Tank Crew Stats and Rules

[Qapla]

I just got done reading "Thunder Run" by David Zucchino and had the idea for a destroyed tank crew to still be able to fight.

Tank Crew Rule: Must be assigned to a tank. Crew only disembarks when tank is destroyed. When disembarking crew may take 1 move action for free. Its first reaction may only be to move. If the tank is destroyed by failed armor roll a D6, 1-all crew removed; 2-all crew take D6 damage; 3-2 crew take D6 damage; 4-crew suppressed (but may still have free Move action); 5+ nothing happens. If tank is "Killed" roll a D6, 1-all crew dead; 2-2 crew dead; 3-all crew take D6 damage; 4-2 crew take D6 damage; 5-crew suppressed (but may still have free Move action); 6-nothing happens. Crew does not count for Victory Points or towards Shatter.

Name: Abrams Tank Crew
Faction: USMC
Points: 30
Material: Tank Commander w/M4, Gunner w/M4, Loader with M240B MG, Driver w/M4
Options: None
Size: 1
Move: 5
Close Combat: D6
Target: 4+
Armor: 6+
Kill: 6+
Type: Armor/Support
Weapons:
M4 Carbine 20" D6
M240B 24" 2xD6
Specials:
Tank Crew: Uses the Tank Crew Rule.

 

[Richgo22]

Would tankers geht M4's? Would they not be armed with sidearms, mean pistols?

 

[Ben2]

Depends. M4 carbines or M4s wouldn't be unheard of. Bear in mind even in WWII a Sherman crew would have pistols and grease guns, so when they inevitably bailed out they wouldn't be helpless.

 

[Secesh]

Very cool idea. This is the sort of thing we should see in S&P. Anything that puts more focus on tanks during games is great. The same thing could be done for air crews from downed helos.

 

[Dorb]

Any "move" order they are given has to made to head back to the side of the board you started on. (safe zone)

 

[Richgo22]

Very well. But I would given them lesser stats than infantry, to differ them form the groundpounders and refelct their specialized training.

Do we not have actual tanker on this forum? Maybe they call tell with what personal weapons tanker do ride into battle!

 

[britneyfan97]

I ran a demo for a kid who had been an M1 tanker... I'll drag him in here.

 

[Dorb]

Of course we are making what is a "fast and easy" game more complex. :wink:

 

[DamageInc.]

Tankers stats would be similiar to infantry for your purposes. The main difference comes from the infantry having more fot-soldier type equipment, and that tankers do not regularly engage in foot soldier skills. Working as a squad would not be as effecient as infantry, but then you only have four men per tank anyway.

They would most likely not receive things like the thermal sights on weapons. Many tankers carry M4s, but advanced optics just are not needed by them. The M4s are for personal protection, not specifically offensive engagement. There would not be a crew served weapon coming along with a crew dismounting from a tank. First of all, the coax is a M240C, and cannot be fired by infantry.

These rules would be better for the purposes of a scenario. People that come from a destroyed vehicle often are going to go with the mdeics to be checked for injuries, not join in the fighting and advance into the fire that just killed their vehicle. Also, if the crew suffered casualties, then the rest would be more concerned with ecvacuating that person and gathering the sensitive items from the wreckage.

Nice idea, but implausible realistically. So go for it, just remember that someone here did ask about realism.

 

[The Old Soldier]

Add anything you wish. I know I do. But, if you want to go with realism. The crew would stay with the vehicle, unless they were either under direct threat of explosion or on fire. That said, a tanker is not in anyway the same as a Infantryman. They are not trained as the Infantryman, just as a Infantryman is not a tank crewman.

The crew would try to get the hell out of dodge, and the Infantryman would cover the crews retreat. Now, I not talking about patrols, where in need they will draft combat support troops and tank crews, using what ever weapons they can get thier hands on. I'm talking Warfare.

From a former Infantryman.

 

[Secesh]

I think he meant it from the viewpoint that tanks (or downed helos) don't just become a terrain piece after being destroyed in real life. You have a crew to worry about, either they're going to ground to await help or they're going to try to get back to friendlies. I don't think he meant that the tank crew would now go and single handily win the war.

 

[britneyfan97]

I seem to remember reading an article in the Stars & Stripes, back in mid '03, about US troops who were assigned AK47's as their duty weapons...
It turns out they were tankers, but their units mission called for HMMWV and foot patrols of their AOR (Northern Iraq, possibly Mosul IIRC). So these tanks crews are performing Infantry/MP duties, and there were not enough M4's to go around because only one or two were assigned to every M1 crew, everyone else had M9's.
So their Brigade Commander authorized them to use AK's that the unit had captured, and they had to qualify with the weapon in question, and maintain their ammo.
One troop was quoted saying that anybody with an M4 got 210rds (standard load, but not combat load), and everybody with an AK had several boxes of ammo under their bunk ready to go.
And there was something else about the weapons not being authorized for carry on the installation... I thought it might be due to silhouetting, (it's recognizably different) though every soldier is required to be armed at al times.