ASL First FireSaturday, May 15, 2004
Concealment: Rules of Thumb
Concealment plays an important role in ASL. Along with its brother, HIP, it is the most important rule for combating the player's unrealistic omniscience. However, utilizing the Concealment rules can be a major headache, especially with a high unit-density scenario. The Concealment table on the Chapter A divider is clear but cumbersome. It's nice (and speeds up play) if you can look at a unit and quickly decide (without digging out the Chapter A divider) whether it gains or loses concealment. Admittedly, it's hard to simplify the rules for Concealment Loss (beyond "you lose Concealment if you do anything in LOS of the enemy") but fortunately the Concealment Gain stuff is very straightforward, and with a couple of rules of thumb, you should never have to look at the table again to determine when you can place a "?" counter.
Most commonly, you'll be determining possible "?" gain for Infantry units. You only need to know three things (all assuming your unit is in Good Order): whether the unit is in concealment terrain, whether it's in LOS of an unbroken enemy unit, and whether the nearest such enemy unit is within 16 hexes or not. Most of the time, those three factors will determine whether you get concealment, but sometimes you'll have to make a dr of 5 or less, using the DRM described in A12.122. Ready?
If your unit is in LOS of an unbroken enemy unit, it never gains concealment, unless it is both far away (at least 17 hexes away) and able to hide (in concealment terrain), in which case it can gain concealment by making a modified dr of 5 or less.
If your unit is out of LOS from any such enemy unit, it always gains concealment unless it is both close (16 or fewer hexes from the nearest unbroken enemy unit) and unable to hide (not in concealment terrain), in which case it must pass the die roll.
Not so bad, is it? Emplaced Guns and Vehicles are even easier. They never gain concealment if in LOS of an unbroken enemy unit. If out of all LOS, then they are treated the same as an Infantry unit. And Fortifications can never gain concealment once they lose HIP.
Again, Concealment Loss is a bit more complex, but since most of the time your units will be within 16 hexes of the enemy, it simplifies reasonably well. Generally, almost anything you do in LOS of the enemy will cost your concealment, but if out of LOS you'll only lose it if you are damaged by enemy fire. Two things to remember are that an enemy unit has to be Good Order to affect Concealment Loss (not just unbroken) and Emplaced Guns in concealment terrain have the ability to retain concealment when firing if the colored die is low enough (see A12.34). Spend a little time reading over the chart (especially for situations when the nearest enemy is 17 or more hexes away), but for most circumstances the above comments will work just fine.
So remember, Infantry units in LOS never gain "?" unless far away and able to hide, in which case you must roll a die. Infantry units out of LOS always gain "?" unless close and unable to hide, in which case you must roll a die. Happy hunting, and keep your head down.
Most commonly, you'll be determining possible "?" gain for Infantry units. You only need to know three things (all assuming your unit is in Good Order): whether the unit is in concealment terrain, whether it's in LOS of an unbroken enemy unit, and whether the nearest such enemy unit is within 16 hexes or not. Most of the time, those three factors will determine whether you get concealment, but sometimes you'll have to make a dr of 5 or less, using the DRM described in A12.122. Ready?
If your unit is in LOS of an unbroken enemy unit, it never gains concealment, unless it is both far away (at least 17 hexes away) and able to hide (in concealment terrain), in which case it can gain concealment by making a modified dr of 5 or less.
If your unit is out of LOS from any such enemy unit, it always gains concealment unless it is both close (16 or fewer hexes from the nearest unbroken enemy unit) and unable to hide (not in concealment terrain), in which case it must pass the die roll.
Not so bad, is it? Emplaced Guns and Vehicles are even easier. They never gain concealment if in LOS of an unbroken enemy unit. If out of all LOS, then they are treated the same as an Infantry unit. And Fortifications can never gain concealment once they lose HIP.
Again, Concealment Loss is a bit more complex, but since most of the time your units will be within 16 hexes of the enemy, it simplifies reasonably well. Generally, almost anything you do in LOS of the enemy will cost your concealment, but if out of LOS you'll only lose it if you are damaged by enemy fire. Two things to remember are that an enemy unit has to be Good Order to affect Concealment Loss (not just unbroken) and Emplaced Guns in concealment terrain have the ability to retain concealment when firing if the colored die is low enough (see A12.34). Spend a little time reading over the chart (especially for situations when the nearest enemy is 17 or more hexes away), but for most circumstances the above comments will work just fine.
So remember, Infantry units in LOS never gain "?" unless far away and able to hide, in which case you must roll a die. Infantry units out of LOS always gain "?" unless close and unable to hide, in which case you must roll a die. Happy hunting, and keep your head down.
