Cross of Iron (1979)

This is the first expansion to the highly acclaimed Squad Leader series by Avalon Hill. The expansion includes new scenarios, an additional modular board, revised armor rules, and many new counters representing men, vehicles, and equipment on the Eastern Front in WWII. This series was eventually rewritten and transformed into the monster system, Advanced Squad Leader.

Like Squad Leader, the Cross of Iron thirty-six page rulebook is presented in programmed instruction format to introduce its eight new scenarios. Two new quick data reference cards, over 1000 counters, and a fifth 8" X 22" mapboard complete the package.

Avalon Hill Complexity rating - 9

The GENERAL Index Article List:

• The GENERAL Vol.15,No.6
  • Cross of Iron – “First Impressions: An Introduction to Squad Leader Plus One” (Design Discussion) Bob Medrow
  • Design Analysis - “Footnotes Cross of Iron” Arnold Hendrick
  • Cross of Iron – “Counting Down The Scenarios: An Introduction to Squad Leader Plus One, Part Two” (Design Discussion) Bob Medrow
  • Cross of Iron – “Burzevo/Hill 253.5 - Scenarios A & B” (Scenario Insert)Bob MacNamara
  • Cross of Iron – “The Burkin Bridgehead/Delaying Action - Scenarios C & D” (Scenario Insert)Bob MacNamara
  • The Question Box - Cross of Iron
• The GENERAL Vol.16,No.1
  • The Question Box - Cross of Iron
• The GENERAL Vol.16,No.3
  • Series Replay - Cross of Iron Joseph Suchar, M. Jonathan Mishcon, Don Greenwood
• The GENERAL Vol.16,No.4
  • Cross of Iron – “East Front Asides” (Scenarios) John Mishcon
• The GENERAL Vol.17,No.1
  • Cross of Iron – “Recounting - A Second Look at The Scenarios of Cross of Iron” (Strategy) Rich Hegeman, Bert Baker
• The GENERAL Vol.17,No.2
  • Cross of Iron - “Quick Play Cross of Iron American Variant Scenarios E-F, The Niscemi-Biscari Highway/Thr Pouppeville Exit” (Insert Scenarios) Courtney F. Allen
  • Cross of Iron - “Quick Play Cross of Iron American Variant Scenarios G-H, Devil's Hill/The Attempt to Relieve Peiper” (Insert Scenarios) Courtney F. Allen
  • Cross of Iron - “Quick Play Cross of Iron American Variant Scenario I, Hunters From the Sky” (Insert Scenarios) Courtney F. Allen
• The GENERAL Vol.17,No.3
  • Series Replay - Cross of Iron - The Niscemi-Biscari Highway (Part 1) Martin Anderson, Steve Spoulos, Courtney F. Allen
• The GENERAL Vol.17,No.4
  • Series Replay - Cross of Iron - The Niscemi-Biscari Highway (Part 2) Martin Anderson, Steve Spoulos, Courtney F. Allen
• The GENERAL Vol.20,No.2
  • Squad Leader, Cross of Iron, Crescendo of Doom, GI: Anvil of Victory – “Scenario 1000: Operation Marston” (Variant) By Rex A. Martin

from "The Avalon Hill General Index and Company History, 1952-1980"

Cross of Iron (1978), Revised 1979, Revised 1980
Freelance design redesigned by Avalon Hill
Designed by John Hill
Development by Don Greenwood

The first of the “gametes”—i.e., a game that cannot be played by itself—it being an addition to the SQUAD LEADER game system. It appeared to feed the SL frenzy by supplying highly detailed equipment breakdowns and rules, and thereby set the stage for the gametes to follow. Like all games in the SL series, the rulebook is periodically updated when a new gamete is released with its attendant alterations to the old system. COI was plagued by a series of manufacturing problems including a change in scale of the mapboards and a pressman’s mistake in color selection for the German counters. Despite this, it won the CR Award for best graphics presumably due to the innovative use of color on its vehicle counters. Corrected counters (light blue on front, white on back) are now available for separate parts purchase.

Microbadges

Cross of Iron SL