10. HILLS
10.1: Hills represent terrain elevations which rise above ground level, and any terrain upon them rises normally from this new level to form new height equivalents. For example, a one level obstacle on a level 1 hill hex becomes a level 2 obstacle to the LOS of a unit at level 0. A hill mass is depicted in various shades of brown; the lightest shade in any group of contiguous brown hexes being level 1, the next darker shade being level 2, and so on. The specific shades often vary from one board to another and are relevant only in comparison to the other shades of the same hill mass. For aesthetic purposes, many hexes contain colors representing more than one elevation, but units therein are always considered at the elevation level containing the hex center dot.
| EX: | Level One Hill hexes: 2G4. 15J1, 18Y8 |
| Level Two Hill hexes: 2I4. 15Y8, 18Y7 | |
| Level Three Hill hexes: 2J4, 9X6, 15X6 | |
| Level Four Hill hexes: 9O5, 15Y6 |
10.11 CREST LINE: A Crest Line is formed in every hex where two different full-level elevations meet. Crest Lines are important both for determining movement costs and defining the slope of a hill for possible LOS obstructions.
10.2 DIFFERENT LEVEL LOS: A lower level unit may trace a LOS into only the initial Crest Line hexside of each level above it. Likewise, a unit may trace a LOS to a lower level only if the higher unit traces its LOS through a Crest Line as it leaves its hex and this LOS never recrosses another Crest Line of the same or higher elevation [EXC: A unit may always trace a LOS through a Crest Line in an adjacent hex of lower elevation (15Y4 can fire through Y3 to Y2 but it cannot fire through Z3 to AA3)]. Even if a LOS survives this test it can still be blocked by other requirements such as 10.23.
EX: A unit in 3F9 can trace a LOS to level 1 hill hexes G10, G9, F8 and level 2 hill hexes H7 and I8, but not to any other hex of hill mass 534.
10.21 SAME LEVEL LOS: Units at the same level can trace a LOS to each other (barring intervening LOS obstacles - including higher Crest Lines) regardless of the presence of intervening equal or lower elevation Crest Lines.
EX: 3E3 can see J7 or any other level 2 hill hex of hills 534 and 547. A unit on level 1 of building L4 can see F7.
10.211 ALPINE HILL OPTION: The previous rule treats hills as a series of plateaus rather than constantly rising and rolling terrain. Those wishing to simulate the latter style of terrain can invoke a SSR for Alpine Hills by allowing equal-elevation hill hexes to block LOS through (not into) them.
EX: Using the Alpine Hill option, the only level 2 hill hexes on board 3 which can be seen from 3K7 are J7, J6, H2, W5, W6, W7, and DD2.
10.22: A unit always requires a height at least equal to the height equivalent of an obstacle to see past it to a same-level target. Therefore, a unit on a Level 1 hill hex or on the first level of a building is high enough to see over ground level woods (or any other level 1 obstacle at ground level) symbol to a level 1 or higher target. It is also high enough to see over a wreck/
10.23 BLIND HEXES: A lower level non-cliff Crest Line creates a Blind Hex to a higher level viewer only if that Crest Line is at least five hexes away from that viewer and the next hex along his LOS has a lower elevation than that of the Crest Line hex [EXC: If the elevation level difference caused by that Crest Line and the next hex along the LOS is ≥ two, at least one Blind Hex is created (unless adjacent) even if within five hexes of the higher level firing hex]. One Blind Hex is created for each elevation level difference caused by that Crest Line. In summary, the nominal effect of a one-elevation change Crest Line to a higher level viewer is to create no Blind Hexes at a range of 1-4, one Blind Hex at a range of 5-9, two Blind Hexes at a range of 10-14, three at a range of 15-19, etc. The Blind Hexes created by these Crest Lines can be reduced to a minimum of zero by A6.42 or increased by A6.43.
EX: (A) 15Y6 (level 4) cannot see U7 - even though it is only four hexes away - because the V6-U7 cliff hexside creates a drop of two elevation levels, creating a Blind Hex (U7) and also because it is a cliff hexside (11.21). (B) Y6 can see X6, W7, V7, and U8 because each Crest Line creates only a one elevation level drop and each is within four hexes of Y6. It is also a Continuous Slope. (C) Y6 can see EE3 even though the Crest Line in DD3 is five hexes away and creates a Blind Hex, because Y6 (level 4) has a three level elevation advantage over DD3 (level 1) sufficient to negate two Blind Hexes, and an elevation advantage can reduce the number of Blind Hexes to zero in the case of Crest Lines (A6.42). (D) Y6 cannot see EE5 because the 3rd level Crest Line in DD5 is five hexes away and therefore creates a Blind Hex in EE5 which cannot be negated by the one level elevation advantage of Y6. (E) X6 (level 3) cannot see K7 because the second level Crest Line in M7 creates two Blind Hexes at 11 hex range and the elevation advantage of X6 is insufficient to negate them. However, from Y6 the two Blind Hexes caused by the M7 Crest Line at 12 hex range can be reduced to one due to the two level elevation advantage of Y6 (A6.42). (F) CC5 (level 3) cannot see CC1 due to the one level woods obstacle (level 1 woods on a level 1 hill) at CC3 which causes two Blind Hexes over the lower terrain behind CC3 (A6.43). (G) Q4 can see M2 because the O3 building presents only a one level obstacle (A6.43) and therefore creates only one Blind Hex. If M2 were a Level 0 hex, O3 would cause two Blind Hexes.
10.3: The TEM of a hill hex is dependent on the other terrain in the hex/
10.31 HEIGHT ADVANTAGE: Any unit in a hex receiving Direct Fire from a lower elevation is entitled to a +1 TEM, provided that unit is not eligible to receive any other positive TEM or CE DRM other than those caused by LOS Hindrances [EXC: A moving unit being fired on by Defensive First Fire is not eligible for the Height Advantage TEM if in entering the target hex it crosses a Crest Line through the same hexside that is intersected by the firer's LOS]. A unit eligible for the +1 TEM for Height Advantage is not subject to Interdiction/
EX: The squads in 3AA2 and BB2 both use Assault Movement to enter BB1. If fired on from Z1, the 4-6-7 would be subject to a FFMO DRM (instead of the +1 Height Advantage TEM) because it crossed a Crest Line along the same hexside intersected by the LOS in entering the target hex, but the 6-5-8 would be eligible for a +1 TEM for Height Advantage (and thus not FFMO) instead because it did not cross a Crest Line intersected by the LOS while entering the hex. If these units were instead routing, only the 4-6-7 could be Interdicted from Z1. Q&A
10.4: Units crossing a Crest Line into higher terrain must pay an increased movement cost. Infantry, Cavalry, and Horse-Drawn units crossing a Crest Line into higher terrain must pay double the COT of the hex entered, vehicles must pay four MP & COT (unless they enter via a road hexside, in which case they pay two MP plus the COT of the hex entered). Bicycles and ski units can gain MF by moving to a hex of lower elevation, but otherwise movement cost for entering a hill hex is dependent on the other terrain in the hex.
10.5 ABRUPT ELEVATION CHANGES: An Abrupt Elevation Change occurs when a unit enters two or more levels while crossing one non-cliff hexside; e.g., 15R3/
10.51: When a unit crosses an Abrupt Elevation hexside, the calculated terrain cost of each level entered becomes cumulative. Each intermediate level (i.e., each level between the unit's initial and final levels occupied during the move) ascended costs two MF/
EX: (A) It costs a squad four MF to move from 15R3 to R4 (two MF to ascend one intermediate level plus two MF to ascend the final level), and two MF to move back to R3 (one MF to descend one intermediate level plus one MF to enter R3). (B) It costs a squad three MF to move from 15Y9 to X9 (one MF to descend a level plus two MF to enter the crag hex) or to move from 15BB8 to AA9 (one MF to descend a level plus two MF to ascend a level). (C) Likewise, it costs a fully-tracked vehicle nine MP to move from 13L6 to L5 (four MP to ascend one intermediate level and five MP [4 +1] to ascend the final level and move into the hex). The move downward from 13L5 to L6 costs five MP (two MP to descend a level plus three MP to enter the stream). If SMOKE exists in both hexes, the cost would be 10 MP to go up and six MP to go down.
10.52 DOUBLE-CRESTS: When a unit crosses an Abrupt Elevation hexside and, in so doing, crosses (not gully, marsh, etc.) Crest Lines of different levels, it has crossed a Double-Crest hexside (e.g., 15Q4-Q5). A vehicle may not cross a Double-Crest hexside except via a road, nor may Cavalry charge across a Double-Crest hexside.
