[v5.0] Core Rules: Fortification tidbits

From: Peter Ramos <primarch_at_...>
Date: Wed, 1 May 2002 17:38:59 -0400

Hi!

For the most part Jarreas's general building/fortification rules have
been well received and only minor details remain. I will list them so as
not to swim through long e-mails to address them.

My suggestions are going to be based on what I know of World War I
warfare. After all GW is basically WWI in the future. Their infatuation
with trenches, tanks that look like WWI (the land raider is a British
Mark I tank) and their use of side sponsons for weapons (a early design
trait for tanks up to and including WWII). So I'll approach a solution
with that in mind.

1. Trenches. Who can cross and what can destroy it. I like Weasels idea
of combining anti-tank ditches and trenches into one terrain piece so
I'll use that too.

Who can cross?

Any crossing irrespective of whom does it can only be done if the trench
is unoccupied. Therefore most units need to destroy defender before they
can cross.

Titans/praetorians and knights ONLY can ignore the trenches and
occupants and cross them due to size or agility.

Tracked vehicles would have the easiest time, but it's slow. So tracked
vehicles can cross on advance orders. They do get stuck and that pretty
much means they are immobilized. They are immobilized on a roll of 1-2
on a d6 (super heavies on a one). Vehicles that are immobilized have
only their CAF value for close combat and do not roll the standard 2d6.
This makes these immobilized vehicles easy prey for trench defenders.

Engineers and bridging vehicles nullify the penalties.

Cavalry, bikes and wheeled just cant cut it when it comes to crossing
trenches. History is just full of examples of this. These units CANNOT
cross trenches without the help of combat engineers or bridging units.
These units are great to exploit breakthroughs, but you need to
BREAKTHROUGH first.

Walkers and troops can cross without penalty but must destroy the
defender first.

How to destroy a trench?

The great killer of WWI was artillery, that's why trench warfare
developed to hide from its effects (as well as that of machine guns).
Artillery in all it forms was used against trenches and they were
effective IF they hit in the right place. That's way trenches became
very elaborate and in case of the Germans an art form. As trenches
became better fortified and hidden artillery became less effective. So
in the end as with razor wire artillery fell short of being a real
"trench" killer. Trenches were defeated by infiltration (German
stormtrooper tactics) and bridging it (what the early tanks did), not
blowing it up, you just can't realistically destroy a trench (fill it up
maybe, but even that would be hard).

So simply put you CANNOT destroy it, you'll have to be smart and learn
to bypass, assault or bridge it, just like in real life.

2. Emplacements

To keep it simple all artillery, light or otherwise should use
emplacements rather than bunkers, since their high trajectory, makes it
impossible to shoot from in a bunker in that way. You could fire from
the roof of a bunker since it is habilitated with sandbags and such, but
treat it as a trench for purposes of protection and don't apply the
bunkers save bonuses (its open topped after all).

An emplacement is not as strong as a fortification, but stronger than
the original rules let it be. They are also not as strong as a trench.
So we should go in between. How about a 6+ save on 2d6?

Peter

 
Received on Wed May 01 2002 - 21:38:59 UTC