Re: Wire Obstacles

Jon wrote:
So what do you string it on?  Can't tie it to a steel pole, or you'd
chop the pole in half.	More so for vegetation and other crap.	IMHO

Actually, I disagree with this. Just wrapping it around a steel pole
will
not cut the pole. It takes a lot of force to cut the steel. The
sharpness
of the wire approaches infinity but is not infinite (and in fact could
never be infinite). It still requires force. Now then, are the molecular
bonds that hold steel together stronger than the bonds that hold the
wire
together? If not then the wire just won't cut - the weak link breaks
first
in every case. If you wrap it around a pair of trees now you have to ask
what is stronger: the bonds that hold a uniform and body together or the
bonds that hold a tree together.  How many bodies do you need to pile up
before you stop an entire column of men in woods? My guess is 'One'.

The real point of Monomolocular Filiament is that it is a dirty weapon.
My
thinking on it has completely changed since this discussion began. In
the
Mercenary campaign I plan to run the mercs will have the opportunity to
use
'dirty tricks'. It's in the literature and it's in real life so why
avoid
it? Now then, if you deploy something as nasty as land mines or MF as
one
of your 'dirty tricks' then you risk - something. Right now I am working
along the lines of some sort of political quotient. Each side (multiple
factions in this game) will have a political measure. As they get
dirtier
things begin to happen. If the Rebels get too dirty, they lose the
support
of the people and their cell system falls apart. If the mercs get too
dirty
they risk sparking intervention from a Super Power or a Major Power
(Amnesty Interplanetary observers?). If the local government gets too
despotic they risk strengthening the rebel movement!

MF really falls into the realm of Nova Cannons and so forth - things
only
the power gamer would really want to use all the time. But, taking a
risk
and strategically using it might have a high payoff (then again it could
be
the Exploding Cigar you Willingly Smoke!)

Most of the campaigns I've been in emphasis men & materials. Some have
even
bothered to track morale from battle to battle as well as fatigue.
However,
there is a whole other dimension that always seems to be left behind and
that is the ramifications of war. I think I've seen one board game (5th
Fleet I think) that had a political measure (it was possible for your
government to sue for peace before you had time to win!) I think that a
solution to powergaming is to allow it, but in campaign settings
designed
to punish its abuse. Eh, who am I kidding. Powergamers don't have the
patience for campaigns! Anyway, the above is why I am interested in
understanding how things like this might work. I think the further we
get
from assuming Total War in our games, the more realistic they will
become.