Flames of War: The World War II Miniatures Game
Flames of War: The World War II Miniatures Game Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Getting Started
The easiest way of learning the rules is to visit a store or club where experienced players can run you through an introductory game and introduce you to other players. If you don't have a store handy, you can teach yourself quite easily. Read through this book, don't worry about remembering it all, you can look it up again later, then play a small game with a friend.
The first mission, Free For All (see Missions), is a great place to start. Set up four tanks on each side, don't worry about points, grab their Intelligence Handbook and look up their characteristics in the Arsenal, and start playing. Take it slowly at first, looking up the rules as you go, and by the end of the game you'll pretty much know how to play Flames Of War. Add a few more teams for the next game, and slowly build up your experience as you go. Before you know it, you'll be a veteran tank commander!
Website. The Flames Of War website is the ultimate resource for World War II gamers, whatever their level of experience. You'll find information about all the armies, unique downloadable content, inspirational photos, and all the latest news. The forum is the perfect place to meet other Flames Of War players and compare tactics, get advice on your next army, or find answers to all your rules questions. Go to www.flamesofwar.com now!
What You Need
You don't need much to start a game of Flames Of War. Here's what you need.
A Battlefield. Flames Of War is a social game played by two or more players, so grab a friend and get started. Whether it's the kitchen table or a custom-built gaming table, you'll need a large flat surface to play the game. A 6' x 4' (180cm x 120cm) board covered by a Battlefield in a Box Gaming Mat, a green sheet, or painted and flocked, all make ideal battlefield bases.
Two Armies. The Flames Of War range of 15mm (1/100th) scale miniatures is specifically designed for the game and is available through all good hobby stores.
Terrain. You'll need a selection of terrain like hills, woods, fields, hedges, buildings, and roads to create a realistic battlefield for your troops to fight over. The pre-painted terrain in the Battlefield in a Box range makes setting up a battlefield easy.
An Opponent.
This Rulebook. This rulebook contains all the rules you need to play Flames Of War.
An Intelligence Handbook. Flames Of War has a great variety of forces to field. You can find these in our Intelligence Handbooks. These provide all the organisations, points, and characteristics you need to create an army for Flames Of War. In addition, you can also get these in a digital format through the Flames Of War Digital App available through the Google Play store for Android or the iTunes App Store for iPad. Another option is Forces Of War, found at forces.flamesofwar.com, our force builder where you can create your forces online.
A Template. Artillery and aircraft are not precision weapons. Their shells and bombs blanket a wide area, possibly wiping out dozens of the enemy at a time. An Artillery Template makes it easy to work out who is hit, and who isn't, when you introduce these weapons into your games.
Dice. Flames Of War uses ordinary six-sided dice. You can personalise your force with army-specific dice marked with your force's insignia.
Tokens. Even though they are toy soldiers, your troops react to heavy fire like real soldiers. Sometimes they get pinned down or bail out of their tanks. They get stuck in rough terrain and go to ground, hiding from the enemy. Tokens help you keep track of the state of your troops.
Tape Measure. You'll need a tape measure or ruler to measure movement and shooting ranges. You can use Metric or Imperial measurements, whichever suits you best.
The Battlefield in a Box Gaming Mat is double-sided, letting you fight battles both in the Desert and on the Eastern Front.
How It Works
Reality is immensely complex and rather messy. This game has the advantage of giving players virtually unlimited opportunities to fight new battles and collect new armies. Unfortunately, it also requires rules to cover the many aspects of something as big as the battles of World War II. The good news is that you don't need to know all of the rules to play the game. You can start with the basics and add things like infantry, artillery, and even aircraft when you are ready. To help you understand the rules, this section explains some of the concepts behind the game.
Die Rolls. Flames Of War uses the same standard six-sided dice that games like Monopoly and Yahtzee use. When the rules say to roll a die, they give a number that you must equal or exceed, for example, 3+ (a roll of 3, 4, 5, or 6 means success), or 5+ (a roll of 5 or 6 means success). Any roll lower than the number means the attempt has failed. In some cases, such as shooting at partly concealed targets, the number needed for success will be modified. Add +1 to the required score for each of the modifiers that apply at the time. For instance, if you normally need a 3+ to hit the enemy, but the target was both (a) at long range and (b) concealed in a wood, the required score on each die would go up to 5+. If the score needed goes above 6, the following rules apply:
- If the score needed is 7 and the die roll is 6, then the roll succeeds on a further roll of 5+.
- If the score needed is 8 and the die roll is 6, then the roll succeeds on a further roll of 6.
- If the score needed is 9 or more, then the roll cannot succeed.
Sometimes the score required is shown as 'Auto'. This means that the roll will automatically succeed. On the other hand, if any other score is modified to be better than 2+ (such as an attempt to hit a target normally requiring a 3+ to hit with a massive artillery bombardment giving a -3 modifier), it will always fail on a roll of 1. If the rules require you to roll more than one die, treat each roll as a separate success or failure.
Re-rolls. In some situations, where your first roll fails, you may be allowed a re-roll. A re-roll is just what the name says — you get to ignore the first attempt and roll the die again. The score on the second die roll is what counts. You never get more than one re-roll per situation.
Measuring. Flames Of War gives game measurements in both inches (Imperial) and centimetres (Metric). You should agree on which system you and your opponent will use before the game begins — you must use one of these two systems, not switch between both. Generally, it's a good idea to use the system you are most familiar with. You are allowed to measure any distances on the battlefield any time you want to. You can measure how far your weapons can shoot, how far the opponent's weapons can shoot, or even whether or not you have enough movement to assault at the end of the turn. After all, your soldiers have maps, range-finders, and binoculars to help them work these things out.
Talk To Your Opponent. You can make your game flow more easily by letting your opponent know what your intention is when moving your forces. If you tell them you are intending to stay out of range, or that you think your troops are completely out of sight behind a wood, it reduces disputes if a model gets bumped later.
WYSIWYG. Flames Of War is a What You See Is What You Get, or WYSIWYG, game. One miniature represents one soldier or vehicle. In many cases you can resolve difficulties by remembering this and taking a look at the situation from a model's-eye view, down on the ground so to speak. Have a look at what your miniature could see from where they are or where they could go on the terrain as modelled.
When Things Get Tricky. In a hobby such as wargaming, it's impossible to overemphasise the importance of being a good sport. Whether you are crushing your opponent or you are on the receiving end of an almighty pummelling, it's always good to remember that whatever the outcome of the battle, playing is all about having fun. Some good basic rules are to be fair, play to the spirit of the game, treat your opponents with courtesy and respect, and don't get too bogged down with the rules. Oh, that and don't give up! The odds may look grim with your army set to be beaten, but hang in there. Some of the best stories are about heroic last stands and a few brave individuals turning the tide and holding out against the odds to finally snatch an unlikely victory. Remember, whether you are facing a friend or a new opponent, treat them just the way you would like to be treated and you will get so much more from the hobby.
Special Rules. To keep things simple, the main part of the Flames Of War rules only cover the more common cases. Rules that are specific to certain weapons, vehicles, units, or armies are given as special rules. These special rules either add additional capabilities or allow the teams and platoons that use them to break the normal rules. When a special rule conflicts with the normal rules, apply the special rule.
Hints and Tips. There are hints and tips in various places to help you learn the game. These are not rules, just ideas on how to play the game quickly and simply.
Rules Highlight. Occasionally we will highlight a rule that is important or modifies something in our Intelligence Handbooks.
When Things Happen. Normally turns in Flames Of War follow a straightforward sequence. However, some rules, particularly special rules, cause things to happen out of turn. An example of this would be anti-aircraft weapons engaging enemy aircraft when they appear in the enemy turn. When this happens, interrupt the normal turn sequence, resolve the unusual activity, then return to where you were and continue the turn.
Working It Out. Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out how a rule should be applied to an unusual situation that has occurred in your game. If something unexpected happens, talk with the other players and try to come up with a good interpretation of what would happen. The best thing to do is to make a quick call that both you and your opponent can agree on. If you can't come to an agreement quickly just roll a die:
- If you roll 4, 5, or 6, use your interpretation of the rule for the rest of the game.
- A roll of 1, 2, or 3, means that you have to accept your opponent's interpretation of the rule for the rest of the game.
After the game, when you have more time for discussion without holding up the battle, sit down and agree how you'll handle the situation in the future. If you still aren't sure, you can always check out the forum at www.FlamesOfWar.com and ask other players how they would handle the problem.
Teams and Units
The military knows that the strength of a well-coordinated group of soldiers is far greater than the sum of its parts. Flames Of War reflects this by organizing your force into Teams, Units, and Formations.
Teams
Although the acts of a few individuals are always glorified by the News Reels and Newspapers back home, in reality a soldier never does anything on their own. Soldiers are trained to operate as a Team, and it is this teamwork that keeps them alive. In Flames Of War your miniature soldiers also operate in Teams. There are four main types of Teams: Tanks, Infantry, Guns, and Aircraft.
Tank Teams include all manner of military vehicles, from the mighty Tiger tank, down to the lowly jeep. A Tank Team is a single vehicle. Tank Teams are either Armoured or Unarmoured. Some Tank Teams are also Transport Teams designed to carry infantry as passengers.
Infantry Teams include most troops fighting on foot. An Infantry Team is a group of miniatures all mounted on a single base. They can be equipped with individual weapons like rifles, submachine-guns, and light machine-guns. A Team equipped with a crew-served weapon like the tripod-mounted Vickers medium machine-gun, or a manpacked 81mm mortar, is a Heavy Weapon Team.
Infantry Team types and their special rules: Heavy Weapon Infantry has the Heavy Weapon special rule; Cavalry has the Cavalry special rule. Man-packed Gun Teams are Heavy Weapon Infantry Teams; Man-packed Gun is a Mobility Rating.
Gun Teams include soldiers crewing weapons too heavy to be carried by a soldier. A Gun Team is a gun model and a group of miniatures all mounted on a single base. They range from small anti-tank guns such as the 6 pdr gun up to powerful giants like the dreaded '88', the 8.8cm FlaK anti-aircraft gun. Gun Teams also cover everything from 4.2-inch heavy mortars and quick-firing 25 pdr field guns to heavy artillery.
Gun Team types and their special rules: a Light Gun has the Gun special rule; a Medium Gun has the Gun special rule; a Heavy Gun has the Gun and Large Gun special rules; an Immobile Gun has the Gun and Large Gun special rules.
Aircraft Teams are ground-attack aircraft like the deadly Ju-87 Stuka dive bomber and the tank-busting Typhoon. An Aircraft Team is a single aircraft.
Observers. A player may only take one Observer Team in a force. It may be taken from any of the available Observer Teams in the force, as long as the Unit it comes from has been selected in the force, or may be an Air Observation Post (AOP), if available. They may take any associated transport, which also becomes part of the Observer's Independent Unit. Any upgrades available to the Observer Team in the original Artillery Unit may be taken. The Observer Team retains the same ratings as its parent Artillery Unit.
Units
Your Teams are grouped into Units, platoons in most cases, but sometimes companies, typically of three to ten tanks or 30 to 100 infantrymen. In battle a Unit usually operates as one, manoeuvring across the battlefield together and engaging the same foes.
Unit Leaders. A Unit combines a group of Teams under the command of a Unit Leader: an American or British Lieutenant, a German Leutnant, or a Soviet Kapitan. An Infantry Unit will normally have a small base with an officer on it as its Unit Leader. If the Unit does not have an obvious Unit Leader, you may pick any Team in the Unit as the Unit Leader at the start of the game.
Using Intelligence Handbooks. Flames Of War has evolved over the years and we have many great books available with which to field forces for Flames Of War. These rules have been written to make the transition from old to new easy. Occasionally we will stop to explain how the new rules work with your Early or Late-war Intelligence Handbooks. The term Unit in the rules refers to a Platoon (or Soviet Company) in the Flames Of War Intelligence Handbooks. Company or Battalion Headquarters are HQ Units.
Attachments. An example: a German Heer Grenadier Platoon may take an Observer Leutnant — a player may only take one Observer Team in their force. If a force takes one from this Unit it can also take the HQ Section, with a Kübelwagen as the Observer's transport.
Attachments are additional equipment that is part of a Unit. Infantry Units containing Transport Teams as a Tank Attachment (or vice versa) are split into two Units, an Infantry Unit and a Transport Unit (each with their own Unit Leader). Both parts of the Unit operate independently as separate Units, supporting each other, although they deploy as a single Unit.
Transport and Attachments. A Unit that has Transport Tank Teams forms these Teams into a Transport Attachment, making one Transport Tank Team the Unit Leader. If you take half-track or similar Tractors to tow your guns, these are formed into a Transport Unit, with one Tractor nominated as the Unit Leader.
Independent Units. Small, single-team units, such as a single artillery observer, are Independent Units. These fight in support of larger Units. Independent Infantry Units often have a transport vehicle as part of their Unit, and unlike most transports, this remains as part of the Independent Unit. Independent units can use the Mistaken Target rule (see Shooting) to reassign hits to nearby Units, but cannot Charge into Contact (see Assaults), nor take an Objective (see Missions), and are ignored for Victory Points (see Missions).
Combat Attachments. The Intelligence Briefings will specify which Units are eligible to make Combat Attachments within a Formation, and the Units that they can attach Teams to. In addition you can also make Combat Attachments from Formation HQ Units. If you want to make Combat Attachments, you must do so before Deploying any of your Units. You may either Combat Attach up to half of the Teams or all of the Teams of a Unit. If you choose to attach out all of the Teams the Unit itself ceases to exist for the duration of the game. A Formation HQ Unit may never Combat Attach out the Formation Commander. A Formation HQ Unit may make Combat Attachments to any of its Combat Platoon Units. A Unit may Combat Attach Teams to any or all eligible Units in its Formation, but may not Combat Attach more than half its Teams to any one Unit. If the Unit making Combat Attachments has Transport Teams, you must Combat Attach the Transport Team that normally carries a Team with it. These will become part of the new Unit's Transport Unit. Once all Combat Attachments have been made, the Combat-attached Teams become part of the Unit they are attached to for all purposes for the whole game.
Redundant Teams. Gun Units, such as Anti-tank gun Platoons and Artillery Batteries, and Heavy Weapon (Man-packed Gun) Units like Mortar and Machine-gun Platoons, no longer field command Infantry teams, Staff teams, or excess Observer teams. These are not deployed on the table. Instead one of the Gun Teams or Heavy Weapon Teams is nominated to be the Unit Leader.
Formations
Units are gathered together into Formations, companies in most cases, but sometimes battalions. A Formation contains a number of combat Units, along with several Units of heavy weapons, scouts, and other troops to back them up. While you must have at least one Formation in your force, you can have as many as you like.
Formation Commander. Each Formation has an HQ Unit containing the Formation Commander: an American Captain, a British Major, a German Hauptmann, or Soviet Podpolkovnik, and their staff. The Commander is the Unit Leader of the HQ Unit and commands all the Units in the Formation. You may choose any non-Transport Team from the HQ Unit as their Commander at the start of the game. Unlike other Units, Transport Teams from the HQ Unit remain as part of the Commander's Unit.
Identifying Leaders and Commanders in Intelligence Briefings. The diagrams in your Intelligence Briefings usually indicate a Team as a Command Rifle Team or Command Sherman V or something similar. This is usually your Unit Leader. You are free to nominate a different Team as the Unit Leader at the start of the game instead, as long as it is of the same type. Your HQ Unit (Company or Battalion Headquarters) contains your Formation Commander. These diagrams contain Teams marked Company Command and 2iC Command — just pick one of these Teams to be your Commander, the other just becomes a normal Team.
Command Leadership. A Commander's presence can inspire troops to fight harder. When a Unit's Leader is within 6"/15cm and in Line of Sight of their own Formation Commander (including Commander's own HQ Unit), the Unit may re-roll failed Counterattack, Rally, Remount, and Last Stand rolls. As Support Units don't have their own Formation Commander, any Formation Commander may lead them, granting them re-rolls.
Using Intelligence Handbooks. The term Formation in the rules refers to a Company (or Soviet Battalion) in the Flames Of War Intelligence Handbooks. A Formation is made of your Company Headquarters, Combat Platoons, Weapons Platoons and Regimental/Brigade Support Platoons. Other Divisional/Corps supports in your force are Support Units.
Multiple Formations. You can field more than one Formation, but must choose only one Formation (Company or Battalion) from which to take Divisional/Corps Support Units. All Formations must be from the same Intelligence Handbook or related digital content, nation, and same higher level force, such as a brigade, division or corps. As a guide, if you can take a Combat Platoon Unit as a support from another Formation, you can also take that Formation as a part of your force.
Allied Support. You can take an Allied Formation as part of your force. This Formation obeys all the rules for its own nationality and acts as a Formation in its own right. An Allied Formation can only be chosen from the Nations given as Allies on one of your Formation (company) diagrams.
The Intelligence Handbooks. Flames Of War has a rich selection of Intelligence Handbooks from which to select your forces. These Intelligence Handbooks were all published for the previous 3rd Edition of Flames Of War. Everything you need to continue using these great books is found inside the Special Rules and Warriors book that accompanies this volume. The Late-War (1944 to 1945), Early-War (1939 to 1941), and Pacific (1944–45) handbooks cover the various theatres and nations of the conflict; each is available from your local hobby store, or in digital format through the Flames Of War Digital App or forces.flamesofwar.com.
Ratings
Not all units are equal. Some have a reputation for bravery, while others are less inclined to risk their lives for a cause they don't care about. Some have been honed into perfect fighting machines, while others have been thrown into battle with inadequate training. Behind all of this, the tactics and strategies of their country's army influences how they fight, as does the equipment they have to fight with.
Motivation Rating
Motivation is rated as Fearless, Confident, or Reluctant. The score a Unit needs to pass a Motivation test depends on its rating as follows: Fearless 3+, Confident 4+, Reluctant 5+. There are four types of Motivation tests: Rally, Remount, Counterattack, and Last Stand. The score needed to pass these tests is the Unit's basic Motivation rating, unless modified by a special rule.
Rally is a Unit's willingness to take offensive action again after being Pinned Down.
Remount. When a tank is hit, there's a good probability that it is going to explode, so tankers often bail out before checking to see what the actual damage is. Well designed tanks help as their crews have faith that they won't be burnt alive without warning.
Counterattack. When it comes to hand-to-hand fighting, it takes a different type of Motivation to win. Some Units that will face a hail of bullets without flinching will break and run when faced with cold steel. Others have a terrifying reputation and know it.
Last Stand is a measure of how long a Unit will keep fighting when it is suffering heavy casualties. Mostly it's a direct reflection of its Motivation, but some units are more brittle, while others are incredibly stubborn.
Mixed-Rating Units. In some cases a unit will have Teams with different Skill or Motivation ratings. This can occur in ad hoc battlegroups formed from bits and pieces of different units. If a Unit has Teams with different Skill or Motivation ratings, use the worst value in the Unit.
Skill Rating
One of the interesting differences between Flames Of War and many other games is that we use your Unit's tactical training as the main factor in determining the enemy's ability to hit them, rather than the enemy's skill. We do this because the training of the target is a bigger factor in real life casualties than the skill of the person shooting at them. Perhaps the easiest way of demonstrating the logic of this is an example. Imagine a horde of barely-trained conscripts attacking another mass of conscripts manning machine-guns. No doubt you have visions of rows of troops scythed down as they charge. The casualties would be horrendous. Now imagine one elite commando unit attacking another across the same ground. The vision now changes to an empty battlefield with soldiers occasionally making brief dashes from cover to cover. The attackers expose themselves far too briefly for the defenders to easily hit them. Whether they succeed in the assault or not, the attacking commandos would not take many casualties from shooting. No matter who's shooting, the conscripts will be slaughtered and the commandos will use their experience to minimise their casualties.
Tactics. The ability of a unit to perform clever manoeuvres in combat is also related to its tactical style. Cautious troops take the time to plan each forward movement, coordinating their tactics, while Aggressive ones prefer forward movement now over cleverness. The score a Unit needs to pass a Tactics test to perform clever manoeuvres — like moving from hidden turret-down positions to hull-down fighting positions and delivering a devastating volley, or shooting and then scooting back out of sight — depends on its Skill rating as follows: Veteran 3+, Trained 4+, Conscript 5+.
Assault. A Unit's Assault rating reflects the lethality of its soldiers at close quarters, be that face-to-face with bayonets or stalking tanks with anti-tank grenades. Usually it will be your Skill rating, unless modified by a special rule.
Using Intelligence Handbooks. To convert the forces in the Flames Of War Intelligence Handbooks just compare their Skill Rating to the Is Hit On rating below. The score needed to hit a Unit depends on its rating as follows: Veteran is Hit On 4+, Trained is Hit On 3+, Conscript is Hit On 2+.
Terrain
World War II was fought over almost every type of terrain. Battles ranged from the frozen arctic of northern Finland to the scorching heat of North African deserts, from the grassy steppes of the Ukraine to the dense forests of the German Reichswald, and from the hedgerows of France to the mountains of Italy. Woods, hedges, rivers, lakes, and buildings all break up the terrain and complicate the battlefield. Sometimes this will be to your advantage, since your troops (whether riflemen, tanks, gunners, or trucks) can hide themselves among the clutter and put something solid between them and any bullets flying around. At other times these features will be a hindrance, as they impede your movement, slowing your advance to a crawl.
There are five types of terrain that units can encounter:
Roads. Whether concrete, brick, cobble, or dirt, a road provides a quick route from one place to another. Teams moving on roads travel faster. Roads allow tanks to move much faster than they would cross-country if they are going to the right place.
Cross Country. The majority of the table is usually easily crossed, although at a slower speed than on a road. Unless otherwise stated the parts of the board that are not covered by Terrain are rated as Cross Country terrain. Most battlefields are Cross-country apart from specific terrain features.
Terrain Features. Terrain features severely limit the speed at which vehicles can move. It ranges from ground that has been churned to mud to natural obstructions like woods.
Difficult Terrain hinders movement. Vehicles attempting to move through this terrain risk getting stuck if the driver isn't careful.
Impassable. Some obstacles, such as deep rivers or sheer cliffs, are just so difficult that it's impossible to cross them. Impassable obstacles stop all movement, forcing you to look for an alternative route to the objective.
Terrain Types
Fences and Hedges. Fences are Terrain, limiting the speed at which they can be crossed. Hedges are Difficult Terrain, requiring care when crossing to avoid getting stuck. Fences and Hedges are Short terrain, Concealing teams behind them.
Walls. Walls are Difficult Terrain, requiring care to avoid getting stuck while crossing. Walls can be Short or Tall terrain, Concealing teams behind them. Stone and concrete walls provide Bulletproof Cover for teams behind them.
Craters are Difficult Terrain, making them risky for tanks to cross. Craters are Short terrain, giving Bulletproof Cover to Infantry sheltering in them.
Tree Lines are Difficult Terrain, requiring caution from tanks attempting to cross them. Tree Lines are Tall terrain, so they block line of sight. Teams immediately behind a tree line are Concealed.
Rough Hills are Difficult Terrain. Tanks are likely to get stuck while crossing them. Hills are Tall terrain, so they block line of sight. Teams half hidden by a hill are Concealed and in Bulletproof Cover.
Gentle Hills are Terrain, but don't present any risk of tanks getting stuck.
Railway Lines are Terrain, slowing troops as they cross them. They are Flat, so offer no concealment.
Buildings are Terrain that is Impassable to tanks and guns. Infantry can enter and exit them through openings like doors and windows. Buildings are Tall terrain. You cannot see past a building, although teams half-hidden by or in a building are Concealed. Buildings give troops inside Bulletproof Cover.
Crop Fields. Standing crops are Terrain. Tanks moving through them need to slow down to avoid hidden obstacles and potential infantry ambushes. Standing crops are Short terrain, Concealing teams in and behind them. Stationary infantry are Concealed in the open (and other Flat terrain), but tanks, guns, and moving infantry are in full view.
Woods are impractical if they are modelled realistically in a WYSIWYG fashion. It would be difficult to place models in them or move them around inside. Instead, this type of Terrain is modelled as a base to show the limits of the terrain and what is inside and what is outside of it, with trees placed on top to indicate the type and height of the terrain. The trees can be moved around on the base to allow your teams to move within the area of terrain, but are always assumed to be uniformly distributed throughout the area. Woods are Difficult Terrain — tanks moving through a wood risk getting stuck. Woods are Tall terrain; teams at the edge of a wood are Concealed.
Rivers and Fords. Shallow rivers are Difficult Terrain. They slow tanks down, possibly causing them to halt as they seek a better crossing point. Deep rivers are Impassable to tanks, and require a 4+ Cross Check for infantry to cross. Teams cannot start the game or end their movement in a river or lake. Fords across deep rivers are Difficult Terrain. River crossings are often the site of battles as rivers are significant obstacles. Think about why the battle is being fought here. Is the river a defence line? Has the attacker already taken a bridgehead across the river, and this is a counterattack to eliminate the bridgehead? Place the river and crossings accordingly. It's a good idea to have at least three fords or bridges unless you are planning to have infantry make an assault crossing. Like all water features, rivers are Flat terrain and do not provide Concealment.
Discuss terrain with your opponent before the game — most of the terrain on your battlefield will be fairly obvious, but it is better to sort out questions like 'is that hill gentle or steep?', or 'is that river shallow or deep?', at the beginning of the game rather than discover that you and your opponent have different views when you attempt to drive across it!
Height of Terrain
As well as helping or hindering movement, terrain also provides concealment and cover for troops on the battlefield. Terrain comes in three heights: Flat, Short, and Tall.
Flat Terrain, like roads, rivers, and ploughed fields, offer neither concealment nor cover to troops.
Short Terrain, like walls, hedges, crop fields and low rises, Conceal teams within or beyond them and may provide Bulletproof Cover (depending on what the terrain is).
Tall Terrain, such as woods and buildings, blocks line of sight, hiding whatever is behind them. Troops on the edge can be seen, but are Concealed.
Streams and Brooks are Terrain, slowing tanks down as they cross. They are Flat terrain, so do not provide Concealment.
Lakes and Ponds are Impassable. They are Flat terrain, so do not provide Concealment.
Ploughed Fields are Terrain, as they are difficult to move across at speed.
Vineyards and Orchards are Difficult Terrain. Tanks need to exercise care to avoid getting stuck. Vineyards are Short terrain, while orchards are Tall terrain like woods. Both provide Concealment to teams within or behind them.
Building a Battlefield. The key to setting up an interesting gaming table is to imagine the battlefield that you are fighting over. Think about the key features you would expect to encounter there and that you've read about or seen in documentaries about the battle. These features will be significant terrain on your table. Once you've decided what types of terrain you want, start laying it out. As you do so, think about the patterns you find in real landscapes. Hills tend to form ridge lines rather than being randomly spread out, and trees tend to be in woods rather than scattered patches. Clumping terrain together like this will also give you open areas between, an equally important part of any battlefield. The most important point is to make your table tell a story and be fun to play on.
Buildings. Man-made structures like buildings are different from natural terrain. They are solid, so troops can't be seen on the other side, but troops can enter them and fight through their openings, such as doors and windows. Multi-storey buildings have one or more rooms on each level, making them, in effect, two buildings stacked upon each other. Buildings more than about 6"/15cm across should be divided into rooms between 3"/7.5cm and 6"/15cm across. Treat each room as a separate building with openings into each adjacent room.
What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG). Most terrain features are represented quite literally on the table top. A house represents a house, exactly as it is shown. A hill represents a hill, exactly as shown. A wall represents a wall, exactly as shown. This makes it easy to work out the answer to questions like 'Can my tank see over that wall?' by looking at the actual terrain feature placed on the table. Is the wall taller than your tank? If so, then it will probably have a great deal of difficulty seeing over it! Is the wall taller than the height of the gun barrel? If so, the tank will not be able to shoot over it. If it's lower than that, the tank should have no problems seeing and shooting over the wall. One exception to the WYSIWYG principle is bases on terrain. A lot of area terrain is based (usually on a base ⅛"/3mm thick) for manufacturing reasons. This raises terrain like roads and fields above the surrounding terrain, but should be ignored during play.
Turn Sequence
You are in command. Your job is to make that attack. In Flames Of War, players take turns at moving, shooting, and assaulting with all of their units. Once you have finished your turn, your opponent moves, shoots, and assaults with their units. Each turn is broken into four steps: Starting Step, Movement Step, Shooting Step, and the Assault Step.
The Starting Step. In the Starting Step, you check and update the status of units under your command, rally your troops, and organise fire support and reinforcements for your embattled soldiers. During the Starting Step you: Remount Bailed Out Tanks; Rally Pinned Down Units; Check Unit Last Stand; Check Formation Last Stand; Check Victory Conditions; Reveal Ambushes; Roll for Reserves; Roll for Aircraft; Remove Friendly Smoke Markers.
The Movement Step. In the Movement Step, you manoeuvre your troops into position to shoot or assault the enemy (or to avoid the enemy doing the same to you!).
The Shooting Step. After completing the Movement Step, your troops open fire on the enemy in the Shooting Step. During the Shooting Step you shoot or fire an artillery bombardment with any or all of your Units, one at a time.
The Assault Step. Once the Shooting Step is completed, your troops charge the enemy in the Assault Step, attacking them with hand grenades, close-combat weapons, and rifle butts, up close and personal.
Then it is your opponent's turn, and they repeat the same four steps.
Movement
In the Movement Step you can move any or all of your Units. When a Unit moves, move each of its Teams up to its Movement rating. A Team can Move less than its maximum Movement if you wish, and a Team that does not Move will often be more effective at shooting.
Going to Ground. Teams that do not Move, Shoot, or Assault are Gone to Ground, making them harder for the enemy to shoot at if they are also Concealed.
Tactical and Dash Speeds. The Arsenals in the Flames Of War intelligence handbooks have mobility ratings. The Mobility and Movement table shows the Tactical and Dash speeds of the Teams in your force based on their mobility rating. There are two basic types of movement: Tactical and Dash. Tactical movement is used while engaging the enemy, while Dash movement is a high-speed dash to close the range or get into cover, but prevents the Team from shooting that turn. For example, a Panzer IV H, which has a mobility rating of Standard Tank, has a Tactical speed of 10"/25cm; if it moves at Tactical speed it can still shoot this turn, while a Panzer IV H moving at Dash speed (12"/30cm Cross-country Dash, or faster on a road or through Terrain) races ahead but cannot shoot.
Mobility and Movement Table
Figures below are cross-checked against the book's own Quick Reference Sheet appendix, which prints this table cleanly.
Fully-Tracked Tank Teams (Tactical / Terrain Dash / Cross-country Dash / Road Dash / Cross):
- Standard Tank: 10"/25cm / 12"/30cm / 18"/45cm / 20"/50cm / 3+
- Light Tank: 12"/30cm / 16"/40cm / 28"/70cm / 32"/80cm / 3+
- Fast Tank: 12"/30cm / 16"/40cm / 24"/60cm / 28"/70cm / 3+
- Slow Tank: 8"/20cm / 12"/30cm / 14"/35cm / 15"/40cm / 3+
- Very Slow Tank: 6"/15cm / 8"/20cm / 8"/20cm / 8"/20cm / 3+
Other Tank Teams (Tactical / Terrain Dash / Cross-country Dash / Road Dash / Cross):
- Jeep, Motorcycle: 12"/30cm / 12"/30cm / 18"/45cm / 40"/100cm / 4+
- Half-tracked: 10"/25cm / 10"/25cm / 18"/40cm / 32"/80cm / 4+
- Wheeled: 8"/20cm / 8"/20cm / 14"/35cm / 32"/80cm / 5+
- Slow Wheeled: 8"/20cm / 8"/20cm / 10"/25cm / 24"/60cm / 5+
- Wagon: 6"/15cm / 6"/15cm / 6"/15cm / 8"/20cm / 5+
Guns Teams (Tactical / Terrain Dash / Cross-country Dash / Road Dash / Cross):
- Light Gun: 4"/10cm / 4"/10cm / 6"/15cm / 8"/20cm / 3+
- Medium Gun: 2"/5cm / 4"/10cm / 6"/15cm / 8"/20cm / 5+
- Heavy Gun: 2"/5cm / 2"/5cm / 4"/10cm / 6"/15cm / 5+
- Immobile Gun: — (no Tactical move) / 2"/5cm / 4"/10cm / 4"/10cm / 6
Infantry Teams (Tactical / Terrain Dash / Cross-country Dash / Road Dash / Cross):
- Infantry: 8"/20cm / 8"/20cm / 12"/30cm / 12"/30cm / Auto
- Cavalry: 6"/15cm / 10"/25cm / 20"/50cm / 20"/50cm / 2+
- Man-packed Gun: 8"/20cm / 8"/20cm / 12"/30cm / 12"/30cm / Auto
Staying In Command
A Team that is In Command can Move, Shoot, and Assault normally.
- A Team from a Unit with at least eight Teams is In Command if it ends its Move within 8"/20cm of its Unit Leader.
- A Team from a smaller Unit is In Command if it ends its Move within 6"/15cm of its Unit Leader.
A Team that does neither of these is Out of Command.
Out of Command. A Team that will not end its Movement In Command (one that is Out of Command) must:
- remain in place with no penalty, or
- Move at Tactical speed, suffering a penalty of +1 to the score it needs to hit, or
- Move at Dash speed directly towards its Unit Leader, avoiding intervening obstacles.
Moving Through Teams
Tank Teams cannot move within 2"/5cm of any visible enemy Infantry or Gun Team, in the Movement Step. Tank and Gun Teams cannot move through other Tank or Gun Teams under any circumstances. Tank, Infantry, and Gun Teams cannot Move at Dash speed within 8"/20cm of any enemy Tank, Infantry, or Gun Team. Infantry or Gun Teams cannot move within 2"/5cm of any visible enemy Tank, Infantry, or Gun Team in the Movement Step.
Moving Through Gaps. A Team can move through any gap it will fit through (ignoring its base if it has one). If the gap is too small to pass through, the Team will have to move through the surrounding terrain.
Moving Through Terrain
A Team's Tactical movement speed is not affected by the terrain it is moving over. The Team is focussing on taking cover, so is moving slowly anyway. A Team's Dash movement speed depends on the type of terrain it is crossing: Road, Cross-country, or Terrain. If a Team spends its whole Dash move on a Road, it can move rapidly at Road Dash speed. If it spends any of its Dash move in Terrain, it moves at its Terrain Dash speed. Otherwise, it moves at its Cross-country Dash speed.
Difficult Terrain. Some terrain is also difficult to cross. Each time a Team attempts to enter or start moving in Difficult Terrain, the player must roll a die:
- If the score is greater than or equal to the Team's Cross number, it successfully crosses that piece of terrain.
- Otherwise, the Team stops moving immediately. Even if the team is still where it started, it has now moved.
If a Unit Leader fails a Cross test, you may nominate another Team from the Unit within 6"/15cm as the new Unit Leader to allow the Unit to continue moving.
Impassable Terrain. Some terrain is Impassable to some or all Types of Teams. This terrain cannot be entered or crossed by those Teams.
Terrain Chart
Dash speed type / needs a Cross Check? / terrain Height / gives Bulletproof Cover?
Open Spaces: Grass or Steppe — Cross-country Dash / No / Flat / No. Firm Sand or Thin Snow — Cross-country Dash / No / Flat / No. Soft Sand, Snow, or Mud — Terrain Dash / No / Flat / No.
Vegetation: Ploughed Field — Terrain Dash / No / Flat / No. Crop Field or Open Scrub — Terrain Dash / No / Short / No. Vineyard — Terrain Dash / Yes / Short / No. Orchard — Terrain Dash / Yes / Tall / No. Woods and Forests — Terrain Dash / Yes / Tall / No.
Hedges and Walls: Fence — Terrain Dash / No / Short / No. Hedge — Terrain Dash / Yes / Short / No. Bocage Hedge — Terrain Dash / Yes / Tall / Yes. Line of Trees — Terrain Dash / Yes / Tall / No. Stone Wall — Terrain Dash / Yes / Short or Tall / Yes.
Hills: Low Rise — Cross-country Dash / No / Short / Yes. Gentle Hill — Terrain Dash / No / Tall / Yes. Steep or Rocky Hill — Terrain Dash / Yes / Tall / Yes.
Banks, Gullies, and Cliffs: Gully Access or Floor — Terrain Dash / No / Flat / No. Gully Side — Terrain Dash / Yes / Tall / Yes. Steep Bank or Low Seawall — Terrain Dash / Yes / Short / Yes. Cliff, Cutting, or High Seawall — Impassable / Impassable / Tall / Yes.
Water: Stream or Brook and Creek or Shallow River are Terrain Dash, no Cross Check, Flat, no Bulletproof Cover. A Ford across a Creek or River is Terrain Dash. A Deep River is Terrain Dash for Infantry (requiring a 4+ Cross Check) but Impassable to Tanks and Guns. Swamp or Lake is Impassable. All are Flat terrain and give no Bulletproof Cover.
Roads and Railway Lines: Road or Airfield — Road Dash / No / Flat / No. Ruined City Streets — Terrain Dash / No / Flat / No. Railway Line — Terrain Dash / No / Flat / No. Low Embankment — Terrain Dash / Yes / Short / Yes. High Embankment — Impassable / Impassable / Tall / Yes.
Buildings: Doors and Windows are Terrain Dash for Infantry, but the Exterior Walls are Impassable to Tanks and Guns. Moving around Inside Buildings is also Terrain Dash. Rubble or Craters are Terrain Dash, no Cross Check needed, Short terrain, with Bulletproof Cover.
Transports and Passengers
Transport vehicles can carry infantry and tow guns, giving them protection from enemy fire and getting them across the battlefield faster.
Passengers in Transports. Some Tank Teams (known as Transport Teams), including armoured personnel carriers and troop-carrying trucks, can carry passengers. The Passengers note in the Arsenal has a number after it indicating how many Infantry Teams the Team can carry. If unstated in the Arsenal, the Transport Team can carry six Teams. The Tractor special rule indicates a special type of Transport Team that can tow a Gun Team as a Passenger, but cannot carry other types of passengers. When a Tractor is towing a Gun, place the Gun behind the Tractor as though it is being towed by it. While being carried as passengers, a Team cannot Shoot or Assault.
Passengers on Tanks. Up to three Infantry Teams can ride on the top of any Armoured Tank Team (other than a Transport) as Passengers, although they are more vulnerable to enemy fire.
Mounting Transports. A Team can Mount a Transport Team from their Transport Unit by Moving into it in the Movement Step. If the Transport Team has not yet Moved, it can then Move at Dash speed (it cannot Shoot or Assault). Once mounted, a Team cannot Shoot or Assault.
Dismounting From Transports. A Team can Dismount from a Transport Team by Moving away from it in the Movement Step before the Transport Team Moves. A Team cannot Mount and Dismount in the same turn.
Send Transports to the Rear. You must remove all empty unarmoured or unarmed Transport teams from the table at the end of any Step, and may remove any other empty Transport teams at the same time. Transport teams removed in this fashion do not count as Destroyed, and if it was Bailed Out, automatically Remount.
Bring Transports Forward. Before moving a Unit, you may place all of its Transport teams (other than those that have been Destroyed) that have been Sent to the Rear or did not deploy on the table, back on the table. The Transport teams must be placed within 4"/10cm of a Team from their Unit, and may not be:
- within 16"/40cm of any enemy Team within Line of Sight, unless Concealed by Terrain from it, or
- within 4"/10cm of any enemy Team.
Once Brought Forward in this way, the Transport Teams must move at Dash Speed (and therefore cannot shoot or assault this turn), but may Mount Passengers before moving.
Shooting at Passengers. While Mounted in or on a Tank Team, Passengers cannot be targeted. Guns towed behind a Tractor are considered to be part of the Tractor when shot at, bombarded, etc.
Passengers in Transports (casualties). If a Transport Team is Destroyed by Shooting or an Artillery Bombardment, roll an Infantry or Gun Save for each Passenger Team. Place the surviving Passengers as close as possible to the Destroyed Transport on the side away from the Team that Destroyed it, facing in any direction. The surviving Teams of the Unit are automatically Pinned Down. If a Transport Team is Destroyed multiple times by an enemy Unit's shooting, each Passenger Team still only rolls one Save to see if it survives. If a Transport Team is Destroyed in an Assault, all of its Passengers are also Destroyed.
Guns Towed by Tractors. If a Tractor Team is Destroyed, roll a Gun Save for the Gun Team it is carrying as a Passenger. If the Gun Team survives, it dismounts in place, facing in any direction, and the Unit is automatically Pinned Down.
Passengers on Tanks (casualties). Each time a Tank Team is hit by Shooting or a Bombardment or in an Assault, any Passengers riding on top of it are automatically hit as well. Teams hit in this way are not in Bulletproof Cover (the tank attracts too much fire from all angles to protect the infantry), take Infantry Saves when shot at or bombarded, and can be Pinned Down as normal.
Movement Orders
A Unit Leader may issue one Movement Order each turn. These allow their Unit to use clever tactics, cross terrain, dash ahead, or dig in. Gun Teams can only be issued Dig In and Cross Here Movement Orders.
Blitz Move (Tactics). The Unit Leader can issue a Blitz Move Order in the Movement Step before its Unit Moves. If it does this, roll a die:
- If the score is greater than or equal to their Skill rating (or their Tactics rating if different), the Unit Leader and any Teams that are In Command may immediately Move up to 4"/10cm before making a normal Tactical Move. If a Team Moves using Blitz Move, but does not Move any further, it is not considered to have Moved and can Shoot at its Halted ROF.
- Otherwise, Teams from the Unit can only Move at Tactical speed and automatically suffer the +1 to hit penalty as if they had Moved Out of Command.
Shoot and Scoot (Tactics). The Unit Leader that did not Move in the Movement Step can issue a Shoot and Scoot Order in the Assault Step instead of Assaulting. If it does this, roll a die:
- If the score is greater than or equal to the Unit Leader's Skill rating (or their Tactics rating if different), the Leader and any Teams that are In Command and did not Move in the Movement Step may immediately Move up to 4"/10cm.
- Otherwise, the Unit remains where it is.
Dig In (Tactics). The Unit Leader can issue a Dig In Order instead of Moving in the Movement Step. If it does this, any of the Unit's Infantry and Gun Teams may attempt to dig Foxholes instead of Moving. Roll a die:
- If the score is greater than or equal to the Unit's Skill rating (or their Tactics rating if different), mark the selected Infantry and Gun Teams as being in Foxholes.
- Otherwise, the Unit failed to dig in.
Whether or not they succeeded in digging Foxholes, the selected Teams cannot Move, but Shoot with their Moving ROF, and cannot fire an Artillery Bombardment this turn. If they do not Shoot or Assault, they are Gone to Ground. Once they have dug Foxholes, Infantry and Gun Teams have Bulletproof Cover and are Concealed until they Move.
Tactics Rating. A Unit's Tactics rating is the same as its Skill rating unless it has a separate Tactics rating modified by a special rule: Veteran 3+, Trained 4+, Conscript 5+.
Follow Me (Motivation). In the Movement Step after their Unit has finished moving, a Unit Leader can issue a Follow Me Order. If it does this, the Unit Leader Moves directly forward up to an additional 4"/10cm and rolls a die:
- If the score is greater than or equal to the Unit Leader's Motivation rating, Teams in its Unit that are In Command may immediately Move directly forward up to an additional 4"/10cm, remaining In Command.
- Otherwise, the rest of the Unit remains where it is.
Whether they succeed or not, all Teams from the Unit that are In Command cannot Shoot this turn.
Cross Here (Cross). The Unit Leader can issue a Cross Here Order in the Movement Step before its Unit Moves. If it does this, any Teams (including the Unit Leader) from the Unit rolling to Cross Difficult Terrain within 6"/15cm of where the Unit Leader crosses improve their chance of crossing safely, reducing the score they need to pass a Cross Test by 1. Teams using this order cannot Shoot or Assault this turn.
Shooting
After completing the Movement Step, your troops open fire on the enemy in the Shooting Step. During the Shooting Step you shoot or fire an artillery bombardment with any or all of your Units, one at a time.
Shoot Sequence: 1. Check Range. 2. Check Line of Sight. 3. Check for Concealment. 4. Declare Targets. 5. Rotate to Face. 6. Roll to Hit. 7. Assign Hits. 8. Roll Saves.
In the Shooting Step, you Shoot with any or all of your Units one by one. When a Unit Shoots, each Team that wants to Shoot in the Unit picks an enemy Team as its target and Shoots its weapons. Once you've finished Shooting with one of your Units, move on to the next until all of the Units that you want to Shoot with have shot.
Weapon Characteristics. Every team has a set of characteristics describing it in the game. Vehicles and their weapons are described together in Arsenals: the first line describes the vehicle, and the second line (in italics) describes its main weapon; tanks with more than one main weapon (or one that can fire as artillery) have additional weapons lines. An Arsenal entry lists, for the vehicle: its Armour (Front, Side, Top) and Mobility rating, and any Equipment and Notes; and for each weapon: its Range, Rate of Fire (ROF), Anti-tank rating, and Firepower rating, plus any special Notes.
- Range is the maximum distance the weapon can shoot.
- Rate of Fire (ROF) is the maximum number of shots the weapon can take in one turn. The ROF stated in the Arsenals is the Halted ROF. The Moving ROF is half the Halted ROF rounded down unless noted otherwise in the Arsenal.
- Anti-tank is the armour penetration of the weapon.
- Firepower is the ability of the weapon to destroy a tank after penetrating its armour, or to knock out a dug-in position.
- Notes covers special abilities or rules of the weapon, and also shows any machine-guns a Tank Team has.
Which Weapons Can Fire. A Tank or Aircraft Team may either fire all of its Machine-guns (MG), or one other weapon. An Infantry or Gun Team may only fire one of its weapons. Only anti-aircraft weapons can shoot at Aircraft. Any weapons can be used to shoot at Tanks, Guns, and Infantry.
Shooting at Aircraft. Aircraft can only be shot at by Anti-aircraft weapons. You shoot at Aircraft in the enemy Shooting Step immediately before the Aircraft Shoots. A weapon that Shoots at Aircraft cannot: shoot at another Aircraft in this Shooting Step; shoot in Defensive Fire in the Assault Step; or shoot in their own Shooting Step next turn. In addition, the Team may not Assault in their Assault Step next turn and cannot be Gone to Ground until the end of the enemy's next turn. You may find it useful to mark a Team that Shoots at aircraft.
Shooting at Tanks, Infantry, and Guns. You can shoot at Tank, Infantry, and Gun Teams with any weapon in the Shooting Step. A team must be in Range of, and be able to draw a Line of Sight to, the target to shoot. Tanks measure Range from any part of the Hull, but trace Line of Sight from the weapon mount.
1. Check Range
A weapon can only Shoot at a target within its Range. Measurements to and from an Infantry or Gun Team are made from the nearest edge of its base. Measurements to and from a Tank Team are made from the nearest part of its hull (ignoring weapons). Measurements to and from an Aircraft are made from the nearest part of its fuselage (ignoring wings, tails, and any weapons).
2. Check Line of Sight
A Team can only Shoot at a target within its Line of Sight. To establish Line of Sight, a player must trace an imaginary line from the Shooting Team to any point on the target Team. The best way to do this is to get down to the level of the miniature and see what it could see.
Line of Sight is traced from: the weapon mounting of a Tank or Gun Team; any part of the base of an Infantry Team; or any point on the flight stand of an Aircraft. Line of Sight is traced to: any point on a Tank Team (excluding weapons); anywhere on the base of an Infantry or Gun Team; or any point on the flight stand of an Aircraft.
Line of Sight can be blocked by Tall terrain (including Buildings and Hills) and friendly Teams (other than stationary Infantry Teams). A Team cannot Shoot at a target if all (or practically all) of the Lines of Sight are blocked.
Line of Sight Through Gaps. Gaps of less than ¾"/20mm between two terrain pieces or friendly Teams (other than stationary Infantry teams) give Concealment and block Line of Sight in the same way that the terrain or Teams do. Use a tape measure as a guide as to whether a gap is wide enough to see through.
Line of Sight Through Hills and Buildings. Buildings and Hills block Line of Sight, so Teams completely behind them cannot be seen.
Line of Sight to and from Aircraft. Terrain never blocks Line of Sight to or from Aircraft.
Line of Sight Through Tall Terrain. Line of Sight to a target Team is Blocked if it is more than 2"/5cm through Tall terrain, unless the Range is 6"/15cm or less.
3. Check for Concealment
Teams that are concealed by terrain are harder to hit.
Concealed by Tall or Short Terrain. Short and Tall Terrain provides Concealment for Teams seen through it, with the following exceptions:
- If the Shooting Team is within 2"/5cm of the edge of the Terrain, target Teams outside the terrain seen through that edge are not Concealed.
- If the Shooting Team is on higher ground, such as on a Hill or in the upper floor of a Building, or is an Aircraft, target Teams within or through Short Terrain are not Concealed.
Concealed by Flat Terrain. Flat Terrain does not provide Concealment, except for Infantry Teams that did not move (even if they Dug In) and Gun Teams that are in Foxholes. These Teams are Concealed from all enemy Teams except Aircraft.
Concealed by Buildings. Buildings provide Concealment for Teams within them and for Teams at least half behind them.
Concealed by Hills. A Team half hidden by a Hill is Concealed to Teams on the other side — for example a tank with its hull hidden by the hill and its turret poking over ('hull down' as the military calls it). If it is high enough up the Hill, it will be able to see Teams on the other side clearly. The easiest way to determine Line of Sight and Concealment to and from a Hill is to physically get down to the level of the miniature and take a look at what the miniature could see from its current position.
Concealment and Aircraft. Only target Teams seen through Tall terrain (including Buildings, Hills, and Smoke) within 4"/10cm of the target Team are Concealed from Shooting Aircraft. Aircraft are only Concealed if seen through Tall terrain (including Buildings, Hills, and Smoke) within 4"/10cm of the Shooting Team.
4. Declare Targets
After checking the Range and Line of Sight to potential targets, a player must declare an enemy Team as the target for each Team in the Unit. Multiple Teams can target a single enemy or you can spread your fire out as you wish. A Team may only declare a single target Team, and all of its weapons will engage this target (although if it scores more than one hit, the additional hits may be placed on nearby Teams instead).
While the rules allow you to get clever and target different teams with each of yours, in most cases all you need to do is state that the whole Unit is shooting at the Team in the middle of the enemy Unit. If you do this, you will be able to allocate any hits you score evenly across the rest of the enemy Unit (assuming they are all In Command). The only time you need to get more specific is when intervening terrain gives some of your teams better shots at some of the enemy than at others.
Limited Fields of Fire. Some weapons have a limited Field of Fire (see the Hull Mounted and Gun Teams rule under Special Rules). They may only target or allocate hits to a Team within their Field of Fire. Units can end their movement facing any direction, so when you move Units that have a limited Field of Fire, point them at their intended target.
Aircraft Safety Distance. Aircraft cannot target or allocate hits to a Tank, Infantry, or Gun Team within 8"/20cm of a friendly Team.
5. Rotate to Face
Rotate the Team to point its main weapon or weapons at the declared target Team. This is a free rotation as part of Shooting, and is not Movement. If the weapon is mounted in a turret, you rotate the turret to point at the target Team, or rotate the whole model up to a quarter turn (90 degrees) to point at the target Team, rotating the turret the rest of the way. If you are only firing an AA MG, do not rotate the Team at all. Hull Mounted weapons can only hit Teams completely in front of the Shooting team.
6. Roll to Hit
Gone to Ground. Teams that did not Move, Shoot, or Assault in their own turn and have not shot in this turn are Gone to Ground. Scouts can Move and still be Gone to Ground, but are not Gone to Ground if they Shoot or Assault. In addition, all Teams are Gone to Ground at the start of the game unless otherwise specified. If a Team is Gone to Ground and is also Concealed from a Team Shooting at it, the Team is harder to hit.
Once you have declared targets for the Teams in a Unit, roll to hit the targets.
How Many Dice? When a weapon Shoots, roll one die for each point of ROF. The ROF of a weapon changes depending on whether the Team is halted or Moved in the Movement Step. If a Team is Pinned Down or wishes to Assault later in the turn, it must Shoot with its Moving ROF.
Score to Hit. The score To Hit is based on the target Team's Skill Rating (see Score Needed to Hit table below), modified as follows. Add +1 to the score to hit for each of the following:
- The range to the targeted Team is over 16"/40cm.
- Target Team is Concealed (but not Gone to Ground).
- Shooting Team Moved Out of Command.
- Shooting through Smoke.
- Shooting at Night.
Add +2 to the score to hit if: Target Team is Concealed and Gone to Ground.
No Shooting. A Team cannot Shoot if it moved at Dash speed, or used a Follow Me or Cross Here order.
Halted and Moving ROF. The ROF stated in the Arsenals is the Halted ROF. The Moving ROF is half the Halted ROF rounded down unless noted otherwise in the Arsenal. Halted ROF 1 weapons have a Moving ROF 1 and use the ROF 1 Weapons special rule. The Pinned Down ROF is the same as the Moving ROF unless noted otherwise in the Arsenal.
Score Needed to Hit: Veteran is Hit On 4+, Trained is Hit On 3+, Conscript is Hit On 2+.
Tank Team's Vehicle MGs and ROF. A Tank Team's Vehicle MG Moving ROF is the same as its Halted ROF (typically ROF 3, see your Arsenal). Whether Halted or Moving, only one Tank Team's vehicle machine-gun can shoot at ROF 3. Each of the Tank Team's other vehicle machine-guns reduce their ROF to 1.
Targets Requiring 7 or More to Hit. If the score needed to hit is 7 and the die roll is 6, then the shot scores a hit on a further roll of 5+. If the score needed to hit is 8 and the die roll is 6, then the shot scores a hit on a further roll of 6. If the score needed to hit is 9 or more, then the shot cannot hit. If you are re-rolling a die requiring a 7 or 8, treat both the initial roll (needing a 6) and the further roll as a single roll. For example, if you had three dice and were trying to get 7 and your rolls were 6, 6, and 1, you would immediately make the further rolls (needing 5+) for the two 6's. If those rolls were 6 and 3, you would have scored one hit and two misses. You now re-roll the two misses.
7. Assign Hits
Once all of the Unit's Teams have rolled to hit, the Shooting player assigns the hits from the Shooting Unit. The hits must be assigned to Teams that are: a valid target for the Team that scored the hit; part of the same Unit as the target Team; of the same Type (Tank, Infantry, Gun, or Aircraft) as the target Team; and within 6"/15cm of the target Team. A target Team must be assigned at least one hit from the Team or Teams that targeted it. Hits from a weapon must be assigned evenly so that each Team has (as close as possible) the same number of hits from that type of weapon. The combined Hits from a Unit must also be assigned evenly.
Speeding Things Up. Shooting can involve lots of die rolls. Don't panic though — you don't always have to roll each die separately. Because most Units have the same weapons in each Team and often all need the same score to hit, you can often (with your opponent's agreement) roll all the dice for a Unit's shooting at the same time, and assign the hits as normal. In some cases however, taking it slowly and resolving the shooting one Team at a time makes complicated situations much simpler than they appear at first glance.
HQ Units and Independent Teams. When an HQ Unit or Independent Team (such as an Observer) has been targeted, the Shooting player may select another Unit and assign hits between them as if they were the same Unit. Hits must still be assigned using the normal rules, and Teams from the other Unit must be of the same Type (Tank, Infantry, Gun, or Aircraft) as the target Team in order to be assigned a hit.
Doing It the Easy Way. In most cases (especially if you targeted a Team in the middle of the enemy Unit), hit allocation comes down to placing one hit on the target Team, giving each of the Unit's Teams a hit until you run out of hits.
Mistaken Target. The targeted player may attempt to protect valuable Teams like heavy weapons by reassigning hits to other Teams, representing misidentification of their target by the Shooting Team. The player selects a Team that was hit and another Team of the same Type (Tank, Infantry, Gun, or Aircraft) that could have been assigned hits (whether it was or not) and rolls a die.
- On a roll of 3+, the player swaps all of the hits on each Team to the other Team. The hits must still be allocated according to the Assign Hits rule after the swap. Once a hit has been swapped it cannot be swapped again. Any hits that cannot be legally swapped remain on the original Team.
If the player succeeds, they can then attempt to swap hits between a different pair of Teams, and continue to do so as long as they make the 3+ roll required. If they fail in any attempt to swap, all remaining hits stay where they were allocated.
Too Close for Error. The target player cannot use the Mistaken Target rule if the Shooting Team is: within 4"/10cm of either of the selected Teams, or within 8"/20cm if the selected Teams are Tank Teams.
HQ Units and Independent Teams (Mistaken Target). When an HQ Unit or Independent Team (such as an Observer) is hit, the owning player may select another Unit and use the Mistaken Target rule to swap hits between them as if they were the same Unit.
Keeping It Simple. Occasionally, how the terrain is placed will limit which enemy Teams each of your shooting Teams can hit, making the Mistaken Target rule a bit tricky to use. It can help to use different coloured dice for each shooting Team so that your opponent can see which hits can be swapped between possible targets.
When to Use Mistaken Target. You won't need to use the Mistaken Target rule very often as in most cases it makes little difference which of your tanks your opponent shoots at. The rule is there for those odd situations where it really matters which team your opponent hits, and it seems a bit unrealistic that their gunners seem to manage to pick the most important one every time!
8. Roll Saves
The targeted player rolls a save for each hit.
Armoured Tank Team Saves. When the Shooting player hits a turreted Tank Team, they first roll a die to determine whether the shot hits the hull or the turret.
- On a score of 4+, the shot hits the turret, if it has one.
- Otherwise, it hits the hull.
If the firing Team is entirely in front of a line drawn across the front of the hull or turret (whichever was hit), the opponent uses their Team's Front armour rating when rolling their Armour Save. Otherwise they use the Side armour rating. If the Shooting Team is in the front or side of both the hull and turret (or you are shooting at a turretless tank), you do not need to roll to see which was hit, as the Armour rating of both are the same.
Roll Save. When an Armoured Tank Team is assigned a hit, the owning player takes an Armour Save. They roll a die and add: the Team's Armour rating; and an additional +1 if the range between the Team that scored the hit and the Team making the save is over 16"/40cm.
- Exceeds Anti-tank Rating. If your opponent's Armour Save roll is greater than your weapon's Anti-tank rating, their Armour Save is successful. The shot has no effect, having bounced harmlessly off the tank's armour.
- Equals Anti-tank Rating. If your opponent's Armour Save exactly equals your weapon's Anti-tank rating, they failed their Armour Save. Although your shot didn't fully penetrate the tank's armour, it might still do some damage. To determine the effect of the hit you must take a Firepower Test. Roll another die. If the roll equals or exceeds your weapon's Firepower rating, the crew panic and Bail Out. If the roll is lower than your weapon's Firepower rating, the shot has no effect and the tank continues in action unharmed.
- Less Than Anti-tank Rating. If your opponent's Armour Save is less than your weapon's Anti-tank rating they failed their Armour Save. To determine the effect of the hit you must take a Firepower test. Roll another die. If the roll equals or exceeds your weapon's Firepower rating, the tank is Destroyed. If the roll is lower than your weapon's Firepower rating, the shot failed to do significant damage to the tank but the crew still Bails Out of the tank, fearing that the next shot might do worse.
Infantry and Gun Saves. For each hit on an enemy Infantry or Gun Team, the owning player rolls a die. If the result is at least the Team's Infantry or Gun Save, the Team survives largely unharmed. Otherwise, unless the Team is in Bulletproof Cover, it is Destroyed. Infantry Save: Heavy Weapon Infantry, Cavalry, and ordinary Infantry each save on a 3+. Gun Save: Light Gun and Medium Gun save on 3+; Heavy Gun and Immobile Gun save on 4+.
Unarmoured Tank Saves. When an Unarmoured Tank Team (one with a Top armour rating of '-') is assigned a hit, the owning player rolls a die. If the result is at least the Team's Unarmoured Tank Save, the tank survives unharmed apart from some holes in the bodywork. Otherwise, it is Destroyed. Unarmoured Tank saves on 5+; Unarmoured Tank with Gun Shield saves on 4+; Recce Unarmoured Tank saves on 4+.
Bulletproof Cover. An Infantry or Gun Team that is in Foxholes or Concealed by a Building, Crater, Trench Line, Stone Wall, Bocage Hedgerow, Hill, or similar bulletproof terrain is in Bulletproof Cover. The Shooting player must roll a die for each unsaved hit on an Infantry or Gun Team in Bulletproof Cover. If the roll equals or exceeds the weapon's Firepower rating, the target Team is Destroyed. If the roll is lower than the weapon's Firepower rating, the cover protects the Team from harm.
Aircraft Saves. When an Aircraft is assigned a hit, the owning player rolls a die. If the result is at least the Team's Aircraft Save (3+), the aircraft survives unharmed apart from some holes in the wings. Otherwise, the shooting player must roll a die for each unsaved hit: if the roll equals or exceeds the weapon's Firepower rating, the target Aircraft is Destroyed; otherwise the Aircraft survives unharmed and continues its attack.
Bailed Out Tank Teams
Bailed Out Tank Teams may not move (including issuing Blitz Move, Shoot and Scoot, or Follow Me orders) or fight (including Shooting, firing Artillery Bombardments, and fighting in Assaults) until the crew Remount the tank.
Bailed Out Leaders and Commanders. If a Unit Leader or Formation Commander is Bailed Out they may, at the start of any Step, swap to another Tank Team within 6"/15cm that is under their command. Their Bailed Out tank then replaces their new one in its original Unit.
Bailed Out Again. Each time a Tank Team that is already Bailed Out would be forced to Bail Out again (whether from Shooting or from Assault or any other reason), roll a die instead of placing another marker.
- If the score is greater than or equal to the Team's Motivation rating (or its Remount rating if different), the shot has no additional effect on the tank.
- Otherwise, the crew decides that it's too dangerous to hang around, and the Team is Destroyed.
Remounting Bailed Out Tank Teams. During the Starting Step at the start of your turn, roll a die for each Bailed Out Tank Team. If the score equals or exceeds the Tank Team's Motivation rating (or its Remount rating if different), the crew Remounts their tank and it can act as normal this turn. Otherwise, the Team remains Bailed Out.
Remount Rating. A Unit's Remount rating is the same as its Motivation unless modified by a special rule: Fearless 3+, Confident 4+, Reluctant 5+.
Commander's Leadership. Re-roll all failed attempts to Remount for Tanks whose Commander is within 6"/15cm and in Line of Sight (including the Commander's own Tank).
Destroyed Teams
Leave Destroyed Tank Teams on the table as Wrecks. Remove all Destroyed Infantry, Gun, and Aircraft Teams from the table. Mark a wreck by placing a plume of smoke on the model representing smoke and flame from internal fires. Wrecks are Terrain, slowing down tanks dashing across them, but are not Difficult Terrain. Wrecks (ignoring the smoke plume) provide Concealment as Short terrain. Armoured Tank Team Wrecks are Bulletproof Cover.
Killing Commanders. When a Formation Commander is Destroyed the owning player can nominate another Team of the same type from the HQ Unit within 6"/15cm as the new Formation Commander. If they cannot do this, the owning player rolls a die.
- On a roll of 3+, the Commander survives and switches to another Team if there is one available. If there are no Teams of the appropriate Type within 6"/15cm, the Commander is killed.
- Otherwise, the Commander is killed.
Switching to Another Team. If your Infantry Commander survives, remove another friendly Infantry Team from their Formation within 6"/15cm and replace it with the Commander's Team. If your Tank Commander survives, nominate another friendly Tank Team from their Formation within 6"/15cm as the new Commander. The Commander now uses the characteristics of the new Tank Team.
Only Roll Once. If a Commander is Destroyed multiple times by a Unit's Shooting, the Commander still only needs to roll once to see if they survive.
Passengers in Destroyed Transports. When a Team carrying Passengers is Destroyed, consult the Transports and Passengers rules above to find the effect on the Passengers.
Replace Destroyed Unit Leaders. When a Unit Leader is Destroyed, the next in line for command takes over. Nominate another Team of the same Type from the Unit within 6"/15cm as the new Unit Leader Team. If there are no suitable Teams close enough, the Unit remains leaderless until the Leader is replaced. A Formation Commander may appoint another Team from the Unit within 6"/15cm and in Line of Sight as the new Unit Leader at the start of any of their turns.
Keeping Track of Leaders. It is a good idea to make your leaders easy to identify with different markings or a commander model for tanks. For infantry it is easier since the Unit Leader is on a smaller base. If your leader is Destroyed, it is usually a good idea to pick a team with the same characteristics to be the new leader and then just swap the old leader for it. That way they are still easy to identify. If your new leader is in a different type of tank or is armed with a different weapon, you can use a Leader token to keep track of them instead if you want.
Pinned Down
Even if you don't manage to kill the enemy with your Shooting, the weight of fire may pin them down. For soldiers under such intense fire, forward progress is impossible, and even shooting is difficult.
- A Unit becomes Pinned Down if it takes at least five hits in a single Shooting Step. These hits can be from any source or combination of sources, as long as all of the hits were inflicted in the same Shooting Step.
- A larger Unit that started the Shooting Step with at least twelve Teams needs to take at least eight hits in the Shooting Step to become Pinned Down.
Armoured Tank Teams and Aircraft. Armoured Tank Teams, Passenger Teams mounted in an Armoured Transport, and Aircraft cannot be Pinned Down.
Infantry, Gun, and Unarmoured Teams. Infantry, Gun, and Unarmoured Tank Teams in a Pinned Down Unit may not Move closer to any enemy Team in Line of Sight, nor Move into Line of Sight of any other enemy Team. However, they may Dig In or retire away from visible enemy Teams. A Pinned Down Infantry, Gun, or Unarmoured Tank Team Shoots using its Moving ROF, whether it Moved or not.
Rallying From Pinned Down. If your Unit is Pinned Down, you may attempt to Rally it in the Starting Step at the start of your turn. Roll a die to do so: if the score is greater than or equal to the Unit's Motivation rating (or Rally rating if different), the Unit recovers fully and is immediately ready to continue the battle. Otherwise, the Unit remains Pinned Down.
Rally Rating. A Unit's Rally rating is the same as its Motivation unless modified by a special rule: Fearless 3+, Confident 4+, Reluctant 5+.
Commander's Leadership (Rally). Re-roll all failed attempts to Rally from Pinned Down for Units whose Formation Commander is within 6"/15cm and in Line of Sight of the Unit Leader (including the Commander's own HQ Unit).
Firing Smoke
Before Shooting normally, a Unit may elect to fire smoke, rather than armour-piercing or explosive ammunition, with any or all of its weapons that have that capability. These weapons cannot shoot after doing this. When a Team fires smoke, each hit places a 2"/5cm Smoke Marker (or ball of cotton wool) on the Team rather than causing any direct damage. Hits by Smoke cannot be reallocated with the Mistaken Target rule. All Smoke fired by a player is removed at the start of their next turn.
Effects of Smoke. Teams shooting into, through, or out of a Smoke ball always suffer an additional +1 penalty on the score needed to hit, both for Shooting and Bombardments. If a Team that has been hit by Smoke moves, the Smoke remains in place, allowing the Team to Shoot as normal.
Flame-throwers
Flame-throwers work like fire hoses, only instead of water they spray burning fuel. They are terrifying weapons to face, and many men who are willing to risk a bullet will turn tail and run rather than burn. Flame-throwers can be Infantry Teams or Tank Teams. Flame-thrower teams use all the normal shooting rules.
- Hits Top Armour. Flame-throwers hit a Tank Team's Top Armour when shooting at it.
- Full ROF When Moving. Flame-throwers do not reduce their ROF when moving.
- Pinned Down if Hit by Flame-throwers. Infantry, Gun, and Unarmoured Tank Units hit by a Flame-thrower are automatically Pinned Down.
Tank Flame-throwers. Tank Teams with Flame-throwers cannot Charge into Contact and must Break Off. As an exception, Soviet Flame-thrower Tank Teams may Charge into Contact and may Counterattack.
Fuel Tanks. Tank Teams with Flame-throwers increase the number required to pass a Remount by 1. Tank Flame-throwers with Fuel Trailers are not affected by the Fuel Tanks rule like normal Tank Flame-throwers.
Flame-thrower Arsenals. Flame-thrower Teams retain their Arsenal ratings, but change their Anti-tank rating to 2, and Firepower to 1+, and use the Breakthrough Gun, and Hits Top Armour special rules. A sample Infantry Flame-thrower Team: Range 4"/10cm, ROF 2, Anti-tank 2, Firepower 1+, with the Breakthrough Gun, Full ROF When Moving, and Hits Top Armour special rules.
Snipers
Snipers, solitary hunters with telescopic sights on their rifles, are the stuff of legends. They usually work in pairs. One shoots while the other spots, telling them if they were high, low, left, or right. The pair spends hours lying hidden, unable to move, waiting for their prey to come into their sights. Then, with one shot they bring the enemy down. Although snipers don't kill as many soldiers as a machine-gun, the personal nature of their shooting makes them far more fearsome than an indiscriminate machine-gun. A leader can rally his men to advance into machine-gun fire, but even the act of waving your men forward means death in the face of a skilled sniper.
All Snipers have the following characteristics: Snipers are Independent Infantry Teams and always rated as Confident Veteran. Snipers are armed with a sniper rifle — Range 16"/40cm, ROF 1, Anti-tank 0, Firepower 4+.
Expert Shot. Snipers are excellent shots, shooting anyone who moves, making it difficult to keep up the momentum of attacks. A Sniper may re-roll any failed Roll to Hit. Any platoon hit by a Sniper Team is automatically Pinned Down.
Sniper's Hide. Snipers sneak out in the darkness before dawn, moving stealthily into their chosen hide. Once in position they wait patiently for their prey. Sniper teams are never deployed at the start of the game. Instead, they are held off table and deployed as an Ambush. However, Sniper Teams can be placed in your own Deployment Area or No Man's Land and must be placed in Terrain that provides Concealment.
Perfectly Camouflaged. A good sniper's hide is chosen so that the sniper will remain invisible, even when they shoot. Sniper teams are Concealed and Gone to Ground, even when they shoot. They are also in Bulletproof Cover. A Sniper team may not fire if there are any friendly Teams within 4"/10cm, as the presence of these troops will give away their hide.
Driven Off. If the enemy discover the sniper's hide, a smart sniper realises the game's up and gets out. If a Sniper team is Destroyed, the player that Destroyed it rolls a die. On a score of 4+, they knock out the sniper. Otherwise, the Sniper team slips away and can be placed back on the table again from the start of your next turn as an Ambush.
Aircraft
Ground attack aircraft bomb, rocket, and strafe the enemy on the ground, while fighters protect your troops by intercepting enemy aircraft. The air force has many tasks across the breadth and depth of the enemy forces. Your battle is just one small part of the big picture to them, so the aircraft supporting you will often be called away to more urgent tasks.
Aircraft Arrival. At the start of each turn, the owning player may roll a die. On a score of 4+, the Aircraft Unit arrives and will be placed anywhere on table in the Movement Step, as long as the Aircraft stand can be placed flat on the table or suitable terrain. Aircraft shoot or bombard as normal in the Shooting Step. Just before an Aircraft attacks, the enemy can shoot their Anti-aircraft weapons at it.
Aircraft in Reserve. If the Aircraft Unit is held in Reserve, do not start rolling until the Unit arrives from Reserve.
Aircraft Depart. All Aircraft are removed from the table at the end of the Shooting Step. Any casualties they suffer carry over when the Unit returns to the table.
Aircraft From Intelligence Handbooks. Aircraft in the previous edition of Flames Of War had very different rules. This edition has Aircraft rules with much more in common with the rest of the rules, making them easier to use and understand. However, to use the intelligence briefings' Air Support you have to follow a few steps to convert their rules.
Number of Aircraft Teams. We've linked the type of air support to the number of Aircraft Teams in your Aircraft Unit:
- Priority Air Support — an Aircraft Unit with three aircraft, arriving on a score of 4+.
- Limited Air Support — an Aircraft Unit with two aircraft.
- Sporadic Air Support — an Aircraft Unit with one aircraft.
- Close Air Support arrives on a score of 3+, instead of 4+.
Fighter Interception. Players with Fighter Interception may roll a die immediately after their opponent's successful roll to receive Aircraft. On a roll of 5+ the enemy Aircraft Unit is intercepted and is not placed on table. Otherwise the enemy Aircraft Unit is placed on the table as normal.
Bombs and Rockets. A flight of Aircraft Teams uses one Artillery Template when shooting as Artillery with Bombs and Rockets. However, they suffer no penalty for having only 1 or 2 weapons firing. Only Teams from the Aircraft Unit can Spot for their bombardment.
Aircraft Weapon Ranges and Rules. MGs, Cannons, and Rockets have a range of 8"/20cm. Bombs have a range of 6"/15cm. Rockets and Bombs shoot as Artillery and use the adjusted Anti-tank and Firepower ratings. Aircraft are Veteran Skill rating. Aircraft MGs have a Rate of Fire 3. Aircraft Cannons have a Rate of Fire 2.
Models. As many players may have only one aircraft model, you can indicate the number of aircraft in your Unit by placing a blue aircraft die on the stand to indicate the number of aircraft. Measure all weapons ranges from the aircraft model on the table.
Choosing Weapons. Some Aircraft have a choice of different weapons. You can only shoot one type of weapon during a turn and you must declare what that weapon is for all the Aircraft in the Unit before you roll for Aircraft arrival.
Aircraft Are Hit On 5+.
Artillery
The ancient science of artillery reached its destructive pinnacle in the bloody stalemate of the First World War. There the armies of Europe learned the art of massed artillery fire to smash enemy defences and cut them off from their reserves. Their technique was slow and methodical, but extremely deadly.
Artillery Sequence: 1. Pick Spotting Team. 2. Check Range. 3. Select Aiming Point. 4. Rotate to Face. 5. Roll to Range In. 6. Roll to Hit. 7. Roll Saves. 8. Pin Down Target. Artillery weapons are designed to bombard an area with a deluge of explosive shells rather than attempting to hit a particular target directly.
Who Can Bombard. Any Team that has an Artillery weapon (indicated by a ROF of '-' or an Arsenal Weapon line 'Firing Bombardments') may fire a Bombardment instead of Shooting. A Unit with Artillery weapons is an Artillery Unit. Most Artillery weapons have both a normal shooting line and an artillery line in their Arsenal entry. You must choose to use one or the other each turn. Some, like rocket launchers, can only fire bombardments and cannot shoot normally. Teams cannot fire a Bombardment if they Moved (unless they are Aircraft), failed a Blitz Move order, attempted to Dig In, are in a Building, or are Pinned Down. Teams that fire a Bombardment cannot Assault this turn. If a Unit fires a Bombardment, all of its Teams with Artillery weapons must either fire as part of the Bombardment, or not fire at all. Other Teams can still Shoot as normal.
1. Pick Spotting Team
An Artillery Bombardment needs a Team to Spot the fall of shot and correct the guns on to target. A Spotting Team can be one of the firing Teams, a Formation HQ Team, or a specialist Observer. A Spotting Team must not have Moved or attempted to Dig In, cannot Shoot or Assault, but can fire in the Bombardment it is Spotting for.
Spotting for Aircraft. An Artillery Bombardment from an Aircraft Unit can only be Spotted for by one of the Aircraft in the Unit. Aircraft can spot for their own Bombardment while moving.
2. Check Range
Weapons can only fire a Bombardment at an Aiming Point within their Range and in their Field of Fire. Artillery units can select any point on the table that their Spotting Team can see as their Aiming Point.
3. Select Aiming Point
Pick a point on the table within Line of Sight of the Spotting Team and place the firing Unit's Ranged In marker on it to mark it as the Aiming Point of the Bombardment. Centre the Template over the Aiming Point with the sides pointing towards the Bombarding Unit.
Danger Close. To reflect the danger of dropping shells too close to your own positions, you may not place an Artillery Template within 4"/10cm of friendly Teams. Aircraft may not place an Artillery Template within 8"/20cm of friendly Teams, but do not restrict the placement of their own Template.
Template Size. The Artillery Template is 6"/15cm square.
4. Rotate to Face
The Artillery Teams Rotate to Face the Aiming Point. This is a free rotation as part of Shooting, and is not Movement. If the Aiming Point is outside of the weapon's Field of Fire, it cannot fire as part of the Bombardment, but it still rotates to point at the Aiming Point.
5. Roll to Range In
A Spotting Team can make up to three attempts to Range In the artillery on its Aiming Point. Roll a die for each attempt:
- If the score is greater than or equal to the Artillery Unit's Skill rating, it has successfully Ranged In.
- Otherwise, the ranging attempt missed, go on to the next attempt.
If the Spotting Team fails all three attempts to Range In, remove the Ranged In marker. The Artillery Unit that was attempting to Range In cannot Shoot, Assault, or fire an Artillery Bombardment this turn, and are not Gone to Ground. Once a Spotting Team has made their three attempts to Range In, they cannot make further Ranging In attempts this turn.
Ranging In With a Less-Skilled Team. If the Spotting Team and the Artillery Unit have different Skill ratings (or Ranging ratings if they have them), use the worse rating to Range In.
Ranging In Additional Batteries. If the Spotting Team successfully Ranges In in less than three attempts, it may use its remaining attempts to Range In another Artillery Unit that it can Spot for on the same or a different Aiming Point. This Artillery Unit will suffer the normal penalty for Ranging In on the second or third attempt.
Ranging In Near Terrain. Add +1 to the score required to Range In if the Aiming Point is placed so that the Template will cover any Short or Tall Terrain features or any part of a Smoke Screen.
Ranging In at Night. A Spotting Team does not need to roll on the Night Visibility Table when Spotting for a Bombardment at Night, but does add +1 to the score required to Range In. This is in addition to any penalty for Ranging In near Terrain.
6. Roll to Hit
Roll a die for each Tank, Infantry, or Gun Team caught at least partly under the Template. The score to Hit a Team under the Template is the Is Hit On number (Veteran 4+, Trained 3+, Conscript 2+), modified as follows: add +1 if Ranged In on Second Attempt; add +2 if Ranged In on Third Attempt.
- 1 or 2 Weapons Firing. If the Artillery Unit only has one or two weapons firing, you must re-roll successful rolls To Hit.
- 5 or More Weapons Firing. If the Artillery Unit has five or more weapons firing, you must re-roll failed rolls To Hit.
Speeding Things Up. Although the rules suggest rolling individually for each team under an artillery bombardment, you can often (with your opponent's agreement) roll the dice for all teams of the same type at the same time, and assign the hits in any manner agreeable to both players. In cases such as where it matters which Team is hit, taking it slowly and rolling for one Team at a time makes complicated situations easier to handle. Either way, specialist teams such as anti-tank rifles, bazookas, and light mortars should always be rolled for separately.
Mixed Bombardments. When an Artillery Bombardment is fired by a combination of different Artillery weapons use the lowest Anti-tank rating, and the worst Firepower rating of all the types of weapon.
7. Roll Saves
Roll Saves for Teams that have been hit in the same way as for Shooting, except that Armoured Tank Teams use their Top armour rating.
Bulletproof Cover and Bombardments. An Infantry or Gun Team that is in Foxholes or in a Building, Crater, or similar bulletproof terrain is in Bulletproof Cover. Teams behind Stone Walls, Bocage Hedgerows, and similar linear terrain are not in Bulletproof Cover from an Artillery Bombardment. The shooting player must roll a die for each unsaved hit on an Infantry or Gun Team in Bulletproof Cover: if the roll equals or exceeds the weapon's Firepower number, the target Team is Destroyed; if the roll is lower than the weapon's Firepower rating, the cover protects the Team from harm.
8. Pin Down Target
Infantry, Gun, and Unarmoured Tank Units hit by an Artillery Bombardment are automatically Pinned Down.
Repeating Bombardments. An Artillery Unit may Repeat a Bombardment by using its current Aiming Point. Because the Artillery Unit is already Ranged In, it automatically Ranges In on its first attempt for the Repeated Bombardment, so will not suffer the penalty for Ranging In on the second or third attempt.
Spotting for a Repeat Bombardment. The Repeated Bombardment still requires a Spotting Team, but it may be a different Team from the one that originally Ranged In on the Aiming Point and doesn't need to be able to see the Aiming Point. If the Spotting Team cannot see the Aiming Point, all rolls To Hit will suffer a +1 penalty to the score required To Hit as if the Spotting Team had Ranged In on the second attempt.
Re-roll Infantry and Gun Saves. Infantry and Gun Teams must re-roll successful Saves when hit by a Repeat Bombardment.
Moving Removes Ranged In Marker. If an Artillery Unit moves (including when it uses a Blitz Move or Shoot and Scoot), it immediately removes its Ranged In marker from the table. Since Aircraft must move every turn, they will always remove their Ranged In marker between Bombardments.
Pre-planned Artillery Targets. An Artillery Unit that is not in Reserve may place its Ranged In marker anywhere on the table at the start of the game after Objectives and Minefields have been placed, but before Deployment. This Ranged In marker indicates the Artillery Unit's current Aiming Point at the start of the game. If both sides have Artillery, the Defender places their Ranged In markers first.
Bombardment Firepower and Anti-tank Ratings. One of the changes in this edition of Flames Of War is how artillery works. Part of this was to look at the Firepower and Anti-tank ratings of Gun Teams firing Artillery Bombardments (including Aircraft Bombs and Rockets), so that artillery would be more effective against Infantry and Guns. To do this the Artillery Bombardment Firepower of Artillery weapons has been increased. This combined with the Repeat Bombardment rules makes artillery a more troublesome prospect for static infantry and gun positions. The Anti-tank ratings have also shifted to reflect the role of artillery in combat — a hit on a tank from an artillery bombardment is more about good luck than good management, so the Artillery Bombardment Anti-tank Ratings have been adjusted. Consult your Arsenal from your Intelligence Handbook to see the values and use the new values below.
Arsenal Anti-tank → Adjusted Artillery Anti-tank: 6→3, 5→3, 4→3, 3→2, 2→1, 1→0.
Arsenal Firepower → Adjusted Artillery Firepower: 1+→1+, 2+→2+, 3+→3+, 4+→3+, 5+→4+, 6→4+.
Rocket Launchers. Salvo rocket launchers fire bombardments just like any other artillery. After ranging in as usual (usually by firing a single rocket at a time, just like ordinary artillery), they fire all of their rockets in one massive salvo. Rockets are notoriously difficult to control in flight. Without any on-board guidance system the rockets of World War II could not hope to match the accuracy of conventional artillery, and very big salvoes would simply be spread across a wider area. You don't need any special template to use your Rocket Launcher Artillery Unit, just measure out the area with your tape measure.
- Number of Weapons Firing and Rolling to Hit. Rocket Launchers only count the number of actual Teams firing when determining if they re-roll rolls To Hit.
- Number of Weapons Firing and Template Size. Some Rocket Launcher Teams are listed as counting as two or even four weapons when firing. These now count as one Team for calculating re-rolls To Hit, but count as the number of weapons for Artillery Template size. If an Artillery Bombardment is being fired by Rocket Launchers all of which count as two or more weapons, you must use a Double-width Template (15cm/6" x 30cm/12"). If an Artillery Bombardment is being fired by Rocket Launchers all of which count as four weapons, you must use a Double-width and Double-depth 'Devastating Bombardment' Template (30cm/12" square).
Air Observation Post. Flying low over the front line, an American L4 'Grasshopper' or British Auster liaison aircraft operating as an air observation post (AOP) is the bane of German soldiers. Any movement at all is instantly spotted and radioed back to the field artillery, who respond in their usual brutal fashion by pounding the target until all movement ceases. By D-Day, every American and British division had light aircraft operating as AOPs, giving them unequalled artillery observation capability.
An Air Observation Post (AOP) is an Independent Observer Aircraft Team. Unlike other aircraft, your AOP Aircraft automatically arrives in your Starting Step. Instead of shooting like other aircraft, it may instead act as a Spotting Team for an Artillery Unit. Before it attempts to spot, your opponent may conduct Anti-aircraft fire against it. Due to the difficulties in flying an aircraft and locating targets at the same time, the AOP aircraft model (ignoring the flight stand) must be within 16"/40cm of the Aiming Point. Line of Sight from an AOP is taken from any part of the aircraft model. The AOP benefits from its height by allowing it to re-roll the third attempt to Range In if it failed on that attempt.
Air Observation Posts on Table. An Air Observation Post never really goes away like normal aircraft — the pilot would keep the AOP nearby. You might like to leave your AOP on the table so you remember it is available for next turn.
Smoke Bombardments
A smoke screen is created by firing shells filled with chemicals that burn quickly, giving off clouds of dense white smoke. Enormous amounts of these shells must be fired onto a small area to create a smoke screen large and dense enough to provide complete concealment for your troops. Impromptu smoke screens of the type called down by a commander during a battle, while still impressive and quite effective, are nowhere near as dense and complete and cannot be maintained indefinitely.
Some Artillery units can fire a Smoke Bombardment instead of a normal Artillery Bombardment. Each such Artillery Unit may do this once per game. Smoke Bombardments must be fired at the beginning of the Shooting Step before all other fire. Use the normal Artillery rules to Range In, except that there is no modifier for Ranging In near Terrain and no Danger Close restriction. If the Bombardment is successfully Ranged In, place a Smoke Screen on the Aiming Point. The Bombardment has no other effect. If the Unit fails to Range In, they may attempt to fire a Smoke Bombardment again later in the game. All Smoke fired by a player is removed at the start of their next turn.
Smoke Screens. When a Unit fires a Smoke Bombardment, place a line of 2"/5cm Smoke Markers (or balls of cotton wool) that is 4"/10cm long for each weapon firing as a Smoke Screen. So two guns will produce a line 8"/20cm long, while five guns will produce a line 20"/50cm long. The line starts at the Aiming Point and may be placed on any angle. You may fire fewer weapons to produce a shorter screen if you wish.
Effects of Smoke Screens. Lines of Sight into, through, or out of Smoke Screens are blocked unless the Range is 6"/15cm or less. Teams shooting through or into a Smoke Screen always suffer an additional +1 penalty on the score needed To Hit for Shooting and on the score needed to Range In Bombardments.
Assaults
Once the Shooting Step is completed, your troops charge the enemy in the Assault Step, attacking them with hand grenades, close-combat weapons, and rifle butts, up close and personal.
Assault Sequence: 1. Charge into Contact. 2. Opponent's Defensive Fire. 3. Roll to Hit. 4. Roll Saves. 5. Check if the Assault is Over. 6. Test to Counterattack. 7. Counterattack or Break Off.
In the Assault Step, you assault with any or all of your Units one by one. When a Unit Assaults, its Teams move into contact, the enemy shoots defensive fire, then both sides take turns at fighting at close quarters with hand grenades and close-combat weapons. Once you've finished assaulting with one of your Units, move on to the next, until all of the Units have made their Assaults. An Assault is the only time an Infantry Team can Move within 2"/5cm of the enemy, or that a Tank Team can Move within 2"/5cm of enemy Infantry or Gun Teams.
Shooting Before Assaulting. A Team can shoot in the Shooting Step (but not fire an Artillery Bombardment) before Assaulting in the Assault Step. If it does so, it must use its Moving ROF (whether it moves or not), and must target a Team within 8"/20cm of the Team it will Charge into Contact with when it Assaults.
Who Can Assault. In the Assault Step, an Armoured Tank Team or an Infantry Team can Assault if it is not Pinned Down, or a Heavy Weapon, and it did not: Move at Dash speed; Move more than 10"/25cm at Tactical speed; Use a Movement Order other than Follow Me; Shoot at its Halted ROF; Spot for or Fire an Artillery or Smoke Bombardment; or Shoot at Aircraft in the previous enemy turn — and its Unit has not already Assaulted this turn.
Leading From the Front. A Formation Commander and their HQ Unit can combine with a Unit from their Formation to conduct a joint assault. To do this, the Formation Commander and the Unit Leader must be of the same Type (Tank or Infantry) and must start the Assault Step within 6"/15cm and in Line of Sight of each other. For the duration of the Assault Step, the combined Unit is treated as a single Unit having the higher of the two Units' Counterattack values.
1. Charge into Contact
An Assaulting Unit Moves any of its Tank or Infantry Teams up to 4"/10cm into Contact with an enemy Team by the shortest route. These Teams are now Assaulting Teams. A Team is in Contact with an enemy Team if: its front edge is as close as it can get to the enemy Team, or it is an Infantry Team and its front edge is as close as it can get to another Infantry Team from its own Unit that is directly in Contact with an enemy Team.
Your Teams Charge into Contact in two steps: first, move all Assaulting Teams that can directly contact enemy teams up to 4"/10cm into Contact; then, move any other Assaulting Infantry Teams that can Contact an Infantry Team already in Contact up to 4"/10cm into Contact.
Who Cannot Charge Into Contact. Tank Teams cannot Assault other Tank Teams, so they cannot Charge into Contact with enemy Tank Teams. Heavy Weapons, Independent Teams, Gun Teams, Unarmoured Tank Teams, and Transport Teams cannot Charge into Contact at all.
Assaulting Through Terrain. Tanks need to pass a Cross test each round while assaulting in Difficult Terrain. If a Tank Team fails a roll to Cross terrain while moving into contact with the enemy, they halt their movement. If a Team was within 2"/5cm of an enemy Team when they failed the roll, move it back 2"/5cm from the enemy to indicate that it did not succeed in Charging into Contact. If they fail a Cross test during a Counterattack they must fall back 2"/5cm. Teams cannot assault enemy troops that are in or across terrain that is Impassable to them.
If the Assaulting Team successfully Charged into Contact, but cannot be placed into Contact with an enemy Team because of a line of terrain (such as a wall), place it immediately across the terrain from the enemy and treat it as being in Contact.
2. Opponent's Defensive Fire
After the Assaulting Unit Charges into Contact, the opposing player conducts their Defensive Fire as the Assaulting Teams close into contact with them. Each enemy Team within 8"/20cm of an Assaulting Team (one that is in Contact with an enemy Team) is a Defending Team and Shoots as if it was their Shooting Step. Defending teams Shoot at their Halted ROF unless they are Pinned Down, in which case they Shoot at their Moving ROF. Defending Teams must target an Assaulting Team within 8"/20cm, and can only allocate hits to Assaulting Teams within 8"/20cm. Defending Teams cannot fire Artillery Bombardments as Defensive Fire. As they are stationary, Defending Infantry Teams do not block Line of Sight for Defensive Fire.
- No Mistaken Target. In an assault the enemy is too close to mistake, so the assaulting player cannot use the Mistaken Target rule.
- Defensive Fire Hits Side Armour. Tanks use their Side armour rating for any Armour Saves against Defensive Fire, even when the front of the vehicle is facing the Shooting Team.
- No Bulletproof Cover. Assaulting Teams are never in Bulletproof Cover from Defensive Fire, but may be Concealed.
- Closing With the Enemy. If an Infantry Team was in Contact with the enemy through a friendly Infantry Team that is Destroyed, the Team immediately occupies its place, remaining in Contact with the enemy.
Forcing the Assault to Fall Back. A Unit that takes at least five hits from Defensive Fire becomes Pinned Down and its Teams Fall Back the shortest distance necessary until its Teams are more than 2"/5cm from the enemy, and the Assault is over. A large Unit with at least twelve Assaulting Teams needs to take at least eight hits to become Pinned Down and Fall Back. If all of the Assaulting Teams are Tank Teams with Top armour 1 or 2, they only Fall Back if two or more of them (or all of them if fewer) are Bailed Out or Destroyed by Defensive Fire, regardless of the number of hits they take. When a Unit Falls Back, any Tanks that were Bailed Out by the Defensive Fire also Fall Back to reflect being hit while closing to contact.
Sneaking Up on Tanks. A Tank Team cannot conduct Defensive Fire (although other Tank Teams in the Unit may) if any Assaulting Infantry Team that is in Contact with it: did not Move in the Movement Step, did not use any Movement Orders, did not Shoot in the Shooting Step, and started its Charge into Contact Concealed by terrain.
3. Roll to Hit
If the Assaulting Unit was not forced to Fall Back by Defensive Fire (and still has Teams in Contact with the enemy), roll one die for each Team in Contact with the enemy. The score to hit is the Skill rating (or their Assault rating if different) of the Assaulting Team. If the score is greater than or equal to the Assaulting Team's rating, they have scored a hit on the Team they are in Contact with. If they are in Contact with several Teams, the Defending player chooses which one is hit. Since Tanks cannot Assault Tanks, a hit from a Tank cannot be assigned to another Tank. A Unit hit in an Assault is immediately Pinned Down.
Assault Rating. A Unit's Assault rating is the same as its Skill rating unless modified by a special rule: Veteran 3+, Trained 4+, Conscript 5+.
Small Infantry Teams. Small two man teams of specialists don't have the same hitting power as larger infantry teams in assault combat. Infantry Teams mounted on Small Bases with two or fewer miniatures (as shown in their platoon diagram), excluding Unit Leaders and Formation Commanders, have their score needed To Hit in Assaults increased by +1.
4. Roll Saves
The target player rolls Saves for each hit.
Hit Top or Side Armour. When a hit is scored on an Armoured Tank Team, the Assaulting Team has two options: it can use the Anti-tank rating of one of its normal weapons against the Tank's Side Armour rating (as long as the Tank is in its Field of Fire); or it can use hand grenades and other improvised anti-tank weapons, giving it an Anti-tank rating of 2 and Firepower 1+ against the Tank's Top Armour.
Tank Assault #. Some specialist Teams have a higher Anti-tank rating against a Tank's Top Armour and are indicated in the Arsenals as Tank Assault #. The # number shows the Anti-tank rating against a Tank's Top Armour in Assaults, which is used instead of Anti-tank 2.
Roll Saves for Armoured Tanks. The targeted player rolls a save for each hit on an Armoured Tank Team in the same way as hits from Shooting are saved, with the same consequences for failed saves.
No Saves if Not Armoured. Infantry, Gun, and Unarmoured Tank Teams hit in an Assault are automatically Destroyed. If a Transport Team is Destroyed, all of its Passengers are also Destroyed.
5. Check if the Assault is Over
The Assaulting Unit has won if all Defending Teams that could be Contacted by the Assaulting Teams with a further 4"/10cm Move have been Destroyed or are Bailed Out. If the Assaulting Unit has won, the Defending Units must now Break Off.
6. Test to Counterattack
If the Assaulting Unit did not win the Assault, the opponent rolls a single die and compares it with the Motivation rating (or the Counterattack rating if different) of each Defending Unit in turn. If the score is greater than or equal to the Unit's Motivation or Counterattack rating (as appropriate), that Unit may Counterattack or Break Off as the player chooses. Otherwise, that Unit must Break Off.
Commander's Leadership. If one or more Units failed to Counterattack, re-roll the die and apply the new result to Units that failed to Counterattack and whose Commander is within 6"/15cm and in Line of Sight of the Unit Leader (including the Commander's own HQ Unit).
7. Counterattack... or Break Off
Counterattack. When the defender Counterattacks, all Teams from the Assaulting Unit become Defending Teams, and vice versa. The Assaulting Teams (previously Defending Teams) that are not in Contact with a Defending Team can Charge into Contact with a Defending Team (even if Pinned Down). Even if a Tank Team doesn't move, it must still roll to Cross any Difficult Terrain between it and the Defending Team. Any Teams that can't Contact an enemy Defending Team do not Assault. The counterattacking player then continues with the Assault in the same manner as the original Assaulting player, except that there is no Defensive Fire against a Counterattack. If the counterattacking teams do not win the Assault, the original Assaulting player then Tests to Counterattack. The assault continues back and forth like this until one side or the other wins.
Counterattack Rating. A Unit's Counterattack rating is the same as its Motivation unless modified by a special rule: Fearless 3+, Confident 4+, Reluctant 5+.
...Or Break Off. A Unit that Breaks Off is Pinned Down. All Teams from the Unit immediately Move at Tactical speed the shortest distance needed to be further than 6"/15cm away from all Assaulting Teams. If the Team cannot Move more than 6"/15cm from all Assaulting Teams (or fails a roll to Cross terrain while attempting to do so), it immediately surrenders and is Destroyed. Once a Unit has Broken Off, it is no longer a Defending Unit. If all Defending Units Break Off, the Assaulting Unit automatically wins the Assault and can Consolidate.
Unarmoured and Transport Teams. Unarmoured Tank Teams and any Transport Teams must Break Off.
Consolidating. The victorious Unit may now Move up to 4"/10cm in any direction, but cannot Charge into Contact. This Move may not bring them within 2"/5cm of an enemy Team. If the Move takes a Team back to a Foxhole occupied by one of its Unit's Teams at the start of the Assault, it may reoccupy it. Any remaining unoccupied Foxholes are removed.
Keeping Track of Foxholes. If you plan on reoccupying your Foxholes after an assault, remember to mark them before Charging into Contact.
Unit Last Stand
Most units will stand firm while their losses are light. But once the casualties mount, even the most battle-hardened soldiers question the wisdom of staying in the fight, deciding that discretion is the better part of valour.
In Good Spirits. A Unit is In Good Spirits if it does not have any Teams Bailed Out or Destroyed, or it still has at least: two Tank Teams that are not Bailed Out; two Gun Teams; three Infantry Teams; or one Aircraft Team. Only count Teams that are In Command. If the Unit Leader has been Destroyed and not replaced, the unit is not In Good Spirits.
Unit Last Stand Test. A Unit that is not In Good Spirits needs to take a Last Stand Test at the start of the player's turn after testing to Remount Bailed Out tanks. When a Unit takes a Last Stand Test, roll a die: if the score is greater than or equal to the Unit's Motivation rating (or the Last Stand rating if different), the Unit fights on; otherwise, the Unit is Destroyed.
Last Stand Rating. A Unit's Last Stand rating is the same as its Motivation rating unless it has a separate Last Stand rating modified by a special rule: Fearless 3+, Confident 4+, Reluctant 5+.
Destroyed Units. When a Unit is Destroyed, all Destroyed and Bailed Out Armoured Tank Teams remain in place as Wrecks, while all remaining Teams are removed. If a Transport Unit fails its Last Stand Test, its Passengers are Pinned Down and Dismount before the Unit is removed.
Commander's Leadership. Re-roll all failed Last Stand Tests for Units whose Commander is within 6"/15cm and in Line of Sight of the Unit Leader.
Commanders Always Stand and Fight. Being heroic, HQ Units never have to take a Unit Last Stand Test.
Attachments. A Unit that has an Attached Unit treats the Attached Unit as a separate Unit for Unit Last Stand Tests. However, if an Infantry or Gun Unit is Destroyed or fails its Last Stand Test, its Transport Attachment is removed from the game, but is not Destroyed. Other types of Attached Units, such as an Infantry Attachment to a Tank Unit, continue to fight if their core Unit is Destroyed.
Formation Last Stand
The key figure in holding the company together in a crisis is the company commander. While the commander stands firm, the company fights. One slip, one hesitation, however, and the company's faith is lost. Losses are an unfortunate reality of war, but it's when those losses begin to pile up that the spirit of a company can break.
In Good Spirits. A Formation is In Good Spirits if it has at least two Units (including the HQ Unit, but not any Transport Units) from the Formation on the table or in Reserve. Remember, Support Units are not part of any Formation, so will not keep them In Good Spirits.
A Formation that is not In Good Spirits at the start of a turn, after taking any required Last Stand tests, is automatically Destroyed and all remaining Units are Destroyed.
No Formations Left. If a player has no Formations in Good Spirits (other than Allied Formations), they lose the game and their opponent takes all Objectives.
Armoured Trains
Despite seeming outdated, in a war dominated by tanks, armoured trains performed well in Eastern Europe where roads were few and poor, and distances to be covered were immense.
The main parts of any Armoured Train are the Locomotive, Artillery Cars, Infantry Cars (and the Infantry Units they carry), and Supporting Tank Attachments. The Locomotive and each Car or Wagon in an Armoured Train are separate Tank Teams, with the whole Armoured Train operating as a single Unit. An Armoured Train must always operate in the order shown in the Intelligence Briefing. It cannot uncouple cars or change their order, but it may travel in either direction and may enter the table facing either direction.
Artillery Cars. For the purposes of shooting the Artillery Cars of an Armoured Train are divided into Artillery Units, usually of one Artillery Car per Unit, although some have multiple cars in a Unit as noted in the Intelligence Briefings.
Infantry Cars and Infantry Attachments. Supporting Infantry Units are Attachments. An Armoured Train Supporting Infantry Unit is deployed or arrives from Reserve with the Armoured Train. An Armoured Train with an Infantry Car always Deploys with its Infantry Attachment as Passengers in the Infantry Car.
Supporting Tank Attachments. Supporting Tank Units are Attachments. An Armoured Train Supporting Tank Unit is deployed or arrives from Reserve with the Armoured Train. The tanks of Supporting Tank Attachments deploy evenly at each end of the train.
Placing Railway Lines. If the table has been set up with Railway Lines, use these for the Armoured Train. Otherwise, at the start of the game before any Objectives or Fortifications are placed on the table, the players place a Railway Line as follows:
- The player with the Armoured Train chooses two opposite table edges. The opposing player picks a point on one of the chosen table edges.
- The Armoured Train player picks a point on the opposite table edge.
- The Armoured Train player then places a Railway Line running in a straight line between these two points.
The line cuts through woods, fields, and other flat ground. Rivers or streams are assumed to be crossed with culverts or bridges. Any buildings in the way should be moved aside by the minimum distance necessary. The Railway Line is diverted by the minimum distance necessary to go around hills (even gentle gradients are avoided by Railway Lines). If both players have Armoured Trains, both place Railway Lines, starting with the attacking player. Each player's Armoured Train must remain on its own track.
Armoured Train Deployment. Armoured trains can only move along railway lines, so their deployment options are usually very limited. An Armoured Train always begins the game off table, even if not held in Reserves, and moves on to the table at the start of its first Movement Step. In the turn an Armoured Train moves onto the table, it always moves far enough to bring the entire train and its Supporting Tank Units onto the table. The Armoured Train will move on from the point where the Railway Line crosses the player's Deployment Area, or if it does not do so, at the point the Railway Line crosses a table edge closest to the player's Deployment Area. Armoured Trains cannot be held in Ambush, they are simply too big and obvious, but they may be held in Reserves.
Cannot Move Through a Train. Teams cannot move through an Armoured Train unless the Locomotive has been Destroyed. Once the Locomotive is Destroyed, it and other Destroyed cars in the train become Difficult Going. Armoured Trains cannot move through other Armoured Trains, even when the other Armoured Train is Destroyed.
Armoured Train Movement. Armoured Trains do not suffer any penalty for shooting on the move. They retain their Halted ROF when shooting while moving. Each weapon on an Armoured Train can fire at a different target from the other weapons. Almost all guns (aside from machine-guns) on an Armoured Train are mounted in Deck Turrets. As such, their Field of Fire is restricted by the superstructure and other turrets of the Artillery Car they are mounted on, and possibly by other cars in the train.
Armoured Trains can only move on Railway Lines. If the Locomotive is not Bailed Out or Destroyed, an Armoured Train can move up to 16"/40cm forward or backward along the Railway Line each turn. An Armoured Train cannot Dash.
Moving Off the Table. If any part of an Armoured Train leaves the table, the whole Armoured Train is considered to have left the table and cannot return.
Moving Through Wrecks. Move any wreck on the Railway Line by the smallest distance necessary for the Armoured Train to pass.
Moving Through Other Teams. Armoured Trains may not move through friendly Teams. Any friendly Team on the tracks must move off the tracks before the train can pass. Armoured Trains are not hindered by enemy Teams. Any enemy Team is moved aside by the opposing player by the smallest distance necessary for the train to pass, retaining its current facing.
Always in Command. An Armoured Train is a long line of Tank Teams lined up end to end, which would normally mean the end cars would be Out of Command. However, the Locomotive and Car Tank Teams of an Armoured Train are always In Command.
Shooting with Armoured Trains — Train Machine-guns. The cars of an Armoured Train fire all of their Train MGs at ROF 2, even when other weapons are firing, including when other weapons are firing an Artillery Bombardment. The Field of Fire of a Train MG mounted on the side of a car includes everything to the side of a line drawn along the side of the car. The Field of Fire of a Train MG mounted on the end of a car includes everything to the front of a line drawn across the end of the car.
Passenger-fired Machine-guns. Each Passenger-fired Train MG requires an Infantry or Heavy Weapon (Man-packed Gun) Team Mounted in an Infantry Car to fire it. The team does not need to be in the same Infantry Car as the Train MG, and each team can fire any Train MG in the train (although only one Train MG per Team at any one time).
Shooting Across Trains. In the same way that teams cannot shoot through any other type of Friendly Team, Friendly Teams cannot shoot through an Armoured Train. Enemy Teams can shoot through an Armoured Train, but teams at least half obscured by the Armoured Train (including Destroyed cars) are Concealed.
Artillery Bombardments from Trains. Armoured Trains can fire Artillery Bombardments while moving. When an Armoured Train fires an Artillery Bombardment, count each weapon firing as two weapons firing. All of the Artillery Batteries in an Armoured Train can combine to fire a single bombardment instead of firing as separate Units.
Shooting at Armoured Trains. Armoured Trains are shot at in the same way as any Unit of Tank Teams. If a car is Destroyed, it ceases to function along with all of its weapons, but does not otherwise hinder the train. The Armoured Train moves with the Destroyed car still in place.
Can the Armoured Train Move. If the Locomotive is Bailed Out or Destroyed the Armoured Train cannot move. If the Locomotive can still move when the Armoured Train fails a Unit Last Stand Test, the whole Armoured Train is removed from the table as it steams off, dragging its wrecked cars with it. If it cannot move, the whole Armoured Train is Destroyed in place if it fails a Unit Last Stand Test.
Armoured Trains in Assaults. Armoured Trains cannot Charge into Contact and do not move when Counterattacking. If any part of an Armoured Train is assaulted, any part of the train within 16"/40cm of an Assaulting Team can Defensive Fire at Teams up to 16"/40cm away. If the Locomotive can still move when an Armoured Train Breaks Off from an assault, the train may move through or past any enemy Teams without hindrance, and the train does not need to be more than 4"/10cm from enemy Teams for the assault to end. If the Locomotive cannot move when the train Breaks Off, any part of the train within 4"/10cm of the Assaulting Unit is captured and Destroyed. Any Infantry Unit or Supporting Tank Unit is a separate Unit from the Armoured Train. If the Infantry Unit is still mounted in the Infantry Car when the Infantry Car is Destroyed in an assault, the whole Infantry Unit will be Destroyed. Infantry and Supporting Tank Units can Dismount to Counterattack if they are assaulted.
Special Rules
Equipment Special Rules
Soldiers carry and tanks are fitted with various items of equipment. These special rules tell you how these affect the game.
Amphibious. Many light tanks can swim, slowly, if needed, allowing them to cross rivers without the need for a bridge. Amphibious Teams treat Impassable Water as Difficult Terrain.
Bulldozer. Bulldozers are useful for filling in craters and anti-tank ditches, or burying anti-tank obstacles blocking the armour's advance. A Bulldozer Team uses the Bulldozer rules (see Fortifications).
Gun. Anti-tank guns and field guns need a gun tractor to move quickly. Guns cannot be carried as Passengers in Transports. They must be towed by a Tractor and cannot Charge into Contact with enemy Teams, but can fight back if charged by the enemy.
Large Gun. Some guns are nearly as big as a tank (Heavy and Immobile Guns). They are difficult to hide and require a powerful gun tractor to move them more than a short distance. Large Guns cannot be placed in buildings and cannot be placed from Ambush within 16"/40cm of enemy Teams.
Gun Shield. Anti-tank guns usually have a gun shield to protect the crew from enemy tanks' machine-guns. A Gun Team with a Gun Shield is in Bulletproof Cover when shot at from in front of the Team's base. A Gun Shield does not offer any protection against Bombardments or if the Team moved at Dash speed.
Man-packed Gun. Man-packed guns are weapons light enough to keep pace with the infantry. Man-packed Guns are not Gun Teams, but are Infantry Teams; they use the Heavy Weapon special rule.
Mine Rollers and Flails. A Mine Roller or Mine Flail is a Mine Clearing Device. Mine rollers and flails clear minefields by setting off the mines by striking them with flailing chains or rolling over them with heavy steel drums. Mine ploughs, rollers, and flails allow tanks to clear minefields (see Fortifications).
Heavy Weapon. Riflemen are backed by infantry heavy weapons like heavy machine-guns and mortars. Although they are heavy by the standards of a rifleman, they are still small and light enough for the crews to carry them on their backs, but not really suited for hand-to-hand combat. A Heavy Weapon Team cannot Charge into Contact, but may be an Assaulting Team if in Contact with an enemy Team.
Improvised Tank Assault #. Some of the anti-tank grenades issued in World War Two were almost as dangerous to the troops using them as to the tanks they attacked. A good example of this is the British 'Grenade, Hand, No. 74', commonly known as the 'Sticky Bomb'. If a Team with the Improvised Tank Assault attribute rolls a 1 when rolling to hit in Assault combat, the team is Destroyed. The # number shows the Anti-tank rating against a Tank's Top Armour in Assaults. A Team armed with Improvised Tank Assault weapons may, before rolling to hit, choose not to use them. In this case, the team reverts to its normal Tank Assault rating of 2.
Portee. Some guns were carried 'en portée' on the load bed of a truck rather than towed, to allow the gun to fire on the move. Before the start of the game you may swap a Portee Tank Team for the ground-mounted Gun Team version of the same weapon.
Protected Ammo. Tanks with protected ammunition storage have their vulnerable rounds stored behind armoured bins or flame retardant liquid. Tank Teams with Protected Ammo reduce the score required to Remount by -1.
Tractor. Tractors move towed guns around the battlefield. A Tractor Team can tow a single Gun Team as a Passenger. The gun model is placed behind the Tractor to show that it is being towed. In a Unit diagram the Tractor is usually indicated by being placed under or next to the Gun Team silhouette in the same gun section.
Unarmoured. While mounting a gun on a truck or half-track gives it mobility, it's still not a tank and can't assault. An Unarmoured Tank Team cannot Charge into Contact and must Break Off if assaulted.
Weapon Special Rules
Some weapons have features or technology that make them more effective. These special rules reflect this.
Anti-aircraft. Units tasked with air defence constantly scan the skies. They react quickly and lethally whenever enemy aircraft appear. Anti-aircraft weapons can Shoot at Aircraft using their normal ROF.
AA MGs, Self-defence Anti-aircraft, and Heavy Anti-aircraft. Weapons need high-angle mountings and rapid traverse to track fast-moving aircraft. AA MGs on Tank Teams, Self-defence Anti-aircraft, and Heavy Anti-aircraft weapons can Shoot at Aircraft using a ROF of 1.
Awkward Layout. Some tanks have awkward internal layouts making it impossible to fire the gun on the move. A number of truck-mounted guns also suffer from having to lower stabiliser jacks before being able to fire. A Tank Team with Awkward Layout has a Moving ROF of 0.
Bombs and Rockets. Aircraft bombs contain far more explosive than artillery shells, making them many times more effective. Bombs and Rockets do not need to re-roll successful rolls To Hit for only having 1 or 2 weapons firing. Only Teams from the Bombarding Unit can Spot for it.
Breakthrough Gun. Large-calibre guns pack enough explosive to destroy any unprotected target outright. Infantry, Gun, and Unarmoured Tank Teams (including when Passengers) re-roll successful Saves against Breakthrough Gun weapons.
Bunker Buster. Some large-calibre guns are even more powerful and are often used against well-protected fortifications. Bunker Buster weapons are Breakthrough Guns and have a Moving ROF of 0. When a Bunker Buster weapon Hits a team in a Building in Shooting, it also Hits every other Infantry, Gun, and Unarmoured Tank Team in the Building. If the building is divided into multiple rooms it only hits teams in the same room as the target Team.
Can Fire Over Friendly Teams. Light mortars sit back firing over the heads of the advancing troops to knock out enemy machine-gun nests. These weapons can fire over friendly teams.
Flying Tank. Heavily-armoured ground-attack aircraft like the Soviet Il-2 'Shturmovik' and the German Hs129 are known as 'Flying Tanks' because of their comparative invulnerability to anti-aircraft fire. Only large-calibre anti-aircraft guns have much chance of bringing down a flying tank. Add +1 to the score needed for Firepower Tests against Aircraft rated as Flying Tanks in their Arsenal entry. This makes it impossible for a weapon with Firepower 6 to shoot down a Flying Tank.
Full ROF When Moving. Submachine-gun and assault rifle-type weapons are very effective on the move, but lose their effectiveness when Pinned Down. These weapons have the same ROF whether Halted or Moving. However, the weapon's ROF is 1 when Pinned Down.
Hits Top Armour. Some weapons either arrive at a steep trajectory or take advantage of armour's weaknesses. Weapons with Hits Top Armour use their Anti-tank rating against a target Team's Top Armour rating.
HMG Carrier. When they board their HMG carrier, the machine-gunners mount their machine-gun on their carrier so they can fire the gun while mounted. An HMG Team that started the turn as a Passenger in an HMG Carrier may fire the carrier's hull-mounted vehicle machine-gun as an HMG team at their full ROF of 6 and a range of 24"/60cm as long as the vehicle does not move. However when moving, the weapon is reduced to the usual ROF 3 and 16"/40cm range of a vehicle hull MG. While firing the machine-gun as an HMG team, it counts as the vehicle's Main Gun. The HMG team that fires cannot Dismount in the same turn, except to escape the destruction of their vehicle.
Hull Mounted and Gun Teams. Hull-mounted weapons and most towed guns cannot traverse to track targets to the side of the weapon. Hull Mounted and Gun Team weapons can only target Teams fully in front of the shooting Team, and can only fire an Artillery Bombardment if the Aiming Point is fully in front of the shooting Team.
Improvised Armour. Often tank crews would add improvised armour to their vehicle. This could be made of sandbags, tank tracks, or whatever they could find, and add it to the outside of their vehicle. A Tank Team with Improvised Armour always makes an Armour Save on a roll of 6 against weapons with a Firepower of 5+ or 6.
Minimum Range 8"/20cm. Indirect firing weapons such as medium mortars lob their round in a high trajectory even when not firing bombardments, so cannot fire at targets that are close to them. Weapons with Minimum Range 8"/20cm cannot target Teams closer than 8"/20cm from them when Shooting, hence these weapons cannot conduct Defensive Fire in Assaults.
ROF 1 Weapons. Some weapons are slow to reload at the best of times, severely limiting their ability to hit anything while moving. ROF 1 weapons add +1 to the score needed To Hit when moving.
Multiple Weapons. Tanks like the US M3 Lee or Soviet T-35 have a hull-mounted gun and a secondary turret or turrets. While these can be fired at the same time, the tank's commander can only assist the gunner of the main gun to find targets, leaving the other weapons' gunners to their own devices. When shooting multiple weapons (other than MGs), you may choose which weapon is the Main Weapon. A Tank may fire its additional weapons (other than MGs) at ROF 1 at the same time as its Main Weapon. If they do this, the additional weapons suffer a +1 penalty to hit. Each weapon may fire at a different target.
No HE. Some specialist anti-tank weapons do not have HE (High Explosive) ammunition, making them much less effective against infantry and other soft targets. A weapon with No HE targeting an Infantry or Gun Team adds +1 to the score needed to hit.
One-man Turret. Some tanks and armoured cars have tiny one-man turrets, leaving one man the job of commander, gunner, and loader. A One-man Turret main weapon adds +1 to the score needed To Hit when moving.
Overloaded. Super-heavy tanks and heavily-laden assault guns often overload their engines and suspensions, making them very poor at crossing obstacles. Overloaded Tank Teams increase their Cross number by +1.
Passenger-fired Weapons. Some transport vehicles come equipped with an onboard machine-gun, but are only crewed by the driver, meaning the weapon can only be fired when passengers are mounted. A Team with a Passenger-fired weapon must have a Passenger mounted to be able to shoot the weapon.
Recoilless. Recoilless weapons vent propellant gases to the rear to offset the recoil, creating a large cloud of dust and debris behind the gun. Recoilless weapons never count as Concealed if they fired in their last Shooting Step.
Smoke. Blowing the enemy up is always a good option, but sometimes blinding them is better. Smoke weapons can Shoot Smoke ammunition.
Smoke Bombardment. Artillery delivered smoke screens allow you to cover the flank of your advance or blind the enemy defences as you advance. Smoke Bombardment weapons can fire a Smoke Bombardment once per game.
Turntable. Some guns, mostly anti-aircraft guns, are mounted on turntables allowing them to turn in any direction. Weapons with a Turntable have a 360 degree (all around) firing arc.
Turret-rear MG. While not very practical for long-range shooting, a machine-gun mounted in the back of the turret is perfect for discouraging boarders in an assault. A Turret-rear MG may not shoot. In an Assault, if hit by an Infantry or Gun Team the Team that Hit must re-roll its successful Skill Test to hit. Bailed Out Tank Teams cannot use the Turret-rear MG rule.
Unreliable. Some vehicles are poorly designed, unsuitable for the conditions or just badly maintained. Unreliable Teams reduce their Cross-country and Road Dash by 2"/5cm.
Wide Tracks. Some excellent tank designs have successfully utilised wider tracks, allowing them to cross almost any terrain. Tank Teams with Wide Tracks reduce their Cross number by -1.
Rules No Longer Used. There are a few rules to be found in the older Intelligence Briefings' Arsenals that no longer apply in these rules. These include: Limited Vision, Mobile Rocket Launcher, and Slow Traverse.
Special Abilities
Cavalry. Horse-mounted cavalry may seem an anachronism in the age of tanks and blitzkrieg, but they still have a role in less developed areas like the Ardennes and Russia's Pripyat Marshes where their mobility is far greater than road-bound trucks. Cavalry Teams shooting add +1 to the score needed To Hit when moving. Cavalry Heavy Weapon Teams cannot shoot until they dismount. Friendly Teams cannot shoot over Cavalry Teams. Flat Terrain does not provide Concealment to Cavalry Teams that did not move. They cannot be in Foxholes nor enter a building. A Cavalry Team can dismount as the equivalent Infantry Team armed with the same weapons; once they dismount they are Infantry Teams for the remainder of the game. Cavalry Teams cannot Sneak up on Tanks and cannot roll to hit an Armoured Tank Team in an Assault. Cavalry Teams can Assault if they are within 6"/15cm of the enemy and can move up to 6"/15cm when Charging into Contact. A Unit entirely made up of Cavalry Teams decreases the score needed to Rally and to do a Follow Me Movement Order by -1.
Mountaineers. Some infantry are trained as mountaineers. They can scale cliffs that are impassable to normal infantry. Mountaineers treat Steep Hills and Rocky Hills as Cross-country Dash. Mountaineers can cross Impassable Cliffs, Cuttings, High Seawall, or High Embankment (but not Impassable terrain in general). To do so they must start the Movement Step touching the terrain. The Team crosses the terrain, halting at the top or bottom of the Impassable Terrain.
Horse Artillery. Horse artillery has a long tradition of galloping the guns to the fore. Within 30 seconds of the order 'Into Action' being given, the well-drilled crews have the guns unlimbered and are delivering fire. Trading their horses for mechanical gun tractors has changed the drill a little, but crash action remains. Unlike most Gun Teams, Gun Teams that are Horse Artillery can do a Blitz Movement Order.
Independent. The specialists of Independent Teams are valuable and are protected by those around them. An Independent Team can use the Mistaken Target rule to reassign hits to nearby Units, but cannot Charge into Contact, nor take an Objective.
Motorcycle Reconnaissance. Motorcycle scouts fight mounted against light opposition, but when things get tough, they dismount and finish the fight on foot. Motorcycle Reconnaissance Teams and Units use the Reconnaissance and Recce rule. Motorcycle Reconnaissance Teams have a 4+ Save. When Motorcycle Reconnaissance Teams choose to dismount they replace their Team with an Infantry Team as noted in their Arsenal entry and are no longer Motorcycle Reconnaissance Teams.
Observer. Artillery observers have extra radios and other specialist equipment to allow them to call in artillery fire quickly and accurately. An Observer Team can Spot for any friendly Artillery Unit. An Observer Team is Independent and a Scout.
Reconnaissance and Recce. The purpose of reconnaissance units is reconnaissance, and every soldier in the platoon is trained in the art of stealth and observation. Recce Teams and Teams in a Reconnaissance Platoon use the Scout rule. Reconnaissance Platoons use the Spearhead rule. Unarmoured Tank Teams that are Recce Teams or are in a Reconnaissance Platoon have a 4+ Save.
Scout. Scouts are there to keep track of the enemy, not to get into a fight. The best way to do this is 'sneak and peek'. Scouts are Gone to Ground unless they Shoot or Assault. This means that if they are Concealed, the enemy will suffer an additional +1 penalty to hit them.
Spearhead. The spearhead travels ahead of the main force during advances and screens retreats. This allows the combat elements to move quickly into position, secure in the knowledge that they will not bump into unexpected enemy units. When a Spearhead Unit is placed on table during Deployment (but not if it arrives from Reserves or is placed outside the normal Deployment Area using this rule), the player may immediately Move its Teams at Tactical or Dash speed. This movement may not use any Movement Orders, and may not take a Team within: 16"/40cm of an enemy Team it is not Concealed from; 8"/20cm of any enemy Team; or 16"/40cm of the enemy Deployment Area or any Objective outside your own Deployment Area. When Deploying their remaining Units, a player may treat the area entirely within 8"/20cm of a Spearhead Team that is In Command as an extension of their Deployment Area. Teams placed here may not be placed in the areas that a Spearhead Team may not move into.
Transport Platoons. A Transport Platoon must be attached to a Unit before deployment. It becomes that Unit's Transport Unit for the entire game and follows the rules for Attachments.
US Special Rules
Automatic Rifles. The US Army is equipped with the M1 Garand self-loading rifle, M1 Carbine, and the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), giving their infantry the ability to maintain their rate of fire while moving. Rifle and Carbine Teams with Automatic Rifles do not suffer the usual +1 penalty to hit for firing while moving or Pinned Down as a ROF 1 Weapon.
Hedgerow Cutters. Many American tanks were fitted with the 'Cullin Device' for the breakout from Normandy. This allowed them to punch through the Bocage. A Tank Team fitted with Hedgerow Cutters re-rolls unsuccessful rolls to cross Hedge and Bocage Hedge terrain.
Detroit's Finest. The Ford V8 engine improved the performance of the M4A3 series of tanks. Its power gave them a good top speed, while its robustness and reliability allowed them to take advantage of this without worrying about breaking down. Tank Teams with Detroit's Finest add +2"/5cm to their Terrain, Cross-country, and Road Dash movement.
Dismounting Machine-guns. Any Infantry Team carried as a Passenger in a Transport team may Dismount in the Movement Step with the vehicle's Passenger-fired .50 cal AA MG, becoming an M2 .50 cal Team, or with its Passenger-fired AA MG becoming a LMG Team. An Infantry Team normally mounted in a vehicle can start the game Dismounted with their vehicle's Passenger-fired machine-gun. Once the machine-gun has been Dismounted from a vehicle, all of the platoon's vehicles must be Sent to the Rear and cannot be Brought Forward again. You may not Dismount a Passenger-fired .50 cal AA MG or AA MG unless you have the appropriate model to replace the Infantry Team that Dismounted it.
Duckbills. Duckbill track extensions gave the Sherman better mobility in boggy ground. However, they were attached to the pins linking two pieces of track, so the tank had to keep its speed down to avoid breaking them off and throwing a track. At the start of the game a player may elect to fit all of their allowed Tank Teams (as listed in the Intelligence Handbook) with Duckbills. Tanks fitted with Duckbills change to Cross on 2+, but their Mobility rating becomes Slow Tank.
Mounting HMGs and LMGs. Up to two HMG or LMG Teams carried as Passengers in a half-track can fit their machine-guns to the sides of the vehicle, converting them to side-mounted AA MGs. When the team Dismounts or is Destroyed, its machine-gun goes with it.
Smooth Ride. The driving force behind the development of HVSS (Horizontal Volute Spring Suspension) was the need for wider tracks for crossing soft ground, and a smoother ride. Tank Teams with Smooth Ride have a Cross of 2+.
Stabiliser. Stabilisers keep the gun on target while moving across country. They are not perfect, especially at high speed, but they make fighting on the move much more effective. A weapon with a Stabiliser retains its Halted ROF on the move, but increases the score needed To Hit by +1.
Tank Destroyers. The Tank Destroyer Command was tasked with stopping armoured breakthroughs and relied on massed ambushes to deal with fast moving enemy tank attacks. The Tank Destroyer Section of a Tank Destroyer unit is a separate Unit and uses Seek, Strike, and Destroy and Scout special rules. The Security Section of a Tank Destroyer unit is a separate Unit and uses the Spearhead and Scout rules (but not the Seek, Strike, and Destroy special rule).
Seek, Strike, and Destroy. American tank destroyer doctrine was based round a fast, mobile and aggressive defence against the German panzers. Tank Destroyer Units may attempt a Shoot and Scoot Movement Order after succeeding in another Movement Order.
Under Command. An excellent communication network allows the platoons of a US company to quickly call for artillery support. A US Unit Leader can be a Spotting Team for an Artillery Bombardment.
Time on Target. American artillery had a system of centralised control that allowed them to coordinate the fire of all of their guns so that the entire first salvo landed on the target at the same time, catching the enemy before they have time to take cover. If a US Artillery Unit with a Staff Team in their unit diagram successfully Ranges In on the first attempt, all Infantry and Gun Teams under the Template must Re-roll successful Saves.
The Truscott Trot. Long-distance speed marches were a major feature of an infantryman's training. Some officers, like General Truscott of the 3rd Infantry Division, trained their troops so hard that they dubbed speed marching the 'Truscott Trot'. All this practice paid off during Patton's drive to Palermo in the Sicily campaign. The men of the 3rd Infantry Division marching on foot were able to keep pace with the neighbouring 2nd Armored Division! US Infantry Teams increase their Cross-country and Road Dash by 2"/5cm.
Rules No Longer Used. The following US special rules are no longer used: Column Security, Excellent Communications, Hit 'em with Everything You've Got, Jumbos Lead the Way, and Tank Telephones.
German Special Rules
Schürzen. The Germans fitted their tanks with Schürzen to protect their tanks from hand-held anti-tank weapons. A Tank Team with Schürzen increases their Side armour to 5 against Infantry weapons with Firepower 5+ or 6.
Begleit Escorts. The Germans copied the Soviet practice of providing their assault guns with Begleit, or escort, infantry to protect them against infantry assaults. A Tank Team with Begleit Escorts increases its Vehicle MG ROF by +1 at up to 8"/20cm (Assault Rifle weapon Range). A Tank Team with Begleit Escorts re-rolls unsuccessful To Hit rolls in Assaults. A Tank Team with Begleit Escorts can Defensive Fire against Infantry Teams sneaking up on it as an Assault Rifle Team.
Stormtroopers. German stormtrooper tactics learned during the First World War emphasised the importance of initiative and decisive action. A German Unit may attempt a second Movement Order after succeeding in its first Movement Order. The second Movement Order must be different from the first.
Mounted Assault. German armoured half-tracks are unique in having a dedicated vehicle commander (who crews the machine-gun) as well as a driver. This gives them a greater degree of independence than similar vehicles in other armies. They have learned to fight from their half-tracks in contrast to others who just use their half-tracks as battle taxis. A Mounted Assault Transport Team carrying Infantry Team Passengers may Charge into Contact and Counterattack in Assaults. Infantry Team Passengers carried in an Armoured Transport Team with the Mounted Assault rule can roll to hit in Assaults when their Transport Team is an Assaulting Team.
Tiger Ace. German Tiger crews were hand picked as the best of the best. They had confidence in themselves and their machines. A Unit with Tiger Ace reduces the number needed to pass Last Stand by -1. A Unit with Tiger Ace reduces the number needed to pass a Skill Test to make a Blitz move by -1. A Formation Commander Tank Team with Tiger Ace re-rolls any failed roll to hit when shooting their main gun.
Stuka zu Fuss. Sd Kfz 251 half-tracks in the third platoon of the Panzerpionierkompanie are fitted with Wurfrahmen, frames for six huge 28cm rockets. These were so devastating that they were called Stuka zu Fuss — Stuka on foot. A Sd Kfz 251/1 (Stuka) half-track is a Rocket Launcher. Each Sd Kfz 251/1 (Stuka) half-track counts as six 28cm sW40 Rocket Launcher weapons firing. All the Sd Kfz 251/1 (Stuka) half-tracks in a Unit fire as one Artillery Bombardment. At the start of the game, place a Full Salvo marker with a Unit equipped with Sd Kfz 251/1 (Stuka) half-tracks. Remove this marker after firing an Artillery Bombardment. If a Unit equipped with Super-heavy Rockets does not have a Full Salvo marker when it fires an Artillery Bombardment, roll a Skill Test for each Rocket Launcher able to fire in the Bombardment — only those that pass the Skill Test can fire as part of the Bombardment. Place a Full Salvo marker on a Unit equipped with Super-heavy Rockets at the end of any Shooting Step in which every Rocket Launcher in the Unit was able to fire an Artillery Bombardment, but none did so. The half-track is still available to transport its passengers after the Stuka zu Fuss fires.
Rules No Longer Used. The following German special rules are no longer used: Armoured Rocket Launchers, Kampfgruppe, Mission Tactics, and Reich Divided.
British Special Rules
Bagpipes. Nominate one Infantry Team in your Company HQ, other than your Commander, to be a Bagpiper. Any Unit within 6"/15cm of the Bagpiper requires one extra hit in the Shooting Step and in Defensive Fire to become Pinned Down.
Night Attack. British infantry often timed major attacks to start in the middle of the night. In theory this provided the infantry with a cloak of darkness to conceal them from enemy fire until they had taken their objectives and dug in to hold them. In practice, delays often meant that the attack found itself still embroiled with the enemy at dawn and subjected to vicious counterattacks as the day began. A player commanding a British Infantry Company (as noted under the Formations title) may elect to make a Night Attack in a mission where the defender has Minefields. If they do so, Night Fighting Dawn rules are in effect at the start of the game. Units from Formations with Night Attack can move freely from the start of the game. British Units from other Formations or Support may not move out of their Deployment Area until morning breaks.
British Bulldog. Some 200 years ago, a French general remarked that the British troops his infantry attacked appeared to have taken root and be stuck to the ground. They refused to run away when other troops would have. Nothing has changed and British soldiers still have a reputation for tenacity and stubbornly refusing to give up ground that they have taken. British Units reduce the score required to pass a Motivation Test to Counterattack by -1.
Duckbills. (See US Special Rules — the same Duckbills rule is available to British forces fielding Shermans.)
Eight-gun or Twelve-gun Batteries. British artillery batteries have two or three mostly independent troops of four guns apiece. By comparison, most countries have only four guns in the whole battery! Each Gun Troop in any Battery, Royal Artillery or Royal Horse Artillery (or Commonwealth variant) operates as a separate Artillery Unit.
HMG Bombardment. The British concentrated most of their Vickers medium machine-guns in specialist machine-gun battalions. These used the full range of machine-gun tactics, including long range area bombardments. Some units, such as the machine-gun platoon of a motor battalion, did not receive such specialised training and used their weapons in a more conventional fashion. British Vickers HMG Teams, and HMG Carriers firing as HMG Teams, can fire Bombardments (unless their Unit entry specifically says otherwise). However, since they have Anti-tank and Firepower ratings of '-', they cannot harm Armoured vehicles or Destroy Teams in Bulletproof Cover, although they can still Pin them Down.
Mike Target. The British forces in the desert developed techniques allowing them to respond to their observers' orders incredibly quickly. When a Spotting Team successfully Ranges In an Artillery Unit with Mike Target, they may immediately roll to Range In another Artillery Unit. If successful, the second Artillery Unit is treated as Ranging In on the same attempt as the first.
Tip and Run. Portee-mounted anti-tank guns were originally meant to dismount to fight. Adventurous crews soon devised tactics for hiding behind a ridge, scoring a quick, short-range volley, then running before the enemy can catch them out. Reduce the score required to pass a Skill Test to make a Blitz Move or Shoot and Scoot Movement Order by -1.
Tow Hooks. The infantry often had difficulty getting their anti-tank guns forward after attacks, so an armoured brigade in Tunisia devised a very clever solution. They fitted their tanks with tow hooks allowing them to tow the 6 pdr guns. It worked so well that soon almost every British tank was fitted with a tow hook. Tank Teams with Tow Hooks can be used as Tractors.
Tally Ho! Armed with short-ranged 2 pdr guns, British Cruiser tanks had to charge the enemy, throwing caution to the winds. Tanks with Tally Ho increase the score needed to pass a Tactics test by +1, but have their Tactical Speed increased by +2"/5cm.
Semi-indirect Fire. British heavy tanks often open fire at very long ranges, where their prolific use of ammunition can compensate for the difficulty of hitting the target. It means that their ammo racks empty fast, but there's plenty more available for resupply. Weapons capable of Semi-indirect Fire that did not move in the Movement Step may re-roll failed rolls To Hit when targeting a Team more than 16"/40cm away.
Rules No Longer Used. The following British special rules are no longer used: Broadside, Carry On Sergeant, Combined Bombardment, Independent Command.
Soviet Special Rules
Komissar. A Komissar is a Communist Party official who supervises the soldiers to make sure they display the proper level of enthusiasm in battle. A lack of heroism in driving the Hitlerites from Mother Russia is not acceptable and the Komissar will not hesitate to shoot soldiers who show fear during battle. As Comrade Stalin said, 'It takes a brave man not to be a hero in the Red Army.' A Komissar Team may Re-roll its Unit's Last Stand Test, Rally Tests, and Counterattack Tests as long as the Unit's Leader is within 6"/15cm of the Unit's Komissar Team. The Komissar destroys a Team from the Unit within 6"/15cm to do so. If the re-roll is a 1, the Komissar Team is Destroyed instead. If the Motivation Test has already been re-rolled by the Formation Commander, a Komissar may attempt another re-roll as an exception to the normal re-rolls rule.
Infiltration. Soviet soldiers have a reputation for being long-suffering and tough-minded. They swim freezing rivers and wade through trackless swamps in the pitch darkness to reach positions close to, or even behind, the enemy before the battle begins. A Soviet Unit with Infiltration is a Spearhead Unit; it uses the Spearhead rules with the following exceptions. This Soviet Infiltration Spearhead may not take a Team within: 14"/35cm (rather than 16"/40cm) of an enemy Team it is not Concealed from; 8"/20cm of any enemy Team; or 14"/35cm (rather than 16"/40cm) of the enemy Deployment Area or any Objective outside your own Deployment Area.
Battalion Komissar. As well as the Komissar assigned to each company, your battalion has a senior Komissar responsible for the entire battalion. Their role is to assist their deputies in removing particularly dangerous traitors and restoring discipline should it break down. A Battalion Komissar Team is Independent. A Battalion Komissar Team may Re-roll any Unit's Last Stand Test, Rally Tests, and Counterattack Tests as long as the Unit's Leader is within 6"/15cm of the Battalion Komissar Team. The Battalion Komissar destroys a Team from the Unit within 6"/15cm to do so. If the re-roll is a 1, the Battalion Komissar Team is Destroyed instead. If the Motivation Test has already been re-rolled by the Formation Commander, a Battalion Komissar may attempt another re-roll as an exception to the normal re-rolls rule.
Steel Wall. The Soviet Union combined 122mm howitzers with 76mm guns in their divisional artillery battalions. The lighter guns are deadly rolled forward to shoot over open sights while the howitzers bombard from behind. Each Soviet Battery in an artillery battalion operates as a separate Artillery Unit.
Volley Fire. When the advancing Soviet army came across a German strongpoint, assault guns and artillery batteries stopped to blast it using a massive centralised volley. Teams with the Volley Fire rule that did not move in the Movement Step may re-roll failed rolls To Hit when shooting its main weapon, providing it is targeting a Team within 16"/40cm. The Volley Fire rule does not apply when firing Artillery Bombardments, in Defensive Fire, or conducting an Ambush.
Cat Killers. The medium self-propelled guns were used as long-range anti-tank weapons to support tanks and infantry against German tanks. Often their rate of fire was slow, but their accuracy was good when the crew took their time to line up their shots. Weapons with the Cat Killers rule do not use the Volley Fire special rule. Instead, Weapons with Cat Killers that did not move in the Movement Step may re-roll failed rolls To Hit when targeting a Team more than 16"/40cm away.
Hen and Chicks. Soviet tank losses were incredible. In 1942, they lost 16,000 of them, far more tanks than any other army even possessed! The only way the Red Army could keep up with such losses was to rush tank crews into battle with minimal training. Combined with a lack of radios and a preference for going into battle with all hatches closed, this resulted in Soviet tanks blindly following their company commander, as the Germans described it 'like chicks following the mother hen'. If a Soviet Tank Team moves, it and all the Tank Teams in its Unit, no matter if they moved or not, add +1 to the score needed To Hit when Shooting with their main weapons.
Roll Up the Guns. The Red Army has a doctrine of keeping its guns right up in the front line where they can fire over open sights. To make this possible, they design their guns to be light enough for the crews to push. Soviet Medium and Heavy Gun Teams move as if they were Light Gun Teams, but retain their Mobility rating Cross number.
Shtraf Companies. Stalin's infamous Order 227 — Not One Step Back — formed Shtrafniye Roti or Penal Companies in each Army. These were used as assault troops on risky operations where they could redeem themselves with their blood. A Shtraf Company can never attempt to Dig In and never benefits from Foxholes. A Shtraf Company passes Motivation Tests on 2+.
Tankodesantniki. The tanks of the Red Army suffered heavy losses to infantry tank-hunter teams. The solution was to protect the tanks with tankodesantniki, submachine-gun armed troops who ride to battle on the back of their tanks. A Tank Team with Tankodesantniki increases its Vehicle MG ROF by +1 at up to 4"/10cm (SMG weapon Range). A Tank Team with Tankodesantniki re-rolls unsuccessful To Hit rolls in Assaults. A Tank Team with Tankodesantniki can Defensive Fire against Infantry Teams sneaking up on it as an SMG Team.
Rules No Longer Used. The following Soviet special rules are no longer used: Centralised Control, Cupolas, Quality of Quantity, Tankrider Companies.
Fortifications
The hidden menace of buried land mines, the grim face of weather-worn bunkers, and the hard jut of anti-tank obstacles are often the only thing that can halt the bold strokes of a Blitzkrieg advance. When combined with tangled webs of barbed wire and carefully networked trenches they sway the tides of war in favour of the defender. To defeat such measures pioneers creep forward, under the cover of immense artillery bombardments, determined to open a path for the soldiers behind them. Once the way is clear the troops leading the assault dash through the gaps, seeking to smash a hole in the enemy defences, opening the way once more for sweeping advances.
Entrenchments
Trench Lines are World War I-style trenches designed both as firing positions and as protected movement routes. Gun Pits are protected positions for machine-guns, anti-tank guns, and artillery. Tank Pits are protected fighting positions for tanks, making them into improvised bunkers.
Tank Pits. A Tank in a Tank Pit ceases to be a Tank Team and becomes a Turret Bunker, using the Bunker rules below.
Trench Lines and Gun Pits. Teams always start the game in Fox Holes. However, you can deploy Trench Line models on the table if your force comes with Trench Lines. Trench Lines come in 8"/20cm long sections. These can be broken up into smaller sections to make it easier to build your trench system around the terrain. Teams entirely within Trench Lines are Concealed and in Bulletproof Cover. Teams spending their entire turn in a Trench Line without shooting are Gone to Ground in the opponent's next turn, even if they moved.
Bunkers
There are three basic types of bunker: Nests, Pillboxes, and Turrets. Where the rules refer to Bunkers, they cover all Nests, Pillboxes and Turrets. Nests are roofed foxholes or well-protected fighting pits. They provide good protection, but are vulnerable to accurate close-range fire. Pillboxes are much more substantial constructions in concrete and steel. Gunfire will not harm them and only close assault or a huge bunker-busting gun can knock them out. Turrets are made by mounting a tank turret on an underground bunker containing ammunition and accommodation for the crew. They combine the flexibility of a tank with the defensive strength of a bunker.
Bunkers Are Teams and Units. Pillbox and Nest Bunkers are Gun Teams. Turret Bunkers are Tank Teams. Each individual Bunker is a Unit.
Field of Fire. Turret Bunkers, Tobruk Pits, Normandy 5cm KwK Nest, FlaK Nest (and others as noted in their intelligence briefing) have an all-round Field of Fire. All other Bunkers can only target Teams fully in front of the shooting Bunker (or each firing slit if it has more than one), and can only fire an Artillery Bombardment if the Aiming Point is fully in front of the shooting Bunker. Most Nests have a 180-degree field of fire from their Firing Slit. Tobruk Pits and FlaK Nests can shoot in any direction. Turrets can shoot in any direction. Pillboxes have a 180-degree field of fire from each of their Firing Slits. Nests with no obvious firing slit can shoot in any direction.
Line of Sight. Line of Sight is measured to and from any part of a Nest with an all-round Field of Fire or a Turret. Line of Sight is measured from the Firing Slit or Slits of other Nests and Pillboxes.
Bunker Ratings. Bunkers have the following ratings: Nest — Motivation 2+, Skill 4+, Is Hit On 2+, Save 3+. Pillbox — Motivation 2+, Skill 4+, Is Hit On 2+, Save 2+. Turret — Motivation 2+, Skill 4+, Is Hit On 2+, Save as Armour in the briefing. Bunkers cannot move.
Concealment. Bunkers cannot be Concealed in the open.
Bunkers Are Tough. Bunkers are tough, so any weapon making a Firepower Test against them must re-roll any successful Firepower Test.
Tanks Assaulting Bunkers. Tank Teams cannot Hit Bunkers in Assaults unless they are fitted with a Bulldozer blade or are a Bulldozer.
Obstacles
There are five basic types of Obstacles: Barbed Wire Entanglements, Street Barricades, Minefields, Booby Traps, and Anti-tank Obstacles.
Obstacle Sections. Obstacles come in 8"/20cm long by 2"/5cm deep sections. Booby Traps are different and use a 1¼"/32mm by 1"/25mm small base as a marker. You can reduce the length to fit between terrain features, for example to block a road between two buildings.
Crossing Obstacles. Barbed Wire Entanglement, Street Barricade, and Anti-tank Obstacles are treated like terrain: Barbed Wire Entanglement needs a Skill Test for Infantry to cross and is Flat terrain, Impassable to Cavalry Teams but otherwise crossable by others; Street Barricade needs a Skill Test for Infantry, is Short terrain giving Bulletproof Cover, and Impassable to others; an Anti-tank Obstacle is Short terrain, gives no Bulletproof Cover to Infantry, and is Impassable to others.
Gapping Obstacles. A Unit Leader that is not Pinned Down may issue an Obstacle Gapping Order as a Movement Order instead of Moving in the Movement Step. If it does so, any Infantry Team, or any Tank Team fitted with a Bulldozer blade or a Bulldozer, from the Unit within 6"/15cm of the Unit Leader may immediately remove an Obstacle within 2"/5cm (having moved adjacent to the Obstacle on the previous turn) instead of Moving. The Team is counted as Moving, but does not Move, and cannot Move further, Shoot, or Assault.
Gapping Street Barricades. Do not remove a Street Barricade when it is gapped. Instead, remove the middle piece, creating a gap in the Street Barricade rated as Difficult Going. The remainder of the Street Barricade continues to function as normal.
Bunker Busters Against Street Barricades. Weapons rated as Bunker Buster can attempt to gap a Street Barricade. The Street Barricade is Hit On 2+. Roll a To Hit in the Shooting Step: if Hit, the Street Barricade is gapped; otherwise, it remains intact.
Gapping Anti-tank Obstacles. Unlike other Obstacles, an Anti-tank Obstacle can only be removed by a Tank Team fitted with a Bulldozer blade, a Bulldozer, or an AVRE Mortar.
Minefields
The location of a Minefield is shown by a Minefield Obstacle. Any Team moving through a Minefield risks being knocked out. A Team that Moves into a Minefield must roll a die: if the score is at least equal to the Unit's Skill rating (or its Tactics rating if different), the Team crosses the Minefield safely; otherwise, the Team was hit by a mine with Anti-tank 5 and Firepower 1+ and must take a Save to survive (using its Top armour if it is a Tank Team). If a Tank Team is Bailed Out or Destroyed, it halts in the middle of the Minefield. If it survives, it continues moving unharmed. A Unit that took hits from a Minefield will be Pinned Down when it finishes moving. Like any other obstacle, Teams that don't completely cross a Minefield must Skill Test again next turn to move. Teams can only move through gaps between Obstacles that are wide enough for them to fit through.
Clearing a Minefield. A Unit Leader that is not Pinned Down may issue a Mine Clearing Order as a Movement Order instead of Moving in the Movement Step. If it does so, any Tank Team with a Mine Clearing Device (such as a plough, rollers, or flail) or any Infantry Team from the Unit within 6"/15cm of the Unit Leader may immediately remove a Minefield within 2"/5cm (having moved into the Minefield on a previous turn) instead of Moving. The Team is counted as Moving, but does not Move, and cannot Move further, Shoot, or Assault.
Booby Traps
A Booby Trap is represented by one small base marker. A Booby Trap only affects the first Team to move across or off the Booby Trap marker. After that the Booby Trap is expended and removed.
Placing Booby Traps. Booby Traps do not need to be deployed before the game begins. Instead, they may be placed at the same time as Ambushing Units during each Starting Step. Booby Traps may be placed anywhere in your own Deployment Area or No Man's Land, including under enemy troops. However, you may not place Booby Traps under Teams already on Booby Traps, nor under Teams in Foxholes.
A Team that Moves across or off a Booby Trap must roll a die: if the score is at least equal to the Unit's Skill rating, the Team crossed it safely, and the Booby Trap is removed; otherwise, the Team was hit by a Booby Trap with Anti-tank 3 and Firepower 2+ and must take a Save to survive (using its Top armour if it is a Tank Team). If a Tank Team is Bailed Out or Destroyed, it halts on the Booby Trap's position. If it survives, it continues moving unharmed. A Unit that took hits from a Booby Trap will be Pinned Down when it finishes moving.
Disarming Booby Traps. A Unit Leader that is not Pinned Down may issue a Booby Trap Disarm Order as a Movement Order instead of Moving in the Movement Step. If it does so, any Infantry Team or any Tank Team with a Mine Clearing Device (such as a plough, rollers, or flail) from the Unit within 6"/15cm of the Unit Leader may immediately remove a Booby Trap adjacent to or under them instead of Moving. The Team is counted as Moving, but does not Move, and cannot Move further, Shoot, or Assault.
Engineering Equipment
Bulldozers. Bulldozers are useful for filling in craters and anti-tank ditches, or burying anti-tank obstacles blocking the armour's advance.
Burying Bunkers. Any Tank Team fitted with a Bulldozer blade or a Bulldozer can assault a Bunker in the same way as an Infantry Team. If the Bunker is a Turret, it is automatically Destroyed if hit.
Gapping Rough Terrain. Bulldozers can create a gap in Difficult Going (such as a Bocage Hedgerow) in the same way as they gap Obstacles. In one turn they create a 2"/5cm wide gap in a Linear Obstacle, or a gap 2"/5cm wide by 4"/10cm long in Area Terrain, that no longer requires a Cross test.
Mine Flails and Rollers. Mine ploughs, rollers, and flails allow tanks to clear minefields. They are Mine Clearing Devices.
Assault Bridges. A Team with an Assault Bridge can place it over an adjacent Anti-tank Ditch in the Movement Step instead of Moving. The Team is counted as Moving, but does not Move, and cannot Move further, Shoot, or Assault. Once placed, it cannot be retrieved. Bridges laid by Half-tracked vehicles cannot be crossed by Fully-tracked vehicles.
Bridging Streams and Ditches. A vehicle with an Assault Bridge can also use the same method to place its Assault Bridge across a crater, stream, ditch, or to provide a ramp up a bank up to 1"/2.5cm high. The terrain bridged no longer requires a Cross roll.
Pioneer Supply Vehicles. A Unit with a Pioneer Supply vehicle within 2"/5cm of the Unit Leader may re-roll unsuccessful rolls to Dig In.
Deploying Additional Obstacles. If you are the defender in a mission that has Minefields, you may place one additional Minefield, or three Barbed Wire Entanglements, in No Man's Land or your Deployment Area for each of your Pioneer Supply vehicles that begins the game on the table. Place these Obstacles when you place other fortifications.
Demolition Carriers
Germany developed remote-controlled demolition carriers as a way of destroying fortifications without risking pioneers' lives. There were two types of demolition carriers, the Goliath and the Borgward BIV.
Controlling Teams. Every Demolition Carrier must have a Controlling Team, and each Controlling Team can only control their own Demolition Carrier. If the controlling Team is Destroyed, the Demolition Carrier is Destroyed as well. Since they are expendable machines, Demolition Carriers are ignored for Unit Last Stand.
Borgward BIV. The Borgward BIV is controlled by a tank and carries 1,100lb/500kg (that's half a tonne!) of explosives on the front, making it vulnerable to shooting. A Borgward BIV Demolition Carrier is a Tank Team with Half-tracked Mobility and Front/Side/Top armour of 0/0/0, and Firepower 2+. Re-roll failed Firepower Tests to Destroy a Borgward BIV when it is hit by shooting.
Goliath. The Goliath is a 5'/1.5m-long mini-tank carrying 132lb/60kg of explosives. They are pulled by pioneers on a wheeled trolley until they are in position to go. Place the Goliath miniature with the Controlling Pioneer Team to indicate its presence until it is Switched to Remote Control. It counts as part of the Controlling Team and cannot be hit by Shooting separately from its Controlling Team until it is Switched to Remote Control in the Assault Step. The Goliath has Half-tracked Mobility, Front/Side/Top armour of 0/0/0, and Firepower 4+.
Switch to Remote Control. At the beginning of an Assault Step the controlling player may Assault an enemy Unit with the Demolition Carrier. The Demolition Carrier can Assault if it is within Tactical Move distance of the enemy and can move up to its Tactical Move when Charging into Contact. The Demolition Carrier must be within Line of Sight of the controller for the entire movement. This movement may pass through friendly or enemy Teams without restriction.
Defensive Fire. The Demolition Carrier cannot be forced to Fall Back by Defensive Fire (though it can be destroyed).
Attacking a Building. To attack a Building, the controlling player chooses one of the Buildings in contact with the Demolition Carrier. The Demolition Carrier automatically Hits every Infantry, Gun, and Unarmoured Tank Team in the Building. If the building is divided into multiple rooms it must target one room and only hits teams in that room.
Attacking a Team. A Demolition Carrier hits on a 2+ in Assaults and can hit any adjacent Team, Building, Bunker, or Obstacle, Destroying itself in the process. If an Infantry Team, Gun Team, or Unarmoured Tank Team takes a hit, it is Destroyed, unless it is a Pillbox Bunker. If a Pillbox Bunker takes a hit, roll a save: if it passes it is unharmed, if it fails it is destroyed. If an Armoured Tank Team is hit, take a Firepower Test for the Demolition Carrier: if it passes, the vehicle is Bailed Out (or Bailed Out Again if already Bailed Out); if it fails, the vehicle is unharmed.
Attacking an Obstacle. To attack an Obstacle, the controlling player picks an Obstacle in contact with the Demolition Carrier and removes it. A Demolition Carrier can blow a gap in an adjacent Bocage Hedgerow in the same way as it gaps an Obstacle.
In the Assault Step a controlling Team can move its Demolition Carrier a 10"/25cm Tactical Move, detonating it once it has Charged into Contact with its target.
AVRE
The core of the 79th Armoured Division's strength is the versatile AVRE, the Armoured Vehicle, Royal Engineers. This is a standard Churchill infantry tank with the main gun and ammunition racks removed and replaced with a Petard demolition mortar and engineering equipment. Oddly, the plural of AVRE is AVsRE, Armoured Vehicles, Royal Engineers.
Fascine and SBG Bridge. AVsRE are often fitted to carry fascines or SBG bridges. The fascine, a bundle of saplings used to fill a ditch, is carried on a frame on the front of the tank. When the tank reaches the ditch, it drops the fascine, and then resumes its demolition duties. The SBG (Small Box Girder) bridge is a standard British light bridge 34' (10 metres) long. An SBG bridge is carried on the front of the tank and lowered across streams and ditches or against seawalls and embankments to create a crossing. At the start of the game after Fortifications (if any) are placed, but before Deployment, you may elect to mount a Fascine or Assault Bridge on any or all of your AVsRE. An AVRE that has a Fascine or Assault Bridge mounted cannot shoot. In addition, an AVRE that has an Assault Bridge mounted is Overloaded rather than Wide-tracked. Fascines act as Assault Bridges, but may only be used to bridge ditches and craters. An AVRE may abandon its Fascine or Assault Bridge instead of shooting, removing the Fascine or Assault Bridge from play.
Petard Mortar. The AVRE is equipped with a Petard spigot mortar. This strange weapon fires a 290mm bomb popularly known as a 'Flying Dustbin'. The Petard mortar shoots as a normal (although very short-ranged) gun.
Demolishing Tanks. The Petard is a weapon that relies entirely on explosive effect. If the Petard ever fired at a tank, its armour would be almost irrelevant. The blast is likely to blow off tracks and cause other damage without penetrating the armour. Any Armoured Tank Team hit by a Petard mortar uses its Top Armour rating for its Armour Saves.
Demolishing Obstacles. The Petard fires such a big round that it can even demolish anti-tank obstacles. An AVRE may attempt to gap an Obstacle by shooting at it. The Obstacle is Hit On 2+. Roll a To Hit in the Shooting Step: if Hit, the Obstacle is gapped; otherwise, it remains intact.
Deploying Fortifications
Bunkers and fortifications take a lot of time and effort to build and rarely come as a surprise to the enemy. You must place all Fortifications before the opposing player places any Objectives, unless the mission specifies otherwise. Entrenchments and Bunkers must be placed in your Deployment Area. Obstacles may be placed in either your Deployment Area or in No Man's Land. Entrenchments and Bunkers cannot be placed in a stream, river, swamp, lake, or other water feature.
Area Defences. Fortifications that are Area Defences may be placed in either your Deployment Area or in No Man's Land.
Bunker Deployment. Bunkers are usually built with mutual support in mind and are usually not placed right next to each other. Bunkers may not be placed within 2"/5cm of another Bunker, nor on a road, track, bridge, railway line, blocking a ford, or in any other way obstructing a constructed route. Bunkers can be placed in the ground floor of Buildings. If the Building is large enough, place the Bunker in the Building; otherwise, declare the whole Building to be a Bunker. Use Openings in the Building as the Bunker's Firing Slits. Objectives may not be placed in, on, or under Bunkers.
Not Placing Your Fortifications. You may choose not to place any or all of your Fortifications in a game. If you do this the Fortifications are not used during the game.
Fortified Platoons. Fortified Platoon Units place their fortifications at the same time as other Fortifications before objectives are placed. Mark a spot on the table (use a die or counter) as the centre of each Fortified Platoon Unit's position. All of the Unit's Fortifications must be placed entirely within 12"/30cm of the marked point, but may not be placed within 6"/15cm of any Fortification from another Fortified Platoon Unit or of either side table edge.
Deploying Fortified Platoons. When the Teams of a Fortified Platoon Unit are Deployed, they must be placed in the Trench Lines, Gun Pits, and Tank Pits that come with their Unit, or placed in Foxholes obeying the Fortified Platoon placement rules above. Only Teams from the Fortified Platoon Unit may be deployed in its Entrenchments. If a Fortified Platoon Unit elects not to place any of its Fortifications, it is no longer a Fortified Platoon. However, such a Unit does not start the game in Foxholes as they have not had time to dig alternative positions. Fortified Platoon Units cannot be deployed in Ambush or Reserves of any sort unless it elects not to deploy any of its Fortifications.
Deploying the Company HQ. The Company HQ Unit of a Fortified Company Formation may deploy as part of another Fortified Platoon Unit, amalgamating their Fortifications as a single position. If it does not do this, it deploys in its own fortifications, which are placed as if it were a Fortified Platoon Unit on its own.
Picking Your Force
Before fighting a battle, you need to choose your force. The most common form of force selection, and the best way of ensuring a fair fight and an interesting game, is to select your force based on the points given for each unit in the Intelligence Briefings. The points value is calculated based upon the size and fighting capability of each unit — the larger and more powerful a unit is the higher its points value. Before a game, you need to pick the Formations (Company) and Units (Platoons) that will make up your force. There are two ways to do this: build to a points limit, or build for a specific scenario.
Points Limit. Flames Of War uses a point system to ensure that games are reasonably fair and balanced. Games are typically played with around 1500 points, but you are certainly not limited to any particular value. You can play any point value you and your opponent decide, from small 600 point games in an hour, to mammoth games using armies that are 3000 or 5000 points or more! Once you and your opponent have agreed on a points limit, you can choose any Units allowed by your Formation (company) diagrams up to that total value.
Scenario. You and a friend could organise a scenario game that tells the story of a specific battle. Linking your scenarios into a campaign allows you to extend the story across multiple games. In a scenario, you decide on a situation that would provide an interesting challenge for both players and select two forces that fit the scenario. The forces used in a scenario will usually be based on a Force Diagram, but may contain variations specific to the scenario. The two forces might have the same points total, or they might not — it all depends on the scenario you are creating. If one force is much stronger than the other, the scenario will usually include some additional difficulty for the stronger force to make the game fun for both players.
Pick a Nation and an Intelligence Handbook. The first part of picking your force is to choose a Nation, the Intelligence Handbook, and the Division or Brigade you will pick your force from.
Picking Formations. Next pick your Formations. A Formation is a group of Units under a single Commander. Often it is based on a company, but in the case of Soviets and some other nations it can be a battalion. It contains the Formation's own troops and their slice of their parent formation's specialist weapons and units. The Formation Diagram is, in essence, a list of Units that you can choose from when creating that Formation. You can take any or all of the available Formations in a Division or Brigade, or even several of the same Formation.
Fielding a Formation. Your Formations are made up of an HQ Unit and a number of combat, weapon, and regimental (or brigade) Units. You must field the HQ Unit and one Unit from each black box in the Formation Diagram, and may field one Unit from each grey box.
Instructions. Some companies are based on a single division, but other companies have a number of variants — for example a Führer Begleit Brigade and Führer Grenadier Brigade variant of the same company. An Instructions box on the Formation Diagram explains any additional rules for the variants.
Variant Forces. When building a Force that has several division variants, you must choose one of the variants and stick to it. Your Unit HQ and all of your Combat and Weapons Units (and usually some of your Support Units) must match the division you have chosen. Divisional symbols distinguish the variants — use the options showing your divisional symbol when calculating points or choosing optional upgrades.
A Formation Diagram lays out its Units in labelled boxes:
- HQ Unit. Every formation has an HQ Unit that includes the Formation Commander.
- Compulsory Units. A Formation must have one Unit from each of the black boxes.
- Unit Choices. A Formation may also include one Unit from each grey box. Grey boxes in the columns labelled Combat, Weapons, and sometimes Regimental or Brigade Support are optional parts of your Formation.
- Support Units. A Formation may also include one Unit from each grey box in the columns labelled Support (also called Divisional or Corps Support). These Units are not part of your Formation. If you have more than one Formation in your Force, you may only take Support from one Formation's diagram.
Allied Formations. You could also take some Allied Support as an Allied Formation, if Allied Units are available in the Support section of your Formation Diagram. An Allied Formation obeys all the rules for its own nationality and acts as a Formation in its own right.
Night Fighting
While most battles take place in daylight, some were fought at night. Some armies even specialised in launching their attacks at night. Moving at night, without lights, is slow and painstaking. In the darkness shapes blend and blur, turning tanks into houses, and rocks and trees into tanks. Few things are as difficult as finding targets at night. Everything looks dangerous, making it tricky to pick your target, unless they shoot, then their muzzle flash gives them away.
Moving at Night. Teams may not move faster than their Terrain Dash speed at Night. In addition, Teams add +1 to their Cross number when moving through Difficult Terrain at night.
Line of Sight at Night. Units must roll on the Night Visibility Table to determine their maximum Line of Sight distance. Teams from a Unit do not have Line of Sight to Teams beyond the rolled distance. Roll immediately before checking Line of Sight.
Night Visibility Table: 1 = 4"/10cm, 2 = 8"/20cm, 3 = 12"/30cm, 4 = 16"/40cm, 5 = 20"/50cm, 6 = 24"/60cm.
Shooting at Night. Teams shooting at Night always suffer an additional +1 penalty on the score needed to Hit.
Target Shot Last Turn. The maximum distance does not limit Line of Sight to enemy Teams that Shot in their previous Shooting Step.
No Aircraft at Night. Do not roll for Aircraft to arrive at Night.
Bombardments at Night. Spotting Teams do not need to roll on the Night Visibility Table. Their Line of Sight is not affected by Night. However, attempts to Range In at Night add +1 to the score needed.
Marking Teams That Shoot at Night. After a Unit has fired, use tokens to indicate which Teams have fired and are therefore visible at any range in the next enemy turn.
Time of Day
The following rules encompass four times of day: Dawn, Daylight, Dusk, and Darkness. The first step for setting up a night battle is to decide with your opponent what Time Of Day option to use. Alternatively, you can roll a die: on a result of 1 or 2, the battle is fought at Dusk; on a result of 3 or 4, the battle is fought in Darkness; on a result of 5 or 6, the battle is fought at Dawn.
Dawn. In a game being played at Dawn, the game starts in Darkness, with the Night Fighting rules in effect. At the start of the Defender's third turn, roll a die: on a score of 5+, morning has broken. Once morning breaks, the Night Fighting rules are no longer used, and the rest of the battle is fought in Daylight. If the roll is unsuccessful, at the start of the Attacker's turn four, they roll two dice with morning breaking on any roll of 5+. If it is still dark at the start of the Defender's next turn, they roll three dice, and so on with each player rolling one more die until morning breaks on any roll of 5+.
Dusk. In a game being played at Dusk, the game starts in Daylight. At the start of the Defender's third turn, roll a die: on a score of 5+, night has fallen. Once night falls, the Night Fighting rules come into effect and the rest of the battle is fought in Darkness. If the roll is unsuccessful, at the start of the Attacker's turn four, they roll two dice with night falling on any roll of 5+. If it is still light at the start of the Defender's next turn, they roll three dice, and so on with each player rolling one more die until night falls on any roll of 5+.
Darkness. In a game played in Darkness, the Night Fighting rules are used for the entire game.
Daylight. In a game being played in Daylight, the Night Fighting rules are not used.
The Moon. As an optional rule you may like to include Moonlight in your night battles. You can either select Full Moon, or New Moon, or roll a die: on a 1 or 2 the Full Moon rules are in effect; on a 3 or 4 use the normal Night rules; on a 5 or 6 the New Moon rules are in effect.
- Full Moon. When rolling on the Night Visibility Table, roll two dice and use the highest result.
- New Moon. When rolling on the Night Visibility Table, roll two dice and use the lowest result. Teams equipped with Infra-red Equipment use their normal rules instead.
Recreating Night Battles — Night Skirmish or Raids. To simulate night skirmishes or raids, try using a mission that uses a blend of reserves with scattered deployment, such as Dust Up, Encounter, or Bridgehead. Such battles would usually take place at Dusk or in the Darkness.
Full-scale Night Operations. To simulate a full-scale night operation, try using a mission where the attacker has a focused objective, such as Rear Guard, Breakthrough, or No Retreat. Such battles would usually take place at Dawn to maximise the element of surprise and help speed up reinforcements after sunrise.
Missions
To reflect their unique circumstances most missions use a number of special rules that make them more realistic and add exciting tactical twists to each engagement. Each mission tells you which special rules apply.
The army always has a plan, and your formation has a mission as part of that plan. While you can just stick your forces on the table and fight until one side is completely destroyed, missions and scenarios add a whole new level to the game as players struggle to take or defend specific objectives or achieve goals vital to their war effort.
Selecting a Mission. Your first mission should be Annihilation, as it is a simple mission that pits one player against the other in a fight to the death. This mission is ideal for smaller forces. Once you've played Annihilation a few times, try Free For All, which adds Objectives to the mission to bring in new stratagems to defeat your opponent with. After that play Dust Up to add Reserves and a new battlefield layout to your games. When you've got the hang of these missions, you and your opponent can either choose a mission, or one player can roll on the Random Mission Table to select one of the six easiest-to-play missions.
More Missions. Once you've gained some experience with the first six missions, there are four more: Breakthrough, No Retreat, Rear Guard, and Bridgehead, for you to try. These missions introduce new twists to your battles with ambushes, minefields, and strategic withdrawals. These missions particularly suit infantry forces as the defender, giving you the opportunity to experiment with different types of force.
Random Mission Table: 1 = Annihilation, 2 = Free For All, 3 = Dust Up, 4 = Encounter, 5 = Counterattack, 6 = Hasty Attack.
Who Attacks. There are three ways to determine which player is the Attacker. The simplest is for both players to roll a die — the highest-scoring player is the Attacker. This method is particularly suited to Meeting Engagements like Annihilation, Free For All, Encounter, and Dust Up. Alternatively, both players choose whether they wish to attack or defend, then reveal their choices at the same time; if both players want to attack or both want to defend, then roll a die as above. The third method is to have the player with more infantry formations defend. These last two methods are useful for missions with a distinct attacker and defender like Hasty Attack, Counterattack, and No Retreat.
Deployment. Each mission explains how both sides' forces are deployed. Units can be held in Reserve, held in Ambush, or placed on the table.
- Placing Units in Command. You must place all of a Unit's Teams so that they are In Command.
- Attachments. A Transport or Infantry Unit Attachment deploys at the same time, but separately from its core Unit. They may be placed together or separately. The Passengers may be Mounted or Dismounted.
- Left Out of Battle. At the start of the game you may elect to leave Units that you do not think will contribute, but do not want to lose, out of the battle. A Unit that is left out of battle takes no part in the game and is ignored for all purposes.
- No Leaving the Table. Once a Unit is placed on the table or arrives from Reserve, it cannot move off the table.
- Start in Foxholes and Gone to Ground. All Infantry and Gun Teams start the game in Foxholes, giving them Concealment and Bulletproof Cover. All Teams start the game Gone to Ground.
- Who Has the First Turn. The Attacker has the first turn, except in Meeting Engagements where both players roll a die after setting up, with the higher-rolling player having the first turn.
Winning the Game. The goal in most missions is to take or hold Objectives. If a player has no Formations (other than Allied Formations) in Good Spirits, although they may have Support Units left, their force flees the battlefield and the enemy wins. In missions with Objectives, this leaves all of the Objectives in the hands of the enemy.
Victory Points. Refer to the Winning the Game section of the mission briefing to figure out who won. To determine the extent of the victory, count the number of Units from the Winner's Force that were Destroyed, including HQ Units, but not Independent Teams. Count core Units and their Attachments separately, so if both are Destroyed, this counts as two Units. Look up the number of Units from the Winner's Force that were Destroyed on the Victory Points Table to see how many Victory Points each side gains.
Victory Points Table: Winner's Losses of 0 or 1 Unit = Stunning Victory (Winner 8 VP, Loser 1 VP). 2 Units = Major Victory (Winner 7 VP, Loser 2 VP). 3 or more Units = Minor Victory (Winner 6 VP, Loser 3 VP).
There Are No Draws. Both players lose a game that runs out of time — there is no such thing as a draw in Flames Of War. If neither player won, both players look up the number of Surviving Units the enemy force has as though their opponent was the winner and use the Loser's Points column to determine their own Victory Points.
More Ways to Play. Be sure to visit www.FlamesOfWar.com for loads more exciting ways to play Flames Of War. The website has downloads giving you expanded missions, scenarios and campaigns, and much, much more. You'll also find information on organising your own escalation campaigns, leagues, tournaments, and other forms of organised play, along with download packs to get you started. On top of this, there's loads of information on the units, battles, and history of the period!
Objectives
Objectives are markers to indicate the importance of this point to the combatants. They are a standard large base (2½"/63mm wide by 2"/50mm deep), either marked with a symbol representing your or your opponent's army or with a small diorama modelled on it. Objectives are not Terrain, regardless of what is modelled on the base, and do not hinder movement or provide Concealment or Bulletproof Cover, nor do they block Line of Sight.
Modelling Objectives. While you can use a spare large base as an objective marker, it is a lot more fun to do a little modelling and stick a broken-down tank or stack of supplies on the base and create a mini diorama.
Placing Objectives. You must place an Objective where it will sit flat (or relatively flat) on the table or a piece of terrain where it is accessible to the enemy. You may not lean it up against a hedge or a cliff for instance, nor place it in the middle of an Impassable lake.
Holding Objectives. You are Holding an Objective if you have a Tank, Infantry, or Gun Team within 4"/10cm of the Objective, and the enemy has no Tank, Infantry, or Gun Teams within 4"/10cm of the Objective, at the start of your turn after any Last Stand tests. Objectives cannot be Held by Tank Teams that are Bailed Out, Transports, or Independent Teams. Nor can these teams prevent the enemy from Holding an Objective. Teams that Moved at Dash speed cannot take an Objective nor prevent the enemy from taking it. Teams can Hold or contest an Objective while Pinned Down.
Mission Special Rules
Each mission has a selection of special rules that set the scene and tell you how to run the mission. Mission special rules include: Ambush, Meeting Engagements, Reserves, and Strategic Withdrawal.
Ambush. In missions with the Ambush special rule, the ambushing player holds one or more Units (as specified in the mission) in Ambush when they deploy. Units held in Ambush are treated as being on the table, but their location isn't specified until they reveal themselves. They are held off the table at the start of the game.
- Already There. Ambushing Teams do not have to move. They can remain where they are placed and shoot at their Halted ROF. Infantry and Gun Units are in Foxholes when they are placed on the table from Ambush.
- Placing Ambushes. In real life, the minor details of the terrain and small pieces of intelligence on the enemy's activities give you clues as to where they will attack, making it far easier to select the ideal place for an ambush than it is in a game. To reflect this, the ambushing player does not need to decide where their ambush will take place until it is revealed. At the start of your turn, in the Starting Step, you may place any or all Units that you have been holding in Ambush. You must place an entire Unit at a time, and the Unit must be placed with all of its Teams In Command. You may place a Team from Ambush anywhere in your Deployment Area (ignoring any extensions created by the Spearhead rule), provided that it is: at least 16"/40cm from any enemy Tank, Infantry, or Gun Team within Line of Sight, unless Concealed by Terrain from it; and at least 4"/10cm from all enemy Tank, Infantry, or Gun Teams.
- Attachments and Ambushes. When you hold a Unit in Ambush, you may also hold its Transport or Infantry Attachment in Ambush as well, or Deploy them as normal. If you do hold both a Unit and its Attachment in Ambush together, the Infantry must be Mounted in their Transports when they are placed from Ambush.
Meeting Engagements. In a Meeting Engagement (such as Annihilation, Free For All, Encounter, and Dust Up), players do not place their Ranged In markers as Pre-planned Artillery Targets at the start of the game. In addition, the following rules apply in the first Shooting Step of the player who has the first turn — they do not apply in the second player's turn, nor in subsequent turns: the first player's Aircraft cannot arrive in their first turn; treat all of the first player's Teams as having moved when Shooting in their first Shooting Step, whether they actually moved or not; and the first player's Teams cannot fire Artillery Bombardments in their first Shooting Step. The first player's Teams can still move or Go to Ground as normal in their Movement Step, and launch assaults in the Assault Step.
Reserves. Some missions require you to hold part of your force in Reserve. You may not deploy more than 60% of the agreed points total for the game on the table. The remainder must be held in Reserve. The Reserves Table helps you calculate the proportion of your force that you can deploy for a given Force size. You may deploy less and hold more in Reserve if you wish.
Reserves Table (Force Size / On Table): 500/300, 600/360, 750/450, 800/460, 1000/600, 1250/750, 1500/900, 1750/1050, 2000/1200, 2250/1350, 2500/1500, 2750/1650, 3000/1800 (points).
- Immediate Reserves. At the start of your first turn roll a die. On a roll of 5+ your first Unit arrives from the Reserve — it may be any Unit of your choice, but must arrive now. At the start of your second turn roll two dice; each roll of 5+ results in another Unit arriving from your Reserves. So, if you're lucky, you could have up to two Units arriving from Reserve during your second turn. Keep rolling at the start of each of your following turns, adding one more die than the previous turn, so at the start of turn three you roll three dice, at the start of turn four you roll four dice, and so on. Each roll of 5+ brings another Unit on from your Reserves. If you rolled three or more dice to get Reserves in a turn, but failed to score any rolls of 5+, you automatically receive one Unit from Reserve anyway.
- Delayed Reserves. If the mission has Delayed Reserves, use the same rules as Immediate Reserves, except that you do not start rolling for your Reserves until turn three, and then get one die. This increases by one die per turn as normal, so that on turn four you roll two dice, on turn five you roll three dice, and so on.
- Deep Reserves. In a mission with Deep Reserves, you may only place either one Tank Unit with front armour of 3 or more, or one Aircraft Unit, on the table at the start of the game. All remaining Units of these types must be held in Reserve.
- Flanking Reserves. In a mission with Flanking Reserves, you may have a smaller force in Reserve than usual. You must hold at least one Unit in Reserve, but may hold more in Reserve if you wish. These Reserves will arrive on the enemy flank.
- Scattered Reserves. When each Unit arrives from Scattered Reserve, the owning player rolls a die to determine which table edge or corner it will arrive from using the mission map as reference. If a Unit arrives from Scattered Reserves on a table edge, it may enter the table anywhere along that table edge. If the Unit arrives from Reserves on a corner, it must enter the table within 16"/40cm of the corner.
A Unit (along with its Attachments) must be kept together. Either the whole Unit is in Reserve, or the whole Unit is deployed on table. Units that are bought as one choice, but operate as separate Units, are either all placed in Reserve, or all deployed on table. When a Unit arrives from Reserves, it and its Attachments move onto the table from the table edge specified in the mission. The entire Unit must be In Command at the end of its Movement in the turn it arrives from Reserves. Attachments and their core Unit must arrive from the same point, although Passengers may be Mounted or Dismounted. A Unit may not use Movement Orders until it has moved on to the table.
Strategic Withdrawal. The Defender starts the game with no Delay Counters. At the start of each turn from turn two onwards, after checking Victory Conditions, the Defender counts the number of Units (not counting their Attachments and any Independent Teams) and Delay Counters that they have on table.
- If the total is six or more, they must Withdraw one Unit (other than an Independent Team) and its Attachments, and remove all Delay Counters.
- If they have less than six Units and Delay Counters combined, they gain a Delay Counter, but do not Withdraw any Units.
Withdrawing Units. When the Defender is required to Withdraw a Unit, all of the teams of that Unit (and its Attachments) are removed from the table. If a Withdrawing Unit is not in Good Spirits, it will be treated as being Destroyed when working out Victory Points.
These missions are the core missions for Flames Of War. As a new player you should experiment with these missions before moving on to more challenging ones. You can also use these missions to design scenarios recreating historical battles — pick a mission that suits the story you want to tell and tweak it to match.
Annihilation
Special Rules: Meeting Engagement (Both players).
Setting Up. The Attacker picks a long table edge to attack from. The Defender defends from the opposite table edge.
Deployment. Both players, starting with the Attacker, take turns placing Units within 12"/30cm of their own table edge until all of their Units are deployed.
Total war means total victory or total annihilation.
Winning the Game. A player wins if their opponent has no Formations left on the table.
The mission write-ups below (Setting Up / Deployment / Special Rules / Winning the Game for each of the ten missions) were reconstructed from a heavily diagram-interleaved source layout — the body text, sidebar flavour lines, and map captions for consecutive missions ran together in extraction. The rules statements were matched to their mission using the Random Mission Table order and the book's own mission descriptions; treat the short italic flavour quote under each mission as approximate.
Free For All
Special Rules: Meeting Engagement (Both players).
Setting Up. The Attacker picks a long table edge to attack from. The Defender defends from the opposite table edge. Both players, starting with the Attacker, place two Objectives within 8"/20cm of the opponent's table edge, at least 8"/20cm from the side table edges.
Deployment. Both players, starting with the Attacker, then take turns placing Units within 12"/30cm of their own table edge until all of their Units are deployed.
The breakthrough was successful and the situation is fluid. Find and destroy the enemy.
Winning the Game. A player wins if they start their turn Holding one of the Objectives that they placed on the opponent's side of the table.
Dust Up
Special Rules: Meeting Engagement (Both players); Delayed Reserves (Both players).
Setting Up. The Attacker picks a table quarter to attack from. The Defender defends from the opposite quarter. Both players, starting with the Attacker, place one Objective in their own quarter, then both players, again starting with the Attacker, place one Objective in their opponent's quarter. Objectives must be at least 8"/20cm from all table edges and at least 12"/30cm from the table centre.
Deployment. Both players place the required part of their force in Delayed Reserve. These Units will arrive from the long table edge adjacent to the player's quarter. Both players, starting with the Attacker, then take turns at placing Units in their own quarters, at least 12"/30cm from the table centre until all of their remaining Units are deployed.
The fighting is confused with the enemy in all directions. Coordinate an attack with your scattered forces.
Winning the Game. A player wins if they start their turn Holding one of the Objectives in the opponent's quarter.
Encounter
Special Rules: Meeting Engagement (Both players); Scattered Delayed Reserves (Both players).
Setting Up. The Attacker picks a long table edge to attack from. The Defender defends from the opposite table edge. Both players, starting with the Attacker, place two Objectives within 8"/20cm of the opponent's table edge, at least 8"/20cm from the side table edges.
Deployment. Both players place the required part of their force in Scattered Delayed Reserve. The players will dice to see where each Unit moves on from as it arrives from Reserve. Both players, starting with the Attacker, then take turns placing Units within 12"/30cm of their own table edge until all of their remaining Units are deployed.
Your forces have been scattered in heavy fighting. Gather your forces and defeat the enemy.
Winning the Game. A player wins if they start their turn Holding one of the Objectives that they placed on the opponent's side of the table.
Counterattack
Special Rules: Ambush (Defender); Immediate Reserves (Defender).
Setting Up. The Defender picks a table quarter to defend. The Attacker picks an adjacent table quarter to attack from. The Defender places one Objective in their table quarter. The Attacker places one Objective in the quarter diagonally opposite to their own. Objectives must be at least 8"/20cm from all table edges and at least 12"/30cm from the centre.
Deployment. The Defender places the required part of their force in Immediate Reserve and may hold one of their remaining Units in Ambush. They then place their remaining Units in their quarter at least 12"/30cm from the table centre. Reserves arrive within 16"/40cm of the opposite corner. The Attacker places all of their Units in their table quarter at least 8"/20cm from both centrelines.
Winning the Game. The game cannot be won before the sixth turn. The Attacker wins if they start their turn Holding an Objective. The Defender wins if they start their turn with no Attacking Tank or Infantry Teams within 16"/40cm of an Objective.
Hasty Attack
Special Rules: Ambush (Defender); Immediate Reserves (Attacker); Scattered Delayed Reserves (Defender).
Setting Up. The Defender picks a long table edge to defend. The Attacker attacks from the opposite table edge. The Defender places an Objective within 8"/20cm of the Attacker's edge and an Objective at least 8"/20cm from their own edge. The Attacker then places two Objectives within 12"/30cm of the Defender's edge. Objectives must be at least 8"/20cm from the side edges.
Deployment. The Defender places the required part of their force in Scattered Delayed Reserve and may hold one Unit in Ambush. They then place their remaining Units within 16"/40cm of their table edge. The Attacker removes one of the Objectives that they placed, places the required part of their force in Immediate Reserve, then places their remaining Units in their table quarter within 12"/30cm of their table edge.
The enemy is weak, but getting stronger. You must attack now, throwing in troops as they arrive.
Winning the Game. A player wins if they start their turn Holding one of the Objectives on the opponent's side of the table.
These missions are the core missions for Flames Of War. As a new player you should experiment with these missions before moving on to more challenging ones.
More Missions
These missions are a little more complex than the basic missions in the previous section, adding new twists and challenges for you to overcome. With the addition of minefields, different reserves rules, and strategic withdrawal — where the defender slowly removes parts of their force as they thin out the rearguard — there is lots to try out.
Rear Guard
Special Rules: Ambush (Defender); Strategic Withdrawal (Defender).
Setting Up. The Defender picks a long table edge to defend. The Attacker attacks from the opposite table edge. The Attacker places two Objectives within 16"/40cm of the Defender's edge and at least 16"/40cm from the sides. The Defender places one Minefield outside the opponent's deployment area for each 750 points in their force.
Deployment. The Defender may hold a Unit in Ambush and places their remaining Units in their table half. The Attacker places all of their Units within 8"/20cm of their table edge. The Defender will remove Units from their force as the game progresses using the Strategic Withdrawal rule.
You have the enemy on the run. Don't let them get away.
Winning the Game. The Attacker wins if they start their turn Holding one of the Objectives. The Defender wins at the start of their ninth turn after checking Formation Morale.
Breakthrough
Special Rules: Ambush (Defender); Immediate Reserves (Defender); Flanking Delayed Reserves (Attacker).
Setting Up. The Defender picks two diagonally opposite table quarters to defend. The Attacker picks a quarter to attack from. The Attacker places two Objectives in the remaining table quarter at least 8"/20cm from all table edges.
Deployment. The Defender places the required part of their force in Immediate Reserve and may hold one Unit in Ambush. Reserves arrive within 16"/40cm of either of their table corners. They then place their remaining Units in their table quarters, divided as they wish. The Attacker places at least one Unit in Delayed Reserve. These will arrive within 16"/40cm of the Objective table corner. They then place the remaining Units in their table quarter at least 8"/20cm from both centrelines.
You have outflanked the enemy. Seize the objectives before they can redeploy to protect them.
Winning the Game. The game cannot be won before the sixth turn. The Attacker wins if they start their turn Holding an Objective. The Defender wins if they start their turn with no Attacking Tank or Infantry Units within 16"/40cm of an Objective.
No Retreat
Special Rules: Ambush (Defender); Deep Immediate Reserves (Defender).
Setting Up. The Defender picks a short table edge to defend from. The Attacker attacks from the opposite edge. Both players, starting with the Defender, place one Objective in the Defender's table half, at least 8"/20cm from the table centre line and all table edges. The Defender places one Minefield outside the opponent's deployment area for each 750 points in their force.
Deployment. The Defender places the required part of their force in Deep Immediate Reserve and may hold one Unit in Ambush. Reserves arrive from their short table edge. The Defender places their Units in their table half. The Attacker places all of their Units in their table half at least 16"/40cm from the table centre line.
The enemy are on the defensive, smash them before their reserves can arrive and save them.
Winning the Game. The Attacker wins if they start their turn Holding an Objective. The Defender wins if they start their turn on or after the sixth turn with no Attacking Tank or Infantry Units in their half.
Bridgehead
Special Rules: Ambush (Defender); Deep Scattered Immediate Reserves (Defender).
Setting Up. The Defender picks a long table edge to defend from. The Attacker attacks from the opposite edge. The Attacker places two Objectives at least 8"/20cm from the centre line, at least 8"/20cm from the long table edge, and at least 28"/70cm from the short table edges. The Defender places one Minefield outside the opponent's deployment area for each 750 points in their force.
Deployment. The Defender places the required part of their force in Deep Scattered Immediate Reserve and may hold one Unit in Ambush. They place their remaining Units in their half at least 20"/50cm from the side edges. The Attacker places their Units at least 16"/40cm from the centre line or within 8"/20cm of the side edge.
The enemy has forced a bridgehead across a river with light troops. Cut them off and destroy them.
Winning the Game. The Attacker wins if they start their turn Holding an Objective. The Defender wins if they start their turn on or after the sixth turn with no Attacking Tank or Infantry Units within 16"/40cm of an Objective.
Quick Reference Sheet
The rulebook closes with a condensed Quick Reference Sheet (QRS) that restates the turn sequence and key numbers from the chapters above in quick-lookup form, for use at the table. It is transcribed here as its own reference section.
Starting Step. Remount Bailed Out Tanks; Rally Pinned Down Units; Check Unit Last Stand; Check Formation Last Stand; Check Victory Conditions; Reveal Ambushes; Roll for Reserves; Roll for Aircraft; Remove Friendly Smoke Markers.
- Bailed Out Tanks. May not Move, Shoot, or Assault. Score the Motivation number to Remount: Fearless 3+, Confident 4+, Reluctant 5+.
- Pinned Down Units. Cannot Move closer to enemy in Line of Sight, cannot Shoot if they Move, and Shoot with their Moving ROF. Score the Motivation number to Rally: Fearless 3+, Confident 4+, Reluctant 5+.
- Check Unit Last Stand. Check unless: no Teams Bailed Out or Destroyed; or 3+ Infantry Teams remain; or 2+ Tank Teams (not Bailed Out) remain; or 2+ Gun Teams remain. Score the Motivation number or the Unit is Destroyed: Fearless 3+, Confident 4+, Reluctant 5+.
- Check Formation Last Stand. In Good Spirits if the Formation has at least two Units In Good Spirits. If not In Good Spirits the Formation is automatically Destroyed.
- Roll for Aircraft. On a score of 4+, a Unit of Aircraft arrives until the end of the turn.
Movement Step.
- Staying in Command. In Command if a Team ends movement within 6"/15cm of its Unit Leader (or within 8"/20cm if the Unit has eight or more Teams).
- Out of Command. If not In Command, a Team must: remain in place; move at Tactical with a +1 penalty on the score to hit; or Dash towards its Unit Leader.
- Passengers. Dismount at the start or Mount at the end of movement. Transports can Move at Dash speed after Passengers mount.
- Movement Orders. A Unit Leader can issue one Order per turn to Teams within 6"/15cm.
- Dash Speed. Cannot Shoot or Assault.
- Moving Through Terrain. Move at Tactical and still Shoot or Assault, or Move at Terrain Dash.
- Difficult Terrain. Score the Cross number or stop moving, but still count as having moved in the Shooting Step.
- Blitz Move (before moving). Score the Skill number to Move Teams up to 4"/10cm; can only move at Tactical speed this turn. If a Team does not Move further, it can Shoot with its Halted ROF. Otherwise, Teams from the Unit cannot Dash and suffer the +1 to hit penalty for Moving Out of Command.
- Cross Here (while moving). Teams crossing Difficult Terrain within 6"/15cm reduce their Cross number by 1.
- Follow Me! (after moving). Move the Unit Leader forward 4"/10cm, then score the Motivation number to Move Teams forward 4"/10cm. Teams within 6"/15cm and Line of Sight of the Unit Leader cannot Shoot.
- Shoot and Scoot (Assault Step). Score the Skill number to Move Teams that did not Move, up to 4"/10cm.
- Dig In (Movement Step). Score the Skill number to dig Foxholes. Teams then Shoot with their Moving ROF and cannot fire Bombardments.
- Skill: Veteran 3+, Trained 4+, Conscript 5+. Motivation: Fearless 3+, Confident 4+, Reluctant 5+.
- Concealment. Concealed if entirely behind or in Tall or Short terrain, or at least half hidden by Buildings or Hills. Stationary Infantry are Concealed. Gun Teams in Foxholes are Concealed. Aircraft are only affected by terrain within 4"/10cm of ground troops.
Shooting Step. Check Range; Check Line of Sight; Check for Concealment; Declare Targets; Rotate to Face; Roll to Hit; Assign Hits; Roll Saves.
- Gone to Ground. Teams that don't Move, Shoot, or Assault are Gone to Ground.
- Which Weapons Can Fire. A Tank or Aircraft Team may either fire all of its Machine-guns, or one other weapon. An Infantry or Gun Team may fire one weapon.
- Rate of Fire. Roll one die per point of ROF: Halted ROF if the Team did not Move and is not Pinned Down, otherwise Moving ROF.
- Score to Hit. The target Team's Is Hit On number: Veteran 4+, Trained 3+, Conscript 2+. Add +1 if: range is over 16"/40cm; Concealed (but not Gone to Ground); shooter moved Out of Command; shooting through Smoke; or shooting at Night. Add +2 if: Concealed and Gone to Ground.
- Shooting at Aircraft. Only Anti-aircraft, AA MGs, Self-defence Anti-aircraft, and Heavy Anti-aircraft weapons can shoot at Aircraft, immediately before the Aircraft shoots in the enemy Shooting Step. A Team that shoots at Aircraft in the enemy Shooting Step cannot Defensive Fire, Shoot next Shooting Step, or Assault next Assault Step. Aircraft are Hit On 5+. Anti-aircraft weapons shoot at full ROF; AA MGs, Self-defence Anti-aircraft, and Heavy Anti-aircraft weapons shoot at ROF 1 (with a further +1 to hit if already ROF 1).
- 7 or More to Hit. If you need 7+, you must roll a 6 followed by a 5+. If you need 8+, you must roll a 6 followed by a 6.
- Line of Sight. Tall terrain blocks Line of Sight past 2"/5cm unless the Range is 6"/15cm or less. Buildings and Hills block Line of Sight. Nothing blocks Line of Sight for Aircraft.
- Aircraft Shooting. MGs, Cannons, and Rockets have a range of 8"/20cm; Bombs have a range of 6"/15cm. Rockets and Bombs shoot as Artillery. Aircraft are Veteran Skill rating. Aircraft MGs have Rate of Fire 3; Aircraft Cannons have Rate of Fire 2.
- Smoke. Shooting places a 2"/5cm Smoke ball.
- Assign Hits. The first hit must be assigned to the target. Remaining hits are assigned evenly to valid targets that are part of the same Unit as the target Team, of the same type as the target Team, and within 6"/15cm of the target Team.
- Mistaken Target. On a 3+ the target player can swap all swappable hits between two Teams; if they succeed, they can roll again to swap hits between another pair. Tanks must be more than 8"/20cm away, and Infantry or Guns more than 4"/10cm away, to be swapped.
- Armoured Tank Teams. Hit is on the Front if the shooter is in front of a line across the front of both hull and turret; on the Side if behind both lines. If front and side are both visible, roll: 1 to 3 hits the hull, 4 to 6 hits the turret.
- Roll Armour Saves. The target player rolls and adds their Armour rating (plus +1 if the range is over 16"/40cm). If the total is less than the Anti-tank rating, roll Firepower to Destroy the tank, otherwise it Bails Out. If equal to the Anti-tank rating, roll a Firepower Test to Bail Out the tank. Otherwise, no effect.
- Other Saves. Infantry, Heavy Weapons, and Cavalry Save on 3+; Unarmoured Tank Teams Save on 5+; Unarmoured Tank Teams with Gun Shield Save on 4+; Recce Unarmoured Tank Teams Save on 4+; Aircraft Save on 3+. Score the Save and the Team is unharmed, otherwise it is Destroyed. If Infantry or Gun in Bulletproof Cover, or an Aircraft, the shooter must score the Firepower rating to Destroy it.
- Destroyed Unit Leaders. Appoint another Team from the Unit within 6"/15cm as the new Unit Leader.
- Pinned Down. Pinned Down if the Unit takes a total of 5 hits (or 8 hits if it has at least 12 Teams). Armoured Tank Teams and Aircraft cannot be Pinned Down.
Artillery.
- Roll to Range In. Three attempts to Range In, on the Skill rating: Veteran 3+, Trained 4+, Conscript 5+. Add +1 if the Template would cover Short or Tall Terrain or a Smoke Screen, or if Ranging In at Night.
- Smoke Bombardments. A Bombardment places a Smoke Screen 4"/10cm long for each weapon firing, and must be fired at the beginning of the Shooting Step. Smoke Screens block Line of Sight unless the Range is 6"/15cm or less.
- Rocket Launchers Count As. Counting as 2 weapons uses the Double-width Template; counting as 4 weapons uses the Devastating Bombardment Template.
- Roll to Hit. Roll to hit all Teams under the Template. Base score is the target Team's Is Hit On number (Veteran 4+, Trained 3+, Conscript 2+), modified: +1 if Ranged In on the Second Attempt, or if a Repeat Bombardment where the Spotting Team can't see the Aiming Point; +2 if Ranged In on the Third Attempt.
- Number of Weapons Firing. 1 or 2 weapons: re-roll successful Hits. 5 or more weapons: re-roll Misses.
- Roll Saves. As for Shooting, except vehicles use their Top armour, and there is no Bulletproof Cover behind linear terrain. On a Repeat Bombardment, re-roll successful Infantry and Gun Saves.
- Bombardment Arsenal — Adjusted Anti-tank: 6→3, 5→3, 4→3, 3→2, 2→1, 1→0. Adjusted Firepower: 1+→1+, 2+→2+, 3+→3+, 4+→3+, 5+→4+, 6→4+.
- Pinned Down. Infantry, Gun, and Unarmoured Tank Units are Pinned Down by 1 hit from a Bombardment.
Assault Step. Charge into Contact; Opponent's Defensive Fire; Roll to Hit; Roll Saves; Check if Assault is Over; Test to Counterattack; Counterattack or Break Off.
- Charge into Contact. Assaulting Teams move up to 4"/10cm into Contact with the enemy. Infantry Teams can move into Contact with an Infantry Team that is already in Contact.
- Assaulting Across Terrain. Score the Cross number to cross Difficult Terrain, otherwise fall back 2"/5cm.
- Opponent's Defensive Fire. Defending Teams within 8"/20cm of Assaulting Teams fire at their Halted ROF (Moving ROF if Pinned Down). Tanks cannot Defensive Fire if contacted by Infantry that did not Move or Shoot and were Concealed. Defensive Fire hits Side armour.
- Fall Back from Defensive Fire. Fall Back and Pinned Down if the Unit takes a total of 5 hits (or 8 hits if it has at least 12 Teams). Tanks with Top armour 1 or 2 only Fall Back if two or more are Bailed Out or Destroyed. Fall Back 2"/5cm from the Defenders.
- Roll to Hit. All Assaulting Teams in Contact must score their Skill number to hit: Veteran 3+, Trained 4+, Conscript 5+.
- Roll Saves. No saves for Infantry, Guns, or Unarmoured Tanks. Choose to hit Side armour with the weapon's Anti-tank rating, or Top armour with Anti-tank 2 (or Tank Assault #) and Firepower 1+.
- Check if Assault is Over. The Assaulter wins if all Defenders within 4"/10cm are Bailed Out or Destroyed; the victorious Unit may then Move up to 4"/10cm.
- Test to Counterattack. Score the Motivation number to Counterattack (Fearless 3+, Confident 4+, Reluctant 5+), otherwise Break Off.
- Counterattack... Defenders become Assaulters and Charge into Contact; there is no Defensive Fire.
- ...Or Break Off. Defenders retire 6"/15cm or are Destroyed.