A few questions on etiquette...

[Bradley Dick]

When choosing forces, is there a generally hated mixture that I should avoid to keep from being too cheesy? For example, Wargame: European Escalation has players that will pick all artillery and helicopter loadouts to spam the countryside with 155 rounds. It's a dick move, usually. What's the Combat Mission equivalent?

Is there ever a point when being appropriately aggressive veers into evil curb stomping or do we have the surrender/ceasefire options for that?

What are some rules that everyone can generally agree on?

[Rocky Balboa]

First rule of etiquette is, if someone plays like a dick then don't play them again.

I don't suppose there is anything preventing a player from choosing all artillery or a battalion of jeeps but like I said rule one does apply and you can always establish the ground rules before hand.

I don't think you will run into too much of this kind of thing with this community as the maturity level is probably higher than most unless of course you slip into the cesspool which is Peng and then all best are off.

[Ranger33]

More than one Tiger/KT is too much for all the but the largest engagements IMO, but that is up to you and your opponent.

Artillery on setup zones is generally a no-no for most QBs.

Generally picking your forces as something semi-realistic is best. Example: A core force of infantry, with a few tanks and support elements added on. Not an all tank force on a map with a town or something like that.

I have yet to play anyone who disagreed with any of those or did anything cheesy.

[skogtroll]

I think for German player the best is force composition like in Company of Heroes Carentan episode . Scene after assaulting the town. A few halftracks, stug, SP gun perhaps armored car and of course many infantrymen.

[c3k]

Artillery on setup zones is generally a no-no for most QBs.

I adhere to this, whether a QB, a battle and whether it's H2H or vs. AI. Receiving arty fire on my setup zone - particularly if it's out of LOS, such as being in a declavity - leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

The exception is if the defender sets up in the midst of his defended locality. E.g., if he's defending a town, then, sure, I can bombard the town.

Meeting engagements, or defending against an entering opponent are what I'm speaking of.

Ken

[Vanir Ausf B]

US rockets are frowned upon due to the ridiculous price that BFC will not even consider changing.

[womble]

Talk to your opponent beforehand. It's always best to agree limitations before getting into anything that you'll be spending time on.

[Pak40]

I agree about the artillery in the setup zones. Don't target the setup zones during the setup phase(vs an attacker). Some might even consider targeting the SZ after the setup phase a dick move, however it's going to take several minutes for rounds to fall after the setup phase and the attacker should have generally vacated the setup zone by that point. But I suppose this depends on the map.

[skogtroll]

I think for German player the best is force composition like in Company of Heroes Carentan episode . Scene after assaulting the town. A few halftracks, stug, SP gun perhaps armored car and of course many infantrymen.

I mean Band of Brothers:P.

[dpabrams]

Here are some ground rules ironed between me and numerous opponents:

Tanks, assault guns, armored cars and tank Destroyers must be purchased in at least pairs of the same type (example: one Panther A and one Panther D or one M4A3 and one M4). Firefly’s count as an M4 for this purpose and may also be paired with a Cromwell IV and VII.

Defenders cannot pre-bombard but may purchase target reference points

Attackers may pre-bombard

Rocket artillery is forbidden

Mines and roadblocks must be declared as in use by the defender

Players should call for a ceasefire when it is clear that victory objective cannot be taken or defended and that a reasonable commander would withdrawal. Taking excessive casualties or attacking when the majority your forces are broken, panicked or shaken is unrealistic.

[Vanir Ausf B]

Sounds reasonable to me.

Rocket artillery is forbidden

For both sides or just US? German rockets are actually very expensive (which makes the US prices all the more perplexing).

[dpabrams]

For both sides or just US? German rockets are actually very expensive (which makes the US prices all the more perplexing).

In general Rocket Artillery but these are house rules and always subject to change. I would see no problem with German rockets but the US rockets are just cheesy,

[Ryujin]

Mines and roadblocks must be declared as in use by the defender

That kind of defeats the point.... although I guess you could always buy a bare minimum of mines just so you can say they are in play and mess with them.

Only takes one sign to make a minefield

[Bradley Dick]

Players should call for a ceasefire when it is clear that victory objective cannot be taken or defended and that a reasonable commander would withdrawal. Taking excessive casualties or attacking when the majority your forces are broken, panicked or shaken is unrealistic.

I was playing Gogol the other day and he ended up with a mess of armored cars when my fiercest anti-tank weaponry happened to be mortars. Once the HE was out, I surrendered. There was no point to it. He held the objectives and had the approaches covered. My best hope would have been a smokey charge into grenade range under intense rifle fire to hopefully disable or immobilize some of his vehicles.

I threw in the towel. It just seemed like the thing to do.

[dpabrams]

That kind of defeats the point....

The idea is no one wants to attack a large map with mines and roadblocks and have a mere 30-45 minutes.

[Sakai007]

I don't use any house rules except the no bombarding setup zones. Now, do I always choose a realistic force? I try to, and unless the AI is selecting troops my opponent does as well. I had great fun playing a ranked match at FGM against PoorOldSpike when the AI selected both forces. I got an HQ in an M3, plus a few M4s and a single M4105. I won, but only when my HQ attacked his Panther at point bank range with grenades after using all their zook rounds. A fun PBEM match does not a historical matchup make!!

[Bradley Dick]

I find that I'm letting the "Suggestions" button pick the base of my forces and then I trim or augment them to my liking. It usually picks a nice healthy mix of armor and infantry without being too gamey.

[CM1fan]

I find that I'm letting the "Suggestions" button pick the base of my forces and then I trim or augment them to my liking. It usually picks a nice healthy mix of armor and infantry without being too gamey.

My experience doesn't match yours. I find the AI purchasing too many AFVs and too few infantry. I still hit the "Suggestions" button, but I seldom hold onto much of the AI's selections.

By the way, although the Infantry choice is always highlighted when the selection screen comes up, many of the available units to select are armored or motorized. As there are Mechanized and Armored choices, why aren't the lists of available units specialized accordingly.

[Agua]

There used to be a set of rules which were designed for balance by a guy named Fionn Kelly. They were known as "Fionn's Rules". He had a varient called "Panther/76" rules as well. These placed limits on armour and artillery which varied dependent upon the size of the scenario. They worked very, very well on the whole.

Scipio also devised a set of balance rules, but I don't believe I've used them unless it was in one game I had with him (game might have been before he published the rules).

[Sgt Schultz]

http://www.axad75.dsl.pipex.com/Wargaming/CM/Finished/2002-CBMO-Tournament/Fionn-Kellys-CM-Armor-Rules.htm

[Bradley Dick]

My experience doesn't match yours. I find the AI purchasing too many AFVs and too few infantry. I still hit the "Suggestions" button, but I seldom hold onto much of the AI's selections.

If you keep hitting it, it will scroll through different configurations until you get one that's not too armor heavy. Then you can work from there. I definitely have been guilty of going too heavy on the Armor once or twice but I'm trying to correct those habits.

[dieseltaylor]

Mines and roadblocks must be declared as in use by the defender

I think you are better to cut the kind of player who takes these things to excess. But to demand they are revealed as in use ahead of the attack as a condition of playing seems pretty unfair on the defence. And may be off-putting to potential opponents.

As for the rocket cost for the Allies I am just now reading a book that covers LCT[R] and the crews were told the 1000 rockets per launch were the equivalent to the firepower of 100 destroyers! Of course with less congestion using the adapted landing craft. : )

The rarity factor of LCT[R]'s I have not established but probably a beta-tester can confirm why the rocket cost seem so cheap.

[dpabrams]

I think you are better to cut the kind of player who takes these things to excess. But to demand they are revealed as in use ahead of the attack as a condition of playing seems pretty unfair on the defence. And may be off-putting to potential opponents.

The problem with mines is they cannot be disposed of. They have to be located and marked, which takes time and additional assets. In my experience and I have played a lot of PBEM games, players tend to avoid mines by agreement as a general rule.

[Vanir Ausf B]

I have not established but probably a beta-tester can confirm why the rocket cost seem so cheap.

I doubt that. I'm not sure even BFC knows. I do know that they really don't care.

[JonS]

The rarity factor of LCT[R]'s I have not established

Are there LCT® in CMBN?