Rule Change: Wheat Fields

[Wiggum]

Now that some rules are going to be changed...

What always bothered me was that "Wheat Fields" are "blocking terrain despite a normal European Wheat Field only being waist high at maximum for a normal sized human. So a standing soldier or a vehicle would be perfectly visible across an Wheat field.

Why are they considered blocking instead of degrading terrain? Would make much more sense if you ask me.
Having tanks in an open hex and inbetween them a wheat field and both cant see each other is...really strange...or maybe the LnL Wheat Fields are some kind of trees?

What do you think?

 

[Erik Winroth]

Fun fact: The wheat farmed by the turn of the 19th century was very different from the crops that fill our fields today – commonly being 160 centimeters tall (or 5 foot and 4 inches). During the 19th century, the wheat was heavily developed into shorter, sturdier variants that gave more yield (like in your picture - which is not wheat. It looks more like barley).

I agree with you that it would be sensible to change wheat fields to degrading rather than blocking.

One could also wonder how you could hide a tank in the field. You will still need to spot the tank hiding beside those men ... but then you perhaps open another can of worms.

 

[Stéphane Tanguay]

The problem with some of the rules change discussed above, that affect nhow the terrain is "interpreted on the maps", is that over 300+ scenarios have been designed with them in mind. In many cases, allowing LOS where there was none before can substantially change the situation. Heck, even just changing the look of a building on a map can change thing; in Enter the Guards (HOTM), where there was no LOS to an event at start in theolder versions, because it was blocked by a building, there is now LOS, which forced me to add a Clarifications & Corrections for that scenario. Same when the 10.3.1 was introduced; some events are now in LOS at start when they should not.

Maybe an approach scenario by scenario would be better ?

Now, on the topic of wheatfield being blocking terrain, I have always figured out that both the target and the firer are probably not standing up but are crouching on the ground, with their LOS being effectviely hampered. Granted, not a perfect explanation but that is a start

I have also always been (mildly) bothered with Wheat fields being blocking terrain in February in these situations, I imagine this terrain as being something else and jsut move on with the scenario

There is an optional rule that appears on most, if not all, module PACs, that gives you a +1 to spot a vehicle, partially allieving your concerns about this. That being said, I have very rarely seen a vehicle needing to be spotted, either because the player avoid those area (maybe to ahve a clear LOS themselves,), because the cost in MPs is excessive (like in light woods) or because they are generally acquired quite fast by their opponents.

 

[Erik Winroth]

I forgot about scenario balance. 300 compelling reasons to leave it at it is.

 

[David goodwin]

I don't know about Europe but in the midwest (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado) . I know that the wheat could be higher than a wheat truck and a fire truck. We had a wheat truck catch fire in a field and the fire truck went in to extinguish the fire. Both trucks went up a fireball. I would suggest you not fight in a wheat field, the fire is very hot.

 

[Wiggum]

I don't know about Europe but in the midwest (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado) . I know that the wheat could be higher than a wheat truck and a fire truck. We had a wheat truck catch fire in a field and the fire truck went in to extinguish the fire. Both trucks went up a fireball. I would suggest you not fight in a wheat field, the fire is very hot.

What?!