Chapter 8: The Grey Years 1940 to 1944
Rules of the era
The rules that belong to this chapter on top of the game's own: what they do, with this chapter's numbers, the rules single levels add or change, its landmarks, and what Hard changes.
Chapter 8: The Grey YearsSealed so it does not spoil the story for you.Break the seal
The chapter's rules
Directorate Patience
Directorate Patience runs from 0 to 100 and starts at 60, unless a level or Hard says otherwise.
Hidden Patriots
Hidden Patriots runs from 0 to 100 and starts at 10, unless a level or Hard says otherwise.
The Directorate
Every 4 turns the Directorate makes a demand of the Prefecture. Complying adds 15 Directorate Patience, costs the Law 10 Legitimacy and moves Opinion 5 toward the Revolution. Refusing costs 20 Directorate Patience, and the hidden patriots in the police gain 10.
If Directorate Patience falls to zero, the Directorate takes direct rule of 4 districts, once: the Law loses 30 influence in each, can no longer give orders there, and a Directorate garrison stands in each. Directorate Patience then returns to 25.
Upgrades that change this rule: “Ration Office”, “Negotiated Quotas” and “Anonymous Letters”.
The networks
A Courier who has stayed put for a turn links a Resistance Cell in its district to the nearest other one within 2 districts, one new link a turn. A cell holds 2 links at most. Cells set up this turn do not link, nor do two in the same district.
When a cell is arrested, each cell linked to it is exposed with a 50% chance, ×2 under curfew, 95% at most.
With “Interrogation”, the Law makes an arrested member give up a cell linked to them, or, failing that, someone hidden near where the last cell was taken.
With “Network Reborn”, up to 3 lost cells come back where they were taken.
Upgrades that change this rule: “Ciphers”.
The garrison
The occupier's Directorate garrison does not move. At the end of every turn, where it stands, it searches for the Revolution's hidden units, finding each with a 30% chance, less 8 points for each point of Stealth above 2, and never under 5%; it takes each unit already revealed with a 35% chance. Buildings are found but not taken.
Once the police have turned against the occupier, the garrison also takes 6 of the Law's influence a turn where it stands.
It does nothing after this: “Talks through the consul” in “Paris Rises”.
The curfew
On night turns, the Revolution's units have 1 more Stealth, but an arrest exposes the cells linked to the one taken with ×2 the usual chance.
Upgrades that change this rule: “Curfew Patrols”.
Coded messages
From turn 2, every 3 turns, while the Revolution has a Radio Operator, a coded message names a drop zone or a sabotage target, known only to the Revolution, for 2 turns.
Drop zones: Belleville, Vaugirard, Charonne and Batignolles.
Targets: La Villette, Grenelle and Bercy.
A drop received brings the Revolution 100 money and 5 loyalty of Allies abroad, and the operator is easier to find that turn.
A sabotage costs Directorate Patience 10 wherever it is done; where the message named it, it also brings 40 money and 5 loyalty of Allies abroad.
Rules of single levels
Rules a level adds, or the part of a chapter rule it changes.
The Mole
The mole
One Resistance Cell of the Revolution works for the Law; nobody on the Revolution's side knows which.
With “Check a cell's story”, the Revolution looks into a cell: a clean one is cleared 70% of the time, while the mole looks suspicious 60% of the time. 2 suspicions, or every other cell cleared, unmask him.
With “Ask the mole”, the Law asks the mole for a name: a cell linked to him, or else the nearest hidden unit within 2 districts.
The Draft
The labour draft
The draft lists of Belleville, La Villette, Montmartre, Saint-Marcel, Charonne, Grenelle, Vaugirard and Saint-Antoine start with 8 names and gain 4 at the end of every turn, 40 at most.
With “Round up draftees”, the Law takes up to 12 from a district's list.
With “Forge papers” and “Safe house”, the Revolution hides up to 8 of them.
With “Escape route”, it gets them out of the city instead.
Paris Rises
The bridges
The bridges are in Cité, Louvre, Saint-Germain, Latin Quarter, Chaillot, Passy and Bercy.
Those in Louvre, Saint-Germain and Chaillot start fully wired, with 2 charges, and at the end of every turn a Directorate garrison standing on one adds a charge with a 25% chance, up to 2.
With “Cut the wires” and “Countermand the order”, the charges on a bridge are removed.
When the order to blow them comes, each bridge with charges and a Directorate garrison on it goes up: 50% of the time when fully wired, 25% when not. A truce, or the Law guarding the bridges (an upgrade), saves them all.
Upgrades that change this rule: “Guard the Bridges”.
Changing sides: Police Brigade
When Opinion is above 30, each Police Brigade on the Law's side has a 12% chance at the end of every turn to go over to the Revolution, and is revealed; when Opinion is below minus 30, it is the other way round.
In every such turn, Parisians gains 3 loyalty toward the side the city favours.
The liberation column
The column arrives on a turn drawn between 18 and 24; on Hard, on turn 24.
It comes 4 turns sooner, but never before the next turn, once Allies abroad has 60 or more loyalty toward the Revolution.
On arrival, 3 × Liberation column come in at South Road, and the occupier orders the bridges blown.
With “Talks through the consul”, a truce stops assaults, riots and violent orders on both sides for 3 turns.
After the finale of chapter 8: The Grey YearsSealed so it does not spoil the story for you.Break the seal
Rules of the interlude
The Square
Tempers
In Saint-Antoine, Marais and Temple, a crowd's anger starts at 3. At 10, the crowd acts.
Where a Ringleader stands, it rises by 1 more at the end of every turn.
With “Talk to the crowd”, “Promise trials” and “Call the police”, it falls: 2, 1 or 10.
Landmarks
What holding each landmark gives, in the game's words.
- LouvreThe requisitioned hotels of the Rue de Rivoli, the Directorate's headquarters, defence +3
- CitéThe Prefecture of Police on the Cité, where prisoners are held, defence +3
- Saint-GermainThe Chamber and the ministries, under the Directorate's officials
- ChaillotThe Arch at the top of the avenue, and the tomb under it
- MaraisThe Hôtel de Ville: +8 income per turn for whoever holds the Marais, defence +3
- Les HallesLes Halles, with its queues before dawn
- Latin QuarterThe print shops: +1 Opinion per turn toward the Revolution when it holds the Latin Quarter
- Palais-RoyalThe licensed newspapers: Directorate Patience +1 per turn while the Law holds the Palais-Royal
- Saint-AntoinePlace de la Bastille and the July Column
- La VilletteThe rail yards of La Villette and the northern lines
- GrenelleThe works at Javel, making trucks for the Directorate
- CharonnePère-Lachaise and its eastern wall
On Hard
What changes in this chapter when it is played on Hard, on top of what Hard changes everywhere.
- Heat falls by 2 a turn instead of 3.
- When you play the Revolution, the Law starts every level with “Curfew Patrols” and “Ration Office”.
- The Directorate makes a demand every 3 turns.
- An arrest exposes each linked cell with a 65% chance.