"Question about "Spearhead" rule set (GW/WWII/Modern)" Topic

I am new to this rule set and I was wondering about how the rules "scale" in battlefield size.

WWII and Modern claim to handle up to a division and GW states it can handle up to a Corp. My question is when you are playing one on one how large of a game can the rule system handle?

Also I wanted to know what is the smallest size the rules can handle and still provide a fun game (I am looking for my first few games to be quick and manageable to get the rules figured out but I still want it

large enough to get a since of what the game can do.

Based on my reading of the rules it looks like 3 regiments would be a good start for GW and 3 battalions would be a good start for WWII and modern.

Is this a correct assumption? Would you recommend that a first game should be larger or smaller to ease into the game but still get a good sense of how it plays and provide a good game?

I would say that you are spot on…
I play Modern Spearhead… and primarily Mid-80s Nato vs Warsaw pact.

Our average game is a Soviet reinforced Regiment (4 or 5 maneuver elements) against 2 reinforced Nato battalions (usually split into 3 or 4 maneuver groups).

You can certainly run a division vs a brigade…but this takes all day, extra planning… and some house/scenario rules to get the timing and battle flow correct.

Joe Collins

The ground scale is basically the same, the difference is the troop density changes from the Great War to Cold War.

A WW-I Regiment (multiple battalions) would cover about the same ground as a couple of Cold War companies. Ranges and lethality as well as mobility have caused the most change

It's been a while, but; the basic maneuver unit in WW2/Mod, is a battalion. i.e. that is the unit that you write an order for. Start small, one battalion vs. one battalion. In a few games, when you know the basic mechanic, bump it up to a reinforced battalion vs. a reinforced battalion and get down use of the combat supports. Somewhere along the way pick up how to change orders, that's important.
When you know the mechanics of the game, you can run a Regimental Combat Team/ Brigade, i.e. 2-5 maneuver battalions with support. But as lkmjbc3 says that game will take some time to play.
As Saber6 says for WW1 they move the scale from one stand is a platoon to a company, the maneuver unit becomes the regiment, same size table.

It is certainly possible to field an entire division in SH, but it will take all day to play. I find a few battalions per side is plenty and gives a fun game.

For GWSH, substitute regiments for battalions above.

I would play with understrength battalions. Makes the game faster. And nobody really had full battalions anyway.

For GWSH we have played games as big as the Marne. I have played the Somme in X Corps area (so 3 divisions) with two players and it took us about 5 hours. I have also replay Vimy on a number of occasions with 2 players per side and done so in about 2 hours. You can play GWSH with as few as 2 Regiments or Brigades (depending on British or Continental nomenclature) and the game still works very well.
Shawn

I would echo Shawn's assessment on GWSH.

We have now played several games with at least one Corps on one side (up to 3 divisions) attacking c. 1 division on the other. The largest game we have done so far is the attack on Flesqueries Ridge at Cambrai with 3 British Divisions and 4 Tank Battalions attacking c.1 German Division. This played out in about 5-6 hours. The density of troops is much greater in GWSH, we crammed the attacking force into a frontage of 4ft on the table (equivalent of c.4000 yds at ground scale).