GilaMonster

I'm looking for opinions here from the more grognardious among us. I recently ran an M3A1 Scout Car up a road on Turn One with orders plotted to carry it well into and out of the enemy side of the map. The scout came upon at least one enemy platoon making a first turn dash towards the VL. The M2 began firing as the vehicle continued along the ordered path at "fast" speed. My opponent tells me that a dozen guys were taken out by the .50 cal by the end of the turn. This doesn't seem right to me for the following reasons: 1) The vehicle was moving fast over a rural dirt road and later off the road. (Bumpy?) 2) The enemy was running when first sighted. 3) Due to fog, general visibility was only two hundred meters. It seems to me that a gunner bouncing along a dirt road at 40+ mph who first sights running enemy infantry at less than 200 meters would not have a great deal of time to react to his discovery. He might get off a few bursts as the vehicle speeds along, but would his fire be accurate enough to incapacitate a dozen running men? Also worth noting is the fact that the casualties were not from just one target. In less than 30 seconds he fired on several enemy squads as new ones came into view and earlier contacts were lost from sight. The gunner went from target to target very quickly and with excellent accuracy while moving fast on a rural dirt road. Imagine what damage I could have done if I had sent two M3A1 Scouts up that road. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Smoker

NoNonoooooo Gila

I played the original version of Elsdorf and lost 2 Challengers (?), 2 Shermans, and 2 Priests on the turn of arrival of the German reinforcements. I couldn't believe it. They appeared right behind me. It was over right then and there. ------------------ Gilamonster

A very interesting thread. I have nothing constructive to add but to say that I would probably enjoy the game even more if the vehicle crews were done away with altogether. I know nothing of modeling realism of the WWII battlefield. I just think it would be a funner game to play if the crews were removed. They are just too distracting to the tanks, etc.. Gila

Hi guys! I searched for awhile but couldn't find the answer to this question: Is a knocked out jeep worth just as many victory points as a knocked out Sherman? The end game summary leaves me with the feeling that a vehicle is a vehicle and only the number, not the type, matters. Thanks, Gila

This was my M3A1 scout car that did the above. Like Ash, I've come to love fast vehicles, especially around turretless stuff on open maps. They can literally run circles around them, keeping them buttoned and in general wreaking havoc in the enemy rear (taking out light armor and such). Even if the .50 cals are toned down a little they will be my favorite. I just hope that aggressive use of these vehicles is not considered gamey. When used aggressively they do remind me of "Rat Patrol" however. On the other hand, imagine trying to bring a gun to bear on a fast moving vehicle while you're buttoned up in your turretless, slow vehicle. Not easy I'll bet. Gilamonster out.

You have to HIT the Sherman before the shrecks will do any damage. Then I'm sure the Sherman will die. Gila

I think I heard that on "Platoon". Anyway, which would you rather have, 2 platoons of Vets or 3 platoons of Regulars? That's about the way it works out on the points. I'll take the vets any day. Gilamonster

Thanks for all the responses. They were pretty much frontal shots. I had my understanding of AT stuff wrong. I now understand that RANGE has no effect on the penetration ability of zooks, but armor thickness does. That explains everything. Thanks again fellas! Gilamonster

I HIT a Tiger 4 times with two different bazooka teams and did zero damage. I thought armor thickness was not a big issue with bazookas, shrecks, and fausts. Did I have extremely bad luck or are Tigers just that tough? Shrecks seem to have no problem with Shermans. Gilamonster

It sounds excellent! I'd like to give it a shot. ------------------ Gilamonster

This is a very interesting topic. Having just started to do PBEM I do not wish to get "blacklisted" for poor etiquette. I'm mostly concerned about the force selection aspect of Quick Battles since I haven't the foggiest what is historical or not. I've been just spending the points any way the computer will allow me to. I also don't see the problem with brave, highly motivated jeep and AT teams working together to get close enough to a tank to nail it. I would suspect if the troops are less than veterans it probably wouldn't work. I haven't tried it yet. It seems to me that foolhardy maneuvers don't pay off in CM too well. I'm just an old man having fun so watch out for highly mobile panzershrecks if you play me. I like the concept. ------------------ Gilamonster

I turned 71 this past D-Day. My son got me set up with a computer a few months ago since I was getting bored. He says I have a "great rig" for computer games. Retirement has taken on a whole new meaning since I got hooked on CM. ------------------ Gilamonster

Here's a good one I saw. A Sherman gets taken out by an AT team on the second floor of a very nearby building. The two surviving veteran tankers run to that very building. After several minutes, when the crew was "OK" again, I sent them up the stairs to get revenge with their pistols. When the Schreck team saw the pistol wielding duo they pivoted their schreck towards them. That was all they did before dying. Sweet revenge for the tankers, and a panzerschreck as a souvenir. ------------------ Gilamonster

Thanks for the link, Horrido. Now I know what they look like. Gila

Horrido, I've always loved the Southwest. I guess it's the nice dry weather. I especially like the high desert areas. I've never seen a gilamonster before. How big are they? I was just trying to think of something original for my AOL screen name. I never did. Notice my Email address is Gilamonster5. Four others must have beat me to the name. ------------------ Gilamonster

Whoooaaaaaa!!!!! It seems lots of commanders want to take on the old man. I've got about a dozen Emails, most with turns attached. I've got all I can handle right now. If you don't get a response from me by 1900 hrs. Central Time tonight, you were too late. Thanks anyway fellas. Isn't this game great! ------------------ Gilamonster

I've finally gotten to the point where I can usually achieve a minor victory against the computer. Somehow I even managed a Total Victory in "Fear In The Fog". I suspect I was very lucky. Anyway, I'd sure like to try this game against a human. I'd like to do either a Quick Battle or Wild Bill's "Relieving the Rangers", which I haven't played yet, and is said to be very well balanced for two humans. I'm retired so I'll be able to keep things moving along. I do spend quite a bit of time pondering my turns, up to 45 minutes sometimes, so you probably won't want to sit around waiting for my stuff. I can play all day and half the night however, so you can expect a steady flow. If you can only play a turn or two per day that is fine too. I'm in no hurry. Your skill level does not matter to me either. If you are very good then I will learn a great deal as I fight and die with honor on the field of battle. If you consider a minor victory against the computer an accomplishment then we will likely have a real nailbiter. Oh, one more thing. I will play either side. Does anybody want to take on an old man? ------------------ Gilamonster

I've spent a great deal of time at GamesDomain and they do not give out Gold Awards lightly. This is a major accomplishment for BTS. It's time for me to order now. I've beaten VoT several times now anyway. ------------------ Gilamonster

I don't know anything about this TCP/IP stuff or computers in general for that matter, but I do enjoy taking my time while moving. The way I figure it is that I'm making the decisions for several platoon leaders, squad leaders, and company commanders. This takes time. I think 10-15 minutes per move is realistic especially since it takes me awhile to maneuver the camera for the "soldier's eye view". ------------------ Gilamonster

I've been studying internet speak since I keep running into it. How's this fellas: FYI, and FWIW, IIRC this is internet speak. Very convenient IMO. LOL Oh, one more new trick: ------------------ Gilamonster

Thank you all for the very warm welcome! It appears I will be enjoying the forum as much as the game. I got whipped again last night, but I'm catching on. I spent a great deal of time last night and early this morning just reading this forum. One of many things I learned is that the game is only available at this website. Is it REALLY safe to toss out credit card numbers over the internet? Has anybody here ever had a bad experience doing that? Somebody mentioned "Sudden Strike" earlier. I'll pass on that one since it is an RTS game. I learned about those games a few days ago when my grandson brought "Starcraft" over to show me. It looked like it might be fun but I'm not that nimble any more. With Combat Mission I don't have to hurry and I love being able to replay the combat phase over and over so I can figure out what my men are dealing with. Of course, multiple replays haven't helped me too much yet, but I did a little better the second game. Maybe I should have bought a dumber computer. Now it's time for game 3. Thanks again for the warm welcome. ------------------ Gilamonster

No WWII experience here. I was celebrating my 15th birthday on D-Day. I was in the Navy from 1948-1952 behind a desk for the most part. ------------------ Gilamonster

I've resisted computers for many years, but I don't get around too well anymore and I need something to do. The boob tube (TV)is mindless and I've never been much of a reader. I've always liked the old Avalon Hill wargames so I've been poking around the internet for computer wargames. My son says anything can be found on the internet. So far it seems he's right. Thanks for the tip on the search feature. A handy thing it is. I get more amazed at these computers every day. ------------------ Gilamonster

Wow! So this is the sort of thing I can find on the Internet. I should have done this years ago when my son first suggested it. I downloaded and spent a couple hours with the demo. This old man feels like a kid again. Such fun even though I got wiped out. This is the busiest forum I've run across so far, although I haven't seen many. Are any of you guys over 70? I'm curious about the age group that gets a kick out of this game. ------------------ Gilamonster