SPACES ON THE BOARD
Territories:
The border colors of the territories on the game board show which power controls them at the start of the game. Each power has its own color and emblem (the United Kingdom controls the Canadian territories in addition to those with its own emblem). When the rules refer to the “original controller” of a territory, they mean the power whose emblem is printed on the territory. All other spaces are neutral and are not aligned with any power. Most territories have an income value ranging from 1 to 20. This is the number of IPCs the territory produces each turn for its controller. A few territories, such as Iceland, have no income value. Units can move between adjacent spaces (those that share a common border). Spaces that meet only at a point (such as United Kingdom and sea zone 111) are not adjacent to one another, as they do not share a common border.
All territories exist in one of three conditions:
Friendly: Controlled by you or a friendly power.
Hostile: Controlled by a power with which you are at war.
Neutral: Not controlled by any power, or controlled by a power on the other side with which you are not yet at war. Neutral territories, such as Switzerland, have white borders and do not have any power’s emblem on them. Most such territories also have a unit silhouette with a number, which indicates how many infantry units the territory will generate to defend itself when its neutrality is violated. The Sahara Desert and Pripet Marshes are impassable and may not be moved into or through by any units.
Sea Zones:
Sea zones are either friendly or hostile. Friendly sea zones contain no surface warships (this doesn’t include submarines and transports) belonging to a power with which you are at war. Hostile sea zones contain surface warships belonging to a power with which you are at war. (The presence of a surface warship belonging to an enemy power with which you are not yet at war doesn’t make a sea
zone hostile.
Note: The Caspian Sea (surrounded by Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Eastern Persia, Persia, and Northwest Persia) is considered to be a sea zone, even though it does not have a number.
Islands:
An island or island group is a single territory surrounded entirely by one or more sea zones. A sea zone can contain more than one island or island group, but each one is considered one territory. Each territory has a separate name and emblem on it. It’s not possible to split up land-based units so that they are on different islands in the same group.
For example, Sardinia and Sicily are both located in sea zone 95. These named islands can each have independent land-based units. However, West Indies, located in sea zone 89, is an island group (one territory), so any land units there are all together, not on separate islands. Islands that have no name label, such as the one in sea zone 114, are not game spaces and may not have units moved onto them.
Canals and Narrow Straits:
Canals and narrow straits are geographical features that can help or hinder sea movement, depending upon who controls them. Canals are artificial waterways that connect two larger bodies of water, while narrow straits are natural passages that do the same. In either case, control of the land territories surrounding these features gives the controlling power and its allies the ability to travel through them while denying access to enemy powers. There are two canals on the game board. The Panama Canal connects the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea (sea zones 64 and 89), while the Suez Canal connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea (sea zones 81 and 98). A canal is not considered a space, so it doesn’t block land movement. Land units can move freely between Trans- Jordan and Egypt. Central America, containing the Panama Canal, is one territory, so no land movement is required to cross the canal within Central America.There are three narrow straits on the game board. The Turkish Straits connect the Mediterranean and Black Seas (sea zones 99 and 100), the Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea (sea zones 91 and 92), and the Danish Straits connect the North and Baltic Seas (sea zones 112 and 113). Most narrow straits can’t be crossed by land units without the use of transport ships. However, Turkey is one territory that contains a narrow strait within it, so no land movement or transport ships are required to cross the straits within Turkey. If your side (but not necessarily your power) controlled a canal or narrow strait at the start of your turn, you may move sea units through it (you can’t use it in the same turn that you capture it). If a canal or narrow strait is controlled by a power not on your side, but with which you are not yet at war, you must ask permission to use it, which may be denied. You can’t move sea units through a canal or narrow strait that is controlled by a neutral territory or by a power with which you are at war. In order to control a canal or narrow strait, you must control its controlling land territory or territories. They are as follows:
Canal/Narrow Straits
Suez Canal Panama Canal Turkish Straits Strait of Gibraltar Danish Straits
Controlling Territories
Egypt and Trans-Jordan Central America Turkey
Gibraltar
Denmark
If there is only one controlling territory, the power that controls it controls the canal or strait. If there are two controlling territories, the side that controls both of them controls the canal or strait. If one side controls one territory and the other controls the other, the canal or strait is closed to all sea units. Turkey begins the game as a neutral territory, so neither side may move through the Turkish Straits until Turkey is captured.
Exception: Submarines of any power may pass through the Strait of Gibraltar regardless of which power controls it.
The movement of air units is completely unaffected by canals and straits, whether they are moving over land or sea. They can pass between sea zones connected by the canal or strait regardless of which side controls it.
P Panther moved this topic from Axis & Allies Global 1940 on
