Screening Action

Flames Of War

Screening Action

By Ken Drushal

Situation Report

The Screening Action Mission attempts to simulate the battlefield chaos when both sides have launched offensive actions at the same time. The Screening Action Mission demonstrates the difficulty of screening enemy forces, pinning them in place, while simultaneously moving units to the enemies’ rear.

Your Orders

Attacker
You are to move your company through the enemy lines and take up positions to their rear.

Defender
Your company is to pin the enemy forces in place and attempt to out flank them.

Preparing For Battle

1. Both players roll a die. The player scoring the highest chooses one of the long table edges to attack from. The other player defends from the opposite edge.

2. Both players’ forces are deployed using the March Order special rule.

3. Both players on board forces begin the game in Prepared Positions.

Screening Action

Beginning the Battle

1. The player with the least number of on table platoons has the first turn

2. If both players have the same number of on table platoons, both player rolls a die. The player with the higher result has the first turn. In the event of a tie, roll again.

Ending The Battle

Under the Through the Lines special rules, both players gain Victory Points for exiting platoons from the opponent’s table edge. The battle continues until the players have shared the seven Victory Points between them or can no longer score more Victory Points.

Deciding Who Won

A player ending the game with four or more Victory Points wins the game. Their forces have successfully penetrated the enemy’s lines while screening the enemy from doing the same.

Winner’s Victory Points
Result
Winner’s Points
Loser’s Points
6
Stunning Victory
6
3
5
Major Victory
5
2
4
Minor Victory
4
1
SPECIAL RULES

March Order

Both sides’ forces have been deployed for the attack. Platoons have been deployed to pin the enemy and the remaining platoons have been placed in their order of march.

• The defending player deploys up to half of his platoons on his half of the table, at least 12"/30cm from the battlefield’s center line. None of these deployed platoons may include any Tank Teams, except for Recon Tank Teams. This could mean that the defender will start the battle without any deployed platoons.

• The attacking player then deploys up to half of his platoons on his half of the table, at least 12"/30cm from the battlefield’s center line. None of these deployed platoons may include any Tank Teams, except for Recon Tank Teams. This could mean that the attacker will start the battle without any deployed platoons.

• Both players, starting with the Attacker, then arrange their remaining platoons in a "marching order reserve". This will be the sequence that each platoon will enter the battlefield, one unit at a time.

• Both players, starting with the defender, now place their Company Command teams in their deployment area or attach it to a platoon in the "marching order reserve". If the Company Commander and/or the 2IC are tank teams they must be attached to a platoon in the "marching order reserve".

• Starting with the attacker, each player conducts any "Reconnaissance Deployment" moves. Soviet Scout Platoons may use the "Infiltration" special rule irregardless of whether they are the attacker or defender. However, if the Infiltration rule is used, their opponent always has the first turn.

• Starting with the defender, each player may now move one on board platoon. This move may not exceed a teams normal movement allowance, teams may not move at the double and the moving teams must remain 12"/30cm from all enemy teams. Recon teams that conducted a "Reconnaissance Deployment" move in the step above may use this movement.

• Starting on turn two, the first (one only) platoon from the "marching order reserve" is available to enter the battlefield. On each subsequent turn another platoon (only one) is available to enter, following the "marching order reserve" sequence. Each platoon enters the battlefield from your table edge. There is not any dice rolling.

Through the Lines

The objective of the Screening Action mission is to break through the enemy lines and attack his rear areas while preventing him from doing the same to you. Of course, platoons that take casualties are less effective in these types of deep penetrations.

• There is a total of seven Victory Points for players to share by exiting platoons from your opponents table edge. Each player begins the mission with one (1) Victory Point.

• Platoons may only exit the opponent’s table edge during its own Movement step to earn Victory Points.

• A platoon that exits the battlefield at full strength (it has not lost any teams) earns two (2) Victory Points.

• A platoon that exits the battlefield that has lost any team(s), but is still at half strength or greater, earns one (1) Victory Point.

• A platoon that exits the battlefield by using double time movement, is reduced to below half strength or is pinned (including Tank Teams) earns zero (0) Victory Points.

• The Company Command and 2IC teams do not gain Victory Points for exiting the battlefield. However, if either or both have joined a platoon the platoon itself may earn Victory Points.

• If a platoon exits the battlefield and leaves any "bailed out" and/or "bogged down" Tank or Transport Teams behind, those teams are considered destroyed for Victory Point calculations.

• Platoons that exit the battlefield to gain Victory Points (even if they gain zero Victory Points) do still count as being on the table for Company Morale Checks.

• If a player fails a Company Morale Check, all remaining enemy platoons count as exiting the battlefield earning the appropriate Victory Points.

• If a platoon exits the battlefield and earns enough Victory Points to take the shared total of Victory Points to greater than seven, reduce the Victory Points that platoon earned so that the shared total does not exceed seven Victory Points.

• The clock is ticking. Starting on turn 5 each player must meet one of the following conditions:

1) Have at least one platoon (the entire platoon less any destroyed teams) on his opponents half of the battlefield.
   - or -
2) Has exited a platoon from his opponentsf table edge so it earned at least one Victory Point.

These conditions are checked for a player at the start of his 5th turn and each turn after the 5th. If a player cannot meet one of the two conditions above, his opponent is awarded one (1) Victory Point.

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Last Updated On Friday, May 28, 2010 by Wayne at Battlefront