Optional rules question.

[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