Crossfire Archives - Page 2 of 33

Almost Fosse Bridge – A Crossfire Battle Report

10 Dec 202210 Dec 2022 by Steven Thomas

fosse-103 Sherman III on overwatch - Banner

Jamie was coming over and I quickly knocked up this Crossfire scenario to continue my experiments with the revised Anti-tank rules. This time I wanted tanks on both sides and we ended up with three Panzers attacking and two Shermans in defence.

The scenario is extremely loosely based on the Coldstream Guards and Scots Greys defence of the Fosse Bridge on 13 September 1943. One of the many small actions following the Salerno landings in the Italian Campaign. Emphasis on the “extremely loosely”. At the time I only knew the battalions/regiments present and the location of the bridge which gave me a modern google map of the modern site. Not much to go on historically, but it gave a good game. I’ll write up the scenario later although a real Fosse Bridge Scenario will be quite different.

Bogging and Anti-tank Mines – Revising Crossfire Anti-tank Rules 7

3 Dec 2022 by Steven Thomas

Musing - Revising the Crossfire Anti-tank Rules - Corssfire - Banner

Both the Crossfire minefield rule and the Hit The Dirt bogging rule are special mechanisms using 1d6 and special outcomes. I think it is possible to align these with the normal infantry to hit dice, and without unduly affecting play. Since I’m revising the anti-tank rules to use the normal infantry to hit dice, this is a good time to tweak the bogging and anti-tank mine rules.

Infantry Anti-tank Weapons – Revising Crossfire Anti-tank Rules 6

30 Sep 202312 Nov 2022 by Steven Thomas

While I mull over the feedback I got about my previous post to revise Crossfire’s tank rules (Anti-tank Rating – Revising Crossfire Anti-tank Rules 5), I thought I’d share my thinking on infantry anti-tank weapons. Bazookas, Panzerfausts, Panzerschrecks, PIATs, and their poor relation, the anti-tank rifle.

Operation East Gate – Pacific Mini-Campaign using Mac’s Crossfire Missions

22 Oct 2022 by Steven Thomas

EastGate-08 A Matilda II CS standing guard at the T-junction - Banner

Brett Simpson sent through a report for his recent Crossfire mini-campaign set in the Pacific. The campaign is a series of three games, each using Mac’s Missions. The report features his 20mm Australian Imperial Force (AIF), Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) and Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF) (i.e. Naval Marines). All words and photos are Brett’s.

Monaldini and Monticelli – A Crossfire Battle Report 2

1 Oct 2022 by Steven Thomas

Bruce Stewart (aka Gunnery Sargent Rock) and his mate Clynt had a go at my Monaldini and Monticelli Scenario. Kiwis, including six Shermans, and Greeks against Fallschirmjäger and “Turcomen” during the Italian Campaign. All words are Bruce’s.

Liberation – An A4 Insurgency Campaign

6 Nov 202224 Sep 2022 by Steven Thomas

I was looking at the tokens I designed in for Using Political Tokens for Military-Political Climate in an Insurgency Campaign and realised they weren’t very easy to make. They are round and double sided. Doh! So I decided to redesign them as square. And that led to doing the entire Campaign on an A4 sheet of paper. This campaign can be for any insurgency but I have the Portuguese Colonial War in mind. This is the third iteration on Simulating Politics in a Wargaming Campaign with Political Tokens – an idea I borrowed from Kapitan Kobold

Painting haystacks for Crossfire fields

17 Sep 2022 by Steven Thomas

Haystacks-6 Fields with haystacks - Banner

I wanted some 15mm haystacks to enhance my carpet fields. So I purchased and painted some. I’m not Monet, but they’ll do for a game of Crossfire.

Feugret – Game 7 of Aidan’s Normandy Campaign – A Crossfire Battle Report

3 Sep 2022 by Steven Thomas

Feugret-788 British about to reach Point 797640 - but it does not overlook Orbois - Banner

Aidan Boustred has been running a Normandy Campaign using Crossfire. My wargaming group are not involved because we couldn’t sign up to the commitment of regular games, but as a one off Aidan asked us to play Game 7. The 5th Duke of Cornwall’s attack towards Feugret and Orbois with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Panzer Grenadier Regiment defending.

Summary: Big game but fun. Being part of a campaign gave the game features that were not possible in a one shot. I’d say it was a bloody draw.

Using WW2 National Flags as Objectives in Crossfire

24 Dec 202230 Aug 2022 by Steven Thomas

WW2-Flag-Objective-315 All Nations - Banner

I’ve been using flags as my terrain objective markers for a long time. And recently I made some more for New Zealand, UK/GB, India, USA, Germany (replacement), Japan, China and Australia.

Hotel Excelsior – A Crossfire Scenario and Battle Report

20 Aug 2022 by Steven Thomas

Excelcior-157 battle 7 stug off for more hunting - Banner

Gunnery Sargent Rock (Bruce Stewart) sent through another battle report featuring Kiwis in the Italian Campaign. The combat is again in Casino town against the Fallschirmjaeger, but this time around the Hotels Excelsior and Roses.

Anti-tank Rating – Revising Crossfire Anti-tank Rules 5

29 Sep 202313 Aug 2022 by Steven Thomas

Time for the heart of the matter … revising Crossfire’s anti-tank rules and make them more like infantry combat. I want to do this as a bit of journey, from Crossfire’s ACC and PEN, through my mods for that, touching on earlier Gun versus Arm matrix thinking, before landing where I want to today.

Anti-personnel Rating – Revising Crossfire Anti-tank Rules 4

29 Sep 202330 Jul 2022 by Steven Thomas

I think tanks should be scary so my latest attempt at revising Crossfire’s tank rules does that … makes tanks grunty. You will see I’ve made tanks, much, much more punchy compared to the standard rules and other Gun vs ARM matrix house rules. While I’m about it I’d also like to fix up a few other weaknesses. For a start I would strengthen lighter guns – I’m very conscious that the Soviets continued to use the 45mm anti-tank gun through out the war and where other weapon systems were abandoned or improved, these stayed in use. Aside from the fact the Soviet had a lot of them, I can only assume the Soviets also saw these as having continued utility. As far as I can see the light anti-tank guns flipped to being used as anti-personnel weapons, something which standard Crossfire makes them unsuitable for. So far this is all terribly speculative and I’m just playing around with possibilities. But I do think it is good enough worth a try.

Monaldini and Monticelli – A Crossfire Battle Report in Italy 1

3 Nov 202223 Jul 2022 by Steven Thomas

Monticelli-151 Kiwi Sherman III and Knocked out Sherman III - Banner

Jamie and I played my Monaldini and Monticelli Scenario. Kiwis and Greeks against Fallschirmjäger and “Turcomen” during the Italian Campaign. And lets not forget the six Shermans.

Summary: Great scenario. Lots of tactical decisions for both players. Nice to get a few tanks on table. Great game. We’d play it again. I won. Or perhaps Jamie did.

Calibre Bands – Revising Crossfire Anti-tank Rules 3

29 Sep 202316 Jul 2022 by Steven Thomas

People often talk in calibre bands to rate guns and mortars e.g. light, medium, and heavy artillery. Heavy mortars, that kind of thing. Rules writers quite often follow suit and include calibre bands in their games. Although Crossfire doesn’t make a big song and dance about calibre bands, there is a hint of bands in there. So I thought I’d play around with calibre bands to see if I can find a useful pattern for my emerging revision to the anti-tank rules.

Monaldini and Monticelli – A Crossfire Scenario in Italy

27 Nov 20239 Jul 2022 by Steven Thomas

Table for Monaldini and Monticelli - Banner

I wanted a scenario to play test my emerging revision to the Crossfire armour rules. This scenario simulates the New Zealander and Greek attack on two small settlements – Monaldini farm and Monticelli – south-west of Rimini on 14 Sep 1944, during the Italian Campaign. Defending are Fallschirmjäger and “Turcomen” i.e. Soviet PoWs in German service. It is roughly a company a side in terms of infantry but the Kiwis have six, count them, six Shermans.