Old School Tactical: Volume 4 – Italian Theater 1943-45

After the victory in North Africa, Allied planners readied a new campaign. It was aimed at the so called ‘soft underbelly‘ of Europe. A bold plan to knock Italy out of the war and drain Axis units from fighting on other fronts. Beginning with the invasion of Sicily in July of 1943, the Allies pressed the enemy, but there was nothing soft about the bloody fight. The drive to Messina in Sicily, the landing at Salerno, the beleaguered beachhead at Anzio, through all the Allies pushed on towards Rome. Countless river valleys and fortified lines favored the German defenders and stymied the Allies at every turn. The Volturno River, the Rapid River, the Liri valley, the Gustav Line, the Caesar Line, all of these names proved a deadly challenge to the Allies fighting to control them. The drive up the Italian Peninsula was costly for both sides and dragged on until the end, which occurred May 2, 1945 with the formal surrender of all Axis forces in Italy.

Old School Tactical Volume IV brings the exciting OST system to this challenging theater of WW2. It brings British forces into the game to battle German and Italian units in difficult terrain. Vickers machine guns, Commandos, Bren guns, PIATs and sticky bombs will see action in the game on the side of the British. They also have an allotment of vehicles including Sherman and Churchill tanks. The German and Italian forces counter with many panzers including the Marder III and Elefant. A large map of beautiful Italian countryside is designed for players to contest the many exciting scenarios included in the playbook.

Two players contest each scenario using counters representing the soldiers, guns, and vehicles that fought these desperate battles. On each turn, play goes back and forth between the sides as Impulse Points are spent to enable a player's forces to act. When the battle is over, casualty and victory points are tallied and a victor is declared.

Infantry target other soft units and attack using their Firepower value against the target’s Defense value. The attack can be modified by Leadership, support weapons and terrain effects. When things get intense, Assault moves into enemy hexes result in deadly Close Combat. Dice rolls are made using the Infantry Combat Table, and results are implemented. Attacking armored vehicles requires a roll to hit the vehicle. If a hit is scored, the Firepower value of the attacker’s gun is used against the target’s front or flank defense value. Dice rolls are made using the Vehicle Combat Table and results are enforced. Vehicles may also use their HE Firepower value and secondary armaments directly against soft targets using the Infantry Combat Table.