"An odd requirement for a rules set" Topic

Does anyone know of any WWII ground games with a ground scale of around 100m (or 100yd) per hex?

Tactical games with platoon-sized elements seem to use 200-250m/hex; squad-sized elements seem to use 40m/hex or less (really the SL standard of "one house per hex"). The only 100m/hex game I'm aware of is Panzer by GMT, but that doesn't mean it's the only one.

I'm looking for game systems to use for adjudicating ground attacks in CY6. I'd prefer simple & abstract over heavily detailed, but really I'm just looking for options right now.

- Ix

Advanced Squad Leader described a hex as either roughly 100m or 100yd.

ASL Rulebook
A2.1 Board configuration (page A3)
hexagonal grid… to an abstratced scale of 40m/hex

Might check out "Creighton Abrams' War" in MW 414. It's a WWII set with platoon bases and 1"=100-150 yds. Shouldn't have any trouble with 100 yd hexes. It may have other problems--you be the judge--but it's not heavily detailed.

Is there a reason that you can't just call a nominal 40yd hex a 100-yard hex?

GMT's version of Panzer.

Tactical Combat Series uses 125 yard hexes (getting closer …)

The hex scale is wrong (150m), but I strongly, strongly recommend John Hill's Tank Leader system. (Yep, the designer or Squad Leader). Fudge it by adding 50% to all ranges and movement rates. Reason: simple, incredibly effective C3 system that effortlessly shows the effects of qualitative differences between forces in their ability to act and react quickly.

GMT's Panzer uses 100 meter hexes.

Assault – Red Horizon 41 is a 100m per hex game -

Though don't think it'll provide ground attack info you need.

link

So I assume you are going to use this for miniatures what size hexes are you looking at? For 6mm I suggest 3" to 4". I used 2" hexes for a game (Conflict of Heroes so about 40m) and found even small buildings did not leave enough room for forces in the same hex. RAFM makes (or made) 3" iron on hexes. I do not believe they show up on their web site but if you contact them they may still have stock.

You can use any ground scale you want with many/most/all rules, if/when desired.

Finding a rules set you like is the real trick.

Finding a rules set you like is the real trick.

That's right. And there are some people out there that have dozens of rule sets over the last few decades and are still searching. Good luck.

Regarding scale, much would depend on the historical geographical location of the battle and the size of your playing area. In N. Africa and Russia you could have engagement ranges of 2000-3000m. In NE Europe the average engagement range was about 900m. If you are using one hex = 40m then 36 inches equals 1440m.

Wolfhag

Just to focus the comments a bit better, some background:

I play Check Your 6! on 3" hexes with telescoping rods using 1/144 or 1/200 planes (depending on theater and size of plane). The focus of CY6 is dogfights and bombers are just boring targets, so in 2019 I wrote an entire alternate set of ground attack rules to make bombing more interesting. This year I finally got around to playtesting them, playing 1/200 carrier air battles with 1/1250 ships as targets (just about right for the (loose) CY6 ground scale of 100m/hex), and I like it. I can use GQ3 out of the box for adjudicating the damage to the ships from bombs and torpedoes (and maybe someday, kamikazes).

At the end of 2021 I inherited a bunch of 1/144 Soviet fighters and Shturmoviks, and I already have too many 1/144 FW-190s and Bf-109s and Stukas that need more table time. I need to playtest my ground attack rules on land targets, and East Front air battles frequently centered around ground attacks. I have lots of 1/144 German AFVs and a ton of East Front microramor and 6mm buildings I could adapt as targets. Serendipity calls.

I'm already very partial to Panzer Grenadier by Avalanche Press and Nations At War by Lock 'N Load Publishing, and I could enjoy playing either as a game before/after the air attack (though NAW isn't really ready for jungle fighting in the Pacific <grumble>). Both have step losses and easy Jabo rules that would be simple to interface with CY6, but the ground scale is too large (200m/hex or 150m/hex). Before I start tinkering with a well-sorted rules system, I thought I'd seek out other games in the same representational scale with a closer ground scale.

I completely forgot about Tank Leader, so thank you for the reminder emckinney. I played it about 20 years ago, but it didn't hold my interest, and I let all 3 copies go. It might be worth a revisit.

As mentioned, Panzer by GMT is 100m/hex, I just think it looks like too much of a hyperdetailed tank battle game. TCS is even worse.

I've never heard of Assault – Red Horizon 41, I'll have to research it. It's a new system, so it would be a lot of work or a long wait to adapt it to other years/fronts.

- Ix

Not quite sure what is going on here. A platoon in defence will cover about 250m physicaly and control the flanks by automatic fire to give a zone of control of about 500m wide.
A company in attack proably 2 up 1 back formation will similarly need about 500m.

On that basis at 100m per hex you could scrape through perhaps with 2 hex, bending reality but not too much. It it dominated 4 hex again 20% out but proably liveable with. But yout platoon needs a sabot base 2 hex ORbe split into half.

However the hex needs to be big enough to hold at least 1 platoon of figures in attack.

This may help you to focus on what you really want.