Bil Hardenberger Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 The panzer division in modern warfare today holds the former place of cavalry as the decisive arm of combat. Tank officers must carry on in the tradition of the cavalry, take up its aggressive spirit on behalf of the Panzer arm. Therefore take note, as a basic combat principle, of Marshall Blucher's motto, "FORWARD AND THROUGH!" (but with intelligence). From the German Army pamphlet: Panzer Vorwärts! Aber mit Verstand! INTRODUCTION: The AAR which is about to follow was inspired by a spirited debate in the BETA forum about the capabilities of the Panzer IV, especially compared to the Sherman. I think as this AAR unfolds you might be surprised by some of the events as they happen. I will try to explain the reasoning and how the game data works in certain circumstances as these events arise. I will say that this little game, fought against Warren The_Capt Miron really opened my eyes about how to conduct a tank battle while equipped with what is obviously inferior equipment. There will be highs and lows for both sides, the battle will ebb and flow across the map, and yes Virginia, many tanks will die. So, if you enjoy hearing death screams coming from within an armored coffin, then stay tuned. This AAR might be just what you are looking for. Bil's Reports BATTLE SETUP PRE-BATTLE PLANNING OPENING MOVES (part 1) OPENING MOVES (part 2) First Contact! First Blood! Part 1 First Contact! First Blood! Part 2 First Contact! First Blood! Part 3 RUBBER BULLETS Part 1 RUBBER BULLETS Part 2 MINUTE 4 – Part 1 MINUTE 4 – An Explanation MINUTE 4 – Part 2 MINUTE 5 MINUTE 6 MINUTE 7 MINUTE 8 MINUTE 9 MINUTE 10 - Part 1 MINUTE 10 - Part 2 MINUTE 11 - Part 1 MINUTE 11 - Part 2 MINUTE 12 MINUTE 13 MINUTE 14 MINUTE 15 MINUTE 16 MINUTE 17 - Part 1 MINUTE 17 - Part 2 MINUTE 18 - Part 1 MINUTE 18 - Part 2 CEASE FIRE - Part 1 CEASE FIRE - Part 2 Warren's Reports BATTLE SETUP PRE-BATTLE PLANNING FIRST CONTACT THREE MINUTE MARK FOUR MINUTE MARK PART 1 FOUR MINUTE MARK PART 2 FIVE MINUTE MARK SIX MINUTE MARK SEVEN MINUTE MARK EIGHT/NINE MINUTE MARK TEN MINUTE MARK ELEVEN MINUTE MARK PART 1 ELEVEN MINUTE MARK PART 2 TWELVE MINUTE MARK THIRTEEN MINUTE MARK FOURTEEN MINUTE MARK FIFTEEN MINUTE MARK CEASE FIRE Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory. George S. Patton 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Awww-right! Let's roll! Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gryphonne Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Sounds very promising! Can't wait for the screenshots 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky Balboa Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Oh yeah baby, let the refresh monkey's get busy!!! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathangun Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Will you tube guy be in it ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunnersman Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Woooohoooo! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZPB II Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Awesome! Thanks for listening to the forums yet again. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 BATTLE SETUP To start off, this was a Quick Battle (QB) game and I want to make something clear right off the bat. I’m not going to get into the nitty gritty of setting up a QB. What I will do though is post a few screen shots, with a few explanations, and then I’m going to move right into the action, which for me starts with pre-battle planning: estimating enemy courses of action (COA), terrain analysis, etc. you know, the fun stuff. I don’t want to dwell too much on the game mechanics, as I don’t approach the game that way. I am a seat of the pants player who fights using the appropriate tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) applicable to the situation. The ins and outs of what specific tank I should use to attack a particular enemy tank based on charts, graphs, and other data I ignore. I look at my available force, assign objectives based on experience and hope for the best. First the quick battle setup. Warren actually set this little battle up and here are the parameters as they show in the initial briefing screen after units have been purchased and setup begins: Purchase screen: From the purchase screen above you can see that for a battle with those parameters I have 2560 points to spend on anything I wish (as long as my purchase fit within the rarity allowances). QBs can be restricted to main branches, infantry, armor, or be a mix. You might also see that from this screen it is possible to preview the map in CMBN (if the player setting up the QB so chooses). This allows you to examine the map and customize your force accordingly. Maps can either be chosen by the player setting up the game, or chosen automatically. In this case Warren chose the map himself. One of the BETA testers, Mark Ezra deserves extra praise for compiling the maps for the QB system in CMBN. thanks Mark! When we were setting this game up Warren sent me an e-mail and basically said, here you go, buy some tanks and let’s have at it! So, after examining the map (which you will see in the next installment) I decided to go with a pure armor force. What I have discovered in CMBN is that Panthers and Tigers are way more than a match for the lowly Sherman, so I decided to purchase Pz-IVH's so Warren and I would be on even ground. The Pz-IVH should fight on roughly equal terms with the Sherman right? I went with 12 tanks in two five tank Platoons with a two tank Company HQ element. I made them all Pz-IVH’s and adjusted leadership ratings and experience until I had spent practically every point allotted to me. The screen above does not represent my actual force, I include it as an example of how the purchase screen appears (with a4 Pz-IV's selected). The eagle eyed among you might notice that there is an area at the bottom where you can change vehicle type and model. Also highlighted is an example of the player selectable attributes for each vehicle. Playing with these does effect the point cost for the vehicle though. I went with either veteran, crack, or elite crews, and that probably cost me two to three tanks. My rational was that I expected to be outnumbered by Warren’s tanks so I wanted crews that would hit often, and well. …it is not so much the kind or number of our tanks but the spirit and skill of the tank soldiers that count. From the German Army pamphlet: Panzer Vorwärts! Aber mit Verstand! Next: Pre-Battle Planning. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asmodeus Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Almost three hours now, and nothing..? Just kidding, would ALSO like to see some smoking hot pictures from the oncoming battleground, where to set my combat boots on. edit: and there was I, slow (and stupid), just missing The Battle Setup by a mere five minutes 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyD Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Some of you should be interested in that QB picker screen. Points numbers, rarity numbers, individual vehicle type picker down at the bottom. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WineCape Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Almost three hours now, and nothing..? Bil was hit with ship TRP's (Heavy Cruiser 8-inch and Battleship 12-inch) on the very first turn, wiping out his Mark IV's. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSX Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Did I notice that map selection right? Picked by a human, ooh I can see the arguments starting already, gamey picks, and now gamey map picks...... I like it, should lead to some very interesting discussions post game, or games.... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Capt Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Well I'll chime in here about now. First off don't expect fancy pics from me, I have no idea how to do that so people will have to live with my stunning written prose. Bil has all of the turns of the game so you will see plenty of pics from the US side. As to force purchase; I went with a slightly more all arms force. I purchased a platoon of Shermans (75 and 76 gun mix), a platoon of M10s and basically a Coy(-) of Airborne less their mortars. All in the Regular quality level. The map as you will see was a mixed of open and treed on either side with a fairly open objective (few houses sprinkled in) almost in the dead center. I'll let Bil give you his plan and then I will put mine out there. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panzermartin Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Ah CM:BN looks a million times more interesting than CMSF just from the QB menu! Love that you can customize experience too. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Yes, the guy who sets up the game can choose the map AND preview it before finalizing his selection. And yes, I do expect there will be some gnashing of teeth and whining about this by the 2nd player. Our standard answer to that is... if you find someone trying to screw you over in multiplayer, refuse to play with him again. Works every time Steve 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSX Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Yes, the guy who sets up the game can choose the map AND preview it before finalizing his selection. And yes, I do expect there will be some gnashing of teeth and whining about this by the 2nd player. Our standard answer to that is... if you find someone trying to screw you over in multiplayer, refuse to play with him again. Works every time Steve I shall be using the old, 'next time I choose the map' line I think. Can you let the PC choose for you as well? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky Balboa Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I shall be using the old, 'next time I choose the map' line I think. Can you let the PC choose for you as well? I believe Heer Hardenberger said this: This allows you to examine the map and customize your force accordingly. Maps can either be chosen by the player setting up the game, or chosen automatically. In this case Warren chose the map himself. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piecekeeper Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 What can you see when you preview the map? Is it just top down? Set trenches? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisND Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 What can you see when you preview the map? Is it just top down? Set trenches? Nope, you get to zoom around in 3D. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piecekeeper Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Do you get any information on what your opponent is choosing? And when can you build obstacles etc? ore can you? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 The map preview is the same as looking at the map from the 3D preview in the editor. You can explore the map in 3D, you see your setup zone(s) and you also can see the objective(s). That's it. No information on your enemy's purchases, chances are you'll find out about that the hard way. No trenches, foxholes,or other engineering works.. you have to buy those in the purchase screen so they won't be on the map until the game begins. Does that help? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piecekeeper Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Thanks. So you can place them during setup then? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bil Hardenberger Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Thanks. So you can place them during setup then? Affirmative. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chops Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Bill, It looks like your total Budget was 2560 points, and Rarity was also listed as 2560 points. Can you elaborate a little on how this works? Did you both start with 2560 points available? Were both of you allowed to pick anything available within the June 44' time frame? Why did you decide on all tanks with no infantry support? Thanks! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pvt. Ryan Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Why did you decide on all tanks with no infantry support? Thanks! The purpose of the battle is to compare the Sherman and the Panzer IV. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.