Laying Down Smoke BEFORE Movement???

[Dubar]

I want to lay some smoke down to give my squad some cover BEFORE they move.  Do any rules out there allow this or even mention this?
I'm using my own homemade rules, loosely based on Bolt Action and NUTS and today I have a game going and realized I hadn't any rules that cover exactly when in the order of things  to perform a pre-emptive type of fire, using medium mortars firing smoke and even HE rounds.
So far I have been unable to locate in either Bolt Action or NUTS anything on the matter.
Being I'm making up the rules, I figure I'd include something in them before the Movement Phase and not as part of the Combat Phase, but I'd like to hear some opinions first.

here's a photo of the action so far:

[CapnJim]

We've been using Fistful of Lead: Bigger Battles for WW2.  We've used the indirect fire rules to include smoke.  But it ain't always 100% on target...  

[LeadLust]

Chain of Command allows this due to an integrated phase sequence with no separate "shooting phase" and "movement phase". Depending on your command dice, you could activate off table battalion level mortars or on table platoon or attached support mortars to provide smoke, then activate teams and/or sections to move/shoot/close assault. Junior/senior leaders can also order sections to utilize smoke grenades.

[Dubar]

Thanks folks!!!

Leadlust, that sounds similar to what I was doing yesterday.  I was using a spotter to lay down smoke until the troops could get into a good position to open fire.  I had the smoke moving with the wind at 3" per turn (the battle mat in the photo has 4" hexes as a reference).

This scenario's objective was to capture the fuel storage facility intact.  I played it twice, 1st time each side had a 10-man squad and the G.I.s got their butts kicked, moving thru the stream and woods slowed them down and many were caught in the open trying to get in close to the warehouse.

I decided to try it by adding a medium mortar team providing smoke cover, due to the MG-42 team on the roof of the warehouse, and a number of the Germans carrying STG-44s.  So far the Americans have advanced up to the warehouse but the outcome is still in doubt.  I had to stop and run errands yesterday!

I got the Cigar Box battle mat to use with Canvas Eagles WWI rules and 1/144 aircraft, although I've also played it using some 1/48 planes as well.

[fred]

A number of games abstract local smoke into spotting rolls and the like.

Looking at your photos I think you have a huge amount of smoke laid down from some mortars (from guessing the ground scale from roads, and positions of buildings etc.

[Dubar]

Fred,
Wasn't sure how big to make the smoke to use with 28mm figures.  I ended up using the stuffing out of a stuffed animal my daughter left behind when she moved away (found it in the garage, she'll never miss it LOL!) and hot gluing it to the tops of oatmeal boxes.  They almost completely cover a 4" hex, fired 1 per turn.

Just how big an area should smoke cover from an 80mm mortar?

[fred]

I suppose it depends on what ground scale you are using? From the look of the game, I’d be thinking just 1 hex.

The use of stuffing for smoke is a well established wargames method!

If you are using rules based off Bolt Action - then I would have an order dice for the off table mortars, and you can spend an order dice to fire them.

For rules with more traditional order phases, these often have an artillery / support phase at the start of the turn.

[swiftnick]

Very useful in Rapid Fire!

[Dubar]

I suppose it depends on what ground scale you are using? From the look of the game, I’d be thinking just 1 hex.

(yep, plenty big enough)

The use of stuffing for smoke is a well established wargames method!

(I still have a good sized bag of it left, that teddy bear was packed!!!)

If you are using rules based off Bolt Action - then I would have an order dice for the off table mortars, and you can spend an order dice to fire them.

For rules with more traditional order phases, these often have an artillery / support phase at the start of the turn.

(I'm using a 4'x6' table (actually three 2x6 tables side-by-side), I feel letting artillery/mortars fire at the start of the turn just makes sense.)

Thanks everyone!

[SteveBurt]

Yes, lots of rules allow this. Crossfire, Battlefront:WW2, I ain’t been shot mum, Chain of Command, Rapid Fire

[SBMiniaturesGuy]

In NUTS (Compendium page 46) you can lay smoke one of two ways - as an artillery or mortar request, or a figure may use an action to throw a smoke grenade, and then other figures can move using smoke as Concealment. The smoke will also drift with the wind (basically expand down wind) for some turns before dissipating.