[WarInEur] strategic surprise rule - more lipstick for the piggy! ;)

[Chuck Sutherland]

Oh its actually pretty easy, just allow the Russians to build units each 
turn instead of every four turns and lower the number of units built 
except for 1-3 and 1-4s to 1. Historically during the active campaign 
the Russians lost between 3.5 and 4 million men in 41. Based on the 
starting OOB and the militia that is added, you have to be able to 
produce about 320-350 1-4 to match the manpower on the eastern front. So 
in about 4 production cycles you need about 20 training centers pushing 
out 1-4s if you were using the normal production rules.

Thus my conclusion is the Russian 1-4 cannon fodder production is way 
down, the reason is to compensate for the lack of mobility and the AEX 
OOS supply effects.

Every suggestion that has been talked about, is a bandage of sorts for 
the flaw in the combat system and the lack of mobile combat that is 
partially made up by parachute units. So the current combat system has 
the Paras as the most important ground unit for taking territory instead 
of armor, because armor can be stopped by 3 points worth of defenders or 
less if there is a river involved!

So we can apply a small bandage here and there like was done originally 
aka lower then historical Russian production, over modeled parachute 
effects and continue to past and plaster adding additional lipstick to 
the pig in the hopes that something pretty will finally show up, or you 
can bite the bullet and take apart the combat system and restructure it 
so that is models historical results.

Right now even with surprise, you can't model France 1940, you can't 
model Russia 1941 on, and because France is broken you can't model North 
Africa because Sealion is not as big a threat as it would be in middle 
of summer 1940.

Unless you can drop France in six weeks and take Minsk on turn one of 
Barbarossa you have not modeled the historical abilities of the German 
army in early WWII! Does the optional rule allow this to take place????



sgminfo wrote:
> Given that Chuck points out the 'hazards in terms of implementation, 
> i.e. additional work on ob and counter sets, nothing need be said on 
> that poont...but a consideration that might be useful in the 
> implementation of such a rule.
>
> Painting the extreme case,
>
> the penetration and exploitation of a line, without the defender being 
> able to physically react because of the strictures of the game turn 
> (alternate phase sequencing)...one might consider reaction movement, 
> or a variation thereto.
>
> i.e. The Arnhem situation, where airborne land and XXX corps  double 
> match throught the German line, and past a SS Panzer division, through 
> Zocs and into a link up...
> Instead of the German division being totally passive, and the zoc 
> being totally fluid, one might have the ability to enmesh someone in a 
> zoc, such that they have to stop...
>
> This might thereby allow well found and rested reserves to really act 
> as a 'firebrigade ' style unit as operational reserves tend to do...
>
> There might be a trigger die roll, based on the strength (attrition) 
> and training (crt number) of the units in reserve, that modify the 
> capabilities...so an Italian 1-4 on crt 4 might not have reaction 
> abilities, or reaction abilities are resytricted to mechanised and or 
> elite units...
>
> But it is an idea to think about...
>
> The key element is allowing the defender not to be so unhinged (given 
> a moderately balanced situation), that he is in defeat before he can 
> roll with the blow and punch back...
>
>
> -|steve|-
>
> Don Lazov wrote:
>> Chuck,
>>  
>> Are your combat on the move ideas similar to OCS during movement 
>> overruns?
>>  
>> For those not in the know, in OCS during your movement phase (or the 
>> enemy's reaction movement phase) you may overrun units, in this sense 
>> overrun is just like combat but you do it in the movement phase by 
>> expending MP to overrun a hex, you may not even take the hex, but 
>> cause losses (to both your self and his forces).
>>  
>> Again in OCS the only units that have a ZOC are units in Combat mode.
>>  
>>  
>> -- 
>> Don Lazov
>> ~Best Regards
>>  
>


-- 
Chuck Sutherland
Technology Specialist
Gamewood, Inc.
116 South Ridge Street
Danville, VA 24541
(434) 799-8407 x218