(Answered) Artillery - Indirect fire at targets seventeen hexes or less away

[Jim1701]

The section on indirect file within 17 hexes under the direct fire section on pg. 185 seems to be somewhat confusing to me.  Is there any difference between a direct fire attack and an indirect fire attack when the range is less than 17 hexes?  If there are any differences just what are the differences?  All it says in the book is to modify the to-hit number for attacker movement during the turn in which it fires.  What the heck does that mean?  Does that mean that indirect fire inside 17 hexes is the same as outside 17 hexes except attacker movement is an additional modifier?

For example:  Is the to hit number for firing indirectly at a hex 16 hexes away gunnery + 4 + attacker movement, the same as direct fire or gunnery + 7 + attacker movement the same as indirect fire over 17 hexes?  If it is the former are there any other restrictions?  Is a spotter required? 

Thank you.

[Jim1701]

Bump.

[Jim1701]

Bump Mk II

[Jim1701]

Bump Mk III.

[Xotl]

It's not as confusing as it seems:

17 hexes or less, have LOS to target hex: Direct Fire.
17 hexes or less, do not have LOS to target hex: Indirect Fire
More than 17 hexes, have LOS to target hex:  Indirect Fire
More than 17 hexes, do not have LOS to target hex: Indirect Fire.


Direct Fire

In all instances, start with the attacker’s Gunnery Skill as a base to-hit number, with a +4 to-hit modifier; apply all other
modifiers as noted below. All direct-fire artillery attacks are made during the Weapon Attack Phase.
Cruise Missiles: Cruise missiles cannot be used to make any of the following attacks.
Flight Times: As noted on the Indirect Artillery Flight Times Table (see p. 181), any direct-fire artillery attack lands in the
same turn it is made.
To make a direct artillery attack, the artillery unit must have line of sight to the target hex, and the target hex must be no further than seventeen hexes away. Do not modify the to-hit number for range, target movement, the terrain of the target hex or an immobile target. The base to-hit number is modified normally for the attacker’s movement and for firing through (not into) woods and for other terrain features. -- Tactical Operations, Corrected Second Printing, p. 185.

So for direct fire this gives modifiers of: Gunnery Skill +4 + attacker's movement modifier + intervening terrrain


Indirect Fire at Targets Seventeen Hexes or Less Away
Artillery units may make an indirect attack on a unit that is less than seventeen hexes away if there is no LOS to the target hex. Modify the to-hit number for attacker movement during the turn in which it  fires. Note: If firing at targets more than seventeen hexes away, use the standard rules for indirect artillery fire.
-- Tactical Operations, Corrected Second Printing, p. 185.


So this gives us the following modifiers:

Indirect Fire, within 17 hexes: Gunnery Skill +4 + Attacker's movement modifier

(the +4 comes because it's under the full page Direct Fire heading on p. 185 which states that "In all instances, start with the attacker’s Gunnery Skill as a base to-hit number, with a +4 to-hit modifier; apply all other modifiers as noted below."  So it's a hybrid between Direct and Indirect attack)

For all Indirect fire, with or without LOS, outside of 17 hexes: Gunnery skill +7 + Artillery Modifiers from the Artillery Modifiers table on p. 180 of Tactical Operations.  Artillery attacks over 17 hexes away also have to take into account flight time from the Indirect Artillery Flight Times table on p. 181 of Tactical Operations, as they are over 1 mapsheet away from the target.

[Jim1701]

Indirect Fire at Targets Seventeen Hexes or Less Away
Artillery units may make an indirect attack on a unit that is less than seventeen hexes away if there is no LOS to the target hex. Modify the to-hit number for attacker movement during the turn in which it  fires. Note: If firing at targets more than seventeen hexes away, use the standard rules for indirect artillery fire.
-- Tactical Operations, Corrected Second Printing, p. 185.


So this gives us the following modifiers:

Indirect Fire, within 17 hexes: Gunnery Skill +4 + Attacker's movement modifier

(the +4 comes because it's under the full page Direct Fire heading on p. 185 which states that "In all instances, start with the attacker’s Gunnery Skill as a base to-hit number, with a +4 to-hit modifier; apply all other modifiers as noted below."  So it's a hybrid between Direct and Indirect attack)

So here is where you lose me.  You call it indirect fire but all I see if functionally identical to direct fire.  In fact, reading through it again it seems better than direct fire as you can ignore terrain modifiers.  Am I missing something or is the difference just fluff?

[Xotl]

It's not functionally different.  It's just firing over any intervening terrain; as Tactical Operations states on p. 179, "Artillery is at its most effective when fired indirectly."

[Jim1701]

Thank you.  To heck with the bubble o' doom.  The doughnut of doom is activated!   }:)