Soviet Dog Mines

[Charles]

I have a question regarding Soviet dog mines.

The V3 rule on page 257 reads, “Dog mines: A dog mine is a one-shot weapon with a range of 18”.”

I assume the unit represents a dog running towards a vehicle similar to the Japanese suicide anti-tank team. However, the Japanese unit is resolved like an assault. My question is do we treat a dog mine only like a shot from a weapon? In other words, do we get a cover save roll if the target is in cover from where the shot originated as with any other shot? If it’s a shot, can it go 18” regardless of terrain, including across impassible terrain that a dog or man couldn’t run across? If it’s a shot, does that mean we can’t shoot at it if it starts outside of 6”?

[Nat]

One-shot weapon:  Means it can only be used once per game, it allows you to choose if to use it when doing a fire or advance action.

Now IIRC (away from my rulebook) they still have their old to hit chart.  This means no other to hit modifiers happen.  As its a hit against the DV of the vehicle and NOT a facing cover wont apply!

So its a case of checking Line of Sight and max distance, then using their own ‘to hit chart’.  Then rolling on the damage table.  Everything else is a house /local rule – be it cover, distance ‘travelled‘.  The dogs dont actually move (they’re a token) so the only defence against them is to have moved or hope that the dog handler (player) rolls a 1-3!  No worrying about running half way round the table to cross that rivine to get to the tank thats 8″ away as the crow flys.

• This reply was modified 2 months, 1 week ago by Nat.

[Stuart Harrison]

As written, it’s more like a fur-coated panzerfaust than a suicide AT.  It is a one shot weapon that is ‘fired as normal’ except that it has it’s own ‘to hit’ process using the chart instead of modifiers.

[Charles]

I read it as a a fur-coated panzerfaust too, which should mean we get a cover save if in cover when hit. My opponent tried to argue it’s not a shot, and you only get cover saves from shooting. However, it then seemed odd that a non shot that was actually a dog running with a load was somehow unhindered by all terrain types, even impassible. Also, no other modifiers other than the chart given in the unit profile means inexperienced dog mines hit just as good as veteran ones. But kind of like suicide bombers, how do exploding dog mines achieve veteran status?

[Stuart Harrison]

I’d put that down to a probable anomoly where they haven’t yet considered the rule interaction between a ‘weapon’ which is fired normally, with it’s own ‘to hit’ mechanics,  then runs under the target to detonate (why no pen modifiers appy) and the newly introduced cover save, which would apply to ‘fired as normal’, unless stated otherwise.

Opinion not supported by rules – personally I’d roll cover into the 2-3 result. The dog either got under the target (whether friend or foe), or it went astray on the way.

Applying cover to something with a brain for guidance seems very counter-intuitive, yet there’s nothing in the rule as currently written to suggest it doesn’t apply.

[Author]

Posts