"Tank on Tank Central Front, playtest 2" Topic

Let me know what you think, particularly about scouts inhibiting combat company movement. Next game I will make it more complex, adding air support.

Thanks!

link

You need more close terrain, woods, towns and cities.

Tanks can only 'fire' effectively in open terrain. I have it that they have a certain 'rate-of-fire' but this is reduced to 1 in close terrain.

Missiles only ever have a rate-of-fire of 1 and they shoot after all guns have fired.

Infantry can only be spotted when you step on them.

I also use a close assault table for all combat at 1 hex or less. Makes things interesting. Arty adds mods to the Close Assault but also attacks with low odds when it lands. Strangely enough even at low odds arty still kills a lot of things.

I also have other rules but I don't want to spend all night typing.

How's your combat system work?

@Battler: This is an adaptation of Lock and Load publishing's Tank on Tank Board game. The original covers WW2, but I have adapted it for the Central front.

See this post, it has a link to the original rules you can download and peruse. they are very abstract and may not be to everyone's taste, but so far fit the bill for me.
link

You are correct, there needs to be more terrain, IIRC average engagement ranges were expected to be around 800 meters? The first playtest game looked like the Soviets were attacking over a Ft. Hood gunnery range.

Yes, some more terrain would give units more cover & concealment. So if were talking about say, e.g. [West] Germany. In most cases there is a village or town @ every 3000m. Some rolling and undulating terrain, with frequent wooded areas. With crops/farmer's fields mixed in intermittently. But again that is in general.

what you think, particularly about scouts inhibiting combat company movement

One of the Scout's major missions is screening, to slow the enemy's movement and forcing him to deploy. Plus the Scouts do not want to get decisively engaged. The can't really go toe-to-toe with, e.g. a Tank or Mech Co plus.

Here are the rules for recon units, I am trying to encourage exactly that, on the defense screening flanks and friendly positions from enemy scouts, on the offense cracking the opponent's scout screen and identifying enemy positions. Works so far for the paltry 2 solo play tests I have done, not a terribly large sample but so far so good.

Recon Elements
Represent platoon sized scout elements, activate and move independently
• May spot for artillery
• May only attack other recon elements
• May be fired on by regular enemy units
• Enemy units must stop moving for that activation when entering a hex within the recon unit's weapon range, if the recon unit chooses (Recon unit no longer counts as hidden)

Nice 3D hex-and-counter setup.

Thanks! It is a combination of a Cigar Box Battle mat with 4 inch hex pattern and Kallistra Hex hills that I spray painted with this: link

I bought mine at Wal-Mart, though. Then just dry brushed with green and light gray. You can see the ridge the Soviets start behind has not gotten the drybrush yet.

For Recon I also have it they they can withdraw 1 hex whenever an enemy unit moves adjacent to them but only up to a maximum of 3 times in a turn.

But that reminds me – better check out that Lock'n Load set of rules.

Sounds like some good rules to reflect a Mech Scout unit both of you use/came up with. A Mech or Tank Bn had 1 Scout Plt consisting of 3 M113s & 3 M901 ITVs. Could work in 3 two vehicle Sections, of 1 M113 & 1 M901. That was the H series MTO&E, which came about around '84-'85.