Brandon

Jjjj Llll (Order

Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
Brandon
Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
 Table of Contents
Introduction ……………………………. 1 Cover and Terrain …………………….. 7
Turns and Orders ……………………… 1 Leaders ………………………………….. 7

Hero Points ………………………………1 Assaults …………………………………. 9

Units ..……………………………………. 3 Vehicles in Assaults ………………….. 9

Activation ..…………………………….. 3 Morale …………………………………… 9

Moving ..…………………………………. 3 Artillery …………………………………. 11

Firing ..…………………………………… 5 Transports ………………………………. 11

Firing at Vehicles ..…………………… 5 On To The Battle ………………………. 13

Received Fire Checks ..……………… 7 Example Forces ……………………….. 15

Rally ……………………………………. 7 Example Stats …………………………. 16

Very Special Thanks

to these particular individuals who, in one way or another, were critical in helping encourage
and guide me through the process of putting these ideas onto the table and eventually on paper:
Ivan Sorensen Dillon Wall
Designer Extraordinaire Filmmaker and Podcaster Extraordinaire
(http://FiveMenNormandy.blogspot.com) (https://www.DillonWall.com)

Matt Fisher Grant Ellis

Hobby Store Extraordinaire RPG Internet Personality Extraordinaire
(http://YourHobbyPlace.com) (https://twitter.com/wisepapagrant)

Dale Hurtt Steven Whitesell

Games Criticism Extraordinaire Wargames Blogger Extraordinaire
(http://DalesWargames.blogspot.com) (http://SoundOfficersCall.blogspot.com)

Tim Kulinski Jake Nedza

Painter Extraordinaire Gamer Extraordinaire
(http://CursedTreasures.blogspot.com)

Check out my website at www.RetroBoom.com

Join my Facebook group at www.facebook.com/retroboomgames
Written by Brandon Fraley © January 23rd, 2019

Brandon
Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
 Introduction
Hail Of Fire is a fast-play miniatures wargame that allows
you to play company-level WWII actions on your tabletop.
The game is designed to be played with miniatures 15mm in
scale or smaller, based in teams of 2-5 men to a stand,
vehicles based individually. Base size for an average infantry
team should be between 1 and 2” in width and length. Leader
bases are about half this size and gun team bases about twice
this size. You’ll need at least a handful of d6’s and a single
d10. All modifiers apply to target numbers rather than die
rolls, so if a 4+ on a die roll is needed to succeed, a +1
modifier means the die roll will need to be 5 or higher. When
re-rolls are allowed, the second roll stands.
Brandon
Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
Turns and Orders
The game is played in Turns, with each Turn split into
multiple Phases. At the beginning of each Turn, each Player
rolls an Order Die (1d6). Both Players receive a number of
Order Points equal to the higher of the two rolls. The Player
who rolled higher receives the first Phase of the Turn. In the
case of a tie, see Hero Points below.
Each Phase, a Player may use an Order Point to activate one
of their Teams and order them to either Move, Fire, or Go To
Ground. The Player may spend as many Order Points as they
wish, to activate as many Teams as they wish, as long as no
single Team is activated more than once during the Phase,
and they have the Order Points to spend (exceptions for
Redeploying and during Assaults). If the Player wishes to
only spend 1 Order Point in their Phase, that order costs 2
Order Points (if you can make two orders, you may as well
do so).
Once a Player chooses to end their Phase, the other Player
may then begin their Phase, and spend Order Points to
activate Teams. Players alternate Phases, back and forth,
until one Player chooses to pass their Phase without
activating any Teams (whether they have Order Points or
not), the other Player may take one more Phase. The Turn is
then over and new Order Points are generated.
Hero Points
Before the first turn, both Players roll a Hero Die (1d6),
keeping the result hidden. This is the number of Hero Points
each Player receives at the beginning of the game. These
points may be spent as Order Points. When a Hero Point is
spent, use another die to keep track of the total, counting up.
Any time the Players roll a tie on their Order Dice rolls, both
Players reveal and re-roll their Hero Die, generating a new
pool of Hero Points, replacing whatever was remaining in
their previous pool. Order Points are then Re-rolled.

 HAIL OF FIRE WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES
Example:
Turns and Orders
The Allied Player and the Axis Player both
roll 1d6 to generate Order Points for the
turn. The Allied Player rolls a 3 and the
Axis Player rolls a 5. This means both
players get 5 Order Points to spend, and
that the Axis Player will start with the
first phase.
The Axis Player spends 4 of their Order
points to move forward four of their units,
and then passes to the Allied Player.
The Allied Player spends all 5 of their
Order Points to maneuver five units into
better positions for the following turn, and
then passes back to the Axis Player.
The Axis Player spends their last
remaining Order Point to advance again
with a unit that had advanced in their
previous phase, since any teams may be
activated again in this new phase.
Both Players pass and the turn ends.
Brandon
Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
Hero Points
Before their first turn, both the Allied and
Axis Players generate Hero Points by
rolling 1d6 and keeping the result hidden
from their opponent.
Later in the game, the Axis Player moves
an infantry unit into assault range of one
of Allied units, suppressed and holding an
objective.
In the next phase, the Allied Player
chooses to spend a Hero Point to attempt
to fire with the suppressed unit. Several of
the suppressed teams rally and fire at the
inbound infantry, still out in the open.
A new turn soon begins and both Players
roll for Order Points. They both roll a 4!
Both Players reveal how many Hero Points
they rolled. The Allied Player only rolled a
1, which they used, while the Axis Player
rolled a healthy 6, but hadn't yet used any.
They both then re-roll their Hero Dice,
losing however many they had remaining,
and gaining the new total rolled.
Order Points are then re-rolled.
 HAIL OF FIRE WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES
Units
Each Player commands typically 4-8 Units on a 6'x4' table. A
Unit is made up of a number of Teams. Team refers to any
individual stand of models or Vehicle. All Teams are
categorized as either Infantry, Gun, or Vehicle Teams, and
each Unit will have a Platoon Leader (PL) Team. Each Unit
has a Quality level, and each Team in the Unit will be
equipped with specific weaponry. Some simple Example
Forces have been provided, but feel free to use historical
“orders of battle” or even suggested forces for other games.
Moving
Infantry Teams may move a number of inches equal to the
higher result of two d6 rolls. Gun Teams may move a number
of inches equal to the lower result of two d6 rolls, and
Vehicle Teams may move up to 2d6”. Dice are rolled once
per type of Team in the Unit. A destination must be declared
before the dice are rolled.
- Movement Distances
Infantry d6” (higher of 2d6)

Teams and Units will occasionally be required to make a Gun d6” (lower of 2d6)
Quality Check, trying to roll equal to or higher than the Vehicle 2d6”
number listed on the following table:
Unless deemed impassable, Infantry Teams move through
- Quality Check Table Terrain and obstacles freely. Gun Teams cannot move
through Very Difficult Terrain. Vehicle Teams must roll a
Raw 5+
Quality Check when crossing Difficult and Very Difficult
Regular 4+ Terrain. Depending on the type of Vehicle, a failure in either
Elite 3+ may cause the Team to cease movement 1” into the Terrain,
and possibly become Suppressed.
- Terrain Effects
Very Difficult
Team Difficult Terrain
Terrain
Infantry No Restriction No Restriction
Gun No Restriction May not Move
Pass Quality
Pass Quality Check
Tracked Check or move
or move 1”
1” and Supp.
Half- Pass Quality Check
Activation Tracked or move 1”
May not Move

An Order Point may be spent to activate a Team and execute
an order. If that Team is a Leader, he may then also activate
any Teams in his Unit to which he has Line of Sight (LoS)
for free. While a Team may only be given one Order when
activated, multiple Order Points may be spent so that an
activated Leader may issue different orders to Teams in his
Unit, allowing his Teams to split their Fire, move in different
directions, or to have some of their Teams Move while others
are shooting.
Vehicle Leader Teams may activate Teams in their Unit out
of LoS. Vehicles without radios activate as Infantry.
Players may spend an Order Point to “Redeploy”, Moving all
of their Teams that start their movement outside of LoS of
enemy (except enemy FOs). Teams activated in this way may
be activated more than once per phase.
Pass Quality Check
Wheeled May not Move
or move 1” and Supp.
Suppressed Vehicle Teams cannot cross Difficult or Very
Difficult Terrain.
Tracked and Half-Tracked Vehicles add 6” to their movement
if conducted entirely on roads. Wheeled Vehicles add 12”.
Unless following a road, Vehicle Teams that Move more than
half their total movement must conduct their remaining
movement in a straight line, not turning their hulls during or
after that movement.
Teams may not move through enemy Teams, nor end their
move within 1” of enemy Teams unless entering an Assault.
Gun Teams may not move closer to enemy within 6”.

Brandon
Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
 HAIL OF FIRE WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES

Example: 4” means that any remaining movement

Activation and Movement
The Allied Player spends an Order Point to
activate the Platoon Leader for their
spearhead platoon of tanks, which then
allows them to activate each other tank in
that same platoon without spending more
Order Points.
The Allied Player orders them all to move
toward a house on the other end of a field,
and rolls 2d6 to determine how far each
team in the unit will be able to move. They
roll 2 and 6. Each tank advances 8”
toward the house. They pass to the Axis.
The Axis Player chooses to spend an Order
Point to move each of their units which are
out of LoS of enemy. Currently, 2 of the
Axis Player's 6 units qualify.
First, they activate an infantry platoon
leader, which activates the whole unit,
rolling 2d6 getting 1 and 6. They advance
each team in the unit 6” forward, through
an area of woods and into the house, as
terrain doesn't hinder infantry.
Second is a unit of tanks. Two of the three
tanks in the unit are out of LoS of the
enemy tanks and are ordered to move. The
3rd tank has LoS to enemy and so will not
be able to join this activation. The Axis
Player rolls 3 and 5. One tank is moving
along a road, and so adds the 6” road
bonus to the rolled distance of 8”.
The second tank would like to maneuver
around the house. Turning the corner at
must be done in a straight line, so
although the Axis Player would prefer to
angle the tank's front armor toward the
incoming threat from the field, the front of
the tank must stay straight in line with
the direction moved for the last 4”.
With every Team out of enemy LoS having
moved, an Order Point is spent to activate
the Leader of a unit of AT guns. The
Leader has LoS to two of his three gun
teams, and the Axis Player orders both
guns to move to contact the bocage
overlooking the field. They roll 3 and 6, so
the two that activated can move 3”.
Lastly, they spend another point to
activate the 3rd gun which doesn't have
LoS to their Leader. They're also ordered
to Move to the bocage, rolling 2 and 3, thus
moving 2”.
The Axis Player passes and the Allied
Player decides to spend an Order Point to
activate the same Leader they activated in
the previous phase, and order the rest of
the tanks in that unit to move. They roll 5
and 6, moving forward 11”. However, one
of the tanks attempts to move into woods
while another tries to crash through a tall
stone wall. Both require a Quality Check,
and both fail. The tank entering the woods
must stop after moving 1” into the terrain,
while the tank crashing through the wall,
is now stuck in the rubble and marked as
“Suppressed”.
The Allied Player spends a second Order
Point elsewhere before ending their phase.

Brandon
Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
 HAIL OF FIRE WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES
Firing Firing at Vehicles
Teams given a Fire order declare a single enemy Team as Vehicle Teams may be either Armored (Tanks, Half Tracks,
their target for all Firing Teams. All activated Teams must Self Propelled Artillery) or Unarmored (Trucks, Jeeps).
have LoS to the target Team or an enemy Team within 4” of Armored Teams may only be effected by Teams firing AT
the target Team to Fire. weapons. When Firing at Armored Teams, after allocating
Infantry Teams and Teams with rotating turrets have a 360º hits, roll a number of dice equal to the Anti-Tank (AT) of the
field of fire. All other Teams may only fire within their firing weapon. For each point of AT up to the Armor Rating
forward 90º arc. To Fire outside this arc would first require a (AR) of the hit vehicle, a "Ping" die is rolled. For each point
Move action to rotate the firing Team. of AT that is higher than the vehicle AR, a Penetration (Pen)
die is rolled. If the vehicle’s AR is higher than weapon's AT,
Teams may not fire through friendly Teams with the
AT is halved rounded down.
exceptions that Gun and Vehicle Teams may fire over
Infantry Teams, and Infantry Teams may fire over other - Ping Dice
Infantry when firing at Gun and Vehicle Teams.
1-5 No Effect
Each firing Team rolls a number of d6 equal to their
weapon’s Rate of Fire (RoF), trying to roll 4+, applying the 6 RFP
following modifiers to this target number:
- Pen Dice
- Firing Target Modifiers
1-3 No Effect
• Target Concealed From All Firing Teams +1 4-5 RFP
• Target, and Enemy within 4” of Target, 6 DESTROYED
+1
at Long Range (up to 2x range)

For each successful roll, the attacked Player must allocate If the hit generates at least as many Pen dice as Ping dice, at
one “hit”, first to the targeted Team, and then to any other least 1 RFP will be applied, even if none are rolled.
Team within 4” of that Team and within LoS and range, not When an Unarmored Vehicle is hit, all dice are Pen Dice.
adding a second hit to a Team until all other eligible Teams
Any Destroyed result is resolved immediately. Any RFP
have received a first. The Firing Player may declare that
results are assigned to the hit Vehicle, and resolved when
more vulnerable Teams must receive hits before other
next activated as normal.
eligible Teams (those in lesser cover, weaker armor, etc).
When resolving Received Fire Checks, Vehicle Teams
Non-Vehicle Teams may not be allocated more than 2 hits
always count as being in Hard Cover.
from a single Fire order. Leaders may be allocated hits only
after all other valid Teams, even if they were the target. If firing from behind a line drawn across the front of the
Team’s hull, use that Team’s Flank Armor rating.
For each hit, non-Vehicle Teams receive 1 Received Fire
Point (RFP). (I use small 8mm dice to track RFPs.) Vehicle Teams that are destroyed are left on the table and
offer concealment when fired through and count as Difficult
Hits from small arms must be allocated to unarmored Teams
Terrain.
(infantry, guns, trucks), while Players firing AT weapons may
choose how many AT hits must be allocated to Armored or
unarmored Teams.
AT weapons Firing at non-Vehicle Teams are assumed to fire
HE ammunition, and ignore the modifier for Concealment.
Gun Teams that Move may not Fire later in the same Turn.

Brandon
Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
 HAIL OF FIRE WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES
Example:
Firing
The Allied Player orders a rifle platoon to
fire at a pair of grenadier platoons whose
teams entered into a field. They first
declare the target team, choosing the
middle team of the four that are in LoS.
The unit has six rifle teams, each with a
RoF of 2, so twelve dice are rolled. As the
target team is neither concealed nor at
long range for their weapons, each roll of
4+ is a hit. They score a superb 10 hits.
The Axis Player then marks the hits, with
small arms inflicting 1 Received Fire Point
per hit. The first hit must go to the target
team, but the Axis Player must allocate
additional hits evenly to both the target
team and the three teams around the
target, as they're within 4” (there are
other German teams within 4”, but they
are out of LoS of the Allies and so may not
be assigned hits). One of the four teams is
of a separate German platoon, but as they
are within 4” of the target Team, they are
still assigned hits.
Every qualifying team must receive 1 hit
before anyone receives a second, and non-
vehicle teams can only receive 2 hits per
Fire order, in this case resulting in 2 RFPs
to each team, with the remaining 2
dismissed.
Brandon
Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
The Allied Player then orders a unit of
Sherman tanks to fire at a unit of Panzer
IVs. The three Shermans have a RoF of 2
each, resulting in 6 dice rolled. They
choose the Leader PzIV as the target team,
as it is currently the only one that is not at
long range or concealed by woods. They
need rolls of 4+ to hit. They score 2 hits.
The Axis player assigns the first hit to one
of the PzIVs in the woods, as it’s within 4”
of the target team, and Leaders are
allocated hits last. As there are no other
Teams within 4”, the remaining hit must
go on the Leader tank.
The Sherman’s gun has an AT of 4, and the
the front of the PzIV has an AR of 2, so the
Allied Player rolls four AT dice, two being
Ping dice, and two being Pen dice. Rolling
against the Leader tank, they roll 1 and 6
on the Ping dice, 2 and 4 on the Pen dice.
This results in 2 RFPs on the Leader tank.
On to the other PzIV, 2 and 3 are rolled on
the Ping Dice, 4 and 6 on the Pen dice. The
tank is destroyed!
The Allied Player lastly orders a Unit of
Stuart tanks to fire on a Tiger tank. They
hit, but with an AT of 3 and the Tiger’s
front AR of 4, their effective AT is reduced
down to 1! They roll one Ping die, scoring
no result.
 HAIL OF FIRE WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES
Received Fire Checks Cover & Terrain
When a Team with any RFPs assigned to it is activated (or
within LoS to an activating Team in its Unit), all RFPs are
resolved and removed by rolling a Received Fire Check for
each point assigned to that Team. Consult the table below,
taking the worst result:
- Received Fire Check
Killed Suppressed Ready
Hard Cover 1 2-4 5+
Soft Cover 1-2 3-4 5+
Open Ground 1-3 4 5+
• Killed results mean the Team is destroyed.
• Suppressed means the Team is marked as Suppressed and
may not Fire or Move toward visible enemy until rallied.
• Ready means the Team may act as normal. A Team that is
already Suppressed will ignore a Ready result or further
Suppressed results.
When taking RFCs, Vehicle Teams always count as being in
Hard Cover.
When taking RFCs, Suppressed non-Vehicle Teams count as
being in cover one level better than they currently occupy
(Open Ground counts as Soft Cover, Soft Cover as Hard
Cover). In Hard Cover, these Teams need to roll at least two
Killed results during the RFC to be killed.
Non-Vehicle Teams may be ordered to Go to Ground,
voluntarily becoming suppressed before resolving any RFPs.
Unless ordered to Move, Infantry Teams in Open Ground
always resolve RFPs as though in Soft Cover. (This means
RFPs on Infantry Teams in Open Ground are resolved as
Open Ground when Moving, Soft Cover when Firing, and
Hard Cover if suppressed.)
Rally Non-Vehicle Team in base contact with their un-Suppressed
When giving orders to Teams, any participating Suppressed
Teams that started the activation without any RFPs assigned
to them, may make a Rally Check, rolling one die against
their Quality.
Suppressed Teams outside of LoS to any enemy Teams
automatically pass their Rally Checks. Enemy FOs in LoS do
not prevent auto-passing Rally Checks.
Brandon
Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
Terrain such as woods and fields offer Soft Cover, and are
considered Difficult Ground to move through. Buildings and
stone walls offer Hard Cover, and are considered Very
Difficult Ground to move through. Both types of Cover offer
Concealment, requiring a +1 penalty when rolling To Hit,
and improve Teams chances of survival when making
Received Fire Checks.
Area Terrain offers concealment to anything touching it or
partially behind it. Teams may see and Fire into Area Terrain,
but not beyond. Teams outside Area Terrain are not
concealed when targeted by Teams inside terrain.
Linear Obstacles (such as walls and fences) offer
Concealment if fire crosses over them, and Hard Cover if the
target Team is touching the obstacle from the opposite side of
the incoming fire. If a Team against a linear obstacle receives
Fire from both across the obstacle and also its unprotected
side (or from indirect fire), all Received Fire Checks are
made as though from the unprotected side. Walls or bocage
that are taller than Teams block LoS unless touching them.
Teams looking through thick bocage only have a 90º firing
arc, perpendicular to the hedge they are facing.
Leaders
Each Unit has a Platoon Leader Team. Infantry Leaders do
not Fire, and may always Move up to 12”.
Once per Activation, Non-Vehicle Leaders who are not
Suppressed, may improve the performance of one Team
under their command by either:
• Directing a Team’s fire, re-rolling missed To Hit dice from
a Team in base contact with the Leader.
• Attempt to Rally a Team in base contact with the Leader.
• Allowing a Team 3 extra inches of movement, ending in
base contact with the Leader.
PL may re-roll failed Rally Checks.
If after activating a Leader and giving orders, RFCs reveal
that the Leader is killed, only one of the Teams given orders
may act this activation. Later, one Quality Check may be
rolled each time any of its Unit's Teams are given orders. If
successful, replace the Team with the PL Team and give the
rest of the Unit orders.
 HAIL OF FIRE WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES
Example:
Received Fire Checks and Leaders
The Axis Player activates a Leader to give
a Fire order to his three hit teams in the
field. After declaring the order, they then
check to see how the teams respond. First,
they check to see if either team is
suppressed and without RFPs on them, in
which case we would see if they rally. All
teams have RFPs on them, so we go
directly to Received Fire Checks.
The Axis Player rolls one d6 for each RFP
assigned to a team, rolling 5 and 6 for the
first team. Both results are “Ready” so the
fire against them was revealed to be
ineffective and it’s ready to follow orders.
2d6 are rolled for the RFPs on the second
team, rolling 3 and 5. The 3 is a worse
result than a 5 and so is the one we apply.
The team is in open ground in the field,
which would normally be a Kill, however
infantry in the open resolve RFCs as in
soft cover if they are not ordered to move.
Since they were given a Fire order before
performing the RFCs, they roll as though
in soft cover, meaning the 3 results in
suppression rather than removal.
Lastly, the third German team rolls 4 and
5, and is marked suppressed.
Before firing, the Axis Player moves the
unit’s Leader forward and into contact
with one of the newly suppressed teams.
The Leader uses his once-per-activation
ability to attempt to rally a team he’s in
Brandon
Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
contact with. The team is rated as
Regular, needing a 4+ to rally. They fail,
but because they are now in contact with
their unsuppressed Leader, they may re-
roll that failed Rally Check. The team
rallies and is now able to participate in the
Fire order they were given earlier.
In the following Allied phase, the German
teams are all hit again, this time including
the Leader. When it’s the Axis Player’s
phase, they activate the Leader and give
his teams another Fire order. However,
when rolling his RFCs, he’s revealed to
have been killed and is removed. This
means the Axis Player must choose a
single team that was given the order to
fire, and act with them. The rest of the
ordered teams remain unactivated and
can be given orders again later this phase.
When the phase returns to the Axis Player
again, they choose to activate one of the
surviving teams in the field and order
them to fire. After their RFCs reveal them
to have survived, they roll a Quality Check
and pass, meaning the team may be
r e p l a c e d w i t h a L e a d e r, w h o c a n
immediately give out new orders. If they
had failed, then they would have fired as
normal, and teams from that unit would
attempt to replace the leader again the
next time one of them was activated.
 HAIL OF FIRE WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES
Vehicles In Assaults
When in contact with an enemy Armored Vehicle Team, a
successful Quality check counts as a hit against the target's
Flank Armor. Roll Pen and Ping dice as normal.
Teams without AT weapons count as AT 1, and are never
reduced to 0. Teams with AT weapons increase their AT value
by 1.
If starting their Move concealed, Infantry may immediately
Fire when reaching base contact with enemy Vehicle Teams.
Open-Topped Vehicle Teams resolve RFPs as Open Ground
when in contact with enemy.
If a suppressed Vehicle Team fails to rally while in Difficult
Terrain and in base contact with enemy, it is destroyed.
Vehicle Teams may not assault enemy Vehicle Teams.

Assaults Morale
Teams may not Move into contact with enemy unless starting Units that begin to take too many casualties will begin to be
their Move from no more than 6” away. at risk of routing off the battlefield. Units that begin the game
with ten or fewer Teams must test their morale once they
Teams within 6” of enemy may Move into base contact with have lost more than half of their starting Teams, while those
enemy Teams, regardless of the distance rolled, with a max that begin with eleven or more must test once they've lost six
of two friendly Teams contacting one enemy Team at a time. Teams. When the Unit takes casualties putting it below this
Dug-In Teams that Move only in this way, may Move back threshold, they must make a Morale Check as soon as the
into their foxholes. current activation ends, rolling against the Quality of the
After all friendly Teams have moved into contact with enemy Unit. If the Check fails, the Unit is considered destroyed, and
Teams, those enemy Teams are immediately activated, even all remaining Teams from that Unit are removed from the
though it is not their Phase, without paying Order Points. table. This Unit will have to repeat this each time it takes
more casualties.
Suppressed Teams in contact with enemy that fail, or are
unable, to rally must Move. Suppressed Non-Vehicle Teams At the end of a turn, any Unit that has been reduced to a
unable to move away from enemy are destroyed. single Infantry Team is considered destroyed and removed
from the table.
When ordered to Fire, these Teams instead roll a single
Quality Check, with success destroying one of the enemy
Teams they are in contact with (firing arcs can be ignored).
After killing or forcing enemy to move, Teams may move up
to 3” to occupy the enemy's previous positions or to engage
in another assault.
After the enemy have activated, any friendly Teams still in
contact will activate, also for free. Activations continue, back
and forth until no Teams are in contact with enemy.
Any Teams that begin their activation in contact, but end it
out of contact, are Suppressed.

Brandon
Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
 HAIL OF FIRE WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES

Example:
Assaults
The Allied Player has a unit within 6” of
the German teams in the field, and has
used another unit to put more fire on
them, so that now two of the three enemy
teams have RFPs assigned to them. They
activate the Leader in the field, who orders
all of his teams to move and assault the
enemy.
Each of the ordered teams within 6” of an
enemy team may immediately move into
base contact, trying to get as many of the
moving teams in contact as is possible. One
assaulting team moves into contact with
each of the three German teams within 6”,
with the Leader moving to contact the
next closest enemy team, as only two
teams can assault a single team at once.
Two more teams started outside of 6” of
enemy, and so 2d6 is rolled to see how far
they can move. 6” is rolled. The rifle team
moves 6” closer to the enemy but does not
reach contact, and the HMG team only
moves 3”, as gun teams cannot move
closer than 6” to enemy.
The German teams that are in base
contact now activate automatically. The
Axis Player orders them to fire. First, they
try to rally the suppressed team with no
RFPs assigned to it. It fails, and must
immediately move away, rolling 6”. Next is
resolving RFPs on the teams allocated
them. The first team rolls 2 and 4,
revealing it to be killed. The second team
rolls 5 and 6, it is ready. It fires, rolling one
Quality Check, but it fails.
With the German defenders ending their
activations, the Americans still in base
contact with enemy (the rifle team and the
Leader) activate automatically. The rifle
team is ordered to fire. It rolls one Quality
Check, needing 4+ as they are Regular.
They roll a 3, however as the Leader is in
base contact he allows them to re-roll their
miss once per activation. They roll again,
rolling 5. The German team is destroyed.
The Allied teams may now move 3”,
advancing toward the bocage, and having
ended their activation out of base contact
w i t h e n e m y, t h e y a r e m a r k e d a s
suppressed.
Morale
With the activation over, the Players note
that the German unit is down to three
teams having started with 7, and must
make a Morale Check. Being Regular, they
need a 4+. Rolling a 2, they fail and the
remaining teams in that unit are removed.

10

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Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
 HAIL OF FIRE WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES
Artillery gun firing. These markers count as Area Terrain and must be
Artillery Units have the ability to Fire at Units outside of
their LoS (though still within range and their forward arc) by
firing a barrage. Enemy must be within LoS to at least one
Team in the Firing Unit. Most Artillery will be deployed off
table and will be able to Fire a barrage at anything within
LoS to a Forward Observer (FO).
To Fire a barrage, all participating Teams in the Unit
(including observing FOs) are ordered to Fire. These Teams
must not have moved earlier in the Turn. The observing
Team is marked as “observing”. If these Teams do not
activate again for the remainder of the Turn, at the end of the
Turn the Player places a marker on the table within LoS of
the observing Team on which to range in. The marker will
then deviate d10” in a random direction (I use the direction
the d10 is pointing), adding +1” if Regular, +2” if Raw, or hit
directly on target on a natural roll of 10 (8+ if from mortars
deployed on the table).
The Player then decides whether to “fire for effect” (FFE) at
this location or place the marker back in it's original position,
and no barrage will take place. If it is decided to not FFE,
then as long as none of the participating Teams activate in
the following turn, at the end of the following turn the Player
rolls deviation again and decides whether or not to FFE. This
may continue until either the unit chooses to FFE or is given
new orders.
If a Player decides to FFE, an Order Point may be spent in
the following turn to order the Unit to Fire again, and the
barrage will continue in the next turn.
If at least one Mortar Team can observe for itself, its Unit
may FFE immediately and without deviation.
Each Team within the barrage radius of the target marker
receives RFPs (3”/1 RFP for Mortars, 4”/2 RFP for
Howitzers, 5”/3 RFPs for Heavy Howitzers, and +1 RFP if
the target is in woods). If a barrage is to continue for another
turn, at the end of the current turn 1 RFP is applied to every
Team inside the barrage radius. Vehicles in the barrage radius
are hit with 1, 2, or 3 Ping Dice instead of RFPs. Subtract the
Vehicles’ Flank AR stat from the number of Ping Dice rolled.
For the duration of the following turn, Teams that end their
activation inside the barrage radius receive RFPs.
Artillery Units may also fire smoke. Firing smoke works the
same way as firing a barrage, except that instead of firing for
effect, place one Smoke marker (3” in diameter) for every
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Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
arranged in a line, so that each is touching another and one is
touching the ranged-in point. At the end of the turn, roll a d6
for each Smoke Marker on the table, removing it on 3+.
Some Artillery Units have designated Forward Observer
(FO) Teams. FOs activate with the artillery PL, but do not
need to be within LoS of their PL in order to Move or Fire.
FOs may still observe for their Unit if they are Suppressed. If
an Artillery Unit deploys in reserve, the FO for that Unit may
still be deployed at the beginning of the game as normal. An
enemy FO within LoS doesn't prevent Teams from
Redeploying, or automatically passing Rally Checks.
Transports
Vehicle Teams such as trucks, halftracks, tractors, and troop
carriers, may provide additional mobility to other Teams.
Transports usually carry between two and four Infantry
Teams or one Gun Team per Vehicle. Transports are part of a
Unit and may only carry troops/guns from the Unit they
belong to.
Loading/unloading troops and limbering/unlimbering guns is
considered part of a Move order and may only be executed
once per order, before or after all the participating Teams
have moved.
To load transports, all loading Infantry/Gun Teams must
simply be within 3” and LoS of the transport. When loaded,
Infantry Teams are removed from the table and set aside,
attempting to make clear which Teams are inside which
transport. Gun Teams may placed immediately behind the
transport, as though being towed, if only for aesthetic effect.
To unload a transport, simply place the transported Teams
within 3” and LoS of the transport.
Transport vehicles may be “Called to the Rear” during their
activation, at which time the transports are removed from the
board. Transports that are “Called to the Rear” may be called
back later, by simply placing the vehicles within 3” of any
Teams from their Unit, as long as there are no enemy Teams
within 16” and LoS.
If a transport is destroyed, any Teams it is carrying are placed
within 3” of the destroyed transport and immediately resolve
2 RFPs as though Moving in Open Ground. Suppressed
transports may not be “Called to the Rear”. Transports, both
active or destroyed, do not count towards a Unit's total
number of Teams, and do not cause Morale Checks when
destroyed.
 HAIL OF FIRE WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES

Example:
Artillery
The Axis player starts their phase forward, as there are no teams at the
activating their mortar PL, who orders his bocage to prevent them from moving that
unit to Fire, and marking the FO as direction. Rolling for movements, they get
observing. At the end of the turn, the FO 3”, which is enough for 2 of the teams to
still has LoS to the Allied teams in the escape the barrage. The last team ends
field. The Axis Player marks the spot in their move still in its radius, resulting in
the middle of the mass of US teams and another RPF immediately assigned.
rolls a d10 close by. The roll is 4, meaning On the Axis Player’s phase, they decide
the ranging round lands 4” away from the not to pay the Order Point to mark the FO
declared point (5” because the mortar unit as observing again to continue the barrage
is Regular) in the direction the d10 is next turn, instead using the point
pointing. This would result in the barrage elsewhere. At the end of the turn the
hitting only one enemy team, and so the barrage ceases.
Axis player decides, rather than tell the
mortar crews to fire for effect, that the FO
will try to give corrections and range in
again next turn. The FO stays marked as
observing and will not have to pay an
Order point to observe for the same
declared point next turn.
The following turn ends with the Allied
teams still pinned out in the field, and the
FO still marked as observing. The Axis
player rolls again, this time rolling a 10,
right on target! The FO calls fire for effect
and every team within 3” of the declared
point immediately receives RFPs. The
barrage radius touches three teams, giving
each team 1 RFP from the mortars.
In their phase, the Allied teams are
ordered to move. Resolving their RFPs,
one team is dead and the other teams are
suppressed. They declare they’ll advance

12

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Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
 HAIL OF FIRE WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES
On To The Battle
There are hundreds of scenarios created for other games that
can be used with these rules, many available online for free,
however if you want something immediately, that is flexible
and contains a few interesting twists on old concepts, here is
a generic scenario to get you playing.
Both players mutually decide which forces will be used and
how terrain will be placed on the table. One Player will be
the Defender and the other the Attacker. Often the Player
with more Vehicle Teams will be the Attacking force. The
Defender will pick which long table edge to deploy from and
the Attacker will deploy from the opposite edge. The
Defender will declare one point on the table to become an
objective on their half of the table, outside of 6” of the center
line across the table, and any table edge. The Attacker now
declares two more points to become objectives on the
Defender's half of the table, within the same required area.
The Defender must now declare at least half of their Units
(rounded up) to be held in reserve. Vehicle Teams must be
held in reserve before Non-Vehicle Teams. The Defender's
remaining Units are considered on their half of the table,
“Hidden”, and Dug In (in Hard Cover until they Move). The
Attacker then deploys all of their units, either “Hidden” or
revealed (attacking Vehicles must be revealed or arrive later
from their table edge), on their side of the table, outside of
16” of the center line.
Players are welcome to use more traditional “blinds” or maps
to track their Hidden Units, however, for those who might
prefer to not fuss with such things, I encourage you to try the
rules below:
Hidden Teams do not need to be pre-plotted and may be
“revealed” (deployed) later in the game. These Teams may
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be revealed at any time and do not cost an Order point to do
so. Hidden Teams must be revealed inside their deployment
zone, and be either outside of LoS from any enemy Teams,
or in concealing terrain, at least 16” away from any enemy
Infantry and Gun Teams, or 8” away from Enemy Vehicle
Teams.
Teams from the same Unit are not required to be revealed all
at the same time, but all Teams from the same Unit are
required to be revealed within 12” of another Team from
their Unit.
If revealed immediately after enemy movement, subtract the
distance moved from the listed ranges.
Vehicle Teams may be Hidden if defending, but must be
revealed either outside of LoS, or in concealing Terrain and
twice the distance from enemy Teams than needed by
Infantry and Gun Teams.
- Revealing Hidden Inf. And Gun Teams Near
Enemy (x2 for Hidden Vehicle Teams)
• Outside of LoS, or...
• In Concealing Terrain and outside of 16” of
Infantry and Gun Teams
• In Concealing Terrain and outside of 8”
of Vehicle Teams
All Recon Teams, if in LoS of their PL, extend the distance
required for Hidden Units to be revealed to 20”. In addition,
if enemy teams are revealed as a result of a Recon Team's
action, and are within LoS of that Recon Team, the Recon
Unit can make a Quality Check. If successful, the Recon
Unit may execute a new Order immediately without
 HAIL OF FIRE
spending an Order Point. If unsuccessful, play continues as
normal. A third Order may not be attempted.
Starting on the 3rd turn, at the beginning of their first Phase,
the Defender may attempt to bring on reserves. Roll a 4+ on
1d6 to Move one reserve Unit on from the Defender's table
edge. Modify the target number by +1 for each reserve Unit
already arrived (max +2) and -1 for each Order Point spent
to modify this check. If the number rolled is odd, the
Defender may select which Unit arrives, however if the
number is even, the Attacker may choose. Off-table Artillery
Units may be held in reserve, in which case the Player must
roll to “Establish Communication” using the same process as
above.
Hidden defending Teams are considered to be holding
objectives until either enemy Teams are too close to an
objective for Hidden Teams to be revealed while holding that
objective, or all Hidden defending Teams are revealed
elsewhere.
When certain conditions are met, your opponent will be
forced to draw a chit randomly from a bag. This bag should
contain 30 chits labeled “1”, 15 chits labeled “2”, and 5 chits
labeled “3”. The value of the chits drawn should be kept
secret from your opponent. When your chit total equals or
exceeds a force's Break Total, that force breaks and routs,
Brandon
Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES
ending the game. Break Total should be 5 plus 1 per Raw
Unit, 2 per Regular Unit, and 3 per Elite Unit in a players
force. Ex. A force made up of 4 Regular Units and 2 Elite
Units would have a Break Total of 19.
Each of the following requires a drawing of chits:
• A Unit is destroyed or fails a Morale Check: 2 chits
• Removing all friendly Teams from an objective you
currently occupy: 1 chit
• At the end of the turn, for the Attacker if they do not
control all objectives*: 1 chit
• At the end of the turn, for the Defender if they do not
control an objective*: 1 chit for each objective they do not
control.
• The end of the turn, if your opponent has Teams on your
half of the table.
*Controlling an objective requires a Player be the only one to
have at least one Infantry Team within 4” of the objective.
Vehicles contest, but cannot control.
A free digital chit bag for Hail Of Fire can be accessed here:
http://www.retroboom.com/hail-of-fire.html
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 HAIL OF FIRE WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES

- Example Forces:
These forces are some smaller, very roughly balanced, examples and should give you a feel for the number of Teams a Unit
should have, etc. For a very small game, play with “under-strength” platoons, removing a few Teams from each. For larger
games, add more platoons. Feel free to translate historical organizations or forces from other games.

-United States -
- Rifle Company (Regular) - Tank Company (Regular)
Rifle Platoon x 3 - Platoon Leader Team Tank Platoon x 2 - Platoon Leader M4 Team
- Bazooka Team - M4 Sherman Team x 3
- Rifle Team x 9
Light Tank Platoon - Platoon Leader M3 Team
Mortar Platoon - Platoon Leader Team
- M3 Stuart Team x 3
- Forward Observer Team
- Mortar Team x 3
Rifle Platoon - Platoon Leader Team
Anti-Tank Platoon - Platoon Leader Team - Bazooka Team
- 57mm Gun Team x 3 - Rifle Team x 9

- Germany -
- Grenadier Company (Elite) - Panzer Company (Elite)
Grenadier Platoon x 3 - Platoon Leader Team Panzer Platoon x 2 - Platoon Leader PzIV Team
- Rifle Team x 6 - PzIV Team x 2

Mortar Platoon - Platoon Leader Team Panzer Platoon - Platoon Leader StuGIII Team
- StuGIII Team x 2
- Forward Observer Team
- Mortar Team x 3 Grenadier Platoon x 1 - Platoon Leader Team
- MG Team x 6
Anti-Tank Platoon - Platoon Leader Team
- Pak40 Team x 2

- USSR -
- Strelkovy Battalion (Raw)
Strelkovy Platoon x 3 - Platoon Leader Team
- HMG Team
- Rifle Team x 12
Mortar Platoon - Platoon Leader Team
- Forward Observer Team
- Mortar Team x 4
Anti-Tank Platoon - Platoon Leader Team
- 45mm (57mm Gun) Team x 4
- Tankovy Battalion (Raw)
Tankovy Platoon x 2 - Platoon Leader T-34 Team
- T-34 Team x 4
Tank Killer Platoon - Platoon Leader SU-100
- SU-100 Team x 4
Strelkovy Platoon x 3 - Platoon Leader Team
(Company) - HMG Team
- Rifle Team x 12

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Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
 HAIL OF FIRE WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES
- Example Weapon Stats:
Name Range RoF AT Notes
Rifles/LMG 16” 2 - Inf.
Tripod Mounted MG 20” 4 - Gun, moves as Inf
SMG 4” 3 - Inf, 2d6 choose highest in Assault
HMG 20” 4 1 Gun, moves as Inf
Infantry AT* 8” 1 4 Inf, AT
AT Rifle 16” 2 2 Inf, AT
57mm Gun 20” 3 3 Gun, AT
Pak40 24” 2 5 Gun, AT
Light Mortar 24” 2 - Inf, may fire over friendly teams,
ignores Concealment
Mortar ∞ - - Gun, Artillery, moves as Inf.

105mm ∞ - - Gun, Artillery

155mm ∞ - - Gun, Artillery
Vehicle MG 16” 2 - May not fire if Main Gun is firing.
RoF: Rate of Fire AT: Anti-Tank *Bazooka/Piat/Panzerschreck

- Example Tank Stats:

Name Armor Gun Range RoF AT Notes

M4 Sherman 2/ 1 24” 2 4 Hull and Coax MGs

M3 Stuart 1/0 16” 2 3 Hull and Coax MGs, Moves 2d6+2”

M10 Wolverine 1/0 24” 2 5 Coax MG, Open-Topped.

StuG III 3/1 24” 2 5 Hull mounted gun, Coax MG

Panzer IV 2/1 24” 2 5 Hull and Coax MGs

Panther 4/2 24” 2 6 Hull and Coax MGs, Re-rolls failed checks to move
through terrain
Hull and Coax MGs, moves d6” (higher of 2d6), Re-
Tiger I 4/3 32” 2 6
rolls failed checks to move through terrain
T-34/76 2/ 1 24” 2 4 Hull and Coax MGs, Moves 2d6+2”.

T-34/85 3/ 2 24” 2 5 Hull and Coax MGs

IS-2 4/ 3 24” 1 7 Coax MG, moves d6” (higher of 2d6)

SU-85 1/1 24” 2 5 Hull mounted gun

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Jjjj Llll (Order
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(Order #9493251)
 HAIL OF FIRE WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES

17

Brandon
Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)
 HAIL OF FIRE WWII Company-Level miniatures WARGAME RULES

18

Brandon
Jjjj Llll (Order
Fraley
#29216561)
(Order #9493251)