FALKLANDS 82 ============ Falklands 82 is a simulation of the conflict between the Land Forces of the United Kingdom and Argentina over the period 21 st May to 15th June 1982, following the invasion of the Falkland Islands by the forces of the Argentinian Junta. The screen map represents the Northern part of East Falkland Island where the major part of the land combat took place. The player commands the United Kingdom forces whilst the computer commands those of the Argentine, and the simulation takes place over 25-30 days depending on which level of difficulty is selected. Features: 5 Levels of Play Phased Game Load/Save Feature Naval/Air Support Varying Weather Full Range of Terrain Full Range of Command Options 1. INTRODUCTION FALKLANDS '82 is a simulation of the conflict between the land forces of the United Kingdom, and Argentina, over the period 21st May to 15th June 1982, following the invasion of the Falkland Islands, by the forces of the Argentinian Junta. The screen map represents the northern part of East Falkland Island, where the major part of the land combat took place. Each square represents about 2 miles, and each game turn, one full day. There are five levels of difficulty, and depending upon the level selected the game is played over 25 to 30 turns. You will control the British forces, and the computer will control the forces of the Argentine. Your objective is to liberate all of the settlements displayed on the map, within that number of game turns, and failure to do so will mean that you have lost the game. To liberate the settlements your units must currently occupy, or have been the last to occupy, each of the settlement squares (10 in all), and maintain the position for one full game turn beyond the turn in which the last settlement square was finally occupied. The British units are displayed as white characters, and the Argentine units are coloured black. 2. TO LOAD Ensure that the tape is fully rewound. Type LOAD"" / ENTER, and press play on your tape player. The game will automatically run when loading is complete. 3. GETTING STARTED When the game has loaded, you will be asked to enter the degree of difficulty, on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is relatively easy, and 5 is quite difficult. Press '1'. On the following screen you will be asked to enter 1 for a 'New Game', and 2 to restore a Saved Game. Press '1'. You will then be asked to select which of fifteen warships you want to support the land forces with Gunfire, and which will provide escort duties and a protective screen for the Task Force, which includes the two Aircraft Carriers, HMS HERMES, and HMS INVINCIBLE. To begin with, it would be safest to split the duties roughly in half, with 7 of the ships providing Gunfire support, and the rest supporting the Task Force. For the purposes of the game, all of the 15 ships are considered to have identical potential attack and defence capabilities. When you are more familiar with the play of the game you may wish to vary the proportions providing the support and escort duties, to better suit your intended battle tactics. 4. THE MAP The screen will then clear, and a map of the northern part of East Falkland Island will appear. On the map you will see symbols indicating Settlements, Mountains, Rough Terrain and Open Country. In addition, the numerals 1 to 4 are displayed, and these, respectively, identify the four possible landing sites available to your forces. Number 1 is Port Stanley, and as the Capital town of the Falklands, this is likely to be heavily defended. Number 2 is Uranie Bay, Berkley Sound, just north of the capital, but with Port Stanley so near, this too could be a difficult site from which to establish your beach-head. Number 3 is Cow Bay, and while this can provide a good landing site, a bottle neck can easily occur if determined defenders occupy the settlement at Green Patch, on the narrow neck of connecting land. Number 4 is San Carlos Bay, and this can often provide a good site for a beach-head. However, this too is sometimes heavily defended, and so should not always be the automatic choice. It was, of course, at San Carlos where the British Forces actually landed. Units must expend Movement Points (MV) to cross the varying types of terrain, and if a unit has insufficient Movement Points left to exit a particular square, the unit halts on entering it. The terrain occupied by a unit adds to its Defence Factor (DF) when attacked. Settlements give the highest value, to reflect the reluctance of both sides to wage all out war in such areas, due to the possibility of civilian casualties. In a reducing scale of Movement costs and combat adds, the remaining terrain types are Mountains, Rough, and Open Country. 5. ORDER OF ARRIVAL At the start of the game, all 20 of the Argentine units set up, on the map, secretly. These units will be revealed during the game by the following four methods: 1. Either of the British SBS or SAS units spot the Argentine unit when reconnoitring. 2. A British unit ends its move close to the concealed unit. 3. The Argentine unit prepares to move, and so reveals itself. 4. On game turn 20 all Argentine units, which have not by then been spotted, will reveal themselves and enter the battle. The first part of the British Task force, 3 Commando Brigade (reinforced), is available from turn 1, and consists of 11 units, in the following order: 1. SBS 2. SAS 3. 40 COMMANDO 4. 42 COMMANDO 5. 45 COMMANDO 6. 2 PARA 7. 3 PARA 8. B SQD RHG/D 9. 7 CMDO BTTY 10. 8 CMDO BTTY 11. 79 CMDO BTTY On turn 10 the remainder of the Task Force, 5 Infantry Brigade, will arrive at the Beach-head, but will only be able to come ashore in Clear weather conditions or Fog. Landing is not possible when the weather conditions are Stormy Seas. 5 Infantry Brigade consists of the following 4 units, and are the only reinforcements available to the British player - there are no Argentine reinforcements during the game: 12. 1/7 GHURKAS 13. 2 SCOTS GUARDS 14. 1 WELSH GUARDS 15. 4 FIELD REGT RA Throughout the game the units will be offered to you, for Orders, in the above sequence. 6. UNIT FACTORS A typical unit will look like this: 2 PARA : AF 10 DF 8 MV 7 RG 1 2 PARA is the identify of the unit (2nd Parachute Regiment). AF is the Aggression Factor. This represents the attack strength, the determination, the morale, and to an extent the reputation of the unit. This Factor is the potential 'Firepower' of the unit when in combat, and as the unit takes casualties, this Factor will be reduced. When the Aggression Factor reaches zero, the unit ceases to be an effective fighting force, and is eliminated from the game. The Aggression Factor cannot be increased during the game, nor if it has been reduced, can it be restored. This is, therefore, an important detail to monitor, and consider carefully, when committing a unit to combat. Obviously, the higher the Aggression Factor, the more potent the unit is likely to be when attacking. DF is the Defence Factor of the unit, and represents its defensive strength and instinct for self preservation. This Factor is compared with the Aggression Factor of an attacking unit, in determining the results of a combat. This Factor is modified by the type of terrain occupied by the defending unit, so that a unit in mountains, for example, would be more difficult to overcome, than if the same unit were defending in open country. This Factor is not diminished throughout the game. MV is the Movement Factor, or "Speed" of the unit. It is the number of points which can be expended by the unit, each turn, when moving around the map. Each type of terrain has a different movement cost, and the computer will only permit the unit to move whilst it has sufficient points left to exit the present terrain. This Factor is never reduced, so that at the start of each turn, the full allowance is available. All British units are able to move at least one square, regardless of the terrain. RG is the Range Factor of the unit, and is the number of squares that an enemy unit may be away from the unit in play, and still be in range. 2 PARA with a Range Factor of 1 will, therefore, need to be adjacent to the enemy unit in order to attack it. 7. ORDERS At the bottom of the screen appears a list of the Orders available for the unit which has its Factors currently displayed. The possible Commands are "ATTACK", "LAND", "MOVE", "RECONNOITRE", and "PASS". To select one of these options input the initial letter of the command and the computer will respond, either by performing the Command given, or with a prompt describing what further is required. All replies to prompts are by inputting the Initial (highlighted) letter of the required response, except where "Y" (YES) or "N" (NO) are expected. ATTACK Units cannot both move and attack in the same turn, so this is selected as an alternative to moving. When "A" is input the computer will superimpose a flashing gun-sight over the nearest displayed enemy unit, and ask if you wish to "ATTACK THIS UNIT?". If the response is not "Y" then the sight will be super imposed over the remaining displayed enemy units, in turn, starting with the next nearest, and continuing until the response "Y" is keyed in, or until all of the enemy units have been rejected. On Clear weather and Stormy Seas turns, unless both of the Aircraft Carriers, HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible, have been badly damaged, there will be a small number of Air Strikes available from Harriers flying ground support. When there are still strikes remaining for the turn, the computer will ask "DO YOU WANT AN AIRSTRIKE ON THIS UNIT?". If the response is "Y" then Harriers will strafe and bomb the enemy unit. On Clear weather turns only, if there are still Gunships available to provide Gunfire Support, there will be a limited number of supports available, equal to the number of ships providing Gunfire Support. If available the computer will prompt "DO YOU WANT NAVAL GUNFIRE ON THIS UNIT?". If the response is "Y" then Gunfire will be directed on the enemy unit. As with Air Strikes, only one Gunfire Support may be allocated to any one attack. On occasions, it will be preferable to attack an enemy unit which is beyond the range of the land unit's weapons. It may be that you are trying to relieve a unit which is about to be overwhelmed, or that you are being kept at a distance by ranged fire from the enemy. In such cases, if you select to ATTACK the enemy unit in question, the computer will respond with the message "OUT OF RANGE", but if there are Air Strikes and/or Naval Gunfire Support available these will be offered to you, in turn, and on inputting "Y" the enemy unit will be bombed or shot at. In the Falklands, British units were all capable of directing Naval Gunfire and Air Strikes, even when specialist observer teams were not attached to the unit, and on several occasions did so. When a unit is "AT SEA" it can still ATTACK. This is to reflect the fact that when the landings actually took place, tanks of 2 SQD RHG/D were sited in the bows of the LSLs (Landing Ship Logistics), ready to fire, if the landings were resisted, and other units are deemed to be coming ashore and/or are on the beach, (see LAND). LAND When you have decided which of the four indicated squares is to be the site of your Beach-head, input "L", and you will be prompted to enter a number from 1 to 4 corresponding to the site chosen. Once a Landing site is chosen, all of your units must land there, including your reinforcements, when they arrive. The only exceptions maybe the SBS and/or SAS units (see RECONNOITRE). Having selected your landing site, the numerals 1 to 4 will disappear from the map. Until a unit moves (see MOVE) after a Landing Command, it is indicated as being "AT SEA". This means that the unit is on a landing ship (LSL), a Fleet Auxiliary, such as HMS Fearless or HMS Intrepid, or is ashore and on the beach. Once a unit has MOVED after Landing "LAND" will no longer be offered as an Option. Of course, if you try to MOVE before Landing, the computer will remind you of the position. LANDING and MOVING can both be ordered for a unit during the same turn, however, once one unit has "Landed" there is no need to select this option for any other unit, as the computer will automatically handle this for you. MOVE As previously mentioned, this option is an alternative to attacking. When "M" is input the computer will offer you the Commands "NORTH", "SOUTH", "EAST", "WEST", and "PASS", and prompt you with ''DIRECTION?". North is considered to be the top of the screen, so that "E" and "W", if input, will move you right or left on the screen map, respectively, and "N" and "S", up and down. Your units may not enter "WATER" squares, except on "LANDING" turns, when you may move 'across' LSLs (other units still "AT SEA"). Argentine units may not cross "WATER" squares, except in the vicinity of Fitzroy, when they may cross to the mainland. For the purposes of the game, all units may move anywhere on land, provided that they have enough MV points remaining. This includes the Argentine Armoured units, although, in real life, they were only able to move on the few surfaced roads around Port Stanley. "In the SPECTRUM version of the game, your units unfortunately may not enter "WATER" squares" (RECCE) Only SBS and SAS units have this option, which reveals all enemy units within 5 squares of the RECONNOITRING unit. If this option is to be selected, it must be Commanded BEFORE the unit MOVES or ATTACKS. You may RECONNOITRE a potential landing site.In this event, the unit is considred to have landed at that site, and will be on the beach there, even though you may elect to make your Beach-head elsewhere. It may not MOVE or ATTACK on this turn. Once Landed, this option may be used to pinpoint enemy units in the vicinity, before any other option is ordered. This makes the two special forces units particularly valuable, and care should be taken as to how you choose to use the units. Both have good Defence Factors, but because their complements are small in number, their Aggression Factors are moderate, when compared to units that they could encounter. PASS This Command is used when you do not wish to MOVE or ATTACK with a particular unit, or if you wish to cease MOVEMENT with points still remaining, and this ends that units turn, skipping to the next unit or, if this was your last unit in the current sequence, to the Argentine Forces Phase. 8. THE ARGENTINE FORCES (played by the computer) There are 20 Argentine units, and whilst all are believed to have been involved in the Falklands War, precise details of the respective units are not always readily available, and so, for playability, assumptions have been made by the Author, in determining unit strengths and sizes, and that all of the units were on the Falklands from the time of the British landings through to the final surrender. In addition, as with the British units, all of the main units involved in the conflict are individually represented in the game, as are several of the lesser units. Those not specifically mentioned in the game are taken into account by modification of the combat Factors of some of the main units. In the Argentine Forces Phase, units may MOVE or ATTACK in a similar manner to the British units. However, they do not get the option of Naval Gunfire, and Air Strikes are not co-ordinated from the ground. The Air Strikes are directed against the Task Force, Gunfire Support ships, and Land Forces offering targets of opportunity. If you have called down Naval Gunfire Support on the current turn, the Air Strikes will be pressed home harder against the ships giving Gunfire Support, than against the Task Force. Units which have moved recently can also draw their attention, but no British unit is totally safe from them. British Harriers flying CAP (Combat Air Patrol) will endeavour to intercept and divert the raiders but, inevitably, some will get through. If the Argentine Air Strikes successfully damage the two Aircraft Carriers, HMS HERMES and HMS INVINCIBLE, any Harriers that can still be launched will be reserved for CAP, and no Ground Support will be flown. It is always possible that repairs can be made, enabling some Support to be flown, but this is not to be counted upon! If the number of ships protecting the Task Force is reduced by enemy action, the changes of raiders damaging either, or both, of the Carriers will increase. If all of the ships providing Gunfire Support are sunk, any remaining ships will be retained to protect the Task Force, and no further Naval Gunfire will be available. It is unwise to commit all 15 ships to Gunfire Support, and unlikely to be necessary to commit all to Task Force support, but experience of the game will help you to decide the sort of allocations to consider. 9. DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY/VICTORY CONDITIONS The degree of difficulty, selected at the start of a game, affects the Victory Conditions and the Argentine Forces strength and actions. As the difficulty increases you will notice a corresponding increase in the Defence Factors of the Argentine units, representing an increase in morale, leadership, and determination. The units tend to fight harder, and will dig in Mountains, and move to occupy or reoccupy Settlements. At all levels of difficulty, the Argentine Forces recognise the added Defensive value of suitable terrain and often will take advantage of it. In recognition of this, the period within which the Victory Conditions must be achieved is extended. At level 1 Victory must be achieved by the end of turn 25. For level 2, turn 26, and so on to level 5 and turn 30. It is important to remember the Victory Conditions. Time is on the Argentine Forces side. If you become too bogged down trying to eliminate all of the enemy units, you may fail to meet the Victory Conditions of having the last unit to enter each of the Settlements be a British unit. The Argentine side is aware of this and will hotly defend Settlements, and will often attempt to move back into some of them in an attempt to thwart you. This does not mean that you must leave a British unit in each Settlement that you occupy. In fact, if you do so you are unlikely to have sufficient units left to fight your way into remaining Settlements. Obviously, with their potential airfields, (these do not play a part in the game except as objectives), both Port Stanley and Goose Green are likely to be well defended. The Argentine units in the game differ in reactions to the British units, in that if as a result of combat they cease to be an effective fighting unit, they will, on occasion, surrender. Similarly, from time to time an Argentine unit may panic, and if so it will move as far as possible towards "safety", regardless of the proximity of British units, and will only stop if: 1. Its Movement Allowance is exhausted 2. It is halted by coming face to face with a unit which blocks its line of retreat. 3. It enters Terrain which gives substantial adds to its Defence Factor, where it will "dig in" or 4. Further movement is prohibited by the terrain. 10. TO SAVE/LOAD or QUIT/THE GAME (CBM 64 ONLY) At the start of every turn, before any Command is given to any of your units, pressing the 'F1' Key (right side of the Keyboard) will give you the option of SAVING the game to Disk or to Tape, and when this has been done, you will be asked if you wish to QUIT or to CONTINUE the game in progress. Saving a game to disk will overwrite any previously saved game. If you want to keep more than one game you will need a separate disk for each. Saving to tape, if you want to keep more than 1 version of the game, you will need to make sure that the tape is wound past any previously saved game, and you should take a note of the tape counter reading. LOADING a previously saved game is only possible when the game is first loaded and run, when, after entering the Degree of Difficulty, you will be asked if you want to Start a New Game, or Restore a Previously Saved Game. If you Restore a Previously saved Game, the Degree of Difficulty will also be restored to that which applied when the game was saved. Following Restoring a game, the map will be displayed with all units in position and the situation exactly as it was at the beginning of the turn when you SAVED the game. 11. UNIT LIST BRITISH UNITS DESCRIPTION SBS Special Boat Squadron, Royal Marines SAS D and G Squadrons 22 Special Air Service 40 COMMANDOS 40 Commando Royal Marines 42 COMMANDO 42 Commando RM, less M(3) Coy but plus J Coy 45 COMMANDO 45 Commando Royal Marines 2 PARA 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment 3 PARA 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment B SQD RHG/D 2 Troops B Squadron The Blues and Royals 7 CMDO BTTY 7 (Sphinx) Commando Battery 8 CMDO BTTY 8 (Alma) Commando Battery 79 CMDO BTTY 79 (KirKee) Commando Battery 1/7 GHURKAS 1st Battalion 7th Ghurka Rifles 2 SCOTS GUARDS 2nd Battalion Scots Guards 1 WELSH GUARDS 1st Battalion Welsh Guards 4 FIELD REGT RA 79 Field Battery and TAC HG 4th Field Regiment R.A. ARGENTINE UNITS 3 INF REG 3rd Infantry Regiment 4 INF REG 4th Infantry Regiment 6 INF REG 6th Infantry Regiment 7 INF REG 7th Infantry Regiment 12 INF REG 12th Infantry Regiment 25 INF REG 25th Infantry Regiment 302 MARINES 302ND Marine Commando 5 MARINES 5th Marine Infantry Battalion 601 RANGERS 601st Rangers 602 RANGERS 602nd Rangers MAR AMPH REC Mowag Armd Cars of 1st Marine Amphibious Group 3 ARTY GROUP 3rd Artillery Group 8 INF REG 9th Infantry Regiment 11 ARTY GROUP 11th Artillery Group MAR ARMD REC Panhard Armd Cars of 1st Marine Amphibious Group 5th INF REG 5th Infantry Regiment 9 ENG COY 9th Motorised Engineer Company 10 MEC ENG 10th Mechanised Engineer Company BT A/FLD DEF Buzo Tactico (Special Forces) Artillery AUTHORS NOTES In designing the game I have tried to be as accurate as I can in attempting to represent the various units, but this has had to be balanced against playability. Therefore, the poor leadership and low morale of the majority of the Argentine units has been intentionally understated, and the Argentine units will only surrender when all of the Settlements have been liberated. At the higher degrees of difficulty, careful tactics are necessary as the Argentine units can absorb a great deal of punishment, whilst inflicting casualties on the British units. Helicopters have been deliberatly excluded from the game, as the advantage given to the British units by the ability to cross the entire map in one bound, was extreme. All units can cross any of the terrain in the game, but, in fact, areas of the land are boggy and barely crossable on foot. Further, the Argentinian armoured vehicle never got beyond the outskirts of Port Stanley. The British CVTs (Combat Vehicle Tracked) did remarkably well however, frequently crossing areas considered impossible for them. The following sources provided much of the information used in the program. THE FALKLANDS WAR a Marshall Cavendish Publication THE BATTLE FOR THE FALKLANDS by Max Hastings and Simon Jenkins NO PICNIC by Major General Julian Thompson WAR IN THE FALKLANDS a Daily Express publication TASK FORCE SOUTH the BBC Television Documentary Series BATTLE FOR THE FALKLANDS the ITN Granada Documentary Video Compilation The STRATEGIC WARGAMES SERIES and the WARGAMERS SERIES from PSS are not intended to glorify war or to pretend war is a game. Both series are designed to allow the player to examine and simulate conflict situations and ask "what if..." questions. FALKLANDS 82 designed and written by John Bethell. P.S.S. 452 STONEY STANTON HD. COVENTRY CV6 5DG. TEL: COVENTRY (0203) 667556