In Which Startline Meets Flames of War

Looking back, I can see my Startline project dates back to autumn 2023, more than two and a half years ago. To say I've been 'working' on this project for that long wouldn't really be true - it's more like I've been dabbling in writing a set of WW2 gaming rules during that time, sometimes quite intensively, sometimes hardly at all.

About two years ago I decided to change from an IGO-UGO turn system to a Bolt Action-style alternate-unit activation. It seemed more modern (dare I say, more fashionable) and I had the idea it might represent the cut and thrust of WW2 combat more believably. But now I've changed my mind, and Startline is back to IGO-UGO. 

The reason is simple - the rules play better and more easily with IGO-UGO. I realised that Startline is not Bolt Action - it's company level, not skirmish, and the basic units are platoons, not single vehicles or squads of infantry. And Startline has fairly traditional combat and morale mechanics which don't really fit into an alternate-unit move sequence. The fact was, players (me included) were finding the rules non-intuitive and more complex than necessary. As soon as I went back to IGO-UGO (with a straightforward opportunity-fire rule included) I felt the game become much cleaner.

After some solo playtesting, it was time to get some proper face-to-face games in. So I invited two long-time gaming friends over to make sure everything worked - and this is where Flames of War came in. 

© Battlefront Miniatures. Reproduced with permission.

In March this year Flames of War made their latest list of scenarios (which they call 'Missions') available for free online. I have found these mission ideas very useful in the past, and the latest list has 35 scenarios, each presented in a 2 page format with a deployment map on page 1 and special rules laid out on page 2. The list is a great source of ideas for WW2 games regardless of which rules you use, and many of the set-ups are quite original. All are described assuming a 6' x 4' table and opposing forces of equal points. I went for the 'Bypass' scenario as it seemed to me to fit very well into a 1939 Blitzkrieg setting, which of course is the part of WW2 which my collection represents. The full Missions Pack can be downloaded here.

Naturally the Germans would be the attackers. The forces in use were as follows:

German

Panzer Company (-): company HQ of 1 x Panzer I

Light tank platoon: 2 x Panzer II, 3 x Panzer I

Heavy tank platoon: 2 x Panzer III, 2 x Panzer IV

Infantry Company: company HQ of 1 command base in light truck

3 x platoons, each 6 infantry bases, 1 ATR base

2 platoons each in 3 Protze trucks, 1 platoon on motorcycles

Armoured car section: 1 x Sdkfz 231 6-rad, 1 x Sdkfz 221

6 x off table 8cm mortars, MFO with radio in light truck

2 moves pre-planned fire

Random air attacks on 10+

All units regular training, reliable morale

Points 1685

Polish

Infantry Company: company HQ of 1 command base, 1 ATR base, Lazik jeep

3 platoons each 7 x infantry bases, 1 x ATR base

*1 platoon in 2 x Praga medium trucks

*Tank platoon: 4 x Renault R-35

*Recce section: 2 x TKS (MG)

ATG section: 2 x 37mm Bofors + Lazik tows

*Field Artillery section: 2 x 75mm m.1897 75mm guns + halftrack tows

MMG section: 2 x MMG, 2 x Lazik jeeps

8 x off-table m.1897 75mm guns,  AFO with telephone + Lazik jeep

Random air attacks on 11+

All units regular training, reliable morale

Field defences: both the infantry platoons which start on-table, plus the AFO, comapny HQ and the 37mm Bofors may be dug-in

Points 1680

*Polish designated reserves (30% in points)

Tank platoon

Recce section

Infantry platoon in trucks

Field artillery section

The photo below (taken late in the game) shows how I set out the terrain. The Polish baseline is the long table edge to the top right, the German baseline is bottom right. Rather than have each player place an objective as per the mission description, I set up the terrain to include two obvious objectives (a road junction and bridge) at what I judged to be sensible places. It's just the way I prefer to do things.

And so the game commenced. Readers will have already realised that the Germans have two main options - go for the road junction, hoping to punch through the dug-in Polish defenders, or loop round to the more distant bridge, avoiding the area already occupied by the defenders. Let's see how that worked out.

The Game in Photos

To provide a little fog of war, both sides set up divided by my home-made cardboard screen. The screen's folding nature made it pretty easy to use. 

Paul (Germans) and Steve (Poles) deploy simultaneously,
unaware of what their opponent is doing.

Paul decided to hedge his bets - the motorcycle platoon, armoured cars and the heavy tanks went left for the bridge, whilst the 2 lorried platoons and the light panzers went for the road junction. Centre left you can see that an advancing truck-mounted Polish platoon has been wrecked by artillery fire.

Unfortunately the German armoured cars and motorcycles were not making the dashing advance hoped for. Both units threw a rash of 1s in the early turns of the game, halving their movement.

Despite losing most of an infantry platoon to a devastating artillery strike, the light panzers and the remaining infantry pressed on into the Polish defences and made steady if slow progress.

The Poles were in luck in turn 2, when their tanks arrived from reserve just where
they were needed to defend the village and road junction.

The Germans battled on, destroying many first-line Polish infantry teams
in their slit trenches and driving the remainder back into the nearby woods.

Another piece of Polish luck - their reserve infantry platoon arrives
in just the right place to occupy the bridge objective.

Realising the bridge is now out of reach, the German heavy panzers and motorcycle platoon
turn towards the village, hoping to break through to the road junction objective.

The right flank of the Polish defences is now under severe threat.

A Polish anti-tank rifle team have their trench overrun by an attacking Panzer IV. Ouch!

The Germans deploy a smoke screen to prevent the Polish R-35s from engaging their frontal attack. 
Instead, an indecisive firefight develops along the central road between Polish and German tanks.

Close up of the German armour and motorcycles.

The Polish 75mm guns have arrived, and they set up to cover the approaches to the bridge.

The bridge is now firmly in Polish hands.

Turn 5 ends, and Paul decides to admit defeat. The Polish defence has held,
and neither objective is in reach within the number of moves remaining.

Conclusions and Comparisons

The return to IGO-UGO seems to be the right thing, as long as it is supported by a reasonable opportunity-fire rule. Steve is a longtime supporter and user of the Blitzkrieg Commander rules, which makes him a player well versed in the use of opportunity fire in a wargame. He demonstrated that familiarity during the game, quickly identifying situations where the rule could help him, and showing me that the rule was both necessary and easy to use. 

Unusually (in fact, very unusually) not a single AFV was knocked out during the game. There were plenty of hits, but the KO rolls never materialised. What was interesting was that the Germans managed to lose despite not losing any tanks! I think in this scenario the attacking player has to concentrate on one of the two objectives and go all out for that objective, with the slimmest possible covering force to divert the defender. As so often, I got the feeling that if the Dice Gods had decided differently the game could easily have gone the other way. For an alternative view of this engagement, see Steve's blog post.

Only one or two minor rule tweaks suggested themselves during the game. I felt the game played easily and encouraged period tactics. I was particularly pleased that the close combat rules were quick and bloody, involving a good deal of knockabout fun involving foxholes being overrun by advancing tanks. 

In fact, I am optimistic that the development of Startline is entering it's final phase. If I can manage a bit of solid playtesting over the next few months, I reckon I might have a pretty good set of rules on my hands - or at least, a set of rules that pleases me and that my gaming associates will be happy to join in with. The rules occupy much the same space as Flames of War, but I consider them simpler and more intuitive to play than those rules (well, I suppose I would). 

Sadly, of course, there's not much chance of Startline becoming as popular as FoW! My own opinion is that FoW owes its popularity as much to the ambition and business acumen of the owners of Battlefront Miniatures as it does to its qualities as a rule set. It is relentlessly advertised and renewed. But then, as probably the most popular WW2 miniatures game out there after Bolt Action, FoW is genuinely enjoyed by thousands of wargamers around the world, so I must conclude that the game has qualities that I personally fail to appreciate. 

As the biggest WW2 miniatures game out there (according to Google AI), Bolt Action has the advantage of being a skirmish game that seems to capture the current zeitgeist for an easy-to-access and easy-to-play game with a limited amount of collecting, painting and research needed. It also seems to capture a large number of gamers looking to transfer from the world of sci-fi and fantasy to historical gaming. There's not much hope of me capturing much of that market, but maybe a few FoW gamers might give Startline a try - assuming I ever decide to get it published.

But that's enough daydreaming. I'll happily repeat that the Missions Pack for FoW is a great free resource for which we should be grateful to Battlefront. If you're a WW2 gamer, check it out. 

The current version of Startline (version 8) and a QRS can be downloaded free from Google Drive via the links below. Enjoy.

STARTLINE v.8 PDF

STARTLINE v.8 QRS PDF

Thanks for reading. 'Til next time!

EDIT 17th June: apologies to those trying to use the links above - I forgot to select the 'anyone with the link' button. If you've been denied access, that should now be fixed.

Airfix Nostalgia - The Story Continues

My Airfix nostalgia project started almost exactly 6 years ago. When I created my first post on the subject, I indicated the project was just about complete! And now here we are 6 years later.

Yes, the original idea was "five kits only". Now I have 24 completed, and 4 waiting to be made. The motivation comes and goes, but this looks very much like a project that will be ongoing - until my eyesight goes, or the motor skills in my hands fail. What has not changed about the project is the pleasure I am getting from buying and making these kits. There have been frustrations and the odd loss of temper, but overall this quiet, solitary branch of my hobby activity continues to deliver; supplying moments of peace and tranquility, nostalgia, childhood memories and a sense of achievment.

My favourite 'makes' are the original kits from the 1960s, in their original packaging. The Me-262 and Bf-110 shown below are good examples. It's worth saying that I generally paint these old kits as recommended in the original instructions, ignoring the fact that the paint schemes suggested were often inaccurate. It's all part of the nostalgia.

I try and go for the classic Roy Cross artwork, but sometimes I can't resist a kit from before the Roy Cross era, like the Me-262 above with its very early packaging, probably from the early 60s. I love the old-school instructions, from before the days of wordless instruction sheets designed for international sales. The main issue is the old decals, which are sometimes unusable. But remarkably, in the majority of cases, I have been able to use all or most of the c.60 year old decals, which gives me great pleasure. My friends here have been bottles of Microset and Microsol, which are indispensable companions of the 'classic kit' builder. 

I have not restricted myself just to old Airfix kits. Below you can see a P-47 by Academy, and an Airfix P-51 from their current range. I enjoyed making them, but modern kits for me generally have too much detail (particularly too much cockpit detail), which results in too many fiddly little parts that you often can't even see on the finished model. I have also found that using modern kits sometimes doesn't even solve the decal issue - the decals on the P-47 were frankly crap, and I had to buy a new set from a specialist decal supplier. It appears that Academy decals are well known to be troublesome.

I am mostly sticking to 1/72nd, but my eldest son gifted me a 1/48th kit for Christmas 2024 which gave the 'project' a nice boost. It took me a while, and the expected 'fiddly' parts were there, but I persevered through bouts of swearing and cussing to produce what I think is a very nice model - the floatplane version of the Japanese 'Zero' fighter.

Recently, I have gone back to my original inspiration of classic Airfix 1/72nd. A real little gem was the old Airfix Tiger Moth. I originally bought the current Airfix Tiger Moth kit from a model shop, but this was a sad mistake. The 'fiddly parts' and the super thin wing struts defeated me, and the whole thing ended up in the bin. So I got hold of the gloriously yellow original and it went together like a dream. One of my favourites in the collection, with all-original decals.

My most recent completion has been a Boulton-Paul Defiant, another fond memory from childhood days. Again, a wonderful, straightforward build with parts that fitted nicely. The decals were a bit of an issue, as they started to break up and split as I applied them, but an unexpected bout of patience (of which I generally have a rather short supply) came to my rescue. After some touching-up with acrylic paints, the kit was rescued.

Now then. Not all my kits are of aircraft - there has been some military vehicle nostalgia as well. All of those shown below are from the Vintage Classics range. In this range, you get the old kits as they were, with the Roy Cross artwork and nice new decals. On the downside, the instruction sheets aren't 'classic' - we're back to those modern exploded views full of symbols but no words. Still, this range is a nice compromise between obtaining the old models through online dealers, tired decals and all, and buying models from the current range. In the end, I have found the latter really don't do it for me.

The model of the DUKW represents a double wammy of nostalgia - I remember building the original, and the caption relates to my Dad who drove one up the beach at Anzio, back in January 1944. For the Stug III I weakened and gave it a vaguely genuine paint scheme appropriate to the Eastern Front, rather than the plain dark green featured on the box art. I dare say Roy Cross is turning in his grave.

And finally, my current project, which is a Tamiya 1/35th Panther A. It looks like a modern kit, but dates right back to the 60s when it was brought out as a motorised novelty toy. It's been re-issued many times over the years, with the motorisation bits now deleted. It is much vilified for inaccuracy by present-day modellers, but it's half the price of Tamiya's more recent Panther kits - and guess what, the number of the infamous fiddly parts is about half as well. The moulds are obviously in good nick as all parts are crisply presented and the kit goes together pretty well. I think it will look pretty classy. Good fun.

And that's about it. There's a modern Airfix Vampire kit waiting to be made up, a lovely old 1960s Beaufighter likewise (so old it's bagged rather than boxed), and a Vintage Classics P-61 Black Widow also on the shelf in the 'study'. I'm looking forward to plenty of relaxing modelling for the rest of the year. And I've avoided buying loads of tempting kits and creating the well-known 'pile of shame'!

That's All Folks! 'Til next time.

Cheap Wargames Rules - Their Time Has Come

Well, that's what I hope. I have an article in Wargames Illustrated 460 (April 2026), entitled 'Too Many Rules?'. In it I argue that there aren't really too many rules, as having lots of rules is, and has always been, part of the hobby. We're a creative bunch and the process can't be stopped, even if we wanted to.

I heartily endorse this product.

However, there's no denying that having lots of rules, and having more coming out all the time, can create some issues. I'm sure you will be aware of many of them, and I run through these issues in the article. I also consider how they might be mitigated, and making rules cheaper is, to me, an obvious way to help things along.

The internet provides a wealth of information on available rule sets, including reviews and examples of play, but sometimes there's no substitute for buying a set and trying them out. However, doing a taste test between 3 sets of rules can be problematic if they cost £30 or more a pop. That's maybe a hundred quid gone before you even make your mind up. How much easier it would be if rules cost less than £20 - or even better if you can get them for less than £10. How about £5? Well, in my ongoing quest for new WW2 sets I have recently got hold of 2 very interesting rule books for £5 each. How can that be?

My first success was a few months ago. We had been playing Rapid Fire! Reloaded at the Cirencester club, and I found that the standard printed edition of these rules does indeed retail at £5. Now, I'm not entirely convinced by these rules, as some of the mechanics don't really suit me, but you can have a fun evening game with them. Of course, stuff like OOBs and scenarios aren't included, but get this - all that stuff can be downloaded from the Rapid Fire! website for free, even the info I need for my 1939 Poland games. There is a supplement, Rapid Fire! Reloaded Extra, which gives additional rules for stuff like amphibious landings and parachute attacks, and this little booklet is also just £5. Brilliant.

My other find was more recent, just a few days ago. On one of my trawls through the internet, up came a WW2 rulebook called Iron Cross. Now these date from 2015, and I think I've come across them before, but this time I took a better look and liked what I was hearing in the online reviews. So I checked out the Great Escape Games website and found that the PDF version was currently available at just £5. As you can imagine, within 10 minutes a copy of the rules was on my desktop. Another very interesting and original set, especially the activation mechanism. And also some initial reservations (for example, off-table artillery only features in a preparatory barrage), but this is definitely a set I want to try out. 

Rapid Fire Reloaded is a 15 page softback book, by the way. The Iron Cross rules are just 33 pages. This is what I'm talking about - we need more, much more, like this. Of course, this kind of thing doesn't suit companies like Warlord Games or (I must admit) Partizan Press, the latter of course being the publishers of Shadow of the Eagles. Even private publishers like Barry Hilton's League of Augsburg love the big coffee table books - Beneath the Lilly Banners 4th edition currently retails at £35 (and has 180 pages). I guess it's all about profit margins, or maybe in Barry's case he just likes big, colourful books. But these are not what the hobby needs right now. If we're to have more rules, let's have more cheap and simple rules. 

Another great example here is Valour & Fortitude, which most of you will be familiar with. A totally free, well supported, 15 page set of rules for the horse and musket period. Very popular and a good set of rules.

And now let's turn to those lovely guys at Little Wars TV. They have produced a couple of short, simple and cheap tabletop game rulebooks themselves, Age of Hannibal (ancients) and Live Free or Die (AWI). Both have short page counts, and can be bought in PDF format for about £12 and £10 respectively. Even the printed copy of Live Free or Die is only £15. And LWTV have free rules also available from their site, like Ravenfeast (Dark Age skirmish), or Ruthless (Wild West gunfight). Check out the situation HERE.

But LWTV have something even better comming soon. They are creating an online free rules library which should be live in a month or so. Yes, a whole bunch of existing free rules on a separate site called Wargames Library. Check out their video here. Can't wait to see it - and I may well upload a couple of free games to the library myself.

It's really interesting (and frustrating) to see these two sides of rules availability co-existing in our hobby. The bloated (IMHO), full colour, expensive hardback coffee table book, vs. the free or cheap short and simple rules. The latter don't have be dull, black and white publications. Both the £5 sets I have already mentioned are full colour and feature good graphic design. And simple and short doesn't mean dull rules either - I have looked into or played every simple set I have mentioned in this post, and their gameplay is just as interesting, or sometimes more interesting, than the big books.

Rules that are designed to be short, simple and inexpensive will make choosing between rules that much easier - with a much reduced barrier to entry, you can purchase a few sets and compare and contrast. And you won't fill your bookshelves (or block up your wargames table) with A4, hardcover blockbusters. Let the revolution begin.

'Til next time! 

P.S. - the promised post on my continuing Airfix Nostalgia project will be next.

Startline v.7 Downloads

Some recent playtesting has resulted in changes to the rules and some improved explanation and formatting. The main examples are:

The playing rules have been re-arranged to make the presentation more logical.

The close combat rules are slightly expanded with revised rules and better explanation.

Explanation of the 'wait' activation is improved, and a wait activation can now be carried over into the next turn automatically.

The morale section has been amended to better represent the consequences of a unit having elements out of command.

Smoke can be laid 'across the wind' as well as the previous 'with the wind'.

A contents page has been added.

STARTLINE v.7

STARTLINE v.7 QRS

Enjoy! The next post will be about my continuing Airfix nostalgia kit-building.

'Til then!

Churn and Burn

My thoughts on the sometimes questionable effects of commercialised wargaming have surfaced from time to time on this blog. Most recently, in a post disagreeing with Richard Clarke, I was keen to emphasise that at the heart of our hobby was the concept of a bunch of amateur individuals, essentially creating the hobby for themselves, with or without the help of the bigger commercial companies.

Richard's article was inspired by his despairing reaction to gamers' accusations of 'commercialism' when new editions of rules (and their various supplements) are produced, a process judged by some to have more to do with wringing more money out of punters than enhancing anyone's gaming experience. Certainly, relatively small (and well-intentioned) companies like the Two Fat Lardies are hardly the ones to blame here. But the issue is real when one considers a company the size of Games Workshop.

WW2 gaming has been much on my mind recently, and I have been taking an interest in Flames of War and Battlefront Miniatures - FoW is, after all, the biggest WW2 miniatures game out there. And, as most of you will know, the process of churn and burn (as it is sometimes called) is often prominent with that company and set of rules. New editions of the rules, new editions of the various army and campaign books, new points systems, the sudden dropping of models and periods which aren't profitable for new ones that are - most of you will be familiar with this process. 

Although Battlefront and Warlord Games are not (unlike GW) publicly-owned companies quoted on any stock exchange, they do have shareholders - for example, I understand Hornby have a 25% stake in Warlord Games. This seems to be a crucial factor. At that point, profit really does become the bottom line. Shareholder dividends are the top priority. As I understand it, this is a legal requirement.

I have serious doubts about the relationship of such companies to the amateur hobby I joined back in the early 70s. I think they are best regarded with suspicion. That may seem a bit harsh, as there are certainly many likeable hobby enthusiasts working in prominent positions in such companies. But churn and burn is a fact - how long before the next edition of Bolt Action?

This post was inspired by the video linked below. It comes from the Sci/Fi-Fantasy end of miniature gaming, but it seems very relevant to me. Eloquent, fun to watch and informative.

That's about it for now. Let's all look forward to being re-monetised in the very near future. 

'Til next time!

Startline version 6 - PDF downloads

Something new for the blog. A number of people have indicated recently that they're not on Facebook (and don't want to be), but would like to get the latest version of Startline. So, as updated versions occur, I'll put links on the blog so that files can be accessed via Google Drive. I'll make them PDFs, and with luck that will avoid any formatting issues.

Here's the link for version 6, November 2025:

STARTLINE v.6

STARTLINE QRS v.6

Let me know of any issues. If you have any comments, suggestions or questions about the rules, just put them in the comments section. Happy Reading!

'Til next time!

'Closing The Pocket' - The Ruhr 1945 Using Startline

I have recently been passing many enjoyable hours tinkering with Startline, my WW2 rules. But there comes a time when the tinkering has to stop and the playtesting has to continue. I was lucky enough to find 5 wargaming friends who were actualy free at the same time on a mid-week day (ah, the joys of retirement/semi-retirement!), and so a serious playtest could take place. Space in my dining room is limited, and with 6 of us and a 6' x 6' table planned, the Big Battles facility in Cirencester seemed to be the solution (thanks for the suggestion Steve). And so, about a week ago, we gathered together and got stuck in. 

L to R, Glenn, Steve, Adam, Paul and Jon.
Thanks for coming over and helping me out guys.

I am not a man who has extensive WW2 collections at my fingertips, but I know a man who has. My friend and gaming buddy Roy chipped in with toys suitable for a 1945 game between the Americans and the Germans, even though he couldn't attend in person. Fabulous. So all I needed now was a scenario.

Well, I couldn't resist. Time to get some German big cats and U.S. Pershings on the table. I chose a 6' x 6' table to give more room for manoeuvre, particularly in depth, and came up with a scenario called 'Closing the Pocket - Beringhausen 28th March 1945'. The narrative was as follows:

"This fictional scenario is based on the actions of the 3rd Armoured Division during the encirclement of the Ruhr pocket in March/April 1945. The 3rd Armoured was part of the southern pincer of the encirclement, which was completed on 1st April near Lippstadt when elements of 3rd Armoured met up with units of the 2nd Armoured Division, who were advancing as part of the northern pincer.

Beringhausen is a real village, but this battle is totally fictional. The Germans are attempting to stop the advance of 3rd Armoured Division in the days just before the final link-up. A small battle group ('Kampfgruppe Trippenhof') has been scraped together, based on a company of panzergrenadiers and a company of tanks. Indirect fire support is weak, anti-tank guns are lacking and the Luftwaffe is absent, but the Germans still have some poweerful tanks available. The American Task Force ('TF Boss') must overcome the German opposition and keep their advance going."

Closing the Ruhr Pocket

We had our table at Big Battles from 09.30 until 17.00, so forces and game length were designed for a battle that might well last all day. The forces involved were:

Task Force Boss (CCA, 3rd Armoured Division)

HQ: Command base in 1 x M3 halftrack

Tank Company: HQ 2 x Sherman 75mm

3 x platoons each 2 x Sherman 75mm, 2 x Sherman 76mm. Heavy tank platoon of 3 x Pershing

Infantry Company: HQ command base, bazooka base

3 x platoons each 6 x infantry base, 1 x bazooka base

Recon Platoon: 2 x M5 light tanks, 2 x M3 halftrack, 2 x infantry base, 2 x bazooka base

Anti-tank Section: 2 x M18 Hellcat

Anti-tank Section: 2 x M1 57mm gun, 2 x M3 halftrack

MMG Section: 2 x Browning 0.30 MMG bases, 2 light trucks

Artillery (off-table)

Battery: 4 x 105mm howitzer, AFO with radio and jeep, 4 turns pre-planned fire

Mortars (off table)

Battery: 3 x 80mm mortars, MFO with jeep and radio, 4 turns pre-planned fire

Pre-Game Barrage: 2 zones available

Random Air Attacks: 1 x P47D section available on a roll of 9+

Kampfgruppe Trippenhof (personally responsible to FM Walther Model, Army Group B)

HQ: Command base in 1 x Sdkfz 250

Panzer Company: HQ 2 x Tiger II

3 x platoons, one of 3 x Panther, one of 3 x StugIIIG, one of 3 x PzIVH

Panzergrenadier Company: HQ command base, panzerschreck base, 1 x Sdkfz 250

3 x platoons each 6 x infantry base, each base has 1 x panzerfaust available

One platoon is carried in 2 x Sdkfz 251/1, 1 x Sdkfz 251/10

Flak Section: 2 x Sdkfz 10 with 2cm AA

Mortars (off-table)

6 x 8cm mortars, MFO with schwimwagen and telephone

No air  attacks available

Deployment

The Germans can deploy anywhere up to 4' from their baseline. All non-vehicles can be dug-in. The Panthers, Tiger IIs and the SPW-mounted infantry are off-table at game start as reserves. They can arrive from the start of turn 4. Each unit dices seperately for arrival needing 4+ to arrive. Those failing to arrive dice again at the start of subsequent turns, adding 1 to their roll each turn. Arrival points are diced for: 1 is a right flank arrival, 2-5 are arrivals along the German baseline, and 6 is a left flank arrival.

The Americans can deploy up to 8" from their baseline. 

Winning and Losing

5 objectives are placed by the umpire in the German deployment zone. If by the end of move 6 the Americans are in possession of 3 objectives they have won a brilliant victory. If not, continue the game to a maximum of 9 moves. If, at the end of moves 7, 8 or 9, the Americans are in possession of 3 objectives they have won. If at the end of move 9 the Americans still aren't in possession of 3 objectives the Germans have won.

The Game in Pictures

A picture taken as the game started which gives a good idea of the terrain.
Beringhausen centre right, with 4 of the objectives visible.
The other was off-picture to the left, on top of a hill.

My cardboard barrier (see previous post) in use during set-up.
This is the American baseline.

The view from the other side of the hill. 
The Germans set up.

The American attack gets under way with a strong left flank tank attack.
The Panzer IVs in Beringhausen are quickly turned into scrap by the Pershings.

A Sherman platoon leap-frogs the heavy tanks and moves into the outskirts of Beringhausen.
German infantry refuse to be intimidated and hunker down in their entrenchments,
as the tanks drive past and sometimes over them!

Meanwhile another U.S. tank platoon sets off on a wide left hook.

The American right flank advance is more of a feint than a serious attack.
German mortars claim an M18.

A smoke screen hampers the defending Stugs.

Eventually, American infantry and anti-tank guns reach the
road junction objective.

They push forward, but any further advance would be suicide...

... as German reinforcements have begun to arrive.
The guns of the Tiger IIs now dominate the centre of the battle.

And the Panthers aren't far behind.

Back on the left flank, the main street of Beringhausen is full of
Pershings attempting to get forward.

The lead Pershing engages the advancing Panthers...

... but is knocked out. The German SPWs and their infantry
now make a lunge forward to dispute the objective marker.

Meanwhile, the Shermans are desperately trying to clear out the buildings and foxholes 
in and around Beringhausen. However, the village's objective marker is still disputed
by the fanatical German defence as the game comes to an end.

Finally, an unflattering but candid shot of myself as umpire,
wondering how I could forget my own rules. C'est la guerre!

Wash Up

We called it at 16.30 as we needed to pack up by 17.00. We had managed 7 moves, and the Americans only had 1 objective under their control. They were very near at another 2, but the Germans had managed to hang on by their fingernails to dispute the ownership of the markers. So I called it a German victory.

The scenario had worked well - the Germans were despairing at first, with an entire Mk.IV platoon destroyed almost straight away and hordes of American tanks surging forward, especially the new Pershings. But the arrival of strong reserves gave them the chance to fight back. A traditional final-move charge by the German heavy cavalry (oops, I mean the SPW platoon) disputed the objective north of Beringhausen to give them the victory.

A point of interest was that the American infantry didn't get into the fight as much as they should have. Always an issue in WW2 rules, I reckon, but I think tactics were as much of an issue as any fault with the rules. The infantry should have been pushed forward with, or even ahead of, the tanks, accepting a slightly slower overall movement rate but ensuring the German infantry had a harder time.

A good deal of time was naturally spent in explaining and discussing the rules (and consuming lunch), so just 7 moves in about 5.5 hours didn't bother me. Only two of the players had any experience of the rules, and that was limited to one or two games a while back. The rule discussions were polite and very useful, resulting in some worthwhile rule alterations. The 76mm Shermans and the Hellcats were allowed 2 turns of HVAP each, which they used sparingly. This minor bit of rules granularity seemed well worth it to me.

Overall, we had a very enjoyable time. I'm glad to say that I left the guys to themselves on a couple of occasions (as the quest for bacon sandwiches at a local bakery took place), and they were quite happy to play the game without me in attendance. In addition, it was pleasing to see that as the moves went by, the progress of the game itself was holding people's attention as fortunes swung back and forth - the rules themselves had slowly faded into the background. This is always a good thing to see.

A fun day. More of this kind of thing is needed to give the rules their final polish, and happily the guys seemed willing to play more games. With rule testers like these, I am hopeful that Startline will mature into a solid set of rules over the next few months.

P.S. See also Steve's lovely blog for another take on the game.

'Til next time!

EDIT: 25th November 2025

Just got sent some nice photos of the game by Glenn. Find five of the best below. Still no shots of the P-47s! They attacked twice but encountered accurate flak and didn't achieve much.

Thanks for those Glenn!