Smoke SSR?

Michael R

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At what point should one add an SSR to guarantee an ordnance smoke round?

In an Ortona scenario, the Canadians have one smoke asset, a 50mm mortar. The Germans are defending in stone buildings. The Canadians have olive groves for cover on the way in, but the ground adjacent to the VC building is open. The mortar might give no smoke rounds, one smoke round or several smoke rounds.

It is much harder for the Canadians to win when there is no smoke. I need to check if they have ever won in a playtest yet without smoke.

In a manner similar to the automatic first black chit for OBA by SSR, should I consider an automatic smoke round on the first ordnance smoke attempt?
 

Michael R

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I checked. I have seven recorded play tests. There are five German wins to two Canadian wins. The Canadians never won without smoke, but they sometimes lost even with smoke.
 

Vinnie

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Give the mortar unlimited smoke for it's first 2 smoke attempts?
The 50mm mortar is considered to have unlimited smoke ammunition for the first 2 smoke attempts. Thereafter the standard depletion number applies.

Of course you can vary tgat number. I can't recall, are EC mud in this scenario?
 

Honosbinda

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Not that I'm any good at scenario design, but another solution would be to allow the Canadians one automatic smoke counter be place during the initial fire phase. Basically the mortar is pretty useless if it doesn't have smoke anyway, right (due to the stone building defense)? So in that case, get rid of the mortar in the OB so that the Canadians also don't lose due to Sniper generation heh.
 

xenovin

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Why not add a second lt MTR? Or SSR placing OBA Smoke SR that lands after accuracy dr.

How do they actually enter the village?
 

Alan Hume

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Not that I'm any good at scenario design, but another solution would be to allow the Canadians one automatic smoke counter be place during the initial fire phase. Basically the mortar is pretty useless if it doesn't have smoke anyway, right (due to the stone building defense)? So in that case, get rid of the mortar in the OB so that the Canadians also don't lose due to Sniper generation heh.
I agree, it gets rid of the vaguaries and gives the Canadians a fighting chance, I'd even go so far as giving them two
 

Cult.44

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If the Canadians need smoke on the first turn to have any chance of victory, I wouldn't leave it to chance. I'd allow one automatic smoke placement during first prep fire within LOS of the mortar, then play it normally from there. Rationalize the free-smoke as a preliminary condition of the attack, i.e., the Canadians wouldn't attempt their attack until they had smoke cover.
 

witchbottles

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If the Canadians need smoke on the first turn to have any chance of victory, I wouldn't leave it to chance. I'd allow one automatic smoke placement during first prep fire within LOS of the mortar, then play it normally from there. Rationalize the free-smoke as a preliminary condition of the attack, i.e., the Canadians wouldn't attempt their attack until they had smoke cover.
If that's the case, then give the Canadians a pre-game Smoke OBA fire mission, resolved normally to the FFE:1 resolution, so that it begins as a FFE:2 counter and the FFE:1 smoke will disperse to +2 hindrance at the beginning of the PFPh1a.

Otherwise, why not just make the Canadians Elite for Ammunition purposes (increases all their special ammo by 1), Not a sure thing, but those 50* mtrs now pitch out s8s, far more effective for most smoke shots. Seems to fit the bill for Ortona overall\, IMO - and meets the KISS principle for SSR :

"Canadian SW/Guns are treated as Elite for Ammunition Depletion purposes (C 8.2)."

YMMV, but how I'd probably address it.
 

Michael R

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The situation isn't so much that it is needed on the first turn, rather the situation is that at some point the Canadians will need smoke to cross some open ground. There is a chance of Heavy Rain giving some protection because the weather is Overcast.

I am leaning toward a temporary s11 until the mortar puts down its first smoke round; back to s7 afterwards. A twelve will still break it, however.
 

witchbottles

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or Sun Blindness is in effect for until Turn 4 ( or whenever) Or Intense Heat Haze, or so on and so on. :)
 

Vinnie

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A higher s# makes sense. They know they are attacking so come prepared with smoke rounds. Of course, if the mortars get taken out before they get into position...
 

Michael R

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Interestingly, one of the Hatten scenarios has a SSR for increased mortar WP depletion on its first WP attempt.
 

Carln0130

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Interestingly, one of the Hatten scenarios has a SSR for increased mortar WP depletion on its first WP attempt.
Is there anything in the tactical situation that would allow mist, or some other LV hindrance? Not as good as Smoke, but it never goes away unless you SSR that it does. Failing that, it sounds like the situation is fairly hard on the Canadians anyway. Could tweaking the Germans down or the Canadians up in OB size help? Lengthening the game a Canadian turn? More than one way to skin a cat.
 

Michael R

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The OB has been adjusted during the playtesting. I will review the results to be sure, but I think this SSR is right for the scenario.
 
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