Air Drop specfies: 'Instead of entering as normal per the Reserved rules , the unit is placed anywhere on the board more than 12" away from any enemy miniatures.' Reserved specifies the unit must take a March Move, and instead of moving, each miniature is placed at any table edge more than 12" away from enemy models.

Since Air Drop specifies it does not enter using the Reserved rules, with no further clarification, than exactly what rules Air Drop uses needs to be specified. I certainly hope the intent was to consider it a March Move to enter with Air Drop, but Air Drop only specifies that it does not enter using the Reserved rules, but only that they are kept off the board from initial deployment using the Reserved rules.

Minefields do not specify clearance by weapons with the Artillery Weapons special ability. Minefields are cleared using artillery described as shooting high explosives at the ground nearby. Even a 20mm canon on the Luther was and still is classed as a piece of artillery that throws high explosives around. A 155mm howitzer is certainly classed as an artillery weapon, and the German 88mm was famous as a multi-purpose artillery weapon. If they meant it to include only weapons with the Artillery Weapon special ability, it should be clear, though they may then want to consider why a Long Tom barrage can't be targetted on minefields as it does not include that specification.

UGL's removing cover protection for all weapons included in the attack being suggested as balanced by things like Blitzkrieg is ludicrous. Blitzkreig is an order available to one platoon type allowed to be used on one squad per turn. That cannot balance the removal of cover for all other platoon types and squads not currently recieving Blitzkreig's benefits.

Allowing UGL's to remove all cover benefit means all cover is negated by the attack. Even Blitzkrieg's immunity to Suppression does not negate the loss of two points of automatic damage reduction. That's the equivalent of adding six dice to the UGL squad's attack (to otherwise attain the two additional damage points heavy cover would otherwise negate).

Direct comparison of units can shift based on metagame concepts, but those balancing concepts must be overarching concepts , and not limited case specific possibilties to properly reflect force balance. Blitzkrieg would be balanced by each of the Allied platoon advantages, but UGL's negating all cover would have to be balanced regardless of which platoons are chosen, or the balance fails.

A unit's point value has to reflect its capabilities, so even if direct comparison of units can be difficult with varied abilities and weapons, the overall capabilities of two units with the same point value should be similar. The Gunners offer four assault rifles, one bazooka, and four UGL's. The Battle Grenadiers offer four assault rifles of equal capability, one panzerschreck equivalent to the bazooka, and two panzerfausts capable of the same overall damage as the four UGL's against vehicles, but far less against infantry.

Both are relatively equal, with a minor edge against infantry for the Gunners, and higher individual damagepotential against vehicles for the Battle Grenadiers.

Adding the removal of cover for fire from the Gunners radically increases their damage potential, with nothing to balance that for an Axis unit point costed to say it has equivalent capabilities.

Laser Grenadiers cost more, with slightly improved anti-vehicle damage potential againt light vehicles, but with far less anti-infantry capability, though capable of using it every turn.

Recon Grenadiers cost the same, gain against aircraft, lose against Armor 4 infantry and vehicles, and vary between slightly more or less against other infantry based on reloading the UGL's.

Those are all similar squads. What overarching metagame concept balances the loss of all cover protection against all possible platoon types the Axis can field? Remeber that vehicles can benefit from cover in Warfare, and so loss out with the enhanced cover loss from UGL's as well.

What about the "Climb" trait/ability? It hints at it in the description for the axis apes but the ability does not appear on any unit entry that I can find?

I don't understand why people are so upset about the grenade thing? In DT grenade's also negated cover but I did not hear people complaining about that.

What about the "Climb" trait/ability? It hints at it in the description for the axis apes but the ability does not appear on any unit entry that I can find?

you may wish to read the book b4 reving up the ***** machine or better yet play a few game and see how it pans out. For one thing at 12' the unit can react by ether moving out of range of the ugls or firing back at the unit with the ugls. im already 4 game deep into this system and i can tell you already its been well thought through.

I think thematically it makes sense - I mean, grenades are going to scare people out of cover. You throw a grenade next to me, I'm going to get clear of it, even if that means compromising my cover.

it makes sense that since cover is a fixed dame reduction per each incoming attack grenades would have to negate damage on the entire attack to work as described but i think they could have done a better job creating a system and describing it.

Gimp said:

Actually that is pretty clear to me. I read it as only modifying how they "Enter" the field of play. It never says to alter any part except the entrance.

[Disclaimer: I do not own the book, just using the info provided.]

Azrell said:

I have read the book, and have been re-reading it several times. Obviously, our opinions on how well thought out the rules are disagree, but different people think differently.

Yes, if a unit has not gotten a Reaction marker or been Suppressed, they can react to a unit approaching with UGL's. Hurray!

So, a unit in heavy cover sees a unit with UGL's move into another patch of heavy cover within 12". They use reactive fire, and the UGL unit takes a Suppression counter if they get any hits, but then negates two points of damage by virtue of their heavy cover, and get to roll to negate any more. Two automatic successes from heavy cover will negate an average 6 dice worth of attack, with their armor giving a chance to negate more. Only the Recon Grenadiers of the Axis light infantry can generate more than seven dice worth of attack. With their ten dice, they'll average just over three hits, while with their armor, the Allied UGL squads in heavy cover will negate just under three.

The UGL unit then gets to fire every weapon they have at the reacting unit, who is automatically Suppressed due to the grenade effect, and only has their armor to roll against the full damage roll. If they actually took a casualty from reactive fire, the weakest UGL squad would still attack with ten dice (if they wanted a bazooka instead of the fourth UGL), up to twelve dice after casualties . If they saved against the reactive fire, the weakest UGL squad would have thirteen dice, averaging just over four damage, with the defender saving less than one on average. The strongest UGL squad would roll fifteen dice, so they would wipe out a full strength defending squad unless they made their armor saves (55% for one survivor, down to 11% for two).

Obviously, the Allied tactic should be to Suppress units before the UGL squads approach, or go for Axis units that did anything in the command phase of the turn to gain a Reaction marker, because then the UGL's are unit killers.

While I can agree that everyone is entitled to their opinion, I would ask that the complaints (and praise) be kept to other threads- let's try and keep this one limited to errata only. If it just becomes thread number 15 of arguing over the quality of the game, FFG isn't likely to pay it much attention. (And if you really think the game is awful, I think a thread in which post after post is nothing but a list of errors and rules issues will do a better job of that than anything you might have to say.)

Reserved units 'Enter' by making a March Move that leaves them with no actions. By stating the Air Drop unit does not 'Enter' by using the normal Reserved rules, they take away the stipulation that entering requires a March Move, leaving the Air Drop unit with both actions undefined after they're placed on the table.

Dakkon426 said:

I'd have no issue with grenades negating cover for their attack dice, though the increase to two dice against Armor 2 is a little extreme.

The part that makes it a problem is that it negates cover for all of the other weapons from the attacking unit.

Gimp said:

I agree with you on most points with the grenade issue.

Devils Advocate

I could see the removal of cover for all guns if it were meant to represent cover being disrupted, but then it should only reduce cover not negate it.

/Devils Advocate

And to be fair, no matter how much of a veteran you are if a tiny bomb lands near you most people lose their #$%. =D