We Were Brothers Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1.0 Definitions
• 2.0 Game Components
• 3.0 Setup
• 4.0 Turn Structure
• 5.0 Initiative
• 6.0 Spotting
• 7.0 Movement
• 8.0 Combat
  • 8.1 Direct Fire
  • 8.2 Opportunity Fire (OPF)
  • 8.3 Suppression Fire
  • 8.4 Melee Combat
  • 8.5 Grenades and Explosives
• 9.0 Wounds and Treatment
  • Wounds
  • Treatment
  • Progressive Deterioration
• 10.0 Status and Morale
  • Not Alerted
  • Alerted
  • Suppressed / Shaken
  • Broken / Rout
  • Surrender
• 11.0 Skills and Actions
  • Leadership
  • Observation
  • Explosives
  • Strength
  • Weapons
  • First Aid
• 12.0 Specialists
  • Leader
  • Engineer
  • Medic
  • Team Gunner
  • Radio Operator
  • Sniper
• 13.0 Fire Support
  • Artillery Support
  • Air Support

1.0 Definitions

• Faction: one of the four playable factions featured in the game: the US Army and the British Army for the Allies; Wehrmacht and Regio Esercito for the Axis. Each side has its own accent color: Green for the US Army, Khaki for the British Army, Grey / Black for the Axis forces.
• Platoon: set of three teams from the same faction.
• Team: each player controls a fireteam, a group of four soldiers from the same faction. However, a player may also control multiple fireteams of the same faction for large scenarios with fewer players; or he can command a single soldier, when many players want to participate in the same mission. It is recommended, however, to follow the basic rule of one team per player, for up to 6 players.
• Soldier: basic component of the fireteam. He is represented by a miniature on the battlefield. Each miniature can assume three different stances: standing, kneeling, prone. Each stance is represented by a specific miniature.
• Specialist: a soldier with special training. Only one specialist is allowed within each fireteam.
• Hex (Hx): hex or minihexagons or Hx are used only as a reference for movement. A soldier must always finish its movement inside a Hex, even if during his movement he is allowed to move along the Hex side. A soldier can only move in the areas of the battlefield identified by a Hex, (whether full or partial in the case of the map edge). Hexes can be different colors: normally they are black; red ones indicate a depression in the ground; blue ones designate river areas; the yellow ones are woodland areas (for specific rules see the following paragraphs).
• MegaHex (MHx): MegaHex or MegaHexagons or MHx are used as a reference for line of sight and firearms range.

2.0 Game Components

Battlefield

Create the battlefield by placing the game panels as instructed by the specific scenario you want to play: each panel is identified by a number and a letter. On each panel a scenic environment of the battlefield is recreated with two overlaid patterns of hexagons, one made of large hexagons and one of smaller hexagons.

Team Dashboard

Each player manages his team through the Team Dashboard. The Team Dashboard is divided into four identical sections, each one assigned to a single soldier and identified by a call sign (e.g. ABLE 1). Each individual section features an area dedicated to the soldier's weapon (a), his Health Gauge (b), a Status Box (c), two Equipment Boxes (d) and three Skill Boxes (e).

Combat Dice

The Combat Dice set is made of 9 multicolor 6-sided dice and they are used for combat and other tests. As shown in the above image, Combat Dice have to be placed in ascending order of shades, from white to black, with the White die featuring less chance to hit and injure and the Black one producing more chances to hit and lethally injuring. For combat purpose, dice can assume the following results:

• Target missed
• Target suppressed
• Hit. Light wound
• Hit. Heavy wound
• Hit. Target killed

All modifiers to Combat Dice refer to the die color and not to its result: for example, if the basic die to roll in a gunfight is the Red one, a +1 modifier will select the Blue die instead. On the other hand, a -2 modifier will select the Green die in place of the Red one.

Red and Blue dice also feature numeric values, used for some tests as well. Referring to numeric values, any modifier used during a test must to be applied to the dice roll and not to its color. During this training course you will be trained to use the Combat Dice in any situation.

In addition to the results above, dice from white to yellow also feature an OK or a medal icon, used in some tests during the game. Both the icons decree the success in a test, but the medal icon assigns a +1 in the skill the soldier was testing for. If the soldier didn't had that skill yet, he immediately earns the Skill Marker on the Team Dashboard. Otherwise, if he already owned that skill he earns a Skill point he can use to improve it at the end of the battle (see page 14).

Weapons Cards

Weapons Cards collect all information regarding a weapon. On one side of the card is printed a soldier's primary weapon (rifles, submachine guns, etc.), while on the other side his personal weapon, usually a pistol or a revolver.

Symbols:

• Flag: indicates which faction the weapon belongs to.
• Insignia and Background: a gray background color and insignia designate a weapon exclusively used by a specialist.
• Suppression Die: the colored die with an arrow indicates which Combat Die to use in case of suppression fire.
• Number of clips: indicates how many clips are available for that weapon to every soldier. After the last clip has been used, the weapon cannot be reloaded anymore. Personal weapons have only one clip, this is why the information is not provided.
• Available attacks: each time a soldier fires, he uses an attack of his weapon. The number of attacks listed on the card shows you how many times you can fire with that weapon for EACH clip. Once all attacks of a clip has been performed, you need to reload your weapon.
• (Additional rule). En-bloc clip: the presence of dashes between attacks, indicates that the weapon is equipped with en-bloc clip and cannot be reloaded before all the attacks of the clip have been performed.
• (Optional Rule). Bolt-action rifles: some rifles need to be reloaded between two attacks, therefore they feature a dot between the symbols of the available attacks.
• Attacks for Suppression: attack boxes identified by the symbol of suppression on top are used during the suppression fire.
• Armor piercing value: the number indicates the maximum armor level the weapon can penetrate. 0 indicates the weapon can only penetrate targets without armor, 1 targets with a level 1 armor, and so on. In this base game the only 1 armor items are concrete and brick walls. Any other item is considered as not armored, except tanks that cannot be pierced by small weapons.

Round in the Chamber Die

Place the die on the Weapon Card on the first attack on the left, with the number on top initially showing the number of available clips.

As the soldier fires, move the Round in the chamber die by 1 attack to the right. If there are no other available attacks, the weapon is empty and the Round in the Chamber die should be moved onto the symbol of the Available clips or on the Status box on the Team Dashboard. When the soldier reloads, during the action phase of a turn, reduce the number on top of the die by 1 and put it back on the first attack from the left. If the value of the die decreases to 0, the weapon has ran out of shots and can no longer be used.

Soldier Markers

These markers are used to uniquely identify a soldier on the battlefield and must be always placed in the proximity of the miniature they refer to. The marker front features the team call sign on the foreground (Baker) the ID number of the soldier (3) while the background shows the icon and accent color of his faction affiliation (US Army). On the back of the same marker, in addition to previous information is also reported a warning symbol: the soldier marker will be flip on this caution side whenever a marker will be placed on the Status box of that soldier (on the Team Dashboard). So, if the player notices that the Soldier Marker of one of his men is on the caution side, he shall refer to the Status Box of that soldier.

Time Track

With the Time Track you can keep track of the game turns. At the start of a mission the Clock Marker is placed on box 1. At the end of each turn, the Clock Marker will be moved 1 box to the bottom and so on. On the Time Track you can also place any Soldier Marker relative to reinforcements. For example, if mission briefing (from the scenario) indicates that a reinforcement will be available at turn 3 of play, then a Soldier Marker of a reinforcement should be placed on the box number 3: as the Clock Marker reaches the box 3 the replacement will enter on the Movement phase of the turn. Likewise, you can indicate on the Time Track the turn in which the artillery support fire will come into play.

3.0 Setup

Choose a scenario to play (or create one using the missions generator) and place on the table all the panels required to play the scenario, arranged as shown in the mission briefing, included all the scenic elements (together with the optional ones, if available).

Each player chooses the faction to play and collects:

• 1 Team Dashboard (a).
• 4 sets of miniatures composed by all the three available stances for each soldier (it is not necessary that the miniatures exhibit exactly the same weapons shown on the cards). (b)
• 4 Soldier Markers corresponding to the call sign of his soldiers as reported on the Team Dashboard. (c)
• 4 Round in the Chamber dice to be placed on the Weapon Card with their top face showing the same value as the Available clips. (d)
• Separate Orders Cards (with flags and medals on one side) from the Weapons Cards and divide these between Specialists' (grey background) and Soldiers' weapons (brown background). If the scenario involves Specialists, the players of the same faction shall agree on how to share the available Specialists and draw the relative Weapon Card from the Specialists deck. If there are no Specialists available, remove Specialists' Weapons Cards from the game. Once the Specialists have been shared, each player may browse the Weapons Cards deck and draw from the deck the weapons of his interest, or he can just refer to the typical equipment proposed in Appendix #. (e)
• Place any Skill Marker on the Skill boxes (gilded boxes) of each soldier. (f)
• Place 1 Health Marker (red wood token) on the red cross on top of the Health Gauge of each soldier. (g)
• Place on the Equipment boxes 2 Grenade Markers, identified by the grenade icon. Each soldier can be equipped with fragmentation grenades (in black) or smoke grenades (white) or a combination of them.
• The remaining silver box on the Team Dashboard is the Status box of the soldier and will be used during the game. Each time a marker will be placed into the Status box, the Soldier Marker on the battlefield must be flipped on the caution side.

Setup the Team Dashboard as shown in the following picture and place it in front of you within a comfortable reach.

4.0 Turn Structure

We Were Brothers is divided into game turns, each consisting of three phases to be played alternately between the two sides, starting with the one who achieved the initiative for that turn.

1. Fire/Action Phase: At the beginning of this phase all the Shaken Markers of the team must be eliminated and the Suppressed Markers must be flipped on the Shaken side (in this order). Moreover, all the Opportunity Fire and Suppression Fire markers of the team must be eliminated. During this phase, you can open fire on the enemy, be it direct, suppression or opportunity fire. You can also attack an enemy soldier in melee, as well as throw grenades. Alternatively, you can perform any action (reloading, heal a wounded soldier, set an explosive device, call the artillery support, etc.). During this phase, each soldier can rely on a free movement of 1 Hx or change from one stance position to another (e.g. standing to kneeled; prone to kneeled, but not prone to standing).
2. Movement Phase: At the beginning of this stage all Shaken Markers of the team must be eliminated and the Suppressed Markers must be flipped on the Shaken side. Furthermore, reinforcements can enter the battlefield and move. During this phase all active soldiers can be moved according to the rules of the movement.
3. Resolution Phase: resolution is the final phase of the turn during which you resolve: the morale test for soldiers on rout; Fire Support (artillery or air attack); the progressive wounds worsening (bleeding, wounded soldiers or with loss of consciousness); smoke drifting or elimination.

When both factions have concluded their two active phases and the resolution, the turn is over and the Clock Marker can be advanced on the Time Track.

5.0 Initiative

Initiative is checked at the beginning of every turn to determine which side is the first to play. The following conditions must be verified in succession: if a condition results in a tie you have to go through to the next condition. Once a condition is verified it assigns the initiative for that turn.

The side has the initiative is the one who:

1. has a Leader.
2. has more control of the battlefield: count the number of game panels occupied by at least one active miniature from a faction. The faction who occupies the largest number of panels achieve the initiative.
3. has the largest number of active soldiers with a Leadership Skill (do not count dead soldiers, stunned, or on rout).
4. has the largest number of active men (do not count dead soldiers, stunned, or on rout).
5. gets the highest result with a Blue Die roll.

The Faction who achieved the initiative can activate its own Fire Teams starting from those outside the Zone of Control of the Leader (ZOC), in any order. A ZOC has a radius of 3 MHx from the Leader miniature. For Fire Teams within the ZOC of the Leader, he will decide which one will be activated first and, if needed, he can assign one or more Order Cards to the player who controls that team (see 12.0). A Team is considered within the ZOC of Leader if at least one of its soldiers is located within 3 MHx from the Leader himself.

When all the Fire Teams of a Faction have completed a phase of the turn (e.g. Fire/Action), the turn will switch to the opponent Faction, which will resolve the same phase (e.g. Fire/Action). After that, the Faction with the initiative will play the next phase (e.g. Movement), followed by the opponent Faction and so on back and forth.

Field of view: the facing of a miniature also determines its field of view: a soldier can just spot anything that lies inside his 180 degree front arc (in red in the picture). Figure captions: OK, OK, LOS BLOCKED!, OK.

6.0 Spotting

Definitions

• Spotter: who attempts to spot.
• Target: who is being spotted.
• Soldier in cover: any soldier within 1 Hex of a barrier or inside a crater (Red Hex).
• Soldier in the open: any soldier not in cover. A soldier in the open is always visible.

Figure captions (6.0 Definitions): A: Spotter. B: Target in the open. C: Target in Cover (Crater). D: Target in Cover (Barrier).

Visual Range

• Daytime conditions: Battlefield illumination is specified during a mission briefing. In daylight, there are no visual range limits, in terms of maximum distance of sight for a soldier in MHx.
• Night conditions - full moon: Basic visual range: 4 MHx (6 for Sniper and Radio Operator). Any Spotting Test suffers a -1 penalty on the die color.
• Night conditions - new moon (Additional Rule): Basic visual range: 2 MHx (3 for Sniper and Radio Operator). Any Spotting Test suffers a -1 penalty on the color of the die.
• The Observation Skill awards a bonus of +1 MHx or +2 MHx (depending on the level achieved) to the visual range in all conditions as well as a bonus of +1 or +2 on the Spotting Test.
• A soldier on a MHx edge is always considered outside the MHx for spotting purposes, whether he is a spotter or a target.

Rule of Levels

A target in cover IS DEFINITELY VISIBLE only if his miniature Target Level is HIGHER than the Cover Level of the barrier that covers him.

TARGET LEVEL > COVER LEVEL: TARGET VISIBLE

Line of Sight (LOS)

It is the imaginary straight line that starts from the nose of the miniature and stops at the target. To be able to see the target, the LOS of the spotter must not be interrupted by any obstacle.

(Additional Rule) A miniature between the spotter and the target blocks the LOS only if his stance is equal or greater than the stance of the spotter. For example a kneeled miniature does not interrupt the LOS of a standing spotter.

Target Level

Every soldier has a Target Level according to its stance:

• Man standing = 1 Target Level
• Man crouched = 1/2 Target Level
• Man prone = 0 Target Level (only visible in the open)

The LOS of a spotter in cover is never blocked if:

• The Cover Level of the barrier behind which he is in cover is lower than the Target Level owned by his miniature (see the Rule of Levels, above).
• The spotter is on the corner of a building or at the edge of a barrier.

Cover Level

Every barrier that stands between the spotter and the target, such as a house, a fence, or any another environment element, has a Cover Level for the percentage of protection offered to a miniature:

• Barrier covering LESS than half miniature = 0 Cover Levels.
• Barrier covering AT LEAST half miniature but not completely hiding it = 1/2 Cover Levels.
• Barrier that completely covers the miniature = 1 Cover Level.
• Barrier that completely covers the miniature and over = 2 Cover Levels.

An element with 1/2 Cover Levels, in general, hides a crouched target in cover. However, if the spotter is in an adjacent hex to the target, or to the barrier, he becomes visible even if he is in cover, but the only eligible part for a shot is his head. As you will see later, headshots inflict specific damage.

Any element of 1 Cover Level (or more) always hides a target behind it, whether it is in cover or not.

Each elevation level of the spotter compared to the battlefield reduces the Cover Level of any barrier by 1/2 point. In the figure below, the German soldier (A) is kneeling (target level 1/2), protected by a wall of 1/2 Barrier Level that makes him invisible to the American soldier (B) since he is not adjacent to the barrier. However, since the soldier (C) has 1 elevation level, the coverage of the wall is reduced by 1/2 point, making (A) visible (Target Level = 1/2 > Cover Level = 0). Moreover in this case, the only part of the target eligible for the shot is the head.

Wooded Area

Woodland areas are bounded by Yellow MHx and must be considered in all respects as three-dimensional. For the purposes of the spotting, wooded areas follow the subsequent rules:

• A wooded area MHx that stands between the spotter and the target is always a barrier of 2 Cover Levels.
• A spotter inside the woods has limited visibility to the MHx where he is, unless he is located in a Hex immediately external to a wooded area MHx (marked with an x in the figure), looking away from the woods.
• A target within the woods can be identified only by a spotter within his own MHx and never from outside. If he is on the edge of the woods (hexagons shown with x in the figure), then he can be identified by a spotter outside the woods using a SPOTTING TEST. If the target is running, he will be automatically spotted.

Smoke

A MHx effected by a smoke marker behaves as wooded area, so he represent a 2 Cover Levels barrier for spotting purpose (not for fire).

(Additional rule). Smoke grenade: if the smoke was generated by a smoke grenade, it doesn't have the same intensity of an artillery generated smoke or from vehicles smoke systems. In this case the smoke does not block the LOS but simply determines a -2 penalty on the Combat die during firefights.

Buildings

• A building always blocks LOS.
• A target in a building is never visible from the outside unless he is adjacent to a window (or a slit for bunkers). In this case the window provides 1/2 Cover Level.
• A target is always visible to a spotter who is in the same building and on the same level, otherwise it remains invisible.
• Cover around the corner. If you place a miniature on the corner of a building, you can take advantage of the cover offered by the building itself. In this case, if the soldier on the corner is a spotter, his view is never obstructed: once fired, he can freely get back into cover, taking advantage of the barrier during opponent's Fire phase. If the soldier at the corner is a target, then he can be identified with a SPOTTING TEST only.

Hollows and Improvised Shelters

The battlefield can be very irregular and some depressed areas such as craters, ditches and other improvised shelters may offer temporary protection to soldiers in action. Each depression or improvised shelter on the ground is indicated by a Red Hex and must be regarded as a barrier of 1/2 Cover Level.

Unclear Situations

These rules set out general guidelines for determining if a spotter can see a target. However, if the cover position of a target is not entirely clear, it is recommended that the player moves down to match the point of view of the spotter miniature to verify the effective coverage of the target.

Attention! When you go down, pay close attention to any sharp objects that could lead to injury of a player! Alternatively, use a stretched cotton thread or laser pointer.

Attention! Improper use of a laser pointer can lead to serious damage to your eyes! Verify that no player is in the opposite direction to the laser pointer before activating it!

If the situation is still not clear, or in case of disputes, perform a SPOTTING TEST using the Grey die only, ignoring any skills or other modifiers.

Cherry Corner: LOS can always be a problem in wargames. If you want to do it fast, stretch a line (imaginary or not) from the spotter to the target: if this line pass through any obstacle, the LOS is blocked. Woodlands, buildings, and tall obstacles (1 Cover Level up) always block the LOS. In any case, solve any dispute with a Grey die only Spotting Test.

Spotting Test

A SPOTTING TEST is performed using the Grey die and the Red one: if the result of the Grey die is an OK or medal result, then the target has been identified. If the result of the Red die is a skull (Target killed) result, target immediately opens fire on the spotter. If both results are present, the target will be the first to fire and to resolve the fight. If the spotter is still able to shoot, then he will resolve the fight against the target next.

(Optional Rule). Targets in cover, prone, or on the edge of a wooded area are entitled to assess a -2 penalty on the die color to be used: that is, a spotter who tries to spot a target prone or on the edge of a wooded area will roll the White die instead the Grey one.

Level 1 Observation Skill allows to the spotter to roll the Green die in place of the Grey one. With a Level 2 Observation Skill, the spotter will only use the Yellow die and therefore will not roll the Red one.

(Additional rule). The Rule of Levels states that if the Target Level equals the Cover Level, the target is not visible. However, if a target is kneeling behind a 1/2 Cover Level barrier, he can be detected with a Spotting Test. This simulates the continuous up and down of a soldier in cover trying to maintain a high situational awareness during firefights.

7.0 Movement

Source note: the body heading of this section is printed as "7.0 MOVIMENTO" (an untranslated leftover); the title above follows the manual's own index.

Run: A standing soldier can run and move forward 8 Hex: for any kind of movement, changing facing is free. Player can decide to end running movement within the current turn, or to continue it in the next turn. The first case is suitable for a quick move from cover to cover, while the second case is used when a soldier is in the open and cannot reach a cover with a single turn movement. If the soldier continues to run between one turn and another, place a Running Marker near the miniature. A soldier that runs on any terrain automatically alerts any enemy at a distance of 2 MHx. Once alerted, immediately turn the enemy miniature toward the running soldier. If a soldier runs in a wooded area, he automatically alerts any enemy at a distance of 4 MHx. A running soldier can only perform direct fire (with its modifier -3) or a suppression fire. Alternatively, he can attack an enemy in a melee.

(Additional Rule) Wooded areas: Running in a wooded area is particularly challenging. The maximum running distance in the wood is reduced to 6 Hx.

Walk: A standing soldier can walk and move forward 4 Hex. If a soldier walks on regular soil, it does not cause noise; however, inside a wooded area, he automatically alerts any enemy at a distance of 1 MHx. A soldier carrying a weight (see below "weights") can only walk. Walking does not allow a movement in cover behind a 1/2 Cover Level barrier, since the soldier is standing.

Stealth Movement: A prone or kneeling soldier may move 3 Hex without changing stance using a stealth movement. This kind of movement is also the quietest, as it does not produce noise and does not alert the enemy on any type of terrain. Moreover, a soldier can remain behind cover while moving behind a 1/2 Cover Level barrier.

Moving inside a building: Any movement inside a building requires an entire movement action. This includes the transition from one level to another (always possible in case of multi-story buildings), moving from window to window, and simple movement within a building. For closed buildings, place the Soldier marker adjacent to the held position: place the marker in contact with the building to indicate the ground floor, or at a distance of 1 Hex for the 1st floor. The photo below shows RED 1 at the window on the ground floor; RED 2 at the window on the first floor (as with RED 4), while RED 3 is located inside the house, on the first floor, away from any window (so it is not visible from the outside).

However, moving from one Red Hex to another does not require additional movement points to the normal movement allowance.

Changing stance: Moving from one stance to another has no cost in terms of movement points. This means, for example, that a soldier may start crouching behind cover, stand up, run up to a second cover and get low again: the only movement points spent will be those related to run.

(Additional Rule). Changing position from prone to standing or standing to prone requires 1 movement point.

Weights: To be able to carry heavy objects such as weapons or injured comrades, you must have at least a 1st Level Strength Skill. With the 2nd Level you ignore the movement restrictions imposed by heavy objects (you can ignore the not running rule). Without the Strength Skill a soldier can carry a heavy object only if he rolls an OK or medal result on the Pink die. During the action phase, a soldier must be in an adjacent Hex to an object to attempt to lift it.

Rivers: Rivers are indicated by blue Hex. River crossing on foot is very risky. The movement within a river is limited to 2 Hex per turn and can only be done while standing. As long as your soldier is located inside a blue Hex, he cannot fire because he holds the weapon over his head to prevent it from getting wet. For every movement action inside a river, roll the Red Combat die: if the result is a skull (Target killed) result the soldier slips and gets lost in the waves of the river. Remove the miniature from the game and consider the soldier as Missing in Action (MIA).

Doors: The doors of a building can be locked or unlocked. Unlocked doors do not obstruct the movement in any way, while locked ones must be broken down to get access to a house (see page 15). If a soldier is located adjacent to a door at the beginning of his movement, he can choose where to place himself within the ground floor of the building (to go upstairs, he will have to wait for the next movement phase). If, instead, he has already started his movement once he walks in the door, the soldier must place himself within the first floor, at the center of the room, or away from any window.

Climbing obstacles: Stepping over a 1/2 Cover Level obstacle requires one additional movement point. An obstacle of 1 Cover Level requires an entire movement action. An obstacle higher than 1 Cover Level cannot be climbed. Any Red Hex represents an obstacle of 1/2 Cover Level so, entering it from normal ground, or leaving it to normal ground, costs 1 extra movement point.

8.0 Combat

8.1 Direct Fire

Direct fire is the basic fire fight mode: a spotter sights a target and opens fire on him. You can make a direct fire against visible targets only, so before shooting you must verify the target is visible to the spotter.

Procedure:

1. Choose a target and make sure it is visible and if needed, change spotter stance (as free movement) to make him higher than any barrier of the same level, so his LOS is not blocked (see image in 6.0).
2. Move the Round in the Chamber Die one box to the left on the Weapon Card of the Spotter. (Source note: the Round in the Chamber section above and the Suppression rules describe the die moving to the right as the soldier fires; this step is transcribed as printed.)
3. Measure the distance from the target in terms of MHx and compare it with the 3 ranges shown on the Weapon Card in order to identify the Combat Die to use. If spotter and target are located within the same MHx, use the most effective Combat Die on the Weapon Card instead. For example, if a target is 4 MHx away and the short-range die (yellow in the example) goes up to 3 MHx, you must use the next Combat Die on the Weapon Card to hit a target: the Blue one in this case. If the target was in the same MHx of the Spotter the die to roll would have been the Blue one as well, because it's the most lethal die (the one closest to the black, in the scale of Combat Dice) among the 3 available for the M1 Garand.
4. Apply any modifier to the selected Combat Die. Some modifiers depend on the stance of the spotter and are shown on the bottom of the Weapon Card; others depend on the Weapons Skill of the spotter. Additional modifiers (available on the Player Aid) depend on the stance of the target if he is in the open or on the kind of barrier that protects him. In case of positive modifiers, move towards the Black Combat die, while in case of negative modifiers, move to the White die. In the example, the Blue Combat die is modified by +1 since the target is standing in the open, so it becomes Purple. However for the M1 Garand, the standing shot involves a -1 fire penalty, so the Purple Combat die returns to Blue. Attention: modifiers in the open (white paper on the Player Aid) and those in cover (yellow paper on the summary sheet) are NOT cumulative. For example, a target kneeling in the wood only applies the modifier "woodland" and not both the "kneeling" + "woodland" modifiers.
5. Roll the die and apply the result to the target. In the example the die roll indicated the death of the German soldier.
6. Once his direct fire is resolved, the spotter continues to maintain the stance for the rest of the fire phase: he shall come back in cover during the movement phase.

Head shot: A soldier can aim for the head of the opponent in two cases, when it is the only visible part of the target (see 6.0), or deliberately to inflict more serious damage. Aiming at the head implies a -2 penalty on the Combat die, but in case you roll a serious wound the target must move his Health Marker to the bleeding position on his Health Gauge, hence starting to bleed.

(Optional Rule). If a soldier is killed, all the soldiers in his Faction within the same MHx must undergo a Morale Test (see 12.0 - Sharpshooter).

Cherry Corner: If you think using modifiers is too difficult, try to use the "in cover" modifiers only and ignore all the rest.

8.2 Opportunity Fire (OPF)

During the fire phase, a soldier may decide not to open fire immediately, but to wait for an opponent crossing his field of view during the movement phase. OPF is a very useful type of attack when you want to create an ambush or when you do not have an immediate target to engage.

Procedure:

1. If needed, change the spotter stance (as free movement) to make him higher than any barrier of the same level, so his LOS is not blocked (see image in 6.0).
2. Choose a fire field to cover, suitably turning the miniature. Place the Opportunity Fire (OPF) Marker on the soldier's Status box on the Team Dashboard, and flip the Soldier Marker on the battlefield to its caution side. The area covered by the OPF is the field of view of the soldier (180 degree frontal arc).
3. During the movement phase, if a visible target comes within the field of view of the soldier, the player can decide whether or not to perform a direct fire.
4. In case he decides to open fire, the player says aloud, "Stop! Opportunity fire!" and points the miniature towards the target which he opens fire (follow the rules of direct fire).
5. If the target is a soldier who raised up from his cover to shoot, then the spotter in OPF solves his direct fire first. Then, if the target is still eligible to fire, he can resolve his own fire procedure.
6. The OPF ends when the spotter opens fire or at the end of the current turn. This means that if a spotter in OPF shoots a target who crossed his line of fire, he cannot shoot a second target who enters his field of view. The spotter OPF ended when he shot the first target. On the other hand, if you decide not to open fire on the first target, another soldier who crosses his line of fire is a legitimate target for the OPF.

8.3 Suppression Fire

The main purpose of covering or suppression fire is the immobilization of the target in its current location in order to prevent him from firing and moving (suppression). Another typical use of suppression fire is to prevent enemy access to a specific area of the battlefield, saturating the selected area with bullets. Therefore, covering fire is a kind of firing on an area as there is not a specific target to hit but rather a target area.

Procedure:

1. Ensure the Round in the Chamber Die is not located beyond the first Suppression Attack box on the Weapon Card (positions in green in the image below are eligible). Otherwise (red positions) you cannot perform a suppression fire.
2. Select a stance for your soldier that allows him to exceed the level of any barrier covering him.
3. Select one MHx within the field of view of the spotter as target of the suppression fire. The chosen MHx cannot be the same one occupied by the spotter. If multiple windows are within the target MHx, they are all effected by the suppression, even if they are located on multiple floors.
4. Place the Suppression Fire Marker close to the soldier's miniature.
5. Move the Round in the Chamber Die to the right by a number of boxes equal to those identified by the suppression icon (circled in the picture). In Case #1, below, since the number of boxes with the suppression icon on top is 3, you must move the die from box 2 to box 5. In Case #2, after the suppression fire, the soldier's weapon is empty, since the Round in the Chamber Die was in box 3 at the beginning of fire.
6. Roll the Suppression Fire die featured on the Weapon Card (the die on the far right after those of the range): if the result is a suppression result, suppression is successful, otherwise the attack failed.
7. If suppression is successful, place a Suppressed Marker on the Status box of all the soldiers within the target MHx, whether friends or foes, and turn the Soldier Marker on its Caution side. If no soldiers were inside the target MHx and the purpose of the suppression was prevent access to it, place the Suppression Marker at the center of that MHx: anyone who get into the suppressed MHx must roll the Red Combat Die and obtain a result of 5 or higher to avoid suppression, as indicated by the Suppressed Marker itself. The suppression inside the MHx will be eliminated at the beginning of the next Fire phase. The soldier performing the suppression fire cannot move or take cover until the end of the turn.
8. If the soldier performing the suppression fire stops (because he is hit or himself suppressed), the target MHx stops being suppressed (remove the Suppressed Marker) and soldiers subject to suppression within that MHx can reduce their suppression level by 1 (suppressed to shaken to alerted).

8.4 Melee Combat

Hand to hand combat can occur when two miniatures are located in two adjacent Hex. This may happen during the movement phase or during the fire phase: in the latter case, performing an assault and moving up to reach a hex adjacent to an enemy miniature is the only movement allowed during the fire phase, except for the free one of course. The soldier who carried out an assault will not move during the movement phase.

When two soldiers are engaged in a melee, they continue to fight; rolling the required Combat Dice until one of them dies, surrenders, or flees. Only at that time is the fight resolved.

Melee combat uses the Yellow Combat Die: the "Suppressed" result means "Shaken" during hand-to-hand fights.

Strength Skill assigns a +1 or +2 (depending on the level reached) on Combat Die color.

(Additional Rule). If a soldier attacks a not alerted enemy (e.g. from behind), he uses the Black Combat Die for his first roll.

(Additional Rule). If a soldier attacks a shaken enemy, he uses the Blue Combat Die and the enemy, when reacting, will use the Grey Combat Die. If both are shaken, they will both use the Yellow Die.

(Additional Rule). A prone target cannot react immediately to an attack, but he must first get to his feet, suffering a second attack before starting to defend himself. If the target survives the two consecutive attacks and he is still in condition to fight back, he can immediately react with the Yellow Combat Die.

A suppressed target engaged in a melee flees immediately (see below).

A target bleeding or unconscious cannot defend himself in a hand-to-hand combat. If a soldier engages in melee with a helpless enemy, he immediately loses 2 victory points, all Leadership Skills, and gets a point of infamy. Two points of infamy on the same team dictates its elimination at the end of the scenario: that team can no longer be used in the campaign mode as they are under trial by the Martial Court. Points of infamy are kept by a team, mission after mission, and they are cumulative.

Combat can be interrupted anytime by one of the two contenders if he flees or surrenders. If one tries to flee, the other one can deal a final blow before the opponent turns away. However, if one of them surrenders, the other one can decide his fate by accepting the surrender or continuing the attack: if he accepts the surrender, the opponent miniature is removed from the game and the soldier is taken prisoner. The opponent who accepted the surrender receives a Leadership Skill. If the surrender is not accepted, the fight resumes but the soldier who did not accept the enemy surrender immediately loses 2 victory points, any Leadership Skills and gets a point of infamy.

EXAMPLE: During the fire phase, the Italian soldier (on the left) can see the English soldier (on the right) and declares an assault, moving up to the adjacent hex of the enemy miniature. The Italian soldier attacks first with the Yellow Combat Die, since he does not possess any Strength Skill and the English soldier is already alerted. The result of the first attack is "suppressed". This causes the English soldier to be shaken and he can only respond with the Grey Combat Die. The result of his roll is "missed". The Italian continues to fight and throws a "light wound". The English fights back with a light wound inflicted to the Italian as well. This next roll is a "suppressed" again and makes the English suppressed (shaken + shaken = suppressed) which makes him flee, but not before he has suffered a further attack from the Italian that causes him a "serious injury". Now the English can escape.

Cherry Corner: To simplify the melee combat, each player, in turn, may roll the required Combat die, assessing the resulting damage to his opponent. Keep rolling until one of the contenders dies, flees or surrenders.

8.5 Grenades and Explosives

Grenades: Every soldier is allowed to carry up to 2 grenades for each mission, he can choose between frag (in black) and smoke (in white). Whatever the type used, a grenade can be thrown up to a maximum distance of 3 MHx. If an obstacle of 1 or 2 levels stands between the thrower and the destination hex, the maximum grenade launch radius is reduced by 1 or 2 MHx respectively. Strength Skill increases the maximum launch range by 1 or 2 MHx depending on whether it is a 1st or 2nd level skill.

Launch procedure in the open:

1. The soldier selects a Hex target for the grenade within the launching range, placing a Grenade Marker taken from his pool on the Team Dashboard.
2. Roll both the Grey and the Blue Combat Dice.
3. Update the Grenade Marker position on the base of the actual landing spot.
4. The grenade blast involves the landing Hex and the two series of Hex adjacent to it. For the landing Hex and those immediately adjacent, the explosion must be resolved throwing the Black Combat Die, as recalled by the Marker Grenade background color, applying any "in the open" modifiers if there are soldiers out of cover. If a soldiers is separated from the point of the explosion by a light cover (i.e. a bush), roll the Blue Die. If he is behind a hard cover (i.e. a wall or a vehicle) roll the White Die (see small icons on the bottom of the marker). Always reduce the dice color by 1 for soldiers in the outer set of adjacent Hex to the explosion (i.e. from Black to Purple or from Blue to Red). If after applying the -1 modifier for the external Hex, the dice color would drop lower than White, do not resolve the explosion effects for that hex (see the image below).

If the Grey die result is an OK or medal result, the launch was precise and very little scattering may occur: if the numerical value of the Blue Die is equal to the target distance in MHx, the grenade will be kept right where it is on the target Hex. If the numerical value of the Blue dice is higher or lower than the distance in MHx between the soldier and the Target Hex, move the Grenade 1 Hex forward or backward, according to the direction of the launch.

If the launch had been made toward the vertex of a hexagon, in case of scattering the choice of the deviation Hex is at the discretion of the player who threw the grenade. In any case a grenade must land at the center of a Hex and not along its spine.

If the Grey die result is null, then the launch was not precise and the grenade suffers a deviation of 3 Hex in the direction indicated by the numeric value of the Blue Die, where 1 is aligned with the wind direction indicated by the scenario briefing, according to the scheme proposed on the right.

Launch procedure into buildings:

1. To be able to throw a grenade inside a building the launcher must be within 3 MHx from a window (for a home) or a slit (for a bunker). Each elevation level reduces the range by 1 MHx. If the launching soldier is located adjacent to a window or a slit the grenade will automatically enter into the building. If he is located in the same MHx of the window but he is not adjacent to it, roll the Green die: as his distance increases from the opening, he receives a penalty of -1 on the dice color for each MHx away from the window. Moreover, he suffers a further penalty of -1 if the opening is a slit of a bunker. If after applying all the modifiers the dice color drops lower than White, the shot is not possible.
2. Place the Grenade Marker in an adjacent Hex to the window.
3. Roll the selected die (e.g. Green): if the result is an OK or medal result, the grenade enters the building or bunker. Otherwise, if the die result is null, you must place the Grenade Marker 2 Hex in the opposite direction of the launch.
4. If the grenade gets inside the building or bunker, all occupants of the floor must roll the Blue Combat Die with no modifiers and apply any related damage. On the other hand, if the grenade bounces outside, resolve as a regular grenade explosion in the open.

Smoke grenades use the same procedures as frag grenades. On the explosion they don't cause any damage, but the entire landing MHx is completely engulfed with smoke. For this reason it is useful to put the Smoke Grenade Marker at the exact center of a MHx, instead a different Hex inside of it. During the Resolution phase, replace the Grenade Marker with a Smoke marker and move it to the center of an adjacent MHx, drifting in the direction of the wind. Remember that the wind direction is indicated in the mission briefing. Leave the marker in place until the next Resolution phase, when it will be eliminated from the battlefield.

Satchel Charge: It is a bag filled with 4kg of high explosive and it is used to demolish barriers such as anti-tank obstacles, walls of any level, buildings and heavy vehicles. Consider the Satchel Charge as a heavy object (see page xx).

• Equipment: 1 Satchel Charge per soldier. It replaces 2 grenades. Only a soldier with Explosives Skill can be equipped with a Satchel Charge.
• Launch: launching the satchel charge follows the same rules as the grenades, but the maximum launch radius is reduced to 2 MHx. In launched, the Satchel Charge detonates on impact.
• Positioning: follows the same rules of Explosive Charge.
• Explosion: follows the same rules of Explosive Charge, except that the rolled numerical value of the Red Combat Die must be 4 or more instead of 3. If the target is a house or a bunker the charge makes them collapse: throw the Blue Die for all the occupants of the building and the Red die for any soldier in the MHx where the building was located to check damage inflicted by the collapse. Replace the building with a Debris Marker.

Explosive charge: It is a small charge of approximately 250g of TNT suitable for destruction of non-armored light vehicles, heavy weapons, and armored vehicles' tracks.

• Equipment: it replaces one grenade, so every soldier can be equipped with up to two explosive charges, subject to marker availability. Only a soldier with the Explosives Skill can be equipped with an explosive charge.
• Launch: the explosive charge can NOT be launched.
• Placing: the charge should be placed in a hex adjacent to the target to be destroyed using the whole Action phase of a turn. It can be prepared both with a time fuse or a remote fuse. If using a time fuse, place a 6 sided die near the marker: the number shown on top of the dice is the number of rounds that must pass before the detonation occurs. This number is chosen at the player's discretion. At the end of each turn reduce by one the value of each detonator die on the battlefield. When the die value drops below 1 the charge explodes. In case of a remote detonator, the soldier can get away from the charge up to a maximum of 1 MHx than the one in which the charge is placed and he can detonate it at the cost of 1 Action phase. Upon the charge placement, you must pass a Placement Test: as indicated by the background color of the Explosive Charge Marker and the arrow pointing down, the soldier must roll the Red Combat Die and get a result of 5 or more, otherwise he will have to attempt again on the next Action phase. If the result of the die roll is a skull (Target killed) result, the charge explodes during its placement (see below: Explosion). The Explosives Skill provides a modifier of +2 or +3 on the Red Die shooting, depending on whether it is a first or second level skill. In the latter case, you also have the chance to roll again if the first outcome was a skull result (you will still need to accept the result of the second roll).
• Explosion: when the detonator die reaches 0 (time fuse), or, when the soldier operates the remote control, the charge explodes. The soldier must roll the Red Die and achieve a score of 3 or more (the number on the lower left of the marker) to destroy the target: it can be eliminated from the game along the Explosive Charge Marker. Charge explosion rolls do not suffer any modifications due to soldier's skills. If the die roll is less than 3, the marker can be removed from the game with no consequences as the blast did not damage any structure. For the purposes of damage inflicted to any soldiers in the MHx involved by the explosion, treat the Explosive Charge like a grenade.

9.0 Wounds and Treatment

Wounds

Each soldier can withstand a limited number of hit points before dying, as indicated by the Health Gauge on the Team Dashboard.

• A Light Wound deals 2 points of damage. Move the round marker 2 spaces down on the Health Gauge of the soldier on the Team Dashboard.
• A Heavy Wound deals 3 points of damage. Move the round marker 3 spaces down on the Health Gauge of the soldier on the Team Dashboard. Knockdown the soldier (lay his miniature on the ground in the stance he was before being injured). Place the Suppressed Marker in the Status Box and flip the Soldier Marker to its caution side. A Heavy Wound to the head causes the immediate knockdown of the soldier and the beginning of bleeding (lay his miniature on the ground in the stance he was before injury and place a Bleeding Marker underneath): move the round marker straight to the bleeding box of the Health Gauge of the soldier on the Team Dashboard.
• After several wounds when the Health Marker reaches the bleeding symbol, the soldier starts bleeding. Lay his miniature on the ground in the stance he was before injury and place a Bleeding Marker underneath. While bleeding, a soldier cannot take any action nor can he move. The only way to get out of the status of bleeding is to be treated by another soldier.
• If the Health Marker reaches the last box of the Health Gauge, then the soldier loses consciousness. Lay his miniature on the ground in the stance he was before injury and place a Loss of Consciousness (LOC) Marker in the Status Box of the soldier; then flip the Soldier Marker on the game board to its caution side. An unconscious soldier behaves as a bleeding soldier, with the difference that he cannot be cured, but only stabilized.

When a soldier dies, his miniature must be removed from the battlefield and its identification marker should be left on the spot where he fell: anyone who comes into that hex may decide to take possession of his equipment spending his entire action phase.

(Additional Rule). If the Health Marker reaches or exceeds the values -1 and -2 on the Health Gauge, then the wounded soldier will suffer the same penalty on any die roll and movement.

Treatment

A soldier can treat another one by positioning in an adjacent hex to the wounded and performing an action of treatment during his entire action phase. Only a soldier with a LOC or Bleeding can be treated.

1. Bleeding: the soldier providing cares rolls the Red Combat Die, as indicated by the Bleeding Marker background color, and needs a roll of 3 or more for a successful treatment to stop the bleeding.
2. Loss of consciousness (LOC): as specified by the background color and the number on the LOC Marker, you need a roll of 4 or more with the Red Combat Die to recover the state of consciousness of the wounded soldier. If the treatment is successful, the soldier remains knocked down, but stabilized, until the end of the combat and identified by the marker "stabilized". He can be carried toward the edge of his own side by a comrade (see 7.0 - Weights), so it can be used in later missions. Otherwise, if he is left on the spot where he was knocked down, the faction in control of the territory at the end of the battle will determine his fate: if he remains in friendly territory, he will be transported to the closest field hospital; if the enemy controls the territory, he will be taken prisoner and treated properly. In the event of a disputed territory, he will be declared missing in action.

If the result of the roll is a skull (Target killed) result, the wounded soldier dies during treatment. This result cannot be changed, except in the event that the soldier who is treating him has a Level 2 Medical Skill, which allows him to re-roll the die (the result of the second roll must be accepted regardless).

Medical Skill provides a bonus of +1 or +2 on the die roll depending on whether the soldier has a first or second level skill. In addition, the doctor is the only soldier that can reduce the level of injury: roll the Grey Combat Die and if the result is an OK or medal result then the wounded recovers 1 or 2 hit points depending on the skill level of the Medic.

If an enemy kills a stabilized opponent, he receives a point of infamy.

Progressive Deterioration

In the Resolution phase at the end of each game turn, throw the Red Combat Die for each soldier with LOC or bleeding to check if his health worsens. If the result is the same of the value on the marker or more, the conditions of the wounded remains stable, otherwise they get worse: this means that a soldier bleeding loses consciousness and an unconscious soldier dies. In any case, the skull result confirms the death of the soldier.

The Strength Skill assigns a +1 or +2 on the Red Dice for this check, depending the soldier owns a 1st or a 2nd level skill, to withstand progressive deterioration.

10.0 Status and Morale

Not Alerted

In some scenarios, a team of soldiers are not immediately alarmed, as is the case of sentries or soldiers involved in various activities that are not aware of the action taking place around them. Not alerted soldiers can walk 3 Hex per turn only, following the directions dictated by the mission briefing. Such movement is not affected by any limitations imposed by soil type.

Standing is the only stance a not alerted soldier may have.

A soldier is immediately alerted by gunfire, explosions, or noises of movement: a soldier's miniature must be turned immediately in direction of the noise that alerted him.

A not alerted soldier can only perform opportunity fire during the Fire Phase.

Alerted

Is the normal state for a soldier, where situational awareness is highest and he is ready for action.

Suppressed / Shaken

A soldier is suppressed when he is fixed into his position by volume and accuracy of enemy fire. Suppression may also occur for an event that psychologically destabilizes the soldier, such as:

• Another state of shaken or suppressed when already shaken.
• A heavy wound.
• The death of a comrade in his same MHx (see page xx).
• Morale Test Failure (see page xx).

When a soldier is suppressed by enemy fire or by an event, place the Suppressed Marker in the Status Box of the soldier on the team Dashboard and flip the Soldier Marker on the caution side.

• Stop any movement immediately.
• If a soldier is suppressed in the proximity of a barrier, reduce his stance to equal the Barrier Level value of the barrier itself. If he is in the open, lay him prone.

As the turn progresses, the soldier will tend to recover his cool (unless he is broken): a suppressed soldier will become shaken first and then fully alerted again.

The state of Shaken indicates a minor psychological breakdown of the soldier, but it causes the same effects as suppression.

As long as he is suppressed or shaken, the soldier skips any active phase of the game (fire/action and movement) so he can't be activated to shoot, perform any action, or move.

A soldier with the Leadership Skill can attempt to remove any suppressed or shaken status of any soldier inside his MHx and those adjacent to it during the Action phase (see. Leadership). Simply roll a die of the same color as the marker (Red for Suppressed, Blue for Shaken): to successfully reduce the markers you need a value equal to that shown on the marker (5 for suppressed, 4 for shaken) or more. If while trying to reduce the suppression marker the result of the Red Die is a skull result, then the soldier is broken and starts to rout.

Broken / Rout

A broken soldier has lost any motivation to fight and flees from the battlefield. The only action allowed to a broken soldier is running in the opposite direction to the nearest enemy at the beginning of his movement. The purpose of a broken soldier is to get out as quickly as possible from the battlefield.

A suppressed soldier receiving a further state of suppression or shaken becomes broken. Immediately move him running in the opposite direction to the closest enemy, even during the enemy fire phase.

Place a Broken Marker in the Status box of the soldier and flip the Soldier Marker on its caution side.

Using one or more movements, the broken soldier finally abandons the battlefield through one of its sides:

• If the side used to leave is in the hands of his own side, then the broken soldier is considered safe and he can be used in future missions.
• If the side used to exit is in enemy's hand, then the broken soldier is taken prisoner and cannot fight later on.
• If the side used is not in the hands of neither side, the result of the mission will decide the fate of the broken soldier: if victory is for his own faction, the soldier is considered safe, otherwise he will be captured by the enemy. In case of a tie, the soldier is declared missing in action (MIA) and cannot be used in later missions.

During the Resolution phase of the turn, roll the Red Combat Die, as indicated by the marker's background color. If the roll is 5 or more, the soldier is able to regain control of himself and returns suppressed. If the result of the roll is a skull result, the soldier is completely panicked and opens direct fire against the nearest miniature, whether enemy or friend. Of course he must be able to shoot (he need to have a loaded firearm), otherwise ignore the result.

Surrender

At any time a soldier may decide to surrender to an enemy. The opponent may accept the surrender or not:

• If he accepts the surrender, the soldier is disarmed, imprisoned, and immediately removed from the field; the opponent can decide whether to keep the prisoner's weapon for himself (a soldier can carry one weapon only).
• If he attacks the surrendered soldier, he immediately loses 2 victory points, any Leadership Skills and receives 1 Point of Infamy.

11.0 Skills and Actions

A skill is acquired by a soldier following a specific training, as in the case of specialists, or as a result of the experience gained in battle. In fact, if during a test the result of the die is an OK or medal result, the soldier immediately acquires the skill that he was doing the test for. In addition, each scenario provides a score in terms of experience points earned by each team, based on the results obtained. After the clash, the player controlling the team will decide how to distribute the points earned between his men.

Each skill is characterized by two levels of experience, the 1st and the 2nd and are indicated on the upper right of the Skill Marker, on which are symbolically summarized the benefits obtained with the acquisition of specific skills as well.

The achievement of a skill requires 1 experience point, but the transition from an ability of Level 1 to a Level 2 requires 2 experience points.

Leadership

A soldier with the Leadership skill indicates his supervisory capacity recognized by the men of his Squad. The actions related to Leadership are:

• Recovering suppressed, shaken, or broken soldiers: roll the Combat Die indicated by the background color of the marker you have to eliminate (Blue for shaken, Red for rout and suppression) and verify that you get a score at least equal to the number indicated on the marker itself: in this case the psychological condition of the soldier improves by 1 level according to the sequence broken to suppressed to shaken to alerted.
• Fire while suppressed: with a Level 2 Leadership Skill roll the Pink Combat Die: if roll is an OK or medal result the soldier may open fire despite the suppression.

Observation

A soldier with the Observation Skill not only has particularly acute sight but, most of all, he is able to read into the surroundings and find those little details that help you easily identify hidden targets.

• Visual Range: Bonus +1 / +2 MHx in all conditions.
• Spotting Test: with the 1st Level you always roll the Green Die along the Red one. With the 2nd Level you roll the Yellow Die only.

Explosives

A soldier with the Explosives skill indicates his familiarity with handling any type of explosive. The actions linked to the Explosives Skill are:

• Placing and defusing a charge or a mine: two numbered arrows are featured on top of each explosive device marker: on the top left an arrow pointing downward (placement) and top right an arrow pointing upward (defusing). Roll the Red Combat Die and refer to the value on the marker, depending on whether you are performing a placement or defusing. As always, the die roll to succeed must be equal to or greater than the value indicated.
• The 2nd Level Explosives Skill allows 1 re-roll of the die if the result for placement or defusing charges was a skull result. You must accept the second roll.

Strength

A soldier with the Strength skill indicates his physical fitness. This skill has a critical value on the battlefield as it gives a number of significant advantages:

• Launching grenades and objects: Bonus +1 / +2 MHx.
• Melee: Bonus +1 / +2 on the Combat Die color.
• Progressive Deterioration: Bonus +1 / +2 on the die roll.
• Doors Breakthrough: Bonus +1 / +2 on the die roll. When a door is locked or blocked a soldier can attempt to breakthrough rolling a 4 or more with a Red Die. If the result of the roll is a skull result the soldier got wounded in the attempt and receives a light wound.
• Weights: With the 1st Level strength skill you have the ability to carry heavy objects such as weapons or injured comrades without making a weightlifting. With the 2nd Level, you ignore any movement restrictions imposed by heavy objects (such as no running allowed).

Weapons

A soldier with the Weapons skill indicates his expertise in the use and maintenance of various types of firearms. The benefits assigned to Weapons Skill are:

• Direct, opportunity, and suppression fire: bonus of +1 or +2 on the color of the Combat Die.
• Foreign Weapons: Normally, if a soldier uses a weapon that does not belong to his own side suffers a -1 penalty on shooting. The Level 2 Weapons Skill allows you to ignore this penalty.

If a soldier possesses both the Weapons and Observation Skill, he can be automatically converted to a Sniper between missions (if you play a Campaign).

First Aid

A soldier with the First Aid ability has acquired specific training for the treatment of wounds on the battlefield.

• Wound Treatment: Bonus +1 / +2 on the die roll. With the 2nd Level you can re-roll the die if the result was a skull result (the result of the second roll must be accepted).

12.0 Specialists

Specialists are soldiers with special skills acquired through training. Only 1 specialist is allowed within a team.

Leader

A Leader is in command of a platoon, or 3 teams.

When created as a character, a Leader automatically obtains the Leadership Skill, plus one selected by the player, both 1st Level skills.

A Leader gives his platoon the initiative advantage (see 5.0).

It is the Leader's responsibility to give orders to the entire platoon. At the beginning of a scenario, the player controlling the Leader receives the Orders Cards for his faction (indicated by the flags on the back of the card). At the beginning of each turn, he may give such orders to his teams within his field of view but not more than 3 MHx away. Delivering orders takes the entire Action phase. The meaning of the various cards is:

• Move left / right: he orders the team to move to the left or to the right toward the nearest enemy or the presumed location of the nearest enemy.
• Assault: he orders the team to attack enemy forces with direct fire and, if possible, to occupy their position.
• Defend: he orders the team to stop, hold the position, and defend it at all costs.
• Suppression: he orders to open suppression fire against an enemy position or area where he suspects the presence of the enemy, like a house, a barrier, etc.
• Take Cover: he orders every soldier of the team to find a cover behind which to protect themselves. It can be used to prepare an ambush or to order a covered movement as well.

The Leader can also deliver several orders to the same team. For example, delivering Move left and Assault orders the platoon commander can order the team to move and attack the left flank of the enemy.

The team that receives orders can execute or ignore them. The interpretation of the orders is solely the discretion of the player who controls the team that receives the orders. He cannot ask for explanations or details from the Leader unless he is in an adjacent MHx to the Leader. In fact, on the real battlefield, commanders gave orders with hand gestures and even when shouting commands, the commotion of battle made communications very hard.

(Additional rule) In general, only players whose teams are in adjacent MHx can talk to each other during the game.

Only a Leader can give orders: if he falls in battle, each team will independently decide which actions are to be taken.

Another task of the Leader is to keep his units cohesive and psychologically unbroken. For this reason, in case of suppressed, shaken, or broken soldiers, he can attempt to recover the state of disorganization instead of one of his active phases (see page.XX).

The Leader is the one who can ask the Radio Operator (If present on the battlefield) to call in artillery or air support. If he is not available or he has been killed, you have to roll the White Combat Die for artillery or air support instead of the Pink one. In case of deviation, the shot will be considered automatically drifted by 2 MHx (see below).

Engineer

The Engineer is a soldier with specific training in explosives and he automatically owns 1st Level Explosives and Strength Skills.

Medic

The Medic is a paramilitary with extensive training in wounds treatment on the battlefield and automatically owns Level 1 First Aid Skills. He is the only one who can reduce the level of injury of a soldier.

(Optional Rule). Since his role is strictly humanitarian, the medic may NOT shoot except in self-defense. He must be the object of enemy fire BEFORE returning fire and ONLY against that or those opponents who are actually shooting at him.

Team Gunner

The Team Gunner is a soldier with a specific training for the use of the team machinegun: a heavy machinegun with the primary function of saturating the battlefield with extensive, but generally not very accurate fire. The Team Gunner automatically owns the Level 1 Strength Skill.

He is the only soldier who can effectively operate the team machinegun. If he should fall, another soldier can take his place, but he would get a penalty of -3 on all firing ranges.

When a soldier who is not a Team Gunners gains possession of the team machinegun, he must have a Strength Skill to be able to move it, since it is a heavy object.

(Optional Rule). Team machineguns were operated by two men: one who was firing and the other who supplied and stretched the cartridge belt to prevent weapon jams. For this reason, weapons that feature the symbol [standing man] on the Weapon Card must be operated by two men. Before opening fire, place two miniatures in two adjacent Hex. If either of the operators move away, the machine gun cannot be used.

He is the only soldier who can resolve opportunity fire during the fire phase.

Radio Operator

The Radio Operator is the only soldier equipped with a radio and automatically owns Level 1 Observation and Strength Skills. He is mainly an Advanced Observer for Artillery and Air Support (see 13. Fire Support).

He is the only soldier who can effectively use the radio and transmit coordinates. If he should fall, another soldier can take his place, but he always would roll the White Combat Die for Support Fire.

To move the radio, the substitute of a fallen Radio Operator must own the Strength Skill, since the radio is a heavy object.

Sniper

The Sniper is a soldier trained for precision long range shooting. He automatically owns Level 1 Weapons and Observation Skills. He is the only specialist that can be created on the field from a soldier who got Weapons and Observation Skills (between missions).

He is subject to several special rules:

• In a mutual firefight, the Sniper always shoots second.
• He becomes camouflaged in a woodland area: to spot him you must pass a Spotting Test using the White rather than the Grey Die. When camouflaged, remove the miniature from the battlefield leaving just the Soldier Marker as a reference of his approximate location. The Sniper loses his camouflage if performing any movement, change of stance, or opens fire, but he can still perform the free movement during the fire phase without losing his camouflage.
• When prone, he automatically becomes camouflaged as well (see above). As soon as he abandons this stance, he becomes normally visible again. If a Sniper which has been already identified becomes hidden, then you will need to locate him with a Spotting Test once again.
• During the fire phase, he can maintain a stance that equals the barrier that covers him.
• When a NON SPOTTED Sniper opens fire, the player who commands him says aloud "A Sniper shoots towards ..." and indicates the target. All the enemy soldiers within 3 Hx of the target must pass a Morale Test: roll the Red Combat Die and compare the result with the value shown on the Suppressed Marker (5). If the rolled value is less than 5, the enemy soldier is suppressed. If the result is a skull result the soldier is broken, otherwise there are no effects.
• The Sniper's position cannot be suppressed if he has not been spotted.

13.0 Fire Support

Some scenarios include the presence of assets off the game map that can provide fire support to ground troops. These assets can be fighter-bombers in Close Air Support (CAS) or artillery units ready to receive the order to fire. Under a Leader's Orders (if present on the battlefield), a Radio Operator may request the support of artillery or fighters, when these are provided by the scenario. Regardless you cannot take more than one fire support per turn.

Artillery Support

It is a fire support from weapons of medium/heavy caliber off the map, such as the naval guns or howitzers.

Procedure:

1. The Leader indicates silently (in his ear or on a piece of paper) to the Radio Operator the target to attack. The Radio Operator places on the map (not necessarily just on the panel indicated by the Leader) 6 Target Markers: only two of these show the symbol of the explosion that designates the MHx that will actually be attacked by artillery. During the Resolution Phase of the next turn, the player controlling the Radio Operator will reveal which Target Markers are real and remove the others from the battlefield.
2. If the MHx designated by the Explosion Markers are visible to Radio Operator, roll the Pink and Blue Combat Dice: if the result of the Pink dice is an OK or medal result, the shot was on target and you can ignore the Blue Die. If the Pink Die roll is null, then the shot is drifted by 1 MHx in the direction indicated by the value of the Blue Die, according to the diagram on the right, where 1 is facing the same direction as the wind.
3. If the designated MHx are not visible to the Radio Operator or if the Leader was not present or was incapacitated at the time of the call, use the White and Blue Combat Dice. In case of deviation, consider an offset of 2 MHx in the direction indicated by the Blue Die value.
4. If necessary, reposition the marker as indicated by the deviation.
5. Any soldier (whatever the faction) who is in the impact MHx must roll the Black Combat Die, applying the result.
6. (Optional Rule). All the soldiers who are in a MHx adjacent to the one of the shell impact must roll the Blue Combat Die, always applying any stance or cover modifier.
7. All the buildings and barriers inside the target MHx are treated as if they were involved in a satchel charge explosion (they collapse for a roll of 5 or more with the Red Die).

Example (artillery, figure captions): Hidden in the woodland area the Radio Operator (in red) designates 6 target MHx with markers. On the Resolution Phase of the next turn, he reveals which markers are real and eliminates all the others. He rolls a Pink null for the first MHx, so he checks the drifting with the Blue Die and moves the marker to its final destination (red X). The second target is well aimed.

Air Support

In some missions you can make use of fighter-bombers flying CAS mission near the battlefield.

Procedure:

1. As with artillery support, you have six markers: only two of these feature the explosion symbol. One of them will represent the target itself, while the other one will indicate the direction that the fighters will take while flying over the battlefield: the imaginary line connecting the two markers sets that direction. In the Resolution Phase of the next turn, the Radio Operator player will reveal which target markers are real and remove the others.
2. Bearing in mind the direction of the flight from the first MHx on the edge of the game panel, roll the Green Combat Die for each soldier (of any faction) in the open inside each MHx overflown by the fighters and the Gray Combat Die for each soldier in cover or inside a building, ignoring any other roll modifier. Fighters spray their machineguns down on anything that moves along their flight path!
3. When planes reach the target MHx, they stop strafing and level off for bombing. Treat as an artillery support fire with the difference of the "1" side of MHx target is in the direction of the fighters attack.

Example (air support, figure captions): 1. Radio Operator (in red) calls CAS in and designates 6 target MHx with markers. 2. On the Resolution Phase of the next turn, he reveals which markers are real and eliminates all the others. Then he links the two markers with an imaginary line, setting the flight direction. 3. Roll a Green Die for each soldier inside any overflown MHx and when you reach the target MHx, treat the bombing as a normal artillery fire.