
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,135
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Stalingrad Pocket: 2nd Edition – The Wehrmacht's Greatest Disaster
- 1–2 players
- 180–900 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 1996

2014
Rules assistance for Reluctant Enemies: Operation Exporter
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Reluctant Enemies: Operation Exporter is a board game released in 2014 for 2 players and 750 minutes per game. It was designed by Dean Essig and Curtis Baer and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Hexagon Grid, and Simulation.
(from MMP website:) Reluctant Enemies: Operation Exporter: The Commonwealth Invasion of Lebanon and Syria, 1941, is small game meant to serve as an accessible introduction to the Operational Combat System (“OCS”). It is one map, with 60 or so combat units (both players) in action at any given time. This allows for a pace of play not possible with the previously published OCS monster games. Regardless of the reduction in scale it remains an OCS game with all features relevant to the system. In this game there can be wide open, swirling, DAK-like battles in the desert (with some: limited armor forces), river lines to break, and very rough, mountainous terrain to contend with. The British have the possibility of an amphibious invasion. Naval shore bombardments, by both sides, can be important in the early part of the campaign. There is a small but significant air campaign. As always in the OCS, supply constraints make each player feel he may be on the edge of disaster. This campaign remains a footnote in WWII history even among many knowledgeable enthusiasts. However, given the nature of events in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations during the first half of 1941, this campaign was arguably the hot spot in the world at that moment in time.[...] The Vichy were well equipped and organized. They put up stiff opposition, and counterattacked with great effect. The Commonwealth and Free French forces, at first, were stopped cold. Ironically, it was the failure of Operation Battleaxe (June 15) in the Western desert that allowed reinforcements for this campaign from the Western Desert and a resumption of the Commonwealth offensive. After Damascus fell, Beirut was seriously threatened and with Indian 10th division troops (along with Habforce) moving on Aleppo and Homs to the North, the Vichy proposed an armistice to end the fighting. The armistice was signed on July 14. However, this result was far from certain. Here you can examine why. Game Scale: Game Turn: 1 to 2 days Hex: 2.5 miles / 4.0 Km Units: Company to Corps Game Inventory: One 1 22" x 32" full-color map One countersheet (280 1/2" dual-side printed counters) One 48-page OCS series rulebook One 24-page Reluctant Enemies specific rulebook and designer notes One 16-page OCS starter guide booklet One 4-page OCS rules summary and explanation booklet Two 4-page OCS charts and tables booklets Two set up charts (1-sided) Two 6-sided dice
Reluctant Enemies: Operation Exporter supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Reluctant Enemies: Operation Exporter is 750 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
Reluctant Enemies: Operation Exporter has a complexity rating of 3.6 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Reluctant Enemies: Operation Exporter belongs to these categories: Wargame and World War II. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Hexagon Grid, and Simulation. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Reluctant Enemies: Operation Exporter are: Dean Essig and Curtis Baer. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Reluctant Enemies: Operation Exporter as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.