Thewood's side of the AAR with MR

[thewood1]

Here is SS of my forces...

[thewood1]

Now for my first turn orders phase...I didn't change my set up from default.

I give my platoon in the center of the map a charge order to the flag...I know, I know, its a flag rush. But the Russians have a lot of disadvantages to deal with like no bounding fire so a little gaminess never hurt any real person.

A warning that I still play PCO with a CMBB reference. I still use CM terminology and habits.

Also note that I gave the platoon on the bottom of the map advance orders to cover my flank. Once they reach the woods, I will have them stop there and find some good overwatch positions.

I like advance because it moves at half speed but will halt the unit to fire if an enemy is spotted...like hunt in CM1.

I am taking a couple chances. The first is the charge. It makes me very vulnerable if I am spotted because the T34s won't stop to engage. It also increases my chances of a breakdown.

[thewood1]

Now here is the playback. Once again I am only showing the bottom platoon. Not much to see except I added in the icons to keep better track of the units.

One note about PC over CM...Keeping platoons together is a lot more important than in CM. Not having contact severly restricts the types of orders you can give. There is some artificialness to it when you want to do something simple like leave a unit behind to watch a cross roads, but it does force you to work with platoons more.

Clarification. You can still leave a unit behind, but you have to be careful when giving the platoon orders because the unit left behind will get those orders too. I haven't found a way around that. I am hoping in future versions of PC that I can tell a unit to ignore all platoon orders until further notice.

[thewood1]

I should also point out we are playing with the 40 second action and then 40 second reaction turn sequence.  I don't really care for that.  I usually play the straight 60 second phase.  I think I have played straight 40 second too.  I chose the fisrt one just to try it out again and let people see it.

[Mobius]

ORIGINAL: thewood1
Clarification. You can still leave a unit behind, but you have to be careful when giving the platoon orders because the unit left behind will get those orders too. I haven't found a way around that. I am hoping in future versions of PC that I can tell a unit to ignore all platoon orders until further notice.

There are a couple of ways to do that.
With an Engage or Defend Order to the platoon first, then give the left behind unit a 'Stay' suborder. If you give the platoon a movement order like Rush, Advance or Withdraw, you have to give the left behind unit it's own separate movement path but you can move it like 2 meters. After it moves it goes into Defend-Stay stance. But it does have to move a tiny amount. I don't know how it would work with Bound, but you are Soviet so they don't have that order.

[thewood1]

Here is my reaction phase...

I am not sure why, but my charging center platoon, my HQ tank pulled way ahead.

[thewood1]

But with T2 orders, I order them to regroup in line at the flag.

Then I will put them in "defend" to await a german attack.

btw, the regroup command is kind of cool. I fast move, like rush and charge, a unit (especially infantry) gets strung out quite a bit. The regroup command allows to to pick a point, set a formation, and then the unit automaticlly reforms in the requested formation and goes to the point. Saves a lot of work.

[thewood1]

So on turn 3 I change my regroup command to advance a little towards the wooded hill because I saw the flag change. This only slightly before I planned on doing that anyway.

[thewood1]

I also change the platoon covering my flank to advance more towards the woods also...who knows, maybe I'll outflank whatever he has in the woods. This is the playback part of the turn.

Sorry...forgot to embed the picture so its only attached.

[dazoline II]

ORIGINAL: thewood1

So on turn 3 I change my regroup command to advance a little towards the wooded hill because I saw the flag change. This only slightly before I planned on doing that anyway.

Is there any way to play with FOW on? Seems that flag change is a bit too much "recon" for me.

[rickier65]

ORIGINAL: dazoline II

ORIGINAL: thewood1

So on turn 3 I change my regroup command to advance a little towards the wooded hill because I saw the flag change. This only slightly before I planned on doing that anyway.

Is there any way to play with FOW on? Seems that flag change is a bit too much "recon" for me.

You can toggle the objectives off, but unless your opponent also toggles them off he will see them change based on who controls. And they will still be visible in the minimap.

Thanks
rick

[thewood1]

I have always noted that in PC.  I think CMBO had that also and it might have been changed in CMBB...I can't recall now.

[Mobius]

ORIGINAL: dazoline II
Is there any way to play with FOW on? Seems that flag change is a bit too much "recon" for me.

Or a diversion. You know both sides listened in on each others radio talk. Maybe there was some squawking triangulated from the area of the flag. It could be a real threat or just a few guys.

[thewood1]

Next turn we have stumbled on each other in the center. I get the first hits in but no kills

[thewood1]

And I am going to take a real chance and rush the other platoon around the back of the woods hoping to catch the Panthers in the flank.

I feel with the Russians I have to tka e chances like this because, even at short range I am struggling to penetrate the Panthers.

[thewood1]

So we have traded kills now...one panther and 1 T34. I am not going to show the reaction phase because I didn't change anything.

I forgot to point out that in the previous round one of my center platoon T34s tried to withdraw. I gave a defend/stop order and he seems to have gotten the message.

[thewood1]

OK, that hurt. So now that I have him occupied (that was an expensive diversion), I am hoping he doesn't look behind him.

[thewood1]

My flanking force is less than 150m from being right behind him. His tanks backs are right around the corner of those woods.

[thewood1]

btw, if my gambit to flank MR doesn't work, this will be a very short battle.  I remember in CMBB that if you hit certain time periods in where the Russians hadn't responded to better German tanks or even visa versa, armor battles were short and sharp.

[thewood1]

OK, my T34s made on T6 to be right behind him...but the stupid commander crapped himself and started reversing. I forgot to change his stance to aggressive. I will most likely be taken out back and shot.

during the orders phase I did tell the two T34s on the right to continue advancing to get better shots through the woods.