Description

Designer's Goals

Arty Conliffe had a specific goal in mind when designing Spearhead:

…many WW II games function no differently than western shoot-outs with big guns. In these games
we see tank and infantry units moving randomly about the battlefield, with no regard for unit
boundaries, orders or operating doctrine, blowing-up whatever targets may appear…

We believe that a set of rules seeking to recreate Division-level maneuvers cannot work without a
system for representing unit orders. Orders that bind Battalions to specific actions on the tabletop
serve to limit the unrealistic advantages of a player's helicopter view. This prevents the absurdity of a
player moving units arbitrarily back and forth across the tabletop in perfect response to every move of
his opponent.

Forces

The basic building blocks of the game are Fighting Battalions, which include such formations as armor
and infantry. To these are added Support Battalions, specialist formations such as anti-tank, FLAK,
recon, special armor, engineer and artillery battalions. The scenario designer may also assign air
sorties to the side with air superiority.

The Tables of Organization booklet lists the available formations for different divisions. For example, a
1943-45 U.S. Infantry Division includes these elements:

infantry battalion
Fighting Battalions
tank battalion

tank destroyer battalion

artillery battalion

medium artillery battalion

Support Battalions
recon troop

engineer battalion

anti-aircraft battalion

Rules limit the amount of support which can be attached to a single battalion. Support battalions also
have the option of fighting as independent formations.

EXAMPLE: Based on the infantry division listed above, a player could start with an infantry battalion,
then add support (a company of tanks, a company of tank destroyers, and a company of engineers),
and then artillery firing in support (an anti-aircraft battalion, and two artillery battalions). This example
represents the maximum amount of support which can be added to a single battalion.

Each battalion is made up of companies or batteries, which are in turn made up of a number of stands
(representing platoon-size forces).

EXAMPLE: The infantry battalion from the above example consists of:

Headquarters one HQ stand

 (in staff car/truck)

one 57/52 anti-tank gun

(with truck)

Infantry Company three rifle stands

Infantry Company three rifle stands

Infantry Company three rifle stands

two heavy machine-gun (HMG) stands

Weapons Company one 81mm mortar stand
(in truck)

Plus the supporting elements:

Tank Company three M4 Shermans

three M10 tank destroyers

Tank Destroyer Company
one M20 armored car

three engineer stands (rifles)

Engineer Company
(in trucks)

Plus the anti-aircraft artillery battalion:

one HQ stand
Headquarters
(in jeep)

two M16 MGMCs

Battery two 40/56 AA guns
(with trucks)

two M16 MGMCs

Battery two 40/56 AA guns
(with trucks)

two M16 MGMCs

Battery two 40/56 AA guns
(with trucks)

two M16 MGMCs

Battery two 40/56 AA guns
(with trucks)

And two artillery battalions:

three 105/25mm howitzers

Artillery Battalion
(with trucks)

three 105/25mm howitzers

Artillery Battalion
(with trucks)
Each battalion is also assigned a Morale rating (Green, Regular, or Veteran). Early-war French and
Russian are not assigned Morale ratings, but are given random Morale ratings as they enter combat.

Orders

According to the designer:

The essential feature of Spearhead's conception of WW II warfare is the fundamental importance of

the commander's plan of battle… Orders underscore the importance of tactical planning and reduce
the advantage of the player's 'Helicopter View' of the battlefield. Orders also reflect the relative
inflexibility of 'committed' units.

Prior to play, Orders must be issued to each battalion in play. There are four types of Orders:

The unit is tied to defending a specific location.

 All platoons (once deployed) may not move or pivot at all.

 Once enemy are “visually” spotted platoons other than the HQ may Pivot and/or move
Forward or in Reverse to “face” or “move against” the visible enemy! (i.e.. You can’t
Defend move around just because you received some indirect fire from an unknown observer)
Orders Note that “moving against” could involve reversing away to maintain extreme fire range,
etc.!
 Once no enemy are “visible” all platoons must halt and may not move or pivot (as per the
1st condition above).

 The unit is plotted to follow a particular course in order to reach a specified objective.
Once the battalion reaches its goal, it defends that location.
 All platoons must advance at least 6" per turn facing in the same direction as the order
arrow. The HQ element must travel “along” the arrow. Platoons may only use a pivot to
follow any change in direction of the command arrow.
 Once enemy are “visually” spotted any platoon (including the HQ) may halt, or move less
than 6". All platoons except the HQ may also pivot up to 45 degrees and/or reverse as
Attack well.
Orders  Once no enemy are “visible” the unit must revert to obeying the 1st condition listed above!
 Once the HQ (or it’s replacement) reaches the end of the arrow, the Battalion reverts to
DEFEND orders. This occurs in the Command Phase and counts as an order change, so
“on the following turn” all units may make an unlimited pivot and/or move forwards or in
reverse to position themselves as part of the order change. The Battalion is considered to
be under DEFEND orders during that turn.

Allows a player to give a series of objectives to a battalion, tied to specific game turn. For instance,
Timed a battalion might be ordered to attack Hill A at the start of the game, then to attack Town B starting
Orders on Turn Eight. (If the battalion captures Hill A on turn four, it would defend that hill until turn
eight, when it would move to attack the town.)

A Flank March allows a player to bring in his forces from the sides of the playing field. Up to one-
Flank
third of a player's force may be assigned to flank march. A flank march is otherwise identical to an
March
Attack Order, except that an arrival time (game turn) must be specified. The exact arrival time of
Orders
the flank marching unit(s) is determined by die roll, modified by nationality.

ORDER CHANGES:
  Remember that if a battalion is to receive an order change from the CinC the HQ must be
unsuppressed. Unless German it must also not have any platoons firing and/or being fired on by direct
fire!

A player may also designate some of his forces as a Reserve Force. These battalions are kept either
off-table or to the rear until activated. No reserves can be activated prior to the sighting of the enemy.
Reserves do not need to be given specific orders (i.e., Defend, Attack, etc.) prior to play.

Sequence of Play

Spearhead is played in a series of turns, each of which is composed of the following steps:

Both players roll dice, receiving modifiers due to nationality. The high
Determine Initiative
roller selects whether to be move first or second this turn.

First Player Moves The player moves his forces, obeying strict restrictions due to the Orders
His Forces his battalions have been given.
Movement
Second Player
As above.
Moves His Forces

Air Attacks
Anti-Air Attacks
Indirect Fire
(Artillery)

Stationary Infantry
Both players conduct combat simultaneously, but firing by certain classes
Fire
of units must be resolved (and applied) before other units can fire.
Anti-Tank Guns
Combat Fire According to the designer, "This firing sequence represents rate/volume
of fire as well as flexible target acquisition."
Stationary Vehicles
Fire Only units which moved half speed or less can fire.
Moving Infantry
Fire

Moving Vehicles
Fire

If any battalion has reached a Break Point, it must make a Morale Check.
Morale Checks
A unit which fails morale is immediately removed from play.

Close Combat represents fighting by stands which are in physical contact,

Close Resolve Combat
due to an assault or overrun.
Combat
Morale Checks As per Morale Checks, above.

Players may commit their reserves or (within strict limits) change a unit's
Command Phase
orders. Suppressed units may rally.

Movement

A unit's ability to move depends upon its Orders.

Stands of a battalion on Defend Orders cannot move beyond the Command Zone of their battalion
commander; further, the battalion commander cannot move at all. Within the restrictions above,
stands of the battalion can move against (or pivot towards) enemy stands which have been spotted by
any stand within their battalion.

A battalion with an Attack Order must follow its pre-plotted course; in fact, the battalion commander
literally "rides" the path of the movement arrow. Stands within the battalion must advance until contact
with the enemy has been made, remaining within the Command Zone of their commander. Once
contact has been made, the battalion is expected to continue to advance but mandatory minimum
movement requirements are suspended. Stands must generally face in the direction of the advance.

Command Zone restrictions are relaxed slightly for supporting stands (such as anti-tank guns or
forward observers) and recon companies.

The ability of a stand to move is affected by the terrain through which is is moving. Roads provide
some aid, but not as much as under some other rules systems. According to the designer:

Although roads were indispensable in mobile warfare, the large formations of WW II benefitted most
from roads when moving strategically across large areas when the enemy was not at hand.
Furthermore, road conditions varied tremendously. When actually in the battle area… the roads were
less important.

When moving, a stand first pivots, then moves in a straight line (unless following a road, or following
the edge of a terrain feature such as woods).

Infantry may be transported by other vehicles. Trucks which carry infantry are removed from play
once the soldiers dismount, and never return. Infantry which ride bicycles or motorcycles are mounted
with their transport on the same stand, and never dismount. Infantry mounted in halftracks are based
together with their halftracks on the same stands, and special rules apply to them. "Halftrack infantry"
may choose to dismount, in which case the halftrack stands are permanently replaced with regular
infantry stands. Certain nationalities have special infantry platoons which can ride tanks into battle.

Spotting

A stand is "spotted" when it comes within spotting range of an enemy stand. This range depends
upon the type of unit being spotted (vehicle or infantry), the terrain (open or cover), and whether the
stand has fired. A stationary stand upon a hill is always treated as if in cover.

A stand which has not been spotted cannot be fired upon.

If a stand is motionless and in cover when first spotted, it is considered in Ambush. It cannot be fired
at in the current turn.

EXAMPLE: A U.S. M4 Sherman platoon is advancing across a field. As a vehicle in the open, it can
be spotted by any enemy stands within 1800 yards (18"). In this case, let's say that it is seen by an
entrenched German rifle stand at a range of 600 yards. However, the tank does not spot the enemy
infantry, since spotting range for infantry in cover (entrenchments) is 300 yards (3").

Air and Anti-Air

Each aircraft stand represents one Sortie by 2-4 actual aircraft. Each stand can fly only a single
mission (one turn). Only ground support aircraft are covered within these rules. The game charts
provide for these aircraft:
 Ju-87

Ju-88

Germany Hs-129

Me-110

Do-17

Sturmovik
Russia
Pe-2

Allies "Jabos"*

* According to the rules,"…virtually any western front allied aircraft that is not a B-17…"

The charts also indicate which weapon loads the different aircraft are capable of carrying: bombs,
rockets, or anti-tank cannons. Each sortie can only carry one weapon type.

The player with air assets is assigned one or more Air/Ground Controller (AGC) stands. The AGC
must spot its target and succeed at a Call-In Roll (modified by nationality) for the aircraft to enter play.
If the call-in is successful, the plane is placed at the location where the ground attack is to take place
(it does not "fly in" from the table edges).

The plane is now subject to attacks by any dedicated anti-aircraft weapons within range of the attack.
As a result of a successful anti-aircraft attack, the aircraft might either be destroyed or forced to wait
and try the same attack again next turn.

If the sortie avoids the flak, it then attacks a Beaten Zone which is 600 yards deep by 140 yards wide.
The plane's weapon load determines how many and which targets in the zone are attacked. An attack
roll is then made for each target, with the dice being modified by the presence of anti-aircraft stands,
terrain, and target movement (vehicles only). If the attack roll equals or exceeds the attack score for
that sortie's weapon load, the target is destroyed.

EXAMPLE: An American Air-Ground Controller spots two advancing German tanks, and attempts to
call-in air support from one of the sorties assigned to his side at the start of the scenario. Being U.S.
means that he has a basic two-thirds chance of success. On a die roll of "3," he gets his sortie. He
decides to place the aircraft stand in front of the two German armor stands.

Now the German player gets to fire his anti-aircraft weapons. He has a qualifying (stationary)
Mobelwagon stand within range (1200 yards), with a FLAK Factor of "2" (not particularly powerful).
The Jabo has a Defense Factor of "4," which compared to the FLAK factor means the German has a
-2 modifier to his dieroll. On a dieroll of "5," which is modified to a "3," the anti-aircraft fire is
unsuccessful (he needed at least a "4" to cause the plane to abort).

The U.S. player now determines which targets are within the Beaten Zone – in this case, the two Stug
III's previously mentioned, plus a rifle stand in the distance. Because this plane is armed with Bombs,
the target rules result in an attack against the foremost of the tanks, and the infantry stand.

Resolving the anti-armor attack: The plane's bomb load has an Attack Factor of "4," which means that
any roll of 4 or higher on one die will destroy the target. The die roll is modified by the tank's
movement this turn (-1) and the presence of the Mobelwagon (-1). On a dieroll of "5," modified to a
"3," the Stug III is spared.

The attack on the infantry stand is resolved similarly. The attack factor is the same, modified this time
only by the presence of the Mobelwagon (-1). On a dieroll of "5," modified to a "4," the infantry stand
is eliminated.
The aircraft stand now exits play, having fulfilled the single mission allowed to it.

Artillery

Artillery functions in a manner similar to air attacks. For each artillery battalion, there is a Forward
Observer (FO) stand provided. In other cases (such as organic mortar units), one of the platoons
within the battalion is designated as the FO stand for attached indirect-fire stands.

The FO must be able to spot his target, and then succeed at a Call-In dieroll (modified by nationality
and chain of command). Once artillery has been called in on a target, it can continue to fire on
consecutive turns at the same or nearby targets. Each battery is limited to firing a number of missions
per game as indicated by the scenario designer, and has both a minimum and a maximum range.

Artillery can fire either High Explosive or Smoke missions. A high explosive mission results in an

attack on the target stand (only). Smoke missions create a field of smoke (of a size dependent on the
number of batteries and size of the shells). A dieroll determines if a smoke mission succeeds; if it
does, the field may be stoked (continued) on future turns without a dieroll.

Additional rules allow for on-table artillery units to make direct-fire attacks, pre-planned
bombardments, rocket artillery, and for artillery to function in General Support rather than attached to
specific battalions.

EXAMPLE: An American FO sights the Stug III and calls in an artillery mission from one of the off-
table artillery batteries attached to his infantry battalion. Due to his nationality and the fact that the
battalions are divisional assets, there is a basic two-thirds chance of success. On a dieroll of "5," the
artillery responds to the call.

The battery is a 105/25mm howitzer, with two Attack Factors: "2" (anti-tank) and "5" (anti-infantry).
The Stug III has a Defense Factor (using its frontal armor rating) of "6." Comparing the anti-tank
attack factor against the defense factor, the attack will have a modifier of -4.

Any modifier of -3 or more means that the attack cannot succeed. Therefore, the American player
opts to try Suppressive Fire. The player rolls two dice, without modifiers, with any result of "11" or "12"
meaning that the target is suppressed. The player rolls a "7," and the Stug III is unaffected by the fire
of this battery.

Direct Fire

Using Direct Fire, stands can fire at enemy stands which are within spotting range and to which they
can trace a Line of Sight (LOS). All stands also have a maximum range at which they can attack.

Stands can only attack during the appropriate phase of the turn (see the Sequence of Play, above). In
addition, stands are limited when selecting their target by range (they must generally fire at the
nearest target), arc of fire, and by the fire priority rules (stands prefer to fire at enemy stands of their
same type – tank vs. tank, and infantry vs. infantry). No stand can fire if it moved more than half its
movement allowance. A few stands (such as turretless vehicles and crew-served weapons) are
prohibited from firing if they have moved in the current turn.

Special rules apply to Support Weapons (such as a heavy machinegun stand), allowing them to fire
through friendly stands and to trace their Line of Fire from an adjacent stand which they are
supporting.

In general, an Attack Roll in Spearhead is made with a single six-sided die, with a result of "4 or 5"
causing the target to become Suppressed, and a result of "6" eliminating the target. The firer's Attack
Factor and the target's Defense Factor count as modifiers to the dieroll. Terrain also provides
modifiers.

Turreted vehicles can gain additional protection by declaring themselves to be Hull Down. To be hull
down, a vehicle must be stationary on the highest level of a hill. The Hull Down modifier varies
according to the data chart for each vehicle type, and applies only to direct-fire attacks made by
lower-altitude attackers from the frontal aspect.

Many types of weapons have both an Anti-Tank (AT) and Anti-Infantry (AI) attack factor, to be used
against different classes of targets. Most armored vehicles have two defense factors (frontal and
flank), used depending on the direction from which the attack comes. Certain armored vehicles with
"open" tops or sides have two defense factors (anti-tank and anti-infantry).

If the final attack roll modifier is -3 or worse, the attack has no chance of success. In this case, the
player can instead make a Suppressive Fire attack. Any roll of "11 or 12" results in the target
becoming Suppressed.

Additional rules cover fire against "disappearing" targets (a target which moved out of sight),
submachineguns, infantry anti-tank attacks, high-velocity guns, passengers, towed weapons, tank-
borne infantry, and flamethrowers.

EXAMPLE: The advancing Stug III confronts a stationary M4E8 Sherman tank and a moving
American rifle stand. Due to the Sequence of Play, the Sherman will fire first, then the moving infantry.
The Stug III is an assault gun, and cannot fire while moving.

The Sherman has an Anti-Tank attack factor of "7", while the Stug III has a frontal Defense Factor of
"6." No other modifiers apply. Therefore, the American has a +1 modifier to his dieroll. On a roll of "4"
(modified to a "5"), the German vehicle is Suppressed.

Now the infantry has the option to attack, using the special infantry anti-armor rules. The rifle stand
has an anti-tank factor of "5," versus the Stug III's flank armor defense factor of "3". Since the infantry
anti-tank factor exceeds the defense factor, the infantry attack will eliminate the target on a roll of "5 or
6." The American player rolls a "1," and the attack fails.

Morale

Each battalion has a Morale Rating, of either Green, Regular, or Veteran. The Morale Rating
determines how many Break Points a battalion has. For instance, a Green unit has three Break
Points, while a Veteran unit has only one.

Whenever a battalion takes enough damage (measured in terms of stands) to push it past one of its
Break Points, a Morale Check is required. A dieroll is made, with the battalion having a basic two-
thirds chance of failing the roll. A battalion which fails morale is immediately removed from play.

Close Combat

There are two forms of Close Combat: Infantry Assaults and Overruns. The primary difference is that
Infantry Assaults are performed by infantry stands, while Overruns are performed by armored
vehicles. Target priority rules restrict the selection of targets, as does terrain.

The close combat is initiated during the Movement Phase, when the attackers declare their intent and
move into contact with enemy stands. They must have been able to spot the enemy prior to
movement. The target of an Infantry Assault is pinned and cannot move; the target of an Overrun can
attempt to Break-Off, but risks being pursued and destroyed. Stands which have declared Close
Combat attacks cannot fire during the Fire Phase; the defending stands can fire, but only against their
close-combat attackers.

The combat is resolved during the Close Combat Phase, assuming that both sides continue to have
eligible stands present. If there are multiple stands on both sides, the close combat is broken down
into separate combats.

One die is rolled for each stand (if there is more than one stand per side, each rolls and the best result
is used). The high roller wins; in the event of a tie, the side with higher morale wins; if both sides have
similar morale, the dice are re-rolled. Modifiers to the dieroll apply due to terrain, weapon type,
situation, and morale. As an optional rule, the attacker receives a bonus for attacking from the flank.

The losing side loses one stand, and retreats a double move with all other stands.

EXAMPLE: During the Movement Phase, two stands of German Engineers declare their intent to
Infantry Assault an American anti-tank gun. The German stands are moved into contact with their
target. The anti-tank gun cannot flee from an infantry assault, even if the American player has not yet
moved his units.

During the Firing Phase, the American gun fires at one of the engineer stands, Suppressing it. This
knocks that stand out of the Close Combat (it moves back 1", out of contact with the enemy).

When the Close Combat Phase rolls around, one die is rolled for each stand. The engineer receives
modifiers for being Assault Engineers (+1) and Veterans (+1), but there is a penalty due to the target
being entrenched (-1), for a final modifier of "+1." The anti-tank gun has a modifier of -1, due to being
a crew-served weapon.

The German player rolls a "1," which is modified to a "2." The American player rolls a "5," which is
modified to a "4." Since the American total exceeds the German total, the Germans lose – the
engineer stand is eliminated.

Command Phase

During the Command Phase, a player may change Orders, Rally units, or (as previously described)
commit his Reserves.

Rallying the Suppressed. A stand can become Suppressed during the course of play, which means
that it cannot move or fire. A Suppressed stand which receives a second Suppressed result is
eliminated. Therefore, it is important to be able to Rally these stands, restoring them to normal status.

There is a basic 50% chance of Rallying a Suppressed stand, but modifiers apply due to the Morale
Rating of the stand's parent formation, as well as the presence of un-Suppressed headquarters
stands.

Changing Orders. Before the first turn, each player assigns Orders to his battalions. These Orders
can be changed during the Command Phase, but only if the battalion commander is un-Suppressed, if
an enemy has been spotted, and (non-Germans only) the unit is neither firing nor being fired upon by
Direct Fire. Only one order change may be made per side per turn, except in larger games.

Changing orders also requires a successful Order Change Roll, modified by nationality (and for
Russians, by year). Germans can usually change orders, the Western Allies have a 50% chance of
changing orders, and Russians find it very difficult to change orders.

A battalion which otherwise cannot change orders may Break-Off contact with the enemy. In order to
conduct a Break-Off, the formation must have taken losses due to fire from an enemy stand which
remains visible. The breaking-off battalion then retreats for at least two full turns (the owning player
can retreat further if he desires), making no attacks while so moving, and then acts as if under Defend
orders.

The Rest of the Rules

Spearhead also provides rules for:

Higher-Level
For use in large scenarios, in which entire regiments and brigades are committed.
Headquarters

Vehicles destroyed while on roads become wrecks, inhibiting road movement until
Wrecks
cleared.

Advanced rules force Russian formations to move at full speed when under Attack Orders
Russians until the enemy is contacted, and apply additional restrictions to changes of facing while
under Defend Orders.

Towns are composed of Sectors (3" square), each of which can hold up to three stands per
player. Units can only move one sector per turn, and an enemy-held sector prohibits
movement on all adjacent roads. Stands inside a sector cannot be fired upon from the
outside, and can fire only at enemy stands at the moment at which they enter the sector;
otherwise, all combat within a sector is Close Combat. The Close Combat Phase
continues until only one side has forces in each sector.
Towns
Stands outside of any sector but adjacent to one are in the Outskirts. There can only be
one stand per side of any sector, and only on sides not adjacent to other sectors. A stand in
the outskirts receives cover benefits, and can fire normally (but cannot fire into the
sector). A stand in the outskirts prevents the enemy from entering the sector through that
side.

The scenario designer may allow engineers to have the capacity to conduct engineering
tasks, such as laying and clearing mines, entrenching, briding, demolition, and setting up
Engineers
barbed wire or road blocks. The scenario designer can also designate any engineer unit to
have flamethrower capacity.

Cross This optional rule allows companies from Fighting Battalions to be attached to other
Attachment battalions.

COMMAND ZONES:

ALL Troops must obey the command zone requirements. These are;

 6" for units up to (and including) 12 Platoons,

 12" for units of (or greater than) 13 Platoons,
 24" if under ATTACK orders and integral Recon Platoons or attached Recon Companies.

Command Zones may only be disregarded when either:

 under ATTACK orders and support platoons (except HMG) are “dropped off” to provide fire support
while the balance of the unit advances. Note that in this case they must still obey all the requirements
of ATTACK orders such as facing in the direction of the arrow, etc., unless enemy have been spotted!
 under DEFEND orders and the support platoons (including HMG) are deployed “to the rear” of the
main position to provide fire support.
REMEMBER: Support Platoons, unless firing in their own self-defence MUST fire in support of their parent
battalion (or the one they are attached to), ie. They must fire at enemy that the rest of the battalion is firing at, or
that are firing at the battalion, or that are occupying their battalion’s line of advance, etc. They may not fire at
enemy some distance away who are engaging a different friendly battalion.

RECON:

Recon in SH works back to front to conventional skirmish games, the benefit of a Recon unit is the big CZ and
that they can engage the enemy without providing the enemy sufficient justification to issue new orders! (Unlike
skirmish rules where the Recon elements would get spotting and/or camouflage bonuses instead). To summarise
the distinction of Recon means:

 Under ATTACK orders you have the special CZ (24").

 When attached out the companies (of a Recon battalion) perform as miniature battalions for morale
purposes. (So theoretically the loss of an attached Recon company has no adverse effect on the
battalion’s morale).
 When spotted, Recon platoons can not be used as justification, by the troops that spot them, to change
orders (3.12 - 3rd para). But troops that the Recon spot can be used as justification to change the Recon
platoon's HQ’s orders!
 That if you use a whole Recon battalion together as a fighting battalion, the elements count as fighting
platoons, not recon platoons (12.2.1 & 4.1). This is important for two reasons;
o The Command Zone, and
o Whether they have the special effect described in the 3rd condition above!

TERRAIN
A couple questions about the tabletop. Are height distinctions important? I read something about hull-down but
one webpage says there's no height scale.

Yes, and No. Yes height distinctions are important, for example you must be stationary on the top contour of a
hill to count as hull down! (This is much more playable than skirmish sets which have you "swooning" about
behind crestlines, etc...). No there is no vertical scale, so you just slide to suit, for example in North Africa most
terrain features are very low, but I often portray small ridges as 2 contours to distinguish them from very low
rises which I make 1 contour. In a NW Europe setting these would all be 1 contour! (The most important
features of high ground are that you can claim hull down and you can gain additional visibility (max is
normally 18" to spot vehicles) PER contour (+3") so on a 2 contour hill you can see enemy vehicles at 24".

In particular, what sort of table terrain is necessary to have a good Spearhead set-up. What sort is desirable? I
am completely new to miniatures and am unlikely to be able to have a permanent gaming table. Can a paucity
of tabletop terrain create a reasonable Spearhead experience?

Well, we often play (IMHO) with the minimum necessary, typically on an 8' x 4' table there will be 4-6
reasonable hills (plus occasionally a few small ones), some roads, maybe a couple of streams or a small river, 2-
3 large woods (occasionally some more small copses), and some BUAs - Built Up Areas (typically 10-15 town
sectors in total). Occasionally a few fields or other minor features are used to break up large open areas to
provide some cover... But because of the visibility restrictions, even with a sparse battlefield it is possible to
have a reasonable manoeuvre battle.

What is desirable is more than this, I feel that for NW Europe and Russian games our terrain is sometimes too
open, we need to have more small hills, small woods, and fields and stuff. This will reduce the amount of open
space (a mile is 18") which in our games is probably too much at present. However this is mainly aesthetics on
my part and is not absolutely necessary.

FLANK MARCHES
Are the flank march rules realistic?
Sort of, you can get the silly situation of opposing battalions passing each other to flank march on to the same
table edge! But generally they work okay, we play quite a few pick-up/encounter/spontaneous type games, so
FMs can be quite effective! In an attack-defence scenario like Arty intended FMs are useful for the attacker, but
the defender is better placed to allow for them. Tactically FMs can often be minimised by keeping reserves near
the flanks, which can be committed to intercept any offending enemy FM.

A common mistake is people try to spread a small Division (say 6-7 Btns plus attachments) along the entire 8'+
frontage, a strong flank march (say Tank Btn + attachments) can often roll up a couple of Battalions single-
handedly while the opposing General looks on helplessly!!

TIME & GROUND SCALE

What is the time scale?

15-30 minutes per turn. We prefer to think 30 minutes.

What's the ground scale?

1" = 100 yds.

WHAT THEATRES/ERAS ARE THEY SUITABLE FOR

The focus seems primarily East Front [so far]. The scenario book seems to cover the whole war on the EF. Is
there a particular era [early war? mid? late?] that the rules seem most focused on?

Not really, they were probably written around 1943-44 Russia & Europe and expanded out in both directions....

My [board] wargame interest of the month is Czech 38 / Poland 39 / and especially France 1940. How
amenable is Spearhead to this? It looks like there exists Spearhead data for early-war divisions, but are the
rules suited to this era?

Most certainly, one of the great things is the Tanks become very vulnerable (as they were historically). Also
they have a lot less fire power so when they encounter enemy Infantry they can't kill it very quickly by long
range fire, they need to charge in and Close Assault (as was done historically many times in France in 1940,
and North Africa 1940-42) to Overrun the grunts!

There is data on 1940 units, and I've researched a few additional vehicles/weapons, while for poles and the like
you can easily find compatible data elsewhere to get started....

OTHER QUESTIONS
How much table space for a typical division on division encounter?

Well we usually play on 8' x 4', 8' x 6' or occassionally 6' x 4'. This usually proves ample, infact in some cases
it's almost too much room. Generally SH works realistically with actual doctrine, if your armour encounters dug
in Infantry you can halt it and plan a new assault with Infantry and so on... so the space required is relative to
how many troops you wish to use.

How much manoeuvre in depth is typical?

Not a lot in someways, Spearhead assumes you are representing the front half of the deployment zone, therefore
some units are "off table" at the start of the game in Reserve.
Also although movement is fast/decisive a table that is more than 5'-6' (6,000-7,200 yds) deep makes it more
difficult for reserves, since once committed they can take 3-5 turns to reach the action (as opposed to 2-3 on a 4'
table).

Is the feeling manoeuvre or attritional?

I feel it is mostly manoeuvre (but then I am a big SH fan), bad attacks turn into attritional battles as casualties
can mount quickly and whole battalions can be destroyed in 2 turns if heavily out gunned and unsupported.

The game also promotes good reconnaissance; intelligent use of reconnaissance will be a big help - giving you
a chance to modify plans before contact with the enemy, which is crucial as once you get into combat unless
you are German you are considered committed and cannot have your orders changed until you resolve the
combat, or elect to break off and withdraw.

Is "division-level" accurate? Or is it really brigade level or division plus level, etc?

Yes, its a Divisional game but many people play with Brigade sized forces, and I do not feel this completely
captures the spirit of SH, we always play with Divisions, and often by having 2 players a side and a larger (8' x
6') table we may use close to an entire Corps (2 Divisions and/or Corps troops).

Actually a better phrase might be "its a battalion game designed to operate at the divisional level and higher..."
as opposed to most rules which are "platoon games designed to operate at company or battalion level".

Two issues: For corps-level action, are multiple players per side necessary? My reading of the Spearhead
description suggests that once the battle is engaged, battalions fight according to the game rules. So a corps
battle should entail just more up-front planning than a division battle. Or not? Also, your site mentions the
corps-level rules. Know anything more about them?

No to Question 1, but the game will play slower. There are lots of subtle little manoeuvres possible within a
battalion, which means it's not completely Brain Dead when it becomes committed! These involve support
elements, Armour, target priority, etc... it takes a couple of games to start appreciating these and that is why
many people who played 1 or 2 games, or only read the rules (and who failed to identify them) labelled SH as
excessively simplistic....

The Corps level rules come in the form of the "BREAKTHROUGH" Campaign supplement, which is currently
being playtested....

Second, when you say "a battalion game designed to operate at the divisional level and higher" how much sub-
battalion detail is there? If possible relate to my paper-board-wargame experience. Is the battalion, the
"counter" and platoons something like step-losses? Or is the bn the orders-receiving unit and companies the
counter or platoons the counter? i.e. would different companies w/i a bn have different
overwatch/support/assault roles?

There is not a lot of detail below battalion, Companies are sometimes insignificant (except for aesthetics) unless
a support battalion which you can break up to attach out. Comparing the Battalion as the counter and the
platoons as step losses is reasonable, but not totally accurate (after all each platoon can react independently of
the battalion HQ).

Finally [I guess I had 3 points], how comfortable are the Auckland players with the bn-level focus. My reading
of WWII history is that the Brigade/CombatCommand/Regiment was doctrinally the primary manoeuvre
component for Commonwealth/USA/USSR. Not sure about German doctrine, but in practice the bn seems the
right focus for them. It was only post-war that the bn became the US manoeuvre element.

No problem with that, if you operate historically (ie. keep 2-3 battalions together to support each other)
generally you will perform better than if you have them all charge off on their own in different directions.

Also if you are Non-German then you need to give yourself a chance to react to changing situations, since your
battalions cannot react to order changes while engaged in combat. Therefore historical 2 up 1 back deployments
mean that the front 2 battalions will "shield" the rear battalion which will therefore be able to respond to an
order change as required. Likewise if the rear battalion is ordered forward through 1 of the front battalions it
can then "shield" or cover that battalion allowing it to reform and change orders as necessary. Overall then the
net result is quite nice and in my view reasonably realistic, despite the fact that there are 1 or 2 unusual
mechanics involved in getting there!
 

There are no rules for air drops, as the designer believes that "…dropping units on a tabletop during a
pitched battle is probably better represented by a lower-level game."

The Scenarios

The rulebook also includes three scenarios:

Space
Name Description
Required

The Russian 92nd Tank Brigade must kill or rout the Germans, or inflict damage
Attack This
and exit the far edge of the table within 10 turns. The defenders consist of an
Leningrad, 30" x 30"
infantry battalion reinforced with two anti-tank guns and a light artillery battalion
May 1942
firing in support.

A meeting engagement one week into the invasion of Russia, as an exploiting

A Roaring
German force collides with a Soviet counterattack. The Germans have a panzer
Start 60" x 60"
battalion and two infantry battalions (partially mounted in halftracks). The Russians
29 June 1941
have the 92nd Tank Brigade, plus a regiment each of armor and motorized infantry.

During the breakout from Normandy, an American force must contend with an
entrenched German foe. The mostly-green Americans have the 52nd Infantry
Beginner's
Regiment, the 120th Tank Battalion, and the 82nd Tank Destroyer Battalion, plus
Luck
air support. The Germans have a battalion of Pz IVh's (veteran) and the 524th 60" x 60"
Normany,
Infantry Regiment, with attached anti-tank and flak guns. Game length is 15 turns.
August 1944
The Americans win by killing or routing two German battalions, or by exiting one
battalion off the far table edge.

The designer also provides a half page of guidance on designing your own scenarios.

The Data

The datacards which come with the rules provide data for 400 "platoon types" belonging to the Italian,
French, Russian, British, German and American forces during WWII.

Spearhead's Tables of Organization and Equipment booklet includes information on these formations
and their components:

Germany Panzer Division 1940

 1941-42

1943

1944

1940
Motorized Division
1941-42

1943
Panzer Grenadier Division
1944

1940-42

Infantry Division 1943

1944

Volks Grenadier Division 1944

Fallschirmjäger Division 1943-45

1940

Armored Division 1941

1942
Italy
Motorized Division 1941-42

1941
Infantry Division
1942

Armored Division

Light Mechanized Division

France 1940
Motorized Division

Infantry Division

Tank or Armoured Brigade 1939-45

1939-40

1941
Armoured Division 1942
2 versions
Great Britain
1943-45

1939-40

Infantry Division 1941-43

1944-45

Airborne Division 1944-45

Russia Independent Tank Brigade 1941

Tank Division 1941

 1942

Tank Corps 1943

1944

1942

Mechanized Corps 1943

1944

1941-42
Infantry Division
1943-45

1941-42
Cavalry Division
1943-45

1942
Heavy Division
1943-45

Light Armored Division 1943-45

United States
1942
Infantry Division
1943-45

Airborne Division 1944-45

Supplements