Wargames Rules for Armoured Warfare at Company and Battalion Level 1925 to 1950

Between 1973 and 1993 the Wargames Research Group (WRG) published a very successful and influential series of tactical wargames rules, designed mainly by Phil Barker, covering WW2 and the post-war period. These were:

1. War Games Rules, Armour & Infantry 1925-1950 (Jun 1973)
2. War Games Rules, Armour & Infantry 1950-1975 (Jan 1974)
3. Wargames Rules for Armoured Warfare at Company and Battalion Battlegroup Level, 1950 to 1985 (Jun 1979)
4. Wargames Rules for All Arms Land Warfare from Platoon to Battalion Level, 1925-1950 (Jun 1988)
5. Wargames Rules for All Arms Land Warfare from Platoon to Battalion Level, 1950-2000 (Jan 1993)

The Jan 1974 set were, I believe, the first published set of miniature wargames rules to cover present-day warfare; in doing so, they spawned a whole new branch of the hobby. The astute reader will notice that there are three sets of modern (1950 to 1975, 1985, or 2000) rules, but only two (both 1925 to 1950) covering WW2.

Some wargamers still play using the original 1925 to 1950 set of rules, and the middle set of modern rules remains the favourite of others. This set, then, published with Phil Barker's permission, is intended to fill the gap left by the “missing” set, using the same rules approach as embodied in the 1950 to 1985 rules, but covering the earlier time period. Almost the entire body of the rules has been shamelessly cribbed from the 1950 to 1985 rules, with modifications as necessary to suit the WW2 era. Rules for guided missiles, helicopters, and night vision equipment have been removed, and the categories of anti-tank guns below 100mm in calibre refined to give more differentiation. Anti-tank rifles and SMG-only infantry groups have been added, and a few oddities such as the Püppchen, the spade mortar, and the Kartukov ampulomyot. While the armour classes are much the same, the vehicle listing is somewhat complicated by the relation between frontal and side armour being less regular during WW2 than later.

Some changes have been made; the artillery rules have been amended to prevent non-linear effects from increasing the number of guns firing on a target, and suppression is no longer automatic, but there is also a hazard outside the intended beaten zone. The anti-aircraft sequence has been simplified, and air defenders who wish to use flak and fighters simultaneously must risk fratricide.