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Topic: Botto's Guide to Modern Wargaming - Part 1 - Ground Units

-gbotto600-
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----Ground Unit Strategy/Tips/FAQ----

--Intro To Ground Units in Wargame v.2 Turn Based Game Engine--:
Ground units are any units that fight and move on land only. This includes: tanks, infantry, artillery, mechanized infantry, Special Forces, paratroopers, anti-tank, marines, rocket and anti-aircraft units. Ground units are for the most part units that can only attack other ground units (the exceptions being anti-aircraft ground units).

--The Basic Types--:

Tank Units: Tanks are the standard weapon of modern land warfare. They are tracked armored vehicles that usually mount a large high powered gun in a revolving turret and several machineguns in the turret or on its roof. Tanks are best used against enemy tanks and vehicles. They are weak against enemy air units, helicopters and anti-tank units. (Example: American M1A2 Tank, Russian T-80UM1 Tank, British Challenger II Tank)

Infantry Units: (Normal NOT Mechanized): These units are the basic ‘foot soldiers’ of your army. They DO NOT use vehicles in combat, only the weapons they can carry. They do have trucks to drive them long distances but these trucks are unarmed and have no armor and they are in the rear of the combat area most of the time. Infantry are a good multi-purpose unit that can attack and defend effectively. Infantry are weak against enemy air and helicopter units, mechanized infantry and artillery attacks.

Paratrooper/Para/Airborne Infantry Units: This unit is basically the same as the above unit but these troops can jump from select Transport Aircraft units and make ‘air assaults’ with select Assault Transport Helicopter Units. They are better trained than normal infantry and are effective in paradrops and air assaults.

Mechanized Infantry Units: Mechanized Infantry are foot soldiers who can fight and ride in armored and armed IFV (infantry fighting vehicle) or APC (armored personnel carrier) vehicles. During a battle the soldiers will usually get out of these vehicles and assault on foot as the IFV and APC vehicles drive with them providing heavy firepower. Mechanized Infantry are like tanks but cheaper and better against infantry. Like most ground units they are weak against enemy aircraft and helicopters though. (Examples: American Bradley IFV, Russian BMP-2 IFV, British Warrior IFV)

Anti-Tank Units: These units are usually APC or IFV vehicles modified to carry anti-tank missile launchers INSTEAD of troops. They are not like infantry or tank units, they have no combat troops to battle with, only their anti-tank missile launchers and a few machineguns. They are best used against enemy tanks, mechanized infantry, artillery and rocket artillery units. They are very weak against enemy air, helicopter and infantry units and they are weak when attacked with artillery barrages. Anti-tank units are best used in defense against an enemy who has a large tank force. A single anti-tank vehicle can take out many enemy tanks before being hit or running out of missiles. ATGM=Anti-Tank Guided Missile (Examples: American M901 ATGM Unit, Russian BMP-3 ‘Kornet’ ATGM Unit, British Striker ATGM Unit)

Towed Artillery Units: Towed Artillery is the basic ‘field guns’ most of us are familiar with from the movies and TV etc.. They are guns towed by trucks and put into position and fired. They are cheap and effective. Artillery is only effective when used to SUPPORT other units, artillery is never good when it is directly attacked or forced into a direct attack. BE SURE to say in your battle plans and strategy’s etc... That you say your artillery units are SUPPORTING other units (like tanks and infantry) (This unit also includes unarmed trucks to tow the guns)

Self-Propelled Artillery Units: Self-Propelled Artillery is a artillery gun (like in the above unit) that is not towed but instead mounted in a self-driven armored chassis. This makes it faster and better suited to combat roles closer to the actual fighting. These units are the same as regular towed artillery but they have better amour and they have a better chance of surviving on a battle field. (Examples: American M109A6 Paladin Self-Propelled Artillery Unit, Russian 2S3 Self-Propelled Artillery Unit, British AS-90 Self-Propelled Artillery Unit)

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-gbotto600-
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Self-Propelled Rocket Artillery Units: This is like the above unit but these artillery vehicles use many rockets to saturate an enemy area with a lot of firepower. They are very weak in direct attacks but they are deadly when giving long range SUPPORT to your units. Rockets are larger than regular artillery shells but they are also more expensive and rocket units are generally more expensive. (Examples: American MRLS Rocket Artillery Unit, Russian BM-27 Rocket Artillery Unit, British MRLS Rocket Artillery Unit)

Anti-Aircraft SAM Missile Units: This is a special unit that uses anti-aircraft missiles to down enemy aircraft and helicopters. These units are very weak in direct attacks from ground units, they are also strong against enemy air units. The main purpose of this unit is to protect your ‘real’ ground units from enemy air units as they attack. SAM (Surface-to-Air Missile) units are generally better than anti-aircraft gun units but they are more expensive. (Examples: American Chaparral SAM Anti-Aircraft Unit, Russian SA-9 ‘Gecko’ Anti-Aircraft SAM Unit, British Rapier Anti-Aircraft SAM Unit)

Anti-Aircraft Gun Units: This unit is basically the same as the above unit but these units use high-power, fast firing cannons to down enemy aircraft and helicopters. They are cheaper than SAM Units. (Examples: American M163 ‘Vulcan’ Anti-Aircraft Unit, Russian ZSU-23-4 Anti-Aircraft Unit)

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-gbotto600-
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--The Fundamentals of a Modern Ground Battle--:
Ok so now we now what the units basically are and how they work, you maybe now thinking “How the hell do all these things work together!?” The answer is simple... COMBINED ARMS… infantry units are massacred if they don’t have tank support... and tank units are just buckets of bolts waiting to be hit if they have no infantry support. To launch an effective attack you need to balance out the needs of each unit and your needs on the battlefield. Direct Attack/Assault Combat has 3 basic phases… 1. Bombardment, 2. Maneuver, 3. Engage.

1. Bombardment: To win a successful attack you need to make sure you enemy is confused and disabled from the start.. this is where your towed, self-propelled and rocket artillery units come in (aircraft also, but they are described in a later section). These units are miles from the front lines but they can lay down fire right where the action is (or will be shortly) so be sure to say you are using your artillery units (towed, self-propelled and rocket) to launch large bombardments of enemy forces before any large movement by other ground units.

2. Maneuver: Ok, so your artillery has pounded the enemy to soften him up.. now your combat units move in to actually go in and kick his butt!. This is the phase where tanks and mechanized infantry are at their best, making fast and rapid assaults on enemy units. Normal infantry is also good at this role but not as good as a good ‘tank and mech. inf team’. Remember! Mechanized Infantry are put in those vehicles for one reason… TO SUPPORT TANKS! SO make sure your mech. inf is covering your tank units!.

3. Engage: Ok, so you’ve bombarded the enemy with your artillery and your ground units are now attacking his in close combat. This phase of combat is out of your direct control generally but be sure to have good orders for your combat units and have them BALANCE each other out. In these modern times of GPS receivers and laser guided bombs most of the tanks and mechanized infantry vehicles have radios in them to call for direct artillery or air support. So be sure to say your artillery and air support units go onto ‘Request Fire Mode’ when they are done with the starting bombardment.

—Unit Pairing/Countering Tips--:

- Keep Mechanized Infantry Units with Tank Units AT ALL TIMES! They work best together!

- If your enemy has a large numerical advantage look closely at his units and find a weakness, if he has spent so many credits on single types of units then he has missed/over looked other parts of his army (artillery, anti-aircraft etc..)

- NEVER send artillery (towed, self-propelled, rocket) or anti-aircraft (gun, SAM) into direct combat alone! They will be massacred! They are built to be used a mile or so behind the combat lines or to be defended and supported by many ground units!

- Be sure to never neglect anti-aircraft units or your own aircraft to defend your ground units. Anti-Aircraft units are the ONLY ground units that can attack enemy aircraft so if you have none and your enemy has attack aircraft your pretty much lost already…

- Don’t sent tanks against enemy infantry without support from your own artillery and/or infantry. When lone tanks are charging across the open against enemy infantry they are driving into ambushes from grenades and mines etc.. For evidence of this simply turn on any news station and watch Israeli tanks drive into those Palestinian towns and camps. The Palestinian guerillas hide in the alley ways and windows and wait for the Israeli tanks to drive by and then they throw grenades and fire rockets at them. From inside a tank with all the hatches closed it is almost impossible to spot a lone person ‘sneaking’ up on your 60 ton vehicle.

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-gbotto600-
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—Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)--:

-I am playing as China and my infantry costs 2 credits? America’s cost 4? Why is there a difference in this basic unit?
--The Answer is simple. American infantry units are of higher quality than Chinese ones but the Chinese can call up many more soldiers than the American army. So it balances out, China has cheap infantry of a lower quality; America has expensive but higher quality infantry.

-My enemy is using so many tanks! He has twice as many as I do! What can I do!?!?
--There are many things you can do, first look at the rest of his army, chances are if he spent so many credits on just tanks he has neglected other parts, (infantry, artillery, air units) so find his weakness and exploit it. Also keep in mind the best units to defend against enemy tanks are other tanks, anti-tank units and attack aircraft.

-I have ‘Marine’ Infantry Units? What are those exactly?
--Marines are specially trained infantry units that are very good in amphibious warfare (landing on enemy beaches) Marine units also include amphibious tanks and vehicles to get them to the beach from Assault Landing Ships. They are the best units to use when invading an enemy nation from the sea. The beginning movie ’Saving Private Ryan’ gives a graphic idea of how this type of operation (amphibious landing) works…

-What units are best for attacking cities held by enemy forces?
--Urban warfare is very complicated and dangerous, common sense tells us that normal Infantry Units and Mechanized Infantry Units are best used in street fighting, tanks are simply too big and bulky for this kind of warfare. Also be sure to use a lot of helicopters and artillery to pound the structures to pieces and prevent enemy forces from defending from buildings.

-My current tank types are really bad, is there anything I can do?
--Chances are if your tank units are that ‘bad’ then you have some other balance with them, they are probably very cheap compared to other ‘good’ tanks, remember the Soviet Army beat the Nazis with massive amounts of ‘mediocre’ tanks. Build many more of your ‘bad’ tanks to overwhelm your enemy’s ‘good’ tanks. Also if you really think they are that ‘bad’ you can research a new tank type or try and buy other tank units from other nations.

-How do the ‘air assaults’ with Paratrooper/Para/Airborne Infantry Units and Assault Helicopter Units work?
--Para/Paratrooper/Airborne Infantry Units may make a special attack from select Assault Helicopter Transport Units. In this attack they land as the choppers provide covering fire (the movies ’We Were Soldiers’ and ’Black Hawk Down’ provide good representations of this) This type of attack is good for attacking your enemy from the rear of his battle lines and surprising him. Units in this type of attack are good against almost all enemy units since the helicopters carry rockets and heavy machineguns to support the landing soldiers.

[ September 23, 2002, 21:54: Message edited by: -gbotto600- ]

Posts: 7713 (1.18 per day) | From: NJ | Registered: May 2001 (6500 days) | IP: Logged |

-gbotto600-
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thsi is part 1 of a good 'primer' to the 'Modern Wargame System' and i suggest all players (new and veteran) give it a look [Smile]

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Decima MAS

\
When ancient Rome was near defeat,
the invincible Tenth Legion was raised:
they beat the barbarians on the battlefield
and Rome gained peace with honour again.
When the traitor, on September the eighth,
left the fatherland in infamy,
the Tenth Flotilla was raised from the sea
and it brought weapons at the cry for honour!

Oh our Tenth Flotilla,
you that mocked England,
you victorious on Alexandria,
Malta, Souda and Gibraltar,
you already victorious upon the sea,
now even on the dry land
you will win!

To you Italian ships, stolen from us
not in battle but by treason,
and to you, our prisoners and dead brothers,
we swear:
we swear that we'll came back,
let this be God's and the Flag's will.
We swear that we'll fight
until we obtain an honourable peace!

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Inquisitor Kenny
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great work man, i read it all and like vat' i see!

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