BATTALIONS IN CRISIS!
A Detailed Description

• The Game System
• Combat
• Damage Resolution
• The Data Sheets
• The Scenarios

Units are typically broken down into tank squadrons (about 6 tanks) and infantry squads (10 or so infantry stands; or 3 stands, if using the suggested microarmor basing system). With 1-minute turns and a scale of 1 cm = 10 meters, the game is very definitely tactical -- the rules suggest that a reinforced battalion is about the limit to the size of force which can be practically played. (If you want to play larger battles, switch to a less-tactical set of rules.)

The Game System

The turn sequence consists of these steps:

Attacker moves infantry and cavalry	A 3-minute limit is suggested.
Defender moves all units	A 6-minute limit is suggested. Stands which do not move may declare they are providing covering fire.
Attacker moves vehicles	A 3-minute limit is suggested. Stands which have not moved at all may declare covering fire.
Artillery fire occurs	Fire must have been plotted in a previous turn. Stands in the target area may take cover before results occur, but if they do so, they cannot attack in this turn.
Direct fire occurs	All fire is simultaneous, except that stands which reveal themselves this turn (through firing) can only be targeted by stands designated as providing covering fire.
Morale checks	Morale checks are made for individual tanks and infantry squads. In general, units must check morale if they have taken casualties or if they have seen a friendly unit suffer an adverse result.
Plot artillery	Players request artillery missions now, but won't receive these missions for several turns.

For movement purposes, terrain is classified into 9 types, and each vehicle has a movement rating for each class of terrain. For instance, the U.S. M4A1 Sherman can move 66 cm. on a paved road or a firm and smooth surface; 46 cm. on "firm but rough" terrain; and only 26 cm. in mud, deep snow, or a plowed field. By contrast, a running infantryman can move 26 cm on a paved road, but walks a mere 6 cm. in deep snow (running provides no bonus in deep snow).

In a typical game, no stands begin play on the tabletop. Figures reveal themselves by coming into line of sight of an enemy ("reconnaissance by observation"), or by opening fire ("reconnaissance by fire"). Observation depends on the observer's status (being stationary helps; being a buttoned-up tank hurts) and the target unit's condition (20 possibilities, from "moving vehicle in the open" to "camouflaged foxhole in the brush"). For each combination of circumstances, an Observation Range is given -- if the target is within that range, it is spotted by observation. Stands revealed only by reconnaissance of fire can be fired upon, but with a penalty to the attacker's die roll.

Units which fail their morale checks may suffer a variety of insults, the worst of which is immediate surrender to the enemy. Units may also suffer one of three forms of retreat (rout, fighting retreat, and fall back), or simply be forced to halt in place. Crews which fail their morale may abandon their vehicles. On the other hand, units which spectacularly succeed at their morale check gain a temporary morale bonus; units previously classified as fanatic may become beserk and charge the enemy.

Rules are provided for a number of special situations, including: river crossings, paratroop and glider assaults, amphibious landings, minefields, constructing fieldworks, demolitions, and the use of structures in combat.

Combat

There are four types of fighting in BIC: melee, small arms, tank fire, and artillery.

Melee combat occurs between infantry stands in contact with one another. On the turn of contact, either stand may also make a normal small-arms attack if eligible. During melee, involved stands make their "to hit" rolls. The base number is +2 (first turn) or +7 (subsequent turns), modified by weapon, attacker's movement and position, and defender's situation.

EXAMPLE: A Russian on the first turn of melee would have a base number of +2, which might be modified by weapon (rifle and bayonet, +7), by the attacker's movement this turn (running, +5), and by his position (above his enemy, +4), for a final to-hit number of 2+7+5+4 = 18.

In small-arms combat, the base to-hit number is +12. Modifiers include range, movement of the target, cover, weapon type, and how long the target was visible during the turn. Automatic weapons may attack any number of targets within their path of fire, starting with the nearest target; they receive a bonus which is divided by the number of targets being attacked.

Direct fire is very similar to small-arms combat, except that the modifiers are different. The base to-hit of +12 can be affected by range, target type, type of shell, visibility, movement, and by consecutive fire.

Artillery fire has a base to-hit of +5, modified by consecutive fire, observer status, and condition of the battery. If the attacker misses his to-hit roll, the artillery overlays are used to determine where the mission lands. The artillery templates show the area affected by the blast -- all stands in the area are injured, but only those at the center suffer a direct hit.

First, the attacker must determine precisely where his shot struck the target. Each vehicle can receive fire in one of five zones: full face (front, flank, or rear) and glancing shot (front quarter or rear quarter). The attacker then rolls a die and consults the appropriate column on the Strike Location Table.

There are eleven hit locations -- hull (glacis upper and lower, flank, rear, top, and suspension) and turret (front, flank, rear, top, and turret ring). The individual tank data sheets list armor values for each location. Armor values are modified depending if the shot was full face, glancing, and/or falling. Credit is also given for added armor (i.e. sandbags and spare tracks).

EXAMPLE: A French Hotchkiss 39 is struck by a German shell from the front quarter. A roll on the Strike Location Table says the shot hits the upper glacis. The Hotchkiss upper glacis has a basic armor thickness of 30 (sloped at 30 degrees), but is effectively worth 67 in this case (the front quarter shot counts as glancing fire).

The Strike Location Table also indicates whether the attacker might have hit his target in a vulnerable location. Vulnerable locations include main-gun barrels and machine guns, hatches and periscopes, engine grates, the turret ring, and the tracks.

EXAMPLE: The glancing front quarter shot does qualify the attacker for a possible vulnerable hit. He rolls a 17, which results in no special result.

In order to penetrate the armor thickness, the attacker must come up with a penetration value greater than the armor value. Penetration is listed for each gun type, and is strictly a matter of range.

EXAMPLE: The German shell was fired by a 75 mm anti-tank gun, which has a penetration value of 88 at medium range (79-89 cm). The French tank's armor has been penetrated.

When a tank is penetrated, the attacker rolls once more -- this time, against the Armored Vehicle Damage Evaluation Table. The roll is modified by weapon type. The target vehicle might suffer no damage, the affected compartment might be knocked out for a variable number of turns, or the tank might catch fire and explode. Hits on the engine compartment automatically immobilize the tank.

In addition, a roll is made to determine crew casualties (unless the engine compartment was hit, in which case there are no crew casualties unless the tank explodes). There is a 50% chance that one or more of the crew will become casualties.

EXAMPLE: The anti-tank gun was 75 mm firing armor-piercing rounds (a +3 modifier to the roll). The attacker rolls 5 + 3 = 8. The Hotchkiss tank receives no damage! However, the attacker now makes the crew casualty roll -- he rolls a 13, which turns both tank crewmen into casualties. The French tank is out of action for this battle, though it could be re-crewed in the future.

The preceding examples may give the impression that BIC is a complex game. This is not the case. The combat system seems natural, in the sense that it is easy to learn and remember.

The Data Sheets

The sheets for Armored Fighting Vehicles provide armor thickness per hit location, penetration values for the main guns, and movement rates per each terrain type. Other information includes crew size, turret rotation per turn, and whether the vehicle can use light bridges. Ammunition loads for tanks are provided, broken down by ammo type. Useful information repeated from the rulebook include the Vulnerable Locations information and the Strike Angle Determination chart.

Unlike the diversity of armor types, infantry weapons come in several generic varieties. There are six types of gun (from pistol to heavy machinegun), 4 types of grenade/explosive, a generic small mortar and flamethrower, plus stats for bazooka, panzerfaust, panzerschreck, and PIAT.

The Scenarios

A British tank squadron sets out to deal with a supposed German reconnaissance-in-force. Learning scenario involving tanks only.

Tank Action Outside Tobruk, May 1942
The Destruction of El Sordo's Band, Spain 1938
In the Spanish Civil War, a Nationalist cavalry squadron is hot on the heels of a Republican band. A good scenario for learning how to use infantry (and cavalry) in the game.
A Night on Edson's Ridge, September 1942
On Guadalcanal, Company C of the 1st Marine Raider Battalion is positioned in the jungle west of Edson's Ridge. They are about to be assaulted by several waves of fanatic Japanese naval troops. Scenario introduces players to artillery fire.
The Battle for Stonne, May 1940
During the Battle for France, a reinforced company from the Grossdeutschland Regiment must guard the southern flank against a counterattack by a French mixed regiment. Introduces players to air support.
Along the Smolensk Road, July 1941
This German reinforced motorized company is part of the invasion of Russia. As it advances at dawn, it is about to collide with the remnants of a Russian battalion.

The game provides few rules for generating new scenarios -- for instance, organization charts for WWII combat formations (other than those in the scenarios) are not provided. However, a detailed chart allows one to assign morale values to any unit, based on a number of factors.