Reaction Question

[Chasseur]

Hi,

I have enjoyed a couple of practise games of Force on Force, but have an important basic question.

• A is an initiative unit. Declares move from current cover, across an open area, to next cover.
• Enemy unit 1 reacts, attempting to fire at A when it is in the open.
• A and 1 do an opposed react roll.
• If 1 wins (result is easy to understand):
  • 1 fires at A in the open
  • Then A returns fire (if able and taking casualties into account)
  • A then completes move at -1″ to new cover (if able)
• If A wins (according to FoF p.43 Reaction Fire “…a Reaction test must be made to see if the Reaction Fire occurs before or after the initiative unit’s declared action” and according to Example 2):
  • A completes move into next cover.
  • A fires at 1 from new cover (assume unit A and 1 can see each other).
  • Then 1 returns fire (if able), with A in cover.
• But, if A wins (according to FoF p.43-44 Resolving Chains of Actions and Reactions, you resolve Reactions in which the non-initiative unit lost the Reaction test first, then Reactions where non-initiative unit won, then the active initiative unit completes its action). The result is different to above:
  • A’s move is paused in the open.
  • A fires first at 1 from the open.
  • 1 returns fire (if able), with A in the open.
  • Unit A completes its activation: moves to next cover at -1″ (if able to complete move)

The way I read these two sections of the rules, they say conflicting things.

p.43 has A moving before trading react fire.

p.44 has A moving after trading react fire.

So which is correct?

 

 

Cheers,
John

[Shawn Carpenter]

Technically, they’re both correct, I just didn’t spell it out well.

The Initiative unit has the option of returning fire where they received it OR completing their move first. This allows a unit to scurry out of LOS if that was their goal.

This can result in a Schroedinger effect where the an initiative unit can be in cover and out of cover at the same time, depending on what its player wants to do. If you find that confusing, you might consider the way we’re doing Reactions in CQB: Interruptions are simply resolved in the order that they are announced.

Shawn Carpenter
[email protected]
www.ambushalleygames.net

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