Crossfire

Company Level WW2 Rules

by Mark Hannam

Immediately upon opening the cover I was struck by the impression that this was Squad Leader for miniatures (the classic original not ASL). But first impressions can be wrong.

Of the 44 A4 pages, 19 are for the rules, 11 pages of battalion level unit organisations ranging from the more usual British, German, Russian, Japanese and American to Finns, Hungarians and Poles. The remainder of the book is made up of a scenario generator, points system, advanced rules and a very basic Stalingrad scenario. Two double sided play sheets are included.

The basic combat element in the game is the squad of 8-12 men represented by 3 figures on a base. Generally, three such bases and a command base make up a platoon. You have a basic choice of Rifle or SMG squad, there is no differentiation for Army or year. This means that a Polish rifle squad of 1940 with 1 LMG and 9 rifles has the same firepower as a US Marine squad of 1943 with 3 BAR fire teams or a German Fallschirmjager squad of 1944/5 armed with 6 rifles, 3 SMG`s and 2 MG42`s. With fire and movement being a principal building block of the game system this is a serious flaw which really undermines the entire concept of the rules.

The proud boast is no measuring tapes here ! Squads and platoons rush from one piece of cover to the next, only stopping in the open if they run into a "crossfire". Unfortunately, this leads the game to suffer from "PanzerBush" syndrome which bedevilled play in Avalon Hill`s classic boardgame PanzerBlitz. With the number of "crossfires" being limited, open spaces on the tabletop are anathema to CrossFire, because the attackers figures are likely to fall off the opposing table edge in their headlong rush in the first bound. A fact obviously recognised by the just released scenario book HIT THE DIRT : WWII Scenarios for CrossFire by Bill Rutherford and John Lewis ("Never Knowingly Under Rolled"); where the suggested terrain maps for every single scenario are chock full of Barrett housing estates and shrubbery.

All sorts of claims have been made about the tactical subtleties within these rules. Proof that you shouldn't believe everything you read. Tactics in CrossFire come as an accidental by-product of the game mechanics rather than a deliberate attempt to recreate even the most basic tactical doctrine.

If you are new to WW2 gaming and want a simple set of 'clean' rules to play, then CrossFire will suit. Overall however, a major disappointment for a set of wargame rules developed and published at the turn of the C21st. CrossFire breaks cover 15 years too late. £9.99 from most wargame rule stockists.

HIT THE DIRT : WWII Scenarios for CrossFire; 42 A4 pages contain seven scenarios on the Eastern Front, five from the Meditteranean Theatre of Operations, eight from the North-West Europe and finally the multi-player Race for the Reichstag, set in the dying moments of Hitler`s 1,000 Year Reich.

Whilst the scenarios are obviously designed for CrossFire they can be utilised with most WW2 wargame rules. Each scenario has a detailed map stuffed to the gunnels with terrain, adding again to that Squad Leader feel. Full order of battle for both participants including unit organisations, historical situation, objectives and special rules. £9.99 from most wargame rules stockists and well worth the money!

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