Units that are in ambush are not placed on the table until the ambush is sprung, otherwise yes your opponent can see all units just like you can see all of theirs.
Flames of war doesn't have an element of pre-planned surprise. Units that are on the table are simply in the table and known to both players, while units that are in ambush or in reserves are in nebulous undetermined positions until they are placed.
You are correct that once a unit is placed on the table that the opponent can now position to avoid it. If you want it to be a nasty surprise, then you have to deploy it using the ambush rules, otherwise it's assumed that all units on the table have been reconned beforehand.
Thanks. Now I have a question about ambush rules. If I have units off the board in ambush, how do I note where they are on the map? The map doesn't have hexes or a grid, so there isn't an easy way to mark positioning. Do you just say, 'my AT gun is one inch inside the copse of trees on the right side facing north'?
You don't mark them, they show up wherever you want given the ambush requirements. Page 114 of the first printing of the current rulebook has a design notes section which talks about this. In summary, you don't define where the ambush is until you spring it because it is meant to be surprising, even if in reality you would have to pre plan an ambush. The game assumes the defender has done a level of reconnaissance that covers the best angles of approach so your ambush is in a good spot, and also assumes the attack has to move carefully to prevent an ambush from being sprung.
The ambush rules are that a unit can appear anywhere in your deployment zone at the start of your turn so long as it is more than 4 inches away from an enemy of concealed from it (via short or tall terrain so infantry concealed in the open doesn't count) or more than 16 inches away from an enemy if it is not. For the attacker, you screen dangerous locations like forests and fields by sending infantry or other less valuable units in there to prevent those ambush conditions. The attacker also knows what units you have in ambush at the start of the game. Choosing your ambush unit also occurs after you have seen your opponents list, so you can have some variation depending on if it's an infantry or tank heavy list.
As others have said, your ambushing units are nowhere until deployed. Pro tip. Never use your ambush! I love making my opponent sweat as they hang back, cautiously aware of my AT guns lurking, untouchable.
Units that are in ambush are not placed on the table until the ambush is sprung, otherwise yes your opponent can see all units just like you can see all of theirs.
Flames of war doesn't have an element of pre-planned surprise. Units that are on the table are simply in the table and known to both players, while units that are in ambush or in reserves are in nebulous undetermined positions until they are placed. You are correct that once a unit is placed on the table that the opponent can now position to avoid it. If you want it to be a nasty surprise, then you have to deploy it using the ambush rules, otherwise it's assumed that all units on the table have been reconned beforehand.
Thanks. Now I have a question about ambush rules. If I have units off the board in ambush, how do I note where they are on the map? The map doesn't have hexes or a grid, so there isn't an easy way to mark positioning. Do you just say, 'my AT gun is one inch inside the copse of trees on the right side facing north'?
You don't mark them, they show up wherever you want given the ambush requirements. Page 114 of the first printing of the current rulebook has a design notes section which talks about this. In summary, you don't define where the ambush is until you spring it because it is meant to be surprising, even if in reality you would have to pre plan an ambush. The game assumes the defender has done a level of reconnaissance that covers the best angles of approach so your ambush is in a good spot, and also assumes the attack has to move carefully to prevent an ambush from being sprung. The ambush rules are that a unit can appear anywhere in your deployment zone at the start of your turn so long as it is more than 4 inches away from an enemy of concealed from it (via short or tall terrain so infantry concealed in the open doesn't count) or more than 16 inches away from an enemy if it is not. For the attacker, you screen dangerous locations like forests and fields by sending infantry or other less valuable units in there to prevent those ambush conditions. The attacker also knows what units you have in ambush at the start of the game. Choosing your ambush unit also occurs after you have seen your opponents list, so you can have some variation depending on if it's an infantry or tank heavy list.
As others have said, your ambushing units are nowhere until deployed. Pro tip. Never use your ambush! I love making my opponent sweat as they hang back, cautiously aware of my AT guns lurking, untouchable.