PBEM "campaigns"

[yyjames]

Cross

Units in real life very, very, very rarely fight to the last man/vehicle but thats what we players always do with their units in one off games. So I want to reduce the meat grinder aspect to one off games and force myself and my opponent into thinking "long" term like in a campaign game.

You have a point regarding vehicle units...I was thinking that if there at least 2 less than full strength formations left then it would be reconstituted to 1 full strength formation for the next battle. But counting individual vehicles probably makes more sense.

The game does indeed eliminate infantry squads/sections when they get decimated but I always thought that was to represent a completely combat in-effective unit. Presumably the survivors would show up at a higher HQ and be sent as replacements to other units at some point in time. So it probably makes sense to count troopers like vehicles to reconstitute after a battle.

[Cross]

Hi James,

I think your goal is excellent.

I'm in a PBEM battle now where I have my opponent pretty much routed. At this point, in a normal PBEM, I would abandon caution and rush forward beyond his lines and finish off the many damaged infantry sections, and get at some of those rear units just to get those extra points and hey...why not, I've won anyway.
But Instead I am exercising caution, because my men have fought with me for several battles and I hope they will for several more. Rushing headlong into his lines will expose too many to close assaults by unspotted infantry or ambushes by AT guns.

Yeah, I think spww2 does a pretty good job of simulating damaged/destroyed infantry sections. If the unit is completely dispersed it would be fair to say any survivors of that section were wounded, or not in a fit state to be re-organized into a new section for a counter-attack that same day or the next morning.
However, units that still have 4 men left, still have 4 men that are in fighting shape. The other 6 are assumed to be the wounded, and shell shocked and perhaps even some dead. So even though the section only has 4 men at the end of the battle, I would definately count these men in, when it comes to a re-organizing your forces into new platoons.

Having to think ahead will reduce the 'meat grinder' to some extent, but start tracking individual officers, with their battle record, kills, promotions, medals etc, and I'll guarantee that, after a couple of battles, you start to get much more cautious with those officers/NCOs that you have become familiar with and know by name.

cheers,
Cross