THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE HAMMER’S SLAMMERS THE CRUCIBLE RULES SYSTEM HANDBOOK

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Page 4

Seems like a 25 point infantry base can tie up an expensive vehicle and not be able to even use the tri-barrels as they come in... Is that right?

How this all works depends on a number of things: • Which detachment (or troop) gains initiative • Whether they wish to retain or forego that initiative • How close infantry operate with enemy and friendly AFVs • Is the vehicle fitted with an anti- infantry/buzzbomb system If the infantry manage to rush an AFV from cover (perhaps by dint of double or even treble moving and so can close a larger distance) and they time their attack just right (typically by doing this after  the AFV has moved in that particular turn) then they can get one assault in without the vehicle being able to respond as it will already have fired and will have its attention elsewhere. But there's quite a lot of caveats there… If the infantry fail in any of this (as might often be the case if they are un-trained infantry - Close Assault of zero - with poor motivational leadership which will make it difficult to get them to double or triple move) of if they are just unlucky, then - if the vehicle is able (and it's commander gains the initiative in the next turn) the an AFV can literally drive way from the assault (and then - if the commander has any sense - fire back at the infantry that remain in his wake).

The commander may even run a TU over if they are in the way! (page 9, supplement 4 "Optional Rule: Ramming Infantry and other vehicle TUs"). But it all relies on timing and initiative. A skilled commander playing a team with infantry that he wanted to use for close assault would be thinking about forgoing initiative (if required) - i.e. opting to take his activation later in the turn - while  waiting to 'spring a trap' for the foolish AFVs that came too close and so that he can then rush them and do his worst. Hopefully it might just work! So - in the right circumstances - a 25 point infantry base can tie up an expensive vehicle. But three or four 40 point infantry units have a much better chance of achieving that. However, in the rules AFVs do have to watch themselves with infantry in a Close Urban Combat environment - it's an attempt to reproduce the reality that is evident in combat today. Untrained mobs are usually not difficult to defeat (unless they have molotovs) but, If they are trained infantry with a good close assault capability, they can be tricky if you let them get close enough to swarm your tank. And even if they are badly trained, if there are enough of them - and perhaps they have motivational leaders - it can get tough for armour. So, because of this, when using Crucble rules

the AFVs tend to steer more than a quick infantry dash away from cover where those pongos might be hiding just waiting their moment to rush them! This means they stay in the open and lay themselves open to attack from other vehicles and infantry or vehicles with ATGWs…Or - like the Slammers, the TAS and some other more advanced forces - they get anti- infantry/buzzbomb defence systems… Hopefully, as a system its what makes everyone have to think hard in the game and realise that no one has a killer, unstopable AFV (or infantry unit). Final Question - Elite skill Snap Fire: Does this effect the sequence of Close Assault? Yes. The rule says: “Firing on the move. The vehicle may fire ONE direct fire weapon at any point during its movement AND continue to move as normal. This weapon does count as having fired for the turn.” If an AFV which has the Elite Skill Snapshot and which has not yet fired all of its weapons is Close Assaulted it may fire one weapon (if it has one that will bare) on infantry as they close.