Smoke and Illumination ammunition

[Blackcloud6]

4th Ed rules say:

Limited Ammunition: Each side in a scenario has a number of turns of smoke equal to 10 percent of the turns in the game, with fractions rounded up. So a 12-turn game allows for two rounds of smoke/illumination, while a 36-turn game would allow four turns. To track usage, place either a Smoke or Illumination marker under the firing unit to indicate one usage, or note off-board artillery's usage on a piece of paper.


This rule uses both "rounds of: and "turns of."  So what does this mean?  if it is a 16 turn scenario then does the side get to fire Illumination only twice, or get to fire illumination on two turns by as many units that can fire it?

[Shad]

I think they should all be read as "turns".

[Hugmenot]

I understood it to mean that each smoke-capable unit and off-board artillery factor has two rounds of smoke ammunition in a 16-game turn scenario. Unit A could fire smoke on turns 1 & 2 and unit B on turns 3 & 4.

[Greyfox]

I understood it to mean that each smoke-capable unit and off-board artillery factor has two rounds of smoke ammunition in a 16-game turn scenario. Unit A could fire smoke on turns 1 & 2 and unit B on turns 3 & 4.

Agreed. That would marry up neatly with the concept of a basic load. Each artillery unit would have had a mix of HE, smoke, and illumination rounds. The majority would have been HE, however, each platform or battery would have maintained a set number of the other types. This would have allowed more flexibility to Commanders - allowing them more options to shape the battlefield in support of maneuvering into forces.

[Shad]

Somebody take the above information and format it into a concise, clear blurb and we'll have our first "annotation" for 4th edition rules on this site

[Blackcloud6]

How about this:

The resultant number is the number of turns that EACH smoke/illumination capable artillery unit can fire the special ammunition in the entire scenario. Note that the number turn is total for each artillery unit, it could fire 1 smoke and 1 illumination, or 2 smoke, or 2 illumination.

Pleas confirm the latter notion on total amounts is correct; this is how I read 17.18 to mean.