Deutscher Axis und Allies Klub

Here you?ll find all basic rules you need for playing games at DAAK. Because we support several Axis and Allies variants and offer many tournaments here at DAAK there is a lot of information below. Don?t worry, as a new member you don?t have to get familiar with all of those rules at once. In order to start playing quickly just read chapter 1 and 2. In addition to those read chapter 3.1 for ?Play by Mail? game.
If you need further assistance contact our Drill Sergeant or see the DAAK mentor program.

Please also take a look at the AA-Game-Play Rules and the Clarifications. You find them under "Downloads".

1. Fundamentals

1.1 Basic rules

1.1.1 A&A 2nd
For rated 2nd edition games, the english "Second Edition Rules" for Axis&Allies by MB (Milton Bradley) are applied. In addition, the "Rule Clarifications" by MB and the ?DAAK Regelerläuterungen? (those include the MB Rule Clarifications) are in effect. Technology Development is not allowed by default.

The following victory conditions apply:
Beside the withdraw of a player and the capture of the two axis capitals or two allies capital cities respectively, also the so called Magic84 win is a valid victory condition: At the end of a round (after the US turn) the axis must have a combined income of 84 IPC or more. Important is only the IPC value of the countries controlled by the axis, regardless if the income is paid or not. In case an axis capital city is occupied by the allies, the countries occupied by this axis power are still counting!

1.1.2 A&A Revised (AAR)
For rated AAR games the most recent "Larry Harris Tournament Rules" (LHTR) are applied. Technology Development is allowed by default.

The following victory conditions apply:
Beside the wihdraw of a player the game is over when the axis or the allies hold minimum 9 victory cities at the end of a round (after US turn).

1.1.3 Anniversary Edition (AA50)

For rated AA50 games the original English ruleset plus the most recent version of the FAQs are applied. By default the NOs (national objectives) are in effect and seazone BLA (Z16) is freely accessible, but technology development is not allowed.

The following victory conditions apply:
Beside the wihdraw of a player the game is over when the axis or the allies hold minimum 15 victory cities at the end of a round (after US turn).

1.1.4 1940 Global Edition
For rated 1940 Global games the English 2nd edition ruleset plus the most recent version of the FAQs are applied. By default the NOs (national objectives) are in effect, but technology development is not allowed.

The following victory conditions apply:
Beside the wihdraw of a player the game is over when any players achieves the victory conditions as outlined in the 2nd edition ruleset.

1.2 Optional rules
Deviant from 1.1 optional rules are possible. But it should be noted, that only the officially approved DAAK options are permitted. If options are used, they have to be agreed upon prior to game start by all participating players and have to be declared via the applicable web form at game start. It should be noted, though, that optional rules are only permitted for free (?fun?) games, or, put differently, for tournament games 2nd Edition rules or AAR LHTRules always apply unless explicitly stated otherwise in the tournament description. In addition, it is strongly recommended that newbies use only basic rules, because only those are fully supported by DAAK helpers and the defence ministry. (i.e. no 2nd ed options or AAR national advantages)

1.3 Format
At DAAK, eMail (Standard or LowLuck A&A) games are played.

1.4 Free rated games and tournament games
Basically there are these two types of games at DAAK that can be counted for ranking. In each case the DAAK Rules have to be observed, which for email games include the use of DAAK Dicey or the DAAK LowLuck A&A Diceservers. Furthermore the game must have been started. Therefore both players need to have placed their bid. Games that don?t meet with this condition are considered not being played and therefore can?t be ranked.

1.4.1 Free rated games
Free rated games may be played by 2 to 6 members at any time. The game is opened by one of the players in the DAAK game database and registered at one of the dice servers after bidding. When a game has ended, e.g. after one of the victory conditions has been reached or after one side concedes defeat, the game looser immediately enters the outcome into the DAAK game database via "End game".

1.4.2 Tournament games
The second type of games are tournament games. For them, in addition to the normal DAAK rules, general tournament rules (see chapter 9) and special conditions laid out in the tournament description also apply. At game start, there is another substantial difference: Tournament games are not started by the players themselves, but by the tournament leader. They are, however, ended like free rated games by the looser.

1.5 Etiquette
We greatly value a polite tongue and a respectful attitude in dealing with each other, even in a closely contested game or in a hot discussion in the forum. Repeated or extreme violations of this rule can end your DAAK membership.

1.6 Dogtags
All participating players must be members at DAAK at the start of a game. The registration at DAAK has to be done by all players personally. This means that a player may not register a friend of his and then enter games (probably ?wins?) in the ranking against this player.

Everyone is free to choose his game alias (nickname, dogtag) and free to change it at any time. It will, however, not be tolerated to choose a dogtag that could be interpreted as insulting, radical or as giving the club a wrong image (that includes names of Nazi-politicians or similar indications of bad taste). It is also forbidden to place radical or insulting text in the short description available to each player. We do not want to have anything to do with political radicals, and we also do not want to be associated to them!
Other than that, of course no name can be choosen that is already used by another DAAK member.

1.7 Personnel file
Every DAAK member must have a valid email address! Should your address be invalid, your account will be closed, so please give due notice when the address changes. You can change your address on your own after logging into your personnel file. Of course, you have to enter your dogtag and your password first. If you like, you can add other personal info, e.g. hobbies or place of residence, or you can change your dogtag. All the information is displayed in the gamers profile whenever the ranking is viewed and someone clicks on your dogtag.

1.8 Double membership
It is strictly forbidden to have more than one account at DAAK. That means that you cannot register again with another dogtag. It is, however, perfectly ok to change your dogtag (see 1.6 and 1.7, and additional info in chapter 10).

2. The Bidding system

2.1. Principles of bidding
Which side (axis or allies) a player takes is is determined by the bidding. Bidding was developed to balance the game and neglect disadvantages due to the starting setup. It basically works like this: Both players place their secret bid via the bid server. The server then compares the bids, and the player with the lower bid 'wins' the bid and the winner is allowed to place the additional units. If the bids of the two sides have the same value, the winner is determined randomly. The server then sends out emails to both sides telling them who won the bid. In case the game is a team game (meaning more than one player per side), of course only one player per side places a bid in the name of his team.

2.2 Number and type of units
When bidding, not only the value of the bid but also the exact number, type and location of the units bidded have to be specified. Optionally, a first OOL (order of loss) can be given as well. This greatly reduces the time needed since the first nation can start with his first turn right after receiving the bid result. In case the entered bid value does accidentially not match the value of the units specified, the starting player has to check back with his opponent prior to commencing his move. However the outcome and the value of the bid (e.g. player A wins the bid with 21 IPC) remain valid and there is no need to rerun the bidding process.

2.3 Bidding rules for the individual A&A variants
In all variants the complete bid can be used for placing additional units. Optionally the bid can also be used to add IPCs to the starting income and also combinations of units and IPC are allowed. The total bid value must be equal to the value of units and IPCs. The bid can be distributed freely between the individual powers.

2.3.1 Bidding rules for A&A 2nd edition
- You are bidding on the axis, that means the player with the lowest bid is playing the axis.
- Additional German sea units may be placed in any empty or already German-controlled sea zone bordering German land areas (gray areas on the bord)
- Additional German land units (inf, arm, ftr, bmb, aa) may be placed in any German land area (gray areas on the board)
- Additional German factories may be placed in any German land area except those where a factory is already present. These additional factories have limited production and may only produce as many units as the IPC valueh of the area where they are placed
- The same rules apply for Japanese units, factories or IPCs
- No German units or factories may be placed in Japanese areas (or in sea zones bordering Japanese areas) and vice versa

2.3.2 Bidding rules for A&A Revised
- You are bidding on the axis, that means the player with the lowest bid is playing the axis.
- Additional German sea units may be placed in any empty or already German-controlled sea zone bordering German land areas
- Additional German land units (inf, arm, ftr, bmb, aa) may be placed in any German land area (gray areas on the board)
- Additional German factories may be placed in any German land area except those where a factory is already present.
- The same rules apply for Japanese units, factories or IPCs
- No German units or factories may be placed in Japanese areas (or in sea zones bordering Japanese areas) and vice versa

2.3.3 Bidding rules for A&A Anniversary Edition
- You are bidding on the allies, that means the player with the lowest bid is playing the allies.
- Additional sea units may only be placed in sea zones where already units of the same power are present
- No additional bombers may be placed during the bidding
- Additional land units, naval units and industrial complexed can only be placed in areas belonging to the same nation as the to be placed unit, which means russian units in russian areas (red), english units in english areas (brown), american units in american areas (dark green) and chinese units in chinese areas (light green). China may only place infantry units. Same rules apply to the 1942 setup.

2.3.4 Bidding rules for A&A 1940 Global Edition
- You are bidding on the allies, that means the player with the lowest bid is playing the allies.
- Additional sea units may only be placed in sea zones where already units of the same power are present
- Additional land units, naval units and industrial complexed can only be placed in areas belonging to the same nation as the to be placed unit, which means russian units in russian areas (red), english units in english areas (light brown), american units in american areas (dark green), french units in french areas (blue), australian units in australian areas (dark brown) and chinese units in chinese areas (light green). China may only place infantry units.

2.4 Negative bids
Not usual but nevertheless possible are negative bids. In this case the looser of the bid is allowed to place additional units or distribute additional IPCs equal to the value of the bid. The same rules as mentioned in 2.3. are applied for placing the additional units. In case of a negative bid the distribution of IPCs and placement of the units must be completed before starting the first turn. The looser of the bid can decide how the bid is used. As only exeption to 2.3.3 the axis player is allowed to place German units into Lib.

Procedures and characteristics of email games

The following rules haven't been written to prolonge a game unnecessarily but to avoid problems before they even arise. The rules are based on long year experience and are intended to enable fair gameplay. In the end we all want to have fun.

3.1. Basic procedures
In the following we assume that the rules for the A&A board game are known. Each individual step of email gameplay (email games are often abbreviated as PBEM for "Play by eMail") must be inter into dicey:

1. Technology
2. Purchase
3. Combat moves
4. Combat (see also 3.2)
5. Combat moves, this time with the combat results
6. Non combat moves
7. Placement of new units
8. IPC update, listing the income and cash for all nations
9. Current map

An example for a complete turn can be found in chapter 5.

Regarding item 3:
It is of utmost importance to declare the combat moves correctly and unambiguously. Any errors occurring at this point are very serious since the dice are rolled immediately afterwards. Incorrect combat movement declaration may result in dice rolls being invalid! Therefore, it is very important that the combat movement declaration includes the following information:
- The name of the attacked country
- The number and type of the units defending the country
- The number, type and starting-point of the attacking units
- In case of amphibious invasions, specify from which sea zone the transports are unloaded and from which zone the battle ships fire their support shot.
- Whenever units (regardless whether arms, planes or ships) move more than one zone on their way to combat, the full path that is taken by each such unit has to be specified. This can be omitted if the path doesn?t matter. Mind you, though, that the path is relevant quite often because it defines potential retreat zones. In case the attacker does not specify a path, the use of the shortest available path is assumed. If more than one shortest path exists, a re-roll of the combat may be deemed necessary (see also 6.3.5).

Regarding item 6: When ftr are in a seazone where ac of different nationality are present it will be assumed that the ftr is landing on the ac belonging to the nation which turn it is. Exception from that must be declared in the ncm phase.

Regarding item 9:
Strictly speaking the map attachment is redundant since all information regarding movement and placement is already included in items 1 to 8. Therefore item 9 is simply a control instance and a tool to find and correct errors. It is, however, a highly important tool, since errors are frequent in eMail games!

After uploading or mailing the map the turn is completed! Changes to the non-combat moves or placement after that requires the consent of your opponent. The player does not need to accept any changes and he does not need to explain his decision. Every player is expected to complete his turn correctly.

The success (=fun) of an email game is especially dependant on the care the players take when declaring their movements, and a certain discipline is imperative for that (see also 3.4).

3.2 Order Of Loss in battles (OOL)
In general first the inexpensive (IPC value) and weaker defending units are removed, and only after that the more expensive units. The dice server automatically removes both attacking and defending units according to the standard-OOL. The attacker (being the one to operate the dice server) has the possibility to manually correct the OOL for his units. He may do this by manually correcting the appropriate fields in the dice server form. However, if he deviates from the standard-OOL he has to notify his opponent before moving on with rolling the dice. The most efficient way to do so is by using the "comment" space in dicey. Example: Attack on GER, 4th battle round: 1arm 4ftr 1bmb (attacking) vs 1inf 2ftr (defending). Say the defence scores two hits, then the dice server will automatically remove the tank and one of the fighters as losses. If the attacker prefers to conquer the territory instead of just clearing it, he will rather want to keep the tank and sacrifice a second fighter. He changes this manually in dicey in writes into the comment-field: "loose 1arm 1ftr". The he continues rolling. Of course, the attacker is not allowed to change the order of loss for the defender, except the defender specifically told him to do so before (see 3.2.4). Under certain circumstanced a OOL-stop is mandatory. In this case the attacker rolls the dice for his attacking units and then must ask his opponent for the OOL. Only after the OOL has been communicated the battle continues. This principle holds for every round of combat unless the defender states an OOL for the entire fight.

3.2.1 Standard OOL 2nd edition:
Standard-OOL for the attacker in land battles: Inf, Arm, Ftr, Bmb
Standard-OOL for the defender in land battles: Inf, Arm, Bmb, Ftr
Standard-OOL for the attacker in sea battles: Trn, Sub, Ac, Ftr, Bmb, BB
Standard-OOL for the defender in sea battles: Trn, Sub, Ftr, Ac, BB
An OOL-stop is in effect whenever bomber, submarines or loaded transporters are amongst the defending units.

3.2.2 Standard OOL A&A Revised:
Standard-OOL for the attacker in land battles: Inf, Rtl, Arm, Ftr, Bmb
Standard-OOL for the defender in land battles: Inf, Rtl, Arm, Bmb, Ftr
Standard-OOL for the attacker in sea battles: BB (first hit), Trn, Sub, Ftr, Des, Ac, Bmb, BB (second hit)
Standard-OOL for the defender in sea battles: BB (first hit), Trn, Sub, Ftr, Des, Ac, BB (second hit)
An OOL-stop is in effect whenever bomber, submarines or loaded transporters are amongst the defending units.

3.2.3 Standard OOL A&A Anniversary Edition:
Standard-OOL for the attacker in land battles: Inf, Rtl, Arm, Ftr, Bmb
Standard-OOL for the defender in land battles: Inf, Rtl, Arm, Bmb, Ftr
Standard-OOL for the attacker in sea battles: BB (first hit), Sub, Des, Cru, Ac, Ftr, Bmb, BB (second hit)
Standard-OOL for the defender in sea battles: BB (first hit), Sub, Des, Cru, Ac, Ftr, BB (second hit)
An OOL-stop is in effect whenever destroyers or loaded carriers are amongst the defending units.

3.2.4 Standard OOL 1940 Global Edition:
Standard-OOL for the attacker in land battles: Inf, Rtl, MInf, Arm, Ftr, TB, Bmb
Standard-OOL for the defender in land battles: AA, Inf, Rtl, MInf, Arm, Bmb, TB, Ftr
Standard-OOL for the attacker in sea battles: BB (first hit), Sub, CV (first hit), CV (second hit), DD, CA, Ftr, TB, Bmb, BB (second hit)
Standard-OOL for the defender in sea battles: BB (first hit), CV (first hit), Sub, DD, CV (second hit), CA, Ftr, TB, BB (second hit)
An OOL-stop is in effect whenever AA, Bmb or CV are among the defending units!

3.2.5 For some combats, the defender may depending on his strategy wish to give an OOL that is different from standard OOL. The defender has to declare this special OOL when ending his turn. To do this, he may either state a concrete order of loss (e.g.: OOL = trns, bb, 1st ftr, ac, 2nd ftr) or set a general stop signal. Please take great care when using this latter option - it is very time consuming and causes quite a delay in the game.

3.2.6 Multinational defense, that being units of different nations defending one attacked territory. If the attacker plans to withdraw, depending on the circumstances it can make a big difference to which nation the surviving units may belong. In this case the attacker may ask the defender what units of what nation he wants to lose first and then base his decision whether to withdraw or to continue the fight. If the attacker does not use this option, the defender is entitled to freely chose what units of what nation are taken as losses before commencing his turn. Of course, this only applies to units of one kind (e.g. inf), otherwise standard OOL applies.
Example: Russia is attacked defended by 20inf 2ftr RUS; 10inf 2arm 2ftr UK; 6inf 3arm 3ftr USA.
Suppose the attacker hits 20 times and then pulls back, the defender then may freely choose whose inf he loses before he commences the next turn. For example, he could chose to lose all Russian inf, or 10 British + 6 American + 4 Russian, or any other combination of 20 infs. He may not, however, chose to lose arm or ftr as losses.

3.3 Unit limits
There is no maximum limitation of units in the game. Every player may possess as many units as he wishes (and can afford) and is not limited to the number of units present in board game.

Duty of care
A special duty of care applies not only to the player operating dicey but also for his opponent who receives the turn. The receiving player has to control whether the rules have been obeyed, but ABOVE ALL, check the map for inconsistencies. If this consistency check yields differences, of course the player may not simply play on. Instead, he has to ask his opponent for clarification and correction (see also 6.5).
Alternatively, it is possible that both players agree prior to game start to play by map only, which means that the non-combat moves are not entered into dicey. In that case the consistency check of non combat moves and map can be omitted since only the map is authoritative. Of course, a check of consistency with the board game rules must still be done. Obviously this agreement needs even more care on the moving side and more trust on the receiving side.
In any case: Each player is responsible for following the rules. Whenever a player knowingly ignores errors of his opponent and does not insist on clarification/correction, both players are liable for all consequences of the error. We highly recommend to enter ALL the items mentioned in 3.1 into dicey since this provides more information for the ministers of defense in case of a dispute.

4. LowLuck A&A

LowLuck A&A was developed here at DAAK and is a special way to play A&A. Since its introduction 2001 LL A&A is getting more and more popular amongst the members of the A&A online community. Because of that a lot of good A&A players have joined DAAK. LowLuck A&A isnt really another variant but another method of combat resolution. Basically you roll only one die for the attacker and one for the defender every round of combat instead of one die for every unit . This way the luck by rolling the dice still exist, but it is greatly reduced. Generally, the way of playing the game will not change, the same strategies that work in normal A&A also work in Low Luck A&A. For email games our members may use the comfortable LowLuck dice servers which have been developed here at DAAK. However, LowLuck can also be used for face-to face-games. At DAAK the 2nd ed. Low Luck rules and the AAR LowLuck rules are applied respectively. In regards to AA50 LowLuck: An AA50 LowLuck dicey exists but the corresponding rules are currently under development.

5. Abbreviations

In the following the most common abbreviations which are also used internationally are listed.

5.1 Units:
Infantry - Inf
Artillery - Ari or Rtl
Armor - Arm
Air Defense - AA
Industrial Complex ? IC
Transport - Trn
Submarine - Sub
Aircraft Carrier ? AC or CV
Battleboat - BB
Destroyer - DD or Des
Cruiser - Cru or CA
Fighter - Ftr
Bomber - Bmb
Jet - jet
Mobile Infantry - MInf
Tactical Bomber - TB
Naval Base - NB
Air Base - AB
Minor Industrial Complex - MinIC
Major Industrial Complex - MajIC

5.2 Technological Achievements: Super Subs - SS
Rockets - Ro
Industrial Technology ? IT
Jets - Jet oder nur - J
Long range Aircraft - LRA
Heavy Bombers - HBmb
Combined Bombardement ? CB

5.3 Abbreviations for the different sea / land zones. Those can be taken from the map (download under Games - tools).

5.4 Other abbreviations:
Combat move - cm
Versus - vs
Non Combat Move - ncm
Combat results:
Taken without loss - twol or tk wo loss
Taken with - tk w ...
Cleared with the following units - cl w...
Held with the following units - hld w
Retreat with the following units - rtr w
Damage - dam
Attacker - att
Defender - def
The abbreviations of the combat results can be also combined.

5.5 Example of an Attack
Attack on Ukraine with 10 Infantry and 5 Armors against 10 Infantry and 1 Fighter.
Combat move:
Ukr: 10inf 5arm vs 10inf 1ftr
The Attacker withdraws after a few combat rounds and writes as combat result:
Ukr: 10inf 5arm vs 10inf 1ftr
rtr w 1inf 5arm
hld w 1inf 1ftr

5.6 Example of a complete turn of the USA in the first round

US 1

buy: 4trn 1inf save 1

cm:
a) 1 bmb eus to wmd vs 1 sub
*** cl w bmb

b) 2inf eus to alg per trn
*** wi

c) 2inf sin to ind vs inf
*** hld w inf, 1inf retreat

ncm:
bmb wmd to gib
ftr eus to gbr
trn wco to goc
bb wco to glp
1inf 1aa wus 1 inf ala to wca

place: all eus

collect: 35+1 ipc

income/cash
Rus 19/26
Ger 32/35
UK 27/30
Jap 34/34
US 35/36

End US turn 1

Note: The notation does not have to look precisely in such a way. However, it is important that all substantial elements are contained as it is described in chapter 3.1 and that the it is complete and not mistakeable. The cash/income listing is not mandatory when it is displayed on the map. In 2nd edition and AAR it is common to display the respective numbers of flags in Saudi Arabia. For AA50 there is an extra field on the map.

6. Error correction rules (PBEM games)

6.1 Fundamentals
While playing games by email (PBEM), there will always be (hopefully) unintentional errors.
Most of the errors occur during combat declaration by the attacking player usually when the attacker is in doubt about the type and number of units in certain territories. Another source for errors is the incorrect interpretation of the rules or miscalculation of the moves during "Combat Move".
The number of possible errors makes it impossible to have rules covering every possible situation.
Therefore the first and most important rule is:

Errors, that are not mentioned here specifically, should be resolved by the players by applying fairness and common sense.

It is quite possible, that someone will try to exploit these error correction (or other) rules to gain an advantage (so called rule lawyers). On the other hand there are players who will produce errors after errors during their moves annoying their opponents, who have to correct all these errors. Both situations won't be accepted nor tolerated by DAAK.
In such cases, the minister of defense in consulatation with the board members can make decisions that differ from the existing rules. In some cases the players can receive a warning or even be disqualified.
Please keep the following in mind: Competition is supported as long as the games are played in a friendly and fair manner. Blind ambition and a win at all cost mentality won't do the game any good. We are here to enjoy this game, arent we?

6.2 Purchase errors

6.2.1 Player did not buy enough or did not buy at all?
If the active player has rolled the first die he must not modify purchases (except his opponent allows him to do so).

6.2.2 Bought too much (i.e. purchased more units then your money allows)?
All dice rolls are invalid. Repeat turn after correcting the purchase.

6.3 Combat declaration errors
Battles that contain combat declaration errors are invalid and have to be repeated or cancelled. This will only be applied to battles that contain combat declaration errors. The results of battles that were correctly declared will stand.
Exception: If the results of some or all of the correct battles have any effect on the decision of the attacker to repeat incorrect battles, then the defender can ask for a reroll of these (correct) battles. If the players can't agree, the minister of defense will decide.

6.3.1 Incorrect type/number of attackers or incorrect combat moves
The attacker has two options:
1) He cancels the attack. The involved units are not allowed to participate in any other combats. They are allowed to move in non combat movement.
2) He attacks. The originally declared target is the only allowed target (exception: see 6.3.3). Only units that did not participate in other combats can attack. The attacker declares the new combat moves through dicey.

Exception: If the attacker declares multiple combat moves, with units originating from one and the same territory, and where the total number of attackers (per type) is incorrect, then all the combat results where these attacking units participated are invalid.

Example:
Germany has 3inf 1arm 2ftr 1bmb in Egy and attacks as follows:
#1: 2inf bmb egy to syr
#2: 2inf 1ftr egy to fea
#3: arm 1ftr egy to ken
He uses 4 inf, although there are only 3 inf in Egy. In this case combats #1 and #2 are invalid and have to be repeated or cancelled. The result of combat #3 stays.

6.3.2 Incorrect type/number of defenders in the attacked territory
The error correction procedure is the same as in 6.3.1.

6.3.3 Incorrect declaration of the name of the attacked territory or the origin territory of the attacking units
If the name of the attacked territory was incorrectly declared in combat move, while it is apparentAPPARENT which territory was meant, then the battle result will stand.
The term "apparent" is obviously quite flexible and therefore a couple of examples:
1) The attacked territory can be identified by its defending units. E.g.: Combat move declaration: 10inf 1arm 2ftr UK to Eeu vs 10inf 1ftr aa. Suppose there are 12inf 2arm in Eeu. The combat move is invalid and would have to be redone. Furthermore suppose there are 10 inf 1 ftr aa in Weu (the declared defending units). The attacker apparently made a typing error and wanted to attack Weu. The battle results will stand.
2)The origin territory can be identified based on the number and type of the attacking units. In case there are several options based on the map an unique identification is not given anymore.
3) In the combat move, a "walk in" (wi) has been declared, while the incorrect indicated territory is already in possession by the attacker. Particularly obvious cases arise when the allies need to prevent a M84 (M84 is a winning condition in 2nd edition A&A). E.g. After Japan's turn, the axis income is at 87 ipcs. The US player decides to attack two territories to get the axis income under 84 ipcs:
#1: 3inf 1ftr Rus to Cau vs 2inf
#2: 1inf Spa to Fea vs nothing
Suppose battle #2 is incorrect, because the territory is already in possession by the UK. However, Con (which borders to the same sz as FEA) is German territory though. It is obvious that Con was meant and so it should be interpreted.

Apparently fairness should prevail while handling these situations. If the players cannot agree, the minister of defense should be contacted.

6.3.4 The sea zone for the amphibious landing is not specified
Many land areas border to multiple sea zones. If the sea zones of the unloading transports and the battleships (support shot) for an amphibious attack are not specified correctly, the following situations may oocur:
1) Sea zone is unambiguous: the ships have only one legal territory to go to. The combat move is valid.
2) There are multiple sea zones from which the transports can unload, but the ships are located in one of them at the start of the turn. The combat move is valid and the ships will remain in the sea zone they have started.
3) There are multiple available sea zones AND the ships are not located in anyone of them.
The combat move is invalid and needs to be redone or canceled (see 6.3.1).

6.3.5 The moving path to the combat zone has not been accurately declared
If it has been noted (after a battle) that the moving path of the attacking units has not been declared accurately in the combat movement declaration, the following situations can occur:
1) The route to the battlefield is obvious. The combat movement and combat results are valid.
2) The route to the battlefield is not obvious.
a) There is a (one) shortest route. This shortest route will be choosen for the combat movement. The battle results are valid.
Note: The shortest route for planes is defined as the route that does not lead over an AA-Gun.
b) There is more than one shortest route and the choice of the route could make a difference: (e.g. for possible retreats). The combat movement is not valid. The battle will have to be repeated.
Note: often the path of the attacking units in the combat movement is crucial for defining retreat routes!

6.3.6 Combat declaration errors but correct in Dicey
All affected combats have to be redeclared and rerolled.

6.3.7 Major errors that cancel the complete combat move
In these cases the attacker can ask his opponent if he may redo his combat moves. His opponent does not have to comply with this request, however at that time the minister of defense can be contacted, who may grant the request. This may happen especially when the attacker is inexperienced with PBEM games.

6.4 Erros using Dicey (Dicey errors)

6.4.1 In general
In this section it will be assumed that the combat moves are correct and that the error occurs when entering the type and number of units in Dicey. In general rerolls happen from the point of error.

6.4.2 Forgot amphibious assault
The complete battle must be rerolled.

6.4.3 Forgot to activate the AA
The battle will be rerolled from this point on. Rolls for amphibious assaults are valid, since they fire before AA-guns

6.4.4 Entered incorrect type or number of attacking units in Dicey
Both the attacker and the defender will be rerolled. Results for amphibious assaults and AA-gun are valid, since they fired before. Only complete rounds of the attacker are rerolled, not single dice rolls. If the type of unit is incorrect but it has the same attack value as the correct unit, the roll will stand.

6.4.5 Entered incorrect type or number of defending units in Dicey
Only the defender will be rerolled, since the attacker rolls happened before and are valid. As described in 6.4.4 the complete defender round must be rerolled - not single rolls. If the type of unit is incorrect but it has the same defense value as the correct unit, the roll will stand.

6.4.6 OOL has not been applied
1) If a specific OOL is ignored, 6.4.5 will be applied and the defender roll with the correct units must be rerolled. A specific OOL is given, when the defender has provided a specific OOL before the battle occurs.
E.g.: The defender has specified the following OOL before a seabattle: BB, Ftr, Ftr, AC. Accidentally the attacker used the standard OOL. Solution: As specified in 6.4.5 the battle is rerolled from the moment of the first incorrect defending diceroll.
2) If a general OOL stop signal (as described in 3.2) has been ingored by the attacker, the battle must be rerolled from the moment the defender should have been asked for his specific OOL. This is independent whether the defender actually changes the OOL or not.
Example for an AAR game: 3 trn, 1 sub are under attack by 2 bmb, which score at least 1 hit. As specified in 3.2.2 the defender has the right to determine his OOL before the defender rolls. For these cases the option in dicey exists to only roll for the attacker by choosing "Attacker only". After the attacker rolled the defender must be asked for the OOL (of course only if the attacker made at least one hit and if there are any OOL decisions to be made). Suppose the attacker ingnores this and continues to roll, then all the dice results after the attacking roll are invalid and have to be rerolled (after the defender has specified his OOL). This also applies for further battle rounds if the sub is still alive. An OOL request is only necessary if there is something to decide by the defender.
3) While resoving complex battles an OOL-stop got ignoriert the battle needs to be resumed at the position when first an OOL decision would have been to be made. Example for an AAR game: Amhibious assault with two battleboats and 5inf 5arm vs. 10inf 2bmb. According to the rules the two battleboats would fire first and then in case of a hit the defender needs to be asked for an OOL (because of the bmb present). Suppose the attacker rolls all units at the same time and ingores the OOL stop. Further suppose the two battleboats don't score a hit but the remaining attacker units score 4 hits and the defender 5 hits. Because the two battleboats did not hit no OOL stop was required at that time and the remaining attacher rolls are valid. However after the attacker made 4 hits with the land units at that time an OOL stop was required. The defender rolls are invalid and need to be rerolled after the defender declared his OOL. Similar situations can occur with subs.

6.5 Illegal non combat movements and placement errors
1) The following Power has not rolled yet: The player corrects all incorrect movements and/or corrects his placement errors. He can also alter the correctly moved and placed units.
2) The following Power already rolled: Incorrect movements will be corrected. Incorrectly placed units (or units that were not placed at all) will be placed in the capitol of the Power (if possible). The opponent can allow other solutions but is not obliged to do so.
After that, the following Power will start its turn over (i.e. purchasing, combat moves etc.).
If the errors have not been noticed within one complete round of play (e.g. Rus2 to Ger 3), the game will continue without any corrections, as if there were no errors at all.

6.6 Non combat moves inconsistent with unit update or map
If the positions of units differ between BattleMap and the non combat moves and placements, the opponent needs to be contacted immediately (by mail) for clarification of the board position.
DAAK handles this differently then other pbem clubs!
A player cannot appeal to written non combat moves, while the map does not correspond to those.
If a player continously makes errors (at least 5), then his opponent can continue with the position resulting from the non combat moves, without always verifying the unit update. In this case a short notice mustd be send to his opponent and the minster of defense after which the player can continue in the future without any further comment.

6.7 Responsibility of the player
Every player is responsible for verifying the map update and for correcting any errors or misunderstandings in agreement with his opponent immediately. Of course the best error prevention is playing as diligent as possible!
The players can agree to correct errors differently than above rules, but please, be careful! The agreements should be applied consequently during the entire game. Besides that, the players will have a big responsibility. Any discrepancies can result in tough decisions for the minster of defense.

6.8 Interactions with the minister of defense
In case of general rule questions please do not contact the minster of defense immediately. First a quick search in the forum should be done, since most of the general rule questions have already been discussed there. If you cannot find the answer by searching then simply ask your question in the forum. Usually answers are provided much faster in the forum.
The minster of defense should be contacted by email through verteidigungsministerium@daak.de if difficulties are encounters with an opponent which cannot be solved on your own (that should not be discussed openly in the forum). In this case the situation should be described objectively and shortly but detailed. Please do not send any maps or attachments. Those will be requested later when needed but usually the match standing are not neede to provide rule clarifications. It is advisable to save all emails related to a game to provide detailed information in case of a dispute.

7. Ranking

7.1 General
The basis of DAAK?s ranking system is a so-called Tanhyp-system. This non-linear system determines the number of points a player receives for a win by using the point difference between the players. For the calculation, the differential will be determined. This is the ranking points difference between the two players. In case of multiplayer games, the ranking points of the best player on each team will be used for calculation. To achieve a specific rank (e.g. lieutenant) a player has to gain enough ranking points but also finish a certain number of games at DAAK. If a player doesn't meet the conditions of a specific rank anymore (e.g. not enough points) he will be down graded again.

7.2 Sorting the ranking table by points
If you take a look at DAAK's Ranking table you will notice that it is sorted by ranks by default.
However with a simple mouse click you can also look at the ranking table sorted by ranking points . This will give a better display of the actual strength of the players.

7.3 Sign up rule
More and more good players from other A&A clubs are joining DAAK. On the other hand new players with little or no experience are joining DAAK.
Therefore sign up rule has been implemented. New members can choose between four possible levels of entry into DAAK. The levels are distinguished by a possible mentor program and the starting number of ranking points.

- Axis&Allies Novice: knows the basic rules, but has little experience with the game and/or online play. Starts with 850 points.
- Axis&Allies Advanced Player: plays the boardgame on a regular basis and/or has some experience with play by email. Starts with 1000 points.
- Experienced Online Player: already played a lot of games in another A&A club. Starts with 1150 points.
- International Top Player: high ranked player (demonstrable) in one of the international A&A clubs. Starts with 1250 points.

New players choose their own level of entry. However if level 3 or 4 are chosen DAAK will check and possibly correct the level.
The different starting points of this rule were not developed to attract good players or punish weak players. The main reason is to warrant that the first opponents of these new members win or lose a fair number of points (not too many but not too little either) for these games. This will basically prevent distortions of the ranking.

7.4 Minimum level of activity
To prevent the presence of non active members in the ranking, DAAK wants its members to have some level of activity, i.e. everybody should play a game on a regular basis.
- Players who didn?t finish a game within 12 months of their registration will be deleted from the database.
- Players who didn?t finish a single game within a period of 4 months (playing only doesn?t suffice) will be labeled as ?temporarily inactive? and won?t be shown in the ranking table. Whenever the player is active again (i.e. finishes a game), his name will be displayed again in the ranking without any further consequences.
- Players who didn?t finish a game within a 12 month period (playing only doesn?t suffice), will be labeled as being ?withdrawn? and won?t be shown in the ranking anymore. If the player wants to continue playing again, he can request a reactivation of his account. He can expect to lose some points though, depending on the duration of his absence.

8. Absence during a game and Forfeits

8.1 Rhythm and frequency of the turns
Every player should execute his turns on a regular basis following the prearranged speed.
If a fast game has been agreed upon (1 turn a day) the speed should be maintained during the entire game.
Multiple violations of these agreements should be reported to the minister of defense, who will warn the violating player. In exceptional cases the player will be forfeited which has the same consequences as described in 8.4.

8.2 Excessive long games
If one side drags the game into an excessive long game, a player can ask for an independent and official adjudication, if the player thinks without a doubt that he will win the game. A player has the right to ask the minister of tournaments for an adjudication to end a ranked game.
Prerequesite: the game is going on for at least 4 months and at least 12 complete rounds have been played.
The procedure of the adjudication of the game is the same as the adjudication of a tournament game (see 9.5.5) with these differences:
The judgement will not decide upon proceeding in the tournament but about the result of a ranked game. If the judges are unanimous (and only then) in their judgement, then the winner may end the game in his advantage. An objection of the losing party should be sent to the DAAK borad who will make a definite and final decision.
If the adjudication is NOT unanimous, the game will continue. The judges can also decide to a draw. This also results in a continuation of the game.
If one more month has passed and at least 5 more rounds have been played, then the arbitration court can be contacted again.
Note: due to organizational reasons the arbitration court should also be contacted through the tournament office, no matter if it is a tournament game or not. The tournament office will then contact the judges.

8.3 Absence and vacation
Every player has the right to take a ?vacation? (time out) during the game. His opponent should be notified in time and informed about the duration of the time out. The time frame of the absence may not be longer than 4 weeks except his opponent allows a longer absence.

8.4 Conditions and procedure of a forfeit request
Nothing good comes from losing a game because of a forfeit. Besides losing ranking points there are also some further consequences. Therefore a couple of conditions must be met. A game can be decided as a win for one side if the opposing side did not respond or send a turn over a longer period of time. This will be decided by the minister of defense and has the following prerequisites:

1. The game in question is active (both sides have placed their bid).
2. The absent player has not informed his opponent about his absence or he does not come back after his announced time of absence.
3. The waiting player has tried to contact his opponentr several times.
4. The waiting player has send the facts (time frame, both dogtags, game number) to the Minister of Defense.
5. The absent player does not respond within 3 days to the warning of the minister of defense.
6. The waiting player contacts the minister of defense and asks for a victory because of desertion.

In general the minister of defense will then decide the game in favor of the waiting player. However, exceptions are possible (in agreement with the DAAK board if needed).

Important: The waiting player is not obligated to issue a forfeit request. He should only do this if he, in all fairness, is convinced that he deserves the victory or if the opponent is not responding anymore or repeatedly violates game speed! There are a lot of examples where the opponent can?t continue to play due to illness or other circumstances, while actually having a good board position. In such cases it might be better (recommended) to end this game in a draw (instead of issuing a forfeit request), assuming that this opponent has informed the player about his situation.
But please note, that you must NOT end a game as draw or win if you dont have the agreement of your opponent or the official OK from the minister of defense

8.5 Consequences of forfeits
- Loss of the game and of course loss of the related ranking points, which can result in a lower ranking and the loss of a certain rank.
- The player who forfeited will get a ?forfeit? remark in his profil.
- Players who have forfeited cannot apply for a position on the DAAK board for one year.
- A second forfeit will result in a warning from the minister of defense.
- A third forfeit may result in termination from DAAK, which will be decided by the DAAK board.

8.6 Tournament games
There are additional rules for tournament games (see chapter 9). E.g.: The tournament director may decide upon a forfeit in tournament games (see 8.4).

9 Tournament Rules

9.1 Application of the general DAAK Rules
For all tournaments the general DAAK Rules apply, unless it is explicitly stated otherwise.
Even in very close and hard fought tournament games you should always keep discipline and fairness in mind (see chapter 1.5, 3 and 6.1).
If errors do occur the chapter ?error correction? (see chapter 6) could be of great help.

9.2 Tournament Schedule
There is an annual schedule for tournaments at DAAK. Every tournament has its specific starting month which makes it easy to plan for the players.

9.3 Tournament Sign Up
You can sign up for tournaments by visiting the tournament page (except Champion Trophies) or you can just see who has already signed up for a certain tournament.
2-3 weeks prior to the start of the tournament the Minister of Tournaments will send an email to all members announcing the start of the tournament and the last possible date for signing in. Restrictions or if all members can play that tournaments are listed in the specific tournament description.
Sign in for tournaments takes exclusively place through the tournament page, if not otherwise announced by the Minister of Tournaments.

9.4 Start of a tournament
When the sign up period closes, it is not possible to sign up anymore!
The tournament office will determine the number of tournament rounds (depending of the number of players) and will draw the tournament games. The tournament office will start all tournament games (also for the ranking database), i.e. the players should not start their own tournament games, but only use the game numbers supplied by the tournament office.

9.5 Process of a tournament round

9.5.1 Duration
A tournament round is usually 2-3 months. This will ensure that even larger tournaments can be finished within one year. Exceptions are stated in the tournament description or can be enforced by the Minister of Tournaments.

9.5.2 Frequency of playing
To finish an A&A game within 2 months a rhythm of 1 or 2 days a turn is expected.
However, a turn must be made within the stated time frame for the respective tournaments:
Single player tournaments: 74 hours
2 vs. 2 tournaments: 98 hours
Process for violation of these rules:
1st violation: The opponent should be notified of the violation and asked nicely to comply with the tournament rules, the minster of tournaments should be copied (turnierleitung at daak.de)
2nd violation: Notification to the minister of tournaments. If the violation is confirmed the opponent will receive a warning
3rd violation: Notification to the minister of tournaments. If the violation is confirmed the opponent will be disqualified, but the match continues

A violation can only be acknowledged if the minister of tournaments is notified immediately.
In order to maintain a nice playing environment the involvement of the tournament organizer should be the last resort.
Also it is recommended to notify the Minister of Tournaments if there is frequent inaccuracy in your opponents turns which slows the game down, especially if you have the suspicion that this happens on purpose.

9.5.3 Vacation and desertation
For vacation chapter 8 of the DAAK Rules applies with the following changes: In due time to your vacation you have to inform the Minister of Tournaments and your opponent(s). The maximum amount of vacation time in one tournament round is 3 weeks, longer vacations have to be announced at the Minister of Tournaments, if possible before the tournament begins.
Mistreatment of this rule can lead to disqualification by the Minister of Tournaments. This is going independent of any forfeit which can be imposed by the Minister of Tournaments as described in chapter 8 and can lead to lost ranking points through a lost game.

9.5.4 Disagreement between players
The rules in chapter 6 apply. Additionally: Disagreements which last for a longer time and slow the game speed down, will have to be reported to the Minister of Tournaments who will take care of the problem.

9.5.5 Adjudication of tournament games
If both players maintained the turn rhythm, time planning and vacation rule and the game has still not been finished, the game has to be adjudicated to see who enters the next round of the tournament. Therefore the Minister of Tournaments sends a mail to all players who have not finished their games yet, to inform the players about the upcoming ending date. If the players can not agree on a winner an adjudication is needed and both players have to send to the Minister of Tournaments at least the following:

- Recent Map
- Last US-Map
- IPC Chart
- Gained techs by nation
- Comment on future strategy.

The comment should contain which strategy will lead the player to victory. To ensure anonymity the players should only talk in terms of ?the Axis? or ?the Allies? and should not use their player names. Voluntarily the players can send the maps of the complete last round (Rus x ? US x) plus the written game log (e.g. from the final mails) to those turns.
This information will be send to the 3 judges (experienced players) by the Minister of Tournaments.
The judges don?t know who?s game they are judging nor who the other 2 judges are. This is to ensure that the decisions are independent and not influenced by personnel preferences. The adjudication (which side will win the game) will be send to the Minister of Tournaments who will inform the players about the result. The winner by this decision reaches the next round.

Attention: Games that did not at least reach the 6th round (after US 5) cannot be judged. If both players a responsible that a game doesn?t proceed to US 5 in the given 2 months, both players will be disqualified. If only one player is responsible for the delay, his opponent has to report that fact to the Minister of Tournaments in time, as was mentioned above.

Important: The decision of the judges is only for the tournament. The game may be continued and then rated as the game ends for the ranking.
If the loser of the adjudication wants to continue the game, it has to be continued, but the winner of the adjudication has the following options:

- the game continues at normal speed (2 days per turn)
- the game continues, but with less speed (1-2 turns per week)
- the game continues after the player has won the tournament or lost in one of the following rounds with common game speed (2 days per turn)

9.6 Forfeits before or during a tournament/ round
Unfortunately it happens that players sign up for tournaments and never start their scheduled game or stop playing suddenly.
This behavior is not only unfair to the opponent but also unfair to the Minister of Tournaments (and can even slow down the whole tournament).
After a games has been started the bid must be entered within 3 days. Delays must be reported to the Minister of Tournaments immediately. The tournament leader will ask the non-responding player to enter his bid whithin 3 days or he will be disqualified and a player from the waiting list will fill the open slot. Several infringements may lead to exclusion from future tournaments. Disqualification may also occur to players, who don?t answer the mail at the end of a round (if they do not send the mentioned mail for an adjudication, chapter 11.5.5).
Additionally it is not legitimate to null a game and tell the opponent that he can advance to the next round of the tournament before the end of this tourney round. (While this is explicitly permitted at the end of the tourney round provided that all players agree to it) Exceptions have to be discussed with the Minister of Tournaments.

9.7 Consequences of tourney forfeits (point punishment)
This chapter is about punishment of players who
- do not start a scheduled tournament game
- stop playing a tournament game
- do not play in the appropriate speed (2 days per turn)
- try to get an advantage out of unfair game playing

Besides the disqualification the Minister of Tournaments can punish these players with the subtraction of ranking points. Most of all this will happen if a player never starts a tournament game (never places a bid). A game that is stopped later will lead to a forfeit as described in chapter 8.4.
The amount of the lost points depends on the tournament

- 100 points for K.O.-Tournaments
- 250 points for other than K.O.-Tournaments (like ?Swiss system? etc.), because this has bigger consequences for the whole tournament.

The Minister of Tournaments and the executive board can impose weaker punishment if this is called for.
This rule was set because of some bad experiences in past tournaments. As we do not enjoy using this rule please keep in mind:
Think about before you sign up for a tournament if you are able to play the whole tournament (a tournament usually lasts for one year or more!). Most of all if you want to play a tournament with multiple rounds and no K.O.-System.

9.8 Additional authority of the Minister of Tournaments
Even the best planning has to be reconsidered sometimes. In some cases, the Minister of Tournaments needs to change the tournament pattern to ensure the continuity of the tournament. If a member does not agree with such a decision he can report this to the executive board who will then decide.

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