15. Political Events
15.1 Allies Support Resistance
If the Axis faction received this event: Roll one die. If the unmodified result is 3 or less, the Western faction may apply one of the following listed below. If 4 or more, the Soviet faction may apply one of the following.
If an Allied faction received this event: It may do one of the following:
If Pre-War is not in effect, select a Partisan Base marker and place it in the Allied faction’s Force Pool.
Select one hex on the map containing the following unit or marker:
- An Axis Detachment or Logistics marker, but not one in an Island hex.
- An Axis colonial unit.
- An Axis Minor Country unit.
- An Axis multi-national unit that has an Axis Minor Country unit in its Holding Box.
The Axis faction must remove a Detachment or Logistics marker, or eliminate one colonial or Minor Country step from the selected hex. Where a choice exists, a step must be eliminated before removing a marker. A removed Detachment or Logistics marker is placed in the Delay Box. For eliminating steps, see 4.2.6.2.
Example: The Western faction selects a hex containing the two-step Axis AEx HQ and no other units. The Axis faction must eliminate the Minor Country infantry unit located in the Axis AEx HQ Holding Box. This requires the unit to break down, so a one-step Japanese infantry-type unit is placed in the hex. The HQ itself is placed in the Delay Box.
This event represents Axis command disputes, logistical failures, and partisan uprisings.
△ 15.2 Banzai!
The Axis player must do one of the following:
- Immediately conduct one attack that includes a Japanese unit. Although this attack takes place in the Political Events Segment, follow the Regular Combat Segment rules to resolve it.
- Take one Axis support unit from the Axis Force Pool and place it in the Delay Box (if it is an Air unit) or in the Naval Warfare Delay Box (if it is a Fleet unit). The Axis player may then select one support unit of the same type from an Allied Force Pool and place it in the same Delay Box. The Allied support unit cannot belong to a Truce Affected Country or Policy Affected Country. If the Axis faction selects a CV Fleet unit, he may flip it to its CV Strike side (and place it in the Delay Box) only if he does not pair it with an Allied CV Fleet; if he chooses to place an Allied CV Fleet unit in Delay then both units must go to the Naval Warfare Delay Box.
Example: The Axis player receives this result and chooses one of his CV Fleets. He may pick an Allied CV Fleet and place both units in the Naval Warfare Delay Box. He cannot select a different Allied support unit, such as a Surface Fleet unit. If he chooses to not pick an Allied CV Fleet, he may flip the CV Fleet unit to its CV Strike side and place the unit in the Delay Box.
△ 15.3 Bases Damaged
If card 28a East Wind Rain is the Axis Current Card, place the Western Bases Damaged marker (14.4) in the Strategic Warfare Box.
If card 28b North Wind Cloudy is the Axis Current Card, place the Soviet Bases Damaged marker in the Strategic Warfare Box.
△ 15.4 Border Incident
If Russia has a Posture of Neutrality, or Communist China, Nationalist China, and Russia all have a Posture of War: Treat this event as No Result.
Otherwise: The Axis faction must do one of the following:
- End one Policy in the Russian, Communist Chinese, or Nationalist Chinese Posture Boxes.
- Eliminate one Japanese Kwantung step anywhere on the map.
- Remove the Army Government marker from its Holding Box and place it in the Delay Box.
You can select this last option only if the Army is leading the government. It represents the Army “losing face” over a border dispute after the Japanese government successfully prevents the matter from escalating to war.
15.5 Border War
If the Axis faction received this event: Activate the Country as an Axis Country. Then the Axis player must select a Neutral Country that shares a Border with the Axis Country or one of its Dependents, and activate that Country as an Allied Country per 13.5. (If there are no such Neutral Countries available, no Country is activated as an Allied Country.)
If an Allied faction received this event: Activate the Country as an Allied Country. Then the Allied player must select a Neutral Country that shares a Border with the Allied Country or one of its Dependents, and activate that Country as an Axis Country. (If there are no such Neutral Countries available, no Country is activated as an Axis Country.)
△ 15.6 Cabinet Shuffle
If the Government marker is in its Holding Box, the Axis faction must flip the marker over.
Example: If the marker is on its Navy side, flip it to the Army side.
15.7 Ceded Land
The faction that received this event must take its Ceded Land marker corresponding to the land being demanded and place it in the Ceded Lands Box. That faction may also take one Detachment marker from its Force Pool and place it in a Port and/or City hex in the Ceded Land.
If the Axis faction placed the Ceded Land marker and the Country ceding the land…
- contains a Neutrality or Axis Influence marker, remove that marker.
- does not contain a Neutrality or Influence marker and does not share a Border with a Soviet country, place a Western Influence marker in the Country.
- does not contain a Neutrality or Influence marker but does share a Border with a Soviet country, roll an unmodified die. If the result is 3 or less, place a Western Influence marker in the Country. If 4 or more, place a Soviet Influence marker in it.
If an Allied faction placed the Ceded Land marker and the Country ceding the land:
- contains a Neutrality or Allied Influence marker, remove that marker.
- does not contain a Neutrality or Influence marker, place an Axis Influence marker in the Country.
Obviously, you don’t place any Influence marker anywhere if the Country no longer exists after being ceded.
Example: The Axis Current Card is card 8 Demand Inner Mongolia, and Hopeh is neutral. The Axis faction gets a Ceded Land result. It places the Japanese Inner Mongolia Dependent marker in the Ceded Lands Box, then it must place an Allied marker in Hopeh. Because Hopeh shares a Border with Kansu (a Soviet Minor Country), the Axis faction must roll the die to determine which Influence marker to place. The roll is a 5, so the Axis puts a Soviet marker in Peiping. If Hopeh was not a Neutral Country, or if it already had a Soviet or Western marker, the Axis faction would not place an Influence marker.
△ 15.8 Chinese Incident
If an Allied faction received this event: It may do one of the following:
Chinese Politics: Change this event to Minor Country Politics (15.26); the Area Table selected must be the Area Table: China.
Encourage Resistance: Change the Allied faction’s Chinese Posture to Resistance, but only if it is Acceptance or Surrender.
Guerrilla Warfare: Select one hex in a Chinese Country or Japanese Dependent that contains the following unit or marker:
- An Axis Detachment or Logistics marker, but not one in an Island hex.
- An Axis colonial unit.
- An Axis Minor Country unit.
- An Axis multi-national unit that has an Axis Minor Country unit in its Holding Box.
The Axis faction must remove a Detachment or Logistics marker or eliminate one colonial or Minor Country step from the selected hex. Where a choice exists, a step must be eliminated before removing a marker. A removed Detachment or Logistics marker is placed in the Delay Box. For eliminating steps, see 4.2.6.2.
- Influence: Select a Chinese Country and apply Influence (15.19) to it.
- Negotiate: Increase or reduce an existing Truce marker in the Allied faction’s Chinese Posture Box by one level (13.6.2.3).
- Truce: Place a Truce marker of the Allied Faction’s choice in its Chinese Posture Box, but only if the Allied faction’s Chinese Posture is War. If this selection is chosen, the Axis faction may immediately cancel the Truce by removing the Japanese Government marker from its Holding Box and placing it in the Delay Box.
If the Axis faction received this event: It may do one of the following:
Chinese Politics: Change this event to Minor Country Politics (15.26); the Area Table selected must be the Area Table: China.
Chinese Strife: The Axis faction may roll one die:
- On an unmodified 1-3, the Western faction must eliminate one Nationalist Chinese Minor Country step anywhere on the map or in a holding box.
- On an unmodified 4-6, the Soviet faction must eliminate one Communist Chinese Minor Country step anywhere on the map or in a holding box.
The selected step may belong to a multi-step unit. If it does, see 4.2.6.2. If the step is in a Holding Box, the associated multi- national unit must perform an Emergency Breakdown (2.3.4).
Encourage Acceptance: Change one Chinese Posture to Acceptance, but only if it is Resistance.
Negotiate: Increase or reduce an existing Truce marker in one Chinese Posture Box by one level (13.6.2.3).
Truce: Place a Truce marker of the Axis faction’s choice in one Chinese Posture Box with a Posture of War.
15.9 Country Joins [Faction]
If the Minor Country does not contain a Neutrality marker or enemy Influence marker: Activate it as a Country friendly to the faction named in the event.
If the Minor Country does contain a Neutrality or enemy Influence marker: Remove the marker from the Minor Country.
Example: The Axis faction plays card 33a Treaty and selects Hopeh, which contains a Western Influence marker. The result is Country Joins Axis. Because the faction named on the Influence marker (Western) and the event (Axis) are not the same, the Influence marker is removed.
In other words, it takes two “hits” to bring a country with a Neutrality or enemy Influence marker in on your side.
15.10 Country Resists
If the Axis faction received this event, and:
** Pre-War is in effect:* Determine the Minor Country’s alignment (13.5), then determine its Posture (13.6).
If the Minor Country’s Posture is Acceptance, the Axis faction must roll on the Cabinet Crisis Table.
If the Minor Country’s Posture is not Acceptance, activate the Minor Country as an Allied Country and end its Policy. Limited War is now in effect (12.2). Also see “Country Activated” below.
Limited War or Total War is in effect: Activate the Minor Country as an Allied Country after determining its alignment (13.5). If the Minor Country is found to be a PAC, end that Policy. Also see “Country Activated” below.
If the Western faction received this event, and:
- Britain is a PAC: The Western faction must eliminate one British armor step or two British infantry steps from any hex(es) on the map.
The eliminated steps do not have to come from the same unit, nor the same hex, though they can.
- Britain is not a PAC: The Axis faction must activate the selected country as an Axis Country. Also see “Country Activated” below.
If the Soviet faction received this event, and:
- Russia is a PAC: The Soviet faction must eliminate one Russian armor step or two Russian infantry steps from any hex(es) on the map.
- Russia is not a PAC: The Axis faction must activate the selected country as an Axis Country. Also see “Country Activated” below.
Example: Russia’s Posture is Disputes, the Soviet Current Card is card 21 Demand Mongolia and a Country Resists result occurs. The Soviet faction eliminates two infantry steps.
Country Activated: If a Minor Country is activated by this event, see 13.7.1. The faction that received this event takes its Ceded Land marker corresponding to the land being demanded and places it in its Force Pool. Important: The faction that received this event may also place one Blitz marker in its Support Segment of the current turn.
15.11 Coup D’etat
If an Allied faction received this event: Activate the country as an Axis Country, but do not perform a Mobilization Roll for it (13.7.1).
If the Axis faction received this event: Activate the country as an Allied Country (per 13.5), but do not perform a Mobilization Roll for it.
15.12 Declare War
If an Allied faction received this event: Activate the country as an Axis Country.
If the Axis faction received this event: Activate the Minor Country as an Allied Country after determining its alignment (13.5). If the Minor Country is found to be a PAC, end that Policy.
△ 15.13 Delay Reduction
The faction may select one friendly unit on the Turn Track and move it one box to the left, so that it arrives sooner. The selected unit cannot be moved to the current Game Turn.
15.14 European Commitment
The way this event is performed differs depending on whether you are playing DS or AE.
* 15.14.1 European Commitment in DS
If the European War Status of the Allied faction performing this event is No War: That faction may select one friendly unit from the European Holding Box and place it in the Delay Box.
If the European War Status of the Allied faction performing this event is Limited War or Total War: Perform each of these steps in order:
Step 1: Roll one unmodified die. If the result is less than or equal to the current ESV, increase the ESV by one.
If the ESV is 0 or less, it cannot increase as a result of this roll. Think of an increase in the ESV as the “interest” you have to pay for borrowing forces from Europe.
Step 2: Roll another unmodified die. If the final result is 3 or less, the Allied faction performing this event must do one of the following:
Select a Major Country support unit in its Force Pool and place it in the European Holding Box (but see LOC Damaged below).
Increase the ESV by one.
Treat this event as No Result. An Allied faction can select this option only if:
- a European Limited War marker is in its European War Box and there is at least one friendly support unit in the European Holding Box, or
- a European Total War marker is in its European War Box and there are at least five Allied support units in the European Holding Box.
In other words, you can count support units belonging to the other Allied faction during Total War, but not during Limited War.
If the final result is 4 or greater, the Allied faction performing this event may do one of the following:
- Select one friendly unit from the European Holding Box and place it in the Delay Box (but see LOC Damaged below).
- Decrease the ESV by one.
Events overseas may require that you send units to the Pacific, or allow you to return units from that theater back to Europe.
LOC Damaged: Support units belonging to a Country with an LOC Damaged marker in the Strategic Warfare Box cannot be selected to fulfill European Commitment events.
© 15.14.2 European Commitment in AE
The Allied faction performing this event may select one support unit in its Force Pool and place it in the Delay Box on the TK map.
Exception: Support units belonging to a Country with an LOC Damaged marker in the Strategic Warfare Box cannot be selected.
Example: To Transfer the British Force H CV Fleet from the Pacific to Europe, take it from the DS Force Pool and place it in the Delay Box on the TK map.
15.15 Failure [Command, Supply]
There are two types of Failure Political Events:* Failure (Command) and Failure (Supply). Each Failure has a marker and set of rules that limit the faction* affected by them (14.15).
If an Allied faction suffers a Failure: The Axis faction places the appropriate Allied Failure marker in any hex on the map. After placing the marker, the Axis faction may take one support unit belonging to the Allied faction suffering the Failure and put it in the Delay Box. This unit can come from the Allied faction’s Force Pool, a hex on the map, or the Turn Track.
If the Axis faction suffers a Failure: The Axis faction must select one of the Allied factions. That faction places the appropriate Axis Failure marker in any hex on the map. After placing the marker, that Allied faction may take one Axis support unit and put it in the Delay Box.
15.16 Free Passage
If the Minor Country does not contain a Neutrality or enemy Influence marker: Activate it as a friendly Minor Country (13.7), but place a Free Passage marker (14.16) instead of a Mobilizing marker in the country and do not perform a Mobilization Roll.
If the Minor Country does contain a Neutrality or enemy Influence marker: Remove the Neutrality or enemy Influence marker.
△ 15.17 Gekokujo
If Pre-War is in effect: The Axis faction must do both of the following:
- If the Japanese Government marker is in its Holding Box, remove it and place it in the Delay Box.
- End one Policy by removing the Policy marker(s) from any Posture Box(es). Limited War is now in effect.
If Limited War or Total War is in effect: The Axis faction must turn this event into a Failure Political Event (15.15). If the Army leads the Japanese Government, the event is a Command Failure. If the Navy leads the Government, the event is a Supply Failure. If no faction leads the Government, the Western faction selects which Failure to apply. Resolve the new event immediately.
“Gekokujo” is the Japanese term for a traditional form of legitimized insubordination intended to redress perceived social injustices. Before World War II, this insubordination included coups and assassination attempts. In particular, the Japanese Army would start wars on the whims of local commanders. The politicians at home would be left to catch up with events.
△ 15.18 Home Defense
The Axis faction may immediately receive one Japanese 0-2-1 HD infantry unit and place it as a replacement.
15.19 Influence
The faction that received this event may do one of the following:
- Remove a Free Passage <mark class=“red>or No Occupation marker from the selected Friendly Minor Country.
- Remove a Neutrality or enemy Influence marker from the selected Neutral Minor Country.
- Place a friendly Influence marker in the selected Neutral Minor Country. This option cannot be chosen if there is a Neutrality or enemy Influence marker in the country.
- △ Activate the selected Neutral Minor Country as a friendly Minor Country. To choose this option, there must be a friendly Influence marker in the Country. Exceptions: If Pre-War is in effect, a Minor Country with a Posture of Acceptance, Peace, or Quarantine cannot be activated as an Allied Minor Country.
The Acceptance, Peace, or Quarantine Postures would not prevent a minor country from activating as an Axis minor country.
Example: Limited War is in effect, Mongolia has a Soviet Influence marker in it and the Soviet faction received an Influence result. It can activate Mongolia as a Soviet Country. If the Axis or Western faction received the Influence event, it could either remove the Soviet marker or treat it as a No Result and do nothing.
△ 15.20 International Incident
If Britain has a Posture of Neutrality, or Britain, Nationalist China, and the US all have a Posture of War: Treat this event as No Result.
Otherwise: The Axis faction must do one of the following:
- End one Policy in the British, US, or Nationalist Chinese Posture Boxes.
Remember that ending a Policy means removing all markers of that Policy.
- Allow the Western faction to perform the Military Aid Political Event (15.23).
- Remove the Navy Government marker from its Holding Box and place it in the Delay Box.
You can select this last option only if the Navy is leading the government. It represents government efforts to prevent events like the Rape of Nanking or the Panay and Ladybird Incidents from escalating to war.
△ 15.21 Japan Supports Nationalists
Regardless of which faction received this event, the Axis faction may do one of the following:
Receive and place one Japanese colonial or Axis Minor Country replacement step.
Select a hex containing a Port in an active Chinese Country that is not a PAC. If the hex does not contain a non-Chinese Allied ground unit, then place a Japanese Detachment marker in the hex and intern any Chinese units there (16.7).
Select one hex on the map containing the following unit or marker:
- An Allied Detachment or Logistics marker, but not one in an Island hex.
- An Allied colonial unit.
- An Allied Minor Country unit.
- An Allied multi-national unit that has an Allied Minor Country unit in its Holding Box.
The Allied faction must remove a Detachment or Logistics marker or eliminate one colonial or Minor Country step from the selected hex. Where a choice exists, a step must be eliminated before removing a marker. A removed Detachment or Logistics marker is placed in the Delay Box. For eliminating steps, see 4.2.6.2.
△ 15.22 LOC Damaged
If card 28a East Wind Rain is the Axis Current Card, the Axis faction may select either one of the US or British LOC Damaged markers (14.27) and place it in the Strategic Warfare Box.
If card 28b North Wind Cloudy is the Axis Current Card, the Axis faction may select one of the following:
- Place the Russian LOC Damaged marker in the Strategic Warfare Box.
- Select one Aid to China marker in an Allied Conditional Events Box or on the Turn Track and place it in the Delay Box.
15.23 Military Aid
The phasing faction may do one of the following:
15.24 Military Takeover
The Axis faction must do all of the following:
- Place a Military Takeover marker in the Strategic Warfare Box.
- △ If the Japanese Government marker is in its Holding Box, the Axis faction must place it in the Delay Box.
- △ If the Showa Restoration marker is in the Strategic Warfare Box or on the Turn Track, remove it from the game.
- △ If the Hakko Ichiu marker is on the VP track, replace it with the Japanese Mandate marker.
- △ The Axis faction may place a Blitz marker in its Support Segment of the current turn.
15.25 Minor Country Created
If this result is from an Axis Political Expansion or Puppet Government card: The Axis faction may select one conquered Country or one eligible Dependent or Region (13.8.2) with all of its Cities and hexes containing Allied Partisan Bases under Axis control. The area selected becomes an active Axis Minor Country. For a Dependent or Region, the City identified as a Provisional Capital within its borders becomes its Capital.
Add the Minor Country’s units to the Axis Force Pool, removing them from the Allied Conquered Minor Country Holding Box or adding its N units to play as necessary.
Intern any Allied Partisan Base markers in the new Country (16.7).
If there is a Japanese Ceded Land marker with the same name as the new Minor Country in the Ceded Lands Box, remove that marker from the game.
Example: The Indochina Japanese Dependent marker is in the Ceded Lands Box to note Indochina has been ceded to Japan. If Indochina is created as a Minor Country, its Japanese Dependent marker would be removed.
△ If a Japanese colonial unit specifically associated with the new Minor Country (Bur or Ind) is on the map, Turn Track or in the Axis Force Pool, remove that unit from the game.
Example: If the Axis creates Burma has a Minor Country, it has to remove the Bur colonial unit.
If this result is from a Western Independence card: The selected Dependent becomes a Neutral Minor Country. Intern all units in the newly created Country. The City identified as a Provisional Capital within that Dependent becomes its Capital. Place the new Country’s flag marker (on the back of its 0-1-2 Res infantry unit) in that hex as a reminder of the Country’s existence.
Set aside the rest of its N units for future play.
If an Axis or Western colonial unit specifically associated with the newly independent Country (Ind or Phil) is on the map, Turn Track or in the Western Force Pool, remove that unit from the game. © This includes all Ind units in TK if India is created as a Neutral Minor Country in DS.
Example: The Western faction plays card 9a Indian Independence. India becomes a Neutral Minor Country. India’s N units are readied in case the Minor Country is activated later in the game. All British and Japanese Ind colonial units are removed from play.
15.26 Minor Country Politics
If Pre-War or Limited War is in effect: The faction that received this event must select an Area Table and roll one die. If the result yields a Minor Country or Dependent, check the following.
If the result is a Neutral Country: The Axis faction may treat this as a No Result or select the Neutral Country and roll on the Diplomatic Incident Table.
Be careful as this option can burst into flames!
If the result is an Axis Country: The Axis faction must select one Neutral Country that shares a Border with the Axis Country or one of its Dependents, and activate the selected Country as an Allied Country.
The Axis Minor Country starts a war in order to fulfill its own aggressive designs.
If the result is an active Soviet Country: The Soviet faction must select one Neutral Country that shares a Border with the Soviet Country or one of its Dependents, and activate the selected Country as an Axis Country.
If the result is an active Western Country: Treat this as No Result.
If the result is a Conquered Country or Dependent, the Axis faction must eliminate one step from any Axis ground unit within that Country or Dependent.
Partisan uprisings occur within the occupied nation.
If Total War is in effect: The faction that received this event must select an Area Table and roll one die. If the result yields a Minor Country or Dependent, check the following.
If the result is an Active Country, the faction responsible for that Minor must eliminate two of the Minor’s steps from any unit(s) in any hex(es). The eliminated steps do not have to come from the same unit, nor the same hex.
The war-weary Minor Country withdraws troops from the field.
If the result is a Conquered Country or a Dependent, the Axis faction must eliminate one step from any Axis ground unit within that Country or Dependent.
△ NEI (incl. Dependents): If this event is rolled on the Area Table: SE Asia, then Borneo, Celebes and Dutch New Guinea are considered to be part of the Netherlands East Indies when resolving the ensuing event.
Example: During Total War, the NEI is affected by a Minor Country Politics result. The Axis faction could choose to eliminate a step in Dutch New Guinea, as that Dependent is considered part of the NEI for this event.
Remember, if you roll a country that doesn’t exist anymore, such as Mongolia after it has been ceded to Russia, treat this event as No Result.
As you can see, the Minor Country Politics event can cause some nasty surprises, so be sure to leave a few units in your rear areas to guard against such uprisings.
15.27 Neutrality
The faction that received this event must do one of the following:
- If the selected Minor Country contains an Influence marker, remove it.
- If the selected Minor Country does not contain an Influence or Neutrality marker, place a Neutrality marker in that Country.
15.28 Neutrals Pressured
The faction that received this event must do one of the following:
- Minor Country Politics: Turn this event into a Minor Country Politics Political Event (15.26). Resolve this new event now.
- Neutrality Discussions: Place a friendly Influence marker in one Neutral Country, or remove a Neutrality or enemy Influence marker from one Neutral Country.
- △ Pressure Britain: If Britain is a PAC and the Western Aid to China marker is in an Allied Conditional Events Box, place that marker in the Delay Box.
- △ Pressure Russia: If Russia is a PAC and the Soviet Aid to China marker is in an Allied Conditional Events Box, place that marker in the Delay Box.
These events represent diplomatic closure of the Burma Road and other routes to China.
- Pressure the US: If the US is a PAC and the Lend-Lease marker is in an Allied Conditional Events Box, place that marker in the Delay Box.
- △ Reassess Policies: If the VP marker reads Rising Sun, select a friendly Posture Box and end that Policy (13.6.1.2). Replace the Policy marker(s) with Reassess Policy Truce marker(s). Exceptions: The Acceptance, Neutrality, and Quarantine Policies cannot be ended.
Remember that Soviet Posture Boxes are not friendly to the Western faction, and Western Posture Boxes are not friendly to the Soviet faction.
- Wider Involvement: Select one friendly Minor Country with a Free Passage marker in its Capital and remove that marker.
△ 15.29 Operation Z
The Axis faction may select one Neutral Country and do one of the following:
- Declare War (15.12)
- Roll on the Diplomatic Incident Table
In addition, the Axis faction may perform a certain number of Z Actions. The number of Z Actions allowed depends on the current Season:
- During any Autumn, Winter, or Spring turn, the Axis faction may perform up to six Z Actions.
- During any Summer turn, the Axis faction may perform up to four Z Actions.
To perform a Z Action, the Axis faction selects one of the following:
- Harbor Attack: Select one enemy Surface Fleet support unit from an Allied Force Pool or the Turn Track and place that unit in the Naval Warfare Delay Box. The Surface Fleet cannot belong to a Truce Affected Country or Policy Affected Country.
- Heroic Effort by the Army: Take one Air support unit or HQ unit from the map, Delay Box, or Turn Track and immediately return it to your Force Pool. This option can only be selected if the Axis has played card 28b North Wind Cloudy.
- Heroic Effort by the Navy: Take one Fleet support unit or Scratch Convoy marker from the map, Delay Box, or Turn Track and immediately return it to your Force Pool. This option can only be selected if the Axis has played card 28a East Wind Rain.
Example: A Surface Fleet in the On Station Box of a Naval Zone could be returned to the Axis Force Pool without going through the Delay Box.
- SNLF Landing: Place one SNLF Beachhead-0 marker in any All- Sea hex on the map. This placement cannot be contested.
This placement cannot be contested, nor is it restricted by weather. You may place an SNLF Beachhead-0 marker in the South China Sea or Bay of Bengal during a North Monsoon Mud turn.
Be sure to remember the Special SNLF Landing rules (4.1.3.1). They can be a powerful tool!
- Surprise Troop Movement: The Axis faction may move one single-step ground unit from any hex in Japan or a Japanese Dependent to any other hex in Japan or a Japanese Dependent. The hex being moved to cannot contain an enemy unit or marker.
Just pick up and the unit and put it where you want it. Don’t worry about movement allowances, supply status, EZOCs, or the lack of Troop Convoy markers and Open Ports.
- Totsugeki!: Place one Totsugeki marker in a hex anywhere on the map (14.42).
Unlike Blitz markers, you never roll on the Cabinet Crisis Table for placing one of these markers in a location contrary to the current Japanese Government.
The Axis faction may select any combination of Z Actions that it wishes, with the restriction that a particular Z Action may not be selected more than three times per Operation Z Political Event.
Widespread Attacks (15.37) do not count against this limit. In addition, the Axis faction may place a Blitz marker from its option card or use its support units to place regular Beachhead markers.
15.30 Political Option
The faction that received this event may do one of the following:
- △ Chinese Incident: Change this result to Chinese Incident (15.8). Perform the new event immediately.
- Declare War: Select one Neutral Country and activate it. If an Allied player picks this option, the Neutral Country activates as an Axis Country. If the Axis faction picks this option, the Neutral Country activates as an Allied Country. See 13.5 to determine which Allied faction is responsible for the Country.
This choice may end a Policy (13.6.1.2).
- Eastern Peace Talks: Increase or reduce a Truce marker in any one Soviet Posture Box by one level (13.6.2.3). Then, place Negotiation markers in all Soviet Posture Boxes that do not already have a Truce or Policy marker. Important: The Western faction cannot select this event.
- Military Failure: Cause another faction to suffer a Failure (15.15). The faction picking this option decides the faction and type of Failure.
- Neutrals Consider Options: Select one Neutral Country and apply the Influence Political Event (15.19) to it.
- △ War in Asia: Select a Policy marker in one of the Russian, Communist Chinese, or Nationalist Chinese Posture Boxes and end that Policy (13.6.1.2). Important: The Western faction cannot select this option.
- △ War in the Pacific: Select a Policy marker in one of the British or US Posture Boxes and end that Policy (13.6.1.2). Important: The Soviet faction cannot select this option.
- Western Peace Talks: Increase or reduce a Truce marker in any one Western Posture Box by one level (13.6.2.3). Then, place Negotiation markers in all Western Posture Boxes that do not already have a Truce or Policy marker. Important: The Soviet faction cannot select this event.
- Wider Involvement: Select one friendly Minor Country with a Free Passage marker in its Capital and remove that marker.
△ 15.31 Power Shift
If the Japanese Government marker is in its Holding Box, the Axis faction may flip the marker over.
Example: If the marker is on its Navy side, the Axis faction may flip it to the Army side.
15.32 Production Success [Type]
△ The first time this event occurs: Place the Imperial Directive card’s associated unit in the Delay Box.
- Card 52 – HQ [1G]
- Card 53 – Scratch Convoy
- Card 54 – Bomber [8]
- Card 55 – Sub Fleet [6]
- Card 56 – Interceptor [7]
- Card 57 – CV Fleet [8]
△ The second time this event occurs: Place the Imperial Directive card’s associated marker in the Delay Box.
- Card 52 – Chemical Weapons (14.8)
- Card 53 – Convoy Strategy (14.10)
- Card 54 – Fujiyama Bomber Production (14.17)
- Card 55 – I-boat Strategy (14.19)
- Card 56 – Jet Fighter Production (14.24)
- Card 57 – Suicidal Raiders (14.41)
First you get the prototypes, then comes mass production.
15.33 Project Success: A-bomb
If the US is not a TAC, the Western faction places one Atomic Devastation marker in a Land hex that is within nine hexes of a US Air Base. The hex cannot be in a Neutral Minor Country. This placement cannot be contested.
When placing an Atomic Devastation marker, the Western faction may select one enemy ground unit (regardless of size), Detachment, or Logistics marker in the placement hex and eliminate it. A unit or marker with a Delay Stripe is placed in the Delay Box; a unit without a Delay Stripe is returned to its Force Pool.
△ 15.34 Raiders Discovered
The faction that received this event must take one CV Fleet from its Force Pool and place it in the Delay Box. If there is no CV Fleet available in its Force Pool, it must select one support unit of any other type from its Force Pool and place that unit in the Delay Box instead.
Do not place any support units in the Naval Warfare Delay Box for this event, even if they are naval support units.
15.35 Successful Challenge [Country]
The Allied faction that received this event may do one of the following:
- Attack!: Place one Blitz marker in its next Support Segment.
- Declare War: Select one Neutral Country and activate it as an Axis Country.
- △ End a Policy: End a Policy (13.6.1.2) in the Posture Box of the Country named on the card. Exception: The Neutrality Policy cannot be ended.
Remember when you end a Policy, you remove all of that Policy’s markers that are in Posture boxes. So if you get a Successful Challenge: Nationalist China result, and Nationalist China and Communist China have the same Policy, this event applies to both Posture Boxes.
△ 15.36 Successful Improvements
The faction that rolled this event may do one of the following:
- Add that faction’s Chinese Interceptor unit to the game by placing it in the Delay Box.
- Flip that faction’s Minor Country Prod marker to its +2 side and leave it in the Strategic Warfare Box.
15.37 Widespread Attacks
The Axis faction may immediately perform two Operation Z Actions (15.29).
These Z Actions are “bonus actions” on top of those the Axis faction will receive when it performs the Operation Z Political Event in the Political Events Segment. They do not count against the three action limit described in 15.29.