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TITLE: Rules of Engagement (2007),

AUTHOR: Chris Charlton, Stuart McCorquodale, Mark Wheatley

PUBLISHER: Great Escape Games

PUBLICATION DATE: April 2007

WEB SITE/SUPPORT FORUM:

• www.greatescapegames.co.uk - offers free downloads, articles and a webstore
• http://rofe.19.forumer.com/ - Rules’ authors online very frequently to answer questions

PRICE (with date): £30.00 (in 2008)

REVIEWED BY: Stuart McCorquodale (Co-author)

Rules of Engagement is a tabletop wargame for two or more players that allows you to recreate battles of the twentieth century to the present day.

Game rules:
The complete gaming rules covering movement, weapons, close quarters combat, artillery and more. Includes opportunity fire, hidden troops, snipers, tank support and fortifications. With clear examples and diagrams, Rules of Engagement is easily accessible yet offers plenty of depth for experienced players.

Scenarios:
Nine scenarios from take and hold missions to desperate rearguard actions. Each scenario includes specific rules covering, for example, reserves, unacceptable losses and additional orders.

The Second World War 1944-45:
A detailed history of the War on Western Front from D-Day to the Fall of the Reich. The Orders of Battle section gives detailed listings of the forces available including company and divisional support options. Forces covered: German Grenadiers, Panzergrenadiers, Volksgrenadiers, Fallschirmjäger and Waffen SS, British Infantry, Airborne and Commandos, Canadian Infantry, US Infantry, Armoured Infantry, Parachute Infantry and Rangers and the Maquis.

Hobby section:
A complete colour guide to painting your miniatures and creating a battlefield. Uniform and equipment guides for all the forces featured in the Orders of Battle including British and Canadian Infantry, British Airborne and Commandos, German Grenadiers and Panzergrenadiers, Fallschirmjäger, Waffen SS and Volksgrenadiers, US Infantry, US Airborne and the Maquis.

REVIEWED BY: Stuart McCorquodale – I am the publisher of this rules set.

PERIOD COVERED: World War 2 Ground

THE BOOK:

240 page A4 Hardback, lavishly illustrated in black and white and colour

SCOPE:

Tactical level where one model equals one man. Players control understrength to reinforced platoons.

ARMY SIZE:

Forces will be up to 70 men plus one armoured vehicle maximum. In typical attacker-defender scenarios the attacker may have around 55 men to the defenders 35.

BASE UNIT:

One model equals one man. Most squads are around 10 men but can usually sub-divide into assault and machine-gun teams.

GAME SCALES:

• Ground scale - unspecified
• Time scale - unspecified
• Figure/Base Ratio - 1 figure = 1 man
• Recommended Figure size – any but we the designers developed the rules using 25mm
• Table Size – 6’ x 4’
• Game Length – 2 to 3 hours

BASING SIZES:

None specified

TURN SEQUENCE:

1. Discipline Phase: check morale of units and fall back if necessary
2. Orders Phase: units given instructions for the rest of the turn, choosing targets for example.
3. Movement
4. Shooting
5. Close Quarters

GAME MECHANICS:

The key game mechanic is the way that effective fire affects troops. The states of discipline are: Confident, Suppressed, Shaken, Demoralised.

If a unit takes as many hits as there are men in the unit, it is Suppressed. If it takes double the number of hits, it is Shaken. Note that effective hits may not cause casualties. Affected troops must then test discipline in the Discipline Phase or Fall Back away from the enemy.

If they test discipline and pass then their discipline improves by one ‘shift’ (from Suppressed to Confident, for example). Ifthey test and fail, their discipline deteriorates by one ‘shift’ (from Shaken to Demoralised, for example).

Of course, there are penalties associated with the states of discipline as they deteriorate. Demoralised troops risk dispersing from the field or even surrendering.

ARMY LISTS/SCENARIOS:

Platoons are constructed very quickly and easily. Each force has a base, understrength platoon usually consisting of a command squad and 2 infantry squads with a Combat Effectiveness rating. After determining the scenario, the players are given a total Combat Effectiveness score available to their force (these are not always equal). The difference between this and the platoon’s base Combat Effectiveness indicates the amount of support available. Players should be able to organise their force in just a couple of minutes!

Army Lists Included:

• Germany (5 lists)
• Britain & Canada (4 lists)
• USA (4 lists)
• Maquis (1 list)

Many additional lists are available for free download at the Great Escape Games website. Lists include those for the Battle of France, Italy, Eastern Front and Winter War. Future ones will include the Spanish Civil War and post-war conflicts.

Supplements are planned. The first, covering the Eastern Front, is released mid-2008.

Scenarios Included:

• 9 scenarios reflecting missions in the 2^nd World War or other modern conflicts.

REVIEWER’S COMMENTS:

An independent review may be found here:

http://www.wargamesjournal.com/07_updates/ROE_REVIEW.pdf
and on other websites.

The writing is clear and there are enough diagrams to aid play. The core rules are concise (e.g. The Movement Phase is 2 pages) and there are mercifully few tables.

There is a comprehensive table of contents and index and a summary play sheet at the back.

PLAYER’S COMMENTS:

To read other players’ comments or to leave your own, please click here.

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