Optional rules question.

[Fubar]

Being fairly new to PzC and MC what are considered the normal extra rules to use e.g. counter battery or manual/automatic defensive fire or any of the others, when setting up a PBEM game.

Also are there any 'house rules' i should know about?

[Mr Grumpy]

Ok this keeps coming up, we hope soon that Dog Soldier will have an article on this subject to help new players out! :)

To answer your question each title (except Smolensk) has a set of default optional rules which were put in place by the designer, as a rule of thumb if you don't fully understand what effect the different Opt rules have just stick to the default ones. ;)

When you set up a game there is a "New scenario dialog" box, on that is a "rules" button that will display the Opt rules, on that box is a "default" button that sets the default Opt rules for that title.

All new/inexperienced players should be aware that some players can use the non default Opt rules to skew a scenario, but also some players use the Opt rules to try to balance a scenario up!

If you don't know what they do, don't use them.............

[Mr Grumpy]

Also are there any 'house rules' i should know about?

That is a tough one to answer as each player has a different take on what is gamey and what is not, it may not be until you have more experience that you can know what tactics you don't like and then ask your opponent not to use them. :chin:

[Fubar]

OK, thanks for the reply Foul.

:bow:

[Glenn Saunders]

Being fairly new to PzC and MC what are considered the normal extra rules to use e.g. counter battery or manual/automatic defensive fire or any of the others, when setting up a PBEM game.

Also are there any 'house rules' i should know about?

first off - if you press the HELP button on the dialog and review the rules there you will see the "Manual Def Fire and "Automatic defensive fire" are for PHASED Play only and as far as I know most people do use the Phased play.

As a general rule of thumb, I would say when playing scns that come with the game do not change the FIRE and RESOLUTION Rules. On some Gmaes Like Normandy they are ON. On other games like say Minsk, they are Off. They have a huge affect on the kills so if you change them you completely negate the Scn vic conditions. But you can change them if you like

Arty Setup is OK
Recon Spotting I would turn on
I pretty much always use Virstual Supply Trucks (there are some CGs like Alamenin where EXP Supply is better)

Low Vis Air Affects should be ON

Optional Surrender - never us - added to appease people who thought Broken units should surrender faster than they do and that care and processing or POWs didn't happen. They were all just lined up and shot!<G>

Quality Fatigue Modifier is a new rule added during the creation of Minsk. I haven't studied it's affect on other games so that one I would sday is up to you.

Optional Fire and Results - already covered - don't touch them

Higher Fatigue Recovery - I wouldn't use - people already drive their units harder than you could in real life - this rule was added to appease people who disagreed with how the game Battle Fatigue was designed. Most of those guys long since stopped playing - they were only interested in complaining about things anyway <g>

Indirect Fire and Air Strikes by map - ON always

Night Fatigue - ON

No Low Fuel Effects - OFF - see the note about the Higher Fatigue recovery - same thing here.

Explict supply - used in some CGs - Scn MUST have Exp Supply units in it to have any affect. Great for Alamein, and Market Garden. Some people like it for Bulge CGs - I prefer VST in Bulge myself.

Programmed Weather - yes - ON

Limited Air Recon - again, ON I Think. This rule was because some idiots playing N44 (which was game #2) looked at where the Fixed German Units were in the Scn FIXED - Air reconed them and them bombed the crap out of them - real fair eh.

Anyway - Optional Rules are ....well, ... Optional! ....And you can turn them one or off as you like - but "you Mileage may vary"

Glenn

[Krak]

QFM is a great rule for adding balance to a scenario if you feel one side has an advantage over the other. If the side at a disadvantage happens to generally have a better overall quality level you can use QFM and their troops will hang in there much longer. Eg S42 Uranus. Many feel that the Soviets have the edge in thsi one. So you could give the Germans QFM.

[Glenn Saunders]

QFM is a great rule for adding balance to a scenario if you feel one side has an advantage over the other. If the side at a disadvantage happens to generally have a better overall quality level you can use QFM and their troops will hang in there much longer. Eg S42 Uranus. Many feel that the Soviets have the edge in thsi one. So you could give the Germans QFM.

Excellent point Krak and this is why we really needed it to make the Minsk game work for us.l I mean it is amazing what the Germans were able to do with so little this late in the war.

...but ya, QFM is just as you explained it.

Glenn

[von Waldenburg]

I mean it is amazing what the Germans were able to do with so little this late in the war.

What you mean? they lost around 30 divisions in this operation I believe.

On the other hand, I agree with the QFM rule opinions thus far, it is a nice rule. I even think the germans in Kursk (and many will argue the stock set-up benefits the axis) probably should be granted it (and the russians as well, they got some quality B units).

And the most helpful tool I found when learning optional rules meanings was the HELP button Glenn described above, and of course this great forum. And almost forgot, a lot of practicing :)

regards
Artur

note to the forum administrators: why dont you set some fixed threads (like the ones that can be seen in many other forums) that always stay at the top of the main forum page #1 or whatever whith basic topics like this one. Also a place to debate rules. Just an idea anyway.

[Zemke]

I use all the rules Glenn likes, except "Indirect Fire and Air Strikes by map - ON always". I felt this would be good for air but poor for artillery fire, as artillery needs spotters to adjust fire, so I have only used this rule once. QFM is a must, and allows high quality units that edge they deserve.

[Mr Grumpy]

note to the forum administrators: why dont you set some fixed threads (like the ones that can be seen in many other forums) that always stay at the top of the main forum page #1 or whatever whith basic topics like this one. Also a place to debate rules. Just an idea anyway.

If you look at the top of this forum there are three sticky threads full of PzC info. :chin:

As i have stated before Dog Soldier is putting a article together about Opt rules at the moment, this will be added to the sticky threads when finished.

There is also a PzC articles section here at the Blitz
PzC articles so the info is avaliable, but i cant make players read it. :soap: