Red Vengeance Revisited
By William Sariego
August 2014

I got out my tattered copy of Red Vengeance and tried to rejuvenate enough brain cells to come up with something cool. The result isn’t nearly as extensive as my previous variant, “Red Vengeance Options,” but will still give fans of the game a few new toys to play with.

Czechoslovakian Uprising

In the last days of the war the Germans were treated to an armed uprising in Czechoslovakia. The Allied player deploys the Czech unit in any unoccupied hex adjacent to Prague on Turn 11. It can deploy in a German ZoC. The unit is considered a division and is a Soviet unit in all aspects. The unit does not require Supply. The Freedom Fighters cannot move; they can only advance after combat into Prague, if possible.

Charlemagne Division

The 33rd SS Division (Charlemagne) began forming in late ’44 from two groups of French volunteers; the SS French Assault Brigade and the Vichy French Legion. The latter, for the record, were not happy at being incorporated into the SS, but were hardly in a position to object (or go home to France). Deployed in late February, the division was all but destroyed in early March. About 400 survivors would regroup to fight during the Battle of Berlin. It is a Turn 9 reinforcement and cannot be replaced if eliminated.

Operation Eclipse

On Turn 11 the Allied Player has the option of bringing the 1st Allied Airborne Army on as a reinforcement. If he does so, the unit lands in any unoccupied hex adjacent to Berlin. Roll a die upon placement. On a result of 1 or 2 the unit lands at reduced strength.

If the 1st AAA is the only unit to capture and occupy Berlin, no one scores that VP, though the Allied Player could still score the VP for killing Hitler (everyone is glad to get rid of him regardless of how it occurs). If it occupies Berlin in conjunction with a Soviet unit score the Allies the VP as normal.

The unit does not require Supply and is backed by one Western Allied Air Point. Soviet-Allied Air Points cannot be used to aid an attack solely made by the 1st AAA. If using the optional Weather Table and April allows Exploitation, threat the 1st AAA as a “Mountain” unit, thus getting one Movement Point.

Vlasov’s ROA Division

Despite much propaganda, little use was actually made this unit, designated the 600th Infantry Division. Some Russian POWs chose to fight in the German army rather than rot in a prison camp. Some would actually fight on the Western Front at Normandy, others would be committed in the East when things began to look bleak for the Third Reich.

The 600th is available as a Turn Eight reinforcement. Unless it is stacked with an SS unit, roll a die before it contributes its factor in combat. On a 1 or 2 the division deserts and is removed from the game. The unit can never be replaced.

Extra Markers

The Naval Bombardment markers for each player are aids to use in the Combat Phase. Simply place them where you want to use them so you won’t forget to use the factors, as sometimes happens in the heat of the game. The German marker is back-printed to show its reduction in strength. The two Volksturm Used markers are placed on a city which uses those factors and resists Soviet occupation, since the old men and young boys of the Hitler Youth can only be called out once per city.

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You can download the new variant pieces here.