Ambush Alley Games

The rules below are official updates to the Ambush Alley core rules. They were written to clarify and differentiate between the effects of casualties and dependants. While these updated rules do not change game-play, they do make the concepts involved clearer.

Dependants & Casualties

Dependants

Dependants are non-combatants that have become attached to a unit through one means or another. Dependants have the unfortunate effect of degrading a unit’s combat effectiveness and mobility.

Units that are escorting POWs, VIPs, or other non-combatants are considered to have Dependants. The special rules for some scenarios may dictate other circumstances under which a unit may acquire or dispose of dependants.

Figures representing the Dependants should be added to the unit escorting them. This allows the figures to be captured (or re-captured} by the opposition.

Units with Dependants lose one die of Firepower and may not use Rapid Movement.

Casualties

If ANY of a Regular unit’s figures are removed as casualties, the unit must make a Quality Check each time it attempts to move faster than Cautious for the rest of the game. This reflects the fact that the men in the unit are a little less eager to stick their noses into a hornet’s nest after seeing what happened to their buddy.

Casualty figures are removed from play.

Disposing of Dependants & Casualties

If a unit with Dependants moves to a friendly edge of the table, it can hand its POWs or casualties off board unit and negate the Dependant penalty. Casualties can also be handed off at aid stations or to casualty evacuation units, as designated by a scenario.

Abandoning Casualties

Regular units may, as a last resort, abandon their casualties. This action goes against all their training and seriously shakes their unit confidence.

A unit that abandons its casualties is no longer subject the rules concerning Dependants and Casualties, but it suffers sever consequences that may outweigh this short-term gain. The unit’s Troop Quality and Morale are both reduced by one die type. If this reduction takes either value below D6, the unit is no longer combat effective and is removed from play.

Abandoned casualties may fall into enemy hands at the end of the scenario. Roll 1d6 for each abandoned casualty. On a roll of 4+, the casualty becomes a POW.

Insurgents suffer no negative effects for abandoning their casualties.

Releasing POWs

Regular or Insurgent units may release any POWs in their custody at any time without adverse effect (other than any victory points they might lose).

Fire at Units with Dependants & Casualties

If a unit with Dependants (wounded, POWs, etc.) is fired upon, it makes its Defense roll as normal. Note that only combat effective figures contribute a defense die – in other words, casualties and dependants do not add dice to the unit’s Defense. However, if the unit rolls more failures (scores of 3 or less on their Defense dice) than successes and it is determined that they have suffered casualties, then one (1) of the casualties must be counted against a Dependant or Casualty.

Example: A Marine fireteam is escorting two wounded contractors to safety when it is fired upon by Insurgents. The Marine player rolls 4d8 for Defense and scores a 1, 2, 3, and 4. The Insurgent player rolls 4d6 for Firepower and scores a 2, 3, 5, and 6. The Marine player allocates his Defense dice and determines that the unit will suffer 2 casualties. Since more than half of the Marine players Defense dice were failure rolls (with scores less than 4), one (and only one) of those two casualties must be a Dependent.

Close Assaults Against Units with Dependants & Casualties

If a unit with Dependants and/or Casualties launches or receives a Close Assault, the Dependants and Casualties are not counted as combatants. If a unit with Dependants or Casualties is wiped out or captured as the result of a Close Assault, the unit that defeated it takes custody of its Dependants/Casualties and is subject to the usual Dependant penalties.

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