A feature of African conflicts was that poor quality troops were inclined to looting. So I though I’d see what that could look like in Fogo Cruzado, my Crossfire variant for the Portuguese Colonial War. What I came up with is the Looter characteristic. At some point, after play testing, these might become part of my Fogo Cruzado: Crossfire House Rules for the Portuguese Colonial War or perhaps a special rule for a specific scenario.
Looter Troop Characteristic
Poor quality troops were inclined to looting – the Looter characteristic. All troops with Looter characteristic must be declared at the beginning of the game as the enemy player can tempt them.
A Looter stand is tempted only if the stand is:
- trying to take a Move action and
- in or near1 a lootable terrain feature2 and
- outside line of sight to enemy
Notes:
(1) “Near” means the stand could move into a lootable terrain feature with a single move action.
(2) All “Lootable terrain features” must be defined as part of the scenario. An obvious example is a European house, shop, broken down truck, etc.
Use a Temptation roll to determine if a Looter stand succumbs to the temptation of loot. This works in a similar fashion to Reactive Fire. The enemy player announces a Temptation roll. This is a 4d6 attack with a 5 or 6 on a die being a “hit”. If there are no hit the Move action continues unaffected by temptation.
If there is at least one hit and the Looter stand is already within a lootable terrain feature the men in the stand will immediately disperse to loot. The original Move action is aborted without any movement and the stand then takes a PIN, SUPPRESS, or KILLED result depending on the number of Temptation hits.
Temptation is a bit more complicated if the Looter stand is “near”, not already “in”, a lootable terrain feature. Make the Temptation roll as above and if there is at least “hit” the the Looter stand will:
- immediately makes a Move action into the nearest lootable terrain feature. This move is subject to normal reactive fire and might result in close combat
- disperses to loot (as above) once inside the lootable terrain feature
Recovery from Looter temptation requires a normal Rally action. However, the stand is then potentially subject to a subsequent Temptation roll.
While the stand is near the lootable feature the player must make a “resist looting” roll – identical to a rally from pin – every time the stand takes a move action that isn’t into the building. Success means the move action happens normally. Failure means the stand moves into the lootable terrain instead of the intended action.
When a looting inclined stand enters a lootable terrain feature for any reason it immediately becomes pinned representing the men dispersing to loot. They rally in the normal way.