1:1 tank and infantry miniatures rules system Overview of the game: The game puts the player in control of up to a reinforced Company (10-12 tanks/squads) of a tank & infantry team. For each unit he makes the same decisions and performs the same actions as a real tank commander or squad leader would. One model equals one vehicle. One infantry stand equals a fire team or section. The game does not use a traditional IGOUGO or random activation system. This is what makes it different and can take some time to understand the concept. To get a quick understanding of the game do not attempt to compare it to other games or an impulse type movement game. You’ll only get confused! The basic concept is a player’s decision and the “Time & Action” for it to execute a certain number of turns in the future. I tell players to think like a Tank Commander - you want to perform an action, how long will it take. Game turns are called out second by second. When the future turn to execute is announced you perform your action as does everyone else scheduled for the current turn. This is not an unproven concept and has been played and play tested over the last two years but is still considered a WIP. Any action that was historically performed can be measured using the “Time & Action” concept including historically correct turret rotation rates, reloading and rates of fire. If an unexpected occurrence or anomaly comes up mid game not covered in the rules players can decide on the “Time & Action” to perform the action and what effect it has in the game. How was the game developed?

is not a variation of a previous game design with some new mechanics, dire roll modifiers, cards or activation concepts. We used historical research, weapons platform studies, firing trials and crew time to perform tasks to develop a way to portray 1:1 scale engagements. Since realistic tasks and actions are measured in seconds the game uses one second time slices to determine the timing of an event. This eliminates the need for a traditional structured turn sequence, random activations, skill checks, orders phase or command interrupts. It also allows the game to use historical rates of fire, turret rotation and crew tasks which are measured in seconds. The game forces players to think like a tank commander or squad leader and make the same decisions as their real life counterparts. Decisions like engaging a target and firing will take a variable amount of time so the player needs to weight his decision on the likelihood of it being performed before his opponent and the level of success it will achieve. Actions do not happen immediately and there is no guarantee you’ll be around in a future turn to execute your order. What scale can be played? We’ve played it from micro-armor to 28mm tank and infantry games in a built up area. All ranges are given in meters so it can scale to any system. Micro and 10mm work best with 1” = 20 or 25 meters, 12mm – 15mm is 1” = 10-12 meters, 20mm would be 1” = 3 to 5 meters and 28mm 1” = 2 meters. Those are just recommendations. A lot depends on your playing surface size and vehicle density you are comfortable with. How is initiative determined? With no structured game turns there is no determining initiative to decide who moves or shoots first. Performing an action before your opponent depends on the player’s decision of an action (amount of time to perform it), achieving a tactical advantage (ambushing or attacking the flanks or rear of the enemy), weapon platform performance (turret rotation, speed, optics/sighting) and the units Situational Awareness (mostly determined if the vehicle is unbuttoned or buttoned up and if an infantry unit is suppressed). Initiative is gained by having seconds of an advantage to act first. Why use one second increments for game turns? Isn’t using one second turns unplayable and not needed? That’s a typical reaction. By using the one second increments for timing we can use historical weapons platform and performance for rate of fire and turret rotation in a playable manner without abstractions. It allows a manageable way for players to determine firing order without additional special rules for over watch and opportunity fire. It enables all

units to interact and perform their actions without the need to parse a turn into segments, random activations, command interrupts or skill checks. Any unit has a greater or lesser ability to react to enemy activity at any time. What exactly is a game turn composed of? The way to think of a “turn” when playing is when the unit is scheduled to perform the action it chose. Each unit is not performing an action each and every second, which would be unplayable. By using seconds as a timing mechanism to determine future activity/activation we eliminate the need for sequenced turns and random activations. When a new turn is announced there may be any number of units executing their actions or there may be none at all. Are you tracking activity of every crew member and testing their success? No. This is not a role playing game for each crew member checking to see how successful he is in performing his duties. All actions are performed as a crew. A more detailed version of the game will add time to perform activities if crew members are wounded. If players wanted each crew member could have a specific experience rating which would make the amount of time to execute an order more variable. You could have an all Veteran crew except for a Green loader. How do units move and fire? Players give all of their units on the table an order (generally firing or moving) that will take a variable amount of time to execute depending on the action, tactical advantage, weapons platform performance, available options and crew type. As each turn (time progressing second by second) is announced any unit executing its order does so at that time. So rather than units firing and moving in a sequence or randomly activated they execute their orders interactively with each other as each turn number is called out. The less time it takes to execute an order the more quickly you will fire. Moving units have a movement marker arrow showing the direction they will move. Every 5th turn is a movement segment when all units with a movement arrow are moved. Movement can trigger a reaction by any unit that has a LOS. How does game play from turn to turn? Play proceeds with each successive turn number being called out and units executing their order if it is their turn to do so. That means units can fire simultaneously at each other which picks up the pace of the game. Every 5th turn is a movement phase for all units with a movement marker arrow to move. Having a mutual movement phase speeds it up too. If there is no action or firing for a turn we move immediately to the next turn. Since there is no orders phase after firing the player IMMEDIATELY decides on his next action (moving, firing at the same target or engaging a new one). During any turn any enemy action can be reacted to on the turn it occurs. This is explained in detail under “Situational Awareness Check”. Guns will generally fire at their historical rate of 4-8 rounds per minute or every 7-15 turns. Example: It is game turn #35 and an action will take 6 turns to perform. It will be performed on turn #41. There is nothing else the player needs to do until turn #41. Between turns #35 and #41 other friendly and enemy vehicles and units on the table may be performing their action which may or may not impact your action on turn #41. That’s how the game is interactive. When a unit will perform an action is somewhat predictable but not random. The player does have some control but is limited by the weapon platform performance and crew experience. Better crews will perform the same actions slightly quicker than poorer crews giving them a slight initiative advantage. What determines when a unit will fire or perform an action? To determine that we’ve examined military manuals, TRADOC’s, historical accounts and after action reports as a way to quantify the amount of time it takes for a crew to perform an action and weapon platform performance like turret rotation, rate of fire and movement. To fire the unit must acquire the target, get the gun onto the target, and estimate the range, aim and fire. Adding these times together is no more difficult than adding some die roll modifiers. We’ve abstracted some of the mechanics so there are no more than three variables to worry about. An Engagement Play Aid tailored for each vehicle model makes it easy to perform. When reacting to an enemy threat in your frontal arc it can take from 5-8 seconds to get off your first shot. If they surprise you in the flanks or rear there can be a delay in detecting them and additional time to get your gun on them. Having a tactical advantage over your opponent forces him to spend more time to engage you thus giving you the initiative to get off the first shot. This is explained in detail later. How does movement and opportunity fire work?

Since we do not use impulse movement (you are not moving second by second) every 5 turns is a movement phase. Any unit with a movement marker arrow is considered a moving target all units are moved at the same time but restricted to an extent by the direction of their movement arrow. This speeds up the game too. When a unit moves into LOS all enemy and friendly units can perform a Situational Awareness Check to engage. This is how the game is reactive. While many other games have the same concept they normally need additional special rules and exceptions for over watch and opportunity fire and cannot simulate the second by second timing and interaction with potential Engagement Delay variables that can. In reality the success in an engagement to get off the first shot is not dependent on chance, skill check or a random activation. It is determined by the player’s decision to gain a tactical advantage, better Situational Awareness and superior crew performance. Randomness plays only a small part. Reacting to enemy movement example: It is game turn #21 and an enemy vehicle moves into your LOS and you detect it with no delay. It takes 3 seconds/turns to rotate the turret to the target and the player chooses 4 turns aiming. The vehicle will fire on turn #28. For the next seven turns the crew is assumed to be performing their duties and the player does not need to perform skill checks or issue any further orders. When turn #28 comes he fires – unless someone fired before turn #28 and knocked him out, which happens a lot. So the “Time & Action” to shoot is 3 seconds for turret rotation and 4 seconds for aim time. All other units on the table have performed their “Time & Action” and when each new turn is announced second by second (somewhat like a frame by frame video game) any unit that is scheduled to perform an action like shooting does so. There are no other exceptions or turn interrupts like in other games. The game “flows” rather than having specific segments where players alternate and perform activities. When can I issue an order to a unit? There is no Orders Phase. As soon as the player completes one action he IMMEDIATELY decides on his next action (loading and firing, moving, engaging a new target, etc) and determines the “Time & Action” of what future turn the action will be performed/activated. If you understand the “Time & Action” concept, second by second flow of the game and the flow of decisions and orders for a vehicle you’ll understand how the game plays. This is how each unit interacts with each other without the need for a structured game turn or random activation. You issue an order when reacting to enemy activity or abort an order to engage a new target. When my time comes to fire what if I do not want to fire now but choose to fire later? When your turn comes to fire you have the option of tracking your target to fire in a later turn with no delay. This is a way to spring an ambush, hold fire until a target is closer, presents a flank shot or stops moving. You can always abort an order and select a new one to engage a new target or move but must perform a Situational Awareness Check. What triggers a unit to determine the “Time & Action” to engage, shoot or move? There is no spotting phase in the game. Every unit or vehicle on the battlefield has what is called “Situational Awareness”. This is an abstracted way to define how aware the crew of a unit or vehicle is to enemy activity (movement, firing, turret rotation) in 360 degrees (unless there are blind spots) and how quickly they can react to evade, fire or move. The more rapidly you can respond without a delay will determine your success in beating your enemy to the punch. You can react most quickly if unbuttoned or not suppressed and to activity to your front. How does Opportunity Fire and Over Watch work in the game? There are no special rules or exceptions for either one. To simulate over watch point your gun/turret in the direction you expect the enemy to be approaching. This will give a minimum of delay to engage and fire but there is no guarantee of that. To get the opportunity to fire at a target perform a Situational Awareness Check when an enemy action like firing, moving or turret rotation is within your LOS. Be careful as the threat is performing a Situational Awareness Check at the same time to engage you! There is no special over watch order as the unit is assumed to have 360 degree observation using the Situational Awareness rules. Make your decision to engage and fire or move. Then determine the “Time & Action” for the future turn it will take place. To maneuver/evade against a threat just place a movement marker arrow in the direction you want to move. Any shots taken at you in a future turn will be at a moving target. Just because you detect a threat with no delay does not guarantee you’ll get off the first shot. Even with 3-4 seconds of delay a tank with a better crew, faster turret rotation or taking a few seconds less to aim (but with an accuracy

penalty) may beat you to the punch by a second or two. Since the “Time & Action” to shoot have a few variables and you don’t know the crew you are up against or your opponent’s decision you can’t take anything for granted. This is different than some games that have a reaction check die roll to determine the first shot. They do it with a die roll that is generally not interactive with other units in LOS. uses a player’s decision and timing that is interactive with all other units on the table without additional rules, activations or skill checks. Getting the first shot is not random. How do I perform a Situational Awareness Check? Any activity in your LOS can trigger a Situational Awareness Check that is performed by BOTH units simultaneously. This determines if the threat is spotted right away or if there is an Engagement Delay. Delays are deadly and are what gives the initiative to your opponent. Both players simultaneously (and secretly) determine their “Time & Action” to perform the action (adding any Engagement Delay Time) and note the turn # it will be performed. Neither player knows exactly when his opponent will activate/perform their action like firing. That’s what makes the game interesting and puts the player in the position of having to make some risk-reward decisions like trading accuracy for speed. The Situational Awareness Check is only made to engage a new threat to determine the first shot. It is not used every game turn or to maintain contact with a target for successive shots. Engagement Play Aid example: Each vehicle has a customized Engagement Play Aid the player’s uses to determine the angles and factors for buttoned up and unbuttoned factors to use with a single D20 die roll. This will determine how quickly he can respond. This is a link for a more detailed explanation: http://www.slideshare.net/wolfhag/treadheads-situational-awareness-example?qid=4b80482a-e5c0-4fba-b56c-69a9e9e6b62b&v=&b=&from_search=6 I looked at the example. How complicated and time intensive is it? Let’s say you are responding to an enemy threat and you want to move and your vehicle is unbuttoned. It may be pretty obvious which viewing arc the enemy is in and you may not need to use the Engagement Play Aid to determine it. If there is doubt use it. Roll a D20. If the result is less than the unbuttoned factor for that arc you have noticed the threat right away with no delay. Simply place a movement arrow marker in the direction you desire to move. Now any shots at you will be as a moving target. You can also choose to take evasive movement too but that will not allow you to fire on the move. If the die roll was greater than the factor you have a delay in moving for that many turns which could be fatal. If you want to engage and fire you’ll need to use the Engagement Play Aid to determine turret rotation time and if there is a delay. Roll the D20, determine if there is a delay, add delay to the turret rotation time on the play aid. Now determine your aim time which is variable allowing you to trade accuracy for speed. A Snap Shot would be one second aim time with a healthy accuracy penalty. Getting good range estimation and an accuracy bonus would be 7-8 seconds aim time. The turn you’ll fire on is the delay + turret rotation + aim time turns in the future. This should not take any more than 15 seconds for a player to perform and does not hold up the game. Hopefully you’ve noticed all of the actions you perform are the same ones a tank or gun crew would perform while in action. What if I am going to fire at a target on turn #25 but on turn #21 a new threat appears on my flank? Just like in real action you can abort a current order and respond to the new threat if you can detect it in time. To respond to a threat or engage a new target you need to perform a Situational Awareness Check as soon as it appears (the threat will be doing the same thing). If the threat appears on your flank or rear there is a good chance of an Engagement Delay in responding, especially if you are buttoned up. Delays are deadly and give the initiative to the enemy. This delay may allow the enemy unit to surprise you and get a shot off before you detect him or before you can get your turret on him and shoot. If you detect him before he has fired and you feel he’ll get the first shot off before you your only choice may be to move and evade making you a harder target to hit. These decisions are up to the player, not a die roll or Skill Check. Choose wisely. How does use timing and “Time & Action” to make the game more historically accurate and easier to play than other games using IGOUO and activation rules? Using “Time & Action” the player is able to recreate any action or tactic that a tank or gun would in real combat by using real weapon platform performance and metrics. This includes historically portraying shoot & scoot, reverse slope defense, bracketing fire, hull down and turret down, snap shots, range finder use, firing on the move and halt fire. Yes,

may other games have the same rules for these tactics but they do not reflect the interactive timing between units that defines success or failure. There is no need for special rules and exceptions for opportunity fire, over watch, skill checks and command interrupts. The game progresses second by second like in real time and when a turn is announced all units performing an action on that turn do so simultaneously. Random activations do a good job of creating suspense and randomize units performing activity but the player normally has very little influence of when it will happen. creates the same type of suspense because neither side knows when an opposing unit will fire. However, they do have a fair idea which allows them to use options to take more or less time with the associated risk-reward decision. Players have some control over how long it will take to fire by having an optional aim time of 1-7 seconds and poor crews will take a few seconds longer to perform the same actions giving good crews an advantage over them. Crew expertise and aim time is unknown to your opponent. In a 1:1 shootout both players will be forced to make a decision between speed and accuracy to beat his opponent to the next shot. Firing too quickly may mean a miss. Taking too long may mean you are knocked out before getting the shot off. In seconds really do count. The game can portray that by using one second time slices to determine when firing occurs without the need for artificial game mechanics, activations or special rules. Traditional games have a turns of a set length and then use special rules, abstractions and IF-THEN-Else exceptions to fit action into a turn in order to give some semblance of being interactive or the timing within a turn. Unfortunately these can cause complications and give non-historical results. Most games need to abstract factors like movement and a guns rate of fire. There are games where a turn is 30-90 seconds long but a vehicle or gun can only engage one or two targets in a turn. In order to get additional detail most games can attempt to simulate an interactive turn using things like random activations, over watch, opportunity fire, command interrupts and skill checks but they are abstracted attempts and add additional rules and exceptions which can complicate the game. Using “Time & Action” concept any historical activity or tactic can be recreated without adding additional rules. It is easy for players to relate to an action and how long it will take. Summary:

has no structured turns or random activations. Units perform their action after a pre-determined number of turns (depending on the action selected) in relation to all other units on the table. Their timing determines when they perform their action. It is nothing like games with a structured sequence or random activations. A key component to the game is reaction with a potential delay rather than immediate results. It is not an impulse type game either. Impulse games have a set number of impulses and a unit performs movement/firing in predictable way in different impulses. Most games have the player observing the battlefield situation when his turn comes and then makes immediate decisions to engage the enemy and then waits for his turn to come around again. has you thinking about your success in terms of your decision as a tank commander and the Time & Action to execute that action in a future turn. Almost nothing happens immediately and there is no guarantee of success in a future turn. More detailed rules allow for SNAFU’s to interfere with timing and generate equipment failures and other factors that can generate a delay in engaging the enemy. You are not pinning your hopes or success on a die roll or the flip of a card. When the game is over you can’t blame the dice. You need to know how to fight most effectively using your strengths against your opponent’s weaknesses to gain a precious few seconds of initiative, which is hopefully all you’ll need. Out maneuvering your opponent will generate an Engagement Delay for him giving you the seconds of initiative to fire or move from cover to cover. Having a better crew and forcing your opponent to button up will give you a chance to perform more actions in the same amount of time allowing you to get inside your opponent’s Decision Loop and gain the initiative.

is not just about customized die roll modifiers and intricate activation mechanisms. It’s about historical weapons platform performance, player decisions and the interactive timing of events for all units on the table with a minimum of abstractions. The Engagement Play Aid that is tailored for the specific vehicle model and has everything a player needs to determine timing and decisions when moving or reacting to enemy activity and engaging him. We’ll soon have 30-45 second augmented reality videos available to supplement the rules and help eliminate rule lookups.