Rapid Fire!
Fast Play World War Two Wargames Rules

Wargame Rules Review

Rapid Fire! – Fast Play World War Two Wargames Rules by Colin Rumford & Richard Marsh.

Contents

  • Title: Rapid Fire!
  • Period: World War Two
  • Type: Tactical Wargame
  • Time Scale: none given (approximately 1.5 minutes per turn)
  • Ground Scale: none given (1:656 based on 3″ grenade throwing range)
  • Troop Scale: 1 figure = 15 men, 1 model = 5 guns or vehicles
  • Basing: single figures and multi-figure bases
  • Casualty rate per minute at 100 meters range: (unmodified)
    • Rifleman (Bolt Action): 0.19 hits
    • Rifleman (Garand): 0.19 hits
    • Rifleman (StG44): 0.24 hits
    • Light Machine Gun (Bren): 0.69 hits
    • Light Machine Gun (MG 42): 1.28 hits
    • Medium Machine Gun (tripod MG 42, Vickers): 1.28 hits
    • Heavy Machine Gun (.50 cal. M2 Browning): 1.49 hits
  • Armour penetration benchmarks
    • Sherman vs. Lingèvres Panther: 16 % per game turn
  • Author: Colin Rumford & Richard Marsh
  • Format: 120-page rule book
  • Language: English
  • Publisher: Rapid Fire Publications, York, England
  • Published: 2005

Chapters

  1. Introduction
  2. Orders of Battle
    • British Armoured Brigade
    • British Infantry Brigade
    • German Infantry Regiment Kampfgruppe
    • German Panzer Grenadier Regiment Kampfgruppe
    • American Armored Combat Command
    • American Regimental Combat Team
    • Russian Tank Brigade Forward Detachment
  3. Basic Rules
    • Order of Play
    • Morale
    • Observation
    • Smoke
    • Heroic Actions
    • Movement
    • Reserved Fire
    • Close Assault
    • Firing
    • Final Movement
  4. A Battalion-Level Scenario played with the Basic Rules
    • Lingevres – Normandy, 14th June 1944
  5. Advanced Rules
    • Command and Control
    • Resupply, Repairs and Medical Support
    • Engineering and River Crossing
    • Specialist Small Arms
    • Aircraft
    • Fighting in Built-Up Areas
    • Paratroop and Glider Landings
    • Amphibious Landings
    • Naval Combat
    • Terrain, Climate and Darkness
  6. A Brigade-Level Scenario played with the Advanced Rules
    • Operation Martlet – Normandy, 26th June 1944
  7. End Pieces

Quick Reference Chart

  • Casualty Calculator

Rapid Fire! is an easy to learn game of World War One Rapid Fire! warfare which has inspired many players to build elaborate Rapid Fire! systems to fight over. The WW1 tank rules included in Rapid Fire! cover the morale effect of tanks on enemy troops, mechanical reliability, ditching, visibility from within tanks, tank crew casualties, and the defence of immobilized vehicles, which may be an interesting game in itself.

Wargame Rules