Memoir '44 - Opportunity Fire (Op Fire) variant

Yet another try to make Memoir '44 a little bit more challenging. This time I'll concentrate on Opportunity Fire (Op Fire). It was made up in conjunction with battle rules I've mentioned before, but feel free to try it and use it with original rules.

Opportunity Fire is basically a 'regular' attack, but made during opponent's turn. It is performed when enemy units are moving (and of course you have to have range and LOS to them). Because in Memoir '44 you move all your units and then make an attack, if possible, you have to choose the exact moment to make your Op Fire action.

Pick one of your units which has range and LOS to moving enemy unit. This unit will battle with no dice restrictions or limitations (because of the Op Fire, not due to terrain - those rules still apply).

In order to make an Opportunity Fire, you have to play one card from your hand matching the unit you want to activate (just like regular action). Your unit, however, cannot move, it can only attack. 

The enemy unit must stop and you make your rolls. If there are any casualities, but the unit is not eliminated, it can move further and attack if your opponent wishes to. However, if his unit was forced to retreat, it must do so and cannot battle at all.

Seems like a 'normal' attack, but it has some twists in it.

First of all, you make one Op Fire attack (with only one unit) per card. So even if you play 'Attack' card, which allows you to issue an order to three units, you can only use it as an order (Op Fire) for one unit of your choice.

Second of all, you can use only those Tactic cards that match the unit you want to Op Fire with. Fe. in Pegasus Bridge there is infantry only, so you can use 'Infantry Assault' card, although, as stated above, you do not order with this card more than one unit at the time. But then again, clever play might be rewarded. There are many Tactic cards where you cannot use deliberately because you do not have specific units on the board. Instead of that, you can order one unit of your choice. During your action phase, it seems a little bit limited, but for Op Fire it seems pretty reasonable. And you finnally can discard not only by playing it as a regular action and hoping your opponent will not kick your ass while waiting and hoping for better draw. Oh, and of course, when you do have a specific unit, you cannot use tactic card to order an issue to a unit of your choice, but that seems obvious, doesn't it?

Any Tactic card that is not connected with a specific unit, in order to make an attack with it (fe. 'Medics & Mechanics', 'Dig In', 'Barrage' etc.), it cannot be used as an Op Fire card. And you also cannot use an 'empty' card just to do nothing but discard it. So when you want to make an Op Fire in righ hand section, you cannot use any Section card for center and left hand side. 

Third of all,any single Op Fire requires one card from your hand, but you can use Op Fire more than once during your opponent's single turn, with these restrictions:

- one unit cannot make more than one Op Fire during one turn

- any hex, that your opponent's unit is moving into, can be targeted only once, so if he decide to not move any further after your Op Fire attack, you cannot attack this unit again

- you cannot use Op Fire attack when there is only one Command card in your hand, that is basically when you played couple of Op Fire attacks in a row. 

This latter issue is of one the key points in the Op Fire action rules, because you cannot draw up to your hand size after you've made Op Fire attack (or attack) but after you play your card as a regular (your) action. That's why you need to keep at least one card. And after you perform your action, you can draw back up to your hand size. You draw for your Op Fire cards first and do not take benefit from 'Recon' cards. Your final draw will be a replacement for a card you've played as a regular action, and when it was 'Recon' card, you can draw two cards, pick up one and discard the other. That doesn't change.

That's pretty much it. Oh, and one final thing. Each unit performing an Op Fire attack has to have LOS, including artillery!

Rules variant

Let's say you have six Command cards in your hand. Your opponent moves and you've decided to make three Op Fire attacks during one turn (of course, following all the rules as indicated). So you're down to three cards. From those three cards you need to pick up one as an action when there is your turn. Now you're down to two. Normally you could draw three cards (for a replacement of Op Fire cards played during your opponent's turn) plus one for the order you have issued during your turn.

But instead of that, you can only draw one card for a whole Op Fire attack and one for a 'regular' card played as your order. In this case, you'll be limited to four cards in your next turn, but after it you could also draw back two cards, doing that as long as you reach your hand limit.

Hope you'll like it.

ps. one thing I'd like to add, because it might be a little bit confusing

playing Tactic card as Op Fire:
a/ a Tactic card must allow you to issue an order to any unit, and
b/ it has to meet the requirements of this card, and
c/ you do not take any benefit from this card

examples:
a/ Their Finest Hour doesn't allow you to order any specific unit, unless you roll some dice. So this card cannot be used for Op Fire.
However, you can play Artillery Bombard even if you do not have any artillery unit, because this card allows you to activate any single unit of your choice (but when you do have one, it is prohibited to use it to activate it like that)
b/ Dig In - it is a card that allows you to issue an order to infantry unit, but you're not able to fight - so you cannot use it as an Op Fire card
Close Assault - this card allows you to issue an order, but you have to be adjacent to enemy unit.
c/ Firefight - same thing as Close Assault but two or three hexes away from your enemy. However, you do not roll additional die. It is just used to issue an order for a unit to fire, not to be given any benefits.