Modern Africa Updates

Errata

by Craig Martelle

-ed note: Now that more playtests and reviewers have had the opportunity to look at Modern Africa, a few changes/updates are in order. The following clarifications are requested by Bill Armintrout, editor of The Miniatures Page http://members.xoom.com/_xoom/minipage/index.html

1. Of the weapons listed on the Weapon Range Chart on pg. 14, which could be carried by infantry and which would be mounted instead with weapon teams? I wanted this part to be generic so if in the scenario, if a Technical is described as having a M2, .50 cal machinegun, it will start off with the same attack roll as the ground version.

    I wanted to limit the number of charts, so the attack capabilities will be the same. The scenario will determine where the weapons are located.

2. Are players supposed to Execute Orders in any particular order? The Sequence of Play gives a sequence - Attack, Charge, Move, Reorganize - but is this meant to indicate the order in which the steps are taken?

    Yes, they are executed in this order. All orders are revealed simultaneously. Then the players go through one by one and remove the orders as the rolls are made or actions completed. If there are a number of similar actions (i.e. a couple moves, etc) I must leave it to the players to determine a logical method of doing it. In all of my (and Mark Hannam's) rules sets, we leave a fair amount of the common sense - smooth flow things to the players. No rules set can work, unless it is the complexity of Advanced Squad Leader, if the players can't get along.

3. During what part of the turn are Observation Rolls made?

    --Observation is made in lieu of an attack. I've tweaked that section of the rules to now read - "Observation: A unit attempting to observe something hidden will roll 1d6 on the following chart. Observation takes place in lieu of the "Attack" phase and an Attack counter may be used to declare that action. The player simply states his intentions when he reveals the order. Assumptions are that the hidden unit does not want to be seen. Obviously, if a unit fires from cover, it will be observed immediately and no roll is required."

4. Pg. 11 lists a movement penalty for "Disembarking Unit" - does this apply to the vehicle, the passenger, or both?

    --Good point (this is one of those things that was clear to me when I wrote it and clear when I reread it, but with a different look, takes on a different face). To disembark, a unit takes 1/2 of a movement. The vehicle can move 1/2 of its allowance and the unit can then disembark. This unit would not be able to move until next turn. If the vehicle starts the turn not moving, the unit can disembark and then move 1/2 of its movement (and the vehicle can then move off 1/2 of its movement). So to maximize capabilities of both the unit and the vehicle, a unit disembarks at the beginning of the movement phase and then the unit moves into the bush and the vehicle heads back out to pick up more troops or provide cover, etc.

5. On pg. 13, it mentions using radios to contact units which are out of control. During which phase does this occur?

    --I've made the following addition on page 13. "Using radios is a "transparent" action. The orders are issued at the very beginning of the turn (upside down counter). Then during the reveal orders phase, for those units out of range, the difficulty check is rolled. If contact is not made, the order is NOT revealed. If a unit is hidden, this can be handled by a player declaration at the beginning of the Reveal Orders phase. A roll is made and if there is no contact, nothing further is stated. If contact is successful, then the action is executed as normal."

6. The rules on pp. 12-13 never actually mention the penalty that applies when a vehicle fails a Difficulty Check while moving into rough terrain, although the example on pg. 12 implies something fairly severe. What is the penalty?

    --Drats! The unit simply stops where it is and its movement is complete for the turn. Also, I note in the chart that things are backwards. Should be: Western Unit Making Request (no modification for truck in Rough Terrain): the modification should be -1 to Die Roll. The Unit that failed the difficulty check must make another check next turn if it attempts to continue movement into the Rough terrain. If it decides to return to the road or normal terrain, it may do this without a difficulty check.

7. On pg. 16, it says "Negative attack rolls are read as 1." Does this mean that the modified result of an attack roll is never less than a 1?

    --Yes. I wanted the disparity for building up kill points to be on the side of rolling well. This gives a hopeless unit in a hopeless situation a chance to survive if the attacker has bad luck.

8. Can a unit qualify for more than one Reactive Attack in the same turn?--No. Only one target for Reactive Fire is allowed per turn and this will be against the first opponent who failed his attack and allowed the Reactive Fire, no matter how many subsequent failures there were.

9. Must Reactive Fire be taken against the unit which caused the reactive fire? Or can it be used against any target?

    -- See #8.

10. Which units are eligible to make grenade attacks? Infantry only? - Yes.

11. The rules on pg. 17 mention what happens if a grenade hits the target, or if it scatters back to the attacker. What happens if the grenade scatters and hits a third party?

    --Roll the attacks on that third party. He is then the big loser.

12. Does Melee occur only if one or both in-contact stands have an Attack order?

    --Melee occurs when one stand has an Attack counter and the units are in contact.

13. Pg. 19 mentions morale checks made when a Lieutenant dies. Are checks also made when a Sergeant dies?

    -- Yes, same.

14. With regard to Morale (pp. 18-19), is one roll made for the entire command, or is one roll made for each stand?

    --The rolls are made for each stand.

15. The Morale rules on pg. 19 are a little confusing. It says to "roll 1d6 after applying the following modifiers," which suggests that the modifiers are applied to the dieroll. But it also says that the dieroll is compared to the "modified number," which suggests the modifiers apply to the Base Morale. Which is it?

    --Yes, quite confusing. Modified to now read: " To check morale: Roll 1d6 for each required stand. The following modifiers are added/subtracted from the base number. A successful roll is equal to or less than the modified number."

16. Pg. 18 mentions that a tank must choose between firing its main gun or its machinegun. Is this choice made at the moment of firing, or must be it declared in the Reveal Orders phase (as per grenades)?

    --Same. It must be declared during the Reveal Orders phase. The reason for this is for ease of play. Well-trained crews can switch on a moment's notice and can do both, if need be. This modification is possible for Western Forces who could easily and readily do both. I do need to clarify much better than most of the negatives are applied and are there for the sole reason of the lack of training and capability in rogue state militias. Scenario rules take precedence.

17. Are South African troops considered "African" or "Western" for purposes of these rules?

    --I would consider South African troops as Western.

18. The rules on pg. 19 suggest that the "area of choice" for an air strike is determined at the time the strike arrives, rather than when the strike is requested. Is this correct?

    --Yes. This is because of most aircraft will check in with a ground controller as it arrives in the area. Third world countries are given this capability for the purpose of Modern Africa, but their success rate is penalized by the use of the "African Unit Receiving" chart, which is vastly different than the "Western Unit Receiving" chart.

19. On pg. 20 it says that "artillery will be declared by the player...at the beginning of the Reveal Orders phase." However, on pg. 13 it says that artillery is called for "in the off-board actions phase." Is there a difference between declaring and calling for artillery?

    --No. This is a disparity, an incongruity, a brain-fart. It should consistently read that Artillery is called for in the Off-Board Actions Phase.

20. On pg. 21, it says that "Personnel are not affected by anti-tank mines and tank/vehicles are not affected by anti-personnel mines." Does this mean that if an infantry stand moves into an anti-tank minefield, it doesn't make the minefield die roll? Or does it mean that the roll is made, but no hits can be taken?

    --No. The unit would simply not make the die roll. My premise is ease and quickness of play. If the die roll doesn't add, then don't make it.

Other Tweaks

Reactive Fire was a little too accommodating for less than capable troops. It is now changed to read "Reactive Fire can only be conducted after an attack fails by three or more points. At the reactive fire phase of the turn, the defender will then roll an attack using his standard attack dice (figured at close range for Western troops and long range for African troops). All other modifiers will be figured as applicable. The Reactive Fire attack will then be rolled before the turn is ended."

The chart on Page 30 labeled as "Melee" should be "Morale".

Also, I make the statement that Leaders, LTs and Sergeants do not make morale checks. Please understand that this is for the purpose of these rules. We can all cite instances of the troops doing fine in combat, but their leadership's resolve failed and all was lost. I'm looking for ease of play. Leadership morale would require more rules and more rolls. Also, Western leadership and C2 restrictions are a bit artificial as their morale cannot be compared with that of an African mob. Again, this is where scenario specifics clear up the problem. In most scenarios involving western troops, I will note that the "elite" forces get a +1 on their morale roll. In the upcoming scenario book - Blackhawk Down, based on the events of the Blackhawk helicopters lost and the U.S. Army Ranger tragedy in Mogadishu, the western troops do not get this modifier. Their morale was blown.

Bill - I really appreciate the rules editor's eyes review of Modern Africa. The errata will be in the next issue of The Gauntlet, as well as all future editions of Modern Africa will benefit. I will finish up the scenario book as soon as I get Gauntlet 18 finished. I hope that will help immensely to clarify how the rules work.

More food for thought has come my way from David Goodwin. He has been intimately involved with African affairs for a number of years and offers the following information.

Craig

I received your rules yesterday and was quite content with them. About helicopters, I am not a helicopter pilot but I did work for Hughes Training building helicopter flight simulators. The helicopters that I was associated with were the AH-1W, the CH-46F, the CH-53 D/E, the UH-1N and the MH-60/MH-47s. There are some basic rules that all helicopters have to follow. You have to land, hover and take-off into the wind. The H-46/47s are more stable firing platforms. If you try to hover or land on soft sand you can get white (brown) out conditions that my cause the helicopter to crash (loose the chopper possible casualties (walking wounded in modern helicopters possible loss of life in UH-1, Bell 47,mi-2/4/8, Alouette, Puma, or Frelon. Older Helicopters can only carry a partial load in hot temperatures (25 C) and high altitudes ASL 2000 ft.

Machine guns and rockets have about a 12 mil error when firing from a helicopter (you do the math). I also did some work on the Killer Eggs MH-6G which is also very modern -up there with the Mh-60s and MH-47s. They are very effective with their miniguns,tows,hellfires, and rockets. It will take one round (30 sec)for the older helicopters to transition from flight to hover because they do not have the FADEC and Autostabilization of the newer models. Note that the Bells with their tittering rotor is more stable than the dual hinged rotor flow by everyone else. I tried flying the flight simulators of CH-53 and the CH-46 without auto stab, could not do it. My hat is off to those pilots that flew the CH-34s during VietNam. This is also a possibility for your rules because they were flown by the French.

The fighter aircraft that are covered in your rules are mostly WWII and trainer types. The T-6 texan was very prevalent as well as B-26 Invaders (ex-french/Portuguese), T-28s, A-1 skyraiders (ex-french), some G-91s Gina (ex-italian to Portugal), and the MFI flown by Mercenary Sweds for Biafra. The most effective aircraft in Somalia was the AC-130 and the least effective aircraft was the Tu-22 Blinder that the Libyans flew against the rebels in Chad. The Libyans also flew SF-260s and some Yugoslavian trainers. I do not think that the French Mirage F-1s or Jaguars did that much but they did attack some Libyan targets.

If you have any helicopter questions drop me an e-mail.

Best Regards, David Goodwin

Absolutely! I think the rules could use a good helicopter section.

Craig,

In the early 1980s I worked for Emerson Electric and we built the TOW Under Armor TUA turret (it was based on the M-48/60 command Cupola). We also modified the turret with a North seeking gyro and a FLIR for artillery FOs. I was the engineer that did the requirements analysis for the Egyptian Army. From the Egyptian requirements I got an idea of their threat - The Libyans - What was interesting was the fact that the Libyan moved around with their tanks on trailers, they had 3 motorized Inf bns similar to the Egyptian TO&Es, a armored car - recon company, an Anti tank company/battalion (missiles), a road engineering group, an ordinance group, an Artillery Battalion (155mm) and assorted support outfits.

The forces were commanded by a revolutionary council of all things. It appeared that they had not changed their tactics since WWII and there was no such thing as a combined arms concept. They also had a Anti aircraft battalion with ZSUs and some sort of mobile SAM - such as a SA-8 from my recollection - it was a weird combination that did not match Soviet doctrine. I guess the most interesting point was that they, the Libyans did not mass in larger groups because the ruling government was afraid of a coup.

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