One of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Crossfire is “How many figures will I need to start playing?” The answer is a company a side. 78 figures in total, if you follow my recommendations.
How many figures will I need?
A company a side is a good start for Crossfire. That is just shy of 80 figures in total. Bigger games will involve more figures.
The images show a typical company for two sides, called Red and Grey. [Yeah, I admit, I play Eastern Front with Soviets and Germans.] For the purposes of newbies starting to play Crossfire I’ve made the two companies identical. Each company has 39 figures, making 78 figures in total for the two companies. For practical purposes, these orders of battle will work for any nationality in World War II. If you want to get specific, then you’ll have to check the orders of battle in the rule book.
A rifle company contains a Company Commander (CC), three rifle platoons and some supporting assets. The CC stand has two figures.
Each rifle platoon contains a Platoon Commander (PC) and three rifle squads. The PC stand has a single figure. The rifle squads have three figures. Early war Russian platoons can add an extra rifle squad and that will add 9 figures to the company.
All rifle squads can have a random mix of grunts with guns, but I find it useful to distinguish one rifle squad by having a light machine gun (LMG) figure as one of the three figures. This stand is treated for all purposes as a rifle squad with no special abilities. I just like having LMGs scattered amongst the riflemen.
Another rifle squad has an optional infantry anti-tank weapon (IAT) e.g. anti-tank rifle, bazooka, panzerfaust, piat, etc. I don’t tend to bother for units equipped with anti-tank rifles but I do include the IAT for units from later in the war. The IAT squad has special abilities in Crossfire. Some people like to base IAT teams separately, but that is a house rule.
Most companies will have supporting assets. Typically these include 1-2 Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) stands plus 1-2 Forward Observer (FO) or on-table mortars. A HMG, in Crossfire, is a machine gun on a tripod. I give HMG a crew of two men. [Technically, most HMG in Crossfire are actually medium machinguns but please don’t let that slow you down.]
Standard Crossfire uses FO stands for all indirect fire weapons. The actual weapon is off table. The FO stand has a single figure, usually with binoculars, a map, and/or a radio to indicate his role. Personally I like to have small mortars (45-60mm) on table. I give small mortars two crewmen.
What figure scale should I use?
Most people use 15mm or 20mm figures. A minority use 5mm or 28mm. Personally I use 15mm. They are a reasonable compromise of quality versus size. And they fit on the standard Crossfire bases with the right number of figures … something that cannot be said for 20mm.
How should I base my figures?
You are going to have to base your figures. I pretty much use the base size recommendations Crossfire gives for 15-20mm figures. I just go metric. Oh, and I make FO stands a different shape from PC stands. I based on-table mortars like HMG.
These are, however, just recommendations so you can change them, and you probably will have to if you are not using 15mm. Just remember a stand width is a significant measure in Crossfire.
If you want to know more then check out my basing approach and how other people base figures including for different scales.
What scenario should I play first?
The forces I described above are adequate for my Scenario for Novices. In fact you’ll have some spare.
Thank you for posting this, Steven. It’s a clear and handy reference. I like the way you have broken up the rifle platoon stands into LMG – standard – IAT.
Brett.
The LMG is just aesthetics, of course.
Steve, any idea why it is so difficult to see a reprint or redo of the”Crossfire” rules. A reprint of even the old rules would make it so much easier to spread the religion of “Crossfire” to the masses.
As it happens the reprint of the original Crossfire rules is available at Caliver Books in the UK and On Military Matters in the USA. I checked today.
Hi, what about SMG Squads?
SMG squads do not appear that often in Crossfire. There are two occasions when I have used them: (1) at battalion level as escorts for the Battalion Commander; (2) in specialist SMG formations for the USSR. Neither applies for those starting out in Crossfire. Rifles, thats what you need. Lots of rifles.
Have a look at some of the Standard Crossfire Orders of Battle for the Eastern Front to see where SMG fit in.
Hi,
do you use the “on table mortar” instead of the FO?
Thanks
Roby
Correct. Basically smaller mortars (1) did not have an FO and (2) only fired direct. The simplest way to model this in CF is to use an on-table mortar team as an FO under the rules. This is part of my House Rules for Direct Fire Mortars.