3. SCENARIOS

**Focus:**
This section explains the differences between campaign games and other scenarios.

**Key Points:**

·       Rules for a campaign game scenario

·       How these might vary for a shorter scenario

·       List of available scenarios

·       How to set up a game

·       Detailed rules for setting up a multi-player game (and the assorted options)

## 3.1. LEARNING THE GAME

When first learning the game, we recommend that you play the Velikie Luki introductory scenario as the Soviets against the Axis AI (see 4.19–4.23 for a detailed discussion and a playthrough of the first few turns). After that you may want to repeat this at a more challenging level, try to defend with the Axis, or move on to play the Road to Minsk scenario as the Axis against the Soviet AI.

Even if you have played WiTE1 or WiTW you may find these short scenarios useful to explore the concepts that are completely new in WiTE2 and to give you some practical experience to test your understanding of the information presented in the manual.

Beyond that, Road to Leningrad is a low density, quick to play scenario that might help you understand the feedback between early turn decisions and the combat effectiveness of your army later in the scenario. The Destruction of the Southwestern Front might help you understand the special T1 rules in the Ukraine and the overall difference in fighting in the relatively open terrain south of the Pripyet marshes. Operation Typhoon is a good chance to explore the impact of the autumn rains and then winter weather on operations.

While it is inevitable that most players will want to start the 1941 Grand Campaign as soon as possible, the later start dates offer both interesting gameplay and insights into key game mechanisms. For example, taking the Soviet side in Vistula to Berlin will introduce you to the challenge of how to supply a large army with substantial mobile assets while it is advancing rapidly.

## 3.2. SCENARIO LIST

Table 3.a. Scenario List (3.2)

Errata 01.01.00: Added a new scenario that is a modified version of the 1941 Campaign (1941 Campaign—No Early End). The only difference between this and the 1941 campaign is that the no-early-end version does not make checks for Sudden Victory or Sudden Loss. There is still the check at the end of 1944 regarding the Soviet HWM needing to match the Axis HWM (or Allied control of parts of Germany). This scenario will always contain the latest 1941 campaign changes unless otherwise noted in the scenario update notes.

## 3.3. SCENARIO TYPES

There are two types of scenarios included in the game. Campaign scenarios cover the entire Eastern Front from a specific start date, use the full map area and use the campaign victory conditions (29.1), while non-campaign scenarios are shorter and use less of the map.

### 3.3.1. CAMPAIGN SCENARIOS

Campaign scenarios handle the impact of the wider war in North Africa, the Balkans, Arctic, Western Europe, the Caucasus, and the Far East by using Theater Boxes.

Depending on the options chosen, both sides will have options to either reinforce or weaken each of these fronts but doing so may have significant effects on overall game progress. Alternatively, you can handle these Theaters using historical deployments and the in-game event system (13.1).

### 3.3.2. NON-CAMPAIGN SCENARIOS

Non-campaign scenarios are normally of a shorter length, do not necessarily use the full map area, and have specific victory conditions (29.2). Most scenarios only use the respective National Reserves (13.2) in the Theater Box

Any short scenario can be set up so that if one side captures all the objectives of both sides, the scenario will immediately end. Scenarios that have the possibility of an early end have this noted in their scenario description text on the Load Scenario screen.

The winning side will score points as if they held the objectives for the rest of the remaining scenario turns, the winning side will also earn end game objective points as well. In addition, isolated units on the losing side count as destroyed and counted in the victory point casualty count.

## 3.4. SCENARIO SET UP RULES

As noted later under the sequence of play (Chapter 5) the first turn of any scenario does not have a Logistics Phase. Also, sometimes, the Axis player goes second, and the first turn commences with the Soviet air planning phase.

This means, that at the start, depots and supply states are set by the scenario designer, and, in all scenarios, the units belonging to the first player may have fewer movement points than the theoretical maximum.

Equally many scenarios will start with some units frozen for one or more turns.

The number of wins/losses recorded for units at the start of a scenario will always be zero.

You should also read Chapter 11 as that details the special rules in place for all the scenarios that begin on 22 June 1941.