The game takes place on twelve imprinted double-sided hex map boards/tiles, using cardboard markers and overlays of various types and plastic models for representing the variety of military units used in gameplay.

Game scenarios are given a title, descriptive write-up, player objectives, and force setup information.

The plastic figures are well detailed and include clearly distinguishable tanks like the American Sherman, the German Panzer IV and Tiger.

[3] To begin, players choose the combat scenario for their game session and pick which nation each will control.

Roads and streams can meander through particular areas either easing or obstructing vehicle and troop movement but may also provide cover.

Furthermore, entrenchments, razor wire, pill boxes, tank traps, minefields and other obstructions often abound, creating a variety of tactical considerations.

An Operations card, for example, might read "Panzer IV units have a range of 6 (die roll) and a firepower of 6 when attacking."

Unless the scenario designates otherwise, players are free to customize their squads based on their intended tactics and strategy.

Players place their infantry squads and vehicle units (tanks, trucks, and halftracks) on the board in the areas indicated by the scenario.

This continues until the last round of the game is finished, or until one player reaches a victory condition designated by the scenario.

For example, “At the Breaking Point,” considered a good scenario for new players, reflects the strategic situation in Northern France in late July, 1944.

After weeks of heavy fighting following D-Day, the Allies finally overran the Germans and began their breakout across France with General George S. Patton’s Third Army rapidly advancing.

The American player wins by preventing the Germans from occupying those same hexes for 8 rounds of play, thus holding their position and protecting Patton’s supplies.

[4] Another example is in “Silence the Guns,” a scenario based on the Allied effort to push through fortifications along Germany’s Siegfried Line in early 1945.

These firepower ratings equate to the number of dice that can be thrown for that infantry figure trying to score a hit on a selected target.

In Tide of Iron, any fresh friendly squad that does have line of sight to the intended target can direct the mortar crew's fire.

Unlike other infantry figures, mortar crews don't fire at specific enemy units (squads and vehicles).

Situations often arise in tactical combat when a unit's goals can be achieved by simply finding a way to keep the enemy from interfering.

If Normal fire is chosen, then each hit results in the loss of one infantry figure from the targeted squad; a casualty.

If Suppression fire is chosen, then the effect of hits on a targeted squad depend on its condition prior to the attack.

Of course, heavy infantry figures have more firepower so there is a balance that must be weighed and considered in light of the tactical purpose of a particular squad.

The officer infantry figure represents a trained and capable leader and affords certain advantages to his own squad, such as +1 movement.

The title is a reference to German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, who was admirably known as the Desert Fox.

This expansion introduces the North African Campaign along with the British Army and includes nine new desert map boards.

[citation needed] Designer Series, Volume 1 was released by Fantasy Flight Games in December 2008.

[9] This expansion (book) is a collection of 22 combat scenarios created specifically for Tide of Iron by numerous game designers such as John Hill (Squad Leader), Frank Chadwick (Command Decision) and Richard Berg (Great Battles of History).

Self-propelled (assault) guns were introduced, including the German StuG III and American M10 tank destroyer.

Fury of the Bear was released in 2010, themed for the conflict on the Eastern Front focusing on the Soviet Union and Germany.

This provides the look and feel of the notoriously brutal Russian winters, all tied to a suite of associated cold weather combat rules and Strategic cards.

Stalingrad, centered on one of the most famously besieged cities on Germany's Eastern Front, was released in the Fall of 2013 by 1A Games.