Ogre & Modern Combat: Thoughts RE: Turn Sequence, p2

HE'S DOING HIS PART - ARE YOU?

Combine Recruiting Poster, circa 2085 

 ^© Steve Jackson Games, all rights reserved, etc.

Well, the proof is in the pudding. Why exactly proof should be put into pudding I am uncertain, but hopefully it tastes like raisins... So, what does it look like to fight it out straight up in GEV with equal forces, more or less?  And given the way the turn sequence rewards Alpha Strike, what does it look like to coordinate an effective attack and defense? The post hopes to raise questions and give at least the opportunity for some answers.

Below, a 14 -14 face off for Paneuropean [white] v. Combine [black]. Yes there is terrain, but it should not be very impactful except to help the Paneuro Infantry a bit. The crater line marks the Threat Zone of ALL Paneuro and Combine units. Threat Zone = the total of Movement and Range for a unit in GEV. These are:

Howitzer = 0+8=8 hexes

Mobile Howitzer = 1+6=7 hexes

Missile Tank, GEV = 4+2 or 2+4=6 hexes

Lt. & Hvy. Tanks = 3+2=5 hexes

Infantry = 2+1=3 hexes

And the Paneuro is set up so that his entire force can hit that crater line, should any Combine attacker be dumb enough to cross it!  Ergo, the Combine attacker will not casually cross it...Combine is also set up identically - the entire force can hit the crater line. However, Paneuro has been given orders to defend, while Combine has orders to attack!  And at 1:1 odds no less!  In military maxims, one needs a 3:1 advantage for a successful attack, minimum of 2:1. Does Ogre fit into the military mold mindset?  Let's see...

ATTACKING A FLAT DEFENSE

Combine Turn 1. To begin, the Combine will attempt to peel away the outer layer of this onion - the Infantry. To do it, the Missile Tanks and Mobile Howitzer are staged within Alpha-striking distance of the Paneuro Infantry...

...and they advance into Alpha-strike Range, and destroy one Company of Infantry, while reducing the other two a platoon each, or 1/1, so they are now 2/1.

Paneuro 1. Paneuro has no immediate response except to advance, as no Combine Units moved into "the crater zone".

Combine 2. The same ranged strike force hits the advancing Paneuro who are basically still staging their counter-alpha-strike. They lose their Hvy Tank, and a GEV Disabled.

Paneuro 2. They reach out and touch someone with their counter-alpha-strike! The GEV slips through a gap in the Combine advance to take on the most lethal element they have - the MHwz - while all the rest of the force Moves into Fire Range....

...in a decent set of rolls, Paneuro destroys the MHwz, and Disables both Msl Tanks!

...then their long-ranged MHwz and Msl Tanks trash the Combine Infantry, destroying two companies and a platoon from the top company, which is now a 2/1.

...and then the GEVs fade back behind their forces.

Score: Paneuro winning, having lost 2 2/3 Units, while Combine has lose 4 1/3 Units. So far, looks like the flat defense did ok, surprisingly.

Combine 3. The hammer falls: the entire Combine force is able to take on most of the remaining Paneuro force as it alpha-strikes with 7 Units.

...with some decent rolling, the Howitzer destroys a Lt. Tank, the Heavy Tanks destroy 2 Infantry platoons and a Lt. Tank, the GEV's destroy a GEV and a Disabled GEV...

...and much of the Paneuro counter-strike is destroyed. They've four effective Units left against 11 Combine [two are disabled Msl Tanks, however].

Losses are almost 2:1 against the Paneuro force.

Paneuro 3. The P's are not done yet, and destroy 2 platoons of Infantry, a Hvy Tank and a Disabled Missile Tank. An optimist might be encouraged...

But on Combine 4, the Paneuros lose two vics destroyed and two disabled. 

They have one platoon of Infantry and one Howitzer operational!

On Paneuro 4, the Infantry miss, but the Howitzer destroyed a Msl Tank.

On Combine 5, all three Paneuro maneuver Units are destroyed.

On Paneuro 5, the Howitzer Disabled a Hvy Tank.

And on Combine 6, the Howitzer is destroyed in a blaze of 2-1 attacks!

The final tally - Paneuro wiped out, Combine has 6 Unit equivalents left.

ANALYSIS

So, the "Flat Defense" isn't going to work against a fast-moving opponent or one that outranges you [the case above]. It is fine for a DMZ during a cease-fire, as all Threat Ranges [TR] end at the agreed line [the craters]. 

The Paneuro counter-alpha-strike was too far back. They advanced but were themselves alpha-striked before doing any damage.  That gap was where the Paneuros lost the fight.

A better positioning would have been for the Paneuros to have their TR7 MHwz, and TR6 Units - GEV and Msl Tanks - farther forward, and the TR5 Lt. & Hvy Tanks as the counter-Alpha-Striking force. Infantry would have been better positioned entirely in the Woods as base of support for the TR6 Units and being harder to damage thanks to doubled defense.

A much better defense would be a Defense in Depth that pushes forward some of the long TR8, TR7 and TR6 Units, which extend the Threat Distance well forward of the defending Units, and enable them to threaten an advancing MHwz. To protect them from Overruns, Infantry should be spread out with some GEVs to run interference. The Lt & Hvy Tanks should be used to assault fixed positions, especially as a Howitzer can only destroy one a turn and they outrange infantry.

More to come with a Defense in Depth!