The game uses a simple Map to represent the terrain of the engagement. Each Mission will define the objectives to reach and you'll then be responsible for selecting the best units to reach those objectives. A simple Artificial Intelligence (AI) system will activate the Enemy units, and the placement of Event Markers on the Map will introduce the required "Fog of War," uncertainty, and suspense.
1.1 Game Components Included
This Rules Booklet
One eight-page coverless Mission Briefing booklet
Three Army Sheets (on two sides of 8 ½" x 11" cards), covering the main armies of the Second World War
One Master Copy Squad Roster (on the back of the game's back cover), for easy duplication (there are additional blank Squad Rosters at the end of this Rules Booklet
One simplified 8 ½" x 11" Map Card (an army green topographical map over which six white numbered bars are printed)
One Squad Examples Card (on the back of the Map Card)
43 1" Unit Counters
42 Administrative Markers
1.2 The Player will Need to Provide
Five six-sided dice (d6) - If the game asks you to roll 1d3 simply roll one die and halve the result (rounding up)
An opaque container for randomly drawing counters (a plastic cup or that little velvet bag which once contained a bottle of liquor will do nicely)
1.3 Game Conventions and Abbreviations
1d6 One standard six-sided die
ATTRIBUTE Unit attributes are listed in italicized capital letters
AD Action Dice: used in the Friendly unit activation (See 3.2)
AP Action points: used to create your Squad at the beginning of a Mission (See 2.2)
BAP Bonus Action Point (See 3.2)
CF Combat Factors: Die Roll Modifiers (DRMs) to the combat roll (See 3.4)
DRM Dice Roll Modifier: a number (positive or negative) to be added to the dice roll
EM Event Marker: brown markers with a question mark on one side and a white number on the other side (See 2.11)
HMG Heavy Machine Gun
LMG Light Machine Gun
MARKER Names on counters or markers are listed in bold capital letters
RP Recon Point (See 3.6)
SMG Submachine Gun
TN Terrain Number (See 3.0)
1.4 Units
Each unit in the game has the following designations:
Army: each unit belongs to one of three Armies (United States, Germany, or Russia), with unit counters bearing a color and symbol distinct to that Army
Name: a short description of the unit and/or its equipment
ID: a letter, used to identify the unit. Each unit is represented on the Map by a counter with the corresponding ID
The Map Card is divided into six horizontal stripes, numbered from 1 to 6 and always referred to in these rules preceded by an octothorpe (#). Stripe #1 normally represents the enemy area, while stripe #6 is the entry point of your troops. Movement is always performed from one stripe to the previous or next one.
A reference to the "previous stripe" means "the numerically precedent stripe" (the stripe below): if an event was triggered on stripe #3 and refers to the previous stripe, then the event is executed on stripe #2. Exception: if you have units on stripe #1 and a rule refers to the previous stripe, the units will remain on stripe #1.
1.6 Terrain
Terrain is represented on the Map Card with Terrain markers. There are two types of terrain markers:
Base Terrain Markers: These represent a terrain type that applies to the whole stripe (example: woods). Every unit on a stripe with a base terrain marker will be influenced by the terrain effects (ex. COVER, difficult movement). Unless otherwise specified, a Base Terrain Marker always blocks the line of sight (see 1.4).
Terrain features (identified by a red point on the marker): These represent a specific element of terrain (example: BUILDING) that can provide cover only to a limited number of units. Terrain features never block the line of sight. Each terrain feature can only support one Group of a maximum of four units of the same side (Friendly or Enemy). Enemy units occupy a terrain feature only when instructed by the Mission Sheet instructions, while Friendly units may occupy a terrain feature by moving onto it. When you form a group, create a stack of counters with each unit in the group. When the group moves, move it as a stack to another stripe, and when it enters a terrain feature, place it on top of it
A number in the lower right corner represents the cover factors of the terrain: this number is added to the target's TN during combat.
Base terrain and Terrain Features TN modifiers do not stack.
(Illustrated markers: WOODS +1, PILLBOX +3 with a red point, VILLAGE +2.)
1.6.1 Terrain List
OPEN: no impact in the game
WOODS: TN+1 to all units in the stripe
TREE: TN+1 to the units adjacent to the terrain feature
VILLAGE: TN+2 to all units in the stripe
BUILDING: TN+2 to units adjacent to the terrain feature
FIELD: TN+1 to all units in the stripe only from attacks at range 1 or greater
PILLBOX: unique to Mission Three (see Mission Sheet for use)
HILL: TN+1 to all units in the stripe from attacks at range 1 or greater (units on a Hill stripe have a clear Line of Sight to any unit on the map and vice versa, ignoring the presence of Base Terrain markers)
1.6.2 Barbed Wire
Barbed Wire is normally placed on the map as a result of an Event marker resolution. Use an OBSTACLE marker to represent the Barbed Wire and place it adjacent to the group that caused the Event resolution.
While adjacent to Barbed Wire, a unit cannot execute any action except a "Move." Spending one AP for the "Move" action allows the group one attempt to remove the OBSTACLE marker.
To attempt the removal of Barbed Wire, roll 1d6. On a result of 4 or greater, the OBSTACLE is removed. Spending a Bonus Action Point (BAP) grants the unit a Die Roll Modifier (DRM) of +2. While adjacent to Barbed Wire, a group suffers a DRM of +1 to any attack against it (cumulative with any other DRMs).
1.6.3 Line of Sight
Units in the same or adjacent stripes can always see each other.
Units at two or more stripes of distance can see each other only if no stripe between the units has a Base Terrain marker on it.
Example: Stripe #4 has a "Village" Base Terrain Marker on it. A unit on stripe #3 cannot see a unit on stripe #5 (and vice versa) since the intermediate stripe is blocking the line of sight.
2 Game Sequence
A game session always follows the following sequence:
Mission setup
Squad selection
Mission execution
End-Mission briefing (for Campaign game only).
2.1 Mission Setup
Select one of the available missions: eight World War II missions are available, each mission described by a Mission Sheet in the Mission Briefing Booklet. If this is your first game, you should select mission Mission 01.
Follow the Setup Instructions of the selected Mission (normally to prepare the Event Markers needed in the following phase), located on the "note" on the top right corner of each Mission Sheet.
Place the Game Turn Marker on the space of the Turn Track corresponding to the number of Game Turns available for the selected mission. A Turn Track is located on the bottom of each Squad Roster.
Example: if the Mission Sheet specifies "Game Turns: 12" place the Game Turn marker on the space labeled "12" on the Turn Track.
Set up Terrain: Roll 1d6 for each stripe and determine the terrain type, consulting the Terrain Table on the Mission Sheet. Place the corresponding Terrain Marker on the stripe as a reminder.
2.1.1 Place Event Markers
Place the Event Markers specified in the Event Table section of the Mission Sheet in an opaque container. Draw and place face-down the Event Markers according to the Mission instructions (normally one marker per stripe). Discard the Event Markers not used (if any) without looking at them.
2.2 Squad Selection
Select one of the available Armies as your own, then select one Enemy Army. Take a blank Squad Roster to keep track of your units.
The following Armies are available in Rifles in the Ardennes: between parentheses you can find the available enemy Armies for each one of the options.
Germans (Enemies: Russians, USA)
Russians (Enemies: Germany)
United States of America (Enemies: Germany)
The Army Sheet includes all information required to play with that Army, including the unit details and the tables needed to generate the Enemy forces.
Each Army provides a maximum value of Action points (AP) that you can use to create your Squad, printed directly under the name of the Army's nationality on the Army Sheet. Some missions may provide additional AP or specific unit types as attachments.
Select your units, using available AP (see the units section on the Army Sheet) and Equipment (see the Equipment section on the Army Sheet): for each selected unit write on the Squad Roster the Unit Name (often corresponding to the weapon) and then select one counter to represent this unit. Write the corresponding ID (the letter in the upper left corner of the counter) on the Squad Roster.
Example: I'm starting a new mission playing with the German forces. The German Army provides 10 AP which I use to create a squad in line with the historical order of battle:
AP
UNIT/EQ NAME
DESIGNATION
ID
EQUIPMENT 1
1
SMG
Leader
A
Grenade
1
Rifle
Asst Leader
B
Grenade
3
LMG
Gunner
J
1
Rifle
Rifleman
D
Grenade
1
Rifle
Rifleman
G
Grenade
1
Rifle
Rifleman
H
Grenade
1
Rifle
Rifleman
I
1
5x Grenades
Equipment
-
The selected Equipment can be freely distributed among your units: the notes in the Equipment section of the Army Sheet will define the limits and/or restrictions in this allocation.
2.3 Mission Execution
Unless instructed otherwise by the mission rules, place your units just below the bottom of the Map Card, under stripe #6. This special entry area is adjacent to Stripe #6 for movement purposes, but you cannot fire nor you can be attacked while in this entry area.
You can now start the first Game Turn. Repeat the Game Turn procedure until you reach the Mission Objective(s) or the mission is lost (see Section 7).
3 Game Turn
During each turn you will follow the following sequence:
Group Creation
Friendly Units Activation
Enemy Presence Check
Enemy Forces Activation
Advance of Game Turn Marker
3.1 Group Creation
At the beginning of each turn, friendly units on the same stripe can be redeployed to form one or more Groups of adjacent units. A Group can be activated as a single entity during the turn, regardless the number of units included. Groups may also be formed on the first turn before
movement onto the map, and then moved as a single Group.
Enemy units are always deployed as a single Group unless specified otherwise.
Exception: units with the VEHICLE attribute cannot be part of any Group (those units create a single unit Group by themselves)
Groups in Combat. Combat is always performed targeting a specific Group: only units belonging to the Target Group will be affected by combat outcomes. In particular, weapons with the AREA EFFECT attribute will affect every unit belonging to the Target Group.
Play Note: creating Groups makes it possible to activate multiple units with a single Action Point (see below) and hence is a very important element of the player strategy. Isolated units are inefficient and groups with more than five units tend to be difficult to control. You may find it helpful to keep your units in Groups of three to four soldiers. Historically in World War II, the Squad Leader was often commanding the group with the Light Machine Gun (LMG). This also makes sense in this game since you can use the Leader bonuses (especially in directing fire) to support the LMG attacks.
3.2 Friendly Units Activation
Roll three dice. Those dice will be referred as Action Dice (AD). Discard any AD with a result of 1 or 2. An AD with a result of 3-5 provides one Action point (AP) to your Squad.
An AD with a result of 6 provides a Bonus Action Point (BAP) to your Squad.
You can now spend AP to activate your units. BAPs can always be spent as AP, but they can also provide extra effects for some actions, so use them wisely! Actions that can benefit from BAPs have an asterisk after their name. AP or BAP not spent on a turn are lost.
Select one Group and allocate one or more AP to execute one of the available actions. Repeat until all the AP have been spent.
Regardless of the number of available AP, a unit can attack only once per game turn.
3.2.1 Available Friendly Unit Actions
Move one stripe*: move the selected Group one stripe up or down. You may spend one BAP to gain one Recon Point (RP) (see 3.6). Remove COVER marker from the Group (if any).
Move to Terrain Feature*: move the selected Group to a Terrain Feature on the current stripe. You may spend one BAP to gain one recon point. Remove COVER marker on Group (if any).
Take Cover: the selected Group gains one cover point (place a COVER marker or a die with a 1 as a reminder). You can gain only one cover point per Group.
Fire*: the selected Group may attack one target (see Combat, Section 4). You may spend one BAP to gain +1 DRM.
Overwatch*: place an OVERWATCH marker on the selected Group. If a new Enemy enters the Map in this turn, a group with the OVERWATCH marker will be able to attack it before their activation. You can spend one BAP to cancel the -1 DRM normally associated with the overwatch fire. You cannot select this action for a Group that already attacked in this turn.
Flanking Fire (cost: two AP): the selected Group can attack one target with a Flanking Fire bonus (see Combat Modifiers section on Unit Roster).
Recovery*: you may roll for the recovery of any SUPPRESSED units in the selected group (cost: one AP is the Leader is in the group, one BAP if the group has no Leader)
Hide: place one HIDDEN marker on the selected Group. This action cannot be taken if the Group executed any type of attack in this turn. See Section 5 for more details on hiding/spotting.
Spot*: the selected Group can attempt to spot a HIDDEN enemy group. You can spend one BAP to gain +2 DRM on the spot roll.
Redeploy: remove one COVER marker from an enemy Group on the same Stripe as the selected Group or in an adjacent stripe.
3.3 Enemy Presence Check
If one or no Enemy units are present on the Map Card (excluding Vehicles), roll 1d6 and consult the Enemy Presence Table on the Mission Sheet. If more than one Enemy Force is already present on the Map Card, skip this phase.
3.3.1 Enemy Entrance
When an entry on the Mission Sheet includes a phrase beginning with "Enemy: " (example: "Enemy: 2xRifle"), a new Enemy Force must be immediately placed on the Map Card following the entry instructions. The entry instructions will always include the list of Enemy units to deploy. If no additional information is specified, those forces are placed on the stripe containing the Event Marker that triggered the entry.
When deploying a new unit, select one Enemy unit marker and place it on the Map Card. Write the corresponding ID (the letter in the upper left corner of the unit's counter) on the Enemies Roster, followed by the Enemy unit name as a reminder.
Sometimes enemy forces must be placed on a specific Terrain Feature. In such a case, if the Terrain Feature is not present, place a new Terrain Marker on the stripe with the missing Terrain Feature.
Example: the entry on the Event Table reads. "Enemy: LMG on a BUILDING on next stripe". If on the next stripe there is not a BUILDING, place a BUILDING marker on the stripe, then place the Enemy Counter.
Enemy units are always deployed as a single Group unless otherwise specified.
3.4 Event Markers
Event Markers (EM) are placed face down at the beginning of a mission and are immediately revealed:
when a friendly Group enters the stripe where the Event Marker is located. If more than one marker is present in the stripe, reveal one of the markers (your choice), or
when a friendly Group is activated on a stripe where a face-down marker is present. If more than one marker is present on the stripe, reveal one of the markers (your choice)
Once an Event Marker is activated (revealed), you must consult the Event Table on the Mission Sheet to determine the outcome. Follow the instructions on the table.
A reference to the "active group" on the Event Table represents an effect that will impact the friendly group who caused the marker activation.
3.5 Enemy Force Activation
If Enemy units are present on the Map Card, roll 1d6 for each Enemy Group and consult the Enemy Activation Table on the Mission Sheet. Possible Enemy Actions are:
Attack: each unit in the Enemy Group executes an attack roll. See the attack procedure in 3.5.1. If no unit is in range then Advance.
Order interpretation: the Enemy unit will fire if possible, and otherwise will move towards its adversary forces.
Cover: if the unit or Group is not already on a Terrain Feature and there's an available Terrain Feature on the stripe, move the unit or Group onto it. Otherwise, place one COVER marker on the Enemy Group (if not already present).
Order interpretation: use the Terrain and/or the COVER Markers to improve defense.
Advance: the enemy unity or Group is moved one stripe toward the nearest friendly Group. If an empty terrain Feature is present on the stripe, the Group will move onto to it (priority: best TN). If no empty Terrain Features are present and friendly forces are on the stripe, place a COVER marker on the Group. Remove the COVER marker from the Enemy unit or Group (if any).
Order interpretation: move using the terrain to gain the best defensive position. Avoid entering an area with hostile forces if no protection is available.
Rally: execute a Recovery attempt for each SUPPRESSED unit in the group.
Regroup: If the activated Group contains only one or two units and another enemy Group with one or two units is on the same or adjacent stripe, move the activated units in order to merge the two Groups. If the activated Group contains more than two units then cover instead.
Order interpretation: Groups with one or two units are ineffective, so try to keep isolated units together.
In any case, Enemy units can be activated only once during each Turn.
3.5.1 Enemy Attack
To determine which Group/unit will be attacked by the active Enemy, proceed as following, starting with the units with the lowest CF:
Unless specified otherwise, the Enemy units will attack the nearest Group. If more than one Group is deployed at the same range, roll 1d6 on the Target Table on the Mission Sheet and determine the Target Group. The same result will be applied to all the attacks of the Enemy Group in the current turn. If the selected Target Group is HIDDEN, enemy units will attempt to Spot the friendly Group instead of attacking it (see 5.4).
To determine the unit target of each enemy attack, roll again on the Target Table. Each enemy attack requires a separate roll (so multiple units in the same Group could be affected).
An Enemy equipped with a Grenade attacking a friendly Group at range zero will use the Grenade instead of its standard attack if more than one friendly unit is present.
3.5.2 Hopeless Enemy Attacks
The general idea is that enemy units will try to avoid an attack if there's no chance to hit the target, combining their forces if possible.
A little simple math reveals that if the TN of the Target, less the CF of the firing unit, is more than six (the maximum value of a die roll), then the attacking unit has no chance of hitting the target.
TN-CF > 6 No chance to hit
Example: A Rifle (CF=1) targeting a SMG in a Building (TN=6+2=8) has no chance to hit this target since TN-CF=8-1=7 > 6
If one or more Enemy units have no chance to hit a Target, they will automatically form a Fire Group, adding their CF together, and will execute a single Attack.
Example: Two Rifles (CF=1) targeting a SMG in a Building (TN=6+2=8). A single Rifle has no chance to hit this target since TN-CF=8-1=7 > 6. The two Rifles will then create a Fire Group, adding their CF together (CF=1+1=2), and will then attempt to hit the Target.
If the combined Fire Group is still unable to attack the target select a different target with a lower TN (if available). If not attack is possible then execute an Advance order.
3.6 Advancing the Game Turn
After activating the Enemy Forces, move the GAME TURN marker down by one space on the Turn Track. If this action moves the marker past the "1" space, the Mission is lost.
3.7 Recon Points
Some actions make possible for your Squad to gain one or more Recon Points (RP). Keep track of the available RP using a die on the Squad Roster (place the die or dice in the Recon Points box at the bottom right corner of the page).
RP may be spent as follows:
Spend one RP to reroll any die.
Spend one RP to apply -1 DRM to the enemy entrance tables (like the [Patrol Table] on the Army Sheet). Tables where you can spend one RP are labeled with "(RP: -1 DRM)" after the name. If the final result is 0, you may skip the encounter. This represents the ability of your Squad to avoid an unnecessary fight.
Some Missions require a certain number of RP to be completed.
Spend one RP to gain +1 DRM to any attack roll.
Recon Points can be used by any friendly Group, regardless of which one actually gained them.
4 Combat Procedure
Friendly Combat is initiated as a result of a Fire or Flanking Fire action: in addition, a unit with an OVERWATCH Marker can initiate Combat against a newly deployed Enemy. Enemy Combat is always initiated as a result of an Enemy Activation.
In any case, combat is always directed against a single Group, and each unit may attack only once per game turn.
4.1 Target Selection
You may select as the Target of a friendly attack any unit in the chosen enemy Group. Different units in the activated Group may select different targets.
To determine the Target of an enemy attack, roll 1d6 on the Target Table on the Mission sheet. The same result will be applied to all attacks by the enemy Group in the current turn. Unless otherwise specified, the Enemy will attack the nearest Group. If multiple friendly Groups are available, roll 1d6 on the Target Table to determine the Target Group.
4.2 Attack Roll
To execute an attack, for each unit in the activated Group roll 1d6 and add the units' Combat Factors. If the target is a Basic unit, use the Base CF of the firing unit (see Units section of the Army Sheet). Otherwise use the Armored CF. Each unit attacks individually. If a unit has zero CF against the target unit type, this unit cannot attack.
If the total is greater or equal to the Target Number (TN) of the Target unit (after applying the relevant modifiers), the attacking unit scores a Hit: place a SUPPRESSED marker on the target unit (see the Suppression chapter here below for more details).
The attack roll modifiers are described in the Combat Modifiers box on the Squad Roster. The TN of a unit can be modified by the current Terrain and/or by the COVER Markers associated with the target unit: see the Combat Modifiers box on the Squad Roster for a list of the possible modifiers.
Attack Example: A Rifle unit is attacking an enemy SMG adjacent to a TREE. The target TN is six (SMG), modified by a +1 for the Terrain feature for a total of seven. The attacker rolls 1d6 and gets a 3: he then adds his CF (1) for a total of four. Since four is less than the TN, the attack doesn't score a hit.
4.3 Area Effect
If the firing unit has an AREA(X) attribute (as indicated on the unit's chart on the Army Sheet), you can execute "X" attack rolls to target "X" different targets. If the Target Group has less than "X" units, excess attacks are not performed.
Example: a unit has an AREA(3) attribute; during combat this unit can execute one attack against three different targets in the same group. If the Target Group includes only two units, the attacking unit will execute only two attack rolls.
Combat is always directed against a single Group, so an AREA EFFECT cannot be directed to units belonging to different Groups. AREA EFFECT attacks are still considered "single" attacks for activation purposes (a unit may only execute one single attack per turn).
4.4 Suppression (Damage)
A unit taking a hit as the result of an attack roll is marked with a SUPPRESSED marker. This represents physical damage, disorganization, and morale drop due to the enemy fire.
A SUPPRESSED unit suffers -1 DRM to every roll, with the exception of a Recovery Attempt. A SUPPRESSED unit that suffers a second hit is eliminated from the game. See 4.7 for damage rules against vehicles. Leader's command abilities are not lost even under Suppression.
4.5 Recovery
Recovery allows a unit to remove a SUPPRESSED marker placed on it. To attempt a Recovery, roll 1d6. If the result is 3 or more, the SUPPRESSED marker is removed. Some units can have a DRM to the Recovery roll: Veteran units always have +1 DRM. See the unit attributes (in the units section of the Army Sheet) or the Mission Sheet for any DRM to this roll.
You can normally recover units inside a Group only if the Leader is also present in the Group. Units with the VEHICLE attribute can always attempt a Recovery without any restriction.
4.6 Special Weapons
4.6.1 Grenades
A Grenade can be used only at range zero instead of the standard attack roll, and has an Area(3) attribute. Alternatively, a soldier may use a Grenade at range zero against a single target to add the Grenade CF to his weapon CF: in this case the Grenade loses the AREA attribute but the Grenade CF is increased to 2 CF.
Example: A Rifle unit (CF 1) is attacking an enemy SMG (TN 6) at range zero: the Rifle uses one of its Grenades in the attack and rolls 1d6. The result is 4, modified for the CF (+1) and the Grenade (+2) for a total of seven: the attack is successful.
To use a Grenade against an Armored Vehicle the firing unit must first undergo a Morale Check: roll 1d6 (adding +1 for Veteran units). If the result is 3 or more, the unit is able to approach the Vehicle and you may proceed with the Grenade attack. Otherwise the unit forfeits the attack.
4.7 Vehicle Combat
Units with the VEHICLE attribute represent both Armored vehicles (ex: tanks) and unarmored vehicles (ex: trucks); use the "Type" of the unit to determine which CF to use to attack the unit (Base or Armored). Unless otherwise specified, standard rules apply to Vehicles.
4.7.1 Vehicles in Cover
You may spend one RP when attacking a Vehicle at range zero to cancel the terrain effects: this represents the movement of your units on a position where they have a clear line of sight on the target.
4.7.2 Armored Vehicle Damage
On a successful attack against an Armored target, instead of automatically placing a SUPPRESSED marker on it, roll 1d6. On a result of 1, place a SUPPRESSED marker on the target, while on a result of 2-6 the target is destroyed (remove it from the game).
5 Hidden Units
Hiding in this game represents the ability of a unit to leverage the terrain to avoid being spotted (and then attacked) by enemy forces.
5.1 Gaining the Hidden Status
Friendly units gain the HIDDEN status by selecting the Hide action. Enemy units will instead become HIDDEN only as a result of Enemy Activation.
Place on the Hidden unit a HIDDEN marker as a reminder of its new status.
No unit can become HIDDEN if in the same game turn the unit executed any form of combat. You can, for example, Move and then Hide, but never Fire then Hide.
5.2 Effects of being Hidden
A HIDDEN unit cannot be selected as a Target of any type of attack. The only action possible against a HIDDEN unit is a Spotting attempt (see 5.4)
5.3 Losing the Hidden Status
The HIDDEN marker is automatically removed in the following cases:
The unit moves
The unit fires
The unit is Spotted (see next section)
5.4 Spotting
A friendly unit can attempt to spot a HIDDEN Enemy Group with the "Spot" action. An Enemy unit will attempt to spot a HIDDEN target only as a result of their Activation.
To Spot a HIDDEN target, the acting unit must roll 1d6 and get a result of 5 or more. If successful, remove the HIDDEN marker from the target.
6 Leadership
One unit in your Squad must be designated as the Leader of the Squad. Consult the units section of the Army Sheet ("Attributes" column) to see which units can be designed as Leaders.
If during combat the Leader is eliminated, designate one of the other units as the new Leader (it may be helpful to give one unit an unofficial "Assistant Leader" designation on your roster, to keep track of the unit you wish to take command if the Leader is destroyed). Any unit can be selected at this stage but at the end of the Mission this temporary leadership is dropped if the unit cannot be designated as Leader in the Army Sheet.
6.1 Leadership Effects
The presence of a Leader inside a Group allows the execution of a Recovery action by spending an AP (without the need to spend a BAP).
In addition, the Leader can direct the attack of any single unit in its own group, providing a +1 DRM to the unit attack. This DRM applies to each roll for a weapon with the AREA attribute (for this reason a Leader is especially useful in directing support weapons). A Leader directing another unit forfeits its own attack roll.
6.2 Fire Group
A Leader can coordinate the units in its own Group or on a Group on the same Stripe, combining their CF against a single target: in such a case, add the CF of all the attacking units into a single DRM. A Leader coordinating an attack forfeits its own attack roll. Regardless the DRM, a natural roll of 1 for a Fire Group results in a failed attack.
7 Mission End
A Mission is successfully completed when you reach the Mission Objectives specified on the Mission Sheet. Alternatively, you can abort the current mission if all your units are on stripe #6 and you spend one AP in the Friendly Unit Activation Phase.
A mission is Lost when all the Friendly units have been eliminated or when the Game Turn marker moves past the "1" space on the Turn Track.
8 Campaign Game
The Campaign rules make possible to play multiple missions as part of a single campaign, reflecting the improved experience of your Squad, and also introducing additional strategy elements to the game.
8.1 Starting a New Campaign
At the beginning of the Campaign, select your Army and the Enemy Army using the standard rules (see 2.2). This first Squad represents the initial team that will act during the rest of the campaign.
8.2 Squad Selection
Skip this phase for the first Mission, since you've already created your Squad as the first step of the Campaign Setup.
Wounded units cannot take part in the next Mission.
If the Action points total for your Squad (excluding Wounded soldiers) is less than the maximum value of AP for your Army you can request reinforcements from HQ: roll 1d6 and consult the following table:
1: No reinforcements available
2-5: One AP available to reinforce your Squad
6: 1d3 AP available to reinforce your Squad
Roll one additional die: on a result of 2-6 you gain one AP to spend on equipment only. This AP cannot be spent to get additional units.
You may now spend available AP (if any) to add new units/equipment to your Squad.
8.3 End Mission Briefing
Each Wounded Soldier now recovers: remove the "Wounded" note in the "Status" section of the Squad Roster.
Roll 1d6 for each unit eliminated in the current Mission and consult the following table. Apply a -1 DRM if the mission was lost.
1-2: The soldier is dead: remove its name from the Squad Roster (and send a letter to his family of course).
3-5: The soldier is Wounded and needs medical treatment: write "Wounded" in the "Status" column on the Squad Roster as a reminder that this soldier won't be able to participate to the next Mission.
6: The soldier was only lightly wounded and is still able to fight.
8.4 Experience Points
Roll 1d6 and add the result to your Squad's Experience Points (XP). Keep track of unused XP on the Squad Roster. Lose one XP if you've lost or aborted the Mission. Regardless, after each Mission, your squad always gains at least one XP. The XP can be used to improve your team as follows:
2XP - promote a soldier to Veteran
2XP - gain one of the skills listed in the following Skills Table: each unit may receive only one Skill (update the Squad roster accordingly)
8.4.1 Skills Table
Skill Name
Description
Sharpshooter
CF +1 when firing at Range 1 or 2
Camouflage
+1 to the unit TN
Quick Shot
If the Attack Roll is a natural 5 or 6 the unit can make a second attack with CF-1
Close Combat
CF +1 when firing at Range 0
Heroic morale
Automatically remove a SUPPRESSED marker from the unit when it is activated. Always pass a check to use a Grenade against a Vehicle.
Grenadier
+1 DRM when using a Grenade
Athletic
You can recover from a SUPPRESSED status and fire in the same turn
Bull Strength
Add a +1 DRM to the End Mission Table (8.3) roll
Battlefield control
(Leader Only) The Leader can save one unspent AP or BAP to be used on the next turn.
Hunter
Once per turn may execute a Move action without spending one AP.
War Trophy
Can use a Weapon of another nationality
Local Contacts
Start Mission with one RP
Spotter
+2 to spot a HIDDEN target
Example of Play
In this Example of Play I will play Mission 1 with the German forces.
Mission Setup
.1 Event Markers Setup. Event Markers 1..8 are randomly placed one marker per stripe, discarding the two markers not used. (Unless specified otherwise, discard markers not placed on the map without looking at them.)
.2 Terrain Setup. Roll 1d6 for each stripe and determine the terrain type, consulting the Terrain Table.
Roll of 3: Woods: base terrain. Effect applied to the whole stripe.
Roll of 1: Open (no markers).
Roll of 6: Building: terrain feature. Specific element of the terrain.
(In the illustrated map: stripe 1 has Fields, stripe 2 Woods, stripe 3 Woods, stripe 4 Open, stripe 5 Tree, stripe 6 Building, each stripe with one face-down Event Marker.)
Squad Selection
.3 I select the German army as my own, and the USA as the enemy. The German Army allows 10 Army Points to create your squad: I will use the historical squad proposed with the rules, with two groups, one with the Leader and the LMG and the second one with the Rifles. One Army Point is used to provide 5 Grenades to the squad, again following the proposed distribution.
Group #1: units A (SMG), J (LMG), D (Rifle), with 2 Grenades
Group #2: units C (SMG), E (Rifle), F (Rifle), G (Rifle), with 3 Grenades
9 Army Points: Units; 1 Army Point: Grenades (x5)
.4 My squad is placed under Stripe #6, ready to start the mission. Remember: this special entry area is adjacent to Stripe #6 for movement purposes, but you cannot fire nor you can be attacked while in this entry area.
Game Turn is placed on the space "10" since Mission 1 has 10 turns
Turn 1
1.1 Group Creation: nothing to do, my squad is already deployed with two groups.
Friendly Units Activation: finally into action! I roll three Action Dice (AD) and got 3, 1 and 6.
The AD with a result of 1 is discarded
The AD with a 3 provides one Action Point (AP)
The AD with a 6 provides one Bonus Action Point (BAP)
1.2 Tactical Analysis: with one AP and one BAP I could activate both Groups: as soon as I will move into Stripe #6 I will reveal the Event Marker located here, that potentially could trigger the placement of enemy forces in the map. I decide to use the BAP to move the Rifle Group on Stripe #6, gaining one Recon Point (thanks to the BAP). If the Event Marker will trigger the placement of enemy forces I will use the remaining AP to move Group #2 inside the Building: this of course means that Group #2 won't attack this turn (no more AP) but I prefer to have my men on a protected terrain rather than attacking but then living them in Open. (Group #1 cannot fire to stripe #6 since is still on the special entry area). If no Enemy is placed on the map, I can decide to advance Group #1 or move Group #2 inside the building.
1.3 Group #2 enters Stripe #6 as planned using the BAP, and I gain one RP: I keep track of the available RP with a Green dice.
Group #2 is currently on Open since Stripe #6 has not a Base Terrain.
1.4 Event Marker: I reveal now the Event Maker located on Stripe #6: Event Marker is "2": I lookup in the Event Table in the Mission Sheet and I find that this corresponds to "Nothing".
Tactical Analysis: I can see now have two options:
Advance Group #1 in Stripe 6. This will make possible to use both Groups to fire in the next turn, but I will find myself with both Groups in Open: there are no enemies at the moment on the map but the Enemy Presence Check (see Enemy Presence Table in the Mission Sheet) has 15% of probabilities to place an enemy patrol.
Move Group #2 in the Building to provide cover in case of a Enemy entry (you can spend more than one AP to move a single Group on a turn)
I decide to take some risk and I move Group #1 in Stripe 6.
1.5 Enemy Presence Check: I roll one 1d6 and I got a 5: luckily no enemy are entering the map this turn.
1.6 Enemy Forces Activation: Phase skipped since there are no enemies in the map.
1.7 Game turn: The game turn marker is moved down by one space on the Turn Track (now on space "9")
Turn 2
2.1 Group Creation: no changes in the squad organization
Friendly Units Activation: I roll three Action Dice (AD) and got 4, 5 and 2.
The AD with a result of 2 is discarded
The AD with a 4 and 5 provide two Action Points (AP)
2.2 Tactical Analysis. With two APs I will repeat the maneuver of the previous turn: advancing Group #2 scouting in Stripe 5 and then reacting to the EM result. This time potentially both Group could fire against an enemy unit.
2.3 One AP is spent to move Group #2 in Stripe 5
2.4 Event Marker: I reveal now the Event Maker located on Stripe #5: Event Marker is "5": I lookup in the Event Table in the Mission Sheet and I find that this corresponds to "Enemy: LMG on a Building in the previous Stripe".
"Previous Stripe" refers to "the numerically precedent stripe": since we're dealing with the EM in Stripe 5 this means Stripe 4. There are no Buildings in Stripe 4 so I now place one additional Building in Stripe 4 and I place the LMG in it: in the United States army list I can find the reference to the LMG, here represented by the BAR. The map now looks as follows: (Stripe 4 holds a face-down Event Marker and the enemy LMG (unit J) on a Building; Group #2 is on Stripe 5; Group #1 is on Stripe 6.)
2.5 Tactical Analysis. I have just one AP to spend and both my groups are in Open, with a LMG in range of fire well protected inside a Building. Not a very good situation. I can see a few options:
Protect Group #2 moving it on the Tree area
Protect Group #1 moving it on the Building
Fire against the enemy, trying at least to suppress it.
2.6 Group #1, with both the LMG and the Leader, is too important to risk it: I spend the second AP to move Group #1 inside the building
2.7 Enemy Presence Check: One unit is on the Map so I need to check the entry of enemy reinforcements: I roll a d6 and got a 3, no effect.
2.8 Enemy Activation: The first step is to determine the enemy order: I roll 1d6 for the LMG and I got a 2; consulting the Enemy Activation Table in the Mission Sheet I find that the order is "If there's a target Group is in range, Attack nearest Target Group"; the LMG will then attack Group #2
The BAR has 1 CF and an Area(2) attribute, so it will attack two units in Group #2.
Target Selection: In order to identify the targets I then roll 2 addition d6 and consult the Target Table in the Mission Sheet: results are 2 and 3, so the LMG will attach the two units with the lower TN (the easiest targets). Since the four units in Group #2 have the same TN (6) I can pick the two units affected by the attack and I select unit C and E.
Attack Resolution: I roll two die for the LMG attack and I got a 2 and a 6: adding the +1 of the LMG CF those results translate to 2+1=3 and 6+1=7. The first result misses unit C (since 3 < 6, the TN of Unit C) while the other results causes an Hit. Unit E gets a "Suppressed" marker.
(Note: I could have used my Recon Point to force a reroll of the "6" result, but I prefer to keep it for a later use)
Turn 3
3.1 Group Creation: no changes in the squad organization
Friendly Units Activation: I roll three Action Dice (AD) and got 5, 1 and 3, a good roll! The AD with a 5 and 3 provide in total three Action Points (AP).
3.2 Tactical Analysis. With three APs I can now try to protect my units and place some pressure on the LMG. Group #2 has limited capabilities to attack since the SMG has range 0, so cannot be used, and the Rifles with a CF of 1 cannot harm the LMG that has a total TN of 8 (6 base plus 2 for the terrain).
3.3 The first AP is spent to protect Group #2, moving it in the Trees.
With the second and third AP I select the "Flanking Fire" for my LMG, supported by the Leader: the LMG has 2 CF and the Leader provides an additional +1 (the Area effect of the LMG is here lost since there is only one target). Spending 2AP for Flanking Fire provides an additional +1. The LMG in the Building has a TN of 6 (base value) +2 (Terrain feature) for a total of 8.
I roll a d6 and got a 4: a good result since with a modifier of +4 (CF, Leader and Flanking Fire) I got an 8, enough to place a Suppressed marker on the LMG.
3.4 Enemy Presence Check: One unit is on the Map so I need to check the entry of enemy reinforcements: I roll a d6 and got a 2, no effect.
3.5 Enemy Activation: The first step is to determine the enemy order: I roll 1d6 for the LMG and I got a 3; consulting the Enemy Activation Table in the Mission Sheet I find that the order is again "If there's a target Group is in range, Attack nearest Target Group"; the LMG will then attack Group #2
The BAR has 1 CF and an Area(2) attribute, so it will attack two units in Group #2.
Target Selection: In order to identify the targets I then roll 2 addition d6 and consult the Target Table in the Mission Sheet: results are 1 and 3, so the LMG will attach the two units with the lower TN (the easiest targets). Since the four units in Group #2 have the same TN (7, including the Terrain bonus) I can pick the two units affected by the attack and I select unit C and G.
Attack Resolution: I roll two die for the LMG attack and I got a 3 and a 5: adding the +1 of the LMG CF those results translate to 3+1=4 and 5+1=6. Both results miss my soldiers.
