Decisive Action

Status:  Made the Cut

DECISIVE ACTION is a game of tactical level warfare between modern American and Russian forces. Players are in the role of the battalion commander and must decide how to order subordinate units to fire and maneuver, how to allocate assets like helicopters and drones, and how to choose the best battle plan each turn via selection of activation cards.

The game is based on the US Army Combined Arms Battalion (CAB) conducting traditional high intensity force-on-force missions against variable-sized Russian forces, which include a reinforced Motor Rifle Company, a Battalion Tactical Group (BTG), or a Composite Brigade.

Following the old rule of thumb about commanding two levels down, the primary units are platoons of soldiers or vehicles, along with some squads, teams, and single vehicles. Each turn represents approximately ten to fifteen minutes of real time and each hex approximately 250 meters across. DECISIVE ACTION is not a classic card-driven game but makes extensive use of cards for information purposes, activations, and random events.

There are other great tactical level games like GMT’s MBT series that focus on individual vehicles and delve into details like specific ammo types and armor penetration, but the rules in DECISIVE ACTION were intentionally developed to be simple and fast-playing while still providing the feel of modern combat and Command and Control (C2).

The game rules are divided into several parts. The General Rules cover fundamental mechanics and explain actions that are constantly repeated like sighting, movement, and fire. The Basic Rules allow players to model all the essential aspects of modern combat with some decision making, and the Advanced Rules add yet more detail and decision-making. There are also Optional Rules that add more realism and evolving capabilities but require a few more markers and player manipulation.

The Playbook contains rules for scenario (mission) set-up, the missions, a comprehensive example of play, and designer notes. In addition to some small learning scenarios, there are three basic missions: Movement to Contact (MTC), Attack, and Defend. Players will find variability in these missions through the four different maps with varying terrain and victory points, by the different directions of operations, and by varying the force structure. For all the base missions, the American player uses a US Army Combined Arms Battalion (CAB) (armor or mechanized infantry heavy). The Russian force is mission dependent.

Components:

• 5 Sheets of 5/8” Counters
• Two back-printed 22” x 34” game maps
• Data Cards
• Event Cards
• Asset Cards
• Activation Cards
• One Rulebook
• One Playbook
• Two double-sided Player aid charts
• Two double-sided Terrain Effects charts
• One Russian display
• One American display
• One Game track display
• Four twenty-sided dice