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Purchase Order & Order of Battle

 
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Purchase Order & Order of Battle - 10/6/2002 6:13:59 AM   
Capt. Pixel

 

Posts: 1219
Joined: 10/15/2001
From: Tucson, AZ
Status: offline 		So there I was - supposed to be working - and it hit me!

Get back to work and stop daydreaming about SP. :p

I have a tendency to purchase my forces in a certain order to acommodate my game-play style, and I'd like to compare it with others to glean some new ideas or viewpoints.

I prefer (for the most part) to move my individual units in reverse order through the roster using the 'P' key to navigate. This puts my leader ('0') units at risk last instead of first.

This leads, by default, to moving through the platoons in reverse order too.

So I make my purchases in the following order:

/ A0
/ FO (I like to have these near the A0 so I can find them easily)
/ Large Calibre Artillery (including OBA)
/ Medium Calibre Artillery (including SPA)
/ Ammunition Supply (keep it close to the on-board Arty)

/ Air Strikes (Hit them with the arty before sending in the planes)
/ Rear Area Security
/ AA and SPAA

/ Infiltrators
/ Air Transport (Hit them with everything before the paras arrive)
/ Foot Infantry (2nd Line)
/ Heavy Armor (Including TDs, SPGs, and slow behemoths)

/ Mechanized/Motorized Infantry (1st Line)
/ Medium/Light Armor
/ Tank-Riding Infantry (typically AT teams or Scouts)
/ Flanking units (typically MCs or ATGs in jeeps, etc.)

/ Heavy Recon (something small with a punch)
/ Light Recon (Eyes only - no combat)
/ Harassment (das premier - Kubelwagens)

In some circumstances, I find it more useful to reverse the order of Mech Infantry and Med/Light Armor. The terrain, speed of the vehicles, visibility, and enemy defenses all factor into the selection order. The order I listed would be for long vis and open terrain, like the desert.

I also tend to Rally from top-down at the beginning of each turn. This gets my '0' unit in top condition before his subordinates need to attempt Rally. This gives me a quick 'tactical' look at each individual unit's status before I start my move. (It also gives my slow mind time to think :rolleyes: )

So the basic tendency is to purchase my units in the reverse order of which I think I'll want to move them. This would be opposed to, say, moving in company order by the individual needs of each squad/vehicle.

So, do others of you out there use this method, do you buy willy-nilly until the points are used up, do you prefer 'historical' company selections or ad-hoc, best-of-everything purchases? :)

_____________________________

"Always mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy, if possible. "
- Stonewall Jackson
Post #: 1
- 10/6/2002 8:26:19 AM   
Supervisor

 

Posts: 5166
Joined: 3/2/2004
Status: offline 		Almost identical, you make a great point on the rally sequence. It's kinda hard to rally the tropps when the CO is running scared. I like my heavy armor so I pick them early. Of course depending on the battle type and year many of these options might not be avaialbe. Must be the military training in us that teach us our habits.

_____________________________


(in reply to Capt. Pixel)
Post #: 2
- 10/9/2002 1:54:16 AM   
challenge

 

Posts: 465
Joined: 10/10/2001
From: Austin, TX
Status: offline 		I tend the other way:

A0 (stock)

Infantry Full Companies

Enginer Company

Armor either as full companies or as platoons (depending on the size of the forces).

FOs, artillery, air support

Recon, Infiltrators, Spec ops or FJ

Security elements (generally what Capt Pixel referred to as tank riders)

Then fill in with snipers, harasment recon (kubelwagons, motorcycles, etc) to taste

The last unit I buy is the command car. This way I know the last 6 points are spoken for and if it's a campaign core force I know exactly where the auxilleries begin.

I step through a formation from the top down, rally troops as I go; this is followed by going in reverse to move the units. When I get back to the top of the formation I use the "G" key to step to the next formation or select the next unit in the area I am fighting around.

I don't step through each unit in sequesnce until I move specific areas first. For example, I'll move all the units involved in a hill fight before moving to the next group in a firefight, and when each hot spot is finished I'll step through all the units to make sure I didn't miss anything.

It takes a bit longer to make a turn that way, but that way I don't miss getting reserves in or going from offense to defense in a place where my troops get bogged down.

_____________________________

Challenge

War is unhealthy for die-stamped cardboard and other paper products.

(in reply to Capt. Pixel)
Post #: 3
- 10/9/2002 2:05:01 AM   
Belisarius


Posts: 4041
Joined: 5/26/2001
From: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: offline 		Hmm... I don't have a strict order of buying, depens on how many points I can spend, but here's my most common buying order:

* A0

* Tank co. (because it's nice to have the company CO as B0)

* Infantry and spec.ops. (if I need any)

* Recon

* Engineers

* Infantry support vehicles

* Tank Hunters/Destroyers & heavy tanks

* F0's

* Artillery

* Back area security - AA's, cavalry, additional MG Jeeps and scouts.

The order may seem a bit illogic, but I see Armor, Infantry and Recon as the three main parts (plus Artillery ofcourse), the rest are just variations with a specific role in mind.

_____________________________


Got StuG?

(in reply to Capt. Pixel)
Post #: 4
- 10/9/2002 2:10:41 AM   
Jim1954

 

Posts: 1393
Joined: 5/15/2002
From: Dallas
Status: offline 		A0
Recon units (foot, then vehicular)
MBT force
Infantry
Engineering assets
Artillery and Fo's (includes AT, Inf Guns, AA, etc)
Miscellaneous (usually transport that I assign as necessary)

I just got into the habit of this since the tutorial for SP1 did it in this fashion and I guess it stuck.

Rally starts with AO and pretty much goes down the list. I will make a rally run through my entire force before I move anything, then rally during the turn as needed (usually too often).
We gotta learn to duck better.

I usually rename my core forces to something historically accurate to the time frame (or as close as I can guess). I also try to purchase historically accurate formations as much as I can.

(in reply to Capt. Pixel)
Post #: 5
- 10/9/2002 7:38:55 AM   
Irinami

 

Posts: 746
Joined: 9/4/2002
From: Florida, USA
Status: offline 		A0 (sometimes changed to a bunker if the situation dictates)

Nation's specialty (eg, Germans=Panzers or SS Inf)

Support for specialty (eg, with US Arty, I toss in Rangers to find the targets)

Other assetts (whatever's left over, usually tanks first since that's what I think of first).

As for order of rallying... uh, haven't you guys noticed that every time you rally, that unit's "Rally" ability reduces? I'd think this would be a case to rally A0 last... or am I missing something fundamental?

_____________________________



Newbies!!
Wild Bill's Tanks at Munda Mini-Campaign. The training campaign for comb

(in reply to Capt. Pixel)
Post #: 6
- 10/9/2002 9:21:17 PM   
challenge

 

Posts: 465
Joined: 10/10/2001
From: Austin, TX
Status: offline 		If you rally a unit and it fails, then it moves to the command unit for the formation (platoon, company,A0) if the command unit fails it can not rally even itself. That means it may be out of the loop and not rally at all, nor help the units in its formation raly during auto rally. I would rather have a subordinate unit route than the command unit.

_____________________________

Challenge

War is unhealthy for die-stamped cardboard and other paper products.

(in reply to Capt. Pixel)
Post #: 7
Thanks guys! - 10/10/2002 5:21:04 AM   
Capt. Pixel

 

Posts: 1219
Joined: 10/15/2001
From: Tucson, AZ
Status: offline 		Belisarius mentioned having the Armor Comapny leader as B0. I guess I can see some merit in that, but it brings up a question.

As I have B0, C0 and D0 usually in some rear area support position, I find it strange that occasionally those leaders generate suppression from no apparent source of enemy activity.

This only happens occasionally so perhaps it is just an anomaly.

I also liked the suggestion of a 'command car' or some other innocuous unit to mark the end of the core force. I do this also, but I tend to reassign the CC to the A0. Always nice to have wheels. :)

For action during the turn, I wouldn't suggest lock-stepping through the Unit Roster. Rather, check each individual battle situation and respond appropriately. It's not prudent to move the armor into the woods without infantry probes first. Even if the armor is first in line to move.

I give immobilized units first consideration. They might just have a shot available, and I'd hate for a functional vehicle to waste ammo on a target that could have dispatched by the immobilized unit.

Units with 'free' shots would go next (like a hidden ATG at 12 hexes), and units that are in desperate situations would be given last consideration (if their situation is likely to change during the course of this turn).

Cycling through the Unit Roster at the end of the turn is also a good way to note forgotten units that have been freshly mobilized (repaired) or units that, through the flow of battle, have been presented with new targets, or units that you skipped moving or firing. Seems a good way to get the most out of your force. :cool:

_____________________________

"Always mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy, if possible. "
- Stonewall Jackson

(in reply to Capt. Pixel)
Post #: 8
Cycling... - 10/10/2002 8:58:26 AM   
Irinami

 

Posts: 746
Joined: 9/4/2002
From: Florida, USA
Status: offline 		I tend to cycle through my units at the start of my turn (with the intention to cycle fully through to get as many enemy units spotted as I can) until I hit a firefight ("battle situation" as some call it). Then (forgetting the plan of spotting everything first :mad: ) I'll work tactically, moving infantry through woods first, or tanks through pastures, or whatever. Once that firefight's up, I'll cycle again to hit the next one, and so on. Finally, at the end of the turn, I'll cycle through again to get any rally chances that come about from command units I've moved, thus allowing me a spare shot or three. I do admit, I'd be a better warrior if I didn't rely so much on cycling.

_____________________________



Newbies!!
Wild Bill's Tanks at Munda Mini-Campaign. The training campaign for comb

(in reply to Capt. Pixel)
Post #: 9
Re: Thanks guys! - 10/10/2002 11:49:31 PM   
challenge

 

Posts: 465
Joined: 10/10/2001
From: Austin, TX
Status: offline 		[QUOTE]Originally posted by Capt. Pixel
[B]As I have B0, C0 and D0 usually in some rear area support position, I find it strange that occasionally those leaders generate suppression from no apparent source of enemy activity.

This only happens occasionally so perhaps it is just an anomaly.
[/B][/QUOTE]

I think it happens when the unit is in contact with another unit that takes fire. It says in the rules that just knowing the enemy is out there can cause suppression and I've noticed that units in sight of each other can get a couple points of suppression when either of them take fire.

I used to do it the way Irinami described, but found that I got distracted and occassionally didn't get back to the sequence in the right place. So to avoid the confusion of "did-I-not-want-to-move-that-last-time-I-looked-at-it;-did-I-look-at-and-forget;-drek,-I-didn't-want-to-do-that" sort of thing, I look at each fire group, it's support and all things associated with it at one time. Usually I know what is likely to have taken shots, and having specific mid level objectives related to the location of VHs makes following assigned units easier than following this paragraph.

I find it also helps me avoid the tendancy to have sequencially numbered formations streatched along the front.

_____________________________

Challenge

War is unhealthy for die-stamped cardboard and other paper products.

(in reply to Capt. Pixel)
Post #: 10
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