10:25 AM

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Some RED ACTIONS questions are answered

Mark Plant (Pygmy Wars) sends this. My questions and notes in red, his answers italic.

On more technical notes:

The rules say that NOTHING in Red Actions! is simultaneous, except for MELEE and FIREFIGHTS. We could not find a satisfactory definition of a firefight anywhere in the text, so we *assume* this means an exchange of gunfire. I think (guess, really) that a firefight is initiated when one unit (platoon or company) fires upon another target. That target (guessing) activates and shoots back? Maybe?

An infantry or cavalry unit that is shot at by enemy at close range may elect to return fire simultaneously if they haven't already moved: this is your "firefight". (You can't force him to return fire.)

The other element that puzzled us was the MORALE CHECK RESULTS. Okay, we get "TERROR MARKERS"... they are a cumulative way of removing unit cohesion, and make the unit harder to fire and do other military things. And we get how to remove them, and how nasty it gets when you fail to do so. But what about "unit retires"?? Does that mean that the unit is in a state akin to "TERROR?" "Retiring" is only mentioned in one place (the combat results table charts) and not defined in the text. Is this equivelant to "keeping your heads down", but not being pinned or in TERROR?

Terror markers are removed by a rally from terror, which prevents any other actions that move. Yes it is easy, but it means that units that NEED to do something but have a couple of terror markers can be faced with a terrible dilemma. (I find it the most elegant part of the system. Some other people make the unit test to remove terror in house rules.)

Retire results are just that: the unit retires. 3" for infantry, 6" for cavalry. There is no other effect, other than burning an activation for that move, if the unit hasn't already been activated.


But come along to the Captain's group and we can chat there.
And now the plug: my web site has some stuff you might find interesting. Unofficial extra cards and army lists, including Russo-Polish war ones.