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The East Front Series game system simulates warfare on the Eastern Front, 1941. Units represented as counters are
divisions, brigades, regiments, companies, batteries, and groups of planes. The map scale is 5 miles to the hex. A turn represents
2 days. The sequence of play is assymetrical, meaning the Axis order of phases during a turn is different than
the Soviet order of phases. Specifically the Axis player gets to move all its units then do combat, the normal "wargame"
order of things. But for the Soviets, they move their motorized units, with a very limited ability
to move a few non-motorized units with their motorized units, before doing combat.
This causes the Soviet abilities to wage war to be handicapped, and neatly inserts the command control problems the
Soviets experienced into the game, without the need for artificial "idiot rules". The Soviets in 1941 had so much difficulty in
coordinating their armor with their infantry in attacks that often the armor went into the attack without infantry
support, and often Soviet units involved in a desperate defence would get no reserves sent to them, even
when ample troops were nearby. The rigid Soviet command structure meant that directives from above
were to be obeyed, despite the realities on the ground. The Germans, of course, were indoctrinated through their
military training to show initiative, and showed great flexibility in battle, with excellent coordination between
the various elements of their armed forces.
| GERMAN PANZER DIVISION |
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A typical German panzer division consists of one panzer regiment,
two motorized infantry regiments, and a recon battalion. |
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In this game system, the panzer division is king. Often a panzer division gets the dual combat benefits of "divisional integrity" and
"combined arms", which makes them very combat effective. Add into the mix engineers and air support, and panzer divisions
can pretty much chew into any defense the Soviets can put up. But the main problem for the Axis player is that there are
not enough panzer divisions, and with the lack of time the Axis has to accomplish their objectives, combined
with the problems of getting enough Attack Supply to the front, the Axis player is often forced to put his precious
panzer divisions into dangerous situations. How well the Axis player balances the need for victory points with
risk to his panzer divisions is what gives this game system its excitement level.
| SOVIET INFANTRY DIVISION |
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| A Soviet infantry division varies in strength. This one has an attack strength of 4 and defense of 5. They have 2 or 3 steps. |
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| GERMAN INFANTRY DIVISION |
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| A German infantry division varies in strength. This one has an attack strength of 8 and defense of 9. They have 4 steps. |
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| ITALIAN INFANTRY DIVISION |
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| This Italian infantry division has an attack strength of 4 and defense of 4. It has 2 steps. |
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| SLOVAKIAN INFANTRY DIVISION |
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| This Slovakian infantry division has an attack strength of 3 and defense of 4. It has 2 steps. |
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| RUMANIAN INFANTRY DIVISION |
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| This Rumanian infantry division has an attack strength of 4 and defense of 4. It has 2 steps. |
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All around, the German military
units are superior to the Soviet units. The German infantry divisions are reliable and strong, with many steps.
The German motorized divisions complement the limited German panzer divisions and can often take the "hits" in battle,
protecting the strength of the panzer divisions. German aircraft are superior to the Soviet aircraft, and usually can
force the Soviet bombers to abort their attempts at ground combat support. German allies have generally weaker units, on par with their Soviet counterparts.
| SOVIET HEADQUARTERS |
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| This Soviet headquarters has a command level of 2. They vary from 0 to 3. The good headquarters units need to be protected by stacking them with flak units to fend off interdiction attempts by Axis aircraft. |
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Only the Soviets have "headquarter units", and these are required to get non-motorized units to "activate" during the
Soviet motorized phase, they can issue "orders", and have a limited ability to move reserves into battles. These
headquarters can be attacked by Axis ground combat units, they can be bombed by Axis aircraft, and they can cause problems for
the Soviets if they become "non-operational". The Axis do not have headquarter units in the game. The Axis
command capability is so effective that all Axis units are always considered to be in "command control", and therefore
the Soviets do not have the capability to attack the Axis command infrastructure in this game system.
| SOVIET AIRCRAFT UNIT |
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| This is a Soviet Polikarpov I-16 fighter. It has a air-to-air combat strength of 1, and no combat support strength. It fares poorly against most German fighters, but can sometimes deliver a sting. |
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| GERMAN AIRCRAFT UNIT |
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| This is a German Messerschmitt
Bf109 Fighter. It has a air-to-air combat strength of 3, no ground combat support strength, and an interdiction strength of 1. |
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The airpower system in EFS is abstracted. The priority of the simulation is on ground combat. There are no airfields,
aircraft availability is determined by the scenario allotment. Generally, aircraft that are in the "ready box" can be
used anywhere on the map. Simple combat routines handle air-to-air combat. Aircraft can be aborted from their missions,
or damaged or destroyed. Usually air combat and flak is not too deadly, but occassionally a plane will go down
in flames (usually a Soviet aircraft unit). Missions that aircraft can perform are air-to-air combat, ground support and interdiction.
Each aircraft counter represents fourty to eighty planes, or a few squadrons each.
| SOVIET ARTILLERY UNIT |
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| This is a Soviet railway gun. This one has a range of four and a bombardment strength of 1. |
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| GERMAN ARTILLERY UNIT |
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This is a German artillery regiment. This one has a range of two and a bombardment strength of two.
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Artillery in EFS is very important. It gives added strength to attacks, and can stiffen the defense. The Axis is
more adept in their coordination of artillery in combat, and can throw in support from up to four in range artillery
to an attack or defense. The Soviets suffer from poor coordination with their artillery, and usually only one in range
artillery unit can throw in its support. Both the Axis and Soviets have a good assortment of artillery,
including rail guns, rockets, and naval guns, with varying strengths and ranges. In EFS artillery is only used
with ground combat, they do not do any "bombardment" on their own.
| GERMAN ATTACK SUPPLY UNITS |
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| This is a trucked Attack Supply unit. Two Attack Supply counters that are in the same hex can be flipped to one 2 point dump. |
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| SOVIET ATTACK SUPPLY UNIT |
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| A Soviet wagon Attack Supply counter. Both the Axis and Soviets have both truck and wagon Attack Supply units. |
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There are two types of supply in EFS. General supply is done by tracing to a Lines of Communication route (LOC). General
supply denotes things such as food and fuel. Units that are out of General Supply suffer from reduced movement and other penalties.
Attack Supply is a different kind of supply. It is used during combat. Attack Supply is represented by supply counters on the map. Attack Supply
is needed to allow combat capable units to attack at their optimum performance level (there is no Defensive Combat Supply in this system). One Attack Supply point is typically used to "supply" a combat in the game. To attack without Attack Supply usually means the
attacker is taking risks. The Axis player will find that he will often have to attack without Attack Supply, and this will be the
major reason for Axis combat losses in the game.
There are several types of terrain in EFS. Terrain is important for determining movement costs and for combat effects.
EFS has perhaps one of the most complex terrain effects of all time. Plus the costs and restrictions change for
different weather conditions. Weather can be clear, or mud, or snow, with the possibility of storms thrown in.
The lengthy terrain effects chart will be consulted constantly, even by veteran EFS
players. The sophistication of the terrain effects significantly improves the realism of the game system, at some
cost in complexity.
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