Assault On Vimy Ridge A Solitaire Wargame

Assault
© Mike Lambo
2022
Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

2

Books by Mike Lambo
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Acknowledgement
My games are based on my experiences, gained over many years, of designing my own games, but also
playing games designed by others. Generally, I believe my games are different enough from those other
games not to require any specific acknowledgement of any other particular game. Designers commonly borrow
ideas from other games and use them to create their own games. For Assault on Vimy Ridge, I did just want to
acknowledge on this occasion that I was particularly inspired by Fields of Fire, designed by Ben Hull and
published by GMT Games. Assault on Vimy Ridge is not a copy or ‘version’ of that game and is in fact very
significantly different to Fields of Fire, but I am sure some Players will recognise a few familiar concepts, and I
thought it only fair to acknowledge the fact that had I never played Fields of Fire then I would never have
designed Assault on Vimy Ridge in quite the same way that I have. Fields of Fire is an excellent game and I
recommend it whole-heartedly to anyone looking for an engaging and realistic solitaire wargame. It is fair to say
it is quite a few levels of complexity (and realism) above this game!

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 5
Background ..............................................................................................................................5
How the book works ................................................................................................................5
INTRODUCTORY RULES and Set Up ........................................................................................ 6
Overview..................................................................................................................................6
The Mission Maps ....................................................................................................................6
The Units..................................................................................................................................7
Facing and Line of Sight............................................................................................................8
Attacks .....................................................................................................................................8
Set Up ......................................................................................................................................9
MAIN RULES including the Turn Process ................................................................................10
Pre-Game Phase: Rolling Artillery Barrage ............................................................................. 10
Phase 1: Canadian Orders and Attacks ................................................................................... 11
Ascertaining the number of Canadian Orders ..................................................................... 11
Performing the Orders ........................................................................................................ 11
Canadian Attacks ................................................................................................................ 13
Phase 2: German Orders and Attacks ..................................................................................... 15
Performing Orders for Unpinned German Units .................................................................. 15
German Snipers Attack ....................................................................................................... 16
German Units Attack........................................................................................................... 16
Performing Orders for Pinned German Units ....................................................................... 17
Phase 3: German Events ........................................................................................................ 18
THE CAMPAIGNS AND IN BETWEEN MISSIONS ......................................................................19
Campaign A, Mission 1: 3rd Division - Initial Assault ..............................................................20
Campaign A, Mission 2: 3rd Division - Onwards and Upwards................................................22
Campaign A, Mission 3: 3rd Division - Defensive Line .............................................................24
Campaign B, Mission 1: 2nd Division - Initial Assault ..............................................................26
Campaign B, Mission 2: 2nd Division – The Village of Thélus ..................................................28
Campaign B, Mission 3: 2nd Division – On to Farbus ..............................................................30
Campaign C, Mission 1: 1st Division - Initial Assault ...............................................................32
Campaign C, Mission 2: 1st Division – Past Thélus and Onwards ............................................34
Campaign C, Mission 3: 1st Division – Taking Farbus .............................................................36
Campaign D, Mission 1: 4th Division - Initial Assault ..............................................................38
Campaign D, Mission 2: 4th Division – Hill 145 .......................................................................40
Campaign D, Mission 3: 4th Division – The Pimple .................................................................42
Suggested Counters ..............................................................................................................45

Introduction
Background
The Battle of Vimy Ridge, April 9th to April 12th, 1917, was part of the Battle of Arras in north-eastern France
and took place during World War One. It was the first time that the four Divisions of the Canadian Corps fought
together as one and is arguably Canada’s most celebrated military victory. The Ridge itself was a crucial
strategic location and previous attempts by the British and French to take it had failed. New tactics for
assaulting trenches were employed, where enemy units were pinned and suppressed with machine gun fire
and other weapons before infantry ran in with bayonets to finish the job. Soldiers were given more flexibility to
make decisions ‘on the fly’ supported by non-commissioned officers as the battle developed or in situations
where officers had been lost to enemy fire. In addition, troops were allocated specific roles, for example as
specialist grenade throwers. The German defences at Vimy Ridge were under-prepared to use their own new
tactics for defending trench positions. In addition, the Canadian forces were advancing behind a rolling barrage
of artillery fire which caused German soldiers to run for cover into underground chambers to avoid annihilation.
This helped the Canadians to enter the trenches before the enemy could recover and reinforce. The Ridge was
taken, and the battle was over in four days.
In the game, the Player will take control of a Sergeant who finds himself as the highest ranking soldier amongst
a selection of various units, representing small groups of remaining men in rifle squads, grenade squads and
machine gun teams, seeking to achieve various Objectives. The exploits of each of the four Divisions of the
Canadian Corps is represented by three connected mission maps, giving twelve mission maps in total. The
game should be played as four distinct campaigns consisting of the three mission maps for each Division. This
is explained further later in these rules. There is a very small amount of information to record between missions
within the campaign for each Division.
The aim of this book is to present a clear, accessible, and quick to learn game, so that players can get into the
action quickly. It does not claim to be entirely realistic, but the game mechanics do represent the historical
characteristics of the assault as set out above. Each of the 12 mission maps can be played in around 30 to 60
minutes, and each one should provide plenty of replayability due to the random set up of the initial forces and
the outcome of the many action points in the game.
Thank you for purchasing the book and I hope you enjoy the challenges it presents.
How the book works

This book is a solitaire wargame. You play the game, and the enemy is controlled by the game book (or the
Artificial Intelligence or ‘AI’). You will probably need around a dozen or so standard six-sided dice, although this
will vary a little depending on what exactly happens in the game, and the number of dice needed can easily be
reduced simply by rolling fewer dice several times as required.
Methods to play the game include the following:
• Remove or copy the counters provided on the final page of the book, stick them to card and cut them out.
This is highly recommended and a video demonstrating how to do this can be found on the Mike Lambo
Solitaire Book Games YouTube channel.
• Photocopy the maps and draw/write on the pages lightly in pencil and erase when necessary. You can use
any annotations you choose for the units, that make sense to you. You will need to show their facing clearly.
• Lay the book flat (it’s well-bound; it can stand it!) and use cubes, miniatures, or similar tokens for the units.
• Use some kind of acetate or plexiglass and dry-wipe markers.
• Take a photo of the maps on a tablet and use the “edit” function to draw and erase. For example, on an
iPad, tap “edit” in the Photos App and then tap the three dots in the circle and choose ‘mark-up’.
The choice is yours!

INTRODUCTORY RULES and Set Up
Overview
Each mission map will provide an objective or win condition which must be completed in order to deem the
mission a success. For the first two missions in a campaign, this will allow your remaining troops to proceed to
the next mission in the campaign, and for the final mission in a campaign it will result in victory. Many missions
require you to clear the enemy units from the map at any point. In that case, victory is achieved as soon as
there are no enemy units left. Other missions require you to occupy certain objective tiles with no German units
on adjacent tiles, and again victory is achieved as soon as those tiles are occupied in those circumstances.
Always take careful note of what you have to do to proceed or win! You lose immediately if the Sergeant is
killed or he fails to accrue at least 3 Orders in total at the beginning of any Turn (explained fully below) or if you
lose all of your Rifle Squads.
The Mission Maps

Each mission map consists of a series of squares, or ‘Tiles’, which your units can advance through, and on
which enemy units will be placed and move. Some Tiles have terrain features such as bunkers, trenches, shell
craters, rocks, trees, sandbags and buildings. These features look like, and have the effect noted in, the Chart
below.
Terrain Feature Graphic Effect

Attacking into a Tile which contains a bunker results in 2 dice
Bunker being removed from the total number of Attack dice.
Trench
These are all Cover Tiles

Shell Crater Attacking into a Tile which contains a trench, shell craters,
rocks, trees or buildings results in 1 die being removed from
the total number of Attack dice. Note that some Tiles contain
Rocks more than one of these features, but the result is always the
removal of only 1 die. If the Tile also contains a Bunker then
the Bunker takes precedence and just 2 dice are removed from
Trees the total number of Attack dice as explained above.
Sample
Buildings
Generally, these indicate where enemy machine guns (MGs)

Sandbags might start the game. Otherwise, they have no game effect.
They always appear on Cover Tiles (see above), so that a unit
on a sandbag Tile will always benefit from the removal of 1 die
when being Attacked.
There are also numbers on some Tiles.
Black numbers play a part in where the enemy might deploy at the start of a mission, and where they might
reinforce and move to during a mission.
Red numbers indicate where German Mortar/Artillery fire might impact.

The Units
Details of the units in the game are as follows:
Unit Range Attack Dice Notes

Sergeant 2 2 Provides 2 Orders per Turn (1 if Pinned). Canadian only.
Rifle Squad 2 1 Canadians automatically kill any German unit on the same Tile.
MG Team 3 4 or 5 Canadian MGs Attack with 4 dice, German MGs with 5 dice.
Grenadiers 1 6 Canadian only but German Rifle Units can throw the odd grenade.
Sniper 5 6 Ignores all Cover (but not Smoke). German only.
Sergeant The Sergeant’s main purpose is to give orders to those around him, although he will also
engage directly in combat. At the start of each Turn, he will gain 2 Orders (1 if he is Pinned) plus
1 Order for each Canadian unit which is on the same or any adjacent Tile as him. Adjacency in
this game always includes diagonal Tiles. For example, if he is Unpinned and has a rifle squad
on the same Tile and a Grenade Squad and an MG Team on an adjacent Tile, he will gain 5
Orders for use in that Turn. These Orders are then added to any Orders left over from the
previous Turn, subject to a maximum of 9 Orders in total. If the Sergeant fails to increase the
available Orders back up to at least 3 in total on any Turn, or he is killed, the game ends
immediately in defeat. Note that the Sergeant cannot be killed by German Mortar/Artillery Fire,
but he can be Pinned by it (all explained later).
The Sergeant has a Range of 2 Tiles (including, as for all units, diagonally) and so he can Attack
enemy units up to 2 Tiles away, and he rolls 2 dice (reflecting his experience and the positive
effect he has on units around him). Attack mechanics are covered later in the rules.
Rifle Squad The main job of the Canadian rifle squads was to storm the German trenches, a job which was
meant to have been made easier by the artillery barrage and covering MG fire. They had little
time to search for cover other than the odd terrain feature and the many artillery shell craters.
They might have had time to shoot from the hip as they ran, but their fire was largely ineffective,
and they tended to fix bayonets and enter into hand to hand combat with any German soldiers
remaining in the trenches. German rifle squads tended to stay in the trenches or possibly retreat
when things started to look bad.
Rifle squads have a Range of 2 Tiles. When Attacking, they roll 1 die. If a Canadian Rifle squad
Moves onto a Tile with a German unit on it, the German unit is instantly destroyed and removed.
MG Team The rapid rate of fire meant that these guns could rake the battlefield and Pin enemy units,
suppressing them to reduce the amount of return fire. It will be important for you to use your MG
teams effectively to help your rifle squads to advance more safely. Enemy MG teams will slow
the progress of your own units and might even eliminate some of them. Slow progress will allow
even more enemy units to recover and reinforce enemy positions.
MG teams have a Range of 3 Tiles. When Attacking, Canadians roll 4 dice and Germans 5 dice.
Grenadiers The tactics used at this stage in World War One were gradually developing into more of a squad
based system and command was de-centralised. Specialised units were created, including
squads of expert grenade throwers. They are useful for Pinning and even eliminating enemy
positions, but they have to get up close to do this. They can also use Smoke grenades.
Grenade squads have a Range of 1 Tile. When Attacking, they roll 6 dice.
Sniper Whist both sides had snipers, they are only represented as German units in this game. They
tend to hide in cover and take shots at your units from distance. Although, unlike other units,
they only Attack one unit per Turn, they do ignore all cover and so it is important to order
Canadian troop Movement to avoid their line of fire wherever possible.
Snipers have a Range of 5 Tiles. When Attacking, they roll 6 dice.

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Facing and Line of Sight
The Facing of a unit is simply the direction it faces out of a Tile, and this can be any one of eight directions,
including the four diagonals. It is then deemed to be looking, and potentially Attacking, only along that particular
line of Tiles. Note that nothing in this game blocks line of sight along that particular line of Tiles other than
enemy units, due to the fact that Attacking units will always Attack the first Tile (in Range) along the line of Tiles
they are Facing, and will ignore any enemy units beyond that first Tile. See Figure 1 below.
Figure 1
All units must always be placed Facing one of the eight directions out of the Tile. This determines which
units they can Attack, as they can only see, and therefore Attack, along the line of Tiles they are Facing.
Nothing blocks Line of Sight as such, but units can only Attack into the nearest Tile along their Facing
which contains enemy units. The Canadian (green) unit above (Facing upwards) can therefore only Attack
the German (grey) unit on the second row of Tiles and not the one behind it on the top row. However, note
that the Canadian unit can potentially be Attacked by both the German units as it is the first Canadian unit
in both of their lines of Facing (assuming they are both Facing down the map and have the Canadian unit
in Range).
Attacks
The finer points of Attacking are generally dealt with throughout these Rules, but there is a basic mechanic that
applies to all Attacks that can usefully be explained here. Attacking is done by rolling dice. The number of dice
will depend on the exact type of Attack and several other factors such as the positioning of the Attacker(s) and
whether the Defender is in Cover or not. However, once the number of Attack dice has been ascertained and
the dice collected together to launch the Attack, the basic rule is straightforward: only 6s are relevant in this
game when Attacking. Regardless of how many dice are rolled for the Attack, if the results show no 6s then the
Attack has missed or failed. If the results show one 6 then the Defending unit will be Pinned and should be
marked as such in some way. If the results show two or more 6s, then the Attack is deemed to be a hit and the
Defending unit is removed from the mission map. This basic procedure applies to both Canadian and German
AI Attacks. The following chart on the page adjacent to each mission map is there as a reminder:
To Pin: One 6 To Hit: Two 6s
For clarity, Pinning a unit that is already Pinned has no additional effect.

Set Up
The first thing to do in each mission is to set up the German forces. The page adjacent to each mission map
will start with the title, some flavour text and the win condition, and then it will set out two charts like this:
Units Canadians: Rifles 6 (D1, R2) Grenades 1 (D6, R1) MGs 1 (D4, R3) Sergeant 1 (D2, R2)
Germans: Rifles 8 (D1, R2) MGs 4 (D5, R3) Snipers 1 (D6, R5)
SET UP: Germans: Place 1 MG on each of the 2 Bunkers. For the other 2 MGs, roll a d6 for each, add 3
to the result and place them on the relevant black numbered Tiles (with sandbag icons). Roll a d6, add 1
and place the Sniper on the relevant black numbered Tile. Re-roll any duplicates as necessary. Place the 8
Rifles on all the remaining empty Trench Tiles. All German units start facing down the Map.
Then place the 9 Canadian units anywhere on the bottom row, maximum 3 units to a Tile, any facing.
In this example, the Germans start with 8 Rifle Squads, 4 MG Teams and a Sniper. This is taken from the first
mission of the game. In some missions the number of Rifle Squads may be expressed as a range of numbers,
with the exact number to be placed dependent on the position of other units; the instructions for each mission
should be followed carefully. All German units are initially placed facing down the map.
The instructions here say to place 1 MG on each of the 2 Bunker Tiles and then place the other 2 MGs on Tiles
which are numbered in black to match a roll of 1 six-sided die plus 3. These Tiles will have sandbag icons on
them (see ‘The Mission Maps’ above for a reminder of the various graphics used). Note that in this game only
one German unit can ever occupy any particular Tile, so if the Tile rolled is already occupied by another unit,
simply re-roll until a suitable vacant Tile is found.
Next, the instructions require the Player to roll a d6, add 1 and place the Sniper unit on the corresponding
black numbered Tile. Again, re-roll if a Tile is already occupied.
Then place the 8 Rifle Squads on the remaining empty Trench Tiles. Here, simply find all remaining Tiles which
have part of a Trench graphic on them (and no Bunker) and place a Rifle unit accordingly.
Remember that all German units start Facing down the mission map.
Finally, the Canadian forces are placed on the mission map. In the chart above it can be seen that the Player
gets 6 Rifle squads, 1 Grenade Squad, 1 Machine Gun Team and of course the Sergeant. Generally, the
Player will be placing those anywhere on the bottom row of Tiles but note the general restriction that no more
than 3 Canadian units can be placed on a particular Tile. This restriction applies throughout the game and at all
times. Canadian units can be placed Facing in any direction, and this should be clearly marked for each unit.
Note that for Missions 2 and 3 of each of the four campaigns, the Canadian units are simply carried over from
the previous mission (often having been bolstered a little), and so the starting units are not set out in the chart
itself for those missions.
The chart above also contains a reminder of the number of Attack Dice (‘D’) and Range (‘R’) of each unit, and
that information is also on the suggested counters at the back of the book should you choose to use them.

MAIN RULES including the Turn Process
There is no Turn limit in this game. It is for the Player to balance the level of caution in their advance against
the increasingly reinforced German defence and the need to avoid the constant German Mortar/Artillery fire.
The game proceeds through each turn as a series of Phases. The bulk of the rules to the game can best be
explained under each Phase, making them easier to find should they be needed. As ever with Mike Lambo
Solitaire Book Games, most of the key rules are contained in charts on the page next to each mission map for
ease of reference.
Pre-Game Phase: Rolling Artillery Barrage

This pre-game Phase is summarised on the page next to each mission map as follows:
ARTILLERY (Once per game, after initial Set Up)

Conduct one Attack on every German unit with 6d6. Cover effects apply as usual.
Once per mission, the Player conducts the rolling artillery barrage on the German defensive lines. This Phase
will involve the Player performing an Attack on each German unit in turn, in theory rolling 6 six-sided dice (6d6)
for each Attack, but this is reduced to 4 six sided dice (4d6) if the German unit is in a Bunker and to 5 six-sided
dice (5d6) if the German unit is in other Cover. Note that all German units are in some kind of Cover at the start
of the mission so in fact 6d6 will never be rolled at this stage.
Starting with German units furthest down the map (to replicate the ‘rolling’ nature of the artillery as it swept over
the German defences) and working left to right along each row of Tiles (simply to make it easier to remember
which units have been Attacked) roll the dice as set out above. Remember, the only die result that means
anything is a 6, as follows:
If the Player rolls a single 6 on any die, then the target German unit is Pinned and should be marked as such. A
roll of two (or more) 6s results in the target unit being destroyed and removed from the map.
For interest, the chance of Pinning a unit here with five dice is 60% and the chance of destroying a unit is 20%
(with four dice it is 52% and 13% respectively). Hopefully this barrage will result in a heavily Pinned, and to
some extent destroyed, German defensive line. The task for the Player now is to get their forces up the map to
engage the Germans before they have time to recover and reinforce.
10

Phase 1: Canadian Orders and Attacks
This Phase can be broken down into three stages: (a) Ascertaining the number of Canadian Orders available
this turn, (b) performing those Orders, and (c) undertaking Canadian Attacks. This Phase is summarised on the
page next to each mission map like this:
1. ORDERS: 2 for SGT (1 if Pinned) plus 1 for each unit in the same or adjacent Tile as SGT.
Add to Orders held over from previous turn (max 9). If total is now fewer than 3, game ends in defeat.
Move and/or Turn One unit can Move 1 Tile including diagonally and/or Turn. Max once per turn per unit
1 Order RIFLE SQUADS auto-kill any German unit which is on a Tile they Move onto.
PINNED units can only Move back to Tile with no Germans (if so, no longer PINNED)
Rally 1 Order To succeed, roll higher than the distance from Sergeant (+1 if Sergeant PINNED).
Smoke 2 Orders Grenades only. Own/adjacent Tile with Canadian unit(s). Remove at end of Turn.
Mortar 3 Orders Immediately target any Tile with 6d6. Can only perform this Order once per Turn.
THEN ATTACK: Rifles, Grenades & MGs Attack nearest German unit along their Facing.
Perform all Attacks on each German unit together. PINNED units do not Attack.
Ascertaining the number of Canadian Orders
The number of Orders available to the Player for the Turn is calculated as follows:
• 2 Orders if the Sergeant is Unpinned or 1 Order if he is Pinned.

• An additional Order for each Canadian unit (Pinned or Unpinned) which is either on the same Tile as
the Sergeant or on any Tile adjacent to him (including diagonally). His Facing is not relevant here.
Note that whilst the number of Orders is calculated by reference to nearby units, any unit can use those Orders
subject to the rules below.
The Player can record the number of Orders available (and remaining) on the Order Tracker at the bottom of
each mission map, which looks like this:
ORDERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
The maximum number of Orders that can be accrued at any one time is 9. Any Orders above this limit are lost.
Orders which are not used on a Turn can be carried over to the next Turn and added to the Orders gained for
that Turn, but the maximum limit of 9 total Orders still applies. For example, if the Player carries over 3 Orders
and then gains another 7, there will still only be 9 Orders available for that Turn.
If, immediately after the ‘new’ Orders are added to any Orders left over from the previous Turn, the total is
fewer than 3, the game ends immediately in defeat; the assault is deemed to have lost momentum and failed.
The ‘1’ and ‘2’ Orders boxes are outlined in red to remind the Player of this.
Performing the Orders
The Player can activate their units in any order and can return to a previously activated unit to perform another
Order later in the same Turn. Each time an Order is performed, it is essential that the Order Tracker is reduced
by the Order Cost of the Order to avoid using more Orders than are available for the Turn.
MOVE and/or TURN (Cost: 1 Order)
The Move and/or Turn Order enables a unit to Move to one adjacent Tile in any direction (not just the direction
it is currently Facing), including diagonally, and to then Face any direction, or a unit can just Turn within its
current Tile to Face any direction (without Moving). The ‘cost’ of such an action is 1 Order and so the Order
Tracker must be reduced by 1. Note that each unit can only perform this Order once per Turn. Remember that
a maximum of 3 Canadian units can occupy any single Tile at any one time.
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Pinned Canadian units can only Move backwards to a Tile with no German unit on it. That is, to one of the 3
Tiles on the row below their current position which are adjacent to the Pinned unit. If they are on one of the side
edges of the map, there will of course only be 2 such Tiles. If they are on the bottom row, they cannot Move at
all as there are no Tiles below them to Move to. If a Pinned unit Moves backwards in this way, it is no longer
Pinned and the marker can be removed.
If a Rifle Squad Moves onto the same Tile as any enemy unit, the enemy unit is deemed to have been
Attacked and destroyed by the Rifle Squad in close combat. This does not require the Player to roll any dice or
perform an additional Order (other than the Move Order); it is an automatically successful Attack. The German
unit is removed from the map. Other units (the Sergeant, MG Teams and Grenade Squads) can never enter
Tiles with German units on them.
RALLY (Cost: 1 Order)
The Rally Order can only be given to a Pinned unit and, if successful, results in the unit becoming Unpinned
(remove the marker but maintain the same Facing). It could then ‘spend’ additional Orders to perform other
Orders as required, and it can also Attack in the next section of this Phase.
The ‘cost’ of the Rally action is 1 Order and so the Order Tracker must be reduced by 1. Note that each unit
can attempt to perform this Order as many times as desired each Turn, but that each attempt costs 1 Order. To
perform a Rally Order, the Player first ascertains the distance between the Pinned unit and the Sergeant and
then adds 1 if the Sergeant is Pinned. To give a successful Rally Order the Player then needs to exceed this
value on the roll of 1 six sided die (1d6). For example, if a Pinned unit is 2 Tiles away from the Sergeant, who is
also Pinned, the relevant value is 3 (2 distance plus 1 for the Sergeant being Pinned), so that a roll of 4,5 or 6
would be needed for a successful Rally Order. Units on the same Tile as the Unpinned Sergeant will
automatically succeed of course, as the relevant distance would be 0. Units on the same Tile as the Pinned
Sergeant, and the Sergeant himself when Pinned, will require a roll of 2 or more as the relevant distance would
be 1 (0 actual distance plus 1 for the Sergeant being Pinned).
SMOKE (Cost: 2 Orders)
The Smoke Order can only be given to a Grenade Squad (Pinned Grenade Squads can still use Smoke even
though they cannot Attack). Place a Smoke marker on either its own Tile, or any one of the eight adjacent
Tiles, which must be occupied by at least one Canadian unit at the time the Smoke Order is performed. Note
that the Grenade Squad does not need to be Facing the Tile it ‘Smokes’.
The ‘cost’ of each Smoke Order is 2 Orders and so the Order Tracker must be reduced by 2. Grenade Squads
can perform this Order as many times as desired each Turn, but each one costs 2 Orders. Any one Tile can
only be Smoked once per Turn.
Any Attack against a Canadian unit that is on a Tile with Smoke is reduced by two dice. These two dice are
removed from the total number of Attack dice being rolled in relation to a particular defending unit. For clarity,
the Smoke bonus is in addition to any Cover bonus that the defending unit may have (see below) and does
operate against German Mortar/Artillery strikes and German Sniper Attacks.
Remove all Smoke markers at the end of each Turn.
MORTAR (Cost: 3 Orders)
Whilst Mortars are not represented in the game by any unit, the use of trench mortars was an important method
of Attacking the German defensive lines. By using 3 Orders, your Sergeant can in some way ‘call in’ or initiate
a mortar strike, perhaps by signalling or shouting to a nearby ‘off-map’ unit (reduce the Order Tracker by 3).
This Order can only be performed once per Turn. The Player selects any Tile with a German unit on it and
performs an immediate Attack roll with 6 six sided dice (6d6) reduced in the normal way for Cover. That is,
remove 2 dice if the target unit is in a Bunker or 1 die if it is in any other type of Cover. These modifiers are set
out in a chart on the page adjacent to each mission map (and is shown below in the ‘Canadian Attacks’
section). No Crossfire bonus applies to Mortar Attacks (again, see ‘Canadian Attacks’ below).
12

As with all Attacks in this game, the chart shown earlier applies:
One 6 will Pin the target unit, and two (or more) sixes will destroy it. From a tactical point of view, it is difficult to
destroy enemy units in Trenches and Bunkers, so it is often more effective to use Mortars to Pin troublesome
units, allowing your Rifle Squads to advance more easily, ready for those deadly close combat Attacks.
For clarity, Pinning a unit that is already Pinned has no additional effect.
Canadian Attacks
Once the Player has finished performing their Orders for this Turn, ALL UNPINNED Canadian units will Attack
(effectively at the same time) the nearest German unit along their facing in Range. They can Attack through
any friendly units. In relation to each German unit which comes under Attack, all Attacks on that unit should be
performed together. In other words, all Attack dice from all Canadian units Attacking the same German unit are
added together and rolled together to assess for Pinning and Hitting outcomes. For example, if a German MG
Team is under Attack from both a Rifle Squad (1 die) and an MG Team (4 dice), the Player would roll a total of
5 Attack dice, subject to the modifiers below. Note that units only Attack the nearest enemy along their Facing
and if that enemy is destroyed and removed, they cannot then Attack any enemy unit on a Tile further back
from the destroyed unit until the next Turn.
There are modifiers which should be applied when ascertaining how many Attack dice are rolled in relation to
each German unit Attacked. The relevant modifiers are summarised in the chart below, found on the page
adjacent to each mission map. All (except Smoke) apply to both Canadian and German Attacks.
ATTACK DICE MODIFIERS: Adjust total number of Attack dice rolled against a defending unit as follows:
Crossfire For each additional direction of fire above one +1 Smoke Defender in Smoke -2
Cover Defender in a Bunker -2 Defender in other Cover -1
The modifiers in relation to Cover are fairly self-explanatory. Simply remove either 2 dice if the target unit is in a
Bunker, or 1 die if it is in any other type of Cover. Note that these dice are removed from the total number of
Attack dice being rolled in relation to a particular defending unit. When a unit is being Attacked by more than
one enemy unit, only remove a maximum of 2 dice (if the defender is in a Bunker) or 1 die (if it is in other
Cover). In other words, do not remove 2 or 1 dice per Attacking unit. Note that German units do not use Smoke
to conceal their position, and so the Smoke modifier only applies to German Attacks on ‘Smoked’ Canadian
units (covered later).
The final modifier referred to in the chart is for ‘Crossfire’. Here, the Player assesses the units Attacking and
counts up the number of different directions from which the Attacks are coming. For each direction above 1, a
die is added to the Attack dice. Pinned units do not add to the Crossfire bonus as they cannot Attack. Canadian
Grenade Squads do benefit and add to Crossfire because they Attack in the same Phase as Canadian Rifle
Squads and MG Teams. Canadian Mortar Attacks do not benefit from Crossfire (they Attack separately).
Figures 2 and 3 below show two examples of Canadian Attack situations. The basic rules exemplified would
also work the same for German Attacks (see ‘German Units Attack’ below).
As a reminder, only 6s are relevant in this game when Attacking. Regardless of how many dice are rolled for
the Attack, if the results show no 6s then the Attack has missed or failed in some way. If the results show one 6
then the Defending unit will be Pinned and should be marked as such in some way. If the results show two (or
more) 6s then the Attack is deemed to be a hit and the Defending unit
is removed from the mission map. The following chart on the page
adjacent to each mission map is there as a reminder: To Pin: One 6 To Hit: Two 6s
Remember, Pinning a unit that is already Pinned has no effect.
13

Examples of Canadian Attacks
SNIPER MG SNIPER
RIFLE
SMOKE
RIFLE A
MG A MG A
Figure 2 Figure 3
In the Canadian Attack Phase, the In the Canadian Attack Phase, the German MG unit will
German Rifle unit will be Attacked by both be Attacked by all three Canadian units because it is the
the Rifle Squad and the MG Team, unit which all three Canadian units have as the nearest
because it is the unit which both Canadian unit in Range along their Facing. The Player will add 1
units have as the nearest enemy unit in die for the Rifle Squad, 4 dice for the MG Team and 6
Range along their Facing. The Player will dice for the Grenade Squad for a total of 11 Attack dice.
add the 1 die for the Rifle Squad to the 4 They will then add 2 dice because of the Crossfire bonus
dice for the MG Team for a total of 5 to make 13. The Attacks are coming from 3 different
Attack dice. They will then deduct 1 die directions and so 2 dice are added (1 for each direction
because the German Rifle unit is on a above the first). They will then deduct 1 die because the
Trench Tile (Cover). There is no Crossfire German unit is on a Trench Tile. Rolling 12 dice, the
bonus as both units are Attacking from the Player needs more than one 6 to destroy it. The Player
same direction. Rolling 4 dice, the Player was obviously very keen to eliminate the MG, although
needs one 6 to Pin the Rifle unit and two there is still only a 62% chance of doing so. It might
(or more) 6s to destroy it. The Sniper unit have been better to Face the Grenade Squad towards
cannot be Attacked this Turn as it is not the Sniper and try to Pin that unit, giving the Rifle Squad
the nearest unit along the Facing of either the chance to Move closer next turn. On this occasion
Canadian unit, even if the Rifle unit is the Grenade Squad has chosen to lay down ‘Smoke’ to
destroyed in the previous Attack. give itself some protection from the Sniper (which would
then Attack with 4d6 instead of 6d6 in the German
Note how the Attacks are performed Attack Phase – it ignores the ‘Rocks’ Cover). The
together. It is not possible to ‘split’ the Smoke will clear at the end of the Turn.
Attacks and Attack the German Rifle unit
with the MG Team in the hope of If Players do not have 12 dice, it is easy in this game to
destroying it so that the Canadian Rifle roll fewer dice and then roll them again, as all that is
unit could then Attack the Sniper in the required is to note the number of 6s rolled in total. Here,
hope of Pinning it. the Player could roll six dice twice or four dice three
times, for example.
14

Phase 2: German Orders and Attacks
This Phase can be broken down into four stages: (a) performing Orders for Unpinned German units, (b)
undertaking German Sniper Attacks if relevant, (c) undertaking all other German Attacks, and (d) performing
Orders for Pinned German units. The page next to each mission map guides the Player through each of these
stages in the following chart:
2. GERMAN ORDERS AND ATTACKS

GERMAN: UNPINNED UNITS (activate units front to back, then left to right)
1 Move to the highest black-numbered adjacent empty Tile. If so, face nearest enemy. On a tie, Face
the Tile with the most enemies, then select randomly. If it cannot Face any enemies, Face it downwards.
2 Grenade Rifles only: Attack each enemy on the adjacent Tile it is Facing (6d6). No Crossfire bonus.
3-4 If Facing a Canadian unit in Range, end activation. If not, treat as a 5-6 result…
5-6 Turn to face nearest enemy but only if it is nearer than any unit it is currently Facing. On a tie, Face
the Tile with the most enemies, then select randomly. If it cannot Face any enemies, do not Turn it at all.
SNIPERS ATTACK*: (6d6) Attacks one unit - nearest unit along Facing. If >1 prefer Unpinned to Pinned
Units, then prefer SGT>MGs> Grenades>Rifles. Ignores all Cover but not Smoke. No Crossfire bonus.
UNITS ATTACK*: Rifles & MGs Attack nearest Canadian unit along their Facing.
*PINNED units
Perform all Attacks on the same Canadian unit together.
never Attack
GERMAN: PINNED UNITS (activate units front to back, then left to right)
1-2 No action: Remains PINNED.
3-4 Move to the lowest black-numbered adjacent empty Tile on next row up the map. (Remove if on top
row). Only if it does Move: Unit is no longer PINNED; Face nearest enemy. On a tie, Face the Tile
with the most enemies, then select randomly. If it cannot Face any enemies, Face it downwards.
5-6 Rally: Unit is no longer PINNED.
Performing Orders for Unpinned German Units
Activate each Unpinned German unit, starting with those at the front (furthest down the mission map) and
working left to right where more than one such unit occupies the same row of Tiles. There can never be more
than one German unit on a single Tile.
For each Unpinned German unit, roll a six-sided die (d6) and perform the relevant Order as explained below. If
the German unit cannot perform the Order, its activation ends; do not re-roll for an alternative Order.
1 MOVE: Check to see if there are any empty black numbered Tiles adjacent to the activated unit
(including diagonally). ‘Empty’ means a Tile with no units (German or Canadian) on it. If not, its
activation ends. If there are, Move the German unit to the highest numbered Tile. Place it Facing the
nearest enemy. That means place it in such a way as it has a Canadian unit as near as possible to itself
along the line of Tiles it is Facing, even if that Canadian unit is currently out of the German unit’s
Range. If there is a choice of such Tiles, Face the Tile with the most Canadian units on it, then select
randomly. If the German unit cannot Face a Canadian unit from its new Tile, then place it Facing
straight down the mission map. For clarity, if the German unit cannot Move, it will not change its Facing.
2 GRENADE: This can only be performed by German Rifle Squads. The Rifle Squad will conduct a 6d6
Grenade Attack immediately on each Canadian unit in the adjacent Tile it is Facing, if any, reduced in
the usual way for Cover and Smoke. As a reminder, remove 2 dice if the target unit is in a Bunker or 1
die if it is in any other type of Cover, and a further 2 dice if it is in Smoke. These modifiers are set out in
a chart on the page adjacent to each mission map (and is shown below in the ‘German Units Attack’
section). Note that a roll of 2 for any other German unit results in the unit ending its activation without
further action. German grenade Attacks do not benefit from the Crossfire bonus.
3-4 END ACTIVATION IF FACING A CANADIAN UNIT IN RANGE: If the unit is already Facing a Canadian
unit and that unit is within the German unit’s Range, then the German unit will end its activation.
Otherwise, treat this result as a 5-6 result and perform the Order below.
5-6 TURN TO FACE THE NEAREST ENEMY: Here, the German unit will turn to Face the nearest
Canadian unit, regardless of whether it currently has a unit in Range or not. Simply assess all units it
15

could Face (including any it is already Facing) and then Face the nearest unit. It will only Turn if the
‘new’ unit is nearer than the existing unit it is Facing. If it does Turn and there are multiple ‘nearest’ Tiles
towards which it could Face which are the same distance away, then Face towards the nearest Tile with
the most enemy units on it. If there is still more than one option, decide randomly between them. If the
unit cannot Face any enemies at all, do not Turn it and leave it with its current Facing.
German Snipers Attack
In any order, all Unpinned Sniper Teams perform an Attack with 6 six-sided dice (6d6) on the nearest Canadian
unit along the Sniper’s Facing. Note that unlike other units, Sniper Teams only target one unit. If there is more
than one unit on the relevant nearest Tile, the Sniper will prefer to target Unpinned units. Then, if there is more
than one Unpinned unit the Sniper will target the Sergeant, then any MG Team, then any Grenade Squad, and
finally any Rifle Squad. For example, if it targeted a Tile with 2 Rifle units on it, it would target the Unpinned unit
if the other was Pinned, but if there was also an Unpinned MG Team on the same Tile, it would target the MG
Team in preference to the Unpinned Rifle Squad. Sniper Teams ignore all Cover, but their Attacks are reduced
by Smoke in the usual way (that is, reduced by 2 dice so that the Attack will be performed with 4d6).
German Units Attack
In any order, All UNPINNED German Rifle Squads and MG Teams then Attack in exactly the same way as the
Canadian Attacks were carried out, except that as more than one Canadian unit can occupy the same Tile, the
Attacks will be performed on each unit on the Tile which is the nearest Tile to contain Canadian units along
their Facing. In relation to each Canadian unit which comes under Attack, all Attacks on that unit should be
performed together - all Attack dice from all German units Attacking the same Canadian unit are added
together and rolled together to assess for Pinning and hitting outcomes. For example, if a Canadian Rifle
Squad is under Attack from both a Rifle Squad (1 die) and an MG Team (4 dice), the Player would roll a total of
5 Attack dice for the German Attack, subject to the usual modifiers below.
The modifiers which should be applied when ascertaining how many Attack dice are rolled in relation to each
Canadian unit Attacked are summarised in the chart below, found on the page adjacent to each mission map.
They apply to both German and Canadian Attacks (except Smoke).
The modifiers in relation to Cover and Smoke are fairly self-explanatory. Simply remove either 2 dice if the
target unit is in a Bunker, or 1 die if it is in any other type of Cover and, in the case of defending Canadian
units, a further 2 dice if it is in Smoke. Remember, these dice are removed from the total number of Attack dice
being rolled in relation to a particular defending unit - do not remove 2 or 1 dice per Attacking unit.
‘Crossfire’ applies to German Attacks in the same way as it applies to Canadian Attacks. For each different
direction that the Attacks are coming from above 1, a die is added to the Attack dice. For clarity, Pinned units
do not add to the Crossfire bonus as they cannot Attack. Note that German Snipers always Attack alone, in
their own Phase, and so cannot benefit from or add to the Crossfire bonus. German Rifle units may sometimes
throw Grenades and those Attacks also happen in isolation and do not benefit from or add to the Crossfire
bonus.
Roll the total number of Attack dice once for each individual Canadian unit being Attacked. As usual, if the
results show one 6 then the Defending unit will be Pinned and should be marked as such in some way. If the
results show two (or more) 6s then the Attack is deemed to be a hit and the Defending unit is removed from the
mission map. The following chart on the page adjacent to each
mission map is there as a reminder: To Pin: One 6 To Hit: Two 6s
Remember, Pinning a unit that is already Pinned has no effect.
16

Examples of German Attacks
RIFLE RIFLE
RIFLE
RIFLE A
GREN A
MG A
RIFLE C
RIFLE D
Figure 4 RIFLE E
SMOKE
In the example in Figure 4, the German units will all Attack. The Sniper will, of course, already have
Attacked earlier in the Phase. In this example, it will have Attacked MG Team A because the MG is the
nearest unit along its Facing and takes preference to Rifle Squad E. Note that if MG Team A had been
Pinned, the Sniper would instead have preferred to Attack Rifle Squad E because it always prefers
Unpinned units. Remember that it only targets one unit each Turn and ignores Cover (but not Smoke).
Here the Sniper would have Attacked MG Team A with 4d6 (6 basic Attack dice minus 2 for the Smoke
but ignoring the Cover provided by the Rocks). Let’s assume it failed to Pin or Hit it.
When dealing with the main section of the German Attack Phase, in which all German MGs and Rifle
Squads Attack, it is easier to consider each Tile containing Canadian units one by one so that all Attacks
on the Tile can be done together (as they were in the Canadian Attack Phase).
Rifle Squad A is being Attacked by the two Rifle Squads directly above it. The Rifle Squad to its top right
cannot Attack it as Rifle Squad B is blocking the way (and will therefore become the target of that
German Squad’s Attack). Rifle Squad A will therefore be Attacked by 2 dice, minus 1 die because it is in
Cover (there is no Crossfire here as the two Attacks are coming from the same direction). Rolling 1d6
means that there is a small chance the Rifle Squad will be Pinned, and no chance it will be destroyed.
Rifle Squad B will be Attacked by the Rifle Squad above it and the one to its top right (2 dice) plus 1 for
Crossfire because it is being Attacked from two different directions (3 dice). One dice is then removed
because Rifle Squad B is in a Trench, so 2 dice are rolled together for the Attack.
Rifle Squads C and D are on the same Tile and not in Cover. They are being Attacked by the German
MG Team (5 dice) and by the Rifle Squad to their top left (1 die) with the benefit of Crossfire (1 die)
because they are Attacking from two different directions. Therefore 7 dice are rolled together against
each Squad in turn. Had they been in Cover, then this would be reduced to 6 dice against each Squad (5
if they were in a Bunker). Of course, Smoke would have reduced it by a further 2 dice.
Rifle Squad E is not being Attacked by any German unit.
MG Team A is also not being Attacked (having been Attacked earlier by the Sniper) but note that if other
German units were targeting MG Team A, they would now also Attack it (despite the earlier Sniper
Attack).
17

Performing Orders for Pinned German Units
Activate each Pinned German unit, starting with those at the front (furthest down the mission map) and working
left to right where more than one such unit occupies the same row. There cannot be more than one German
unit per Tile.
For each Pinned German unit, roll a six-sided die (d6) and perform the relevant Order as explained below. If
the German unit cannot perform the Order, its activation ends; do not re-roll for an alternative Order.
1-2 NO ACTION: The unit ends its activation and remains Pinned.
3-4 MOVE: Check to see if there are any empty black numbered Tiles adjacent to the activated unit on the
row above its current row of Tiles (including diagonally). ‘Empty’ means a Tile with no units (German or
Canadian) on it. If not, the unit ends its activation here. If there is such a Tile, Move the German unit to
the lowest numbered Tile on that row above, and it is no longer Pinned – remove its Pinned marker.
Place it Facing the nearest enemy. That means place it in such a way as it has a Canadian unit as near
as possible to itself along the line of Tiles it is Facing, even if that Canadian unit is currently out of the
German unit’s Range. If there is more than one Tile containing Canadian units equidistant away, then
Face the Tile with the most Canadian units in it. If there is still a tie, select the Tile to Face randomly. If
the German unit cannot Face a Canadian unit at all from its new Tile, then it should be placed Facing
straight down the mission map.
Note: If the Pinned German unit is on the top row of Tiles and rolls a 3 or 4, it will retreat off the top of
the mission map and should be removed from the map.
5-6 RALLY: The German unit is no longer Pinned, and its Pinned marker should be removed. It does not
change its Facing this turn.
Phase 3: German Events

Roll a six-sided die (d6) and perform the relevant Event below. There is a chart on the page adjacent to each
mission map which summarises the Events and which looks like this:
GERMAN EVENTS Place new units facing downwards. Sergeant cannot be killed by Mortar/Artillery Fire.
1-4 Mortar/Artillery Fire: Conduct a 6d6 Attack on each unit on every Tile with a matching red number.
5 Reinforcements: Add a German Rifle Squad to an empty Tile with the lowest black number on it.
6 Reinforcements: Add a German MG Team to an empty Tile with the lowest black number on it.
1-4 GERMAN MORTAR/ARTILLERY FIRE: Find the Tiles on the mission map which have a red number
on them which corresponds to the number rolled (1-4). Note that there will be three or four such Tiles!
Then conduct a standard 6d6 Attack on each Canadian unit on each one of those matching Tiles.
Reduce the number of dice for Cover and Smoke in the usual way. As a reminder, remove 1 die if it is in
Cover (Bunker Tiles never have a red number on them) and a further 2 dice if the unit is in Smoke.
Remember, these modifiers are set out in a chart on the page adjacent to each mission map (and
shown above in the ‘German Units Attack’ section). Note that the Sergeant cannot be killed by German
Mortar/Artillery Fire, but he can be Pinned by it. If more than one 6 is rolled when conducting a Mortar
attack on the Sergeant, treat it as a Pinned result. Assume he uses his experience to position himself to
reduce the risk. Designer note: Having your Sergeant killed, and therefore the game come to an end,
due to something which is largely beyond your control might be realistic, but it is no fun whatsoever!
5 REINFORCEMENTS: Simply find all the Tiles which do not have a unit on them and have a black
number on them and place one German Rifle Squad on the Tile with the lowest number, Facing down
the mission map. If no such Tile exists, do not place a unit.
6 REINFORCEMENTS: Simply find all the Tiles which do not have a unit on them and have a black
number on them and place one German MG Team on the Tile with the lowest number, Facing down the
mission map. If no such Tile exists, do not place a unit.
18

THE CAMPAIGNS AND IN BETWEEN MISSIONS
As stated in the Introduction at the start of the book, the 12 missions should be played as four separate
campaigns, which loosely reflect the experiences of each of the four Divisions of the Canadian Corps. Each
campaign consists of three missions. Between missions, the Player will have the chance to recover some
(though not all) lost units and will need to keep a simple note of the units constituting the Player’s forces, ready
for when the Player moves on to the next mission in the three-mission campaign for that Division.
When the first and second missions of any campaign are completed, the Player should remove all their
surviving units from the map and make a note of them (or, if using Counters, keep those Counters separate).
Any unit that was Pinned at the end of the mission now automatically becomes Unpinned. Any unused Orders
are lost.
Then, find the relevant row on the ‘BETWEEN MISSIONS’ Chart below to see how the remaining forces can be
bolstered. This reflects the Sergeant coming across the remains of other units who have lost their leader(s) and
will now ‘join up’ with the Sergeant, as he progresses with his units further up Vimy Ridge.
Note that the number of each unit type in the Player’s force is always limited to the number that started the first
mission of the campaign. Here is a reminder of what that is for each campaign:
Campaign A 3rd Division Maps A1, A2, A3 Initial units: 1 Sergeant, 6 Rifles, 1 MG, 1 Grenade Squad
Campaign B 2nd Division Maps B1, B2, B3 Initial units: 1 Sergeant, 6 Rifles, 1 MG, 1 Grenade Squad
Campaign C 1st Division Maps C1, C2, C3 Initial units: 1 Sergeant, 5 Rifles, 2 MGs, 1 Grenade Squad
Campaign D 4th Division Maps D1, D2, D3 Initial units: 1 Sergeant, 5 Rifles, 2 MGs, 1 Grenade Squad
For example, in Campaign A, the Player starts with 6 Rifle Squads, 1 MG Team, 1 Grenade Squad (and the
Sergeant). These various totals cannot be exceeded by adding new units, so that for example an MG Team
could only be added if the MG Team had been destroyed, and only one MG Team can ever be in the Player’s
force for that campaign at any one time. Similarly, a Rifle Squad could not be added if that would ever take the
total number of Rifle Squads above 6 in that first campaign.
In the ‘BETWEEN MISSIONS’ Chart below, the Units Remaining column is the number of units which
survived the previous mission and the Units to Add column is the number of units that can be added between
the missions and before the next mission for that campaign starts. The Player can choose which units to add,
subject to the restriction on numbers of each unit outlined in the previous paragraph.
BETWEEN MISSIONS
Between Mission 1 and Mission 2 Between Mission 2 and Mission 3
Units Remaining Units to Add Units Remaining Units to Add
9 0 9 0
8 0 8 0
7 1 7 0
6 1 6 1
5 2 5 1
4 2 4 2
3 3 3 2
2 3 2 3
1 4 1 4
For example, if the Player loses 3 Rifle Squads and the MG Team in Mission 1 of Campaign A, then they will
have 5 units remaining (the Sergeant, 3 Rifle Squads and the Grenade Squad). The ‘Between Mission 1 and
Mission 2’ section of the chart states that a Player who has 5 remaining units can add 2 units. The Player must
now choose if they want to add back 2 Rifle Squads or 1 Rifle Squad and the MG Team. They cannot add back
2 MG Teams, as that would exceed the number of MG Teams (one) with which they started Campaign A.
Neither can they add a Grenade Squad, for the same reason. They will start Mission 2 of their Campaign with 7
units.
19

Campaign A, Mission 1: 3rd Division - Initial Assault
The 3rd Division, commanded by Major-General Lewis Lipsett, encountered the least resistance due to the
fact that the heavy artillery bombardment had crushed most of the German positions. However, that did not
mean it was an easy task. Clear all enemy units off the mission map to progress to mission 2.
Add to Orders held over from previous Turn (max 9). If total is now fewer than 3, game ends in defeat.
Perform all Attacks on the same German unit together. PINNED units do not Attack.
Perform all Attacks on the same Canadian unit together. *PINNED units
GERMAN: PINNED UNITS (activate units front to back, then left to right) do not Attack
GERMAN EVENTS Place new units Facing downwards. Sergeant cannot be killed by Mortar/Artillery Fire.
You lose if the Sergeant is killed or if all Rifle units are killed. To Pin: One 6 To Hit: Two 6s
20

3rd Division Canadian Corps: Initial assault
1 4 5 3 11
10 2 6 12 7
13 8 14 9
1 2 1 4 2
4 1 3 4 3
3 2 4 3 2
ORDERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
21

Campaign A, Mission 2: 3rd Division - Onwards and Upwards
The 3rd Division continued to make good progress up the Ridge, following the rolling artillery barrage as
closely as possible, and taking Folie Farm, unaware that the 4th Division had run into serious trouble to their
left. Clear all enemy units off the mission map to progress to the final mission 3.
Units Canadians: Rifles (D1, R2) Grenades (D6, R1) MGs (D4, R3) Sergeant (D2, R2)
Germans: Rifles 5, 6 or 7 (D1, R2) MGs 4 (D5, R3) Snipers 1 (D6, R5)
SET UP: Germans: Place 1 MG on the Bunker and 1 MG on the Farm. For the other 2 MGs, roll a d6 for
each, add 3 to the result and place them on the relevant black numbered Tiles (with sandbag icons). Roll a
d6, add 2 and place the Sniper on the relevant black numbered Tile. Re-roll any duplicates as necessary.
Place 5, 6 or 7 Rifles on all the remaining empty Trench Tiles. All German units start facing down the Map.
Then place remaining Canadian units anywhere on bottom row, maximum 3 units to a Tile, any facing.
22

3rd Division Canadian Corps: ONWARDS AND UPWARDS
2 3 4 5 1
10 6 12 7 11
8 14 9 13
1
3
4 2 3 4 3
4 3 1 2 1
1 2 4 3 2
ORDERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
23

Campaign A, Mission 3: 3rd Division - Defensive Line
The 3rd Division realised that their left flank was exposed due to the lack of progress made by the 4th
Division to the north. They were ordered to form a Divisional defensive line along their flank. Occupy all 3
of the red-outlined Tiles simultaneously, with no adjacent German units, to win the Campaign.
SET UP: Germans: Place 1 MG on the Bunker. For the other 3 MGs, roll a d6 for each, add 3 to the result
and place them on the relevant black numbered Tiles (with sandbag icons). Re-roll any duplicates as
necessary. Place the 6 Rifles on all the remaining empty Trench Tiles. All German units start facing down
the Map.
Then place remaining Canadian units anywhere on bottom row, maximum 3 units to a Tile, any facing.
SNIPERS ATTACK*: None.
*PINNED units
UNITS ATTACK*: Rifles & MGs Attack nearest Canadian unit along their Facing. do not Attack
Perform all Attacks on the same Canadian unit together.
GERMAN: PINNED UNITS (activate units front to back, then left to right)
24

3rd Division Canadian Corps: Defensive Line
1 2 3 5 4
14 12 6 10
13 7 11 8 9
1 2 4 3 4
4 3 1 2 3
1 2 3 4 2
ORDERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
25

Campaign B, Mission 1: 2nd Division - Initial Assault
The 2nd Division, commanded by Major-General Henry Burstall, faced more enemy machine gun fire as
German troops scrambled back to their positions after the initial shelling. Hand to hand combat followed as
Canadian troops jumped into the trenches. Clear all enemy units off the mission map to progress.
26

2nd Division Canadian Corps: Initial assault
10 2 4 5 1
3 6 11 7
8 12 9
1 3 2 4 2
3 1 3 1 4
4 2 4 3 2
ORDERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
27

Campaign B, Mission 2: 2nd Division – The Village of Thélus
The 2nd Division had, as one of their objectives, to take the heavily fortified village of Thélus. Although it
had been largely destroyed by artillery, some danger remained. Watch out for the 2 German Snipers. Clear
all enemy units off the mission map to progress to the final mission 3.
and place them on the relevant black numbered Tiles (with sandbag icons). For each Sniper, roll a d6, add
1 and place it on the relevant black numbered Tile. Re-roll any duplicates as necessary. Place the 6 Rifles
on all the remaining empty black numbered Tiles. All German units start facing down the Map.
Then place remaining Canadian units anywhere on the bottom row, maximum 3 units to a Tile, any facing.
28

2nd Division Canadian Corps: The Village of Thélus
4 2 5 3 1
6 7 10
8 9 12 11
1 3 2 4 2
2 3 1 4
4
1 3 4 3 2
ORDERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
29

Campaign B, Mission 3: 2nd Division – On to Farbus
The 2nd Division, having secured Thélus, moved on to help take the village of Farbus. Occupy all village
Tiles outlined in red simultaneously, with no German units on any Tiles adjacent to those red Tiles,
to win the campaign.
and place them on the relevant black numbered Tiles (with sandbag icons). For the Sniper, roll a d6, add 1
and place it on the relevant black numbered Tile. Re-roll any duplicates as necessary. Place the 6 Rifles on
all the remaining empty black numbered Tiles. All German units start facing down the Map.
30

2nd Division Canadian Corps: On to Farbus
4 2 5 1 3
6 10 7
8 11 9 12
1 3 4 2 4
4 2 3 1 3
2 1 4 3 2
ORDERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
31

Campaign C, Mission 1: 1st Division - Initial Assault
The 1st Division, commanded by Major-General Arthur Currie, initially had a similar experience to the 2nd
Division in that they faced a wall of machine gun fire as they pushed forward to reach the German trenches.
Clear all enemy units off the mission map to progress.
SET UP: Germans: Place the 5 MGs on each of the 3 Bunkers and the 2 Tiles with sandbag icons. Roll a
d6 and place the Sniper on the relevant black numbered Tile. Re-roll any duplicates as necessary. Place
the 7 Rifles on all the remaining empty black numbered Tiles. All German units start facing down the Map.

32

1st Division Canadian Corps: Initial assault
7 2 3 1 8
10 4 9 5 6
12 13 11
1 2 1 4 2
4 3 4 1 3
3 2 3 2 4
ORDERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
33

Campaign C, Mission 2: 1st Division – Past Thélus and Onwards
Pushing on, the 1st Division could see the now destroyed village of Thélus over on their left flank as they
continued on in the direction of Farbus village, still coming across pockets of strong German resistance.
Clear all enemy units off the mission map to progress.
Rifles on all the remaining empty black numbered Tiles. All German units start facing down the Map.
You lose if the Sergeant is killed or if all Rifle units are killed.
34

1st Division Canadian Corps: Past Thélus & Onwards
1 2 4 5 6
10 12 7 11 3
14 8 13
2
3 2 1 4 9
4 1 4 1 3
3 2 3 2 4
ORDERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
35

Campaign C, Mission 3: 1st Division – Taking Farbus
The 1st Division moved on to the village of Farbus and Farbus Wood.
Occupy all village Tiles outlined in red simultaneously, with no German units on any Tiles adjacent
to those red Tiles, to win the campaign.
SET UP: Germans: Place 1 MG on each Bunker. For the other MG, roll a d6, add 3 to the result and place
it on the relevant black numbered Tile (with a sandbag icon). For the Sniper, roll a d6, add 4 and place it on
the relevant black numbered Tile. Re-roll any duplicates as necessary. Place the 8 Rifles on all the
remaining empty black numbered Tiles. All German units start facing down the Map.
36

1st Division Canadian Corps: Taking Farbus
4 1 5 2 3
10 6 11 7 8
13 14 9 12
3
15
1 2 4 2
3 4 3 1 3
1 2 4 2 4
ORDERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
37

Campaign D, Mission 1: 4th Division - Initial Assault
The 4th Division, commanded by Major-General David Watson, had the toughest job of all, in that they had
been tasked to take two areas of higher ground known as Hill 145 and The Pimple. Artillery attacks were
also less effective here (note the 5d6 Attacks). Clear all enemy units off the mission map to progress.
SET UP: Germans: Place 1 MG on each of the 3 Bunkers. For the other 2 MGs, roll a d6, add 7 to the
result and place it on the relevant black numbered Tile (with a sandbag icon). Roll a d6, add 2 and place
the Sniper on the relevant black numbered Tile. Re-roll any duplicates as necessary. Place the 8 Rifles on
all the remaining empty black numbered Tiles. All German units start facing down the Map.
Conduct one Attack on every German unit with 5d6 (not 6d6 as normal). Cover effects apply as usual.
38

4th Division Canadian Corps: Initial assault
3 1 2 4
5 14 7 8 6
11 12 9 13 10
3 2 1 4 2
4 1 3 1 3
3 2 4 2 4
ORDERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
39

Campaign D, Mission 2: 4th Division – Hill 145
Again, artillery attacks were less effective here (note the 5d6 Attacks). In addition, the withering MG fire
from the German defences on the Hill meant that the Canadian forces were largely pinned. Start this
mission with all your units Pinned. Clear all enemy units off the mission map to progress to mission 3.
SET UP: Germans: Place 1 MG on each of the 4 Bunkers. For each Sniper, Roll a d6, add 3 and place the
Sniper on the relevant black numbered Tile. Re-roll any duplicates as necessary. Place the 9 Rifles on all
the remaining empty black numbered Tiles. All German units start facing down the Map.
Then place remaining Canadian units, marked as Pinned, anywhere on the bottom row, maximum 3 units
to a Tile, any facing.
40

4th Division Canadian Corps: Hill 145
5 2 1 3 4
11 6 7 8 12
10 13 9 14
2
1 3 1 15 2
4 4 3 1 3
3 2 4 2 4
ORDERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
41

Campaign D, Mission 3: 4th Division – The Pimple
Despite the less effective artillery strikes (note the 5d6 Attacks), the 4th Division pushed on to the Pimple
and had it secured by 12th April. Start this mission with all your units Pinned. Clear all enemy units off the
mission map to win the campaign.
Germans: Rifles 9 or 10 (D1, R2) MGs 5 (D5, R3) Snipers 1 (D6, R5)
SET UP: Germans: Place 1 MG on each of the 3 Bunkers. For the other 2 MGs, roll a d6, add 5 to the
result and place it on the relevant black numbered Tile (with a sandbag icon). Roll a d6, add 2 and place
the Sniper on the relevant black numbered Tile. Place the 9 or 10 Rifles on all the remaining empty Trench
Tiles. All German units start facing down the Map.
Place remaining Canadian units, marked Pinned, anywhere on bottom row, max 3 units/Tile. Any facing.
42

4th Division Canadian Corps: The Pimple
4 2 1 6 3
12 5 7 8 13
14 16 9 15 11
10 3 1 17 2
1 4 3 1 3
4 2 4 2 4
ORDERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
43

44

Suggested Counters
Some Players might like to copy or remove this page and mount it onto card in order to use the counters
depicted. Cut them up carefully with good quality scissors or a craft knife once the glue is completely dry. Seek
adult supervision if necessary. The counters are generally self-explanatory. The numbers refer to the number
of attack dice a unit rolls (in red) and its range. The brighter red units represent Pinned units. The letters on the
Canadian Rifle, MG and Grenade counters are there to allow the player to build narrative in a campaign as
units are killed and replaced. For example, starting with Rifle units A to F and then replacing any lost units
between missions with G, H, I and so on will allow the player to keep track of units which have survived the full
campaign. This is, of course, not essential for gameplay.
RIFLE A RIFLE B RIFLE C RIFLE D RIFLE E RIFLE F RIFLE G RIFLE H RIFLE I RIFLE J RIFLE K RIFLE L
RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE
SNIPER SNIPER RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE
MG A MG B GREN A SGT
MG MG MG MG MG MG MG MG MG MG MG MG
ORDERS
Remaining
SMOKE SMOKE SMOKE SMOKE GREN C GREN B MG C MG D MG E MG F
RIFLE L RIFLE K RIFLE J RIFLE I RIFLE H RIFLE G RIFLE F RIFLE E RIFLE D RIFLE C RIFLE B RIFLE A
RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE
ALTERNATES
RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE RIFLE SNIPER SNIPER
SGT GREN A MG B MG A
MG MG MG MG MG MG MG MG MG MG MG MG
ORDERS
Remaining
MG F MG E MG D MG C GREN B GREN C SMOKE SMOKE SMOKE SMOKE
The ‘ORDERS Remaining’ counter is for the Orders Tracker (only one is needed if using the counters single-
sided, otherwise the two will match to make a double sided counter when following the instructions below).
‘SMOKE’ counters denote the use of smoke and will also ‘double side’ to give 4 counters in total.
Double-sided counters: Note that the two sets are ‘mirror’ opposite and so it is possible to stick the top 5 rows
onto card, cut carefully around the very outside and then stick the bottom 5 rows on the reverse before cutting
each of the counters out, which should all then be double-sided with the ‘Pinned’ icon on the back of the
relevant ‘Unpinned’ icon. The Orders and Smoke counters should also come out double sided for convenience.
You can watch me make these Counters on my YouTube Channel: Mike Lambo Solitaire Book Games.
A copy of this page will also be placed in the Files section of the ‘Assault on Vimy Ridge’ game page on
www.BoardGameGeek.com
45

Assault On Vimy Ridge A Solitaire Wargame

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Assault

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Thank you for your support. Mike

You can watch me play all my games on YouTube

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

How the book works

Methods to play the game include the following:

The choice is yours!

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

The Mission Maps

Terrain Feature Graphic Effect

These are all Cover Tiles

Generally, these indicate where enemy machine guns (MGs)

There are also numbers on some Tiles.

Red numbers indicate where German Mortar/Artillery fire might impact.

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Unit Range Attack Dice Notes

Snipers have a Range of 5 Tiles. When Attacking, they roll 6 dice.

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

To Pin: One 6 To Hit: Two 6s

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Pre-Game Phase: Rolling Artillery Barrage

ARTILLERY (Once per game, after initial Set Up)

To Pin: One 6 To Hit: Two 6s

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Ascertaining the number of Canadian Orders

• 2 Orders if the Sergeant is Unpinned or 1 Order if he is Pinned.

Performing the Orders

MOVE and/or TURN (Cost: 1 Order)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

RALLY (Cost: 1 Order)

SMOKE (Cost: 2 Orders)

Remove all Smoke markers at the end of each Turn.

MORTAR (Cost: 3 Orders)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

To Pin: One 6 To Hit: Two 6s

Remember, Pinning a unit that is already Pinned has no effect.

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

2. GERMAN ORDERS AND ATTACKS

Performing Orders for Unpinned German Units

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

German Snipers Attack

German Units Attack

Remember, Pinning a unit that is already Pinned has no effect.

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Phase 3: German Events

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)

Jeff Mihalka (Order #41987975)