17. AEROSANS
17.1 An Aerosan (motorized sledge) is a sixth type of vehicle for land movement (1.1) purposes and is recognizable by the white bar (signifying skis) behind its MP number. Normal vehicle rules apply to Aerosans unless specified otherwise below.
17.2 An Aerosan can only move when Ground Snow (E3.72) or Deep Snow (E3.73) is in effect, and can then only enter the terrain types listed in the Aerosan Movement Table.
| AEROSAN MOVEMENT TABLE | |
|---|---|
| MP Cost | Terrain (Ground Snow or Deep Snow)* |
| 1 | Open Ground**, Ice (B21.6), Bridges, Runways, Railroads (17.23), Shellholes. |
| 2† | Crossing Brush-/ |
| 3† | Orchard [EXC: via road hexside]. |
| 1 + COT | Trench†, Foxhole, Pillbox (each). |
| DR† + COT | Drifts (E3.75). An Aerosan may cross a Drift hexside for an additional MP expenditure equal to a DR. The colored die doubles as an Aerosan Wreck Check dr (17.22). If the required MP (including any announced VCA change) are more than remaining, then the Aerosan immediately ends it MPh in Motion in its current Location. |
| 4 + COT | Entering higher terrain (even across a road hexside). |
* An Aerosan does not pay any extra MP for Snow (E3.724; E3.7331).
** Includes non-plowed roads and Terrain treated as Open Ground per E3.65 [EXC: gullies and streams], E3.722, and E3.73.
† Requires Aerosan Wreck Check (17.22) [EXC: NA if crossing road hexside and spending > 3 MP].
17.21 PROHIBITED MOVEMENT: Aerosans may not enter a gully or stream, enter/
17.22 AEROSAN WRECK CHECK: An Aerosan must make an immediate Wreck Check dr (∆) when entering certain terrain: a Brush-/
17.23 RAILROAD: An Aerosan may enter a GLRR hex (other terrain permitting; B32.2) and/
17.24 BOG: Aerosans are not subject to Bog.
17.25 VCA CHANGE: When changing its VCA outside of the MPh (2.401; C3.21-.22), an Aerosan is limited to a VCA change of one hexspine only. During the MPh, it may change its VCA one hexspine per hex (as a separate MP expenditure), either after entering a hex after having announced the change prior to entering the new hex or after expending a Start MP.
EX: Deep Snow is in effect and the Russian player wants to overrun the Finnish 5-4-8 in 12V6 with the NKL-26 in Y8 (facing Z7-Z8). He starts the Aerosan (1 MP) and changes VCA to Y7-Z7 (1 MP). Then he states he will move the Aerosan into hex Y7 and make another VCA change, doing so for 2 MP (1 MP COT + 1 MP VCA change; total 4 MP spent). Again, the Russian player states he will change the VCA as the Aerosan enters X6, costing 2 more MP (total 6 MP spent). He does the same to enter W6 (total 8 MP spent). He can now declare the Overrun at the same time as another VCA change is declared, spending 10 MP (1 MP COT, 8 MP for the OVR, and 1 MP for VCA change) for a total of 18 MP spent. Assuming the NKL-26 is unaffected prior to the OVR, it attacks with 8 FP (2 FP Base for AFV plus 6 FP for the AAMG [(4×3)/2]; 7.11). Assuming the Aerosan is still Mobile after any Defensive First Fire prompted by the COT + OVR MP expenditure, it then changes its VCA as declared and continues its MPh. (The final VCA change was not necessary for the OVR, but it will make it easier for the Aerosan to exit the hex after the OVR and having been declared must be conducted.)
If the Wire were not in X7, the NKL-26 could start, turn to Y7-Z7, stop, start, turn to X7-Y7, and move through X7 to W7 for a total of 7 MP before conducting the OVR.
If instead the Russian player wanted to attack the 5-4-8 in the PFPh, he would have to change the NKL-26's VCA to Y7-Z7 and fire on the IFT with a +3 DRM. The NKL-26 cannot fire through its "rear" VCA, and the Y7-Z7 VCA change is the only one-hexspine change that will remove V6 from the NKL-26's "rear" VCA.
17.26 TOWING: An Aerosan towing a Gun (C10.1) pays two extra MP per hex entered, not one [EXC: if an SSR specifies the Gun has transport skis].
17.27 STRAYING: An Aerosan that is subject to Straying (E1.53) and required to change its VCA ≥ 1 hexspine to move in the indicated direction must immediately expend the minimum required Start/
EX: See the 17.25 illustration. Having made a Straying DR requiring it to move in the direction of X8, the NKL-26 in Y8 Starts (1 MP) and changes VCA to Z8-Y9 (1 MP), then Stops (1 MP), and then Starts again (1 MP) and changes VCA to Y9-X8 (1 MP), spending 5 MP before entering X8. If the Straying DR had required it to move to X7, it would become TI without changing its VCA. (In both cases, if it had been Non-Stopped, it would first spend a Stop MP.)
17.3 RIDERS: An Aerosan may carry Riders (6.2) up to a maximum of seven PP regardless of time frame, in addition to any Passenger capacity.15
17.4 WINTER CAMOUFLAGE: Aerosans always have Winter Camouflage (E3.712).
17.5 CLOSE COMBAT: All CC attacks vs an Aerosan receive an extra -1 DRM.
