Operation Crusader, The Winter Battles for Tobruk, 1941 is played on a map of Libya and Egypt immediately south and east of Tobruk, where the battle was fought. It uses playing pieces that represent the actual military units that participated in this campaign. Each player represents the commander of the Axis or Allied forces. The individual ground units represent battalions of approximately 700 soldiers (50-60 tanks in an armored battalion, 12-24 guns in an artillery battalion), or companies of about 200 soldiers (15-20 tanks or armored cars in an armored company, 4-12 guns in an artillery battery). Each hex represents 2 kilometers or 1.25 miles. Each turn is a third of a day.
Operation Crusader is a two-player game, with team play possible for the full campaign game.
One player assumes the role of the Axis and the other player assumes the role of the Allies.
Each player moves his units and executes attacks on enemy units in turn, attempting to fulfill the game’s Victory Conditions.
To move from one space to another, each unit expends a portion of its Movement Allowance.
Combat is resolved through Battles by "firing" at opposing units and then determining the outcome of any hits scored. A die is used to resolve combat.
The classic monster game returns with a newly-streamlined game system throughout (no more pre-plotting movement!). This new edition emphasizes playability while capturing the flavor of the original game. The game adds smaller scenarios (6 total), each covering a shorter and smaller part of the historic battle, and a full campaign game which allows players to experience the full sweep of Operation Crusader. Two shorter versions of the entire campaign (the most exciting parts) are also included for those wanting less game play time.
Featured scenarios include:
• Scenario 1: Gabr Saleh (5 turns, 1 map), AM 19 Nov - PM 20 Nov
• Scenario 2: Bir El-Gobi (5 turns, 1 map), AM 19 Nov - PM 20 Nov
• Scenario 3: Sidi Rezegh (8 turns, 1 map), AM 21 Nov - PM 23 Nov
• Scenario 4: Storming the Frontier (8 turns, 1 map), AM 21 Nov - PM 23 Nov
• Scenario 5: Rommel's Dash (11 turns, 1 map), AM 24 Nov - PM 27 Nov
• Scenario 6: The Cauldron (8 turns, 2 maps), AM 24 Nov - PM 26 Nov
• "Short" Campaign Game (14 turns, all 4 maps), AM 19 Nov - PM 23 Nov
• "Long" Campaign Game (31 turns, all 4 maps), AM 19 Nov - PM 28 Nov
• "Extended" Campaign Game (50 turns, all 4 maps), AM 19 Nov - PM 5 Dec
—description from the publisher's website