Rommel in the Desert FAQ v1.

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25 July 2010

This unofficial FAQ has been compiled by copying, clarifying, and elaborating various questions and answers
posted to the rules threads at Consimworld, the Columbia Games Discussion Board, and BoardGameGeek. All
questions and answers in this document refer to the current version of the Rommel in the Desert rules (v1.02).

Please send all corrections to wkover via BGG mail.

GENERAL

Q: When choosing a turn option, do both players put down their supply cards face down,
with the initiative player putting his down first, then the other player? Or does only the
active player play his/her supply cards? If so, why are the cards placed face-down?

A: Players alternate turns, with only the active player playing cards face down in the appropriate
phase (Turn Option Selection) on his/her turn. The cards are placed face down because the
active player can bluff a Blitz turn, an Offensive turn, etc. – when it might only be a Basic turn.
Such a bluff might impact the defender’s decision about whether to refuse battle and retreat, for
example.

Source: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/501567/regarding-supply-cards

Q: Can minefields be built anywhere in the friendly supply network - even without units
present? For example, can I build a minefield in an empty hex that I plan on withdrawing
to on my next move?

A: Yes, minefields can be built in an empty hex – as long as that hex is part of the friendly
supply network. What you describe is perfectly legal.

Source: http://www.blockgames.us/viewtopic.php?t=974

Q: Section 13.4 states that fortress control only changes at the end of a player turn. Does
this mean that an unsupplied unit won’t be able to capture an empty enemy fortress,
because it will have failed its supply check and become disrupted at the end-of-turn supply
check before fortress control changes?

A: It was not intended that unsupplied units could not capture empty enemy fortresses.
Consider fortress control to change at the end of movement or combat in this case.

Source: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/482962/fortress-capture-unsupplied-units

Q: Where exactly is the boundary between Libya and Egypt? This is important for free
deployment in the game scenarios.

A: The line with alternating dashes and dots (which starts on the hexside between Bardia and
Sollum) is the Egypt/Libya border. This line is not a road!

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Q: When I get to draw one or more bonus supply cards, either by capturing a fortress or
using BP to purchase extra cards, are the cards drawn randomly from the deck, or does the
player search through the deck to guarantee that the extra cards are real supply cards?

A: Bonus cards are drawn from the deck, which means that there is a chance that one or more of
the supply cards will be dummies.

MOVEMENT

Q: Can units attempt to force march when refusing battle and retreating?

A: No. Per 6.4, forced marches can only be attempted by the active player.

Q: Can units in a regroup move attempt to force march one hex past the destination hex,
or can they only attempt to force march to the destination hex?

A: Units in a regroup move must always end their movement in the destination hex. So, in a
regroup move, the units can only attempt to force march to the destination hex, not past it.

Q: Can Axis units that are given the Rommel movement bonus also attempt to force
march?

A: Yes.

Source: http://www.blockgames.us/viewtopic.php?t=981

Q: May the Axis use the Rommel bonus for both movement phases in a Blitz Turn?

A: No. During a Blitz turn option, the Rommel bonus can be used once in either the regular
movement phase or the Blitz movement phase, but not both.

Q: Do units always become disrupted when they use the one allowed Withdrawal move
during a "pass” turn?

A: No. Withdrawing units only become disrupted when they disengage/retreat from a battle –
not if they are simply falling back from one non-battle hex to another non-battle hex.

Q: In a Regroup move, can the Command Point hex and the destination hex be the same
hex?

A: Yes.

Q: Is it legal to "regroup move" with units in a single hex (which might consist of a single
unit) - just so that the units that fail a forced march become disrupted at their original
location rather than the target location? Or must a regroup move involve units from
multiple hexes? This might come up when trying to cut off your opponent's supply with a

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single force marched unit - which you'd rather have return to its original location if the
forced march fails instead of becoming disrupted (out in the open) in the destination hex.

A: Regrouping a single unit in the manner described above (to avoid disruption in the destination
hex) was not intended to be a valid option in the rules. Regroup moves are only intended for the
coordinated movement of units in multiple hexes.

Source: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/545703/regroup-move-with-units-in-a-single-hex-forced-mar

Q: In the sidebar on page 14 in the rules, step #5 in the Overrun Procedure states that
unmoved Group/Regroup units may move through the vacated overrun hex once the
overrun is complete. Does this mean that a regroup move can target a hex behind and
through an overrun hex – with some of the regrouped units causing the overrun (and
stopping) and some of the regrouped units continuing to move through the overrun hex to
the target hex?

A: No, this isn’t allowed. Section 11.4 states that units causing an overrun must stop in the hex
with the disrupted (overrun) units, and can move no further that turn, and Section 5.2 states that a
unit cannot move at all in a Regroup move if it can't reach the destination hex. Therefore, since
these rules are always in effect, regrouped units can target and move to the about-to-be-overrun
hex, and must stop there – but they may not target a hex behind (and through) the overrun hex.
The “regroup” wording in the sidebar on page 14 refers to the possibility of an Offensive turn
where units in a second Regroup move can move through the now-vacant overrun hex.

Source: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/373492/a-few-questions-regroup-supply-dummy-cards

SUPPLY LINES

Q: Does a unit have to be on the main highway to be in supply (or part of a supply chain),
or is being adjacent to the highway (or in a chain that traces back to a unit adjacent to the
highway) sufficient?

A: Adjacency to the highway is sufficient. This is what is meant by the No Road condition
(units must be adjacent in passable terrain) in section 12.4. “Units must be adjacent” refers to
non-road units being adjacent to each other, as well as being adjacent to the highway itself. See
the examples and parenthetical comments in the Supply Example on page 16 for more details.

Q: An Allied unit is in Bardia, and an Axis unit is in Ft. Capuzzo. Is the Allied unit in
supply to Alexandria, or does the Axis unit break the Allied unit’s supply line to
Alexandria because the Axis unit sits on the highway between Bardia and Sollum?

A: The Allied unit still has a supply line back to Alexandria (as do any Allied units further west
that can trace supply back to the Allied unit in Bardia) because the Allied unit is adjacent to the
stretch of highway in the Sollum hex. A unit that is adjacent to a highway section is always in
supply as long as the supply line can be directly traced (or chained) back to the main base. (Note
also that the Allied unit could receive fortress supply from Bardia regardless, as long as there
weren’t already two units supplied by Bardia.)

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Source: http://talk.consimworld.com/WebX?14@373.IgUSb7cckaZ.106@.ee6e07f/690

Q: Allied units are on the highway far west of Bardia; also, an Axis unit sits in Ft.
Capuzzo, and an Allied unit sits in Sollum. Are the Allied units west of Bardia in supply to
Alexandria, or does the Axis unit in Ft. Capuzzo break this supply line?

A: The Allied units west of Bardia are NOT in supply to Alexandria in this case. Due to the
presence of the Axis unit in Ft. Capuzzo, the Allied units cannot trace supply back to a friendly
supplied unit – including the unit in Sollum. In other words, the Allied supply line can’t “jump
the gap” from Bardia to Sollum. (However, as described in the previous question, if there were
instead an Allied unit present in Bardia in this situation, it would be adjacent to the stretch of
highway in Sollum and would therefore be a valid link in a supply chain to Alexandria – even if
the other unit in Sollum were not present.)

Source: http://talk.consimworld.com/WebX?14@373.IgUSb7cckaZ.34@.ee6e07f/684

Q: As a result of a Withdrawal move, the friendly Supply Network must be reduced by one
hex (5.3). My question: Can a unit further back in the supply line fall back via a
Withdrawal move, since its own supply line would be shortened? For example, if the Allies
have a unit in Sidi Barrani and a unit in Mersa Matruh, could the unit in Mersa Matruh be
Withdrawn to Fuka?

A: No, this would not be allowed. It is the units at the outermost edges of the supply network
(the Sidi Barrani unit, in your example) that establish the extent of the network. Consequently,
moving the Mersa Matruh unit backwards to Fuka would not shorten the overall supply network,
and so using a Withdrawal move on the Mersa Matruh unit isn’t possible. (Note, however, that
the unit in Sidi Barrani – as the forward-most unit along the highway – would be allowed to fall
back along the highway with a Withdrawal move because, as a result, the overall supply network
would be shortened by at least one hex.)

Source: http://www.blockgames.us/viewtopic.php?t=1003

Q: Two units engage enemy units from two different non-adjacent hexsides. Must each unit
keep a different supply line to the battle through its entry hexside? Or can the units choose
to use only one of the supply lines once both units are inside the battle hex?

A: As long as both units are supplied when entering the battle, they may share a supply line once
there.

Q: Redeployments must occur within the friendly Supply Network (16.51). Since the
highway forms a Supply Line for both sides (12.3), and any stretch of highway that is not
blocked by enemy units is a valid Supply Line, can a unit be Redeployed down the main
highway – even beyond the forward-most friendly unit on that highway?

A: The supply network cannot extend beyond the forward-most friendly unit(s), so a unit could
not be deployed on the highway past these friendly units. As an extreme example, if all units on

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the board were located in the two main bases, then Redeployment - on the highway or otherwise
- couldn’t occur at all.

Source: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/190314/redeployment

COMBAT

Q: Is this game like many other Columbia block games, where the strongest unit(s) must be
assigned hits first?

A: No. Hits can be assigned to any unit(s) in the appropriate class – as long as players adhere to
the rule that hits can’t be wasted, if possible.

Q: Does the original defending side always fire first in combat, regardless of the identities
of the active/passive players – or is it the passive player who fires first every turn?

A: Per 9.1, in a particular player turn, it is the passive player who fires first in combat – which is
not necessarily the original defending player in the hex. So yes, the player who fires first will
change depending on the identity of the current passive player. For example, if player A attacks
player B in a particular hex, player B (as the passive player) will fire first that turn. But if Player
B returns fire the next turn in that same hex, player A (who is now the passive player) fires first.
(The side identified as the original defender in a combat hex is important to supply rules, but
does not dictate who fires first in each combat round.)

Source: http://www.blockgames.us/viewtopic.php?t=860

Q: The rulebook says that artillery fires first. Does this mean that each side fires their
artillery, then the passive player gets to fire the rest of his units, and then the active player
gets to fire the rest of his units? Or is it just that, when it is each player’s turn to fire, the
artillery unit(s) must fire first?

A: The latter. During combat, the passive player’s artillery units fire, followed by the rest of the
passive player’s units. Next, the active player’s artillery units fire, followed by the rest of the
active player’s units.

Source: http://www.blockgames.us/viewtopic.php?t=1489

Q: Can different unit classes (armor, infantry, anti-tank, etc.) fire in any order?

A: Yes. Aside from the limitation that artillery units must fire first, other units may fire in any
order. For example, you can fire your anti-tank units before firing any of your other units to try
to eliminate your opponent’s last remaining armor unit. If your anti-tank units are successful in
eliminating the armor unit, your own armor units would now be able to target your opponent’s
infantry units at DF.

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Q: If a unit rolls enough hits to eliminate the final unit of a particular class, and there are
unapplied hits, can those hits be applied to another class? Or, due to targeting, are all hits
are class-specific?

A: A single Unit must apply its CV dice to a single unit class. If all units of that class are
eliminated, then leftover hits are wasted. However, the next unit firing may now target a
different class.

Source: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/411245/do-excess-hits-carry-over-to-another-class

Q: How are elite units affected by rout attrition? Do they lose an entire 2-CV step, or just a
half step as per a hit in combat (which is then ignored)?

A: Elite units lose an entire 2-CV step due to rout attrition. A step is defined as 2 CVs for elite
units and 1 CV for non-elite units. See section 2.3 for additional details.

Q: If defending units initiate combat, they both (a) lose double defensive dice in a fortress
and (b) lose the benefit of hits being treated as half-hits (double defense) in a minefield.
What does it mean to “initiate combat” here?

A: Any turn that the active player chooses to activate a round of combat with his/her defending
units in a minefield/fortress hex counts as initiating combat with those defending units. The
minefield and/or fortress defensive bonuses are lost for that round only, and will be regained on
future turns in which the attacking units initiate a round of combat against the defending units.

Source: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/440593/minefields

Q: Units attacking a fortress must battle (have combat) every turn. However, 8.6 states
that the attacker isn’t required to wage combat against a fortress in Blitz Combat. So this
means that attacking units are not required to maintain the fortress battle at all during a
Blitz turn?

A: No, it just means that the attacking units do not need to maintain their attack in the second
combat phase (the Blitz combat phase) during a Blitz turn. These units still need to attack during
the “normal’ combat phase during the Blitz turn.

Source: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/101024/fortress-battles

Q: Suppose the passive player has an isolated unit in an oasis, and the unit doesn't have a
supply line to a fortress or base. The active player then attacks this unit. Since the unit
doesn't have a supply line, the passive player cannot refuse battle because it can’t withdraw
along a supply line – is that correct?

A: Correct.

Source: http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/99720/attacking-units-in-an-oasis