Re: DS3 design (long)

--- KH.Ranitzsch@t-online.de wrote:
> -----Original Message-----
> > From: J L Hilal <jlhilal@yahoo.com>
> > Next, some ideas to fix some of the other problems talked about: 
> 
> > 6)	Three complaints all seem to me to have a single commonality:
> i)
> > "Vehicle speeds are too slow." [for a 15 minute game turn]
> > ii) "If my fire support roll fails, what is my arty battery doing
> > for 15 minutes?"
> > iii) "Fire rates are too slow.  Modern MBTs could take 50 aimed
> > shots in a 15 minute game turn."
> > 
> > Perhaps part of the problem is the assumption of the 15 min. game
> > turn. change it to 4-5 minutes and it reduces the problem
> > substantially.
> > 
> > Additionally: change the activation into 2 actions like SG2,
> > allowing a vehicle to FIRE-FIRE or MOVE-MOVE
> 
> There are a lot of factors that stop tanks and other weapons from
> continuously moving or shooting at flat-out rates on the battlefield,
> thus the argument about the 50 shots or tank speeds is actually
> wrong.
> 

Although 50 is, indeed, an exagerated figure, 1 shot per 15 minutes is
also ridiculous.  There are many historical examples that show the fire
rate of DS2 is pitifully low.

E.g.:
At Villers-Bocage on 13 June, 1944, a Tiger under the command of Michel
Wittman destroyed 12 tanks and 13 other vehicles of the British 7th
Armored Division in just 10 minutes.  Along with the rest of his
company (4 more Tigers), they destroyed the rest of A and B Squadrons
and Reg. HQ of the 4th County of London Yeomenry and A Company of the
1st Rifle Brigade.

E.g.:
At dawn on 25 February, 1991, B Co., 4th Tank Batt., 4th Marine Div.,
was surprised by a force of 1 tank and 2 MI battalions of the Iraqi 3rd
Armored Division moving across their front.  In just over 5 minutes,
the 13 M1A1s KOed 30 T-72s, 4 T-55s, and 50 APCs and unarmored
vehicles.

E.g.:
On 26 Feb., 1991, E Troop, 2/2 Armored Cav. fought two armored and one
mechanized battalions of the Iraqi Tawakalna Republican Guard Div. at
73 Easting.  In about 20 minutes, 9 M1A1s and 13 M3s KOed 39 T-72s and
20 other armored vehicles.

<snip>

> So normal movement and shooting is at much lower rates than
> theoretically possible

Both of the 1991 examples, the US takes moved at a steady 10-20 mph.

> A game system can either simply limit a vehicle's abilities to 
> sensible values

You feel that 1 shot per 15 minutes and speeds of 1 kph is "sensible"?

> or allow them, but place
> extremely heavy penalties on reckless behaviour, e.g.here use limited
> ammo bookeeping and make speeding tanks easy targets.
> 

My suggestions would allow a maximum of 6-8 shots per 15-16 minutes if
stationary.  That is not unreasonable, and is significantly better than
the present 1 per 15 min., though I would still call it low.

If you want "sensible" = "realistic sustainable", I would go so far as
to suggest allowing number of shots (and targets) per fire action to
equal half the crew QD.  e.g. regular (d8) gets 8/2=4 shots per 4-5
minute turn on the move or 8 shots in 4-5 minutes when stationary.  But
this is significantly higher than my post originally suggested.

J