I have one problem with smoke and that is that it gives 2 cover. Now I understand that to keep things playable for the average weekend gamer FFG didn't make over complex rules. Smoke as blocking terrain I get, the half firepower I get, but hard cover I do not understand. I think that it should only be 1 cover to represent lack of clear LOS.

Anybody else have a take on why it should be 2?

because otherwise it would be even more useless....

I would say that it's simply intended as an abstract way of making it harder to hit something when you don't see it (well). That it accomplishes, so I don't have a problem with it actually.

I understand where your coming from but you get 2 defense from being in a woods hex which provides cover (hard trees) and concealment (bushes, branches, broken LOS). Smoke only provides concealment not cover, which is why I think it should be only 1 defense but still blocking (cant see through it).

Patton68 said:

That would be the case if our little plastic heroes were to know what we know, namely that there is an enemy unit in the smoke, and if they knew more or less the exact location. Then they would fire into the smoke and the enemy would find out that smoke does not stop bullets.

The two cover dice cover instances where some guys in our unit do not see the enemy because of the smoke and thus do not even fire.