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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Cover and Defensive Saves

Models also receive a Save.  In Shooting and Firefight, this Save is called a Cover Save.  In Melee, it is called a Defensive Save.

A Cover Save represents a model’s ability to interpose obstacles or the earth between itself and incoming fire.  Game models are almost always depicted standing upright, brandishing their weapons, but we may assume actual soldiers will often be crouching, ducking, or crawling.

  • In the Shooting Phase, the basic Cover Save is 3+.
  • In the Firefight Phase, the basic Cover Save is 5+.
  • A target in Soft Cover gains +1 to their Cover Save.
  • A target in Hard Cover gains +2 to their Cover Save.
  • A target that is Cowering gains +1 to the Cover Save.

The High Explosive trait reduces Cover Saves.  Each level of HE reduces the Cover Save by 1.  This even effects the basic Save.  So a Good HE weapon can remove Cover Saves altogether.

In Melee, models may receive a Defensive Save.  This Save represents the model dodging or parrying or perhaps weirder stuff like force-fields or magic.  The basic Defensive Save is 5+.  Certain traits may increase or decrease the Defensive Save.



Geek Note


Soft Cover will be natural stuff, like trees, fences or whatever.  Hard Cover is actual military fortifications.  This game is not going to permit models to dig or create cover during play.  It represents a much closer, sharper, shorter engagement than Flames of War, with no time to dig foxholes or lay sandbags.


A model can easily gain a 1+ or better Cover Save by getting into cover and cowering. This is as it should be: a model should be really hard to get out of a prepared position.  Flames of War players may think a 1+ Cover Save is excessive, but remember, in my game, there is no equivalent to Firepower.  A model with a 1+ cover save will fail on double 1s -- statically the same as a FoW stand dug into bulletproof cover and shot with a machine gun.  Furthermore, the High Explosive characteristic (found on artillery and so forth)  will reduce Cover Saves.

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