Rules For Penal Troops

[vince hughes]

OK, here is a rules question from RED WARRIORS regarding PENAL units.

It pertains to the rules on how much they should be or not be required to move in an activation AND during a turn.

The Special Rules for them we have only found in Red Warriors and here is what it states:

Undemoralised and undisrupted penal units must always move closer to the nearest sighted enemy unit (if no enemy units sighted, penal units must move closer to the nearest enemy unit on the board). Penal units continue to move toward enemy units and assault them till they are eliminated.

So, does this mean;

A) They must use ALL their MP's in getting nearer to enemies due to the wording "Always move closer"

OR

B) Can they move forward one hex closer and not use all their MP's and therefore still fulfill moving closer to the enemy.

Now, on to the activation of Penal units. The rules end by saying

"Demoralised penal units or disrupted penal units adjacent to an enemy must attempt to recover. This is the only situation where penal units are not required to move toward and assault enemy units."

Does this mean then, that

A) penal units ARE required to activate in a turn

OR

B) Does it simply mean that IF activated they must move towards enemy units. In other words there being no requirement to HAVING to activate them in a turn.

A game has had to be held up for these rules which was a shame, but we did not want to get to the end and then gripe about hard done by either side was by playing the rules wrong.

[campsawyer]

OK, here is a rules question from RED WARRIORS regarding PENAL units.

It pertains to the rules on how much they should be or not be required to move in an activation AND during a turn.

The Special Rules for them we have only found in Red Warriors and here is what it states:

Undemoralised and undisrupted penal units must always move closer to the nearest sighted enemy unit (if no enemy units sighted, penal units must move closer to the nearest enemy unit on the board). Penal units continue to move toward enemy units and assault them till they are eliminated.

So, does this mean;

A) They must use ALL their MP's in getting nearer to enemies due to the wording "Always move closer"

OR

B) Can they move forward one hex closer and not use all their MP's and therefore still fulfill moving closer to the enemy.

Now, on to the activation of Penal units. The rules end by saying

"Demoralised penal units or disrupted penal units adjacent to an enemy must attempt to recover. This is the only situation where penal units are not required to move toward and assault enemy units."

Does this mean then, that

A) penal units ARE required to activate in a turn

OR

B) Does it simply mean that IF activated they must move towards enemy units. In other words there being no requirement to HAVING to activate them in a turn.

A game has had to be held up for these rules which was a shame, but we did not want to get to the end and then gripe about hard done by either side was by playing the rules wrong.

Vince, I think the key is they are moving toward the enemy to assault them, so they should move the full MP's each turn unless disrupted or demoralized. Once recovered they resume.

[Hugmenot]

I played one scenario with penal units and used the following interpretation:
1. Must be activated every turn.
2. Must use full movement allowance .
3. If adjacent to an enemy unit and cannot assault due to having three friendly units in the assault hex, must move towards the next nearest sighted enemy.

[plloyd1010]

Vince, we've played a couple of scenarios with penal troops and had similar discussions. We decided a critical provision for penal units was left out, but otherwise we played like this:

1. Each turn, disrupted/undemoralized penal units must move closer to the nearest visible enemy unit to them, or move adjacent to an enemy unit. If no enemy unit is visible to them, they must move toward nearest observed enemy unit or OP. (FoW not withstanding.) Full movement is not required.
2. Each turn, disrupted penal units must move toward the enemy, as in point 1, or attempt to recover.

That critical provision I mentioned before? Penal units don't count as steps lost. (As it says, "...without regard to casualties.")

[Poor Yorek]

Like Camp, I note per Section 10 in RW, the purpose of the penal units' prescribed movement is to assault. Given this and the descriptor that such troops deployed "without regard for casualties" tends me towards a stricter interpretation of the movement clauses such that penal units must move their full allowance. Clearly there is ambiguity, however as the rule does not append, as it might have done, " ... to the limit of their movement allowance."

Given the twice cited "goal" of such movement being assault combat, I tend to think that the phrases "always move closer" and "must move closer" and "continue to move toward" are to be interpreted as internal to the movement action (if I can still move, I must move) rather than external to it (I have to move closer, and can do so or satisfy the same by moving a single hex).

For the second question, I think it is unambiguous that disrupted penal-units-adjacent-to-an-enemy are, by the third paragraph, intended to be treated like any other demoralized unit (including penal) and forced to attempt a morale recovery unless FOW intervenes.

Now consider a disrupted penal unit NOT adjacent to an enemy! Paragraph 2 only refers to UNdisrupted and UNdemoralized penal units (i.e. good order ones) as being forced to move towards an enemy. But, the last line in paragraph 3 states DEM or DIS-adjacent-to-an-enemy penal units as being "the only situation not required to move toward and assault enemy units." So, does our DIS-but-NOT-adjacent penal unit have to move (1 hex) towards an enemy or can it attempt to recover? I feel a Linda Blair moment coming on.

[campsawyer]

For the second question, I think it is unambiguous that disrupted penal-units-adjacent-to-an-enemy are, by the third paragraph, intended to be treated like any other demoralized unit (including penal) and forced to attempt a morale recovery unless FOW intervenes.

Now consider a disrupted penal unit NOT adjacent to an enemy! Paragraph 2 only refers to UNdisrupted and UNdemoralized penal units (i.e. good order ones) as being forced to move towards an enemy. But, the last line in paragraph 3 states DEM or DIS-adjacent-to-an-enemy penal units as being "the only situation not required to move toward and assault enemy units." So, does our DIS-but-NOT-adjacent penal unit have to move (1 hex) towards an enemy or can it attempt to recover? I feel a Linda Blair moment coming on.

They just keep moving even disrupted, no stopping until they get next to the enemy unit. Then at that point attempt to recover and assault. But they never make it that far. They are pure cannon fodder. Also no stopping for mines either, this seems one of the "specialties".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shtrafbat

[vince hughes]

Guys,

I waited for a few answers here.

I am very unhappy with the way that rule is written. Like Campsawyer, PY and Hugs, I too am in the keep moving forward and must move camp.

But why could they just not write "Must be activated" or can not Pass on a turn when an unactivated Penal unit is on the board. Similarly, why don't they write "Use full MP allowance" instead of the fangled way it is written.

I am glad you came to that conclusion as we had to stop our game session on the strength of it. I was not going to play a battle where there is unhappiness on a rule and it might later be used or applied wrongly and therefore spoil the scenario. The other reason I am glad you came to the conclusion you did is that a 'canny' Soviet player, by not moving full speed toward the enemy, can each turn simply use them to accompany his regular troops in a more sophisticated fashion.

And talking of mines, the first Penal unit just piled into them in our game and escaped scratches BUT was mown down by HMG's and rifle fire entrenched beyond !

[Shad]

Late to the party because I was dealing with The Party but here is my interpretation, for what it's worth, in the form of a decision tree:

• if I am good order and...
  • adjacent to an enemy unit I assault it!
    
  • not adjacent to an enemy unit I use my maximum movement allowance to move as close as possible to the nearest enemy unit*
    
• if I am disrupted and...
  • adjacent to an enemy unit I try to rally myself in preparation for assault!
    
  • not adjacent to an enemy unit I use my disruption-reduced maximum movement allowance to move as close as possible to the nearest enemy unit
    
• if I am demoralized I try to rally myself
  

This is clear and easy to implement in my eyes.
* - there is still room for dicking around here in the form of high-cost terrain - do I plunge straight ahead and therefore take more time to reach the target or do I skirt the field/swamp/forest and move less linearly but faster towards the enemy?

[vince hughes]

Shad, you are on the same page. Just a pity they could not write "When moving closer to enemy units, Penal units must use their full MP allowance where possible to move closer to them"

Simple as that (you'd think)

[Shad]

I would cast a stink eye at anyone who would dare argue against it, given that we know historically these poor lads had machine guns and attack dogs just over their shoulders...

Move one hex? Sure, then you can take a step loss because your guys have all just been gunned down by the police troop "motivation squad" behind them!