experimental rules in MBT

[Weasel]

How do you buy experienced FOOs, do you mean say a PARA FOO versus a regular grunt FOO?

[Greybeard]

Hello Weasel,

Yep - elite types like Para FO's.. when you click on the unit to purchase, look for experience and morale modifiers on the unit purchase screen. Not all countries have elite FO's, but I get them when I can find them.. sometimes you'll find a FO buried in a formation.. like recon companies.. when this happens, often the FO comes with a experience/morale bonus.. and it's a pretty simple matter to delete all of the platoons that don't have the FO nested in it.

-Greybeard

[shortreengage]

I think the best solution is to outlaw on board arty except company mortars. That should take care of some of the unreal scatter shot/deployment/ firemissions problems.

[Weasel]

Just an update here. Vesku and myself have both found that we did not buy enough FOOs. I purchased two in my defence and three in my attack. Vesku had about the same and both have both agreed that we could easily use two more FOOs each.

Many times now I have seen a tempting target but had to ask myself which target was the more important. Very realistic since artillery were assigned priorities in real life.

As for the point reduction, so far it seems that the defender has the upper hand. While my defending troops have suffered heavy losses due to mortar fire, I am secure in the knowledge that the attacker has also paid a heavy price to secure the flags currently held. With about 14 flags left to go it is just a matter of bleeding the attack dry and trading space for time.

[Weasel]

Ok, here is the results of my first two games which were mirrored assaults against Vesku.

Normally we would use the following settings: 2:1 point ratio and no FOO/SHOOT restriction. Outcomes were normally a medium win due to flag capture with flags normally being worth about 100 points. All flags would normally have been captured by the attacker.

In these two games the settings were: 1.5:1 point ratio, 1 FOO/1 SHOOT restriction, flags worth 1 point each, Sweden assault Germany 79.

The first game resulted in the defender (Germany) holding 9 flags and the attacker 11. Points scored were 1324 for Germany and 3334 for Sweden, game result MINOR LOSS for the defender.

Game two resulted in the defender holding 8 flags and Sweden holding 12. Points were Sweden 2345 and Germany 1878, result DRAW.

The Swedes in these battles were pretty useless, so we are conducting a second trial, USA defend against Soviets 1970s.

However, we are very happy with the FOO restriction and the 1 point flags. The game point ratios may have to be changed a bit, perhaps to 1.6 or 1.7:1 but our next game will tell. All in all these were close battles and very encouraging.

[Vesku]

Also both were pretty fed up with the supermen complex (mauled squads killed all that fired at them) that happened all the time, we are trying to lower infantry effectiviness and see how they respond.

[Grumbler]

I buy 1 FOO , use him to get the initial request in and then use a zero unit to get the fire on target. I am using the FOO as a forward artillery contol point, NOT a spotter. I think this is how they are used in the real world, ecxept in the US army, which has the money to stick a FIST-V at the end of every column. AFAIK, most armies use professional spotters to get the rounds on the way and then turn the tubes over to local control ( the Company commander, or platoon leader, depending on nationality)
Most of the nations in MBT either cannot afford dedicated spotter teams or don't want to afford them.
I would like to hear from some French or Germans on this. Most NATO countries have the money to put fully equipped and trained spotters with smaller formations, they just would rather spend the money elsewhere.
Any former Warpact people out there that know how it was done on the other side of the hill, speak up.
From reading 'Red Army' and 'Armor' magazine, I got the impression that nothing under the battalion level could call or even adjust fires. In SP terms, it would be as if the Soviets could only reuest fires on the pre-positioned artillry requests ( dimes, or golden spots). Once that request landed, fire was adjusted from that point.

[wulfir]

The Swedes in these battles were pretty useless, so we are conducting a second trial, USA defend against Soviets 1970s.

You should try Sweden vs Russia - now there's a challange!

[klanx171]

Im just wondering froma gameplay point of view how would the FO rule be enforced and what is it like in reality, ie how much can one FO handel, being that there are actually 2-5 men in the unit?

[shortreengage]