More home grown house rules

[RLW]

Here is another homespun house rule that I am now testing in my test game., the bug out rule.

When a defender (in real life)  is attacked it can do what is called in military lingo, not accept the attack. This rule allows one to do just that and if an assault is made on a hex all or some of the units capable of moving (e.g. they haven't already fired or moved and are limbered and such)  in that hex can not accept that attack and withdraw to an adjacent hex.


[edit] The assaulting unit gets a free shot at it just as if it were withdrawing  from that hex  just as in the the standard rules. 
[edit] except good order AFVs are exempt from this free shot, but the assaulting force can fire AT fire (but not bazooka fire, etc) at the them but  if so they cannot also fire AF at the bugging out non AFVs.   

Bugging out good order  AFVs  do not have to place a disrupted  counter but use half their MPs  but can continue their move... it pays to be mobile, especially  when bugging out. However it in doing so it uses all its MPs then it too becomes disrupted. Disrupted or demoralized AFVs bug out using the same rules as non AFVs except they too can be shot at using AT fire, including bazookas too since they are slower to get out of dodge than their good order AFV companions..

[edit] Non AFVs (or non good order AFVs) bugging out units  have two choices. They can either place a moved/fired marker on them in that adjacent hex that they moved during their bug out or  become disrupted but will still able to move in a later segment. This choice  reflects  an orderly bug out vs  hasty bug out where the orderly bug out takes more time (and hence the move/fire counter) but the hasty  bug out causes more disruption(and hence the disruption country)  but allows the bugged out units to move one more hex (or attempt a rally, though if that was what they originally planned it would have been better to do the orderly bug out. 

BTW, the difference between bugging out and a normal withdrawal is that a unit that bugs out does so before the assaulting units have time to close in to close range, hence no bazooka fire and such where a normal withdrawal occurs where the assaulting units have closewd the range and thus it is harder to disengage form that assault. The penalty that a bugging out unit takes is that they cannot return their AF fire.

Any unit already disrupted (it was already disrupted of became disrupted by the free shot) becomes demoralized for the hasty bug out and   can attempt to rally in some later impulse as a normal demoralized unit  or (for the orderly bug out places a moved/fired  counter on it. If already demoralized it can  choose to stay behind  as a rear guard and accept the attack or do a MC and if it fails it is eliminated and if it passes it can  bug out as well but is placed with a moved fire counter for doing so.  A demoralized unit cannot make a orderly bug out and thus must eventually make a subsequent moral check unless the turn ends via fog of war before that.

These units can also leave behind a rear guard that  suffers that assault as a normal assault in lieu of the free shot against the bugging out units. 

[edit] If that rear guard is demoralized it must pass a morale check  their on the spot and if it paases it can defend that hex with the  improved moral  but if it fails it must bug out as well and place a moved /fired counter on it in contrast for it having just bugged out and not trying to serve as a rear guard. thus in doing so giving the assaulter that free shot after all.

If the attacker was conducting an overrun then it may move into the hex either pre designated of into a hex that the bug out unit moved (if it has enough MPs to do so and could enter that hex normally). It must end its movement there and does not get another AF shot but is considered a normal assault hex and any enemy units in that hex that do not have a moved/fire counter (including the units that just bugged out if they are not demoralized... though they would be by necessity disrupted if they did not have a moved/fired counter) can conduct their own  assault fire  in a subsequent impulse.

The reason for this rule is that it seems really hard to turn and run in the existing assault rules and once presented with overwhelming force they  take a last stand instead of bugging out. This rule also allows for a leap frog withdrawal in that a unit behind that unit can block for the units bugging out, since the bugging out units can make one more hex move to move behind the screening unit.
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One other rule here that is in the same vein as the above bug out rule is that any disrupted unit can  voluntarily become demoralized. If it does that then it is assumed to have failed its moral check and the is free to flee. That way it to can bug out and move further than the one hex limit for being disrupted. Also a demoralized unit can voluntarily fail its moral check and flee as well.  These rules are designed to  better allow units to turn tale and run when the occasion  warrants  such actions. 

BTW, on play testing this I made a few changes to it (see the edit paragraph) in that there seems to be a few rough spots in this rule to still to work out.