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* PLEASE READ THE "OC DEMO INTRO" FILE BEFORE READING THIS QUICK START *
QUICK START
This Quick Start provides a short tutorial on the most important features of Operation Crusader. New players are strongly encouraged to read and follow along, step-by-step, through this section when they sit down to play the game for the first time.
First, open the World at War: Operation Crusader folder, there should be three items inside: the "Crusader Demo" application, the Crusader.scr file, and the Scenario folder. Next, click twice on the Operation Crusader application icon to start the game. Ordering info will appear. Of course, this is VERY important but for now, just click the mouse. (To review the ordering info later on, select "About Crusader╔" from the Apple menu.) The Initial Options Screen should now be on your screen.
INITIAL OPTIONS SCREEN
This is where you select the side you wish to play, the scenario, the historical options, and the variants that you want to use. The first time you ever play, this screen will open with the "default" settings already selected for the Commonwealth side. The remainder of this Quick Start assumes that you are playing the Commonwealth with all of the default settings, so feel free to examine the Initial Options Screen, read the situation briefing, but don't click on anything but the "Begin New Game" button at the top left of the screen.
After a few seconds, the game map appears, along with a "Good Morning" message from your Executive Officer. The purpose of this opening message is to remind you to check your supply levels and attachments. As a beginning player you shouldn't worry about them yet, so click anywhere to remove the message.
As stated in your situation briefing on the Initial Options Screen, your task in "To The Rescue" is to occupy Sidi Rezegh, Bir el Gubi, and Gambut. Your units appear on the southern and central parts of the map and are brown with black or yellow icons (Black icons are British and yellow icons are South African).
It will be necessary to use the scroll pad at the bottom right hand corner of the screen to find all of your units. To scroll to the south move the cursor to the button that points down and click, this will make the map scroll south one frame, to scroll the map faster click once and hold the mouse button down, this will scroll the map to the south at a much faster rate bringing all of your units into view.
The Italian units are orange with black icons and German units are grey with black icons but they should not appear on the screen yet due to the limited intelligence feature. They will appear as play proceeds and you gain more information about them.
The icon on each unit indicates the kind of unit it is, a unit with a vehicle icon is an armored unit, a unit with a man icon is an infantry unit, and a unit with gun icon can be an artillery, anti-aircraft or anti-tank unit. Further information may be obtained by clicking on a unit. This will open the unit box at the bottom of the screen and give you data such as the unit's type, headquarters, and strengths.
All units have numbers or letters printed on them to aid you in identifying them. These numbers or letters are abbreviations of the historical names of the units. They are also helpful in matching units for gaining combat bonuses (as explained in the manual included in the retail version of the game.)
After you have clicked on a number of units and inspected their types and strengths you should be ready to begin play.
There are two ways to assign orders to an individual unit. For now we'll use the simplest method (another method that gives you more control is described in the manual). Click on the "6 R" Armored Battalion that is in the upper left of center of the playing area, and hold the mouse button down. (If you don't see this unit on the screen, then use the scroll pad to move the playing area around and bring the unit into view.) Now drag the cursor eight hexagons to the northwest toward Sidi Rezegh and release. (This is a victory location and has a brown and yellow border around it.) Your Executive Officer calculates a movement path to the destination, which is shown with green arrows.
Note: Except for stacks containing armored units that are conducting overruns, and artillery units that are in "ready" status, a unit must start the turn adjacent to an enemy unit in order to attack it. Therefore, you should plan each move with the intention of setting up attacks for the next turn or to defend against enemy units that can attack your units.
With this in mind, move the rest of your units using the technique described above. Remember to click on a unit, hold the mouse button down to grab it, then drag the cursor to the destination and release the mouse button. In general, you should leave Headquarters and artillery units behind your other units, since they are extremely vulnerable. Concentrate on occupying all the named locations on the map because they are worth victory points. (All victory locations have a brown and yellow border around them.)
Hint: When you move the South African units on the southeast corner of the map very far they will enter "strategic mode" (indicated by blue movement arrows). This will make them move farther but will also make them vulnerable to "ambushes." The Italian units are centered on Bir el Gubi so caution should be used when approaching this area.
Note: If you click on a unit that has already been given orders, its planned movement path is re-drawn on the map. If you change your mind and want that unit to move somewhere else, grab it again and drag the cursor to the new destination. The new orders automatically replace the old ones.
The Execution Phase
When you're satisfied with your movement plan click on the Phase menu (at the top of the screen), drag the cursor down to Execution, and release. This action advances the game from the Planning Phase to the Execution Phase of the current turn. The units of both sides then carry out their orders simultaneously. If there are any attacks the game will pause and notify you.
The After-Action Phase
During the After-Action Phase, each hexagon on the map where combat took place during the Execution Phase is marked in some way. By clicking on each of these hexes, you can obtain a report (shown at the bottom of the screen) on what happened there. You should also notice some Italian units have appeared on the screen.
Note: If no combat took place during the Execution Phase, then the game will skip the After-Action Phase and go immediately to the next Planning Phase.
The Planning Phase
Now click on Phase (at the top of the screen), drag the pointer down to Planning, and release. This action advances the game from the After-Action Phase to the Planning Phase of the second turn. (If the menu already says "Planning", then do nothing.)
Combat
As a result of your movement on the first turn, several of your units should be adjacent to enemy units and therefore able to attack. Assigning orders to attack an adjacent enemy unit is easy; in fact, it's just like movement. When you grab-and-drag one of your units onto an enemy unit, the game assumes that you mean to attack the enemy unit.
So, to attack an enemy unit, click on one of your units that is adjacent to the enemy, hold the mouse button down, drag the cursor onto the adjacent enemy unit, and release. A red arrow appears just as if you had assigned movement into that hex.
Hint: when attacking an enemy unit, it is usually a good tactic to attack it with as many of your units as possible, from as many directions as is possible. This increases the odds of your attack, which in turn increases your chance of success. To see the "actual" odds of success, plot an attack, and look at the sidebar on the right side of the screen. You will see a number such as "2.3". This means the odds would be 2.3 to 1 in your favor. Seldom should you attack with odds of less than 3 to 1.)
Artillery
To assign an artillery attack (also known as a "fire mission"), first click on the artillery unit, then press the "Command" key and hold it down (note the cursor will change to a red bulls-eye), move the cursor to the target hex, click on it, and release the Command or Alt key. Fire missions can be assigned to target enemy units for barrage attacks and support friendly units for defense. Blue and red target markers appear on the enemy units in the target hex, and blue and green target markers appear on any friendly units that are in or adjacent to the target hex. The red target marker (a bulls-eye with the letter "A" on it) indicates the target hex for an offensive fire mission. The green target markers (small shields) indicate defensive fire missions, which will benefit your units. The blue target markers show all the target hexes of the currently-selected artillery unit.
To change your mind and designate a different target hex, command-click on the new target. To cancel the fire mission altogether, command-click a second time on the same target hex. If your cursor changes to a red "X" when it is positioned over a target hex, it means that hex is out of range of the current artillery unit.
Use this procedure to assign orders to all of your artillery units.
Leaders
The leaders in Operation Crusader are General Gott for the Commonwealth side and General Rommel for the Axis side. To assign a leader to a unit first click on the leader button on the Tool Bar, (it is the blue button with a gold symbol) this will open the leader box on the right side of the screen. Now click on the unit you wish to assign General Gott to and click on the "Assign" button in the leader box. This gives General Gott's combat modifier to any attack that unit is involved in. Remember that leaders can only be assigned to units that have ground attack strengths. This excludes artillery units. Also, General Gott is restricted to his historical divison unless you select the "Gott is Promoted" option, in which case you may assign him to any Allied unit.
Air Support
Air support is somewhat like artillery. The biggest difference is that you have less control over air units than you have over other units, and the air units are not represented by a picture of the actual unit on the map. Air support is requested by clicking on the "Air Power" button (with the little plane on it) that is located on the "Tool Bar" at the top of the screen. Clicking on this button reveals the Air Support window at the bottom of the screen.
There are two types of ground support missions available: fighter-bombers and bombers. Clicking on the large aircraft button on the right side of the Air Support bottom box alternates between these two types of air units. Fighter bombers are weaker but more accurate and bombers are stronger but more prone to mistaken air attacks.
The name or number of each air unit is followed by its strength. To select an air unit, click once on the unit's name. Since you did not assign air support on the first turn, all the air units should be selectable. Now select a target by moving the cursor to the target hex and clicking. Repeat this process until all desired air units are assigned missions.
Hint: Air units must refit after each mission. It takes two turns for bombers to refit and one turn for fighter-bombers to refit. Air units are not available at night.
The Execution Phase
When you're satisfied with all of your attack and movement orders, click on Phase (at the top of the screen), drag the cursor down to Execution, and release. This action advances the game from the Planning Phase to the Execution Phase of the current turn. The units of both sides carry out their orders again. You have now advanced to the next "After Action Phase".
"CARRY ON OLD CHAP"
Now you have completed the first two turns of the "To The Rescue" scenario. Repeat the sequence of play until the game has ended. Keep track of your progress by examining the Status Window that is just beneath the main viewing screen. This window shows the current victory level, as well as the number of turns left in the game. If you lose, don't be discouraged. Try it again and use different tactics. With a little practice and experience, you can win this scenario as the Commonwealth.
We hope you enjoy the demo. We also hope it entices you to buy the complete game! If so, then please contact Avalon Hill by any of the following methods:
