Question to Glenn S regarding AT units

[Volcano Man]

The Alt set of fire / assault rules were created with the second title in the series, Normandy 44. They were not introduced "later".

Well, yes, actually. By "later" I meant after PzC #1, 1.0, thus it was added as an "optional rule", therefore it was added "later" so that it was not a standard rule (well, "later" in the logic that I was using). ;)

In the N44 _alt game being played out in the team game tournament, (where the -alt default optional rules use only the alt assault optional rule) German ATG units are being pasted with six or seven barrage attacks (Allied artillery or naval fire, even air strikes) so they are worthless in defensive fire when the swarms of Allied tanks move up to chew on what is left in the hex. the Allied infantry can then easily mop up with assaults. If the German ATG are placed in BUNKERS / bunkers with their infantry, they are then targeted by barrages and Allied armor with two hex range HA. Only the German 88mm stand a chance to make a defensive fire attempt to disrupt Allied armor due to the unit's greater than one hex range.

Well, to give the _Alt some credit, only the Alternative Assault Resolution rule that is *required* for the _Alt to work properly because it uses some range 0 hard attack factors (that is why the rule is highlighted in yellow wherever you see the screen shot showing what Optional Rules to use with the _Alt). Anyone can pick whatever alternative resolution rules they desire beyond that. I am only stating this because you make it seem like the _Alt breaks something here with AT gun survivability in Normandy '44, which might be true if you play with Alt Fire Resolution off, but the AT guns in the _Alt have much greater defensive values as well, so even though they can be targeted - they can indeed hold some ground if you don't allow "swarms of tanks" to challenge an AT gun company. Consider too that this is small potatoes compared to what the disablement of the Alternative Fire Resolution rule does to the defender's (the Germans) chances in Normandy '44; turning it off allows them to hold hexes without getting residual fatigue applied with each artillery bombardment, allowing resting and making it actually possible to hold ground. This is the primary culprit to the problems that exist in that title. The Germans in Normandy '44 get no breaks, and if the lack of the Alt Fire Resolution rule hurts the AT guns survivability, then it repays it ten fold to the defender's ability to hold ground. So, it is not as if the lack of the Alt Fire Resolution in N44 breaks it from its perfect harmony it had going on before, but sure, OK, it certainly comes with a consequence but not too with an added benefit. ;)

The great big secret about France '40 (I remember this intimately) is not that the Alternative Fire Resolution rule was actually needed, it wasn't, it was the Alternative Assault Resolution was needed for the early war tanks to survive in assaults, and the powers that be didn't want just one single Alternative resolution rule to be used: it had to be all or none. The irony here is that it happens to work, and that you justify its inclusion as if it were something that was taken under great consideration. It was added as the default, because all the Alt Resolution had to be, and we accept it as holy ground. There is nothing wrong with that, but it speaks volumes that you could simply turn it on in the other games and it could work, and hurt, in the same exact ways that it does in F40 and N44, nothing more, nothing less. I just want to avoid the tendency of... overvaluation, or whether or not we are just justifying something simply because the egg came out of the chicken.

*edited for typos*