AFFS High Command: Eternal Grandeur

[DoctorMonkey]

I'm not so much blown away that we have a My Little Pony thread on these boards as I am cheapened by its very existence.

Isn't My Little Pony what people call Hell's Horses bondsmen beaten/won easily?

[Moonsword]

To me, that thread is a lot like the Clan forum.

I thought the mods were supposed to stop trouble, not start it...

[Arkansas Warrior]

Jersey shore is about the young Italian-American party crowd in the New Jersey area.  No, it's not nearly as good as it sounds(not that it sounds good, it's just that bad).  Pretty much as if they made a show about frat boys and girls, except that these weren't smart enough to go to college, and like to refer to themselves with Italian-American slurs.

[Moonsword]

That just makes me glad I don't have any idea what network this is even on.  I don't want to know, either.

[Weirdo]

To me, that thread is a lot like the Clan forum.

I thought the mods were supposed to stop trouble, not start it...

Suppose I should clarify..

Much like the Clan forum, the MLP thread holds little to no interest to me, and I'll only venture there through morbid curiosity.

[GreenDragon]

That just makes me glad I don't have any idea what network this is even on.  I don't want to know, either.

The DJs (Mark Goodman, Nina Blackwood, Alan Hunter and Martha Quinn) on XM's 80s Channel wish they didn't know also.  Martha recently had to plug a special on a different channel being hosted by one of the Jersey Shore girls and commented on how the original VJs mourn what the channel they created has become.

[3rdCrucisLancers]

I'm contemplating an AFFS fire support company built around four Challenger MBTs, four JES I and four JES II missile carriers. Thoughts?

[Kojak]

Well, the JES I is just a terrible, terrible, utter piece of shit of a tank. With a little reorganization, though, the idea has some promise.

How about this?

Command Lance
Ajax Assault Tank B
Ajax Assault Tank B
Challenger XI MBT
Challenger XI MBT

Fire Lance
JES II Strategic Missile Carrier
JES II Strategic Missile Carrier
JES II Strategic Missile Carrier
JES II Strategic Missile Carrier

Spotter Lance
Minion Advanced Tactical Vehicle
Minion Advanced Tactical Vehicle
Minion Advanced Tactical Vehicle
Minion Advanced Tactical Vehicle

Now you've got a full C3 net that can lob an insane amount of missile fire at long range and has four TC-ed gauss rifles to ice the cake. Delicious, delicious cake.

[3rdCrucisLancers]

I like it, but C3 networks are, as I said, a pain to calculate. I was planning on using the 3085 JES I, which is 8/12.

[Kojak]

I wasn't even aware that existed. In that case, how about four Challengers, four NLRM carriers, and four JES Is? Because the JES II is so incredibly slow that if you're not using C3 it's going to be pretty difficult to get good performance out of it.

[Bostwick]

I'm contemplating an AFFS fire support company built around four Challenger MBTs, four JES I and four JES II missile carriers. Thoughts?

throw in a lance of Arrow IV Demolishers

[3rdCrucisLancers]

I wasn't even aware that existed. In that case, how about four Challengers, four NLRM carriers, and four JES Is? Because the JES II is so incredibly slow that if you're not using C3 it's going to be pretty difficult to get good performance out of it.

Well, the beautiful thing about LRMs is that the launcher doesn't need to see the target. Of course, the terrible side arcs of the JES IIs MMLs kind of makes them irrelevant.

throw in a lance of Arrow IV Demolishers

For personal reasons, I never use artillery in games I run.

[MadDogMaddux]

Don't think of on-map Arrow IV as artillery, just overly complicated mega-Thunderbolts. :P

I can understand (barely) your beef with off-board artillery, but not onboard.

[Paladin1]

Bahh, the only way you could have a beef with artillery is if you're not using enough and if you can't blot out the sun with your ToT barrages, you're not using enough.

[3rdCrucisLancers]

Don't think of on-map Arrow IV as artillery, just overly complicated mega-Thunderbolts. :P

I can understand (barely) your beef with off-board artillery, but not onboard.

Artillery seriously unbalanced many early Chicago CBT games, and was a driving force in me becoming a demo agent. Just as in real life, good usage of artillery can win a game before the main bodies meet. It was frustrating for people who'd driven an hour or more (some guys came from Rockford, two hours to the north) to come in and be beaten before their 'mechs got off a shot. My job was to make sure the game was fun, first and foremost.

That's my main reason. Also, I'm not real solid on the rules.

[MadDogMaddux]

I feelya, offboard Arty can totally change a game if not handled correctly.

Onboard Arty is just another element, and is fairly balanced in its application.

[GreenDragon]

I rather liked early uses of it around here.  Essentially each side was allowed 1-3 uses (of Arty or Air Support) rules for said were applied by the book, but they had limited use.  If used carefully (read: tactically) it could make a difference.  If you barraged the enemy at first sight, odds are you didn't take them out (good chance of missing without those fancy Level 2 EW systems), and they could then use theirs at any time.
Often, they didn't get used at all, for fear the other side would use theirs.

[Charlie 6]

This in new one.  From discussions up north on the old board I always got the impression that in-game off board artillery was more a danger to oneself than the opponent and was too time consuming to use.  I’m curious as to how someone managed to employ it effectively so as to garner such a reaction.  Regardless, I say in that specific case the artillery was potentially handled correctly but certainly not competively.   I’d argue the real problem is the small-unit close-combat focus CBT has as opposed to a focus large scale military operations.  In a larger operation, those guns (or airstrikes) aren’t going to be available all the time so a usage limitation isn’t far-fetched at all.  In-game reasons could a)counter-fire threat forcing displacement, b) targeting priorities, c) commander’s intent for fires, or d) paucity of ammunition.

I’m curious for Interstellar Operations and how that game intends to handle larger forces.  The simple constraint of crew rest and aviation sortie generation will play all sorts of games on some folks forces.

[Moonsword]

Well, the JES I is just a terrible, terrible, utter piece of shit of a tank. With a little reorganization, though, the idea has some promise.

While the armor's not any better and someone still needs to flog JES's engineers until they figure out why standardizing on one launcher is a good thing, they did fix the speed with the 3082 variant in RS3085 Old is the New New.

[Weirdo]

Speaking of air support, today's game should be fun. My group is playing through the Jihad campaign tracks, and today is The Skye is Falling from DotJ, with me assembling the OPFOR. It's been way too long since I dusted off my Shivas... }:)


...literally. :-[

[Paladin1]

This in new one.  From discussions up north on the old board I always got the impression that in-game off board artillery was more a danger to oneself than the opponent and was too time consuming to use.  I’m curious as to how someone managed to employ it effectively so as to garner such a reaction.  Regardless, I say in that specific case the artillery was potentially handled correctly but certainly not competively.   I’d argue the real problem is the small-unit close-combat focus CBT has as opposed to a focus large scale military operations.  In a larger operation, those guns (or airstrikes) aren’t going to be available all the time so a usage limitation isn’t far-fetched at all.  In-game reasons could a)counter-fire threat forcing displacement, b) targeting priorities, c) commander’s intent for fires, or d) paucity of ammunition.

I’m curious for Interstellar Operations and how that game intends to handle larger forces.  The simple constraint of crew rest and aviation sortie generation will play all sorts of games on some folks forces.

While it's not completely safe now, off-board artillery is much better now than it was when TacOps first came out due to a slight rules errata that dealt with the problem.  I'll see if I can find the specific errata, but I'm sure Weirdo knows of it as well considering how much he's into Artillery and Ortillery.

[Charlie 6]

While it's not completely safe now, off-board artillery is much better now than it was when TacOps first came out due to a slight rules errata that dealt with the problem.  I'll see if I can find the specific errata, but I'm sure Weirdo knows of it as well considering how much he's into Artillery and Ortillery.

If I recall it had to do with determining a scatter distance by rolling one too many d6s after determining direction, I think.  I'm curious as to how someone pulled off a morale crushing employment technique that's cause two to three long time players to hate it.

[3rdCrucisLancers]

If I recall it had to do with determining a scatter distance by rolling one too many d6s after determining direction, I think.  I'm curious as to how someone pulled off a morale crushing employment technique that's cause two to three long time players to hate it.

Two O-Bakeomono's onboard, dropping four rounds a salvo of area-effect AIV. The player in question had been a FASA Marauder and was very good at anticipating where enemy units would be when the rounds hit.

[Neko_Bijin]

If you know where the enemy will be two rounds hence, you ought to be rewarded for it.

[Charlie 6]

If you know where the enemy will be two rounds hence, you ought to be rewarded for it.

No kidding doing 3D artillery adjustments RL is hard enough on a static target.  DPICM having a RL burst radius of 100m is helpful though for moving targets.

[3rdCrucisLancers]

It's not that it wasn't impressive, but it didn't make for a fun game. Siting machine guns well is also an impressive feat, but few people want to game the Somme offensive at the tactical level.

[Neko_Bijin]

Wasn't that game called Missile Command?

[3rdCrucisLancers]

Wasn't that game called Missile Command?

Yes, and you'll note you don't play as the missiles.

[Moonsword]

You want to watch something funny and just a bit sad, bring HE against the bot.

[Neko_Bijin]

Yes, and you'll note you don't play as the missiles.

There is such a game, though I haven't played it.  Plants v. Zombies, right?  You send endless hordes against static defenses.

Anyhow I agree that BattleTech isn't fun if the 'Mechs drop like flies.  Too bloody many rolls as they die.