Sarge Saunders

HQ bonuses are modelled fine IMHO. But there are 2 caveats to this I think. 1) There seem to be far too many platoon HQs that have bonuses when chosen in a QB or the scenario default. It seems that there should be more plain "vanilla" officers. I have read many more accounts of WWII veterans complaining about officers than I have praising them. Given this I feel that commanders with bonuses at all should be 'slightly' rarer and thus their effect on the battle would be greater and perhaps more realistic. 2) If the HQ represents bonuses for the entire unit, then all that bonus should not be lost when the platoon HQ is KIA (expect morale perhaps). I guess what I mean is that there where many more Sargeants and other non-coms that possesed excellent tactical ability and could impart that onto soldiers within a CM scale battle. -Sarge

I have to say that I wish CM would have sustained fire options for MGs. We will all get to see what the MG improvements will be for CM:BB will be. This is one of my pet peeves about MGs currently.....and I know I am not alone. Now back to the original topic.... :cool:

Just to add my observations to the mix: My experience shows that a moral bonus HQ will make troops not only more resistant to breaking and panic, but also will rally troops faster. Somehow I get the "feeling" that command bonuses also help rally troops faster...but no evidence to back that one up. (It would make sense though.) One of the BIGGEST HQ influences on the battle that I have found is pairing Zook/Schrek/PIAT teams with a +1 or +2 combat HQ. The difference is night and day between them and non bonus HQs or out of C and C teams. This does not relate to a firepower boost as such. But it means these AT teams will be much more likely to hit what the shoot at even at longer ranges. With repect to bonus variance, my experience has been that HQs with no bonuses at all are extremely rare regardless of green/reg/vet etc. This includes stock soldiers (un-edited) in scenarios and also QBs. These guys are worthless in battle and their troops should be given to the next available higher HQ period. But I feel these type of platoon HQs should be more common on the CM battlefield especially for regular and green troops and maybe for June 1944 Americans too. I mean where exactly did all these LTs get their bravery and command under fire abilities that early anyway? Not all from training I suspect. Given the rarity of plain "vanilla" HQs it detracts from the special nature of bonus officers. If more HQs where ordinary then guys with +1 and especially +2 anything will make a larger and perhaps more realistic impact on the battle. -Sarge

Ahhh....Kind. I shall hit that sucker for sure. -Sarge

oops double post [ April 29, 2002, 02:34 PM: Message edited by: Sarge Saunders ]

Hey all, Married with a 2 1/2 year old daughter. My webmaster job is all "work from home" and it is awesome. Unfortunately this means a 60 hour work week at times....but at least my paychecks still show up in my account every 2 weeks. And it is often that I need to go down to the basement to "update" my website....er I mean do my CM turn. I remember the olden days when I would spend hours with Panzer General in my tiny apartment to the detriment of my college school work. Drinking beer, smoking...errr....uhhh....tobacco, but not inhaling. So now it has come down to 4 current PBEMs. 3 at least one turns a day (more on weekends sometimes) and 1 is just "whenever I can". I would love to have just 2 PBEMs so I can really take some time with my tactix. But all my PBEM buddies are nice guys and fun to play against so I've been doing the same opponents for months now. Cheers, Sarge [ April 29, 2002, 02:34 PM: Message edited by: Sarge Saunders ]

I will review Meeting as soon as I finish it. Right in the thick of things now though. I believe it is turn 18 and the score is 57 - 43 in my favor. I must advance but without any flags to compensate I find myself wondering.....is it worth it? Do I feel lucky today?? -Sarge

As Agua mentioned, "Meeting" is good for PBEM. I am playing it now....but be aware that there are no flags which is fairly interesting. This means that victory points are only calculated by casualties and such. I reviewed "Forest Dwellers" and recommend it. Good balance and nice map IMHO. Also, I helped Biltong playtest "Wrong End" and it is good for PBEM if you like a scenario that has lots of decisions and small battles within a larger map. I believe "Flag Rush Hill" is also available at the depot and it was one of the more "unique" scenarios in Wild Bill's ROW tourney. WBW did not write it though. No comments on this one except that I played it and it is really "unique"......and IMHO tough for allies. All the above are meeting engagement. My $0.02! -Sarge

Yeah Gpig. The battalion CP was not overrun as far as I know. I gotta watch what I say with all those historians floating around the forum. Anyway, about the ambush: My first thought was to have the ambush start on turn 1. That means turn 1 is where Winters has the sentry (maybe a green sniper) in sight. This would give both the human player and the AI zero time to react. But since you want to simulate the patrol first, the exhausted idea might work. Thing with exhausted is that I don't think units can move at all. IIRC If this is true then they can't be routed to run away so maybe that won't work. hmmmm....OK if they are conscripts (not unlikely IRL) and they are weary then they will be extremely slow to react, even for a human player. Probably take 90 seconds just to get in the direction of the attacking paratroopers and will rout about as easy as in real life. At any rate. You may want a second opinion and if so, feel free to e-mail me the scenario. I haven't got time for a thorough playtesting, but I'd enjoy taking a look at it. My e-mail is in my profile. Sarge [edited to say that I've got nothing against Ambrose as a historical source but his book is limited to Easy companies contribution that day. A larger battalion engagement should include bits of info one may find in other sources.....or just make up the rest and call it a semi-historical scenario. Fine by me!] [edited again cause I saw your profile. Pixar rocks! My 2 year old daughter LOVES pixar DVDs. Been watching the likes of "Bug's Life" since darn near day one. Can't tell ya how may quiet moments it has given me to play CM. ] [ April 25, 2002, 10:13 PM: Message edited by: Sarge Saunders ]

Gpig, That sounds pretty cool. Don't forget that both sides had artillery in the 2 SS coy fight. The Paratroopers called in the motherload on them SS chaps and IIRC the axis side had some TRPs up at the crossroads. Come to think of it, it really calls for a larger map because another SS force overran 2nd battalion CP. I think that is why Winters was promoted afterwards to acting Battalion CO. Maybe you could have a largish map and show the bigger picture of 2 battalions going at it. This would make it even more important for the 2 SS coy ambush to be successful. Now to make the ambush work without the other player reacting in advance would be to make the troops exhausted. They were, after all, resting up to make the final push.... The Ambrose book / movie is probably not the best source for historical accuracy and it does not give much info about the larger battalion engagement but it is a good starting point. Interesting stuff... Cheers, Sarge

Hey Moonpie. There are 2 more called "Band 0f Brothers - D-Day" and "Band 0f Brothers - Foy" at scenario depot. The D-Day one is where they knock out a battery of axis 105s and is quite small and easy to win....but enjoyable. Just do what they did in the series and you will do fine. The other "Foy" is the attack on Foy where "Foxhole" Norman loses his composure and Speirs takes over E Coy. I can't remember much about the scenario, but I think it may be very tough to win. My favorite encounter in the Book / Series was the attack on 2 SS coys in Holland where Winters rushes up and shoots the sentry then followed by a platoon of troopers to shoot up them SS like sitting ducks. I don't think a scenario has been built to model this one. If it were the results would be different from Real Life I'm sure due to lack of axis surprise....maybe against the AI it could work. Cheers, Sarge

I encourage you to do more than skim it....read it all! :cool: Great book BTW. I especially enjoyed the Bake (sic) encounters. They seemed more detailed to me. Boy would I really love to have one of them 88 SP AT guns in my backyard! Cheers, Sarge [edited because I'm sure I got the name wrong and mixed up the kind of tank he drove but it's late and has been a long day.....] [ April 09, 2002, 12:03 AM: Message edited by: Sarge Saunders ]

CombinedArms, Yes! "Forest Dwellers" is a good one. We just played it last game and I lost as Axis. Very cool map and a good OOB. I gave it high reviews at the Scenario Depot, but so far no else has reviewed it. Quite balanced really (except that Allies have an inherent advantage with Rate of Fire). You should play it against a human for the best matchup. I believe the author (Chris Hare) has some other two-player scenarios. After "Forest Dwellers" I tried his "Over Hill, Over Dale" and was less satisfied from a balance perspective. That one is heavier in Armor though... THX! -Sarge

Thanks Panther G, I got it. Anyone else know of an infantry heavy ME scenario?

**Bump** C'mon gentlemen. Anyone have the "Rocky Fields" scenario on their HD? Any other ideas welcome. THX

Hello All, Currently engaged in game number 8 against a very challenging opponent and looking for number 9. I have checked the Scenario Depot regularly, but I thought I'd post here for ideas. Criteria: - All infantry (no tanks) - If not all infantry, then mosty infantry or a scenario that infantry can win even when one side's tanks are smoldering. - Battalion sized (2500 + pts) - Meeting engagement prefered As these games are very competitive tactics-wise, I need a scenario that is balanced and play-tested with a historical OOB prefered. Also, I think "Rocky Fields" by Swamp would fit the bill nicely, but the link from the Scenario Depot does not work. Anyone who has this one please send it along. Please advise with any ideas, or e-mail me (from my profile). Thanks in advance! Cheers, Sarge

Wow that's tough....but in a way, the short LOS works to your advantage. It will be harder for the attacker to bring long range firepower to bear and also make any panzerschrecks you have more useful. In fact, with a reverse slope type defense (discussed in detail in other threads), the idea is to bring all your short range FP to bear on the attacker all at once and to eliminate the attackers ability to pound you from a distance. So this might fit the bill for that type of defense. Instead of a slope, you'll be hiding in and behind trees. Some other ideas are to set your guys up with foxholes on the MLR and immediately move many back to hold a large reaction force. The foxholes will be there when you want to rush back the the MLR and fight it out. Meanwhile, any HE he does prepare the VLs with will be missing you entirely.... I'm sure others will be along shortly with even better ideas. -Sarge [ March 27, 2002, 06:06 PM: Message edited by: Sarge Saunders ]

Well....someone ought to run some tests. Thing about arty is that if your men are kissing dirt (hiding/taking cover) then they will suffer fewer casualties. However, in open ground they are far more likely to stand up and run for cover thus taking more casualties.... OTOH, treebursts in woods/tall pines/scattered trees will do more damage than shrapnel will in the open regardless. That being said, I would never keep my men in the open while under any kind of fire at all. Get moving to some cover!

Redwolf has a point here. It would be a good tactic to always save 50 mortar rounds or so until closer to the end of game as a) global moral is lower then and by this time you pretty well know where your opponents troops are. Might be useful in counter-attacking to take back lost terrain at that point. Of course, this goes for almost any artillery, but 81mm especially because you start with so many rounds of ammo it is easier to save some. I haven't done extensive enough testing to know if 81mm treebursts more often than other arty or if treebursts are as likely in scattered trees as they are in woods. Treebursts do seem more likely in Tall Pines as one would think.... -Sarge

Smoke is a common use for 81mm FOs but if you want to cause caualties and all you have is the 81mm arty then I suggest the following: Keep the FO targeting likely avenues of approach for enemy infantry. Retarget as necessary until you have a good fire mission. They can be effective in certain circumstances. If the enemy is hiding in or especially moving through tall pine trees, the 81mm will produce horrendous treebursts and you will be satisfied with the results. Obviously if you catch the opponent in the open that helps too. Unlike heavier arty, it is best to use 81mm in conjunction with other forces. In other words (like JasonC said) it is good to use in close support of engaged infantry. As far as Stugs go....Keep them back. Area fire some as one might with artillery and such. Use your attached schrecks with each platoon to kill tanks if the terrain suits it. Maybe even consider attaching several schrecks to a +2 combat bonus platoon leader. They who have had no luck hitting with schrecks at range will be amazed at the difference when attached to a bonus HQ. [edited to clarify a point.] [ March 26, 2002, 04:25 PM: Message edited by: Sarge Saunders ]

TRL, **grin** I had hoped to get my comments in here before JasonC, whose detailed comments are borne from CM experience. Alas, listen to him if you don't want to have your force mauled badly. Nevertheless, here are some thoughts: Bridges and roads are quite open terrain and infantry will break and retreat while exposed to small arms fire in the crossing. Bravery and command bonuses help get your guys across the bridge. Also, plenty of smoke (~100 rounds 81mm)is the only way to get across the bridge. Infantry loaded onto HTs can help get guys across the bridge too (under smoke cover) but the HTs have a very short life expectancy under these conditions. Your supporting MGs and mortars won't have much to shoot at in preparaion for the crossing if your opponent hides in ambush mode (area fire only). Maybe they'll have something to shoot at on turn 2 of the crossing, but many infantry can be made to suffer in the first turn of a bridge crossing. Heavy artillery suppression before hand could help, but only at certain points where you think the enemy may be waiting..... ....Now this is all assuming you actually would be better off on the other side of the river. JasonC's point is that once across you'll have to expand the bridgehead immediately or face bunched up forces that are vulnerable to enemy artillery. If your opponent has any brain cells, then they will realize you are crossing in force and bring all their firepower to your current point (remember that the only withdraw available to you is now back across the bridge and open terrain). So, take a few turns to recon with a squad or two to spot enemy and possibly get some trigger happy grunt to shoot at you, thus revealing their position. Any known positions get heavy arty and lot's of smoke. Any supected positions get smoked. The bridge gets smoked heavily. The area past the bridge gets smoked heavily. Heavy and light arty strikes area fire just beyound where you'll have your forces once across the bridge. Do all of this before you even cross. After that....you may be dead anyway, but at least you will be across somewhat intact hopefully. Sarge Saunders [ March 26, 2002, 01:14 PM: Message edited by: Sarge Saunders ]

Bump Cool Link! -Sarge

**quote** C'mon guys, you can't say you never looked at a line of trees while driving along the highway and the trees were leading to a ditch, then to a row of hedges, to a collection of small houses and you thought to yourself "I'd position my mg in that spot and I'd work my men in this direction..." **unquote** Hehe. Yeah when driving I constantly observe "hull down" positions by the side of the road and amongst the fields. You know, driving through some hills and thinking "ooh, there's a good place for a defensive line!' CM is funny like that Cheers, Sarge

Johan, As soon as we finish tweaking our current Mix and Match, you can be assured of a review on the scenario depot from me. It started off troubling :eek: , but it is growing on me (maybe the fact that I am finally getting some armor kills ) Cheers, Sean "sarge saunders"

I end up getting one LMG almost every time. What else can you do with that extra 10 points left over? Besides that, if you want more punch buy motorized "Heer" squads instead of regular. They come 10 men instead of nine for two LMGs per squad. Makes for good troops. The idea of attaching extra LMGs to a "super-platoon" sounds good and reminds me of the American Paratrooper Platoon OOB in CMBO. They sport extra 3-man MMG teams (but tend to run out of ammo too soon). So be sure and buy infantry that carries the 2 LMGs and you'll have the firepower you want for a better price.