The Drive on Metz

Content

Rules

A PDF of the rules is available through the Help menu. Please note that it may take a little while for your PDF viewer to launch

Optional rules

At the start of a new game, you will be presented with a window to select which optional rules should be in effect. You will not be able to change these settings later in the game.

All units are placed in their setup locations: German units on their start hex, except DE 106 ABDE, and all US units, and DE 106 ABDE, in their set-upt boxes.

When the game is progressed to the first turn US movement phase, then game pieces that are not in used are removed and the optional rules are locked.

I you play by email, then one of you should select the optional rules, save the game before moving to the Allied move points phase. , and send it off to the other side for validation. Only then should you progress to the next phase.

Turn and phase tracker

Use the Turn tracker interface in the menubar. A number of automatic actions are implemented in this module, which heavily depend on the use of that interface.

You can go to the next phase by pressing the + button, or by pressing Alt-T. This is the only possible way of moving the turn marker.

Note: The die-roll pop-up windows may steal focus from the main window, which means that key-board short-cuts, such as Alt-T are not registered. Simply click the main window to bring that back into focus, and keyboard short cuts will be registered again.

Reinforcements

Reinforcement units arrive at the indicated turn. The factions must move them on to the board themselves.

 The optional US 101/502 ABIREGT may arrive on any US movement phase, in any empty hex, including in enemy ZOC, but may not move the turn of arrival. It may conduct combat in the US combat phase of the turn of arrival.

 Battle declaration and resolution

Battles should be declared in a factions movement phase.

The module can automatically calculate odds and resolve combats via the use of battle markers. To place a battle marker, select the attacking and defending units and press the battle marker button () or Ctrl-X. This will place markers on the invovled units that identifiy the battle uniquely.

If the user preference Calculate Odds on battle declaration is enabled (default), then the module will also calculate the odds (inluding bonuses and penalties for terrain), and place an odds marker (e.g., ) on one of the involved units.

The module takes into account terrain of the defender, whether the attackers attack over a river, and, if the optional rule is used, if multiple units of the same division participate in the attack.

If the user preference Resolve battle results automatically is enabled (default), then in the factions Combat phase, you can right click the odds marker and select Resolve (or Ctrl-Y or button) to resolve the combat. The module will roll the dice and do the appropriate calculations, and a replace the odds marker with a result marker (e.g. , for example).

The module will not apply the result to the invovled units. This must be done, according to the rules, by the factions. If a unit is eliminated as a consequence of the combat, then the short cut Ctrl-E or eliminate button can be used. The unit is then moved to the factions dead unit pool (Alt-E).

To clear a battle declaration, select one of the involved units or battle markers, and select Clear (or press Ctrl-C) from the context menu. All battles can be cleared by the button in the menubar.

Victory points and conditions

The module automatically keeps track of victory points, except that factions must adjust the control of two cities: Metz (0807) and Thionville (0801), by using the control marker (, flipped ).

Who has control of the two cities is recorded by flipping the control marker. (, flipped ). Select the marker and press Ctrl-F, or right-click and select Flip form the context menu. You may need to move any unit in the hex to access the control marker.

To obtain VPs from a US or German unit moved over the East or West edge, respectively, the faction must move the unit "offboard" - i.e, to a place on the board that is not a hex, nor a reinforcement slot. Pay attention to the chat messages.

German panzergrenadier and armoured units are considered retreated by moving them to the east or south edge of the board. Again, pay attention to the chat messages.

Do not use the dead pool (Alt-E) for units that left the map voluntarily. Those will not count towards a factions VPs.

You can press Alt-V (or the "VP" button in the tool bar) to see the current VPs. Note that VPs are only calculated at the start of each turn.

On turn "8", a pop-up will show the final victory points of each faction and declare the winner.

Tutorial

The tutorial of this module is a replay of the first two turns as reproduced in the James F. Dunnigan's book The Complete Wargame Handbook. More commentary on the strategic and tactical considerations can be found there. The 2nd edition of the book can be found at

https://archive.org/details/CompleteWargamesHandbookDunnigan

To step through the tutorial, press Page-down. On some steps you may need to press the key twice.

About this game

This VASSAL module was created from LATEX sources of a Print'n'Play version of the The Drive on Metz game. That (a PDF) can be found at

https://gitlab.com/wargames_tex/dom_tex

where this module, and the sources, can also be found. The PDF can also be found as the rules of this game, available in the Help menu.

This module implements the original game as published in James F. Dunnigan's book The Complete Wargame Handbook.

Victory Point Games (VPG) later reimplemented the game as The Drive on Metz - second edition (or The Drive on Metz - Patton in France: September, 1944). The VPG (2nd edition) has the following changes.

Credits

Design & development:
James F. Dunnigan
Graphic design assistance & inspirration:
Redmond A. Simonsen
Graphic production
Ted Koller, Bob Ryer & William Morrow Production Department
Forbearance
Susan Hanger
Playtesting
Richard Bartucchi, Gary Gillette, Dave Rodhe, Bill Watkins & a few other folks whose names I forgot to write down

Copyright and license

This work is 🄯 2023 Christian Holm Christensen, and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

or send a letter to

Creative Commons
PO Box 1866
Mountain View
CA 94042
USA