Darkest Crusade
A Note on Copyright
DARKEST CRUSADE is COPYRIGHTED -- NOT Public Domain -- and FREE under the following conditions:
- Schools, libraries, and museums are free to make and keep copies for in-house educational use or nonpermanent loan/circulation ... in gratitude for the fine education and research assistance I have always received from such institutions.
- An individual is free to make one personal copy of Darkest Crusade for his/her own personal use.
- All other rights -- including publishing rights -- are reserved to me.
Dedication:
Darkest Crusade is dedicated to ...
A. The peoples of the former Soviet Union and of Poland who fought and won the biggest war front against Nazi evil.
B. My children Rebecca, Robert, Rohan, and Johanna, in the hope that they may never have to go through a world war:
The more we learn about the Second World War, the better our chances that it will be the LAST world war.
A Request: If you do assemble and play this free game of mine, PLEASE let me know at ELCOAT@hotmail.com what you think of it and whether, after more than a couple games, you think one side or the other has an advantage. Thanks!
And now: Here are Darkest Crusade's components, to print off and assemble so that it may be played. Players-students will also need a single six-sided die (or chits numbered 1-6, to be drawn out of a hat) for the randomized combat results tables.
First, here is a mini/introductory version of the game using the same map but larger and/or fewer units for far greater simplicity. Use the normal Darkest Crusade rules below, except when they are modified by the minigame.
German armies/panzergruppen do have movement-blocking zones of control and still must be attacked if they are UnDisrupted and Russians units adjacent to them are attacking. Attacking is a maximum of 3 units per hex-side at a time. (Remember that defenders can be attacked more than once by different units.) For the Axis, 2 of these can be armies and 1 of those can be a panzerarmy/gruppe. (A maximum of) any 3 units ... per wave ... for the Russians. Even a 1-factor unit has a 50% chance of disrupting 1 enemy unit. This should be a REALLY FAST and intense game. The Russians MUST risk attacking, to try to Disrupt the German attack ... as historically.
The Russian player may choose to secretly deploy his units at the start with them - including the white Siberians, which are removed for their later use once the game starts. However, if he does so, the German victory requirement is one Victory City less.
The Siberian reinforcement schedule is now 1. and 3. Shock armies and 1. Guards Korps for the first turn, and 4. and 2. Shock armies for the second and third turns. (See Siberian Reserve Gamble in the rules, although they automatically/safely enter the game in Dec41 otherwise.)
And now the full, corps-level version:
- Rules in Rich Text Format, Revised 21Dec16Rules will probably be revised occasionally, with feedback.
The current format is A4 paper size in Landscape format with .2" margins.
- Old Rules in Rich Text Format, with original, weaker 1984 Dark Crusade Combat Results Table, 15Jul13.
- Russian and Axis land, sea, and air units
1/2"--12.7mm--square is about right for the ground combat units. Russian units should be printed/photocopied off onto pink or tan paper/cardstock, for mounting on the back of red posterboard or (better) matte board. German units should be printed/photocopied off onto light gray or light blue for mounting on the back of blue posterboard or matte board.
- Russian and Axis mechanized, air, and fleet units
- Russian rifle/infantry units
- Axis infantry units, revised 25Sep14
German infantrie korps absorbed into the new army units are 2.K into 16.A, 38.K into 18.A, 9.K into 4.A, 6.K into 9.A, 17.K into 6.A, 11.K into 11.A, 4.K into 17.A, and 55.K into 2.A. The korps were chosen because they were in their armies in 1941 and/or 1942 and to avoid army/korps unit number confusion.
The game map, revised 22Jan17 - 80 miles per hex, terrain shaded. The area north of Minsk and of the Dvina River (now labeled) is better now. The northern map segments below, for a larger map, are corrected as well.
The OLD game map, for comparison.
The map in portions, halves or quarters, to increase playing area - in the case of quarters for multi-player games.
Turn Record Track
COMING SOON: Historical and Game Design Commentary with more explanations of design rationales and with Advice on Play of the Game.
COMING SOON: Accounts of games played, in HTM with photos.
Game Analysis and Results FormTo have a momento (and analysis) of your games.
Comments by myself and others about the game can be read on ConSimWorld
If you are a friend, and/or if you would like to share info and ideas about military and naval history and game designing and cardstock model shipbuilding, and/or you have any questions about Darkest Crusade feel free to e-mail me at ELCOAT@Hotmail.com
Thank you for your interest in Darkest Crusade ....
2015, revised 23Jun18 (DCMiniRules and page organization)