How much difference does the kind of rifle make?
 

Im playing the first vietnam campaign in MBT, and Im pondering whether to take M14 or M16 troops.

The M14's get a bit longer range, but the M16 has kill 3 instead of kill 2.

How much of an impact does that actually have?

Some, lots, barely any?

Re: How much difference does the kind of rifle make?
 

Gamewise I'd go for the extra "kill" factor, in a Nam-era campaign. In jungle terrain "fields of fire" can be limited (dense trees) BUT you always need some long range assets to "overwatch" the odd rice paddie, jungle clearing or opposite river bank. So don't forget your machine-gun teams and above all your snipers (veeery useful in Nam games IMO).

I think that the real question is "triangular" M16<-> AK47<->M14 rather then M16<->M14.

Now for a real life comparison ... well I'll leave that to the experts.

Re: How much difference does the kind of rifle make?
 

If you have the extra range, then in open terrain you can shoot him down without reply.

So if there is a choice, I will usually take the sections with FN-FAL/M14 over the AK and M16, and the same goes if the secion LMG has a few hexes more reach. Especially in deserts or South Africa (So my Cubans have taken the FN option there :))

Unless the fight will be mainly up close and personal, say in Vietnam jungles or a city map. Or you plan to smoke and stonk the contact area of course in an assault!. Then the HE kill of the assault rifle or the SMG even, can be beneficial over the 2 or so hexes max range of the long rifles.

An SMG-only team is likely to be shot down like dogs in any sort of terrain with decent fields of fire >3 hexes, so the only viable ones (outside a Stalingrad type map) are those with a section LMG.

Andy

Re: How much difference does the kind of rifle make?
 

For a Vietnam game as US, I would go with the M16: you will often find yourself needing to dig out AK armed Charlies in close terrain, and for that you want your infantry squads to pack enough close range punch.

Especially in scenarios with tighter time limits to capture objectives, trying to sit just outside the Kalashnikov range and pound the enemy with your M14 rifles is not likely to produce quick results.

Having long range firepower is still handy, though - I would recommend taking a decent number of tripod-mounted MG teams as a support. Use these to suppress and hurt the enemy from outside rifle engagement range, while your rifle-armed grunts try to close in to finish the enemy and capture the hexes.

BTW: besides the rifle, it is also good to pay a bit of attention to other armaments available to your rifle squads. So far my favourite combination has been M16 (for the close in work), M60 on bipod (for extra firepower and 12 hex range), M79 (for the warhead effect, and lucky HEAT round can take out a sandbagged foxhole) and LAW (for blowing up bunkers).

Griefbringer