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Tigers on the Hunt - Matrix Games

L

Lethal

Guest
Matrix Games aka Slitherine make quality games. Tigers on the Hunt is based on advanced squad leader I believe. Just noticed it is on sale (first time I have seen a sale on this title) - 50% off.
The blurb

Tigers on the Hunt is a World War 2 hard-core tactical wargame for PC.
It creates a truly and immersive tactical simulation. Tigers on the Hunt boasts a ferocious and adaptive AI which will dynamically respond to a player’s maneuvers. Players can enjoy massive battles across up to 12 connected geomorphic maps with over 200 Infantry units, 100 Support Weapons, 100 Ordnance pieces and 50 Vehicles per side.
The sequence of play is more complex and interactive than any other WW2 turn based PC tactical wargame: game turns are broken down into 16 segments per turn, 8 segments per side and battlefields can range from small to huge in size and complexity, up to 3.8km x 1.6km in size and 200 infantry squads, 50 guns and 50 vehicles per side.
For scenario designers, a powerful and easy-to-user editor is available in Tigers on the Hunt. Editing maps, scenarios, and OOBs can be done with just a few clicks so the possibilities for enjoying WW2 tactical engagements are near limitless!

Matrix - Tigers on the Hunt
 
PS having install issues with this game on a reasonable Win10 PC. Want to like this game but it is like visiting gaming 10 years ago, editing config files, sub-par graphics, quirky interface. The underlying game might be good but I'm not impressed so far!
 
It feels a lot like ASL to me, which I like a lot :)

What Kind of Problems do you have?
 
Agreed, it's like putting a Porsche Mezger engine in a Volkswagen Beetle chassis.

Being a VW Beetle fan, I would love to try that, but I can't say the same about the Tigers On the Hunt/Panthers On the Prowl, etc. series of computer games. The reason I left extremely complex board games in favor of computer games is because I can't be bothered with all that shit any more.
 
How hard can it be with such a simple rule book......

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Thought you might get a kick out this also.
I was looking at my avatar and trying to remember what it all meant, couldn't, and so did some research.
I found this tutorial on just the ASL vehicle counter.
You can find it all on page 8,672 of the manual.
(Actually, the amount of detail on the counter is quite impressive)

And no, I'don't expect you to read it. Maybe if you are an old ASL Vet you may peruse it just to reminice.
Mainly it's just to give you an idea of the detail in ASL.

(Don't get me wrong. I really enjoyed playing SL, ASL. Played it for days on end.)

Tutorial 5

Vehicle Counters

Vehicle counters are absolutely packed with information. These counters may seem cluttered at first glance, but this packed design actually benefits playability: ASLSK players have almost all of the information they need during a game right on the counter itself, which is handier than having to look up tank data on a separate card or chart.
Each vehicle counter includes a detailed overhead view line drawing of the vehicle, with the vehicle's name/model printed alongside the image. Some vehicle names may have a lowercase letter in parenthesis added at the end which denotes the country of origin for that vehicle. For example, the "(a)" on the Russian Sherman III counter shows that, even though this is a Russian tank, it was actually manufactured in America.
The caliber of the AFV's Main Armament (MA) appears in the lower left corner of the counter, and the ROF number (if any) appears above it. This MA information is read exactly the same way as it is on Gun counters. The only exception to this is those rare cases when the AFV's MA is not a Gun. The British Light Tank Mk VIB counter, for example, shows "*CMG" as its MA; this means that the tank's coaxial machine gun (CMG) is treated as its MA, and the asterisk tells you that there is additional usage information about this weapon on the back of the counter. If the note on the back of the counter is not clear, you then check the "Vehicle and Ordnance Historical Notes" booklet where it will be explained in greater detail. It is, in fact, always a good idea to review the historical notes for all of the vehicles involved in a scenario prior to playing it, to make sure that both players are aware of any special usage rules that might apply to those vehicles.
Sharp-eyed ASLSK players may notice that Sherman tanks equipped with 75mm Guns have their ROF number printed on a white background. This has no special meaning when using the ASLSK rules, but, for those who might be curious, in full ASL the white ROF background signifies that these tanks have a very fast and accurate turret traverse coupled with a relatively quick-firing Gun, which gives them certain advantages with respect to ASL's Multiple Hits rule and Gun Duels rule.
Breakdown numbers for AFV MA are handled exactly the same as for regular Guns: a B12 is assumed unless a B# appears on the AFV counter itself. But the two Russian IS-2 tank models have a special kind of B#... a B11 with a circle around the 11. The circled B# indicates that these tanks carried an unusually low number of rounds for their MA. These tanks could potentially run out of ammunition during a battle.
AFVs with a circled B# suffer MA malfunction normally, on an original TH DR of 12, but if the original TH DR is equal to or greater than the circled B# (and is not a 12) the AFV is then marked with a Low Ammo counter. The Low Ammo counter makes the original B# into a X# that will permanently disable the MA, and creates a new B# of one less than the original circled B#.
To summarize how this works, if a Russian IS-2 rolls:
Original TH DR 12 – MA malfunctions (can be repaired)
Original TH DR 11 – place Low Ammo counter on the tank
If an IS-2 with a Low Ammo counter rolls:
Original TH DR 11 or 12 – MA permanently disabled (out of ammo)
Original TH DR 10 – MA malfunctions (can be repaired)
A vehicle's machine gun armament is displayed in the lower right corner of its counter. This is a series of two or three Firepower (FP) numbers separated by slashes. When all three numbers are present, they are read from left to right as:
Bow machine gun (BMG) – mounted in the front of the hull.
Coaxial machine gun (CMG) – mounted in the turret alongside the MA.
Anti-aircraft machine gun (AAMG) – mounted on top of the turret.
Or, in other words: BMG/CMG/AAMG
If the AFV does not have an AAMG, then only two numbers are used: BMG/CMG
If a dash is present instead of a number, then there is no BMG or CMG in that position. The Italian L3/35, for example, shows "4/-" which signifies that it has a 4 FP BMG and no CMG.
A few AFVs have rather unusual MG armament. The Russian IS-2m, for example, shows "1/4 R2/4" with a white dot behind the "1". This tank thus has a fixed-mount 1 FP BMG (+1 DRM when firing the BMG at a moving target), a 4 FP CMG, a 2 FP Rear machine gun (RMG) mounted in the back of the turret, and a 4 FP AAMG. The ASLSK #3 rules incorrectly identify the RMG as a "Rear coaxial MG" and neglect to point out that it has a Covered Arc (CA) exactly opposite that of the MA/CMG.
AAMGs are considered "optional" equipment on certain AFVs, so their counters come in two versions, some with an AAMG and some without. See the six Russian Sherman III counters: two of these counters include an AAMG, but the other four counters do not. When playing a scenario using such an AFV, you use the version depicted on the scenario card first, and only use the other version if additional counters are needed. Thus, if a scenario calls for three Sherman IIIs without AAMGs, you could not use the counters with an AAMG... but if the scenario calls for three Sherman IIIs with AAMGs, you would then use the two counters with AAMGs and one without an AAMG.
Vehicular MGs have a breakdown number of B12, they never cower, and they do not have a ROF rating unless they are also the vehicle's MA. BMGs and CMGs each have a CA that works the same way as a Gun's CA, but the AAMG has no CA and thus can always fire in any direction without any CA change DRM penalty.
A vehicle's Movement Point (MP) allowance is printed in the upper right corner of the counter. If this number is printed over a white oval, the vehicle is fully-tracked (a tank), and if it is printed over a white circle, the vehicle is wheeled (an Armored Car). If an asterisk appears next to the MP number, check the back of the counter and/or the historical notes for a special usage note. If the MP number is printed in red, the vehicle suffers from Mechanical Reliability problems.

AFVs can either be turreted or non-turreted. A turret allows the MA (and the CMG) to be aimed in any direction without having to change the direction that the vehicle itself is facing. A non-turreted AFV must turn the entire vehicle in order to aim the MA (which will always point to the AFV's front).
There are four possible turret classifications in ASLSK:
Fast Turret Traverse (T) – a thin white circle surrounds the vehicle depiction.
Slow Turret Traverse (ST) – a thin white square surrounds the vehicle depiction.
Restricted Slow Traverse (RST) – a thick white square surrounds the vehicle depiction.
Non-Turreted (NT) – there is no circle or square surrounding the vehicle depiction.
The one exception to the above list is the Russian KV-2. This tank is depicted as a NT tank, but it does indeed have a turret... which turns so slowly that the tank suffers NT AFV To Hit DRM penalties even when it turns the turret instead of the whole vehicle.
Each AFV is rated for the amount of armor protection it has in two areas: the turret, and the hull (the body of the AFV that the turret is mounted on). NT AFV's also have hull and turret armor ratings, but in this case "hull" simply refers to the lower part of the NT AFV's body, and "turret" refers to the upper part of the NT AFV's body. Both hull and turret areas are further subdivided into three facings: front, side, and rear.
The two numbers found directly below the MP rating, on the right side of the counter, are the AFV's Armor Factors. Armor Factors (AF) give the effective thickness of the armor in centimeters of vertical armor plate. Thus an AFV with a front hull AF of 11 has the equivalent of 110mm of armor protection on the front hull. In many cases the actual real-world thickness of an AFV's armor will be less than the value indicated by the AF, because the AF rating takes into account such things as sloping the armor to increase its effective thickness.
The ASL/ASLSK armor system uses a limited set of AF values:
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11, 14, 18, and 26
No other AF values are allowed. An AF of 0 actually represents armor up to 1cm in thickness, and an AF of 1 represents armor that is 1cm to 1.5cm thick.
The two AF numbers printed on the AFV's counter are for the vehicle's hull. The top AF is the value for the front of the hull, and the bottom AF is the value for the side and rear of the hull. The AFs for the turret are derived directly from the hull AFs:
If the hull AF has a square around it, the turret AF is one step stronger.
If the hull AF is unmarked, the turret AF is identical to the hull AF.
If the hull AF has a circle around it, the turret AF is one step weaker.
For example: a German Pz VIB's hull has a front AF of 26 and a side/rear AF of 8. The turret's AFs are 18 front (because the 26 is circled) and 11 side/rear (because the 8 has a square around it).
This armor rating system is incredibly elegant and simple in requiring only two numbers to describe the armor protection of an AFV. And it is surprisingly accurate: there are only a handful of WWII AFVs that don't quite fit this system (their hull and turret armor differ by more than one step on the ASL armor scale).
The convention that a circle = bad/worse and a square = good/better is used consistently throughout ASL/ASLSK. The only exception to this is when a circle or square appears around a squad's class designation. For example, there are two American Elite class squads: a 7-4-7 (marked with an "E") and a 6-6-7 (marked with an "E" with a square around it). The presence of a square surrounding the "E" on a 6-6-7 squad does not indicate that it is a better squad than a 7-4-7... it merely indicates that it is a different type of Elite.
AFVs can have varying levels of ground pressure, which affects their chances of becoming bogged. This is indicated on the counter with the unit ID letter in the upper left corner:
Unit ID in a square = low ground pressure (good)
Unit ID unmarked = normal ground pressure
Unit ID in a circle = high ground pressure (bad)
And finally, the two AF numbers also indicate the target size of the AFV. Target size affects how easy it is to hit the AFV, with small targets being harder to hit and large targets being easier to hit:
Very small target = white background behind both AFs
Small target = white background behind top AF
Normal target = no color
Large target = top AF printed in red
Very large target = both AFs printed in red
On the back of the vehicle counter, the vehicle depiction appears again on a plain white background. This is the vehicle's "wrecked" side; if the vehicle is eliminated in combat, it turns into a wreck by flipping over to its white side.
A wide variety of additional information can appear on the back of a vehicle counter. This information is provided so that the players may have ready access to it during the game, but it is applicable only to an unwrecked vehicle. When a vehicle is eliminated and turns into a wreck, all information for that vehicle – on both sides of the counter – is thereafter ignored.
Many vehicles have ammunition depletion numbers for the MA, which are read in exactly the same way as ammunition depletion numbers for Guns. Some American and American-built AFVs have a depletion number for "C" ammunition which is not used in ASLSK (in full ASL these AFVs can fire Canister rounds which have a deadly shotgun-like effect against Infantry, but with only a very short effective range).
In addition to ammunition depletion numbers and special usage notes, the other information that can appear on the back of a vehicle counter includes:
sD# – Smoke Discharger usage number
sM# – Smoke Mortar usage number
sN# – Nahverteidigungswaffe usage number
No IF – vehicle cannot use Intensive Fire
ML:9 – Tiger crew Morale 9
The remaining four items that can appear are used only when playing full ASL and do not apply to the ASLSK rules:
G – vehicle may be equipped with a Gyrostabilizer
Sz – vehicle may be equipped with Schuerzen
circled R – vehicle is not equipped with a radio
CS # – crew survival number (red = increased chance of a burning wreck)
 
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