Wargame Mechanics Index

Suppression & pinning

Fire that does not destroy a unit pins it, degrading or preventing its next actions.

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Watch it played 4 moments

  • 8:19–9:25
    Band of Brothers Crossfire Wargame
    Little Wars TV
    Rule in play Crossing the road under reactive fire

    Greg attempts a group move across an open road, triggering Tony's reactive fire from two German-held buildings. Tony rolls hits that suppress one squad and pin another, interrupting the advance and seizing initiative.

  • 12:56–14:07
    Vietnam 1967 Mekong River Wargame
    Little Wars TV
    Rule in play Bunker fire, pinning, and saving throws

    Viet Cong bunkers open fire on troops behind a berm needing 5s to hit, inflicting six hits that pin the unit before infantry saving rolls determine wounds.

  • 15:48–16:38
    75th Anniversary Battle of Berlin Wargame
    Little Wars TV · A Fistful of TOWs 3
    Rule in play Soviet artillery bombardment suppresses Kroll Opera House

    Soviet players coordinate their off-table artillery batteries against German defenders sheltered in the ruined Kroll Opera House. They tally gun factors, roll for hits against hard cover, and check quality to suppress the occupants.

  • 15:48–16:15
    Incredible Isandlwana Wargame
    Little Wars TV
    Rule in play Artillery fire pins Zulu warriors

    Ed opens fire with his artillery at the advancing Zulu warriors, forcing Tom to roll a leadership test to see if the target unit is pinned for the turn.

Moments picked automatically, by AI watching the video or reading its captions, and linked at the timestamp on YouTube. Quotes are from the captions.

How games do it 4 games

3morale
SuppressionFUBAR

The target allocates unsaved hits as casualties or temporary suppression, up to a training-based cap.

How it works

Unsaved hits are taken as casualties, suppressed figures, or a mix; max suppressed figures is 1/2/3/4 for Green/Seasoned/Veteran/Elite and excess must be casualties. Suppressed figures are laid on their side, cannot fire, and impose -1 per figure on the unit's next activation, after which they stand up. Close combat hits can only be casualties.

Unsaved hits against a Unit must be taken as casualties, suppressed figures, or a combination of both to the allowable limits the Unit can support.
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3morale
Forcing Enemy to go ProneThey Died For Glory

Infantry taking four small-arms casualties in a turn is forced prone on the spot, becoming harder to hit but immobile until it spends an operation to stand.

How it works

If infantry receives four casualties from small arms or mitrailleuse fire in one turn, it immediately goes prone where the enemy opened fire. Prone units are -1 to be hit, +1 on morale, cannot change face or formation, and must spend an operation to stand up in their former formation; charged prone units stand automatically. Voluntary prone is free. An optional Reaction Test lets a charging unit roll higher than its casualties to keep going.

If an INFANTRY unit receives four casualties from small arms (including Mitrailleuse) fire in one turn, it is forced to change immediately to prone formation at the point at which the enemy opened fire at it.
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2morale
SuppressionDunn-Kempf

Hits that do not kill suppress the target, restricting its movement and fire.

How it works

Tanks hit but not killed may shoot the following bound with +1 on the tens die but may not move for a full turn; soft targets (other armour, wheels, troops) hit but not killed cannot fire or move for one turn. Indirect fire and air attacks also produce suppression results; any element that has received fire has its movement halved.

Soft targets (armored vehicles other than tanks, all wheels, and troops) hit but not killed are suppressed and cannot fire or move for one complete turn. This constitutes successful suppression.
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2morale
Duck backsHorse & Musket Skirmish Rules (first draft)

Characters in cover who are hit or have a shot stopped must duck back and spend their next action recovering, letting fire pin opponents.

How it works

A character behind cover who is grazed, wounded, or whose cover stops a shot immediately ducks fully behind it and must use a Recover action before anything else. Shots at a character known to be lurking behind cover all hit the cover but still force a duck back, providing covering fire for friends crossing open ground.

you can use the duck back rule to pin and neutralise your opponents and provide realistic covering fire for your friends.
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