Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CHAPTER 10: SPOTTING.................................................................................................................................................. 36 CHAPTER 11: COMBAT OVERVIEW................................................................................................................................. 39 CHAPTER 12: FIRE COMBAT ........................................................................................................................................... 40 CHAPTER 13: ANTI-VEHICLE FIRE .................................................................................................................................. 43 CHAPTER 14: ANTI-INFANTRY FIRE ................................................................................................................................ 48 CHAPTER 15: ARTILLERY FIRE ....................................................................................................................................... 50 CHAPTER 16: CLOSE COMBAT ....................................................................................................................................... 54 CHAPTER 17: HELICOPTERS........................................................................................................................................... 56 CHAPTER 18: NIGHT FIGHTING ....................................................................................................................................... 57 CHAPTER 19: COMBAT ENGINEERS............................................................................................................................... 58 CHAPTER 20: AIRSTRIKES .............................................................................................................................................. 59 CHAPTER 21: HIGH TECHNOLOGY ................................................................................................................................. 60 CHAPTER 22: CHEMICAL WARFARE............................................................................................................................... 61
CHAPTER 23: NUCLEAR WEAPONS................................................................................................................................ 62 CHAPTER 24: GAMING AT 1:1.......................................................................................................................................... 63 CHAPTER 25: DESIGNING VEHICLES.............................................................................................................................. 64 CHAPTER 26: DESIGNERS NOTES .................................................................................................................................. 65
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: MINIATURE WARGAMING ........................................................................................................................... 7
What Is Miniature Wargaming?...........................................................................................................................7 Periods .................................................................................................................................................................7 The Miniatures .....................................................................................................................................................7 Painting the Miniatures ........................................................................................................................................8 Terrain..................................................................................................................................................................9 A Few Good References .....................................................................................................................................9 Playing Your First Game....................................................................................................................................10 Fistful of TOWs Tactical Primer.........................................................................................................................10 Glossary .............................................................................................................................................................12
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................... 13
CHAPTER 2:
What You Need To Play....................................................................................................................................13 Scale ..................................................................................................................................................................13 Measuring ..........................................................................................................................................................13 Optional Rules ...................................................................................................................................................14
SEQUENCE OF PLAY................................................................................................................................ 15
CHAPTER 3:
General ..............................................................................................................................................................15 Sequence of Play...............................................................................................................................................15 Time Limits (optional, but highly recommended) ..............................................................................................17
MARKERS AND FORCES .......................................................................................................................... 18
CHAPTER 4:
Markers ..............................................................................................................................................................18 Units and Stands...........................................................................................................................................18 Mounting Your Troops.......................................................................................................................................19 Vehicle Data Charts ...........................................................................................................................................19 Infantry Data Charts...........................................................................................................................................20 Artillery Data Charts ...........................................................................................................................................20
TROOP QUALITY ....................................................................................................................................... 22
CHAPTER 5:
Executive Summary ...........................................................................................................................................22 Troop Quality .....................................................................................................................................................22 Quality Checks...................................................................................................................................................23 Quality Checks Due to Fire Combat..................................................................................................................23 Quality Checks Due to Overwatch Fire .............................................................................................................23 Quality Checks Due to Artillery Attacks .............................................................................................................23 Quality Checks Due to Losses ..........................................................................................................................24 Quality Checks Due to Close Combat...............................................................................................................24 Effects of Failed Quality Checks........................................................................................................................24
MOVEMENT; COHESION........................................................................................................................... 25
CHAPTER 6:
General ..............................................................................................................................................................25 Movement Classes ............................................................................................................................................25 Terrain Effects on Movement ............................................................................................................................26 Cohesion............................................................................................................................................................26 Strategic Movement...........................................................................................................................................27 Friction (Optional) ..............................................................................................................................................27
TERRAIN.................................................................................................................................................... 28
CHAPTER 7:
General ..............................................................................................................................................................28 Line of Sight .......................................................................................................................................................28 Cover..................................................................................................................................................................28 Linear Obstacles ................................................................................................................................................29 Hills and Ridges .................................................................................................................................................29 Clear Terrain ......................................................................................................................................................29 Light Woods ......................................................................................................................................................30
7.8 7.9 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 7.18
Heavy Woods ....................................................................................................................................................30 Forest .................................................................................................................................................................30 Sand...............................................................................................................................................................30 Rough ............................................................................................................................................................30 Swamp...........................................................................................................................................................30 Streams..........................................................................................................................................................31 Rivers .............................................................................................................................................................31 Roads, Bridges and Paths.............................................................................................................................31 Paths..............................................................................................................................................................32 Cliffs ...............................................................................................................................................................32 Towns ............................................................................................................................................................32
VEHICLES.................................................................................................................................................. 33
CHAPTER 8:
8.1
General ..............................................................................................................................................................33
INFANTRY, APCS AND TOWED WEAPONS.............................................................................................. 34
CHAPTER 9:
Executive Summary ...........................................................................................................................................34 General ..............................................................................................................................................................34 Types .................................................................................................................................................................34 Infantry Movement and Facing ..........................................................................................................................35 Infantry Firing .....................................................................................................................................................35 Towed Weapons ...............................................................................................................................................35 Carrying Infantry.................................................................................................................................................35
10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.7.1 10.7.2 10.7.3
Executive Summary.......................................................................................................................................36 General ..........................................................................................................................................................36 Line of Sight (LOS) ........................................................................................................................................36 Detection........................................................................................................................................................37 Spotting..........................................................................................................................................................37 Terrain Effects on Spotting............................................................................................................................37 Smoke............................................................................................................................................................37 Discharger Smoke.....................................................................................................................................37 Thermal Sights ..........................................................................................................................................37 Multi-spectrum Smoke (optional) ..............................................................................................................38
11.1 11.2
12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 12.6.1 12.7 12.8 12.9 12.10
Executive Summary.......................................................................................................................................40 General ..........................................................................................................................................................40 Procedure ......................................................................................................................................................41 Targeting Restrictions....................................................................................................................................41 Movement and Firing; Stabilized Guns .........................................................................................................41 Overwatch......................................................................................................................................................41 ATGW Overwatch (Optional) ....................................................................................................................42 Shoot and Scoot............................................................................................................................................42 Hold Fire ........................................................................................................................................................42 Pivot ...............................................................................................................................................................42 Infantry in Personnel Carriers ........................................................................................................................42
Executive Summary.......................................................................................................................................43 General ..........................................................................................................................................................43 Angle of Attack ..............................................................................................................................................43 Rolling to Hit...................................................................................................................................................44 Gun Procedure..........................................................................................................................................44 Quality Modifiers ........................................................................................................................................44 Pinned/Suppressed Modifiers ...................................................................................................................44
13.4.4 13.4.5 13.4.6 13.4.7 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 13.9 13.10
ROF Reduction for Multiple Targets .........................................................................................................44 CITVs.........................................................................................................................................................44 Point Defense Systems .............................................................................................................................44 Missile Procedure ......................................................................................................................................44 Terrain Saving Throw ....................................................................................................................................45 Penetration Rolls............................................................................................................................................45 Soft Vehicles ..................................................................................................................................................46 Advanced Armor............................................................................................................................................46 Infantry Anti-Tank Weapons..........................................................................................................................46 Infantry with Integral Mortars .........................................................................................................................47
Executive Summary.......................................................................................................................................48 Procedure ......................................................................................................................................................48 Terrain Effects on Anti-infantry Fire...............................................................................................................49 Pinned Effects on Anti-infantry Fire...............................................................................................................49
15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8 15.9 15.10 15.11 15.12 15.13
Executive Summary.......................................................................................................................................50 General ..........................................................................................................................................................50 Indirect Fire Procedure ..................................................................................................................................50 Forward Observers ........................................................................................................................................51 Batteries .........................................................................................................................................................52 Sheafs............................................................................................................................................................52 Off-Board Artillery...........................................................................................................................................52 Direct Fire.......................................................................................................................................................52 Battalion/Regiment Mortars ...........................................................................................................................52 Artillery Fire Against Unspotted Stands.........................................................................................................53 Counterbattery Fire........................................................................................................................................53 Multiple Rocket Launchers ............................................................................................................................53 Ammunition Limits (optional) .........................................................................................................................53
Executive Summary.......................................................................................................................................54 Procedure ......................................................................................................................................................54 Firing In Close Combat..................................................................................................................................54 Missiles In Close Combat ..............................................................................................................................54 Infantry In Close Combat ...............................................................................................................................55 Pivoting in Close Combat ..............................................................................................................................55 Miscellaneous Close Combat Rules..............................................................................................................55
CHAPTER 17: HELICOPTERS........................................................................................................................................... 56 CHAPTER 18: NIGHT FIGHTING ....................................................................................................................................... 57 CHAPTER 19: COMBAT ENGINEERS............................................................................................................................... 58 CHAPTER 20: AIRSTRIKES .............................................................................................................................................. 59 CHAPTER 21: HIGH TECHNOLOGY ................................................................................................................................. 60 CHAPTER 22: CHEMICAL WARFARE............................................................................................................................... 61 CHAPTER 23: NUCLEAR WEAPONS................................................................................................................................ 62 CHAPTER 24: GAMING AT 1:1.......................................................................................................................................... 63 CHAPTER 25: DESIGNING VEHICLES.............................................................................................................................. 64 CHAPTER 26: DESIGNERS NOTES .................................................................................................................................. 65
26.1 Version 2........................................................................................................................................................65 26.2 Two Hours, Two Pages.................................................................................................................................65 26.3 Designing A Fistful of TOWs: 2000 ...............................................................................................................65 26.3.1 Why? .........................................................................................................................................................65 26.3.2 Modern From The Ground Up ..................................................................................................................66 26.3.3 Goal-Based Game Design ........................................................................................................................66 26.3.4 The Paradigm ............................................................................................................................................67 26.3.5 Elegance....................................................................................................................................................67 26.3.6 The Command System .............................................................................................................................67 26.3.7 The Artillery System...................................................................................................................................68 26.3.8 Troop Quality .............................................................................................................................................68 26.3.9 Vehicle Data ..............................................................................................................................................68 26.3.10 Speed, Speed and More Speed ...............................................................................................................68 26.3.11 Low Complexity .........................................................................................................................................69 26.3.12 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................69
1.2 Periods
Most miniatures wargame rules focus on a particular period i.e., the Napoleonic Wars, the Middle Ages, the far future, etc. A Fistful of TOWs 2 focuses on modern (i.e., post WWII) mechanized combat. Its sister game, Where Panzers Dare will focus on World War II mechanized combat. Its other sister, Railgun: 2100 focuses on armored combat in the 22 century. Now obviously, something as complex as modern warfare cant be fully explored in this one volume. So our intent is to produce supplements covering additional armies, weapons systems and periods. The next supplement, tentatively titles For a Few TOWs More, will cover helicopter operations in more detail and will include many more army lists.
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steady troops, take the British. Plus, with the British you get lots of cool light tanks. Another high quality force is the US Marines. If you like veteran light forces, the French Foreign Legion is fun. The choice is yours, but pick an army youll like. Then, go buy your miniatures. First, pick the scale 1/285 or 1/300 (also called 6 mm). The two are slightly different, so be careful mixing them. I do mix them, but all of my M-1s, for example are in the same scale (and from the same manufacturer). If youre in the US, 1/285 is probably the best choice. In the UK, 1/300 is more popular. A word about quality. In 1/285, GHQ is the best, hands down. Of course, theyre also the most expensive. C-in-C approaches GHQ in quality and is less expensive. I have both in my army, and like both lines. C-in-C also has more esoteric vehicles than GHQ, so the lines complement one another. My only complaints with these lines are their limited selection (compared with 1/300 companies below) and the incredibly high price of helicopters and aircraft ($7.95 for a single GHQ AH-64 Apache!). In 1/300, the major players are Irregular, Scotia and Navwar (Heroics/Ros). They look roughly comparable in quality to me, though I havent used them much, as theyre harder to get in the US. Scotia may be somewhat higher in quality, but theyre more expensive in the US. The 1/300 aircraft are much, much cheaper than GHQ or C-in-C, so I use them exclusively for helicopters. These lines have two other significant advantages. First, theyre very cheap. In the US, a GHQ tank costs about $1.60. A Navwar tank costs 30p or so. I can order that tank from the UK and get it here for about 50 cents. Thus, I can get 3 times as many tanks for the same money. In the UK, I understand that GHQ and C-in-C are even more expensive than they are here. Second, these lines have far more variety available. You can find virtually any vehicle in existence today in 1/300. Therefore, I mix the lines. I use GHQ/C-in-C for my main combat units and I fill in the gaps with the 1/300 lines. Of course, I use 1/300 helicopters. And sometimes, the 1/300 vehicles are the same size as GHQ Navwars BMP-2s for instance. So they mix just fine with the 1/285 stuff. And if youre building a horde army Russians, Chinese, etc., 1/300 is much easier on your wallet. Also, you may want to plan your purchases so that you can model more than one army. For instance, if youre going to fight European wars, you should be sure to buy plenty of Leopard 1s and M113s. Most European armies use these two vehicles, and you can optimize your vehicle purchases. The Leopard II is now in service with the Germans, Danes, Dutch, Belgians and Swedes. Its a good multi-purpose purchase as well.
length 1). The advantage is that the vehicles are better protected when stored and played with. I dont base my vehicles, but I do have good storage trays. You should also mount your infantry. I recommend a US penny (or similar coin), painted or flocked the color of your terrain. Balsa or cardboard squares or rectangles are popular. Be sure to mark them so that they can be identified. To store your miniatures, you can buy commercial storage cases. I use flat gift boxes designed to hold ties. I put a layer of foam in the bottom and cut boxes out of a second piece of foam. I place that piece on top and stick my vehicles in it. Cheap, but effective.
1.5 Terrain
Entire volumes have been written about wargaming terrain. One of the neatest and easiest approaches systems is the Geo Hex line. I bought a green flocked battlemat and a basic terrain system and presto, instant terrain. If youre just getting started, the kitchen table is fine with a few books or other objects for hills. Other manufacturers make modular terrain systems check them out. Many folks make their own terrain, using styrofoam or ceiling tiles. Terrain can be costly, but the effect is well worth it. A word about towns. I like to use gray, irregularly shaped felt pieces for the towns. We put buildings on them, but the buildings are for effect only. Anything in the felt is in the town. This is a very playable approach.
Scotia Guthrie Street Letham Forfar Angus DD8 2PS, SCOTLAND Phone (01307) 818707
Scotia is available in the US through: Simtac 15g Colton Road Niantic, CT 06355, UNITED STATES Phone/Fax (860) 739-3609
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only have vehicles. Remember that in close combat, infantry gets to make flank shots on enemy vehicles if no enemy infantry is also engaged in the close combat. And since most infantry have both LAWs and MAWs, this means that each infantry stand could kill two enemy vehicles per round of close combat. So always use your infantry to go after enemy infantry in towns. I once saw a player lose an entire battalion of M1A1s in an assault on a town held by enemy infantry. Ouch. And remember that the cannon on infantry fighting vehicles can really devastate enemy infantry; be sure to make good use of them. Infantry is also very vulnerable to artillery, which gives you an additional incentive to keep them out of sight. Armor The Main Battle Tank (MBT) is the Queen of Battle in A Fistful of TOWs. MBT's are fast, well-armed and well-protected. But remember that they are all vulnerable to flank attacks. And they make lousy choices to close-assault enemy infantry. So use them appropriately. Modern MBTs (M1, Leopard 2, Challenger, T-80, etc.) are virtually invulnerable to enemy missiles (from the front, of course). Theyre mainly threatened by other tanks. So be sure to go after the enemy tanks. Also, if youre attacking, try to commit as many of your force as possible at the same time. Nothing is sadder than to watch a player commit his forces piecemeal and have them destroyed by enemy forces in detail. This, by the way, is the real secret to winning with Russian armies. Try to hit your opponent with overwhelming numbers in the same turn. Modern MBTs are also quite fast. I like to keep reserves to flank enemy forces that are attacking one of my positions. If the enemy forces turn to face my reserves, my other stands get flank shots. If they dont turn to face my reserves, my reserves get flank shots. Whatever you do, treat your modern MBTs like gold, especially if youre fighting hordes. The main problem with modern MBTs is that they're very expensive. An M1A2 costs over 3 times as much as a T-72. So if youre the hordes, go to great lengths to kill enemy MBTs. If you can trade two T-72s for one M1A2, youll win. Conversely, if youre the Thin Blue Line, be sure to maneuver and avoid a slugfest with superior enemy numbers. Use shoot-and-scoot, overwatch and hold fire. Try to force your opponent to commit piecemeal. Be willing to give up ground if you have to. Maneuver, maneuver, maneuver. If all you do is dig in, he will likely overrun you and you'll deserve the beating you get. Also remember to concentrate your fire on a single battalion (or company). After you kill 2/3, it may well rout. Older MBTs and light vehicles are very vulnerable to antitank missiles, so be careful where you site them. In the attack, try to concentrate and destroy enemy units quickly. If possible, avoid frontal assaults against enemy antitank vehicles. And try to use your artillery to run the enemy missile stands off (see below). Missile vehicles are most useful in defensive roles or in slugfests, because they cant fire missiles if they moved that turn. In the attack, use them as overwatch elements, since they have to stay still to shoot anyhow. If attacking enemy forces with lots of missile stands, try to force your opponent to move the missile stands. If they move, they cant fire. Also, many Western armies have soft vehicles armed with missiles. Artillery is particularly effective against these stands, so use the artillery technique described below. Artillery Your artillery will help you tremendously if you use it right. Heck, it helps a lot even if you dont use it right. In the attack, use your artillery to blow enemy forces off of ridgelines and out of defensive positions. Remember that stands cant fire missiles if they move. So if you can make them move, they cant shoot at you. I like to place an artillery barrage on enemy missile vehicles (especially missile armed soft stands jeeps, hummers and infantry) and leave the marker in place. The other player will usually move the stand rather have it be hammered by artillery again.
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Artillery is also devastating against enemy infantry, so use it accordingly. Multiple Rocket Launchers are particularly devastating against infantry, and usually rather ineffective against vehicles. In the defense, artillery can wear down advancing enemy forces. If the artillery is properly concentrated, entire companies or battalions can be mauled. But remember that artillery wears the enemy down slowly; its not usually decisive in one turn. Artillery can also deliver smoke. Smoke is great if you have thermal sights and the enemy doesnt. You can shoot through the smoke and he cant. Remember this if you are the one without thermal sights. I once saw a Russian tank regiment wiped out when the Russian player landed a smoke barrage on top of American M1s on the Russians flank. Sad. Incendiary smoke makes a better choice for smoke if the enemy has thermal sights, but its still not perfect.
1.9 Glossary
The following terms are used in these rules: Chobham armor is high tech armor composed of composite materials. It is very effective against high explosive armor piercing (HEAP) warheads. HEAP warheads are most commonly found on missiles and infantry antitank weapons. C class armor is Chobham armor. CITV Commanders Independent Thermal Viewer. A second thermal sight for the commander. He can acquire new targets while the tank is shooting at a current target. Flank arc is any part of a vehicle not covered by its front arc. Flank armor is 0 for light vehicles and 1 for MBTs unless otherwise noted. Front arc is the front 120 degrees of a vehicles front. Thats where the armor is the thickest. LAW Light Antitank Weapons carried by infantry. Laminated armor is spaced armor (or less effective Chobham armor) that is more effective against HEAT rounds. Line of Sight an imaginary line drawn from one stand to the other. If the line is not blocked, the stands have a line of sight on each other. MAW Medium Antitank weapons carried by infantry. Longer ranged and usually heavier than LAWs. MBT Main battle tank. A main battle tank is any vehicle that weights 30 tons or more. Overwatch is the tactic of waiting for the enemy, then shooting him as he moves. A Platoon is a group of 3-5 vehicles or about 30 or so infantry, with 3-4 personnel carriers. Reactive armor is armor composed of blocks of explosives that detonate when hit by a HEAP warhead. It tends to disrupt the HEAP warhead. Modern tandem warheads supposedly minimize the effects of reactive armor. Shoot and Scoot is the tactic of firing at a target, then running away before it can fire back. Thermal Sights are night vision sights that also allow you to see through smoke in the daytime.
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Chapter 2: Introduction
2.2 Scale
One inch equals 100 meters, one vehicle represents four to five vehicles and a stand of infantry represents a platoon. For very large battles, you can use a ground scale where one inch equal 250 meters. Do this by simply converting all inches to centimeters. And if you like, you can play FFT at 1:1 scale with very few modifications (see Chapter 24). One turn represents about 5-7 minutes. When the rules require that numbers be halved, always round the numbers up to the next whole number. This game uses only six sided dice.
2.3 Measuring
All measuring for ranges is done from any part of one stand to any part of another stand, as chosen by the firing player, similar to line of sight (LOS) measurements (see section 7.2 for LOS measuring). Players may not measure distances before they declare fire. They may never check front/flank angles until an attack is declared against them.1 If a player declares an attack, measures the range, and determines that the target is out of range, the attack is wasted.
Oh sure, we have ballistic computers and such stuff, but allowing players to pre-measure slows the game to a crawl. If it makes you feel better, blame it on fog of war, or something similar....
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3.1 General
Each game turn is composed of two player turns. A game lasts a number of game turns as determined by the referee. A good limit is ten turns for a game that will last two hours.
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When time is called, all movement must stop. A player may move the rest of the unit he was moving when time was called. Referees may adjust these turn lengths to suit the scenarios. Also, the referee may call an administrative time out if a rules question comes up or if something needs to be resolved. Players can have one time out per game. This allows them to add 5 minutes to the clock.
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4.1 Markers
You will need the following markers in order to play FFT: Barrage templates indicate the area affected by an artillery strike. They are square or rectangular depending on the type of artillery firing. See the Artillery Data for template dimensions in inches. Barrage markers are used to indicate the location of artillery barrages. Any marker numbered on one side can be used for barrage markers. Quality check markers indicate which stands must take a quality check at the end of the phase. A penny with a red stick-on dot makes a good quality check marker. Pinned/Suppressed markers indicate which stands are pinned (infantry & towed weapons) or suppressed (vehicles). Pennies with yellow stick-on dots make good pinned and suppressed markers. Overwatch markers indicate stands that are on overwatch. Pennies with blue stick-on dots make good overwatch markers. Hold fire markers indicate stands that are on hold fire. Pennies with green stick-on dots make good hold fire markers. Missile ammo markers indicate the status of stands that have limited missile ammunition. Pennies make good ammo markers; heads indicates that one shot is left, tails indicates that no shots are left.
Western armies generally use companies as the basic command unit, while Russian, Chinese, Arab and Third World armies use battalions as the basic command unit.
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M2A2 Bradley
90-95
24
12ta
2R/1R
16
4+
16h
T3
1-38
s,t,n
The Data chart abbreviations are: Vehicle: The vehicles name Period: The time period that these ratings are valid for. PV: Point value of the vehicle. Move: Movement allowance. a means that the vehicle is amphibious. w is a wheeled class vehicle; t is a tracked class vehicle; h is a helicopter. Armor: Armor value. The number before the slash is the front armor, the number after the slash is the flank armor. If there is no slash and second number, the flank armor value is 1. An R indicates reactive armor, an L indicates laminate or spaced armor, and a C indicates Chobham armor. An s with no numbers indicates the vehicle is unarmored (soft). Pen: Penetration. An h indicates that this is an h-class weapon. A indicates a top-attack weapon. A superscript T indicates a tandem warhead. A superscript 1 indicates a 1 generation missile. A superscript 2 indicates a 2 generation missile. A superscript 3 indicates a 3 generation missile. ROF: Rate of fire. An ROF in braces (e.g., {3}) indicates a stand with a CITV. Rng: Effective range of a gun; minimum and maximum range of a missile. Inf: Anti-infantry rating of the weapon. Equip: Special equipment carried by the vehicle: - s - stabilized gun - ss - advanced stabilization - t - thermal sights - i - infrared or image intensification sights - c - commanders independent thermal viewer (CITV) - v - IVIS system - n - NBC protection (Nuclear/Biological/Chemical protection) Carry: The number of infantry stands that the vehicle can carry. Msl: If a bullet () appears here, the vehicle has unlimited missile ammo. Otherwise, the vehicle has a limited missile ammo supply. Notes: Any other data relevant to the vehicle.
st nd rd
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70-84 70-89
3 7
3 3
3+ 4+
2 2
6 6
6h 6h
3 2
10h 6h
1
10 2-30
The chart abbreviations are: Type: The type of infantry stand. An asterisk (*) indicates that the stands MAW is a missile and only has a maximum range. Two asterisks (**) indicate that the stands MAW is a missile and only has a maximum range, and its only has two shots (limited ammo). Period: The time period that these ratings are valid for. Size: How many spaces the stand takes up on a transport. PV: Point value of the stand. Move: Movement allowance. (Anti-infantry) To Hit: The to-hit roll when using anti-infantry fire.. (Anti-infantry) ROF: The stands rate of fire when using anti-infantry fire. (Anti-infantry) Range: The stands range when using anti-infantry fire. Pen: Penetration of the weapon. An h indicates that this is an h-class weapon. A indicates a top-attack weapon. The superscript number is the generation of the missile. Rng: Effective range of the weapon. LAW: Ratings for the stands Light Antitank Weapons. MAW: Ratings for the stands Medium Antitank Weapons. SAM: Ratings for the stands Surface to Air Missiles. Notes: Any other relevant data.
30 15
105/122 81
6 6a
0 0
15(21)km 30
2L 2L
1 1
1L 1L
2 x 1 2 x 1
s,c s,c
10h -
1 -
8 -
The chart abbreviations mean: Type: Type of artillery stand. PV: Point value of the stand. Cal: Caliber of the weapon. Move: Movement allowance. An x means its a towed weapon. An m means its manportable. Most self propelled artillery pieces are tracked; a few are wheeled. Assume that the piece is tracked unless the army list says otherwise. Armor: Armor value. Range: Range of the weapon in kilometers (km) or in inches. The number in parenthesis is the range for rocket assisted projectiles. Converged: Data for converged sheafs.
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Dispersed: Data for dispersed sheafs. AF: Artillery factors for the sheaf. An L indicates an L-class artillery piece. Temp: The dimensions of the template for the sheaf, in inches. Ammo: Ammunition types that the weapon can fire: - s smoke (normal and incendiary) - c - chemical - i - improved conventional munitions (guns and howitzers use the ICM line in the Guns/Howitzers section of the artillery data chart when firing this ammunition type) - l - laser guided projectile - m - artillery delivered mines - h - standard HE (high explosive) munitions Direct Fire AV: The weapons characteristics when firing direct fire anti-vehicle fire. Pen: Penetration. An h indicates that this is an h-class weapon. ROF: Rate of fire. Rng: Effective range of the weapon. Notes: Any other data relevant to the vehicle.
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Elite troops are superbly trained and superbly led professionals, often special forces. They have a quality of 3 and have a +2 to-hit adjustment when using anti-vehicle fire and anti-infantry fire. Examples include the Royal Marines, US Navy SEALS, Delta Force, Soviet Special Forces, Israeli Paratroops, and Canadian ski troops. Elite troops cost double the normal point cost. If youre playing a campaign game, its recommended that stands be rated one quality level lower than normal in their first battle. In subsequent battles, they attain their normal quality.
Quality checks in close combat do not count against these limits. In addition, a stand can take any number of quality checks in close combat (see Close Combat below). If a stand has already taken and passed a particular type of quality check in a turn, later quality checks of that same type during the same turn are ignored (except for checks in Close Combat).
L class artillery is light artillery that is relatively ineffective against AFVs. A non-soft AFV is an AFV with an armor rating other than s.
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6.1 General
Players may move as many of their stands as desired during their movement phase. Stands may use as much of their movement allowance as the owning player wants. There are two classes of movement, normal and strategic. Strategic movement lets a stand move faster, but at significant combat penalties. All stands in a unit must maintain cohesion i.e., stay within a certain distance of another stand in the unit or suffer various penalties. A stand may voluntarily move out of cohesion. If a stand starts its movement out of cohesion and moves, it must move to reestablish cohesion. Stands may turn during movement at no additional movement cost. Turning is not considered movement for firing and overwatch purposes. A vehicle (except helicopters) may move backwards at 1/4 movement rate. Infantry can move any way they want. Some kinds of terrain cost more to move through, and some types of terrain are impassable to certain types of stands. A tracked stand moves twice as fast along a road; a wheeled stand moves four times as fast along a road. It costs of a stands movement allowance to either drop off or pick up an infantry stand, or to limber or unlimber a towed weapon. A stand with a pinned marker (infantry or towed weapon) may not move (or continue moving) until the marker is removed in the final phase of the turn. A suppressed vehicle stand may still move normally.
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A stands movement class determines the effect that terrain has on that stands movement. Movement class is noted after the movement allowance on the data charts. All infantry stands have a leg movement class. Stands with a t after their Move rating are tracked vehicles and have a tracked movement class. Stands with a w are wheeled vehicles with a wheeled movement class. Stands with an h are helicopters with a helicopter movement class. Stands with an x are towed weapons and have a towed movement class. Stands with an a are amphibious vehicles and may cross impassable rivers (see below). Amphibious vehicles may cross rivers and streams at one quarter movement allowance. They may not fire while in the water. The referee may rule that some rivers or streams are impassable to amphibious vehicles because the banks are too steep.
6.4 Cohesion
To determine if a stand is in cohesion: 1. At the beginning of the movement phase, designate any stand in a unit as the command stand for the turn. 2. For a stand of that unit to be in cohesion, it must begin the movement phase within cohesion distance of the command stand or within cohesion distance of another friendly stand that is in cohesion. 3. Recon stands ignore all cohesion rules.
E B C Assume that the cohesion distance is 2 and A is within 2 of B, which is within 2 of C, which is within 2 of D, which is within 4 of E. If D is the command stand of this unit, then A, B, C, and D are all in cohesion. E is not.
Players may intentionally move a stand out of cohesion, but the stand must move to re-join its unit if the stand moves in a later turn. A stand that is out of cohesion must move towards the other stands in its unit, if the stand moves at all. A stand out of cohesion has its quality number increased by one until it restores cohesion.4 Cohesion distance depends on troop quality: Green troops have a cohesion distance of 4. Average troops have a cohesion distance of 4. Veteran troops have a cohesion distance of 6. Elite troops have a cohesion distance of 8.
This rule simulates the additional command and control burden of having a detachment running around the battlefield, as well as the brittle nature of detachments.
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Chapter 7: Terrain
7.1 General
Terrain has effects on movement, combat and spotting. This chapter details some of the more common types of terrain, but feel free to create your own types or to modify existing types.
B C D
7.3 and B have LOS to each other. B and C have LOS, if theyre within 2 of each other. D has LOS to A and B (and A Cover
vice Many terrain types are considered to be cover. Coverthe woods breaks LOS. versa). C cant have LOS to A or D because the edge of may be either light cover or heavy cover For
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instance, woods and swamps are light cover, and towns are heavy cover. Ridges and streams may be heavy cover, depending on the situation. Most cover is one level high, but towns and cities can be higher if you desire. Stands in cover may see up to 2 in the cover. This stops at the edge of the cover. So a stand 1 inside a forest cannot see out of the forest. Its LOS stops at the forest edge. If any part of a stand is in covering terrain, the stand is considered to be in cover.
stream
Ridgelines: A is in heavy cover to D, and not in cover to B, C, or E. B is not in cover to C, D, E, or A. D cannot see C or E, and vice versa. Streams: C is in heavy cover to A and B, and not in cover to E.
Ridgelines are linear obstacles. In anti-vehicle fire, stands behind Ridges have a saving throw of 4,5, or 6, if the stand is touching the ridge. In anti-infantry fire, stands behind ridges are considered to be in heavy cover, if the stand is touching the ridge. Ridges do not affect artillery fire. A stand touching a ridgeline is considered to be in cover for spotting purposes if the LOS must be traced through the ridgeline. Ridges block LOS to stands that are behind and not touching the ridge.
7.9 Forest
Forest is impassable to all movement classes except leg class stands. Forest is cover for spotting and LOS purposes. In anti-vehicle fire, stands in forest have a saving throw of 4+ (3+ versus missiles). Forest is light cover for anti-infantry fire and artillery fire.
7.10 Sand
Sand does not affect leg stands or tracked stands. Sand costs double for wheeled or towed stands. Sand has no effect on combat. A vehicle (or helicopter in NOE mode) moving in sand can be detected at double the normal range.
7.11 Rough
Rough terrain does not affect leg class stands or helicopter class stands. All other movement classes pay double to move through Rough terrain. It is not cover for spotting and LOS purposes, and does not affect antivehicle fire. Rough terrain does count as light cover for anti-infantry fire and artillery fire.
7.12 Swamp
Swamp does not affect leg class stands. Stands of all other movement classes pay four times the movement cost when moving through swamp. These stands must roll 1 die at the end of any movement phase in which they entered swamp. On a 1 or 2, the stand is stuck and cannot get out. Place the stand at the point it would have been at half of its movement allowance. If this takes the stand out of the swamp, place the stand on the edge of the swamp nearest to the halfway point. An armored recovery vehicle may attempt to extract a stuck stand. It must move into contact with the stuck stand and stop. At the end of the movement phase the recovery vehicle must roll to get stuck itself. If it doe not get stuck, it can extract the stuck stand on a 1-4 on 1 die. The stuck stand is no longer stuck. Both vehicles will have to roll for getting stuck again as they move out of the swamp.5 Swamp is cover for spotting and LOS purposes and is one level higher than the ground it covers. In anti-vehicle fire, stands in swamp have a saving throw of 5+ (4+ versus missiles). In anti-infantry and artillery fire, swamp counts as light cover.
The swamp rules are a lot of trouble. If you want, you can simply make swamp impassable to vehicles.
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7.13 Streams
Streams are linear obstacles. They have no width for game purposes. Streams have no effect on a leg class stand or a helicopter class stand. All other stands must spend half of their movement allowance to cross the stream. Stands that are both behind a stream and touching it are in cover for spotting and LOS purposes, if the spotting stand must trace its LOS through the stream.6 If a stand is not touching the stream, the stream does not affect LOS to the stand. In anti-vehicle fire, stands that are behind and touching a stream have a saving throw of 4+ against fire that is traced through the edge of the stream. In anti-infantry fire, stands behind streams are considered to be in heavy cover, if the stand is touching the stream. Streams do not affect artillery fire.
7.14 Rivers
Fordible Rivers have no effect on helicopter stands. All other stands may cross the river but pay double the movement cost. For example, a 2 wide river costs 4 of movment to cross. Impassable Rivers have no effect on helicopter stands. All other non-amphibious stands may not cross the river. Amphibious stands may cross impassable rivers at 1/4 movement rate. These stands may not fire (except in close combat) while in the water. At the referees discretion, infantry stands may have integral rubber rafts. They can cross impassable rivers at per turn and may not fire while in the water. Stands that are both behind a river bank and touching it (i.e., in the river at its edge) are in cover for spotting and LOS purposes, if the spotting stand must trace its LOS through the bank touched by the stand. If the stand is not behind and touching the bank, the LOS is unaffected. In anti-vehicle fire, stands that are behind (and touching) the bank of a river have a saving throw of 4, 5 or 6, if the fire is traced through the river bank. In anti-infantry fire, stands that are behind (and touching) the bank of a river are counted as in heavy cover. River banks do not affect artillery fire.
river C A D
Rivers: A is in heavy cover to C, but not in cover to B, D, or E. B is not in cover to any stand. D is not in cover to any stand, neither is C nor E.
The stand is considered to be using the depression of the streambed and its banks for cover.
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For example, an M1A1 is advancing in its movement phase down a road that has a destroyed T-80U stand 4 ahead blocking it. To move 8 down the road the M1A1 would pay 10 of movement. For spotting and combat purposes, treat roads like the surrounding terrain.
7.16 Paths
Paths cannot be used by helicopters. All other stands are treated as if they were moving through clear terrain as long as they move along a path. For spotting and combat purposes, treat paths like the surrounding terrain. Paths are blocked if a vehicle is destroyed on them. If an MBT is blocking the path, it may only be pushed out of the way by another MBT. A light vehicle may be pushed out of the way by an MBT or light vehicle. A vehicle spends half its movement allowance pushing a vehicle off of a path. Alternately, a vehicle can move past a blocking vehicle at a cost of 2 of movement through the surrounding terrain (the moving vehicle is going around the blocking vehicle), so moving around a vehicle blocking a path in Heavy Woods would cost 4, and moving around a blocking vehicle in Forest cannot be done (the blocking vehicle must be pushed out of the way to continue). This option is not available if a bridge is being blocked.
7.17 Cliffs
Cliffs have no effect on helicopter stands. Cliffs are impassable to all other stands, except light infantry. Light infantry may cross cliffs after they have spent a full turn adjacent to the cliff.
7.18 Towns
Towns have no effect on leg class stands or helicopters. All other class stands pay double to move through towns. Towns are cover for spotting and LOS purposes. In anti-vehicle fire, stands in Towns have a saving throw of 4+ (3+ versus missiles). In anti-infantry and artillery fire, towns count as heavy cover.
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Chapter 8: Vehicles
8.1 General
Vehicles are the most common stands in FFT. The most important thing to remember about vehicles is that they have 2 armor ratings front and flank. A vehicle uses its front armor value when attacked by an enemy stand in the vehicles front 120 degree arc (see diagram). And unless otherwise stated, a vehicles flank armor is 1 if an MBT, 0 if a light vehicle, and 0 if the armor rating is s (the vehicle is soft, i.e., unarmored). Soft vehicles can be fired on by both anti-vehicle fire and anti-infantry fire. Vehicles can fire in any direction except for the Jagdpanzer Kanone and the S-Tank. These vehicles can only fire through their front arc.
Tank B, C and D are firing at Tank A. Tanks B and C will hit the front armor; tank D will hit the flank armor.
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9.2 General
Infantry are groups of armed men i.e., foot troops. Towed stands represent towed weapons and their crews.
9.3 Types
There are several types of infantry stands in this game: Infantry stands are normal infantry. They have a normal assortment of weaponry light machineguns, light antitank weapons, and possibly medium antitank weapons. Light infantry stands are like normal infantry, except they get special movement bonuses in certain terrain. Heavy weapons stands have heavy machineguns, light mortars, etc. They have better anti-infantry factors but their anti-infantry hit roll is reduced by 2 if they move in the same turn they fire. Heavy weapons stands also do not lose ROF when firing at multiple targets. Missile teams are half-sized infantry stands armed primarily with anti-infantry and antitank missiles. A missile team takes up space on a carrier. SAM teams are half-sized infantry teams armed with anti-infantry and surface to air missiles. A SAM team takes up space on a carrier.
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Machinegun teams are half-sized infantry stands armed primarily with machineguns. A machinegun team takes up space on a carrier. They may not fire in a turn if they move that turn.
Alternatively, only let the infantry move inch if its carrier moved at all. This is much simpler.
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10.2 General
Before a stand may make an anti-vehicle attack or an anti-infantry attack, it must spot its target. Two things are required to spot a target: 1. You must have an unblocked line of sight (LOS) to the target; and 2. The target must be detected. Note that you can detect a stand without having an unblocked line of sight and vice versa. But an unblocked line of sight and detection is required to spot the target.
The Carl Rule is realistic, but painfully non-intuitive. Therefore, we made it optional. If you use the Carl Rule, you should allow players to check the angle of their stands before they finish moving, so that they can be certain that they can fire at a target.
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10.4 Detection
A stand is detected the instant it is within detection range of an enemy stand. The Spotting Chart lists detection ranges.
10.5 Spotting
Once a stand is spotted i.e., its in an unblocked LOS and is detected by any stand, the spotted stand is spotted by all enemy stands. A stand becomes unspotted during the beginning of any phase in which it is out of all enemy stands LOS.
10.7 Smoke
Smoke blocks line of sight just like cover. But stands equipped with thermal sights ignore normal smoke for spotting purposes (smoke does affect firing, see Section 10.7.1). Normal smoke goes away during the command phase of each turn on a roll of 1 on one die. Roll during each players first phase for both sides smoke (i.e., roll for all smoke markers on the board in every command phase, regardless of owner). A gun/howitzer smoke barrage has the same width as the weapons converged HE template size, and three times the HE converged template size in length. Place the barrage lengthwise in the direction of the wind. Roll 1d6 for wind direction 1 - North, 2 - South, 3 - East, 4 - West, 5-6 - re-roll. A multiple rocket launcher smoke barrage simply uses the template sizes listed in the artillery data chart, with the usual roll for deviation of the rocket barrage (see section 5.12) but no roll for wind drift (some wind drift is accounted for in the template size). An incendiary smoke barrage has the same size as regular smoke. All soft or infantry stands in an incendiary smoke barrage are attacked with 1 anti-infantry die on the turn that the barrage lands. Incendiary smoke goes away during the command phase of each turn on a roll of 1 or 2 on one die.
Because of how it is created, a discharger smoke screen is dense but doesnt last long, as compared to screens built up and sustained by artillery fire.
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stand.
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Larry Bond postulates this in his novel Cauldron. I cant confirm its existence, but it is fun to play with, and it takes the edge off of thermal sights.
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11.1 General
There are 3 types of combat in A Fistful of TOWs: 2000: Anti-vehicle combat: direct fire against vehicles usually using armor piercing ammunition. Anti-infantry combat: fire against infantry and soft stands usually using automatic weapons and high explosive warheads. Artillery combat: fire delivered by indirect fire from artillery systems.
11.2 Cover
Cover is terrain that hides stands woods, towns, etc. See Chapter 7 for details. A stand must touch the edge of cover for the stand to fire out of the cover or be fired at by stands outside the cover. LOS is blocked by the edge of the terrain. A stand in cover may trace a line of sight two inches through the same cover (but the LOS is blocked by the edge of the cover). It may fire at a target 2 inches or less away in the same cover.
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12.2 General
Stands execute fire combat during the firing phase, or, in the case of overwatch fire, during the movement or firing phase of the opposing players turn. Vehicles with multiple weapons systems (i.e., both guns and missiles) must choose one weapon system to fire. Vehicles may conduct anti-infantry fire or anti-vehicle fire, but not both. Infantry may attack regardless of how far they moved. Infantry stands may use all of their weapons in the same turn, against different targets, if the owning player decides. Infantry missiles are an exception to this rule. They may only fire if the infantry stand did not move during its last movement phase. This applies to overrun combat as well. Heavy weapon infantry stands fire at a -2 to their to-hit roll if they moved in the movement phase. Towed weapons may only fire the towed weapons if they did not move during the movement phase.
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All attacks against a given target must be declared before they are resolved. This doesnt apply for stands conducting overwatch fire. Vehicles that moved more than half their movement (not including turning or picking up/dropping off infantry) are not eligible to fire in the fire phase, unless the vehicle has stabilized guns (see Movement and Firing; Stabilized Guns below).
12.3 Procedure
A player may conduct fire with his stands in any order. The player indicates one or more firing stands, identifies the target, and states the type of weapon(s) being fired. The player then resolves the attack(s). The player then declares and resolves the next attack. Note that this allows a player to see the effect of the first attack before he declares the second attack. However, all fire against a given target must be declared before resolving any attack against that target.
12.6 Overwatch
A stand that does not move during its movement phase or fire during its firing phase may have an overwatch marker placed, that allows it to fire during the enemys turn or even during the players next movement phase. If a stand has advanced stabilization (ss), it can move up to half its movement and place an overwatch marker (if it didnt fire in its fire phase). If a stand conducts overwatch fire in its own next movement phase, it may not fire in its next fire phase. But it may have an overwatch marker placed on it at the end of the owning players turn in this case.
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Yes, this means that your cannon-armed BMP must fire at the M1 right in front of him, even though the BMP cant hurt the M1. Even if theres a nice juicy M113 two inches behind the M1.
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For example, an M1 has an overwatch marker placed on it at the end of the Attackers Turn 1. It does not fire during Defenders turn 1. During the movement phase of Attackers Turn 2, a T-80 conducts overwatch fire and becomes spotted by the M1. The M1 fires. It cannot fire again in the Fire Phase of Attackers Turn 2. But since it did not move in the Movement Phase or fire in the fire phase (it conducted overwatch in the Movement Phase, not the Fire Phase), the M1 can have an overwatch marker placed on it. Overwatch markers are placed at the end of the owning players fire phase. Overwatch fire may be made at any point before, during or after movement or firing unless specifically excluded in the sequence of play. All normal targeting restrictions must be obeyed during overwatch fire. A stand loses its overwatch eligibility after it fires all of the shots that it is eligible to fire. Overwatch fire is resolved with other fire in the order the fire announcements are made, except if using the optional ATGW overwatch rule below.
12.9 Pivot
A stand may pivot at the beginning of the enemy fire phase. The stand may only pivot when an enemy stand that began its movement phase in the friendly stands front arc moves into the friendly stands flank arc. The pivoting stand must pivot to keep the enemy stand in the pivoting stands front arc.12
12.10
Infantry may fire from a vehicle, but the effective range is halved and a -1 adjustment is applied to the tohit number. Infantry in a vehicle that is destroyed (not one that fails a quality check) must make a quality check. If they fail this quality check theyre destroyed and removed with the vehicle. Infantry in a vehicle that fails a quality check are eliminated with the vehicle.13
12 13
This prevents players from exploiting the sequence of play and panzerbushing. The infantry are staying in the vehicle as it seeks better firing positions to the rear.
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13.2 General
Anti-vehicle fire is direct fire at enemy vehicles using armor piercing ammunition. Direct artillery fire and direct HE fire are considered Artillery fire and are described in the Artillery Fire chapter. Anti-vehicle fire requires the following: An unblocked line of sight from the firing stand to a spotted target stand; and The target stand must be within range of the firing stand.
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value of 1 if the target is an MBT, 0 for a light vehicle, and 0 for a vehicle with s armor.
13.4.5 CITVs
Vehicles equipped with a Commanders Independent Thermal Viewer (CITV) allow the vehicle commander to target a second vehicle while the gunner is firing at the first vehicle. Thus, CITVs allow a vehicle to ignore the ROF Reduction for Multiple Targets rule. For example, an M1A2 with a ROF of 3 can fire one shot at three different targets.
Second generation missiles hit on a 3+ at all ranges. Third generation missiles hit on a 2+ at all ranges.
Missiles get no penetration modifier for close or long range. Green troops get a -1 to their missile to-hit roll, Veterans get a +1 to their missile to-hit roll. Elites get a +2 to their missile to-hit roll. A natural 1 always misses. A natural 6 always hits. Most missiles have a minimum and maximum range. For example, 1-40. The missile may not be fired at less than one inch or more than 40 inches. Stands that are listed as having missiles (Msl on the data charts) may have a limited supply of missile ammunition. Stands with a limited missile supply have two shots. To represent this, place a penny under the stand (heads up) when it fires. Whenever the stand fires another missile, turn the penny tails up. The stand may no longer make missile attacks. Stands with unlimited missile ammunition denoted by a bullet () on the data charts may fire as many shots as they wish. But if the stand rolls a natural 1 or 2 on the to-hit roll of any missile attack, place a heads up penny beside the stand. If the stand rolls a second natural 1 or 2 on any missile to-hit roll, the stand is out of missile ammunition for the rest of the game. Turn the coin over to tails. The stand can make no further missile attacks in the game. Some missiles are classified as top-attack missiles. These missiles attack a targets flank armor, no matter what angle they attack from. Missiles with tandem warheads are more effective against laminate and reactive armor (see Advanced Armor below).
A good alternative to this rule is to only roll six dice maximum per attack. But if the pen minus armor exceeds 6, then a 5 or a 6 is a kill. This way, you dont have to roll bucketfulls of dice when shooting at light vehicles.
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If a 6 is rolled on any die, the target is destroyed. If a 4 or 5 is rolled on any die, the target must make a quality check. Only one quality checks needs to be made, no matter how many 4s or 5s are rolled. For example, an M1A1 (pen 15) fires at short range and hits a T-72B (armor 10c) in the front. Short range gives a +2 modifier to penetration. The M1A1 gets (17-10) seven dice and rolls them. He rolls a 1,2,2,1,4,5,1. The T-72 must make a quality check. The T-72 is average quality so its roll must equal or exceed 5 or it will be destroyed. A weapon always rolls one penetration die per shot that hits the target. However, if the weapons penetration is less than the targets armor, the penetration roll is adjusted by the difference. So, if an M2 Bradley fires its gun (pen 1) at long range (-1 modifier to penetration) at an AMX-30 (armor 3), the M2 would roll 1 die per shot that hits, and since the penetration minus the targets armor is a negative number (0 - 3 = -3), the Bradley would subtract 3 from its penetration roll. Therefore, the Bradley cannot harm the AM-30 from the front.
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MAWs are missiles are marked with one or two asterisks (* or **) in the Infantry Data chart. If a pinned infantry unit makes an anti-vehicle attack, apply a 2 modifier to the die roll.
13.10
A few infantry stands have integral light mortars. Such a stand may make an additional mortar attack with a range of 16, a template of 1 and 1L artillery factors. They are also treated as Battalion/Regiment Mortars (see Chapter 15).
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14.2 Procedure
Anti-infantry fire may be conducted against any infantry stand or soft vehicle stand. Anti-infantry fire also requires an unblocked LOS and a spotted target. To fire, the firing stand nominates any valid infantry stand or soft vehicle within long range and rolls a number of dice equal to its ROF. Veteran and elite stands add 1 to their ROF. The target takes a hit for each of the firing stands dice that equals or exceeds the firing stands to-hit number. The first hit causes the target stand to make a quality check. Every additional hit suffered that phase will subtract one from the quality check roll. Infantry stands only have to make one quality check per phase, no matter how many attacks are made against them. If the infantry stand makes the quality check, the stand is marked with a pinned marker. A stand with a pin marker may not move (or continue moving) until the marker is removed in the final phase of the turn. If the firing stand fires at more than 1 target, the ROF Reduction for Multiple Targets rules apply, unless the firing stand is a heavy weapons or machinegun stand. These two stands do not lose any ROF for switching targets. For instance, a Bradley fires its cannon at two enemy infantry stands. The cannon has a ROF of 5, reduced to 4 because there are two targets. The Bradley allocates two attacks against each target. The
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Bradleys anti-infantry to-hit number is 4+. The dice on the attack against the first stand are 2 and 6. The first stand takes a hit and must make a quality check at the end of a phase. The dice on the attack against the second stand are 5 and 4. The second stand takes two hits and must make a quality check at a -1 at the end of the phase. Anti-infantry fire at long range is permitted, but apply a 2 to the to-hit roll. There is no modifier for short range.
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15.2 General
Artillery fire includes indirect fire by artillery pieces, mortars and rocket launchers, as well as direct fire by such weapons, and direct HE fire by vehicles. Indirect fire is fire by a stand that cannot see its target and direct fire is fire by a stand that can see its target.
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note that on the sheet. If multiple batteries are firing at that barrage marker, note whether they will use a single template or multiple templates, and for multiple templates how the templates will be arranged (see below for multiple template rule). Any number of batteries may participate in a single mission, but all artillery stands must be of the same type and must fire the same ammunition and sheaf. Hint: to place multiple ammo types on a target, place two barrage markers on the target. You will need at least two firing batteries (or Soviet-style battalions) and two FOs, one for each barrage marker. Artillery barrages land during the Artillery Phase of the opponents turn. A barrage is represented by a barrage template. But just before the barrage lands, it can be corrected. The actual barrage template can be placed within 6 of the marker, as long as the FO that placed the barrage can trace an unbroken line of sight to the new location. If the FO that placed the barrage marker cannot trace a line of sight to the marker when the artillery lands, the barrage template is placed exactly where the barrage marker is. No correction is allowed. Also, if the observing stand or unit is destroyed, the artillery strike lands exactly where the barrage lands. An FO can always cancel an artillery barrage at any time before the barrage lands. Any stand wholly or partially within an artillery barrage template is affected by the barrage. Total the number of artillery points from all firing batteries at the template being resolved. Cross reference this on the Artillery Chart to determine the roll needed to score a hit on the target. A stand that is hit must make a quality check. If multiple batteries (Western batteries or Soviet/CIS/Third World batteries) are firing a mission using a single barrage marker, the owning player may choose to lay a single barrage template, or lay one barrage template for each battery so that they touch edges in a line to form a larger rectangle. If multiple barrage templates are laid, treat the center of the area they cover as the aim point, which can be corrected up to 6 by the FO as above. For multiple templates, resolve each as having only one battery firing on it. For example, an American 155mm artillery battalion consisting of 3 batteries of two stands each fires dispersed-sheaf HE (2x1 template, 1 AF per stand) on a barrage marker placed in its last command phase. In the artillery request, the American player elected to put one template per battery, and chose to put the short ends together, to give a 6x1 area of coverage. He checks his FOs line of sight, corrects the center of the 6x1 area three inches to the left onto a Russian motor rifle company deployed in line, and then resolves the attack. Each of the three templates is hit by the fire from one battery (two stands), so the Russian units in each template receive a 2 AF attack. Had the American chosen instead to place only a single template when he wrote down the mission, he would have had a 2x1 area attacked by all three batteries to give a 6 AF attack on any Russian units under the template.
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15.5 Batteries
All guns in a battery fire at the same target. Additional guns do not increase the barrage template size, but simply add artillery points to the attack. For example, an American SP 155mm battery has two stands. Each stand has 2 artillery points when firing a converged sheaf. So the battery has 4 artillery points and a 1 x 1 template when firing a converged sheaf.
15.6 Sheafs
Most artillery can fire two kinds of sheafs: dispersed and converged. The data charts give the template sizes and number of artillery points for each sheaf.
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marked with barrage markers. These stands can fire at targets that they cannot see, as long as any stand in their battalion/regiment can see the target.
15.10
An unspotted stand that is touched by an artillery template is only affected if the firing player rolls a 1-3 on one die. This roll is not made if there is a spotted enemy stand completely covered by the template.15
15.11
Counterbattery Fire
To simulate counterbattery fire, self propelled artillery batteries/battalions may only fire every other turn (they are moving to new firing positions) and will avoid counterbattery fire. If they fire two turns in a row, theyll be destroyed by counterbattery fire on a roll of 5 or 6. Make the counterbattery roll immediately after the artillery fire is delivered. Roll separately for each stand in the battery/battalion. Towed artillery stands may only fire every other turn and will be destroyed on a roll of 5 or 6 in any phase that they deliver artillery missions.16 If they fire two turns in a row, theyll be destroyed on a 3-6. Make the counterbattery roll immediately after the artillery fire is delivered. Roll separately for each stand in the battery/battalion. If you want, you can play without the counterbattery rules. But you should increase the cost of the towed artillery systems to equal the self propelled artillery systems. Then, double the cost of all artillery systems.
15.12
Multiple rocket launchers (MRL) are less accurate than tube artillery. Therefore, an MRL barrage may scatter and miss the target. MRL barrages are placed and corrected like any other artillery mission. But an MRL barrage will only hit its target if the player makes a quality check for the firing stand. The firing stand has the same quality as the majority of the rest of its force. If the check misses, the barrage will scatter 1d6 in a random direction. Use scatter dice to determine the direction.
15.13
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Do not use this rule if you are playing a scenario with completely hidden units and a referee. The intent is to allow players to blast likely terrain features that probably have enemy units in them, yet not take too much advantage of their omniscience. Yes, we realize that this is an abstract rule. But please remember that the primary focus of the game is on mechanized forces and on speed of play. This simple mechanic makes it possible to delete half a page of cumbersome rules that only slow down play.
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16.2 Procedure
A stand that moves within 1 of an enemy stand must halt and initiate close combat. The player places a die or a numbered marker beside the moving stand with its remaining movement allowance showing (maximum of 6). During the close combat phase, stands take turns firing at each other (nonmoving player first). After each round of close combat, decrease the remaining movement allowance by one inch. A stand completes close combat when it no longer has a target within one inch. After the close combat is over, stands that have any movement left may continue moving.
only if the missile has a minimum range of 1 or less. Note that some infantry stands have missiles as MAWs and are subject to this as well.
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17.1 General
These rules are available in the commercial version of A Fistful of TOWs 2.
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18.1 General
These rules are available in the commercial version of A Fistful of TOWs 2. .
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19.1 General
These rules are available in the commercial version of A Fistful of TOWs 2.
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20.1 Airstrikes
These rules are available in the commercial version of A Fistful of TOWs 2.
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These rules are available in the commercial version of A Fistful of TOWs 2. Here are the contents:
IVIS (Inter-Vehicular Information System) CITV (Commanders Independent Thermal Viewer) SADARM (Sense And Destroy ARMor) Artillery Laser Guided Projectiles AFATDS (Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System) NLOS Missiles Digital Infantry Brilliant Mortar AT Weapons LOSAT (Line-of-Sight Antitank Missiles) Stand Alone Missile Systems Liquid Propellant Artillery
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22.1 General
These rules are available in the commercial version of A Fistful of TOWs 2.
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23.1 General
These rules are available in the commercial version of A Fistful of TOWs 2.
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Many players prefer playing A Fistful of TOWs 2 at 1:1 scale rather than 1:5 scale. Here are some guidelines to convert it into a 1:1 game: The scale is 1 stand equals one vehicle or one infantry squad. Organize stands into platoons (Western forces) and companies (Soviet/Third World) and artillery batteries (4 to 6 guns). Cohesion distances are 2 for all stands. For infantry, break each platoon out into 3 squads. If the platoons has a missile for its MAW, then make 1 squad a Missile Team and the give rest LAWs. For simplicity assume that the platoons heavy weapons are split up among the squads and just use the normal anti-infantry ratings. For western armies, keep all platoons of a company within 4 of another platoon of the same company. For Soviet/Third World armies, keep all companies of a battalion within 4 of another company of the same battalion. Use the other normal cohesion rules for this super-cohesion. Have fun. Time your turns. Remember, speed is the ultimate realism!
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How come the Merkavas armor is so low? Dont you know its the best-protected tank in the world? And what about that crummy gun rating, huh? You got something against the Israelis?? These rules are available in the commercial version of A Fistful of TOWs 2. Youll get a complete system that will allow you to determine point values for any vehicle that you wish to design. It will also contain lists of missiles and gun ratings so you can see how we approached the issue.
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26.1 Version 2
This is the second edition of A Fistful of TOWs. The first edition was a set that Dave and I designed for personal use. I then expanded it and placed on the internet for free. The result was surprising. Hundreds of people downloaded the rules and sent in hundreds of suggestions, praises and complaints. At the urging of Chris Harvey, Paul Minson and others, I decided to do a commercial version. You know, clean up the data and whip a new on out in time for Christmas of 1999. It would be easy. Boy was I wrong. Hundreds of vehicles needed to be added. Six years of additional data needed to be accounted for. Hordes of new rules needed to be written. I was doomed. Thankfully, Paul Minson took over the task of editing and we may actually make it by Christmas of 2000.
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War flooded the bookstores. But, the Berlin Wall came down. While undoubtedly beneficial to mankind, it left my wargaming in a shambles. But in the early 1990s, I had an idea. Why not pretend like it never happened? Or pretend that it did happen in 1985 and wargame the battles. Or do like the Ancients wargamers and just pick a couple of armies and fight a battle? Anyhow, I jumped back into moderns in a big way. And found no game to my liking.
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Chadwick decided he that he wanted a fast playing, and sophisticated simulation that could simulate a Third World War at division level, anywhere from Norway to the Persian Gulf. Chadwick also wanted players to use appropriate tactics because they made sense, not because the rules said so. So he designed an unprecedented asymmetrical sequence of play that required the Soviet player to echelon his forces to get optimum use out of them. NATOs sequence of play rewarded the use of AirLand Battle tactics. The Soviets would lose if all they did was barrel forward. Similarly, NATO would lose if all it did was dig in. This single example affected me greatly when I started designing games. Every game that I have designed began with a list of goals. A Fistful of TOWs 2 was no different.
26.3.5 Elegance
I love elegant games; and theyre far harder to design than complicated games. Anyone can write a rule to cover every possible contingency, and weigh a game down to the point that it becomes unplayable. But elegance requires simplicity and sophistication rather than complexity. While these qualities are difficult to attain in a game design, the result is worth it. Players enjoy elegant games because they are easy to learn but hard to master. Of course, they must be fun. And intuitive. So I wanted A Fistful of TOWs 2 to be elegant. But how do you achieve elegance? I believe that you achieve elegance in a wargame by developing simple systems that achieve the same results that usually take more complex rules. Good examples are the command/cohesion system, the artillery system and the vehicle data system.
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company or battalion-sized units just like their real life counterparts. And you dont have a bunch of leader stands mucking up your battlefield.
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attained that level of speed in numerous games and even our slowest games have not averaged more than about 20 minutes per turn. I think that the essence of modern mechanized warfare is speed. The great commanders like Rommel, Guderian or Patton, had the ability to react quickly and get things done quickly. The incompetents cant. I dont think a game that requires an hour to play a single five minute turn is realistic in any sense of the word. Nor is it much fun. This obsession with speed provided me with a useful litmus test for rules. I examined every rule by asking the questions how much time will this add to the game? and is it worth it. I ruthlessly excluded rules that cut into our precious speed.
26.3.12 Conclusion
My bottom line assessment of A Fistful of TOWs is that it is the game that I want to play. I think youll find it enjoyable to the extent that our tastes are similar. Enjoy!
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Army Lists
Many more army lists and hundreds of vehicles are included in the commercial version of FFT2. Some vehicles listed in these army lists are not included in the sample data.
U.S. ARMY
GENERAL
Since World War II, the US Army has been the worlds most technologically advanced and lavishly equipped army. In the period represented by this game, the US Army has reached the heights of military excellence and plumbed the depths of military incompetence. Perhaps more than any other army in the world, the US Army has reflected the society that created it. It entered the 1960s honed to a sharp edge and fully prepared to defend the West against Soviet hordes storming into Central Europe. Like the United States at that time, it was confident even cocky that it could win that fight. Unfortunately, its test came not in Europe, but in the steaming jungles of Southeast Asia. And as long as the American people felt that they could win the war, the US Army fought well, virtually annihilating the Viet Cong. But when the American people lost faith in the nations ability to win the war, the US Armys performance sagged. A decade of attrition warfare and political unwillingness to mobilize the reserves forced the Army to cannibalize units outside of Vietnam. This ground down the Army and ruined it for a decade. By the early 1970s, the US Army was a shattered, hollow shell of the fighting force that confidently entered Vietnam. And in the 1970s, the Army battled the same problems racism, drug abuse, and apathy that plagued American society as a whole. The Arab oil embargo, a pacifistic and isolationist political leadership and general economic stagnation prevented the Army from upgrading its equipment to fight its renewed mission the Soviet Threat. Fortunately, the Army still had a cadre of dedicated officers determined to rebuild and restructure it. Soviet arrogance, aided by the Iranian hostage crises, helped oust Jimmy Carter and refocus the American people on foreign affairs. Ronald Reagan took office in 1981, with a mandate to rebuild the US military, a task he relished. Within a decade, the US Army was lavishly re-equipped with a new generation of military hardware. It was also larger than it had been since World War II and it was one of the best trained armies in the world. This was the force that fought the Gulf War and annihilated the Iraqi Army in just 72 hours. Its performance in the Gulf War was a first in American military history: this was the first time in American history that the US Army won its first battle. In that battle, the US Army annihilated the Iraqi Army and suffered fewer than 100 casualties. The 1990s werent as kind to the US Army though. The disintegration of its chief rival has left it lacking a well-defined opponent, which has ended the days of lavish defense spending. The Army has deactivated many formations and has scaled back many new weapons programs. It has also had to undertake humanitarian operations in Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia and Kosovo. These operations have reduced funds available for new weapons systems. And charges of sexual harrassment are eroding confidence in the officer and NCO corps. Nonethless, the US Army remains the worlds most potent fighting force.
QUALITY
The US Armys quality depends on the year the scenario is being fought: From 1960-1970, US Army stands are regular. From 1970-1981, US Army stands are green. From 1982-1988, US Army stands are regular. From 1989-1994, US Army stands are veteran. From 1995, US Army stands are regular. Reserve and National Guard are green in their first battle and raise to the same quality as the US Army in their second battle (but no higher than regular).
CROSS-ATTACHMENTS
Each combat formation may exchange any of its companies or troops (except AT Companies) for any of the following companies/troops: Tank Company Mechanized Infantry Company Armored Cavalry Troop Light Inf Company
SUPPORT UNITS
Each combat formation may have up to two of the following support units attached: Field Artillery Battalion: 3 Field Artillery Batteries (see below) Field Artillery Battery: 2 SP 105mm Hwz; 1 FIST-V (tracked FO vehicle with same stats as M901 but no missiles) Heavy Artillery Battalion: 3 Heavy Artillery Batteries (see below) Heavy Artillery Battery: 2 SP 203mm Hwz; 1 FIST-V Light Howitzer Battalion 3: 3 Light Howitzer Batteries (see below), FO with HMMWV Light Howitzer Battery 3: 1 105mm Towed Hwz General Support Battery 3: 2 155mm Towed Hwz MLRS Battery: 1 MLRS Attack Helicopter Company: 2 AH; 1 OH-58 ADA Battery: (3 M163; 4 Stinger stands w/HMMWV) Air Cav Troop: 2 OH; 1 AH Transport Helicopter Co: 3 UH-60
VEHICLE NOTES
MBT: M48, M60, M1, M551 (all models) IFV: M113, M2 (all models) CFV: M3, M114 (all models), M114 Wheeled APC: HUMMWV, Jeep MLRS: Heavy MRL
1
2 3
The AT Co in the mechanized infantry battalion can be divided among the other companies as the owning player sees fit, or the AT Co may be used as a normal unit in the battalion. Only one divisional cavalry squadron is allowed. This unit may only be attached to light infantry battalions.
COMBAT FORMATIONS
Tank Regiment: (1 SA-9; 1 ZSU-23-4; 1 recon BRDM-2; 1 recon BMP); 3 Tank Battalions; 1 BMP Company BMP Motorized Rifle Regiment: (1 Vasilek w/BTR; 1 SA-9; 1 ZSU-23-4; 1 recon BRDM-2; 1 recon BMP); AT Missile Battery*, 2 BMP Motorized Rifle Battalions; 1 Tank Battalion (MR), 1 122mm SP Artillery Bn BTR Motorized Rifle Regiment: (1 Vasilek w/BTR; 1 SA-9; 1 ZSU-23-4; 1 recon BRDM-2; 1 recon BMP); AT Missile Battery*, 3 BTR Motorized Rifle Battalions; 1 Tank Battalion (MR), 1 122mm Artillery Bn
CROSS-ATTACHMENTS
Each combat formation may exchange any of its companies or troops (except AT Companies) for any of the following units: Independent Tank Battalion Tank Battalion Recon Battalion BMP Battalion Antitank Battalion BTR Battalion
SUPPORT UNITS
Each combat formation may have up to two of the following support units attached: Artillery Regiment: 2 152mm SP Artillery battalion; 1 Rocket Launcher battalion 122mm Artillery Battalion: 1 FO (Use generic tracked APC); 3 Batteries [2 122mm towed hwz each] 122mm SP Artillery Battalion: 1 FO (Use generic tracked APC); 3 Batteries [2 2S1 each] 152mm SP Artillery Battalion: 1 FO (Use generic tracked APC); 3 Batteries [2 2S3 each] Rocket Launcher Battery: 1 Light MLR or 1 Med MLR or 1 Heavy MRL SAM Regiment: 5 SA-6/8/11; 5 SA-7/14 infantry w/truck SAM Battery: 1 SA-6/8/11; 1 SA-7/14 infantry w/truck SAM Battalion: 3 SA-4 or SA-12 Army SAM Battery: 1 SA-4 or SA-12
Tank Battalion1: 6 MBT Tank Battalion (MR) 2: 9 MBT Independent Tank Battalion: 9 MBT BMP Battalion3: 9 BMP; 9 Infantry; (1 towed 120mm mortar w/truck) BMP Company: 3 BMP; 3 Infantry BTR Battalion: 3 9 BTR; 9 Infantry; 1 towed 120mm mortar w/truck; 1 AT-4 stand w/BTR AT Missile Battery: 2 BRDM/AT-5 Antitank Battalion: 2 AT Gun w/MTLB; 2 BRDM-AT5
This battalion has a special 2 MBT company that maneuvers as a separate unit. Stands in the separate company may trace cohesion to each other or they may be part of the battalion, as the owning player sees fit. This battalion has a special 3 MBT company that maneuvers as a separate unit. Stands in the separate company may trace cohesion to each other or they may be part of the battalion, as the owning player sees fit. This battalion has a special 3 BTR/BMP company that maneuvers as a separate unit. Stands in the separate company may trace cohesion to each other or they may be part of the battalion, as the owning player sees fit.
VEHICLE NOTES
MBT: T-55, T-62, T-64, T-72, T-80, T-90 (all models) BMP: BMP 1,2 or 3 Wheeled APC: BTR Tracked APC: MTLB
BRITISH ARMY
QUALITY
From 1980, the quality of the British Army is as follows: Regular British Army are Veteran Territorial Army stands are Regular Royal Marines, Paratroops and SAS are Elite
COMBAT FORMATIONS
Armoured Regiment (2 Scimitar, 1 FV438 in 1980s); 4 Armoured Squadrons Mechanized Infantry Battalion (2 Scimitar, 2 SP 81mm Mortar, 4 FV432+Milan or Spartan-MCT); 3 Armoured Infantry Companies Armoured Recce. Regiment (4 FV102 Striker); 2 Medium Recce. Squadron; 5 Scimitar Troops Light Infantry Battalion (2 81mm Mortar w/Land Rover, 1 Milan w/Land Rover); 3 Infantry Companies Motorised Infantry Battalion: 4 Motorised Infantry Companies, 1 Motorised Infantry Heavy Weapons Company Corps Reconnaissance Regiment: 4 Medium Recon Squadrons Infantry Battalion (Reserve): 4 Infantry Companies, 1 Infantry Heavy Weapons Company
CROSS-ATTACHMENTS
Each combat formation may exchange any of its companies or squadrons for any of the following units: Armoured Squadron Mechanized Infantry Company Medium Recce Squadron Infantry Company
SUPPORT UNITS
Each combat formation may have up to two of the following support units attached: Artillery Regiment: 3 or 4 Field Artillery Batteries (see below) Field Artillery Battery: 2 155mm SP Hwz; 1 FO w/Warrior Towed Artillery Regiment: 3 Towed Artillery Batteries (see below) Towed Artillery Battery: 1 105mm Towed Hwz; 1 FO w/Land Rover MLRS Battery: 2 MLRS Heavy Regiment: 3 203mm SP Hwz Army Air Corps Squadron: 2 Lynx w/TOW or 2 Gazelle LLAD Battery: 2 Javelin w/Spartan Rapier Battery: 2 Tracked Rapier or Towed Rapier
FRENCH ARMY
COMBAT FORMATIONS
Mechanized Infantry Regiment: (1 recon jeep; 1 wheeled SP 4.2mm Mortar); 3 Mech Infantry Companies; 1 Armored Company Armored Regiment: (1 recon jeep); 4 Armored Squadrons Infantry Regiment: (1 jeep/milan; 2 recon jeeps; 1 4.2 towed mortar w/truck; 2 81mm mortars w/truck); 4 Infantry Companies Light Armored Regiment: 3 Light Armored Squadrons; 1 AT Company [with 3 VAB-HOT]
CROSS-ATTACHMENTS
Each combat formation may exchange any of its companies or squadrons (except AT Companies) for any of the following units: Armored Squadron Light Armored Squadron Mechanized Infantry Company Infantry Company Recon Company
SUPPORT UNITS
Each combat formation may have up to two of the following support units attached: Field Artillery Battalion: 4 Field Artillery Batteries (see below) Field Artillery Battery: 1 155mm SP Hwz; 1 FO w/jeep Towed Artillery Battalion: 4 Towed Artillery Batteries (see below) Towed Artillery Battery: 1 155mm Towed Hwz; 1 FO w/jeep MLRS Battery: 1 or 2 MLRS Attack Helicopter Company: 2 SA-342 Gazelle (HOT) AH or 2 SA-341/gun Gazelle ADA Battery: 3 AMX-13 DCA SAM Battery: 2 Roland launchers
VEHICLE NOTES
MBT: AMX-30; AMX-30B2; LeClerc Generic Wheeled APC: VAB
1
This missile may be fired from the AMX-10P or from the infantry stand.
GERMAN ARMY
QUALITY
Fallschirmjager units: Veteran 1st Grade Line Units: Regular 2nd Grade Line Units and Reserve Units: Green
COMBAT FORMATIONS
Panzer Battalion: 3 Panzer Companies Mixed Panzer Battalion: 2 Panzer Companies; 1 Panzer Grenadier Coy Mechanised (Panzer Grenadier) Battalion: Mortar Battery (1 SP 120mm Mor); 3 Panzer Grenadier Coys Panzer Reconnaissance (Aufklarungs) Battalion: 2 Heavy Recon Coy; 1 Light Recon Coy; 1 Recon Infantry Coy Airborne (Fallschirmjager) Battalion: 3 AB Coy; 1 Heavy AB Coy Light Infantry (Jager) Battalion: 3 Light Infantry Companies; 1 Weapons Coy
SUPPORT UNITS
Artillery Regiment: 1 Howitzer Battalion, 1 Rocket Artillery Battalion Howitzer Battalion: 2 Mdm Batteries (1 FH-70 155mm HOW each), 1 Heavy Battery (1 SP 203MM HWZ 8" HOW) Rocket Artillery Battalion: 2 Batteries (each 2 LARS-2 Rocket Launchers) Medium SP Artillery Battalion (3 batteries, each 1 SP 155MM HWZ SP 155 HOW) Artillery Battalion ( 3 batteries, each 1 105mm towed HOW, 1 Truck) Attack Helicopter Company: 3 PAH-1 Air Defence Battery: 1 AA vehicle or 2 Infantry Redeye Teams and 2 Fuchs APCs Panzer Pionere Company: 3 Engineer Infantry, 3 Fuchs APCs, 1 Pionere Panzer CEV, 1 Biber AVLB, 1 M113 w/towed Minenwerleger towed minelayer
VEHICLE NOTES
MBT: Leopard 2 or 2I in Panzer Battalion, Leopard I in Recon Battalion, M48A2G2 in Reserve Brigade MICV: Marder (all types) APC: M113 Other: Jaguar (all types) Wheeled vehicles: Fuchs, Wiesel, Luchs AA Vehicles: Roland, Gepard
1 Vehicle Data
Main Battle Tanks
Vehicle Period PV Move Armor Gun Pen ROF Rng SA Missile Pen ROF Rng Equip Cap Missle Notes
France LeClerc AMX-10RC VAB 6x6 w/20mm VAB HOT AMX-10P Germany Leopard 2A5 Marder 1A3
12t 12t 6wa 6wa 5wa 5wa 6a 12 8t 10t 10t 10t 10t 10t 10t 12a 6wa 9t 9t 10t 10t 5ta 5ta 12t 10t 10t 10t 10t 10t 10ta 10ta 10ta 10ta 10ta 10ta 12ta 12ta 12ta 12ta 12ta 10ta 7ta 7ta 7ta
10c/2c 10c/2c 0 0 0 0 0 10C/2C 1L 10c 10c 10c 10c 10c 10c 1 0 12c/2c 12c/2c 2L 2L 0 0 9c/2 12c/2c 12c/2c 12c/2c 12c/2c 12c/2c 1 1 1 2L/1L 2L/1L 2L/1L 1 1 1 2L/1L 2L/1L 2L/1L 0 0 0
26 26 18 10 6 6 10 24 8 16 16 16 16 16 16 12 10 6 24 24 12 12 6 6 24 24 24 24 24 24 14 16 16 16 16 16 14 16 16 16 16 16 6 6 6
5+ 5+ 6+ 4+ 6+ 6+ 4+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 4+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 4+ 4+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 5+ 5+ 5+
16h2 18h2T 14h2T 14h2T 14h2T 10h2 16h2T 14h2 18h2 14h2 18h2T 16h2 18h2t 8h2 18h2t 8h2 8h2 16h2 18h2t 8h2 18h2t 8h2 8h2 16h2 18h2t 8h2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1-42 1-42 1-50 1-50 1-50 1-50 1-40 1-20 1-20 1-40 1-40 1-38 1-38 1-38 1-38 1-38 1-38 1-38 1-36 1-38 1-38 1-38 1-38 1-38 1-38 1-38
1 1
ss,t,n,c n,i 1 s,t,n s,t,n s,t,n s,t,n s,t,n s,t,n s,n,i i ss,t,n ss,t,n n,i n,i n n ss,t,n ss,t,n ss,t,n ss,t,n,c ss,t,n,c,v ss,t,n,c,v s,t s,t s,t s,t s,t s,t,n,c,v s,t s,t s,t s,t s,t s,t,n,c,v t,n t,n t,n 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 AT-11 Refleks ATGM ATGM defenses: +1 to save ATGM defenses: +1 to save ATGM defenses: +1 to save ATGM defenses: +1 to save Both lines apply to this vehicle (it has two guns).
Russia/Soviet Union/CIS T-80U 90-95 (with Refleks missile) 96-00 01-10 T-80U 90-95 (without missile) 96-00 01-10 BMP-3 91-10 BRDM-2 AT5 Spandrel M 95-10? United Kingdom Challenger 2 Warrior Milan FV-438 United States MBTs M1A1 96-00 01-10 86-95 96-00 70-90 91-10 85-89 90-95 96-00 01-10 96-00 01-10 83-89 90-95 96-10 90-95 96-10 00-10 85-89 90-95 96-10 90-95 96-10 00-10 85-89 90-95 96-10
M1A2 M2, M2A1 Bradley M2A2 Bradley M2A3 Bradey M3, M3A1 CFV M3A2 CFV M3A2 CFV M901 ITV
+1 to terrain save
Notes
First Gen Msl; 2 Second Gen Msl; 3Third Gen Msl Tandem Warhead Top Attack Missile L Laminated Armor C Chobham Armor R Reactive Armor s Soft Vehicle Has unlimited missile ammo
1 T
2 Artillery Data
Type Guns/Howitzers 105/122mm SP 105mm Towed 152/155mm SP 152/155mm Towed 203mm SP 203mm Towed ICM (3 shots) PV Cal Move Armor 0 s 1 s 0 s Range 15(21)km 15(21)km 18(30)km 18(30)km 27(37)km 27(37)km Converged AF Temp 2L 2L 2 2 3 3 +1 1 x 1 1 x 1 1 x 1 1 x 1 1 x 1 1 x 1 2 x 2 Dispersed AF # Temp 1L 1L 1 1 1 1 +1 2 x 1 2 x 1 2 x 1 2 x 1 2 x 1 2 x 2 Direct Fire AV Ammo Pen ROF Rng h,s,c h,s,c h,s,i,c,m h,c 10h 10h 2 7 1 1 1 1 1 1 8 8 8 8 8 8 105/122mm 6 105/122mm t 155mm 155mm 203mm 203mm all 5 t 5 t -
2 x 1 h,s,i,c,m,l** 2 h,i,c,m,l** 7
* 3 shots of ICM ammo will double the cost of the gun. 6 shots will triple the cost of the gun, 9 shots will quadruple the cost of the gun. ICM only available starting in 1980. ** Laser-guided projectiles only available starting in 1985, and only for technologically advanced armies. See rules section 21.5. Converged AF Temp 2L 2L 1 1 1 2 3 3 5L 1 x 1 1 x 1 1 x 1 1 x 1 1 x 1 1 x 1 1 x 1 1 x 1 1 x 1 Dispersed AF # Temp 1L 1L 1 1 1 1 1 1 1L 2 x 1 2 x 1 1 x 1 1 x 1 1 x 1 2 x 1 2 x 1 2 x 1 5 x 1 Direct Fire AV Ammo Pen ROF Rng h,s,c h,s,c h,s.c h,s,c h,s.c h,c h,c h,c h,s -
Type Mortars SP 81mm Mortar Towed 81 Mortar SP 4.2 Mortar SP 120mm Mortar Towed 120 Mortar Towed 160 Mortar SP 240 Mortar Towed 240 Mortar Vasilek Automortar
PV
Cal 81mm 81mm 4.2 120mm 120mm 160mm 240mm 240mm 82mm
Move Armor 6a t 6a 6a t t 6 t t 0 s 0 0 s s 0 s s
Range 30 30 45 45 45 75 90 90 30
NOTE: Towed mortars have a crew that has the same attributes as a Mortar team (see the infantry section). If this stand is destroyed, then the mortar is destroyed. SP mortars have the characteristics of the tracked or wheeled APC of the particular army. NOTES on ammo: h: conventional high explosive ammo s: smoke c: chemical i: improved conventional munitions (ICM) l: laser-guided projectile m: artillery-delivered mines Converged AF Temp Dispersed AF # Temp Direct Fire AV Ammo Pen ROF Rng
Cal
Move Armor
Range
0 0 0
h s h
200-290mm na 100-190mm na 100-190mm na 200-290mm na 200-290mm na 100-190mm na 100-190mm na 200-290mm na 200-290mm na 100-190mm 5 100-190mm 5 200-290mm 6 200-290mm 6
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
30km 20km 20km 30km 30km 20km 20km 30km 30km 20km 20km 30km 30km
na
8 x 2
na
16 x 2
s h s h s h s h s h s h s
Light MRL (HE)* Light MRL (Smoke)* Heavy MRL (HE)* Heavy MRL (Smoke)*
Western Major Armies
Light MRL (HE)* Light MRL (Smoke)* Heavy MRL (HE)* Heavy MRL (Smoke)*
Western Minor Armies
Light MRL (HE)* Light MRL (Smoke)* Heavy MRL (HE)* Heavy MRL (Smoke)* Notes
Rules for ICM and mines are in the commercial version of FFT. *This is a multiple rocket launcher fire mission with 1 shot per game. na: not applicable NOTES on ammo: h: conventional high explosive ammo s: smoke (regular and incendiary) c: chemical i: improved conventional munitions (ICM) l: laser-guided projectile m: artillery-delivered mines
3 Infantry Data
Small Arms
Type Period PV Mov Size To Hit ROF Rng
LAW
Pen ROF Rng
MAW
Pen ROF Rng
SAM
Pen ROF Rng
United States Infantry US Army Infantry** US Army Hvy Wpns US Army Hvy Wpns
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
3+ 3+ 3+ 3+ 3+ 3+ 3+ 3+ 3+ 4+
2 2 2 (2) (2) 2 2 2 2 1
4 4 4 8 8 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
6h 7h 7h 6h 7h 7h 7h 7h 7h 7h 7h 7h 7h 6h 10h 6h 6h 6h 6h 6h 6h
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 2 4 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 3
1-10 1-10 1-10 3 4 1-10 1-15 5-30 10 1-25 1-15 4 4 1-20 1-20 0-6 1-20 4 4
Russian/CIS/Warsaw Pact Infantry Infantry 70-84 85-10 Category 1 Infantry** 85-10 95-10
Equips AT platoons of BTR motor rifle battalions.
AT-3d Team**
90+
Equips AT Companies of BTR MR Regiments (3 teams per company). SPG-9 Team 76+ 3 4+ 2 AT-4c Team** 91+ 3 4+ 1 3 infantry stands in each BTR MR Battalion have AT-7a or AT-13. Infantry w/AT-13 90+ 3 1 3+ British Infantry British Infantry British Infantry w/Milan** British Milan Team** French Infantry French Inf** French Milan Team** German Infantry 70-84 85-00 90-00 90-00 91-00 90-00 81-84 85-10 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 3+ 3+ 3+ 4+ 3+ 4+ 3+ 3+ 2 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 2
NOTES: A recon stand costs 1 extra point. Stands that have ROF in parenthesis have their ROF for that weapon halved (round down) if they moved in the same turn they fire the weapon. A This stand has a light mortar. It can fire the mortar on any turn it doesnt move. The mortar has a range of 16 and attacks with 2L artillery points. It can also fire Brilliant AT Mortar rounds (see commercial rules). Many more infantry stands are in the commercial version of FFT. ** This stands MAW is a missile and only has an effective range. The stand only has two MAW shots. SAM armed stands only have two SAM shots. This is a popup missile. r: rear aspect missile c: chase aspect missile a: all aspect missile
PV
...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......
VEHICLES GunMissile Move Armor Pen ROF Rng SA Pen ROF Rng Equip Cap Missle
...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
Notes
Type
............................................ ............................................ ............................................ ....... ....... .......
PV
....... ....... .......
Mov
....... ....... .......
Type
.............................. .............................. ..............................
PV
...... ...... ......
Cal
...... ...... ......
Move Armor
...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......
Dispersed AF # Temp
...... ...... ...... ...... ...... ......
TURN SEQUENCE
Attacking Player Turn (a) Command Phase The attacker places artillery barrages. The attacker places reinforcements on the board No overwatch activity is allowed during the command phase. Movement Phase Attacker Moves The attacker moves his stands, one at a time. At any time during the phase, Defending stands may conduct overwatch fire or shoot and scoot fire if eligible. Defender Pivots Quality Checks At the end of the phase, quality checks are made. No overwatch activity is allowed during this sub-phase. Close Combat Phase Defender Phase Defender fires. Attacker resolves quality checks due to enemy close combat attacks. Defender pivots. Attacker Phase Attacker fires. Defender makes quality checks due to enemy close combat attacks. Attacker pivots. Reduction Phase (d) (e) Reduce remaining movement by one. Repeat the close combat phase until there are no opponents within close combat range. Complete movement. Resolve additional close combats as necessary. Firing Phase All fire within this phase is simultaneous. Combat results take effect at the end of the phase. Attacker resolves fire combat and anti-infantry combat. Defending units with hold fire markers fire. Remove destroyed stands. Resolve quality checks. Attacker may place overwatch markers on stands that did not fire or move during the turn. Artillery Phase Defenders artillery barrages land. Resolve quality checks. No overwatch activities during this phase. Final Phase Resolve any housekeeping chores. Make quality checks for unit losses. Remove pin markers on friendly troops.
(b)
(f)
(c)
(g)
Defending Player Turn Use the same sequence for the Attacking Player Turn, but reverse the roles. **Note that overwatch activities include shoot and scoot maneuvers.
A. Spotting Chart
TARGET TYPE VEHICLE PERSONNEL Moving Moving Station. Station. Moving Moving Station. Spotting Stand: In Open or In In In In Open or In In In Quality Type Firing Cover Cover Open Firing Cover Cover Open GREEN Personnel auto 20 10 40 auto 10 1 20 Vehicle auto 10 5 40 auto 5 1 10 Recon Vehicle auto 20 10 40 auto 10 1 20 Recon Personnel auto 30 15 40 auto 15 1 30 AVERAGE Personnel Vehicle Recon Vehicle Recon Personnel VETERAN Personnel OR ELITE Vehicle Recon Vehicle Recon Personnel auto auto auto auto auto auto auto auto 30 20 30 40 40 30 40 50 15 10 15 20 20 15 20 25 45 45 45 45 50 50 50 50 auto auto auto auto auto auto auto auto 15 10 15 20 20 15 20 25 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 30 20 30 40 40 30 40 50
B. Quality Chart
Troop Type Green Average Veteran Elite Quality Roll AV To Hit 6+ -1 5+ 0 4+ +1 3+ +2 ROF 0 0 +1 +1
D. Anti-Vehicle Fire
Range To Hit
If firer is green, -1. If firer is veteran/elite, +1. A natural 6 always hits. Penetration Dice: A 4-5 is a quality check, 6 is a kill.
Movement Class
Tracked Wheeled Leg Towed Amphibious Helicopter
Clear Light Woods Heavy Woods Forest Swamp Towns Streams RiversFordible RiversImpassable Cliffs Ridges Roads
-1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -21 -21
See pp8-9 2 4
1 P P P P P
Paths 1 1 1 P = Prohibited = No Effect A number indicates that this is how many inches of movement it costs to move one inch through that type of terrain.
1 2
If target stand is behind and touching the terrain feature, it gets this modifier or saving throw. Otherwise, there is no effect. At the referees discretion, infantry may cross with rubber rafts at 1/4 per turn. The infantry may not fire while in the water.
Light infantry stands may cross a cliff by spending an entire movement phase beside the cliff.