SC2 - Engineer Units Build Fortifications

[Edwin P.]

Both sides in WWII heavily fortified certain areas of Terrain. The French with their Maginot Line and the Axis built the Siegfried Line(is that right?) to hold back an Allied invasion through the Rhine.

To allow for this I propose a new type of Unit: Engineers. Max Corps Level Strength of 5.

Engineer units could build a fort in the hex they start a turn in. It would take all of their movement points to to increase the entrenchment rating of a hex by 1. The entrenchment rating could be increased by 2 in 1 turn for a cost of 30MPPs. The extra entrenchment rating for a hex would be destroyed if an enemy unit entered the hex.

Thus the player can increase the entrenchment level of a hex by 2 in 2 turns for free, or in 1 turn by spending 30MPPS (reflecting the use of additional resources to build fortifications) if an engineer unit is used.

Engineer units could increase the maximum entrenchment rating of any hex up to 6.

Restricting the building of Fortifications to Engineer units would place a realistic limit on the number of hexes that could be fortified and give both players another option in planning their defensive strategy.

The Russian player may decide to fortify hexes behind rivers or city hexes to increase his ability to resist the Axis assault. However, this would take time, both to build the entrenchments and then to position a unit in the hex to take advantage of it.

It would also allow the Axis player to follow a more historical defensive strategy on the western front and build a defensive wall along the Rhine to hold back any allied invasion.

[John DiFool]

I remember Hubert commenting on this. He said

something about forts making things too defensive

(and some argue that things are TOO defensively-

oriented as it is). In CoS, which does have

engineers, I once made a "Fortress Germany"

during the 1944 scenario which turned out to be

impregnable (to the AI at least).

JD

[JerseyJohn]

Edwin P. Not a bad idea but I have to agree with JohnDiFool in that in COS the German and Soviet engineer units really killed the game.

I appreciate the fact that your suggestion is much reduced from the COS function, where in a single turn the engineer would build fortifications as strong as a Maginot Hex. Your idea would make the Atlantic Wall a real possibility. Still, it's pretty difficult invading as it is. The defensive increase should be combined with some offensive increase, especially with regard to amphibious assaults.

[ March 19, 2003, 07:50 PM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ]

[Edwin P.]

Forts can make things too defensive if they are too easy to build and use.

In my proposal only Engineers can build forts, but it takes time. To build a 4 strength fort can take up to 4 turns. Then you have to garrison the fort for an equal number of turns to take full adavantage of the fort. Forts are only effective if you can afford to pull a unit out of the front lines to garrison the fort.

So you have a choice, build an Engineer Unit that is useless in combat or build a Corps Unit. Each engineer unit is one less unit that can hold the front lines against the Axis or Allies. To use the fort you have to build another Corps or Army unit to Garrison it.

In reality, Germany did build a defensive line along the Western Front that stalled the Allied Offensive, but did not have the resources to fortify and man the large eastern front against Soviet forces.

[Edwin P.]

Question: Would it make sense to give the Attacker a bonus for Flank Attacks against all units, even units in forts.

Example - Attackers attacking from a hex to the rear of the initial attack would gain a +? Attack Strength Bonus. Would this bonus be realistic? What effects would this have on combat? Or if a unit is fortified should an attack from the rear reduce the entrenchment bonus by #?

[Night]

I brought this topic up a few months ago. It got shot down for various reasons but I would still love to see it and don't really see why it wouldn't work.