The Commander Series Forum

Hello chaps,

We are starting to enjoy cold war commander and after some introduction games, now we are going to have some "serious" matches.
We still have a doubt on IATW rules, like the RPG-7, they are signed with the H letter, so they have the howitzer rules, and this is pretty clear; but...the rules say that only " vehicles armed with.." suffer the relative penalties.
The RPG is an infantry upgrade so it isn't a vehicle.

So what this H is here for??

Many thanks

The (H) means that the weapon is classed as a howitzer, meaning that it fires a relatively low velocity shot. It can only affect anything with a saving throw at half range or less.
So it can target infantry and unarmoured vehicles at full range, but armoured vehicles at half range. There are additional rules for IATW, such as most armoured vehicles do not get a saving throw when hit by IATW. The rules make most IATW very short ranged but powerful. Any tanks that do wander into range of an infantry company should find themselves in a whole world of trouble.

Most importantly, IATW are like ATGM and only fire once per turn, either using opportunity fire in your opponents turn or initiative/orders in your own turn.

Cheers, Andy

Thanks chaps, yuk, we test the RPG power tonight....the Israelis come into a village filled with a company of Egyptians, the RPG took a bloody toll.

So you confirm that the IATWs, and I believe also the ATGMs, can fire once per turn, so one time in my turn and one time in the opponent turn using the opportunity fire?

After some games we feel that the ATGMs are a bi pricey..

Both IATW and ATGM fire once per turn, either as opportunity fire in your opponents turn or in your turn, not both.

Yes, a company of RPG armed infantry in a village would be nasty for unaccompanied armour. A salvo of RPGs followed by close assaults on any suppressed survivors. Most unpleasant for the unwary armoured commander.

Yes, lots of comments around on the forum about the cost of ATGMs. We don't get too hung up on points as long as they are allocated according to a suitable TO&E.

Cheers, Andy

Gosh, we presumed that they shot both because in the oveview the turn is described as a player making 4 phases.

In this case ATGM aren't really woth of thei points

If you look through previous topics on this Forum, you will see that ATGMs are a sore point and the one thing that most players would like to see amended in the next edition of CWC, as & when it's released.

We have used a house rule that dedicated ATGM vehicles such as the M901 can fire once in their turn and once as Opportunity fire in their opponent's turn, due to the speed of reload. Many players will also ignore points values and use real world orders of battle instead.

If deployed properly ATGMs should be very powerful, 1 shot = 1 kill weapons, although the introduction of ERA etc in the mid '80s makes things more tricky. The whole ethos of CWC and the Commander series is Combined Arms Warfare. As you have discovered, using tanks without infantry support does not end well (and would be even worse for unsupported infantry). This is to encourage players to adopt real world tactics.

We also have that house rule that only dedicated ATGMs can fire under orders or as opportunity fire. Other vehicles with a bolt-on ATGM, like BMPs, can only op fire. Soviet-doctrine tanks with ATGMs can only fire ATGMs when the target is beyond normal tank gun range, which makes them even less useful for the points.

Cheers, Andy

Wit the arabs against Israel it's difficult to obtain yone shoot one kill, the sagger have oly 4 attacks and against an 5 hit Magach...

By the way I understood this thng about the ATGM...it's expected a gnew version of the ruleset?

Pendraken will be working on a new version of CWC after they complete BKCIV