Rules Questions

[Stuart Harrison]

Correct, with any modifiers that apply to the specific shot – pins on crew, long range, target is small team, target is down, cover (not if target in a building) etc.

Indirect has the advantage of no modifiers, just the ranging in process, but starts at 6 to hit.

[Mark Stanoch]

Thanks Stuart!

[Alan Hamilton]

OK, I am new to this game and was introduced to it a week ago by my son, aso a beginner. We both have extensive military experience and we wanted to do “Fire and Movement” tactics. This would involve sections firing from the prone position particularly if they have just seized that hill top that was the objective. But as far as we can see if our troops go “Down” (i.e. prone) they cannot fire. This is the favoured position for LMGs and many other weapons in a firefight.

We played a game today (supported by his nephews aged 8 and 11) with my 1/72 figures (the 28mm ones are still to be assembled) and Aiden seized a hilltop objective which should have given him the advantage of higher ground and defensive position (good tactics and seizing the initiative). But because he could not fire when “down” defending the position his troops had to be erect in the open and so were virtually annihilated by small arms and LMG fire from Callum’s sections attacking him.

We are thinking of at least giving a “soft cover” rating to hill tops.

How should we be dealing with this?

[Stuart Harrison]

Think of “down” as literally hugging the dirt, not actively participating in engaging the enemy, using available fire postions etc which is pretty much the general case when NOT down.

When you’re down in game you are foregoing your opportunity to fire in exchange for making the maximum use of cover/that slight wrinkle in the terrain to avoid getting shot.

Unless there is cover on that slope, the advantages to holding it aren’t that great. If anything the modifier should be on the to hit roll shooting at moving troops as they’re required to expose themselves to enemy fire every time they take a bound. Your troops on the high ground would then have the advantage in a fire fight by staying still, as would troops defending any objective.

[Alan Hamilton]

Thanks, I think our issue is that I was a soldier for 41 years and my son is still serving (14 years so far) and both have experienced real war and spent a lot of time in action “down and firing” as it is a natural thing to do.

So, would we be right to understand “Down” = “Suppressed” (would not fit on the order die!)
Standing, walking, kneeling or prone in the open are all the same as far as the rules are concerned .

While not very realistic we can live with it, after all it is a game.

I suppose the way round it is to allow the “prone” troops to be in “ambush” and gain a -1 penalty to hit. This would reflect the real life fire order “Watch and shoot”.

[John]

On page 45 of the rule book there is a statement under Terrain rate the various terrain features on the board. You could rate the top of the hill as hard cover -2, light cover -1, open terrain no cover 3 to hit. So deciding what type of terrain is on the board helps in the planning process when you want to move your Troops, also going down is a good idea if your opponent is going to fire at you when you are in the open. Also for a house rule you could break up your Section into Fire Teams, LMG Team to lay down suppressing fire while the rest of the Section moves just add an extra dice when you split the Section and remove the dice when they rejoin. Something to think about

[Alan Hamilton]

Thanks a lot. Very useful suggestions that we will try next time we play. I had not remembered about classifying the hill tops – so much to remember when starting out!

I remember playing a set of rules that had counters that you placed on hill tops and only turned over when you got there to tell what grade of cover was provided.

[Teafloy]

Does a sniper suffer any modifiers when shooting at hidden troops.

I take it No, as all hidden does is increase your cover value and the sniper ignores all cover modifiers?

If so, quite harsh.

[Ian]

I’ve got a question regarding the Tiger Fear rule. If a German tank with the Tiger Fear rule is on the table and I want to bring on a regular British reinforcement that will see the tank if it comes on the table. Then do I need to to roll 9, -1 to bring on reinforcements and another -1 for Tiger Fear i.e. roll 7 or lower?

[Gerry Brawley]

You only take Tiger Fear if you can see the Tiger at the start of your activation You don’t however take the test if you are firng at the Tiger.

[Ian]

Hi Gerry, Thanks for that. That’s what I though but thought I should check. We are playing the “surrounded” scenario next week. I was planning in bringing a PIAT on as a reserve behind a Pz IV to try and get a shot in his rear. One of the problems will be to get the reserve on to the table. If I had to apply the Tiger Fear rule to the reserve advance and fire then i would need a lot of luck for it to work.

[Ian]

I have assumed that troops on the table who start with a Tiger Fear tank in sight need to roll for an advance and shoot at the German tank.?

[Stuart Harrison]

@Rob Lemay – you are correct, a sniper ignores the effect of hidden. Any negative modifier other than pins or missing observer are ignored.

@Ian – you are correct in your interpretation about needing to take the Tiger Fear test if advancing. The word “Fire” in the exception is capitalised and therefore refers specifically to the fire order, not firing as part of an advance move.

[Martin Knowles]

Surely, if a unit is hidden the sniper couldn’t see it unless it is within 12″ (That would then be within it’s min range so would shoot as a standard rifleman)?

[Stuart Harrison]

@ Martin – re-read the second para of the hidden rule, p131.

Hidden in this game doesn’t prevent you being targetted until you’re spotted, it just makes the unit harder to hit by increasing the cover “to hit” modifier. Any unit can still shoot at a hidden unit, and as snipers ignore cover (and most other negative modifiers), hidden is useless against snipers.

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