12. Infantry Arsenal
Infantry weapons are portable small-arms. Most are
able to fire across our wargames tables, with all fire being
either at Close or Effective range. Firing is conducted
using the Firepower Dice listed in the Arsenals and that
each weapon rolls when it fires.
12.1 Infantry Platoon Weapons
Soldier of the Second World War were armed with many
types of weapons. Most were similar in their design, but
some were peculiar to particular nations.
Bolt Action Rifles
The most common weapon on the battlefield was the
humble bolt action rifle, generally magazine fed with a
single shot being chambered by the operation of a bolt.
A bolt action rifle fires with one Firepower Dice.
Semi-Automatic Rifles or Carbines
The semi-automatic rifle or Carbine dispensed with
the need to manually chamber the next round from
the magazine, using the recoil to do that, whilst also
resetting the action. The semi-automatic rifle fires with
one Firepower Dice per weapon with the Storm of Steel
Bonus applied See Section 12.2, Storm of Steel Bonus.
The carbine is identical but has a maximum range of 48"
Machine Pistols and Sub-Machine Guns
Initially carried by NCOs or officers. As the war progressed,
some Sections were entirely equipped with these. SMGs
have a range of 18". They fire with two Firepower Dice
at a range of up to 12" and one Firepower Dice between
12" and 18". In both cases, they roll to hit as at Close
Range.
Automatic Rifles
The Browning Automatic Rifle was designed as a rapid-
firing trench clearing weapon in the Great War. The BAR
fires with four Firepower Dice and is operated by a single
crew figure.
Assault Rifles
The Sturmgewehr 44 and FG42 were fast-firing weapons
which could combine the single shot accuracy of the
semi-automatic Rifle with the close-quarter firepower of
the SMG.
Assault rifles fire with two Firepower Dice at Close Range
and one Firepower Dice at effective range.
Hand Grenades
Hand Grenades rely on fragmentation or blast for effect.
Grenades are thrown when a Leader uses an Order.
Grenades vary by nation but are often more effective in
confined spaces than in the Open. See National Arsenals
for details. All Sections have three hand grenades and
one smoke grenade.
Rifle Grenades
Used by Rifle Grenade Teams or individual figures in a
Section. Each rifle grenadier has three rifle grenades
per launcher. After this is used, they can shoot with
their rifles if no additional ammunition is available. Rifle
Grenades have minimal back-blast and may be fired from
inside buildings or bunkers.
A Rifle Grenade Team fires when activated on a Command
Dice roll of 1 or a Leader’s Order. Where a single figure
in an infantry Section has a Rifle Grenade, they fire when
a Leader uses an Order (see Section 7.5.2, Orders Which
are Not Activations), otherwise they fire with their rifle.
Light Mortars
When issued at Platoon level, the light mortar provided
the infantry with their own close artillery support. Light
mortars vary from 45mm to 60mm in calibre.
Light Mortars can hit anywhere on the table. They may
trace Line of Sight to their target from their Team or from
any friendly Leader within 6".
They can fire indirectly at a target to which they have no
Line of Sight, but which is visible to any friendly infantry
Leader on the table.
Light mortars reduce the cover of a target Unit by one
level, treating Light Cover as Open, and Hard Cover as
Light Cover. Light mortars have no effect against bunkers
or the lower floors of buildings with multiple floors.
Infantry Anti-Tank Weapons
These range from heavy calibre rifles to hand-held
devices and rocket-propelled hollow charges designed to
take on armoured vehicles. Infantry Anti-Tank weapons
may only be fired at an Infantry target when a Senior
Leader uses an Order.
Light Machine Guns
At the heart of most rifle Sections was the light machine
gun; a portable, bipod-equipped weapon with a rapid
rate of fire. The magazine-fed LMG rolls 6 Firepower
Dice in a single Phase. A belt-fed LMG rolls 8 Firepower
Dice in a Phase to reflect its higher rate of fire. Where
an LMG Team is reduced to one figure, the number of
Firepower Dice rolled is reduced by two.
12.2 Storm of Steel Bonus
Some Units and weapons gain the Storm of Steel Bonus
when firing, either as a result of their aggression, their
liberal use of automatic weapons, or due to firing a
High Explosive round. Units which gain the Storm of
Steel Bonus as a Characteristic are noted in the Force
Lists. Weapons which gain the Storm of Steel Bonus
automatically are noted in the Arsenals.
When Firepower Dice are rolled to hit, each 6 rolled
causes an additional Firepower Dice to be rolled
immediately, with any additional hits adding to the total
achieved. Where the additional dice rolled results in a
further 6’s, these also generate Firepower Dice which are
rolled immediately. This continues until no further 6’s are
rolled and the total number of hits are applied to the
target.
12.3 Limited Ammunition
Some weapons are only available in limited numbers.
Other weapons, such as the Light Mortar, have a limited
amount of ammunition available. This is listed in the
Army Lists.
Weapons with Limited Ammunition have sufficient
ammunition for between one and three rounds of fire,
as shown below.
| Weapon | Rounds |
|---|
| Smoke Grenades | 1 |
| Hand Grenades | 3 |
| Rifle Grenades | 3 |
| Mortar Rounds | 3 |
| Hand-held anti tank weapons | 3 |
12.3.1 Replen Points
The Limited Ammunition weapons above can be
resupplied using a Replen Point that has been selected
as a Support Option or at a friendly
Jump Off Point.
A Replen Point contains a
resupply of any three different
types of Limited Ammunition of
the player’s choice.
The Replen Point is placed with the first Unit that wishes
to resupply. The Unit immediately resupplies to restore
their original supply, firing in the current Phase if desired.
That ammunition type is now no longer available at that
Replen Point.
Once the Replen Point has been placed on the table, it
remains there for the duration of the game or until three
types of weapons have been resupplied.
If contacted by the enemy, a Replen Point is removed
from play.
A friendly Jump Off Point can also be used to resupply
Limited Ammunition. The Unit must make contact
with the Jump Off Point and roll a D6. On a roll of 1 to
3, no fresh supplies of that particular ammunition are
available at that point. On a roll of 4 to 6, three rounds
are available. Where no rounds are available, the Team
can try other Jump-Off Points to resupply.
12.4 The Arsenal Tables
The following Master Arsenal Table gives an overview of
the most common weapons encountered. The National
Arsenals give specific details for the various armies.
Some vehicle weapons have lower Firepower factors
than the same weapon crewed by infantry. This is due to
poorer visibility from inside an enclosed vehicle, or the
weapon being fired remotely. Manned weapons on top
of vehicles, such as on half-tracks or pintle mounts, will
use the same Firepower Dice as infantry weapons.
12.5 Multiple Barreled Weapons
Vehicles with multiple barreled weapons, such as
twin machine guns or quad mounted cannons use the
Firepower Dice for the single barreled weapon but add
two additional Firepower Dice for each extra barrel.
| Master Arsenal |
|---|
| Infantry Weapons |
|---|
| Weapon | Firepower Dice | Close Range | Effective Range | Notes |
|---|
| Bolt Action Rifle | 1 | 0-18" | Over 18" | |
| Semi-Automatic Rifle | 1 | 0-18" | Over 18" | Storm of Steel |
| Semi-Automatic Carbine | 1 | 0-18" | 18" to 48" | Storm of Steel |
| Automatic Rifle | 4 | 0-18" | Over 18" | |
| Rifle Grenade | 2 | Over 12" + LOS
Maximum 48" | - | Reduce cover by one level. Storm of Steel |
| SMG or Machine Pistol | 2/1 | 0-12"/12"-18" | - | 2 Firepower Dice to 12" |
| Assault Rifle | 2/1 | 0-18" | Over 18" | 2 Firepower Dice at Close
1 Firepower Dice at Effective |
| Magazine LMG | 6 | 0-18" | Over 18" | |
| Belt-fed Bipod LMG | 8 | 0-18" | Over 18" | |
| Tripod MMG | 10 | 0-24" | Over 24" | |
| Tripod HMG | 10 | 0-24" | Over 24" | Reduce cover by one level |
| Pistol | 1 | 0-6" | - | |
| Sniper | 1 | Unlimited | - | |
| Grenade | 3 | Thrown | - | +1 Firepower Dice in a confined space |
| Infantry Flamethrower | 12 stationary,
6 moving | 0-12" | - | Ignore all cover. Double Shock. Storm of Steel v infantry |
| 2" or 50mm mortar | 3 | Over 12" + LOS | Over 12", No LOS | Reduce cover by one level. No effect on bunkers. Storm of Steel |
| 60mm mortar | 4 | Over 18" + LOS | Over 18", No LOS |
| Medium mortar | 4 | Unlimited | - | Targets all Teams in Bombardment area. All Pinned. Storm of Steel |
| Vehicle Weapons |
|---|
| Weapon | Firepower Dice | Close Range | Effective Range | Notes |
|---|
| Vehicle MG | 6 | 0-18" | Over 18" | |
| Top Mounted MMG or HMG | 10 | 0-24" | Over 24" | HMG reduce cover by one level |
| Vehicle Flamethrower | 16 | 0-36" | - | Ignore all cover. Double Shock. Storm of Steel |