Re: 25mm Grav Bikes and Rules

John spake thusly upon matters weighty: 

> Thomas Barclay wrote:
> 
> > 2. In a campaign perpective, grav bikes use micro sized grav
> > generators that are just brutal for maintenance. Also they have
> > delicate and expensive controls. Ergo their maintenance cost could
be
> > multiplied by 2 to 5 thus making them less desireable from a
> > logistics point of view than foot infantry. Plus they could have a
> > high monetary cost, and require veteran or regular troops minimum
> > (because green or untrained are too risky on the bikes).
> 
> Let's also keep in mind the roles played by these troops.
> 
> I can't speak to OUDF usage of them, they seem to be in brigade-sized
> formations attached to each division.  So between 1/3 to 1/5 of OUDF
> maneuver elements are Light Horse?

Can't say myself. 
 
> But I'm planning to stick them into the Tagmatic order of battle in
> recon formations.  Recon is not something that should be getting into
> stand-up fights.  A cav scout who goes looking for fights is a
> gloryhound who's forgotten his primary mission.  He's heavily armed
> because scouts can get into some sticky situations, but he's a lot
more
> valuable alive than dead.  

Star Wars Biker Scouts....
 
> Note that German OBs on paper called for more and more motorcycle
units
> in recon batallions, but actual usage showed fewer and fewer
motorcycle
> troops.  That's because they are very, very fragile.	And a
> not-easily-renewable resource.  Good scouts take a lot of training--as
> was mentioned during the discussion of infantry scouts, you don't
stick
> a green private fresh from training into your batallion recon platoon.

> Get them all blow away getting into pissing matches with infantrymen,
> and you run out in short order.  Ooops.

And correspondingly your mechanized recce has to be a bit tough 
(witness the Scout variant of the Bradley). 
 
> I've got some Stargrunt Grav Bikes.  However, I've only got eight of
> them.  This would be elements of a recon platoon--(tenative
> organization, 6x4-man sections, to be used in maneuver batallion vis
> 6xGrav Jeeps w/ dismounts).  If I were to actually use them in a game,
> it would be a case of cav scouts attempting to get past an enemy
screen,
> or screening against enemy recon, or simillar traditional cavalry
> missions which require a lot of firepower packed into a small unit. 
Not
> flying around using their SAWs-O-Doom to shoot up line troops. 

Of course, if you want to go way back, skirmish riders have been used 
since cavalry has been invented. A dispersed formation that engages 
the enemy as a screening force could be of some value. But again, 
doctrine should be what limits the deployment of the troops and their 
uses, and economics and logistics should prohibit gamerishness.  

 
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Thomas Barclay		     
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