FoM - free LOS checks

ds

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Had my first experience with a Night Scenario yesterday, and came upon a rule that seemed like it could (potentially) be abused:

E1.21 states that Freedom of Movement is allowed if a Defender has seen a Known enemy unit, and that the LOS checks for determining this are 'free'.

Has anyone experienced this rule being used prior to taking a shot at a potentially out-of-LOS enemy?
 

Brian W

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ds said:
Has anyone experienced this rule being used prior to taking a shot at a potentially out-of-LOS enemy?
There are a number of rules that allow (even require) free LOS checks. However, I have not seen it that often in night scenarios because there are so few played and the action is at such a close range that LOS is not as much of a question as in day games.
 

pzkfw5g

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As much as folks in this forum seem to dislike "house rules", I suggest restricting such free LOS checks to Movement or Advance Phases only in order to negate abuse.
 

Pitman

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How is that abusable any more than taking free LOS checks to strip concealment?
 

Brian W

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pzkfw5g said:
As much as folks in this forum seem to dislike "house rules", I suggest restricting such free LOS checks to Movement or Advance Phases only in order to negate abuse.
With the small number of night games played where this will come up, I tend to think it is rather a bit much to discuss something like this as a house rule.

If we are discussing house rules, why not have free LOS checks all the time? What's the purpose of not knowing if you can see a guy running out in the open before you fire at him or not--you either see him or you don't.

:wink:
 

ds

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I agree. Doesn't enhance play at all for me.

And it's sometimes frustrating to play with these 'old timers' who can call off whether there is LOS from hex A to hex B without even looking at the map... Ok, it's sad, but yes, that's what I aspire to someday...
 

Ole Boe

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I think that free LOS checks from Good Order friendly units should be free.

I've never understood the sense in simulating that a unit fires at an enemy without noticing that a house inbetween blocks their view. Wouldn't they know it before they decided to fire?
 

pzkfw5g

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Ole Boe said:
I think that free LOS checks from Good Order friendly units should be free.

I've never understood the sense in simulating that a unit fires at an enemy without noticing that a house inbetween blocks their view. Wouldn't they know it before they decided to fire?
Good point, but for playability sake, LOS is determined from center to center with no adjustment for the actual amount of exposure the target is in. You aren't going to have 1-30+ guys standing in a 1-2m circle firing at another bunch in a similar circle - they will all be dispersed in their respective hexes, each with a different field of view. Maybe the firers saw something and fired only to realize the target moved out of their LOS? Maybe only a few of the firers had a clear LOS? Forcing fire to check LOS is a way to compensate for using hex centers to determine LOS while the guys are really dispersed in the hex.
 

Pitman

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Ole, I can answer that, because I talked to Squad Leader designer John Hill last weekend. He was quite proud of this aspect. He gave the examples of 1) a squad firing at "bogies"--i.e., seeing something that wasn't there or hearing units and firing before getting a good shot, and 2) squads firing at something they caught a glimpse of, but didn't have adequate clarity and length of vision to have a good firing effect. Imagine a Hollywood movie where the good guy dashes across a street and the bad guy fires on him, but his bullets clip the wall and don't hit the hero.
 

pzkfw5g

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pitman said:
1) a squad firing at "bogies"--i.e., seeing something that wasn't there or hearing units and firing before getting a good shot, and 2) squads firing at something they caught a glimpse of, but didn't have adequate clarity and length of vision to have a good firing effect.
Essentially what I said, but thanks for the confirmation from an ASL authority.
 
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