A few questions from first play.

[count_zero99uk]

Hi there, finaly got around to playing Airborne IE last night, with 4th ed rules.  And i have a couple of questions.

Limiting Terrain.

This got us a little confused the rules state 

8.21 Spotting in Limiting Terrain

A unit occupying limiting terrain may only be spotted by enemy units within the designated distance on the Terrain Effects Chart (or less if the current spotting range is less due to night, weather, or other special scenario rules), or the line of sight to the unit's hex is blocked (8.41). Spotting range is three hexes for units or leaders in limiting terrain unless the TEC or scenario special rules specify differently.

No matter how much we looked at the TEC we could not find reference to some limiting terrains designated distance.
For example some units and a leader were in the village and this is listed as limiting terrain, and says see notes, in notes says "Blocks LOS, Limiting Terrain"

We interpreted the final sentence of 8.21 as units that were in limiting terrain had there spotting range reduced to 3 hexes as the pay of for using limiting terrain.

Assaults
We had the situation where the germans had assaulted a hex and disrupted one of the americans. In the american action segment a leader next to the village hex activated the unit in the village and the units in its hex.  The disrupted unit rolled to recover moral then the leader and units assaulted the village.  Would the unit that had moved/fired add his firepower to the assault and then would he be affected by the results of the assault?

Village
Do the column shifts for being in a village and being dug in add together on the fire charts? As being in a village on the TEC counts as being dug in.

Thanks all, hope people can answer these.  Im sure were just missing some little bits of rules.  We both massively enjoyed the game.

Cheers
Brian.

[plloyd1010]

Hi Brian, well come to the club. I presume you are using the 3rd Edition rules. Should you be interested, you may download the 4th Edition rules and charts from APL. There is also a demo game available to order and for online play. Both are free purchases, but the physical demo game requires shipping. There used to be a DIY version available. Onward...

Limiting Terrain Spotting range is 3 hexes, unless otherwise specified or curtailed.

Assaults I am not entirely clear on what happened, but I'll take a shot. The leader in the adjacent hex should have been able to activate the units, or the leader, in the assault hex. Leadership outside the assault hex may not activate or influence units or leaders in the assault hex.

Town/Village Yes and no. Yes, all modifiers are cumulative. (DF does have limits on the total modifier applicable.) No, you may not dig in town hexes.

[Philippe]

Limiting Terrain :
Your interpreatation is false.
Units in limiting terrain may only be spotted by enemy units within the designated distance, generaly 3 hexs but units in some limiting terrain could only be spotted by adjacent units (Heavy woods & heavy jungle for example).
But units in limiting terrain can spot ennemy units normaly, no spotting range reduction.

Assaults
see 12.51 : "Only leaders in an assault hex may influence units there.
Leaders in adjacent hexes may not. Leaders in the assault
hex may direct units in adjacent hexes to enter the assault
hex, but may not influence them in any other way if they
don’t enter the assault hex."
So your leader adjacent to the assult hex can't activate your disrupted unit in the assault hex.

Village
Look at the tech, you can't dig-in a unit in a village

[Matt W]

Brian,

Glad you are enjoying the game!

Spotting units in limited terrain: The range is three hexes unless otherwise noted. To see a different range look at the notes for Heavy Woods & Heavy Jungle.

Assault: The unit recovering morale may not participate in the assault and can also not be activated by a leader outside of the assault hex. That leader may, however activate units outside the assault hex to enter the assault hex and initiate an assault. Units already in the assault hex may participate in the assault.

In the activation that you had (if I understood it correctly) beginning with the leader outside the assault hex then you could have activated units outside the assault hex to enter the assault hex and combine with units in the hex to participate in that assault. All units whose direct fire factors were used in the combat would be subject to the results, including units already in the hex and the units newly entering the hex (and the leader if he moved into the hex as well). The disrupted unit could also participate in the assault (using 1/2 his normal DF) or could refrain from participating in order to attempt to recover morale in a future activation. The ability to participate in the assault is the only option open to the units already in the assault hex as a leader cannot activate units in an adjacent assault hex. Only leaders in the assault hex at the moment of activation can affect the units in the assault hex. Note that any leader(s) who moved into the assault hex would not be able to provide the benefit of any morale bonus for a recovery this turn as they activated for a fire activation in the turn. (Assault "movement" is actually part of a fire activation not a move activation).

A unit in a village may not be Dug In (see the Terrain Effects Chart under "Dig In" for Village Terrain). Note that the scenario introduction & conclusion may reference a village but unless the terrain is specifically village or the scenario notes instruct the player to treat town terrain as village in a particular scenario, any town hexes should be considered town terrain and not village terrain.

[count_zero99uk]

We are playing with the 4th ed rules and charts (got them in Kokoda Trail and Invasion 1944)

Thanks for clearing up the limiting terrain question. And i think the assault issue is also sorted.

As for the village on the TEC under other effects it states Treat occupants as dug in. But from what plloyd says its cumulative.

Thanks again.

[Matt W]

Treat the units as dug in just by occupying the village. Do not actually dig them in. So there is only one "Dug In" effect and nothing to accumulate.

[count_zero99uk]

OK was the first play through sounds like i may have missed something in the book Thought there were column shifts for village and another for dug in. Cheers though.

[plloyd1010]

Not to worry Brian. Keep in mind, the first 3 games don't count!

[Michael Murphy]

Treat the units as dug in just by occupying the village.  Do not actually dig them in.  So there is only one "Dug In" effect and nothing to accumulate.

May I politely jump in and say, "not so fast." There is a discrepancy between the Direct and Bombardment Fire tables about villages, dug in status, and the column modifiers. A village hex confers dug in status and that's as much protection as any occupant receives. My question is why then villages rate an extra -1 modifier in addition to a -1 modifier for dug in status for Direct Fire but not for Bombardment Fire?

Does that make sense?

Peace. Michael

[Matt W]

Michael,

The problem is most likely editing and certainly not intent. All products developed since the fourth edition rules came out have been developed with the following:

A unit in a village gets -1 column on both DF and BF and gets first fire in assault.

That is as official a ruling as we are likely to get.