Barbarossa Manual Errata

Current for update 1.05.5

Click here for downloading a PDF version

3.1.2 Tougher Soviets
Grants all Soviet forces +15 XP (experience) including Conscripts. Adds +15 to the German Difficulty.

3.1.2.2 Easy Mode
There is now only a 25% chance of any Soviet AI fortification appearing.
The initial Soviet Shock penalty has been increased from 50 to 70% and tapers off at a slower rate of -5 per round instead of -10%

3.7.3 Counters
Contrary to what is stated in the manual the Power Rating displayed on the unit does NOT include soft factors such as readiness, experience and morale. It’s hard combat value only but does give a close approximation to the stacking value of the unit.

3.9 Action Cards
There is now a report showing a list of all cards played during the game in the Daily Logs section

4.15 Reconnaissance
The table showing Reconnaissance Levels (p.103) has incorrect information for ‘None’ and ‘Low’ levels.
None should be < 2 for both sides.
Low should be 2 – 40 for the Germans and 2 – 100 for the Soviets.

4.4 Postures
Soviet units in the Finnish, Hungarian and Romanian border regions commence the game with a Neutral Posture (everybody else are configured to Offensive).

4.6 Victory Conditions
The Victory Matrix table on p.58 has an ommission in the cell (bottom left) marked ‘N/A’ (German Yes, Soviet Yes). It should read instead that the ‘Germans must have a higher score (>=) with the German score halved for comparison purposes’.

This requirement is there to ensure that the German player captures a reasonable amount of Russian territory rather than just a narrow corridor leading to the objective. Failure to meet this requirement will see any German win downgraded to a Minor Loss as High Command expects Russia to be taken, not lanced.

4.6.1.1 Sudden Death Victory Conditions
The Germans can achieve this by taking Gorki OR by taking all three objective cities (with Kharkov or Sevastopol in addition to Rostov)

4.6.5 Game Over Analysis
The end of game analysis and PDF’s now list Cities captured, or lost, by theatre and date.

4.7.3 HQ Calamities – German
These are no longer reconstituted via an Action Card but are instead automatically reformed (on map) at the start of the following turn.

4.8.1.7 Führer
Hitler interference will not occur on the first turn on the campaign

4.9 Political Points
The Soviet Player can now gain additional Political Points from holding strategic (red dot) cities past a certain point (shown in the Daily Staff Report from Round 3 onwards). Once a city is held beyond the required time it provides +1 PP per turn for however long it is held for. Cities that are providing bonus PP’s are displayed with their name in Yellow.

4.10.2 Characters
The German Friends and Foes report now shows in the Relationship section of the report tab for easy reference rather than just on the first turn.

4.10.3.4 Decision Reports
There is a now a report (in the Daily Log section) showing details of all Decisions taken, or delegated, during the previous turn.

4.10.5.2 Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff’s have been given more realistic German Officer names (no game play effect)

For the Chief of Staff Pool table;
Jorn Markus is now Hermann Franke
Gunther Imoff is now Bruno Meinhold
Eugen Erb is now Hans Brauer
Ralf Rau is now Friedrich Schellmann
Micro Machill is now Rudolf Schell
Ullrich Urbach is now Wolf Krappe
Linus Jelinek is now Ernst Krantz
Marlon Korber is now Hubert Luttwitz
Jonas Roschka is now Karl Kraber
Dietmar Knauf is now Otto Kropff

4.11 Fortifications
The Soviet Player gains additional fortifications near Leningrad (4) and Moscow (3) at the start of the game.

4.14 Supply
Leningrad is a secondary source of Soviet Supply but if cut of (unable to trace a route to Gorki or Murmansk via the northern rail line) will receive only 200 supply points a turn (enough for a handful of units) which represents remnant stockpiles in the city.

Minor coastal cities (grey dot) don’t receive supply by sea (Baltic or Black seas). Major port cities (red dot) do and are able to support limited pockets of troops provided they can trace a supply route back to the port.

5.2.12 Soviet Adverse Terrain Bonus
Does not apply to the Soviet units in the Finnish Border region as the Finns were adept at fighting in this terrain as the Soviets.

5.2.13 Early Soviet Penalties
In Easy Mode the initial Soviet Shock penalty has been increased from 50 to 70% and tapers off at a slower rate of -5 per round instead of -10%

Initial Soviet penalties (Blitzkrieg and Shock) don’t apply to Soviet units in the Finnish, Hungarian and Romanian border regions.

6.1.4 Artillery
No changes but a more detailed explanation

Theatre based artillery are additional assets that can be assigned to Armies and provide combat bonuses and serve to reduce enemy fortifications when a benefiting unit is adjacent to the fortification (simulates Pioneers, see 6.1.13). They have no effect on it’s in an enemy city other than a normal combat one.

Siege artillery is a single, ultra-heavy, rail-mounted unit that will reduce the entrenchment levels of all enemy units in an adjacent city to 100 (halved). It has no effect on fortifications.

Siege artillery is unable to move over Soviet gauge rail line (too heavy) and is restricted to German (black) gauge.

Siege artillery base delay % now increased by round # / 3 to represent the increasing inability of the converted rail to handle very heavy trains (eg. it slowly increases over time).

6.1.6 Logistics
There is now a special entry in each Daily Theatre Log (German) called ‘Logistical Pipeline Info’ which has an attached tool tip giving a useful summary of why the pipeline is coloured as it is.

6.1.6.9 Truck Columns
No changes but a more detailed explanation.

Truck Columns suffer from two main penalties – route difficulty and a distance penalty. They are calculated differently. The route difficulty is internally calculated hex by hex (it follows the icons on the map) and takes into account the terrain and distance. It represents the cumulative quality of the roads that are being traversed by your truck columns.

The distance penalty is calculated the ‘as-the-crow-flies’ distance between your FSB and your PG HQ. The greater the distance, the higher the penalty and at distances greater than 10 hexes it’s exponential.

The engine automatically optimises the truck column routes to the best available which is why you’ll occasionally see the columns taking big loops, especially in mud conditions. As this is outside of the control of the Player basing the distance penalty on a hex-by-hex, follow-the-icon basis would be unfair. Having the penalty based instead on a direct ‘by-the-crow’ distance makes it easily understood and managed by the Player.

6.1.5 German Cards
The Germans have a new Action Card ‘Transport!’ which allows them to efficiently round up stragglers who have fallen behind their Armies or Panzergruppes. When played on a straggler it strategically moves him to the relevant HQ. There are a few restrictions to prevent this card being exploited but they are straightforward. Playing this card in Mud conditions is problematic if either the unit or their HQ isn’t on a sealed road (doesn’t apply if they aren’t in Mud).

6.1.6.10 AGS – FSB Locations
Grozny and Mackhach-Kala are no longer viable FSB locations in AGS. Chechyna and the Republic of Dagestan have withdrawn their welcome mat.

6.1.7 Wear and Tear
Divisional Rest & Refit cards (German) can be played an unlimited number of times per turn providing you’ve got enough PP’s to do so. Army & Panzergruppe Rest & Refit cards can only be played one per turn.

6.2 Auto Surrendering Soviet Units
Soviet units auto-surrender after a certain time of being cut-off (which they did historically once they had expended their ammunition). Any Soviet units in the Black Sea ports of Odessa and Sevastopol will be exempt from this rule as they have adequate supplies, by sea, to fight on. This will make taking Odessa and Sevastopol more of challenge if defended by the Soviets. Units adjacent to these ports, or nearby, won’t benefit from the exemption, only those inside the ports will do so.

6.2.2.1 Activation Levels
Soviet units that don’t Activate receive 50 AP (originally 40 AP)

6.2.5 Soviet Cards
The Soviet ‘Garrison’ card is now automatically disabled if the entire campaign map area is either mud or snow (can’t be played in these conditions anyway).

6.2.5.2 Soviet Posture Cards
Zhukov’s presence at a front (any HQ except STAVKA) will lower the cost of a Defensive Posture card by -5 PP while ever he is there.

6.2.5.3 Soviet Operational Cards – Massed Artillery, Massed Armour, Air Defences
These cards CAN appear from round 35 onwards but their appearance is probability based. There is a base 5% chance per round and this is increased +10% every time you have played the ‘Reorganise’ Command card (reorganising the Soviet Command Structure). A single test is made each round (a random 1d100 <= base + reorganise), from round 35 onwards. Once triggered all three cards are available from then on.

6.2.5.4 Soviet Command Cards
‘Exhort Victory’ provides a global activation bonus to all theatres for the Following Turn only.
‘Release Tsarist’ card has been renamed the ‘Release Marshal’ card as the Marshal may be a Tsarist or a New School type (but only if Historical option chosen)
‘No Retreat’ card has it’s initial cost reduced from 5 PP to 0 PP.

6.2.9 Soviet Reinforcements
Once the Germans approach within a certain distance (deliberately undefined to prevent players gaming the system) of the objectives within each front, all Soviet reinforcements arriving in that front will be configured to a Defensive Posture (rather than the normal Neutral posture) as STAVKA order a last ditched effort to hold ground.

Soviet Divisions arriving as reinforcements will automatically be reassigned to another HQ if their own HQ is destroyed before they can deploy. They will be assigned to the next arriving HQ, on that front, arriving one turn or later from the time of the Division’s arrival. If they are reassigned then they are considered to have delayed their deployment long enough and will arrive with a 100% chance of deployment.

6.2.10 Communications
When playing a Soviet Posture card if there is a communication breakdown preventing this, no further posture cards will be able to be played this turn.

7.1 Finland
There are white ‘S’ markers on the map near Helsinki (Finland). If any Soviet units enter these hexes, or beyond, Finland will immediately seek peace terms with the Soviets.

The Soviet AI on the Finnish Front will now unfreeze once the Germans capture either Luga or Narva even if the Finns are yet to attack.

7.2 Romania
The manual, in the historical footnote, incorrectly states that the Romanian front will become active on the 26th July ’41. It should be the 26th June ’41.

9.4.3 Design Compromises – German Command Structure
The German command structure has had to be adjusted somewhat for game play reasons.

Franz Halder was, on the day, the Chief of Staff of OKH. Von Brauchitsch was the head of OKH. A higher level HQ, OKW, isn’t modeled within the game but ‘High Command’ which encompasses OKW and the Political level above it, is.

Von Brauchitsch was, in reality, ineffectual and had little impact on decisions. He was in failing health (serious heart condition) and was unable to stand up to a Führer to whom he was heavily indebted. He serves a useful role as the Player’s immediate superior and has been relocated to High Command to separate him from the operational command role that the Player assumes as Franz Halder at OKH.

Franz Halder is the person who has the day to day control over the Eastern front (he was also the closest person to this role historically) but there are limits to his authority. He has, to assist him at OKH, a number of junior staff. A designated individual (fictitious) has been nominated as his ‘Chief of Staff’ but this represents the most senior junior staffer who is well beneath the role of Halder.

New – The War Diary
This is a game option added in for the games Steam release. It provides a character in a division who writes and receives letters from home. It provides a Private’s eye view of the war and dynamically reacts to events and situations that Hugo’s Division finds itself in. It’s possible for Hugo, or his associates, to be killed in combat whenever the Division fights.

The Division is marked with a Red ‘H’ on it’s counter (and has a slightly darker shade of grey) to indicate Hugo’s presence. Diary entries occur most turns, but not all. Hugo’s presence in the Division has no in-game effect as he’s only a lowly ranked private but he does provide insights into life on the Eastern front that differ greatly from the staff reports circulating around High Command.