Editors Note: In Landships!, all the fields of fire were abstracted to reflect the nature of the hex grid. Now we present advanced facing rules for our Landships! game. These rules show the true limits of the early tanks and what an innovation the fully revolving turret really was. Special thanks to J. D. Webster for developing many of the positioning concepts used in this article in his own Airpower and Fighting Wings series of games. The scenario presented here appears courtesy of A7V, the magazine for Landships! enthusiasts.
Constructing New Counters: In order to use these rules, it is necessary for players to manufacture a set of one-half inch counters for each Vehicle and Weapons Unit for which they wish to use the advance facing rules. Counters in these advanced rules differ by having the vehicle/weapons unit face the corner of the counter, rather than a side. Sample counters for a German A7V, a British Mk. IV male, and several Weapons Units have been provided with this article. Players are free to photocopy them down to proper size.
Positioning Game Counters: Vehicle, Aircraft, Ship, Platoon and Weapon Unit positions are defined by a combination of map location and facing.
Map Location: A unit's location on the map defines its position relative to other units. The hexgrid superimposed on the map is used to regulate positioning and movement. There are now 3 classes of units for hex grid positioning purposes.
These are:
-
Class 1) Platoons, Aircraft, and Ships are always
placed in the center of a hex, never on hexsides,
facing a hexside and never a hexjuncture.
Class 2) Immobile Weapons Units too must always be located fully within a hex but may face either hexsides or hexjunctures.
Class 3) Vehicles must always be located fully within a hex or on one of the hexsides forming the hex. When on a hexside, the Vehicle must face parallel to the hexside and for range determination, it is considered to be in the hex forming the hexside, closest to the counting unit (see below). However, when counting to and from Vehicles both on hexsides, the span of a hex counts as a range of one (1).
Facing: The facing of a Vehicle or Weapons
Unit indicates the direction in which it is currently
oriented. The facing arrow on the counter is used to
indicate its current facing. During play, the facing
arrow should be clearly pointed at a hexside or
hexjuncture at all times. Ambiguities may be
"adjusted" by the opposing player. Due to the
hexgrid design of the game map, this results in
twelve possible directions of movement/facing,
each of which is a 30 degree change in heading.
For reference, each direction is labeled with a
compass heading (e.g.., N=North,
SSE=South-southeast, etc.) Note that in each
scenario, North is arbitrarily assigned. See the
diagram at right.
Vehicles #1 and #2 are facing hexjunctures. Both are also facing North-northeast (NNE).
Vehicle #2 is legally positioned on a hexside.
Vehicle #3 is facing a hexside and facing North (N).
Vehicle #4 is illegally positioned on a hexside. To be legal it has to face E or W.
The range from Vehicle #5 to #1 is four hexes.
The range from Vehicle #5 to #3 or #7 is two hexes.
The range from Vehicle #5 to #8 or #4 is three hexes. To see why, shift all into the hex just above each one.
The range from Vehicle #6 to #5 is zero.
The range from Vehicle #7 to #8 is one hex.
Stacking: For stacking purposes, use the limits printed in the standard Landships! game. Units may stack on hexsides as well, up to the printed limits. When determining whether the units in a hex and on a hexside making up the same hex, exceed the stacking limit, the combined total cannot exceed the regular hex' s stacking limit. In effect, mentally shift the units on the hexside into the hex to determine if the stacking limit has been exceeded. Note that units on adjacent or non-adjacent hexsides can stack up to the hex's normal limits.
Movement: Vehicles may now move along hexsides as well as hexes. Vehicles moving along hexsides that straddle two hexes with different terrain types are automatically assumed to using the terrain type with the lowest MP cost or highest spotting range if the MP cost is a tie. If moving between hexes with identical terrain features, use the MP cost of the adjacent hexes instead. Vehicles can move around the hexside perimeter of a hex containing prohibited terrain so long as no adjacent hex contains the prohibited terrain as well. Vehicles can move along hexsides adjacent to hexes containing enemy units too (a form of infiltration!)
Turning is done as in the standard Landships! rules. Vehicles and hard to steer vehicles still pay MPs to turn, even if it's only a 30 degree change of facing. However, vehicles ending the move on a hex (or hexside) are allowed to"drift" onto the adjacent hexside (or hex) on either side at the end of their move.
They must maintain the same facing and the terrain "drifted" into cannot cost more MPs to enter than the cost of the hexside/hex they are "drifting" out of.
Combat: All normal combat rules from Landships! are in effect. In general, units may only target eneny units that fall within their fire arcs. Units with 360 degree fire arcs may fire at any target they spot within their Weapons Range. Weapons Units may fire outside their covered arcs as before with the same penalties.
When using these 12 point facing rules, players must also use Optional Rule 16.31 as well (restricted weapon ranges). Vehicles and Weapons Units now have up to three different fields of fire for their weapons. Revised fire arcs are shown for a German A7V, a British Mk. IV, and some Weapons Units in the diagrams accompanying this article. Note that some of the fire arcs allow targets on the perimeter hexsides to be targeted, and others do not.
Terrain effects on combat are largely the same as for movement. Vehicles on hexsides between two terrain hex types are assumed to be in the least beneficial. If both hexes on either side of the Vehicle are the same terrain type, then the Vehicle may claim all the benefits.
Units in hexsides always suffer the effects of any Indirect Fire Attacks against either adjacent hex (remember, the range from a hex to any one of its adjacent hexsides is zero (0).
Scenario
Scenario 19.26 "The Brickyard" (April 21st, 1918) - By 0800 the Germans had cleared most of Villers-Bretonneaux except for around 600 British troops holed up in some brick buildings near the town. The German 93rd Regt./4th Guards Div. stalled in the face of this strongpoint while other German units successfully advanced past the town on both sides. Since assistance was required, a messenger was sent back to the commander of a small group of A7Vs (tank numbers 526, 527, and 560) requesting support. The three steel leviathans converged on the "brickyard" along with a renewed infantry assault by the 93rd.
Maps:
Use Map 5
Game Length:
10 Turns
British (2nd Player) sets up first: One 4-9-5 MG platoon is placed in hex 5807. A total of three 3-6-4 infantry platoons, three 3-6-3 infantry platoons, and one 4-9-5 MG platoon are placed anywhere amongst hexes 5809, 5908, 5909, and 5910. Place onc 13 pdr. AA gun on a truck with a Crew in hex 6810. Place one 75mm ART gun with a Crew in hex 6206.
Reinforcements: On turn 3 a Bristol F2B (CS) aircraft arrives.
Germans (1st Player) sets up second: Two 4-9-5 MG platoons, six 4-6-5 infantry platoons, three 3-6-4 intantry platoons, plus one FO are placed anywhere in the wood hexes comprising the Bois de MaClapin. One 88mm AA gun with a crew is placed in hex 5011.
Reinforcements: On Turn 1, three A7V tanks enter at hexes 5817, 5202, and 5902 (no more than one per hex). One Junkers J1 (CS) aircraft becomes available. Also, a total of three Off-board artillery modules become available for the rest of the game.
Special Rules: All Vehicles and Weapons Units must use the 12 point facing rules in this scenario.
Each A7V carries one assault squad (AS) inside it. Each AS is a 1-6-5 unit with a MA of 2, but also carries one flamethrower as well. To dismount, place the AS in the same hex as the tank at the end of the Vehicle Movement Phase (at no MP cost, dismounting is free). AS units may then move two hexes per FT Movement Phase (or four hexes along a trench or road), even if they dismounted this turn. AS units may not remount their tanks once they dismount. AS units may not conduct Close Assault Combat (remove them if they are caught up in it), but do receive a + 1 vs. all Small Arms and Direct Fire Attacks to reflect their small size and tactical training.
Do not use the German Tank Crew rules (Module 15.0) in this scenario.
Spotting Ranges are limited to 6 hexes maximum, due to ground fog. This restriction does not apply to Aircraft or units engaging in AA fire.
Neither side may use Gas in this scenario.
British units are still removed from the map even if they pass a Morale Check (a surrender). Do not flip them over to their "Pinned" sides.
Victory Conditions: The Germans win if there are no British units left in the Brickyard, and they occupy the tour town hexes with at least one German platoon (not AS) sized unit. Otherwise the British win.
Aftermath: The Germans pounded the British for about 50 minutes and of the 600 or so men in the brick buildings, only 160 surrendered. The balance appear to have been killed.
Firing Arc Charts
Back to Art of War Issue #25 Table of Contents
© Copyright 1996 by Clash of Arms Games.
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