Quantity or Quality?

[Portero]

I just created a CMBO scenario to test whether quality or quantity is better. I pitted an elite German platoon against an entire American Company with green troops regular HQs. I played it once as the Germans and my single platoon practically wiped out the whole American company. Then I played the same scenario over again and was summarily and decisively destroyed to the last man by that same American company who almost suffered no losses this time. I usually play with the highest quality troops, but it seems as though quantity is equally effective. Does anyone prefer quantity over quality or vice versa?

[BigDork]

I personally go for a little of both. I never pick green or :shudder: conscripts. But also I never pick crack or elite either. With green and conscript they break to easily and just aren't worth it IMO. Elite and Crack just don't give you enough units. I usually buy regular with a smattering of veterans mixed in.

Of course I'm sure others do it completely different but hey, that's why this is a cool game.

[Sergei]

Can't say there's just one way I choose my forces, but having lots of men appeal better to me. I have more people to control, which allows me to have reserves, secure my flanks, etc. And losing a couple of men isn't that critical.

The bad side is that it tends to cause such unit densities where enemy artillery is very effective, especially as green troops are hard to handle under fire.

[JasonC]

In CMBO I found greens worked fine. You had to handle them a little different, but they could often outlast higher quality enemies, running them out of ammo and manpower, while rallying through the effects of enemy fire if just given enough time.

In CMBB breakage is less forgiving, I find. (The issue is that all infantry pins under fire more easily in CMBB. That can paralyze lesser troops). Greens are marginal, regulars a lot better. Conscripts are something of a nightmare.

[ August 24, 2003, 04:31 PM: Message edited by: JasonC ]

[JasonC]

I agree that heavy arty is a good counter to high quality infantry. (Fewer men does mean less concentration in thin cover maps, on the other side of that one). But it is much harder to come by and use well in CMBB than it was in CMBO. Defenders aren't as hamstrung by inability to move across open ground as attackers are, that is true. They still need to be up to fire, rather than suppressed.

Overall, the increased sensitivity of infantry to all kinds of fire, and the decreased responsiveness of arty, have made the "go green" approach much less effective in CMBB than it sometimes was in CMBO. I still sometimes use low quality Russians - as much for the cheaper conscript arty as the cheaper green infantry - but largely for realism reasons, not victory optimization.

[Joachim]

I like to have some cheapo green mixed with regulars and vets. If you get some bonus HQs (eg Coy HQ), the green will be worth every point spent.

Battle plans are made from what is at hand. If a task in my plan (feints, mopping up, scouting flank areas, holding captured flags in an attack, presenting targets to the enemy) does not need vets, why use them?

Like Jason said, conscript is good for spotters - esp. for fireplans or TRPs.

8 Romanian conscripts spotters (75 to 105mm), a TRP, an open map with only a few patches of trees.

An AI "human wave" pincer with 1500 Soviet grunts and several tanks on my non existant right flank. Three turns later there were several tanks and about 250 broken men left. Why buy elite?

Gruß

Joachim

[Matthias]

well personally i would rather take vets and cracks over greens any day...u get less...but they are more forgiving for bad commands...also their going to out last greens in a fire fight...u might get less overall firepower....but their going to keep firing while still taking fire...something greens won't do. so u get more firepower when it counts. that and i am a bit of a elitest....

[Matthias]

[ August 25, 2003, 12:10 PM: Message edited by: Matthias ]

[Bruceov]

Quantity is a quality all its own. I always use regulars and a lot of t34s when I play Russian

[Louie the Toad]

I prefer greys myself. Very sneaky, quiet, hard to spot, here and gone in a flash. What's even better is that those that spot them usually become casualties to battle fatigue.

Area 51 .... Toad

[Portero]

Thanks everyone, it appears that there definately is no consensus on the subject. Guess whatever works best is the path to take!

[Code13]

Greens are fine when defending and not having to move anywhere.

As soon as you start wanting to give them orders is when things turn into a nightmare.

Conscipt T34 having lost its commander, taking over a minute to respond to an order. Sorry, but its beeing kiled 6 times over by the regular pz4 crew over there that, incidentally, the green/conscript crew never even spotted.

If I get anything less than regular troops it is because they are defending and I dont care if they die.

[GRUMLIN]

But I have run packs of conscript t34s against tiger platoons and won...as long as you give them a long enough run, some of them get those all important flank and rear shots.....

G