Overwatch marking is ALWAYS a property of the stack. If any one unit in a stack fires, the STACK is marked.
The absolute maximum number of stacks which can engage a single overwatch trigger is every stack at or within three hexes of the trigger (see below) plus one stack which isn't.
Execute the fire combat. Afterward, the moving player may return fire against one of the triggers generated by the enemy overwatch fires. Return fires are handled in the same
manner as above.
Mark any unit which fires overwatch with a "Fired Overwatch" marker.
EXCEPTION: When the trigger occurs at or within three hexes of enemy units, every enemy unit at or within three of the trigger may fire overwatch. Roll as above for any overwatch marked units. Mortar units can fire if their spotter is at or within 3 hexes (roll if overwatched marked). The mortar unit (itself) need not be in the 3-hex zone.
EXCEPTION: Triggers which occur in hexes adjacent to an enemy unit can always be seen, regardless of conditions or terrain. Furthermore, any time a trigger occurs adjacent to a unit (or units) all those adjacent to the trigger may automatically take advantage of the trigger-marked or not.
2. Artillery Rules
Smoke is generated as per the below "EFS" rules.
Smoke reduction. No die roll, take away 1/2 of each hex's smoke markers each clean up phase (round .5 up)
No immediate suppression missions.
General and Direct Support will be eliminated as concepts and batteries will not be assigned to particular op sheets, units, or task forces, etc.. Batteries are not op sheet forces (like air sorties) and any battery may be spotted by any ground unit. No reassignment rules needed.
The spotting unit must have an LOS to the planned target hex at the moment the mission is plotted in the Called Fire Phase. (A player cannot plot missions with "the intention" of being in position to spot when the mission arrives.) The only missions which may violate the "spotter must be able to spot" rule are blind missions fired directly onto TRPs. Such blind
missions cannot be adjusted off the TRP.
New Artillery Rules:
Adjustment Points and Adjustment
In the place of all the spotting round and old adjustment rules, use the following:
1) Identify the observer unit and the exact target hex for the mission.
2) Each mission has an adjustment point. Place the adjustment point in the same manner as in the old designation round (one die for direction, one for distance, rotate as needed)
OR directly on a TRP (if a TRP is being used). This point has no attack value and only exists as a reference point for the accuracy of the fire mission.
3) Determine whether the observer has a clear LOS to the adjustment point and the distance (in hexes) from the adjustment point to the target hex.
4) Roll on the Adjustment Table (below) to determine if the mission adjust fire successfully. If it fails, the mission automatically checks fire and its ammunition is returned to the player's ammo pool. If the mission passes the adjustment check, it must fire for effect on the identified target hex and cannot be later cancelled. Use the same table at night as in the day, given that no LOS can be tracedpast the night limit, unless it is into a lighted zone.
Adjustment Table
| . | Number of Hexes to Target |
|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4-5 | 6-7 | 8-9 | 10+ |
| Clear LOS to DP exists: | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
8 |
| Clear LOS doesn't exist: | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | np
| np | np |
Roll # or more on two dice to pass. "np" means successful adjustment is not possible.
Battery Fires and Effective Sheafs
Fire for effects are done using "Effective Sheafs" (EFSs) which represent the expected number of group hits assuming a few errant rounds per set of tube fires. Each EFS contains about three to five rounds.
EFS Numbers
Generated by differing Numbers of Tubes and Battery Fires (BFs)
5-6 Tubes in the battery: EFSs HE: BFs x 1, Smoke: BFs x 2
3-4 Tubes in the battery: EFSs HE: BFs x 1/2, Smoke: BFs x 1
1-2 Tubes in the battery: EFSs HE: BFs x 1/3, Smoke: BFs x 1/2
Handle ammunition normally (in terms of battery fires, etc.).
Each EFS generates one smoke marker after attack resolution.
Place EFSs out using Linear, Converged, or Open type target patterns (see Patterns below) by rolling for each EFS.
Resolve attacks after placing all EFSs from a given mission.
Smoke Missions
Calculate EFS's the same way-each EFS makes one smoke marker-and no HE attack.
Illum Missions
An Illum mission always consists of one battery fire and generates one Illum hex and lighted zone. The same battery may fire multiple illum missions (each generating one such
hex), but a battery may not place several illums by firing more than one banery fire in a single illum mission. The purpose is that, in mission alternation, the player will have to trade with his opponent before he can use the illum he fired in a mission.
Each illum EFS hex requires the same amount of ammo as a regular EFS does (one to three battery fires, depending on banery size), the individual illum "round" stuff is dead.
Place Illum EFSs in any desired hex, just like mortar fired smoke.
Continuation Missions
The player may re-fire a mission fired the turn before using the same FFE hex without having to through the adjustment point sequence. The continuation mission must be fired by the same battery which fired in the mission the turn before, but the player may freely vary the number of battery fires or types of rounds as desired. Batteries with called fire delays cannot execute continuation missions.
Check Fire
Players are much more restricted in their ability to check or cancel fire missions. The following explains how it now works:
- Players can never check or cancel fire any unobserved mission. (The remaining rules apply to observed missions, only.)
- Players can check fire before any round is fired (before placing the adjustment point) without any die roll.
- Mission is automatically cancelled if adjustment fails.
- Mission automatically fires for effect on target if the mission passes the adjustment check.
Rocket Fires
Rocket fires are done directly on their initial adjustment point (no adjustment required or allowed). TRPs have no effect on rocket fires. Game rules must specify for each rocket barrage type in that game the following: A) an inner fires zone, B) an outer fires zone, C) the fire strength applied to each target hex for each zone. 50% of all rockets land in the inner zone, 50% in the outer zone.
The two zones are expressed as distances from the adjustment point. Firepower available is evenly distributed over the number of hexes in the zone. Attacks are executed against all potential targets in each zone based on that zone' s per hex firepower. The inner zone gets one smoke marker per hex, the outer zone gets no smoke at all.
Fire Values (new)
| . | 75 | 105 | 155 | 8-inch | 16-inch |
| EFS fire value: | 10 | 20 | 25 | 40 | 100 |
Rates of Fire
Depending on battery size, a given battery may be able to fire differing numbers of BFs in a single turn. These rates of fire are:
150mm or larger: 6 BFs per turn
105mm: 8 BFs per turn
75mm: 12 BFs per turn
Artillery and Mortar vs Point Targets
Only when an EFS (or more) or a mortar platoon fires on a hex does the table get used (never for spotting rounds). Roll once per mortar fire orEFS vs each target. (NOT
individual rounds like now).
Use only the current "Mortar" roll for both mortars and EFS hits, rolling once per target in either case. A multifire chart will be provided to lessen the number of rolls needed.
Direct Fire
On map artillery which fires in a direct fire mode may not conduct regular artillery missions in the following turn-the entire battery may not do so if even one of the tubes is engaged in direct fire. Likewise, any on-map battery which fires indirect fire in a turn, cannot conduct direct fire in the same turn. Note: Artillery cannot fire smoke in a direct fire mode
smoke must be fired as an indirect fire mission.
Area Fires: At the cost of one battery fire, each tube may fire one EFS direct fire at a target in the tube's LOS. The EFS automatically hits the targethex and combine all the direct fire EFSs hitting the target before determining the result. Firepower of the EFS is 1/2 the normal EFS value and it has the normal range effects applied. Each tube cannot fire more than one EFS in direct fire mode.
Point Fires: Same as above, but make one point fire attack per EFS on one target in the target hex. The point fire attack value of the EFS is the firepower value of the EFS divided
by 10. If any area targets are also in the hex, they are attacked by the EFSs as above (and not ignored as in regular point fires).
Direct fire artillery never generates smoke.
Patterns
Linear directions must be plotted with the fire mission during the Called Fire Phase, directions are not determined at the moment of fire.
Concentrations
Converged:
One Die for distance, one for direction, if adjacent. Roll for each EFS.
| . | In Hex | 1 Hex |
| First Die | 1-3 | 4-6 |
Open: One Die for distance, one for direction, scatter rotate roll if needed. Roll for each EFS.
| . | In Hex | 1 Hex | 2 Hex |
| First Die | 1 | 2-5 | 6 |
Linear:
Designate orientation of pattern at the time the mission is called. Roll two dice. Red die determines if EFS is in the pattern, or out of it. Oe a 6, the EFS is out of the pattern-any
other result and the EFS is placed in the pattern. The white die determines the exact hex of placement as per the diagram and the recorded orientation. No scatter rotation is done at all in a linear pattern.
(See diagram at right for the Linear pattern die rolls.)
3. Mode Change during Movement
Vehicle and carrier units may, at a cost of 1/2 their MA, switch modes during the Action Phase. Vehicles or carriers which are overwatch marked expend an additional 4 MPs to remove their marker.
4. Charts and Tables
Where possible simplify and remove excessive
modifiers.
Use the 3-dice Point Fire Table (OPS #4 pg 18)
Use the new Terrain Effects Chart (OPS #4 pg 18)
+1 to company morale when a section sized infantry unit gets destroyed. (In conjunction with the current platoon adjustment of +2.)
AT Rolls can be made against AT Guns.
5. Command
Any Op Sheet which can be considered to have a Battalion staff assigned to it gets a -2 Size modifier. An op sheet has a staff if one or more organic battalions is assigned to it-all
units in play of that battalion must be on that same op sheet.
+ 1 to size modifier for each unimplemented op sheet a force has beyond the first. If any part of the force on an op sheet has another op sheet, that counts as an op sheet "in the works"
against the whole op sheet force.
Add Line entry command system as a series rules optional.
6. AA Fires
Three different types of AA weapons: Light, Medium, and Heavy.
AA Table (roll once for each aircraft)
| Number of Lgts: | 1-3 | 3+ | . |
| Number of Mediums: | 1 | 2-3 | 4+ | . |
| Number of Heavies: | - | 1 | 2 | 3+ |
| Dice to abort: | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 |
Use the farthest right column available, given the number of weapons on hand in range and LOS.
Shift left 2 Columns at night (constrained by table).
Aircraft usage is done on the basis of runs. If a run gets aborted, remaining runs may still occur. Each run gets AckAcked separately.
7. Area Fires.
Units mounted on a carrier which gets destroyed via area fires are attacked separately by the same fires and do not get any protective benefit from the destroyed carrier's armor.
Redesign the Area Fire Table to make full use of the standard rounding rule and rounding does not occur until after both dividing by 10 and the "wimpy" fire effects are used.
Area fires attack all units in the target hex separately except the owning player player may designate (at the time of fire) any number of "combination" units in the target hex. Each combination unit can only consist of one infantry unit (of platoon or section size) and one MG unit. A combination unit is attacked as a single unit. The owning player determines which unit takes any required step losses. The infantry unit's company morale is the one to be affected by the fire combat, it makes the morale check for the combination unit,
and any morale result affects both units equally. Combination units are only used for area fire combat resolution-they have no effect at any other time.
8. Mortars
Only mortars of 81mm or larger can fire smoke. Smaller mortars cannot. The hex where a mortar fires smoke gets one smoke marker.
60mm American mortars (and all larger ones) can fire illum.
Artillery and mortar fires are unaffected by smoke in the target hex and hexside features around it on the Area Fire Table. Mortars are affected by these when combined with direct
fires against a target on the table.
9. AT Rolls
AT rolls may be made against AT guns.
In the Suppressive Fire Phase, AT rolls are confined to their own segment right after the Direct Fire Segment. Firing or not in the Direct Fire Segment has no effect on the ability to
conduct AT Rolls in the AT Roll SegmenL Units may become suppressed during the Direct Fire Segment and that will degrade their ability to do effective AT Rolls in that segment and that
effect is intended.
The 'fire at all targets' rule is gone.
An infantry unit with 3 or more steps can make AT Roll attacks against up to two hexes and all the units in them.
One with 2 or less steps can only attack one such hex.
In the AT Roll Segment, alternate firers (not targets) and each firer makes its one (or two) attacks before exchanging roles. A target hex may be hit more than once if firers are available and may even be hit hit twice by the same firer should a player decide to use both AT roll attacks available to a full strength platoon against one stack.
AT Rolls behave in assault and overrun attacks as before and are in addition to the regular fires of units at that time.
10. Odds and Ends
Players can't look at enemy stacks except to see the top unit or marker. The enemy player must correctly answer when questioned by the other player about target types in the
hex-Area? Point? and so on.
STACKING: Themax limiton the number of vehicles and/or carriers which can be placed into one hex at the end of the Action Phase (and at the instant of an overrun, counting both
sides separately) is five. Any number of infantry or weapons
units may stack in any hex apart or in conjunction with the
vehicle/carrier limit.
Mine Breaching: The original rule is to be changed from "ending movement" to "expend three MPs to attempt", otherwise the rule remains the same. Breaching still occurs after all other
movement is finished (by units which had three MPs remaining at that time).
During the Command Planning Phase the player can combine two or more infantry platoons to form units which are closer to full strength. The selected platoons must be from the
same infantry company but need not have identical unit values, etc. They must be in the same hex to do so. No unit can be made stronger than full strength in this manner (i.e. a six step unit).
Three infantry platoons with two steps remaining each would combine to be a full strength platoon and a platoon with one step left.
Back to Table of Contents -- Operations #7
© Copyright 1992 by The Gamers.
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