Lock ‘N Load Tactical

Initially daunting to look at but not as complex as it appears - the core of the core rules is probably only a quarter of the page count if one confines oneself to WW2 - and no, I am not!

I am feeling rough. I have a cold that has morphed into a chesty cough (I am prone to these) coupled with a head full of cotton wool, itchy eyes and that occasional spaced out feeling. It is not the dreaded lurgy but it does seem to have taken a while to sort itself out with fluctuating degrees of severity. It is tiresome and draining but hey ho, the show must go on!

Anyway, enough of me and my woes and onto the meat of this post!

Lock ‘N Load Tactical is a board game system covering the period of WW2 up until modern times at squad level. Gamers of a certain vintage will recall Avalon Hill’s Squad Leader and the later Advanced Squad Leader for the WW2 period and Lock ‘N Load is pitched at a similar level in terms of scale and complexity - squads and individual vehicles with counters for support weapons and crews etc. The Core rules you see above run out at a little over an eye-watering 270 pages but, and it is a significant but, the font used for the text is thankfully on the large side which means that it is a lot easier on the eyeballs that the ‘bible print’ it could have been. The core rules within the core rules ring bound edition consist of around 120 odd pages but even then this includes a whole raft of stuff that may not even be used in a game and is in there for completeness. 

To support the above rules I have copies of the following games that were released.

Heroes of Normandy

Heroes of the Motherland (Eastern Front)

Heroes of North Africa

Heroes of the Pacific

All of the above are standalone titles that all use the same rules and with theatre specific adjustments. The other copy I have is Heroes of ‘Nam, again using theatre and period specific adjustments where needed. Fr the record in this variant Choppers and Claymores feature!

Most of the scenarios use a single map sheet that is around 8 by 14 hexes. One particularly nice thing is that. Have the full set off of ‘X Maps’ - these are copies of the original version but with a larger hex size (and as a result are larger overall). These are are really useful as the game is quite counter intensive with lots of status markers to use. Having a larger hex makes it a little easier to handle.

The combat system reminded me of the original Squad Leader in many ways although this uses opposed dice rolls.

I have a lot of work to do to sort out the boxes full of counters to my own system and so a game may be a while away but based on the easy to read albeit large rule book it will be something to enjoy.

The games are well supported and there are other modules available - even a specialist solo system - covering specific campaigns. There are also a range of compendiums with extra scenarios etc should the need arise. There is also a battle generator supplement for the Normandy set which will be very useful in due course.

The Big Advantage

Having several boxes full of large sized beautifully detailed counters would certainly avoid the need for a lot of brush work and models - especially when one has tastes as varied as my own! As it stands my thoughts are running towards 28mm for the 0200 Hours skirmishy side of things and 15mm for anything larger than squad level style actions- I can cheerfully accommodate these using Lock ‘N Load - perhaps something akin to a Portable Wargame or Memoir ‘44 scale engagements. 

Anyway, back to the Lem Sip….