Armored Vehicles
TANKS - VISIBILITY
One of the major concerns of fighting from inside a tank, or against the tank, is that visibility is poor from inside the beast. Someone in the tank has to see the target before it can be fired at. The driver and assistant driver when "buttoned up"can see ahead only a 45 degree arc on either side of the center line. The commander has a 360 degree vision arc. The gunner can only see items that the turret points at.
The chances of spotting a target from a buttoned up tank are:
TO FRONT: 50%
TO SIDE: 25%
TO REAR 15%
If the members of the crew are "unbuttoned" they have a 100° chance of seeing a target to the front or sides, but only a 75% chance of seeing one to the rear, unless one of the crew members uses a card to turn around and face the rear. Even unbuttoned, the driver and co-driver can see only to the front.
MISC. NOTES ON TANKS AND VEHICLES:
The maximum speed of the tank is 6” per card. It can move at any rate but cannot change the rate without a crew card. When it is set in motion it stays in motion on every card FOR ITS SIDE It will not start or stop without a crew card. If following a road it will guide along the road, but if going in a straight line, it goes in a straight line till stopped or turned.
If the tank though some maneuvering error runs into a wall it will go through it but will have a 25% chance of a broken track. If it runs into something it can’t go through such as a building, it stops with a 25% chance of a broken track.
Maximum turret rotation is ¼ revolution per card for AFVs with power traverse (American mediums and heavies) and 1/8 revolution per card for all other turreted AFVs.
General notes on tanks:
- The maximum speed of the tank is 6 inches per card. When it is set in motion it stay in motion on every card until stopped by the driver or damage.
- The turret may turn 90degrees if fitted with power traverse, or only 45 degrees if hand traverse. Most American tanks had power traverse. Most other tanks did not.
- There are two 250-round ammunition boxes for each Machine gun on board.
- The main armament of the tank has the following number of rounds, divided any way the tank commander wants into high explosive, armor piercing, smoke or cannister. Roll a D10.
- 1 = 10 rounds
- 2,3,4 = 15 rounds
- 5,6,7 = 20 rounds
- 8,9 = 25 rounds
- 10 = 30 rounds
- Whenever the main gun fires, if the D100 roll to hit results in "100" the main gun backfires, fills the tank with smoke and all hatches must be open for 2 cards before anybody can see anything.
- If the die roll is 99, the gun firing mechanism breaks and it cannot be fired till repaired. Repair complexity = moderate.
- If any of the machine guns roll 100 when firing, they jam and cannot fire till repaired. Moderate complexity to repair.
AFV MORALE
AFV morale is tested whenever the AFV is fired on by any weapon capable of destroying it. Or whenever any AFV crewman is killed or seriously wounded. Roll a D100.
0-50, morale is intact.
51-75 morale fails. AFV must stop where it is till enemy weapon is sighted, destroyed, or the AFV passes morale.
76+ AFV attempts to retrace its movement and exit the table at its entry point unless the tank commander passes his morale check before exiting.
Modifiers to the above roll:
-10 Each man killed
-15 Officer or NCO killed
-20 AFV lost
-10 Small vehicle lost or AFV leaves table
-5 Heavy weapon lost. (Modifier negated if weapon is regained)
+5 each enemy man killed.
+20 Each enemy AFV destroyed
+10 Each enemy small vehicle destroyed
If the AFV is immobilized, a morale check must be take as above. 0-50 crew is OK and may remain in the vehicle or get out as player decides, at any time. 51+, Crew morale snaps and they must abandon vehicle ASAP,
Roll a D10 for each crewman who exits the vehicle.
1,2 = He brings an SMG with him and two magazines.
3 = He brings an SMG, and a hand grenade.
4,5 = He brings his pistol with him and two magazines.
6+ he gets out with only the clothes on his back.
DUTIES AND POSSIBILITIES OF CREW MEMBERS:
The DRIVER may steer the vehicle
- He may increase or decrease the speed at which it moves.
- He may stop the vehicle or start it.
- He may move himself and his seat up or down to "button up" or "unbutton" and close or open his hatch with the vehicle in motion or at rest.
- He may perform repair work on the transmission (located at the front in most WWII tanks).
- He may move to and assume any other crew position, while abandoning his own.
- He may leave the vehicle, opening his top hatch (or bottom escape hatch if present) as he goes.
The FRONT GUNNER
- He may fire the bow machine gun at a target previously aquired.
- He may attempt to acquire a target through his periscope or vision slit.
- He may reload the bow machine gun from a new ammunition box.
- He may move himself and his seat up or down to "button up" or "unbutton" and close or open his hatch with the vehicle in motion or at rest.
- He may move to and assume any other crew position, while abandoning his own.
- He may leave the vehicle, opening his top hatch (or bottom escape hatch if present) as he goes.
- He may perform repair work on the transmission (located at the front in most WWII tanks).
The GUNNER
- He may fire the main gun or the Co-axial machine gun at a target previously aquired.
- He may attempt to acquire a target through his sight.
- He may traverse the turret onto a target acquired by himself or the commander.
- He may "sight-in" on a target, thus giving a +20 die modifier for the main gun.
- He may move to and assume any other crew position, while abandoning his own.
- He may leave the vehicle after first moving to a position with a hatch or through the fight side door (if present).
The LOADER
- He may load or unload the main gun with any type of ammunition onboard.
- He may reload the co-axial machine gun from a new ammunition box.
- He may move to and assume any other crew position, while abandoning his own.
- He may leave the vehicle, opening his top hatch (or left side door, if present) as he goes.
- He may move himself and his seat up or down to "button up" or "unbutton" and close or open his hatch with the vehicle in motion or at rest.
- If unbuttoned, he may fire the anti-aircraft machine gun. Note that on some bearings, to fire the anti-aircraftmachine gun, he may have to first leave the turret and stand on the tank's back deck.
The COMMANDER
- He may fire the main gun or the co-axial machine gun, at a target previously aquired, with a -10% penalty.
- He may attempt to "acquire" a target through his vision ports or by just looking around if unbuttoned.
- He may traverse the turret.
- He may move himself and his seat up or down to "button up" or "unbutton" and close or open his hatch with the vehicle in motion or at rest.
- He may move to and assume any other crew position, while abandoning his own.
- He may leave the vehicle, opening his top hatch as he goes
- If unbuttoned, he may fire the anti-aircraft machine gun. Note that on some bearings, to fire the anti-aircraft machine gun, he may have to first leave the turret and stand on the tank's back deck.
A NOTE on crewmen. A card for the crew of an AFV (or a free move card given to an AFV crew) allowes EACH crewmen to perform one action. On one card, for a U.S. Sherman tank, the driver may stop the tank, while the front gunner/co-driver tries to see a target for his .30 caliber machine gun. The gunner may try to spot the slimey person who just fired a panzerfaust (and missed) at the tank. The loader flings a high explosive shell into the tank gun's breach, while the commander drops down into the turret and closes his hatch (feeling a bit exposed he was!). All of this happened on ONE card.
General notes on tanks:
- The maximum speed of the tank is 6 inches per card. When it is set in motion it stay in motion on every card for it's side until stopped by the driver or damage.
- The turret may turn 90 degrees if fitted with power traverse, or only 45 degrees if hand traverse. Most American tanks had power traverse. Most other tanks did not.
- There are two 250-round boxes for each Machine gun on board. The main armament of the tank has ammunition equal to the sum of three D6 dice. This is subdivided any way the "owning" player desires into:High explosive, armor piercing, smoke, and cannister.
- There is no possibility of repair for a broken track during the game. Immobilized tank crew test morale.
Misc. notes
Repairs may be made to any broken item. Unless otherwise specified:
