Warts 'n' all Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 6 hours ago, Combatintman said: In my defence, my book collection is sat in a container on a ship just off Singapore right now. That's the best defence I've ever heard. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted March 30, 2018 Author Share Posted March 30, 2018 13 hours ago, Heinrich505 said: Bil, Always great stuff. Thanks so much for posting this. You said you weren't too worried about being spotted but were mainly sitting and watching to identify enemy compositions. Did you have close covered arcs to keep your troops from opening fire or was that even necessary? Heinrich505 Heh, funny story there... I neglected cover arcs on some important units in this game and I come to grief over it, my stupid AT Team in the scout party fires a rocket at some infantry in the next minute for example... blowing the surprise and making them a priority target... there is a lesson in there for all of us to not get too complacent and lazy. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Backer Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 23 hours ago, Bil Hardenberger said: Bud, I get into this in my post on Reconnaissance on my blog. To simplify, you always assume worst case, until you have confirmation one way or the other... so if you see two STuGs out of a potential five, ASSUME that there can possibly be three more that you will have to contend with. Gathering intelligence is a never ending process and you answer questions as you go, but often many questions are never answered until the thing ends. Your blog is excellent. I’m re-reading it when I can find time because it’s such an informative work. You’re right, of course, CM has repeatedly demonstrated that information is a scare commodity in war and I’m frequently astounded what I see when the battle ends and I can review both sides. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Backer Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 23 hours ago, Combatintman said: Good question mate and you're right about the uncertainty. In this case, the game is a scenario rather than an H2H QB which I always think makes things easier for a number of reasons: Scenarios are generally designed to be winnable by both sides which gives you a left and right of arc to scope the problem. Picking units in the scenario editor is largely driven by the TO&E and most scenario designers are going to take that easy option of basing the unit picks on TO&E structures. The information in the Situation Enemy Forces paragraph and the graphics will also help you scope the left and right of arc of the enemy. FWIW, and I have no knowledge of the scenario because I don't own the title (I know burn this heretic now ...) but I don't think that there are 5 x Stugs, we've seen 2 x Stugs and I would be surprised if there are more than 3 x Stugs. As for the dismounts I reckon that we're looking at a full FJ company plus some support weapons, a recce platoon and an engineer platoon. Of course all of this is moot if the scenario designer is a fruit loop As I said early in the piece, H2H QB games are a totally different matter. The only intelligence you have here is the number of points that your opponent has and the objectives. Whenever points are involved, a human being is going to squeeze every last advantage out of them which means a lot more randomness in the force makeup. However, the core of any force pick will still be TO&E based. The best that you can hope for here is to identify that core eg is it a an armoured/mechanised infantry/infantry based core. From your initial sightings you can then start to crunch the numbers. Taking this as scenario as an example, let's say the Axis player has a point allocation of 1000 and that a Stug costs 10 points each. Well we know now that there are 980 points to find. If an FJ company is worth 500 points then there are 480 points to find. Of course it is more complex than that because soft factors affect points values so the best approach is just to average it out by assuming that all units are regular. Obviously this is never going to produce a 100% correct solution but intelligence is never a 100% solution, it is about reducing uncertainty. Ah, yes ok, you’re using scenario information to assist you. That makes sense. I so rarely play scenarios, as my preference is for QBs, so the briefing doesn’t exist, and there is no meta game aspect like what a designer may or may not do. It really is only the points, and in that case, the standard TO&E is going to be quite mutable. And if I know the opponent well, I can gauge what he might do based on experience and play style preferences. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falaise Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 hello it's really interesting as usual Know that I allowed myself to download in pdf your blog to send it on my Kindleyou are my favorite bedside reading and I read you and read you again and again.but the student is not good !!!! Thank you for sharing 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted March 31, 2018 Author Share Posted March 31, 2018 (edited) SITREP It has been another couple of minutes and things have developed a bit more... AXIS RED: On Axis RED there are now two STuGs and they are pushing deep and ahead of their infantry.. in fact they do not seem to be coordinated with the enemy infantry at all on this axis. Also, the infantry contact icons have settled down some, and it appears to me like we are looking at perhaps one FJ company with support assets on this axis. No firing on this axis, other than my errant bazooka rocket a minute ago or so... which came to nothing, other than letting my opponent know I have an AT team in front of him. Brilliant. STuGs on Axis RED: AXIS ORANGE: The Germans on this sector have positioned several MG teams, many of which have started firing on my pickets causing a few casualties, but nothing serious. So this confirms that he has spotted a few of my teams. I am responding with some sporadic mortar fire, with no obvious effect. It really is starting to look like this is a support by fire position. The third STuG is still present and sends a round toward my lines once in a while to no effect.. so far. I need to reinstall my version of CMBN, the version I am running has some graphical issues that look really bad.. smoke, dust, etc... and I saw a German truck driving in his rear and the driver was sitting above the cab.. so yeah.. I need to fix this installation. Once I do that I'll be able to show more closeups images. Edited March 31, 2018 by Bil Hardenberger 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOS:96B2P Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 36 minutes ago, Bil Hardenberger said: Interesting and informative SitMap. And it just looks cool. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Backer Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 Pity you can’t get those StuGs while they outpace their infantry support. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted March 31, 2018 Author Share Posted March 31, 2018 Well, I do give it a shot next turn.. don't go anywhere! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 (edited) On 30/03/2018 at 12:48 PM, Bil Hardenberger said: Heh, funny story there... I neglected cover arcs on some important units in this game and I come to grief over it, my stupid AT Team in the scout party fires a rocket at some infantry in the next minute for example... blowing the surprise and making them a priority target... there is a lesson in there for all of us to not get too complacent and lazy. I hate it when they do that! The degree of precision that CM demands of the player is a big part of what makes it such a remarkable game in my opinion. 5 hours ago, Bil Hardenberger said: The third STuG is still present and sends a round toward my lines once in a while to no effect.. so far. That'll be the battery commander no doubt.....If it is, and he's unbuttoned, a couple of light mortar rounds might be well spent in an attempt to bugger up the morale of his two minions out front. I know this battle already happened, just saying..... Edited March 31, 2018 by Sgt.Squarehead 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted March 31, 2018 Author Share Posted March 31, 2018 (edited) AXIS ORANGE I have another scout team, made up of a recon team and an HQ unit (from Dog Company) deep on Axis ORANGE. Towards the end of this turn the STuG on this axis drove straight towards them... However, I don't think these two teams have been spotted, as the STuG appears to have turned between two buildings, appearing like it was simply trying to get a better angle on my defenders. I could be wrong as I lost sight of this vehicle right after this shot was taken, but it looked like it was starting to turn left. AXIS RED On Axis Red I decided to try to take a long range shot at one of the STuGs to my front. It is literally a long shot, but taking out or damaging one of these things now could really help in the long run, right Captain Obvious? My AT Team rushed across the danger area to the hedges on the other side... Once in position they organized to take a shot...note in the following image that the STuG's flank is facing my team. Unfortunately... the rocket hits the trees and the STuG keeps moving.. I don't think they ever knew they were threatened... Both STuGs ended up facing Axis Yellow and appear to be guarding the flank of the Axis RED infantry, which can be seen linking up with the STuGs on the right edge of this image: Edited March 31, 2018 by Bil Hardenberger 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Backer Posted April 1, 2018 Share Posted April 1, 2018 Damn, I was really hopeful to see a kill with that AT Team! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted April 6, 2018 Author Share Posted April 6, 2018 I apologize for the delay on this AAR, I've been distracted recently... AXIS RED We are now in the 8th minute of action.. not a lot has happened as my opponent is shuttling troops to his jump off positions. On the back road he is running trucks back and forth, each one dropping off a platoon of infantry with each load. I guess he now must have close to two full companies of infantry with support arrayed against me on AXIS RED along with the two STuGs. My three teams acting as my lead scouts in this sector are doing a wonderful job keeping the enemy at bay in this sector. I doubt they are causing many casualties, but my opponent is being very cautious and has not advanced in the past several turns. Once he does start his advance, and now that he is bringing more troops up, I expect it soon, my scouts will fall quickly. AXIS ORANGE AXIS ORANGE is definitely a Support By Fire (SBF) position, all of the units that have been identified have been MG or mortar units, along with the STuG of course. In the image below is shown an artillery mission aimed at the corner of my ridgeline defense. This did cause several casualties, but it was not as bad as it could have been as many of the rounds fell in front of my positions. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Backer Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 Must be frustrating to watch your enemy shuttle troops and get ready and have limited ability to intervene. I’d be aching for a tank right now! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BletchleyGeek Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 3 hours ago, Bud Backer said: Must be frustrating to watch your enemy shuttle troops and get ready and have limited ability to intervene. I’d be aching for a tank right now! I would rather have a battery of 81mm ready at hand 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexUK Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 It would be interesting to know how you were planning on using your on and off-map artillery Bil. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warts 'n' all Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 3 hours ago, BletchleyGeek said: I would rather have a battery of 81mm ready at hand Being greedy I'd want Bud's tank, and your 81mils. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted April 7, 2018 Author Share Posted April 7, 2018 8 hours ago, AlexUK said: It would be interesting to know how you were planning on using your on and off-map artillery Bil. Very soon I will be getting into what I am planning with my support units. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heinrich505 Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 Bah! Nothing worse than watching a freaking tree jump out in the path of a bazooka round. If I had a dime for every time that happened...[sighs wistfully...] Great stuff Bil. We are hooked as usual. Have you doomed the forward scouts or do you plan to pull them back in the nick of time? You don't want to lose Little Sure Shot and Four Eyes this soon in the battle. Sgt. Rock would never forgive you. Heinrich505 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted April 7, 2018 Author Share Posted April 7, 2018 (edited) 14 hours ago, Bud Backer said: Must be frustrating to watch your enemy shuttle troops and get ready and have limited ability to intervene. I’d be aching for a tank right now! Yeah.. not having any real long range firepower to deal with those STuGs is a bit of a pain, still, we fight with what we are given. Having to close in to engage them is risky. He will lose a truck to long range MG fire during the period we are in the battle right now.. so I'm not entirely toothless.. still, that was too little, too late to have much of an effect on him being able to concentrate his attack force. By the way, I have a larger goal with this AAR, so am staying at a higher level for the most part with my reports, not getting into the details too much right now as they don't really add much.. the details will start to be important very soon though. Edited April 7, 2018 by Bil Hardenberger 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted April 7, 2018 Author Share Posted April 7, 2018 3 minutes ago, Heinrich505 said: Bah! Nothing worse than watching a freaking tree jump out in the path of a bazooka round. If I had a dime for every time that happened...[sighs wistfully...] Great stuff Bil. We are hooked as usual. Have you doomed the forward scouts or do you plan to pull them back in the nick of time? You don't want to lose Little Sure Shot and Four Eyes this soon in the battle. Sgt. Rock would never forgive you. Heinrich505 They are a speed bump.. and their job is to delay and report the enemy movements.. I don't want to lose them but am willing to make that sacrifice if I can discern his exact attack route. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heinrich505 Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 Yep, done that myself in the past. They seem to be doing a very good job. Waiting anxiously for your next move and that larger goal you have cryptically referred to. Heinrich505 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOS:96B2P Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 15 hours ago, Bud Backer said: Must be frustrating to watch your enemy shuttle troops and get ready and have limited ability to intervene. I’d be aching for a tank right now! Yes probably . But I'm guessing a Priority Intelligence Requirement (PIR) may have just been answered. Now BluFor commander has more information to decide on which Course Of Action (COA) to choose. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardradi Posted April 14, 2018 Share Posted April 14, 2018 Excellent updates Bill. Looks like to might be a bloody battle. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted April 17, 2018 Author Share Posted April 17, 2018 Apologies for slowing down on this one... I've gotten myself involved in a CONTENT REDACTED it seems. I will try to get a post or two up this weekend. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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