My group has been looking for a fast play simple set of WW2 rules.  This is a tall order because of course WW2 combat was very complicated with many factors involved.  I ran across a set of free rules on the internet from Pz8.  They are to be found on the freewargamesrules wiki.  One page front and back, they cover battalion level combat.

 

Since I am one of those guys with little imagination and can't fathom that 1 miniature tank on the tabletop actually represents a platoon, I adjusted the rules for scale.  That was a simple as tripling the ranges and move rates.  Spotting is very simplified.

WW2 was all about fire and movement.  For war game rules this means opportunity and defensive fire.  The Pz8 rules simulate this simply with side A moves, then Side B fires.  There is no mechanism for disappearing targets, but if you must have it, it can be added simply.  When hit, targets can be disordered or suppressed.  They can attempt to rally later in the turn.

Combat is similar to Spearhead in that way, d6 with attack and defense modifiers, except in this case, both side roll a d6 and add their respective modifiers.  Personally I like this.  Gives you a say in your own demise!  In this photo you can see a few wrecked vehicles and an infantry stand in the open with a red marker for suppression.

There are no orders, which might be a problem for higher level games, but for our scenario which was one company US vs one depleted company German both with armor support, it worked well.  In fact, I spent about 5 minutes on force preparation and the host had set up the table before I got there. 

 

 

 

In our game the US company, one platoon in halftracks and two tanks were to cross the stream and take the village.  German fire from the stream edge stopped the infantry, but the tanks were able to cross the stream at the bridge and ford, causing havoc.  Eventually the US infantry was defeated due to poor tactics (mine) and no longer able to assault the village ad we called the game.  

We had never seen the rules before this game, but it only took about 2 1/2 hours and was great fun.  So if you want to take a break from the complexity and just roll some tanks around, I recommend it for a quick game. 

I have made a new QRS and made some additions to the game for more realism.  If you would like a copy - get in touch!

 

 

 Featured Minis #7
GHQ microarmor for the Western Desert


British A13 cruiser tanks

Some Italians - M11 tanks and infantry.

The sand flocking is stuff I scraped of my front yard here in AZ.  Buy Local!!!

War of the Roses with Triumph! on terrain maker hexes.

  These are 5mm H&R figures for War of the Roses.  The terrain is GHQ terrain maker.  I've got to say the hexes are vintage, they've held up for nearly 3 decades.

Triumph! rules are very very similar to DBA with a few differences.  They are a good set for fast play small table ancients for people who cannot understand DBA because of the dense prose.

Featured Miniature #6b

Yeah so I went on about the Dendra armor but didn't put a picture of the mini up.  I found the dude skulking in the back of the box.  Maybe he was tired of lugging around a few dozen pounds of bronze.  Here he is.

Featured Miniature #6

Mycenaean Greek 15mm from Old Glory.  I painted many of these in authentic style, then I saw the "Troy" movie and took a liking to the Hollywood-hip black/grey/bronze outfits. 

There are a few figures in this collection that are wearing the "Dendra Panoply", which is a big bronze trashcan of armor and is very cool.  It seems that the armor was so heavy the wearers would ride a chariot to their spot in the battle, then get out and fight, making them the first armored mobile infantry in the world!
See more on the Dendra Panoply

Into the woods

Just discovered my box of Terrain Maker hexes. Best estimate is that they are almost 30 years old.  Here's a teaser.

Featured Miniature #5

Pzkfw IV tank.  This is a Forces of Valor 1/72 model from Unimax.  I think I bought it in Walmart or Toys R Us.  This is how it came out of the box.  No painting or touch ups by me.  Coolest part is it has rubber tracks and rolling wheels!  This line may not be in production anymore, certainly not available in big box stores, but I have seen some online.  This will make an appearance in a soon-to-be published 2nd battle report of Crossfire.