with access to FGM but not to CM - so any suggestions needing further testing will have to wait!

 

[Drifter Man]

Good - I think I'm starting to see your master plan for Budapest. Thanks for the explanations

 

[OnePingOnly]

Rules updated to Ver 9.0 on April 9, 2023. See changes and attached file at the top of the thread.

 

[Drifter Man]

Thanks for the update, including the addition of more affordable infantry option to those StuG units.

One last (hopefully) clarification:
“Armored Infantry”: PzGrenadier Bn 44 (Arm), PzGrenadier Bn (KG), Pz Aufklarung Bn 44, PzDiv Escort Coy 44, (may also purchase any halftrack, Armored Cars, SPG, AA vehicles, and/or Trucks)

Can the highlighted ones be purchased in a specialized formation that is not listed (e.g., SP howitzer battery, AA platoon)? Or do they have to be individual vehicles?

 

[OnePingOnly]

Can the highlighted ones be purchased in a specialized formation that is not listed (e.g., SP howitzer battery, AA platoon)? Or do they have to be individual vehicles?

For the Infantry formations in Table 6 (indeed, any formation without a "+<TANK>" description), the "may also purchase..." text refers to additional individual vehicles. Example: buying an extra Stummel for an Armored Infantry company.
Note that it is always acceptable to purchase vehicles that come with the formation, although the specific model of armored vehicle may be restricted by Table 6.

Additional formations that may be purchased are in Table 6B. Most specialized units such as AA, Artillery, etc are available.

Let me know if that is not clear!

 

[Drifter Man]

Perfectly clear. Thanks!

 

[dkchapuis]

Once a German player is assigned to a route, that player doesn’t change, correct?