Re: SG2 Platoon leader casualties

Here's the reply I posted to the Yahoo Group. Since the question was
cross-posted, I'll post my answer here as well.

On Tue, 24 Jun 2003 11:32:54 -0400, Thomas Pope
<tpope@exchange.cs.cmu.edu>
wrote:

>A) The platoon commander could continue to transfer actions while
>suppressed.

No, it can't. Page 18, under "Suppression of Infantry Units" states that
the
only actions a unit can conduct while suppressed are:

1) defending itself against a close assault;

2) carry out a Reorganise action, but only if it is cover;

3) the unit's leader may carry out Observe, Communicate and Remove
Suppression
Leader Actions.

Number 3 is the important one. Some people think that a "Communicate"
action
is a "Transfer Action". It is _not_. If you look at the list of Leader
Actions
on page 16 you'll see that they are listed as Communicate, Observe,
Remove
Suppression, Form Detached Element, Rally Unit, and Transfer Action.

According to the rules on page 18, a unit can not conduct a Form
Detached
Element, Rally Unit, or Transfer Action if it is suppressed.

The unfortunate part is that a Communicate action isn't really defined.
"Communications" is, and the mechanism for communicating -- often used
in the
Transfer Action -- is explained, but there's no clearly defined list of
what
you do with a Communicate Action. My take on it is that Communicate
Actions
are used to call for reinforcements, artillery, aerospace attacks, etc.
It can
also be used for scenario defined purposes. The point still stands,
though,
that three actions are listed on page 18 as being allowed while
suppressed
(Communicate, Observe, Remove Suppression), but "Transfer Action" isn't
one of
those three.

So, Tom suppressed the platoon commander, and therefore it could not do
a
Transfer Action.

>Command
>transfers immediately to the next in line, who rolls for change in LV
>(unchanged) and continues to transfer actions.

Except, as per page 18, he shouldn't have been able to continue
transferring
actions until he removed suppression. :-)

>Finally, with an 8-man squad and counting casualties as potential
targets,
>it would have taken another 2+ rounds of fire to wipe out the squad. 
Even
>though I nominally killed the platoon leader TWICE, the FSE command
squad
>had just as much affect on the rest of the combat as my NSL command
squad,
>who never drew a single shot and never did anything but transfer
actions.

A common house rule, though not one I currently use is to force every
unit in
a command to make a Confidence Test when the commander is a casualty. I
think
that's a bit harsh, but would consider making a Confidence Test for
every unit
if the command unit is eliminated.

>I have some ideas on how to handle this in the future, but I'm
>just wondering what house rules and/or errata exist (if any) to cover
this
>situation?  

I hope this reply helps...

Allan Goodall		       agoodall@hyperbear.com
http://www.hyperbear.com

"The only normal people are the ones you don't know 
well!" - Joe Ancis