Bogging and Anti-tank Mines – Revising Crossfire Anti-tank Rules 7

Both the Crossfire minefield rule and the Hit The Dirt bogging rule are special mechanisms using 1d6 and special outcomes. I think it is possible to align these with the normal infantry to hit dice, and without unduly affecting play. Since I’m revising the anti-tank rules to use the normal infantry to hit dice, this is a good time to tweak the bogging and anti-tank mine rules.

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Minefields

Crossfire had a 1d6 attack against vehicles for anti-tank mines with a fail/kill outcome. This can easily be replaced by a mechanism similar to infantry direct fire.

Standard Crossfire Anti-tank Minefields

The standard anti-tank mine rules are (p. 17):

Minefield Attacks against Vehicles
Roll 1 die per attack. If the die roll is “4” or higher the vehicle is destroyed – its tracks are considered to have been thrown and its crew bailed out.

That is pretty brutal, with 50% chance of a Kill. Unlike the standard anti-tank rules (with ARM, ACC, PEN), armour doesn’t protect.

Balagan Anti-tank Minefields

Against infantry, mines get 4d6. 4d6 is probably okay against tanks as well since they don’t get cover or armour modifiers. A quick look at the Crossfire probabilities shows a 4d6 attack has a 81% chance of affecting a target tank: 40% chance of PIN; 30% SUPPRESS; 11% KILL. Close enough to the current rule I think. If that isn’t nasty enough we could nudge it up to 5d6.

The minefield rule would be:

Balagan Minefield Attack Procedure
The Minefield’s owner rolls 4 Dice per attack against enemy stands (including Squads and Vehicles) moving in the Minefield. Use the Direct Fire procedures in sec. 6.4. and 6.5.1. If the Minefield attack Suppress (or Kills) the Squad / Vehicle the defender seizes the Initiative.

• A player whose stand enters a minefield is immediately notified by his opponent and the minefield section is then placed on the table.
• Minefield attacks are made during movement in a similar way to Reactive Fire.
• Stands are attacked immediately they enter the minefield and sometimes subsequently when they move inside or when they leave the minefield.
• Pins inflicted by minefields are ignored.
• Normal rules for Suppression and Kills apply.
• For attacks against Vehicles ignore the Armour modifier; always roll 4d6.
• While a stand is stationary in a minefield it will not be attacked by the minefield.
• A stand that was missed by a minefield or that ignored a Pin from the minefield, can immediately move out of the minefield without being attacked by the minefield again that initiative. On the other hand, if the stand elects to remain stationary within the minefield it will lose this benefit.
• A stand that is stationary in a minefield for any reason, is not attacked by the minefield, but will be attacked by the minefield as soon as it moves again. This applies regardless of the reason for being stationary, e.g. player chooses not to immediately leave the minefield or because the stand was suppressed earlier.

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Bogging down

Hit The Dirt introduce bogging for vehicles. Again this 1d6 roll can be replaced by mechanism similar to infantry shooting.

HTD Special Rule 5: Bogging down

Here is the example of the bogging rule from Hit The Dirt:

HTD Special Rule 5: Bogging down is in use. Tanks bog down in woods, rough ground, rock fields, boulder fields, streams, and anti-tank obstacles (ditches, barricades) on 4- on 1d6. They unbog on 5+, becoming permanently mired on 1.

The example is pretty challenging with a 4/6 chance of bogging every time the vehicle tries to move in difficult terrain, and only a 1/3 chance of successfully moving. Once bogged the probabilities change to 1/6 chance of bogging permanently, 3/6 chance of remaining bogged, and 2/6 chance of unbogging and moving.

Bogging is functionally the equivalent of a PIN as the tank cannot move but can shoot. Being permanently mired is unique to the bogging rule; the tank can never move again, but can still shoot.

Balagan Special Rule 5: Bogging down

It isn’t obvious to me why bogging needs a special rule. It could just use the normal infantry to hit dice. Here is how it could work.

A quick look at the Crossfire probabilities shows a 3d6 attack has a 70% chance of affecting a target tank: 44% chance of PIN; 22% SUPPRESS; 4% KILL. Close enough to the example I think.

So here is Balagan Special Rule 5: Bogging down:

5.0 Vehicles get stuck in all sorts of terrain. This rule presents the general case to allow this. Scenarios specify which terrain features may cause bogging down and the severity of the bogging attack (1d6, 2d6, 3d6, 4d6). There are no modifiers to this attack (e.g. ignore Armour). An example of bogging down is: “Special Rule 5: Bogging down is in use. Tanks suffer a bogging attack of 3d6 when attempting a move action in woods, rough ground, rock fields, boulder fields, streams, and anti-tank obstacles (ditches, barricades).

5.1 Bogging attacks are similar to reactive fire. The non-phasing player rolls the bogging attack. However, vehicle gets no armour or cover modifiers against bogging.

5.2 PIN, SUPPRESS, and KILL results use the normal rules although in each case the cause is bogging not fire. KILL is the equivalent of being permanent mired. A SUPPRESS or KILL causes initiative to pass.

5.3 Bogged vehicles rally in the normal way.

5.4 Attacks against a PINNED or SUPPRESSED vehicle get +1d6, due to the stationary nature of the target.

Note: I’d never noticed the “stationary” rule buried in the bogging rule. I quite like it, so kept a version of it here.

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To Hit Probabilities

I thought I’d copy to 5+ to hit table from Crossfire probabilities here, so I have an easy comparison.

Hit on 5+ Probabilities

Dice	0 Hits	1 Hit	2 Hits	3 Hits	4 Hits	5 Hits	6 Hits	Mean Hits	Natural kill (3+ Hits)
1d6	67%	33%						0.33	0%
2d6	44%	44%	11%					0.67	0%
3d6	30%	44%	22%	4%				1.00	4%
4d6	20%	40%	30%	10%	1%			1.33	11%
5d6	13%	33%	33%	16%	4%	0.4%		1.67	21%
6d6	9%	26%	33%	22%	8%	2%	0.1%	1.99	32%

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References

Rutherford, B, & Lewis, J. (n.d.) Hit the Dirt: WWII Scenarios for Crossfire.