Enemy Smoke Grenades

RavDavyGravy

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Please can you help me to understand rule 5.74?

An ENEMY S? with a Prevailing Attitude of Advance, is Activated in the ENEMY MPh and gets an "F" result. This generates an automatic same-hex Smoke placement after each FRIENDLY unit has been given the chance to conduct defensive fire. Since the smoke screen caused by smoke grenades is removed immediately at the end of the ATTACKER's Mph, what is the point of smoke in this case?
 

Robin Reeve

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Hindering your Defensive First Fire vs the Enemy.
 

RavDavyGravy

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Thanks for answering Robin. But the smoke in not placed until after the FRIENDLY Defensive First Fire is conducted so I can't see how it is hindered? I'm perhaps missing or mis-reading a rule.
 

Gordon

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It could potentially mask later moving Suspect counters and activated units from additional defensive fire also.
 

Eagle4ty

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Thanks for answering Robin. But the smoke in not placed until after the FRIENDLY Defensive First Fire is conducted so I can't see how it is hindered? I'm perhaps missing or mis-reading a rule.
I have a feeling that there is a bit missing here in the rule. As the activation was caused by a MP expenditure thus entailing defensive fire opportunities based upon that unit's MF expenditure to enter that location it could entail both 1st and S1F defensive fire attacks against it prior to using an additional MF to use a sGrn as usual. Since its movement stops upon activation there is no cost to place a sGrn as would normally be the case so in effect it gets a freebie there as no more defensive fire would be able to be used against the now activated unit(s). As others have intimated, the smoke could hinder other units that may be subsequently activated.
 

RavDavyGravy

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I might do that. It might help me remember to use smoke more often myself when playing regular ASL too. Thanks for the suggestion.
 

Barking Monkey

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Add me to the list of those that place smoke before DFF rather than after (I wasn't even aware of this wording in 5.74.) Seems like any rational human player would place smoke before moving in the open and even the AI does so with already activated infantry.

Guess I'm adding this to 9.2 paragraph 1 as a SASL rule I'm willfully, (rather than ignorantly) ignoring/playing wrong. (I generate a separate move action hex by hex for moving ENEMY, rather than one A4b roll for the entire force - how does that even work with 'Berserk" as a possible result?)
 

haggis

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This may be a throwback to the ASL rules.
To attempt to place smoke is MP expenditure and as such will generate defensive first fire whether smoke is placed or not.
So, in the above case, the unit is saying "I'm placing smoke - so defensive first fire is allowed ( unit isn't moving though)
I would play it that you should be able to place the resultant smoke in any allowable adjacent hex as well as the units own hex - a wee bit of rule bending.

Sorry for the long winded reply!
 
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