OFF THE LINE
At the beginning of an operation, the commanding officer determines the point from which the operation will begin. This is referred to as the line of departure. In this game, players discover what happens once the soldiers under their command move … Off the Line.
Off the Line is a tactical game covering man-to-man combat during World War II. Each combat unit represents an individual soldier rated for morale, melee ability, and weapon type. Squad and assistant squad leaders are also rated for their command ability. The game uses a shared deck of 120 cards as a random result generator in lieu of dice. Each of twelve map panels is geomorphic, allowing hundreds of unique map configurations.
Off the Line employs a couple of design features that make it fairly unique. The first is an assumption that morale is the single most important measure of a soldier's ability in combat. Not only does morale keep a soldier's head up, but it also allows him to take careful and measured use of his weapon while under fire. The second is the concept of range attenuation. In most tactical games, range is determined by counting hexes. In Off the Line, range is counted similarly to movement, where the affect of different terrain may "extend" the range to the target through the employ of attenuation points. This attenuated range is compared to the firepower of a soldier's weapon to create a test against the morale of the soldier. Success in this test results in placing fire into the desired target hex. A weapon's rate of fire determines how many targets within a hex might be hit and each of these must make morale tests against the protective value of occupied terrain to see if they panic and hit the dirt. Terrain is also rated for the likelihood of incoming fire killing a soldier outright when attacked.
The action cards are used not only to determine the results of combat, but also the ability of a squad to receive commands to move, fire, or rally. The cards also act as a source of random events that might save a squad from destruction or drive a final nail into the enemy's coffin.
Check out the rules and component samples to the right.
This web site represents the official support center for Off the Line on the Web. From here, you can download the latest rules revisions and supplementary components for the game.
GAME HISTORY
Off the Line is currently under design. All of the components have been created, and once I get everything play tested to satisfaction, I’ll be submitting the design for publication.
GAME COMPONENTS
So far, the components for the game include:
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1 Rules Manual
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12 Scenario Cards
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1 Game Status Card
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4 Player Aid Cards
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12 Map Panels
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3 Half-sized Counter Sheets (264 counters)
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1 Deck of 120 Action Cards
