Firestrike is an operational level re-creation of modern warfare in miniature. Players have the option to stage modern conflicts populated by enemy tanks, smart munitions, airpower and man-portable hunter-killer teams, or more basic combats pitting infantry and a few heavy weapons against each other. In either situation the winner will have to be both agile and lucky. And while tanks may no longer be the sole kings of the battlefield, the fact remains that survival in a hostile environment continues to require a rather thick skin!

« 1.1 Preparation
The ground scale: 150mm equals one kilometer (1cm equals 67 meters). Each vehicle base represents three pieces of equipment. Each infantry base represents roughly 25 men or three pieces of infantry type equipment (ATGM launchers, etc.) The Bases section below shows the various mounting options for micro-armor figures which are used to play Firestrike.

Equipment and Markers - Markers used to aid game play fall into two categories; base status and area weapons. For base status, use small, round Avery-type labels. For area weapons, use round, metal-edged marker tags sold in most stationary stores. Lacking these, markers may be made of any cardboard or plastic stock cut to the correct size. The "No infantry" base status marker is used to mark APC's and MICV's whose infantry have been killed. The Contaminated marker is used to mark every unit which has survived a chemical attack.

All game play is conducted using 12 sided dice (1D12) and all measurement is conducted using the metric standard.

Vehicles

Tanks - Tracked armored fighting vehicles with a large main weapon mounted in revolving turrets. Their primary role is as a mobile striking force with enough survivability to ensure the (hopeful) completion of mission goals.
IFV - Infantry Fighting Vehicle: built to allow modern infantry to remain mobile and survive as long as possible in a hostile environment. The newest versions include integral auto-cannons, NBC protection and amphibious capabilities.
Self-propelled artillery - Heavy artillery pieces mounted in large, tracked chassis or, more rarely, on large trucks. Includes conventional cannon and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS).
Armored cars - Fast, lightly protected and armed, these wheeled vehicles are used mostly for reconnaissance.
Half-tracks - These antique tracked "battle taxis" are still used to carry infantry and their support weapons into combat areas while giving them the slight protection against shrapnel and shockwaves.
Transports - Lightly built vehicles such as trucks and jeeps they are used for moving infantry and heavy weapons. They have little or no protection and are not voluntarily exposed to heavy enemy fire.

Infantry

Infantry - The bulk of any army is the infantry. Assault rifle armed troops directly supported by light machine guns, mortars and light anti-tank weapons.
Heavy weapons - These extra units give infantry commanders a little extra firepower. They are however, usually just as ground-bound as their fellow infantry, and are hence vulnerable to sudden air and artillery concentrations. Composed mostly of towed artillery, including heavy mortars, anti-aircraft and anti-tank.
Emplacements - Pillboxes, bunkers and berms are heavy structures used to protect infantry and heavy weapons. They are usually made of concrete covered by earth or sand.

Aircraft

Jets - Jet aircraft which come into play during Firestrike are usually heavy greound attack jets; heavily armed and equipped with lethal guided and area weapons, these terrors of the sky have probably already dropped their payload by the time you hear them!
Helicopters - The aerial opposites of jets, helicopters loiter around battlefields at low levels seeking lucrative targets. They are far slower than jets, but infinitely more mobile than ground based units. Helicopters can skim over a ridgeline, fire their missles and be gone before their payload strikes home.
Hybrid - A new breed of aircraft has come into existence in the last several decades. Their developement has been slow, but their affects of future battlefields may be profound. Most of these hybrid designs involve VTOL designs (Vertical Take Off and Landing) such as the Harrier "jump jet" and the Osprey.

« 1.3 Bases
All combat is conducted by bases, not figures, which allows players to mount their figures in any quantity they prefer. At left is a chart showing recommended base sizes and numbers of figures per base.

« 1.4 Game Formations
There are three levels or organization used to play Firestrike: Bases, Maneuver Units and Formations. Each base is composed of a piece of equipment or a group of men....................

Units - In Firestrike, a group of bases which operates together is called a Maneuver unit. Maneuver units are the most important elements used for game play, and they will usually represent real life battalions or companies. Each is made up of one or more base types which are combined into a general "pool" of bases comprising the entire unit. Maneuver units are in turn grouped into larger Formations which represent regiments, brigades or divisions, depending on national organization. During the game, maneuver units may be shifted to different commands, with each shift counting as a command function which is subject to command function rules. See the lists of organization by nationality for maneuver unit compositions.

Formations - Formations are any organizations made up of maneuver units or groups of maneuver units. Typically, several battalions will be formed into a regiment or brigade. This formation can then be grouped with other formations and maneuver units into larger formations such as divisions.

Example:

#1 - The basic maneuver unit for Russian style armor formations is the battalion. A standard tank battalion's pool of equipment is nine tank bases and an HQ base. These battalions will in turn be grouped into regiments. These regiments are then formed into divisions, which are groups of regiments and battalions, all under the command of a divisional headquarters group. The Russians also use brigades, which are made up of combined arms battalions operating under command of brigade headquarters group.

#2 - The basic maneuver unit for German mechanized infantry is the company. A normal company's "pool" of bases will be four MICV bases. These company-sized maneuver units are then grouped into battalions under the command of battalion headquarters groups.

Headquarters Groups- Every formation must have a heaquarters group (HQG) which represents its command infrastructure. Most of these headquarters groups will be composed of several vehicle bases. If at least one of these bases is intact, the headquarters may continue conducting command functions. If all HQ bases for a particular formation's HQG are lost, all maneuver units under the control of that headquarters group suffer a halving of their ability to receive order changes during the game.

« 1.5 Game Terrain
Battlefield terrain used in Firestrike fulfills two basic functions: cover and protection. As cover, it obscures line of sight and prevents enemy bases from spotting viable targets. As protection, it may increase a target's defense value if its defense value is superior to that of the base using the cover. If its rating is less that that of the "protected" unit, there is no effect on the fire charts. For example; an Israeli Merkava tank which seeks cover inside a large brick building will receive a benefit for cover, but because the heavy fire defense value for a brick building is only a 2, there is no effect on the Merkava's already sturdy defense value of 6 (IE - MBT armor is better protection than a brick). If an infantry base occupies the same brick building, it's defensive values against heavy and light fire will be raised from a 1 to 2 and 3 respectively, because the brick wall offers an increase in protection over the infantry's relatively light protection.

« 1.6 Turn Sequence
The phases of each turn are conducted simultaneously by both sides.

1) Command and Control

Roll for Performance Effects:

Roll for Orders and Discovery:

2) Place First Indirect Fire Markers

3) Movement

4) Place Second Indirect Fire Markers

5) Airstrikes

Place impact zone markers

Resolve all direct heavy and light fire.

6) Indirect Fire Resolution

7) First Direct Fire Phase

8) Second Direct Fire Phase