0. Seasonal Victory Phase

Important: This Phase is performed on Seasonal Turns only.

0.1 Victory Point Check

A Victory Point Check is performed at the beginning of every Seasonal Turn. A Final Victory Point Check is also performed at the end of the game.

0.1.1 Current Strategic Value

Step 1: Count the number of all Soviet and Western Strategic Hexes under Axis control plus the number of Allied Collapse markers in the Strategic Warfare Box.

Step 2: Subtract the number of Axis Strategic Hexes under Allied control plus the number of Military Takeover markers in the Strategic Warfare Box.
△ Exception: Axis Strategic Hexes under Allied control in a Policy Affected Country (13.6.1) are not counted. If an Axis Strategic Hex is under Allied control due to the Republican Stronghold marker, refer to the Republican Support marker to see whether the Civil War Country is a Western Minor Country or a Soviet Minor Country for this purpose.

The resulting sum is the Current Strategic Value.

Example: France is an active Western Minor Country, but an Appeasement marker is in France’s Posture Box. Thus, Metz (w3519), an Axis Strategic hex under Western control, is not counted.

The Republican Stronghold marker is in Madrid (w2710) and the Republican Support marker has its Soviet side face up. If the Soviet Minors Posture is War, Madrid would count for the Allies – even if Spain is a Neutral Country.



0.1.2 VP Marker Placement

Place the VP marker in the Box on the VP Track that corresponds to the Current Strategic Value, on the side indicated (either Axis Tide or Allied Crusade) by that Box.

Do not flip the VP marker when the Current Strategic Value is +1 or +2. Just place the VP marker in the 0 Box and leave it on whichever side was already face-up.

Clarification

If the Current Strategic Value is 0, the VP marker goes in the 1 VP Box on its Allied Crusade side.

Example: It is the Victory Point Check of the May-June 1940 Seasonal Turn and the VP marker reads Allied Crusade. The Axis player has ground units occupying two Allied Strategic Hexes (Oslo and Antwerp), while the Allies occupy one Axis Strategic Hex (Metz). The sum is one in favor of the Axis, or +1. The VP marker is placed in the 0 VP Box and left, unchanged, on its Allied Crusade side.

In the next Victory Point Check (Aug-Sept 1940 Seasonal Turn), there are now Axis ground units in three Allied Strategic Hexes (Oslo, Antwerp, and Paris), while the Allies have none in Axis Strategic Hexes. The sum is three in favor of the Axis, or +3. The VP marker is placed in the 1 VP Box on its Axis Tide side.

△ The Axis No Retreat marker: If the Axis No Retreat marker is on the VP Track, the Axis Tide VP marker cannot be placed in a VP Box to the right of (i.e., higher than) the one containing the No Retreat marker. If the VP marker would be placed to the right, move it back to the VP Box containing the No Retreat marker.

0.2 Automatic Victory

A player may end the game before the final Turn by achieving an Automatic Victory. An Automatic Victory may occur in these ways:

  • European Domination: If the VP marker is placed in the Automatic Victory Box on the VP Track during Total War, the side indicated on the VP marker wins an Automatic Victory.
Clarification

While the No Retreat marker is on the VP Track, it is impossible for the Axis player to win an Automatic Victory.

© Exception: If the Current Strategic Value on the TK map is –17 or less, place the Allied Crusade VP marker in the 4 VP Box instead. Play on the TK map ends immediately, but the game may continue on the DS map.

  • German Surrender: If the Allied Crusade VP marker is placed in the 2 VP Box during Limited War, the Allies wins an Automatic Victory.
Design Note

This would require the Allies to occupy substantial parts of Germany during Limited War.

© If an Axis faction wins an Automatic Victory during Total War on either map, the AE combined game ends with an Axis Victory. If the Allied factions win an Automatic Victory during Limited War on either map, the AE combined game ends with an Allied Victory.

△ 0.3 V-E Day (End Game) Victory

If neither side achieves an Automatic Victory during play, the game ends when the V-E Day marker is removed from the Turn Track (14.38). © Exception: In the AE combined game, the game does not end until both the V-E and V-J Day markers are removed from the Turn Track.

When the game ends, a Final Victory Point Check is performed. To do this, use the Victory Point Check procedure above with the following additions:

  • A Strategic Hex is considered under Axis control if it is in a Neutral Country containing a Pro-Axis Influence marker and no Allied ground unit is in Berlin (w3825).
  • A Strategic Hex is considered under Allied control if it is in a Neutral Country containing a Pro-Soviet or Pro-West Influence marker and an Allied ground unit is in Berlin.

Example: It is the Final Victory Point Check of a hard-fought game. Madrid, Stockholm, and Ankara contain Pro-West Influence markers – but there are no Allied ground units in Berlin. Thus, these hexes are not included in the Allied Strategic Hex count.

After determining the Final Strategic Value, compare the number of Victory Points earned by each of the two sides – the Axis faction and the combined Allied factions.

Design Note

No provision has been made for determining individual Allied victory levels. The two Allied players in a three-player game must equally share the credit for an Allied victory and the blame for an Allied defeat. The time spent after the game arguing about who did what is known as “The Cold War.”

The Axis faction earns 1 VP:

  • for each VP in the box containing the Axis Tide marker on the VP Track.
  • for each VP in the box containing the No Retreat marker on the VP Track.
  • *if the Western faction plays its card 37 Operation Galvanic.
Design Note

In standalone TK, this Allied penalty represents the cost of diverting forces from the Pacific to Europe

Clarification

Note that the Axis faction does not earn any VPs for the SS Europa marker being on the VP Track.

The Allied factions collectively earn 1 VP for each VP in the box containing the Allied Crusade marker on the VP Track.

The side with the most VPs wins. If the VP scores are tied at the end of the game, the Axis faction wins.

Clarification

Note that the Axis Tide and Allied Crusade markers can’t be on the VP Track at the same time. Most games will come down to whether the Allied factions can score more Allied Crusade VPs than the Axis has No Retreat VPs. Historically, the final score was 4 to 2 in favor of the Allies – Allied Crusade 4 vs. No Retreat 2.

© 0.4 Combined Game Victory

The AE combined game ends with an Axis win if an Axis faction scores an Automatic Victory on either map. The Allied factions win if they score an Automatic Victory on both maps.

Otherwise, play both TK and DS to conclusion. Play stops on a map when the V-E Day or V-J Day marker is no longer on its Turn Track while Total War is in effect.

Example: : The V-E Day marker is removed from the TK map in the May-June 1945 turn, but the war is still going in the Pacific. All play stops on the TK map – the Allies cannot then start sending stuff from that map to the Pacific.

At the end of the game, determine the Final Strategic Value (0.3) on each map. The Axis factions add their VP scores on the TK and DS maps to determine their combined VP score. Add any Bonus VPs earned for placing the V-E or V-J Day marker back on the Turn Track and extending play on a map (14.38).

Clarification

Do not add any VPs for VP Boxes containing the SS Europa (TK) or Hakko Ichiu (DS) markers – you don’t score any VPs for those.

Likewise, the Allied factions add their VP scores on the TK and DS maps to determine their combined VP scores.

The side with the most VPs wins. If the VP scores are tied at the end of the game, the Axis faction wins.

Clarification

Remember the Allied factions cannot earn more than 4 VPs on a map. That means you can’t beat up exclusively on just one of the Axis factions and expect to win the game.

Example: It is Nov/Dec 1945 and the V-J Day marker is removed. Because the V-E Day marker was removed earlier, the game is now over. On the TK map, the Axis Tide marker was planted in the 2 VP box, and the Axis faction earned 1 Bonus VP for returning the V-E Day marker once to the Turn Track. When the V-E Day marker was finally removed, the Allied Crusade VP marker was in the 4 VP box. On the DS map, both the Japanese Mandate and Allied Crusade VP markers are in the 2 VP Box on the VP Track. That means the final score is Allies 6, Axis 5, so the Allied factions win