Of all the stories told about soldiers and their actions, few are ever discussed about the military sniper. Snipers are a close knit group that have earned the respect of their fellow soldiers throughout time. Trained to be a precision killing machine, the sniper usually has one chance to move in, complete his assignment and move out without being detected. Nerves and motions so automatic that the weapon actually becomes an extension of the soldier to form the most deadliest, high efficiency tool in the military. If it seems like they are larger than life, well, they are! This amendment to the basic rules system for Theatre Of Operation deals with the combat sniper. We will cover weapons fire, stealth movement, concealment and mortal damage. It should give your games a little surprise factor for unsuspecting troops! WEAPONS FIRE The first task a sniper has is to acquire his target, which may be harder than it looks at times! To acquire a target the sniper needs to roll 1d6 against his morale score, this will be his action for the turn. If the result is that number or lower, you have sported your target. If the score is above the morale number, you failed and must try again next turn. This roll may be modified by applying the following results to the die roll: Modifier Result Target ran or evaded + 1 Attacker moved +2 Target on moving vehicle, under 1/2 vehicle movement +1 Target on fast moving vehicle, over 1/2 vehicle movement +2 Target in open terrain -1 Target 'in soft cover 0 Target in hard cover. +1 Target in enclosed cover +2 Attacker is wounded. +1 Once a target has been acquired, you must keep an open line of sight or you must acquire again as above, subtracting -1 from the die roll for "target opportunity". Snipers with the opportunity fire option may fire during the enemy's next turn, even if the target was acquired on the attacker's previous turn. Since most sniper rifles were equipped with a telescopic sight, it was easy pull a target in for a shot. To translate this to the game, render all shots at one level lower on the range table. An example would be as follows: An American sniper has targeted a enemy troop that would be considered at close range, beyond point blank, for a regular rifle attack at a base +4. With the sniper rifle, the target is now considered to be at point blank range for an attack at a base of +2. STEALTH A key factor to a successful sniper mission is the ability to move into position, do the job and get out without being spotted. To translate this into game mechanics you should use the following guidelines for stealth movement. If a sniper moves at his allotted movement for the mm, he may move undetected so long as he is in cover at the beginning and end of the turn. If the sniper starts or ends his turn in cover, then he must make a successful morale check for the turn or reveal his position. If a sniper moves his full movement for the turn and remains in cover as above, he must make a successful morale check or reveal his position. A Sniper that starts or ends his movement in cover will add +2 to his die roll when making a morale check- If the result is greater than the morale level of the sniper, he just stepped on something he shouldn't have! Any figure that reveals his position is then treated as a normal troop until he can reposition himself to a point where no enemy troops can see him. Once this is accomplished, a sniper may then go back into -a stealth mode and start over. CONCEALMENT Another tool the sniper uses is concealment or camouflage to hide from the enemy. For game play lees rely on the sniper's experience to determine the level of concealment that he can use on the table. The level of concealment will effect enemy troops from spotting the sniper when he is in position. Use the following table to determine if the enemy troops are able to spot the sniper. Roll 1d6 then add or subtract the number in the second column to the roll. If the score is equal to or less than the enemy's morale score, surprise, you've been spotted! Sniper's Morale Leve1 Enemy Troop's Modified Morale Roll 1D6 Elite +5 Veteran +4 Seasoned +3 Recruit +2 Green -1 An enemy sniper has a greater chance of discovering hidden opponents than regular troops due to the fact that they know the tricks of the trade. If an enemy sniper tries to spot a sniper in cover follow this procedure. Compare the morale scores of both figures, if the scores are equal, the enemy sniper may make a regular morale check to spot the hidden foe. A difference in scores could translate into an advantage for the better troop. Apply the difference in the score to the troop with the higher morale score, such that a troop that is hid' ing with a better morale will be harder to spot by a less experience opponent and vice versa. The following example should demonstrate. A unit of Russian troops have positioned themselves among the nibble of what was once a thriving book store in Stalingrad. As the first troop exits towards a new position, a shot rings out that drops him in the street. Sniper attack! Luckily the Russians have a sniper of their own. He positions himself to gain advantage. At this time the opposing players should determine the difference of the two snipers. The German sniper is found to have a morale of a seasoned troop, but the Russian sniper is a Veteran, resulting in a difference of 1 to the advantage of the Russian player. This number will be subtracted from the roll of the Russian player, who rolled a 6. Subtract the advantage in morale scores and the Russian sniper spot the enemy and quickly silences the threat. If the advantage had gone to the German sniper, the Russian player would have added 1 to his roll, making it harder to spot the German's position. Whenever a sniper attacks there is a chance that his position will be spotted. Any figures with a 45 degree facing to the sniper may check again for his position as normal. Any snipers searching with a 45 degree facing will receive in additional -1 to their roll. MORTAL DAMAGE A sniper's attack is extremely devastating and usually does not require additional attacks. Trained to lit the mark, a sniper's shot finds the vital point on the target and the result is swift. The following table should be used to determine damage by sniper fire. Any saving throws are applied after the attack has been resolved. Roll 1d10 and refer below (you may decide on right and left sides by rolling 1d6- 1, 2 or 3 equals right and 4, 5 or 6 equals left). Score: Result 1 Head- troop is critically wounded, not dead. Will die in 3 turns unless treated. 2 Arm- troop drops any item in that hand and will need help in 5 turns or die. 3 Leg- troop will fall on the spot and need treatment In 3 turns or die. 4 Body (lower)- will die 'in 3 turns unless treated. 5 Body (upper)- will die in 3 turns unless treated. 6 Body (lower)- internal damage kills the troop Instantly! 7 Body (upper)- the shot rips through the heart, dropping the troop on the spot.? 8 Arm- shot severs the limb from the torso killing the troop In 2 turns. 9 Leg- bullet rips 'into the leg and tears the artery into several pieces, death in 1 turn. 10 Head- 'instantly kills the troop. "One shot. Generally, an officer-or someone in the ranks if we couldn't tell the officer- dropped like a sack of rotten potatoes. That was called 'establishing a presence.' The Nazis knew we were always out there, but never knew where we were or when we would strike next. It had to make life hellish for them." LTS Army Sergeant John Fulcher, Italy 1943-44 from One Shot One Kill by Charles W. Sasser and Craig Roberts, Pocket Books: Simon & Schuster Inc., NY NEW RULES FOR COVER The amount of cover a figure could take in the original set of Theatre of Operation rules et allowed for open terrain, soft -and hard cover. To expand this just a touch more we have added more of a variety of cover options for the game. Use 1D6 as before to determine the outcome, the target number or higher is the score needed for a successful save. The options are as follows. Target No. Description of Cover 6 Open terrain- troop has no cover. 5 Soft- troop has limited cover from object such as brush or a fence. Also in prone position in open. 4 Medium- troops firing over cover in a kneeling or standing position are in medium cover. Prone figures an not be seen. 3 Hard- troops firing over cover *in a standing position only are in hard cover. Kneeling and prone figures can not be seen. 2 Enclosed- troops inside a building or vehicle firing from a window or portal are in enclosed cover. 1: None OPPORTUNITY FIRE Uncle Jurd Haworth (right) and a buddy resting in camp after maneuvers with patton's 3rd Army. Photo courtesy of Helen Haworth. During game play, situations arise that could be resolved with "opportunity fire." Opportunity fire could be described as an attack that occurs during the movement phase of the enemy's turn. While this can be a very useful tactic, it can come back to haunt a player who uses it to often. To use opportunity fire in the game, you must first specify which troops you wish to put on alert for opportunity fire. You may only put 1/2 of your force on opportunity fire for each turn, this will deter a player from holding a great position and attacking every time the opposing player moves, even though some scenarios could warrant this tactic. You have two options for the figures selected for opportunity fire. The first is to leave the figure 'in the position it is in.' There will be no attack from the figure on your turn, however, you may attack any enemy troops that move the next turn so long as the target is in your figure's original fire arc. The attack may be made at any point along the enemy's path. The second option is to move your figure into a better position for opportunity fire. You get no attack for your turn or the opposing player's next turn. On your next turn you may move again or stay in position. You may then attack on the enemy's following turn if you opt to stay in position. As above, any attack may be made at any point along the enemy's path. Opportunity fire can be extremely devastating, especially if the attack comes from a machine gun that mows down several troops as they try to advance a gap on the table. Most opportunity fire comes from troops that have concealed themselves before the enemy has had a chance to spot them, such as a sniper or a camouflaged machine gun nest. Once a hidden figure has fired from a concealed position on opportunity fire, use the rule for concealment to determine if the position has been found out. If your position remains undetected, you may stay concealed and attack during your turn or remain on guard for the enemy's next move. A spotted figure will be treated as such and any options or modifiers will be applied to movement and attacks by or toward the figure. Have fun with these new options. Keep your head down and your eyes open. You never know when or where, but it will happen. Good luck! Back to Table of Contents Penny Whistle #39 Back to Penny Whistle List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1998 by Lion's Den Publications. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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