Flames of War Desert Rats Update
Flames of War Desert Rats Update
Flames of War Desert Rats Update
Obviously we don’t want to make all our British You only need this update if your copy of Desert
Armored Forces players go out and buy a new Rats looks like the one pictured, with the tank
book, so we gathered up the few changes we made occupying the whole width of the cover.
Armour
Name Mobility Front Side Top Equipment and Notes
Armoured Car Platoons, page 19
Light Tanks Instructions
• Replace one Marmon Harrington armoured
‘Honey’ Stuart Fully-tracked
car with a Daimler Mk I armoured car for 3Platoon
Print 2 file 1at the highest
this 37mm tank gun, that
quality co-axyou
MG,can.hullYou
MG, Light
may tank.
want to take
Cruiser Tanksor an AEC Mk I for +30 points.
+15 points, it to a specialist
HQ Section with: print shop if you do not have a high-quality printer.
Crusader
3 HumberII Mk II or III Fully-tracked
105 points 4Carefully
2 cut out1 one 2item
pdr tanktime gun,with
co-ax MG, Fast tank, Unreliable.
2 Anti-tank Sections at a165 pointssharp scissors. Check the position
Crusader
• Replace II one
CS Humber armoured Fully-tracked
car with 4and size2 of the 1 item 3”in tank
yourhowitzer,
book, then co-ax
onceMG, youFast
aretank, Unreliable.
satisfied, apply a
A force based around an 1 Anti-tank Section 95gun,
points
Crusader
an AEC IIII armoured carArmoured Squadron must
for Fully-tracked
+20 points. contain:
4light 2 1 6 pdr tank co-ax MG, Fast tank, Unreliable.
coating of glue to the back and place it in the book. Repeat until you
• 3aDaimler
Company
Valentine III Mk HQ,
I and Fully-tracked
135 points Options
6have 5
finished 1updating
2 pdr
yourtank
copygun,ofco-ax
DesertMG,Rats.Slow tank.
• twoTanks
Heavy to four Armoured Platoons. • Upgrade all 2 pdr portees to 6 pdr portees
• Replace one Daimler armoured car with
Granta Daimler Dingo scout car Fully-tracked
for -15 points. 5 for +203 points 1 per 37mm
section.tank gun, co-ax MG, hull short 75mm tank gun,
Weapons Platoons available to an Armoured Squadron can be:
• • Replace
up to two AA MG on
further the Daimler
Armoured Dingo
Platoons. • Replace all 2 pdr Multiple
portees guns.
with 6 pdr guns
Sherman II Fully-tracked
scout car with 0.5” AA MG for +5 points. 6 towed4 by Jeeps
1 for
Anti-tank Platoons, page 16 +20
75mm points
tank per
gun,section.
co-ax MG, hull MG, Ronson.
Support
Sherman Platoons
III
3 AEC Mk I for
(diesel) an Armoured Squadron
Fully-tracked
170 points can be:
6• Equip all Rifle teams, Gun teams and PorteesMG, hull MG.
4 1 75mm tank gun, co-ax
Name
•Self-propelled
Motor Platoons, Range
• Scout ROF with Anti-tank
Patrols, Firepower
for +5 pointsNotes
Anti-tank Guns Sticky Bombs per team
•Vehicle MG Car Platoons, and 16”/40cm
Armoured • Divisional3 Support Platoons. 2 6 ROF 1 if other weapons fire.
2 pdr portee
Armoured Squadron, page 11 Wheeled - - - 2 pdr anti-tank gun, AA MG, Portee.
0.5” MG 16”/40cm 3 4 6 ROF 1 if other weapons fire.
6 pdr portee Wheeled - - - 6 pdr anti-tank gun, AA MG, Portee.
You
AA MG may have up to one Support16”/40cm Platoon attached3 to your company2 for 6each Light or Heavy anti-aircraft.
Self-defence
Deacon
Armoured Platoon that you are Wheeled
fielding. 1 2 0 6 pdr anti-tank gun, AA MG, Cumbersome.
0.5” AA MG 16”/40cm 3 4 6 Self-defence anti-aircraft.
Self-propelled Guns
Breda 20mm anti-aircraft gun 24”/60cm 4 5 5+ Anti-aircraft.
Motivation
Priest
Tank teams, page And30ExperienceFully-tracked 1 0 0 105mm howitzer, 0.5” AA MG.
Boys anti-tank rifle 16”/40cm 2 4 6
The British
Autocar 75mm SP armoured regiments have been
Half-tracked given a1 rough 0handling0 by Rommel’s
75mm fieldlot, butAA
gun, they’ve
MG.
15mm tank gun 16”/40cm 3 5 6
stuck to their guns, learned their lessons, and are ready to return the favour. An Armoured Squadron
Self-propelled
isCaptured
Vehicle weapons,
Confident
Anti-aircraft
anti-tank
page
Trained.gun
30 Guns24”/60cm 2 6 5+ See Armoured Car Platoons on page 19.
Breda
37mm20mm
Vehicle tank
MG gun portee Wheeled
24”/60cm
16”/40cm 32- - 27 - Breda6 20mm ROF
5+ anti-aircraft
1 if othergun.
weapons fire.
Engineer
0.5” tankTanks
2 pdrMG gun 16”/40cm
24”/60cm 32 47 6
5+ ROF
No HE.1 if other weapons fire.
AA MGScorpion
Matilda 16”/40cm
Fully-tracked 37 6 2 2 6 tank gun,
2 pdr Self-defence anti-aircraft.
2 pdrAA
0.5” anti-tank
MG gun 24”/60cm
16”/40cm 33 47 5+
6 No HE. MG,anti-aircraft.
co-ax
Self-defence
Overloaded, Unreliable,
6 pdr tank gun 24”/60cm 2 9 Mine
4+flail. No HE.
Reconnaissance
Vehicle weapons, page
6 pdr anti-tank gun 30 24”/60cm 3 9 4+ No HE.
Universal Carrier
75mm field gun Half-tracked
24”/60cm 20 0 9/20 Hull MG.
3+/6 Close-support artillery, Smoke.
Daimler Dingotank gun
Short 75mm Jeep
32”/80cm 21 0 91 AA3+MG. Smoke.
Armoured
75mm tankCars gun 32”/80cm 2 10 3+ Smoke.
3” tank howitzer
Marmon Herrington III 24”/60cm
Wheeled 21 0 5/21 Boys anti-tank rifle, MG. artillery, Smoke.
3+/6 Close-support
105mmIIhowitzer
Humber or III 24”/60cm
Wheeled 11 0 9/31 2+/4+tank gun,
15mm Artillery, Smoke.
co-ax MG.
Daimler I Wheeled 1 0 1 2 pdr tank gun, co-ax MG.
Gun teams, page 31
AEC I Wheeled 4 2 1 2-pdr tank gun, co-ax MG, Cumbersome.
Name Range ROF Anti-tank Firepower Notes
3” mortar 32”/80cm - -/1 3+/6 Mortar, Smoke, Man-packed, Small gun.
Bofors 40mm gun 32”/80cm 4 6 5+ Turntable, Anti-aircraft, Immobile.
2 pdr gun 24”/60cm 3 7 5+ Gun shield, Turntable, No HE, Small gun.
6 pdr gun 24”/60cm 3 9 4+ Gun shield, No HE, Small gun.
17/25 pdr gun 32”/80cm 2 13 3+ Gun shield, Turntable, No HE, Immobile.
25 pdr gun 24”/60cm 2 9/3 3+/6 Gun shield, Turntable, Artillery, Smoke.
•starting
Replace allthe
with 6 pdr portees with 6 pdr guns
defender.
Self-defence
towed
Your Anti-aircraft
bytroops
Jeeps at cost.Guns
arenodeployed well behind the front fighting rules are not used.
TheBeginning
British the
Army
lines all
• Replace with Battle
mounted machine-guns
the portees
6 pdr vital task of 17/25
with
on selected
defending vehicles
pdr strategic
to 1.
discourage enemy aircraft
Both players’ troops attacks.
start the game in Darkness
gunsassets
towedsuch as supply
by Quad dumps
tractors for and airfields.
+30 points In a mission played in darkness, the night fight-
prepared
Anti-tank positions.
per section.
Platoon, Royal Artillery, pageonly
21 shoot at aircraft Time of Day, page53
53are used for the entire game.
Self-defence anti-aircraft guns can
The defending player has 1500 points to spend ing rules on page
that areonattacking
•2.Equip
The attacking
all Rifle
their their
teams,
security own
player
Gun platoon.
has
teams
force. the
andfirst turn.
Portees
with Sticky Bombs for +5 points per team. Dawn
Sticky Bombs In a mission being played at dawn, the game
The
The mayENDING
YouGrenade,
Cauldron, SAFE
not field61
Hand,
page IN
moreTHE
No. THE
than
74 BATTLE
wasREAR
two AREAS
Anti-tank
commonly known as the starts in darkness, with the night fighting rules
Sections
‘Sticky armedItwith
Bomb’. 17/251.3
featured pdrpounds
guns in(580gm) any of rather in effect. At the start of the defenders turn three,
The
The battle defenders
ends when: know that the platoon
enemy is only a
unstable Nitroglycerine in an spherical adhesive-coated roll a die. On a score of 5+, morning has broken.
force. The sections may be in one
• split
or
plastic
Thesmall
across
bottle
raidingplayer
attacking
ontwo.the end
party and
Either starts
of away,
that
stick.anany there turnarefrom
Anti-tank
Combined
plenty of If the roll is unsuccessful, at the start of turn
with the No. four the attacker rolls two dice. If it is still dark
friendly
turn 3 holding troops nearby.
either Their
objective, ormain concern is
75Platoon
Hawkins with 17/25 these
grenade, pdr guns gavemay not infantry
British have powerful at the start of the defenders next turn, they roll
•
any
weapons
Thenotdefending
other having
type
against of toanti-tank
tell HQstarts
player
tanks
why
gun. everything
any turn from they were
breaking into their positions. three dice, and so on until morning breaks on
Sticky Bombs,
guarding
turn page
three with 28
got blown up and the
no attacking teamsraiders got away!
within
any roll of 5+. The turn that morning breaks,
Infantry and Gun
16”/40cm of teams
eitherusing Sticky Bombs have an Anti-
objective. the night fighting rules are no longer used, and
The defender’s force is not required to take
tank rating of 3 in assault combat against tanks. However, it is daylight for the remainder of the game.
Company Morale Checks. However, they take
if a teamDECIDING
using Sticky Bombs WHO WON
rolls a 1 to hit in an assault
Platoon Morale Checks as normal. Dusk
combat, the team scores an ‘own goal’ and is destroyed.
The attacker wins if they take either objective. In a mission being played at dusk, the game
AThe
Deathteamor armed
Glory with
Squadron,
enemy penetration SENTRIES
Sticky
page Bombs
63
has been neutralised may choose not to starts in daylight. At the start of the defenders
use
1and them
to 3the if the
Valentine target does not justify the risk involved. turn three, roll a die. On a score of 5+, night
defensiveArmoured line held. Platoons
Every important target has sentries on guard— has fallen. If the roll is unsuccessful, the attacker
Because
Platoon
The they wins
whether
defender are
this isnot usually
ifathey
humble visible
holdsupply on the
depot
both objectives models, a
watchman rolls two dice at the start of turn four. f it is still
At first glance, the desert is flat and bare. On a second look, there are many minor terrain features scattered about. Even though
insignificant, these features were the focus of many battles. This chart provides an optional way to decide what terrain to place on the
table. Divide the table into 2’/60cm squares. The players take turns to pick a square and roll to see what terrain they should place in
player must tell their opponent atcounterattacks
the start of the game dark at the start of the defenders next turn, they
Treat flat, hard desert as Road for movement. Place a 2”/5cm ball of cotton wool behind each vehicle for every 12”/30cm or part
thereof it moved in the Movement Step. If the vehicle moves later in the turn, the dust cloud moves with it staying on the same side
of the vehicle, even if it changes direction (you can’t hide in your own dust!) Vehicles moving 4”/10cm or less do not create dust
clouds. Remove all dust clouds from your vehicles at the start of your turn. Troops behind a dust cloud count as Concealed.
at the or
end a prestigious
of the
3 Valentine III game. headquarters
All enemy 175 points bodyguard! Their
which platoons,
task is to off if any,
raise have Sticky Bombs. roll three dice, and so on until morning breaks
have been held andthethe alarm
enemy before
force the raiders get
‘written
You must have at least as many Valentine on any roll of 5+. The turn that night falls, the
down’ too close to
bringing their objectives.
a major breakthrough that much night fighting rules come into effect for the
platoons as Crusader platoons in your force.
closer.
You may Theynot won’t
have be able
more than to take
four much more
Valentine remainder of the game.
The defender deploys six patrols of sentries in
of
orthis.
Crusader Armoured Platoons in a squadron.
their half of the table during the game set up.
1Use Represent
to 2the Victory the
Crusader sentries
Armoured
Points tablewith six ordinary
Platoons
below to look up infantry SCATTERED RESERVES
64 terrain, the desert is flat and hard. This makes for rapid, if somewhat dusty, movement.
stands. They
your victory pointsarebased not takenon the from numberthe defenders
of
force, With so many potential targets and so few troops
platoons
Night thatand
Fighting,thefor all55intents
winner
page and purposes
lost during the battle.are just
tokens. to protect them, the defenders will be scattered
Fighting at night is a confusing and problematic Thefar
result is the maximum distance at that
and wide.
it. The exact number and dimensions of the features are up to the player. Roll once for each square.
Once
affair. It isthe
hard alarm
to seeis raised
anything, andand the rocks
game and begins, moment that the platoon’s teams can see targets
treestheylook arelikeremoved
tanks, and and playtanksnolike further part in that The
houses. Scattered
did not shoot.Reserves
The platoon special
canrule
onlyoperates
shoot in
the game. the same way as the Reserves
at or range in on teams within that distance special rule on
MOVEMENT AT NIGHT unless the target team fired its weapons. Enemywith
page 157 of the Flames Of War rulebook,
thethat
following exceptions.
TIME OF
Moving at night without lights is slow. It is hard
DAY teams fired in their Shooting step are always
visible out to the limits
To reflect the way the of linereserves
of sight.are
Anything
scattered,
to seeBattles occurand
anything, at any
rocks time.andMost treesbattles happen further
look like the defender’s reserves can arrive fromRoll
away is invisible in the darkness. almost
tanks,in daylight,
and tanksbut likemany
houses. raids take place under the to determine anywhere.the Whenvisibility distancearrives
each platoon beforefrom
you the
cover of darkness. There are four times of day: select your target.
reserves, the defender rolls a die to determine
Teams may not move further than 8”/20cm or
Daylight, Darkness, Dawn, and Dusk. from which table edge or corner it will arrive
move At the Double at night. Additionally Concealment
vehicles must reroll successful bogging rolls (the mission map shows the edge or corner for
Even on a clear night it is tricky to accurately
when moving through Rough Terrain. each die roll). If the reserves arrive from an
pinpoint the enemy. All teams count as
edge, they may enter anywhere along that edge.
At night the enemy looms out of the darkness, Concealed at night.
If from a corner, they must enter the table within
only to vanish as quickly when the moon Night is not concealing
16”/40cm terrain, so ambushing
of the corner.
disappears behind a cloud. troops must deploy at least 16”/40cm from the
Units containing armoured vehicles will always
enemy when in the open.
arrive from reserve after units without armoured
SHOOTING AT NIGHT Thevehicles.
concealment of night does
Units containing tanks not
will allow
always be
Each time you select a platoon to shoot with, reconnaissance
the last platoons troops
to arriveto from
use reserve.
Cautious
roll a die and consult the Night Visibility table. Movement (see page 14 of Stars & Stripes).
They must be concealed by terrain.
other
1 4”/10cm
is no
2 8”/20cm
Terrain,
4 16”/40cm
Where
5 20”/50cm
6 24”/60cm