Most support weapons fire in the same way as infantry Units, rolling their Firepower Dice and the target then rolling for the effect of any hits. Some weapons have a greater punch, reducing the cover the target is in.
Tripod Mounted Machine Guns have a 90˚ Arc of Fire to their front, 45° either side of the barrel. They can target any enemy in that arc, turning to face directly at the target without counting as moving. Only the gunner requires Line of Sight to fire at a target.
All tripod or carriage mounted Medium or Heavy Machine Guns fire with 10 Firepower Dice, unless otherwise noted in a theatre Handbook. Heavy Machine Guns also reduce the target's level of cover by one level.
Where a Tripod Mounted MG Team is reduced to one figure, the number of Firepower Dice rolled is reduced by two.
Tripod mounted machine guns can fire Suppresssing Fire, at an area with a continuous 9" frontage, or at two Teams within 4" of each other. support weapons
When activated, Snipers fire once at any visible infantry Unit or Support Unit on the table. Line of Sight is measured from any point within 3" of the centre of the Sniper base.
Snipers roll one Firepower Dice, hitting on a roll of 3 or more at any range. Roll for the effect of the hit as though the target is in the Open. Any Shock caused is doubled. If a kill is achieved, any Leader attached to the Unit is hit on a roll of 1 or 2. Snipers never fire Suppressing Fire.
Snipers firing against bunkers hit on a roll of 4 or more at any range. Hits are rolled as though the target is in Light Cover. Any Shock caused is doubled. The target cannot ignore any kills or Shock resulting from Sniper fire.
Snipers firing at Transport vehicles target the passengers. APC passengers cannot be targeted by a Sniper, but a Team manning a weapon on the APC can be targeted if not in an enclosed turret. Vehicles cannot be specifically targeted by Snipers and are never affected by their fire.
Snipers are only affected by Suppressing Fire once spotted. Prior to that they ignore it.
Each time the Sniper fires, the Team on Overwatch adds +1 to their roll. Once spotted, the Sniper may be fired at by the Team that spotted it as though any other infantry target. A single kill result will remove the Sniper Team from the table and a Force Morale Test is taken. Snipers ignore Shock.
If a Sniper base is contacted by an enemy Unit, the Sniper is removed from the game. There is no Force Morale Test, as the sniper is not killed but has left the area.
Flamethrowers have a maximum range of 12". Infantry flamethrowers have fuel for three Phases of fire which cannot be resupplied.
Infantry flamethrowers never move At the Double. They can move with 1D6 and fire. An infantry flamethrower rolls 12 Firepower Dice, reducing that to 6 Firepower Dice if it moves and fires. Flamethrowers have the Storm of Steel Bonus.
A Flamethrower doubles any Shock when firing at an infantry target. It ignores any cover.
A Flamethrower firing on a wooden building sets it on fire if it rolls two or more 6's with its Firepower Dice. A building on fire must be evacuated immediately. Any Unit in the building is placed outside it by their player, adjacent to a door or window of their choice.
Flamethrowers firing at a Transport vehicle will cause hits on the passengers, treating them as a target in the Open. Shock on the passengers is doubled. Any 6's rolled, including the Storm of Steel Bonus, also cause one point of Shock on the vehicle.
For flamethrowers against armour, see Section 16.4.10, Flamethrowers Against AFVs.
These weapons have a 90˚ arc to their front, 45° either side of the barrel. They can target any enemy in that arc, turning to face directly at the target without counting as moving. Only the gunner requires Line of Sight to fire at a target. They always Fire for Effect, never firing Suppressing Fire.
Weapons such as Anti-Tank Guns and Infantry Guns need at least three crew to function at full effect. This includes attached Leaders. If reduced to two crew, or fewer, they will not be able to move but may continue to target any enemy within their Arc of Fire.
Infantry and Anti-Tank Gun fire against armour is covered in Section 16, Fire Against Vehicles.
Infantry and Anti-Tank Guns will only fire H.E. at buildings when targeting a Unit inside it.
Infantry guns are activated as a Team on a Command Dice roll of 1, with an Order from their attached Junior Leader, or a Senior Leader in Command Range.
When firing at an infantry target, Infantry Guns roll their H.E. Firepower Dice. All fire is at Close Range, hitting on 4, 5 or 6 with the Storm of Steel Bonus, before any adjustments for smoke or Suppressing Fire. Hits are divided between any target Teams and hit effects rolled for with the target's cover reduced by one level.
Anti-Tank guns are activated as a Team on a Command Dice roll of 1, with a Leader's Order from their attached Junior Leader, or a Senior Leader in Command Range.
When firing at an infantry target, Anti-Tank Guns roll their H.E. Firepower Dice. All fire is at Close Range, hitting on 4, 5 or 6 with the Storm of Steel Bonus, before any adjustments for smoke or Suppressing Fire. Hits are divided between any target Teams and hit effects rolled for with the target's cover reduced by one level.
Medium Mortars are only available for specific missions. When available, they have three options.
A Forward Observer model is placed on the table with a D6 to track the number of Phases of fire. The Forward Observer cannot be targeted by the enemy; the model simply indicates that the Mortar Bombardment is taking place and its duration. When the Bombardment is complete, the Forward Observer model will be removed from play.
The player marks the Aiming Point on the table. They can target any point on the table without restriction. Roll 2D6 to see if fire arrives immediately or is delayed.
| Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 2-4 | Ranging shot unobserved. No effect. Repeat on subsequent Phases with a +1 |
| 5 | Ranging shot deviates 4D6" |
| 6 | Ranging shot deviates 3D6" |
| 7 | Ranging shot deviates 2D6" |
| 8-11 | Fire is on target and the Bombardment begins immediately. |
| 12 | Devastating Bombardment. Fire is on target and the Bombardment begins immediately. Roll for effect, doubling the number of Firepower Dice rolled in the first Phase of the Bombardment. |
Ranging shots do not reduce the number of Phases mortars fire for. If the Turn ends before the Bombardment begins, the process continues without interruption or delay.
When the Forward Observer is next activated, the player must call for Fire for Effect on the point where the ranging shot landed, or they can place a fresh aiming point and begin the process again.
The player must now choose whether the Bombardment is Static or Rolling. A Static Bombardment fires on the same aiming point for its duration. A Rolling Bombardment will move. After the initial Phase of fire, the aiming point will move 6", 9" or 12" parallel with a table edge of the player's choice.
When the Bombardment begins, the player places a D6 on the table, shielded from their opponent's view. The number on the upmost face indicates their choice, with 1, 2 or 3 being Static, 4, 5 or 6 being a Rolling Bombardment. If 4 is selected, the Bombardment moves 6", on a 5 it moves 9" and a 6 moving 12". The number on the D6 is revealed on the second Phase that the Bombardment fires.
The Bombardment will continue to move at the same rate in the next two Phases. It cannot accelerate or decelerate. If additional rounds are purchased, these will be static on the Bombardment's last position.
A Bombardment does not reduce the target's cover in Area Terrain. Linear obstacles do not give any cover to Units adjacent to them.
After the effects of the first Phase of fire are calculated, the target Units become Pinned for the duration of the Bombardment. This increases their cover by one level to a maximum of Hard Cover.
If a Bombardment moves and a unit previously affected is no longer in the Bombardment area, that Unit remains Pinned until all Shock is rallied from it or the Bombardment ends, whichever occurs first.
Where a Unit is in a substantial building of two or more storeys, the effect of the Bombardment is calculated as normal; however, the Unit is not Pinned while in the building.
Leaders and Units inside the Bombardment area cannot fire or be fired at by any other Units. They cannot move, but may Reposition, see Section 8.2.2, Chain of Command Point Actions. Leaders under a Bombardment can use Orders to remove Shock.
No passengers can voluntarily disembark in any Phase of movement in the Bombardment.
Roll 4D6 for hits on each passenger Team in a Transport vehicle in the Bombardment, hitting on 5 or 6. They roll for effect counting as in Light Cover. Each 6 rolled also results in a point of Shock on the vehicle, including the Storm of Steel Bonus See Section 16.3, Shock on Vehicles.
AFVs and APCs under a Mortar Bombardment roll 2D6, or 3D6 if open topped. Each 6 rolled results in a point of Shock on the vehicle, including the Storm of Steel Bonus. See Section 16.3, Shock on Vehicles.
If no Command Dice roll of 1 is available, the player must use a single Chain of Command point to activate the Bombardment. If neither is available, the Bombardment ends, contact with the mortars lost. All effects of the bombardment are removed at the end of the current Phase.
After a Bombardment has fired in each Phase, reduce the number of rounds of fire remaining. Any Turn end will reduce the number of Phases remaining by one. Any remaining rounds will be fired when activated in subsequent Phases.
Once a Bombardment ends, the Forward Observer is removed from play. The effects of the Bombardment remain in place until the end of the following Phase, with the smoke continuing to limit visibility. Units under a Bombardment will remain Pinned. At the end of the following Phase, all smoke is removed and all Bombardment effects cease.
Units in a Smoke Barrage fight a Close Combat if within 2" of an enemy, but no dice are added for enemy movement. Any losing Close Combat result counts as one level worse.
SOS Fire covers a 6" radius from the aiming point. Roll six Firepower Dice against each Team in the SOS Fire area, hitting on 4, 5 or 6 with the Storm of Steel Bonus.
Roll for the effect of the hits. SOS Fire does not reduce the target's cover in Area Terrain. Linear obstacles do not give any cover to Units adjacent to them.
After the hits are applied, any Units within the SOS Fire area that are not in buildings, entrenchments or Fortifications are Pinned for the current and the next Phase. Visibility is not affected; Units can fire into, through or out of the area without penalty.
AFVs and APCs under SOS Fire roll 2D6, or 3D6 if open topped. Each 6 rolled results in a point of Shock on the vehicle, including the Storm of Steel Bonus. See Section 16.3, Shock on Vehicles.
A brick or stone building will become unstable if a weapon firing H.E. rolls four 6's when rolling to hit the building or a Unit in it.
Unstable Buildings will collapse at the end of the Turn. See Section 14.4.2.1, Structures Collapsing.
Where a building has no Unit in it but is in a Bombardment area, roll the Firepower Dice for the weapon firing and apply the result on the building for any 6's rolled, including the Storm of Steel Bonus.
Cover the area of the collapsed building with smoke, causing a -1 to hit if fired through. The smoke will be removed at the Turn end.
Snipers in a collapsing structure will immediately relocate up to 12" into cover.