"The System" -- Would it work IRL?

[Simon Fox]

I don't think this sort of force structure is necessarily ahistorical apart from the puppchens and PAWs that is. Certainly less so than a lot of armour. What is ahistorical is the level of success it acheives in circumstances where it shouldn't, which seems to arise from some limitations in modelling as pointed out by others. Do the users restrict themselves to certain types of battles? It seems to me that it should be limited.

I must admit I have only encountered a form of it once and I didn't recognise it as "gamey" at the time. Maybe that's because I won, hehe.

------------------

"Stand to your glasses steady,

This world is a world of lies,

Here's a toast to the dead already,

And here's to the next man to die."

-hymn of the "Double Reds"

[Guest Pillar]

Ok, we've pretty much nailed some issues now (as I'd hoped we would) that certainly qualify the "system" as deriving a vast majority of it's success from game deficiencies. Now the next question of course, in particular regards to the things Thermopylae brought up, is how can it be fixed?

In light of this issue is BTS going to take another look at the game mechanics (MG's, target rich environments, etc.)?

Thanks for the input everyone.

[This message has been edited by Pillar (edited 03-27-2001).]

[Steve McClaire]

I don't play on TH, so I don't know the full details under which 'The System' is put into affect. Do they only play meeting engagements?

I have read an account of the US army encountering a massed German VG attack during the Bulge (3rd/395th of the 99th Infantry at Hofen). Despite open ground and well-dug in Americans, the Germans were able to get right into the forward companies' positions. The American COs answer was to call in a "5 minute concentration" of 105mm artillery fire, right on their position. Yes, right on their own men. Now the Americans were well dug in, so they didn't suffer many casualties from the barrage (if any -- no note of friendly fire casualties was given, but total US casualties for the battle was about 20, as I recall). But the German attack was broken.

Granted, you're going to take a lot more friendly fire casualties with this tactic in an ME, but at least you have a few squads to keep the mass of Volksgrenadiers in one position long enough to eat artillery.

[aka_tom_w]

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