Tac-Skirmish:

Arc of Fire 20th C. Rules

by Bill Rutherford

These rules (AoF), co-authored by Scott Fisher (Skirmish Campaigns) and Chris Pringle (Tac WW2), is the new kid on the block as regards 20th Century skirmish rules. What do you get, then? A 77-page tape-bound book, along with four cardstock play charts. These latter actually comprise two sets of cards, one in “normal” scale and the other in “large (2x) scale. The book itself contains 42 pages of rules, 6 pages of data charts, 2 pages of (well written) designers’ notes, a half-dozen scenarios, and an index. Scales are what you’d expect: 1” = 5-10 yards; 1 phase = 5-30 seconds; and 1 figure = 1 troop or vehicle.

At the heart of AoF is the Tactical Ability (TAC) rating. This is a number assigned to each unit and leader and is, when the situation requires it, rolled against in order to do various things. Units play an important part in AoF – fire teams, squads, and sections – as they provide basic maneuver elements that leaders move about the battlefield. The occasional figure (e.g., a sniper) will be a self-starter but troops generally belong to units. Troops must stay within a prescribed distance of the others in their unit. Each unit has a set number of playing cards assigned to it for all game actions, with a bit of variation possible due to unit quality. The cards control the sequence of play in the usual way. Leaders, by succeeding at TAC rolls, assign units various tactical modes and motivate their units to do things. The modes (e.g., move, defend, etc.) determine just what the units do.

Spotting is probabilistic – a TAC roll, modified for range and situational factors, determines whether the target’s seen. Movement’s normal, with fixed movement allowances, modified for terrain. Fire combat is ranged and probabilistic, with cover and movement modifiers to the fire die rolls. Combat results range from null, to morale checks (or vehicle disablement), to wounds and KIA, depending on firer and target types. Armored targets apply their armor values as modifiers against the fire die rolls. The combat system is simple, but it works. It provides more than a “Did I kill it?” complexity level, but allows the game to focus mainly on the command and control problems the players face. Artillery is handled similarly, with TAC rolls being used to determine battery acquisition, etc. There are rules covering various artillery pattern types, deviation, and rates of fire.

Morale checks are required based on casualties, the current situation, and unit actions (e.g., close assault). Morale checks are based on units’ morale ratings, which are very similar in mechanic to, but may not be the same value as, units’ TAC ratings. Morale rolls, of course, are modified due to a number of circumstances. Results range from null, to various degrees of bad morale, to broken. Broken troops are largely useless until rallied. Units use their own morale ratings, or those of their leaders, based upon how close to their leaders they are.

There are numerous optional rules including weather, engineers, airborne troops, amphibious activities, and more. The six scenarios span 27 pages, with extensive descriptions, special rules, victory conditions, notes, and a decent full-page map for each. They range from a Boxer Rebellion skirmish all the way to a 1987 meeting engagement in Angola. The scenarios remind one of the sort of things found in the Skirmish Campaigns books… As a closing note, almost every page has a fine-print narrative quotation illustrating the main points made on the page, a nice touch.

In addition to rules updates and downloads the authors provide a list of vendors selling the rules. These are a quick-playing set of rules that I plan to spend some time onAoF should be available from your local game shop for $20.00. If it’s not, check out the Arc of Fire website at http://fisherts.home.mindspring.com/aof. - Recommended!

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