Realistic Artillery Management - FOO Rule

[Walrus]

Wouldn't you agree that all in all it's rather a lot of instances (interdiction, counterbattery, preplanned fires, company attachments) where the FO rule actually decreases reality?
Narwan

Indeed, but in the end it was suppressing gamey play that was the driver for the rule. It is impossible to make this game realistic and that was never the aim.

Perhaps we should be calling it a 'suggestion' rather than a rule.
If you can agree on 'realistic' arty with your opponent and know that he will get some FOOs, target in batteries, set up his tube close together on map, get a sensible buy of arty for the battle size, plot in Sheafs or sensible fire-plans etc, etc...then there is no need for a 'rule' nor a 'suggestion'

The problem is when you are dealing with players for the first time, or when there are language issues.
A written out 'rule' goes a long way in decreasing confusion and not leaving things up to assumption.

It's good that we are debating these things, especially if it leads to improvements in the actual game (always possible with the CAMO guys...they do listen), or in our PBEM systems that we use here at the Blitz.

We could go on pulling real world examples out for the next year...and we'd still be playing Steel Panthers, not actually targeting arty in real life...and thankfully not being on the receiving end of any either!!!

I think the FOO rule is going to become less of an issue as the CAMO guys start to look at arty routines.
Playes may hate or love the changes, but I feel they'll always be moving toward making the game harder to be 'gamey' with.

In the end, there are a lot of guys that mostly just play against the AI (no idea why, probably scared of real opponents:stir:) and the game routines are often written with them in mind as much as we PBEMers.
We tend to notice quite different things than the AI players.

So...in the end, if I ever get desire to lose another game to you Remco I will know that we need to have a wee discussion about arty before the battle.
That's cool, what's a couple of email between friends eh :)

Cheers lads
Jason