Welcome to the second installment of the Demystifying Slopes series. This short article will cover the effects Slopes have on movement. Much like we saw in the LOS article, the effect of Slopes on movement is not too difficult to grasp. Moving Up-Slope will have some effect on movement. Moving Down-Slope only affects movement in limited circumstances. More on this as we get into the details.
As I said in the first article, Chapter P covers Slopes, and again in Chapter Q. They are the same rules, just renumbered. I will refer to Chapter P in this article, but everything said here applies equally to Chapter Q.
Before We Start
If you haven’t read the first article in this series, I encourage you to do that first. That article covers some basics–such as what is “Up-Slope” and what is “Down-Slope”–that I will not cover here. This article builds on the first one. If you find yourself confused, go back and read the first article to see if it answers your question.
Rules Dive
Rules section P2.5x cover movement across Slope hexside. Units spending Movement Factors (MF)–such as Infantry, Cavalry, or Wagons–pays Cost Of Terrain (COT) plus ½ MF to enter an Up-Slope Location. Moving Up-Slope or Down-Slope does not negate Road Bonus (B3.4).
Units using Movement Points (MP)–vehicles–pay COT plus 1 MP when moving Up-Slope. Vehicles (and charging Cavalry) cannot cross a combination Slope – Crest line hexside in either direction. This restriction is like B10.52 prohibition for the same units making an Abrupt elevation change.
Weather can adversely affect movement across a Slope hexside. When Rain or Snow is in play, movement across a Slope hexside will cost extra. During Rain, all ground units pay an extra MP/MF when crossing a Slope hexside. During Snow, Infantry and Cavalry pay an extra MF when crossing a Slope hexside. Astute readers will note these are exactly the same penalties paid for full level changes during bad weather.
Finally, when snow is in play, ski-equipped units gain an extra ½ MF for each Down-Slope hexside crossed. This is not nearly as large as the 2 MF bonus given for each Crest line crossed to a lower elevation so it may be a little harder to remember.
That’s it. Those are all the effects on movement. If the weather isn’t Rain/Snow, it boils down to an extra ½ MF or extra 1 MP when moving Up-Slope. All other movement across a Slope hexside has no effect on movement.
Example 1
Consider figure 1. Each of the units depicted are moving along the blue arrows. When entering G6 from H5, the American 6-6-6 is “Down-Slope”, moving into an “Up-Slope” Location. Moving “Up-Slope” costs ½ MF + COT. Moving from H5 to G6 costs the 6-6-6 1.5 MF.
When entering F5 from G5, the Sherman too is moving “Up-Slope”. To enter an “Up-Slope” Location, vehicles pay 1 MP + COT. Here, the Sherman pays 2 MP to enter F5.
What if Snow or Rain were in effect? The Shermans movement would be unaffected. However, Infantry/Cavalry pay a 1 MF penalty under E3.54/E3.733. Hence, in bad weather, the 6-6-6 would pay 2.5 MF’s moving from H5 to G6.
See figure 2. In all cases, if the movement were reversed, the units would move “Down-Slope” and would receive no benefit [EXC: Infantry on Skis gain a ½ MF bonus]. If there is Rain/Snow, Infantry would pay an extra MF moving “Down-Slope”.
Example 2
See figure 3. The Sherman and 6-6-6 are in hex Y2. The 6-6-6 moves into X2, and seeks entry into W3. Not only is W3 a higher level, it is also “Up-Slope” making it level 1.75. To enter W3, the Infantry will pay 1 MF + COT to move into W3 BEFORE paying the Slope cost. The Slope will add another ½ MF. The move from Y2 to W3 costs 3.5 MF.
What about the Sherman? Per P2.53, Vehicles and Charging Cavalry cannot cross a combination Slope/Crest-Line hexside. This rule severely limits the ability of the Sherman to make it to level 1.
As a scenario Defender, these types of combination hexsides create very defensible terrain by limiting the accessibility and maneuverability of enemy vehicles.
Now consider figure 4. The American 6-6-6 moves to Y3. Recall, except for Ski Troops, moving “Down-Slope” has no effect on Infantry units. The 6-6-6 moves from W4 to Y3 for 2 MFs. If Snow/Rain are in effect, the same move would cost 4 MFs (+1 for moving to a lower elevation, +1 for moving “Down-Slope”).
The AFV can’t make the desired move. Crossing a combination Slope/Crest-Line hexside is prohibited. Direction of movement is irrelevant to this prohibition. As a scenario defender, the channeling effect this has on enemy vehicles creates choke points and obvious opportunities to set up anti-tank ambush positions.
Example 3
Refer to figure 5. The Sherman tank moves INTO the Gully in Q5. Can it move into O5/P5? Stated more directly, is moving to higher ground from IN a Gully crossing a Crest-Line? While it may seem to reason that it is a Crest-Line, it is NOT/NOT a Crest-Line. This is confirmed by Q&A.1
So what about the cost? A vehicle moves to higher elevation for 4 + COT. A vehicle moves “Up-Slope” for 1 + COT. So the Sherman moving along either red arrow pays 6 MP (4 + 1 + Open Ground Cost) to enter into O5/P5.
Recall from the first article, being “Up-Slope” allows units to see over a Crest-Line. Gullies don’t have Crest-Lines so being “Up-Slope” creates an LOS into a Gully Location.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this second installment. As you can see, moving “Up-Slope” or “Down-Slope” isn’t that complicated. Unless there is bad weather, moving “Down-Slope” costs nothing (EXC: Crest-Line/Slope hexside). In the rare event of Ski-troops and Ground Snow, moving “Down-Slope” will grant a ½ MF bonus. This significantly limits the impact of Slopes. When playing, you will rarely be worried about moving “Down-Slope”. So all you have to remember is ½ MF for Infantry, 1 MP for vehicles, and vehicles cannot cross a combination Crest-Line/Slope hexside. That’s it!
I hope this helped. Until next time.
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