The Commander Series Forum

Am I right in assuming that on page 136 ("Changes & Additions" from BKC I), when under "Engineering" it states "Troops must use opportunity fire against engineers, rather than counter-initiative", this is just referring to those cases where the BKC I rules for Engineering referred to counter-initiative fire, and in no way prevents engineer units from being targetted like any other non-command, non-recce unit during the opposing player's normal turn?

I thought all units bar Commands could be targeted during Command phase so longer they can be seen etc.
What happens in initiative is simply a pre-command phase.
Carl Luxford

In BKC 1 engineers could be shot at with counter-initiative fire. This seemed brutal given the sequence in which engineers operate in the old game:
Move to obstacle, stop. Turn ends.
Opponent performs all his turn including unloading into the engineers.
Engineer turn, attempt to do engineering action and then get pasted again with counter initiative fire!

In the new game (already in CWC) counter initiative fire is gone. Either you nail the unit with opportunity fire as they move to the thing they want to act upon (obstacle) or you wait until our turn and fire normally. If the engineer is OK after all that it gets to perform its engineering action in its following initiative action without interruption.

So, yes, engineers can be shot at normally.
Chris

Cheers! Thanks, Chris.

I've toyed with the idea of substituting engineers for regular inf stands until they
1 either begin their engineering task
or
2 get within 20cms of enemy.

otherwise the engineers can be too easily targetted and destroyed

This is the one problem for any specialist stand (including IATW stands) when there is no targeting rules. Of course targeting rules can also be manipulated. A challenge. I have wondered about a targeting rule that allows any target to be attacked, but other stands that are contributing to the fire must fire at the nearest stand of that type of target (foot, tank/SP, other armoured, soft-skinned). This would reduce unrealistic concentrations on specialist stands.

Chris

Chris, my own inclination is to use some system other than a panzerschreck/ATR/Piat on the base; some numbering or labeling system. The rules only require (IIRC) that you can identify which stands have the IATW.

Engineers -- well, I'm certainly going to shoot at buddy with the flamethrower first.

only if hes close to you though
most infantry fire at the nearest enemy, the nearest threat.

The flamethrowers in reality might be spread out not all grouped together in what in game terms becomes one engineering stand.

Anyway its not the flamethrower loss that can really finish off an attack its the loss of mine clearing!!.

in some cases lose the egineers game over

What we did in a recent game was to roll a die when an infantry unit with an upgrade was KOed. 1-2 the upgraded died with the unit, 3-6 it did not. If it did not die, it joined the closest infantry unit.