FOW PRIMER: Movin’ On Up (Part II)
Welcome to the exciting conclusion of the FoW Primer dealing with the Movement step. If you haven’t read Part One I suggest you do!
Tricks With Command
This doesn’t come up often, but one portion of the Movement rules designed to interfere with your plans is the requirement to move In Command or towards your platoon’s commander. If this is getting you down, remember that you can attach an officer (in rules terms, independent Command team) to a platoon at any point during the movement step, meaning that he becomes the platoon commander for the purpose of determining who is In Command.
This means that with an officer’s help, you can split a platoon into two disparate groups, both of which will be In Command when necessary! It is easy to do this. First, move the larger group, accompanied by the Platoon Command team. Then, move the officer. Then, join the officer to the platoon via the smaller group, and move them as you wish.
Generally it is best to simply keep troops in command, but this can help in a pinch. Just remember that if one portion of the platoon is Pinned Down the whole thing is!
Digging In
Of course you want your infantry to be dug-in whenever possible. Who wouldn’t want that? The question is, when a mobile enemy is immediately able to threaten your unit, is it worth running the risk of failing the roll?
The short answer (I won’t bore you with the math) is, if you’re not Veterans, get digging – even Gone to Ground you can expect to lose several stands of models per turn outside bulletproof cover.
If you are Veterans, you must weigh your chances of getting relief soon – if you think you can drive off the threat in the next turn or two with reserves, Going to Ground may be the safer bet. If you can’t count on that, or if the enemy has Recon, or if you have a supply wagon, get out the entrenching tools.
Moving For Assault
We haven’t gotten to the primer on the Assault Step yet, but just take my word for it: it’s very exciting, but not because there’s a lot for you to do. In Flames of War, how troops can move in the Assault Step is very strictly limited by the rules, which means that if you want to put in a great assault, you have to set it up in the Movement step!
Moving when one is planning on making an assault, at the highest level, breaks down into only two simple-sounding things: minimize your defensive fire casualties and maximize your enemy’s first-round assault casualties. Everything after that is gravy, since this author won’t make the mistake of assuming your troops are fanatical monsters who never fail Motivation checks.
Part of minimizing Defensive Fire is Moving To Pin. If you have a flamethrower, make sure it moves into range and has LOF to the enemy. If you plan on making a bombardment to pin, make sure you haven’t moved so close that bombarding your ideal target will hit your troops! Whatever your pinning plan is, have it in mind already, and be facilitating it.
The other part is Moving to Limit Enemy LOF. Once we get to the Assault Step you can really only go straight in or stand still, so if you want to flank an enemy platoon (denying some teams Defensive Fire because they’d be shooting through other teams) or bunch up under a smoke bombardment you intend to lay down, now is the time. If the enemy has some teams in a forest (or just armed with SMG’s), move away before you assault so those teams won’t get to shoot your assaulting teams. If the enemy has models from two or more platoons in an area, for God’s sake move away from that area and try to only be within 8″ of one platoon at a time at the end of the Movement step.
Of course, it can be a balancing act trying to deny the enemy LOF but still assaulting enough teams in his platoon to make it count. We will get into this much more in future Primers, but you should have a general idea of what your platoon is capable of (“I expect six enemy casualties if all my stands get to swing”, for instance) and Gang Up on the platoon you’re assaulting – hit that many teams with your whole platoon. Then if the assault continues, you’re nice and bunched up, able to deliver ALL your attacks on any team(s) that has come within range to hit any of your stands.
Moving In Transports
I know I promised this last week, but there just isn’t room for it and I was definitely not going to skimp you on the Moving for Assault segment, because it’s important! Check back at a later date for a full FoW primer solely about how to use transports, unarmored and armored, in your forces to full effect.
That does it for the Movement Step! There’s much more to know, but the Primer isn’t intended to be the most detailed analysis possible. If you have any questions, comments, or topic suggestions, feedback is always appreciated!
