Indie publishers helped keep Advanced Squad Leader alive during its “lean years”. Heat of Battle was one of the names to emerge from this scene, growing from a local gaming group into a developer that even collaborated with official publisher MMP on classics like A Bridge Too Far and Blood Reef: Tarawa. In April 2005, they released FireFights! #2, a pack that traded the usual 8+ hour ASL marathons for bite-sized, 4-to-5-turn tactical puzzles you could easily knock out in a single evening.
This pack introduced some experimental rules and fixed the double-sided maps from the first pack. FF2 shipped with six separate, glossy 8.5″ x 11″ maps, making it easy to use for game nights or tournaments. The rulebook is a short two pages, getting right out of your way so you can jump straight into the action. Unfortunately, finding a physical copy today is a scavenger hunt. The pack is long out of print (to my knowledge), and with Heat of Battle’s website completely gone, you’ll have to scour eBay or online community groups to track one down.
Half-Board Overlays
The coolest innovation in FireFights! #2 is how it handles maps. Standard ASL uses “geomorphic” boards—big, interlocking rectangles that align in endless combinations. This pack turns that idea a bit on its ear, then adds to it.
While these six small maps work perfectly as standalone boards for the pack’s scenarios, they also double as massive “half-board overlays.” Usually, an ASL overlay is a tiny piece of terrain, like a single building or a patch of trees. Heat of Battle thought bigger. You can actually cut out these 8.5″ x 11″ maps and drop them right on top of official MMP boards, instantly transforming half the battlefield. This modular design was an interesting move. It gave the community a cheap, easy way to remix classic maps for future scenarios without the massive cost of printing entirely new, full-sized board sets. Unfortunately, they were designed to work only with specific official MMP boards.
| Map Designation | Topography and Key Features | MMP Board Compatibility |
| Map 10 (Castle Keep) |
 A partially destroyed, multi-level stone castle complex rising above surrounding brush, woods, and rubble. |
Overlay for Board 33 |
| Map 11 (Out of Ethiopia) |
 A dominating desert peak featuring multi-level elevation shifts and ambiguous sand/scrub terrain. |
Overlay for Desert Boards 26-31 |
| Map 12 (Easy Out) |
 A dense urban scene featuring structures like a church steeple, surrounded by bocage hedgerows. |
Overlay for Board 1 |
| Map 13 (Fire on the Mountain) |
 A complicated desert hill formation characterized by extreme crest lines and gullies. |
Overlay for Desert Boards 26-31 |
| Map 14 (The Hunted) |
 A rolling hillside culminating in a stone building complex, overlooking multiple crossroad approaches. |
Overlay for Board 19 |
| Map 15 (Dragoons Returned) |
 A European farm crossroads featuring terrain representing vineyards and plowed, muddy fields. |
Overlay for Board 14 |
The variety packed into these six maps is awesome. Map 10 is all about uphill fights into a giant fortified stone building, while Maps 11 and 13 bring in the desert rules for some much-needed North and East African action. The coolest one might be Map 12, which completely remixes the classic Board 1 from the original ’70s Squad Leader.
That said, the physical execution wasn’t totally perfect. If you actually cut out these overlays and drop them on official maps, the color match is, well, not good. HoB’s greens and desert tans just don’t match up with MMP’s standard colors. In a few weird cases, the European grass even looks like Pacific theater terrain.
While this color mismatch is a bit of an eyesore and breaks the immersion slightly, it doesn’t ruin the game. The half-board overlay concept was still innovative and paved the way for the “pocket scenarios” we see in ASL today.
The Implementation of “Grudge Rules”
In standard ASL, designers usually rely on Special Scenario Rules (SSRs) to tweak conditions or add flavor for a specific battle. FireFights! #2, however, takes a different approach by using what the community calls “grudge rules” (Note: I wouldn’t consider any of these grudge rules, I like to think of them as more historically accurate).
Basically, a grudge rule is what happens when a designer flat-out disagrees with the official rules and decides to rewrite them for their entire expansion. Spearheaded by Steve Swann, the rules in this pack completely flip the script on how you handle infantry and heavy weapons. These aren’t just minor thematic tweaks—they fundamentally change how you play the game.
| Rule Category | Standard ASL Mechanic | HoB FireFights! Rule | Tactical Implication |
| Crew-Served Weapons | Standard infantry squads can operate MMGs, HMGs, and Mortars with no penalties to rate of fire or breakdown numbers. | MMGs/HMGs/Mortars must be manned by dedicated Crew counters. Squads suffer penalties (lowered breakdown number, reduced rate of fire) if attempting to use them. | Simulate the use of heavy weapons/MG platoon in most military doctrine. |
| Specialist Weaponry | Elite infantry units (SS, Airborne) can typically utilize Flamethrowers and Demolition Charges without non-qualified use penalties. | All infantry, regardless of elite status, must pay the non-qualified use penalty when operating Flamethrowers or Demolition Charges. | Simulates the reality that operating a flamethrower is a highly specialized skill, not a generic trait of just elite units. |
| AFV Main Armament | Players may voluntarily decline to repair a broken main armament to avoid the risk of permanent disablement or Recall. | Mandatory repair attempts are enforced. Vehicles may not voluntarily decline to repair their main armament. | Increases the attrition rate of armor and removing a layer of gamey risk management. |
| AFV Abandonment | Crews may voluntarily abandon a mobile, functioning AFV. | Crews cannot voluntarily abandon an AFV under any circumstances. | Prevents historical absurdities where tank crews bail out of perfectly good AFVs just to secure a building in the final turn of a game. |
| Involuntary Abandonment | Surviving crews from a destroyed vehicle are placed on the board in good order. | Surviving crew from a destroyed vehicle are placed on the board “pinned”. | Better reflects the trauma, shock, and disorientation of surviving a catastrophic armor penetration. |
| Light Weapon Fog of War | All weapons must be placed on the board during setup, visible to the opponent. | Optional rule allows all 1 PP SW weapons (LMGs, DC, etc) to be set up off-board, recorded secretly, and revealed when fired. | Creates tension, as an opponent cannot determine the firepower potential of an enemy squad at a distance. |
These new rules change the way you play. Regular squads can’t just pick up heavy machine guns or mortars anymore without suffering major penalties, like constant jamming (reflects special weapons platoon structure). You actually have to use and protect specialized weapon crews instead. The same goes for special gear like FTs and DCs—everyone takes a penalty now, because being elite doesn’t necessarily make you an assault engineer.
The pack also shuts down some cheesy tactics (we’ve all used them!). You’re forced to attempt repairs on broken tank guns, you can’t abandon a perfectly good tank just to score an extra infantry unit for a last-minute objective grab (this is a very common SSR), and crews bailing out of destroyed vehicles hit the board pinned from the event (this makes sense to me). On top of all that, there’s the “Fog of War” rule that lets you keep light weapons hidden off the board until they actually fire (also makes sense). It massive tension since you never know which enemy squad is secretly packing a LMG or DC.
The Scenarios
The six scenarios included in FireFights! #2 represents a wide array of engagements. They span the early war clashes of 1940 all the way to the final, desperate, static defenses of 1945. Despite their small geographical footprints and low turn counts, they’re dense with tactical complexity. This density is largely driven by the heavily restricted terrain of the custom maps, the implementation of simultaneous setup mechanics, and the unpredictable nature of the variable reinforcement tables.
FF10 Castle Keep
Set in Hungary in 1945, FF10 “Castle Keep” is an uphill fight where defending Waffen-SS troops have to maintain control of a castle against a Soviet assault. Map 10 makes this a nightmare for the attackers. The castle sits on a hill surrounded by woods, giving the concealed Germans the ultimate high ground and creating choked lines of sight for anyone approaching. The Soviets have to start on the map edges at least four hexes away from the hill, forcing them into a blind slog through the brush to close the distance before the quick five-turn limit runs out.
To crank up the tension, both players make a secret pre-game roll to get random backup units, so the attackers never quite know how much firepower is hiding in those stone walls. Just a heads up, though: this scenario shipped with some setup and balance flaws.
Errata: German OB: Change PzVGx6 to PzVGx3 (wow, that’s quite the change). The 8-5-8 squad should be an 8-3-8.
FF11 Out of Ethiopia
Jumping over to East Africa in 1940, FF11 “Out of Ethiopia” is a matchup between Indian infantry and Italian troops. This one leans heavily on complex DTO rules, meaning you’ll have to deal with things like dust clouds, heat haze, and tricky movement costs. The Italians’ goal is simple: capture the top levels of a massive desert hill on Map 11.
The Indian defenders start hidden on the eastern slopes, while the Italians come driving in from the western edge right on turn one. The British do get a classic Rolls-Royce armored car, which adds some mobility to what is otherwise a grueling infantry slog. Just be warned that the map art is a little ambiguous—it can be tough to tell deep sand from scrub brush.
FF12 Easy Out (night scenario)
FF12 “Easy Out” shifts the action to the Normandy hedgerows just before dawn on D-Day, with the 101st Airborne parachuting in against scattered German defenders. Using Map 12 (the overlay for classic Board 1), the whole scenario takes place in pitch-black night conditions. With no moon, visibility is capped at just a single hex, turning the game into a chaotic mess of point-blank firefights as units stumble into each other.
The Americans drop onto the board on turn one and have to hustle to secure 14 Exit Victory Points by escorting their forces off the edges of the map. But there’s a catch: the US has a strict casualty cap and can’t lose more than eight CVP. Even worse, if your broken units panic and rout off the board, they automatically count as captured. This puts massive pressure on the US player to babysit their troops’ morale so wounded guys don’t just flee into the dark. Add in thick bocage instead of standard hedges and a church steeple…and you’ve got a tense tactical puzzle.
FF13 Fire on the Mountain (night scenario)
Set in the harsh terrain of Eritrea in 1941, “Fire on the Mountain” (FF13) returns to the desert for another night engagement. Utilizing Map 13, which is known for its complicated, overlapping double and triple! crest lines, the scenario depicts an infiltration mission. The conditions are tough: dry with no wind, no clouds, no moon, and a night visibility range capped at two hexes.
The victory conditions demand that the British forces exit at least seven Victory Points off the eastern edge of the map. They enter on turn one along the western edge with a limited force of just six squads. The defending Italian (or allied Eritrean colonial) forces are granted the advantage of HIP (between hexrows D and P). The extreme elevation changes, providing numerous blind spots, combined with night visibility, create a game of cat and mouse. The tension is amplified by the fact that hand-to-hand combat can be declared, resulting in often mutually destructive close-combat phases.
FF14 The Hunted
“The Hunted” (FF14) moves the action to Bordon, Belgium, during the rapid German advance on May 10, 1940. This scenario utilizes Map 14, which features a highly defensible cluster of heavy stone buildings situated atop a hill. The objective for the invading German forces is straightforward: control all stone buildings (see errata below!) on the hill by the end of the fifth turn.
The defending Belgian forces must utilize a simultaneous setup, establishing their defense north and west of a specific diagonal hexrow line. The Germans enter along the southern and eastern edges on turn one. This simultaneous setup creates an interesting opening sequence. Both players must plot their initial positions and entry points blindly, relying on intuition or guesswork rather than reactive tactical planning. This can lead to massive early-game swings, where the German forces might inadvertently march a crucial platoon directly into a concentrated Belgian kill zone, or conversely, bypass the Belgian defensive strongpoints due to a mismatched deployment guess by the defending player.
Errata: FF 14 The Hunted Tactical Objective: The Germans must Control 3 of the 5 buildings at game end. Belgian OB: There should only be one MMG, not two. Variable Belgian Units: DR 2-6, the tank should be a T15 Belgian Vehicle Note 17. DR 7-8, the tank is a T-15 Belgian Vehicle Note 17. Variable German Units: All Groups: Add an 8-0 and 2x 4-6-8 squads to all German Variable Units. DR 2-4, the Pz IIA tank is German Vehicle Note 2. DR 5-8, the PSW 222 is German Vehicle Note 70. DR 9-12, the PSW 231(6 Rad) is German Vehicle Note 71.
FF15 Dragoons Returned
The final scenario of the pack, “Dragoons Returned” (FF15), is set during the fall of France in 1940. It utilizes Map 15, which serves as an overlay for the geomorphic Board 19. The topography represents a standard European agricultural crossroads, but the scenario instructions mandate specific, movement-altering terrain transformations. The standard grain symbols printed on the map are strictly treated as vineyards, and other generic fields are treated as heavily plowed and muddy terrain. This significantly alters the movement costs for infantry and vehicles, and changes the line-of-sight hindrances compared to the initial visual representation on the map.
The engagement is another simultaneous setup affair, pitting early-war French defenders against German attackers. The victory conditions require the French to secure and control at least three of the four available central buildings at the crossroads by the game’s end. The Germans set up in the eastern portion of the board, while the French enter from the west and north. The inclusion of early-war motorcycles for the forces adds a mobile, yet fragile, element to the maneuver warfare required to seize and hold the central buildings within the five-turn limit.
Balance
Unfortunately, FireFights! #2 hasn’t been extensively played (or at least reported) over the past 20 years. The scenarios with plays all appear to be unbalanced or severely unbalanced. That could be attributed to design flaws, scenario length, or both.
Combined ROAR and ASL Scenario Archive Data (as of this article):
| Castle Keep [FF10] | Russian | 3 | German | 17 |
| Out of Ethiopia [FF11] | British | 7 | Italian | 3 |
| Easy Out [FF12] (night) | German | 0 | American | 2 |
| Fire on the Mountain [FF13] (night) | Italian | 1 | British | 0 |
| The Hunted [FF14] (probably due to not using errata) | Belgian | 25 | German | 1 |
| Dragoons Returned [FF15] | German | 5 | French | 1 |
Debriefing
FireFights! #2 is well conceived, but flawed. It took a big swing at boiling down the overwhelming complexity of ASL into quick, highly volatile, single-evening games. The half-board overlays were a great innovation, despite the clashing colors, and the scenarios offer a ton of fresh variety—from blinding desert peaks to ruined Hungarian castles to tense night battle (not everyone’s favorite).
While the heavy reliance on hidden setups and random reinforcements alienated the competitive tournament crowd, it absolutely nailed its real goal: capturing the terrifying, unpredictable chaos of a real firefight. Today, it’s best to view this pack not as a perfectly balanced tournament kit, but as an awesome, experimental sandbox. But let’s be honest, who would ever think any scenario with variable anything (setup, entry, reinforcements, etc) would make for a good tournament scenario? But that’s just me.
Contents
- Six 8.5″ x 11″ maps
- Six scenarios
- Two pages of rules
Where To Order
As far as I know, this is out of print.
Academy Out!
GET TO THE CHOPPA…!!! 
Article © 2026, Neal Ulen. All Rights Reserved. Copyright & Fair Use Notice.
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