Musing on Looting in Fogo Cruzado

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.

African Looter
African Looter


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:

  1. 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
  2. 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.

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