From: ISAAC@UTAPHY.PH.UTEXAS.EDU (Isaac M. Mandelberg)
Description: Some answers to Flashpoint: Golan questions

Here are answers to some of the questions that I sent to the designer
of Flashpoint: Golan, Mark Herman, reprinted with his permission. He
was very helpful and prompt with his response. He was also interested
in having access to this newsgroup. He is on GEnie, and I'm not, so I
have no idea how to help him. If any of you do, I'm sure many people
would like to know how to do it, if it's possible, so please post.

Michael
 
Q1) If there are many Initiative stacks adjacent to each other and also
adjacent to many Reactive stacks, and the Initiative player wishes all
of his units to conduct Set-Piece Battles, is one large battle
conducted, or does each stack conduct a separate battle. If the latter,
does the attacker determine in what order the battles take place. Do
the results of one battle affect the conduct of subsequent battles, or
are they considered to occur simultaneously?
 
A1: It is treated as a series of set piece battles that are handled in
succession, not simultaneously so if an advance cuts off a unit that
hasn't had its battle yet then it is cut off.
 
Q2) In 6.4 Battlefield Recovery the rules state "... the attacker may
employ Battlefield Recovery for any of his units that do not Pursue
(10.7) or move (after a Meeting Engagement Battle) beyond the Breakthru
marker.  In both cases, the unit ... must be in command of an HQ ..."
 
First, in the case of an attacker winning a Meeting Engagement, what
does it mean to not move beyond the Breakthru marker? If the unit
doesn't pursue, but continues to use Ops points for movement, the first
hex it moves to isn't required to be one with a Breakthru marker.
Suppose such a unit moves one hex in another direction. Is it eligible
for Battlefield Recovery?
 
Also, according to 7.4 Using HQ Capabilities, in order to provide
Battlefield Recovery, the "Hex where combat occurred must be In
Command".  This isn't the same requirement as stated in 6.4 (see
earlier part of this question). Which applies? Maybe it's supposed to
be the hex in which the unit to receive Battlefield Recovery was in
when it engaged in combat?
 
A2: The two rules don't contradict each other they are just worded
slightly differently. The concept is that there is all of this knocked
out but repairable equipment in the defenders hex. He who holds the
ground can recover his equipment and fix it. He who doesn't hold the
ground can't.  In your question the attacker has to be in the
defender's vacated hex on the Breakthru marker to conduct Battlefield
recovery and within range of his HQ in order for Battlefield recovery
to occur.
 
Q3) Suppose a stack initiates and wins a Meeting Engagement, forcing
the defender to Retreat. Assuming that there are available Ops points,
can the unit that attacked move to the retreating unit and initiate
another Meeting Engagement with the same stack?
 
A3: A unit that wins a ME battle can, if it has remaining movement, get
into another ME, even against a unit it just finished defeating in an
earlier ME.
 
Q4) According to 7.4 Using HQ Capabilities the rules state that
"Helicopter transport can transport one brigade worth of ... Dismounted
(9.1) infantry units." According to 15.2 Transport Helicopters the
rules state that "Only Special Forces, ... , Leg Infantry (but not
dismounted), ... may be transported in this fashion ..."
 
Which of these rules is correct?
 
A4: You are correct there is a contradiction here and 15.2 supercedes
7.4.
 
Q5) If a reserve moves two hexes to be a part of a battle, can the
first hex it moves into be in an enemy ZOC?
 
A5: A reserve unit may not enter a ZOC and continue moving into a
battle.
 
Q6) Do breakthrough markers negate ZOCs for purposes of retreat?
 
A6: Breakthru markers negate enemy ZOC's for all purposes, even
friendly retreat.
 
Q7) Suppose two stacks of Israeli artillery fire a counterbattery
attack on one stack of Syrian artillery. Can a second stack of Syrian
artillery make _two_ counterbattery attacks, one against each of the
Israeli stacks?
 
A7: No, only one of the artillery units may be counter-batteried. This
is more game mechanic than reality but this action-reaction stuff gets
out of control otherwise.
 
Q8) There are occasional references to units being struck, but nowhere
is it specifically defined. Does any unit that fails a morale check on
the Strike Results Table get a Struck marker? What are the effects of
being struck?
 
A8: Struck applies only to normal strikes against moving targets. Hence
why it doesn't show up in the example against the counterbattery and HQ
strikes. A unit that is struck cannot move for the remainder of the Ops
Cycle and other units cannot use the road benefit in a hex with a
struck marker. Imagine a road with lots of wrecked vehicles on it that
block the road. During the end phase this condition is removed.
 
Q9) According to 3.0 Sequence of Play, Struck markers are removed
during the End Cycle. According to 9.1 Movement Procedure the rules
state that "The road and highway movement rates may never be used to
enter a hex containing any units which were forced to cease moving by a
strike earlier in the same Activation Segment. Record this by placing a
"Struck" marker on top of the unit(s) that was forced to stop moving.
 
First, this seems to be refering to some rules regarding the effects of
being Struck (ending of movement) that I can't find. Second, it implies
that at least one of the effects of being struck, negation of road and
highway movement rates by other units, only lasts for the Activation
Segment in which the strike took place. This seems to contradict the
fact that "Struck" markers are only removed during the End Cycle.
 
A9: The reference to the same Activation segment is misleading, see A8.
 
Q10) Does a successful counter-battery reaction cause the attacked
artillery unit(s) to receive a struck marker? (In part VI of the first
Activation Segment of the Comprehensive Example of Play, the Sabra
Artillery Battalion conducts a successful Counterbattery Strike against
a Syrian Artillery Brigade, but the Syrian Artillery Brigade didn't
receive a Struck marker.)
 
A10: See A8 answer, only if the artillery were moving, not in a
counter-battery situation.
 
Q11) If a Strike is successful against an HQ, does it receive a Struck
marker?  Can it still use its capabilities?
 
A11: An HQ can only be struck if it is detected with EW. The HQ
represents the center of a larger formations rear area combat service
support elements and hence its capabilities are available. Since HQ's
are immune to moving detection it shouldn't be possible for it to get
hit while it is moving so a struck marker doesn't get placed on HQ
units. If there is a condition that I haven't thought of where it does
happen its capabilities would be unimpaired.
 
Q12) According to 9.0 Movement the rules state that during the
Exploitation Movement Phase units "... which are within 5 hexes of a
Breakthru marker may move."
 
Does the unit have to stay within 5 hexes of a Breakthru marker during
its movement? Must it move toward a Breakthru marker?
 
A12: Once the initial condition for a unit to move has been met, ie it
is within 5 hexes of the breakthrough marker, it can go in any
direction or set of directions that it wants ignoring the location of
the Breakthru marker thereafter.
 
Q13) Some Victory Condidtions depend on how many levels of morale loss
have been suffered. If a unit regains a lost level through
Reorganization or Battle Field Recovery, does that lost level count
toward the Victory Conditions?
 
A13: Yes even if you recover or reorganize casualties were taken even
though the equipment was recovered or replaced.