Why not the Blitzkrieg table?

[Vanman]

In a 'plains' hex, I was attacking with a group of Germans that included a mech corp and an armoured division.
On the Russian side was two infantry armies and an anti-tank division. It went to the Russians and he chose the assault table.
Should that not have been my choice (blitzkrieg) since I had more armour?

[paulderynck]

Mech are nice but they are not the same as Armored. An AT gun (actually likely an artillery regiment) is the equivalent of an Armored corps on defense, so in fact you were outgunned.

Mech can only get armor effects against leg units unaccompanied by Mech, Armor or AT/Flak. You could have 10 Mech against one Armor and not be able to call a Blitz.

Against an AT gun, you would need an Armored corps and at least an Armored division to call a blitz.

[Joseignacio]

Yes, you need to outgun them, not just equal them, in this case they are equal, since using divisions you need to round them up and it would be a tie 1-1 (see bold).

Here are the conditions for blitz table in WIF RAW:

You must now select one of the two land combat results tables ~ blitzkrieg or assault. The blitzkrieg table allows retreats and leaves the attacker face-up more often. The assault table will generally increase the casualties for both sides.
The attacker chooses the table if:
1. the defending hex is a non-city hex in clear, forest or desert; and
2. any attacking unit is not attacking across a fort hexside; and
3. either the attacker has more:
ï ARM and HQ-A units than the defender; or
ï MECH units than the defender and the defender has no ARM or HQ-A units.
AsA/MiF/PoliF option 2: Divisions count as 1/2 a unit (rounding up).
AsA option 3: Each defending anti-tank unit counts as an ARM corps. AA units which have a combat factor circled in red or pink are treated as AT units for the choice of land combat.
In all other cases the defender chooses.

[paulderynck]

This rule is a bit insane and in actuality is now outdated. You are saying an armored division has the same amount of armor as an Armored corps? Even if Armored Corps typically have one Armored division and one or two Mechanized divisions in them, what about the Corps assets? I'm sure some of that is armored. Or take this example from a game in progress (which had something to do with it getting changed for RAW8):

I was down to few units left to attack with as the turn ground on toward Impulse 14 and yet it did not end. Scrounging two armored divisions that were all that was left for face-up armor I spotted an enemy stack of two week infantry topped by one of his armored divisions, sitting in a clear hex. As I had strong infantry and a red anti-tank available I seized this opportunity for further gain and put the mentioned units into the attack.

When I told my opponent I was calling a Blitz attack, he said: "No we have equal armor" and pointed at this rules quote from RAW: "AsA/FiF/KiF/MiF/PoliF option 2: Divisions count as 1/2 a unit (rounding up)."

"This means", he said, "you have a half plus a half equals one, and I have a half rounded up to one, which equals your one."

Somewhat non-plussed I observed that this is obviously a case of irrational numbers in which it seems clear that for very, very large, gigantic values of one and for extremely teensy tiny values of two; one equals two.

Or at least if we take the limit as it goes to insanity...

I guess my two armor divisions were not more armor units than his one armor division, after all.

The "(rounding up)" is not there anymore.

[Joseignacio]

You are entitled to your own opinions, however the rules are the rules.

In any rules there are simplifications. What you say could be applied to any situation where you need to round up a fraction, someone could say "What! you have 1/x and I have 1 and you round to 1 too... this is unfair! Maybe or maybe no, but that may be this way for a reason and anyway the rules are those, period. [:)]

When the rules change this may change. Or not. In this case, no. Even the RAW 8.85 (latest ruleset I have and I was told not to redistribute), which is fairly recent and at least a decade younger than RAW 7 used by MWIF, keeps on having this rounding for ARM divs regarding the blitz table.

[Centuur]

RAW is clear on rounding:

These rules frequently require a calculation that produces a fraction.
When you have to do this, round to the nearest whole number,
rounding halves up.

The question is if one has to round to select the blitzkrieg table or not.

Than, surprisingly, RAW made this clear:

The attacker chooses the table if:
1. the defending hex is a non-city hex in clear, forest or desert; and
2. any attacking unit is not attacking across a fort hexside; and
3. either the attacker has more:
• ARM and HQ-A units than the defender; or
• MECH units than the defender and the defender has no
ARM or HQ-A units.
AsA/MiF/PoliF option 2: Divisions count as 1/2 a unit (rounding
up).

Now, IMHO, those last two words are superfluous. But it is stated here to do so... Strange rule, but it is the rule...

[paulderynck]

You are both right the rules are the rules.

"If the law supposes that," said Mr. Bumble, squeezing his hat emphatically in both hands, "the law is a ass — a idiot."


― Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist

But don't get too attached to playing the boardgame this way...