First Look: Classified (Force on Force)

The latest supplement for the Force on Force rules dropped through my letterbox this morning.  This one is entitled Classified: Special Operations Missions 1940-2010 and, as you might expect, covers special forces missions from the second world war to the present day.

The book is in the standard Force of Force style and runs to 136 pages.  The introduction starts by talking about special operations and wargaming, explains what makes an operation "special" and then addressed the differences in this book from the other supplements.  This is followed by new rules for special operations forces and then there are three scenario sections covering historical, generic and "Hollywood" operations.  A selection of current special operations forces (US, Russian, European, Canadian, Israeli and Asia-Pacific) are then described along with a miniatures guide and a glossary.  The bok finishes off with a bibliography and the book artwork references.

The scenarios sections contain 9 historical, 6 generic (including two mini-campaigns) and 3 "Hollywood" ones:

Historical

• Raiders on Makin Island, a USMC island raid 17-18 August 1942
• Heading Toward Extraction, US LRRP north of the DMZ, Vietnam 1969
• Fighting the War of Attrition, Egyptian commando raid on an Israeli convoy, Sinai 1970
• The Battle of Mirbat, Communist rebels attacking the SAS, Oman 1972
• Bulldozers Lead the Way, 75th Rangers, Grenada 1983
• Price of a Vendetta, Speznaz holding off the Mujahideen, Afghanistan 1986
• SEALS on the Tarmac, US Navy SEALs attack Noriega's jet, Panama 1989
• Cross Border Incident, US raid on Al Qaeda, Syria 2008
• Night Raid, US Ranger/Afghan forces raid on Taliban high value target , Afghanistan 2012

Generic

• Gone to Ground, a CSAR mission on the edge of a nation in political turmoil
• Homecoming, a rescue/counter-piracy mission
• A Night's Work, a terrorist training camp assault
• Brave New World (A Mini Campaign): three missions - snatch and grab; recon and hostage rescue
• Ocean Oil 982, an oil platform assault
• Princes of Persia (A Mini Campaign): four missions - "blow up stuff", kill or capture, secure a base of operations and direct action

Hollywood

• Force 10, an Allied raid on a German coastal gun position, 1942
• Bungle in the Jungle (Solitaire), a drug raid in Central America, 1980s
• Hunters Hunted, US Navy SEALs vs Mexican Drug Lords, 2012

The section on current special operations forces is more of an overview and general description rather than sample organisations as the forces for these types of missions tend to be put together on a case by case basis depending on the specific needs and availability.

This book covers quite a period but provides plenty of interest and inspiration for smaller special forces games.  I'm certainly keen to try a couple of these out!