Sorry for the OT, but I just noticed the date!
It isn't exactly rememberance day, or veterans day, or anything like that. But
it is the anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Europe. I'm going to
intentionally NOT say anything more to spark any sort of controversy on the
importance or not of this event, but I just wanted to note it since I didn't
see a darn thing about it today's paper! <grrr>
Anyway, to focus on the GZG points:
DS:
How do people usually run orbital landings? Do you usually use invulnerable
landers that just deploy the troops to the table *presto* or do you usually
let weapons engage them? Do your landers usually hang around and fight?
SG:
Has anyone noticed the wide scatter for SG OA landings? It would seem to me by
this time period, you should be able to land on a dime (with grav chutes,
thrust packs, blah blah PSB blah). I find any kind of airborne or orbital
insertaion leaves you scattered to hell and gone.... (kind of
D-day ish!).
BOTH:
And how to you do heliborne insertion from a hover in either case
(DS/SG)? Both the standard hover and the free-rappel variety? Would
these (esp the latter) let you insert troops where a normal LZ could not exist
according to the rules? And how to represent assault gliders in either, or
insertion via hang glider or ultralight? Or zepellin?
Just some grist for the mill. I may have to watch the beginning of SPR again
tonight as I pack for CampCon II.
T.
> Anyway, to focus on the GZG points:
I let them get shot at,they can make more than one trip down but
> --- Tomb <tomb@dreammechanics.com> wrote:
> but I just wanted to
Heh.
I was reminded of it at 0630 this AM when our CO gave a short speech on the
subject.
Our battalion took 30% casualties in the first few hours, when the 299th
landed ahead of the first wave to augment the naval beach parties with
demolitions assets. Even got a mention in the movie.:)
> How do people usually run orbital landings? Do you
Never have. Would probably permit any air defenses to engage, but then again a
planet is a big place, air defenses are expensive, and any place with good air
defenses (ie: Static systems like protect Moscow and other strategic targets
in USSR) would probably not be selected as a beachhead, so there shouldn't be
much more than tactical ADA assets.
> SG:
Yup. I actually like that.
> me by this time period, you should be able to land
I doubt that. To give all your infantry the kind of
pilot training equivelant to a single-engine license
(no matter how high-tech, basic aerodynamics are not
getting any less complex) would jack their price tag higher than it would be
worth.
Now, Special Operations Forces could be more precise in their landings, but
not Joe Paratrooper.
> BOTH:
Latter, yes. Fast-roping permits (as seen in
Blackhawk Down) insertions into even urban areas.
> assault gliders in
Uhh... I don't. YMMV.
> Having vulnerable landers would be tough, I think. After all,
Well, bear in mind that they won't just be going down on their tod, so to
speak. Any force just sending the VTOL's or insertion units in without some
form of spoofing or support in the form of ground suppression is doomed.
There should always be some get through...
My local games stores solution to the scatter -- for FMA skirmish games
rather than SG:
1) Place 1 counter for each figure in a row on a ruler. 2) Have impartial
observer raise ruler to 3 feet above board 3) Tilt ruler
According to the game store owner this was how they used to simulate "stick"
drops of parachutists in WW2 games.
As for DS2, I have used "the landers came down safely in the desert (or
deserted island or arctic waste or...) and your forces have recombined and set
out for the objective.
Having vulnerable landers would be tough, I think. After all, depending on
the statistics you use, there is always going to be a small but non-zero
chance that ALL of the landers are shot down, which makes for a quick but not
very interesting game. I suppose you could do somehting like having the
attacker put his forces into, say, 6 groups and then announce "OK, groups 3
and 6 were shot down. Deploy the rest of your forces." Hmmm, I might
just have talked myself into a DS2 game. That sounds like fun.
Rick Rutherford -- do not read this email! ;-)
Nicholas Caldwell clcaldwell@kreative.net
[quoted original message omitted]
G'day,
> DS:
In the odd one we've had has been engaged by anti-air and has mostly
scooted once the troops are out.
> BOTH:
In the one game where we did do it we treated it as exiting a vehicle but it
took the whole turn.
> And how to represent assault gliders in
Fly in as per aerospace (or vtol or whatever depending on your speed) and
bob's your uncle;)
> Or zepellin?
I'd treat that like otehr "jump from plane" stuff.
Cheers