In this article series, I will post a series of short examples of different assets, events and other special features included in FAB: Crusader, Volume IV in the Fast Action Battle series. This post will show how the game handles Recon assets. Allied recon assets have two special abilities, Scouting and Screening as well as being used as regular battle assets. First out is scouting!

Situation: The Allied player have the 7 Support unit (from the XXX Corps) adjacent to two enemy units. The player decides to use recon assets to scout for the enemy. He places a recon asset each in the two areas as shown during the Operational Movement Phase (recon assets may be placed in any Movement Phase). They can be placed in any adjacent enemy-occupied area, which may only be scouted once per movement phase. A d10 is rolled for each scouting attempt and the result can be either “Successful”, “Failure” or “Disaster”.

A: The Allied player resolves the recon attempt for the 11 Hus first, he rolls a “4” – Success! The Axis player reveals the unit – it turns out to be the Italian 132 Armor unit of the Corpo d’Armata di Manovra (CAM).

B: Then the scouting attempt for the 4 SA is resolved. The Allied player rolls a “7” – Failure! The Axis unit is not revealed, and the 4 SA recon asset is moved to the Used Box.

Movement: After scouting is resolved, the Allied player conducts his movement. The player doesn’t want to risk the 7 Support Group in combat against the Italian armor unit, but he continues to move in order to keep the pace with the other units from the XXX Corps.

C: The player decides to take a risk, the unknown Axis unit might be weaker or a Ghost unit and moves into the area with the unknown Axis unit.

D: The Allied 7 Sup unit moves and paying 3 MP’s (+1 MP for enter an enemy-occupied area). As the Axis player only have a Ghost unit there, the Axis unit is revealed and removed (I’ll discuss Ghost units further in later posts).

E: The Allied unit continues its move with its remaining movement points.

This ends this short introduction to scouting attempts with recon assets.

Hope you enjoyed!

Michael Gustavsson

Author: Michael Gustavsson