Howdy,

playing three scenarios in a row yesterday did put up some questions you might be able to clarify for me...

among others we played the blitz-scenario from the download-page, wich was said to be quite balanced...well, not on our game...i have to admit that the dice were completely (even my enemy admitted) against me, but i stood not even the smallest chance of winning...i was completely overrun (playing the US) ...so especially the tactics-questions base on that scenario, but also the rules-questions:

- is there some range-limit for the spotters for mortar-attacks? (background: at the blitz-level there's a lvl.2 hill, upon my enemy placed a opel blitz in his first turn and never moved it away...that unit could see almost EVEY spot on the map, especially every spot thats built up as my defense line (trenches etc.), so he arrived, placed his mortar behind the forest and gave me hell...)

- what tactic is suitable to defend city terrain against a full army (squads, tanks, halftracks) anyway? (background (sitting in the trenches didnt help because of the forementioned mortar-bastard and the fact that the enemy came out of the woods, so barely no hits to the units, even worse the enemy stopped his raid and just fired out of the woods a few rounds until most of my squads were destroyed...how is the US player supposed to shoot down a single tank?? the tanks of the german player are sitting in the woods having 8 cover dice and grinning on my helpless approaches with 4 combined shermans to even do a scratch to a tiger...the possible tactic of forgetting about the scenario-given defense line and hiding in the houses waiting for them to come over the bridge 1 by one because of these unbeatable tank-beasts with their concussive firepower i didnt even consider - later on i just withdrew and hid next to the houses...this seems kind of unrealistic to me...)

- do units block the LOS? it seems kinda strange that in close combat squads can ignore those opposing squads right in front of them and instead shoot "through" them on targets 8 hex away...

more questions to come , atm i dont remember any more...

thanks in advance for any advice!

1st Question: I don't have the rules in front of me, but I think if a target is out of range of a spotter, then the spotter cannot see the target to call it in to mortar crews. Also, if I recall, the mortar crews have a base range of 8.

2nd Question: I have not played the scenario you mentioned, but I did play the Crossroads scenario where the U.S. starts with like 15 Shermans or something, and the Germans start with two Panzer IVs and a Tiger I. My U.S. forces readily got their asses handed to them by the German tanks. Needless to say, the German tanks are very tough, especially the Tiger. You have to hit these things with lots of combined fire, and get close to improve the damage you can do. If you can even heavily damage the tank, you greatly reduce its effectiveness. In taking down German tanks, expect to lose some guys in the action. Also, if you have any elite infantry or even regular infantry, use them like a commando squad or something to get close to the German mortar and pin it with suppressive fire (or use another mortar crew to pin it if you have one). Also, perhaps a tactic of moving in unusual directions to draw the tanks out and lure them into an ambush would be effective.

3rd Question: As to units blocking line of sight...I think the rules specifically say that units do not block line of sight. I know it might seem weird when you have two adjacent units. However, the pieces and map board are not necessarily to scale. I kind of envision the hexes representing a much larger space in contrast to the game pieces occupying the space, so that imagining the battlefield from a real infantry perspective, it's not like the units are standing a few yards apart like in the Civil War. I imagine units looking into an adjacent space as seeing a lot of open terrain, and obviously, real infantry moving near another unit would likely be using whatever cover and concealment that was available, even if it meant belly-crawling.

Interceptor said:

That is correct!

WildBill said:

thanks for the answers, guys, here's just the next questions:

To make an assault attack, the rules say the active unit does have to save 1 MV. So i understand it soesnt matter how many movement it would need in a normal move to enter the assaulted hex (i.e. it needs just 1 MV to make an uphill assault)?

Do pioneers get any penalty by razorwire? (end movement, less firepower, no possible assault, anything?)

again thanks in advance!

WildBill said:

I'm a bit confused by your question, but I'll do my best to answer it. Here goes...

It's best to think of moving into the assaulted hex as a free "advance" rather than normal movement because:

A) it doesn't cost any movement points

B) it ignores any terrain modifiers

C) it doesn't trigger Op Fire

It's a follow-up bonus for having assaulted a hex and won. The rulebook refers to this movement as an advance (page 34) to separate it from the normal movement rules, and it happens only at the end of an assault. Furthermore, the rulebook says nothing about having to save 1 MV point to make this free advance.

For example, an American squad of elites assaults a forest hex containing a squad of German infantry. The Germans lose and retreat. The Americans can now advance into the vacant hex. This is a free move. It doesn't matter if they are entering a forest hex (which would normally cost 2 MV) and it doesn't trigger Op Fire.

From your question I wonder if you understand the assault rules clearly. It seems to me you're mixing up two different rules - the fact that assaulting squads receive 1 less MV point during their turn and the free advance they can make if, and only if, they win the assault. Personally, I've found the assault rules to be the most complex part of ToI, and it took me a few tries to get them all down, so you might want to go back and re-read them. If you need further clarification, I'm happy to assist you.

Sincerely,

Yipe

Interceptor said:

I don't recall any rules regarding range and LOS, if there are any can you site the page that appears on? Other than that, it has been my experience that if you're willing to attack at long range with double mortars (8 dice for suppressive attack up to 16 hexes away) is worth doing sometimes and can usually reach most places on all but the biggest scenario maps.

I've double-checked the rulebook and I can't find any range limitation on the LOS of a spotter. There is this rule however (page 22):

"An attacking unit must always be eligible to attack the enemy target, or the attack cannot proceed. An eligible attacking unit is one that is both in range and has line of sight to the target unit. "

However, I think this is talking about direct-fire attacks and not a mortar's ballistic fire, so I don't think it applies.

The only rule specifically dealing with distance and mortars is the following (page 39):

" Minimum Distance : A mortar crew cannot attack or support an attack against enemy units in an adjacent hex, nor can a mortar crew contribute firepower during an assault against its own hex."

It seems to me that as long as the spotter has LOS to the target, the mortar can attack it, regardless of the spotter's range.

WildBill said:

After closely reading the rules on page 46, it seems that engineers do attack at half firepower while in a hex containing razor wire. Here's the quote:

"Non-engineer squads and light vehicles entering a hex with a razor wire marker must immediately end their movement. A squad located in a hex that contains a razor wire marker attacks at half firepower . Units may leave a hex containing razor wire without movement penalty."

The only benefit engineers receive is they don't have to immediately end their movement upon entering a hex with razor wire, and they can spend 2 MV points to remove a razor wire marker. However, if they stay in the razor wire hex (for whatever reason) they fight like any other squad. And remember, squads in a hex with razor wire cannot support concentrated attacks with combined fire (a unit can't halve its firepower more than once).

I also noticed that the rulebook says "squads" attack at half firepower, so light vehicles are not affected by this rule (as the term squad applies specifically to infantry and not vehicles).

Yipe said:

Well, thats what i thought too until yesterday, when my enemy discovered the following on the reference-sheet (game actions under assault) wich states:

"a squad taking an assault action receives 1 fewer movement point during its activation"

to me this says they have to save 1 MV for the assault - wich led me to my question...regarding this are you sure about you rules-interpretation regarding terrain-modifiers? (we played it like you said yesterday, but who knows)

greetings,

Wildbill

Yes, I'm confident in my interpretation of the rules.

The rule you are referring to (which is also found in the main rulebook on page 12) deals with the attacking squad's movement BEFORE the assault roll occurs. It has nothing to do with the free advance a victorious squad can make to occupy the hex it just attacked (which is now empty as the defenders retreated or were completely destroyed). That happens AFTER the assault roll.

Basically it means the assaulting squad can only move 3 hexes (instead of the normal 4) to get wherever you want them to go. Then you roll the dice to attack. After that, if you won the assault, you can move into the hex you attacked. It works the same as a Move and Fire action, but instead of moving up to 3 hexes and shooting, the squad can move up to 3 hexes and then assault an enemy squad in an adjacent hex. Go, go close combat!

For example:

Step 1: You activate a squad of American elites with an assault action.

Step 2: You choose a squad of German regular infantry as your target. They are 4 hexes away.

Step 3: You move your squad of elites 3 hexes. They are now adjacent to the target.

Step 4: Fight! Roll the dice for both sides and see who wins the assault.

Step 5A: If the Defenders win (the Germans in this case), then nothing more happens.

Step 5B: If the Attackers win (the Americans in this case), then the Germans must retreat. After the Germans retreat, your squad of American elites can advance into the hex they attacked - the one the Germans just retreated from. This is a free move. It ignores any terrain movement penalties and does not trigger Op Fire.

A few things to note:

1. After your squad makes their movement (up to 3 hexes), they are not obligated to make an assault (perhaps you changed your mind). However, they still lose 1 MV point.

2. You don't have to move to make an assault. If there is a viable enemy target adjacent to one of your squads, you can declare an assault action against them. In this case, skip the movement part and just roll the dice to inflict damage. If you win, you can advance into the hex you attacked for free.

3. You never have to take the free follow-up advance move if you don't want to - it's purely optional.

4. Defenders never get the free advance movement, only attackers. If the defenders win, nothing else happens.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Yipe

Yipe is most correct on the Assaults. You're not saving a move to get into the target hex, you're just getting -1 movement like a move and shoot and if your assault is successful then it resolves with your squad entering the hex and their squad(s) going poof or being pushed out of the hex. The more I play, the more I like assaults when they can be pulled off properly.