"The "Command Radius"" Topic

now can we let this thread die ?

YUP. Let's kill the beast.

I was wondering if Bill Haggart could explain some of his ideas to us in better detail….

Not funny Sam. :-)

Who has the stake and the mallet?

I was wondering if Bill Haggart could explain some of his ideas to us in better detail….

Or better yet, in a coherent manner.

Bottom Dollar, do you want a small squadron of the Goiter Dragoons?

billsfan, no thanks. You probably need a quarterback or a bigger city. Good luck with T.O. He's got a command radius all to himself.

Bottom Dollar 07 Apr 2009 7:16 a.m. PST
billsfan, no thanks. You probably need a quarterback or a bigger city. Good luck with T.O. He's got a command radius all to himself.

OK. It was meant as a punishment, not as a reward.

Don't worry, you'll think of a place to put ‘em.

Ouch!

Would it not be better to search for design that shows the element of war you are really discussing: and that is Perception at the point of action? The overall Commander has no real grasp on how the operational troops see their segment of the field. Even in modern high-tech war this can be the case. Rules for a Game should show this. Combat radius is a nonsense once you move past a hand-to-hand skirmish. If you are in a fight you will grasp at your previous experience, no matter what rank you are, you have no time to wait for orders, and perhaps no time to send messages. If you are raw to fighting, you are vulnerable both mentally and physiclly; if experienced, you respond in a more useful way. Not only are Orders mis-heard, mis-read; but a local unit leader or group must decide what is best to do in their current circumstances from the one true guide: self-preservation. Trained people exploit the possibilities more aggressively than raw recruits. Once again, this is all about the truth of a Period. If our rulebook does not reflect the truth of the Period, it must be rewritten. Rules in general do not show the resourcefulness of people who want to stay alive. There is too much boyish pre-occupation with firepower and not enough with the human factors. But it is the human factors that cause us to Game; and which made one leader or tribe a force to be reckoned with, and another a running-shoe test unit.

John Holly wrote:

I was wondering if Bill Haggart could explain some of his ideas to us in better detail….

Or better yet, in a coherent manner.

John:
Ah, you have such high standards. I've been off traveling, or I would have responded sooner. What appears to lack 'coherence'?

Bill H.

Were there any pie recipes in this thread?

None for humble pie, as I recall.

For the love of Christ, I thought this thread was dead?

what is a command radius anyway?? a shop tool to measure half a radius?? I think I use to have one!

who left the freakin light on over here ?

Only just read all of this thread, so I thought I should add my 2c.

I have an experiment that offers objective scientific evidence of the existence of the all-mysterious Command Radius.

Get a group of your bestest, most elitest troopies on the parade ground, and perform this experiment.

Give them a full pep talk if you like – the whole Situation-Mission-Execution-Admin-Comms spiel, including a Q&A session to make sure they have thoroughly digested the commander's intent.

Now give your troopies the following orders :

"Squad – attennnnnn … shun !"

If they are properly trained, that should switch their brains off and thrust them firmly into blind obedience mode.

Now issue the commands :

"Squad – will move to the Right. Riiiiiight Turn.
Squad – By the left, Quiiiiick march"

Now sit back and watch them go !

Measure how far they get before they clump together in a useless disordered gaggle, and argue about what to do next. Its not that very far at all. Even less if they run into an obstacle, or pass behind some trees or buildings, heading out into the middle of nowhere land.

Just try it as an experiment.

If, to your surprise, they take it upon themselves to magically sweep around in a flanking move, change formation to a line of attack, and assault the previously unseen enemy position, then you have just rolled an unmodified '7' on a regular D6.

I would argue that troops of any grade out of CR not only grind to a halt, but also likely become disordered.

You have to wonder what perverse sense of humor causes people to dig up two-year-old monster threads and revive them….