
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,768
- BGG rating
- 7.6
CrossFire: Rules and Organizations for Company Level WW II Gaming
- 2–6 players
- 120 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 1996

Rules assistance for Great War Spearhead
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Great War Spearhead is an expansion for Spearhead released in 2002 for 2–4 players, 2 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Arty Conliffe and Shawn Taylor and its main mechanics are Simultaneous Action Selection and Simulation.
Great War Spearhead does require ownership of Spearhead to play it. Units are companies, as armies were much larger in WWI. The scale is 1/285 or 15mm. The rules may be used for Russo-Japanese War actions as well. ToEs are included for all major (and many minor) WWI countries. Special rules allow for realistic portrayal of trench warfare, pre-battle bombardments, and use of gas. Expands: Spearhead
Great War Spearhead supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Great War Spearhead is 2 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Great War Spearhead for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Great War Spearhead has a complexity rating of 2.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Great War Spearhead belongs to these categories: Wargame, Miniatures, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Simultaneous Action Selection and Simulation. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Great War Spearhead are: Arty Conliffe and Shawn Taylor. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Great War Spearhead as an expansion for Spearhead. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Spearhead to use it. Check that your edition of Spearhead is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.