A thought struck me recently. It was really a fleeting memory of playing Squad Leader 20+ years ago in college. I remember my tanks always getting killed by my roommate and getting stuck with nearly useless crew counters. As I had just recently completed work on an Up Front project it crossed my mind that there ought to be a way to reflect this same concept within that game. That is the goal of this variant.

871 AFVs & Bail Out

The crew of an AFV may Bail Out if the vehicle is destroyed in accordance with rules 871.1.a and 871.1.b. The Crew of an AFV may also bail out if the vehicle is Immobilized or Bogged Down. The Crew of an AFV may also Bail Out if the vehicle's main Ordnance has malfunctioned permanently. Each AFV is considered to have a crew of five regardless of type or nationality. This number is modified by Commander Casualties (28.431). When the crew bails out, all of the personality cards representing the crew are immediately pinned. The vehicle remains in play and provides the members of the crew a -1 TEM in accordance with the rules regarding a Wall Terrain Card. Once the Crew Members move to another range chit the AFV is removed from play. If the AFV was destroyed in Close Combat, the enemy personality cards carrying out the attack are considered infiltrators of the group formed by the AFV's crew. When an AFV's Crew Bails Out, the personality cards making up that vehicle's crew now become a new group identified by the same group ID as that of the AFV, and occupying the same terrain and range chit.

871.1.a Non-Open Topped AFVs

When an AFV is destroyed by a result equal to the exact number required to destroy that vehicle, the crew may bail out if the third column Random Position Card (RPC) of the Random Number Card (RNC) used to determine the final kill result on the AFV is a 1 (One). 33% Chance.

871.1.b Open Topped AFVs

When an Open Topped AFV is destroyed by a result equal to the exact number required to destroy that vehicle, the crew may bail out if the second RPC column of the RNC used to determine the final kill result on the AFV is a 1 (One). 50% Chance.

AFV Crew Members

The personality cards of the AFV's crew must be chosen from the unused personality cards of the nationality of the AFV in question. The average Morale Value of the members must equal two less than the Morale Value of the AFV involved. The personality cards must be determined before the player calculates the status of those individuals in accordance with rule 871.3 below.

One (only) Crew Member of the AFV may be either a Squad Leader (SL) or Assistant Squad Leader (ASL). A SL or ASL Crew Member may only apply the benefits of his rank to members (all) of his own Group ID, regardless of the later composition of the members of the group of which he is at that time a member as long as an infantry SL or ASL exists. A SL or ASL Crew Member may only take over command of the infantry squad IF both the infantry SL and ASL are dead or routed.

871.3 Wounded and Killed Crew Members

When an AFV is destroyed and the Crew becomes eligible for Bail Out in accordance with rules 871.1.a and 871.1.b, and the player has determined the individuals of the AFV's crew accordance with rule 871.2 above, the player must determine the status of the individual Crew Members of that AFV. They may have been killed or wounded. For each Crew Member Personality Card, draw a RPC and again consult Column 3. If the result is a 1, the Personality Card has successfully bailed out without being wounded. If the result is a 2, the Personality Card has been wounded. The effects of Rule 33 are applied to this individual (with the exception of rule 33. 11).

If the result is anything other than a 1 (One) or 2 (Two), the Crew Member Personality Card was killed in the explosion or failed to exit the vehicle without getting killed. The player may play a Hero Card for any single Personality Card of the AFV's Crew. In doing so, the Personality Card automatically survives the destruction of his AFV and exits the vehicle without injury and doesn't have to draw a RPC as required by this rule (871.3)

871.4 Individual Weapons

When the Crew Members of an AFV exits the vehicle, they are automatically armed with pistols having a 1 FP at Relative Range 5 (reference rule 45.5). Each individual may take with him as he exits the vehicle either a submachinegun or rifle in addition to the pistol with which he is automatically armed. For any individual within the Crew, the player may play a Hero Card and choose the type of rifle or sub- machinegun appropriate to the date of the scenario for that individual.

The play of that Hero card also automatically Unpins the individual in question. For all the other individuals of the AFV, the player must draw RPC's consulting column 4. Column four must have a 1 (One) in that position in order for that individual to exit the vehicle with a weapon other than his pistol (25% Chance). If the result on the RPC was a 1 (One) consult RPC column 3. If the result of that column is a 1 the individual is armed with a rifle of the appropriate type for the time period and nationality of the individual for the scenario (33% Chance). If the result is anything other than a 1 (One), the individual is armed with a sub-machinegun of the appropriate type for the time period and nationality of the period (66% Chance). AFV Crew Members never have Smoke Capability.

871.5 AFV Crew Members and Close Combat

The Close Combat Value (CCV) of a Bailed Out AFV Crew Member is calculated in exactly the same way as typical infantry Personality Cards with one exception. The final CCV value of a Crew Member is reduced by 1.

A Crew Member equipped with no infantry weapon (other than a pistol with which he is always equipped) has the same CCV values as an unarmed man +1.