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My concern is that HMG area fire (Z-fire) is much too effective.

For suppression, HMGs are 7 times more effective than infantry, and somewhere between 3.5 and 9 times more effective than artillery, depending on if you look at one turn or the potential by available ammo.

Comparing the ability to suppress

120 points buys:

6 Infantry sections
or
4 Medium Artillery guns
or
6 HMG units (12 HMGs)

6 Infantry sections
Ammo: 6x160=960
Z-fire uses 2 ammo (1 infantry section), total hexes suppressed:.........2
1 turn (6 infantry sections with 6 attacks) total hexes suppressed:......72
All ammo (6 infantry sections) total hexes suppressed:......................960

4 Medium Artillery guns
Ammo: 4x30=120
Z-fire or indirect fire uses 1 ammo (one gun), total hexes suppressed:..7
1 turn (4 guns with 5 attacks) total hexes suppressed:.......................140
All ammo (4 guns) total hexes suppressed:....................................... 840

6 HMG units (12 HMGs)
Ammo: 12x90=1080
Z-fire uses 2 ammo (1 unit, 2 HMGs) total hexes suppressed:..............14
1 turn (6 HMG units with 6 attacks) total hexes suppressed:................504
All ammo (6 HMG units) total hexes suppressed:................................7,560

Some observations
Every time you z-fire with a HMG unit of 2 HMGs, you use 2 ammo, and get 2 z-fire attacks, and each attack affects 7 hexes, for a total of 14 affected. Other units, like infantry, use 2 ammo for 2 z-fire attacks, and each attack affects only 1 hex, for a total of 2 hexes affected.

In ONE turn, 6 HMG units have the ability to suppress almost as many hexes as a troop of medium artillery using their ENTIRE ammo supply!

If a unit uses all their ammo on z-fire, a HMG section costing 20 points can z-fire into 1,260 hexes. An infantry section costing 20 points, using rifles and LMG, can only z-fire into 160 hexes. An artillery gun costing 30 points can fire into/suppress 210 hexes.

Fire power: Infantry verses HMGs
Let’s compare the fire power of an infantry section to the fire power of 2 HMGs:

A 10 man infantry section with 8 rifles and 1 LMG should be able to fire about 660 rpm. This allows for a 500 rpm LMG and 20 rpm per rifle (The ‘mad minute’ was a 15-30 rpm of aimed fire).

Two HMGs would be able to fire 900-2400 rpm, depending on the MGs.

Worst case scenario, two HMGs could fire 4 times the rounds of an infantry section (but it may only be 50% more) giving them 1.5 to 4 times the suppressive ability? In SP HMGs can suppress 7 times that of an infantry section.

Instant Artillery
Mass z-fire of area weapons, like HMGs, gives you instant artillery. You can immediately cause mass suppression in large areas of the map with no 2-3 turn plot wait time and relatively unlimited ammo.

Some players have figured this out, and the battlefield is now often subject to endless z-fire during the replays.

10% Artillery Limit
I think the game developers have done an excellent job of making artillery balanced and challenging. In fact the 10% artillery limit - that most PBEM players still insist on - has long been redundant.

I say buy as much artillery as you like, it’s expensive, you have to wait 2-3 turns, and not that effective unless you have a LOS FOO (who is also expensive).

The new PBEM limit should be HMGs. Either limit HMGs to 2% of the total force, or allow them to only fire 1 or 2 z-fires per turn.

Concluding Thoughts
I understand that HMGs are powerful weapons, changing the nature of warfare in WWI and all that. But shouldn’t the greatest suppressive power be artillery, second HMGs and lastly infantry sections? And wasn’t the real danger of HMGs ‘direct fire’? HMGs were deadly if you were caught in the open, but artillery should be more dangerous and suppressive than HMGs if you are unseen or have ‘gone to ground’.

Possible Solutions
Reduce double HMGs z-fire area from 14 hexes to 7. This would still be 3.5 times what an infantry section is capable of, which is about right; and about equal to artillery. Though, artillery will still be more expensive, have a slower rate of fire, and far less ammo. But what to do about single HMGs?

Another idea would be to give HMGs a huge ammo penalty for firing z-fire; perhaps using 4 to 6 ammo per z-fire.

Anyone have any other thoughts or ideas?



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Cross