OPPORTUNITY FIRE

wlee123

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I understand the rule for Opp Fire and the advantage it conveys of not halving your FP in the Afph, but how is it used tactically? Obviously any unit employing Opp fire did not have a suitable target for Prep fire, it didn't need to move, and your opponent is not going to move (except possibly route) during your turn. So how and why is Opp fire employed? What kinds of situations do you find yourself marking units with Opp fire? Thanks in advance for any wisdom you can share.
 

klasmalmstrom

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I think the way it's most often used is when you have multiple enemy stack in LOS of say e.g., a MG stack, but all of them are concealed. You place the MG stack under Op Fire and hope that your units that move might draw some fire and the enemy units lose concealment when they shoot. Then in the AFPh you might be able to shoot at those enemy units with full firepower - instead of half if done in the PFPh.
 

wlee123

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Excellent, thanks Klas. I had not thought of that.
 

wlee123

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Also, when you have a CX unit that wants to Prep, but not with the +1 for CX. Or if you want to fire a LATW from a building/rubble, but don't want to eat the backblast.
The CX case makes perfect sense. Can you elaborate more on the rules in play with the backblast and how Opp fire negates the penalty?
 

CTKnudsen

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It's in the exception at the end of the first sentence of C13.8. Basically you trade the +2 Case C3 TH mod for having to potentially suck up some Defensive Fire. So if you have a BAZ and an enemy tank and it's the PFPh, you can either a) Prep without the +2 Case C3 mod, and risk backblast, b) Not risk backblast, but have a +2 TH mod, or c) Opp Fire in the AFPh with neither +2 TH nor backblast - if you survive the DFPh...
 

wlee123

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It's in the exception at the end of the first sentence of C13.8. Basically you trade the +2 Case C3 TH mod for having to potentially suck up some Defensive Fire. So if you have a BAZ and an enemy tank and it's the PFPh, you can either a) Prep without the +2 Case C3 mod, and risk backblast, b) Not risk backblast, but have a +2 TH mod, or c) Opp Fire in the AFPh with neither +2 TH nor backblast - if you survive the DFPh...
[/QUOTE
Outstanding! Thank you for the explanation and tips.
 

von Marwitz

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Lots of good advice so far!

The use of an Opportunity Fire counter in itself can be used as a threat to some concealed enemy units that may keep them from using Defensive Fire at all, i.e. suppression without actually firing.

For example, a concealed Defender may be ready to take the risk of a (final) 4+1 shot during Prep Fire by a the non-Opportunity Firer, but after having lost Concealment for using Defensive Fire, he may not be ready to take the risk of a (final) 8+1 shot by thr Opportunity Firer, thus forfeiting his Defensive Fire to retain Concealment and to keep his risk at a (final) 4+1 by the Opportunity Firer.

If this 'suppression without firing' works, the Opportunity Firer might still have the option to fire with full FP at other targets during his AFPh.

von Marwitz
 

Robin Reeve

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If this 'suppression without firing' works, the Opportunity Firer might still have the option to fire with full FP at other targets during his AFPh.
Or at half FP (rather than 1/4) vs. the concealed target and, if keeping ROF, more than once - possibly stripping concealment in the meanwhile.
 

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But in the vein of "it's a game about movement", FWIW and in my experience, Opp Firing is rare. Maybe once, twice, per game, if the circumstances dictate. If that.
 

Tuomo

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This is one of the most important fundamental wisdoms about the game of ASL.
Well. As we all know, "movement" is a nebulous and ill-defined quantity, ephemeral at best.

STYLE POINTS, on the other hand, are more valuable than Bitcoin. One can technically fail to accomplish the Western-thought-centric dictates encapsulated in the "Victory Conditions" while still racking up enough Style Points to feel completely good about one's self.

And in this mad, mad, mad, mad world, Imma gonna take every last one I can GET.
 

von Marwitz

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"Well. As we all know, "movement" is a nebulous and ill-defined quantity, ephemeral at best.

STYLE POINTS, on the other hand, are more valuable than Bitcoin. One can technically fail to accomplish the Western-thought-centric dictates encapsulated in the "Victory Conditions" while still racking up enough Style Points to feel completely good about one's self.

And in this mad, mad, mad, mad world, Imma gonna take every last one I can GET."


the Commissar said when he was at long last cornered in the first level of 8W6 by Germans all around in the castle towering atop the cliff who had then demanded his immediate surrender. In a grand gesture he then flipped away the stub of his last cigarette and - passing his TC with snakeeyes - cast himself out of the window into the the V5 river below...

The astounded Landsers could not agree if the last they heard was "Easy one..." or "E6.1..." before he took to the misty air...

15513

von Marwitz
 

Juan SantaX

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Lots of good advice before me.

Another way to use opp fire is to direct enemy defensive fire.
If in your movement phase you move first an hs that in Adv Fire Phase will allow you to make with the opp firer an interesting FG/encirclement chance, your opponent will meet a thought choice; shoot at that hs and get the first fire counter, or wait for the rest of your moving units? You dont need an opp firer to do that, but if you have it, it will make your opponent response more predictable.
 

Jazz

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There's also the occasion where you want to move a leader up to direct the Opp Firer.
Which raises an interesting question/point.....a SW that did not move and wuz marked with Opp Fire can shoot ROF in the Adv Fire Phase. Can a leader that moved that turn direct/modify ROF shots from such a SW?

I'm thinkin' no, but I have not done a rulz dive to make a definitive call....
 
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