What Tactics Are Best When Playing the Underdog?

Chipmunk · 10-05-2007, 08:11 AM,

If you are playing a game of MBT where the opposing country has a marked advantage in equipment or capability to you are there any tactics that can help offset this? For example in a 2007 US vs Iran matchup the Iranians don't have a single weapon that can penetrate the front of an M1 Abrams. another example, in the 80's the USSR can't see through smoke whereas NATO can. Is there anything that can be done if you are playing the underdog? Would it be a good idea to go for quantity and buy a lot of cheap units hoping you can swarm the enemy and get flank shots?

Weasel · (This post was last modified: 10-05-2007, 08:52 AM by Weasel.)

To quote Stalin (I think) "Quantity has a quality all it's own". You can win games by mass attacks (meaning vehicles charging forward), but probably with the new scoring system (not really new anymore) you would probably end up with a low win. You know, you can let the US have their M1s, they are pretty useless against massed infantry. Spread them out and march them forward. An M1 cost 250, a squad cost 25, that is 10 units he must kill to equal the loss of an M1. Keep about 2 or 3 hexes between squads to prevent splash and artillery suppression.

You can also use terrain too, stay in the low ground and woods to prevent his TI from seeing you. But then you make the big risk of releasing initiative to the enemy.

Fubar · 10-05-2007, 09:05 AM,

Yeah....Wigams Leopards are ripping my Russian tankers a new one, the only time i've managed to bloody their noses is when the get too close to my infantry and their RPG's. :grin2:

cheers

RedDevil · 10-05-2007, 09:14 AM,

Poor Wigam.. I'm taking his Serb Armor piles to town with my Yugo INF just as much :)

wigam · 10-05-2007, 11:12 AM,

yes poor wigam...:hissy:

Randy is making forks and spoons out of my tanks armour and Matt is making my Leopards looks like a piece of :censored:

jomni · 10-05-2007, 12:23 PM,

I played a US vs China game as US.
My US tanks got massacred by Chinese infantry with ATGMs.
They just don't run out of it (quantity focus).

Greybeard · 10-05-2007, 01:59 PM,

One thing to remember about these games.. that they are infantry combat with armored support.. the only time you truly have tank-tank warfare is when you don't let the ground pounders in to play..

Even modern warfare tactics have basic doctrine about how much infantry is needed to accomplish a job.. you don't send in the tanks naked.. they become big fat targets..

just make sure that whenever possible your troops have AT weapons..

As far as playing the underdog.. I kind of enjoy that myself..

And Weasel has it right.. numbers have a quality all of it's own..

Just my 2 cents worth..

GReybeard

Weasel · 10-05-2007, 02:58 PM,

Greybeard Wrote:One thing to remember about these games.. that they are infantry combat with armored support.. the only time you truly have tank-tank warfare is when you don't let the ground pounders in to play..

Even modern warfare tactics have basic doctrine about how much infantry is needed to accomplish a job.. you don't send in the tanks naked.. they become big fat targets..

just make sure that whenever possible your troops have AT weapons..

As far as playing the underdog.. I kind of enjoy that myself..

And Weasel has it right.. numbers have a quality all of it's own..

Just my 2 cents worth..

GReybeard

Yes, my spread out infantry company is making good progress in our game. I use to always play with about 50% armour, but now I take maybe 25%-40%. Klanx171 and myself were talking and he asked a question to which I replied (in regards that only infantry can hold ground) that if you really think about it tanks are the weakest element on the battlefield. They are big and have fire power, but air, infantry and artillery can all cause them death or to flee. Infantry just dig deeper and sit the attack out.

Greybeard · 10-06-2007, 12:03 AM,

Hello Weasel,

Yep - I used to buy alot of armor.. and depending upon the country/circumstances makes the difference on how much.. most of the time I only use perhaps 1 platoon per inf company, and for a really 'heavy' buy - 1 section per infantry platoon..

Often, when 'Close support' versions are available with a heavy HE loadout, I'll use those..

I've yet to run into a game situation where my tanks have used all of their AT ammo.. usually I run them out of HE long before that..

the 'z' key is a wonderful thing..

Can't wait to see what your green troops have wrought upon my reds.. :)

Greybeard

Weasel · 10-06-2007, 03:11 AM,

My last two game setups have been 1 squadron of tanks supporting 6 to 9 companies of infantry. I find I always run out of grunts, especially to artillery.