Introduction
This game simulates combat between tanks, self-propelled guns, and armored cars. These rules are designed for use with 1/285th or 1/300th scale miniatures, although other scales can be used. Each vehicle figure represents one actual vehicle. Each inch of the playing surface represents about 100 feet of actual distance. Only the basic rules have been included below. Additional rules, including anti-tank and artillery guns, infantry, hidden set up, hedgerows, buildings, dug-in units, indirect fire, artillery support, air support, anti-aircraft guns, minefields, complete vehicle specifications (with machine guns, value system, and many additional vehicles covering eight nationalities), and much more, can be obtained from the author; Chris Pagano, 100 N. Smith Street, Six Mile, SC, 29682, please include a few dollars to cover photocopying and postage. Email can be addressed to: cpagano@clemson.edu.
Ten-sided dice are used to resolve combat and other random events. (A "0" on dice numbered 0-9 is treated as a 10).
Sequence of Play
Each game turn proceeds through ten phases:
- 1) Axis Morale & Load
2) Axis Fire
3) Axis Movement
4) Allied Fire
5) Axis Fire
6) Allied Morale & Load
7) Allied Fire
8) Allied Movement
9) Axis Fire
10) Allied Fire
Movement
Each vehicle is given a certain number of movement points as indicated in the Vehicle Specifications. The German Pzk IV for example has 6, and cannot expend more than that during its movement phase. This means that it may move up to 6" on clear terrain during its movement phase. Table 1 lists the costs in points to move over various terrain and to perform particular actions.
Note that it costs 2/3 point to move 1" on the road, which would allow the Pz IV to move 9" on the road (1 1/2" for every point expended).
If a vehicle began the movement phase "stopped" or "stationary" (see below) it must expend movement points to begin moving.
If a vehicle moves during the movement phase but ends the phase stopped place a "stopped" marker next to it.
If a vehicle does nothing during its movement phase other than pivot, a "stationary" marker is placed next to it. Unmarked vehicles are those which remain in motion at the end of the phase. These are considered moving targets during the fire phases.
Units which begin the game on the battlefield may set up "stationary."
Units may pivot freely at any time during the movement phase. However, vehicles that end the movement phase still in motion should be pointed in the direction in which they are moving. Note that turrets may end the movement phase pointed in a different direction than the front of the vehicle.
Firing; To-Hit
Units may only fire during one of its own fire phases (e.g., a German unit may only fire during one of the Axis Fire phases). Units may choose not to fire in a fire phase in order to save the shot for a later one.
When a unit fires place a "shot" marker next to it. A unit with a single rate of fire may not fire again until after the shot marker is removed during its Morale & Load phase. A unit with a double rate of fire may only fire once during any individual fire phase, but may fire during two separate fire phases before both shot markers are removed during its next Morale and Load phase. Thus a unit with a double rate of fire may have up to two shot markers placed next to them. During the Axis Morale & Load Phase remove all shot markers from axis units (except those which are stunned), and do likewise for the allied units during the Allied Morale & Load Phase.
Units are not allowed to pivot during a fire phase in order to bring a weapon to bear on a target. All pivoting must be done within a movement phase. Realistically however, a small amount of pivoting could usually be accomplished quickly. To account for this all turret mounted weapons are given a total firing arc of 60 degrees (30 degrees to either side), and bow- mounted weapons are given 40 degrees (20 degrees to either side).
The target for each unit firing during a given fire phase should be declared before any To- Hit rolls are made. For example, if five German units are firing upon two Russian units, the German may decide to fire three at one target and two at the other. If the first firer of the group of three knocks out the target, the others are considered to have fired at it as well. (This is consistent with battlefield accounts; once spotted a vehicle may be hit a few times in quick succession, even though the first hit may have been enough to take it out of action.)
A shot has a base 50% chance of hitting its target (d10: 6+) with various modifiers listed in Table 2. The range modifier for a target between 4 and 8 inches, for example, is +1. A "natural 1" (a roll of a 1" on the die before modifications) is always a miss.
This game differentiates between three types of aiming; firing while moving, firing soon after stopping, and standing 'stationary' for some time while firing (which may be more accurately referred to as firing from an 'overwatch' position).
To represent these three types of aiming a vehicle suffers a -3 penalty for firing while moving, and gains a +2 bonus for 'stationary' fire. (The +2 modifier for stationary fire and the +1 modifier for stationary target represent both the increased likelihood of hitting when firer and/or target have been sitting stationary as well as the the increased rate of fire. A single shot may be taken to represent two or more actual rounds of ammunition, depending on the circumstances and the weapon.)
Once it has been determined that a shot has hit the Hit Effect table is consulted (unarmored vehicles are automatically wrecked).
Hit Effect
A hit has a base 50% chance of effecting the target (d10: 6+, see Table 3). This is modified by the range of the shot; the size of the weapon (in mm); the weapon type (short, regular, long, or very long - indicating relative muzzle velocity); and the vehicle's armor modifier (which can be found under the vehicle specifications). To determine if the hit was to the front, side, or rear; imagine lines emanating from the vehicle's corners at 45'.
If the result after modifications is a 5 or less, the armor successfully deflected the hit. If it is a 7 or higher, the vehicle and crew are destroyed. If the the result is a 6, the vehicle is either stunned or immobilized. To determine which, roll another d10 and if the result is a 1-5 the vehicle is stunned, otherwise it is immobilized.
For example: A T-34-85 hits a Tiger I on its side facing at a range of 10", and rolls a 6 for effect. The modifiers are +1 for range (6-14"), +1 for weapon size (85mm), +1 for weapon type (L), and -2 for the Tiger's side modifier. This adds up to a net +1, which added to the 6 makes a 7; the Tiger is taken out of action, place a puff on it.
Immobilization Hits
When a vehicle is immobilized it may not move for the remainder of the game. An immobilized vehicle may not pivot in place but may pivot its turret.
If the vehicle was moving when it became immobilized it will immediately stop. It may make an errant turn before coming to a stop. Roll a d10 using the table below. The vehicle is turned 0, 45, or 90 degrees as indicated, either left or right, and then moved 1" before coming to a full stop (place a stopped marker next to it).
- d10
1-4 0 degrees straight ahead,
5-6 45 degrees right,
7-8 45 degrees
left,
9 90 degrees right,
10 90 degrees left.
Vehicles are wrecked if they go off a bridge or cliff or if they hit a building. Armored vehicles which collide become immobilized, while other units are destroyed.
Stun Hits
A stun hit assumes that the crew has somehow been jarred, wounded, or put into some form of confusion, while the essential functions of the vehicle (or other weapon) have remained undamaged. Place a "stun" marker next to the unit. If the unit is already stunned it is taken out of action instead. The stun marker is removed at the conclusion of the unit's next movement phase (the unit may not move during that movement phase). Astunned unit may not fire, pivot, load, or move in any way until after the marker is removed. If the stunned unit is a moving vehicle it will immediately stop, roll for an errant turn as with an immobilization.
Walls and Hedges
Whenever a unit must trace its fire through a wall or hedge a -1 modifier is applied to the To-Hit roll. This rule has several special cases:
- If the firer is within 1/2" of the wall or hedge the modifier is not used.
- If the target is a vehicle within 1/2" of a wall, it is considered "hull down" instead (use the regular -1 for hedges). Hull down vehicles may not fire bow MGs. Hull down SP-guns may fire their main armament.
- If one unit (target or firer) is at a higher level than the other, the modifier is not used unless the lower unit is within 1/2" of the obstacle (this assumes that the wall/hedge is on the same level as the lower unit).
Line of Sight
When one unit fires at another, stretch the tape measure between the two; this is the firer's "line of sight" (LOS). Certain obstacles block or hinder LOS, such as walls, hedges, hedgerows, buildings, woods, and hills.
Walls and hedges are considered ground-level obstacles. Buildings, hedgerows, and 1st- level hills are 1st-level obstacles. Woods and 2nd-level hills are 2nd-level obstacles.
Ground-level obstacles (walls and hedges) do not block LOS, but modify To-Hit rolls as described above.
Other obstacles block LOS; these include hills, hedgerows, woods, and buildings.
Firing "THROUGH" obstacles
LOS can be traced through I" of woods.
Two units at different elevations can always trace LOS through 1" of the hill upon which the higher unit is located. The 1/2" nearest the edge of hill is considered to be sloping downwards, thus units are clearly visible in this area. LOS may be traced to vehicles between 1/2 and 1" from the edge of a hill, but these are considered hull-down when fired at from lower elevations. Only turret-mounted weapons may fire from this hull down position onto targets at lower elevations. Russian tanks are exceptions, they may not fire to units at lower elevations unless they are within 1/2" of the edge. (Thus SP-guns and all Russians should be placed <1/2" from the edge if they wish to fire at units lower than themselves or > 1" if they do not want to be targets. In practice, we find it easiest to place vehicles that cannot take advantage of being hull-down right at the hill edge so there is no question. Many geo-hex type hills have a slope of about an 1". The 'edge' of the hill is the corner formed by the top of this slope and the level surface of the hill. Units actually on the slope are considered to be at the lower level.)
Firing OVER obstacles
If one unit is at a higher elevation than another, LOS may be traced over an intervening obstacle. Measure the distance from the lower unit to the edge of the obstacle closest to it, and from that same edge to the higher unit. A unit on a 2ndlevel hill may trace LOS over a Ist-level obstacle to a unit on ground level if the distance from it to the obstacle is less than the distance from the obstacle to the lower unit. For example, a unit on a 2nd-level hill wishes to trace LOS over a 1st level hill. If the distance to far edge of the 1st level hill is 20" then the target must be at least 40" away from the firer. The reverse is also true, whenever a unit traces LOS over an obstacle one level higher than itself to a unit two levels higher than itself, the distance from the lower unit to the obstacle must be equal or greater than the distance from the obstacle to the higher unit.
A unit may never trace LOS over an obstacle at its own height to a lower one; although it may fire over such obstacles to targets at a equal or higher elevations. A unit on a 1st-level hill for example, may not fire over a 1st-level hill to a unit on ground-level, but may fire over it to a target that is on another lst-level hill.
LOS between two units on hills of the same level is unaffected by those hills.
Morale
Before play begins all vehicles should typically be grouped into 'platoons' of 4-5. However, a referee setting up a game should feel free to exercise a great deal of latitude here. For example, heavy tanks or reconnaissance units may be organized into units of 3 or even 2 while any number of units may be allowed to act independently (e.g., tank destroyers setting up in ambush or individual reconnaissance units). Units acting independently are are not subject to morale rolls.
At the beginning of the Morale & Load phase a d10 is rolled for each platoon of that side which has lost at least one unit since their last morale phase. The easiest way to keep track of this is to place a puff on a unit when it is taken out of action, roll morale for its platoon during their next morale phase, and be sure to remove all puffs for that side at the conclusion of the morale phase.
A platoon need not roll morale if there are no enemy units within LOS of any of the members of that platoon (immobilized units and infantry units greater than 8" away are not counted).
Morale is failed if the number rolled is equal to or less than the number of units that platoon has lost since the start of play (do not count stunned or immobilized units). If morale is failed that platoon must attempt to retreat from battle during the next and all subsequent movement phases. All stationary and stopped markers are immediately removed and the units are considered to be in motion (they need not pay the movement penalty for starting). Vehicles may load and fire but must do so while moving. Once a section loses its morale and attempts to retreat it will continue to retreat unit it exits a "safe" side of the battlefield and remains out of play. If no reasonable avenue of escape exists the vehicles are abandoned. Stunned and immobilized units are taken out of action (i.e. the vehicle is abandoned).
Ambush Fire
Any time a unit attempts to both enter and leave the LOS of a loaded enemy unit it may be fired upon during the movement phase (using either Table 2 or 4). The target must have begun the movement phase out of LOS of the firing unit and must attempt to leave the firing unit's LOS during the same movement phase. The target may be fired upon at any point during its move. The fire must be resolved immediately, before any other unit is moved. Due to limited LOS duration, an additional -1 modifier applies to ambush fire at ranges > 6".
Vehicle Specifications
MP: Movement points.
Armament: The main armament on the vehicle (for use with Table 2) in mm.
This may be followed by:
S - Short-barreled weapon (low muzzle velocity).
L - Long-barreled weapon (high muzzle velocity).
VL - Very-long weapon (very high muzzle velocity).
D - Double rate of fire.
F, S & R: Front, Side and Rear armor modifiers to be applied to Fire Effect rolls against that facing.
Wt: Relative weight of the vehicle (related to its weight in tons, not necessarily its organizational classification); L ~ light, M = medium, H = heavy, and VH = very heavy.
Yr: Year in which the vehicle saw action (e.g. '94' indicates it was primarily used 1939 through 1944.)
1. MOVEMENT
Cost to move 1"
| Type | Fully Tracked | Half Tracked | Wheeled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Clear | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Road | 2/3 | 2/3 | 2/3 |
| Woods | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Rough | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Up slope | +1 | +1 | +1 |
| Ford Stream | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Wall | 3 | 4 | - |
| Hedge | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Reverse | x2 | x2 | x2 |
2. TO-HIT (d10)
5 or less: Miss
6 or more: Hit
Range:
-
4 or less +2
under 8 +1
under 12 0
under 18 -1
under 26 -2
under 36 -3
under 48 -4
under 60 -5
under 72 -6
under 84 -7
Firer:
- Moving vehicle 3
Stationary vehicle/Gun +2
S 22-42" -1
S over 42" -2
L over 26" +1
VL 26-60" +1
VL over 60" +2
Russian, French, Polish vehicle -1
Target:
- Size +/- target size
Moving vehicle -2
Stationary vehicle +1
Hull-down and/or dug in -2
In woods and/or building -2
LOS through wall or hedge -1
LOS through hedgerow 2
Ambush Fire over 6" -1
3. FIRE EFFECT (d10)
- 5 and under: No Effect
6 Stun/Immobilize*
7+ Wreck
*d10:
- 1-5 Stunned
6-10 Immobilized
Armor: Armor modifier
Range:
- under 6": +2
under 14": .+1
under 30": ..0
under 54": -1
54+": -2
Weapon size (mm):
- 20-25 4
28-37 3
40-47 2
50-57 1
70-77 0
85-95 + 1
100-114 +2
120-122 +3
128-145 +4
150-155 +5
Weapon Type:
- S -1
L +1
VL +2
SEQUENCE OF PLAY:
-
1) Axis Morale & Load
2) Axis Fire
3) Axis Movement
4) Allied Fire
5) Axis Fire
6) Allied Morale & Load
7) Allied Fire
8) Allied Movement
9) Axis Fire
10) Allied Fire
| AMERICAN | MP | Armament | Sz | F | S | R | Wt | Yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M3 Stuart | 7 | 37VL | -1 | 0 | +1 | +2 | L | 1-5 |
| M5 Stuart | 7 | 37VL | -1 | -1 | 0 | +2 | L | 2-5 |
| M8 HMC Stuart | 7 | 75S,D | -1 | -1 | 0 | +2 | L | 3-5 |
| M24 Chaffee | 7 | 75 | - | -1 | 0 | +2 | M | 4-5 |
| M4 Sherman 75 | 6 | 75 | - | -1 | 0 | +2 | M | 3-5 |
| M4 Sherman 76 | 6 | 76L | - | -1 | 0 | +2 | M | 4-5 |
| M4 Sherman 105 | 6 | 105 | - | -1 | 0 | +2 | M | 4-5 |
| M7 Priest | 6 | 105 | - | +1 | +2 | +4 | M | 2-5 |
| M10 Wolverine | 6 | 76L,D | - | -1 | 0 | +2 | M | 3-5 |
| M10 Achilles | 6 | 76VL | - | -1 | 0 | +2 | M | 4-5 |
| M36 Jackson | 6 | 90L | - | -1 | 0 | +2 | M | 4-5 |
| M18 Hellcat | 8 | 76L,D | - | +1 | +2 | +3 | M | 4-5 |
| M26 Pershing | 6 | 90L | - | -3 | -1 | +1 | H | 5 |
| Halftracks | 8 | - | - | +3 | +3 | +4 | L | 1-5 |
| M3 Scout Car ac | 10 | - | -1 | +3 | +4 | U | L | 1-5 |
| M8 Grayhound ac | 10 | 37VL | -1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | L | 3-5 |
| M20 Grayhd ac | 10 | - | -1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | L | 3-5 |
| Light Truck | 10 | - | - | U | U | U | L | 9-5 |
| Heavy Truck | 8 | - | - | U | U | U | L | 1-5 |
| Jeep | 12 | - | -1 | U | U | U | L | 2-5 |
| SOVIET | MP | Armament | Sz | F | S | R | Wt | Yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-70 | 6 | 45L | -1 | 0 | +1 | +2 | L | 2-5 |
| SU-76 | 6 | 76L,D | - | +1 | +2 | +4 | L | 3-5 |
| T-34 '43 | 7 | 76L | - | -2 | -1 | +1 | M | 3-5 |
| T-34-85 | 7 | 85L | - | -2 | -1 | +1 | M | 4-5 |
| SU-85 | 7 | 85L | - | -2 | -1 | +1 | M | 3-5 |
| SU-100 | 7 | 100L | - | -2 | -1 | +1 | M | 5 |
| SU-122 | 7 | 122S | - | -2 | -1 | +1 | M | 3-5 |
| KV-1B,C | 6 | 76L | - | -3 | -2 | 0 | H | 2-3 |
| KV-1s | 7 | 76L | - | -2 | -1 | 0 | M | 2-3 |
| KV-85 | 6 | 85L | - | -2 | -1 | 0 | H | 3-4 |
| SU-152 | 6 | 152 | - | -2 | -1 | 0 | H | 3-5 |
| JS-1 | 6 | 100L | - | -3 | -2 | 0 | H | 4 |
| JS-2 | 6 | 122L | - | -3 | -2 | 0 | H | 4-5 |
| JSU-122 | 6 | 122L | - | -3 | -2 | 0 | H | 4-5 |
| JSU-152 | 6 | 152 | - | -3 | -2 | 0 | H | 4-5 |
| BA-64 ac | 9 | - | -1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | L | 1-5 |
| Light Truck | 10 | - | - | U | U | U | L | 9-5 |
| Heavy Truck | 8 | - | - | U | U | U | L | 3-5 |
| GERMAN | MP | Armament | Sz | F | S | R | Wt | Yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pz Marder II | 6 | 76L,D | - | 0 | +2 | U | L | 2-4 |
| Pz Marder III | 6 | 76L,D | - | 0 | +2 | U | L | 2-3 |
| Pz Marder III M | 6 | 75L,D | - | 0 | +1 | +3 | L | 3-5 |
| Bison | 6 | 150S | - | +1 | +2 | +4 | L | 3-5 |
| Hetzer | 6 | 75L | -1 | -2 | 0 | +2 | L | 4-5 |
| Pz II | 6 | 20L,D | -1 | +1 | +2 | +3 | L | 9-4 |
| Wespe | 6 | 105 | - | +2 | +3 | +4 | M | 2-5 |
| Pz III J,L,M | 6 | 50L | - | -1 | 0 | +1 | M | 2-4 |
| Pz III N | 6 | 75S | - | -1 | 0 | +1 | M | 2-5 |
| Stug III F | 6 | 75 | - | -1 | 0 | +1 | M | 2-4 |
| Stug III G | 6 | 75L | - | -1 | 0 | +1 | M | 3-5 |
| StuH III G | 6 | 105S | - | -1 | 0 | +1 | M | 3-5 |
| Pz IV F2, G | 6 | 75 | - | -1 | 0 | +2 | M | 2-3 |
| Pz IV H,J | 6 | 75L | - | -1 | 0 | +2 | M | 3-5 |
| Stug IV | 6 | 75L | - | -2 | -1 | +1 | M | 4-5 |
| Jagdpanzer IV | 6 | 75L | - | -3 | -2 | 0 | M | 4-5 |
| Hummel | 6 | 150 | +1 | +1 | +2 | +3 | M | 3-5 |
| Nashorn | 6 | 88VL,D | +1 | 0 | +1 | +3 | M | 3-5 |
| Brumbar | 6 | 150S | +1 | -2 | -1 | +1 | M | 3-5 |
| Wirbelwind | 6 | 4x20L,D | - | +1 | +2 | +3 | M | 4-5 |
| Ostwind | 6 | 37VL,D | - | +1 | +2 | +3 | M | 4-5 |
| Panther | 6 | 75VL | - | -3 | -2 | 0 | H | 3-5 |
| JagdPanther | 6 | 88VL | - | -4 | -2 | 0 | H | 4-5 |
| Tiger I | 6 | 88L | - | -3 | -2 | -1 | H | 3-5 |
| Ferdinand (Elefant) | 5 | 88VL | +1 | -4 | -2 | -1 | VH | 3-4 |
| Tiger II (King) | 5 | 88VL | +1 | -4 | -2 | -1 | VH | 4-5 |
| JagdTiger | 4 | 128L | +1 | -4 | -3 | -1 | VH | 5 |
| SdKfz 222 ac | 9 | 20L,D | -1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | L | 9-3 |
| SdKfz 231, 232 ac | 9 | 20L,D | - | +2 | +3 | +4 | L | 9-5 |
| SdKfz 234/1 ac | 10 | 20L,D | - | +1 | +3 | +3 | L | 4-5 |
| SdKfz 234/2 (Puma) | 10 | 50L | - | +1 | +3 | +3 | L | 4-5 |
| SdKfz 234/3 ac | 10 | 75S | - | +1 | +3 | +3 | L | 4-5 |
| SdKfz 234/4 ac | 10 | 75L | - | +1 | +3 | +3 | L | 4-5 |
| SdKfz 7-11 ht | 8 | - | - | U | U | U | L | 9-5 |
| SdKfz 250 ht | 8 | - | -1 | +3 | +3 | +4 | L | 2-5 |
| SdKfz 251 ht | 8 | - | - | +3 | +3 | +4 | L | 0-5 |
| Light Truck | 10 | - | - | U | U | U | L | 9-5 |
| Heavy Truck | 7 | - | - | U | U | U | L | 0-5 |
| Kubelwagen | 12 | - | -1 | U | U | U | L | 9-5 |
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© Copyright 1999 Hal Thinglum
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