Indirect fire ignores intervening terrain and troops. Indirect fire artillery batteries are situated off the table behind the Friendly Table Edge.
Forward Observers
Armour Battles doesn’t require figures for Forward Observers. It’s assumed that Forward Observers are operating alongside the army’s platoons. As long as one of your platoons has a LOS to an enemy unit, it can act as a Forward Observer and be used to target indirect fire.
Note: A suppressed unit cannot function as a Forward Observer.
Logistics Phase
The indirect fire rules adds a new phase to a turn. The Logistics Phase occurs as the first action of a player’s first Command Pulse. This is before any orders are issued. You can’t call an artillery or smoke missions until after the Logistics Phase.
During the Logistics Phase any batteries with an Impact Marker on the table fire for effect.
The Enemy Logistic Phase occurs at the start of his first Command Pulse.
The Logistic Phase occurs for each player on their first Command Pulse only. Make sure you don’t apply it every Command Pulse.
Off-Table Fire Missions
Fire missions are called with Staff Orders – Command Orders cannot be used. A fire mission is a single round of artillery fire. The battery fires for effect once and then stops. its Impact Marker is removed as soon as it fires. A fire mission costs one Staff Order.
Calling Off-Table Fire Missions
To call a fire mission, you use a Staff Order and indicate which unit is acting as the battery’s Forward Observer. Place an Impact Marker on the table. To determine if the artillery starts firing with immediate effect, make an Artillery Response Check. Roll the Artillery Response Dice with a 4+ TN. Your opponent rolls 3D, also with a 4+ TN. If you roll more successes than him, your battery fires for effect immediately.
If you fail to fire with immediate effect, the battery fires for effect during your next Logistics Phase providing you don’t roll a Command Failure next turn.
Deviating Fire Missions
When your battery fires for effect, it may deviate from its Impact Marker. Roll a Deviation Dice. If you get a “Hit” result, it lands where you placed the Impact Marker.
A hit is rolled on the deviation dice – the targetted Stug III is hit along with the two other Stugs.
In an arrow is rolled the fire deviates 1D6” in the direction of the arrow. Roll 1D6 and move the Impact Marker the distance rolled.
An arrow is rolled – the Impact Marker is moved 5″ in the direction of the arrow. Only one Stug III now lies within the 4″ blast radius.
Firing for Effect
Batteries have a burst radius of 4”. Measure 4” from the centre of the Impact Marker to the closest point on any nearby units. This is similar to measuring ranges in direct fire, except that the fire originates from the centre of the Impact Marker.
Off-table artillery has a 4+ TN when firing for effect. This TN is not adjusted by range – off-table artillery always fires at effective range.
When firing for effect, roll to hit each unit individually and apply the results. Any unit Forced Back by the artillery fire moves towards its Friendly Table Edge.
Adjusting a Fire Mission
At the start of your Logistics Phase, you can use a Staff Order to move the Impact Marker of a battery 4” in any direction – a unit acting as Forward Observer must be able to see the new impact location.
You move the Impact Marker before the battery fires. After moving it you still need to roll for deviation.
Light Cover and Artillery
Units under fire from off-table artillery do not gain Reaction Dice for light cover.
Suppression From Artillery
When unit is hit by artillery fire and 6s are rolled by your opponent, you must roll more 6s or become suppressed. Units are Forced Back from artillery fire as normal if they take any Disruption from the attack. If no Disruption is taken, they are suppressed where they are.
Command Failure and Fire Missions
A Command Failure cancels all artillery and smoke missions. Missions may be kept active with Staff Orders.
Pivot and Scatter Dice
If you don’t have a Deviation Dice, you can use two dice of different colours. Nominate one dice as the Hit Dice and the other as the Scatter Dice. Roll both dice. If the Hit Dice rolls a 5 or a 6, the fire mission hits without deviating.
The black dice is the Hit Dice. A 5 is rolled – a hit!
On a roll of 1–4 the fire mission deviates the distance rolled in inches on the Scatter Dice. Check the angle of the Scatter Dice relative to the Hit Dice and move the Impact Marker towards, onto, or past the Scatter Dice depending on its location and the amount rolled.
A 3 is rolled on the Hit Dice – the fire deviates 4″ in the direction of the Scatter Dice.
Next Post
Smoke missions.
