"FFoT3 Rules Questions" Topic

All,

We have begun to play Fist Full of Tows 3 for some Cold War era battles and have really enjoyed this set. Last night we introduced helicopters and air support into the mix and we had some questions veterans of the rule set might be able to help with.

1. Do AA gun and SAM penalties for the attack stack? I.e. do you get both a -1 and a -2 for a total -3 TH modifier if the flight path is in range of both AA and SAMs?

2. If the above answer is yes, then does a weapon system like the Russian 2S6 (that has both SAMs and AA guns) get both bonuses?

3. Does the aspect capability of the SAM play into this at all? I.e. if an SA-9 (Rear Aspect only missile) is never in the rear aspect of the flight path does it still provide the -2 modifier?

4. I assume that the above modifier is also applied to the accuracy number for bombing attacks. Correct?

5. Strafing – If 6 stands are in the template area for a cannon strafing attack, then each stand gets attacked with a ROF of 3 correct? or does the plane get 1 shot at 1 stand and then looses 1 ROF for shifting to the second target which gets attacked by 1 shot?

6. Air launched missiles are said to always attack the flank armor. Does this also apply to helo launched missiles? I ask because this rule is only in the Air Support chapter.

7. Lastly, the SU-25 is listed as being armored on the data table. Under what mechanism does this come into play? Can you actually shoot at an aircraft?

Thanks for the help and I apologize in advance if this stuff is clearly laid out in the rules that I have not found yet.

Alex

5 – 2 shots on each.

The others I'll post on the FFoT yahoo group.

Thanks!

Why 2 shots? Is it because 3 ROF – 1 ROF for switching to a new target for a Final ROF of 2?

Ooops! Typo. 3 shots on each I believe.
The FFoT guys are going to pop in here to answer the questions for you as well.

Awsome! Thanks for the help!

We have found that some of the rules took us a bit of effort to parse out, but once past that the rules play very smoothly. This will probably be out go-to rules set for CW micro armor.

Hi Alex,
No problem, happy to answer questions. May I suggest joining the Yahoo group for the game? Instructions for doing so are at the end of this message. We monitor it much more closely than TMP message boards. Here are your answers:
1. Yes, the penalties stack, so -3 if you have both guns and missiles in range.
2. Yes, the 2S6 should get both.
3. I'm going to say for the purposes of the game, that "effective range" means the system could actually engage the inbound aircraft before it reaches the target. It's not clear cut, though. In real life, the SAM operator could in principle fire without a lock if the system allows and the launch warning would still probably elicit a reaction from the attacking pilot and affect the run. In practice could they and would they do so? Don't know.
4. Yes, the modifier does apply to the accuracy roll for bombs.
5. Yes, each stand gets attacked with the full strafing ROF. As per rule 20.1 and footnote 79, an "airstrike" is actually an attack by multiple aircraft. It may even involve more than one run per aircraft.
6. No, helo launched missiles do not get to always hit flank armor. They hit the facing of the target oriented toward them just like ground fire does. The difference is the altitude the attack originates from. Helo attacks are assumed to come from very close to the ground. Airstrikes are assumed to come from higher up (which is why we don't require antiaircraft units to trace line of sight to the airstrike flight path, but we do require antiaircraft units to trace LOS to helicopters), which thins the effective front armor and greatly increases the chances of a top armor hit.
7. In previous versions of the game, and early in FFT3 development, we allowed direct engagements versus aircraft, so the armored rating mattered. We realized though that it made airstrikes slow to play and detracted from the ground commander focus. So we switched to the current system which is results oriented and plays faster--for the ground commander airstrikes are flying artillery; his first concern is the effect of the strikes.

To join the Yahoo group (you can either get email from the group or read the posts online):
You'll need to make a Yahoo account if you don't have one.
Go to groups.yahoo.com and search for the name Fistful-of-TOWs
Click the Join button, follow the instructions, and Ty or I will approve your membership.

Regards,
Paul

Paul,

Thanks for the answers! I looks like we played them correctly in our last game.

I actually looked and I am already a member of the Yahoo Group. I have not been on Yahoo Groups in years so I had forgotten that it even existed.

Alex