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SG2 lessons

From: "Barclay, Tom" <tomb@b...>
Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2001 13:09:55 -0500
Subject: SG2 lessons

Mark L. said: 

Lessons learned:
	Morale is surprisingly unimportant in SG2.  
Out of 13 units (8 CO and 5 ST), only 2 went to 
broken or worse, and only another 1 or 2 went to
SH.

[Tomb] The one thing that SG2 does poorly is deal with the situation of
gradually increasing casualties - nowhere is there a persistent modifier
for
casualties previously taken. Additionally, in few games would we be
comfortable with the realities of many conflicts - we like to play. In
real
life, a lot of warfare is about morale. It is a hard to model thing -
sometimes men will fight to the bitter end, other times, a single
casualty
can stop a platoon. Real casualty counds in excess of 10% are pretty
stiff.
Taking 50% or more casualties, not uncommon in normal by-the-book SG2
games,
can absolutely destroy a unit in the real world. The one thing SG2 does
have
going is a good mechanic in the form of mission motivation levels. What
it
needs is persistence of casualties as a factor in morale. Allan has
taken a
reasonable cut at fixing the shortcomings in the system - not the only
approach, but a reasonable one. 

	Suppression is amazingly important in SG2.
There were 2 or 3 turns when no one could shake
suppression counters fast enough to move.

[Tomb] Having lost entire squads at GZG ECC-I to Minbari power armour as
a
consequence of suppressions, I have to agree. But this is one of the
strengths of the system. In real life, suppression and pinning are key
parts
of manouvre warfare. Killing someone is good, but suppressing can often
let
you set them up for the kill, or let you accomplish other mission
objectives. 

	Don't use crappy troops or leaders to go
into position in open terrain.	I had a Reg 3 fail
the test 4 times, the rat bastard.

[Tomb] I must admit I find some bits of this rule rather questionable.
Going
in-position is something most soldiers are trained for. It really
doesn't
take that much to get a squad to go to ground and find good cover. Heck,
most infanteers do this as second instinct. Digging slit trenches, shell
scrapes, or just piling up rocks and other debris for cover is not that
much
more involved. Now, I can see a roll for it the FIRST time you try it,
after
that I think (if you're still trying in the same spot), it should be
automatic. Eventualy your guys will get dug in and settled. Something
tells
me a Vet-3 might blow this test a few times, even though that is utterly
unreflective of the quality of the force... 

	Close combats are very decisive, but final
defensive fire can make your day suck.

[Tomb] And of course, one of the shortcomings here is no "weight in
numbers"
advantage for an attacker. One good roll for the defender on a big die
type
and the attackers (even if they number 10:1) might as well just stay
home.
Myself, I give negative die shifts to the side that has a numerical
inferiority. 1:1 is no shifts, 2:1 gives a negative shift to the smaller
force, 3:1 gives two negative shifts. I don't go any further. Numbers
only
add up so far... and this isn't strictly hand to hand - it is close
range
gunfire, hand grenades, bayonets, the whole shebang.   

------------------------------------------
Thomas R. S. Barclay
Voice: (613) 722-3232 ext 349
e-mail: tomb@bitheads.com

2001: To the New Millenium! The next thousand years
are MINE. 
------------------------------------------


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