witchbottles
Forum Guru
We all know the ultimate "Hail Mary" for a Gun in ASL is in the Holy Tome. My question is: How often do you resort to using IF? Is it an overused event in ASL among experienced players? (much like ESB tends to be overused?)
Yes, it is typically something situationally dependent. That said there are times it just makes sense to squeeze off an extra round, even if it means the guys manning the Gun might load the shell in backward and blow the breech block. (Malfing the Gun).
Here's where I see it makes absolutely no sense to NOT IF a Gun:
1. The last fire phase of the scenario. At this point, even the luckiest "god hit" improbable hit IF shot has the potential for either snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, or crossing the finish line by nose in the photo finish to the VCs. There are no more Rally phases to fix it, so who cares if it malfs now? (unless having a good order Gun is part of the VC's that is.)
2. When the chances of an IF hit are well higher than the chances of a malf'd Gun, and getting that killing blow in now could well turn the tide of the game in your favor. The old axiom of "playing to the odds" of ASL is what this is. You take the shot because EX: You hit on a DR of 7 or lower, and score at least an automatic shock (not a "possible shock") on a 7 or lower (or an automatic immobilize if the VCs require the vehicle to be mobile) - whereas the Gun will only malf on a Dr of 10 or 11 and X on a DR of 12. Taking the IF shot here is again, rarely something one is inclined to decline.
3. When it's to the line and you got exactly one (and no other) chance left, to avoid a loss, you IF the Gun. Even if the odds of hitting or killing the target are equal to (or even lower than) the odds of malfing the Gun, at this point, there is literally nothing left ot lose, so almost everyone IF's the Gun here.
4. The morale loss of the vehicle should deal a crippling blow to the enemy. EX, the only Tiger I with a bunch of light AFVs (Pz IIs and IIIs in say Tunisia 1943), presents your 25 pounder a rear IF shot at 2 hexes. (silly, but it has and will happen). your odds of a killing hit are not 100% by far, and you do face a serious risk with malfing a 25 pounder in the DTO. ( They are so much firepower to lose to a malf). but the loss of this major AFV is easily worth killing 3 or 4 of the little guys - it can really cause a PMC to your opponent. Taking this IF shot is not so clear, and often times, it gets passed up. But it does occur with some regularity here.
5. The enemy has your Gun crew encircled and outnumbered, and they are going to die in the AFPh anyway. So you IF the Gun in the hope of either taking somebody with you, or at least malfing the Gun so the enemy can't turn it on you later. This one also happens nearly 100% of the time as an IF shot.
So looking at your ASL play, Do you IF more often than you might otherwise consider prudent in a scenario?
One corollary here is that most(but not all) HASL CGs with multiple scenarios to play - you will find IF is used MUCH less often, as having that Gun around for the next scenario often outweighs 1,2 and even 3 above.
KRL, Jon H
Yes, it is typically something situationally dependent. That said there are times it just makes sense to squeeze off an extra round, even if it means the guys manning the Gun might load the shell in backward and blow the breech block. (Malfing the Gun).
Here's where I see it makes absolutely no sense to NOT IF a Gun:
1. The last fire phase of the scenario. At this point, even the luckiest "god hit" improbable hit IF shot has the potential for either snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, or crossing the finish line by nose in the photo finish to the VCs. There are no more Rally phases to fix it, so who cares if it malfs now? (unless having a good order Gun is part of the VC's that is.)
2. When the chances of an IF hit are well higher than the chances of a malf'd Gun, and getting that killing blow in now could well turn the tide of the game in your favor. The old axiom of "playing to the odds" of ASL is what this is. You take the shot because EX: You hit on a DR of 7 or lower, and score at least an automatic shock (not a "possible shock") on a 7 or lower (or an automatic immobilize if the VCs require the vehicle to be mobile) - whereas the Gun will only malf on a Dr of 10 or 11 and X on a DR of 12. Taking the IF shot here is again, rarely something one is inclined to decline.
3. When it's to the line and you got exactly one (and no other) chance left, to avoid a loss, you IF the Gun. Even if the odds of hitting or killing the target are equal to (or even lower than) the odds of malfing the Gun, at this point, there is literally nothing left ot lose, so almost everyone IF's the Gun here.
4. The morale loss of the vehicle should deal a crippling blow to the enemy. EX, the only Tiger I with a bunch of light AFVs (Pz IIs and IIIs in say Tunisia 1943), presents your 25 pounder a rear IF shot at 2 hexes. (silly, but it has and will happen). your odds of a killing hit are not 100% by far, and you do face a serious risk with malfing a 25 pounder in the DTO. ( They are so much firepower to lose to a malf). but the loss of this major AFV is easily worth killing 3 or 4 of the little guys - it can really cause a PMC to your opponent. Taking this IF shot is not so clear, and often times, it gets passed up. But it does occur with some regularity here.
5. The enemy has your Gun crew encircled and outnumbered, and they are going to die in the AFPh anyway. So you IF the Gun in the hope of either taking somebody with you, or at least malfing the Gun so the enemy can't turn it on you later. This one also happens nearly 100% of the time as an IF shot.
So looking at your ASL play, Do you IF more often than you might otherwise consider prudent in a scenario?
One corollary here is that most(but not all) HASL CGs with multiple scenarios to play - you will find IF is used MUCH less often, as having that Gun around for the next scenario often outweighs 1,2 and even 3 above.
KRL, Jon H