"Rate of Fire" Topic

Its a typical Thursday and I have been unpacking deliveries for the shop, (Dragonfire Games) One of the products I ordered to have a look at selling is the new Crusader set of rules called Rate of Fire (ROF). I stock quite a few other sets of WW2 sets of rules and have not been impressed with them. I had a read through ROF and I am sold in all aspects of this game. I think it is the best WW2 Skirmish set of rules out there at the moment, dare I say, nay even the best set of WW2 rules period, out there at the moment! (big call I know) Then again it has all the beauty and fluff and simplicity a set of WW2 rules should be.

Firstly, ROF is a set WW2 rules, 64 full colour pages, well bound, with soft cover. I will not bother going into the price because its obviously going to be very different here in Australia then over in Britain or the USA. Suffice to say that even in Australia it is a competitive price.

It can be played using any scale from 10mm to 40mm although considering Crusader have platoon box sets out for ROF it is marketed at 28mm.

Players control basically a Platoon, 30-40 figures strong. The game is designed around small arms tactics with small arms, Support Weapons, and Heavy Support weapons covered. The game can be geared towards either Historical scenarios or points based games. The rules cover 3 scenarios and a comprehensive points system for the 1-2 hour club wargamer or Fridfay night Beer and Pretzels bash.

The platoon is broken down into elements, eg HMG element of 4 figures. This is the basic formation players move and shoot with. The game emphasises troop quality, command and morale.

In the game you roll dice to hit and then dice to kill. Naturally if the target has moved in the open or is in hard cover the chance to hit and the chance to kill may vary. All calculations and die rolls are worked out using D6's.

Suppression, Force (Army) morale, opportunity fire and splitting fire all have a place in this game. There are chapters on HE, spotting and firing Indirect for all those that wish to lob a Mortar or two before closing in with the Assault.

The rules are clearly laid out and are very, very proffessionally designed. One may even think they were designed by Battlefront design staff considering just how well laid out and colourful the rules are.

This to my mind will appeal to the Rapid Fire gamer all the way to the Flames of War player, looking to get away from the large action and play a skirmish game.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that this is the set of WW2 Skirmish rules Flames of War should have brought out but didn't.

My only gripe is that it does not cover rules for vehicles or Ground to air support. But that said as a shop owner looking for a set of WW2 Skirmish Rules to play and support in the local community I am not that fussed as I am sure they will add a supplement dealing with these two issues later.

All in all I would give it a 9 out of 10. It would have received a 10 had vehicle rules been included.

My advice is go to your LGS and ask about this product and to the LGS's out there I think you will find that this set of rules will do your sales really well.

Dragonfire Games in Brisbane sells them in the shop or online dragonfiregames.com.au

If you are not in Australia go to Crusaders website and check them out there.

I too, like many others, have searched high and low for a WWII rules set that works for me. Rate of Fire has been a recent acquisition for me ($9.37 pdf) and after a read through I think this one may be it. They are very comprehensive. A play test version of vehicle rules is available at the Crusader website and I just read through them yesterday. I'm impressed. They are platoon level, but each soldiers weaponry, morale, and skill level are accounted for in a way that is not cumbersome (imho). I am anxious to get some figs on the able and rol some dice.

As a footnote and for a balanced review…2 critiscms, constructive mind you,
1. There are no pre-constructed 'army' lists, other than the British Infantry platoon example in the rules. Makes it hard for a newbie to get started as there are no suggestions for Germans, Russians, or Americans. There are several sites (like Bayonet Strength) where one can get the info on Platoon organization, but that may be asking a bit much for a new player.
2. The points system seems balanced, I haven't tried to construct a list yet, but it does require some work. Points are added for a basic soldier, then add morale level, then each weapon (calculated individually) etc.
Would have been nice to have some basic "army" lists with points provided.

Thanks for the recommendation. I was looking at these with interest, I'll be having a closer look at the show this weekend.

How unbalanced is a game without using the points? In other words, if you set up a historical refight, such as Brecourt Manor, do the rules still work?
Larry

I currently play Rules of Engagement.
Sounds like they are the same scale.
How do the two rule sets compare to each other?

"currently play Rules of Engagement.
Sounds like they are the same scale.
How do the two rule sets compare to each other?"

Personally I feel ROE is a lot like playing 40k and ROF is a mix between Flames of War, Necromunda with just a touch of Rapid Fire.

Certainly ROF is easier to pick up and play after half an hour of reading the rules and they instinctively make sense.

I have never played 40K, FOW or Necromunda.
So those examples have no meaning to me.
I was hoping for more of a comparison of actual game mechanics.

Certainly ROF is easier to pick up and play after half an hour of reading the rules and they instinctively make sense.

I did not find ROE to be difficult to pick up and play at all. So if ROF is "easier", then how? What makes it better or different? Objectively speaking.

Or is it just a Ford vs a Chevy?
Basically the same. Just a matter of personal preference for one over the other.

Having read the rules, they do seem great. I also like what I've read from the vehicle playtest rules.

I also like the "construction" concept for building units and vehicles. It's a neat way to bypass the army books, or lack there of…

Trying to finish up my game for Little Wars next Weekend. After that, I'm planning on getting these rules on the tabletop….

TD,

These rules won't be that unfamiliar to ROE.

After reading the rules, it felt like a mish mash of Dispasable Heroes, ROE and a few other game systems I've read in recent history,scale, and period. Yet, they seem to be a nice balance of play and detail.

Like I said above, I like the way they read, I'll have to get back to you on the play, though.

Hi Tin Dicatator,

Some of the things which strike me as better in ROF as opposed to ROE (keep in mind that I sell both sets of rules at the shop) are:

ROF allows Hidden movement in a very simple method with clearly defined and executable spotting rules.

It is not a straight you go – I go as is the case with ROE. (Seeing as how I am also heavily involoved in the writing and design for Siege Works Studios Koenig Krieg and Flashpoint-Vietnam games which are also not you-go -I-go games it is something I always find attractive in a set of rules). Player roll for initiative, the winner chooses to move first or second. Both players move, 1st player doing all his movement and then the second player doing all his own movement.

Once all movement has been done, both sides shoot simultaneously, with opportunity fire being performed prior to all other shooting.

Shooting is broken down into stationary fire – Units have not moved fire first. Then all units which have moved may fire.

Morale is worked out in a similar way to ROE and fall backs may occur and units suppressed.

Next comes Melee.

Some other differences are in the fact that ROF have a clear and defeintive force morale test, rather than only squad based tests. This to my mind is a better means of determining a winner, unless using some historically based scenario.

I also feel that the chapters in ROF are far better defined and clearer to understand.

As I said in my earlier review my only reservations are it is not a complete game. 1. Vehicles rules are not included. They are a download on the Crusader site for the vehicles are I believe a supplelement dealing with vehicles will be printed soon. 2. No definitive army lists for Platoons. That said any OOB like Nafzigers free downlaods for almost every WW2 company will certainly help construct a platoon. The points for ROF to create units is very clear and easy to follow so if you take any other platoon level OOB like
a Nafziger Panzer Grenadier OOB:
1st Platoon:
1 Platoon Leader (officer)
1 submachine gun & 1 pistol
1 Troop Leader (NCO)
1 rifle
1 Half Track Driver
1 rifle & 1 Sd Kfz 251/17 half track with 1 20mm flank gun,
1 light machine gun, & 1 submachine gun
2 Messengers
2 rifles
1 Corpsman
1 pistol
1 Gunner
1 rifle
3 Groups:
3 Group Leaders (NCOs)
3 submachine guns
3 Assistant Group Leaders (NCOs)
3 rifles
18 Riflemen and Machine Gunners
6 rifles, 12 pistols, 6 light machine guns & 3 88mm R
Panzerbüsche 54 "Panzerschreck" rocket launchers
3 Half Track Drivers
3 rifles & 3 Sd Kfz 251/1 half tracks with 1 LMG & 1
submachine gun each

this should more than adequately solve the issue.

Not criticizing RoF, since I have not seen it yet. But:

Hidden movement and spotting are not in any way difficult or undefined in RoE.

The you move-I move-both shoot isn't really a departure from I go-you go. And shooting first isn't really the same as opportunity fire. It could just be the way you are describing it.

Also in RoE, there are no force morale tests for your entire platoon but there are break points for your platoon.

All in all RoF sounds like an adequate set of rules to cover the period, much like Arc of Fire, Baptism of Fire, Disposable Heroes, Rules of Engagement, Nuts, Battleground WWII or any of the other sets set at this level of game play. Your personal preference for any of these comes down to opinion and I'm sure that for the most part any of us would have a good time playing.

"All in all RoF sounds like an adequate set of rules to cover the period, much like Arc of Fire, Baptism of Fire, Disposable Heroes, Rules of Engagement, Nuts, Battleground WWII or any of the other sets set at this level of game play. Your personal preference for any of these comes down to opinion and I'm sure that for the most part any of us would have a good time playing."

After reading and playing a good chunk of the rules C mentions, I totally agree with him.

Thanks for the info Dragonfire, I have been searching for a solid WWII skirmish game – I have the rules for RoE, Flying Lead, and Disposable Heroes, and they are all pretty good but I still can't quite find something that hits the spot for me.

One thing I was wondering, how does RoF deal with pinning? The basic tenet of modern infantry tactics is 'fire and movement' – keep your opponents' heads down with suppressing fire, while your close assault troops move in to position.

Games where movement occurs before shooting don't seem to support this concept.

I think that's an oversimplification of what suppression means. Obviously, if you can shoot at them, they can shoot at you. You want to keep them occupied while other units are maneuvering.

Baptism of Fire (the more historical skirmish rules from TFP) has "Fatigue" – "hits" which reduce your combat rating and morale, so you rapidly lose effectiveness.

In Nuts!, figures will get involved in exchanges that end only with a Knocked Down, Duck Back, or Hunker Down result.

And Flying Lead has Shaken/Go-to-Ground results. This is what the rulebook says:

"Shaken simulates the effect of being
pinned or suppressed without resorting
to record keeping. Get someone in cover
to become Shaken or go to ground and
they drop down out of sight. A character
can then place this area on Overwatch.
When the character recovers and ‘pops up',
he can be fired upon by the Overwatch
figure!"

I played my first game using the rules last night and had fun with them. Yeah, they're simple, but that about fits my tastes, so that's a plus for me. Maybe not for others.

At this point, whilte not having used the (draft) vehicle rules yet, I'm giving them a thumb's up.