Wacht am Rhein II - Rules improvement project

While the WaRII rules, once understood, contribute to a delightful gaming experience, it takes a huge effort to understand them. The rules as written are unclear and somewhat incomplete - even somewhat contradictory. Players have put a large number of questions to the designer, Joe Youst, who has been kind enough to clear most of the confusion. However, there is no revised rulebook availible, or even a concise collection of these clarifications. Therefore, we wish to collect these in one place.

01. Introduction: [1.0] INTRODUCTION Wacht Am Rhein II is a grand tactical simulation of the Battle of the Bulge that lasted from 16 December, 1944 to the beginning of January 1945. The battle was launched in the ...
02. Game components: [2.1.0] The Game Map The game map consists of four map sheets that form the Ardennes battlefield when placed together. The hex grid on the map is used to control placement and movement [2.4.0] ...
03. Setting up the game: [3.0] SETTING UP THE GAME The players choose which side they will play. The US player controls all American, British, Canadian and French units. The German player controls all German Army, SS and ...
04. The game turn: [4.0] THE GAME TURN Game activity and the measurement of elapsed historical time is controlled by the Game-Turn (GT); each day of historical time consists of three GTs: the AM turn, the PM turn, and ...
05. Movement: [5.0] Movement A player may voluntarily change the location of his units on the map by moving them from one hex to another; this is called movement. There are three basic forms of unit movement: ...
06. Unit Modes: [6.0] Unit Modes Unit modes represent various mission configurations a player may assign his units. Each mode is suited for different activities; some allow rapid movement across the map, while ...
07. Stacking: [7.0] STACKING Having more than one unit in the same hex is called stacking, and all units in that hex are part of the same stack. The maximum number of units allowed in a hex is its stacking limit. ...
08. Observation, visibility & reconnaissance: [8.0] OBSERVATION, VISIBILITY & RECONNAISSANCE Friendly units can observe enemy units in hexes they can trace a valid Line of Sight (LOS) into. Tracing a valid LOS depends on visibility, range, and ...
09. Attack designation: [9.0] ATTACK DESIGNATION The destruction of enemy units is accomplished in one of two ways: Barrage or Ground Assault. Both are part of the combat process and occur during the Combat Phase. Rules ...
10. Ground assault: [10.0] GROUND ASSAULT After combat units have been designated to attack and Barrages have been resolved, it's time to carry out Ground Assaults. This represents what is universally known as "closing ...
11. Resolving ground assault: [11.0] RESOLVING GROUND ASSAULT After the Barrage segment, Ground Assaults are initiated and resolved individually in any order the active player chooses. Once an attack is declared, players find ...
12. Barrage: [12.0] BARRAGE Artillery units can attack enemy units in adjacent and non-adjacent hexes through the process of "Barrage." A player may only conduct a Barrage during a friendly Barrage Segment. ...
13. Fatigue: [13.0] FATIGUE Soldiers in battle can only be pushed so far. After just a few days in combat, their effectiveness drops off and the sharp edge dulls. Rather than show this by trying to track the ...
14. Supply: [14.0] SUPPLY Supply represents the flow of ammo, POL, and food that units need to maneuver and fight effectively. Every unit in play must have its supply status checked once each GT. When a unit ...
15. Engineers & water obstacles: [15.0] ENGINEERS & WATER OBSTACLES During a Construction Phase, the active player may use engineer units to initiate or finish construction of bridges over rivers and streams. A player may also ...
16. Fieldworks & Fortifications: [16.0] FIELDWORKS & FORTIFICATIONS Fieldworks are positions constructed to improve defensive capability. German and US combat units may construct two kinds of Fieldworks: Improved Positions (IPs) ...
17. Unit breakdown & Build-up: [17.0] UNIT BREAKDOWN & BUILD-UP Most units may breakdown, or detach company-sized units. Units may also use the reverse process of breakdown to reform or reincorporate detached companies. Units ...
18. Weather: [18.0] WEATHER In Wacht Am Rhein II weather affects are represented by ground and atmospheric conditions. Ground conditions affect how well units can move during a turn. Atmospheric conditions ...
19. Airpower: [19.0] AIRPOWER Airpower is handled by the use of Air Points (APs) that are allocated to both sides. APs may be used to attack enemy units during a friendly Combat Phase or when they move. APs can ...
20. Reinforcements: [20.0] REINFORCEMENTS Throughout the game, both sides receive new units that enter the map as reinforcements. Some units are available only after certain events have occurred, while others must be ...
21. Replacements: [21.0] REPLACEMENTS Replacement Points (RPs) are used to replace steps that units have lost in combat or to "resurrect" eliminated units. RPs are received according to the turn record track and from ...
22. Leaders: [22.0] LEADERS Both sides possess leader counters. These represent exceptional personages and their effects on the battle. Only "activated" leaders may affect their subordinated units. Leaders ...
23. Random Events: [23.0] RANDOM EVENTS Random Events occur during the game to account for unique historical activity that doesn't neatly fit into the game's basic system structure. They also serve to inject an ...
errata: [0.0] Errata Clarifications
erratas not in issue tracker: Note::

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Wacht am Rhein II - Rules improvement project

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