Axis & Allies: Miniatures

Game Mechanics Q&A

This document is my attempt at creating a complete, comprehensive gathering of all AAM game
knowledge as found on the (WotC) Wizards of the Coast’s Axis & Allies: Miniatures official
website. This World War Two miniatures game, first released in 2005, has gone through 10
booster sets and 4 rulebooks. (1st, 2nd, Advanced and Expanded) The game system itself has
evolved over time as new units and special abilities have been introduced. A newcomer can
quickly get confused with the language and logic of the system. But even long time players can
suddenly find themselves questioning how something should be played. Luckily for both the
newcomer and the veteran the official Wizards of the Coast AAM website has been available for
their rule questions and queries. Unfortunately, finding any particular ruling or clarification can
be difficult. So to help out, I decided to comb through the old 1 and new websites for official
answers to player’s questions as well as official explanations of game mechanics.

The information contained in this document is current as of March, 2012. For ease of reference, I
have arranged it alphabetically with a table of contents. In some cases, the original wording of
the Q&A or explanation has been modified. This was done to correct grammar, misspellings or
to shorten the text for clarity. Every effort has been made to preserve the context of the original
Q&A and explanation.

Since the release of booster set ten there has been a lack of official answers at the WotC website.
To help fill the gap, several Q&A’s from the Forumini website have been included in this update.
Players may opt to ignore them if they wish because they are not official, but they are well
grounded in the AAM rules. They are clearly marked as Forumini Q&A’s throughout the
document.

This document could not have been possible without the contributions of countless AAM players
posting their questions at the WotC discussion board and the staff at WotC who took the time to
answer them. I would like to give a special thanks to Mons Johnson, Robert Mull, Justin Webb,
Steve Winter and all the unnamed staff members at WotC who have helped to maintain the AAM
website. Thank you for all your efforts on behalf of the game.

The Wizards of the Coast game company is the owner of the Axis & Allies: Miniatures game
system and they retain the full copyrights to it. I have used information found at their website,
but make no claim to it. This document is offered as a free game aid to anyone interested in a
better understanding of the game system.

Tom Sessler
aka Sgt Fury (Current as of March 19, 2012)

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The original AAM website was discontinued and eventually shut down at the end of May 2010. Fortunately, I was
able to go through a large part of it before it totally disappeared.

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Table of Contents:
Aircraft - Expanded Game Rule......................................................................................... 4
Aircraft - How it works…...................................................................................... 4
Aircraft - Q&A……………………………………………………....................... 4
Attack, “Instead of Attacking”…………………………………………………………… 7
Attack and Defense………………………………………………………………………. 7
Building an Army……………………………………...…………………………………. 7
Cover - How it works…..................................................................................................... 8
Cover - Q&A…………………………………………………………………….. 9
Damaged............................................................................................................................ 9
Defensive Fire - How it works………………………………………………….……….. 10
Defensive Fire - Q&A……………….…………………….…………................. 11
Deadly (Lethal) Defensive Fire ............................................................................ 16
Destroy……………………………………………………………….………….............. 18
Disruption........................................................................................................................... 19
Disruption of Aircraft............................................................................................. 20
Enfilading Fire - Expanded Game Rule………………………………………………….. 21
Enfilading Fire - How it works............................................................................... 21
Enfilading Fire - Q&A………………………………………………………….… 23
Grazing Fire - Expanded Game Rule.................................................................................. 24
Grazing Fire - How it works……………………………………………………… 24
Grazing Fire - Q&A………………………………………………………………. 25
Line of Sight……………………………………………………….…………….……….. 27
Bluffs……………………………………………………………………………... 30
Half Hexes………………………………………………………………………... 31
Hedges……………………………………………………………….…............... 31
Map/Terrain………………………………………………………………………………. 33
Desert Maps………………………………………………………………………. 33
Hills……………………………………………………………………………….. 34
Joining map sections/half hex terrain…………………………………………….. 34
Jungle……………………………………………………………………………... 35
Large Buildings…………………………………………………………………… 35
Sand & Brush …………………………………………………………………….. 35
Snow........................................................................................................................ 35
Movement ……………………………………….………................................................. 36
Movement Rolls ……………………………………………………….…........... 37
Road Movement - How it works…………………………………………………. 38
Road Movement - Q&A…..................................................................................... 41
Objective Hex..................................................................................................................... 42
Obstacles………………………………………………………………………………….. 44
Overwatch - Expanded Game Rule..................................................................................... 45
Overwatch - How it works...................................................................................... 46
Overwatch - Q&A………………………………………………………………… 46
Rolling Attack Dice............................................................................................................. 47

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Specific Unit Clarifications…………………………………………………………………48
Stacking - Updated Rules……………………………………….……….…….…….……. 51
Stacking - How it works…………………………………………………………... 52
Stacking with Enemy Units……………………………………………………….. 54
Stacking - Q&A................................................................…................................... 56
Vehicle Facing..................................................................................................................... 58
Vehicle Facing - “In front of” & “Behind”............................................................. 59

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Aircraft - Expanded Game Rule
This is the text of the Aircraft Rule as found in the Expanded Rulebook:

When a player attacks with an Aircraft during the airstrike phase, he or she must face the Aircraft so that
it’s pointed toward the unit it’s attacking. The aircraft must face the hex side that the line of sight
between the two units would pass through.

Units without the Antiair ability that attack an aircraft will suffer a -1 range penalty if they aren’t in front
of the Aircraft. To be considered in front of an enemy Aircraft, the attacking unit has to be able to trace
its line of sight through the hex side the aircraft is facing. This range penalty is in addition to the
standard -1 penalty on attack dice that non-antiair units have, as well as all other modifiers.

Aircraft - How it works

Q: Can Aircraft fire in any direction or does the target have to be in front of it in order to be
eligible? Why?

A: In the standard game with the Advanced Rules, Aircraft have no facing. They can attack in
any direction. The Expanded Rules add an optional rule that places a facing restriction on
Aircraft. Because it's optional, both players must agree to use it or you assume it's not in play.

The following comes from the 11/12/2009 AAM Rules Update document:

Flight Phase: The first player places one Aircraft anywhere on the board. Then the second
player places one Aircraft anywhere on the board. Continue alternating placement until all
desired Aircraft have been placed. Only one Aircraft can occupy a hex. Aircraft can be held off
the map, but once a player declines to place an Aircraft, he can't place any more that turn.

Aircraft - Q&A
Q: Can Aircraft dispute or control objectives?

A: Aircraft can't control or contest the objective hex because they are removed at the end of the
turn. Checking for objective control is the last thing to happen during the turn which is after
Aircraft have been removed. Surviving planes do count towards victory points on turn 10,
provided they were placed on the map at least once during the game.

Q: If an aircraft attacks a tank from one or more hexes away. Which defense applies? Front or
rear? Does it depend on the tanks’ facing?

A: Yes. It depends on the facing of the tank.

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Q: If I place an Aircraft 2 hexes away from a target, I’m suppose to face / point it towards the
target. But what if I am firing down the hex spine and not across a hex side? Do I face the
Aircraft towards the hex spine or a hex side?

A: Aircraft must always be placed so that they are facing a hex side and not a hex spine. They
just need to be placed in a hex so that the line of fire between it and the target clearly crosses the
Aircraft’s front firing arc. The target doesn't need to be directly down the front hex row (number
2), just within the line of sight of its’ front firing arc. Look at the picture below and imagine
there is an Aircraft in place of the tank. If you can trace a Line of Sight between the Aircraft and
its’ target so that the LOS crosses hex side numbers 1, 2 or 3 you are in the Aircraft’s firing arc.

Q: Is the facing restriction on aircraft applied to Aircraft verses Aircraft attacks?

A: Aircraft facing only affects units which attack the Aircraft, not the Aircraft itself.

Q: Does terrain block Line of Sight for Aircraft?

A: No. Terrain never interferes with Line of Sight to or from Aircraft.

Q: If an Aircraft targets a unit in a hedge/bluff hex and the LOS crosses the hedge/bluff, does
that unit receive a cover roll?

A: Yes.

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Forumini Q: Suppose Player A places an Aircraft as seen in the diagram above its’ nose pointing
towards hex side 2. Then Player B places his in hex number five facing the tail of Player A’s
plane. Would Player A’s Aircraft be able to fire at Player B’s in the air strike phase?

Forumini A: Yes it would. Facing is not determined until the Aircraft actually fires. Here is how
it works:

1. In the flight phase, Player A places his Aircraft first. He opts to face it towards hex side
2.
2. Now Player B places next and opts to put his Aircraft behind Player A’s facing hex side
5.
3. It’s now the air strike phase and Player A moves first. He decides to rotate his Aircraft
around and face it in direction 5. He now has the option of either firing at Player B’s
Aircraft or any target in his forward firing arc.
4. During Player B’s portion of the airstrike phase he can keep his current facing or change
it to any other direction of his choosing. If he keeps it pointing towards hex side 5, he can
either fire at Player A’s Aircraft or any target in his forward firing arc.

Forumini Q: Are Aircraft allowed to conduct defensive fire against land units?

Forumini A: No.

Forumini Q: When an Aircraft is placed in the same hex as a tank, do you shoot at its’ front or
rear defense value?

Forumini A: All attacks in the same hex use rear defense.

Forumini Q: Suppose my Aircraft is sitting in the same forest hex as an enemy Soldier. If my
plane attacks the soldier, does it get cover?

Forumini A: Yes. The enemy soldier gets cover, but suffers a -1 penalty for being in the same
hex as the attacking Aircraft. From page 31 of the Expanded Rules (or page 25 of the Advanced
Rules):

Target in the Same Hex: If the attacking unit is in the same hex as the target, the target
suffers a –1 penalty on the cover roll.

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Attack, "Instead of Attacking" (From the 11/12/2009 AAM Rules Update document)
Some special abilities tell you to do something "instead of attacking" and replace your normal
attack with some other effect. In these cases, the effect that happens "instead of attacking" is
considered to be an attack if it results in you rolling attack dice.

Attack and Defense (From the 11/12/2009 AAM Rules Update document)
Artillery units without the Antiair special ability can't attack Aircraft.

The Crack Shot special ability does not give +1 to attack rolls against Aircraft.

Building an Army
An army can contain any number of units. No more than 10% of an army's maximum allowable
cost can be spent on Obstacles.

Mixing Nationalities: (Optional rule) Units from differing nationalities can appear in mixed
armies only in the following combinations:

• Germany, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Italy, Croatia

• Finland, Germany
• Japan
• Soviet Union, Yugoslavia
• France, Belgium, United Kingdom
• Nationalist China, United States, United Kingdom
• Poland
• Free Poland (units deployed after 1939), Free France (units deployed after 1940), United States,
Canada, Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom, New Zealand
• Greece, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand

Single-Nationality Armies: (Expanded rules) An entirely Finnish army, Belgian army, Slovak
army or an entirely Greek army can be built with 110 points. An entirely Croatian army or
Yugoslav army can be built with 115 points.

Heroes: In standard games (including DCI constructed play at 100, 150, and 200 points) Heroes
are limited to one per army per 100 points. In DCI limited (80-point sealed) play, no cap is
placed on Heroes.

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Cover - How it works
Q: I’m confused by the whole disruption / cover sequence of events. Please explain it to me in
clear language.

A: This is how the cover and disruption works;

1) Target has no face down markers. If I shoot at it and score one hit, then it gets a face down
disruption marker regardless of whether it makes its cover roll. If I score two or more hits, then
the cover roll is important because if it succeeds, the target only gets a face down disruption
marker.

2) Target has a face down disruption marker. If I shoot at it and score one or more hits, the Cover
Roll matters. If the Cover Roll fails, the target takes the full effect of the attack, adding one
marker (damaged) if I scored one hit or two (damaged, destroyed) if I scored two hits. If the
cover roll succeeds, then the target would take no additional markers at all because it already has
a face down disrupted marker.

Q: If a unit is in cover, and continues to make cover rolls each time it is attacked, the maximum
it can get is disruption, correct?

A: That's correct. Assume I have a Stuart tank on a hill.

1. I get hit -- 4 successes against def of 4. No cover roll is needed because I'm going to be
disrupted whether the roll succeeds or fails.
2. I get hit again -- 4 successes. That should place a second (damage) marker on me, but my
cover roll succeeds. That means the attack can't do anything worse than disrupt me, and since I
already have a face-down disruption marker, there's no additional effect.
3. I get hit a third time -- 6 successes! That's enough to place a second (damage) and third
(destroyed) marker on me, but again a successful cover roll cancels the damage.
4. I get hit a fourth time -- 4 successes. This time my cover roll fails, so I take a damaged marker.

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Cover - Q&A
Q: Do vehicles in a marsh hex (on a road) get a cover save?

A: No. Rulebook, page 24, "marsh (Soldiers only)"

Q: When attacking the same target, does the targeted unit get to make a second cover roll for the
second attack or does the result of the initial cover roll still count?

A: Two attacks, two cover rolls.

Q: If I’m targeting an enemy unit in the same hex as my attacking unit, do I get a cover roll
bonus?

A: Yes, you get +1 on the cover roll in that situation.

Damaged
Q: A Tiger tank gets disrupted and damaged in one turn. A turn later the disruption counter is
removed, so now there is only a face up damage counter on the Tiger. If the tiger takes another
hit the following turn would it just be a face down disruption counter or would this unit be
destroyed?

A: If the Tiger has only a face-up damage marker, the next hit it receives is a face down
disruption marker. The same applies if the Tiger has face-up damage and disruption markers.
Face-up damage markers work just like face-up disruption markers. You ignore them when
placing new, face down markers. The only difference is that when you get to the Casualty phase,
an already damaged vehicle that flips up another damage marker becomes destroyed instead.
This is explained slightly differently on page 20 of the rulebook, but the effect of both
descriptions is identical.

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Defensive Fire - How it works
Q: What exactly triggers Defensive Fire?

A: Moving from one hex that's adjacent to an enemy unit to another hex that's adjacent to the
same enemy unit. "Adjacent" means both the hex that the enemy unit occupies and the six
surrounding hexes. So you trigger defensive fire if you enter or exit the enemy's hex or when you
'slide' alongside it. If you move from an adjacent hex to one that isn't adjacent, there's no
Defensive Fire. If you move from a hex that's adjacent to enemy unit A into a hex that's adjacent
to enemy unit B but not A, there's no Defensive Fire. Movement from hex to hex is required.
Movement within a hex such as changing facing, mounting or dismounting transport, entering or
exiting a Pillbox does not trigger Defensive Fire. Likewise, if you try to leave a hex in a way that
would trigger Defensive Fire but fail a movement roll, there's no Defensive Fire. Vehicles can
trigger Defensive Fire from any enemy unit, but Soldiers don't trigger Defensive Fire from
Vehicles.

All of these situations are shown below. Moves with red arrows trigger Defensive Fire. Moves
with blue arrows don't trigger Defensive Fire. The Ghurka (G) doesn't trigger Defensive Fire
when it enters the Chi-Nu's hex or moves alongside it because Soldiers don't draw Defensive Fire
from Vehicles. The Stuart, however, does trigger Defensive Fire from the Chi-Nu when it moves
because it's a Vehicle. Stacking restrictions prevent the Stuart from stopping in the Chi-Nu's hex,
but it can enter with the intention of moving through. When it only rotates, it doesn't draw
Defensive Fire, because it's not moving from hex to hex. The Bren Gunner (BG) doesn't draw
Defensive Fire from the Japanese machine gun (MG) when it moves right, because the hex it's
entering is not adjacent to the MG. It does draw Defensive Fire when it enters the MG's hex or
moves alongside it. The Veteran SMLE (V) doesn't draw Defensive Fire when it dismounts into
the same hex as the Bren Carrier.

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Defensive Fire - Q&A
Q: Does Defensive Fire occur in the first adjacent hex or the second one?

A: Defensive fire happens when the defender says, "I'm using Defensive Fire now." The actual
moment when Defensive Fire is performed is up to the person doing the firing. When your
opponent first says, "I'm moving from here to here," you can either shoot at him before he leaves
the first hex or after he enters the second hex. If you choose not to do either, and then he says,
"Now I'm moving from here to here," you can again either shoot at him before he leaves the
second hex or after he enters the third hex. But as the defender, the choice is yours.

Q: When moving a unit, should a player slowly move his moving unit from hex to hex and allow
the defending player time to call Defensive Fire at each hex or should the moving player
completely move to the end of its movement and the defending player can then call for
Defensive Fire anywhere along that path?

A: Defensive fire is sequential. The defending player can't ask the moving player to back up in
order to take a better shot. If you held your fire, hoping to get a better shot, but then found
yourself with a worse shot, you are out of luck. Defensive Fire needs to be a snap decision. But
your opponent needs to give you a reasonable amount of time to make the decision before
moving on. "Reasonable" may vary from game to game and situation to situation.

Q: No matter how many different units use defensive fire on a given target, it can never cause an
effect greater than a single face-up disrupted counter on that target, correct? In other words, once
any defensive fire attack has successfully disrupted a target, there is no point hitting it again with
defensive fire.

A: Assuming you are not using the lethal defensive fire rules, you are correct. Under the standard
rules, once you have disrupted a unit that is the maximum you will get.

Q: Unit A provokes Defensive Fire in its movement phase and receives a face up disruption. It is
now the assault phase and unit A is attacked and receives a hit. Does this now equate to 2 hits or
is it re-disrupted for the next round?

A: Face-up markers and face-down hit counters never stack. The face-up marker already lowered
the target's defense by 1, which made it possible for the second attacker to get a hit in the first
place. In the casualty phase, the face-up marker is removed. Then the face-down marker is turned
up, causing the unit to be disrupted next turn.

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Q: Does a unit have to start its turn in an adjacent hex to another unit and then move into another
adjacent hex to be Defensive Fired upon?

A: A unit doesn’t have to start its turn next to an enemy unit. It just has to move into an adjacent
hex and then another adjacent hex during the course of its movement that turn.

Q: Can a unit move from a non-adjacent hex to an adjacent hex and be Defensive Fired upon?

A: Never. There is a special ability called Battlefield Awareness that allows the reverse, that is,
Defensive Fire against a unit that moves from an adjacent hex to a nonadjacent hex. But nothing
currently in the game allows Defensive Fire in the situation you describe.

Q: Can Defensive Fire be provoked during the assault phase as well as the movement phase of a
turn?

A: Movement, whether it comes in the movement or assault phase, can provoke defensive fire.

Q: Do vehicles provoke Defensive Fire from vehicles?

A: Yes. Vehicles do, but soldiers don’t provoke Defensive Fire from vehicles.

Q: Does the moving unit have a chance to shoot back?

A: No. The moving unit does not fire back.

Q: A successful Defensive Fire hits one of my units during my part of the movement phase. As a
result, I get an immediate face up disruption counter. Does this face up disruption counter get
removed at the end of that turn or does it need to stay there for one more turn?

A: All face up disruption markers get removed at the beginning of the Casualty phase. It doesn't
matter whether that face-up marker came from the previous turn's Assault phase or from
Defensive Fire this turn.

Q: Is it possible at all to cause a destroyed result during Defensive Fire?

A: Normally no, but if a Flamethrower rolls 3 sixes while conducting a Defensive Fire attack, it
would destroy the unit instead of just disrupting it. Damaged and Destroyed results are possible
if you are using the Deadly Defensive Fire option from the Expanded Rules.

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Q: If a unit uses Defensive Fire, is it excluded from firing in the assault phase?

A: No. A unit that uses Defensive Fire during the enemy's Movement or Assault phase can still
attack during its own Assault phase.

Q: The US BAR Gunner’s special ability used to stop all attacks in a turn, but now it has
changed to only Defensive Fire attacks that turn, correct?

A: Yes, its special ability was changed with the revised cards.

Q: If a Vehicle turns in place, does that provoke Defensive Fire?

A: Changing facing counts as moving, but to trigger Defensive Fire, the movement must be from
one hex into another. Thus, in this case, there's no Defensive Fire.

Q: Does the turning (i.e. moving zero hexes in order to change facing) of a Vehicle provoke
Defensive Fire from a Soldier in the same hex?

A: No. Only movement from one adjacent hex to another can trigger Defensive Fire.

Q: Machine gun teams can make two attacks due to their Double Shot special ability. Must they
attack the same target twice or can they attack two different targets?

A: They can attack two separate targets. They can decide what to attack second after the first
attack is resolved.

Q: If the MG-42 did perform a successful second Defensive Fire against the same enemy unit,
would you put down a second face up disruption counter? Would that then be two face-up
disruptions (two hits) and therefore destroy the enemy soldier?

A: No. Nothing ever gets two face-up disruption markers. Two damage markers become a
destroyed marker, but two disruptions never occur. During the assault phase, the first hit causes
disruption and the second hit destroys a soldier. But Defensive Fire doesn't cause hits. If the
defender rolls enough successes, then the target is immediately disrupted, and that's that. No hits
are inflicted. And because disruption never stacks with itself, an already-disrupted unit can't be
additionally disrupted. This changes if you are using the Deadly Defensive Fire optional rule.

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Q: Suppose I have an MG-42 machine gun team in one hex and an enemy soldier enters the MG-
42’s hex. According to the special abilities on the MG-42, it gets two Defensive Fire attacks. If
the first one is successful, does it even need to make a second Defensive Fire?

A: It can, but there's no point in doing so. Once you have disrupted the moving unit, you have
achieved the maximum possible result of Defensive Fire. That is, unless you are using the
Expanded Rules for Deadly Defensive Fire.

Q: How does a tank with a fixed turret perform Defensive Fire?

A: A tank with a forward fixed turret can only use Defensive Fire against a vehicle that is “in
front of” it. Conversely, a tank with a rear fixed turret can only use Defensive Fire against a
vehicle that is “behind” it. In neither case does the firing arc (front or rear) include the hex the
defending unit is in. These types of tanks can’t fire at targets within their own hex. So if an
enemy vehicle is entering your fixed turreted tank’s hex, any Defensive Fire must occur before
the enemy vehicle enters its hex.

Q: Do dismounting soldiers provoke Defensive Fire attacks?

A: No. Defensive Fire only occurs if a unit moves from one hex to another hex.

Q: Would a unit with the special ability “SS Determination” keep moving even from a successful
Defensive Fire disruption?

A: Yes. SS Determination allows the unit to keep moving even from a Defensive Fire disruption.

Q: Let’s say a vehicle is sitting adjacent to an enemy unit. Is it possible for that vehicle to move
away from an enemy unit and then adjacent to that unit again one hex over and then back out
without provoking defensive fire rather than it just moving the 2 hexes adjacent

A: You receive a Defensive Fire opportunity when your opponent moves their unit from one hex
that is adjacent to your units immediately into another hex that is adjacent to your units. In the
case of your example: If your opponent moved away from your unit and that wasn't into another
hex adjacent to your units, then he could maneuver and move adjacent to another of your units
without giving you a defensive fire opportunity. Defensive Fire is always adjacent hex to
adjacent hex.

Forumini Q: Are Aircraft allowed to conduct defensive fire against land units?

Forumini A: No.

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Forumini Q: If I’m firing defensively at an enemy Vehicle that is moving from adjacent hex to
adjacent hex in front of one of my units, when do I determine facing?

Forumini A: The moment you say “I’m firing defensively” select which hex you are opting to
fire at (the first or second hex) and then determine facing.

For example: In the picture below, the Puma strikes at a T34 in hex D1 and then opts to fade into
hex C4. The BT tank in hex D4 may fire defensively when the Puma is in either D3 or C4.

- If you elect to shoot at it in D3, the green facing arrow applies and the defensive fire would go
against the front of the Puma.

- If you elect to shoot at it in C4, the red facing arrow applies and the defensive fire would go
against the rear of the Puma.

Forumini Q: Would the same thing apply if the unit was using Aggression or normal movement?

Forumini A: Yes

15
Deadly (Lethal) Defensive Fire (Expanded Rule game option)
Q: How do multiple hits from Deadly (or sometimes called Lethal) Defensive Fire stack?

A: Basically, they stack just like any other hits, with one exception. The first hit marker
(disruption) is always placed face up instead of face down. Second and third hits are placed face
down as usual and don't take effect until the casualty phase. Here are examples to explain this
often confusing optional rule:

1. Let’s say a SNLF Fanatic (defense 5/5) is trying to move into a Ghurka Rifleman's hex. The
Ghurka opts to fire defensively at the Fanatic in his starting hex and rolls 5 successes. The SNLF
immediately receives a face-up disruption marker and stops his movement in his original hex. In
the Allied assault phase, the Ghurka can attack the Fanatic again, shoot at some other target or
move.

2. Same SNLF Fanatic tries to move into a Ghurka Rifleman's hex. The Ghurka fires defensively
and rolls 6 successes. The Fanatic receives a face-up disruption marker and a face-down
destroyed marker. In the casualty phase, it will be destroyed.

3. Same SNLF Fanatic tries to move into an enemy occupied hex but this time it contains a
Ghurka Rifleman and a Veteran Australian Rifleman. The Ghurka fires defensively and rolls 5
successes which would allow him to place a face-up disruption marker on the Fanatic. Then the
Australian Veteran fires defensively. The Fanatic is now face-up disrupted, so its defense is
reduced to 4/4. The Vet Australian scores 4 successes, which places a second hit on the Fanatic,
a face-down destroyed marker. In the casualty phase, the Fanatic is removed.

4. A moving unit (vehicle or soldier) is hit by defensive fire. The attack generates enough
successes to get one hit. The target receives an immediate face-up disrupted marker. If it is
attacked again by normal fire later in the turn (assault phase), its defense is reduced by 1
(because it's disrupted) but hits must accumulate normally, The 1st hit placed is a face-down
disruption, the 2nd a face-down damage (or destroy, if it's a soldier), and the 3rd one (if it’s a
Vehicle) a face-down destroy marker.

5. A moving soldier is hit by defensive fire. The attack generates enough successes to cause two
hits. The soldier receives an immediate face-up disrupted marker and a face-down destroyed
marker. In the casualty phase, the disruption marker is removed and the destroyed marker is
flipped face-up. The Soldier is removed from play.

6. A moving tank is hit by defensive fire. The attack generates enough successes to cause 2 hits.
The tank receives an immediate face-up disrupted marker and a face-down damaged marker. In
the casualty phase, the disruption marker is removed and the damaged marker is flipped face-up.
In the following turn the tank will be damaged but not disrupted.

16
7. A moving tank is hit by defensive fire. The attack generates enough successes to cause 2 hits.
The tank receives an immediate face-up disrupted marker and a face-down damaged marker. If
the tank is attacked again in the same turn (assault phase) and receives 1 hit, it will be marked
with a face-down destroyed marker. In the casualty phase, the tank will be removed when the
destroyed marker is flipped face-up.

8. A moving tank is hit by defensive fire. The attack generates enough successes to cause 3 hits.
The tank receives an immediate face-up disrupted marker, a face-down damaged marker and a
face-down destroyed maker. In the casualty phase, this tank will be removed when the destroyed
marker is turned face-up.

Q: Examples 4 and 7 seem to contradict each other. In example 4 you have a tank, which was
face-up distrupted, needing 3 hits to destroy it in the assault phase. But in example 7 you have a
tank, with a face-up disrupted and face-down damaged marker, only needing one hit to go
straight to a destroyed marker. Please explain this.

A: The difference is that in example 4, the first two hits came from two separate attacks. The
defensive fire in example 4 failed to achieve a second hit that would have stacked with the
disruption. Any subsequent attacks are normal attacks against an already disrupted target. In
example 7, the first two hits come from the same attack. Because it's a lethal defensive fire
attack, the hits will 'stack' in this unusual way. They're just like two hits from any single attack,
except the first one is placed face-up. Effectively, that first marker counts as both a face-up
disruption marker and a face-down hit counter, because they both came from the same attack.
The second hit negates the need to place a face-down disruption marker.

Q: Please explain again what happens if a Soldier is hit by defensive fire from two different
defensive fire attacks.

A: Remember that defensive fire is different from normal attacks. If you're using the standard
rules, the only effect of defensive fire is face-up disruption. If you're using the expanded rules for
lethal defensive fire, then the first hit from any and every defensive fire attack is always a face-
up disruption.

Example: A Soldier with defense 4/4 moves and draws defensive fire. He takes one hit, so a
face-up disruption marker is placed. Now let’s say there is a second unit which is also in position
to use defensive fire verses that Soldier.

In the standard rules, there's no point in making that second attack, because the most you can do
is score another face-up disruption. Those don't stack, so the attack is a waste no matter what. In
the expanded rules for lethal defensive fire, you could make that attack and hope to achieve
something more.

17
Here's how it works.

The second unit attacks. The target unit, because it has already been hit once by defensive fire, is
already disrupted. Its defense is down to 3/3. The attacking unit rolls 3 successes, meaning it
scores 1 hit. But, the first hit from any and every defensive fire attack is always a face-up
disruption marker. This attack, therefore, has no additional effect.

Now let's look at what happens if the second attack had scored 4 successes. In that case, it would
achieve 2 hits. The first would be face-up disruption (no additional effect) and the second would
be face-down destruction (because we're using the expanded rules).

It's important to see that the second attack achieved that success because the first attack disrupted
the target and lowered its defense. In fact, both attacks rolled the same number of successes. The
first attack rolled 4 successes, equaling the target's defense and causing it to become disrupted.
The second attack also rolled 4 successes, but because the target was previously disrupted, they
exceeded its lowered defense and scored the 2 hits from a single attack that are needed to push
defensive fire into 'lethal' territory.

Destroy
Q: Are you destroyed if a vehicle receives a damage counter from something and then another
one from something different?

A: Let me respond to this in two ways to cover both possible scenarios. I won't address issues
like making your Cover Roll, Heavy Armor, etc.

First, if in one turn you receive three hits, your unit is destroyed. This could come from three
disruptions from three different units, or a disrupted/damaged from one unit and another
disrupted from another unit or some other combination. Three hits in one turn would equal a
destroyed unit.

Second, let’s assume in the previous turn you were hit twice resulting in disruption and damaged
face down counters being placed. Now it's the next turn and the same unit is attacked and your
opponent exceeds its defense by 1. Normally this is a disrupted and damaged result. Since it's a
new turn a face down disruption counter is placed on the unit. The unit is already damaged, and
damaged is a persistent state that doesn't get removed. So any new damage counters effectively
destroys the unit. So a face down destroyed counter is placed instead of a damaged counter. As
the glossary says under Destroyed; If a damaged vehicle would receive another damaged
counter, it gets a destroyed counter instead.

18
Disruption
Q: The rulebook says that the worst that can happen to my unit if I make my cover roll is
disruption. Does this mean that as long as I succeed at my cover rolls my attacked unit can't be
damaged or destroyed, or does the disruption count as a hit? For example, I have a Sherman in a
forest hex that is hit three times by three different units. I succeed at each cover roll. Does the
Sherman receive a face down Disruption counter, or face down Disruption, Damaged, and
Destroyed counters?

A: Each time you succeed on a cover roll the attack is limited to disruption. Even when the
attacked unit already has a face down Disruption counter from a previous attack, a successful
cover roll will prevent any more counters from being placed on that unit. In the above example,
the Sherman would only receive one face down Disruption counter.

Q: When exactly are units disrupted or damaged?

A: Units become disrupted, damaged, and destroyed during the casualty phase when face-down
hit counters are flipped over. A unit is disrupted if it has a face up Disruption counter on it. A
unit is damaged if it has a face up Damaged counter on it. Units can also become immediately
disrupted if they receive at least one hit after provoking a defensive-fire attack.

Q: A Tiger tank gets disrupted but suffers no more hits for that turn. The Disruption counter then
flips face up during the casualty phase. Next turn, the Tiger can only be disrupted if it receives
only one hit? Or is a damaged counter placed on it?

A: Even if the Tiger has a face up disruption marker, the next face down marker it might receive
next turn would be a disruption marker. (Assuming it suffers only one hit next turn) Face-up
disruption markers have no effect on what Face down markers get placed on the target. Face-up
disruption markers are residual from the previous turn or from defensive fire. They don't stack
with hits from this Assault phase in any way. They do, however, lower the target's defense,
making it easier to score hits against it. But for purposes of placing new, Face down markers,
you can ignore face-up disruption markers.

19
Q: What happens if a vehicle transporting a soldier unit gets disrupted? Is the passenger
disrupted as well?

A: Let’s say you try to drive your SdKfz 251 plus a passenger into an enemy-occupied hex
during the movement phase but get disrupted by defensive fire. Only the halftrack is disrupted.
The passenger is unaffected and can still use its movement to dismount. If the passenger is a
Panzer Grenadier with the Mechanized Tactics special ability, it can dismount for free at the end
of the Movement phase. Or the passenger could stay aboard and take advantage of the halftrack's
Fighting Platform special ability to attack at full effect during the Assault phase. The halftrack
would suffer the -1 penalty for attacking while disrupted, but the passenger would not.

Q: What is the defense of a disrupted Jeep? Page 22 of the rule book says “A disrupted unit
suffers a -1 penalty to defense” The way I read it a disrupted jeep has a defense of zero. If that’s
the case what roll will disrupt, damage or destroy the Jeep?

A: When a unit's defense drops to 0, any attack against it causes disruption, and 1 hit destroys it.

Q: What happens if a unit’s defense falls to 0? (For example a disrupted Jeep) Does that mean an
attack with 0 successes counts as a disruption?

A: An attack with 0 successes would disrupt it, 1 or more successes would destroy it.

Disruption of Aircraft
Q: How do you resolve disruption of Aircraft? Is it still removed from the board at end of turn?
Does it reappear with the disrupted token still on it?

A: If an Aircraft gets disrupted by a normal attack (gets a face-down disruption counter), it can
attack this turn with no penalty. At the beginning of the casualty phase, the face-down disruption
marker is flipped face-up. The Aircraft stays on the board until the end of the turn, when all
aircraft are removed. The following turn, it can't be placed on the board. During the casualty
phase of that turn, the face-up disruption marker is removed, just like any other disrupted unit. It
can then be placed out on the board as normal during the following turn.

If an aircraft gets disrupted by defensive fire (gets a face-up disruption counter), it can still attack
this turn, but with a -1 on each attack die for being face-up disrupted. If the disrupted Aircraft is
attacked, it will have -1 defense for being face-up disrupted. At the beginning of the casualty
phase, the disruption marker is not removed. The aircraft stays on the board until the end of the
turn, when all aircraft are removed. The following turn, it can't be placed on the board. During
the casualty phase of that turn, the disruption marker is removed, just like any other disrupted
unit. It can then be placed out on the board as normal during the following turn.

20
Enfilading Fire - Expanded Game Rule
This is the text of the Enfilade Fire Rule as found in the Expanded Rulebook:

When a friendly Vehicle or Soldier is adjacent to an enemy Soldier, treat the enemy Soldier as facing that
friendly unit for any other friendly units that fire at that enemy Soldier. Any friendly units that trace line
of sight through the rear of that enemy Soldier’s hex have a +1 bonus on each of their attack dice. If
multiple units are adjacent to an enemy Soldier, the friendly unit’s player can choose which unit the
enemy Soldier is facing. Units in the same hex as an enemy Soldier don’t count for this rule even though
they are normally considered adjacent.

If you have adjacent units on two sides of an enemy Soldier, both of your units would get a +1 bonus on
each of their attack dice against that enemy. If you have a Soldier that is adjacent to an enemy Soldier
and to the north of it, and another unit three hexes to the southeast of that enemy Soldier, the unit three
hexes away would get a +1 bonus on each of its attack dice.

Enfilade Fire - How it works

When one of your Soldiers or Vehicles is adjacent to an enemy Soldier, the enemy Soldier is
facing your unit. Any of your Soldiers or Vehicles that are “behind” that enemy gains the +1
Enfilade Fire bonus.

When more than one of your Soldiers or Vehicles is adjacent to an enemy Soldier, treat the
enemy Soldier as if it is facing every one of your adjacent units. This expands the enemy's rear-
defense arc and shrinks its front-defense arc. In other words, any hex that could be considered
“behind” in any of those possible facings earns the Enfilade Fire bonus. The important thing to
note is that all of this applies simultaneously. The order of attacks doesn't matter.

21
Although all the units in this example are Soldiers, they could be swapped for Vehicles without
changing the situation. All of the light-shaded hexes are treated as being behind Soviet unit A.
German units B, D, F, and G gain the Enfilade Fire bonus. Units C and E do not.

 B gains the bonus from the presence of D

 D gains the bonus from the presence of B
 F gains the bonus from the presence of C or D
 G gains the bonus from the presence of B, C or D
 E and C do not gain the bonus because none of the adjacent units force Soviet unit A to
turn its rear defense arc in that direction. If a German soldier occupied any of the
adjacent, empty hexes, both C and E would earn the Enfilade Fire bonus.

22
Here are four more diagrams to further clarify the situation. In each diagram, any unit, not just
those shown in the diagram, attacking Soviet unit A from a lightened hex (light green) gets the
enfilade fire bonus; any unit attacking Soviet unit A from a non-lightened hex (dark green) does
not get the bonus.

Enfilading Fire - Q&A

Q: Aircraft can’t cause Enfilade Fire, but can they benefit from it? For example, a friendly unit is
on the other side and adjacent to an enemy Soldier. Does a friendly Aircraft attacking through
the rear arc get +1 on each die? The Enfilade Fire rules just say "Any friendly unit that trace line
of sight through the rear of that enemy Soldier have a +1 bonus on each of their attack dice" So I
am thinking that an aircraft would count as a friendly unit?

A: Aircraft can gain the Enfilade Fire bonus if friendly Vehicles or Soldiers are correctly
positioned adjacent to the target.

23
Grazing Fire - Expanded Game Rule
This is the text of the Grazing Fire Rule as found in the Expanded Rulebook:

Machine guns (Soldiers with the Double Shot special ability) may choose to use grazing fire instead of
making an additional attack with the Double Shot special ability during the assault phase or as a
defensive-fire attack. If one of these units chooses to utilize grazing fire, it may attack attacks all other
units that are both adjacent to the original target and on the same line of sight as the original target. The
machine-gun unit attacks each unit subject to grazing fire individually.

If line of sight to the original target touches an adjacent hex, then any units in that hex are subject to a
grazing-fire attack. In practice, this means that there will be only two hexes adjacent to the hex the
original target is in unless the line of sight is measured down the hex spine, in which case there are four
hexes adjacent to the target and on the same line of sight.

Q: Why are the words “may attack” lined out above?

A: This comes from a clarification posted 7/21/10 in the Q&A section of the WotC discussion
board. It’s to make clear that Grazing Fire hits every eligible hex and affects every unit in those
hexes, enemy or friendly.

Grazing Fire - How it works

Q: The Sandbagged MG team in the lower left corner of the below picture targets an M1 Garand
Rifle with his first shot. Which units can the MG team now target with a Grazing Fire shot?

A: The Screaming Eagle Paratrooper in the same hex as the Garand and all of the units in hexes
1, 2, 3 and 4. All of these units are adjacent to the Garand and on the same Line of Sight as the
Garand Rifle.

24
Q: Imagine the hexes containing the 81mm Mortar, the Garand and the Vickers MG team all
have forest terrain in them. Would the Sandbagged MG team be able to target the units in hexes
1 and 2 if he targeted the same Garand Rifle for Grazing Fire?

A: Grazing fire can be used against targets that are "adjacent to the original target and on the
same line of sight." If you don't have line of sight to a particular hex, then it can't be hit by
grazing fire.

Q: I have a friendly unit in hex 3. If I decide to use grazing fire, do I have to roll attack dice
against my unit as well?

A: Grazing fire doesn't distinguish between friendly and enemy units. It also doesn't allow you to
pick which hexes are affected. If you use grazing fire, you must attack every eligible unit
including your own in the line of fire. This is an exception to the standard rule that you only
attack enemy units.

Grazing Fire - Q&A

Q: Does Grazing Fire give you a second shot on the original target?

A: No, it doesn’t give you a second attack on the original target. It attacks all units in the line of
fire once instead of a single unit twice.

Q: Can an American Quad 50 be placed on Overwatch and use Grazing Fire during Defensive
Fire?

A: Yes. The Quad 50 has the Relocate special ability, so it can be placed on Overwatch. It also
has Double Shot, so it can use Grazing Fire.

Q: What happens if your original target is one hex away? Does the second / Grazing Fire shot
affect units in the firing unit’s hex? Does it affect the unit doing the Grazing Fire?

A: A Rules Update dated 9/10/2010 says the following;

“Grazing fire attacks every Soldier and Vehicle (other than the original target) in the affected
hexes. Units in the attacker's hex are never subject to grazing fire attacks. Grazing fire can't be
used if the first target of the Double Shot attack is in the attacker's hex or was an Aircraft.”

Q: Can Aircraft be the target of Grazing Fire either as the original / first target or as a second /
Grazing Fire target?

A: No.

25
Q: How do you determine which hexes to target with the secondary fire if your unit’s shot
doesn’t line up perfectly down a row of hexes or a hex spine?

A: In the diagram, red lines are the Lines of Fire. Red hexes are the primary target hexes. Yellow
hexes are those that can be attacked with the second, grazing fire attack.

Q: So a unit with the Double Shot special ability could use Grazing Fire during Defensive Fire to
hit secondary targets? And in the case of Lethal Defensive Fire even get Damaged and Destroyed
results?

A: By the current wording of the rules, secondary targets are every bit as vulnerable to Defensive
Fire as is the primary target. Lethal Defensive Fire and Grazing Fire make Defensive Fire much
more powerful than it is under the Advanced Rules. If a non-moving unit is attacked by
Defensive Fire as a secondary target (for example, by Grazing Fire or Blast), it suffers the full
effect of that Defensive Fire as if it had been the moving unit, including Damaged and Destroyed
results if the optional Lethal Defensive Fire rules are in use. Barring any change, the current
wording of the rules makes secondary targets just as vulnerable to Defensive Fire as the primary
target.

26
Line of Sight (LOS)
Q: My unit is in a town hex and an enemy unit is located in an adjacent town hex. Do I have line
of sight?

A: Yes. The terrain in the attacker's hex and the terrain in the target's hex never affect LOS
between the two. This is true for all types of terrain that could block LOS. Only terrain that is in
between the attacker’s and the target’s hex is considered when determining line of sight.

Q: Would you have line of sight in this situation?

A: The LOS rules on page 19 of the Expanded Rules state:

If the line between the center of the attacker’s hex and the center of the defender’s hex crosses
through a hex with blocking terrain, the attacker can’t attack that target.

The question of what happens when the LOS runs between two blocking hexes without actually
crossing either one is never addressed ... which brings us to the above question.

Technically, then, according to the rules as written, there is a clear LOS between hexes A and B
below. Clearly, this flies in the face of common sense and is not what the designers intended. So
the LOS rule, in addition to the conditions listed above, should also state:

If the line of sight runs exactly along a hex side between two terrain hexes that both contain
blocking terrain, that LOS is blocked.

27
This still leaves open one question. What if the LOS runs exactly along two different hex sides,
one forming a blocking hex to the left and one forming a blocking hex to the right, as shown
below?

The answer is there is no clear LOS between C and D. So the final LOS rule should state:

1. If you can draw the line without crossing any part of a hex containing towns, hills, or
forest, the unit can see the target and attack.
2. If the line of sight runs exactly along the hex side of a single terrain hex that would block
line of sight, that hex doesn't block line of sight.
3. If the line of sight runs exactly along a hex side between two terrain hexes that both contain
blocking terrain, that LOS is blocked.
4. If the line of sight runs exactly along two or more hex sides that form blocking hexes to
both the right and left of the line of sight, that LOS is blocked.

Note that this also means no clear LOS exists between hexes E and F, below.

This is a situation that has been allowed in some competitions because of the way the LOS rules
were worded. For the sake of consistency, this line of sight is blocked.

28
Q: Am I correct in saying that Soldiers and Vehicles do not affect line of sight? In other words, if
I have a unit in between an enemy unit and another of my units, all of them can fire on each
other? Units don't block Line of sight?

A: That's correct. Units don't interfere with Line of Sight in any way.

Q: Can a tank with a movable turret fire at anything within its range, provided there is nothing
blocking it?

A: Yes. A tank with a rotating turret has an all-round field of fire, including its own hex. Tanks
with fixed turrets have limited fields of fire. (Either forward or rear firing arcs)

Q: When judging line of sight past a hex with hill terrain, do I count the last bit of the hill that
continues into the adjacent hex? Sometimes if I line up the hex center dots the line doesn't
actually cross the hill art work, but that hex technically does contain hill terrain. The same
applies if the line of sight doesn't cross into a hex that is entirely a hill just the 10% that bleeds
over into the next hex. Do these tiny bits block line of sight?

A: All terrain features (except roads and streams) are treated as if they fill their hexes perfectly.
That is, a hill hex is 100% hill, and none of that terrain spills outside the hex outline. The terrain
depicted on the map sheets is stylized for the purpose of esthetics. If a hex is mostly forest art,
then it is 100% forest/blocking terrain. In some cases, terrain graphics from a hill, forest, or
swamp hex spill into a neighboring clear hex. This is just artistic license. There is no such thing
as a mostly clear or partly hilly hex.

Q: So how do you decide what the terrain is in a particular hex? Sometimes it’s just not clear.

A: The rule of thumb is to look at the terrain under the center dot. If there is hill terrain under the
center dot, then treat that hex as a hill hex. If no hill terrain is under the center dot, treat that hex
as a clear hex.

29
LOS - Bluffs

 Red has clear LOS to Black, Yellow, and White. It cannot see Blue.

 Black has a clear LOS to Yellow. It cannot see Blue or White. It can see Red, but Red has
cover.

 Yellow has clear LOS to Black and Blue. It cannot see White. It can see Red, but Red has
cover.

 Blue has clear LOS to Yellow and White. It cannot see Black or Red.

 White has clear LOS to Red and Blue. It cannot see Black or Yellow.

30
LOS - Half Hexes
Q: What type of terrain is in Half Hexes on the edge of each map? Clear, as is or nonexistent?
Can I trace my LOS along the line of the Half Hex?

A: The LOS as drawn in this illustration is clear. All half-hexes on existing maps are considered
clear terrain (with the exception of some of the custom maps). The half-hex functions as a clear
but impassable hex.

LOS - Hedges
Q: In the diagram, who has LOS? Who has cover?
 Red attacks White. White doesn't have
cover.
 White and Blue can’t attack each other.
 Black attacks White. White doesn’t have
cover.
 White attacks Red. Red has cover.
 White attacks Black. Black doesn’t have
cover.
 Black attacks Red. Red has cover.
 Black and Blue can’t attack each other.
 White and Brown can’t attack each
other.

Q: What type of terrain is brown in?

A: The terrain occupied by brown is clear. It represents a cultivated field, but it's purely for
decoration and has no game effect. Perhaps it will have a scenario-specific effect in a future
scenario, but currently it has none.
31
Q: If an Aircraft targets a unit in a hedge/bluff hex and the LOS crosses the hedge/bluff, does the
unit receive a cover roll?

A: Yes.

Q: What happens when the LOS just brushes the ends of a hedge?

A: Here are some more Hedge terrain examples. In every example, A is the attacker and T is the
target. A blue arrow indicates that LOS is clear. Red indicates that it's blocked.

 Example 1 is the basic case. The hedges don't block LOS because they form part of the
attacker's and target's hexes. The target would have cover.

 Example 2, LOS is blocked because the hedges don't form part of the attacker's or target's
hexes.

 Example 3, LOS isn't blocked because only one side of the line is obstructed. The target has
cover.

 Example 4, LOS isn't blocked because only one side of the line is obstructed. The target does
not have cover.

 Examples 5 and 6, LOS is blocked because it's obstructed on both the right and the left, even
though the obstructions don't line up.

Q: If a line of sight runs exactly along a hedge hex side, is the LOS blocked?

A: On page 19 of the advanced rulebook it says; “If a sight of line runs exactly along a hedge
hex side, that line of sight is not blocked by the hedgerow hex.”

32
 Q: But the definition of Line of Sight in the
Expanded Rulebook says; “If the LOS runs
exactly along two or more hex sides that
form blocking hexes to both the right and
left of the LOS, that line of sight is blocked.”
So wouldn’t the hedgerows at H2 & H5
block the LOS between A and T?

A: The LOS from A to T is blocked to the

left of the H2/H5 line because of the
hedgerows at H3 & H4. But the LOS is
NOT blocked to the right of the H2/H5 line
because the hedgerows at H1 & H6 are part
of the attacker’s and target’s hex. Terrain
Q: Does A have line of sight to T? that is part of the attacker’s and target’s hex
is ignored when determining LOS.
A: Yes.
Because the LOS is clear to the right, there's
LOS along that line.

Map/Terrain
(Place holder for future general Q&A)

M/T - Desert Maps

Q: On Desert map D1 there is a hex with some brush terrain on it, but under the center dot there
is water. Is this hex enterable by vehicles or is it a water hex and barred to vehicles?

A: It's a brush hex.

Q: On the Desert Map D3 there are 2 rows of bluffs. The three hex set of bluffs appears to have
one with cliffs on three sides. It seems to only go half way around. Is that a bluff hex side?

A: The hex at the end of that 3-hex stretch does have bluffs on 3 sides. It's not clear. We made
our determination by drawing a line between the center dots of the bluff hex and the adjacent
hex. The line crossed the bluff symbol, so we're calling it a bluff hex side.

33
M/ T - Hills
Q: Some map hexes have hill terrain spilling over into an adjacent hex. Does that make the
adjacent hex hill terrain?

A: Hill terrain spilling over into an adjacent hex is just some artistic license.

Q: So how can I tell if that hill spilling over or the little bit of trees in a hex represents hill /
forest terrain or just artistic license?

A: The rule of thumb is to look at the terrain under the center dot. If there are trees under the
center dot, treat that hex as a forest hex. If no trees are under the center dot, treat the hex as clear.

Q: Maps 13, 15 & 16 have hill terrain with a lot of extra shadowing on them. Are these shadow
hexes or hill terrain?

A: Hexes E11A/E69X, E4A,/E68X and E12A/E60X on map 15 are all hill terrain. Hex
E13A/E67X on map 15, hex F45A/F35X on map 16 and C19A/C61X on map 13 are all clear.
The shadows are misleading.

M/T – Joining map sections/half hex terrain

Q: When joining two map sections together, and the edge half-hex is a ½ Stream or ½ Road hex,
and the other joining half-hex edge is clear (usually the case), what is the ruling terrain feature?

A: You can claim the benefit of being on a road if the hex side you're crossing is also crossed by
a road. The typical case is that a hex containing a road will have two (sometimes more) hex sides
that are crossed by roads. Where a road "dead ends" at a map seam, that hex has only one hex
side crossed by a road. You can claim the benefit of being on a road when you cross that hex
side, but not when you cross any other (those that aren't crossed by roads). Streams are a bit
different, because where the maps join together; the newly created hex will have one hex side
that is half stream, half clear. Treat those hex sides as clear. (Assume your units have enough
brains to skirt around the stream).

34
M/T - Jungle
Soldiers can only enter in the assault phase and can only move 1 hex in the turn they enter this
terrain.

Q: I’m a bit confused with the movement restrictions on Soldiers in jungle terrain. How does this
work?

A: The limitation applies to the entire turn, which includes the movement phase. If a soldier
moved during the movement phase, then he can't enter a hex with jungle terrain in the assault
phase. Entering a jungle hex consumes the soldier's whole turn, but you don't actually do it until
the assault phase.

Q: The Comprehensive Terrain Effects Chart says that jungle terrain is impassible for Vehicles,
but then says they get cover on a roll of +5. How could this even be possible?

A: Jungle is impassable to vehicles. They can't set up in it or enter it during the game. But if a
road passes through a hex with jungle terrain, a Vehicle could move along the road and stop in
the jungle hex. It works just like marsh terrain. A Vehicle can’t enter marsh terrain unless it is
traveling along a road passing through it.

M/T - Large Buildings

Q: Which hexes on map 11 have large building terrain?

A: Any hex with grey underneath the center dot is considered to be large building terrain. Hex
A59A/A21X is clear because the center dot is just barely on clear terrain.

M/T - Sand & Brush

Q: In the North Africa Map pack Sand and Brush hexes are listed as counting as double cost
terrain for wheeled Vehicles. Which vehicles have thin wheels? What about the BMW
motorcycle.

A: Just look at the figure. Any Vehicle that has tracks or half tracks doesn’t have thin wheels.
BMW motorcycles are treated as Soldiers, not Vehicles, so this restriction doesn’t apply to them.
The same thing is true for brush terrain. It affects wheeled Vehicles, but not Soldier-motorcycles.

M/T - Snow
Q: Are there any official rules for snow conditions?

A: From Scenarios Winter War 1 and 2; Vehicles lose 1 point of movement and the road bonus is
negated. No effect on infantry.

35
Movement
Q: In the movement phase, a jeep moves two hexes to share a hex with a Bazooka. The Bazooka
then uses his movement to board the jeep. Can the jeep then continue his move? Or does the jeep
have to wait until the Assault phase to move again.

A: The Jeep’s movement would be done in that movement phase. It would have to wait for the
next assault phase to move again. This situation is addressed on page 11 of the rulebook, which
states, "On your movement phase, you can move any, all, or none of your units one at a time."

Q: A damaged unit has its’ movement reduced by one. Does this reduction in movement rate also
apply to special abilities such as Strike and Fade and Aggression?

A: Yes. For example, a Vehicle with the Strike and Fade 1 SA would lose its’ ability to fade.

Q: Does a high gear unit need to spend its entire turn on a road (not entering a town or leaving it
and beginning on it) to pick up high gear and does it stack with road bonus?

A: Towns are considered to have roads, so the high gear requirement of "full move on a road" is
fulfilled if you move through (start/end your move in) a town.

Forumini Q: I have a tank with speed 2. Its’ first move is into a clear hex, can it then move onto a
hill with its’ second movement?

Forumini A: No. Hills are double cost terrain and the Vehicle in your example has only one
movement point left.

Forumini Q: Can a Vehicle with speed 1 advance into a hill or forest hex?

Forumini A: Yes. The Minimum Movement rule found on pg 29 of Expanded Rules says:

A Vehicle with a speed of 1 moving in the movement phase can move into a hill or forest hex
even though it would normally count as two hexes. A Vehicle doesn’t benefit from this exception
in the assault phase. When moving into a forest hex, the Vehicle still has to succeed at a
movement roll.

36
Movement Rolls
Q: I have read a few times in the rulebook the phrase: "Entering a forest" and this requires a
movement roll. If I move from one forest hex to another, do I have to make another movement
roll or not since I am already “inside the forest”?

A: Yes, you are required to make another movement roll. Each new hex of forest terrain requires
its own movement die roll, regardless of what type of terrain you're leaving.

Q: When moving out of terrain, do you have to make a roll to see if you can leave?

A: No. You make movement rolls only when entering forest or when crossing a stream.

Q: If a vehicle is in a forest, regardless whether it got there on a road or cross-country (with a

die roll), can it leave that forest hex to enter a non-forest hex (not a swamp, or in excess of move
speed) WITHOUT rolling another success die?

A: Yes.

Q: A vehicle starts its movement phase right next to a forest (or stream). It tries to cross the
forest (or stream), but fails the movement roll. Can I still move that vehicle or does the failed
movement roll end my movement for that phase?

A: Failing a movement roll ends that vehicle's movement for the phase.

Forumini Q: When a unit fails a movement roll in the movement phase it is required to end its
movement facing the hex it was attempting to enter. But is this unit allowed to move again in the
assault phase, either making another attempt at a movement roll or moving in a different
direction instead?

Forumini A: Yes. It is a separate phase.

Forumini Q: Are Movement rolls required to cross hedges and streams during assault phase?

Forumini A: Yes. Movement rolls are required for any movement over hedges or streams during
either the movement or assault phases.

37
Road Movement - How it works
The interesting thing about roads is that they don't affect a hex universally. Instead they affect it
only when certain hex sides are crossed by a road symbol. A hex is not "a road hex" or "a non-
road hex." Rather it should be thought of as either a “road hex side" or a “non-road hex side."
My tank can't drive into a marsh hex just because there's also a road in that hex. The marsh hex is
impassable to vehicles, except in the case where the vehicle comes in via a road hex side. Once
in, the vehicle functions normally in every respect except that it can only leave via the same or
another road hex side. The same thing applies to hills and forests, only with different penalties
for using a non-road hex side and the fact that the vehicle can leave in any direction, regardless
of where the road goes.

Roads: If a unit moves along a road, each hex only counts as one hex even if the prevailing
terrain in the hex is double cost. A unit doesn't need to make movement rolls when moving along
a road even if it crosses a stream or enters a forest. A unit moving along a road can enter a hex of
impassable terrain. It can only exit the impassable hex along the road.

Road Bonus: Each phase, the first hex that a Vehicle moves along a road is free. It doesn't count
against the number of hexes the unit can move."

The key thing to remember when figuring out road movement is that, to qualify for any sort of
bonus (lowered terrain cost, no movement roll, road bonus, or High Gear bonus), a vehicle must
move along the road. That means that the road must directly connect the hex that the vehicle is
leaving to the hex that the vehicle is entering.

38
Illustration 1 shows how a vehicle would count its movement along the path indicated. The tank
doesn't get its free hex of road bonus movement when moving from hex A to B because, even
though hex B contains a road, the tank isn't moving along a road when it crosses from A to B.
The tank gets the bonus when it enters hex C because that's the first hex of qualified road
movement -- the tank follows the road from B into C. When the tank moves from C to D, it's no
longer following the road because the road doesn't enter hex D. (In this case, that doesn't matter
because the tank has already used its road bonus. If this was the first hex of movement, it
wouldn't qualify as road movement.)

Now consider an M18 Hellcat (speed 5, High Gear 2) moving along the road shown in
illustration 2. To qualify for the High Gear bonus, the vehicle must spend its entire move on the
road. That means the Hellcat must take the route indicated. It can't cut across from hex B to hex
D. Even though both are road hexes, they're not directly connected by a road across their shared
hexside. The Hellcat must move B-C-D to be considered moving "along the road." Numbers
indicate how the tank destroyer's movement should be counted out as it moves. The vehicle
doesn't need to make movement rolls or pay double to enter the forest hex because it's following
the road. Note that if the Hellcat started in any of the hexes labeled X, it couldn't use High Gear
at all because its first hex of movement would not be road movement.

39
Town hexes are all considered to be road hexes, but in the absence of any other road symbol,
they connect only to adjacent town hexes. In illustration 3, a vehicle entering or leaving one of
the town hexes qualifies for the road bonus if, and only if, it crosses one of the hex sides marked
with a white arrow. Crossing any other hex side is not moving along the road and doesn't qualify
for the road or High Gear bonuses. Also note that moving from the upper town hex (T1) into the
upper forest hex (F1) doesn't require a movement roll or cost double because the two hexes are
connected by a road. Moving from either town hex into the lower forest hex (F2), however, does
require a movement roll and costs double. Even though the town serves as a road, no road
crosses the hex side into hex F2, so the normal forest movement rules apply.

Because the road bonus is a free hex of movement, you can use it even if you exhausted your last
bit of speed getting to the road. In Illustration 4, the Pz IV spends all three hexes of its movement
getting onto the road. Normally, it would stop in that hex. Because its third hex of movement
places it on the road, however, it can move one more hex, provided it follows the road as shown.
Again, numbers indicate the hexes as they're counted out during movement.

Remember, roads matter only when vehicles move along the road. In other words, the road must
cross the hex side that the vehicle is crossing. If the road doesn't cross the same hexside, then
you don't get any of its benefits when moving into that hex.

40
Road Movement – Q&A

Q: Please define clearly "Movement along a road" and its effects.

A: Movement along a road is moving from a hex with a road on it, to another hex with the same
road on it. Effectively if the hex side between the 2 hexes has a road passing thru it, you are
moving along a road.

Q: Does a Vehicle have to start its move on a road to get the road bonus?

A: No. The first hex of “movement along a road” each phase is free, but you don’t have to start
on a road to get the road bonus.

Q: If my vehicle is crossing from a clear hex onto a hill, forest, or marsh with a road on it, what
are the restrictions if any?

A: If there is no road connecting the two hexes in question (i.e. if there is no road in the clear
hex), then the appropriate limitations apply (e.g. it would have to make a movement roll to enter
a forest)

Q: I have a vehicle starting in hex A. Does it

have to move from A to C and then to B or
can it just move directly from A to B since
they are side by side and both A and B
contain a road even though they are clearly
not "joined".

A: To qualify for any sort of road bonus (the

free hex or High Gear), the unit must move
"along the road." You can't "jump" from one
road hex to another.

Q: Is it correct that in every town hex there is a road?

A: Every town hex is connected to every adjacent town hex by a road.

Q: Can town hexes be considered connected road hexes for “High Gear" movement? Does the
movement within town hexes count as movement along the road?

A: Town hexes can be considered as road hexes for the High Gear special ability. Movement
from one town hex directly to another town hex is the same as moving along a road.

41
Q: So when I enter a town hex it would have the same effect for movement as if it was a road
hex and as a first hex "along the road". Is this correct?

A: It's not correct that the first town hex you enter is free. In order to get the road bonus, the
vehicle must actually be moving along a road. If a road connects the hex you’re in and the town
hex you’re entering into, then you can use the road bonus to enter that town hex. But if a road
does not connect the hex you’re in and the town hex you’re entering, then you can't claim the
road bonus just because you're entering a town hex. It would be the same as moving from any
non-road hex into a road hex. You don't get the road bonus for that.

Q: Let’s say I have a unit with a movement rate of 3. It moves 3 clear hexes and in the last hex it
enters, a road exists. Do I get the road bonus?

A: Yes. If a unit can move to a hex containing a road within its’ movement rate, then it can move
another free hex along the road. If your unit is one hex short of making it to the road, then it
doesn't get a road bonus.

Q: Do I understand that a road is considered hex-side terrain for the sake of “moving along a
road” and terrain effects?

A: Looking at it in a purely game mechanics way, yes. During movement, terrain restrictions
come into play at the moment that a unit transitions from one hex to another, in other words,
when it crosses the hex side. Once a unit has entered a hex, the terrain inside of it no longer
matters for movement purposes.

Objective Hex
Q: What is considered to be the objective? Is it one hex or seven hexes? Is it the hex holding the
objective counter? Or is it that hex and all the surrounding six hexes?

A: An objective is seven hexes. It is the center hex and the six hexes surrounding it.

Q: Do you control the objective and win the game if you are the only one to have units in any of
the 7 hexes that make up the objective?

A: Yes, assuming you are checking for victory results at the end of turn 7 or later.

42
Q: So if there are no enemy units in any of the seven hexes that make up the objective and I have
at least one unit in any of the seven hexes, I win that objective.

A: Yes. But this only counts on turn 7 (or later) when you check for victory conditions in a
standard game.

Q: But if you have a unit sitting in the middle objective hex and there are enemy units in any of
the hexes surrounding the center objective hex, the objective is not controlled.

A: Correct.

Q: How do you know who has control of a hex??

A: Here is a diagram that illustrates hex control.

 Dark Green-shaded hexes are controlled by the two Defiant Paratroopers.

 Blue-shaded hexes are controlled by the two Fortress Defenders.

 Yellow-shaded hexes are contested by both sides and controlled by no one.

 Light Green hexes are neither controlled nor contested by either side.

43
Q: I’m not sure how you are allowed to place Barbed Wire around an objective.

A: The diagram below shows the hex sides where Barbed Wire can be placed around the
Objective.

Obstacles
Q: I can’t find the rules covering obstacles or fortifications in either the Advanced or Expanded
Rulebooks. Where are they? What do they say?

A: The original Obstacle rules were printed on the back of the D-Day check list. It reads:

Obstacles

The Axis and Allies D-Day set introduces Obstacles to the battlefield. Obstacles belong to
neither side, and can be deployed by the Axis or the Allies. Obstacles count toward your army's
100-point limit, and you have to show your opponent all the Obstacles in your army before you
deploy them.

Obstacles don't count against the normal stacking limits, but are limited to one per hex and one
per hex edge. Obstacles can't move. Obstacles can't be placed in hexes adjacent to the objective
or on hex edges that surround the hex that contains the objective.

You can put a Barbed Wire on a hex edge that surrounds a hex that contains another obstacle, as
long as that hex isn't the objective.

There are two kinds of Obstacles - Fortifications and Traps.

Fortifications

Fortifications are deployed before all other units, since they are fixed and obvious on the
battlefield. Once the first player is determined after the initial coin flip, that player deploys all
his Fortifications. Then the second player deploys all his Fortifications. After all Fortifications
have been deployed, deploy units normally.
44
(The following is no longer in play, but I'm including it here for reference. As of the 11/12/2009
update, minefields are placed like fortifications.)

Traps

Since traps represent hazards that are hidden and not obvious, they aren't deployed during
normal deployment. During your assault phase, you can place a Trap in any unoccupied hex that
isn't adjacent to the objective.

Churchill AVRE

The AVRE vehicles were specially designed to destroy and/or easily cross any obstructions found
on the beaches of Normandy. The Churchill AVRE immediately destroys any Obstacle it crosses
and any Obstacle in a hex that it enters. Since it also ignores Obstacles, the AVRE is never
adversely affected by Fortifications or Traps.

Overwatch - Expanded Game Rule

This is the text of the Overwatch Rule as found in the Expanded Rulebook:

Instead of moving a Vehicle or antitank unit (Soldiers with the Relocate ability or any Artillery with a
speed of 0) during the movement phase or activating a unit during the assault phase, a player may place
that unit on overwatch. A unit on overwatch may not move or fire during that phase. Also, a unit on
overwatch must be placed facing a hex side. If the unit has a turret, you may point the turret in a
different direction from the Vehicle’s facing when you place the unit on overwatch. The direction the
turret is facing is the direction of the overwatch. Place a marker or counter on that unit to mark that it’s
on overwatch.

A unit on overwatch can only fire down the row of hexes that the turret, antitank gun, or the Vehicle (for
those Vehicles without turrets) is facing.

If an enemy unit enters a hex of the hex row that the unit placed on overwatch is facing, then that friendly
unit may make a defensive-fire attack on the moving unit. Remove the counter that marks the unit as
being on overwatch when the unit makes a defensive-fire attack or when that unit moves or fires during a
later phase.

A player may place only two units on overwatch at any one time (this limit applies per 100 points of units
allowed by the scenario, so in larger scenarios more units may be placed on overwatch).

The following comes from the 11/12/2009 AAM Rules Update document:

“Under the Expanded Rules, Soldiers can be used in Overwatch if they have the Relocate special
ability or if they are Artillery with speed 0. The SU-152 cannot use Overwatch.”

45
Overwatch - How it works
(Place holder for future official WotC explanation)

Overwatch - Q&A
Q: Does Overwatch give a unit an extra Defensive Fire shot? In other words, does placing a unit
on Overwatch give you a second Defensive Fire attack in addition to the normal Defensive Fire
shot the unit receives during a phase?

A: A unit only gets one Defensive Fire attack per phase. Overwatch doesn't change that.

Q: If a unit with a hull-mounted weapon in addition to its turret weapon (French CHAR B1-bis
for example) is placed on Overwatch, would the tank get to fire both its turret and hull-mounted
cannon if it makes a Defensive Fire attack?

A: A special ability that provides extra attacks, but doesn't specifically mention Defensive Fire
doesn’t give a unit an extra Defensive Fire attack.

Q: What about units with Antiair special ability? If a Flak 38 AA Gun is placed on Overwatch
down a line of hexes and an enemy Aircraft flies into that row of hexes, does the Flak Gun make
a Defensive Fire attack?

A: Overwatch doesn't work against Aircraft, because Aircraft don't "enter" hexes. They are just
placed on the map. If a unit with the Antiair special ability is placed on Overwatch, only Aircraft
placed adjacent to it would be eligible for a Defensive Fire shot. Their special ability states; “If
an enemy Aircraft is placed in a hex adjacent to this unit, this unit may make a defensive-fire
attack against it.”

Q: The US Quad 50 has the Relocate and Double Shot special abilities. The first allows it to be
placed on Overwatch. Does Double Shot give the Quad 50 two Defensive Fire shots while on
Overwatch?

A: Yes. Units with Double Shot, such as the Quad 50, get to make two attack rolls when they use
Defensive Fire, but they still can't use Defensive Fire against more than one target. So if the first
Defensive Fire attempt fails, it gets a second try verses the same unit.

Q: Can an American Quad 50 on Overwatch use Grazing Fire during Defensive Fire?

A: Yes. The Quad 50 has the Relocate special ability, so it can be placed on Overwatch. It also
has Double Shot, so it can use Grazing Fire.
46
Q: Is it possible to place a disrupted Vehicle on Overwatch?

A: Nothing in the Overwatch rules prevents a disrupted unit from being placed in Overwatch
mode, but it would be pointless to do so. Units in Overwatch mode make Defensive Fire attacks,
and disrupted units can't use Defensive Fire.

Q: Can you put a unit on Overwatch down a row of hexes that already has an enemy unit in it?

A: Yes

Q: Does that unit then trigger Defensive Fire when it moves out of the row of hexes that are
being Overwatched?

A: No

Q: Does a unit sitting in a row of hexes being Overwatched trigger Defensive Fire by advancing
along the line of hexes towards the unit doing the Overwatch? How about if it moves directly
away from the unit doing Overwatch?

A: Yes in both cases, because the unit has moved into a hex that is being Overwatched.

Q: Does a unit in a row of hexes being watched by a unit on Overwatch trigger defensive fire
simply because it is there, even if it does not move?

A: No

Rolling Attack Dice

Q: An M2 mortar is firing on a German soldier. No commanders are involved for bonuses. The
M2 mortar has six die rolls which result in a 2, 1, 5, 6, 3 and a 4. Now as I understand how
mortars work, it gets a -1 penalty on each die so that it must land a 5 or 6 to hit. My question is
does each die that result in a 5 or 6 count as two hits (In this case, resulting in 4 hits which would
disrupt the soldier with a defense of 4) or does the mortar have to land 4 dice (5,6,6 & 5) to get
one hit and with the shrapnel it gets an additional hit to kill the soldier?

A: You're making a common mistake, which is confusing "hits" and "successes." A "success" is
a roll of 5 or 6 (for a mortar). In your example, the mortar rolled two successes, which become
four successes because of the Shrapnel special ability. Against a Soldier with defense 4, four
successes equals one hit, so the Soldier would be disrupted. If it already had a face down
disruption marker, it would be destroyed.

47
Q: Some abilities (such as Flamethrower and Guard Crew) refer to numbers rolled on attack dice.
Do these abilities care about modified die results or the “natural” numbers rolled?

A: The “natural” numbers rolled. These abilities refer to the numbers rolled on the dice before
any bonuses or penalties are applied. This was addressed in the Rules Updates listed on the back
of the Set II Checklist. It reads:

Number on Attack Dice

Some special abilities (such as the Guards T-34/85's "Guard Crew" ability) refer to numbers
rolled on attack dice. These are the numbers rolled on the dice before any bonuses or penalties
are applied.

Specific Unit Clarifications

Barbed Wire: Each individual Barbed Wire piece covers two adjoining hex sides, as shown
below.

Bren Machine Gunner (UK): Should have a start date of 1939.

Canadian Infantrymen (CA): Should have a start date of 1941.

Churchill Crocodile (UK): The Hull-Mounted Flamethrower SA works only against soldiers
and vehicles.

Eagle-Eyed NCO (CA): Should have a start date of 1941.

Flak 88 w/shield (GE): The wording of its’ Extended Range 20 SA should read as “This unit’s
long range against Vehicles is 5-20 hexes.”

85mm AA Gun (SU): The name of the Large Gun SA on this unit should be changed to Large.

Imperial Engineer (JP): Replace this unit with Japanese Sapper.

Imperial Sergeant (JP): The Banzai Charge SA applies only to non-Artillery, non-disrupted
soldiers.

48
Intrepid Hero (CA): Should have a start date of 1941. (This reflects the presence of Canadian
units in the Battle of Hong Kong.)

Japanese Sapper (JP): Replacement for Imperial Engineer. It has the following stats:

Soldier
1939
Cost 4
Speed 1
Defense 4/4
AI: 6/--/--
AV: 2/--/--
Close Assault 7
Demolition

M3 Half-Track (US): “I” should be “It” in the second sentence of the Transport SA.

M4A3 (105) Sherman (US): The Bombardment SA should include, “This unit can’t attack
aircraft.”

Morris Reconnaissance Car Mk 2 (UK): Early War version should have a start date of 1943.

M5 Half-Track (US): Should have a start date of 1943.

M7 105mm Priest (US): The Bombardment SA should include, “This unit can’t attack aircraft.”

Marines M2-2 Flamethrower (US): The Flamethrower SA works only against soldiers and
vehicles.

Minefield: Minefields follow the standard Fortification deployment rules – “During deployment,
Fortifications are placed by each player in turn before all other units. Fortifications can be placed
on the battle map in any hex that isn’t adjacent to the objective. Fortifications don’t count against
stacking limits.” Also, the Minefield special ability should state, “Whenever a unit ends its
movement phase or its assault phase in a hex containing this Obstacle, OR leaves a hex
containing this Obstacle, the unit’s controller rolls a die. On a 3 or less, put a face-up Disrupted
counter on that unit.”

Nebelwerfer 41 (GE): The Eastern Front version of this unit should have the Relocate 2 SA.

P107 Half-track (FR): This unit can’t transport large artillery. Artillery can’t attack while
transported.

Panzer II “Flamingo” (GE): The Flamethrower SA works only against soldiers and vehicles.

49
Panzer II ausf F (GE): Eastern Front version should have a start date of 1941.

Royal Engineers (UK), U.S. Engineers (US), Pioneers (GE): Remove the words “or obstacle”
from the last sentence of the Bridge Demolition SA. A movement roll is required to cross a
destroyed bridge, as it would be to cross any un-bridged stream, but not a destroyed obstacle.

Sandbagged Machine-Gun Team (GE): This unit should have Speed 1.

Semovente 90/53 (IT): This unit’s Extended Range 12 SA applies only against vehicle targets.

3-inch Mortar (UK): This unit should have the Artillery subtype, Speed 0 and the Enhanced
Range 16 SA.

Type 4 Ho-Ro (JP): Text for this unit’s Open Crew SA is different from other units with this
same named special ability, but should be used as is. Treat it as a different SA.

Type 88 75mm AA gun (JP): The name of the Large Gun SA on this unit should be changed to
Large.

Type 95 Ha-Go (JP): The Counter Offensive version of this unit should have its’ Poor
Suspension SA replaced with Weak Suspension.

Veteran Fallschirmjäger (GE): The North Africa version should have the subtype Paratrooper.

Wehrmacht Oberleutnant (GE): The Angriff SA applies only to non-Artillery, non-disrupted

soldiers.

ZIS-2 57mm model 1943 (SU): The 39-45 version of this unit should cost 7 points, not 8.

Q: Are Formations still being used or are they illegal to use now?

A: We've never "disavowed" formations, so if you want to keep using them, you can. Note,
however, that they are an optional component of the Expanded Rules only, so both players must
agree to their use.

Q: Can a Japanese 70mm mountain gun attack an Aircraft?

A: Artillery units without the Anti-air special ability can't attack Aircraft.

Q: How are obstacles placed in the deployment phase? Is it first player puts down all his
obstacles and then the second player or is placement alternated?

A: The first player deploys all of his obstacles first and then the second player deploys all of his.

50
Stacking - Updated Rules
As of 1/27/09, the stacking rules for AAM have been revised. There are two significant changes.
The first has to do with maintaining the stacking limit while moving through hexes. The second
concerns penalties for breaking the limit.

The following Stacking rule supersedes the entire Stacking section of the Advanced (pg. 13) and
Expanded (pg. 18) rulebooks.

"Stacking" refers to the number of units in a hex. The stacking limit applies at all times, except
as noted below.

Stacking with Friendly Units: Three of your units can occupy a single hex. Only one of them
can be a vehicle.

Stacking with Enemy Units: A hex can contain up to three units of each army. Only one of
those six units can be a vehicle.

Aircraft and Obstacle Stacking: Aircraft and obstacles don't count toward the normal stacking
limit, but only one aircraft and one obstacle can occupy a hex. Aircraft and obstacles never
affect, and are never affected by, the stacking of soldiers and vehicles in the same hex.

Stacking While Moving: During your movement and assault phases, you can exceed your
stacking limit by one soldier or vehicle per hex, but never more. At the end of your portion of the
phase, after movement and unit placement are finished, all hexes should be within your stacking
limit. Units in over-stacked hexes are penalized (see below).

Penalty for Over-stacking: If a hex exceeds your stacking limit at the end of your portion of the
movement or assault phase, after all movement and unit placement are finished, then your
opponent places one face-down hit counter on one of your soldiers or vehicles in that hex. Any
soldier or vehicle in the hex can receive the hit, including one that already has one or two face-
down hit counters. A hit counter is placed in every hex where your units are over-stacked, not
just those hexes that became over-stacked in the current phase.

Over-stacking Vehicles: If a hex contains vehicles from both sides, then an over-stacking
penalty applies to the player whose vehicle entered last. It also applies to a player who has two
vehicles (or more than three units) in the hex, if those are separate players.

51
Stacking - How it works
No matter what, a hex can never be over-stacked by more than one of your units. That applies
even during movement. If a hex contains two soldiers and a tank, it's legally stacked. Another
friendly tank can drive through the hex, because that would cause it to be temporarily over-
stacked by only one unit. If, however, the hex contains three soldiers and a tank, it's filled to
capacity plus one. No more friendly units can enter that hex for any reason, even just to drive
through. Something needs to leave before the hex becomes passable again.

It's important to understand that there are, effectively, two stacking limits in a hex. The first is
for total number of units (3), and the second is for vehicles (1). A hex is over-stacked when
either of those limits is exceeded by 1. The second thing to keep in mind is that, if you over-stack
a hex, you will pay a real penalty in disrupted and damaged units. Over-stacking is an option,
and there may be times when it's worth the cost, but it's never free.

Here are some examples of fully-stacked or over-stacked hex.

Legally Stacked Over-stacked by 1

Soldiers

Vehicles

Soldiers
+ OR
Vehicles

Q: A hex contains three friendly soldiers. Can a fourth friendly soldier, or a vehicle, enter that
hex?

A: Yes. Another soldier or vehicle will over-stack the hex by one unit, which is legal during
movement. If all four remain in the hex at the end of your half of the phase, one of them will take
a face-down hit.

Q: A hex contains 2 soldiers and a tank. Can another unit enter?

A: Yes. Another soldier or vehicle over-stacks the hex by 1 unit.

52
Q: A hex contains 1 soldier and 2 vehicles. Can any more friendly units enter?

A: Yes -- 1 more soldier can enter. The hex is over-stacked by 1 vehicle, but it contains only 3
units. If 1 more soldier enters the hex, it's still over-stacked by 1. The additional soldier doesn't
cause the hex to become over-stacked by more than 1 unit, so it's legal for the soldier to enter.
No more friendly vehicles can enter, however, because a 3rd vehicle would create a situation
where the hex is over-stacked by 2.

Q: A hex contains three friendly soldiers. A truck enters the hex, and it's carrying two more
soldiers. Can they dismount?

A: No. The hex becomes over-stacked by 1 when the truck enters. Nothing else can enter (and
dismounting falls into that category) until something leaves. If 1 unit leaves, 1 soldier can get off
the truck. If a 2nd unit leaves, then the other soldier can get off the truck. At that point, the hex
will still be over-stacked (1 of the original soldiers, 2 more soldiers who got off the truck, and the
truck itself).

Q: A hex contains 1 soldier and 1 vehicle. A truck enters the hex, and it's carrying two more
soldiers. Can they dismount?

A: One of them can. When the truck enters, the hex becomes over-stacked by 1 vehicle. No more
vehicles can enter the hex. It contains only 3 units, however. One of the 2 soldiers can dismount,
because adding 1 soldier to the hex doesn't cause it to become over-stacked any more than it
already is. At that point, the hex contains 4 units, so the soldier still on the truck can't dismount
until something else leaves the hex.

53
Stacking with Enemy Units
Here are many of the combinations you can have in a fully-stacked or over-stacked hex with both
friendly and enemy units. More combinations are possible when mixing soldiers and vehicles in
an over-stacked hex. These examples show two possibilities, one with mostly soldiers and one
with as many vehicles as possible.

Legally Stacked Overstacked by 1

Soldiers + +

Vehicles +

+ +

Soldiers OR
+
Vehicles

Other combinations are possible.

54
Q: A hex contains 3 enemy soldiers. Which of my units can enter that hex?

A: You can move in 3 soldiers or 2 soldiers plus 1 vehicle without over-stacking the hex. If you
bring in an extra soldier or vehicle, you will be over-stacked in the hex and will take the penalty
at the end of your phase.

Q: A hex contains 3 soldiers and a tank. Can another unit enter?

A: No. The hex already contains 4 friendly units, which is the maximum.

Q: A hex contains 2 enemy soldiers plus 1 enemy vehicle. Which of my units can enter that hex?

A: You can move in 3 soldiers without over-stacking. If you bring in a 4th soldier or a vehicle,
you will be over-stacked in the hex and will take the penalty at the end of your phase.

Q: A hex is already over-stacked by 3 enemy soldiers and 1 enemy vehicle. Can any of my units
enter that hex?

A: Yes. Without over-stacking your units (and taking a penalty), you can move in 3 soldiers. If
you're willing to take the over-stacking penalty, you can move in 4 soldiers, or 1 vehicle, or 3
soldiers plus 1 vehicle.

Q: Why am I allowed to move a vehicle into a hex where my opponent already has a vehicle?

A: Because the stacking rule always speaks in terms of "your" stacking limit. Both players can
exceed their limit by 1 unit. Your opponent's vehicle stacks the hex to its capacity for vehicles.
At that point, your stacking limit for vehicles in that hex is 0. You can exceed your limit by 1
unit, which means you can bring a vehicle into the hex. You would then be over-stacked,
because your vehicle was not the first one in the hex.

Q: My opponent has 2 vehicles in a hex. Can I move in 1 of mine?

A: Yes, for the same reason as in Q10. The presence of any enemy vehicles in the hex ahead of
yours means that your stacking limit for vehicles in that hex is 0. You can exceed that limit by 1
if you're willing to take the over-stacking penalty. You can't, however, bring more than 1 vehicle
into the hex. Your limit is 0; you can move in 1 vehicle and exceed the limit by 1; but any more
than that would exceed the limit by 2, which is never allowed. Note that in this case, both you
and your opponent would be penalized for over-stacking -- you because your vehicle wasn't the
first one in the hex and him because he has 2 vehicles in the hex.

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Q: What happens when enemy and friendly vehicles move in and out of the same hex? How does
the sequence affect which vehicle is considered to be over-stacked?

A: A hex can contain only 1 vehicle without being over-stacked. The 'legal' vehicle is always the
first one into the hex. For example (assume that there are no soldiers in the hex) --

The hex in question contains a lone PzII.

An M3 tank enters the hex. The M3 is over-stacked and will take a penalty hit.
The PzII leaves the hex. The M3 is now the lone vehicle in the hex, so it is not over-stacked.
A PzIII enters the hex. The M3 was already there, so the PzIII is over-stacked and will take a
penalty hit.

An M4 enters the hex. The US player now has 2 vehicles in the hex; his units are over-stacked
and will take a penalty hit. The PzIII was not the first vehicle in the hex; it is over-stacked and
will take a penalty hit.

The M3 leaves the hex, leaving the PzIII and the M4 behind. The PzIII entered the hex before the
M4; it now becomes the legally-stacked vehicle, and the M4 will take an over-stacking hit at the
end of the US player's phase.

Stacking - Q&A
Q: Can you over-stack during deployment?

A: No.

Q: Does a stacking violation occur if I have more than 3 of my own units in a hex?

A: Yes.

Q: Does a stacking violation occur if I have two of my own vehicles (including those units that
count as a vehicle for stacking purposes) and no enemy vehicles in a hex?

A: Yes.

Q: Am I over-stacked if I have one vehicle in a hex and my Enemy has a vehicle in the hex
which was placed there before me?

A: Yes

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Q: When I over-stack a hex with one of my own vehicles, when do I get the over-stack penalty?

A: You get a face down hit at the end of your movement (or assault) phase.

Q: Do I also get a face down penalty marker at the end of my opponent’s movement / assault
phase ?

A: No.

Q: If my vehicle was the second one into a hex, I’m over-stacked, but my opponent’s vehicle is
not over-stacked because he isn’t exceeding his own stacking limit?

A: Correct.

Q: How about this; I have one of my own vehicles in a hex and my enemy also has a vehicle in
the hex which was placed first in the hex. So now it is his Movement (or assault) phase and he is
not over-stacked. I am over-stacked because I moved in last. So he can still bring in one
additional vehicle?

A: Yes. He can bring in one more vehicle.

Q: So at the end of his movement (or assault) phase, the hex is now double over-stacked. So does
he place a face down hit on my vehicle? Do I place a face down marker on his second vehicle?
Or does only his second vehicle get the marker?

A: At the end of his phase, only his units take an over-stacking penalty. Yours take a penalty at
the end of your phases. When a penalty is applied, the opponent (you in this case) get to choose
which unit takes the hit. It could be either of the vehicles, not just the second one into the hex, or
any soldier that's also there. It's never a case of "this piece is over-stacked." It's always "this hex
is over-stacked."

Q: If at the start of a phase both players have a vehicle in a hex, is it possible to bring a third
vehicle in?

A: If your vehicle was the first one into the hex, you are not over-stacked, so you could bring a
second vehicle into that hex. But if your Vehicle was the second one in, you are over-stacked and
you can’t bring another vehicle into the hex.

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Q: So it is possible to have 3 (combo of you own and your opponent) vehicles in a hex, but it is
not possible to have 4 vehicles in a hex?

A: Correct. Because that would mean one of you was attempting to bring in another vehicle into
an already over-stacked hex.

Q: So just to be clear, a player receives an over-stacking penalty at the end of his part of the
movement or assault phase and not at the end of his opponent’s phase.

A: Correct. You take over-stacking penalties at the end of your phases only.

Vehicle Facing

Q: Even though a tank is facing a certain direction at the start of a movement phase, it can start
moving in any direction, even back the way it came. That is, it turns to face the hex it's going to
move into then moves into that hex. Then it turns again to face the hex it's going to move into
and moves into that hex. Then, at the end of its movement, it can turn to face any direction (as
long as it wasn't trying to enter Forest etc. and failed the roll). Have I got that all right?

A: All correct.

Q: Can a Speed 0 unit (Vehicle or Soldier) turn in place without moving any hexes?

A: Under "Vehicle Facing" (page 14), turning in place is covered under the heading, "Moving
Zero Hexes." A unit with speed 0 can certainly move 0 hexes, so yes, units with speed 0 can
change facing during the Movement phase. Note, however, that none of the soldier-artillery units
currently have facing. They can fire in any direction. Only vehicles with the Fixed Howitzer or
Fixed Rear Gun special abilities have limited firing arcs.

Q: I know that a damaged vehicle with a speed of 0 can still change facing. What about a
disrupted vehicle? Can a disrupted vehicle change its’ facing even though it isn’t allowed to
move?

A: Not being allowed to move is not the same as speed 0. A disrupted unit can't move, and
changing facing is considered movement, so disrupted vehicles can't change facing unless they
have a special ability that lets them move while disrupted.

Q: Can vehicles go in reverse?

A: No. Vehicles are always assumed to have their front end pointing at the hex they're entering.
Once in the hex, they can turn to face any direction they want at no cost.

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Q: Does a vehicle always have to face a forest hex when it tries to enter it? Why couldn't you
change facing before trying to enter it, face away and then if you failed the roll have your back
end towards the trees?

A: The rules state on page 14, “If something stops a Vehicle's movement, such as a failed terrain
movement roll, the Vehicle ends its movement facing the hex it tried to enter.” The game system
doesn't delve into complicated details such as whether or not a vehicle is moving forward or
backward. It just assumes that vehicles always drive forward.

Vehicle Facing - “In front of” & “Behind”

Q: Some special abilities refer to attacking things that are “in front of” your Vehicles. What does
“in front of” and “behind” mean?

A: This was addressed in the Rules Updates listed on the back of the Set II Checklist. It says;

Sometimes special abilities (such as the Archer's "Fixed Rear Gun" ability or the Nashorn's "No
Turret" ability) refer to other units "in front of" or "behind" a Vehicle. A hex is "in front of" a
unit if a line from the center of that hex to the center of the unit's hex goes through one of the
front three sides of the unit's hex or through one of the front two corners of the hex. A hex is
"behind" a unit if the line goes through one of the three rear sides of the hex or through one of
two rear corners. If the hex is directly to the left or right of the unit's hex, then that hex is neither
in front of nor behind the unit. The hex that the unit is in is also neither in front of nor behind the
unit.

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Look at the diagram below. Green hex sides (1, 2 & 3) are your vehicle's front hex sides. Red
hex sides (4, 5 & 6) are your vehicle's rear hex sides.

 If your LOS to a target crosses hex sides 1, 2 or 3, then that target is in your front firing
arc.
 If your LOS to a target crosses hex sides 4 5, or 6, then that target is in your rear arc. If
your vehicle has a restricted firing arc (Jagdpanzer, sIG33, or M3 Lee, for example), then
you can't shoot at it.
 If your LOS crosses the spine exactly between hex sides 3 and 6 or hex sides 1 and 4,
then that target is in neither your forward nor rear arc. If you have a restricted firing arc,
you can't shoot at it. This applies whether you are restricted to a forward arc or a rear arc.
 If the situation is reversed and you're the target, you figure it out the same way. If the
LOS from the attacker to your vehicle crosses a green hex side, (1, 2 or 3) then the shot is
against your front defense. If the LOS from the attacker to your vehicle crosses a red hex
side or hex spine, (4, 5 or 6) then the shot is against your rear defense.
 If the attacker is in the same hex as you, then the shot is always against your rear defense.

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Q: Since enemies directly to the side of other units are not technically "in front" or "behind" the
unit. Can "Front firing only" or "Rear firing only" weapons target these enemies?

A: "Enemies directly to the side of other units" are those enemy units that lie along the spine of
hexes where the LOS crosses between hex sides 1 & 4 or 3 & 6. As noted above, those targets
are outside your vehicle's firing arc, and they are shooting at your vehicle's rear defense. If the
hex is directly to the left or right of the unit’s hex, then it is neither in front of nor behind the
unit. The hex that the defending unit is in is also neither in front of nor behind the unit.

 If the tank in the diagram is the TARGET, then attackers in the green hexes attack its
front defense and attackers in the blue and orange hexes attack its rear defense.
 If the tank in the diagram is the ATTACKER, then targets in the green hexes are in its
front arc, and targets in the blue and orange hexes are in its rear arc.

Attacking Vehicles with turreted guns don’t need to worry about targets being in its front or rear
arc, because their gun can revolve 360 degrees. Any Vehicle without any type of fixed gun
special ability can fire in any direction.

However if the vehicle in the diagram had the Fixed Howitzer special ability, then it could only
attack those targets that are in the green hexes. If the tank in the diagram had the No Turret
special ability, it couldn’t attack Soldiers in the green, blue or orange hexes. But it could attack
Vehicles if they were in the green hexes.

There is one more situation to mention. It involves the British Archer tank destroyer. Its gun
faces the rear of the vehicle. Imagine that the PzIV in the diagram is an Archer instead. If the
Archer is facing the top of the diagram like the PzIV, then its gun is facing the bottom of the
diagram. The Archer has the Fixed Rear Gun special ability, which is the reverse of Fixed
Howitzer. It can attack targets only if they are in the orange hexes. Attackers in the orange and
blue hexes would still be attacking the Archer's rear defense, and attackers in the green hexes
would hit the Archer's front defense.

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