Re: SG2 Platoon leader casualties

On Sat, 28 Jun 2003 03:20:03 -0400, Adrian Johnson
<adrian.johnson@sympatico.ca> wrote:

>Just curious... (I don't have my SG rulebook handy)... does it say that
you
>don't need to do a communicate action if 6" or less, or does it say
that
>the communication is automatically successful because you don't need to
use
>a radio - you just yell?  

It's not quite as clear cut as saying, "You don't make a Communicate
Action"
or "A Communicate Action is automatically successful."

It says on page 16, "If a superior commander is actually within 6" of a
subordinate element, it is deemed to be within direct contact range and
may
transfer actions automatically without die rolls or risk of jamming -
hence
the advantages of "leading from the front", even on the future
battlefield."

So, I can see the interpretation that this is a Communicate Action that
is
automatic. On the other hand, the wording muddles things up by implying
to
others that it is in "direct contact range" thus no Communicate Action
is
needed. 

On page 18, under Detached Elements, it says, "If the main squad and
detached
element are within 6" of each other, then the part containing the squad
leader
may get the detached element to activate by simple direct communication
(still
taking one action to accomplish); if they are more than 6" apart then a
successful COMMUNICATION [Jon's emphasis] roll is required to get the
detached
element to activate, rolling against the LV of the leader."

Again, not exactly clear cut. It says "direct communication" (is that a
Communicate Action, or is it not?) for within 6" and it says
"COMMUNICATION"
in capitals (does the emphasis mean that this is a COMMUNICAT Action or
not?)
for greater than 6". Not exactly clear.

>My impression was that you're taking the same
>*action* (game mechanic term) but that it automatically works because
>you're yelling rather than using the radio, so no chance of the radio
call
>going wrong... (plus the commander can point, wave arms, gesture
>emphatically, use hand signals, etc etc...) but the commander is still
>*communicating*...

We had a similar discussion about this on the playtest list. Just _what_
is
happening at 6"? That's 60 metres. Can you _really_ yell orders 60
metres
away, in all terrain types, in the middle of a battle? If so, why does
it not
require a roll to be understood. The implication some of us put was
that,
given a game turn of 3 to 5 minutes, this "direct communication" meant
that
the leader, or a member of the leader's squad, could run up to another
squad
and give them an order directly and then run back. If that's the case,
it's
certainly not something that can be done suppressed. But if you can't do
it
directly while suppressed, why not just make a Communicate roll as
though the
unit was more than 60 metres away?

See what I'm getting at? We're really not given a clear indicator of the
mechanics of a Transfer Action. On one side players have argued that
it's
communications so it should be allowed while suppressed. On another,
players
have argued that it requires having a good view of the battlefield and
that
you can't do it while suppressed. This is additionally confused by the
fact
that only Suppression Removal, Communicate, and Reorganise actions are
allowed
while suppressed, "Transfer Action" is definitely _not_ one of the
actions
listed, but is a Transfer Action a separate action (not just implied,
but
specifically listed on page 16) or is it _really_ just a special case of
the
Communicate Action (implied by the description of the Transfer Action on
page
16)?

Now you can see why many of us wish the rules were a little bit clearer,
or
Jon wasn't so silent on the matter. *L* 

For my part, I have ruled that a Transfer Action is not one of the
specific
actions listed as being able to be done while suppressed and have not
allowed
it. However, I can see that the rules aren't exactly clear and I am
willing to
allow suppressed units to conduct transfer actions. HOWEVER, it does
_not_
strike me as realistic that a suppressed commander gets to do this
without a
communication roll, even if a unit is within 6". If the commander is
suppressed then I can't see him being able to "communicate directly"
with a
squad 60 metres away, and so he should have to use a radio. This would
then
require a Communication roll. This would have to be a house rule, as the
rules
as written clearly state that a Transfer Action doesn't need a
communication
roll if within 6" (there is no mention of the commander's suppression
state in
the rules).

That's my best guess on it. *S*

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

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