Fields of Fire

About this board game

Fields of Fire is a solitaire game for one player about commanding a rifle company from World War II through the present day. A mission takes approximately 1–4 hours, while the listed play time is 300 minutes.

Rather than using dice, Fields of Fire is driven by two decks of cards. The Terrain Deck builds a map for each mission, with the region shaped by the specific campaign being played. The Action Deck supports combat, command and control, and attempts to carry out various activities.

Your company is represented by counters covering a range of battlefield elements. These include headquarters units, squads, weapons teams, forward observers, individual vehicles, and helicopters. Together, they form the forces you must manage as each mission unfolds.

• One-player command: Take responsibility for an entire rifle company.
• Diceless, card-based play: Use the Terrain and Action decks to shape maps, combat, command, and activity attempts.
• Campaign continuity: Link several missions together while managing experience and replacements.
• Historical settings: Play campaigns based on the World War II, Korea, and Vietnam experiences of units from the 9th US Infantry Regiment.

A single game represents one mission, while a historical campaign strings multiple missions together. This gives the company’s progress a continuing context as experience and replacements become part of the overall management challenge.

The game draws on three actual campaigns experienced by the 9th US Infantry, known as the “Manchus” for their service in the Boxer Rebellion. Their motto, “Keep Up the Fire,” provides the title of the regiment’s tradition and a fitting identity for this detailed solo command experience.