Questions on combat

[pcoud]

I am still at the bottom of the learning curve of this game, currently trying to understand the "what's new" document that came with 3.4.0.202, more specifically Assault Ratio rules under chapter III ( Anti Ants tactics ). Actually, before even trying to figure out what's new, I'd like to understand how the old way was (never played TOAW before)...

So, looking at the table describing the benefits levels as a function of the AR (assault ratio), it is said: "Note that the Full column is identical to the way assaults were always resolved before". But nowhere in the manual can I find mention of those benefits (are they described somewhere?). Hence the questions:

1) What does "Defender supply cost/Round=10" mean? I assume it means that every defending unit will burn 10% of its supply per round of combat, right?
2) What does "Defender Artillery Cost/Round=5" mean? What is an artillery cost? And it costs 5 what?
3) Attacker Artillery bonus x 10. What is the artillery eligible to this bonus, those included into the ground attacking units ? What is multiplied by 10? The artillery strength ?
4) Same question for Indirect Artillery Support x 10.
5) Counterbattery fire: how does that work, can't find it mentioned anywhere?

Any help greatly appreciated, thx.

[Telumar]

1) Yes, every combat round will cost 10 supply points

2) Supply. Defending artillery's supply points.

3) Difficult to answer as this is nowhere clearly stated... When you merely bombard an enemy unit the unit takes less casualties from artillery than in a ground assault (with artillery support). So this presumably means that the normal artillery strength of supporting artillery in a ground attack is 10 times higher than in a mere bombardment. Maybe Bob (Curtis Lemay) can get more specific on this.

4) same as 3), only that indirect means artillery units that are in a supporting deployment - entrenched or tactical reseve.

5) Counterbattery happens when you bombard a location with an artillery unit in it. Provided your unit is in range of the enemy unit.

[pcoud]

Again: many thanks !
I'd like to know about 3) though, as 10 times seems quite ... big. I am surprised this was never clarified since this is apparently the way it always worked before.

[Telumar]

I don't know what ten times means exactly.. You could see it the other way round, too. That artillery in mere bombardments has only 1/10 strength.  Maybe it's not so shocking then..

[pcoud]

Good point, I thought the glass was half full, it is actually half empty ! [:)]