Gromit

Yeah... just logs so it would seem.

That's only because the idiots are already here...

Just give us the tools, a short explanation of how they work within the framework of CM:BN and some examples of making use of the tools provided (cause & effect, likely outcomes etc.). Last but not least show how these tools affect one's situational awareness. I think the target audience is smart enough to figure it out from there. ...and there are always those tactics books we keep mentioning!

I get the feeling that there is still a lot of polishing to do; combined with (imo) Battlefront having a considerable amount riding on this release it would seem we will get a final product that reflects it. In the pure speculation department, with the worldwide dog-and-pony shows starting this very weekend it can't be too far to a release of a demo- maybe a month or... three?

Right... and it has to be something you believe you can pull off- particularly with this crowd (no offense intended- just the way it is). I am loving the attention to detail on the Deutsche uniforms already Steve, you guys are on a roll! :cool:

Hey Gpig, hows about you dig up those nifty close combat sketches from the other year and post 'em again? Couldn't hurt.

Well, considering some of you boneheads actually thought it would be OK to do Cthulhu-esqe chanting and invoking of the olde ones... it's no big surprise that one shows up! Do we need to secure the kitchen cabinet doors and shockproof all the outlets around this pitiful joint as well? Now- you guys summoned it, so it's all your responsiblility to take care of it from here on out, right? Right. Jeez.

[blackadder] "Take a short break Baldric...there, did you enjoy it? Now back to work!!" [/blackadder] Couldn't help but think of Rowan Atkinson's antics tonight as butler to Prince Regent (Hugh Laurie) aka "Prince Mini-brain" Keep up the great work.

I see said the blind man...

I would have to say that a section that takes the CM:BN commands and explains through examples how to make tactical use of them all would be great, particularly those new to Combat Mission gaming. Might hold down the early frustration level around here for them IMO. That along with breaking down each command into what a unit's situational awareness is likely to be when using it. Some of this stuff is fairly obvious, but we all know what they say about assumptions, right?

You sure 'bout that Emrys? I thought it was the fact Stuka got distracted while sucking his thumb again... urrrp!

No problem Pak40. While I am thinking about it, I wasn't being a smartarse about either of the AAR player caliber of play, I just found it great that CM:BN so closely emulates real WW2 tactics. One more reason to chomp on that proverbial 'bit' in anticipation... eh? I have some time, so here is a contents list for Truppenfuhrung for those of you who are interested: Part I: 1933 Introduction I. Order of Battle and Task Organization II. Command III. Reconnaisance IV. Security V. Marches VI. Attack VII. Pursuit VIII. The Defensive IX. Disengagement and Withdrawal X. Delaying Action XI. Combat Under Special Conditions XII. Quartering XIII. Cavalry Part II: 1934 XIV. Armored Combat Vehicles XV. Air Forces XVI. Air Defense Units XVII. Communications XVIII. Chemical Warfare XIX. Smoke XX. Obstacles XXI. Armored Trains XXII. Transport XXIII. Logistical Support in the Area of Operations Annexes Cheers! :cool:

Hello all: After spending time these past few months reading posts here for CM:BN, I have noticed that a recommendation thread for tactics books readily available and in paperback would be a welcome addition as reference on how to achieve success on the battlefields of WW2. I think everyone can learn how to better prepare and adjust battleplans while playing Combat Mission. I picked up my personal copy of Truppenfuhrung about 7 years ago while doing research for designing a WW2 combat boardgame. It wasn't cheap at almost $65 for the hardbound version, but I feel it was well worth it. Fortunately for you guys, it is available in paperback for about $16. Here is the link to Amazon.com if you are interested. So, just what is Truppenfuhrung you might ask? Well, it is the culmination of years of German tactical doctrine that emerged from the general staff based on developments during the pre-war years 1933 (part I) and 1934 (part II). Its origins go back much further, to the likes of Clausewitz, Moltke and Seeckt. Part of the value in the english translation by Condell and Zabecki is the Editor's Introduction, which points a critical eye at Truppenfuhrung - for instance, the Germans forgetting Clausewitz's lessons on strategy after the death of Moltke. The book is organized in a fairly unique manner. Each chapter is given a roman numeral after the Introduction. However, starting with the Introduction, content is laid out in consecutively-numbered paragraphs without regard for changes in chapter or subchapter. For instance, the Introduction consists of paragraphs 1-15; Chapter XIV. Armored Combat Vehicles contains paragraphs 725-758, further broken down into three subchapters: Armored Cars, Tanks and Defense Against Armored Vehicles. The "About the Book" section in the back sums Truppenfuhrung up pretty well I think: "Rather than giving German military leaders a 'cookbook' on how to win battles, Truppenfuhrung offered instead a set of intellectual tools to be applied to complex and continually changing battle conditions." I got to thinking about Truppenfuhrung as Elvis and JonS completed their AAR and we began commenting on it. Below are just a few references pulled from the book in regards to certain stages or areas of the AAR battle. See if you can match the following paragraphs to the AAR (subchapters in bold) : Conduct of the Defense "456. Advanced positions prevent the attacher from early occupation of commanding ground forward of the outposts. (Advanced positions essentially were a second outpost line in front of the main outpost line) Advanced positions should be sufficiently equipped with heavy mgs, AT weapons, and light artillery batteries. The advanced positions should not be exposed to defeat in detail. They must be withdrawn in adequate time." "457. The combat outpost line can be weak as long as advanced positions are forward of it and in terrain easily observed in daylight." "Small, deliberate, limited objective attacks launched under the cover of the combat outposts can disrupt the enemy's attack preparations and produce important information." Combat in Woods "559. Combat within and for wooded areas can influence significantly the course of an engagement." "Commanders can easily lose control of their units. In the forward lines commanders only control their immediate proximity. Limited observation and the pressure and increased tension of close combat lead to confusion for both friendly and enemy forces." "563. Immediately after entering deep woods, units are assembled and reorganized if necessary." "Columns, rather than skirmish lines, are generally the best formations for advancing through woods." "564. In general, defensive positions should not be established at the edge of a wooded area. They should be established either well in front of or deep in the woods. If positioned deep, the combat outposts should be advanced to the edge of the woods." That's just a small sampling of applicable paragraphs. The book also has a nice appendix with German Inf and Arm org charts, contents of the US Army FM 100-5 (heavily derived from Truppenfuhrung) and German Generals' analysis of the FM 100-5. Hope this gets you guys motivated to do some research yourself. Please feel free to pile-on and post links to other good reference material!

Umm... yeah- I'd say that'd be a game-breaker for me too. Sort of takes you right out of your comfort zone, eh?

Careful guys, you'll make me blow my yearly forum post quota! I have had a couple close calls with losing my original member number 238. The scariest had to be last fall when Steve threatened to yank it for me saying "sumfink" instead of the CM olde ones-proper "somefink". I tried to tell him it was my posts-to-years ratio (read forgetfulness) at work, but he wasn't buying it! Steve can be such a hardarse at times... ya know?

Hey, quit scaring the kids Nidan1, it's not time for Friday fright night yet! And Joe... how many times do we have to tell you? Chew with your mouth shut!!

Hopefully we will see some nice bunkers for all those off-the-beach areas. You know, made out of trees and other cobbled together "stuff". Would be much more prevalent than a pillbox would IMO- scenario constraints notwithstanding of course!

At long last... the inaugural Normandy Peng Challenge. Figured you pudknockers could use a injection of new olde blood. **sniff, sniff** Yes, yes, this joint can definitely use a makeover... or at least a thick layer of makeup. Well ladies- how they hangin'? - and by the way Boo, just who the heck told you "we" were all "pleased as punch"?! You wouldn't know a pleasing punch if it bit you on the arse... twice. Thank God Joe is around, I think this place will require his services as CessPool Drain Commissioner soon, mark my words. I'm keepin' my good eye on the lot of you miserable wankers, not that you deserve it.

Hey, I know... how about you guys doing something novel for a change and move on? This operations teeth-gnashing that happens everytime some long-lost poster brings it up and precipitates all you drum-beaters to pull your heads out of the sand and come calling has long since grown old... and become truly obnoxious. Care to wonder why guys in this 'club' get snippy replies from the likes of BFC's beta testers and the majority of members like myself? Because we are beyond tired of hearing the hue and cry for a feature that according to the owners has no chance of returning to the series- along with all the other assorted teeth-gnashing issues we have been hearing about since 1999. It might surprise some of you to learn that I find the feel that operations gave CM a great one, and would welcome their return. But it's not happening, period. So, I decided that this particular battle was lost and to put all that baggage in the attic and move on. These boards are strewn with the flotsam of ill-tempered and obsessive folks who can't seem to let issues drop. For them the glass is always half-empty because they aren't getting their way. Their attitude is what ends up making the rest of us crazy after over ten years of listening to this nonsense. For the rest of us, there was a nice size bone Steve gave out concerning expansion of the existing campaigns. Heck, if some of the things said happen I think it will actually end up better than anything the old ops system was capable of representing. You know, every once in a while a person gets rewarded for having a little faith in someone. Charles managed to find a way to make trenches and other fortifications work within the confines of CMx2, maybe... just maybe he and Steve can refine the current campaigns and pull another rabbit out of their collective hats. But part of that "faith" in them is acknowledging that when they officially say something is no longer a viable course, then we as their customers need to move on with them instead of brow-beating BFC about what "could have been if only"... As I said in my reply to the '09 Holiday Bones, Norman Style thread here, have a bit of respect. Along with some faith in BFC it will go a long way towards them achieving excellence with Combat Mission now and in the future.

@ JonS **smack** "Ted one!!"

See... I told you guys they'd start surfacing like Trident subs after a long artic patrol!:cool:

On a brighter note Gibby, my fondest memory in the Navy was when USS Enterprise visited Fremantle in May(?) of '86 . Not sure how you east coast Aussies feel about them but I found the Perth natives very welcoming and overall I rate the Australian people the friendliest in all my travels. Well, the winter weather wasn't so great, but otherwise we had a blast! Just don't try to drink with any of them and keep up... you will lose.

April isn't really all that far away guys- particularly if you are trying to finish up all the last minute items on your program punch list. We are past the midpoint in January already, before you know it February will be gone, March madness will ensue and spring training will be starting (in the states at least). Hell, I still have a hard time believing 2010 has come and gone so quickly. Of course, being 46 tends to accelerate my internal clock somewhat, so your mileage may vary... just sayin'

What Steve means scottie is that under CMx1 it was nigh impossible to have orderly "cover and move" retreats (or advances for that matter) as JonS has described. The old CMx1 "grid" was too large (20x20 Steve?) combined with the spotting system to allow such manuevering without producing a high number of what we players would term "stupid" outcomes... i.e., (no, no, no idiots!! Not THAT way!! aww shi..) otherwise known as outliers on a probability curve. Or somefink.

I seem to remember that there was a certain... someone(s) here at the time that enjoyed poking Fionn with a sharp stick all the time? Not that he didn't deserve it once in a while.