Saving convoys

[Micha]

Hello,

i love squadbattle games but the only scenarios i have problems are scenarios which i have to keep convoys of vehicles from getting
destroyed. Does anyone have a few tips how to win such scenarios ?

[Rabbit]

Convoys scenarios are some of the toughest. It is extremely easy to get log jammed at some point and then you are just sitting ducks from that point forward.

My best advice is to send out some advance scouts to flush out and engage the enemy while trying to race your convoy by as quickly as possible. Try to think ahead as to where the best ambush locations might be, as that's probably where the enemy will be lurking. Also try to make sure you keep the roadway clear of any of your own units that might slow you down. (In other words, consider moving pinned units to the side, possibly abandoning them to their fate.)

Also with these convoy scenarios is it critical to keep in mind what the victory totals are and how far away the Exit hexes are. You might feel you are getting crushed, but you can rack up a ton of points when your units finally start reaching the Exit hex. It's often a race at the end, so keep your convoy moving, otherwise you'll likely find yourself a few hexes short of the Exit hex.

[Micha]

Hello,thank you very much for the tips, i think this will help a little.

[TheBigRedOne]

As the Russians and NATO found out, convoy security is extremely hard. Take out one truck and the others get bogged down. As Bill mentioned, the key is to figure out what the victory conditions are and just how many of those trucks and men need to exit the board in order to win. You're not going to save them all, and you're going to have to sacrifice some infantry in order to keep the ambush pushed out.

What specific scenarios are you talking about. Maybe a few of us can play them and report back.....

[Micha]

Hello,
thank you for the fast answer. For the moment i try "Hunting a convoy " from the Afganistan mod
of Squadbattles.

[TheBigRedOne]

OK, here is what I managed...



Because the Muj go first, it's listed as a minor loss for them.

I tried to space out my BMPs with my trucks, keeping no more than 2 trucks in one hex. The BMPs can withstand most of the small arms fire, but the trucks are just too vulnerable. After losing two trucks and having two more immobilized, even with using the BMPs to try to suppress the Muj fire, I basically had to wash my hands of the trucks. At 4 points each, they aren't as valuable as if I were to lose a BMP and its men to immobilization. I tried to push the last few as far north as I could before they got whacked. At that point I made a run for the exits and exited the three BMPs with their crews. My initial shot at this scenario, I dismounted my infantry, but I realized that I was just bogging myself down, taking more casualties than would help. The infantry is outnumbered and the object here is to get the hell out of dodge, with or without the trucks.

I probably could have slowed it down a bit, suppressed more of the ambush force, but once the trucks started to get cooked, the road got clogged. First order of business, for me, was to get my more valuable AFVs and men back to base....

So, didn't save the convoy, but did get my men out alive.

Second time through wasn't any better. Still lost all 8 trucks.

[TheBigRedOne]

I played then as the Muj and ended up with a similar loss. The Russian AI dismounts their infantry, but leaves them there and doesn't exit them from the screen. I managed to kill 7 trucks, one got through. The mines that the muj have don't do much when the BMPs roll on them, since they've got a pretty small PEN value. They look like AP mines. The Muj AI doesn't know how to set them up properly either. You need to drop them on the road, them move back one hex. The Muj AI just sits on them.

I take that back. Playing as the Muj a second time, I managed to take out 2 BMPs with those mines and got a draw. If the Muj AI could do that, it would be a much harder game to 'win' as the Russians.

[Micha]

Hello, this helps really a lot.The scenarios are winable even though the trucks get lost.
As you said , saving the BMP"s and the Crews is more important.

I must confess it took me a while to get in to squadbattlegames. Gameplay and interface are totaly different to Panzergeneralgames. But i have more and more fun to play it.
Thank you for help.

[Compass Rose]

I must confess it took me a while to get in to squadbattlegames. Gameplay and interface are totaly different to Panzergeneralgames. But i have more and more fun to play it.

Don't feel bad. It took me a long time to get into SB, too. ES was the 1st SB games I ever purchased, and at first I didn't like it however, every few months I keep getting the urge to try it again. This went on for a year or two until I decided to faithfully read the game manuals and make an honest try of learning the game. Needless to say, I quickly found myself really enjoying the game and I kicked myself for not trying to learn the game sooner.

Currently the SB series is one of my favorite John Tiller WWII series!

[Micha]

[quote='Micha' pid='385879' dateline='1391817756']


Don't feel bad. It took me a long time to get into SB, too. ES was the 1st SB games I ever purchased, and at first I didn't like it however, every few months I keep getting the urge to try it again. This went on for a year or two until I decided to faithfully read the game manuals and make an honest try of learning the game. Needless to say, I quickly found myself really enjoying the game and I kicked myself for not trying to learn the game sooner.

Currently the SB series is one of my favorite John Tiller WWII series!

I can tell you exactly the same story.
But i think a real good game must be a little complicated to learn.
A game which you can play without reading the manual beomes soon booring, thats my experience.