NEW: Prokhorovka 5: The Historical Battle

[Crossroads]

I fear I put the kibosh to the team game. Looked at the first turn and OOB.......no way I can sit thru almost 300 units of small mortar and  76mm infantry gun fire replays.... the supply level for Russians is set low and the arty will not all be available every turn.....unfortunately a low supply level also affects all the other units....my first impression is it might need some work to be playable. I guess if you are strictly an historian might be your cup of tea.

VE

This aspect of the game is really the one where the abstraction does not work out, isn't it. Having served in artillery, I can live with the two most precise fire missions per turn (although I'd prefer only one), but the fact that scenario designer having first modelled the historical OoBs correctly, the result is just an insane fire storm, that is just wrong in so many levels. 

One thing we once did in one of the team games (or was it just a one-on-one PBEM, don't recall), was that we put a gentleman's agreement in place that mortars 82mm and below would only be used in direct fire mode. It helped a bit, especially as most infantry guns are direct fire only.

Yet, it is too bad the separate Arty Ammo base level did not make it to JTCS 2.02. It helps a bit, you can scale that down if necessary, while everyone else is properly supplied. Yet, that is also a kludge in a way, when used to model arty being more restricted, instead of properly modelling them conserving ammo, or even being in short supply.

Other restriction that could perhaps aid here is if it would be possible to restrict in-direct artillery only to organic units of that formation. That would require some thorough testing as well to make sure it provides a proper abstraction. 

Yet, at the end, I come to think that Arty fire cost should be like 60 for most pieces. That would help. Artillery firing, after all, should not be about firing the weapons, but performing fire missions. One fire mission per turn would be OK imho. 

But, for now, we're here because we're here...