Grav Bikes

8 posts ยท Jun 29 1997 to Jul 3 1997

From: Owen Glover <oglover@b...>

Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 04:26:58 -0400

Subject: Grav Bikes

Gdaymates (sorry couldn't resist using Strine), well with the advent of Eureka
Min's OU Grav bikeI am trying to expand the OU orbat to include a
Light Horse Regiment squad/troop/squadron. The question is how to deal
with the Grav bike?

This is my proposal so please give some constructive criticism.

The Grav bike is a Size Class 1, Armour Class 1, Crew of 1,
Armanent 1 x DFFG/1 or HEL/1 and Basic FC (I think any other weapon
system would require heavy loads of ammunition out of line with the physical
size of the vehicle) of course you could argue no weapon.

I would limit the Grav Bike to Ground Level mode only (limited power supply
etc)

Next question is to run the Grav Bike as an individual vehicle or as units ie
Sections. Personally I intend to run them as Sections so the infantry can
dismount
and fight as a Section/Squad (Light Horse are Mounted Infantry after all
) but I was thinking of expanding the unit integrity to 12 inches just so you
can fit 8 or so of them together!! Running each Grav Bike as an
individual unit means LOTS of chits for leadership/quality!!!!!

Anyway that should give you guys something to chew on.

Remember Beersheba!!

From: Darryl Adams <dadams@t...>

Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 06:59:12 -0400

Subject: Re: Grav Bikes

> Glover, Owen wrote:

> Gdaymates (sorry couldn't resist using Strine),

Well bonza mate, I'm flat out like a lizard drinking thinking of strine
cleches!

> well with the advent of Eureka Min's OU Grav bikeI am trying to expand

I would use them as traditional Light horse (I ordered 6 ot them, so i have
been thinking about it a lot).

I would use the bikes as a mechanism to get the troops up to the firezone
fast, dismount, then enguage on foot.

Besheeba is not going to happen in SGII with IAVR and plasma weapons.

> This is my proposal so please give some constructive criticism.

Sounds good. Depending on the model, you could push up to RFAC/2
(forward mount) and still have space for a SAW or something.

> I would limit the Grav Bike to Ground Level mode only (limited power

Nah, let them come in in High mode.... lets face it, the beuty of a light
horse is speed, so let them come in high, drop in to low, then dismount.

> Next question is to run the Grav Bike as an individual vehicle or as

By the unit. Treat the squads Grav bike as one big IFV, as the crew dismounts
to fight.

> Anyway that should give you guys something to chew on.

 Contact!!!!!!

From: Darryl Adams <dadams@t...>

Date: Sun, 29 Jun 1997 23:54:11 -0400

Subject: Re: Grav Bikes

> Alan Brain wrote:

> > Besheeba is not going to happen in SGII with IAVR and plasma

The reason Besheba worked was that the field guns were hand cranked and could
not be sighted less than 150m (may be wrong with the range)

For WW1 combat this would not be a problem, as the troops would be suppressed
by mass firepower in the open long before the sighting limitation would be an
issue.

By charging, the Light Horse caused the ranges to be changed constantly, so
while they took losses, the losses was less than comming in on foot.

And remember, the enemy "knew" that they where light horse, so they where
waiting for them to dismount. The charge was a complete supprise, otherwise
the whole charge would have been wiped out by machine gun fire.

From: Owen Glover <oglover@b...>

Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 01:00:29 -0400

Subject: RE: Grav Bikes

> From Daryl

> The reason Besheba worked was that the field guns were hand

> And remember, the enemy "knew" that they where light horse, so

The machine guns could not adjust ranges quickly enough either! The Turks had
range markers buut were unable to call the fire quickly enough for the rifles
and machine guns! (For those unitiated in the theory of Small Arms fire the
trajectory of a projectile has a culminating point approx two thirds along its
path).

I would imagine that the passage of the Grav vehicles a few meters above
ground level could be a cause for Terror in itself (remember troops cannot
rappel from hovering grav due to the risk of injury from the grav drive!)

From: Alan and Carmel Brain <aebrain@w...>

Date: Mon, 30 Jun 1997 04:49:39 -0400

Subject: Re: Grav Bikes

> Darryl Adams wrote:

> I would use them as traditional Light horse (I ordered 6 ot them, so i

Furry Nuff.

> I would use the bikes as a mechanism to get the troops up to the

Yup.

From: Phillip E. Pournelle <pepourne@n...>

Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 19:30:40 -0400

Subject: Re: Grav Bikes

Owen, I use Imperial Speeder Bikes for Both DirtSide II and Star Grunts. They
are size one vehicles of 3 Capacity. They carry one DFFG 1 and one APSW. They
have no armor. I usually represent them with a single Bike from Lewis Galoobs
figures and a die 6 to represent the number of bikes in the squad. They have
been very effective. Their small size makes them difficult to hit and their
speed as grav vehicles makes them deadly to armor units they close with.
However, they are vulnerable to artillery and SLAMs. Phil P.

From: mechavar@a... (Miguel Echavarria)

Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 19:53:20 -0400

Subject: Re: Grav Bikes

> Owen,
Since they have no armor, wouldn't they be susceptible to damage from APSW and
infantry small arms fire?

From: Owen Glover <oglover@b...>

Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 21:04:46 -0400

Subject: RE: Grav Bikes

Miguel,

I think Phil referred to the fact that when they are in High Mode (being Grav
they can be) then they would be fired on as other aircraft in that instance.
When they get down to the ground then maybe but that's where
you would use a helicopter approach - ie, behind cover, pop up fire and
duck away again.

Regerettably Grav is hellishly expensive so not alot of it on the battlefield.
Drats.

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