Playtesters Wanted

[Suhiir]

Grind them beneath our treads

Date: February 20, 2016
Battle Type: USMC defend vs Iraq assault

Two armored brigades have been deployed to stop our evacuation. The Iraqi general is quoted as saying: "The American Marines have but four tanks, we will grind them beneath our treads!"

Not suitable for two player. The human player must play the USMC side.
This scenario requires the use of Suhiir's modified USMC OOB (#13). The current version is included in the ZIP file.

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Feedback requested.
What "needs" to be changed?
How?
Why?
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[wulfir]

Now this is an ambitious project!
First scen of the campaign...?

Love the map!

LAV-25 in the south draws first blood!

13MEU straining at the leash...

"...I want turmoil and the brawl", now bring it..!

[Suhiir]

Last or 2nd to last scenario actually.
I want to make sure it's "winable" with an intact CORE.
Also make sure the hours I spent doing waypoints for the Iraqi's create a semblance of reasonable tactics on their part.
By the time the player gets to this scenario (s)he will probably have lost some units, making this scenario "fun" !

I can take no credit for the map, it's a stock one. Just one I haven't seen used before in a scenario. I love that it's large enough you can actually use some fire-and-maneuver.

[wulfir]

Originally Posted by Suhiir

Also make sure the hours I spent doing waypoints for the Iraqi's create a semblance of reasonable tactics on their part.

Turn 8 now. The AI moves it's forces beautifully.

I evacuated all the high cost civilians and wounded off the map, might not have been neccessary. We'll see...

[wulfir]

Originally Posted by Suhiir

I can take no credit for the map, it's a stock one. Just one I haven't seen used before in a scenario. I love that it's large enough you can actually use some fire-and-maneuver.

Here's a funny thing - suddenly I recognized the map. I made it myself. haha

It was used for this campaign:

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=44370

Nice to see the map being put to good use.

[Suhiir]

Love the map!

Hard to properly play-test your own scenarios as you know exactly what, when, and where.

Originally Posted by wulfir

I evacuated all the high cost civilians and wounded off the map, might not have been neccessary. We'll see...

What? No faith in your ability to protect them?
Hope you evac'd the various ambassadors too. Collectively they're worth a sizable fraction of your entire combat TO&E.
And you might want to check the unit cost of your supply trucks.

[wulfir]

Originally Posted by Suhiir

What? No faith in your ability to protect them?

hehe

Of course it is only out of our concern for their well being...

Turn 15. I have lost one Abrams and had another damaged. One of my Iraqi T72s have also been lost.

The Iraqis have taken big losses, but there's more comming! And one Iraqi column of tanks I had lined up for attack by a CM barrage just veered 'south'! I pounded empty desert!

[wulfir]

Done!

The way points for the AI advance works great, IMHO.
I don't see the need to change anything.

In a campaign where this is one of the last scenarios and the troops have been deployed by the player (and depending on how intact the core is) you might get other outcomes.

The USMC firepower in this scenario is awsome and it is possible to stop the AI Iraqi cold, although, at first, it looks intimidating with all those enemy tanks comming at you.

As it was, the high water mark of the Iraqi southern force reached about as far along the map as Recon Plt Gomez (the scout teams in the hills) - but after the destruction of virtually all the tanks in the south, the Iraqi infantry or M113 did not continue advance.

They got further in the "north" and captured some VHs but their attack force was broken just beyond the initial position of TOW section Deveraux.

Both the Iraqi southern and northern groups had about a company size mech formation of M113 and dismounts in their forming up point who did not seem to have advanced at all.

In the north in was S0 Mech Inf Company Ismail and in the south it was BI0 Mech Inf Company al-Hadidi. I'm not sure why they did not advance, usually the AI will push everyhting forward. Kind of a realistic result - maybe broken morale.
Their status are indicating 'moving' though at a slow pace...

Overall, very nice. Looking forward to the campaign!

[shahadi]

Suhiir, thanks for posting this challenging scenario.

Some feedback: In the early engagements, I used my Apaches at low altitude to score big time against the Iraqi armor in the Center sector. My Apaches in the North sector popped-up from buildings with tremendous devastation. In the Southern sector, I have prepared an ambush.

Since some units are positioned at certain off-road points, as they are not appearing as check-points, I assume the brigade S2 staff anticipated as Insurgent encroachment, correct?

As with the other guys, I find the AI movement is very good thus far. I want to play the USMC side then switch to Iraqi using a simple straight-up penetration maneuver.

[Suhiir]

Thanks wulfir.

Yeah, the sheer number of tanks is suppose to give the player a mild heart attack. Most of the previous scenarios will be infantry based or line of march ambush/harassment ones where the goal is keeping those high value units safe and getting them from one end of the map to the other (one place I miss the SPWW2 victory exit hexes).

The USMC is a real TO&E MEU. While not even remotely an armored assault force themselves, they can deal with one fairly well.

Yeah, the whole intent is if the player lost too much in the previous scenarios this one may be near impossible. But as I said I needed to see if someone with an intact CORE that didn't know exactly what the Iraqi's were sending, when, and where could deal with them. Of course by this time the CORE will also be veteran units so that will help make up for previous losses somewhat, depending on what they lost.

From what you say it sounds like the Iraqi's never got to your main defensive positions? If so I need to tweak. Some are suppose to be able to make it that far.

I'll check on those Iraqi mech formations that didn't move, if it was broken morale I'd say no problem, but their waypoints may have a glitch.