17.2 - Open crew question

[Thommygunner]

Hi, I am new to the game. I am a long time SL/ASL player and feel that the simple(less die rolls to the nth degree) yet rich system is a breath of fresh air.

I do have a question about 17.2 and how the TM modifier of exposed crew is based on the vehicles lowest armor value. How is this justified? Shouldn't it just be a straight up +1 or +2 for all armored vehicles? 1 AF stops small arms fire as well as 4 AF.

Thanks for indulging me!

 

[Stefano G.]

Hi Thommy,
welcome to LnL community. As a SL/ASL player, you'll find LNL tactical with less "Chrome" than ASL but , IMHO, with a more realistic time-continuum system based on impulses, more beautiful graphic, a more realistic command-chain for units activation, need to spot units etc etc and, last but not least, a more "fluid" and "direct" execution of the game itself...(with LnL , "You play the game and not the rule" ).

Your question is correct.
I 've always found unjustified, and very hard to accept, that official rule for exposed crew (or passenger of Open vehicles).

In this way, exposed crew (or external passengers) of a german Tiger tank would have the same protection as they were in a stone/brick House and much more protection than they could receive inside a bunker or fully protected by armored side of a sdkf251...and i do consider it quite unlikely.

Soviet T-34 hatch is larger than a Tiger one and it better covers exposed crew but , in game term, its defensive modifier (lower armor factor, usually the rear) is considered less than the Tiger one instead.

So, i have always adopted and played with an "houserule" (one of the strong points of LnL tactical games is that you can adopt some "houserules" if you feel unconfortable with its official ones):
"0" protection value, in defensive roll, for outside riding units;
and a standard "+2" to Defensive roll for all exposed Crew and/or internal Passengers of Open vehicles.


This houserule has always well worked for me .

 

[Captain Darling]

House Rules as long as every player is in agreement are the sensible way to go with any set of game rules.

We have a few ourselves for LnL interestingly we stick with the rules on this situation, we look at it simply as tank hatch/cupola design improved as the war progressed and tanks got larger so crew protection got better. Actually in our games it’s rare to see unbuttoned Vehicles so it doesn’t really come into play (halftracks etc tend to keep their distance acting as support after dropping off passengers)!

On rules we are not fans of the new v5set as we only play WW 2, we still use v4.1 with post it notes referring to any sections we want from v5 ...

 

[Thommygunner]

Though I am loath to make house rules(I oppose the ASL IIFT every chance I get,) that is what I am thinking, make a house rule of +2 for open or crew exposed.

I just find that having a +4TM makes it way too easy to conduct overruns with that powerful 4 FP MG that is on some vehicles. In what I have read and watched, improvements were made during WWII and after to the commander's station, but mostly in the form of better vision while buttoned up and hatches that don't slam shut on the commander at an inopportune time. Being exposed enough for it to make a difference is risky. Thus, I feel that anything more than +2 is not justified.

That's my two cents. Thanks for indulging me!