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 Rapid Fire! is a set of World War One wargame rules for divisional level grand-tactical engagements, or skirmish level Rapid Fire! raids. Both games are played on a modular Rapid Fire! layout using 6 x 12 inch segments of main trenches, communications trenches, cratered pieces of no-man’s land, and barbed wire section. The interchangeable Rapid Fire! segments are built up from two sheets of polystyrene, the lower of which provides a 1/2" fire step for figures to stand on.

A table of point values for men and equipment is used to recruit 12 to 15 figure battalions for the divisional game, or individual officers, NCOs, and men for the Rapid Fire! raid game. The table lists varies heavy weapons and artillery pieces, and the crews needed to operate them. Divisional scale fighting factor losses are determined with the help of the Casualty Calculator, made up of three overlapping cardboard discs with adjustable shooter and target parameters which determine the actual losses. For each 50 fighting factors lost, one figure is removed from the target unit. In the Rapid Fire! raid game, casualties are diced for normally.

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 Browning): 1,49 hits
Author: Colin Rumford & Richard Marsh
Format: 120-page rule book
Language: English
Publisher: Rapid Fire Publications, York, England
Published: 2005

Chapters

Introduction
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
Basic Rules
- Order of Play
- Morale
- Observation
- Smoke
- Heroic Actions
- Movement
- Reserved Fire
- Close Assault
- Firing
- Final Movement
A Battalion-Level Scenario played with the Basic Rules
- Lingevres - Normandy, 14th June 1944
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
A Brigade-Level Scenario played with the Advanced Rules
- Operation Martlet - Normandy, 26th June 1944
End Pieces

Quick Reference Chart

Casualty Calculator

The required 6 x 4 foot game table consists of 30 interchangeable Rapid Fire! modules and 18 pieces of no-man’s land which will require some investment and a substancial amount of time to build from scratch. Novice Rapid Fire! gamers may want to play-test the game using trenches drawn on packing paper, or simply dig their Rapid Fire! systems in a sandbox.

Opponent Finder

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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.

Frequently Asked Questions

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