"Quick question for FFT3 players" Topic

Just a quick question on suppression A and B in the game:
When exactly is "suppression B" used? A is used when artillery causes said status, but all I can find for B is a statement saying "use B when caused by AI fire." That is in the artillery section of the rules, so I'm confused when or what AI means in this context. It seems AI means "anti-infantry" fire elsewhere.

So does this mean that infantry, when suppressed by fires, uses B (with a longer suppression time in the turn) and everything else uses A? What did I miss?

Thanks for you input in advance,
Maggot

The way we play it is that when Side A gets a suppression on a Side B unit through artillery fire, then place a Suppression A marker on it. That marker then remains until it is removed at the end of Side B's part of the turn. Then you do the same when Side B gets a suppression on a Side A unit through artillery fire, keeping in place until removing it at the end of Side A's part of the turn. Thus the suppression marker lasts from the artillery phase of one side's turn through the end of the other side's turn.

Jim

Thanks for the reply CC, although the turn sequence implies something different. It seems that in one turn, at the beginning of the attacker's area fire phase, you remove the defender's "A" markers, but at the start of the fire phase (still the same attacker player's turn) the defender then removes "B" markers. Hence, my assumption is that one player (the inactive defender) can have both A and B markers at the same time, with suppression caused during area fire phase and the fire phase.

I wonder if the intent was area fire done outside of the area fire phase (such as a on board mortar team on overwatch) gets the B marker.
Thanks again for the response.

Suppression B is suppression caused by direct anti-infantry fire (section 4.1 on p.41)

Most of the time Suppressed A is applied in the Area fire phase, but it can also be caused by sustained artillery barrages later in the turn. Either way it is removed at the start of the next Area fire phase of the side that caused it.

Suppressed B can be caused by over-watch AI fire and by AI fire in the Fire phase. Suppressed B markers are removed at the start of the Fire Phase.

Cheers
David

Thanks much David,
although my page numbers were different, I found the passages you mentioned. I forgot that AI fire passed by a QC still gets a B marker. I've not played in years and was just relooking the rules for some Cold War games.

After playing Team Yankee I needed something a little more grounded in reality….

Thanks David and ColCampbell for your efforts.