This post covers how unit morale works.

Reaction Dice

Reaction Dice are used to determine how units react in combat. Reaction Checks are made every time a unit takes one or more hits. Unsuppressed units have a 4+ TN. Suppressed units have a 5+ TN.

Disruption

Disruption represents the psychological impact of combat on a unit. As casualties build up and combat fatigue sets in troops become less willing to fight. Each hit that’s not cancelled by a Reaction Check results in the unit taking a Disruption Point.

 Removing Disruption Points

Disruption Points can be removed by rallying units using Command Dice (covered later when Command Orders are discussed).

Dispersion

A unit is dispersed  as soon as it has 3 Disruption Points. The unit is removed from the table and D3 Army Morale Points are lost.

Suppressed Stug III with two Disruption Points

Suppression

Enemy fire can suppress a unit. When suppressed a unit’s officers may have been hit, or part of the platoon may have panicked. A suppressed unit keeps its head down and is reluctant to engage the enemy.

Causes of Suppression

Suppression may occur each time a unit takes fire.

Any time you roll one or more 6s when firing at an enemy unit, you may suppress it. Unless your opponent rolls as many 6s with his Reaction Dice as you rolled with your dice, his unit is suppressed. It doesn’t matter if his units didn’t take any hits. Unless he matches or exceeds your number of 6s, his unit is suppressed.

Effects of Suppression

Suppressed units cannot fire. This occurs as soon as the unit is suppressed. A unit that has just been activated, which is suppressed by enemy fire, cannot fire.

A suppressed unit cannot be activated as part of a Command Group. A suppressed unit can be activated on its own, but no other unit can be included in this activation. The unit remains suppressed after being activated.

Suppressed units cannot be rallied.

A Suppressed unit loses its Fixed Move as its troops are reluctant to advance quickly. It only uses its Variable Move.

Removing Suppression

Suppression is removed with a Remove Unit Suppression order. Each Command Dice used removes suppression from one unit.

Forced Back

A unit may be forced back. A unit is forced back when it becomes suppressed and takes at least one Disruption Point from the fire.

Forced back units move directly back 6” plus an additional 1D” for each unmatched 6. A unit with one unmatched 6 is forced back 6+1D”. If it has two unmatched 6s, it is forced back 6+2D”. Units are forced back facing the enemy.

Units may move into or behind cover as part of their forced back move. They halt on moving behind or into the cover.

If they are forced back into friendly units, they are moved through the friendly unit. If a forced back move would move a unit so that it ends the move on top of a friendly unit, it is moved through the unit and placed behind it. If a unit is Forced Back into an enemy unit, the Forced Back unit is Dispersed.

If a unit is Forced Back so that it would move off the table, it halts at the table edge.

Next Post

In the next post I cover Command Orders.

Line of Sight (LOS) determines whether one unit can see another. It consists of drawing an imaginary line across the table from one unit to another. LOS is blocked if it passes through a solid object such as a tall wall or hedge, a building, hill or smoke screen.

There are many different ways to check LOS. Some players prefer to stretch a length of string between the viewing unit and its target. Some prefer to use laser pointers, and some prefer to eyeball it by getting down to table level and sighting along the ground. All of these ways are fine. Just watch out for your opponent’s eyes when using a laser pointer!

For a unit to be in LOS at least half of the unit’s base must be visible to the unit drawing the LOS. It doesn’t matter if the rest of the base is hidden behind a building, wall, etc, it can still be seen.

Terrain comes in so many different heights and sizes that it’s impossible to provide LOS rules for all occasions. The following guidelines work well, and can be easily changed if both players agree.

Woods: Woods always block LOS. Any unit within 1” of the edge of a wood can see out of the wood, and be seen by any other unit outside of the wood. Two units within a wood can see each other up to 1” away.

Hills: Hills always block LOS. Only a higher hill can provide LOS over a lower one.

Hedges: Hedges block LOS. But LOS may be drawn across hedges from a hill. Units adjacent to a hedge may fire through it with no penalty.

Friendly Units: Friendly units always block LOS unless the firing unit is on a higher elevation and the friendly unit is closer to the firing unit than its target.

Next Post

In my next post I look at unit morale.

This post covers the effects of terrain types on movement.

Terrain affects how quickly units can move across the battlefield.

Open Ground: Open ground provides a firm surface for movement. It includes grasslands, fields, pavements, orchards, and other hard surfaces. Units move normally over Open Ground.

Broken Ground: This terrain type slows movement to half speed. In Amour Battles this includes woods and hills. Units move at half speed over Broken Ground. Roll the Variable Dice and add it to the Fixed Dice then divide the total by 2.

Moving In and Out of Different Types of Terrain

Units may move from one terrain type to another. When moving from Open Ground to Broken Ground, move the unit to the edge of the Open Ground and then apply the movement penalty to any remaining movement. Similarly, when moving out into Open Ground, first apply any movement penalties, and then move the unit normally with its remaining movement.

For example, a M4 platoon is 9” from the edge of a wood (Broken Ground) is ordered to enter the wood and then move through it. It rolls a 5 (6+5 = 11”) and moves 9” to the edge of the wood. It then moves 1” into the wood (half of the remaining 2”). If the unit had rolled a 3, it could only have moved 9” and would have halted at the edge of the wood.

Later the platoon is ordered to move through the wood (Broken Ground) into Open Ground. It is 4” from the edge of the wood. It rolls a 4 allowing it to move 10” (6+4). It costs 8” to move to the edge of the wood, leaving it with 2” to move into the Open Ground. If it had rolled a 2, it could move to the edge of the wood, and would have to wait until its next activation before moving into the Open Ground. On a roll of 1 it would have only moved 3 1/2” and would have remained in the wood.

Next Post

What line of sight is and how to use it.

This post covers how units move.

Units move at varying speeds over different types of terrain. While it’s possible to calculate how far a platoon of tanks would move over firm, level ground under normal conditions, in the middle of a battle movement is far more uncertain. The ground may be softer than it looks or covered in rocks. Also, units move as fast as they consider appropriate. A tank platoon could cross the ground at full speed, but it runs the risk of some of its vehicles throwing their tracks or failing to spot enemy units. As Battle Commander, you can order units to their destination, but you can’t accurately predict when they’ll get there. If you want your units to move quickly, give them a double or triple move order.

Fixed and Variable Moves

How far a unit can move is a combination of its Fixed and Variable Move distances. When calculating movement add the Variable Move to the Fixed Move.

Average vehicles move 6+1D” for a move of 7–12”.

Fast vehicles move 6+Dx2”. Roll a dice and double the result before adding it to the Fixed Move of 6” for a move of 8–18”.

Command Groups: A Command Group moves at the speed of its slowest unit. For example, fast vehicles moving with average vehicles move at the average speed of 6+1D”.

Suppressed Units: Move at their Variable Move rate only.

For example, Max’s Panther platoon is suppressed. He activates it and moves it 1D”. If he had issued a Remove Unit Suppression order before he could have moved it 6+1D”.

Multiple Moves

When using a Dice Chain, total the Fixed Move distances and then roll the Variable Move dice. Average vehicles moving with a Double Dice Chain move 12” (6”+6”) plus the results of 2D”, for a movement distance of 14–24”. Fast vehicles moving with a Triple Dice Chain move 18” (6”+6”+6”) plus the results of 3Dx2” for a movement distance of 24–54”.

A Dice Chain is allocated before dice are rolled for movement. You cannot wait to see how far a unit moves and then allocate more dice to it.

Movement Orders

A unit may move as part of an activated Command Group, but it’s not required to move when other units in the Command Group move.

For example, a Panther tank has been activated along with three Panzer IVs. The player decides that the Panther will remain stationary and fire at a M4 platoon before the Panzer IVs move.

To issue a movement order indicate which units are moving and how many Command Dice dice being used. You then move the Command Dice to the intended destination. For example, “the Panthers will move up to the edge of these woods.” You can also nominate a specific point on the table and declare that your units are heading there. “The Panzer IVs are moving up to here.”

Once you have declared your movement orders, the units move the full rolled distance towards their objective. The units halt upon reaching their destination regardless of any excess movement remaining. You cannot decide to move somewhere else or not move at all if you don’t like the results of the Variable Move.

Command Group units that move must end their move within 6” of each other. You cannot activate a Command Group and have its units move in different directions.

Movement orders are only in effect for the current turn.

Moving and Firing

Units may make a single move and fire with no penalty. If they use a Double Dice Chain, they fire with a -1D penalty, and if they use Triple Dice Chain they fire with a -2D penalty. For example, a Panzer IV has 8D AT. If it makes a double move this is reduced by -1D to 7D, and to 6D if it makes a triple move.

Moving and Facing

A unit faces the direction it moves in. When using opportunity fire, your opponent may be able to fire at the side or rear of your unit depending on the direction it faces during its move. A unit may change direction and facing any number of times to get to its destination. Once at its destination it may face in any direction desired.

The Panzer IV has been ordered to move from the south of the wood to the north. It is currently facing east. The German player rolls his movement dice 6+1D” for a total move of 11”. More than enough to reach its destination. The Panzer IV first turns to face north and then moves 5” to the edge of the wood. It then faces north-east and moves 3” to its destination. The German player now changes the Panzer IV’s facing from North-east to North.

Sideways and Backwards Movement

Vehicles move backwards at their Variable Move. They cannot move sideways without changing their facing.

A Multiple Dice Chain cannot be used to move backwards without changing a unit’s facing, you have to change its facing before moving.

Next Post

Terrain and its effects on Movement are covered in the next post.

This post covers how to lay out your dice chains at the start of a turn.

After any 1s have been discarded the dice are arranged into Dice Chains and placed on the table where your opponent can see them. Dice Chains are made up of all Command Dice of the same number. A Dice Chain therefore consists of one or more dice. The size of a Dice Chain is referred to by the number of dice it contains. One dice is a Single Dice Chain. Two dice form a Double Dice Chain. Three Dice form a Triple Dice Chain, and so on. The larger the Dice Chain, the more you can do with it. More information is given later in Command and Control.

Dice Chains and 6s

While 6s can be used to form Dice Chains of 6s, 6s may also be added to other dice numbers to make multiple Dice Chains. You are free to decide when to use a 6. Think of rolling 6s as your ability to adjust the another Dice Chain whenever you want. Rolling 6s also provides other benefits that are discussed in Command and Control.

Laying Out Dice Chains

After rolling the Command Dice place all dice with the same number together to form your Dice Chains. If you rolled 6, 5, 5, 4, 3  you have four Dice Chains. Place the Dice Chains as shown here:

If you rolled 5, 4, 3, 1, 1 you would discard the two 1s and then have three Dice Chains available:

The First Command Pulse

If a player rolled a Command Failure, his opponent automatically has the first Command Pulse. Otherwise, the player with the most 6s goes first. If both players have the same number of 6s, then the player with the most 5s goes first. If this is also tied, continue by comparing the number of 4s, then 3s, and if that fails 2s. If the result is still tied, both players re-roll all Command Dice again including any discarded 1s.

Next Post

The next post covers movement.