From FFG:
Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) and 1A Games today announced a long-term licensing deal under which 1A Games will produce Tide of Iron, along with its current and future expansions.
“Tide of Iron is a product line that has been near and dear to FFG’s heart for years,” said Christian T. Petersen, CEO of Fantasy Flight Games. “It is one that has deserved more attention and energy than FFG’s other commitments has allowed us to give it. With best intentions for the product and its avid fans in mind, we looked for a realistic way to make this product flourish. Fortunately, we didn’t have to look very far. Dana Lombardy and Bill Jaffe have been involved with every Tide of Iron product since the first expansion, Days of the Fox, and extending a long-term Tide of Iron master license to their new company, 1A Games, should be an ideal fit. I’m looking forward to where they and the rest of the 1A crew will take the game, and I’m thrilled for the players who should now see a new commitment to move Tide of Iron into an exciting future.”
“We are honored and delighted to be chosen as the licensee for the Tide of Iron product line,” noted Dana Lombardy, Chief Creative Officer for 1A Games. “Bill Jaffe and I are big fans of FFG, and have enjoyed working on the Tide of Iron line for the past six years. This is a tremendous opportunity.”
1A Games refers to its upcoming Tide of Iron products collectively as the “Next Wave,” and they plan to begin with the fall 2013 release of Stalingrad, a major expansion. Stalingrad is scheduled to be the first of several exciting releases.
As of March 13, 2013, all restock orders and Tide of Iron-related questions should be directed to 1A Games.
Please continue the effort to improve Tide of Iron. I like the components, and models okay, but the game mechanics slow the game down too much, (imo), and there are too many dice to roll. So I have substituted using Panzer Leader rules basically, and use the simple combat results table and single die roll. X = kill, DD= heavy damage or 2 casualites, and D= light damage and/or 1 casualtie. Also I have used some rules from Memoir 44, and retained some TOI rules, such as fire and move. I modified Fire and Move to give a unit the ability to move 1 hex only and fire full attack value, or move 1/2 movement, and fire 1/2 attack value. Also included rule to allow a heavy damaged vehicle/tank to be able to move to any adjacent hex, even if unclear, which allows heavy damaged vehicles to use Fire and Move too. Makes for a more dynamic game and gives outnumbered defending player better options.
I use the pin marker, yellow cross, and red flag markers to represent 1,2, or 3 squad casualities rather than remove figures from base as it is much easier, and if you have painted figures, you really do not want to be having to touch the figure so much.
My basic rules version is that all squads have base defense value of 4, with terrain modifiers for the attackers die roll. Vehicles retain their TOI Attack/defense values, with modifcation for 88 Flak gun to AF of 20. All vehicles have a movement value of 4, with trucks having 1/2 pt expense while on a road, thus able to move 8 if on road. All Squads have movement value of 2. Clear terrrain cost is 1pt, while all other non clear terrain cost is 2pts. Squads are allowed to move up to 2 clear terrain hexes, or may move 1 clear and then move into any adjacent non clear hex, ending their movement, as in Memoir 44. Wire and Mines require squad to have begun the turn in an adjacent hex, before they can enter.
AT gun and Artillery gun battery is one Gun figure plus attached Squad of regular infantry figures, with base defense value of 3, and considered a non armored target. When hits scored, gun gets damage, and also Squad receives casuality according to the DD, or D result. If X then unit both squad and gun are destroyed. If gun gets destroyed, surviving squad, reverts to being normal squad.
Tranportation by Truck or halfrack (carriers), is simply a matter of Truck or HT moving into or starting in the same hex with Squad / Gun battery. Carrier then becomes attached, after which both unit and carrier are moved together as a single unit,up the limit of the carriers movement pt.value. The unit is considered loaded only when the carrier is moving. Once carrier ends it movement, the unit being transported is considered unloaded. The only time, then, that the carrier is attacked loaded, is by an opportunity fire. In all other attacks against the unit, the unit being tranported is considered as unloaded.
Combat is also basically Panzer Leader rules, with Direct fire, Indirect fire, and Close assault. I have added Armor assault to replace the Overrun rule. An Armor assault is basically a Fire and Move in which Armor vehicle moves no more than 1/2 movement to a hex adjacent to a non armored enemy unit, then attacks with double attack value and subtracting 2 from die roll, while adding any terrain modifiers. If enemy destroyed, Armor vehicle may then occupy the hex if terrain permits. If enemy not destroyed, Armor vehicle remains in hex it attacked from. Of course, the unit being close assualted by the Armor unit has the option of opportunity fire, which is executed first. If X result, the Armor unit is destroyed before it can conduct the Armor assault. If DD, or D, the Armor unit receives the damage, but may still execute the Armor assault, as well as occupy the defenders hex afterwards, if the defender is destroyed.
Optional rule:
A unit direct firing, may divide its attack value to attack up to 3 different enemy units in different hexes, in the same turn. So for example, an 88 Flak gun, being approached by 5 Crusader tanks, could opt to divide its 20 Attack value into 3 thus fire with 7,7 and 6, at 3 different Crusader tanks, which would be a 2:1 attack on each Crusader.
I have other rules, but this is just a sample of the basic rules Ive put together, that makes the game easier to set up and play scenarios, and is easy for new players to learn rapidly. I hope this will give you some imput at least from one veteran wargamers perspective.