Below you will find the third in a series of designer’s notes articles from The Last Hundred Yards series designer Mike Denson. In this segment he will discuss the maneuver allowance and fire mechanics in LHY. You can also find this article on his ConsimWorld Community page. Enjoy! -Rachel

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Maneuver

The maneuver allowance in LHY is considerably less than other tactical games to better model simultaneous actions. This allows for a shorter, more compact action and corresponding reaction cycle, providing a more realistic feel. The maneuver mechanics are typical of most tactical games, in that units have a maneuver allowance and expend MP to enter a hex. What is not typical is that LHY provides the player a toolbox of various maneuvers he can use depending on the tactical situation, simulating the behavior and decisions of an individual platoon leader or tank commander in combat. For example, in addition to the normal maneuver action, infantry units may deploy any time during a maneuver (helpful when encircling an enemy), assault (entering an enemy-occupied hex), feint, or withdraw. Vehicular units have even more options, including Shoot & Scoot, Halt & Fire, Reverse (good for avoiding Enfilade), Overrun, Transport, and Withdrawal. These toolboxes of maneuvers were included because we wanted player to feel what it might be like to spend some time in a combat leader’s boots.

The most important aspect of maneuver to grasp in LHY is: If the enemy did not see you maneuver, he will not be able to react. This provides a whole new gaming dimension in the use of cover when approaching an enemy position. In a real-life situation, a platoon leader charged with taking an enemy position will make every effort to optimize his use of cover to get as close to the enemy as possible without being spotted. Likewise, in LHY, successful players will maximize the benefits of covering terrain when approaching an enemy position.

Fire Mechanics

Firefights at the platoon and company level were never a continuous stream of fire but generally involved sporadic eruptions of violence interspersed with short pauses. Units maneuvering while under fire did so in fits and spurts—dashing from one position to the next. To model this type of simultaneous fire and maneuver action in a board game is difficult at best. The objective was to create an interactive fire and maneuver system that was simple but realistic, focused on the tactical decisions of the players, with as few die rolls as possible. Although LHY is a squad-level game, the primary combat formation players will control is the platoon. The biggest design question we wrestled with was how to create a model where fire and maneuver actions occur simultaneously for some, but not all, platoons in a single turn. The solution was the Activation Cycle, which was discussed in a previous section. When one or more platoons are activated together, all the actions and subsequent reactions of the activated platoons (as well as the enemy’s reaction) occur simultaneously within a single Activation Cycle. For example, the Commanding Officer orders the 1st Platoon to maneuver into a position to pin and distract the enemy, while the 2nd Platoon provides cover fire. This would represent a Coordinated single Activation Cycle, with all actions and subsequent reactions occurring simultaneously. Similarly, in a subsequent Activation Cycle of the same turn, when the 3rd Platoon maneuvers into a position to flank or encircle the enemy, all the actions and reactions of the subsequent activation occur simultaneously. The fire mechanics in LHY are based on the premise that during the short span of a few minutes represented in a game turn, the fire and attention of a firing unit are focused on a specific enemy unit conducting an action in the firing unit’s LOS. All fire actions occur during the Activation Phase but are not resolved until the following Fire Resolution Phase after all fire and maneuver actions have been completed. So, players will not know the results of any fire until after all fire and maneuver has occurred. This prevents players from having knowledge of results which might allow them to adjust their play in an unrealistic manner. To reflect this, a mechanic where Fire Attack Die Roll Modifier markers (DRM markers) is used to represent the net effect of a unit’s fire on its target. There are three types of DRM markers used in LHY:

• Small Arms DRM (SADRM) markers are green and represent small arms fire against all non-vehicular units in a particular hex at the time of fire.
• Anti-Tank DRM (ATDRM) markers are yellow and represent anti-tank fire against a vehicle or towed gun.
• Mortar DRM (MDRM) markers are red and affect all units in a hex.

Each time an enemy unit suffers a fire attack; the appropriate DRM marker is placed on the enemy unit or hex. A DRM marker is used for every fire attack. They may be positive or negative, depending on the various die roll modifiers affecting the firing or defending unit at the time of fire. DRM markers have varying effects, depending on the type of fire and the target. Units marked with SADRM or ATDRM markers may still conduct fire and maneuver actions normally but are subject to a detrimental DRM because the firer is suppressed. Non-vehicular units in a primary impact hex marked with a MDRM marker are considered pinned, and may not fire or maneuver, whereas vehicular units are not considered pinned due to a MDRM marker. Fire resolution in LHY is fast and simple. The firing player simply rolls a d10 for each DRM marker on a defending unit, or hex if small arms fire, adding or subtracting the DRM of the DRM marker to the die roll. The single net result most detrimental to the defender is used and all others are ignored. If the net result is greater than the defender’s Cohesion or Armor Value, the defending unit is disrupted, casualty reduced, or destroyed, depending on the unit’s type and circumstances.

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Previous Articles:

The Last Hundred Yards Designer’s Notes: Intro & Time Lapse System

The Last Hundred Yards Designer’s Notes: Initiative & Activation Cycle