Indirect Fire Arcs

[SteveT]

Must’ve played this game 100 times by now and it still throws up sudden questions.

We are assuming Indirect Fire weapons do not have firing arcs as such, after all their spotter could be anywhere.  Perhaps they should be rotated to face the target anyway. A howitzer firing behind itself would otherwise be odd.   But if they do have to rotate, can they then fire in the same order? I think they can and at no negative modifiers either, since indirect fire is just a straight roll.

With direct and indirect thanks

 

[Stuart Harrison]

I’d say you’re playing it correctly.

Fixed weapons make no distinction for indirect fire, nor does indirect fire include an exception to the fixed rule.

Fixed weapons firing outside your arc requires that you rotate using an Advance order, normally with a -1 ‘to hit’ – indirect ignores modifiers, so that doesn’t affect an indirect shot once you’re used that Advance to rotate.

If it’s not an intended feature, it would require an errata to one rule or the other to change it.

[SteveT]

It is a particularly strange thing when you have a howitzer who must use its forward arc for direct fire, but can fire behind itself if using indirect fire…

 

[Stuart Harrison]

The howitzer can fire in it’s rear arc direct as well, it simply needs to use an advance order to rotate and fires at -1 ‘to hit’. p67, Weapons, Weapon Special Rules, Fixed, third para provides the provision for fixed weapons rotating and firing on an Advance order, p95, Artillery, Artillery and Shooting, Arc of Fire, first para shows this as applicable to artillery (there would need to be a specific clause to prevent it applying).

[SteveT]

Thanks Stuart. So, I think the intended way to do indirect fire for a howitzer or Fixed Mortar is to rotate the base so the target is in its firing arc. i.e. issue an Advance order.

There is another curious little question that is then raised. If a spotter is doing the targeting,  the spotter could be anywhere. Does the howitzer still rotate when using indirect fire to face the target. Its seems it should be.

These things might matter for Gun Shield, etc.

 

[Stuart Harrison]

It’s the weapon’s arc that dictates whether the weapon can shoot with a Fire order, or it has to use an Advance to rotate and bring the target into it’s arc.  The spotter’s position is irrelevant – so long as he has LOS to the target his LOS can be used by the weapon crew.

[SteveT]

Then if a howitzer is facing South and the spotter is somewhere North facing North, and he spots on behalf of that howitzer,  the howitzer is then lobbing a shell to its own rear, which doesn’t make sense to me.

[Stuart Harrison]

You’re not following what I’m saying.  The howitzer will have to rotate using an advance order, so will no longer be firing to it’s rear.  It’s the same as when it uses an advance to rotate and fire with direct fire, just there is no effect of the -1 to hit modifier due to indirect fire not using modifiers, only the ranging in process.

“It’s the weapon’s arc that dictates whether the weapon can shoot with a Fire order, or it has to use an Advance to rotate and bring the target into it’s arc.”  In the example you’re using, the target is outside the weapon’s arc so it must rotate to shoot at it whether it’s direct or indirect.

[SteveT]

Right.

[Author]

Posts