Desert Dummies

[Juzek]

While this thread could be referring to my lack of experience playing desert scenarios, my question is about setting up dummy counters on desert boards. The OB gives me 10 concealment counters, and the only concealment terrain is scrub, most of which are also in sand. At first I thought the idea was to use the dummies to disguise the locations of squad/MG/leader stacks, but that doesn't work unless those stacks are in scrub. I also have some foxholes, so I can use those in the sand/scrub hexes, but then the TEM is halved. I'd like as much TEM as I can get for my MG hexes since the attacker also has dive-bombers. Several of the scrub hexes are not where I would like to place the MGs. I could place empty dummy stacks in scrub hexes without fortifications, but once the attacker enters the board I have to reveal most of my sangars/foxholes/trenches since he'll have LOS to pretty much the whole board. It seems dumb to waste fortifications on dummies, so the attacker can safely assume any concealed stack not in an entrenchment/sangar is a dummy stack.

The attacker enters from off board, so all my units/stacks can be concealed at start. Am I correct that I cannot place extra concealment counters on real units that are not in concealment terrain?

 

[jrv]

While this thread could be referring to my lack of experience playing desert scenarios, my question is about setting up dummy counters on desert boards. The OB gives me 10 concealment counters, and the only concealment terrain is scrub, most of which are also in sand. At first I thought the idea was to use the dummies to disguise the locations of squad/MG/leader stacks, but that doesn't work unless those stacks are in scrub. I also have some foxholes, so I can use those in the sand/scrub hexes, but then the TEM is halved. I'd like as much TEM as I can get for my MG hexes since the attacker also has dive-bombers. Several of the scrub hexes are not where I would like to place the MGs. I could place empty dummy stacks in scrub hexes without fortifications, but once the attacker enters the board I have to reveal most of my sangars/foxholes/trenches since he'll have LOS to pretty much the whole board. It seems dumb to waste fortifications on dummies, so the attacker can safely assume any concealed stack not in an entrenchment/sangar is a dummy stack.

The attacker enters from off board, so all my units/stacks can be concealed at start. Am I correct that I cannot place extra concealment counters on real units that are not in concealment terrain?

You are correct that you may not place the OB-given concealment counters and/or dummies anywhere but in scrub, assuming there is no other concealment terrain.

Note that although sand halves the TEM of emplacement [F7.41], it also halves the FP of ordnance (e.g. HE bombs) [F7.4], so putting MGs & manning infantry in sand(/scrub) may not be so bad if your major concern is dive bombers (and/or other ordnance). The TH is slightly worse because the TEM is +1 instead of +2, but the effects become much more survivable on a hit. You are better off than setting up in a sangar. This will also help with the non-depletable HE on the PzJg Is.

JR