Strike Force 1 Rules

A Conflict Simulation Introductory Game
(e.g., an introductory ‘wargame’)

Strike Force One is an easy-to-use, two-player game designed to introduce the concepts in “conflict simulations” or “wargames.” These are games that recreate combat situations so that they can be studies and played. The same situation can be played many times in order to discover those strategies and tactics that work best. If you’ve ever played chess or checkers, then you’re already played games that are close, in certain ways, to conflict simulations. In fact, chess was originally designed as a conflict simulation, but over the years it has changed into a pure strategy game having no relation to reality.

Read these rules of play first, then read the page containing the sample game. You should then be ready to play our own game of Strike Force One.

It cannot be stressed too much that it is important for you to read all the rules. Even though Strike Force One is an easy-to-play game that can be finished in fifteen minutes, you’ll cause yourself a lot of needless trouble by not having a complete grasp of the rules before you play.

You may find it helpful to set up the pieces on the map before you read any further, then as you read the rules, try the various actions shown in the examples.

After you play Strike Force One several times and are completely comfortable with its rules, you’ll find that it’s much easier to go on to the larger, more complicated conflict simulations (wargames) that are available today. We hope you enjoy this game and find it a useful introduction to the fascinating field of conflict simulations.

Strike Force One
Rules of Play

Strike Force One is played on a small map that represents an important section of West Germany at the height of the Cold War. The map is divided up into spaces (called “hexes”) in order to position the playing pieces and to regulate their movement. These hexes perform the same function as squares on a checkerboard. The playing pieces (called “units”) represent companies of United States Army and Soviet Army soldiers. One player controls the movement and combat of the U.S. Army units and the other player controls the movement and combat of the Soviet Army units. Each player moves and attacks with his units, in turn, in an attempt to capture (or prevent from being captured) the Town hexes shown on the map. The players take turns, moving and attacking (initiating combat) with their units until each has had four turns of play. The game is then over and the winner is determined. Basically, the Soviet Player is attempting to capture at least two Towns and the U.S. Player is trying to prevent him from doing this.

After reading these rules completely and looking at the diagrams, read the page illustrating a sample game of Strike Force One. Then start your own game.

THE MAP: The map represents a typical piece of ground in West Germany. It is divided into 68 spaces (called hexes) to regulate the movement and location of units. Three of the hexes on the map are “Town hexes” (and it is the mission of the Soviet Player to occupy these hexes with his units). Five of the hexes on the map are “Woods hexes.” No units may enter, pass through, or occupy Woods hexes.

Note that the hexes on the map are numbered using a four-digit system. These numbers are used only if the players desire to record the course of a particular game. These numbers have no effect on play.

A Playing Piece includes an identification letter - A through F are Soviet Playing Pieces, while W through Z are U.S. Playing Pieces.

THE PLAYING PIECES: The playing pieces represent U.S. Army and Soviet Army infantry companies. These playing pieces are called “units.” All units are considered to be of equal strength and capability. The six Brown companies are the Soviet units; the four Green companies are the U.S. units.

When the game begins, the units are placed in the starting positions printed on the map. Note that the units are letter-coded for identification purposes.

THE COMBAT RESULTS TABLE: The Combat Results Table is used to find the result of a particular attack made by either of the players during the game. The number of attacking units and the roll of the die will determine the outcome.

THE DIE: The die is used only with the Combat Results Table to determine the result of attacks. The die has nothing to do with movement of units.

Set up each of the units on the appropriately coded hexes and begin the first turn. Each complete turn of Strike Force One proceeds strictly according to the following sequence:

Step 1. The Soviet Player moves any or all of his units, as he wishes, within the limitations of the rules of movement.

Step 2. The Soviet Player may now make attacks against any U.S. units that are in hexes directly adjacent to (next to) Soviet units. Results are applied as each attack is made.

Step 3. The U.S. Player may now move any or all of his units, as he wishes, within the limitations of the rules of movement.

Step 4. The U.S. Player may now make attacks against any Soviet units that are in hexes directly adjacent to U.S. units. Results are applied as each attack is made.

The above four steps make up a complete turn, these steps are repeated in order until four complete turns have been played. The game is then over and the winner is determined.

Testing has shown that, at first, most people have some difficulty clearly understanding two very important rules of the game. Pay special attention to these rules and you’ll be sure to interpret them correctly. The first is:

Rule 3.0, Basic Procedure: each complete turn in the game must proceed exactly according to the step-by-step outline shown. Doing something out of sequence is a violation of the rules.

As an example of how the procedure works, let’s suppose that you are the Soviet Player (Brown playing pieces) and I am the U.S. Player (Green playing pieces). Each turn we would follow this order of activities: First, you would move those of your playing pieces that you wished to move. While you are doing this, I do nothing. While you are doing this you are not allowed to attack any of my playing pieces. After you have finished moving your pieces, you then have a chance to attack my pieces. You may only attack those of my pieces that are right next to (adjacent to) your pieces. While you are doing this, I do nothing except retreat my units as called for by the results of combat (see the Combat Results Table). After you have finished making all the attacks you wish to make, it becomes my portion of the turn. Now I move as many of my playing pieces as I wish (you do nothing). After I’ve finished all of these movements, I have a chance to attack those of your playing pieces that are right next to my playing pieces. You do nothing while I’m attacking except retreat any of your pieces that are forced to do so as a result of combat. After all my attacks are over, we have played a complete turn. Now we repeat the sequence of play again and do the next turn.

[4.1] During his movement part of the turn, a player may move any or all of his units. The player moves his units one at a time in any order he wishes. A player may choose to not move some or all of his units. A player may never move any of the opposing player’s units.

[4.2] Units are moved from hex to adjacent hex in a continuous path of hexes. There is no skipping or jumping over hexes allowed. Units may be moved in any direction or combination of directions. The path of a unit’s movement may be as straight or as crooked as the moving player desires.

(Figure 1.) The diagram to the right illustrates some of the possible paths of movement that units can take.

[4.3] During the movement portion of his turn, a player may move each of this units a maximum of four hexes. Each may be moved less than for hexes in a turn, but it does not “save” that unused movement for use later.

[4.4] A player’s units may never enter or pass through a hex while it contains one of the opposing player’s units. Units may never enter or pass through any of the Woods hexes on the map. Units may never move off the map. A player may move one or more of his units through a hex containing one of his own units, but he may never end the movement part of the turn with more than one of his units in any hex.

(Figure 2) The top two movement paths shown in the diagram to the left are not allowed (and have been marked “NO”). The bottom movement path is allowed (marked “YES”) because it does not enter or pass through either the Woods hex or the hex occupied by the opposing unit.

[4.5] Whenever a unit enters a hex that is directly adjacent to any of the opposing player’s units, the moving unit must immediately stop in that hex and move no further that turn.

Rule 4.5, Stopping In Hexes Adjacent to Opposing Units: This rule states that whenever a player is moving one of his pieces and he moves it into one of the spaces adjacent to (right next to) one of the other player’s pieces, the moving piece must stop immediately and not be moved any further that turn. Put a Brown piece and a Green piece on the map with one empty space between them. Move the Brown piece next to the Green piece. That’s as far as it can go that turn. Assume it’s the next turn and the Brown piece is still next to the Green piece. Move the Brown piece so that once again there is an empty space between the two pieces. The Brown piece could now move another three spaces except if one of those spaces was adjacent to the Green piece, in which case it would again have to stop.

(Figure 3.) The Brown unit on the right must stop as it moves adjacent to (next to) the Green (opposing player’s) unit on the left.

Note that there are six hexes adjacent to most hexes. If a player’s unit begins his movement part of the turn in a hex adjacent to an opposing unit, the unit may leave that hex and move normally. During his movement part of the turn, a player may never move one of his units directly from one hex to another if both those hexes are adjacent to one or more of the opposing player’s units. A moving unit may begin and end its move adjacent to enemy units if one (or two) of the hexes it enters during the middle of its move are not adjacent to the opposing player’s unit(s).

(Figure 4.) To the left is an illustration of a unit that begins its turn adjacent (next to) an opposing unit. Note how the moving unit is limited as to where and how it can move because it began its turn adjacent to (next to) an opposing unit. The two paths marked “NO” are violations of the rules (the unit at the bottom should be green); the path marked “YES” is one of the possible legal moves the unit may make. Note that this path is also adjacent to an opposing unit. This is a legal move because the first hex the unit entered was not adjacent to an opposing unit.

(Figure 5.) In the illustration to the right, note that the Brown unit in the middle cannot be moved at all in this situation because any hex it would enter as its first hex of movement would be either a hex adjacent to, or occupied by, and opposing (Green) unit.

How Units Attack

[5.1] During his combat part of the turn, a player may use his units to make attacks against any of the opposing player’s units that are in hexes adjacent to his units. Only the player whose combat part of the turn it is may make attacks. These attacks are made in any order the attacking player wishes, as long as the results of one attack are applied before going on to the next attack.

(Figure 6.) Note that in the situation illustrated above on the left, no combat can take place because the two opposing units are not adjacent to (next to) each other. In the example next to it on the right, the Brown unit is attacking the Green unit. It can do so because it is adjacent to the unit it is attacking.

[5.2] No more than one of the opposing player’s units may be the object of a particular attack. No unit may be attacked more than once per turn. No attacking unit may take part in more than one attack per turn. Because of the number of units in the game, it is impossible to have more than four attacks per turn for either player.

[5.3] More than one unit may take part in a particular attack. Because all the units must be adjacent to the unit that they are attacking, no more than six units could take part in an attack against a single opposing unit.

(Figure 7.) In the example to the right, the two Soviet units attack the upper U.S. unit and the lower U.S. unit is ignored. In the right-hand version of the same situation, each Soviet unit attacks one of the U.S. units. In such situations where there is more than one possible way to make the attack (or attacks), the player whose turn it is decides which opposing units he will attack and which (if any) he will ignore.

[5.4] Units are never forced to attack simply because they are adjacent to one or more of the opposing player’s units. Attacking is completely voluntary. Defending against an attack, however, is not voluntary. The defending unit has no choice as to whether or not it will “accept” the attack.

[5.5] An “attack” is defined as one or more units using the Combat Results Table procedure against a single, adjacent opposing player’s unit (the defending unit).

[5.6] The result of each attack is determined by using the Combat Results Table and the plastic die. The number of units taking part in the attack determines which column of the Combat Results Table will be used. The throw of the die determines which line of that column will be read to find the result. The die is thrown ‘once for each attack, regardless of how many units are involved in that particular attack.

(Figure 8.) Refer to the Combat Results Table located below the map. Assume three Soviet units are attacking one adjacent U.S. unit. The result of the attack will be found in the column headed “Three Units.” Which of the six possible outcomes actually applies here depends on the die roll. The attacker rolls the die once per attack. If he rolls a ‘1’ for this particular attack, he reads across the table and finds “Defender Eliminated” under the “Three Units” heading.

Note that the player who is making the attack will be referred to as the “attacker” and the player whose unit is the object of the attack will be referred to as the “defender.” The following paragraphs define the results indicated on the Combat Results Table.

Defender Eliminated: The defending unit is eliminated (removed from the map). The attacker may now advance any one of his units that took part in that particular attack, into the hex vacated by the eliminated defending unit This advance must be made immediately, before the attacker goes on to any remaining attacks. This one-hex advance is not considered part of the movement of that unit and may be made regardless of the presence of the other opposing units (contrary to rule 4.5) and regardless of the number of hexes moved during his movement part of the turn. This advance is completely voluntary.

Defender Retreats One Hex: The defending player retreats his unit one hex away from the attacking unit(s). As in “Defender Eliminated,” one unit that was attacking that retreated unit may advance into the vacated hex. Retreats may not be made into hexes presently occupied by either player’s units.

(Figure 9.) Two Brown units have attacked the Green unit and have obtained a “Defender Retreat” result against it, forcing it to retreat as shown.

Retreats may not be made into Woods hexes or off the edge of the map. Retreats may not be made into hexes that are adjacent to any of the opposing player’s units. If the only retreat available to a unit is one of the types forbidden, the unit is eliminated Instead.

Attacker Retreats One Hex: All of the units in this attack are moved back one hex by the attacker. This retreat falls under the same restrictions as a “Defender Retreat.” The victorious defending unit, however, may not advance into any of the vacated hexes.

Attacker Eliminated. The unit making that attack is eliminated (immediately removed from the map). The defending unit may not advance into the vacated hex.

At the end of four complete turns, the Soviet Player has won if his units physically occupy at least two out of three of the Town hexes on the map. The U.S. Player has won if he prevented this from happening. The number of units eliminated by either side has no direct bearing upon which Player is declared the winner. There are no tie-games.

Computer Strike Force One recreates that game with all its optional rules and can be played either as a two-player game or against the computer. For a free download, click here.

System Requirements: IBM compatible PC. Must have Windows 95/98 or NT 3.51 and 256 color capability.

Another computerized version of Strike Force One can be played for free by clicking here. There's no AI here, however. It's just a game aid.

Strike Force One Rules of Play

How Units Attack

Strike Force One
Rules of Play