Fire and Dice: Observation

 

There is very limited automatic observation in Fire and Dice. Units will need to be within 6 (infantry) or 12 (vehicles) and have fired before they are automatically observed. This might seem absurd at first and of course, it's a rule you can chose to amend or dismiss but the theory behind it is three-fold.

Firstly, this is a rule system for WW2 and thus relatively modern warfare where fire, movement and most of all use of concealment and cover is paramount. Everyone is trying not to be seen whilst trying to see their enemy who are also trying not to be seen.

So, most of the time we must roll competitively to see if our unit can observe the enemy. Observations values (OB) are rolled and modifiers applied against the opponent's Concealment value (CONC) and like all other rolls in Fire and Dice, to observe you must beat the opponents roll.

Secondly, the table-top terrain is considered to be representative of a real or plausible battlefield. Most table-top terrain tends toward a flat table-top with added features placed on it or is made up of modular tiles providing depth but which largely tend to be flat or flattish most of the time. On the face of it, two units within a short distance of one another on a playing surface with no obvious featured interfering with the line of sight would look to be clearly in mutual view.

As table-top terrain is representative; however, what looks to be flat open ground in modelling terms is actually attempting to represent the real word and real ground. Fire and Dice assumes that the flat, open terrain we use represents a battleground with unseen lumps, bumps, dips and folds in the landscape. Add to this the potential for tall grass, heat haze, dust, sun glare, mist, drizzle or battle smoke, so what looks like open clear ground to us standing over the table from up on high is not actually so clear to the unit on the ground - or table-top.

This is why there is no observation penalty for being in the open - only for being 'wide-open'. Wide-open is defined as particularly featureless environments with no impediment to line-of-sight such as being caught out on a road, or something like an airfield or a flat beach.

The above is perhaps a matter of scale also, where it's easier to construe irregularity at 20mm or smaller scales but perhaps less imaginable at 28mm.

Conversely, there is no arbitrary range at which a unit may observe. To be sure, it gets more difficult to observe over greater distances or under certain conditions but Fire and Dice dispenses with strict and often silly restrictions on an attempt. After all, binoculars weren't that uncommon by this time.

Thirdly, the advantage of restricted automatic observation is that Fire and Dice allows for the opportunity for units to sneak up on an opponent - even if we, the players can see them. Consider a unit of Commandos with a higher concealment value crawling up to a machine gun nest. Again, we can see what's going on but your defender on the ground just may not see them coming.

This allows us to place units on the table-top rather than using dummy markers or marking hidden units on a concealed map of the table. Imagine pushing a recon unit up a road surrounded by hedges buildings and garden. We are replacing the real-world anxiety that unit would have about potential hidden enemies with our understanding that the opposing units are there but not knowing if our units will detect them before it's too late.

Another consideration in Fire and Dice is that the Observation phase occurs at the start of a unit's activation and no further observation is provided for.  It is a distinct phase. This is because observation is tied to morale. Awareness of enemy units impacts on the intent of the orders you are giving to your unit via the morale test. What you want your unit to do in relation to an enemy unit affects the unit's activation chances and the morale test it takes against what the unit is attempting to do. Therefore, subsequent observations a unit might make after a movement are irrelevant - at least for that turn.

To illustrate, let's imagine you have an infantry group of six figures which have successfully observed an anti-tank gun and crew, concealed and within 12. You decide you want the infantry to close within 6 and fire on the gun with small arms and grenades. You declare your orders and then make the unit morale check using modifiers against the circumstances of your intended attack. You pass the check and move the group to within 6. After movement, the group is within line of sight of another enemy unit. Your unit cannot attempt to observe that new unit because it is putting in or attempting to put in an attack on the anti-tank unit. The other unit is a problem for the infantry group in its next turn when they may attempt to observe it and react accordingly.

Let's get back to what we can see and what a unit on the table-top can see. From our top-down view, we may see an enemy unit waiting in an advantageous ambush position but our unit in line of sight fails to observe it. Naturally, we would be reluctant to advance our unit nearer to the waiting enemy and that's fine. The opposing unit in ambush is imposing a positive affect on the battle-space through its presence alone which is an important gain in a game with limited turns and clear objectives.