Passenger oddness

[SteveT]

(A) Halftrack containing 1 small squad

(B) Halftrack containing 2 leaders and an AT-Rifle Team

 

Both are destroyed.

Passengers in (A) take dd6 hits…1d6 in total.

Passengers in (B) take dd6 hits each….3d6 in total.

Seems odd to me.

 

[Master Chief]

Bolt Action 2nd Ed page 116:

If a transport vehicle is destroyed, each unit onboard suffers D6 hits – roll this number of hits against each unit, apply damage and remove casualties as normal.

 

I think the intention is for each unit to suffer D6 hits. It might have been better to say roll D6 and apply the result to all passenger units onboard, but as it stands now, roll for each unit separately. Each unit still suffers only D6 hits, just that it may suffer different number of hits from other passenger units.

[Kar98k]

As Master Chief pointed out above, the rules are pretty clear about this. That being said, I know of at least one gaming group that uses a house rule in its place. If I recall correctly, the group’s house rule was simple and easy. When a transport vehicle is destroyed, the number of hits is equal to the total number of figures being transported. Rolls to damage are as normal. This certainly takes care of situations with multiple small units and/or teams, but penalizes full strength infantry squads.

[Master Chief]

When a transport vehicle is destroyed, the number of hits is equal to the total number of figures being transported.

Interesting house rule, it is “fairer” in the sense that every transported soldier gets one hit (and the rest is up to whether he gets killed based on his damage roll). The existing rule penalises small units with fewer than 6 men and favours units with more than 6 men. In the extreme a 1-man officer unit could get 6 hits and be killed 6 times over (assuming all hits turned into kills)! Lt Speirs will have to make 6 saving throws 😂

[SteveT]

Yes exactly, hence my example (B) which took  1d6 on each of 3 units:  2 of were solo leaders and would be pulverised! Seems very odd. Going for a  house rule of 1d6 hits on the passengers determined randomly.

 

 

[SteveT]

It is even more illogical ,in a sense, as men packed into a confined space should lose relatively more to their transport exploding. A solo Captain going along for the ride should have less chance of dying not more.

[invisible officer]

Hmm, one might argue that he lacks the protection from others serving as splinter catchers,  😉

 

My father used to tell me that as forward observer he never hitched a ride in a German SPW-  (His battery was in an ID, serving along Pz Div. )   he named them rolling  death traps. He saw too many men burned to death in the wrecks.  Open top was not the easy escape way one would expect. And the doors often jammed in hit ones. So he used the Kübel.

 

[Author]

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