there are no stacking rules.
It’s strictly one hex for one
Blue vs Red
Simple Rules for Modern
Mechanized Combat
Blue vs Red (BvR) is a rule set for land modern warfare
that mainly involves MBTs, IFVs and motorized recon
elements. BvR aims to be a simple set of rules, with
minimal bookkeeping. The game is played over hex
map, and each side controls 3-5 companies.
The game is not meant to be realistic, nor accurate.
But I hope it can provide fun rules to push tiny tanks
around with.
1 In-game Terms
Platoon – This is the basic unit. A base in BvR
represents a platoon.
Company – 3-4 platoons in BvR are grouped into a
Company. Platoons in a single company activates at
the same time. One platoon in a company is the
command platoon. Bases of platoon within the same
company and command platoon should be sufficiently
marked.
Line of Sight (LoS) – This is unobstructed line that
extends from the center of one hex to another. LoS
can be traced along obstructing hex edge. If LoS is
traced along obstructing hex edges, and it has
obstructing hexes right to its left or right, then there’s
no LoS.
Field of Fire (FoF) – A platoon is within FoF of other
platoon if it’s within attacking range, and is in LoS.
Reduced – During an attack, a platoon may not be
destroyed, but sufficiently damaged. This platoon is
reduced and attack with 2 dice instead of the usual 3.
Suppressed – A suppressed unit is confused, it’s crew
under pressure. It only rolls 2 dice in battle. It must
also be ordered separately. It blocks its teammates’
LoS. It cannot make any interrupts
2 Required For Playing
2.1 Miniatures & Hex Board
A base represents a platoon. A hex in the hex board
should be able to contain a single platoon because
platoon. As for how large, the board should be
roughly 24 x 24 hexes. Free geomorphic hex maps for
BvR will be available for download.
2.2 Bookkeeping Requirements
I’ve tried to make bookkeeping as minimum, but there
are some things that you need to track.
The main thing you need to track is suppression. You
will need markers for this.
You also need to track on how many order a company
can issue. This is usually tracked by placing small dice
near the company command platoon.
In BvR, platoons can be reduced. This can be tracked
in several ways. You can use 2 bases to form a
platoon, and take one when a platoon is reduced. You
can also have 2 different bases, one for full strength
platoon and another for reduced platoon. Finally, you
can simply use reduced markers.
Finally, you may want to track which company has
been activated during a turn. You can memorize this
due to relatively small number of companies involved,
but it’s totally understandable if you want to track this
physically. This can be done by a marker, or having a
card representing each company and flip a card when
a company has finished its activation.
2.3 6-sided Dice
You need several 6-sided dice (d6). At least 3 are
required. More is better.
3 Game Sequence
During a round, the players with the highest number
of platoons activates first. If the numbers of platoons
are equal, each player rolls a die. Highest roller goes
first.
A game round is like this:
1. Player A activates an inactive company
2. Player B activates an inactive company
3. Player A activates an inactive company
4. Player B activates an inactive company
5. And so on
A round goes until all companies have been activated.
If a player does not have inactive company while his
opponent has, his activation is skipped.
4 Activating a Company
There are three phases when activating a company:
1. Command Phase
2. Maneuver Phase
3. Combat Phase
Note that a platoon may act out of its activation, and
it will be discussed in Interrupts (5).
4.1 Command Phase
In Command Phase, you determine how many Orders
do you have available for the activated company by
making a command roll.
To make a command roll, roll a number of dice equal
to the number of remaining, un-suppressed platoon
on the company. Suppressed platoons do not
contribute dice to combat roll.
Any dice with result of 4 or less can be used as Orders.
Any dice with result of 5 or more are discarded.
Perfect Command
A company with no LoS to any enemy platoons, is in
full strength and with no suppressed platoons is a
company with Perfect Command. Such a company
does not need to roll a command roll. It simply
receives Orders equal to the number of its platoons.
4.2 Maneuver Phase
In Maneuver Phase, you move your platoons using
Orders.
4.2.1 Moving Your Platoons
To move a platoon, you spend an order and choose a
platoon.
The chosen platoon gains a number of Movement
Points (MP). If the platoon has LoS to any enemy
platoon, it may cruise. A cruising platoon gains a
number of MP equal to its Cruise Speed. Otherwise, it
gains a number of MP equal to its Combat Speed.
A cruising platoon must make all its movement out of
any enemy platoons’ FoF. It also may not fire any
weapons during the combat phase, but may pop
smoke.
A platoon may move until its all of its MP are spent.
Moving to a clear adjacent hex cost 1 MP. Moving to a
hindering terrain costs 3 MP.
If a platoon is next to an enemy platoon, its next move
can not be into a hex that is also adjacent to any
enemy platoons.
You must always enter a hex without any other
platoons, friendly or hostile.
4.2.2 Command Platoon Movement
When you spend an Order to move a Command
Platoon, you may also move all platoons from the
same company that are within 2 hexes of the
Command Platoon to move along.
You must complete a platoon’s movement before
moving the others.
4.2.3 Suppressed Platoon Movement
Suppressed platoons may not be included with a
Command Platoon’s group movement. They must be
activated using an individual Order.
When they are activated, their Suppressed status is
removed.
4.2.4 Reserving Orders
Any Orders not used during movement phase can be
reserved. These Orders can be used to trigger special
abilities and interrupts. You should mark this with a
die on your command platoon.
A company with destroyed command platoon may not
reserve Orders.
Unused reserved Orders are removed by the end of
the round.
4.3 Combat Phase
All platoons within the activated company, even those
not ordered, may attack now.
To attack with a platoon, choose a target within FoF.
Note that if a platoon is attacking a Recon platoon, its
Combat Range is reduced to 2. Platoons within the
same company do not block each other’s LoS. The
exception is suppressed platoons, which block other
platoons’ LoS.
Roll 3 dice. If the attacking unit is reduced, roll 2 dice
instead. Suppressed platoons, whether they are
reduced or not, always roll 2 dice.
Consult Combat Strength table on the QRS for target
numbers. You have to roll equal to or lower than
target numbers to score Hits.
If you score 2 Hits, the target is reduced. If it’s already
reduced, then it’s destroyed.
If you score 3 Hits, the target is destroyed.
4.3.1 Bonus & Penalty
An attacking platoon may gain Bonus and Penalty. A
platoon may ever have 1 Bonus or 1 Penalty,
regardless of the number of sources.
If a platoon ever has Bonus and Penalty, it only has a
Penalty.
A Bonus increases the target number by 1, while a
Penalty decreases the target number by 1.
Note that a roll of 1 always score a Hit, except if the
target number is N/A.
4.3.2 Critical Hit
If you roll at least two 1s when attacking, you may roll
an additional die, adding the effect of this die to the
total. Only 1 additional die may ever be added to an
attack.
4.3.3 Morale Effects
If a platoon is attacked, suffers at least 1 Hit and is not
destroyed, it must take Morale Test.
Roll a number of dice equal to the Hits suffered. For
each result of 4, 5, 6 it suffers a Morale Failure.
If it suffers 1 Morale Failure, it’s suppressed.
If it suffers 2 Morale Failure, it flees, and then
suppressed.
A fleeing platoon moves away from its attacker, in a
straight way, as far as its Combat Speed allows. Each
movement made during fleeing must take the platoon
farther than the attacking platoon.
5 Interrupts
Interrupts allow a platoon to act out of its company’s
activation. Interrupt is done by individual platoons. To
make an interrupt you must have at least 1 reserved
Order on that platoon’s command platoon and spend
it.
5.1 Interrupt: Maneuver
This type of interrupt can be made right after an
enemy’s platoon Movement Phase, just before the
Combat Phase. The platoon making the interruption
must be able to see the platoon triggering the
interrupt.
The interrupting platoon may move up to its speed,
away from the triggering platoon. Each movement
made must take the platoon farther than the platoon
triggering the interruption.
5.2 Interrupt: Opportunity Fire
This type of interrupt can be made when a platoon
enters another platoon’s FoF during Maneuver Phase.
The interrupting platoon may attack the moving
platoon with Penalty. The attack is made after the
moving platoon finishes its movement, even if it’s no
longer within the interrupting platoon’s FoF.
5.3 Interrupt: Combat
This type of interrupt can be made when an attack is
declared against a platoon. The platoon triggering the
interruption must be within line of sight and attacking
range of the interrupting platoon.
Both platoons make their attack simultaneously.
6 Special Abilities
6.1 Smoke Launchers
Instead of attacking, a platoon may pop smoke. Place
a smoke marker on the platoon or to a hex adjacent
to the platoon. Smoke marker can be placed on non
empty hex. The smoke marker is removed at the end
of the round. If a platoon is attacked and the platoon
is in smoke or the attack goes through a smoke
marker, the attack suffers a Penalty.
Platoons attacking through smoke can only attack a
target right beyond the hex containing smoke. Targets
at more than 1 hex away than the smoke (not
counting the hex the smoke is in) can’t be attacked.
The following platoons may use Pop Smoke: MBT, IFV,
and Recon.
6.2 ATGM
Instead of attacking, a platoon may launch ATGM. An
Order is required for this ability to be used.
ATGM has range of 4 and rolls only 2 dice.
The following platoons may use ATGM: IFV & Recon.
It should be noted a road may go through forest and
settlement hexes. Road may also go through berm
edge. In such situation, platoons moving through the
road only spend 1 MP per hex, and still eligible for the
free MP.
7.3 Forest
Forest hexes block LoS to hexes beyond it. Forest
hexes cost 3 MP to move into. When an attack targets
a platoon in a Forest hex, the attack suffers Penalty.
7.4 Settlement
Settlement hexes are similar to forest. However, the
Recon unit has distinctive advantage when in
Settlement hexes. This will be explained on individual
unit rules.

6.3 Recon Special Rules 7.5 Berm

Recon platoons have special rules regarding A berm doesn’t block LoS. However, is an attack is
movement and combat. made to a platoon right next to a berm, and the attack
goes through the said berm, it gains Penalty.
When a recon platoon enters a forest or settlement it
uses only 2 MP instead of 3 Mp. A berm costs 2 MP to move through. If the movement
enters a forest or settlement, it only costs 3 MP, not 5
When a Recon platoon is in settlement and attacking MP.
an adjacent MBT or IFV platoon, the Recon platoon
gains, it scores Hits at roll of 3 or fewer, ignoring 7.6 Cliff
Bonus and Penalty.
Cliff edges cannot be moved through.
Units attacking Recon have their range reduced to 2.
Platoons firing from the high edge of a cliff may attack
7 Terrain across the adjacent cliff edge and gains Bonus.

There are 4 types of passable terrain: Clear, road, Platoons at the high edge of a cliff may be attacked
forest, and settlement. There are also 2 special edge from across the cliff, but the attack suffers Penalty.
types: berm and cliff.
Otherwise a cliff edge blocks LoS.
7.1 Clear
Helicopter
Artillery
Range

Recon
MBT

IFV

AA

Clear terrain is the basic terrain type. It doesn’t have

advantage or disadvantage.
MBT 4 3 4 3 4 4 1
7.2 Road IFV 3 2 3 1 3 3 2
Recon 2 1 2 3 3 3 3
Roads help with movement. For every 2 road-to-road
Artillery - 2 3 3 3 3 NA
movement made, a platoon gains a free MP to be AA 3 1 2 3 2 2 4
spent on movement to another road hex. This free MP Helicopter 3 4 3 3 3 2 3
must be spent immediately. If the platoon enters a ATGM 4 3 3 2 3 3 NA
hex with no road, the free MP is lost. Rocket 6 4 4 2 4 4 NA