Controlled Buildings

[Ryan Marsh]

What qualifies as controlling a building? I assume that having a unit in the building counts, but are their other conditions? I was playing a mission that the victory condition was to control > 25 buildings in a given area, but the side only had about 16 squads. If the only way to control a building is by having a unit inside of it, that would be difficult. I guess you can break the squads into half squads, and have twice as many, but if even a few die, game over. I played it that the side needing to capture buildings could count any building basically behind their lines. Is there a particular rule I should be looking at, or a generally accepted way to calculate this?

 

[Binchois]

See A26.14-.162

Basically, you must get units inside, after eliminating any enemy within them! Managing your time/units in order to do this is often one of the attackers' biggest concerns.

 

[Russ Isaia]

The other biggest concern is often keeping the enemy from slipping back in on the last turn to contest or take back control. I remember one particularly clever illustration from an AAR, when on the very last CCPh of the game a defender's unit Ambushed a CC attacker and then elected to withdraw from that CC -- into a neighboring hex of the last building the attacker needed to control for a win!

 

[von_meyer]

A26.11 GAINING CONTROL: At scenario start a side gains Control of all Locations/hexes/buildings within its set-up area [EXC: if within both sides' set-up areas], as well as all Locations/hexes/buildings on a board if that side is the only side which may set up on that board at scenario start.

During play, a side gains Control of a Location/hex/building by occupying it with an armed Good Order Infantry MMC without the presence of an armed enemy ground unit [EXC: subterranean units] in that same Location/hex/building (see also 26.13-.14 for hex/building Control). Control can be gained during the act of movement; a unit need not end a phase (or even survive Defensive First Fire) in the Location/hex/building to gain Control of it. However, Control cannot be gained via Bypass.

A vehicle (or its PRC) can never gain Control of a building, but may gain Control of its Location/hex as per 26.12. A non-bypassing armed vehicle (or armed PRC) prevents the opponent from gaining Control of the Location/hex/building it occupies. An armed vehicle in bypass of a building prevents the opponent from gaining Control of the Location/ hex, but not from gaining Control of the building.

After successfully securing a building by Mopping Up (12.153), a player gains Control of the building and all its hexes and Locations [EXC: any Location/hex containing an armed enemy vehicle (including armed PRC) in bypass]. See G11.94 for Control of caves.

 

[jrv]

double-post. Really? I thought we upgraded.

JR

 

[Binchois]

To Ryan - Having only been back at ASL for the last year myself, I think it is completely understandable that you missed the (Building) Control Rules. The rules for Victory Conditions occur at the end of chapter A (A26.0), after a series of RB sections dealing with "as needed" materials such as Cavalry, DC and FT, Nationality distinctions, etc. Most of the VC rules are of this type. It is natural when approaching ASL to absorb all of the need-to-know rules from Chapters A-D and to selectively skim other parts (like so much of chapter B!) until you play a scenario that employs them. Indeed, there are many rules that you will rarely find yourself needing at all (depending on your playing preferences), and one does want to get playing right away!

Forgive me if I am making poor assumptions here - and offering advice when none is asked for! - but I found it to be very useful to keep reading and rereading those first five chapters for the first few months after beginning to play again (even parts I don't need for my current game(s)). A pocket edition of the RB is great for this purpose. The entire RB continually cross-references and interconnects, and frequently the answer to one question lies in a very different part of the tome. But, after a fashion, you become fairly secure - beginning to feel confident of both what you do know, and what you will need to know better when the time arises.

 

[jrv]

What qualifies as controlling a building? I assume that having a unit in the building counts, but are their other conditions? I was playing a mission that the victory condition was to control > 25 buildings in a given area, but the side only had about 16 squads. If the only way to control a building is by having a unit inside of it, that would be difficult. I guess you can break the squads into half squads, and have twice as many, but if even a few die, game over. I played it that the side needing to capture buildings could count any building basically behind their lines. Is there a particular rule I should be looking at, or a generally accepted way to calculate this?

Building Control is established by having a Good Order MMC enter any Location of that building without the presence of an enemy unit (in any state, e.g. broken, disrupted, etc). Once a building is controlled it remains controlled by the friendly side until the enemy take control themselves. There is no need to garrison buildings once they are controlled (except to prevent enemy units from re-gaining control). One MMC can gain control of as many buildings as time (and the enemy) will allow.

JR

 

[Ryan Marsh]

So they do have to physically move through the location, they cannot just surround it. Interesting. And Benchois, yes, I have been reading the rule book itself (on loan), but it is massive to try and remember all at once. Just getting through the different phases, without skipping steps is an accomplishment at this point. I am not adding in Big Guns or Vehicles yet, I am trying to gain a firm grasp of infantry before moving on.

 

[von Marwitz]

So they do have to physically move through the location, they cannot just surround it. Interesting. And Benchois, yes, I have been reading the rule book itself (on loan), but it is massive to try and remember all at once. Just getting through the different phases, without skipping steps is an accomplishment at this point. I am not adding in Big Guns or Vehicles yet, I am trying to gain a firm grasp of infantry before moving on.

Well, you do not necessarily move through all Locations of a building to gain Control of it. If it is devoid of enemy units and your friendly unit is the only one in a multi-hex building, you still gain Control of it. Then you can use Mopping Up to gain Control of a Building which still contains enemy units which are all broken.

von Marwitz

 

[Ryan Marsh]

Well, you do not necessarily move through all Locations of a building to gain Control of it. If it is devoid of enemy units and your friendly unit is the only one in a multi-hex building, you still gain Control of it. Then you can use Mopping Up to gain Control of a Building which still contains enemy units which are all broken.

von Marwitz

Ok, that makes more sense. I am off to read my rules right now and hope to retain the information!

 

[Binchois]

So they do have to physically move through the location, they cannot just surround it. Interesting. And Benchois, yes, I have been reading the rule book itself (on loan), but it is massive to try and remember all at once. Just getting through the different phases, without skipping steps is an accomplishment at this point. I am not adding in Big Guns or Vehicles yet, I am trying to gain a firm grasp of infantry before moving on.

Good plan and keep at it! For that matter, I think I have some rules to reread myself...!:study:

 

[jrv]

Ok, that makes more sense. I am off to read my rules right now and hope to retain the information!

One thing you will need to pay attention to is the differences between location, hex & building control. It is possible to control all locations in a building without controlling that building, and it is also possible to control a building without controlling any locations in it. For any given scenario, most likely only one of the three control schemes is in play, but you will need to know which, and how it works.

JR

 

[c600g]

Something to keep in mind - SMC can prevent the loss of building control, but can not gain control of a building once lost. That's another good use for that 6+1 leader.

Alan

 

[Ryan Marsh]

Something to keep in mind - SMC can prevent the loss of building control, but can not gain control of a building once lost. That's another good use for that 6+1 leader.

Alan

Thanks for the tip! You have to find any use you can for the bad leaders.