Spearhead (SH) allows players to game division-level WW II miniatures games. Components include: a 44 page. glossy rulebook containing 30 pages of rules, 3 introductory scenarios, scenario design notes, and several pages of adverts that provide sources for virtually all the scales and makes of WW II miniatures with which you're likely to game; a 49 page organization book containing 50 divisional organization charts for the major ETO combatants (UK, USA, USSR, GE, FR, IT), 2 play-aid cards; and 4 unit statistic cards detailing lots of equipment.

Game scales are 1" = 100 yds. 1 turn = 15 - 30 minutes, and 1 model/stand = 1 platoon battery. Tabletop scales are for 6mm troops, but simple conversions are provided for larger scales. SH has a clear mission and focus and all else is subordinate to them. SH's mission is to game battles at the division-and-higher level and its focus is on the decisions made by players representing bngade-and-higher level commanders. Oh - and it aims to do this while allowing players to push platoon-sized elements around the tabletop. I think it succeeds very well.

At SH's core is the command control system. Though units represent platoons, the basic manoeuver element is the battalion and all battalions are, at any given time, under one of a couple of orders (attack, defend, reserve...) that are plotted on a sketch map and strictly govern where and how a battalion may move.

Battalions held in reserve may be released during the course of the game, providing some flexibility to the player-commander. This is important because changing battalions' orders is not a sure thing. Depending on the scenario, players may attempt to change orders for 1 or 2 battalions per turn, dicing against an order change chart which values by nationality the likelihood of a given battalion successfully changing orders. All of this gives the players a strong incentive to develop and stick with a good, basic, battleplan, and to use reserves, not changes to orders, to exploit opportunities. If players make plans too complex or change their minds too often during the game, they may find battalions unresponsive to their orders at the worst possible times...

The turn sequence holds no surpri.ses. It begins with an initiative dice roll (All dice rolls in SH are lD6s) to determine who moves all of their units first - the winner chooses. Units may move at a 'route' rate until they encounter foes, at which point all rates are reduced to 'combat' rates. Terrain reduces movement, depending on unit type. Units always move in straight lines but may pivot up to 45 deg. prior to movment. There's a good reason for this. Even though the game elements represent platoons, the manoeuver units are battalions and a change in direction at the battalion level takes a bit of time to accomplish. In game terms, this makes it easy for players to determine whether direct fire is taken against frontal or other armor aspects.

Movement details are, in keeping with the game's grand-tactical focus, relatively generic, e.g., tracked vehicles move slow, normal, or fast, without worrying about the specific movement allowances for the various varieties of essentially similarly fast (:or slow) vehicles. This is the first set of rules I've played that properly (to me) represents motor transport's role on the battlefield. Trucks roar up, throw their troops overboard, and get off table as quickly as possible (actually, after depositing troops, they're simply removed). Presumably (and reasonably), if a scenario spanned a night, it might allow trucks to slink back up near the front to re-embark troops. . .

Fire combat comes next and is, again, simple, in a manner I think appropriate to SH. Units fire, in order, in several categories (moving, stationary, ATG, etc), simutaneously within each category. The net result is that units that 'should' fire first, do so, but the details of whose turret rotated quicker, etc., are factored out. Spotting is ranged and deterministic; at a given range and under given circumstances, a target will be spotted. Targets in cover may not be fired on in the turn in which they're spotted. This is important because it makes ambushes possible - for a turn, anyway...

Combat is straightforward. Compare the firer's attack factor to the defender's defence factor (front or 'other', if an AFV) and apply the difference as a modifier (along with other modifiers for movement, cover, etc.:) to a die roll to kill (or suppress or miss altogether) the target. Most direct fire guns have a 12" range, though some short guns (e.g., 75mmL24) only fire 9", and some long guns (e.g., 75mmL70) may fire (albeit with a penalty) out to 18".

A gun's hit likelihood and attack factor don~t vary with range (other than the note long-range penalty for a long gun ) This may take players aback, but this, too, was the result of a design decision to remove players (remember: Bde and Div comdrs!) from the tactical decision process of positioning individual platoons for optimal fire combat. This may seem, at first glance, simplistic, but it works. The focus shifts without a blink from what 2nd platoon, B company, 3rd battalion. is doing, to what 3rd battalion, 2nd brigade, 5th division is doing...

SH incorporates a target priority rule that requires units to fire, if possible, on like targets. Tanks will fire at tanks, infantry at infantry, etc., to keep player-generals from micromanaging combat. Likewise, firers must fire on the nearest target on which they may fire, with the result that units may 'screen' one another. Consider: to a Sherman crewman, ALL Gemman tanks were Tigers and the nearest Tiger was the biggest threat...

Indirect fire comes in several flavors - preplanned, observed, rolling, etc., with different limitations. Artillery support and Air Missions are scenario-limited by the number of turns' fire they can provide. Players must dice against an response chart to see wether it's even available when requested.

After fire combat, all affected battalions check morale, based on their losses. Morale thresholds vary based on troop quality (green, regular, or veteran) and signify substantial battalion losses. Results are rather draconian; battalions failing their morale checks are destroyed. Again, one must focus on SH's scale and scope. When a battalion 'dies', it's a result of a combination of casualties, disorganization, and fatigue. In game terms, the battalion's pulled out of line to regroup, police up strays, etc., and is likely gone for the rest of the scenario.

Close assault is very simple and takes place as a result of infantry assault or AFV overrun. All such combats involve one or more platoons attacking one platoon, breaking large combats up into multiple small combats as required. All units cast 1D6 (with modifiers:); the high die wins and the losing side eakes losses and retreats.

City fighaing was intentionally simplified a bit - city sectors are regularized and movement and combat within them are strictly regulated. Traditionally, city fighting is the slowest part of any miniatures game. The simplifications allow urban fights to be played out at about the same speed as the rest of the game, vastly enhancing the game.

An additional morale phase follows close combat, itself followed by the command phase. At this point, players may to change orders, rally suppressed units, etc. Advanced rules cover hidden movement, with and without a referee, cross attachment of companies, additional close combat modifiers, and an additional morale rule that gives a broken battalion the possibility of retreating versus being destroyed.

Arty Conliffe stresses throughout SH that the player is a higher (:i.e., brigade and above:) level commander. Many details present in platoon, company, and even battalion level games don't appear in SH because, at SH's level, they simply don't apply. Units have adequate peculiarities and characteristics to give them flavor, but a conscious decision was made NOT to make the minutae of unit differences the governing factor in SH.

The three scenarios (2 early war East Front, 1 late war West Front) include play maps, short introductions, OBs, and victory conditions. They're ready to play and introduce players to basic rules concepts along the way. Involving anywhere from five to 13 battalions total per scenario, any of them can be played as two-player games.

All in all, I think SH is a fast-playing, fun set of rules that neatly captures the sorts of decisions players should be making at the division level - a very different set of decisions than the gamer-battalion commander or the (board)gamer corps commaner... Available from your local game shop for $24.95.- BILL RUTHERFORD

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