Squad Level Skirmish Second World War Rules

I've been mulling over the way ahead for my 28mm WW2 project, with the inevitable suspicion that Chain of Command is more practicable in 15mm. It's not the core platoon sized force that's the issue but the need for support options, which pushes the price bracket even higher than it would be otherwise. It also means that the relative cost factor of 15mm makes 28mm just the other side of silly.

This became painfully apparent when I was costing up a Soviet platoon using Crusader Miniatures, which levelled off at about £75 to £100, once I'd factored in a handful of heavy weapons, tanks and extras. This is just not feasible for me at the moment, even if I used plastics rather than my prefered metal figures. On the flipside, 15mm is a fraction of the cost and I already have the figures, so it's not rocket science to do Chain of Command using these smaller scale models.

However, I'm now revising the scope of my 28mm project to focus on squad level skirmish, with no more than a platoon as the default unit strength. This is more like Bolt Action, which I'm not a fan of, so an alternative set of rules is up for selection. At the moment, this will be Iron Cross from Great Escape Games, as the guys at the club think it's a really good set of rules. I'm also going to have another look at Five Men at Kursk by Nordic Weasel and as an outside third place option, Rate of Fire from Crusader Publishing.

One new set of rules that caught my eye, while browsing Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy in WHSmiths the other day, is Ultracombat Normandy by Dish Dash Games. These are the guys who produced the popular Skirmish Sangin modern rules, although the WW2 system is different. I really like the look of the rules from what I've read online and the price of the rule book too, as it's available in .pdf format, with the element cards as a free download. I also really like card based systems!

I may download the rules for a closer look?

L'Armee de l'ombre

I have all three books in the L'Armee de l'ombre trilogy now, having popped into the local bookstore while shopping for the trip home. This series of graphic novels details the experience of a group of soldiers on the Eastern Front, so it is pretty brutal stuff but beautifully realised by the author / artist, Olivier Speltens. It's also a cracking story even if I am struggling through the French text at times, with some very well thought out set piece scenes that really capture the experience of war on the Russian Front. If you are looking for inspiration for your company or platoon level scenarios, you need look no further.

Afrika Korps

I've been looking for skirmish things to do that will extend the use of the desert terrain that I've been assembling over the last couple of months. I thought about the obvious options like colonials including the Sudan, North West Frontier, the French Foreign Legion and so on, but have decided to make use of the Perry Eighth Army plastic set that I bought for Malaya last year but didn't use.

To balance these out, I've ordered a box of Perry Afrika Korps from eBay, although the first time I tried to do so I was stung by a seller who never posted the kit. Luckily, the eBay people sorted it out and I got a full refund. It's never happened to me before but it's good to know that they'll step in if you've done nothing wrong and sort the problem out quickly.

Altaya Char B1 bis

I found this in the newsagents yesterday and, although it's 1/43rd scale, I thought it would look not too out of scale with 28mm figures. If you look at photos of the real thing and compare it with the model it is actually far too big for 28mm but, if you don't put it next to anything too obviously 28mm or with any 1/56th scale vehicles, it actually looks fine. I like it anyway. I have some 28mm Crusader Miniatures early war French that I could use alongside this monster but it will be put in the 'get round to it one day' storage box for the foreseeable future.

QuarterKit Corgi Churchill Conversion Combination

Try repeating that after a few pints (luckily I'm on the wagon but it's still a bit of a tongue twister). Enough of that guff and onto the important bit, which is an order that I've placed with QuarterKit for a Gaso.line Churchill Crocodile resin conversion kit and one for a Churchill AVRE, both designed to be used with the Corgi 1/50 diecast model.

These were both on special offer, so I saved more than half of the full retail price, which made the two resin kits affordable. I already have two Corgi Churchills, so won't have to add them to the overall cost and I also saved half the postage by getting the order delivered to my in-laws in France, ready to be picked up at the weekend. 

The final bill is still €35(£28) so not cheap but I think it'll be worth it, if only to add two interesting and effective bunker busting tanks to the late war Allied arsenal for less than the cost of two 1/56 scale Bolt Action kits. As all my other armour is either 1/50 or 1/48 scale, this is really the only viable option anyway, which means that I'm happy to splash out a little bit more than usual.

I just hope the end result is as good as the photos?

Siegfried Line

I've been working on some terrain bits and bob's for my late war WW2 project, based around the tundra terrain cloth that I bought cheap before Xmas. The latest addition to the 'to do' list are a couple of boxes of anti-tank obstacles, which I'll base on mdf hedgerow terrain templates from ERM. These will then be deployed as Siegfried Line defences alongside my Snapdragon resin trenches, although I'll also need some bunkers for the Germans to hide in. I did try to scratchbuild some dragons teeth using an ice cube tray and plaster of Paris but it didn't work, so the off the shelf version is very attractive, especially as I got them for a tenner a box.

Easter Plans

I have a couple of things to do over the holidays, which will be spent away as usual, so no painting but plenty of preparation work instead. The first plan is to base up the Artizan Designs figures for my late war German platoon, which can then be painted for use against my late war US infantry. I'd like to break away from Bolt Action and try out some other WW2 skirmish level rules, so this seems like a good way to go.

The second project is one I intended to do over the last summer holidays but didn't get round to. This is a third army for the Back of Beyond in the shape of a Copplestone Turkish expeditionary force. It looks like there will be at least one Back of Beyond game at the club in the next couple of months, which is great as it will hopefully inspire some renewed interest in a fourth club campaign, in which my small but well balanced Turkish force may even take part.

Bolt Action Late War German Grenadiers [7]

I've always had a soft spot for the Sdkfz 250, probably due to the old Airfix 1/32 scale kit of Rommel's desert command version which I built as a kid, so I thought I'd add one to the late war German platoon. This is a Blitzkrieg Miniatures resin model in 1/48th scale, as all my other vehicles are 1/50th scale Corgi diecasts which look enormous next to their 1/56th scale counterparts. I will use this one as a command vehicle for my HQ or as a transport for my forward observer team. A bit expensive for what it is but I like it.

Bolt Action Late War German Grenadiers [6]

A while back I set out my plans for a Bolt Action German platoon to use against my existing late war US platoon. The original idea was to model a Volksgrenadier platoon but, as I already have a load of Artizan figures in greatcoats and winter smocks, I decided that this would be a regular Heer grenadier platoon without the obligatory assault rifles. The Bolt Action game at the weekend has reminded me about this project so I've been fiddling around with a painting schedule and colour schemes.

While I was in Cornwall at half term I picked up a Flames of War paint set for late war German infantry which, together with my existing collection of Vallejo and Foundry paints, will form the basis of my approach to these figures. They'll be in a mixture of Autumn camouflage smocks and greatcoats, which will fit in nicely with my winter equipped Americans. I have also been working out what I will need to fill out the ranks, with the Easter holiday as a good time to base them all up.

One thing which I don't have is a tow for my PaK40, so this has been on my list of things to get hold of over the last few months. I prefer 1/48th scale diecast models for this sort of thing but hadn't been able to locate anything suitable. As a result, I decided to try out a Blitzkrieg Models resin vehicle, in the shape of an SdKfz 251/1 Hanomag half track, which seemed ideal for the purpose. The model arrived today having been ordered late on Monday and I have to say I am suitably impressed.

The casting is nice and clean with no air bubbles or distortions, although there s a little bit of flash around the hull and in a few corners. The model itself is nice and chunky, which means that little bits are unlikely to snap off in action, which is a problem I've had with some other resin models. The internal detail is also really good, with various bits of kit strewn around the crew compartment and hung from appropriate locations around the hull.

A really nice model in my preferred scale and, at only £20 a go, not too expensive as along as you don't want a whole Panzer Grenadier company of the things! I will definitely be looking to the Blitzkrieg range for more 1/48th scale AFV's, especially an M5A1 Stuart or M10 tank destroyer for my late war US infantry, both of which I'd really like to add to the platoon as recce and anti-tank fire support respectively. These aren't available yet but I'm hoping will be scaled up for the 1/48th scale range before long.

Operation Nordwind

I found this hardback in the second hand bookshop today for two quid. It's an interesting subject which is overshadowed by the Battle of the Bulge but is well worth a look as an wargaming alternative. It also give my 28mm Artizan Yanks another excuse to be deployed in winter terrain and to have at least one Corgi Sherman tanks painted up in snow camouflage. I really should get round to finishing off those last few remaining figures to use with  Bolt Action!, Rate of Fire or Iron Cross.

Rate of Fire Revisited

 

I've had these rules for years now but have never had the chance to try them out. I bought my copies of the rules and AFV supplement in a North Star sale back in 2010 and thought they looked pretty solid, with some common sense mechanisms and all the usual elements you'd expect from a 28mm skirmish level game. I've dug them out of the pile and will try to get a playtest game set up at the club to try them out, although this will have to be some time in the New Year. In the meantime, I'll be re-reading the rules to see if they might be another alternative to Bolt Action, which is a great set of rules but with something missing?

Rate of Fire Rulebook

I got the Rate of Fire rulebook from North Star in the post this morning. I'm off on holiday this afternoon so will take it with me for a thorough read through. It looks pretty good after a quick skim read but I want to get my head round the turn sequence and mechanisms in a bit more depth. I'm not sure about all the counters that seem to be used on table and think I'll try to find some alternative, less intrusive way to indicate what needs to be shown rather than the little coloured cardboard squares that seem to populate the RoF battlefield.

I'm also taking the Axles and Alloys II rules with me to flick through as I've got a game lined up on the 23rd and need to have some idea how they work. There's a new cheatsheet on the downloads site which should help with this and make the game go a little faster as we won't have to flick back and fro through the rules to work out the mechanisms. I still have to re-base one of my cars to match the desert bases of the others and make some smoke and flame markers but, apart from that, I think I'm ready to go.

Churchill Tank (Rate of Fire)

I've just recieved one of these in the post to add some tank support to the 28mm British Infantry platoon for Rate of Fire.

It's a Corgi diecast in 1/50th scale which is close enough to 28mm not to cause me sleepless nights. I'll definately be re-painting and detailing it though as it looks far to bland as it is. It cost about a tenner on Ebay so not too pricey. I may even get another if I can find one cheap enough. Although I can't use it now due to a lack of rules for armour, there's going to be a supplement added later which includes tanks and other AFV's.

The weapons bits from EM4 arrived in the post too. They're not bad but have the arms cast onto the guns so I'll have to do some cutting and sanding before sticking them onto the diecast cars. They're a bit on the big side but will look fine as heavy weapons for Axles and Alloys.

Crusader Late War British

I've blown the birthday dosh on a full platoon worth of Late War British infantry for Rate of Fire from Crusader, plus a hard copy of the rules.

With a box set plus an extra pack of a command team, a kneeling command and bren team, 2'' mortar team, PIAT team and a couple of packs of kneeling riflemen, I've got all I need to build three sections and a platoon HQ with mortar section attached. I also splashed out on a Vickers as it looked good and could easily have been attached to a platoon from the support company.

This is what I'm going to replicate, a platoon of the 5th Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, assuming it fits with the rules:

Platoon HQ

1 x Officer (Sten)

1 Sergeant (Rifle)

1 x Signaller (Rifle)

1 x Runner (Rifle)

Light Mortar Section

1 x 2'' mortar (sten)

2 x loaders / ammo carrier (rifle)

2 x Rifle Platoons each:

1 x Corporal (sten)

1 x Lance Corporal (bren)

2 x loaders / ammo carriers (rifle)

6 x riflemen (rifles)

1 x Rifle Platoon (the PIAT could be assigned to the HQ section instead)

1 x Corporal (sten)

1 x Lance Corporal (bren)

2 x loaders / ammo carriers (rifle)

1 x PIAT (sten)

1 x PIAT loader / ammo carrier (rifle)

4 x riflemen (rifle)

This should be more than enough for a decent size game, with a total of 47 figures plus the HMG I'll have plenty to deal with any situation that Jon can throw at me. Northstar are usually pretty quick on delivery so I should have the figures and rules next week. I can then start cleaning, basing and undercoating them after half term (The 10mm option for this is therefore off the radar but may resurface next year, as it's still something I'd like to do using the Pithead range of figures).

Rate of Fire

These look like an interesting set of skirmish level rules for WW2, perhaps as a potential alternative to Disposable Heroes, which is the other commercial ruleset I've considered for this level of gaming.

Although they don't seem to include rules for tanks, from the blurb on the webpage at least, they do cover most of the things I'd expect to see in a WW2 tactical squad level set and some extra bits that sometimes get left out.

The sample pages look good too, with clearly laid out content and some high quality graphics which, while not affecting the gameplay at all, certainly go some way to justify the price tag...why have rules all become so bloody expensive?. At £18 plus postage they don't represent fantastic value for money but I may well get a copy for 'research purposes' anyway, possibly the download version which is only £6 (bargain!).

I've already got some Artizan late war US troops in greatcoats that I could paint up for WW2 skirmish level games, so the N.Y.R. rule won't be infringed by a 'new' project.

On the other hand, I might be able to justify one of the Crusader box sets of British late war infantry, especially if they do some sort of deal over at North Star. They seem like good value for money and I really like the Crusader style of sculpting, having already got some of their Normans for WAB Shieldwall.