Anti-tank guns were one of the most effective weapons against armored vehicles during World War II. Some of them, such as the infamous 88mm Flak 36 gun, were originally designed as anti-aircraft weapons, but were frighteningly successful at eliminating enemy tanks.
In Tide of Iron, anti-tank guns (or AT guns) are featured as mostly stationary equipment that must be manned by a squad. These powerful weapons are low in mobility and armor, but are deadly against enemy vehicles. The rules governing AT guns are detailed below.
Traits: Equipment
All anti-tank guns have the equipment trait. They do not have an inherent crew and may not perform any actions without a friendly unit in the hex. Anti-tank guns are treated as vehicles for all purposes unless otherwise stated below. In addition, anti-tank guns are immune to all Operations and Strategy cards with the word "fuel" in the title.
Equipment units in the same hex as at least 1 entrenchment gain +1 cover. Equipment units do not gain any cover from pillboxes in the same hex.
Squads that are in an entrenchment (but not a pillbox) may be used to activate equipment in the same hex.
Actions with Equipment
Units with the equipment trait have the following rules governing how they take certain actions.
- Advance: An Advance action may only be performed by an equipment unit if there is a fresh friendly unit present in the same hex. Fatigue the friendly unit, as well as the equipment unit, and move both of them into an adjacent hex that does not contain enemy units. They may not enter a hex that is impassable to vehicles, or a hex that already contains two or more units. Any obstacles (such as a mine field) in the destination hex are triggered as normal. In other words:
- An equipment unit can only move one hex regardless of terrain.
- An equipment unit can only move if moving with a fresh friendly unit (moving both of these units counts as a single action).
- Concentrated Fire: A Concentrated Fire action may only be performed by an equipment unit if there is a friendly squad, either fresh or in Op Fire mode, present in the same hex. Activate the equipment unit to perform its normal concentrated fire action. The friendly squad in the hex is not activated by this action. An equipment unit may participate in combined fire just like any normal unit, but only when a friendly squad, either fresh or in Op Fire mode, is present in the same hex.
- Prepare Op Fire: A Prepare Op Fire action may only be performed by an equipment unit if there is a friendly squad, either fresh or in Op Fire mode, present in the same hex. Later, in order for an equipment unit to attack an enemy unit using op fire, there must be a friendly squad (either fresh or in Op Fire mode), present in the hex. Fatigue the equipment unit and follow the standard rules for its opportunity fire.
- Fire and Movement: Equipment units may not perform Fire and Movement actions.
- Assault: Equipment units may not perform Assault actions. Equipment units may be assaulted by enemy units as explained below.
Important: Note that a unit may not qualify to activate equipment if it is pinned, disrupted, heavily damaged, or inside a fortification (pillbox, bunker, or trench). However, a pinned squad may be used to fire an equipment unit at half firepower if a friendly officer is in the hex.
Assaulting Equipment Units
Although equipment units cannot perform Assault actions, they may be assaulted by enemy units. When assaulted, equipment units do not add any dice to an assault. Equipment units cannot be assigned hits and do not retreat from an assault. Equipment always counts towards the unit limit in a hex, and may be used by an opponent (see below).
Stealing Equipment Units
It is possible for equipment units to be captured and used by an enemy nation. If an enemy unit is present in the same hex as a unit with the equipment trait, then the equipment is treated as if it were a unit of their nation. In other words. players may perform Advanced Fire, Concentrated Fire, and Prepare Op Fire actions with enemy equipment following the rules above.
Units with the equipment trait do not prevent enemy units from moving into the hex (although other units present in a hex still may prevent this). For example, if a hex only contains enemy equipment units, a player is free to move units into the hex. If any other enemy squads or vehicles are present in the hex, then the move is not possible.
Entrenchment and Concealment with Equipment Units
Equipment units in the same hex as at least one entrenchment gain +1 cover. Equipment units are vehicles and may never enter buildings, entrenchments, pillboxes or trenches. Squads that are in an entrenchment (but not a pillbox, bunker, or trench) may be used to activate equipment in the same hex.
Equipment units may never gain concealment markers, but a concealed squad may be used to activate an equipment unit without losing its concealment.
Special Abilities
In addition to the equipment trait, AT guns have two special abilities listed below.
Fragile: If an AT gun becomes heavily damaged, it is immediately destroyed instead.
Concussive Firepower: When an AT gun attacks a squad located in a building hex or pillbox, the AT gun receives +3 firepower and +3 range.
Optional Vehicular Transport Rules
Note: The following section contains optional rules which can be used to supplement the equipment movement procedure outlined above.
An equipment unit may be given an Advance action to load into a vehicle with the transport trait. The transporting vehicle, equipment unit, and a fresh friendly squad must begin the action turn in the same hex. The squad must expend all of its movement points in order to load the equipment unit onto the vehicle and may enter the vehicle at the same time, but is not required to. Fatigue the squad and the equipment unit and place the unit(s) to be transported next to the corresponding off-board indicator token. Place the corresponding transport marker next to the transporting vehicle.
An equipment unit does not count against the vehicle's transport capacity, but a vehicle cannot transport more than one equipment unit at a time. If the transporting vehicle is destroyed, both the squad and equipment unit are also destroyed. The squad which originally loaded the equipment unit is not required to remain with the equipment unit during transport and may exit the vehicle at any time according to the rules for transporting squads in vehicles. Both entering and exiting a transport may trigger Op Fire attacks.
The equipment unit may be given an Advance action to exit the vehicle. In order to unload an equipment unit, a fresh friendly squad must be present in the hex. The friendly squad may be, but is not required to be a passenger in the transporting vehicle.
Place the unit(s) to be unloaded in the vehicle's hex and fatigue them. If the vehicle is now empty, remove the transport marker from the vehicle. An equipment unit can never be unloaded into a hex that it could not otherwise enter, or be unloaded in such a way that it exceeds the stacking limits for the hex.
Unit Restrictions: The Flak 36 AT gun may only be towed by half-tracks. Bren Carriers may only tow the M1 57mm AT gun and QF 6-pounder AT gun.