This post provides the overview of Battle 1.

Type: Meeting Engagement

Time: 0700 hours, 20th September 1944

Location: Near Lezey, Lorraine

The morning mist clears revealing an attacking German battle group. American tank companies are hurriedly pushed forward to drive the Germans off.

This introductory battle takes just over an hour to play.

Map

The map is for a 6’x4’ table and shows the layout of the terrain for the battle. Don’t worry about reproducing it exactly – near enough is good enough. The important thing is that the woods and hills break up line of sight. If you are playing with a larger or smaller table add or remove some terrain.

Woods: The woods are broken ground (half speed) and provide light cover (+1D).

Hills: The hills are broken ground (half speed). Units firing at uphill targets lose –1D from their AT Dice.

Deployment Zones: The German Deployment zone is at the top of the map and the American one at the bottom. Vehicles are placed along the table edges in their respective deployment zones.

Victory or Defeat: The game is won by the player who reduces the other to zero Army Morale Points at the end of a turn.

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The mission briefing for the USA.

This post explains the information contained in the mission briefings.

Units: The number of units in the battle group including off-table artillery (present in Battles 2 & 3).

Command Dice: The number of Command Dice rolled each turn. Command Dice are used to determine the Turn Sequence and issue Command Orders.

Staff Orders: How many initial Staff Orders a battle group has. A battle group can store as many Staff Orders as it has Command Dice.

Rally Dice: The number of dice rolled when rallying units.

Army Morale Points: How many Army Morale Points a battle group starts with.

Initial Forces: Which units must be placed on the table at the start of the game.

Reserves: Units that can enter the table as reserves from the second turn onward.

Deployment: Where initial forces are deployed on the map.

First Command Pulse: How to determine which side gets the first Command Pulse.

Victory or Defeat: How the winner and loser are determined.

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Overview of Battle 1.

This post provides a summary of the rules needed to play Battle 1. I’ll be posting an updated version after I add the rules for Battles 2 & 3.

Game Turn

Both players roll their Command Dice

• Check for Command Failure
• Discard any 1s

The player who rolled the most 6s has the first Command Pulse

• First Friendly Command Pulse
• First Enemy Command Pulse
• Second Friendly Command Pulse
• Second Enemy Command Pulse
• Command Pulses Alternate until all command Dice have been used
• End of Turn – Remove Fire Markers

Command Failure

• More 1s than 6s
• Opponent gets the 1s to use as wild dice
• Player with Command Failure has second Command Pulse
• If both players roll a Command Failure, the turn ends

Command Group

• Nominate one unit as the commander
• Another three units within 6″ can be included in the Command Group
• Suppressed units cannot be included

Command and Staff Orders

• Move and Fire
• Commit Reserves
• Disengage Group
• Rally Group
• Remove Unit Suppression

Staff Orders Only

• May be used as Wild Dice

Restock Staff Orders

• Double roll = 1 Staff Order
• Triple roll= 2 Staff Orders
• Quadruple roll = 3 Staff Orders

Wild Dice – Rolls of 6s and Staff Orders

• Create Larger Dice Chain
• Add to Combat Roll
• Add to Reaction Roll
• Add to Rally Roll
• Replace a Variable Move Dice
• Double, triple or more 6s can be used to issue instant staff orders

Direct Fire TN = 4+

Roll your unit’s AT Dice. Your opponent rolls his unit’s Reaction Dice

• Suppressed Units Cannot Fire
• Close Range -1 TN
• Effective Range 0 TN
• Long Range +1 TN
• Flank/Rear Attack -1TN
• Double Move -1D
• Triple Move -2D
• Target is uphill -1D

Reaction Checks

• Target unit is not suppressed 4+TN
• Target unit is suppressed 5+ TN
• Target unit is in or behind light cover +1D

Direct Fire Results

Disruption Points: Target takes one Disruption Point for each success by the firing unit.

Dispersal: Remove a unit when it has three Disruption Points, then deduct D3 Amy Morale Points.

Suppression: Caused when the firing unit rolls more 6s than the target.

Forced Back: If a unit is suppressed and takes one or two disruption points.

• A unit is forced back 6″ +1D6″ per unmatched 6.

Rallying

You roll Rally Dice. Your opponent rolls one dice for each Disruption Point on your unit with a 4+ TN. Your TN depends on the distance to the closest enemy unit. Remove one Disruption Point per success. Suppressed units cannot be rallied.

• 0-6″ 6+ TN
• 6-12″ 5+ TN
• 12-24″ 4+ TN
• 24-26″ 3+ TN
• 36″+ 2+ TN
• Light Cover +1D
• No LOS to enemy +1D

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Mission Briefings Explained

This post explains Opportunity Fire.

Opportunity fire is a powerful means of controlling the battlefield as it allows units to fire in an Enemy Command Pulse.

Note: You cannot use opportunity fire during your own Command Pulse – you have to activate the unit before it can fire.

Units Eligible to Use Opportunity Fire

A unit is eligible to use opportunity fire providing it doesn’t have a fire marker or is suppressed. The unit must also be present on the table. Therefore off-table artillery cannot use opportunity fire. The unit must also have LOS to the target.

A Fire Marker is placed next to the unit when it uses opportunity fire.

Targets That Trigger Opportunity Fire

An enemy unit that fires or moves in LOS triggers opportunity fire.

Opportunity Fire Against a Firing Target

When your opponent says that one of his units is firing but not moving, you may use opportunity fire against it. You must declare this before your opponent rolls his AT Dice. You cannot wait to see what the effects of his fire are – your fire occurs simultaneously with his. For convenience, let your opponent roll his dice first, but don’t apply the results until after you’ve fired back.

You may then use opportunity fire against the firing enemy unit with any of your eligible units. You choose a unit and conduct its fire before deciding whether any more of your units are going to fire. You can keep selecting units and firing until you decide to stop or you run out of units that can fire.

Opportunity Fire Against A Moving Target

When your opponent moves a unit that is within or enters LOS of one of your units you can request that he halts the unit’s movement while you fire at it. A unit that is suppressed by your fire halts where it is – it cannot advance any further. Measure any Forced Back results from where it was halted. A unit that is not suppressed completes its move after all opportunity fire has been resolved. In the event of the unit entering the LOS of another of your units, this unit may also use opportunity fire.

For example, Max is moving three Panther tanks towards three American 75mm M4s. Tom decides to use opportunity fire against all the German tanks when they enter effective range at 14”. One Panther is suppressed and stops moving immediately. The second is suppressed and also takes a Disruption Point. It halts and is forced back 6+1D”. The third Panther doesn’t get hit and completes its move 6” away from the Americans. As two of the German tanks are suppressed, only one can now fire.

Image of Tiger I from Bundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Groenert-019-23A / Grönert / CC-BY-SA 3.0

Rules for Battle 1

The rules needed to play the first battle are now complete. Battle 1 will be posted following a summary of the rules so far.

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The Rules Summary for Battle 1.

This post describes Reaction Checks and Direct Fire Results.

After applying any Fire Modifiers, and deducting any dice due to the situation, roll the unit’s AT Dice. If you score any successes, your opponent makes a Reaction Check with a 4+ TN. This increases to TN 5+ if the target unit is suppressed.

If you fail to score any successes, you opponent doesn’t need to make a Reaction Check.

Cover Dice and Reaction Checks

Cover obscures the target and provides protection. Only light cover is described in Armour Battles and is represented by woods and hedges.

Light Cover increases a unit’s Reaction Dice. A unit behind or in cover rolls an extra dice when making a Reaction Check.

Light Cover +1D

For example, a unit of Panzer IVs in a wood (light cover) gains a +1D to their Reaction Dice. When fired at they roll 6D, instead of their usual 5D.

Units hit by indirect fire don’t gain any bonus from light cover (indirect fire is explained in a later post).

Direct Fire Combat Results

After both players have rolled, compare the results:

Firer has more successes

• Target takes 1 Disruption Point per success; check for suppression if the attacker rolled one or more 6s

Firer has same or less successes

• Target takes no Disruption Points; check for suppression if the attacker rolled one or more 6s

Suppression Check

As mentioned previously in the Unit Morale post, each time a unit is fired on and the attacker rolls one or more 6s, the target unit becomes suppressed if it failed to roll the same or more 6s than the attacker. If the unit takes any Disruption Points, it is forced back 6″ plus 1D6″ for each unmatched 6.

Dispersal

A unit is dispersed when it has three or more Disruption Points.

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How to use Opportunity Fire