CROSSFIRE: Crossfire at 1:1 Scale

Crossfire is a game designed to be used with a very abstract figure scale. A base of figures, with perhaps three little model men on it, represents a section. A section would have a light machine gun or two, and a group of riflemen and an NCO commander, and would have about ten men in it. The abstract nature of this figure scale gets even more abstract under certain circumstances, such as when an entire platoon disembarks from one half-track troop-transporter. You may prefer to do as I have done, and drop the figure scale down one level, such that one figure on the table represents one man. At this scale, a model representing one half-track carries one section of men. Sections are split into elements.

I shall give you an example organisation for a Crossfire platoon at 1:1 figure scale, a British 1944 infantry platoon.

HQ section

1 officer on single base (round, diameter 1 1/4")
3 men with SMGs on base
2-man PIAT team on square base
2-man 2" mortar team on square base.

3 sections, each:

One base with single figure representing section commander.
One base with three riflemen
One base with a bren gun team

A rifle base uses 3d6, and an LMG base uses 4d6. The fire power of 3d6+4d6 is exactly the same as 3d6+3d6+3d6, so this doesn't make firegroups any different in that matter. The LMG team is -1 in close combat. The section commander does not give +1 in close combat but will split a tie. Similarly, PIAT and 2" mortar teams split a tie, but two such bases do give +1 in close combat, so an assault by a bren gun team supported by a PIAT team, a 2" mortar team and an NCO would be -1 +1 (i.e. +0) and would win in the case of a tie. A good officer gives a +1 bonus in close combat. Remember, in Crossfire as published, the PC figure represents the officer and his escorting three men with SMGs.

Also remember that an SMG base in CF represents a section with an LMG. In 1:1 scale, an SMG base has no LMG. Consequently, one must introduce a range for SMGs, because it is silly for them to duel with equal vigour against spandaus the other side of the table. SMGs and infantry HEAT weapons (PIATs etc.) have a range of one change of terrain, the exceptions being 1. where target and firers are at edge the of terrain, or the total distance is less than two base distances, in which case they can fire, and 2. when the firer has to fire past an entire terrain piece at the target. This is difficult to describe, but very easy to demonstrate.

Firing unit A is in a wood. B is just the other side of a lane, and is within two base distances, and so is in range. A can shoot out of its wood into the open ground beyond (one change of terrain) and can shoot E and F. C and D are in other terrain pieces, out of range. H is also out of range, because A would have to shoot past the whole of the rough ground where C is. H is out of range even though the bullets from A only cross one change of terrain. This stops people firing SMGs down corridors of open ground the whole length of the table. G is also out of range, since A would have to shoot all the way past the building. This may seem unfair, since G is closer to A than F is, which is in range. The ground scale is a bit abstract, though, and we want to avoid using rulers. I is at the edge of a piece of terrain, and so is A. Whether I is within range of A depends on whether you count the lane between them a a terrain feature for the purpose of determining range. A major road I would count, but I'd be inclined to ignore a little lane.

This rule is one I would recommend to players of ordinary CF for infantry HEAT weapons. One of the first complaints I had about the rules was that HEAT weapons are so amazingly deadly in Crossfire that only a fool would get in a tank. I tried many things to tone down bazookas, and this rule worked far and away the best. Now the tank has to get very close to the panzerfaust-using infantry before they can pull the trigger, and the tank can stay back out of range and brass up the hedgerows with his MGs.

In self defence (against charges to close combat), crew-served weapons roll 3d6 (6s needed), and officer figures if attacked on their own roll 2 dice, 6s needed.

Light mortars fire direct, may fire through friendly troops, may not fire from buildings, and if in wood must be at the edge to fire.

In normal Crossfire, "HMGs" (which really mean MMGs) use 4d6. You might think that therefore in 1:1 scale they should do 5d6. 5d6 is very deadly, however, and I have found a much better rule for them, which, extensively playtested, has been found to work very well. MMGs roll 4d6, like LMGs, but if they score a Pin result (one hit) with this, then they roll once more. An MMG is just one gun, and one gunner, and one line of sight, so a miss result with the first roll might mean that the gunner didn't see the enemy, or didn't react quickly enough to engage them. If the result is a Pin, however, then this shows that he has seen the enemy and has engaged the enemy effectively. Being belt fed, he is able to keep firing and may be able to suppress the enemy with a continuous stream of fire. If the second result is also a Pin, there is no third roll. This gives an MMG a firepower almost as great as two LMGs, but the MMG keeps the restriction on arc of fire, and the enemy only has to suppress the one stand to silence it, whereas it would take two suppression results to silence two LMG stands.

Note that the figure scale is 1:1, in that one figure represents one man, but the troops still act as teams, and we do not keep individual record of each man's wounds. Also, the ground scale is not 1:1. A house in 1/72^nd scale is perhaps four inches across. A field which in reality might be 220 yards across would in 1/72^nd scale be 110 inches, or nine foot two – probably longer than your wargaming table. If you want a landscape of hills and fields and woods represented on your table in 1:1 scale, then either you must have the world's biggest table, or you must be representing the world's smallest fields.