NEW RULES FOR MECH WAR 77

by

Alan R. Arvold

The following rules were sent to SPI in the mid Seventies for

consideration. They were never published. Here they are for your

enjoyment.

Sighting (Line of Sight): If the Line of Sight passes exactly

through the corner of a hex at the intersection of a blocked

hexside and an unblocked hexside then consider the Line of Sight

to be blocked. If the Line of Sight passes exactly through the

length of a blocked hexside then consider the Line of Sight to be

blocked. If the Line of Sight passes exactly through the length

of a hexside of a blocked hex then consider the Line of Sight to

be blocked. In all cases the defender gets the benefit of the

doubt.

Indirect Fire: Any indirect fire that is placed on the same hex

for more than one consective turn may have the odds of hitting

the hex increased by one each turn. Example: A player must roll a

one in order to hit on the first turn, a one or two on the second

turn, a one, two, or three on the third turn, etc.. These turns

must be consecutive turns or else the procedure begins again. The

hex must always be spotted by a friendly unit, though not the

same one from turn to turn. The same on the board and/or off the

board indirect fire units must continue to fire at the same hex

though. Preplanned artillery and counterbattery fire may also use

this rule provided the target hex is spotted. If the target hex

is hit then it is considered to be automatically hit for any

further indirect fire missions using these rules. Also a target

hex is considered to be automatically hit on the sixth

consecutive turn and any beyond it.

Combat While Mounted: Infantry units may fire while mounted on

APCs/IFVs. When they fire in this manner their attack factors are

halved prior to range attenuation. Infantry units may not use

close assault tactics while mounted on any type vehicle. If an

APC/IFV unit which is transporting an infantry unit makes an

overrun attack, the infantry unit may add its halved attack

factor to that of the vehicle unit's. The defending unit may only

counterattack the overruning vehicle unit. Infantry units may

ride on tanks (vehicles units of the 300 series) but must follow

the same rules as those for riding on an APC/IFV. When riding on

a tank unit, infantry units may be attacked separately from the

tank unit that they are riding on. They are treated as a soft

target when riding on tanks and do get the benifit of terrain.

However when the tank unit is overrunning an enemy unit the

defending units gets two counterattacks, one against the tank

unit and one against the infantry unit riding on the tank unit.

In this situation the infantry unit riding on the tank unit does

not get the benefit of the terrain. Infantry units which being

transported by truck units may not attack in any manner.

Plotting: Units which plot DF no longer have to plot a target hex

or unit. Units which plot OF no longer have to plot a line or

area of fire. However when performing their respective fire

missions units must still follow the rules pertaining to Line of

Sight/Line of Fire and to those rules pertaining to Panic.

Transporting Units: It no longer takes the whole turn to mount or

dismount infantry and other special units. It takes three

movement points to mount and two movement points to dismount an

infantry unit. The transporting unit may move before or after

performing either operation or even both. The unit being

transported may not move in the same turn in which it mounts or

dismounts. The following units may mount and dismount in this

manner; infantry, machine gun, engineer, and anti-tank platoons.

All other dismounted units such as artillery and anti-tank guns

still tank a whole turn to mount or dismount. A transporting unit

may not perform both mounting and dismounting operations during

the same turn.

Infantry Close Assault: The doubling of an infantry unit's attack

factor at one hex range only simulates the increased effect of

the unit's firepower. It does not however simulate the close

assault tactics that infantry units use to dislodge enemy

infantry units in well prepared positions nor the real close in

fighting where hand grenades and hand to hand combat are

possible. This rule will simulate the use of close assault

tactics upon any soft targets. In order to close assault a soft

target an infantry unit must be in an adjacent hex to the enemy

unit. The enemy unit must be in one of the following type hexes;

covering terrain, hilltop, a hex with an improved position marker

on it, a hex that is directly adjacent to a slope or crest

hexside which is in between the attacking and defending unit, or

any combination of the above. The close assaulting unit does not

double its attack factor but instead uses its basic attack

factor. The code CA(I) is used when plotting this task. The

attack is resolved normally. Terrain in the defending unit's hex

does not modify the combat result in any way. An improved

position does cause a minus one modifier to the die roll. A

combat result of pin or delayed panic are treated normally. A

result of D-4 means that the defending unit is taken off of the

board and the attacking unit may move into the hex of the

deceased defending unit. A result of the other levels of

disruption means that the defending unit takes the result and

must also retreat out of the hex one hex in any direction

(defending player's choice) but must follow the rules for panic

movement. If the defending unit has a movement factor of 0 then

it is eliminated, it can not retreat. The attacking unit still

moves into the vacated hex. The defending unit does not get any

defensive fire unless it was plotted to fire at the close

assaulting unit on that turn. If more than one unit close

assaults the same unit then each unit makes their attacks with

the cumulative results then being applied to the defending unit.

One of the attacking units may move into the hex if it is

vacated. If two opposing units close assault each other on the

same turn, neither may retreat nor advance regardless of the

results of the combat. If there is more than one unit in the hex

to be close assaulted the defence factors of each defending unit

are combined into one total and it is from this total that the

combat differential must be determined from.

Smoke: When a hex is hit by smoke shells in indirect fire the

impact hex and the six surrounding hexes are considered to be

covered by smoke.

G Wepaons Class Units: G Class missile units may now fire across

streams, rivers and swamps. However each stream and river hexside

and each swamp hex count as two hexes in terms of range to the

target.

Soviet Infantry Companies may not ride on tanks. (The tank units

are platoon size units.) Soviet Infantry Companies consist of 110

men, 24 MG, and 9 RPG-7.

When a helecopter unit spots for Indirect Fire it is considered

to have elevated itself to spot and may be fired at during the

direct fire phase of the next game turn as if the helecopter unit

had exposed itself at that time.

Smart Shells: When using Smart Rounds in indirect fire, scatter

is eliminated from the indirect fire sequence. Smart Shells may

only be used by Off-the-Board Artillery and only when the target

is spotted by a friendly unit.

Instant Minefields: A hex may be hit by a speical type of

artillery concentration. This concentration is from the Off-the-

Board artillery concetrations. The artillery shoots shells into

the air that break up and rain little minelets into the area

desired. Therefore an artillery concentration makes a hasty

minefield in a hex that it hits. The artillery concentration may

not be used for a regular or smoke attack mission on the same

turn it makes this instant minefield. All other rules for

indirect fire apply.

M Weapon's Class: M Class units when firing at soft targets use

the following table to find the corrected attack strength.

57mm or less basic attack strength (not more than 6)

73mm to 85mm 8

87mm to 100mm 10

105mm or greater 12

New Soviet Units:

Anti-Tank Platoon (131-133) - 18 men, 2 Sagger teams, 2 RPG-7, 2

SPG-9. (12-G(4)-12-2-1) Missile Armed, (9-M-4-2-1) Missiles

Depleted. This unit is a dual class unit and follows the same

rules as other dual class units. This unit replaces the ASU-85

unit in the Motorized Rifle Regiment. (Three per Regiment)

Requires one Truck unit per unit.

Heavy Mortar Detachment (121-126) 24 men, 3 120mm Mortars.

(4-H-25-3-0).Six per Motorized Rifle Regiment.

(Two per Battalion) Requires one Truck unit per unit.

The Self Propelled Mortar Detachment is replaced by one Field

Artillery Battery.