Reply To: Unit discussions and meta-gaming

[phaidknott 7023xp 1]

Many moons ago we were playing a company level WW2 game (Grey Storm Red Steel) where the figure ratio was 1:1 (likewise with the tanks). We soon felt after looking at various ORBATs and typical company/battalion frontages during WW2 that our games would be best met by “nerfing” our armies so they typically the only AFVs were Armoured Cars and APCs (main battle tanks were just not typically seen UNLESS as part of an organised assault). So “gone” were the Tigers, and IS-1s, and “in” were the BA-64s, M3 Half Tracks and 222s and 251s. Typically an AFV has an impact by just being (mostly) impervious to small arms fire, and if they are shooting at infantry then they just going to be shooting with the MG (Note Hull MGs on tanks were pretty useless as the gunner usually had a small hole or periscope to aim through, couldn’t use iron sights, and basically had to walk the tracer rounds onto the target). So now without having your usual “arms race” where we see Tiger IIs appearing even in skirmish games, the lowly Armoured Cars and APCs armed with MGs became our “tanks” for the game (and were more historically accurate for the level of the game). A little bit of self control and the willingness to not HAVE to use the most technologically advanced pieces of kit on the table……and our games improved massively. Plus even bog standard infantry DO still have a chance against APCs and ACs if they get close enough and the player with the armoured units isn’t screening them with infantry (which again is the historical tactic).

 

Plus in other historical eras I’ve found games where you are using ORBATs forces you to use those “sub prime” units which players who play a pointed style tourney game would never take a look at. Finding a theatre in a period where BOTH armies are equally useless brings a whole new level of tactics to the fore (rather than just rolling dice at each other until one of the elite units is eliminated). Dealing with unexpected routs from units having just engaged in a single round of a firefight (due to bad dice rolls), brings a (realistic) level of chaos to the table where the players are effectively trying to “herd cats” while still attempting to achieve the battle/scenario goals.

 

Under achieving with your army list brings a whole new joy to the table top (plus you can both blame the troops when you lose 😀 ).