It has been a busy past few months here at HistoriFigs HQ. Between the ‘day job’, farm work, the holidays and figure casting there has been little time to sit down and write. With the holidays behind us, farm work settled into the winter routine we should start to have a bit more free time (well, at work we are gearing up for a new software release, but that shouldn’t take too much extra time, except for a few short periods of time), so perhaps I can get back to a more regular posting schedule.
Here at HistoriFigs, we prefer our miniature games to be, well Games. Our ideal set of rules can be condensed to two side of a standard letter sized sheet of paper (well, at least everything we need for a game, the actual rules may well be longer, but we should not need to refer to the rules very often). We have a few rules sets that we play frequently that fit this description, but have never really settle upon anything like it for the interwar period. That is until now. While looking for something else I discovered an article by Tony Bath. One that presents a set of rules, that fits what we have been looking for. So, without further delay we present:
ARMOURED WARFARE WITHOUT THE COMPLICATIONS
by Tony Bath
The War Game Digest, Book VI Volume I, March 1962
Since we live in a modern age, there is bound to be an attraction for the war gamer in the idea of tank warfare. Indeed, quite a number of people do specialise in modern war games, both of World War II vintage and even later. But I feel that many others have, like myself, been put off this type of game by the seemingly endless complications of it, with literally dozens of differing types of tanks and guns with their various armour values, with aircraft, minefields and the like.
Are these complications in fact really necessary to tank games? In my opinion an excellent game can be run without them. (Enthusiasts of the Reavley – Tarr school can stop reading at this point — this article is not aimed at them!) If you like complications, then all well and good – but if you are looking for a simpler game with shorter rules, here is my suggestion.
First of all, your selection of figures must be severely limited. I have set my game in the 1920-30 period and have selected the following:
- Renault heavy tank mounting 57mm cannon and machine gun
- Vickers light whippet tank, amphibious, mounting only a machine gun
- Open truck or lorry for transport and ammunition carrying
- 75mm field gun
- Heavy machine gun with two man crew
- Rifle team of two infantrymen
All of these figures I have cast myself, in OO gauge, the infantry, gun crews etc. all being in the prone position. From this it will be seen that you have only three types of missile weapon, tank gun/field gun, machine gun and rifle. Only two types of tank either of which can be knocked out by gunfire. So your rules can be simplified as in those given below.
l. Movement
- Infantry 5” and fire, 12” and not fire
- M/G Team 5” move or fire
- Field Gun 6” move or fire
- Truck 12″ across country, 18″ by road
- Light Tank 24”
- Heavy Tank 18”
The light tank is amphibious and can cross secondary rivers or streams
For infantry and M/G teams, deduct 3″ for crossing wall, ditch or other such obstacles. Field guns and trucks cannot cross same, must spend one move breaking down or bridging obstacles. Tanks are not delayed at all by such obstacles.
2. Ranges
- Rifle or Machine Gun, 18”, 12”, 6”
- Field gun or Tank gun, 24”, 18”, 12”
3. Firing
Rifle team fires one shot per move, M/G team or tank machine guns two shots per move, field or tank guns 1 shot per move. Hits obtained by 6 at long range, 5 or 6 medium range, 4, 5 or 6 short range
4. Hits
Rifle fire: it takes 1 shot to kill a rifle team, 2 shots to kill a machine gun team or a gun crew —1 hit on either of latter reduces rate of fire by half
Machine—gun fire: ditto.
Gunfire: Will knock out any opposing tank, tankette, gun, truck or machine gun crew. When firing on infantry, 1 dice to see how many teams affected.
5. Casualties
From rifle or Machine-gun fire: Infantry or machine—gun teams saved by 5 or 6, gun crews by 4, 5 or 6
From gunfire: Infantry teams saved by 6 only, machine-gun teams saved by 5 or 6.
Field gun, 5 or 6 undamaged, 3 or 4 rate of fire halved, 1 or 2 destroyed. A second hit while rate of fire is halved means total destruction.
Tankette, 5 or 6 undamaged, 1, 2, 3 or 4 destroyed
Heavy Tank: Hit from front, 1 or 2 destroyed, 3 crippled but can still fire, 4, 5 or 6 unhurt
Hit from any other point, 1, 2 or 3 destroyed, 4 or 5 crippled but can still fire, 6 unhurt
Trucks: 1, 2 or 3 destroyed – if carrying ammunition, 1, 2, 3 or 4
6. Ammunition
Field guns and tanks carry 8 shells each
Trucks carry 8 shells and can replenish ammunition supply of guns or tanks
7. Transport
Trucks can carry 2 machine gun teams or four infantry teams. Deduct 3” from move for loading or unloading.
8. Close Fighting
Infantry over—run by tanks can throw grenades, l per team, and need a 6 to obtain a hit. A tank hit by a grenade needs a 4, 5 or 6 to survive.
If the infantry fail to destroy the tanks they must surrender.
There you have a very simple set of rules which can be memorised in a short time. It is also fairly realistic to the type of warfare which took place in the bulk of the Spanish Civil War, or the undeclared border warfare between the Russians and Japanese in Machuria in the 1930’s. Either of these wars could be re-fought with the few types of figures I have mentioned.
Of course, if you want the rules just a little more complex, you can give better value for entrenched troops, dug—in guns etc. and indicate this with strips of plasticene. Beyond this, however, it is inadvisable to go. Once you start introducing minefields and aircraft, or other types of artillery, you are back to the ultra—modernist with his fire-tables and complications.
By now, if they have bothered to read this far, the war gamers of the realist school are no doubt thoroughly disgusted; but I would emphasize that this article is by no means meant to snipe at their type of game. If that’s the way they like to play, then good luck to them and I hope they enjoy it. But if you like a less complicated life, then try the 1920 game — you’ll enjoy it.
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This article, along with some recent reading has prompted me to look at some long delayed and unfinished projects. As such I think you can look forward to further reporting concerning these rules.
I have quite a backlog of things to write about and I will endeavor to post more frequently. However, that is all for now. Until next time, we wish you all the best in 2013.