What is the scale of Tide of Iron?

In the Designer Series book, the "Night Drop" scenario says that each game Round equates to one hour of real time. The scenario also says that the gaming area covers 2,400 yards by 1,600 yards. That would mean each hex is about 150 yards across. Is this the scale for all scenarios, or just for "Night Drop"?

Does a squad represent a true squad (9-10 soldiers), so each figure is about 2 soldiers? Does a vehicle miniature represent a single vehicle?

Thanks!

I do not think anyone realy knows. My own take on it is that one vehicle is one vehicle, and a squad is a squad, with a hex about 25 meters or less.

And that's about right due to the range of the weapons in the game. It's a good, playable representation of small unit actions

Correction - the range appears to be about 100-125 meters per hex.

Infantry firepower at 800 meters plus? Does not seem likely.

I think a hex is somewhere between 30 and 50 meters. The scale is roughly the same as in ASL, as are the weapons ranges.

I am a 11B40 (B/1/35 Inf.) with an Expert Infantryman's Badge, and eight years in-service. A well-trained rifleman with a decent shoulder weapon - such as an M-1 - could certainly put out effective fire as far as 400 meters. That is its maximum effective range. That's about a quarter of a mile away, not that far of a distance to fire at a target. That same person, with a clear line of sight to a target - and most targets will not of course be as easy to hit as on a firing range - can put out rounds that will still strike on or near a target 600-800 meters away. That's why extended range fire is not as effective. A BAR fired from a bipod would also be more effective out to several hundred meters away. High-powered semi-automatic rifles can hit a target or put a number of rounds on a target a long ways away - IF the shooter has a clear line of sight. Most targets on a battlefield will be moving from cover to cover, and the shooter will be facing all of the stresses a person who is trying to kill someone who is trying to kill him, would face. Good training will make a big difference - marksamnship, covering the assigned sector of fire, having noncoms and officers who can assess a situation and redirect fire as needed. Tripod or bipod mounted automatic weapons will put out a much larger volume of aimed fire, but a good shot with an M-1, with eight rounds in a clip, can most certainly put those rounds downrange hundreds of yards effectively to suppress or hit the target. Please remeber, most rounds do not hit their intended target. Nor do they have to. If the volume of fire stops those enemy soldiers in their tracks, or causes them to break and run (ah, suppression!) they have done their job. Most firing of small arms on a battlefield will occur at much shorter ranges due to an attacking force using covered avenues of approach (and smoke if available) to deny a clear shot to the defenders.

Please also look at the ranges of machine guns and tank/antitank guns in TOI to get a feel for the scale. If the scale of TOI is 30 meters per hex, an 88 mm round is only effective at full strength out to 270-300 meters, and has an extended range of 550-600 meters. Ask any WWII veteran if he will buy that...

Tripod-mounted MGs, if TOI has hexes that are 30 meters across, would have a maximum effective range of 150 meters, and a maximum range of 300 meters. If I recall correctly, the M-60 MG we carried in our weapons squads was good out to 1100 meters. The M-16 (a much less accurate shoulder-fired weapon than the M-1 Garand) was good out to 460 meters.

TOI does a far better job than ASL of creating the uncertainty and confusion of a battlefield while retaining the essential elements of tactical level combat. Decisions are made on a battlefield in mere moments, without referring to thick manuals or extensive tables.

I'd go with 110 yds per hex.

I think the forces represented by the miniatures are an abstraction of their historical OOB: a collective resource of infantry, armour and support elements. That is an important design condition that allows TOI to play the way it does - pretty fast and cool. I don't worry to much about how many men a figure repesents. I have my men and tanks on the board. They are the forces available to me relative to the enemy: to keep alive and secure the games objectives with.

And that's a good way to look at this game...not as a number crunching exercise, but as a tactical exercise, involving all the aspects of a battlefield.

I think the designers of this game have put a lot of thought into scale, ranges and marching distances etc. It is an endless quest to try and re create something that is plausible.

As above I think just play with what you have in front of you. In chess is it feasible that a castle can move or that a King would only move one square if under attack.

Just follow the rules and enjoy it after all it is a game.

The nice thing about ToI is that it does a fair job of capturing the theme without becoming too bogged down with elaborate details. It appears that a good deal of thought was put into the design, but kept light enough to make the game approachable. The original Squad Leader in my opinion was far better than its spawn ASL. ASL has a large and seriously devout following, but the level of fine details in the game make it difficult and cumbersome to enjoy. It is certainly a good game, but the level of detail and realism inserted into the system affect its ease of play. ToI allows the masses to play an enjoyable game experience without the extreme learning curve and investment in time.