LESSONS FROM THE FRONT Frequently Asked Questions May 2021 I LESSONS FROM THE FRONT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON FLAMES OF WAR MAY 2021 During the time that the fourth edition of Flames Of War has been out, players have asked questions about the game. The questions and their answers have been gathered into this document. Please note that this is an on-going project. To help players who have read earlier versions of Lessons From the Front, new material is marked with a line in the left margin. — Phil Yates, Game Designer FORCES, Can my Formation Commander give following all the rules for moving. Then, Command Leadership re-rolls if his once it has finished its movement, it no FORMATIONS, UNITS, tank is Bailed Out? longer counts as having moved. AND TEAMS Yes. Whether the Formation Commander This means that it must take any Cross What’s a Sherman Team? Is it a single is Bailed Out or not has no effect. tests necessary, roll to cross Minefields vehicle or a group of vehicles? as usual, and leaves any Foxholes it has There are four levels inFlames Of War: Most Command Leadership re-rolls dug behind. • Force - everything you have in the require the Formation Commander to game (a Force card is where you find be close to the Unit Leader. However, If I move through several pieces of Support Units). when Remounting a Bailed Out tank, Difficult Terrain, do I have to take a the rules say the tank itself has to be Cross check for each of them? • Formation - a Western company or close to the Formation Commander. Is Yes. Soviet battalion, the core of your this right? Force (a Formation card tells you which Units you can have in the Yes it is. If the Formation Commander If I moved into a wood last turn (and Formation). wants to motivate a Bailed Out tank to took my Cross check then), do I need Remount, they have to be close to that to take another Cross check this turn • Unit - a Western platoon or Soviet tank, rather than the Unit Leader. to move out of it? company, the smallest grouping of stuff (a Unit card tells you what Yes. If you start your Movement in Does the Command Leadership re-roll Teams are in the Unit and what Difficult Terrain, you need to take a apply to the Remount test needed when their characteristics are). Cross check at that time. a Bailed Out Tank is Bailed Out again? • Team - a single playing piece, Yes. It applies to all Remount tests for If a Unit Leader issues a Cross Here either a single vehicle or a fire team any reason. order, can they use it to cross multiple of infantry. pieces of Difficult Terrain? What is an Artillery Unit? MOVEMENT Yes they can. Any team from the Unit crossing any of the Difficult Terrain It is a Unit with a weapon capable of Some Movement Orders only affect within 6”/15cm of where the Unit firing a Bombardment, i.e. one with a teams in Line of Sight of the Unit Leader crossed will benefit. ROF of Artillery or Salvo. Leader. Do friendly teams block Line of Sight for Movement Orders? Does a Dig In or Mine Clearing move- COMMAND No. Ignore friendly teams when determin- ing Line of Sight for Movement Orders. ment order prevent teams that are not If a team ended its Movement so digging foxholes or clearing mines that it was In Command at the If my Unit fails a Blitz Move movement from moving? end of the Movement Step, does it order, does it have to Move, or can it No. Teams that are not using the remain In Command until its next remain where it is and Go to Ground? Movement Order can act as they wish. Movement Step? It doesn’t have to Move. However, if it Yes. In Command is defined by its posi- Shoots, it must shoot with the +1 penalty. Can a team move through a tion at the end of the Movement Step. friendly team? When a team moves using a Blitz Move No. The Moving Through Gaps rule The Command Leadership rules give movement order, do they follow all applies. If the gap isn’t big enough, then re-rolls if the Formation Commander the normal Movement rules? Are they you can’t move through it. is close enough and in Line of Sight. actually moving? Remember, Infantry ignore their base Do friendly teams block Line of Sight when using this rule, so can move through for command? Yes. A team using a Blitz Move movement order doesn’t suddenly teleport to the new pretty small gaps, and Tanks Teams can No. Ignore friendly teams when determin- location. It moves 4”/10cm as normal, easily move through them. ing Line of Sight for Command purposes. 1 Can my models end their movement If an infantry unit is Mounted The purpose of the rule is to make it look on top of other models? in Transports, does it remain like your toy soldiers are actually shooting No. Pinned Down? at their target, so they need to turn to Yes, it remains Pinned Down. However, face them. TRANSPORT this does not stop the Transports from Are Transport Teams Tank Teams? moving towards the enemy, but when the After rotating to face my target, other enemy teams are now in my field of Yes. All Teams are either Tank, Infantry, infantry Dismount, they will have to do fire. Can I shoot at them now? Gun, or Aircraft Teams. Transport so away from the enemy if they are still Teams are Tank Teams with additional Pinned Down. No. You determine your field of fire before capabilities. you pick your target. The rotation does Some infantry (such as Soviet not change this. If a Unit is being carried as Passengers, Tankodesantniki) are allowed to can they use the Blitz Move movement Dismount to Charge into Contact What do I do if there isn’t enough space order to Dismount? in the Assault Step. Can they do this to rotate a team to face the target? after the Tank they are riding moved at If the team can rotate by moving slight- Yes, as long as all the rules for Dismounting Dash Speed? (such as you can’t do it after the Transport ly away from the obstacle, then do so. has moved) are obeyed. No. They have effectively moved at Dash Otherwise, it just rotates as far as it can Speed themselves, so cannot Charge and shoots anyway. into Contact. Can a Passenger Dismount using a CONCEALMENT Shoot and Scoot movement order from a Transport vehicle that did not move What if the Tanks they were riding Do the general Concealment rules in the previous Movement Step? Moved more than 10”/25cm at Tactical for Tall terrain apply to Hills and Speed or used a Movement Order other Buildings? Is my tank concealed simply No. You can only Mount and Dismount than Follow Me? by being on a hill? in the Movement Step. Since that would stop them from Hills and Buildings do not follow the Charging into Contact if they had done Can I use a Movement Order to rules for Tall Terrain as they have their it, they cannot do so. Dismount my infantry from a own rules for Concealment. Transport after it has moved? Infantry teams that are stationary in No. Teams cannot Dismount after their SHOOTING Flat Terrain are Concealed. Teams in Transport has moved. Why does a heavy Gun team like an 8.8cm AA gun have a Moving ROF of Short Terrain are Concealed unless the team looking at them is on a Hill Can Passengers in a Transport take or 1 when it doesn’t have a Tactical speed? or other high ground. Is an Infantry dispute an Objective? When it is Pinned Down it shoots using team that is stationary in Short Terrain its Moving ROF rating, getting only one Yes they can. Concealed to a team looking at it shot. Likewise, at the start of a Meeting from a Hill? The Unit Transport rule requires that Engagement, if the 8.8cm gun belongs to the first player, it will shoot as moving, Yes. While the Hill cancels the benefit of a Transport Attachment’s Unit Leader the Short Terrain (essentially making it remain within 6”/15cm of the Infantry i.e. using its Moving ROF, so it will get one shot in this case as well. the same as Flat Terrain), it doesn’t make Unit’s Leader. What happens if the stationary Infantry teams any more visi- Transport Attach ment’s Unit Leader ble. They are still Concealed. can’t do this? My M4 Sherman tank has three machine-guns. The .50 cal AA MG has Then the Transport Attachment has to ROF 3, while the other two only have a GONE TO GROUND be Sent to the Rear (see page 45 of the combined ROF 2. Why is that? Is there any benefit to having my teams rulebook). Adding more machine-guns after the Gone to Ground if I’m not Concealed? No. Only teams that are Concealed Does the Unit Transport rule apply to first has diminishing returns. The first benefit from the additional +1 to be hit the Formation HQ transports? machine-gun has the most effect, while each additional machine-gun adds a (taking the bonus from +1 to +2) for Yes. They must remain near the smaller increment.