Shock is shown as a number of points on small, unobtrusive markers, such as micro-dice, dials or similar placed with the Unit. The greater the amount of Shock a Unit has, the slower it will move and the less effectively it will fire. An excess of Shock will cause Units to become Pinned or to Break. Shock can be rallied off by Leaders.
Where all figures in a Team are killed, the Shock on that Team is removed. It is not transferred to another Team in the same Section.
When fired at, a Pinned Unit increases the level of cover it is in by one level, up to a maximum of Hard Cover.
If a Unit is fired at while moving and is Pinned as a result, it halts at the point it was fired at.
| In action |
|---|
| A Soviet Section has one LMG Team with three
figures and one Rifle Team with six figures. They are
led by a Junior Leader. The Section has been under
fire and has suffered four Shock on the LMG Team
and three Shock on the Rifle Team. As the Teams are
within 4" of each other, neither are Pinned as they
share the seven points of Shock which is less than
the ten figures present including the Junior Leader.
An MG42 opens up from a farmhouse and kills one figure in each Team as well as adding two more points of Shock to the LMG Team. Were the two figures on the LMG Team on their own, the six points of Shock would be more than enough to Break them (four would suffice) but once again the fact that both Teams in the Section are within 4" of each other means that the Shock is shared. However, with nine points of Shock on eight figures, the Section is now Pinned. |
A Broken Marker is placed next to the Unit. Broken Units can be rallied by an attached Leader but may not activate or Reposition while Broken.
If a Broken Unit leaves the table, it does not return for the remainder of the game.
If a Broken Unit is isolated, surrounded, or their retreat blocked by impassable terrain, it will surrender. Roll on the Bad Things Happen Table as though the Unit is wiped out and any Leader killed.
A Broken Unit that subsequently suffers any Kills or Shock will retire 2D6+6" away from the firer. It will not Test its Force Morale again, even if it is wiped out, as it is already Broken.
A Senior Leader with a Unit that is Pinned or Broken can choose to move away when activated. Once they are more than 4" from the Unit, they are no longer attached.
Leaders in Transport vehicles can rally Shock from passengers but they can never rally Shock from the vehicle.
An APC or AFV is abandoned when it has four points of Shock. When an AFV or APC is abandoned, roll on the Bad Things Happen Table as though it is destroyed. It cannot be re-crewed during the game.
As a force sees their Force Morale level fall, the number of Command Dice rolled in each Phase may also be reduced. How quickly this occurs will depend on the particular force, as shown on the Force Morale Trackers in the National Army Lists. When Force Morale is reduced to zero, they will quit the field, leaving their opponent the winner
Before the game begins, both players roll a D6 to establish their Force Morale Level.
When Units selected as support choices test their Force Morale, or their Leaders are wounded, Stunned, killed or Break, they roll on the Bad Things Happen Table in the same way as the core platoon. Other Teams test as Support Units or specific vehicle types.
A player can avoid taking a Force Morale Test by using a Chain of Command Dice, see Section 8.2.1, Chain of Command Dice Actions.
| The "Bad things Happen" Table | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | No Effect | -1 Point | -2 Points | -3 Points | |
| Scout Team Breaks or wiped out | 1 2 3 4 | 5 6 | |||
| Team Breaks or wiped out | 1 2 | 3 4 5 | 6 | ||
| Section Breaks or wiped out | 1 2 3 | 4 5 6 | |||
| Junior Leader wounded or Stunned | 1 2 | 3 4 5 | 6 | ||
| Junior Leader killed or captured | 1 2 3 | 4 5 6 | |||
| Junior Leader Routs from table | 1 2 | 3 4 5 6 | |||
| Senior Leader wounded or Stunned | 1 2 3 4 | 5 6 | |||
| Senior Leader killed or captured | 1 | 2 3 4 5 | 6 | ||
| Senior Leader Routs from table | 1 2 3 4 | 5 6 | |||
| Supporting Unit Breaks or wiped out | 1 2 3 | 4 5 6 | |||
| AFV Destroyed or Abandoned | 1 2 3 | 4 5 6 7 | |||
| APC Destroyed or Abandoned | 1 2 | 3 4 5 6 | |||
| Transport Destroyed | 1 2 3 4 | 5 6 | |||
| Loss of Jump Off Point | 1 2 3 | 4 5 6 | |||
| Loss of Mission Objective Marker | 1 2 | 3 4 5 6 | |||
| In action |
|---|
| A German platoon has a Force Morale of 6 when
one of its reduced Sections is fired at by a US
machine gun team while crossing an open field.
The Germans lose two figures from their LMG Team
which wipes it out. Unfortunately, the Junior Leader
with the Section is also wounded and reduced to
issuing just one Order when activated.
As a result of this fire, the German player rolls twice on the "Bad Things Happen" Table, once for a Team wiped out and once for the Junior Leader being wounded. They roll a 2 for the first "bad thing" which has no effect, but roll an unfortunate 6 for the second which reduces their Force Morale to 4 points. The player checks their Force Morale roster and see that this means they will now roll just four Command Dice when it is their active Phase. |
As Force Morale reduces, the number of Command Dice rolled by a force can decrease. For example, a Soviet Motor Rifle Platoon has the following Force Morale Track.
| Force Morale | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Command Dice | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
As long as its Force Morale is at 5 points or more, they retain five Command Dice. When that falls to 4, they lose one Command Dice along with the Red Dice if that has been selected. Further dice being lost at a Force Morale of 3 and 1. When its Force Morale falls to zero, a force will retreat from the table and leave their opponent as the winner of the game.