Rules Pack 2026

Introduction

Welcome to the ETC-H 2026 Rules Pack! Seasoned players will note that the format may look a little bit different than it did previously. Namely, certain portions of the rules pack have been extracted into Appendixes which are indended to be reused year-to-year, while year-specific information such as dates and deadlines, as well as points limit and team restrictions, remain in the main body of the rules pack.

• Part 1 contains all the adminstrative details you need (dates, times).

• Part 2 is about team composition & list building, all pre-event activities.

• Part 3 is for during the event, with information on pairing and scoring.

• Part 4 contains all prize and award related information.

• Part 5 is a list of appendixes.

1: Administration (2026 Edition)

1.1 Time & Location

1.1.1 The 2026 Edition of ETC-H for Flames of War will take place from 7 to 9 August 2026.

1.1.2 The event will be held in Cornaredo, Milan, Italy, at the Sandro Pertini Sports Center, Via dello Sport, 20010 Cornaredo MI, Italy.

1.1.3 Registration process and payment will be announced and faciliated separately by the Event Organizer. For more information, see the 2026 location page.

1.2 Schedule  

1.2.1 The following timetable will be used for each day:

• 8:00 Venue opens

• 9:00 - 9:15 Player match-up process

• 9:30 - 12:30 Play the mission

• 12:30 - 14:00 Lunch break 

• 14:00 - 14:15 Player match-up process

• 14:30 - 17:30 Play the mission 

1.2.2 On Friday the second battle may last till 18:00 if you play the Covering Force mission. On Saturday a captains meeting will be held from 17:45 to max. 18:30. On Sunday the prize ceremony will be held from 17:45 to 18:15.

1.3 Code of Conduct

See Appendix: ETC Code of Conduct.

2: Teams & Lists (2026 Edition)

2.1 Nations & Team Composition

2.1.1 Only one nation may be represented twice within a team, and all other nations may only be represented once. The team may decide which (if any) nation they wish to represent twice.

2.1.2 A player is considered to have represented a nation if they select a formation or unit (including allied formations or allied units) within their force.

Example: If a team has two players fielding German formations, a player fielding a UK Force using a British diagram with 1 US Allied Formation/Unit counts as representing both a UK and US nationality. Since you may only represent each nationality once (as they have chosen German as the nation they will represent twice), neither the British or US can be fielded by other team members.

2.1.3 “Nations” are referring to fielding a force from a given nation. A nation in this rules pack content is meant in a broad sense and not referring to the meaning of nation in the dictionary. The nations you can field and their corresponding force diagrams:

Additional Notes:

“Britain” is taken to include all nations within the Commonwealth (e.g. Canada, New Zealand, etc.), as well as Belgian, Dutch, Czech, and Polish units operating in North West Europe and Italy.

“United States” is taken to include French and Spanish units operating in North West Europe and Italy.

2.1.4 By choosing a book to field a force with, you block other team members from choosing formations and support units of that nation from that book.

Example 1: If you choose Berlin: German as your book to field the German nation and you have another team member fielding a German force, they cannot pick Berlin: German as the source for either their source, formation support or unit support.

Example 2: If you choose Bulge: British as your book to field the Great Britain nation and you have another team member fielding a United States force, they are allowed to pick United States formations and support units from Bulge: Americans but not from Bulge: British.

2.1.5 No Formation may be repeated. A formation with identical name and Nation, even from a different book, counts as the same formation and may not be repeated. A formation with a different name (e.g. a “Sherman Tank Company” compared to a "Sherman (Late) Tank Company)” is not the same formation and both may be used.

2.1.6 Command Cards that do not create a new, separate formation (such as title cards) never create a different formation for the purposes of this rule.

Example: the “12th Volksgrenadiers” formation is still a Volksgrenadiers formation.

2.1.7 Command Cards may not be repeated throughout the team. An individual player may repeat Command Cards if allowed by the card (i.e. if the card is not Limited), but no other player on the team may use a Command Card with the same name and nation.

Example: A team may use both a German and a Hungarian Lucky card but not two German Lucky cards.

2.1.8 All formations and Command Cards within a force must come from the same book/force diagram. The blackbox support units must come from the same theatre of war (see table) and may not come from a book and nation used by another player on their team. Different nations from the same book do not limit selection, e.g. Bulge: British in one formation does not stop another player selecting Bulge: Americans.

2.1.9 All allied units and allied formations must come from the same book series (D-Day, Bulge, Bagration, Berlin) as the selected force diagram.

Example: Bagration: Finnish armies may not take German allies from the Berlin: German book, and Berlin: German armies may not take Bagration: Finnish allies, even though they are both Eastern Front lists.

2.2 List Restrictions

2.2.1 Each Force can use a maximum of 95 points, including Command Cards. This means that reserves are 38 points. Additionally, the following restrictions apply:

• Each Force may include a maximum of two formations (either 2 from the Force Diagram’s “nation” or 1 Formation from their “nation” and 1 Allied Formation).

• The chosen Formation(s) can be from a Command Card.

• If you take an Allied Formation you are not allowed to take an Allied Unit as well.

• An Allied Formation or Unit must come from the same theatre of war (see table above).

• A force may have no more than 5 units that contain armoured tank teams with the scout rule and front armour 0, 1, 2, or 3. Transport teams do not count towards this limit. This rule may be revised if Dynamic Points are released.

2.2.2 If Dynamic points for Late War are released before the 1 March 2026, they will be used for ETC 2026, otherwise the originally published points will be used.

2.2.3 The rules on building Forces and Command Cards in Lessons From The Front apply, with the following clarifications and modifications:

• Any Version 4 Late War Formation or Unit that has been incorporated into forces.flamesofwar.com by 11th June will be allowed. Unofficial formation/unit/cards made by players, Latewar Leviathans (L), or wildcards may not be used.

• References to “book” in Lessons From The Front (e.g. “same book”, “other book”) should be understood to refer to the original books, not the compilations. (e.g. any book similar in set-up to the Mid-War North Africa and Eastern Front books).

• In case of discrepancies between the compilations and the original books, the compilations shall be definitive.

• Command Cards can only be used on Units or Formations from the book the Cards belong to, as per Lessons From The Front. In the case of compilations, this means the same chapter (each corresponding to a former book) of the compilation.

2.3 List Submission

2.3.1 Lists must be submitted before the 9th of July, 2026, and be sent to: [email protected].

2.3.2 All teams should number their players from numbers 1-6, starting with the captain as number 1 in their lists.

2.3.3 Lists must meet the following requirements to be in order:

• The list should be produced on Forces of War to make list checking easier and provide a consistent format.

• The list name should be formatted:
  Team Name - Player number - Player Name – Country of main formation

• It must be made clear which formation or unit a command card belongs to. (It is not necessary to adjust the points on units or formations. Force cards do not need to be clarified).

2.3.4 The list submission deadline is 4 weeks before the ETC starts (see above). After this deadline, no lists may be altered, except to correct errors. Such a correction is the minimal correction needed to make the list legal. A list that is below the allotted amount of points is still legal and such cannot be corrected. The new list should be made and approved together with the Rules Pack Committee. 

2.3.5 Any team that submits 6 lists without any errors will recieve a bonus of 6 Battlefront victory points (small points) at the end of the ETC.

2.3.6 Any team which did not correct their lists 2 weeks before the ETC starts (see above) will be penalised 6 Battlefront victory points (small points) at the end of the ETC.

2.3.7 If a player drops out after the list submission deadline has pased, a replacement player may either: 

• Use the list of the player who dropped out, or;

• Use any other list from that team’s submitted lists, with the owner of the chosen list instead using the list of the player who dropped out.

2.3.8 During the event, players must bring at least 1 photocopy of their list and show it to their opponent on request. Unit cards (or their profile in the book) and Command Cards must be brought along with the list, to make it faster and easier to play (a photocopy may be used).

2.4 Models & Proxies

2.4.1 All models on tables need to be painted and WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get). This principle may permit exceptions if need be and if there is no confusion for the opponent.

Example: A Ferdinand can be an Elephant (as the difference is really minimal), but a 45mm Gun can’t represent a 76mm Gun.

2.4.2 Official sizes of the models and bases must be respected. Models should be painted in style fitting of WW2 avoiding any fantasy and/or sci-fi colour scheme and element(s).

2.4.3 If a player is unsure whether their models fulfill the above criteria they can submit pictures of the models in question to their captain who can then request an exception for those models from the chairmen. If granted, such permission overrides any discussion during games and lasts for the duration of the tournament. This needs to be done before the list submission deadline. 

3: Gameplay

3.1 Tables

3.1.1 Organizers should strive to create a table row or cluster of 6 tables with the following terrain types. This is not definitive but used as a guideline to be followed as best as possible. A table row should include the following types of tables (in prioritized order):

• 1 × City (Urban area covering ~50% of the table);

• 1 × Village - Dense (1-2 villages, urban area covering ~25% of the table);

• 1 × Village - Sparse (2 small villages of approx. 3 houses each);  

• 1 × Countryside (Woods, fields etc.);

• 1 × Open/Steppe (Max. 25% with tall terrain);

• 1 × Vanila Table (A little bit of everything, medium density);

3.2 Pairings & Player Match-Ups

3.2.1 Teams will be paired up using the Swiss Round system (1st vs. 2nd, 3rd vs. 4th, and so on), with the following exceptions:

• For Round 1, teams will be randomly paired up.

• For Round 2 and onward, no teams may be paired up twice together. Adjustments will be made to avoid rematches.

3.2.2 Prior to the start of each round, during the match-up time (see schedule in Part 1), paired teams will perform the match-up procedure according to Appendix: ETC Match-Up Process.

3.2.3 Each player must have his army ready to deploy at the table and out of any transport bags at the start of the pairing. This ensures that the models are visible to the other player (allowing explanation of unit markings, etc.) and ensures faster deployment.

3.2.4 Teams should be ready to start pairing at the start of the round and risk being penalized if showing up at the last minute to the pairing process. The referee will decide whether a penalty is necessary.  The organizers announce 15 minutes before pairing starts. The match-up process should take no longer than 15 minutes.

3.3 Missions

3.3.1 After the fifteen minute time allotted for pairing, a TO will draw a numbered token (1-6) to determine the mission. This token will not be replaced. This number dictates which mission on the matrix is played.  The number for the mission with the fighting withdrawal mission, will be drawn for Round 2. 

3.3.2 The “Extended Battle Plans” matrix in the Missions Pack will be used to determine which mission will be played per match-up. The latest “Extended Battle Plans” Mission Pack released before 1 February 2026 will be used.

3.3.3 Missions with the Strategic Withdrawal rule, will be avoided unless it is Round 2. If a new mission matrix is released with more than 1 mission number that contains the Strategic Withdrawal rule then these missions will be played at any point.

3.3.4 In March 2023, Battlefront published six experimental missions. Each of these is paired with an existing mission and shares a slot in the extended battle plans with it. To provide clarity over missions, a captains vote in April 2023 decided to use the following:

• Bypass (not Spearpoint)

• Counterstrike (not Counterattack)

• Covering Force (not Fighting Withdrawal)

• Hold the Pocket (not Encirclement)

• Killing Ground (not It's a Trap)

• Outmanoeuvred (not Outflanked)

3.3.5 When playing the mission “Cornered,” the defender will be granted 4 minefields (in line with other missions which grant minefields “per X points or part thereof).

3.4 Matches

3.4.1 Each round will last for 3.5 hours. The pairings and the setup process should take no more than 15 minutes. Players then have 15 minutes to get to their table, greet their opponents, exchange lists and discuss terrain and be ready to begin their game (there is no reason players cannot start their game sooner).

3.4.2 In missions where deployment is not alternated, each player may only spend 15 minutes deploying their army. This time starts at the point of the mission text when the attacker/defender are told to deploy models (i.e. Not objectives or ranged in marker placement). Players at the table are responsible for timing deployment and any models not deployed after 15 minutes are put in reserve. This rule isn’t enforceable for missions that use alternating deployment, but players are reminded that it should take no longer than 30 mins.

3.4.3 The round finishes at the end of the allotted time (as per the schedule), at this point games end. If a game is incomplete, players should continue only until they have played an equal number of turns.

3.4.4 It is the responsibility of each team captain to ensure their players' matches are started on time and are played with a suitable pace to complete 7 turns within the allotted time.

3.4.5 Equalling turns, if a game is incomplete, players should play out the remaining turn for both players. If this does give a result, the player who had the first turn should complete the first 5 steps of the starting phase (remount, rally, unit last stand and formation last stands, check victory conditions), before finishing the game. (This gives both players an equal chance to achieve an army break.) 

3.4.6 The TO will announce when the round enters the last 30 minutes, if players have not started turn 5 at this point they should use the Sudden Death procedure from the beginning of the next game round (pair of turns) and for the remaining rounds of the game.

3.4.7 If a game is playing the Covering Force mission, the following applies:

• An additional 30 minutes is allotted to the game. Both players are expected to reach turn 8 (the conclusion of the mission).

• Games will enter Sudden Death if players have not reached turn 6, instead of the usual 5, within 30 minutes of the end of the round. Sudden death begins with the next game round as described above.

3.4.8 Both captains and referees are responsible for ensuring players follow the Sudden Death procedure correctly. If the judges find that the Sudden Death procedure was not used when it should have been or not followed as described above, they shall record the game as a mutual loss (1:1).

3.5 Scoring

Standard Flames of War 4th Edition scoring is used for individual games: The winner gets 8 points, the loser gets 1 point, and this is then adjusted according to how many platoons the loser manages to kill, and any other applicable rules from Command Cards or other sources (e.g. Red Banner Colour Party Card). If neither player wins (a draw), then both players score as if they lost.

For each win, a players team is awarded 1 “big point”. The actual score, Battlefront victory points, are added to the player’s team’s cumulative “small points.” For more details on ranking, see Section 4.2.

3.6 ETC Rules & Clarifications

3.6.1 Over the years, the ETC has adopted a few, carefully crafted house rules and clarifications which improve the quality of gameplay. The can be found in the Appendix: ETC Rules & Clarifications.

3.6.2 Up to the cut-off date applied for new rules and books, the chairmen and RPC may add additional modifications when the captains vote that such is necessary.

4: Prizes & Awards

4.1 Prizes

4.1.1 The organizer must ensure that there will be team prizes (one per player + coach) for the following awards:

• 1st Place

• 2nd Place

• 3rd Place

• Most Sporting

• Best Painted

These are awarded by team to promote team effort and solidarity. Traditionally this has been an official Battlefront plaque and some event-specific trophy or medal to be determined by the organizers.

4.1.2 There will also be solo prizes for the following categories:

• Best Allied General

• Best Axis General

• Best Painted General

• Best Table

4.2 Scoring & Ranking for 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place

4.2.1 Each players’ wins and points (see 3.5 Scoring) in are summed with their teammates’ to calculate a number of wins (“big points”) and points (“small points”).

4.2.2 The leader board will be ranked by means of several cascading tie breakers. That is to say, if two teams are tied on factor X, the next descending tie breaker is utilized. If that is a tie, the next factor is used, and so on. The ranking factors are:

1. Total Wins (Big Points)

2. Total BF Points (Small Points)

3. Head-to-Head

4. Stregth-of-Schedule: Total Wins

5. Total Units Destroyed

4.3 Awarding Most Sporting

4.3.1 Should be voted for by all teams. Teams get one vote each and should vote for any of the teams that they have played against during the event. For this reason, the voting should be done after the last game of the event. Captains will do the voting.

4.4 Awarding Best Painted

4.4.1 Team armies should be presented together in the same area where it is easy to recognize which team the armies belong to. 

4.4.2 Organizers decide how to facilitate the judging of the best painted team. The judging should not be done by a single person but preferably a combination of people. Dioramas and trays should not be taken into consideration when doing the judging.  Guidelines for judging can be found in Appendix: ETC Best Painted Criteria.

4.5 Awarding Best Allied & Axis Generals

4.5.1 These titles are awarded to the two best single players (“Generals”) with Allied and Axis lists respectively. Raking is performed by the following factors:

1. Total Wins (Big Points)

2. Total BF Points (Small Points)

3. Total Units Destroyed

4.6 Awarding Best Table

4.6.1 The prize for “Best Table” should only be awarded if the organizers allow terrain/tables to be brought byplayers and have announced that there will be a competition for it. Awarding is at organizers’ discretion.

5: Appendixes

The following appendixes are referenced in the text but are also linked here for easy access:

• Appendix: ETC Code of Conduct

• Appendix: ETC Match-Up Process

• Appendix: ETC Sudden Death

• Appendix: ETC Best Painted Criteria

• Appendix: ETC Rules & Clarifications