ASL Side Chat – Basic AFV To Hit Example

Breaking Down the Anti-Tank Shot

Today we’re laying out a classic situation on the board to figure out how to fire ordnance. We have an American 57L anti-tank gun, fully manned by its crew, staring down a stationary German Stug IIIG sitting in a field exactly 14 hexes away. Let’s walk through how to pick your ammo, do the math, and make that hit roll.

First, let’s look at what this gun brings to the table. You’ll notice an underscore under the caliber size (57mm) on the counter, which means it normally only fires regular Armor Piercing (AP) rounds. But there’s also a star next to the underscore, telling us to check the Chapter H rulebook notes (or flip over the counter). If we flip it over, we see that starting in June 1944 (on onward) for European scenarios, this gun can actually fire special APDS ammo with a depletion number of four (D4^J4+E).

Since our target is a vehicle, we’re going to skip the Area and Infantry Target Types and go straight for the Vehicle Target Type (VTT). We’re also going to push our luck and try to use that APDS ammo. The way depletion numbers work is pretty straightforward. If my original roll is higher than a four, it turns out I never even had the special ammo loaded (and don’t have it for this scenario), the shot doesn’t happen at all, and I can take another shot. If I roll exactly a four, I get one shot using that roll/ammo, and then I am out. If I roll under a four, I take the shot using that roll/ammo, and get to keep the special ammo for later attempts.

Doing the Math

With our target 14 hexes away, our Basic TH Number on the chart is a black 8 (Germans use black Basic TH Numbers, see below). Now we have to adjust the Basic TH# based on the gun’s stats. Since it’s an “L” or long barrel, we add 1. Our 57mm caliber subtracts 1, and firing the APDS ammo subtracts another 1. That leaves us with a Modified TH Number of 7. This is what we need to secure a hit.

The next step is to make a DR (die roll), and include situational modifiers. The crew firing the gun is stationary, they are not pinned, and they are not doing anything out of the ordinary, so there are zero modifiers for the firer. Over on the target side, the Stug is sitting still out in the open, and there are no terrain hindrances like grain fields getting in the way, nor is it protected by TEM. However, if you look at the Stug’s armor factors, you will see a single white background. That means it’s a small target, which tacks on a plus 1 modifier to our final roll.

Taking the Shot

Time to roll the dice for the APDS shot. I roll a five. Since five is higher than my APDS depletion number of four, it means I didn’t actually have the ammo. The shot never happened, which means I don’t get any target acquisition, but the good news is I can just fire my regular AP ammo instead.

Let’s run the math one more time for standard AP rounds, which this gun can fire all day long. The base to-hit number is still eight. The long gun (L) adds one, and the caliber subtracts one, so our modified to-hit number goes up to an 8 since we aren’t using APDS, which is less effective at longer ranges. A little easier to hit, but AP is a little less effective at securing a kill than APDS. The Stug is still a small target, so we still have that plus 1 modifier to whatever we roll.

I need my die roll plus that 1 modifier to be an 8 or less. I roll the dice and get a 5 (4,1). Adding the one modifier gives us a six, which is well under our eight. That is a hit on the Stug! However, since the colored die was a four, I miss out on the gun’s rate of fire of three. The gun is done shooting for now [EXC: Intensive Fire] and gets marked with a Prep or Final Fire counter depending on the phase.

Wrapping it all up, the mechanics of taking a shot just come down to a simple checklist: find your range, pick your target type and ammo, calculate your modified to-hit number, add in your situational modifiers for the DR … and roll the dice!

Next time, I’ll finish this example to see if we get a kill on that Stug!

Academy Out!

GET TO THE CHOPPA…!!!

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