Blitz Combat Rules for Panzer Grenadier
By Doug McNair
December 2005

All rules from the standard Panzer Grenadier rulebook apply when playing with the Blitz Combat rules, except as follows:

Combat Strength Modifiers

Total the combat strengths of all pieces firing in the same attack. NOTE: Give any unit with an AT fire strength "0" an AT fire strength of "1" instead. Then increase or decrease the total combat strength as follows. All modifiers are cumulative:

• AT fire: 5 x combat strength.
• Assault combat (all units except engineers): 3 x combat strength.
• Engineer in assault combat: 4 x combat strength (for Engineer unit only).
• Target hex for direct or bombardment fire contains 3 non-vehicle units: 2 x combat strength.
• Range to target hex is 1: 2 x combat strength.
• Firing unit is disrupted: 50% combat strength.
• Target units are in woods, hills or town, or are dug in (dug in markers in woods etc. don't count): 50% combat strength.
• Target units are in bunker or entrenchment (except in woods, hills or town): 25% combat strength.

  Example: Three German INF are disrupted and firing at a town hex containing a Russian infantry unit. Their combat strength would be halved for being disrupted, then halved again for firing at a town hex. This means they'd fire at 25% of their normal fire strength, or 4 (5 x 3 = 15; 15 ÷ 2 = 7.5; 7.5 ÷ 2 = 3.75; 3.75 rounded up makes 4). In another example, if a tank with AT combat strength of 4 fires at an enemy tank in a woods hex adjacent to it, its AT fire strength is multiplied by ten (that is multiplied by five and then doubled), and then halved for the woods. So, it would end up firing at 5 x combat strength, or 20 total.

Land battleship. The Soviet T-35.

Fire Procedure

Calculate the combat strength of the attack as explained above, then roll a number of dice equal to the combat strength. So, in the examples above, the three German infantry platoons would roll 4 dice total, while the tank would roll 20 dice total. Every “6” rolled is a hit.

Opportunity Fire

There is no opportunity fire in Blitz Combat. This speeds up game play and lets leaders travel with their units to make saving throws for them.

Armor Protection

Armor reduces the number of hits from AT fire. Reduce AT hits on armored units by the unit’s armor value.

Example: A player scores three AT hits on a tank with an armor value of 1. Reduce the hits on the tank by one. It takes two hits and is demoralized (see “Damage” below).

Leader saving throws (see below) DO NOT reduce hits from AT fire. Armor protection does not reduce hits on vehicles in assault combat.

Panther tanks serving the anti-fascist cause.

Only vehicles (except wagons) take hits from AT fire. If non-vehicle units are in the same hex as a vehicle targeted by AT fire, they ignore any AT hits.

Units with armor values ignore all hits from bombardment and direct fire. Units without armor values that are in the same hex with armored units take hits from direct fire and bombardment normally. Units loaded on APCs do not take hits from direct fire and bombardment, but are destroyed if the APC is destroyed.

Leader Saving Throws

Leaders can protect non-armored units from direct fire and bombardment hits by making saving throws for them. This symbolizes the leader keeping his troops in line and fighting while under fire.

When a hex with or adjacent to a leader takes one or more hits from direct fire or bombardment, make a saving throw with two dice against each hit on the hex. For every two hits on the hex, add +1 to each saving throw roll. If the modified result is less than or equal to the leader's morale, the hit is ignored. Make a separate saving throw against each hit on the hex. Only one leader can make saving throws against a given attack on a hex.

Example: A hex adjacent to two different leaders takes four hits from direct fire. The owning player picks one of the two leaders, with a morale of 9, to make the saving throws for the hex. Add +2 to each saving throw because the hex took 4 hits. The leader makes four saving throws, rolling 5, 6, 7 and 10. The leader saves successfully three times and fails once. All unarmored units in the hex take one hit and are disrupted (see Damage below).

Assault Combat

All hits rolled in assault combat do damage to the target units. Armor protection does not reduce hits caused by assault combat, and leaders cannot make saving throws against hits taken in assault combat.

Damage

As seen in Desert Rats. Italian Semovente with 105mm gun.

When a hex takes hits from direct fire or bombardment, first reduce the number of hits by any successful leader saving throws. Any hits not saved against affect all leaders and units in the hex. When units take hits in assault combat, they take ALL hits rolled (there is no reduction for armor or Leader saving throws).

When a vehicle takes hits from AT fire, first reduce the number of hits by its armor value. Any remaining hits affect that vehicle.

The more hits a hex or vehicle takes, the worse damage the target counters take:

• One hit: All target units are disrupted. Disrupted pieces can only move one hex, and their fire values are halved. Disrupted leaders can make saving throws only versus hits on the hex they're in, not adjacent hexes.
• Two hits: All target units are demoralized. Demoralized leaders can’t make saving throws.
• Three hits: Each target unit takes one step loss and is demoralized. Roll for leader casualties per the standard rules.
• Four or more hits: All target units and leaders are eliminated.

Recovery

Use standard recovery rules. Use unit morale values from scenario instructions.