Ambushes:

This is another optional rule, and one best only used when you have a referee to oversee the game (unless you have a very sporting opponent!).

Ambushes occur, when troops conceal themselves from the enemy and open fire at close range, totally surprising the enemy. Whether an ambush could occur, will depend on the type of game you are running, and normally will only occur where one side is defending and the other attacking.

If you wish to conceal Fireteams, you must do this prior to the game beginning. With the referees supervision, draw a quick sketch map of the battlefield, and accurately mark wear your concealed Fireteam is based. A concealed unit need not be placed in woods or buildings, though it is more beneficial to do so. The actual figures representing the concealed Fireteam are not placed on the battlefield yet.

A enemy Fireteam can only be ambushed if it is shot at from Close Range (ie. within 10cm). An attack from any further range, is not counted as an ambush and does not gain the player firing all the benefits that can be gained from one. An attack from outside Close Range, is treated as a normal attack, and once a concealed Fireteam fires, it no longer counts as concealed and must be placed on the board as normal.

An ambush occurs during the normal firing period of a move, and the player making the ambush, must declare they are doing so, put his concealed Fireteam on the table and point out the unit they are ambushing.

Prior to working out the casualties on the enemy Fireteam, the enemy player is given a chance to see, if he spotted the ambush before it occurs and his troops were not totally surprised.

To do this they should roll a D10 and adjust the score with the following modifiers:

To successfully have spotted the ambush, before it occurs the player must gain a modified score of 6 or more. If they succeed, then the ambusher gains none of the benefits of the ambush, and calculates their fire as they would for a normal Close range Static attack (which in itself is pretty devastating!). A spotted ambush attempt also means that the enemy player can, if he has the opportunity left to him that move, return fire (he cannot do this of course if he has already fired).

Should the enemy player not spot the ambush, then the ambusher can add a further 5% to his basic percentage 'to hit' chance, and the enemy Fireteam will have to take Morale check on any surviving team members. Further, an ambushed unit cannot return fire that move, even if it successfully survives a Morale check.

Snipers:

Snipers are individual soldiers who operate alone on the battlefield, shooting from concealed positions at long range. Used properly, they can be quite devastating and consequently players are restricted to having just one Sniper for each three Fireteams his force comprises of.

Like Ambushes, Snipers are hidden before the game starts in concealed positions and these are noted on a sketch map. Snipers fire in their players normal fire turn, and using a Snipers rifle they use the normal firing rules except that they have no negative modifier applying for long range shots.

Snipers remain hidden throughout the game, unless they are spotted by the Fireteam that the Sniper has just fired at. Fireteams only get one chance to spot the Sniper, immediately after they have been shot at, and provided they do not fail a Morale test as a result of the Sniper shooting at them. They cannot attempt to spot the Sniper in any move after were he does not shoot at them.

Spotting a Sniper (and thus being able to shoot back!) is not easy. To attempt to spot a Sniper, the Fireteam must roll a D10 and modify the result as follows:

If the modified score equals or exceeds 8, then the Sniper is spotted.

A spotted Sniper has the figure representing him placed on the board and this figure will remain on the table for the remainder of the game (unless they are killed!). Unless he moves, he will be treated as a Static target by Fireteams shooting at him. Even when spotted a Sniper still retains all his firing abilities.

© Wessex Games 1994, 2000