Five Men in Normandy 30 Cal Edition

Five Men in Normandy .
30 Cal Edition
CONTENTS
Version 1.03
Page
Introduction 4 Finland 41
Combat rules 8 Japan 42
Action dice 8 Chinese forces 43
Movement 10 Specialist gear 44
Weapons fire 12 Character skills 45
Brawling 17 The face of the enemy 47
Weapons 18 Special characters 49
Unusual situations 22 Campaigns and Encounters 53
Incoming fire 26 People 55
Vehicles 27 Character details 56
Buildings 29 Missions 58
Solo gaming 30 Conditions of battle 67
Soldiers and Characters 32 In game events 68
British and Commonwealth 34 Post game 69
Nazi Germany 35 Campaign events 73
United States 36 Questions and clarifications 77
United States Marine Corps 37 Quick Reference 78
Soviet Union 38 Change Log 79
Free French/Polish 39 Designer Notes 80
Italy 40
 
Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition
FIVE MEN IN NORMANDY
A WORLD WAR 2 SKIRMISH CAMPAIGN

by Ivan Sorensen
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My company blog:
http://fivemennormandy.blogspot.com
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If you wish to contribute to ongoing development, you can do so through my Patreon

page at
https://www.patreon.com/nordicweasel
Additionally, there was no arguing with the

INTRODUCTION
fact that the original rules looked rather
rough around the edges.
Five Men in Normandy is an attempt to
create a different kind of skirmish war game As such I felt it was time to give them a
for WW2 battles. facelift and bring them more in line with
what NWG games look like today.
With these rules, we focus on the actions of
very small groups of soldiers, the typical This “30 cal” edition then is just that:
force being 6-7 men. As much as possible, I’ve kept things the
Some of their actions will be regular same for clarity and to avoid cluttering
military missions while others will be the things up.
types of misadventure soldiers tend to get Some obvious bugs and issues have been
themselves into. fixed up of course.
The aim is to provide a quick game that People who want more detail can always
feels like reading a war story or watching a import it from another game in the
good movie and play out the way we FiveCore family.
expect these things to do.
MODULAR GAME RULES

These rules are geared at experienced
gamers or groups with at least one player
that is already familiar with the general This game is constructed in a modular
nature of miniatures war games. fashion, permitting you to use some or all
components as you see fit.
There are three components available:
THE 30 CAL EDITION
The Combat rules you are currently

Five Men in Normandy was essentially reading. These give all the mechanics
where Nordic Weasel Games got on its needed to conduct miniatures battles.
feet, so the rules have always occupied a
special place for me. The Force rules which cover how to
determine the troops available for a game,
Over time, it led to a full-blown generic skills and special equipment.
system (FiveCore), a far more detailed big
brother (Five Men at Kursk) and much The Campaign rules which help you set up
more. a campaign to play through, assign
missions and generate random events.
Yet, there is still a particular charm in these
original rules. They have a speed and
simplicity that is hard to match.
4
 

Each component can be used on its own Short ranged weapons (pistols, sub
with a different rules system or used all machine guns etc.) have a range of 12”.
together as a coherent set of tools. For In the weapons section of the rules, these
example, you could use our Campaign are clearly marked as such. Rifles and
system with a different set of game rules. similar can fire at any target in line of sight.
Since these rules focus on a small band of Typical playing area can vary in size but
soldiers, they can also be used in between anything from 2-4 feet on each side should
larger battles as well. be fine.
Resolve a battle in your campaign with
whatever platoon or company level rules
NEEDED TO PLAY
you use, then resolve one or two games of
Five Men in Normandy with selected
figures in your unit for a full campaign For regular game play, only six sided dice
experience. (D6) are needed.
For campaigns and force generation, you
will also need ten sided (percentile) dice.
FUNDAMENTALS
You'll need a measuring tape or ruler with
This is a skirmish game. It is meant to inches indicated.
represent the close encounters of your For metric, multiply distances in inches by
figures and capture the action as if it were a 2.5 to get a good enough approximation of
scene in a movie. distances.
This means the area of game-play will be
somewhat smaller than you might expect Lastly you will need a method of
for a massed battle. Move and weapon determining random directions.
ranges are simplified as well. You can use specially made “scatter” dice,
roll a ten sided dice and see which way it
Every figure represents exactly one soldier. points or roll a twelve sided die and read
A normal move is 6”. the number as a clock face.
There is no “zone of control” or “command
distance” for leadership or morale as
figures are all relatively close to each other
during the game.
Figures do not need to maintain any

particular coherency distance to each other
though sticking together has its benefits
(and risks).
Group: The figures available to a single

MINIATURES
player in a battle is a Group.
This term is used rather than squad, team
You can use any figures you want, as long or a similar military term to indicate that
as they are individually based. the group may consist of men from
While figures from 15mm and upwards are different squads as well as assorted
more suitable, some people skirmish in hangers on.
6mm so use whatever works. The term is also used to refer to the
soldiers available to a player in a campaign.
Personally, I don't adjust distances for
smaller scales as in most cases, keeping Kill dice: Dice rolled to determine if a
them same will make them feel more figure is knocked down or taken out of
natural. action.
In campaign games, it is of benefit to be Shock dice: Dice rolled to determine if a

able to tell your figures apart, either by figure flinches or bails due to pressure and
selecting poses carefully or by marking the shock.
base in some manner.
The game uses standard dice notations of
A small mark on the edge of the base can xDy where x is the number of dice rolled
serve as an easy identifier without and y is the type of dice.
distracting from the visuals of the game. For example 2D6 indicates that two dice
are rolled and both are six sided dice.
TERMINOLOGY
DISCLAIMER
Figure: One model representing one real
life counterpart. In case it needs saying, this game does not
Figures may be soldiers on either side but seek to glorify or otherwise trivialize the
may also be civilians, mission objectives grim reality of armed conflict.
and similar important personnel.
Neither does it endorse or promote any
Turn: When the rules refer to a turn, they particular political view point or system of
always refer to one players turn. beliefs.
Any count downs or turn limits are counted
only in the turns of the player that initiated Nordic Weasel Games believes that games
them. are for everyone.
For example, if a demolition charge takes 3
turns to explode, only the turns of the
player that set the charges are counted.
HEROES
A lot of people were involved in providing

feedback for the original version of the
rules. This updated version is dedicated
entirely to “Just” Jack.
He’s probably run more games of FiveCore

than the rest of mankind combined and
provided invaluable insights.
Thanks mate.
7
 

COMBAT RULES
TURN SEQUENCE Action Roll
Unless the scenario presents a clear At the beginning of your turn, roll a D6.
attacker, determine randomly which side On a score other than 1 or 6, take your
moves first. Players then take turns. turn as normal, described below.
Continue alternating turns for the
remainder of the game. 1's and 6's are special results that result in
a non-standard turn being played.
1 - Scurry! 6 - Fire Fight!

If a 1 is rolled, your force sees an opportunity to If a 6 is rolled, your men are getting bogged
relocate and redeploy, and suddenly everyone is down in a fire fight.
scurrying towards new positions. Each of your figures may fire at any available
target to them if able to do so, but may not
Each of your figures may be moved up to a full move.
move in any direction though they may not
enter hand to hand combat. Once all firing has finished, the turn ends.
Figures currently in hand to hand may move
away (escaping) but prisoners and figures In the event no figure has line of sight to an
unable to move (down, ducking back etc.) must enemy figures, treat this as a Scurry! instead.
remain in place.
Scurrying figures are not subject to any snap

fire or guard fire reactions so this is a great time
to take risky moves.
Once all moves are completed, the turn ends.
Standard Turn Weird dice - Option

In a normal turn, you may activate up to As a house rule, if you roll a special turn,
half your available figures, rounded up. the next turn you take will always be a
You may select the same or different standard turn.
figures each turn.
This rule will limit chaos a little bit.
You are not required to nominate the If you prefer chaos, don’t use it!
figures at the same time.
It is perfectly acceptable to carry out the
Army Tactics
actions of one figure first before deciding
the second activation. Each Force list has a Tactic listed.
Once per game you may use this instead
When activated, a figure may move a of whatever you just rolled on the Action
standard move and fire their weapon at a die.
visible target.
Figures may fire before or after, but not
during, their move.
Instead of moving, a figure may declare

that they are peeking over an obstacle or
terrain feature to fire.
What's happening here?

In most turns, you only get to move 3 guys out of 5 or 6. This essentially mimics a film or TV show.
The camera zooms in on a particular piece of the action and time gets suspended a bit.
If you keep activating the guys that are slugging it out with the enemy, that's where the camera
focus is.
If you decide to leave them in place and move up a couple of other guys to flank the enemy, it
obviously means they've been pinned down and we're now focusing on the relief force instead.
Figures that are not activated are not simply standing around: They are busy taking cover, scanning
for threats or firing in the general direction of the enemy without much effect. This helps us
simulate that combat in the war often happened at fairly leisurely paces compared to our tabletop
games.
9
 

the open due to a bad roll.

MOVEMENT AND TERRAIN
Figures must be in the open to dash but
may end the move in cover.
A normal move is up to 6 inches and can
be conducted in any direction. You may cross an easy obstacle with a
We assume that our guys are being as dash but cannot enter or be in rough
stealthy and careful as possible as they ground at the beginning of the dash
move around. movement.
Having exited rough ground during the
At the end of the move, the figure is regular movement does not affect the
assumed to be doing its best to not get ability to dash.
killed.
This means taking cover, hitting the dirt, Figures may not dash if carrying casualties.
crouching and so forth.
As a result, we don't worry about specific
Rough Ground
posture and positioning very much.
If an area is designated as rough ground,
Figures carrying a casualty or other heavy any figure may enter, move inside and exit
object move only 4” without difficulty but a figure cannot both
enter and exit an area of rough ground in a
Figures can move through friendly figures single move.
as they move but cannot end up
“overlapping” another friendly figure. If the figure has enough movement to
reach the other side of the terrain feature,
Unless entering a Brawl (see below) figures they must halt at the edge before leaving
should not be positioned within 1” of an the feature.
enemy figure.
A figure beginning its movement inside the
terrain feature may move out without any
Dashing
limitation.
A figure may dash at the end of their
move, rather than firing a weapon. To make the game more interesting, place
rough ground as numerous smaller
Indicate a destination they are trying to patches rather than a few big areas.
reach and move the figure 1D6” towards
that destination.
Dashing figures must move in a reasonably
straight line.
Once committed, the figure must finish the

move, even if it leaves them stranded in
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Obstacles Brawling
All obstacles are classified as easy or Any figure that moves into contact with an
difficult. enemy figure is considered to be Brawling.
Obstacles that are waist high or lower
should be easy. Resolve the encounter immediately using
the Brawling rules.
While setting up the game, it is worth Once a Brawl has been resolved, the
taking a moment to discuss the different figures turn ends.
terrain features used.
Note that the players or scenario designer
may designate any feature as easy, if it
could be climbed with relative ease.
Crossing an easy obstacle will end the

current move.
The figure stops in contact with the
obstacle and on a later move, may move
across it normally.
Dif cult obstacles require a full move to

cross.
The figure moves into contact on one
move.
It then takes a second move to cross and
on the third action is finally able to move
off.
Figures that are behind obstacles and

hidden may move along the obstacle
without revealing themselves.
Figures that are behind an obstacle and
are not peeking over it are blocked from
line of sight of any figures on the other side
of the obstacle.
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Obscured
WEAPONS FIRE
The figure is within or behind (and within
1” of) a terrain feature that limits visibility
When firing, a figure may select any target but does not provide protection against
it is capable of seeing. fire, such as a hedgerow or forested area.
Figures may turn to face in any direction Covered
before firing when firing as part of their The figure is within or behind (and within
activation or during a Fire Fight turn. 1” of) a terrain feature that both limits
visibility and provides physical protection
You are not required to fire on the nearest from fire, such as a building or wall.
target and you may measure before Distant
selecting a target. The figure is more than 1” behind a terrain
feature that both limits visibility and
Visibility provides physical protection from fire, such
as a building or wall.
Figures in obscuring terrain features such
as bushes or buildings can see out, and be
seen, if they are at the edge of the feature. HOW TO FIRE
When a weapon is fired at a target, a
Figures deeper within a terrain feature can number of outcomes related to their
be seen by other figures in the same physical and psychological status are
feature, but not to and from the outside. possible.
This essentially means that to flush To resolve this, when firing at a target, the
someone out of a room or patch of dense attacker rolls two types of dice: Kill Dice
woods, you are going to have to send guys which determines physical damage and
in there to do it. Shock Dice which determines morale
impact.
Lines of sight may not be drawn through The weapon section of the rules will tell
another figure, whether friend or foe but you the number of dice to roll.
figures on high ground can generally fire
over the heads of those on lower ground. To speed up game play each player should
use two colors of dice and make it clear
Target status which is which. This way, both dice can be
rolled at the same time, to keep the game
The target figure may be in one of four moving at a good pace.
positions:
Both dice are only read for 1's and 6's.
Open Any other result indicates no outcome.
The figure is in the open and the line of
sight is not obstructed.
Targets in the open
12
on the far side (more than 1” away) are

If a target is in the open and the firer is
considered to be Distant.
within 12” you may re-roll one die that did
not produce a result.
This causes ALL Kill dice (no matter how
they were obtained) to be dropped. The
firer only rolls Shock dice.
Dice overlap
If an attack scores multiple results (1’s and
Bunkers
6’s) apply the highest result to the intended
target. Purpose built fortifications such as bunkers
must be stormed or avoided.
Kill dice are higher than Shock dice and 6’s Small arms fire is not going to make an
are higher than 1’s. impact.
Take the next highest result and apply it to When firing at a target behind a firing slit
the closest figure within 4”. or similar, all Kill dice are ignored.
Take the third highest result (hot dice!) and To assault a bunker, see the rules for
apply it to the next closest figure and so Buildings.
forth.
Note that friendly figures absolutely can

have dice applied to them. Mind your fire!
Covered targets
Figures behind substantial, hard cover must
declare when active if they are peeking
over the cover or not.
If they aren't peeking over, they cannot be

fired upon from the other side of the cover.
Peeking permits them to fire but also
opens them up to enemy fire.
After each attack directed at a figure, you

may declare they are going heads down
and are no longer peeking.
Firing at Distant targets

If the line of fire crosses terrain that would
provide cover, such as a wall, any targets
13
The Kill die The Shock die
1: Knock Down 1: Flinch

The target figure is knocked down. Bullets striking all around you can trip up
Some players may use a small marker to even the most hardened soldier.
indicate this, while others may (gently!) If the target is in the open, they will hit the
place the figure lying down. dirt. Move the figure 1D6” towards the
Figures that are down may not act normally. nearest cover.
If the figure is activated on its own or another
friendly figure moves into contact with them, The figure is assumed to hunker down and
they may roll to recover. may not move or fire on their next turn.
To check for recovery, simply roll the Kill Figures in cover will keep their heads down
die again. (breaking line of sight) but do not move or
Another 1 indicates the figure remains Down hunker down.
until checked again.
A 6 indicates they have become out of
action. Any other roll indicates they've 6: Bail
regained their bearings and may act normally The soldier has a rapid change of heart or the
in following turns. situation seems hopeless.
A figure that bails is immediately moved 6”
Moving into contact with an enemy that is away from the threat, and towards some form
knocked down results in that enemy being of safety. If they are within a terrain feature,
taken prisoner or incapacitated as a casualty. they will move to within the feature. At the
end of the move they will hunker down.
6: Out of action If they cannot reach cover within 6” they will

While it isn't clear if the figure is injured, Bail a second, final time.
dead or simply knocked out cold, it is clear to
everyone that they will take no further part in When next activated or contacted by a
the fighting. friendly soldier, roll a Shock die again.
They recover unless a 1 or 6 is rolled, in
Some groups may prefer leaving “out of which case, apply the result as normal.
action” figures on the board, marked in some
suitable fashion, or replace them with a If a bailing figure contacts the table edge
suitable casualty figure. they flee the battle and are removed.
Others just remove them from the board.
14

To reflect the difference between measured

HOW TO AVOID BEING SHOT
cover fire and panicked hip-shooting, we
use two different types of reaction fire in
Before you can defeat the enemy, you our game:
need to understand how to keep your Snap Fire and Guard Fire.
soldiers alive.
This can be accomplished in a number of Regardless of the type used, figures may
ways: only fire at targets to their front:
Anything in the front 90 degrees of the
Figures directly behind obstacles that figure is considering “front”.
provide cover can hide behind them. If facing is not clear from your miniatures, it
Even if you fire in your activation, once the may be recommended to mark the base in
figure has survived an incoming attack, you some manner.
have the option of diving back behind
cover. Figures moving due to shock dice or a
This is vital to understand as this is how Scurry activation roll are NOT subject to
cover works in the game. reactions.
Figures inside terrain features can move

Snap Fire
back into the feature proper, rather than
lingering at the edge. If a figure moves to within 6” of an enemy
and began their move either outside the 6”
Of course the best option is to force the distance or out of sight, they are subject to
enemy to keep their heads down through Snap Fire.
fire-power.
Automatic weapons in particular can give This occurs at the earliest point the above
you multiple Shock dice, greatly increasing conditions are satisfied, and is resolved by
the odds of sending the enemy scurrying. the enemy figure rolling only Kill dice
against the moving figure.
No Shock dice are rolled.
REACTION FIRE
If the figure is not hit, they may continue

While we play our game in neatly ordered their activation normally.
turns, in reality, bullets are flying Only one snap re shot is permitted in
everywhere and nowhere is safe. each turn for any given figure but figures
may snap re even if they fired in their own
Moving figures are subject to reaction re turn.
as they move.
During situations where multiple figures are
near the enemy, it may be helpful to mark
which figures have snap red in some
fashion.
15
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Resolve this by rolling only Shock dice for

Guard Fire
the firer, disregard any Kill dice normally
Figures that did not fire their weapons in rolled.
their players last turn (whether they were Note that machine guns cannot “trade” for
activated or not) are assumed to be extra Shock dice when guard ring.
guarding and generally on the look out.
Guard re is essentially ”spray and pray”
If an enemy figure that began its at a fleeting target. Hence we assume the
movement out of sight enters their line of chances of inflicting any losses are minimal.
sight, they may perform Guard Fire at the
earliest point possible. Unless indicated by a scenario or skill (if
Figures that begin their move in sight but playing a campaign), no guard re may
leaves cover can be fired upon when they take place in the first turn for each player.
emerge into the open. Waive this rule for ambush type of
scenarios where one side is prepared and
Note that peeking from cover is considered waiting.
entering line of sight.
Hence, figures can be positioned to A figure could guard re any number of
provide suppressing fire of suspected times in one turn.
positions.
If both apply
A single move is only ever subject to one
reaction.
The reacting player may pick any eligible

figure to react.
16
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BRAWLING Follow up
The winner of the fight can move 2” in any
Any figures that move into contact with an direction.
enemy figure is Brawling. If they move into contact with a new
Brawls are quick affairs that go either way enemy, they will fight again immediately
and are usually over as quickly as they but will not receive the +1 bonus for
began. initiating combat.
Figures cannot both enter a Brawl and fire Instead of moving, if the figure carries a
a weapon in the same turn. pistol, they can fire at a target within 6”.
Figures that have been attacked in
Brawling combat during the enemy turn
Defending an obstacle
cannot conduct reaction fire for the rest of
that turn. Figures defending against a brawl across
an obstacle will defeat the attacker on any
We assume that the person initiating the draw.
brawl has an edge due to surprise and
having a moment to ready their weapon. Melee weapon
Each brawler rolls 1D6. While unusual, a figure wielding a

The figure that initiated the brawl adds +1 dedicated melee weapon such as an axe,
unless the contact was accidental. sword or similar will win any combat that
ends in a draw.
Contacts are accidental any time a figure
moves randomly or involuntarily and makes Ending in a draw
contact with an enemy.
If the modified scores are the same and
If you play a scenario using hidden
neither side has the ability to win on a
placement of figures, accidental contacts
draw, the attacker will back off 2” and
may also be possible.
cannot take any further actions.
The lower score is defeated and knocked
If the defender carries a pistol, they may
out of action as a casualty.
immediately fire it at the retreating
attacker.
In the event both figures would win on a

draw, both combatants are knocked out!
17
WEAPONS Grenades
Grenade use is tracked individually.
This chapter covers the various weapons In most scenarios, simply tally up the total
you might find in your games. number of grenades available to your
The range of each weapon is listed under squad and mark one off whenever a
its entry, most can fire at any target in sight. grenade is thrown.
The attack dice rolled are listed as “xKyS” For a pick-up game, assume 2 grenades
where K is the Kill dice and S is Shock per soldier.
dice.
Ambitious players may prefer to track
Due to the short nature of the encounters grenades by individual model, though that
we are playing out, ammunition limits are can bog down the game a little.
not considered unless specifically noted or
agreed upon for a scenario.
Crew served weapons
Exceptions are discussed below:
All machine guns require an inactive
friendly figure in contact with the gunner.
Limited Ammo
Otherwise, reduce the Shock dice pool by
If a weapon is suggested as having Limited 1.
Ammo, whenever it is fired an additional
Ammo Die is rolled.
If this die scores a 1 or a 6, the firer has

enough remaining ammo for a single
attack.
Flame throwers are always subject to

limited ammo.
18
Bolt Action Ri es Light machine gun

LINE OF SIGHT 1K1S Aimed LOS 1K2S
Spray LOS 4S
The basic rifle used by most soldiers is a Moving LOS 2S
sturdy bolt action rifle and this acts like a
baseline for our game mechanics. When firing, select one of the firing modes
listed above.
Trench Guns
To use Aimed or Spray modes, the figure
12” 1K1S cannot move at all.
4” 2K
Belt fed weapons cannot fire on the move
Trench guns are pump action shotguns that but may roll the burst.
can be fired very rapidly at close range. After firing, select another target within 4”,
drop one of the firing dice (of your choice)
Pistols and fire again.
You may continue picking new targets as
12” 1K1S long as you keep dropping a die each time
and no target is selected more than once.
Figures carrying pistols receive additional Each target must be within 4” of the
options in some Brawling situations. previous target.
Semi Automatic Ri es When conducting reaction fire, field of fire

is limited to 45 degrees.
LINE OF SIGHT 1K1S
Guard re 2S
Additional dice are rolled when Guard

firing.
Sub machine guns

Aimed 12” 1K1S
Spray 12” 3S
Long range Line of Sight 1S
When firing sub machine guns and

machine pistols, select one of the three
firing modes listed above.
19
 

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fl

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Assault ri es Flame-throwers
Aimed LOS 1K1S 12” 2K
Spray 12” 3S LIMITED AMMO
When firing, select one of the firing modes Fires a stream of flame 12” long and 1”
listed above. wide.
Everything in the path has 2 Kill dice rolled.
Any figure not hit will immediately flee
Medium machine gun
1D6” away from the attacker and towards
cover.
Water-cooled.
Use the rules for light machine guns but After firing the weapon, roll 4 Shock dice,
the weapon cannot be moved during the applying them to the nearest enemies
game. within 12” of the firer.
When rolling the burst, if the new target is
further away than the original, do not drop Finally, any enemy in sight of the flame
a die. thrower and still capable of firing may
immediately fire upon the gunner even
Heavy machine gun though it is not their turn.
All such fire is treated as moving for
High caliber machine guns. weapons where this matters.
Fires as a medium machine gun but adds 1
Kill die in all cases. Contrary to popular belief, flame-throwers
do not generally explode when struck.
Sniper ri e
Sniping LOS 2K, pick 1 Grenades
Moving LOS 1S 6” 4K
The Sniping mode allows 2 Kill dice to be
rolled but only one may be applied. Grenades must track ammo use.
If the shot misses, the target must Flinch Pick a target point within 6” and then move
automatically as if a 1 had been scored on it 1D6-2” in a random direction.
a Shock die. A result less than 0 is treated as a 0.
On a 6, do not subtract 2, the grenade will
Sniping mode can only be used while bounce the full 6”.
stationary.
Roll 4 Kill dice and apply them within 2”.
Any survivors will Flinch automatically.
20

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Ri e grenades Malfunctions
LINE OF SIGHT 4K
A figure scoring two or more 6's against a
For simplicity, rifle grenade use is counted single target when rolling Shock dice has
against available grenade ammo. suffered a Malfunction.
Must be stationary to fire. Whether a weapon jam, overheated barrel

Use the rules for thrown grenades but the or fumbling for additional ammunition, the
grenade will deviate 1D6+1”. figure cannot fire again until the end of
your following turn.
Note that figures do not have to be

activated to clear the malfunction but if
they are, they may not fire during their
activation.
21
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Brutal interrogation:
UNUSUAL SITUATIONS
On a failed roll, you may opt to rough up
the suspect.
This section covers situations and actions Immediately roll again for both figures,
that may not come up regularly but may however if this also fails, the subject will
feature in scenarios and missions. refuse to tell you anything for the rest of
the scenario.
If anything here looks too complicated,
don’t worry about it for your first few
Searching
games.
If a mission involves searching an area, the
players should determine how many
Persuasion and information gathering
possible locations there are to search.
While most interaction in a war game is an
exchange of bullets rather than opinions, a Searching requires an active figure and is
scenario may involve having to get done in place of firing.
information out of someone or talking a You cannot search on a Fire ght turn (the
character into something. soldiers are too busy fighting or keeping
their heads down).
Persuasion attempts only occur when the
figure is activated and occur instead of If the number of possible locations is small
firing a weapon. (3-5), the search succeeds on a D6 roll of 1
Typically, you must be within 4” to or 6.
persuade. If the number of locations is larger, roll
You cannot persuade during a Scurry or 2D6 and the search succeeds if both roll a
Fire ght turn. 1 or 6.
It is essentially handled similar to a Brawl. If the item has not been found by the time
Roll 1D6 for each figure. only one possible location is left, the
If the active figure draws or rolls higher, object is in the last location.
they obtain the information or get the
agreement they needed.
Tasks
In a preplanned scenario, persuasion tests Any number of situations may come up
may be used for all manner of interactions. that are not covered by the rules, such as
knocking down a door, starting a
A character could have multiple pieces of damaged vehicle or relaying enemy plans
information with each successful attempt by radio.
providing one piece.
In most cases they can be handled by a
simple D6 Task roll.
22
fi

fi

This can also be seen as the general “Do If all enemies within 6” are temporarily
things not described by the rules” option. incapacitated (by being subject to a Shock
On a score other than 1 or 6 the action or Kill die effect, the figure may make a
succeeds and the figure achieves what break for it.
they were trying to do. Move 1D6” in any direction immediately
and the figure is now treated as a normal
combatant again though they are
1 - Delay
The figure does not achieve the action unarmed.
but may try again in the following turn.
6 - Despair Stealth
The figure is unable to accomplish the action.
Another figure may attempt. A mission may involve sneaking past
guards or into better positions.
Until the attackers have been spotted, all
Particularly complex actions may be split turns are Stealth turns.
into multiple actions to achieve.
Getting a broken half track running may During a Stealth turn, Action dice are not
involve 1 task to fix the running gear and rolled.
1 task to start the engine. Instead, the actions taken depend on
whether the player is attacking or
If your scenario involves a character with a defending.
particular talent, they may roll twice and
pick either result. Attackers:
Each turn, before moving any figures, the
attacking player decides whether to reveal
Prisoners themselves or remain hidden.
In a simple game, captured figures are
simply removed from the table. Defenders:
When setting up their forces, each
Groups desiring more details can use the defending figure must be designated as
following guidelines: stationary or patrolling.
When captured, a figure is disarmed and Stationary figures do not move during
is now moved by the opposing player. Stealth segments.
To move a prisoner, the figure must be
within 1”. Each patrolling figure will move during the
defenders turns.
A prisoner moved within 2” of the table Roll 1D6 and deduct 2 from the total,
edge is assumed to have been sent to the treating negative scores as 0. Move the
rear and is lost to the campaign unless figure that number of inches in a randomly
enterprising players want to arrange a determined direction.
special scenario.
23
Detection:
Retrieving weapons
Any attacker within 6” and line of sight of
a defender is automatically detected. For simplicity, only machine guns can be
The only exception is that an attacker that taken over by another figure during a
was not detected at the beginning of their battle.
move may move into a Brawl with a
defender. If a friendly figure is within 1” of the gun
when the gunner goes out of action, the
If they win, they knock out or kill the gun may be attempted recovered
defender without making noise. immediately, otherwise a figure has to
On a draw or defeat, the attackers are move to the spot in question.
detected.
Note that enemy machine guns can be
Attackers within 4” but not in sight or in recovered for use during the battle in
sight but over 6” away are subject to question.
detection rolls.
Recovering a machine gun requires a task
The defender rolls a Detection die. On a roll.
2-5, nothing is discovered. A 1 indicates that the figure must try again
on a future activation while a 6 indicates
the gun is beyond recovery.
1: Alert
Guard moves 2” towards attacking figure then rolls again.
Recovered weapons that malfunction
6: Discovered cannot be fixed during the battle.
Alarm is raised and attacking force is detected.
Roleplaying oriented players may allow

When the alarm is raised, every defending weapons to be picked up from fallen
figure may take a 3” move and may fire figures.
using only Shock dice at any visible target.
After that, the attacking player take a Unexpected encounters
normal turn and the Stealth segment is
During a battle, an unexpected encounter
over.
may occur.
It can be argued that the defenders
To place the encounter, the inactive player
becoming aware of the locations of the
places a marker anywhere they please.
attackers when the alarm goes up is not
entirely realistic but it does make the
Determine a random direction and move
game a lot easier to play.
the marker 1D6 inches in that direction.
On a 6, move the marker 6” and roll the
For special missions and scenarios, a
D6 again for additional distance.
games master may devise more detailed
Continue rolling again for each 6.
systems to govern this.
24
If mines are hidden, usually from the

If the encounter involves multiple figures, attacker, ensure that scenario maps are
place the first figure on the marker and very clear and specific.
each additional figure 1D6” away from the It helps if the mine fields are “anchored”
marker in a random direction. to another terrain feature.
The above mechanic can also be used any Within the time frame of the game,
time an item or object needs to be placed clearing a mine field is not possible, but a
randomly on the battle field. figure may trace a safe path.
This requires moving at half speed and
succeeding in a Task roll each turn.
Demolitions
If the figure manages to find a safe path
If a mission involves destroying anything, across the mine field, other figures
two figures are designated as carrying the crossing and following the same path may
explosives. move safely at half speed, without
If either figure becomes a casualty, requiring Task rolls.
another figure may pick up the explosives
by moving into contact. 1 - Found one!
The figure spots a mine and ceases all actions this turn.
6 - Kaboom!
Setting up explosives at the target The figure triggers a mine and is rendered out of action.
Roll 1 Kill and 1 Shock die for each figure within 2”.
requires a Task roll.
Once set, the figures have 3 turns to clear
the blast area. Any figure moving in a minefield rolls 1D6.
On the third turn, make a Task roll to see if Scores of 2-5 are ignored.
the explosives go off as scheduled. Roll at the beginning of the move or as
soon as the field is entered.
When they go off, the target is destroyed
and any figure within 6” becomes a Leaving the battle area
casualty.
At the beginning of your turn, before
rolling your Action Die, any figure within
Needless to say, setting off explosives will
2” of a table edge may be declared to
alert any sentries in a Stealth mission.
leave the battle area.
Mined areas Remove the figure from the table.

If a scenario involves minefields, they
should be clearly indicated on a map. Retreating from an active battle may have
consequences depending on the scenario.
Depending on the scenario, either or both On the other hand, a soldier that dies
sides may be aware of the locations. fighting a hopeless battle is not a soldier
that goes on to fight another day.
25
High explosive shells have a 3” area of

Incoming re
effect from the target point and roll 5 Kill
Large scale artillery is far outside the dice, applied to figures within the blast.
scope of the game we're dealing with, but Any figure not hit must Flinch.
a larger group may receive supporting fire
from a platoon mortar if the scenario If a scenario suggests the use of heavier
permits it. mortars, roll 6 Kill dice within 4”.
Calling in the fire requires someone to Smoke shells will cover a 3” area and
signal the mortar crew, set up off the prevent firing into, out of or through the
table. area.
During a standard turn, any active figure They clear the second time a player rolls a
that is not firing a weapon may signal Scurry or Fire Fight on their Action die.
provided they are on a raised terrain
feature (such as a tower or hill) or The target point may be changed or fire
within 6” of the table edge the group stopped under the same conditions as
started at. calling it in.
The player designates a target point and

whether the fire should be high explosive
or smoke shells.
Starting on the following turn, a shell is

fired every turn, regardless of the type of
turn taken.
Mortars are fired after random events have
been determined but before any figures
take any actions.
Roll 1D6 on the Incoming table below
1 - What are they doing?

No fire this turn as the mortar team is hauling
ammo.
The second time this occurs:
the mortar is no longer available for this mission.
2-5 - Incoming!
The shell lands 1D6” from the target point in a
random direction.
6 - On target!
The shell lands on the target point.
26
fi

VEHICLES Firing at and from vehicles

Regular vehicles can be fired upon. Roll all
At this scale of gaming, vehicles aren't available dice, counting every 6 as a hit
likely to feature often. regardless of whether it was a Shock or
A team of 4-5 soldiers would have a hard Kill die.
time taking on an armored fighting vehicle
and such an encounter would inevitably A vehicle with one hit will require a Task
revolve around whether or not the guy roll to be started.
with the bazooka is killed before he can A vehicle with two hits or more is
blow up the vehicle. wrecked.
For this reason, the only role vehicles will If a grenade is hurled inside a vehicle and
play in Five Men in Normandy is limited to any result is rolled on the Kill die, the
get away vehicles and arrivals. vehicle is wrecked.
If a scenario involves arrival by vehicle, set Figures inside a vehicle are assumed to be
up the vehicle near the table edge and in cover and could hide if the vehicle is
deploy within 4” of it, having disembarked armored.
as the scenario starts.
Figures may not drive the vehicle during

the encounter though a figure stationed in
the vehicle may operate a machine gun
from it.
Alternatively a vehicle may be placed
anywhere on the board as part of a
scenario.
Vehicles may be either Regular (Jeeps,

Kubelwagen and similar) or Armored
(Such as British Universal Carriers).
27
If another Escape turn is played, all

Escaping in a vehicle
eligibility to fire is reset for all figures.
A vehicle may be used to leave the battle All enemies can now react.
area.
To enter a vehicle, simply move within 1”. If the vehicle does strike an obstacle, roll a
Kill die.
When the vehicle is started, a special On a Knock down result, the vehicle is
Escape turn plays out: stuck and requires a Task roll to get free.
On a Out of action result, it takes a point
The moving player moves the vehicle on a of hit.
path towards a table edge.
As the vehicle moves, each occupant that Either result will force the occupants to
is not the driver may perform suppressing disembark and the opposing player takes
fire once against a single target. a regular game turn immediately.
Figures with rifles roll a single Shock die
while figures with automatic weapons roll
two Shock dice.
Apply results as normal.
Any figure that can trace line of sight to

the vehicle during its escape route may
shoot at it, if they'd be able to react.
Such fire is performed after the crew
performs their suppressing fire.
Roll 1D6 per Shock die the firer would

normally receive.
Any 6 will cause the vehicle to swerve,
moving 1D6” in a random direction.
A skilled driver may roll two sets of

direction and distance and pick either
score.
If the vehicle does not strike an obstacle,

the moving player may elect to begin
another Escape turn or disembark every
figure within 2” of the vehicle and let the
opposing player take a turn.
28
 

If your buildings do have interior plans,

BUILDINGS
you may prefer to trace lines of sight into
and out of buildings normally.
Battles taking place inside buildings,
bunkers and other structures can add a lot If so, any model firing through a window
of challenge and excitement to a battle or door (in or out) is treated as firing over
but can also add a lot of complexity. an obstacle (Shock dice only) if neither
figure is positioned immediately by the
Since buildings can take a wide variety of window or door.
shapes and forms, rather than solid rules,
we will provide a number of guidelines for
Grenades in buildings
how to handle structures in your games.
Grenades are one of the most effective
weapons for clearing buildings.
Doors
Figures may move through doors without Resolve grenade attacks as normal.
any penalty or reduction in movement If the grenade scatters, the bounce will
unless the door has been locked or stop when it hits a wall.
barred. A scatter that goes through a window or
door is assumed to have been thrown out
Knocking down a locked, stuck or by one of the figures in the room or simply
barricaded door requires a Task roll. the result of a severely fumbled throw.
A figure with a trench gun may blow it
open from a distance of 4” or less. Needless to say, grenade explosions are
stopped by walls.
Windows
If a grenade goes off in a room that is
Crawling through a window counts as a smaller than the blast radius, roll an
light obstacle. additional Kill die.
Firing into and from buildings

A figure positioned next to a doorway or
window may use it as cover, firing from the
position or hiding, as with any other
position of cover.
If your buildings do not have detailed

interior plans to place figures on, simply
treat buildings as terrain features for
purposes of firing in and out.
29
Attackers will try to advance in cover and

SOLO GAMING
take enemies near their objective under
fire when possible.
Solo gamers who want a little bit more If an area of open ground must be
direction can use this section to help crossed, they'll try to cross it in groups
shape their decision making processes. rather than all at once.
If one side is not going to be controlled by To inject a bit of variety, when making the
a player, take a few minutes to determine Action roll for the enemy, roll an Order
what actions the enemy is trying to die as well.
achieve and what orders they might have.
On scores of 2-5, the turn is played as
If they were assigned to guard an area, normal, taking whatever action is most
they are going to move in the immediate sensible according to their mission.
area and fight off attackers, but they aren't
likely to do a mad charge to the other side
of the table, for example. 1 - Halt!
Whether concerned about a recent development,
If in doubt, the following guidelines can a squad leader losing his nerve or trying to
be applied but let common sense guide regroup the unit, the enemy will avoid
you. advancing this turn.
Stragglers far from the unit will try to rejoin it,
otherwise figures will move to positions of
Defending better cover. They will fire on targets that
present an immediate threat, otherwise duck
When defending an area, figures will
down and try to avoid taking fire.
generally remain in or directly around the
feature they are defending.
One or two figures may be patrolling or

6 - Forward!
otherwise guarding outside the feature
An overzealous squad leader, the right moment
but won't usually be more than 1 move
or excessive patriotism, it's time to take the fight
away (if walking) or 2 moves away (if
to the enemy.
positioned in cover). Figures will attempt to close the distance with
the enemy, getting close enough to throw
Figures will move to reinforce and support grenades or Brawl where possible.
troops under attack but will not generally Weapons will be fired for maximum Shock to
move to engage new enemies. facilitate this.
Attacking
An attack is always directed at a specific
location or feature.
30
Decisions
In the event that a decision has to be
reached for the non player force and it's
not obvious what the more logical solution
is, the following method can be applied.
Determine which approach is the more

likely and roll 1D6:
On a 1-2 the less likely option is taken
while on a 3-6, the more likely is taken.
German and Soviet foes will usually view

the more aggressive option as the more
likely, while British and French will view the
more cautious option as more likely.
If all options seem about equal, simply

pick one at random using any appropriate
dice roll.
31
 

SOLDIERS AND CHARACTERS
FORCE GENERATION United States +1

Chinese +1
Finnish -1
A force may be generated in a number of
German 44-45 -1
instances, whether to determine the group
Soviet (Winter War) +1
of men you'll have available in a
Soviet 45 -1
campaign, to generate a unit for a pick-up
game or to find the nature of the
opposition.
Choose experience level
At any time, feel free to simply select Your squad may be Green, Seasoned or
available troops and characters if it suits a Veteran.
certain scenario, mission or game.
Green 3 rolls for Specialist Gear
For example, you may want to select a 1 roll for Character Skills
single character as your “player
character”, representing yourself, then Seasoned 2 rolls for Specialist Gear
randomly generate the team you'll be 2 rolls for Character Skills
leading.
Veteran 1 roll for Specialist Gear
When using random tables to generate 3 rolls for Character Skills
outcomes, it is always an art form to know
when to stop and simply pick a result that
works and when to roll randomly and work The three tables are as follows:
with what you get.
Whatever makes the game fun for Forces:
everyone involved is the correct answer. This option gives you ordinary soldiers
with basic weaponry.
You will need suitable percentile dice These guys are usually the backbone for a
(D100) or a pair of common D10. force and represent the vast majority of
troops out there.
Size of force
Roll 5 times on the Forces table for your
nation of choice. Each roll will grant 1 or
more soldiers.
Some modifiers apply:
32

Specialist Gear: as various NCO's, officers or staff rather

Each roll here will provide a single item of than plain infantry men, at the players
specialist equipment, such as tools, extra discretion.
or superior weaponry and so forth. If so, they are assumed to be dependable
but unremarkable in terms of skill and
Most specialist gear is simply tracked on temperament unless given a suitable skill.
paper and marked off as it is used but
some items, such as weapons, may be
NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS
assigned to specific figures of your choice.
Character Skills: At the end of each force entry, we offer a

This will give you a skill or trait that may “national characteristic”, a flavor rule to
be assigned to any soldier in your force. make the forces more distinctive. They are
of course based on general pop culture
(and war gamer) stereotypes.
Make assignments
You may roll up all of your available If playing solo, we suggest only applying
troops, Gear and Skills before deciding these to the players forces, not the enemy.
how the Skills and Gear will be assigned.
Players who feel strongly that “a soldier is
Nothing prevents you from giving multiple a soldier” can omit these rules completely.
things to the same soldier, though it’s
typically better to spread things out.
FORCES TABLES
The tables that follow will cover the main

combatants of the second world war in
Europe but can be adapted for other
conflicts.
It generates ordinary soldiers with basic
equipment.
Note that the results may not resemble an
actual squad.
This is intentional as our tabletop force
may consist of a number of different
individuals from across units.
Figures armed with pistols may be taken
33
BRITISH AND COMMONWEALTH
D100 Troops received

1-11 One figure with bolt action rifle
12-21 Two figures with bolt action rifles
22-31 One figure with Sten gun
32-40 One figure with Webley revolver
41-49 One figure with bolt action rifle, one with Sten gun
50-58 One figure with bolt action rifle, one with Webley revolver
59-64 Three figures with bolt action rifles.
65-71 Two figures with Sten guns
72-76 Two figures with bolt action rifle, one with Webley revolver
77-92 One figure with Bren light machine gun
93-98 One figure with sniper rifle
99-100 Players choice of one figure with any one weapon from the list above.
Home guard may find themselves with a Lewis gun

The Commonwealth force list may be used to instead of a Bren.
generate British, Canadian, Australian, New
Zealand, South African or Indian troops. Unit types:
Commonwealth forces fought for the duration of If the unit represents paratroopers or commandos,
the war, opposing their enemies with if no Sten guns are generated, replace one rifle
determination and dedication. with a Sten.
Soldiers may be from regular infantry, airborne or Weapon notes:

specialist units such as engineers at the players Sten guns are treated as sub machine guns.
discretion. Bren is a magazine fed light machine gun. Webley
Since we are dealing with only a small band of is a pistol.
comrades, the exact unit type is only for narrative Sniper rifle is simply a normal Lee Enfield rifle
purposes. fitted with a scope.
Options: Determined fighters:

If more than one figure with pistols is generated, At the start of your turn, select a single figure that
excess figures may be traded for figures with rifles hunkered down.
at the players discretion.
If they have a friend within 4” who is not hunkered
Only one Bren gun is permitted except by special down or knocked down, they recover at the start of
agreement. your turn instead of at the end.
Otherwise, additional rolls are taken as two
riflemen. Tactic - 10 rounds rapid
Once per battle you may replace the Action die
Early war notes: result with a Firefight turn.
The above table can be used for forces fighting in
Norway or France in 1940. In such cases, sub
machine guns will be Thompson's instead, and
only one is permitted in a unit. All additional rolls
are taken as rifles instead.
34
NAZI GERMANY

22-31 One figure with MP40
32-40 One figure with pistol
41-49 One figure with bolt action rifle, one with MP40
50-58 One figure with bolt action rifle, one with pistol
59-64 Two figures with bolt action rifles, one with G43.
65-71 Two figures with MP40
72-76 Two figures with bolt action rifle, one with STG
77-92 One figure with MG42
This force list is used for German groups as well as bolt action rifles. MG42 will be MG34 but are
volunteers in German service. treated the same in game terms.
German troops fought anywhere from the blazing Unit notes:
heat of North Africa to the frozen steppes of VolksGrenadier and Panzer Grenadier units may
Russia. trade one rifle for an STG, if none were generated.
Soldiers may be from regular infantry, airborne or Weapon notes:

specialist units such as engineers at the players MP40 are sub machine guns. East front veterans
discretion. Since we are dealing with only a small may use Soviet sub machine guns instead.
band of comrades, the exact unit type is only for MG42 is a belt fed light machine gun. It may be
narrative purposes. fitted with an assault drum, turning it into a clip fed
gun. It still receives the extra Shock die for high
Options: rate of fire.
If more than one figure with pistols is generated, G43 is a semi automatic rifle.
excess figures may be traded for figures with rifles STG is an assault rifle.
One of these traded figures may be given a G43, if Blitzkrieg:
one has not already been generated. The Germans received a reputation for always
attacking aggressively and operating extremely
Only one MG42 gun is permitted except by special fluidly with limited resources.
agreement. Otherwise, additional rolls are taken as Your figures move 7” instead of the usual 6.
two riflemen.
Tactic - Rapid deployment
Early war notes: Once per battle you may replace the Action die
For early war battles, G43 and STG are taken as result with a Scurry turn
35
UNITED STATES

1-11 One figure with M1 rifle
12-21 Two figures with M1 rifles
22-31 One figure with sub machine gun
41-49 One figure with M1 rifle, one with sub machine gun
50-58 One figure with M1 rifle, one with pistol
59-64 Three figures with M1 rifles
65-71 One figure with M1 rifle, one figure with trench gun
72-84 Two figures with M1 rifles, one with BAR
85-92 One figure with Browning .30 MG
This force list may be used to generate groups of Weapon notes:

American G I's. M1 rifle is a semi automatic rifle. Sub machine guns
Although a late-comer to the war and forced to may be “Thompson” or “Grease gun”.
catch up quickly, the US army produced an efficient BAR is treated as an assault rifle.
war machine that supported her allies wherever the Browning machine gun is a belt fed light machine
battle took them. gun.
Figures with M1 carbines can be treated as sub
Soldiers may be from regular infantry, airborne or machine guns or rifles at the players discretion but
specialist units such as engineers at the players should be treated consistently.
discretion. Since we are dealing with only a small
band of comrades, the exact unit type is only for No more than one figure may carry a trench gun. It
narrative purposes. may be swapped for an M1 rifle. Historically,
shotguns were mainly used for guard duty and
Options: military police work, but for the rag tag bunch of
If more than one figure with pistols is generated, personalities we are assembling, it is entirely in
excess figures may be traded for figures with rifles character for an enterprising GI to have one.
Well supplied:
Only one Browning MG is permitted except by Begin every battle with 2 extra grenades and
special agreement. Otherwise, additional rolls are ignore all weapon malfunction rules.
taken as two riflemen.
Tactic - Overwhelming firepower
result with a Firefight turn.
36

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

1-11 One figure with M1 rifle
12-21 Two figures with M1 rifles
41-49 One figure with M1 rifle, one figure with sub machine gun
50-58 One figure with M1 rifle and pistol
59-61 Three figures with M1 rifles
62-64 One figure with M1 rifle, one figure with BAR
65-71 One figure with sub machine gun, one figure with trench gun
72-84 Two figures with M1 rifles, one figure with BAR
85-92 One figure with Browning .30 MG
This force list may be used to generate groups of

American Marines.
The Marines fought in some of the most Weapon notes:
inhospitable terrain American forces would be M1 rifle is a semi automatic rifle. Sub machine guns
exposed to and earned a reputation for toughness may be “Thompson” or “Grease gun”.
and bravery. BAR is treated as an assault rifle.
Browning machine gun is a belt fed light machine
Options: gun.
If more than one figure with pistols is generated, Figures with M1 carbines can be treated as sub
excess figures may be traded for figures with rifles machine guns or rifles at the players discretion but
at the players discretion. should be treated consistently.
Only one Browning MG is permitted except by No more than one figure may carry a trench gun. It
special agreement. Otherwise, additional rolls are may be swapped for an M1 rifle.
taken as two riflemen.
Up the middle
Early war notes: Begin the game with 1 good morale die.
For 1941 and 1942 you may opt to replace all rifles
with M1903 Springfield bolt-actions. If so, add one Tactic - Beach assault
additional rifle armed figure to your group. Once per battle you may replace the Action die
result with a Scurry turn.
37

SOVIET UNION

32-40 One figure with Tokarev pistol
41-49 One figure with bolt action rifle, one with sub machine gun
50-58 One figure with bolt action rifle, one with Tokarev pistol
59-64 Two figures with bolt action rifles, one with sub machine gun
65-71 Two figures with sub machine guns
72-76 Two figures with bolt action rifle, one with SVT40
77-92 One figure with DP light machine gun
The Soviet Union force list covers Red Army troops 1940 or 41. In such cases only one sub machine
from all over the USSR. Men of the Red Army gun is permitted in a unit.
fought a bitter war to repel the invaders from their All additional rolls are taken as rifles instead.
lands and to crush his capital.
Early war Soviets may replace a second DP with an
Soldiers may be from regular infantry, Guard or AVS automatic rifle. These mostly disappeared
specialist units such as engineers at the players after the winter war in Finland.
discretion. Since we are dealing with only a small
band of comrades, the exact unit type is only for Weapon notes:
narrative purposes. Sub machine guns may be PPSH, PPS or PPD
models. SVT40 is a semi automatic rifle.
Options: DP is a magazine fed light machine gun.
If more than one figure with pistols is generated,
excess figures may be traded for figures with rifles Fight to the end
at the players discretion. Red Army soldiers were renowned for their fanatic
devotion to killing Germans.
Only one DP gun is permitted except by special If a Downed figure fails to recover, they may still
agreement. Otherwise, additional rolls are taken as fire their weapon that turn but are unable to move.
two sub machine guns.
Tactic - Stick to the plan
Early war notes: Once per battle you may replace the Action die
The above table can be used for forces fighting in result with a Standard turn.
38
FREE FRENCH FREE POLISH
Following the fall of their home country, French Having suffered bitterly in the war, Polish soldiers
soldiers fought on in the colonies and alongside fought under both British and Soviet flags, bleeding
British and American forces, struggling for the and dying to liberate their ravaged homeland from
liberation of their home. the Germans.
For French forces, use the British force tables but Free Polish are generated using either the British or
with considerable variation possible, as described Soviet force tables.
below. Early war Polish can be generated using the Soviet
tables but treat all SMG as rifles.
Options:
If more than one figure with pistols is generated, Bravery:
excess figures may be traded for figures with rifles Polish will not Bail from cover unless there is enemy
at the players discretion. within 12” of their position.
Only one machine gun is permitted except by

special agreement. Otherwise, additional rolls are
taken as two rifles.
Early war notes:

The British table can be used for forces fighting in
Norway or in the Blitzkrieg of 1940.
In such cases only one sub machine gun is
permitted in a unit. All additional rolls are taken as
rifles instead.
French machine guns are magazine fed.
Weapon notes:
Rifles may be British or French bolt actions or
American semi automatic rifles. If desired, a D6 roll
of 1 or 6 will give American rifles. All rifles in the
unit will be identical.
Units with American M1 rifles will also have a BAR

(assault rifle) instead of a light machine gun.
Positional fighting:
French figures that Flinch within 2” of cover may
move to the nearest cover and will not be forced to
hunker down.
39
 
ITALIANS

22-31 One figure with MAB 38 sub machine gun
41-49 One figure with bolt action rifle, one with MAB
59-64 Three figures with bolt action rifles.
65-71 One figure with bolt action rifle, one with MAB
72-76 Two figures with bolt action rifle, one with pistol
77-92 One figure with Breda light machine gun
Italian troops fought throughout Africa, in Eastern

Europe and resisting the Allied forces near home Early War notes:
from Operation Husky onwards. No special accommodations required for early war
forces.
Additionally, Italian troops fought for the Allied
cause and for the King as part of the Italian Co- Co-Belligerent Army notes:
Belligerent Army. Members of the Co-Belligerent Army can be rolled
up using the regular tables or, if later re-equipped,
Soldiers may be from regular infantry, airborne or using the British Force table.
specialist units such as engineers at the players
discretion. Since we are dealing with only a small Unit types:
band of comrades, the exact unit type is only for If the unit represents paratroopers or commandos,
narrative purposes. if no sub machine guns are generated, replace one
rifle with a MAB.
Options:
If more than one figure with pistols is generated, Weapon notes:
excess figures may be traded for figures with rifles MAB is treated as sub machine guns. Breda is a
at the players discretion. magazine fed light machine gun.
Unless the men are Black Shirts or paratroopers, Outflank and envelop:
only one sub machine gun is permitted except by Whenever a machine gun scores a 1 or 6 on its
special agreement. Shock dice, you may move any other figure 1” per
Additional rolls are taken as riflemen. 1 or 6 rolled in the attack. These moves do not
trigger reactions.
Only one Breda gun is permitted except by special
agreement. Tactic - Unit tactics
Otherwise, additional rolls are taken as two Once per battle you may replace the Action die
riflemen. result with a Standard turn
40

FINLAND

41-49 One figure with bolt action rifle, one with sub machine gun
50-58 One figure with bolt action rifle, one with Tokarev pistol
59-64 One figures with bolt action rifles, one with sub machine gun
65-71 Two figures with sub machine guns
72-76 One figure with bolt action rifle, one with SVT40
77-92 One figure with light machine gun
Finland fought bitterly to resist Soviet aggression

in the Winter War and would go on to fight Early war notes:
alongside Germany to recapture its lost territory. For Winter War forces, SVT are always taken as bolt
action rifles.
Soldiers may be from regular infantry or specialist
units such as engineers at the players discretion. Weapon notes:
Since we are dealing with only a small band of Sub machine guns may be Suomi or captured
comrades, the exact unit type is only for narrative Soviet weapons. Machine guns may be Lahti or
purposes. captured DP.
Options: Skirmish Tactics:

If more than one figure with pistols is generated, Finn’s may conduct part of a move, fire and then
excess figures may be traded for figures with rifles carry out the rest of the move.
Tactic - Raid tactics
Only one light machine gun is permitted except by Once per battle you may replace the Action die
special agreement. Otherwise, additional rolls are result with a Scurry turn
taken as two sub machine guns.
SVT40 are captured Soviet stock. Additional rolls

are taken as bolt action rifles or a sniper if none
have been rolled.
41

JAPAN

12-19 One figure with bolt action rifle and machete/sword
28-40 One figure with Type 100 sub machine gun
41-53 One figure with pistol and machete/sword
64-69 Three figures with bolt action rifles, one also has machete/sword
70-75 Three figures with bolt action rifles
76-90 One figure with Type 96 light machine gun
The Japanese military fought across Asia on the mainland and in the numerous island campaigns both
during the initial expansion and on the defensive during the Allied “Island Hopping” campaign.
Options:
If more than one figure with pistols is generated, excess figures may be traded for figures with rifles at the
players discretion.
Only one light machine gun is permitted except by special agreement. Otherwise, additional rolls are taken
as a man with bolt action rifle and machete/sword.
If the player wishes to portray a Special Navy Landing Force, one pistol armed figure may replace their
weapon for a Type 100 sub machine gun.
Infiltration Tactics:
Before taking your turn, one figure with a rifle may move up to 3”, provided they end the move closer to
the enemy table edge than they started it. This move may enter close combat and does not trigger any
Reaction Fire.
Tactic - Surprise attack

Once per battle you may replace the Action die result with a Scurry turn
42

CHINESE FORCES

35-44 Three figures with bolt action rifles
79-93 One figure with light machine gun
76-90 One figure with Type 96 light machine gun
Chinese forces not only battled the invaders but result with a Scurry turn
also fought against each other at various points.
While largely forgotten in the West, the Chinese
people endured 15-20 million deaths, the majority
of them civilian.
Options:
If no figures with pistols are rolled, you may add a
pistol to any one rifle figure.
Only one light machine gun is permitted except by

special agreement. Otherwise, additional rolls are
taken as two figures with rifles.
Late-war (44-45) one figure may replace their rifle

with a sub machine gun.
Weapon notes:
A bewildering array of equipment from all over the
world found its way into Chinese hands whether
through pre-war stocks, foreign purchases, military
aid or captured equipment. As such, it is
impossible to give clear guidelines. Late-war
submachine guns are likely to be either PPSH, M3
or captured Type 100.
Endure the war:

Once per battle, a single figure that is Knocked
Down may recover without requiring a rallying roll.
Tactic - Guerilla war

43

SPECIALIST GEAR
The below table is used to generate We assume this was the guy who had the
specialist or unusual equipment. As gear all along.
always, if a scenario or situation seems to
demand particular gear, go ahead and This table is fairly generic and is
assign that. applicable to all nationalities.
A roll on this table the specified Each item can be used only once in the
equipment to your unit. campaign.
Unless specifically stated, you do not have
to assign the item to a specific character
when setting up. Instead, you can simply
use the items when you need them.
D100 Gear received

1-15 Extra ammunition
Use to ignore one weapon Malfunction during the game.
16-30 Extra grenades
Add three grenades to your supply.
31-40 Entrenching tool
If a close combat ended in a draw, your figure wins.
41-45 Climbing rope
A character ending a move in contact with a terrain feature no taller than 4” may climb it.
46-55 Boots that actually fit
A figure may move an additional 3”.
56-60 Local map
Your force may take a free Scurry turn before the game begins.
61-70 Medical kit
A Knocked Down figure recovers without having to roll.
71-75 Camouflage gear
Select one figure. Until they fire or leave cover, they cannot be fired upon.
76-85 Trench knife
If you don’t like a Brawling roll, you may re-roll.
86-90 Flare
You can call in mortar. Once called, the mortar will continue to fire.
91-95 Extra smokes or rations
Add 1 good morale die.
96-100 Replacement weapon
You may add an additional sub machine gun for the current battle. Soviet forces (and Germans from 41
44

CHARACTER SKILLS Skill moves

Several skills allow movement outside the
In our game terms, a “Character” is any normal actions.
figure with a special skill or ability. Some We term any such non-standard moves a
of these may be very minor or situational, Skill Move.
others may be quite significant.
Skill moves are never subject to reaction
Over the course of a campaign, regular shots.
figures will tend to turn into characters as
they gain new skills and traits.
Skill overlap
Unless otherwise agreed upon, simply roll If a figure would obtain a skill that mimics
for each Character Skill below and assign an ability it already possesses, the skill
it to any figure you like. should be re-rolled.
A single figure can have multiple skills if
you like. A given action can only have one skill
apply at any given time.
You could even assign the skill to a If multiple skills could be used (such as a
random figure but note that this may give character with both sharp shooter and
less optimal results, like a machine gunner rapid fire) the player can pick which to use.
ending up with a hand to hand fighting
skill.
The Skill table is generic and applies to

every nationality.
45
 
1-3 Sharp shooter 52-54 Motivator

Re-roll one Kill die when firing. If moving into contact with a Bailed figure, the
4-6 Rapid fire figure recovers automatically
Re-roll one Shock die when firing. 55-57 Alert
7-9 Agile The figure can react even if they fired in their turn.
Ignore rough terrain when moving. 58-60 Infiltrator
10-12 Dependable After all figures have set up, the figure may take a
If the figure fails to rally, it doesn’t count as one of your free move.
activations. 61-63 Strong Arm
13-15 Tough The figure always count as stationary when firing,
The figure may ignore the first Kill die result taken each even if it moved.
game 64-66 Field Craft
16-18 Brawler The figure can hide in any terrain feature, even if it
+1 bonus to all Brawling rolls would not normally provide cover.
19-21 Quick 67-69 Throwing
Standard move increased by 2”. No impact on Dash moves When throwing grenades, roll twice for scatter
22-24 Runner distance and direction. Pick either set of dice.
When Dashing, roll twice and pick the higher score 70-72 Skilled
25-27 Right Place Roll twice for all Tasks.
During non-Scurry and non-Fire Fight turns, if this figure 73-75 Charisma
is not activated, it may be take a 3” move at the end of +1 to all Persuasion attempts
your turn 76-78 Rallying Cry
28-30 Shoot and Scoot When this figure is activated, any friendly figure
When a Fire Fight is rolled, this figure may be moved up to within 4” may roll to recover from having Bailed
4” before firing 79-81 Stealthy
31-33 Covering Fire During Stealth segments, this figure may move 6”
When a Scurry is rolled, this figure may fire after moving. per turn.
34-36 Evasive Move 82-84 Aggressive
This figure is never subject to Guard Fire When Following Up after a Brawl, move up to 3”
37-39 Assault and receive +1 to the subsequent Brawl.
This figure is never subject to Snap Fire 85-87 Inspiring
40-42 Accurate While this figure is on their feet, any friends within
Add +4” to the range of any non-grenade weapon. 4” treat Bail results as Flinching.
43-45 Defensive Fire 88-90 Last Gasp
Figure may Snap Fire out to 8” range. If this figure goes out of action for any reason, they
46-48 Over Watch may immediately fire a weapon.
The figure may reaction fire at moves that do not normally 91-100 Battle Hardened Soldier
permit reactions. Players choice from above list but cannot duplicate
49-51 Guts a skill already possessed by a member of the group.
When activated, this figure will automatically rally.
46
If this total is less than the size of the

THE FACE OF THE ENEMY
attacking force, make 2 rolls on the
appropriate Force table to see what
The opposition in a campaign may be a reinforcements they have waiting off table.
fully fledged body of troops controlled by
another player, or they may be generic Reinforcements may be brought on from a
opposition assigned for a given mission. pre determined entry point during regular
combat turns.
The below entries will give you some
options for enemies, bystanders and Half the sentries, rounded down, will be
troublemakers you may run into. placed guarding the objective while the
remainder is placed within 6” of the
Generally speaking, enemy figures will not objective in patrol mode.
have skills, though if you fancy a challenge
you could give their leader 2 random rolls
Enemy troops
on the skill table.
Regular enemy troops can be met in almost
any configuration and may be scouting
Sentries
parties, patrols or even random stragglers.
Sentries will generally be equipped with
rifles and sub machine guns only and are Generate the enemy force with 4 rolls on
usually the opposition in stealth scenarios. the appropriate Forces table.
If you are fighting against the Soviets, give
Assign sentries to patrol or guard duty them an additional roll.
according to the Stealth rules.
If this leaves the enemy with 2 or more
When sentries are used, you should figures less than your group, make an
designate the area they are guarding. additional roll.
Patrolling sentries may move away from When rolling enemy forces, any roll letting
this area but once fighting starts, they will you select freely is treated as a single figure
try to fall back to the guarded area. with a rifle plus an additional roll.
Sentries will not generally move more than Enemy troops may be deployed in two
one move (6”) away from the guarded groups, up to 12” apart.
area, when fighting known enemies.
To determine the number of sentries

present, roll 1D6+1.
47
A soldier moving within 1” of a civilian and

Defensive position
succeeding in a Persuasion test can
An enemy defensive position is generated convince the figure to leave the battle area.
with 3 rolls on the appropriate Forces
table. For the purpose of our games, deliberately
firing upon civilians is not permitted but
If no machine gun is generated, trade one they may be affected by area of effect
figure for a machine gun. weapons or similar.
This will be a water cooled machine gun, If civilians are present in a battle area, they
though armies with access to heavy should be given a specific role by the
machine guns (such as Americans and scenario designer.
Soviets) may substitute that.
Germans will field a belt fed machine gun.
Hidden sniper
2 figures will be deployed with the gun, A scenario involving a single hidden sniper
while the rest may be positioned up to 12” requires a Games Master to run..
away.
The GM indicates the terrain feature hiding
During the battle, defensive troops will the sniper on a map.
rarely advance, and will not move outside In hidden sniper scenarios, there are
12” of the gun position. usually no other enemy troops present.
To locate the sniper, each terrain feature

Civilians
must be checked using the Search rules.
If civilians show up in the battle area, they A success will either reveal the sniper or
act as a third party, acting after all player reveal the feature to be empty.
turns have been completed.
During the snipers turn, the sniper may
Civilians do not roll an action die. either fire if a line of sight can be traced
Instead, for each civilian figure roll 1D6: from any point in the snipers terrain.
On a 1, the figure remains where it is. Resolve the fire as normal.
On a 2-5, move that many inches in a
random direction. If the target suffers no hits from the Kill
On a 6, the figure will move 6” towards the dice, they may conduct a free search roll
closest civilian or a random direction if no against a terrain feature in line of sight.
other civilians are present.
Instead of firing, the sniper may move to an
If weapons fire occur within 6” of a civilian adjacent terrain feature within 6” that has
(firer or target), the figure will panic and run not yet been searched.
for cover at a pace of 6” per turn, staying
hidden until the battle is over. Once the sniper is revealed, the rest of the
game is played out as a normal game.
48
If a Medic reaches a knocked down figure,

SPECIAL CHARACTERS
the figure recovers immediately.
If a figure that went out of action can be
These characters represent various reached, the Medic may drag the casualty
specialist individuals, unique personalities with them each move.
and stereotypes that can be added to any
scenario. Casualties that can be moved within 3” of a
They are mainly intended for use in special table edge are considered to have been
scenarios and show some of the range of evacuated and may roll twice for wound
options available in Five Men in Normandy. results after the battle, picking the higher
roll.
Please note that these are intended to be
iconic and heroic individuals, rather than an
Grizzled Sergeant
example of what every medic, sergeant or
commissar should look like in game terms. Sarge have seen it all.
He was probably made from shrapnel and
Rather than provide a lengthy, exhaustive motor oil and the only thing he hates more
list, view these as inspiration for what than the enemy is your complaining.
various heroic individuals might look like
and don't be afraid to develop your own. The Sergeant usually carries a sub machine
gun or pistol but Americans may trade for a
Trench Gun.
Courageous Medic
A battlefield medic of exceptional bravery During Scurry turns, the Sergeant may fire
and determination to save the wounded. using shock dice before moving.
Medics carry only a pistol but will fire only During regular turns, if the Sergeant is
as Snap Fire or Guard Fire. activated, he may also motivate one non
They may not fire during regular activated figure within 4”.
activations.
This figure may either move or fire a
A Medic will not engage in a Brawl unless weapon but not do both.
the enemy figure is within 3” of a knocked
down or out of action friendly figure. Since nothing fazes him, he will never
Flinch.
Due to their exceptional bravery, Flinch A Bail result on a Shock die permits him to
results are ignored and Bail results are roll the Shock dice for his weapon against a
treated as a Flinch. visible target in range before retreating 6”
and hunkering down.
49
Tough Guy British Commando

Big and burly, the Tough Guy is Death from the shadows after climbing a
occasionally mistaken for a bear but there's cliff side with a knife between his teeth.
rarely a better guy to have at your side
when things get mean. The Commando carries a Sten gun.
The Tough Guy carries a basic rifle or sub Commando's receive a +1 bonus to all
machine gun. Brawl rolls.
The Tough Guy automatically recovers from At the beginning of each turn, the
Knock Down and adds a +1 bonus to all Commando may be repositioned anywhere
Brawling dice rolls. within 4”.
When a Tough Guy goes Out of Action If the Commando is not within 10” of any
from gun fire, roll a D6. On a 1 or 6, he is other friendly figures, he may be activated
knocked back 2” and goes Down instead. in addition to any figures normally
activated.
Soviet Commissar
Yankee Hero
The political officer strikes fear in the
enemy as much as in their own men. The dashing young man from humble
Whether motivating by fear or example, upbringing who shows himself to be larger
they are here to deliver Soviet victory over than life.
the Fascist invaders. They'll probably make a film about him
afterwards.
The Commissar carries a pistol.
Commissars do not suffer any negative The Hero carries an M1 rifle.
effects of Shock dice.
They receive a +1 bonus to all Brawling The Hero may ignore the first Kill die hit
rolls. taken in the game and may fire his weapon
twice each turn.
Any Soviet soldier that is hunkered down
or bailed within 6” of the Commissar must
be activated.
The figures recover automatically and
instantly and will move as fast and directly
as possible towards the nearest visible
enemy, in an attempt to Brawl.
When dealing with civilians, Commissars

receive a +1 bonus to Persuasion rolls.
50
In other cases, they may be from the same

NON RANDOM FORCES
squad, but happens to be assigned to a
number of tasks on their own, in the style
While using the random Force tables is of a TV show or movie.
recommended, some players may not like
the idea of a randomly selected force or In this case, we're dealing with a subset of
may have specific troops they want to use, the whole squad and for a special mission
particularly in a non-campaign game or a like a raid, they'd likely carry non standard
stand-alone battle. equipment in any event.
As always, feel free to do what makes the If you do want to play out larger games
most sense for the specific game in and don't mind the extra record keeping
question. and potential slow down in game play the
following guide lines should suffice:
WHERE ARE THE HISTORICAL
ORGANIZATION CHARTS?
• A squad or section has 8-10 men in
it, though combat losses will mean
6-8 is more likely, particularly during
World War 2 gamers are used to rules heavy fighting.
containing lists of how many men belong in • The back bone of the unit is the light
a squad or section, what ranks the leaders machine gun.
would have, what weapons they would • The leader often carries a sub
carry and in what quantity. machine gun.
You won't find any such listing in these
rules for two reasons: The intricacies of specific units at specific
times of the war, when fighting in certain
First and foremost, this isn't that type of theatres is far beyond the scope of this
game: game.
While your group may undertake the same
patrol and raid activities that might happen People who enjoy this type of detail or who
in another game, we're rarely, if ever, like basing their war gaming units on
dealing with a full squad or section. specific, historical units will no doubt be
better off conducting such research in more
Our group of heroes or villains are the formal books.
“band of brothers” that our campaign
follows and may be comprised of men from
a few different squads, a supply sergeant
they befriended and the platoon sergeant.
51
YOU LEFT OUT MY FAVORITE ARMY!
Due to limitations of space, eventually you

have to draw the line somewhere, and I
tried to keep it to armies that were
prevalent in the most popular theatre of
the war, personal favorites and fan
requests.
Limitations of available material is a factor

as well.
The forces included are the ones where I
felt I’d only make a partial fool of myself
instead of a complete fool.
You will often find that you can adapt an

existing force table to fit whatever you
need.
If not, go ahead and draw up your own. It
can be a lot of fun.
52
CAMPAIGNS AND ENCOUNTERS
THE NATURE OF THE CAMPAIGN
The heart of Five Men in Normandy are

the campaign rules.
With these rules, you'll be able to take
your ragtag group of men through the
trials and tribulations of a campaign.
Unexpected events will occur and your

men will develop in response. The default option is to advance the
calendar 1D6 days after each mission.
How it works Below is the sequence of events that

We divide the campaign in a number of occur after fighting a mission.
turns.
The focus of each turn is the action your • Determine fate of wounded and
men will be fighting. replacements
This may be an assigned military mission • Determine morale changes
or it may be a side mission. • Gain skills
• Roll for character events
With each mission, we'll generate the • Carry out player actions
conditions surrounding it and what sort of • Determine follow up mission
opposition you run into.
Combining Five Men with another rules
After each mission, we'll check if your men set
have learned any new skills, what
happened to the wounded and what sort A popular option is the use these rules to
of things you run into. play out encounters between large scale
Your men might make new acquaintances, battles in another campaign.
find new locations to explore and get
caught up in unexpected adventures. In that case, you may have to adjust time
passed slightly to account for the series of
A turn can represent any amount of time events.
that seems reasonable, from a few days to Likewise, if a named figure becomes a
a week or more. casualty in the larger campaign, you will
Some players may prefer keeping a very have to decide how that will affect in a
tight calendar while others don't worry too Five Men campaign.
much about it.
53
groups fighting each other over and over

Fitting the narrative together
would likely feel a bit contrived.
A big part of a campaign like this is the
narrative that develops as you play. Beyond all else, do what feels right for
The rules give you outcomes and results your campaign.
but it is up to you to piece together what There's no reason your squad of British
the pieces mean and what it all fits paratroopers can't show up as the
together. opposition in your friends German
VolksGrenadier campaign.
Why is a priest wanting a ragtag band of
paratroopers to go find something in an
old farmhouse?
That's where the fun of a narrative
campaign comes in.
The result you come up with will be much
more satisfying than anything a pre-
defined scenario could have provided.
If something really doesn't seem to work

for you, modify it or ignore it.
Don't get too hung up trying to fit the
exact things generated into the game if a
slight modification works better. SETTING UP THE CAMPAIGN
The first step is to establish who you are
The first good answer you come up with is
and where you are at. Pick a nationality
usually going to be the best one.
and unit that you like the idea of and
select or roll up a force to begin the game
HOW THE CAMPAIGN WORKS with.
Likewise, determine where you are
fighting, which will dictate your
The structure of the campaign essentially
opposition.
follows one group of soldiers, your “band
of brothers” if you will.
We assume that your group of men will be
If you are not playing solo, the other
spending a period of time in the same
player takes the role of “the enemy” or
area and will slowly come to know the
you may take turns playing the enemy and
area and establish a history there.
the heroes.
For each campaign, we establish some

There's nothing preventing you from
acquaintances of your fighting group.
running two campaigns at the same time,
with the two groups running into each
other at times, though the same two
54
During the campaign people can come

PEOPLE
and go and may provide missions for you.
They are mainly there to add background
People are non player characters that you flavor to the campaign and make it feel
encounter. more alive.
They may provide additional missions or
complications in the campaign. People may be connected to the battalion
To begin the campaign, three People are you belong to, or they may simply be met
generated. in the general area where your unit is
More may be met as a result of random stationed.
events and battle conditions.
Roll People
1-11 Soldiers in battalion
Another soldier in the same battalion.
12-19 Soldier from rival unit
Soldier from a rival outfit, whether of the same type or another branch (Armor, artillery etc.)
20-25 Allied soldier
Soldier from another army. For western allies this may be Americans, British, Canadians, Free French, Free
Polish and others.
For Germans, it may be Finn's, Romanians, Italians, Bulgarians, Hungarians or others.
For Soviets, it may be Polish red army or men from the far corners of the Soviet Union.
26-38 Officer from own unit
An officer from the outfit you belong to.
39-46 Locals
Sympathetic local civilians.
47-51 Resistance fighter/partisan
A member of the local resistance or partisan band. Germans may take this as a collaborator or a member of
various militia mobilized to defend the Reich.
52-55 Reporter
A news reporter looking to portray the war effort to the people back home.
56-60 Political figure
Minor politician, member of a commission or similar busybody.
61-72 Non combat military personnel
Any of the mechanics, administrative personnel, medical staff and other military types required to make a war
run on schedule.
73-76 Government agent
An agent of the government. This may be a spy, intelligence agent, political officer or similar. Tread lightly.
77-80 Criminal
Small time smuggler, gangster or similar shady element.
81-87 Refugee
Civilian refugees hiding out near the battle area.
88-94 Straggler
A lone member of another unit that ends up joining the battalion. May even be a different branch altogether
(such as a pilot, engineer, vehicle crewman or similar)
95-100 Camp follower
Any number of civilians, traders, ladies and petty crooks that seem to congregate when a military unit is in the
same place for any length of time.
55
 

These details will not generally influence

ADDITIONAL CHARACTER DETAILS
game play but they help us establish a
narrative of what is going on.
Campaigns are ultimately about the As always, have fun with the unusual
characters and the events that happen to results: A former gangster turned patriotic
them. believer?
If you want, you can use the following Wars are full of interesting and unique
tables to determine additional personalities and there's no reason your
background and characteristics for your games should not follow their example.
figures.
Some may want to only do this for one or Results from the Motivation table can
two “main” characters while others may change over the course of a long
want to go through every figure. campaign.
It is recommended to do this for each If the newly generated motivation has

figure that has skills assigned to them effects that would trigger upon the soldier
whether they start with them or acquire arriving in the group, resolve that effect
them later. immediately.
Alternatively, you may simply generate
these details for one figure after every Several results affect Morale Dice.
mission, to slowly “reveal” the men at These are discussed later in the campaign
your disposal. chapter.
Roll Background
1-20 Working class
Miner, factory worker, teamster or road crew. Used to tough work and a hard life.
21-30 White collar professional
A nice, quiet office job in a nice, quiet office. Now you hope for a nice, quiet foxhole.
31-35 Drifter
On the fringe of society, doing odd jobs and staying alive. At least the meals are regular now.
36-40 Criminal
Small time crook, hardened gangster or an enemy of the state. Out here, no one cares.
Roll a negative morale die.
41-50 Academic
Student or teacher, scholar or scientist. Now you're learning the art of war.
51-65 Straight out of school
They told you to get a good education. Then the war came and now it's all you know.
66-85 Farmer
Whether working the fields or entrenching in them, it always seems to involve digging.
86-90 Upper class
Petty nobility, business family or political elite. The trenches don't distinguish.
91-95 Long term soldier
Army life is all that you've wanted in life. Now you do the uniform proud.
Roll 1D6. On a 1 or 6, figure begins with a random skill.
96-100 Entertainer
Musician, writer, painter, singer or poet. What stories will you tell of the war?
56
Roll Motivation
1-14 Patriotism
A staunch supporter of your home country, eager to defend it against the enemies that surround it.
Roll a positive morale die.
15-26 Survival
You've known a lot of brave men who won't be coming home. You intend to make it.
27-35 Political
You're a model democratic citizen/communist/fascist willing to die for freedom and the cause.
If group morale is currently 0 or positive, roll a positive morale die.
36-44 Glory
In times of war, men rise to their finest and you are going to rise with them.
45-54 Revenge
The enemy will pay for the crimes they've committed against you and yours.
If group morale is currently 0 or negative, roll a positive morale die.
55-61 Adventure
See new corners of the world, meet interesting people and trade grenades with the enemy under foreign skies.
62-74 Brotherhood
The only thing certain in this world is the man sharing your fox hole.
When the figure joins the group, roll a positive morale die.
75-82 Ambition
You intend to crawl your way up the chain and get the position you deserve.
If another figure with Ambition or Glory joins group, roll a negative morale die.
83-88 Fatalist
The war gets everyone. Eventually it'll get you too.
When a Fatalist joins the group, roll a negative morale die.
89-95 Family
You have people back home waiting for you. You have a duty to do well and come back in one piece.
96-100 Escape
If you weren't here, you'd be at home and probably on the run. Getting shot at isn't so bad after all.
If a figure with Political or Patriot motivation joins group, roll a negative morale die
Roll Length of service

1-25 Fresh at the front
You've just arrived in the past week and are still uncertain of what to do.
If group morale is 0 or positive, roll a positive morale die.
Cannot use any skills until they have survived 2 missions.
26-55 Inexperienced
You're still pretty green but you feel pretty at home on the front lines.
56-80 Been in battle
You know your way around the battlefield and are ready for anything.
81-95 Seen it all
A battle hardened veteran, you have survived everything this war could throw at you.
Roll a D6. On a 1 or 6, generate a random skill and assign to this figure.
96-100 To hell and back
The battalion has legends about the things you've done.
Roll an additional skill and assign to this figure.
If this figure leaves group permanently, roll a negative morale die.
57
priest of the local village does not change

ASSIGNING MISSIONS
the mission (unless you feel it should) but
the specifics would be narrated rather
Each turn, your group is assigned a differently.
mission. If you already have something in
mind, simply set up the next mission as One mission may be to find documents
you see fit, otherwise you can use the dropped by a military courier while the
sequence below to determine the other might be to secure lost church silver
next mission. from Nazi claws!
Roll Mission type

1-70 Military missions
Your group is assigned a mission intended to further the
war effort in some way.
71-85 Side mission
A random character you know gives you a side mission.
86-95 Follow up mission
The mission will be a follow up to the last mission
played.
96-100 Player mission
Select a mission of choice or fight a unique battle.
Note that not all missions are conventional

combat actions:
Your men may get up to all sorts of
mischief.
If a mission seems strange, use your
imagination and try to think of possible Locations
explanations that may be the case.
A location is the general area you will be
Don't overdo it, just go with the first thing
fighting in or around.
that comes to mind and run with it.
Use this as simple inspiration for how to
set up the table for a game.
As always, if a random result seems to be
If you already have a terrain layout in
complete nonsense, don't be afraid to just
mind, don't worry about this step.
make a selection that works for everyone
involved.
Two tables are provided, depending on
whether you prefer rural or urban tables.
Note that the origin of the mission is
mainly there to establish narrative rather
than have a specific impact in the rules.
Whether you get the Retrieve mission

from the normal chain of command or the
58
Roll Location
1-7 Section of trench
A section of fortified positions and earth works, likely now not the focus of any fighting.
8-17 Landmark in no man's land
A noteworthy landmark in a neutral or contested area.
18-24 Location of previous battle
Area covered in shell holes, wrecked vehicles and remains of trenches.
25-33 Cross road
An important cross roads in the vicinity. Likely near buildings.
34-42 Farm
An intact farm with barn or other nearby wooden structures.
43-51 Ruined building
Buildings, farms or structures that have been reduced to rubble either partially or completely.
52-58 Urban area
A small hamlet, the outskirts of a village or the suburbs of a larger city.
59-65 Orchard or field
Cultivated land of some sort. Usually fenced or surrounded by hedgerows.
66-73 Hill
A notable hill slightly away from the main battle area.
74-78 Lake
A lake or area of marsh or wetlands.
79-82 Bridge
Bridge over a river, stream or valley.
83-87 Intact building
One or more intact buildings or structures of little military importance.
88-94 Disputed front line
A location between the lines that is still hotly contested.
95-100 Section of the enemy line
A landmark of interest at the edge of enemy held ground.
Roll Location
1-7 Fortifications
Abandoned fortifications or barricades.
8-17 Rubble choked street
A particular street or alley filled with debris from buildings ruined in the fighting.
18-24 Location of previous battle
Area covered in shell holes, wrecked vehicles and remains of trenches or barricades.
25-33 Cross roads
An important intersection or cross roads.
34-42 Park
A park, plaza or similar open area with vegetation.
43-51 Large ruined building
A very large, multi-room ruined structure or multiple smaller ones.
A large, important building that is still intact.
59-65 Factory or similar facility
A larger facility, likely with multiple rooms, floors or individual structures.
74-78 Lake or pond
Often contained in a park or similar natural area.
79-82 Bridge
A bridge or the nearby approaching roads.
88-94 Disputed front line
A location between the lines that is still hotly contested.
95-100 Section of the enemy line
A landmark of interest at the edge of enemy held ground.
59
 

MISSIONS AVAILABLE (D100)
1-12 ENCOUNTER 13-26 SCOUT
A chance encounter with enemy troops. You've been tasked with scouting the area ahead
Since you do not have specific orders, expectation and find out what the enemy is up to.
is to engage the enemy aggressively without
incurring excessive risk. Battle area:
The terrain can be dense or open at your discretion.
Battle area: The scout party should have three terrain features
This can take place in almost any terrain. designated as objectives on the opposing half of
Generally, chance encounters will occur in more the table.
dense terrain. Scout parties set up within 6” of their own table
Forces set up within 6” of their own table edge, edge, with all figures deployed on the table.
with all figures deployed on the table. Enemies that are not scout patrols are set up on
Determine randomly which side sets up first. their third of the table.
Advanced players may prefer to indicate Determine randomly which side sets up first.
deployments on paper in advance, then place the Advanced players may prefer to indicate
figures simultaneously. deployments on paper in advance, then place the
figures simultaneously.
Objectives:
The mission is considered a victory if the number of Objectives:
enemy figures that become prisoners, casualties or A figure has to reach within 3” of each of the three
leave the field is larger than your own. designated objectives to scout them.
Once any figures have become casualties, the force Once this has been achieved, the group can leave
may leave the table with no negative effects. the table with no negative effects.
Taking more than a single casualty also authorizes
Roll 1D6. On a roll of 1, the group arrived by the group to leave the table.
vehicle.
Special circumstances:
Mortar support is available on a D6 roll of 1. Roll a D6. On a 1, play the mission using the Stealth
rules.
Opposition: Roll 1D6. On a roll of 1, the group arrived by
1: Sentries vehicle.
2-4: Enemy troops
5: Defensive position Opposition:
6: Hidden sniper 1: Sentries
2-4: Enemy troops
5: Defensive position
6: Hidden sniper
60

27-33 FIND 34-41 DESTROY
You are looking for an object or person. The target must be destroyed with explosives.
While enemies may be present, aggressively Neutralizing other enemy forces is not a priority.
engaging them is not a priority.
Battle area:
Battle area: Set up the terrain as desired with a clearly marked
The terrain can be set up as you like but should objective that looks reasonably important.
have several distinct terrain features.
Nominate at least 3 features that could hide the The attackers are set up within 6” of their own table
object or person you are trying to find and ideally edge with all figures deployed on the table.
five. Enemies are set up in defensive positions and must
be set up first.
The search party is set up within 6” of their own
table edge, with all figures deployed on the table. Objectives:
Enemies that are not scout patrols are set up on The target must be destroyed using the Demolition
their third of the table. rules.
Determine randomly which side sets up first. Once the target has been destroyed, the group is
Advanced players may prefer to indicate authorized to leave the table.
deployments on paper in advance, then place the
figures simultaneously. Special circumstances:
Roll 1D6. On a 1 or 6, the mission is NOT played
Objectives: using the Stealth rules.
Use the Search rules to track down the target. Roll 1D6. On a roll of 1, the group arrived by
Once the target has been found, the group is vehicle.
authorized to leave the table. If the mission is not a Stealth mission, roll 1D6.
Mortar support is available on a roll of 1.
Roll 1D6. On a 1 or 6, this mission is played using Opposition:
the Stealth rules. 1-3: Sentries
Roll 1D6. On a roll of 1, the group arrived by 4: Enemy troops
vehicle. 5-6: Defensive position
Opposition:
1-2: Sentries
3-4: Enemy troops
6: Hidden sniper
61

42-47 KILL 48-53 CAPTURE
A specific priority target must be eliminated. An enemy soldier needs to be captured to get
information and intelligence.
Battle area: If capturing an enemy does not seem feasible, any
Set up the terrain as desired. Position a terrain enemy presence must be neutralized.
feature in the middle of the table.
Battle area:
The enemy is set up near the centre of the table This can take place in almost any terrain.
with the target as close to the exact middle as Forces set up within 6” of their own table edge,
possible. with all figures deployed on the table.
The attackers set up second within 6” of their table Determine randomly which side sets up first.
edge with all figures deployed on the table. Advanced players may prefer to indicate
deployments on paper in advance, then place the
Objectives: figures simultaneously.
The mission is a success if the target becomes a
casualty. Objectives:
Once the target has been killed, the group is Mission success is achieved if an enemy is overcome
authorized to leave the table. by Brawling or if a Knocked Down enemy is
contacted.
Special circumstances: Once this has been achieved, the group is
Roll 1D6. On a roll of 1 or 6, the mission is played authorized to leave the table.
using the Stealth rules. If a capture does not succeed but all enemy forces
The target may not move more than 6” from the are neutralized, the mission is not considered a
central terrain feature. success or failure.
Roll 1D6. On a roll of 1, the group arrived by
vehicle. Special circumstances:
If the mission is not a Stealth mission, roll 1D6. On a Roll 1D6. On a roll of 1 or 6, the mission is played
roll of 1, the group has mortar support available. using the Stealth rules.
Roll 1D6. On a roll of 1, the group arrived by
Opposition: vehicle.
1-3: Sentries
4: Enemy troops Opposition:
5-6: Defensive position 1-3: Sentries
4: Enemy troops
5-6: Defensive position
62

54-59 RETRIEVE 60-63 DELIVER
An item must be found and brought back from the An item must be delivered to a specific spot while
battle area while preventing it from falling in enemy avoiding or driving off enemy forces in the process.
hands.
Battle area:
Battle area: Set up the terrain as desired.
The terrain can be set up as desired but should Place a marker roughly mid way between the centre
feature multiple terrain features as possible of the table and the opposing table edge.
locations for the item to be found. This is the delivery point.
Forces set up within 6” of their own table edge,
with all figures deployed on the table. Forces set up within 6” of their own table edge,
Determine randomly which side sets up first. with all figures deployed on the table.
Advanced players may prefer to indicate Determine randomly which side sets up first.
deployments on paper in advance, then place the Advanced players may prefer to indicate
figures simultaneously. deployments on paper in advance, then place the
figures simultaneously.
Objectives:
Use the Search rules to locate the item. Objectives:
Any figure can pick up the item and carry it with The item is carried by one figure in the group.
them. If the figure becomes a casualty, any friendly figure
Once the item has been acquired, the group is may pick the item up.
authorized to leave the battle area, winning the If a figure carrying the item reaches the delivery
mission if the item is carried off the board. point, the mission is a success and the group is
The mission is lost if an enemy figure carries the authorized to leave the battle area.
item off the board.
Special circumstances: Roll 1D6. On a roll of 1 or 6, the mission is played
Roll 1D6. On a roll of 1 or 6, the mission is played using the Stealth rules.
using the Stealth rules. Roll 1D6. On a roll of 1, the group arrived by
Roll 1D6. On a roll of 1, the group arrived by vehicle.
vehicle.
Opposition:
Opposition: 1-3: Sentries
1-3: Sentries 4: Enemy troops
4-6: Enemy troops 5: Defensive position
6: Hidden sniper
63

64-70 CROSS 71-74 ESCORT
The group must make their way across the battle An important individual has to be escorted safely
area, while pushing through or avoiding enemy across the battle area.
patrols.
Battle area:
Battle area: The terrain can be set up as desired though a fairly
The terrain can be set up as desired though a fairly dense table will give a better game.
dense table will give a better game.
Forces set up within 6” of their own table edge, with all figures deployed on the table. Determine
with all figures deployed on the table. Determine randomly which side sets up first. Advanced players
randomly which side sets up first. Advanced players may prefer to indicate deployments on paper in
may prefer to indicate deployments on paper in advance, then place the figures simultaneously.
advance, then place the figures simultaneously. The escorted figure is placed within 2” of one of the
figures making up the escort.
Objectives:
At least 2 figures must escape through the Objectives:
opposing table edge to win the mission. Once this The escorted individual must be led off the
has been achieved, remaining figures are authorized opposite table edge. Once that has been achieved,
to leave the battle area through any table edge. the rest of the group is authorized to leave the
battle area.
Roll 1D6. On a roll of 1 or 6, the mission is played Special circumstances:
using the Stealth rules. Roll 1D6. On a roll of 1 or 6, the mission is played
using the Stealth rules.
Opposition: The escorted figure will activate for free if it is within
1-2: Sentries 2” of another figure being activated. The escorted
3-4: Enemy troops figure cannot fire weapons but will defend itself if
5: Defensive position attacked in a Brawl.
6: Hidden sniper The enemy will not fire directly at the escorted
figure but may attack in a Brawl to take the figure
prisoner.
Opposition:
1-2: Sentries
3-4: Enemy troops
6: Hidden sniper
64

75-80 SECURE 81-84 CONTACT
An objective has to be secured against nearby Your group needs to make contact with a non
enemy troops. Fighting them off will be a military person of great importance.
requirement. The ideal mission will avoid contact with the enemy.
Battle area: Battle area:

The terrain can be set up as desired though a fairly The terrain can be set up as desired but the table
dense table will give a better game. should be quite dense.
Place a landmark or object of interest near the Using several buildings will work particularly well.
centre of the table, about 6” closer to the group The enemy is positioned around the table with the
with the mission. advancing group choosing an entry point along the
table edge and deploying within 3” of that point.
with all figures deployed on the table. Once they have deployed, the enemy uses the
Determine randomly which side sets up first. Unexpected Encounter rules to deploy 1D6+1
Advanced players may prefer to indicate civilians.
deployments on paper in advance, then place the Each civilian must be placed initially within 12” of
figures simultaneously. the centre of the table.
Objectives: Objectives:
At least one figure must move to the objective and The group must find their contact by moving within
succeed in a Task roll without enemies within 6”. 1” of a civilian and using the Search rules.
Once this succeeds, the enemy will fall back off the Once contact has been made, the group may leave
table. the battle area.
Special circumstances: Special circumstances:

Roll 1D6. On a 1, the group has mortar support. This mission is always played using the Stealth rules.
A civilian can be talked into providing distraction
Once a figure in the group reaches the objective, using the Persuasion rules.
roll 1D6 every enemy turn. On a 6, the enemy If convinced, the civilian now moves 4” per turn.
receives an additional figure with a rifle, placed When contact is made with an enemy figure, if the
within 6” of the table edge. civilian wins a Persuasion test, the enemy may be
moved 6” in any direction.
Opposition: Only one attempt is permitted per civilian per
1-6: Enemy troops game.
Opposition:
1-6: Sentries
65

85-90 DEFEND 91-100 REPEAT LAST MISSION
You're in the pathway of a larger enemy force and Whether due to changing conditions, bad intel or
must hold off until relieved. the wrong target, the group must undertake the
same mission as the last one played though
Battle area: locations and targets may differ.
The terrain can be set up as desired though a fairly
dense table will give a better game.
The defending player selects a point on their half of VARIANT MISSIONS
the table edge and deploys in or around that
location.
Variations of the above missions can be
If the point is an actual terrain feature, this is the
spot to defend. easily generated for an almost infinite
If it is a location in the open, such as a cross roads, variety.
figures may set up within 6” of the location. Give the attackers a vehicle to escape in,
change a few parameters of the mission,
Attackers set up within 6” of their table edge. require them to Persuade a civilian before
they find the actual objective location and
Objectives:
so forth.
The defenders must render at least half the attack
group ineffective (bailed, captured or out of action) Don't be afraid to be creative with missions
at any one time. especially in a multi player campaign or in
Once this occurs, the attack is broken up. a campaign linked to a larger game.
The attackers receive mortar support and receive 3
extra rolls on the appropriate Forces table.
Opposition:
1-6: Enemy troops
66

Results are applied to the side undertaking the

CONDITIONS OF BATTLE mission, while “enemy” results apply to the
opposition. In a non-campaign battle, simply
After determining the mission and after setting up determine randomly who the event applies to or
the terrain and deploying all figures, you may generate an event for both sides.
optionally determine a condition of battle.
Roll on the table below to determine what the
situation is and how to implement it.
Players who prefer more structure to their game

may want to omit this stage.
The battle conditions can be used for non-
campaign battles, though some results refer to
specific aspects of the campaign rules.
Roll Battle condition

1-5 Head start
After deploying, resolve a Scurry turn before starting game
6-10 Unexpected resistance
Enemy receives 2 additional figures with rifles
11-15 Fire support
The mission has been deemed important enough to get support from a light mortar
16-20 Pretty gloomy
All fire above 18” range will roll Shock dice only
21-25 Confused
The enemy automatically moves first.
26-30 Bad maps
Select a random terrain feature and move it 2D6” in a random direction
31-35 Dense fog
During first 2 turns, all weapon ranges are limited to 4”
36-40 Surprise encounter
No Reaction Fire is possible in the first 3 turns.
41-45 Got lost
One random figure is removed from the table and will not be available this mission.
46-50 Bad feeling
51-55 Good spirits
56-60 Hellish downpour
Neither side may take Dash moves this game. Visibility limited to 18”
61-65 Civilians
Place 1D6 civilians in the battle area. Suffer 1 negative morale die for every accidental civilian casualty.
66-70 Good place to scavenge
Terrain features may be searched. The first successful Search roll provides one roll on the Specialist Gear table.
71-75 Fancy meeting you here
A random character known in the campaign is in the battle area.
If they can be reached and escorted off the table, get a positive morale die and a roll on the Specialist Gear table.
76-80 High priority
Due to the importance of this mission, if the mission is a success, roll an extra positive morale die.
If it is a failure, roll an extra negative morale die.
81-85 Rely on your wits
No Specialist Gear may be used in this mission.
86-90 Not your best day
Randomly select a figure with skills. The figure may not use a random skill during this mission.
The skill is not lost and is available again in subsequent missions.
91-95 Brothers in arms
The group is accompanied by a Special Character selected from those available to the nationality.
96-100 Chaotic battle
During the battle, roll for a random event every turn
67

Roll on the table below to determine what

IN GAME EVENTS happened and apply the effects immediately.
People who like a random aspect to their battles Events are resolved before the turn proceeds.
may find this section to be of benefit. All random events that affect a specific figure will
If the Action die scores a 3, a random event has be applied to a figure on the active players side,
occurred. unless otherwise indicated.
Roll Random event

1-4 Cold feet
Random figure Flinches
5-8 Gun jammed
Random figure suffers a weapon jam and must succeed in a Task to fix it.
9-12 Distracted
Random figure may not act this turn. This prevents the figure from being activated and prevents it from Guard
firing in the next enemy turn, though Snap fire is still permitted.
13-16 Opening
Prevent one enemy figure of choice from Guard firing this turn.
17-20 Up and at 'em
One figure of your choice may ignore Snap fire and gets +1 to Brawls this turn
21-24 Hit the dirt
One figure of choice in the open may move up to 4” if it brings them into cover
25-28 Covering fire
One figure of choice may roll 2 Shock dice and apply them to any enemy in sight
29-32 Bravery
One figure of choice may shake off the effects of a Flinch or Bail result
33-36 Accurate fire
One figure firing this turn may roll an extra Kill die.
37-40 They're pinned down
A random enemy Flinches
41-44 Thought he was over there
Move a random enemy figure 1D6” in a random direction.
45-48 Wait, where are we?
Move a random friend figure 1D6” in a random direction.
49-52 Straggler
You receive an additional soldier with a rifle. Place the figure within 3” of your table edge.
The figure fights with you for the remainder of this mission
53-56 Hiding spot
A random figure in cover or rough terrain may not be fired upon next turn.
57-60 Just a scratch
A random figure that went out of action returns to action but may not act this turn.
61-64 Accident
Roll a Kill die and apply the result to a random figure.
65-68 Spooked
Roll a Shock die and apply the result to a random figure.
69-72 Ouch
Random figure is knocked down.
73-76 Keep pushing
A random figure can move and fire once before taking your normal turn.
77-80 Move it
A random figure may take a 4” move in any direction.
81-84 I see you
Pick an enemy figure that is hiding behind cover. The figure peeks this turn.
85-88 Hit and run
One figure of choice may fire at any point of their movement rather than only firing before or after moving.
89-92 Let 'em have it
One figure of choice may fire twice this turn, if normally permitted to fire.
93-96 Fall back
Each figure may retreat up to 3” away from enemies and towards their table edge.
97-100 Lesson learned
Determine a random figure. If this figure does not become a casualty, they receive an extra skill.
68
 

POST GAME CONSEQUENCES Cowardice

Any soldier leaving the battle area without
After a battle has finished, we need to authorization has a chance of being
determine what direct impacts it had on accused of cowardice.
the men in your force.
Roll a D6 for each figure and on a 1, they
have been accused, whether fairly or not.
Knock downs at the end of the game
Any figure that is knocked down when the Roll on the tables on the following page,
game ends are assumed to have depending on nationality.
recovered safely.
Out of action
Any figure rendered out of action during a
game may have simply been knocked
unconscious or they may have been
seriously injured or killed.
Roll on the table on the following table to
determine the fate of any figures out of
action.
69
Roll Result
1-10 Mental scar
Made it out okay but has battle stress, nightmares or
other mental issues.
Roll 1 negative morale die. (see group morale below)
11-25 Knocked out
Back in action.
26-30 Dramatic scar
Big hit with the ladies but back in action.
31-50 Light wound
The soldier will be out of action for 2D6 days.
51-60 Moderate wound
61-70 Seriously wounded
71-80 Seriously wounded and reassigned
When soldier recovers, he'll be reassigned to a non
combat position and leaves the campaign
81-90 Permanent injury
The war is over for this guy. Sent home.
91-100 Killed
A soldier finds his final rest.
Regular armies (American, British and Commonwealth, French, Polish etc.)
Roll Result
1-5 Harsh court martial
The soldier is removed from the campaign permanently. Roll a negative morale die for the group.
6-15 Court martial
The soldier must win a persuasion test or be removed from the campaign. Roll a
negative morale die.
16-30 Stern talking to
31-40 Crisis of confidence
Roll a negative morale die. Re-roll the soldiers motivation.
41-100 Found free of fault
All is forgiven. Back to the trenches.
Totalitarian armies (German, Soviet and others at player discretion)
Roll Result
1-10 Summary execution
Traitors and defeatists must be shown no mercy.
11-20 Penal unit
A chance to redeem yourself. You may play out a near suicide mission or simply roll 1D6.
On a 6 the figure returns to your unit.
On another roll, hopefully the authorities write their parents a nice letter.
21-30 Court martial
The soldier must win a persuasion test or be removed from the campaign.
31-40 Stern talking to
41-45 Crisis of confidence
Roll a negative morale die. Roll again for the soldiers motivation.
46-100 Found free of fault
All is forgiven. Back to the trenches.
70
 

REPLACEMENTS RESTOCK EQUIPMENT
While your group of characters does not If the campaign makes use of Specialist
necessarily represent a specific unit, they Gear, roll a new item and add it to the
will obtain replacements as the campaign stock available to the group.
goes on. In campaigns, we suggest that items are
Note that this is not inherently tied to the retained until use.
overall military outfit receiving
replacements or reinforcements. Grenades and similar limited equipment is
replenished to a ratio of 2 per group
Your group represents a close knit band of member.
comrades and a replacement figure is
essentially a friend made or a brother in
SKILL GAINS
arms gained.
If your group has less than five figures, you While your men can gain new skills as a
may make a roll on the relevant Force result of random events, the main source
table for your nationality to see who you of improvement is steady and automatic.
obtain.
New arrivals do not generally have skills. After every mission, you may roll for a
random skill and assign it to any surviving
If you have five figures or more, you can member of your unit.
only add figures through player actions or Soldiers can end up with multiple skills.
random events.
GROUP MORALE
For a larger game, set the number at eight
figures instead.
If so, add an additional Force roll to the When playing a campaign, the morale of
enemy in all missions even if you later fall the group will go up and down as the
understrength. campaign goes on.
Individual events and figures will
Figures not currently available due to contribute to the morale score as the
injuries, leave or otherwise are not campaign goes on.
counted towards the size of your group.
This means that your group can potentially Rather than look at the morale of
get pretty large over time. individual soldiers, what we are tracking is
the morale of the group as a whole.
71
Certain events and even certain soldiers

Bad morale
will benefit the overall performance and
cohesion of the group while others may Bad morale will hurt a groups
weaken it in some ways. performance in combat, rendering them
more susceptible to the effects of enemy
At any given time, the groups morale fire and less likely to engage aggressively.
score may be viewed as a verdict on how
cohesive and bonded they feel, how well If a group has bad morale, the enemy
they feel they can survive the situation gets a number of extra Shock dice to roll
they are in and how positive their outlook during the game equal to the negative
is. morale score.
Morale starts at a base of 0 where it has Each die can be used once and may be
no game impact. rolled at any time during the enemy turn.
Groups with good morale will have a
score above 0 while groups with bad This can result in figures Flinching or
morale will have a score below 0. Bailing even when not under fire.
Morale modifiers from events are applied If playing solo, the enemy will roll one Bad
as they occur. Morale die against you each turn, starting
Morale modifiers from soldiers are with turn 2.
applied when the soldier joins the group.
Once a morale die has been applied, the Mission results
results are not reversed by the soldier
leaving the group later. Various factors in a mission can influence
whether morale goes up or down.
Good morale In either event, the result is given as a

Morale scores above 0 translate to better number of Morale Dice.
resiliency during a battle. Roll the specific number of dice and for
every 1 or 6, morale is modified by one
Each point of positive Morale allows you point (up for positive morale dice, down
to prevent a figure from hunkering down for negative morale dice)
or bailing once or instantly recovering
from either status. Positive morale dice:
Mission completed successfully 3 dice
No figures out of action 1 die
Each point of positive Morale can be used Captured enemy soldier 1 die
once per battle, whenever you choose. Negative morale dice:
Mission failed 1 die
Each figure out of action 1 die
72
CAMPAIGN EVENTS
After every mission, 2 Campaign Events are generated and implemented, one after the
other. This presents the unpredictable nature of the campaign.
Roll Event
1-4 Meet new character
The group meets someone new. Roll on the People table to determine who it is.
5-7 Character leaves
One of the characters the group has met leaves the campaign. Determine which one randomly.
8-10 Character dies
One of the characters the group has met is killed. Determine which one at random.
11-13 Letter from home
A random soldier gets a letter from home. If the soldiers motivation is Family, increase group morale by 1.
Otherwise roll a positive morale die.
14-16 Change of motivation
A random soldier changes their motivation. Roll randomly and apply any effects as if the figure had just joined.
17-20 Pick up new member
Someone made a friend. Add a soldier to your group with no skills and a rifle or pistol.
21-23 Extra training
Whether a formal training opportunity or unusual talents acquired, roll a random skill and assign it to a soldier of choice.
24-27 Character encounter
You have an encounter with a random known character. Make a Persuasion roll. On a success, you receive an
additional player action this campaign turn, provided you can justify it through the character you encountered.
28-30 Meet the boss
A random figure has a meeting with the Battalion commander.
If the last mission was a success, you just made a friend. You can use this to get a second player action or protect one
figure from the effects of a Court Martial at any later point in the campaign.
If the last mission was a failure, you've made an enemy. Roll on the Court Martial table.
31-33 Bad news for our boys
War news are not looking good. Roll a negative morale die.
34-36 Promotion or commendation
A random figure gets a promotion, commendation or other act of recognition. Roll a positive morale die.
If the figures motivation is Glory or Ambition, roll a second positive morale die.
37-39 Delay
Hurry up and wait. An additional 1D6 days pass before the next mission.
40-42 Quick recovery
A random wounded soldier can cut 1D6 days from his recovery time.
43-45 Milestone reached
An important mile stone has been reached in the current campaign. This could be the capture of a given objective or turn
of the tide in the overall battle. If this event occurs a second time, the campaign comes to an end.
If you prefer basing the length of the campaign on other factors, simply treat this as a positive morale die.
46-48 Scavenged loot
Make a roll on the Special Gear table and add it to your inventory.
49-51 Weapon broken
Determine a random figure armed with something other than a rifle. The weapon is destroyed and replaced with a rifle.
73

52-54 Additional firepower

Your squad has acquired an additional sub machine gun.
55-57 Reassigned
A random soldier is reassigned to another unit, sent home to aid in propaganda tasks or otherwise removed from the
campaign. Wish him the best and roll a positive morale die.
58-61 Leave
A random soldier is given leave. He'll be gone for 3D6 days before returning. Roll a D6.
On a 1 or 6, while gone from the front, his motivation has changed. If so, roll randomly for the new motivation.
62-65 R&R
The whole group gets some well deserved R&R. Roll a positive morale die. R&R lasts 1D6 days and is added to the
normal time between missions. Generate an additional event while the group is kicking back and enjoying life.
66-68 Bottle of booze
69-71 Sickness
A random soldier gets sick. The sickness will last 1D6 days and the soldier is unable to fight until recovered.
72-75 Accident
A random soldier gets in an accident. Roll a D6. On a 1, he escapes unharmed and rolls a positive morale die. On a 2-5,
he is incapacitated that many days. On a 6, roll a negative morale die and the soldier must roll on the Injury table as if
he had gone out of action during a mission.
76-78 Intense fighting
The battles have been particularly fierce. The mission receives no recovery time and must undertake a second
military mission immediately. Roll a negative morale die but if the next mission is won, roll two positive morale dice.
79-81 Meet a girl (or boy)
A random figure meets a charming local.
Roll a positive morale die. After each mission, roll a D6. On a 1 or 6, they break it off. Roll a negative morale die.
While in love, the figure counts as having the Dependable skill.
82-85 Argument
Randomly select two soldiers. They get into a personal dispute. While bickering is normal, on occasion this
becomes a problem. Roll 1D6.
On a 1, the argument turns into a fight. Resolve a Brawl with the loser requiring 1 day of recovery.
On a 6, the argument affects the unit. Roll a negative morale die.
86-88 No break
No time passes in the campaign before the next mission is assigned.
All post mission steps are carried out as normal but the calendar is not advanced D6 days.
89-90 Pocket pistol
A figure of your choice receives a pistol in addition to their current weapons.
91-92 War effort
An important victory for your side, somewhere else in the war. Roll a positive morale die.
94-95 War struggle
The battalion has suffered set backs. Roll a negative morale die.
Add an additional enemy figure during any missions, until you've won two.
96-100 Better use of talent
Generate a random skill.
At your discretion, you may replace an existing skill on one figure with the newly generated skill.
If no figures in the group currently have any skills, simply add the skill to a figure of your choice.
74
 

PLAYER ACTIONS ADVANCE THE CALENDAR
After every mission, once all other events Once all other actions have been taken,
have been resolved, the player may unless campaign events dictated
attempt any one change that is mutually otherwise, advance the calendar 1D6+1
agreed upon. days and mark off the time for any figures
that are injured or on leave and add
Whether it is picking up another soldier, returning figures back to the group.
acquiring a replacement weapon or
anything else the player can think of, it is You are now ready to play another
handled the same way: mission.
Roll a D6, with the action succeeding on a
2-5.
HISTORICAL EVENTS
1: Delay
An effective way of increasing the
The action does not succeed.
ambience and flavor of a campaign is to
6: Didn't expect that check on important events as they occur.
The action does not succeed.
Roll an additional campaign event instead. This can be reflected in various ways but a
simple way is through the Morale system.
Major events to the benefit of the

Players have wide discretion on what can nationality you play (major battles won,
be done with a player action, but suitable allied countries entering the war or enemy
examples include: countries leaving the war) all qualify for a
positive morale die,
• Remove one point of Negative Morale. while major drawbacks (battles lost, allies
• Roll a positive Morale Die. leaving the war or new enemies entering
• Add one figure with a basic rifle and no it) would inflict negative morale dice.
skills.
• Acquire a replacement weapon of choice.
A more comprehensive system could be
• Reduce the injury recovery time of one
figure by 1D6 days. devised but the author feels this is better
• Meet a new character. left up to individual campaign organizers
• Roll again for a figures motivation. and gaming groups.
• Roll for an additional Specialist Gear item.
• Add a random skill to a figure.
75

If you keep a consistent calendar, it can

DECIDE NARRATED MISSIONS
add a lot of flavour to the campaign if you
mark important battles and events in the
At times, even in a mostly random calendar.
campaign, you may find a perfect That way, you can incorporate them into
opportunity for a follow up mission, the campaign and use them as inspiration
whether based on characters met, events for missions as you go along.
that have happened or things that took
place in the last mission. Even if the scale of group skirmish we are
playing is too small to fully reflect battles
Maybe you've just come up with a good like Monte Casino or Bastogne, thematic
scenario you want to play through, or the elements can be worked in.
groups of two players will meet in an epic If a mission takes place near the Battle of
struggle. Bastogne, the group may play out a
Whatever the case, any time you deviate defensive mission where entrenched
from the normal random generation Americans have to fight off waves of
methods, it's a Narrated mission. German attackers for example.
Narrated missions are still considered part Narrated missions don't have to be that
of the campaign and the normal processes serious either:
apply after the mission such as One of the soldiers has a local girlfriend?
experience, campaign events and so forth. Play a Stealth mission where he's trying to
sneak past her disapproving parents and
The designer of the scenario should wager a morale die on the outcome.
consider the following factors:
• Will battle conditions and random events

be rolled for?
• What are the objectives of each side?
• At what time is the group authorized to
leave the battle area?
• Will this have larger consequences in the
campaign?
• Does the group receive any special
rewards or benefits for winning?
• Does the group receive any special
penalties or consequences for losing?
• What opposition will the group be facing?
• Will they have any assistance or support?
76
QUESTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
This section covers a few common questions and provides some reasonable
interpretations.
If in doubt, most rules queries can be solved by reading the rule literally.
You are always welcome to contact the author at nordicweaselgames@icloud.com
When is a gure visible inside a terrain feature?

If any portion of the base touches the edge of the terrain.
When positioning figures, players should make it a habit to say out loud whether the
figure is supposed to be visible or not.
How does reaction re work across an obstacle?

Apply the rules literally.
Only Shock dice can be rolled.
Thus, Guard Fire is not affected while Snap Fire becomes impossible.
Can my gure Dash if I began the turn in rough terrain but moved out during my
regular movement?
Yes you can.
Dash restrictions only apply at the moment you begin the Dash itself.
If I activate gures near each other, do they move as a unit?

No. Figures always activate individually and one at a time, unless a rule specifically states
otherwise.
This applies in all cases unless a rule specifically states otherwise.
For larger games, its a common house rule to allow an activation to affect 2-3 figures near
each other.
Can I move into contact with two enemies at the same time?
No.
If it happens, push the extra enemy away slightly.
Could I apply both a national characteristic and a skill to the same roll or move?
We strongly suggest you do not allow for this.
77
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78
CHANGE LOG
1.03
Snap fire range increased to 6”.
Mortar blast ranges increased by 1” each.
Assorted tweaks and improved explanations.
1D6+1 days now pass between campaign
turns.
Knockdowns at the end of the game now
recover automatically.
Fields of fire for reactions reduced to 90
degrees for most and 45 degrees for machine
guns.
Firing across terrain has been reworked.
Reroll to one firing die now applies within 12”
if the target is in the open.
1.02
A new event has been added to the campaign
events table (Pocket pistol).
US Marine force list added.
Specialist gear table has been rewritten.
Marching fire deleted from assault rifles.
1.01
Squad creation has been updated a bit.
The enemy gets 4 rolls now when facing
Enemy Forces (+1 when facing Soviets).
Japanese force list added.
Chinese force list added.
Extra grenades Gear roll now grants +3.
Added Tactics to Force special rules.
Finnish special ability fixed.
Scurry and Firefight turns revised.
Standard turn now activates half the figures.
Self-loading rifle marching fire removed.
1.00
Release version.
79
DESIGNER NOTES
It’s always interesting to return to your old Our toy soldier models stand up tall, but in
work. Some things will look terrible to your reality if you came to a halt in the open, you’d
experienced eyes, other things turn out to be flat on your belly or crouched behind
have held up quite well. whatever shrubbery you could find.
Is a soldier lying prone any easier to hit than a
In a lot of ways Five Men in Normandy feels a soldier sticking their head and arms over a
bit quaint in a world where the FiveCore wall to fire on you?
system has done so much. I wasn’t convinced back then, hence I had to
Yet I think the rapid pace, simple rules and no- consider what cover actually does then.
frills campaign experience still has something
special to offer. The answer seemed simple enough: Troops
taking sporadic fire might be more likely to
No matter what scale a game is aimed at, the stick around and you could of course hide
immediate urge for most players is to double behind it.
the size of the game.
I would strongly encourage you to resist that When teaching the rules to new players, get
temptation: The rules work extremely well them in the habit of evaluating whether to
when using a handful of figures on each side. hide or peek over the cover. Once it becomes
At that scale, you can start identifying with second nature, you’ll get a whole new
your little lead troopers and it’s easy to track appreciation for tabletop tactics.
who has what skill.
Piling a whole platoon on the table will just Revisiting this old game has been a blast.
lead to a mess. There’s better rules for that. I sincerely hope you have as much fun playing
it.
To get the full benefit of the rules, you should
be playing it as a campaign. Peace and Love
There’s few moments like realizing that to Ivan Sorensen
achieve your mission, you may have to risk the nordicweaselgames@icloud.com
neck of a highly skilled soldier.
Maybe you run into overwhelming opposition
and you have to fight your way out.
Campaign play is all about rolling with the
punches. If things go haywire, there’s always
the Player Action to help you get back on your
feet.
The rule that a lot of people don’t grasp right

away is how cover works.
We’re used to cover making it harder to shoot

you, but I am not convinced that’s really what
it does.
80
 

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Five Men in Normandy .

FIVE MEN IN NORMANDY

A WORLD WAR 2 SKIRMISH CAMPAIGN

You can follow Nordic Weasel Games in the following places:

Our store front on the Wargame Vault:

Announcements are posted on Twitter as well:

If you wish to contribute to ongoing development, you can do so through my Patreon

Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition

Additionally, there was no arguing with the

MODULAR GAME RULES

The Combat rules you are currently

Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition

Figures do not need to maintain any

Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition

Group: The figures available to a single

In campaign games, it is of benefit to be Shock dice: Dice rolled to determine if a

Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition

A lot of people were involved in providing

He’s probably run more games of FiveCore

Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition

TURN SEQUENCE Action Roll

1 - Scurry! 6 - Fire Fight!

Scurrying figures are not subject to any snap

Once all moves are completed, the turn ends.

Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition

Standard Turn Weird dice - Option

Instead of moving, a figure may declare

What's happening here?

Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition

the open due to a bad roll.

Once committed, the figure must finish the

Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition

Crossing an easy obstacle will end the

Dif cult obstacles require a full move to

Figures that are behind obstacles and

Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition

Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition

on the far side (more than 1” away) are

Note that friendly figures absolutely can

If they aren't peeking over, they cannot be

After each attack directed at a figure, you

Firing at Distant targets

Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition

The Kill die The Shock die

1: Knock Down 1: Flinch

6: Out of action If they cannot reach cover within 6” they will

Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition

To reflect the difference between measured

Figures inside terrain features can move

If the figure is not hit, they may continue

Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition

Resolve this by rolling only Shock dice for

The reacting player may pick any eligible

Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition

Each brawler rolls 1D6. While unusual, a figure wielding a

In the event both figures would win on a

Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition

If this die scores a 1 or a 6, the firer has

Flame throwers are always subject to

Five Men in Normandy .30 Cal Edition

Bolt Action Ri es Light machine gun

Semi Automatic Ri es When conducting reaction fire, field of fire

Additional dice are rolled when Guard