2. THE MAPBOARD

2.1 BOARD CONFIGURATION: The mapboard consists of all specified board sections depicted in the scenario Board Configuration Diagram, butted together to form one playing surface. Each of the separate board sections is geomorphic and can be butted together with others in many ways to form different playing areas. The corner of each board depiction in the Diagram contains a board number that corresponds to the yellow board number printed in hex B8 of each board, and indicates precisely how each board should be positioned. The letter N and an accompanying arrow on the Diagram indicate North with respect to the mapboard. Superimposed over the mapboard is a hexagonal grid used to measure movement/range to an abstracted scale of 40 meters per hex. Each hexagon contains a specific type of terrain which affects movement and attacks in or through that hex, as well as a white dot (or square) which marks the center of the hex. As most attacks are measured from center of hex to center of hex, these dots are usually the reference points for determining LOS.

2.2 GRID COORDINATES: Each hex contains its own identifying grid coordinate. A grid coordinate is composed of the board number, hex row letter, and hex number within that hex row. Whenever two boards are butted together, the half-hexes of each board edge combine to form an entire hex. If only one of these half-hexes contains a grid coordinate, use that grid coordinate to refer to the combined hex. If neither or both hexes contain a printed grid coordinate, the hex derives its board number and row letter from the northeastern most board of those two in the mapboard configuration. The row position number would be either 0 or 10 depending on the coordinate of the adjacent hex in the identifying row. If such combined hexes contain two hex center dots, the dot used is the one belonging to the board used to designate the composite hex. If no hex center dot is visible in a composite hex, the hex center must be estimated. If it is necessary to pinpoint a vertical level (other than the ground level) within a hex, a lower case "h" (for height) should be suffixed to the coordinate, along with the elevation level of the Location within the hex. A unit inside an entrenchment or pillbox (rather than just in the same hex) should be noted by the suffix "En" or "Pi". A unit in a Wire or Bridge hex should be noted by recording "Wire/" or "Bridge/" before the coordinate if beneath the Wire or Bridge counter; otherwise, it is considered on top of the counter. A unit that is a Passenger or Rider is noted by the suffix "P" or "R" and the name and ID of the vehicle conveying it. A unit in Crest or HD status adds a suffix consisting of "/CR" or "/HD" and the grid coordinate of the hex which the center of that Crest/HD counter faces. In some instances, a record should also indicate the CA of a unit within a hex; this can be added merely by suffixing "ca x/y" where x/y defines the hexspine of the CA. When stating Bypass Movement, the first of the two coordinates (or three in the case of a Vertex) given is always the hex actually being passed through (EX: Bypass in F3 along the F3-E3 hexside is always expressed as F3-E3; not E3-F3).

EX: 1E4h1 refers to the first level of the building in 1E4. 1E4h-1 refers to the sewer level beneath the building in 1E4. 1E4caD3/D4 refers to a unit at ground level in 1E4 with a CA centered on the hexspine which is the D3-D4 hexside.

2.3 HALF-HEXES: Mapboard edge half-hexes not butted together to form a full hex are still playable and have the same effect as full hexes. Units allowed to set up/enter anywhere on a given board may set up/enter on that board's half-hexes only if the half-hex is either part of another board on which it is also allowed to set up/enter or is not butted against another half-hex. Similarly, occupation of a board's half-hexes will satisfy occupation of that board for any applicable Victory Conditions only if they are not butted against other half-hexes. In the rare instance in which an Open Ground half-hex is butted together with another terrain type half-hex, the combined hex is considered that non-Open Ground terrain type. Q&A

2.4 CUMULATIVE TERRAIN EFFECTS: Terrain effects and movement costs of hexes containing more than one terrain feature (such as 2I9) are cumulative unless specified otherwise by the rules governing the involved terrain types.

EX: Barring use of Bypass movement, it costs Infantry four MF to enter hex 2I9, and Small Arms Fire into that target hex will be modified by a +3 DRM to the IFT DR regardless of which hexside.

2.5 ENTRY: All forces scheduled to arrive on a certain turn must enter the mapboard on that turn - although if capable of movement in the APh, entry may be delayed until then. If entry was to have been via a certain hex, but that hex is unenterable due to being occupied by an enemy unit during the friendly MPh (see 4.14), or is otherwise blocked by rubble or Blaze (even if the rubble or Blaze is not in that particular hex but does cut it off from the remainder of the board), entry must be made in a non-obstructed hex within four hexes of the scheduled entry point, but one Game Turn later. If all hexes are still obstructed, the radius of permissible entry is extended another four hexes in both directions at a cost of another turn's delay, and so on. However, delayed entry is never voluntary and can never be used to appear on the other side of a river/canal instead of the side originally scheduled. Q&A

2.51 OFFBOARD SETUP: Units designated by a scenario as having to enter the mapboard (rather than setting up on it) must still be set up offboard on the turn of entry as the first act of the RPh of that Player Turn. This is done by placing any randomly chosen unused board(s) adjacent to the mapboard edge(s) the ATTACKER's units are to enter. The offboard player then places all forces scheduled to arrive during that turn on any whole hex(es) (not butted half-hexes) of that board(s), observing normal stacking limits. Fire and LOS between the mapboard and any setup board is not allowed (including the overlapping Blast Area of a FFE). However, offboard units may move normally on the offboard map so as to enter the mapboard on a hex which is not adjacent to the one they set up in, provided they were not scheduled to enter via a specified hex which is not blocked. All terrain on an offboard setup map is considered Open Ground except for off-map half-hexes which are butted against a half-hex of some other terrain type and hex rows Y, Q, and I which are road hexes if the board is butted lengthwise. If the board is butted width-wise, all offboard hexes with a coordinate of 5 are considered road hexes. Roads share the same status as the majority of on-board roads of the adjacent board (i.e., paved, plowed, or muddy). Entrance of an offboard setup hex on the way to entering the mapboard always costs the standard Open Ground MF/MP rate per hex (or standard road movement rate if on a road) except where scenario weather conditions increase the cost of such basic movement.

2.52 OFFBOARD ACTIONS: No action is allowed by units offboard awaiting entry [EXC: An off-board squad (not Russian) may attempt to Deploy in its RPh if stacked with a leader; see Setup Limitations (2.9)]. However, SW/ordnance may start dismantled/limbered, and an AFV may start CE or BU. Vehicles may start loaded up to their normal capacity and are assumed to be in Motion (D2.4). Units setting up on-board have these same options except that on-board vehicles may not set up in Motion unless so stated by SSR.

2.6 EXIT: Units may leave the mapboard using normal MPh/APh capabilities from any mapboard edge hex or half-hex as if they are entering an imaginary off-board hex which is the mirror image of the one they currently occupy. Bypass can be claimed to exit a hex (such as 2X0) only if the unit has one additional MF/MP in excess of that needed for Bypass. The mapboard cannot be left during the RtPh. Units which leave the mapboard [EXC: dropping parachutists] may not return.

EX: Mapboard exit of 2Y1 can be done at the road movement rate, but mapboard exit of W1 must be done at the Open Ground rate. Vehicular mapboard exit of AA1 can only be done if the vehicle had actually paid to enter the AA1 woods obstacle and then pays to enter another woods obstacle offboard or to enter BB0 and exit at the Open Ground rate. A squad in X1 wishing to exit the mapboard directly through X0 can use Bypass (one MF) to reach vertex X0-W1-(non-existent) W0 from where it can expend the required one excess MF to exit the mapboard in Open Ground through the mirror image of W1.

2.7 OVERLAYS: A scenario may require the modification of a mapboard prior to play by the placement of an overlay on that board in a specific location. Such a placement need not be mentioned by SSR; it is indicated by a black facsimile on the Scenario Board Configuration diagram containing a white ID letter. An ID letter is printed on the back of each overlay. The overlay must be placed on the indicated mapboard directly on top of the hexes bearing the same grid coordinates.

2.71: Players designing their own scenarios may wish to use overlays in hexes other than those containing the same grid coordinates as the overlay. When referring to such hexes the letter "o" followed by the Overlay ID letter should be inserted between the board number and hex row letter in the grid coordinate (i.e. 14oAK7) to distinguish between an actual board coordinate and an out-of-place overlay coordinate.

2.72: In some cases, overlays will contain terrain features such as woods which extend to the hexside separating the overlay from the mapboard. In such cases, that hexside [EXC: walls/hedges] is not considered to be composed of the terrain feature and does not block LOS traced exactly along that hexspine. However, Bypass of such a woods hexside is not allowed.

2.8 LOCATION: A hex may contain separate subdivisions within itself (i.e., units may occupy the same hex but still be in separate Locations within that hex). The most common application of this is when additional vertical levels exist within the horizontal dimensions of a hex. Thus sewers/tunnels below ground level and/or upper building levels above ground level, a bridge, and/or a pillbox create additional Locations, each with their own stacking limits, entry costs, and confined space. Each hex contains one Location, unless a sewer, tunnel, bridge, pillbox, or upper building level creates one or more additional Locations within that hex. A leader on one level cannot affect the performance of units on another level (i.e., a Crest leader cannot affect units IN a Depression). Even when additional vertical levels or a pillbox do not exist within a hex, units in the same hex can be subject to different movement costs or TEM due to occupation of different features within that hex. For example, units in an entrenchment or AFV are subject to different effects than other units which share the same Location, but are in different terrain features within that Location. Entrenchments and vehicles are not considered different Locations within the hex they occupy. Q&A

EX: A HS in an entrenchment with a leader may not Recombine with another HS outside that entrenchment but in the same hex, even though they are in the same location However, that same leader could assist the HS outside its entrenchment with any MC or Rally attempts it makes.

2.9 SETUP LIMITATIONS: A unit/weapon may not set up overstacked or in a hex it could not enter during the normal course of play, but vehicles can set up free of Bog/Immobilization in hexes whose entry might cause Bog. See D4.221 for the possibility of vehicles ending up in HD status. Infantry may always set up in Crest status (B20.9). No enemy stack may be inspected prior to the start of play (see also 12.12 & 12.3). Up to 10% (FRU) of the squads received by a nationality capable of Deployment may be freely Deployed (without leader/TC) prior to setup whether on- or offboard. Q&A [J8]