Mapless Campaign in WW2 using Crossfire

I’ve written about Mapless Campaigns but Crossfire is sufficiently different as a game system, and the level of the game (company level WW2) that I thought I’d write a specific adaptation.

There are no maps in this campaign. Instead the players collect territories, and collecting territories makes a player more powerful. This is based on my earlier Mapless Campaigns, which was based on the campaign system in the Warmaster Ancient Armies book by Rick Priestley.


Tactical Rules

Crossfire


Campaign Set Up

Players

You need some players, at least two. If you have more then consider giving each a nation (British, American, Soviet, German, Italian) or, probably more usefully, a division (101st US Airborne, 250th Blue Division, 2 NZ Division). The player are then naturally organised into two teams for Axis and Allies.

Armies

Each player selects an army from the relevant army list.

You have to choose an army size and matching table. I recommend you allocate a modest number of points for these armies to enable faster battles.

Suggested points for the original force (choose one):

Points Description Matching Table
70 a small bare bones company 4’x4′
80 (recommended) a small force including a company and some options 4’x4′
140 a couple of companies 6’x4′
210 a battalion 6’x4′

The rule book has a points system but I suggest you use my slightly more comprehensive Balagan Point System for Crossfire. The armour points in my system assume you are using non-standard points for armour such as those in my Balagan Data Sheets for Crossfire. Air Support – see my Musings on Aircraft – costs 15 points.

The armies can change between games; the only important thing is that each game is balanced (see The 3Fs of Crossfire Scenario Design: Flavour, Fair, Fun). Each player will need figures for their army, plus for bonus troops they’ll acquire during the campaign.

Initial Territories

Each player randomly generates three territories. A player can have at most one rich territory, of any type, at the beginning of the campaign. If you get more than one, then discard the excess and generate some more territories.


Campaign Battles

Any player can fight any player from the other team. All of these can be campaign games. If you win a battle you get more territories. All players need to keep track of their territories.

Pre-battle phase

Territories are used in battle to simulate pre-battle manoeuvres and/or advantage derived from greater resources. Each player secretly selects three of his territories. These are revealed simultaneously.

Territories provide:

  • A reinforcement unit (usually low value) or enhancements to another reinforcement units (to make it high value)
  • Optionally, some deployment advantage.

Fighting Battles

Use Crossfire to fight the battle. Each player gets their basic army at full strength, plus any reinforcements.

Consider using Mac’s Missions v3 – Revised Pick Up Games for Crossfire for the missions in each battle. The starting army and reinforcements at the beginning of the game are given by the campaign. But you can also take additional reinforcements in Mac’s Missions to compensate for a challenging mission.

Try to include all six chosen Territories as features on table.

Post-battle phase

If the battle is a draw then neither player benefits, however, if one player wins the battle:

  1. A new territory is added to the campaign. The winner of a battle randomly generates the new territory.
  2. The winner gets an extra territory. The winner can then either take the new territory or one of the territories the loser used during the game.
  3. The loser retains the same number of territories, although depending on the selection of the winner the specific territories may have changed. If the winner takes one of the loser’s territories the loser gets the new generated territory to replace it.

Winning the Campaign

Before the campaign starts you should set out the victory conditions. Options include:

  • The player who has the highest total territory value at the end of a fixed time period (e.g. for a one day campaign).
  • The player that reaches a target territory value fastest.
  • The player that acquires a certain number of territories fastest.

Territories

Territories are the campaign goal and provide benefit during the campaign. As players gain additional territories they become more powerful.

The table below has example territories for a WW@ or Modern campaign using Crossfire . The number column is the number of that type of territory you might include in a typical campaign. The Reinforcement column gives the bonus stands you get by choosing this territory for a particular game and the Points column are the corresponding points value. Some territories provide an additional benefit.

Number Territory Reinforcement Points Other Benefit
12 Swamp Squad 4
12 Wood Squad 4
4 Gully Squad 4 Flank march
4 Track Squad 4 Flank march
4 Airfield Squad, Heavy Weapons, or Air Support 6
4 River Crossing Squad or Heavy Weapons 6 Flank march
12 Hill Heavy Weapons 6
8 Farm Heavy Weapons 6
8 Village Heavy Weapons 6
4 Fortified position Armour, Squad, Heavy Weapons or Fortification package 6
6 Road Armour, Squad or Heavy Weapons 6
4 Road Junction Armour, Squad or Heavy Weapons 9 Flank march
4 Fuel dump Armour 9
4 HQ * Increases the point value of a reinforcement provided by another territory. 15
4 Railway Station * Increases the point value of a reinforcement provided by another territory. 15
4 Supply Depot * Increases the point value of a reinforcement provided by another territory. 15

* These are the rich territories. A player can have at most one rich territory, of any type, at the beginning of the campaign. If you get more than one, then discard the excess and generate some more.

Reinforcements

Squads can be Rifle Squads and/or SMG Squads.

Heavy Weapons include HMG, on-table mortars and guns, and/or FO for off-table batteries.

Armour includes any armour. I assume you are using non-standard points for armour such as those in my Balagan Data Sheets for Crossfire but it isn’t essential.

Air Support – see my Musings on Aircraft. Air Support costs 15 points, so to get it you must use an Airfield territory in conjunction with a rich territory of some kind.

Flank March

A side with Flank March may retain 1 platoon off table including supporting assets (up to 20 points). The player decides, before the game, what is flanking marching and where (side or enemy rear). A flank march to a side table edge arrives on a roll of 5+ at the start of any friendly initiative. A flank march to a enemy rear table edge arrives on a roll of 6 at the start of any friendly initiative.


References

Priestly, R. (2006). Warmaster Ancient Armies. Games Workshop.

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