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Fionn Kelly AARs?


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  • 3 weeks later...

The only place I remember them being was on the old 'Combat Mission HQ' site but I think it's been gone for quite a while now.

I wouldn't mind rereading them again. I found them very, very helpful in the old days when I first got CMBO. Fionn's name was one that kept cropping up on various sim/strat games. Wasn't he also involved heavily in the original Op flashpoint scene? I can't really remember. What ever happened to him anyway? He kind of vanished, turning into some Animal Chin type figure (and if anyone can get that reference without googling it you can be both very proud and very embarressed with yourself! :) )

Sorry not to be of any help. I'd love to have another look at them for old times sake myself.

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Fionn is a physician. Back when CMBO was coming out of the egg he was finishing up his internship, I believe. Presumably he has long since gone into a full-time practice. I think he was in Dublin back in the day, but I have no idea where he is now. I certainly wouldn't mind hearing from him.

Michael

He was banned Michael. One of the first high profile bannings I remember.

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Fionn was pretty obnoxious and arrogant-- I do remember something about finally being banned. Had no idea he was a physician, that would explain the crazy hours for play. I think he sometimes appeared on that site, combatmission.com ?

His style of play was very aggressive and manoeuverist (one of his AARs, the Sunken Road, is typical). Not sure it still applies in CMBB and CMAK age-- very much the waltzing CMBO style.

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Fionn was pretty obnoxious and arrogant...

Not exactly, I don't think. What he had was an "Irish" temper that got the better of him and may have been aggravated by the long hours one works as an intern. In a less stressful environment he might have been more restrained and patient. That is not to excuse him, but might help to understand.

Michael

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"Irish" temper ? Hmm. The words i used are a bit strong, but I do remember some posts which were entertaining to read as a bystander, but quite inflammatory.

Oh yes. He went over the line and persisted in doing so even after being warned more than once. His being banned was inevitable at that point. Like I said, no excuse. Still leaves one sorry it all happened.

Michael

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  • 2 weeks later...

They make for entertaining reading, but I don't think there is much to learn from them.

From his AARs......He is a big proponent of using heavy armor and lots of light/medium artillery in QBs. He uses very little infantry and likes expensive, elite troops. He also talks a lot about the value of risk-taking, moving fast and surprise. I think he likes "Russian doctrine" although he and Jason C fought about what this really meant. I also get the sense that he liked a mobile, counterattacking defense and mobile weapons in general.

He is about as opposite a player as possible from me. I would have loved to have played him.

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I'd love to read some well written AARs. I've just been slaughtered by the AI on the Ford Crossing scenario (me playing Axis) and could use some tips!

Are there any other AARs besides the ones posted by this gent?

Many thanks

Ravs

What specifically is the problem and do you want to learn to play Axis or Allied?

I have got an article written Fionn called "Tanks Movement to Contact" that I could email you if that is what you are looking for. It is no longer available from download as many of the CM sites are closing down, like cmmods and combatmissionHQ

There is also a good primer here: http://www.tripprobbins.com/gaming/CM/index.htm

If you want to learn the Soviet side, then go to www.blowtorchscenarios.com and get JasonCs Russian Training series and download my Russian Way of War from the Repository for an overview.

See also the three Tank problems -these are taken from Panzer Tactics which is always a good read.

The best advice I was given was play "real tactics" and act as if it was your own life you were risking.

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I'd like to learn how to play both.

One of the crucial differences, I am begining to find in playing CM rather than board games, is that with board games, you can work out the odds with the information to hand (usually an attack value, a terrain modifier and a table to roll agains). With CM there is no table, so you have to really know (at least roughly) the effectiveness your weapons against the enemy (range / terrain and if applicable armour). I appreciate that CM does give you a rough 'to hit' percentage, but that's only once you're committed. So I guess experience is a great teacher in this game and reconnasance is hugely important.

Thanks for the primers, I will read them with great interest.

My email address is ravifelicity [at] yahoo dot co dot uk - thank you so much for the offer of sending the article.

I will start looking around for articles on real tactics too. I have a rough idea: machine guns creating fire-lanes, AT guns with a narrow field of fire to a strategic point and covered from as many directions as possible by terrain, using smoke to cover an advance or retreat. Artillery prepping before an attack, flanking etc. but it's so much more difficult when things are moving around in real time then when you're pushing around bits of cardboard!

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noxnoctum,

This isn't a Fionn AAR, but it does have a clear write-up and is well illustrated.

Factory Town

http://www.squaregear.net/cmbb/b5.shtml

JasonC's comments on the fight.

http://www.squaregear.net/cmbb/jasonc03.shtml

Tanks a Lot.

http://www.squaregear.net/cmbb/qb4.shtml

JasonC's tutorial on how to assault properly.

http://www.battlefront.com/community/showthread.php?t=38339

Here's an overflowing treasure trove of CM goodies, with lots of illustrated examples and discussions by some of the top CM tactical minds, some of whom you'll doubtless recognize.

http://www.theblitz.org/message_boards/forumdisplay.php?fid=31&sortby=lastpost&order=DESC&datecut=9999&page=1

Rumblings of War V Wet Triangle AAR

http://www.gregories.net/row/files/wt_Larry_Thorne.pdf.

If Kingfish's hard drive survived, he should have all the RoW III and RoW V AARs,

battles fought by some terrifyingly good CMBB players.

Enigma vs. Mad Russian

http://worldatwar.eu/index.php?esid=ba2190fee9e7fa2a56c4cf642598ef86〈=3&refcode=0&location=article&articleid=476&categoryid=80&searchstring=

1944 Meeting Engagement Utchoud vs Panzer (very detailed analysis)

http://worldatwar.eu/index.php?esid=ba2190fee9e7fa2a56c4cf642598ef86〈=3&refcode=0&location=article&articleid=399&categoryid=80&searchstring=

Regards,

John Kettler

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The Repository is reached from the www.battlefront.com front page see: http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=314

You also need the Scenario Depot www.the-scenario-depot.com look under my name for the Sorted Scenario Packs, this will give you about 4000 scenarios and DAF Scenario listing so that you can find the ones you want.

Then you need to improve the look of your game with a few mods so go to Green As Jades mod site http://cmmods.greenasjade.net/ and get yourself a few mods.

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ravells,

Just wanted to let you know that I dug and dug, yet couldn't find a single Fionn AAR for CMBB online. SOFAIK, his real DAR/AAR fame is from CMBO. In fact, quite a few people got so excited reading one of his epic DARs that they bought the game merely on the strength of what they were feverishly reading.

Regards,

John Kettler

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ravells,

The cover arcs indeed changed everything, as I found out playtesting a Kursk scenario at Actor's house. What I did was to create a platoon diamond formation of Panzer IIIs, each covering a different quadrant, but slightly overlapping the coverage of the adjacent tanks. This way, the turrets were already positioned for rapid counterfire in event a Russian position opened up, and it worked great during the advance. At one point, I was fighting an AT gun to the front, an ATR team trying to sneak up from behind and an MG to the deep flank.

MG modeling is another huge difference, so much so that tactics which work well in CMBO can and will get you killed in CMBB and CMAK, assuming you can even get close enough in the first place, for suppression effects have been increased, improving pinning at range and intensive fires as infantry gets close to an MG, representing Final Protective Fires, greatly multiply the firepower factors received by your infantry. Whole new ball game!

Regards,

John Kettler

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