Panzer Battles 2 - The Official Teaser Thread

[Dog Soldier]

All units can cross hedge row hex sides in the bocage in PzB Normandy.  In most cases this is done at a pace of one hex per turn. The player must think about when and where to do this though.  Though not shown on the map, just about every open space between hedge rows was farmland.  Norman farmers had to have access to their fields for livestock and farm equipment.  There are cuts in the hedgerows all over Normandy.  Squeezing through is no problem, in pease time.  The summer of 1944 was a different matter.

One new feature is included in PzB Normandy to reflect armor crossing hedge rows.  Armor becomes 'vunerable' when crossing a hedge row hex side.  This is not only due to crossing a hedge row in an up and over fashion, but also due to armor moving through those cuts in the hedge rows I previously mentioned.  Such choke points make movement under fire difficult to say the least.  Costly in other cases.

To respond to ComnradeP's assertion about burning out divisions, I can say, yes, it is entirely possible.  A player who barnstorms through the bocage will get bloody quick.  In our numerous playings of Bluecoat or any of the other PzB Normandy scenarios one has to learn the proper historical tactics and apply them using the game mechanics.  Omaha Beach is not for the faint of heart!  Especially against the likes of RickyB!

David and I have developed a number of techniques to avoid high casualties.  Remarkably, these tactics are the same ones used historically in Normandy in 1944.  Frontal assaults are not recommended in the bocage.  Obtaining superior firepower and suppression of the enemy is recommended.  Combine that base of fire with other units making flanking maneuvers and you can 'winkle' the enemy out of any position.  If he chooses to stand fast, these tactics will destroy him utterly.

The defender can counter with hidden units and ambushes.  Eventually the defender has to decide when is the time to fall back to the next position. Jerry in the open is a beautiful sight to Allied players.  Think SS battalion caught in the open in the Holland episode of Band of Brothers. The Allied fire power if used properly, will make 'creamun schaedel' out of retreating German units if you did not plan an escape route or waited too long.  How long to fight in one place?  That depends entirely on the situation at hand.  As the player you decide and live with the consequences.

Bluecoat is a great treat in PzB Normandy.  Both sides get to defend desperately and attack with strength at different times over the course of the game.  The scenario is not overwhelming as it might appear from the screen shots.  Turns move very fast once you get going.  The front is not so wide and there are places where you simply have to stop and make a stand, for a while.

Over the time of playing this scenario with David numerous times, we have not had any game go the same way.  There are so many options for each side.  Only the first four to five turns seem the same.  After that, anything can and will happen depending on choices made by each side.  There are no 'perfect' tactics or moves.  Every decision players make has trade offs.   Move and counter move.

This brings me to another topic.  If anyone has seen the original 1990 science fiction movie Total Recall, you know the memorable jingle tag line in the vacation implant company's advertising.  cue music - "Recall, Recall, Recall!"
In Normandy you have remember that jingle.  Change the lyric though.  "Recon, Recon, Recon!"
PzB Normandy has a game within the game.  Hide and seek.  Your recon units are incredibility valuable if you wish to preserve your force as you advance.  This (like everything else in the PzB system) is not a perfect solution.  Recon units take time to find all enemy units.  Time you will not have to waste trying to find everything.  Thus, like the historical commanders you have to go with what information you have and plan for the unexpected.
Defenders have to balance hidden status with the loss of ZOC.  Hidden units have no ZOC in PzB.
Hills, as Strela mentioned, are key to getting a good view for your recon units.  This aspect is a double edged sword, though.  Looking out over the Norman country side can attract some AT fire on your armored scout cars or artillery and mortar fire on your infantry scouts.  We have worked diligently to model the advantages and disadvantages of both sides in the battle for Normandy.
  

ComradeP
   Wow! 144 turns!

   I was happy to read that the Cherbourg scenario was shortened due to the possibilities of ahistorical moves when given enough time and the possibility of an attack stopping "early" due to not getting replacements, so I'm really interested in seeing how this scenario will play out. In particular: If both sides can sustain the losses they will take and keep going, and if the presumably smaller German armour units can hold out against the masses of British armour for this long.

All I can say to this comment is small units delaying and holding larger forces was what made the fighting in Normandy so frustrating to the Allied commanders.  Normandy is perfect terrain for defense.  PzB players will have to adapt to not only the Norman countryside, but to the fact that by the summer of 1944, western Allied and German infantry was not easy meat for armor at close ranges.  Close ranges is what you will see a lot of in PzB Normandy.

As the player you decide what risks to take, even if you really do not know fully what those risks are. WHY?  Because your opponent can do something you did not expect.  And you can do so to them, and so on and forth....this makes for a great war game, IMHO.  Feints, bluffs and just plain surprising the other player are all possible to those who plan and get a little lucky.  That makes playing PzB very fun.  You never know for sure what is in the next hedge row, down that sunken lane, or in the next village.  Hedge Row Hell at its finest.

Dog Soldier