Irregular CMSF

[DavidFields]

It seems to me that bringing up Vietnam is unnecessary when discussing Blue's challenge in Afghanistan: the conflict is still too politically charged when it is discussed, its not like fighting irregular wars is a recent issue, and it is not as though the US, say, hasn't been on the other side.

To think about how Blue wins in Afghanistan, and how to model tactics, think of how to have gotten the British to win in the Revolutionary war. The British dominance of the water (until the French intervention) even acts effectively like Blue's current airpower dominance.

[AH 1776 did a great job, I think, on the strategic issues--right down Red (the US that time) being able to recruit more effectively where the "foreign" troops were located, and the importance of supressing entire regions as Blue]

In CMSF, I can think of two additions which might help simulate the tactical situations better. The first seems "simple" to implement: basically the reverse of "fanaticism" in CM1. Hidden indicators for units, where one would not know the morale (or side?) until engaged in combat, or taking a casualty.

Then you have the possible "I have covered by these units.....oops...actually I don't." Uncertainty about the quality/reliability of certain units/squads would affect deployment strategies.

The second change might be more difficult: have units "pop", come into existence, from nowhere. This is not FOW. This is: clearing an area, finding nothing but civilians (who are thus transparent, tactically). But then the civilians "arm"--producing a Red unit out of nowhere. Perfectly real-life, thousands of years old, tactic.

With those two changes, I would think one would find CMSF with a different tactical feel.

[MikeyD]

Having units 'come into existance from nowhere' is how CMBO solved the problem of paratroop drops - units suddenly appear in the location as reinforcements! Their arrivals were hard-coded of course, not triggered by enemy troop movements, so it took some clever guesstimating on the part of the designer. Designers mostly avoid the practice as players tend to see reinforcements arriving of top of them as a 'dirty trick'.

A less disliked technique is giving your particular AI group an initial "hide" command until told to jump up and assault 15-20 minutes into the game. That has the benefit of the Blue side being able to stumble on the hiding units if they're particularly lucky/thorough.

And another way for enemy to 'pop up from nowhere' is to set your scenerio to 'very heavy civilian density'. That setting your troops won't recognize the presence of the enemy until he literally draws his gun and starts firing. I think even big city scenarios tend to avoid the very heavy civilian density option.