Question on Alternative Assault Resolution

[Volcano Man]

Tim, the default rules for Sicily do NOT include alt assault, and what you are seeing is one of the big reasons most of us recommend sticking to the default fire and assault rules. For Moscow '42, I think the original default rules for testing included alt assault, but the bunkers were very tough to crack that way, near impossible, for the same reason you are seeing here. So stick to the default assault rules in general - too later here so follow the advice above.

True, but this all goes hand-in-hand. With the Alt values over the default ones, then typically hard attack strengths and assault strengths will be higher. So, your chipping away power should be greater, but your ability to take the hex by a coup de main is weakened, which means more preparation is necessary. Anyway, just saying: one choice doesn't come without a consequence somewhere else.

The larger question though is whether this is really a good rule to use in the context of bunkers. I can see that the Alternative Assault prevents infantry from turning into big tank busters. But bunkers are a different sort of beast.

Personally, I say yes, because the answer to the bunkers is not assault, rather it is hard attack firepower THEN assault. This is true both with and without the Alt assault resolution (AAR) rule. For the most part though, tanks are better in assault against unprotected infantry with AAR on, so it makes sense to me that infantry dug in in bunker and pillbox hexes require careful, thorough, deliberate and abundant preparation to dislodge, and even then it will be bloody for the attacker. Otherwise, I feel that the defender can never really hold anything indefinitely in PzC otherwise, that is to say, with these rules off in the stock game then I always feel that the defender has the short end of the stick when it comes to holding ground (it becomes impossible really). But that is just my opinion. ;) Now of course it isn't such a great idea to have AAR on if the scenario is six turns or less -- unless the scenario was specifically balanced that way (Omaha_Alt was, however).