The Commander Series Forum

Hello,
We've just started using BKC for WW2 at our club (Great game)At the moment Ive just got some questions regarding Artillery.
If I take an FAO my artillery is regarded as off table(Guns should be placed on table edge?) If taken this way they not taken as assets? So the artillery uses Barrage or Concentration firing options?
If taken as above can artillery be use in the Encounter Scenario as it states "No artillery and air assets are available". Hope this makes sense.

Thanks in advance
Jason

Assets are pre planned artillery barrages so don't need an FAO or a roll for deviation. If you use an FOA you could just take the guns (we don't use the models...cuts down on cost!) and call 'em in. With an asset you nominate a turn and a place and presto!

Hi Jason,

your assumptions are spot on.

I think there are 3 types of artillery:

Assets; which are one-shot pre-planned strikes

Units; which are off-table but available for call each turn

Support units; which use the same rules for being able to fire as Infantry guns

joe, you're right, but you can't have assets without units.

To verify then - I can have arty units (ie off-board) and still use them even if I've used all the assets? Assets are only for scheduled attacks?

I like to think of an asset as a stockpile of shells that have been assigned to be used at a specific time. You still need the gun to fire them and while that gun is firing off the stockpile, it cannot be used for a different mission.

That's a good explanation, Siggian. Someone else once described it to me as something along these lines:

The FAO commands the off table arty and can attempt to bring down artillery attacks on targets that he can personally see (or that a recce unit tells him about). You need to "buy" an FAO and the artillery pieces to be able to do any of this.

However, there are times when you just NEED that bombardment to come down in turn 3 on "that crossroads over there". It's a pre-planned strike. And you've paid the points (10 points or whatever) for this to happen automatically. You still need to "buy" the artillery guns for this to happen.

And to throw another comment into the basket:
Scheduled assets may be delayed or cancelled during the command phase by an FAO.
Note that this delay or cancel needs to be done the turn before you want it cancelled because the 'Command phase' comes after the 'Scheduled phase'.

eg: You know that you have a scheduled barrage that is going to hit "that crossroads over there" next turn. The enemy is not quite where you want him to be, so you use your FAO to delay the barrage by a turn in the hopes that he will move more troops into the target zone.

-Patrick