Decision Games published a useful reference tome for Totaler
Krieg! aficionadosby Team Totaler Krieg!
We're not sure if it's still available in print, but a special Totaler Krieg! Players Guide (with its cover shown below) was published. It was over 90 pages long with a nice glossy, thick-stock cover. Two insert cards provide off-map Naval Box corrections and the mini-Ikusa variant.
One thing that everyone will be interested in is that it contained 80 Totaler Krieg! counters. The reason we got 80 counters is that these would have otherwise been printed up as "blanks" in other Decision Games titles, so we asked if we could use them instead. Well, the counters are set in stone now so, if you're interested, here is what you'll get:
 |
 A "clean" set of Soviet pieces to replace
those two-tone jobs in the original game. Kos and Alan are pretty anal about
stuff like that. |
| Two additional Stalin Line and Festung Europa fortress units. For "what the heck" purposes. The former are just tacked onto the Stalin Line card, while the latter can be used with the new Axis "Nation, Rise Up!" card. |
| A Soviet Heavy Bomber unit. This will go with an Optional Rule to make the Production Directorate card reusable and allowing the Soviet player to select either the Air Support unit, Fleet, or Heavy Bomber unit when he plays it. |
| Replacement Iraq and Persian Reserve corps. |
| A +1/+2 DRM chit. |
| The "Battle for the Atlantic" pieces: one RN Fleet (Force H) that goes in Delay with Wallied card #4 (Dyle Plan) and one German U-boat Fleet (Type IX) that goes in Delay with the first Conditional where the Axis have a port on the North Atlantic. These units begin every post-entry scenario in the Delay Box. |
| "Real" armies for the Siberians, Ukrainians, and The Caucasus (in their own colors). |
| A dozen pieces for a TK! version of the little Pacific Variant that Edward Sabatine did for Krieg! |
| A Royal Navy "Sortie to Glory" chit for that House Rule. |
| An Albania chit (to use when Italy is a Constitutional Monarchy). |
| Government Markers for Spain, Italy, and France to help you remember their status in a Random Campaign Game. |
| A German "Long War Preparation" Marker as another RCG reminder piece. |
|
 "Major minor" units expanding the forces
of:Poland (one Air Support, one 1-1-2/2-2-2 HQ, and one 1-1-3 armored corps) Spain (one Air Support, one 1-2-3/3-3-3 "Legion" infantry, one 1-1-2 HQ, and one 1-1-3 mech corps) Austria-Hungary (one Air Support, one 1-2-3/3-3-3 "Legion" infantry, one 2-2-2/3-3-2 HQ, and one War Economy Marker) The Ukraine (one Air Support, one 1-1-2/2-2-2 HQ -- their "standard HQ," the 2-2-2/3-3-2 will be their "upgraded" model, one 1-1-3 tank corps, and one 1-1-3/3-3-3 cavalry/cav-mech unit) Turkey (one Air Support, one Fleet, one "D" Convoy Marker, one 1-1-2/2-2-2 HQ, one 1-1-3 mech corps, and one War Economy Marker) |
The deal with these "Major minor" units works on several levels. First, some of the Random Campaign Game results will upgrade these minors to Major minors. (Greater Poland, Greater Turkish Empire... that sort of thing. There will be an article in The Guide explaining it all.) Second, there will be an Optional Rule to make the Mare Nostrum, Intensive Bombing, and Production Directorate cards "reusable," allowing you to upgrade one of these Minors by a level if they're currently yours. Third, it just gives us more toys in the toy box for making new scenarios with.
Articles, Too!
Of course, the Players Guide will feature articles, including many not appearing on this web site that have been especially written for the Totaler Krieg! Players Guide. Here is the tentative Table of Contents:
| Editorial by Alan Emrich (won't that guy ever shut up?) |
| From Krieg! to Totaler Krieg!: the continuing story of this game's evolution by Alan Emrich with Sal Vasta |
| December Errata: thanks to all of you |
| TK! Replacement Option Cards: an article explaining them by Alan Emrich |
| Additional Counters: rules and notes by Alan Emrich and Sal Vasta |
| D'oh! How Not to Win: proven losing strategies you can use against the author by Jack Beckman |
| Get Lucky: everything you ever wanted to know about Luck Markers with statistical analysis by Thomas Prowell |
| Operation Sealion: amphibious invasions -- explaining the odds by Sal Vasta |
| Operation Quick Fuse: an Axis early Total War scheme by Ben Hitz |
| The "Grande Defense:" the grim task of defending Paris through the Summer of 1940 by Mack Draper |
| Getting Appeasement the Action: how to play the West when the Axis go East First by Thomas Prowell |
| The British in Boiling Oil: Western Allied strategy for the Middle East when the Turks go Axis by Allen Gies with Alan Emrich |
| The Empire Strikes Back: coming back as the Western Allied player following a British Collapse by Alan Emrich |
| Defending the Motherland: three views on the subject by Jeff Nyquist, Steve "Kos" Kosakowski, and Alan Emrich |
| Taking a Line from Stalin: playing your forts successfully with the Stalin Line by Bob Ryan |
| Baltic Stating your Case: what to do about the Baltic States when you play the Stalin Line card by Alan Emrich |
| TK! Tournament Players Notes: additional thoughts gained from experience by Alan Emrich |
| More House Rules for TK!: thanks to all of you |
| Pacific TK! variant: the quick-and-clean edition by Edward Sabatine |
| East Africa variant: one that's short and sweet by Edward Sabatine |
| Opting Out: one man's opinions and analysis of TK!'s Optional and House rules by Thomas Prowell |
| Schnell! Schnell!: speeding up your play-by-email game by Mack Draper |
| Dice of Decision variants: largely thanks to Thomas Prowell |
| Linking Paths of Glory and TK!: guidelines for connect their WW1 game with our WW2 game by David Hiller |
| Techniques for Teaching TK!: a guide for helping ease beginners to the game by Alan Emrich |
| Roads to Ruin scenario by Steve "Kos" Kosakowski |
| The Hinge of Fate scenario by Pauly Kwon |
| The Russian Tides scenario by Steve "Kos" Kosakowski |
| World War I Revisited scenario by Allen Gies |
| Designers Deepest Secrets Continued: more pearls of Kos' wisdom by Steve "Kos" Kosakowski |