Wargames with Toy Soldiers

Wargames with toy soldiers is fun. Lots of fun. Here are a simple set of rules that make a bit of a game of it. The big ideas behind it are…

It’s hard to shoot at someone when you are being shot at

...and...
It’s hard to hit someone when they are hiding in or behind stuff

(There is a video tutorial available - http://tiny.cc/h150az)

What you’ll need:

Some toy soldiers
Some terrain (see below for some ideas)
A 30cm ruler - usually your figures will move 15cm, unless they double move.
A bunch of standard six sided dice

But first we need some definitions so everyone knows what we’re talking about...

Definitions

Squad

A group of toys soldiers, from, well, one, to as many as you’ve got. Between four and six is a good number.

A six sided dice.

Open ground

When there is nothing in the way between the shooters and their target.

Cover

When there is something in the way between the shooters and their target.

Set up

You’ll need a table, or an area on the floor, perhaps marked out by a tablecloth. That’s how big your battlefield is. Place down some terrain (see below), in a manner that seems good to you. It is probably best that your soldiers don’t have too many places where they can shoot straight from one edge of the table to the other - shooters can shoot as far as they can see. So, break up your battlefield with some hills and forests and buildings and such.

Each player rolls 1D6. Highest number actictivates their first squad...first.

Terrain

Open ground.

The area you are fighting over, represented by a tablecloth (optional), preferably green...or brown...or grey...or even black…

Shooters shooting at a squad who are in open ground are hit on dice rolls of 4 or more (each soldier shooting rolls one die - more of that later).

Hills, or at least rises in the ground, represented by books, or blocks, preferably hidden under a table cloth.

These block one squad from seeing another squad.

Rivers represented by blue felt (optional), cut into strips, or ovals (flooded fields, filled in trenches, filled in craters etc).

Squads can only cross them by using a double move (that is, move and move, not move and shoot), and the total of that double move is only a total of 15cm instead of the normal 30cm.

Roads, represented by brown felt (optional), cut in strips.

Squads double moving along a road add up to another 15cm to the distance they move.

Please note that if they move along a road, and then stop to shoot, they still only move 15 cm. The squad only gets the road bonus if it moves twice along the road...but then it can’t shoot that turn...

Forests, represented by a bit of green felt (optional), cut into a roughly oval shape.

Shooters shooting at a squad who are in a forest add +1 to each of their dice results.

So if a squad (that was not being shot at) is shooting at another squad who is in a forest, it would need 4s (or more) to hit.

4 (base number) +1 (forest) = 5.

Fences, represented by barbed wire or wooden fences.

Shooters shooting at a squad who are behind a fence add +1 to each of their dice results.

So if a squad (that was not being shot at) is shooting at another squad who are behind a fence, it would need 5s (or more) to hit.

4 (base number) +1 (fence) = 5.

Ditches or Trenches, represented by black felt (optional), cut into strips.

Shooters shooting at a squad who are in a ditch add +2 to each of their dice results.

So if a squad (that was not being shot at) is shooting at another squad who is in a ditch, it would need 6s to hit.

4 (base number) +2 (ditch) = 6.

If a squad (that was not being shot at) is shooting at another squad in a ditch/trench that is in a forest, it would need 7s to hit.

4 (base number) +2 (ditch) +1 (forest) = 7.

But a 6 is always a hit. Since you can’t roll a 7 on a D6.
(Well, you can...see the optional advanced rules at the end.)

Walls, represented by a building, or a stone wall in a field.

Shooters who are shooting at a squad who are behind a wall add +2 to each of their dice results.

So if a squad (that was not being shot at) is shooting at another squad who is behind a wall, it would need 6s to hit.

4 (base number) +2 (building) = 6. 7s if the shooters were being shot at. (See later.)

Sounds good, doesn’t it? Just remember, that if an enemy squad sneaks around behind the wall, so that the wall is no longer between the two of them, then they are counted as being in the open.

Turns

The game turn is divided into six phases. Orders. Initiative. Move. Target. Shoot. Hand to Hand. Reset.

Orders

Each player places an order token face down behind each of their squads. Either M (Move) or S (Shoot)

Initiative

Each player rolls 1D6. The player that has rolled the highest number activates one squad first.

Move

A squad can move up to 15 cm...or not, if the player doesn’t want to move them.

If they move, they cannot target anyone (or shoot.)

Then one squad from the other side moves...then another from the first side...and so on.

If the moving squad already has an enemy target marker in front of it, the target marker moves with the moving squad.

Once every squad has had their chance to move…

Target

If a squad did not move, the player can place it’s targeting counter in front of an enemy squad, or anywhere along the path that the enemy squad moved.

For instance, if the targeted squad moved from one piece of cover through the open to another piece of cover, the shooting squad can place their targeting counter anywhere their target ran through the open.

Shoot

The first squad shoots...then one from the other side...then one from the first side...and so on. See below for more details.

Please note, no miniatures get removed from the table until everyone has finished shooting.

Hand to Hand

If any opposing figures are touching, each player rolls 1D6 - highest score wins, and the opposing miniature gets removed. See below for more details.

Reset

All squad tokens are turned back over, and all target counters are returned to their units.

Shooting

To shoot, the shooting squad rolls one D6 for every soldier in the squad. That is, if there are four soldiers, then four D6. If there are six soldiers in the squad, then the player rolls six D6...and so on…

Scores needed to get a hit…

4 or more to hit if the target is in the open.
5 or more to hit if the target is in a bit of cover.
6 if the target is in a trench, or in or behind a building, or a wall.
Add +1 to the number if the shooting squad is being shot at while they are shooting.
A 6 is always a hit. (Unless you are using the optional advanced rules below.)

For example…

A squad (who is not being shot at) shooting at another squad who is in the open will need 4s (or more) to hit.

4+ (base number) = 4.

A squad (who is being shot at) shooting at another squad who is in the open will need 5s (or more) to hit.

4+ (base number) +1 (being shot at) = 5.

A squad (who is being shot at) shooting at another squad who is hiding in a forest will need 6s to hit.

4+ (base number) +1 (being shot at) +1 (cover) = 6.

A squad (who is being shot at) shooting at another squad who is hiding in a building will need 7s to hit.

4+ (base number) +1 (being shot at) +2 (building) = 7.
But a 6 is a hit, unless you are using the advanced rules.

A squad (who is being shot at) shooting at another squad who is in a ditch in a forest will need 8s to hit.

4+ (base number) +1 (being shot at) +2 (ditch) +1 (forest) = 8.
But a 6 is a hit, unless you are using the advanced rules.

If a hit is achieved, lay the miniature that is closest to the shooters down, then the next one and so on - that is, casualties get applied from the front (relative to the shooters) to the back. Two hits, two miniatures get laid down. Four hits, four miniatures...and so on…

Any miniatures that have been hit will still get to shoot, if they haven’t done so already.

After a squad has had its shot, turn over its unit and target counters so that everyone knows that it's had its turn.

Once all the shooting has been done, remove any casualties and resolve any hand to hand combat.

Hand to Hand Combat

If two opposing miniatures are touching, they fight in hand to hand combat. Each player rolls a die. Highest number wins. The loser is removed.

If two enemy squads meet, each player rolls the number of dice equal to the number of soldiers that they have. For example, if one side has four soldiers and the other has six, then one player rolls four dice, the other rolls six.

Once the dice have been rolled, order them highest to lowest then pair them up with your opponent’s [ordered] dice and compare the resulting pairs. Highest wins, lowest removes a miniature.

For instance, a five man squad gets into hand to hand combat with an enemy five man squad...

Match the red six with the white six (6 - 6)
Match the red five with the white five (5 - 5)
Match the red three with the white five (3 - 4)
Match the red two with the white three (2 - 3)
Match the red one with the white one (1 - 1)

These results mean that three miniatures remain in hand to hand combat (the 6 - 6, the 5 - 5, and the 1 - 1), with Red losing two miniatures (4-3 and 3-2).

Once all the fighting has finished, remove the ‘dead’ miniatures, return the target counters, and flip over the unit counters...and start again.

Scenarios

Here are a couple of simple battles that you can play if you get tired of simply fighting to the last man!

Capture the flag

Each side sets up their own flag somewhere on their side of the playing area.
To win, have at least one of your own miniature’s base touching the enemy flag for one full turn with no enemy within 30cm of their own flag.

Capture the cone

Place the cone approximately in the middle of the playing area, preferably so that it’s about the same distance from one side’s squads as it is from the other.
To pick up the cone, move one miniature so that it’s base touches the cone.
Normal movement rules apply - the cone stays with the miniature that picked it up
If the miniature that is carrying the cone is hit, the cone stays where was dropped until someone else picks it up in a following movement phase.
The first side that manages to capture the cone (by touching it with one of their miniatures), and carries it all the way back to their back edge of the playing area wins.

Optional Rules

These optional rules are for when you want to add some complexity to your game.

If you need a 7 to hit, you need to roll a 6 first, and then roll again, needing a 4 or more.
If you need an 8 to hit, you need to roll a 6 first, then roll again, needing a 5 or more.
Additional target counters

+1 to hit for every target counter that is placed in front of the shooter.

For instance if squad that is shooting has two target counters upon it, it will need to roll an additional +2 to hit it’s target.

Heavy Machine Guns

Heavy machine guns (the ones on the bipods) use 2D6 instead of just one if they didn’t move that turn.

For instance, if a squad that includes a heavy machine gun did not move, and is shooting at another squad, they would roll an additional 1D6. If that squad had two heavy machine gunners (who did not move), they would roll an additional 2D6.

Bazookas / Rocket Launchers

They -1 from the number needed to hit.

For instance, if a miniature (that was not being shot at) is shooting at another squad who is behind a wall using a bazooka or rocket launcher, it would need 5s (or more) to hit.

4+ (base number) +2 (building) -1 (bazooka / rocket launcher) = 5.
Please note that you would have to roll the bazooka / rocket launcher figure’s attack separately from the rest of the squad. The -1 modifier only applies to the figure using the bazooka / rocket launcher.

Mortars

To shoot a mortar, pick a spot where you want the round to land. Roll to hit as normal, ignoring terrain modifiers. That is, it hits on a 4 or more, +1 (or more, if you are using the additional target counter rule) if the mortar crew is being shot at.

Please note, mortar attacks have no range limitations, and they do not need to see their target. They can shoot over any terrain that might be between them and their target.
If the mortar round hits the target squad, hold a standard CD over the spot where the mortar round landed. Any miniature under the CD is hit on a 4+, with a -1 for any terrain modifiers.

For instance to hit miniatures that are behind a wall you would need to roll 5 or more.

4+ (base number) +2 (building) -1 (mortar) = 5.

To hit a squad out in the open would need a 3 or more.

4+ (base number) -1 (mortar) = 3.

Grenades

Just like mortars, except that they have a range of 30cm, and the figures throwing the grenades have to be able to see their targets.

For instance, if a squad (that was being shot at) throws grenades at another squad who is behind a wall it would need 5s to hit.

4+ (base number) +1 (being shot at) = 5.

Commanders (usually the miniatures that are looking through binoculars) can order one squad to move an additional 15 cm.

Happy gaming!