Squad Leader
Squad Leader | |
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Game data | |
author | John Hill |
publishing company | Avalon Hill |
Publishing year | 1977 |
Art | Conflict simulation game |
Teammates | 2 |
Duration | 60 minutes |
Age | 14 years and older
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Awards | |
Origins Award 1977: Tactical game |
Squad Leader is a conflict simulation game for two players by John Hill . It was published by Avalon Hill in 1977 . Infantry battles from World War II in Europe are re-enacted in various scenarios . It is a further development of the tank-focused games Panzerblitz and Panzerleader . You can command German, Russian, American (allied), Finnish, Polish, French, Dutch or British units.
The rulebook describes the relatively complex rules of the game on 36 pages. The first version was published in 1977 with an edition of 2500 copies. The first edition is purple and coveted among collectors. The game's extensions Cross of Iron , Crescendo of Doom and GI: Anvil of Victory appeared in 1979 and 1982 .
The further development Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) by Don Greenwood junior appeared in 1985. Since then, Squad Leader is also often referred to as PreASL . With Close Combat , a computer game version by ASL was released in 1996. This was originally developed for Avalon Hill by the developer studio Atomic Games. After Avalon Hill got into financial difficulties, however, the development was finally completed for Microsoft.
content
The basic version of Squad Leader comes with a 36-page rule book, four game boards (both cardboard and paper) and various game tiles with the following imprints:
- Squads, leaders, support weapons (light, medium and heavy machine guns; bazooka; paks; flamethrowers; explosives; radio)
- Tanks, vehicles (half-tracks, transporters), Prep Fire ( see also “Prep Fire Phase” ), Artillery Support
- Mines, barbed wire, bunkers, "destroyed house", foxhole and smoke signals
Rules of the game
Fight (Broke / Unbroke)
The battles are decided by rolling dice, the conditions of which can be read on a cardboard card. As a result, either the defenders die or a tie occurs. A third result includes a so-called morale check, which means that every squad and leader is subjected to an examination of their combat morale . Here the defender has to achieve a certain die result, otherwise the units are “ broken ” (morally broken and no longer usable). Every unit has to be subjected to a morale check. In the rally phase, if a leader is in the same hex, you can "bring it back" (rebuild it morally) so that it is considered "Unbroke" .
Game flow
Depending on the scenario, there are different numbers of rounds. Each player may "move" once in a round, which includes a total of 8 successive phases:
- 1. Rally phase: In the rally phase you can “repeat” "broken" units by performing a morale check. All discarded characters (smoke, prep fire) from the previous turn are removed.
- 2. Prep Fire Phase: In this phase the “pulling” player can decide which squads he wants to shoot with. These units are marked with “Prep Fire” tokens because they are not allowed to move during the Movement phase.
- 3. Movement phase: All figures that did not shoot are now allowed to move. In this round, explosives may be placed, the pioneers (only they can place explosives) may not die or be broked in the movement phase.
- 4. Defensive phase: The non-moving player may shoot back in this phase. He can also shoot the moving units, he can mark the places where certain enemy units marched.
- 5. Advancing Fire Phase: This is the second possibility for the pulling player to fire his units. Those units that have moved may only attack at half strength.
- 6. Rout phase: "Broken" units must withdraw into houses and forests.
- 7. Advanced Phase: In this phase the player moving may move each unit one hex .
- 8. Close Combat: If two enemy units are on a hex or nearby hex, close combat occurs , where one side is completely wiped out.
Extensions
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Cross of Iron (CoI, 1979)
(Mapboard 5, scenarios 13-20)
Includes fighting on the Eastern Front. In addition to allied (in the basic version), German and Russian units, there are now also Finnish units. It includes a new map, new units and new scenarios. -
Crescendo of Doom (CoD, 1979)
(Mapboards 6 and 7, Scenarios 21-32) Extends
Squad Leader with scenarios on the Western Front from 1940 to 1941. You can now command Polish, French, Dutch and British units. In addition, two more cards are added. -
GI: Anvil of Victory (GI, 1982)
(Mapboards 8 and 12-15, Scenarios 33-47)
Expands American and British units on the Western Front. There is a new map and several hundred new characters. -
Rogue scenarios
These scenarios could be ordered directly from Avalon Hill.
Contained mapboards 9-11
There are also add-ons that have not been published by Avalon Hill.
Fixtures
Scenarios
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Web links
- Squad Leader website from Multi-Man Publishing
- Squad Leader Academy with its own scenarios
- Virtual Squad Leader : VSQL is a Squad Leader module for the VASAL game engine .
- Advance phase with scenarios, tactics and online squad leaders
- Squadleader in the game database BoardGameGeek (English)
- Squad Leader in the Luding games database