dumb question about pinned units

[HeThinksAgain]

From a complete noob playing solo at home ....

It's unclear to me when to remove the pin counters from pinned units.

Is it:
1) at the end of each player's turn for all players regardless of whether they are attacker or defender?
2) at the end of a game turn, i.e. when the turn chart would move onto the next turn, e.g. turn 1 to turn 2?
3) at the end of the pinned players next attacking turn?

If the answer is 1) or 2) then it would seem that if a player gets pinned during an attackers turn then the being pinned doesn't do a great deal?

Any help greatly appreciated.

Cheers, Al.

 

[Spencer Armstrong]

1) at the end of each player's turn for all players regardless of whether they are attacker or defender?

It's this one.

If the answer is 1) or 2) then it would seem that if a player gets pinned during an attackers turn then the being pinned doesn't do a great deal?

Any help greatly appreciated.

Cheers, Al.

I'm not sure if you mean attacker's or defender's. On your turn, it usually costs you your advance. On your opponent's turn it can cost you full fire in defensive fire. Both of those things are huge. However, sometimes being pinned doesn't seem to matter...but it can surprise you. Really stinks to get pinned right before somebody jumps on you in CC. That +1 on the ambush roll and 1/2 FP in CC can really ruin your day.

S

 

[Spencer Armstrong]

Something that's missed (I think) in SK: The info counters are color-coded for when they come off, by phase. The red ones all come off at the end of CCPh.

The phases thus identified are:
RPh: Blue (DM is the main one)
MPh: Green (Resid, Infantry Smoke)
DFPh: Purple (First/Final markers)
AFPh: Orange (Prep Fire markers)
CCPh: Red (Pin/TI)

Black print info counters have their own rules, usually. CX is a key example of this, since when it comes off varies.

S

 

[ASL Couple]

I can't provide exact ASLSK rules references, but #1 is correct.

As for not doing a great deal:

a) if you pin units during your prep fire phase, they will only fire at half strength during your movement phase

b) if you pin units during prep fire or advancing fire and then get into close combat, the pinned units will get a detrimental ambush modifer, plus they will attack at half strength during that CC (although it defends at full strength)

c) a pinned unit manning a gun suffers a +2 DRM to its To Hit number

d) there are some other things pinned units cannot do (may or may not be in starter kits rules) such as: use flamethrowers; use demo charges; use multiple ROF; intensive fire a Gun; change covered arc; voluntarily rout; maintain a machine gun firelane. Plus a pinned leader can't use his leadership modifier.

 

[HeThinksAgain]

Cheers, that's a huge help. I'm still learning the ropes and realising that I've missed things during each phase. A lot of it is starting to make sense though, and my style of play is more biased towards realism than gaming so a lot of the rules do make sense after several plays.

I hadn't realised the colours were that significant! You learn something every day, or several times a day when learning ASL!!

Thanks, Al.

 

[HeThinksAgain]

I can't provide exact ASLSK rules references, but #1 is correct.

As for not doing a great deal:

a) if you pin units during your prep fire phase, they will only fire at half strength during your movement phase

b) if you pin units during prep fire or advancing fire and then get into close combat, the pinned units will get a detrimental ambush modifer, plus they will attack at half strength during that CC (although it defends at full strength)

c) a pinned unit manning a gun suffers a +2 DRM to its To Hit number

d) there are some other things pinned units cannot do (may or may not be in starter kits rules) such as: use flamethrowers; use demo charges; use multiple ROF; intensive fire a Gun; change covered arc; voluntarily rout; maintain a machine gun firelane. Plus a pinned leader can't use his leadership modifier.

I'm in the weird position of playing to the SK rules but I also own the full rulebook which I use when I get stuck - this doesn't always help because I have applied rules that aren't in the SK, but then I want to move up to full ASL soon enough so I don't mind.

I don't think some of the rules apply in SK, but I may have simply missed them!!

Cheers, Al.

 

[applecatcher4]

There are no silly questions when you are starting out with ASL. I remember wondering about when the pin comes off myself. The best way to learn is to find a helpful opponent. Don't make the mistake of waiting until you think you are good enough. When you do eventually play someone more experienced, you will realise how much you've been doing wrong and how terrible your tactics are. There are helpful players out there and that is the way to learn ASL.

Good luck

 

[applecatcher4]

Altrincham is in prime ASL country. Alan, follow this link for local players:
http://www.vftt.co.uk/aslers_locator.asp?zipcode=wa15&radius=15&Submit1=Find+opponents+within+the+area

 

[SamB]

There are no silly questions when you are starting out with ASL. I remember wondering about when the pin comes off myself. The best way to learn is to find a helpful opponent. Don't make the mistake of waiting until you think you are good enough. When you do eventually play someone more experienced, you will realise how much you've been doing wrong and how terrible your tactics are. There are helpful players out there and that is the way to learn ASL.

Good luck

All of the above is excellent advice for any new player. I second all of it.

Find a local opponent if at all possible. Don't worry about not knowing the game well enough. EVERYONE plays some things wrong (and I mean major things) until they play one or two experienced opponents and realize they missed part of the rule(s).

Play.