A couple questions

[Bubba]

First, I want to thank whomever is responsible for making and distributing this game. It's great. A big improvement over the original.
Now to the questions...
1) The manual says "...Smoke is now a hindrance to spotting and not a protective shield....Popping smoke and remaining where you are already spotted will not be as effective as using it before movement to screen your withdrawal.

I've played only a couple of scenarios so far, but I don't see any difference from the original Steel Panthers. The effects of smoke seem to be the same. So could someone explain to me exactly what the manual means by these statements. Am I missing something?

2) Op-fire: Does using Op-fire take shots away from a unit on it's next turn. And if not, wouldn't it almost always be a good idea to use any Op-fire? The only reason I can think of to not use it, is if you don't want to give away your units position. Any other reasons not to?

As you can tell from these questions, i'm a relative newbie, so I thank you for your patience with me and for tolerating these questions.

[Wild Bill]

Wecome Bubba! Good questions,

Smoke is not as dense as before and in some instances units will spot you through it.

Op fire can be held so that you don't waste shots on targets that are not as important.

Example. You expect a tank to pop out. Infantry comes out first. You hold your fire.
Next comes more infantry. You hold your fire.
Next comes the tank. You are ready.

Yes, using op fire lessens the amounts of shots you'll have in your next turn.

Good to have you with us...Wild Bill

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In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games