D3.3 and D3.51

[Doug Leslie]

Apologies if this is "old hat" but I have viewed two different forums giving what appear to be different answers on this:

D.3.3- "Any vehicle that fires during its MPh is using Bounding First Fire and is marked with a Bounding First Fire counter [EXC: if the only weapon fired did not exhaust its Multiple ROF]"

Then, buried at the end of D3.51(which is mostly concerned with maintaining CA), this is added-

"Once any vehicular weapon fires, its other weapons may fire in that phase only from that hex [EXC: OVR; and MA (my emphasis) retaining a multiple ROF may fire again from another hex if the previous shots were Bounding First Fire]"

1. Does this mean that, once a vehicle fires its MA during BFF (even if retaining its ROF) it must use its MG(s) in that hex or forfeit their use for the rest of the phase?

2. Conversely, does this mean that a vehicle that fires its MG(s) during the MPh must also fire its MA (regardless of whether it has multiple ROF possibility) from the same hex or forfeit its use for the rest of that phase?

3. Following on from this, can a vehicle that fires its MA as bounding first fire (not using its MG armament) but that retains ROF subsequently conduct an OVR (given that the relevant rule only stipulates that an vehicle cannot conduct an OVR if it is marked with a bounding fire counter and says nothing about whether it has previously fired without resulting in its being so marked)?

4. If so, can it use its MGs for the OVR or is it restricted to its base FP?

 

[Brian W]

1) Yes
2) Yes
3) No
4) N/A

 

[Doug Leslie]

1) Yes
2) Yes
3) No
4) N/A

That's my take with regard to 1 and 2. Could you be more specific regarding 3? A vehicle that retains ROF after using only its MA to BFF is explicitly stated not to be covered by a bounding fire counter (Rule 3.3). This appears to be the case even though its MGs will be prohibited from firing in a different hex under rule D3.51.

I don't have the rule book in front of me but (correct me if I am wrong) my understanding is that the overrun rules only prohibit vehicles covered by a bounding fire counter from conducting an OVR. A vehicle that fires its MA without using up its ROF does not fall into that category. Why therefore could it not conduct an OVR using its base FP even if use of its MGs is now prohibited?

 

[Doug Leslie]

I sent a "Perry Sez" query on this:-

Q. "An AFV fires its MA as bounding first fire during its MPh (retaining ROF) but does not fire its MG armament. According to Rule D3.3, the result is that it does not place a bounding fire counter but, per Rule D3.51, it is now prohibited from using its MGs after moving to a different hex.

May the AFV now move to a different hex and conduct an OVR using only its base 4 FP given that Rule 7.1 only prohibits a vehicle covered by a bounding fire counter from carrying out such an attack as opposed to a vehicle that has previously fired?"

A. No OVR

Perry "

I guess that this is what I had always assumed to be the case until recently looking at D7.1 more closely but it does seem to me that, given Perry's response, the wording to Rule D7.1 should be changed so that it prohibits a vehicle that has previously fired from conducting an OVR. Given the wording of D3.3, the terms "has previously fired" and " is marked with a bounding fire counter" are not synonymous.