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First Clash Redux


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This scenario was originally released as part of the CMBS game. Whilst the intent pre-release was to create an intro to modern armoured warfare it appears many players post release considered it too easy – mainly due to the strength of the US forces arty and air support. Whilst doctrinally correct it did make the scenario a bit easy for the US to win. In addition all US AFVs had APS. The preponderance of APS equipped armour did mean the M1s were pretty unstoppable.

 

 

This version tones down this. Overall the changes aim to make the scenario a more challenging proposition.

 

This scenario recreates a US company team attack against a Russian Forward Detachment of an armoured tactical group – the first contact between both sides ‘heavy’ forces. The map is a large one - around 4km x 4km although the OOB on each side is kept manageable at around reinforce company level.

 

Both sides have a fairly ‘typical’ OOB (organisation, units and vehicles) plus supporting arms (air assets, anti-aircraft assets and artillery) for the missions they have been tasked with. As such this scenario serves as a useful introduction to commanding a modern combined arms unit at the company level.

 

This scenario was originally designed to be played first and foremost from the perspective of the US side against the Russian AI. There is also a Blue AI Plan and potentially it is playable head to head (H2H) but has NOT been playtested for balance in this regard.

 

There are two distinct Russian AI plans and one US AI plan – thus allowing some level of re-playability.

 

You can grab the new version at the following HERE

 

There was an earlier thread discussing the stock version that was packaged with the game HERE. I'd appreciate any comments regarding the redux version are posted here - just to keep em separate please?

Edited by George MC
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  • 3 weeks later...

I have nearly just finished playing, RT - Elite, the battle. I have had just a glance at the AAR without looking at the setting of the forces. I managed for the time being, a US minor Victory and missed by inches to reach the LOA Tennessee. That is surely a difficult battle but a breakthrough the Russians line is feasible. An amazing thing is that the Russians airpower has a liking for the mortar carrier since the two of them were destroyed. The same happened in Rolling Thunder. They must be in the game algorithms set as priority target ?

 

The tactic that George has used is clever, but I have been accustomed to the tricky counter attacks he has familiarized us with. So, I was ready to meet it and 3 of its tanks were left ablaze in the field.

 

I really enjoyed that battle and I think that the few minutes left will be full of surprise. I should be careful, since it is always in the last yards that you get hit pretty hard. So I shall adopt a low profile and take it easy.

 

I shall wrote a short AAR if some of you have a liking for it.

 

Thanks again George for that excellent scenario.

Edited by snake_eye
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Just as counter data point I'll report here about a H2H mirror match I am currently playing with the original version that shipped with the game.  It is not over yet and the US forces have not all arrived yet but so far both US sides are taking a massive beating.  Just brutal.  Not as bad as when I played as the Russians vs the AI during play testing but so far this is really hard as the US side.  Both of us are have had our US forces more than decimated and are bottled up with very little progress to show.  I'll tell you how it goes once the US gets their additional forces.

Edited by IanL
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*************************SPOILERS****************************************

 

 

 

I have finished the battle with still a US Minor Victory. I must confess that when the FOW was lifted in the AAR map, I have been surprised to see that my tanks had gone through the Russians lines and left behind some infantry, certainly rather depleted in the center, rather untouched on the far right and with as much as five tanks on the far left, ambushed before LOA Tennessee. It was there that I lost 4 Bradleys moving fast in order to reach the LOA (stupid decision of mine !). I had no idea that 5 tanks where left on the right of my dash axis.  Bad point for me. The lesson : Never rush any force forward without assuming that your flanks are safe and don't try to win against the clock. That is the better way to make mistake in the ensuing precipitation.

For the rest a large force was still in defence within NAI 302. Maybe I could have tried to shell them with the Paladin's, but having feared to lose my observers I had left them back. They were anyway able to call the choppers. BTW, I had  lost my UAV during the first half hour of the game. I don't recall when it happened.

My tanks force that had been moved on the far right and having defeated a clever counter attack of the Reds stayed idle there, since I was pretty much occupied to move in the center and on the left. At that moment, you wish that you could switch from RT to WEGO within interrupting the battle (Maybe one day it will be possible ,) Meanwhile you pause the game in order to have a look in places you can not focus on, but you never do it at the right time.

 

To summarize, that was an excellent scenario showing the difficulties inherent to modern warfare. Fire and movement still learn today, being more difficult to apply with the threat of well hidden ATGM and long range engagement distances, without omitting the attack choppers. ERA and better APS defence assets are welcome, but they can not get save the armor all the time.

George briefing is what you could expect from a military view point, but you have to keep in mind the important information and leave aside the others unless you have a pretty good memory.

I think that I shall leave the battle aside for some time and once I will have forgotten the one I fought, it will be a pleasure to start it again.

 

AAR

AAR_zpsohx5rtb0.jpg

 

Attack axis

attack%20axis%20-%20game%20end_zpsxvbsjx

 

 

Cheer

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  • 7 years later...

I've made a First Clash redux version 4 Its temporary home is at the following DB link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/nkgfb6m561ev13x/First Clash Redux_v4.btt?dl=0

This scenario was originally released as part of the CMBS base game. Whilst the intent pre-release was to create an intro to modern armoured warfare it appears many players post release considered it too easy – mainly due to the strength of the US forces arty and air support, oh and all the US AFVs had APS. The preponderance of APS equipped armour did mean the M1s were pretty unstoppable. 


I've tweaked it over the years and this is the latest iteration - In this redux version 4 all the APS protection systems for the US have been removed and experience levels toned down for both sides. 


Overall I think this change WILL make the scenario a more challenging proposition for the US player.


P.S. watch out for the radio messages via reinforcement units!

Cheery!

George

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