Re: [GZG] [SG3]: What if?
From: john.tailby@x...
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:14:49 +1100 (EST)
Subject: Re: [GZG] [SG3]: What if?
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r I play SGII I apply two fixes:
1) Cumulative morale: Morale really only starts to bight when a squad
looses more than half of its number at any one time. I imagine that as
the casualties stack up, the morale of a squad should become more
fragile.
2) Close Assault odds: As I have argued (many moons ago) if a figure is
outnumbered in combat it should suffer some penalty. Otherwise there is
no game advantage to outnumbering an opponent in close assault. I apply
a negative (open) die shift against any figure outnumbered in close
assault.
Why should morale be circumulative? Watching Black Hawn Down again, the
Americans spend a lot of effort to look after their wounded and dead.
Wound 1 model and the squad becomes immobile while the medic moves over
and potentially another 2 models become non combattants as they carry
the stretcher. I think the impact on casulaties should be almost uniform
with serious wounds more disabling on a squad than a dead result. I also
think that once a squad takes 50% casulaties it is combat ineffective
and can only take cover to try and protect their wounded.
Most wargames tend to make the soldiers far more courageous and tak far
higher % casulaties than historical battles. Units often became
ineffective at 10% casulaties.
Please note this is not a critism of the heroics of a war fighting
nation. Certainly if I ever found myself in a fight like that, I'd want
comrades that would look after me.
Why does being outnumbered in a close assault matter? Beyond those that
can immediately reach to attack you ~6 models the rest can't reach to
add to the fight. There perhaphs should be a bonus for surrounding a
model so it is trapped and can't retreat / dodge. Also you have to be
winning the fight. No number of rubbish troops are going to affect
smaller numbers of better troops unless the rubbish troops can pull them
down.