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Force Selection - How?

S

Swastakowey

Guest
Hey guys,

How much do you put into selecting your forces before a match? Often I find myself simply taking the stock options in terms of Motivation and Fitness etc.

So when picking what you bring to the battle, what are the steps you go through?

Cheers
 
It is something of a mystery to me as well. QB's can end up being a "Rock, Paper, Scissors" type event. For instance, in my last QB I punted on an anti-tank defence (selecting ATG etc). Anyway, my astute adversary selected a mass of infantry with mortar support. The scenario ended with me having 1 soldier left and the enemy 280! An infantry covers ATG type situation.
My current method is: assess the map and make a guess at what the enemy will attack you with.
I then click the suggestions button until I see a force I think is what I am after, then I select any special units/weapons I think I need - deselecting from the base to get the points I require.
The harder you follow your guess at what you think your opponent will bring to the table, the better or worse your victory/defeat.
A broad brush approach might be;
you guess enemy infantry bias - you bring artillery and machine-guns.
.... armour - anti-tank.
.... artillery - mobility.
etc
Of course, what is your situation - fixed defence will vary from a mobile defence (give ground for time).
Fixed defence - supplement with mines, wire, etc
But the first step is the most important, assess the map/terrain features and ascertain what weapons types will benefit and how much movement capability do you need.
 
Selecting the right kit for a battle is crucial... :D

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It is something of a mystery to me as well. QB's can end up being a "Rock, Paper, Scissors" type event. For instance, in my last QB I punted on an anti-tank defence (selecting ATG etc). Anyway, my astute adversary selected a mass of infantry with mortar support. The scenario ended with me having 1 soldier left and the enemy 280! An infantry covers ATG type situation.
My current method is: assess the map and make a guess at what the enemy will attack you with.

Indeed it can be. My preference is to try to create a reasonably balanced combined arms force with a little bit more artillery than most. I'll start with infantry and add some armour and artillery. So, an infantry battalion and if I want some to have HTs then I start with a mech infantry battalion and remove companies as needed dismounting the bulk of the force. Then if this is a small battle a couple of tanks might get added in or if this is bigger I'll select a tank battalion and pare it back to a company or platoon depending. Then I'll add in a couple of medium artillery to go with the medium mortars that I already have from the battalion along with TRPs (if on devense) and an FO. All the decisions about how mobile, how much artillery, how much armour is based on the map and the basic plan.
 
The wolves out there will maximise everything, from extra panzerfausts to Michael Whittman, and the easiest way to lose is not chose well.

If you are someone who knows about WW2 and enjoys playing the allies, best to set up some rules about tank levels and general force mix, or just expect to face Panthers by default.
It's definitely a learning curve for inexperienced players.

I wish you luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Force selection is just another skill that will improve with every quick battle you play. Study the map. If it's a large map, you will probably need mobile forces. On a small map, ground pounders should do. If it's an urban battle, tanks are going to be less effective, and SMGs will amazing. I'm one of those players who loves the force selection aspect of the game. Some players hate it and will only play scenarios.
 
So step one is to carefully consider the map.

Usually I look at the map, if the terrain is dense I go for more engineers over more tanks to help blast my way through. If it is open I go for more tanks etc. But really thats about all I look for.

Does anybody look at the motivation, leadership and fitness etc when making forces?
 
I'm one of those players who loves the force selection aspect of the game. Some players hate it and will only play scenarios.

I was in the latter camp, but the more I try QBs the more I enjoy the force selection aspect. Especially on defence when you can augment your structure with mines and wire.

Re: motivation, fitness, leadership
I generally look to select a force that is historically probable, but augmented to one particular factor depending on my assessment of the map. If I have some points left over after purchasing the force, I expend the remainder on these factors.
 
Do they make a worthwhile impact on the game? Would a platoon of maximum "upgraded" soldiers perform substantially better than "regular joes" provided they are both used properly?

I have played scenarios where the description stated my troops are tired/low moral etc but not really noticed an impact.
 
Yes, those "soft factors" make a large impact on the effectiveness of your troops. However, you have to balance that out against the points costs. Sure, you could purchase all your forces as Elite, Fit, +2 Leadership, but that is going to come with an extravagant points cost. Good luck trying to stop your opponent's hoards of Green troops, who outnumber your forces 4 to 1. As Stalin said, quantity is a quality all it's own (or something like that).

I generally like to purchase Veteran +1 troops in most quick battles, with the occasional and selective upgrade to Crack for certain units. But I've lost plenty of battles when facing lower quality forces led by a good commander (ahem, Cargol & Egger).

YMMV and you have to find what works right for your play style. Also, each game is different and has a different "style" . CMRT is good for the Soviet player purchasing lots of lower quality troops, for example.
 
Sweet as, so really it's just common sense then. Which is good. With so many options and variations I just wanted to check really that I wont be missing anything too obvious or standard that experienced players do.

Now to find my style.

Cheers guys.
 
Has anybody run tests on these things?

For example, say you did have veteran crew in your tank, how much more/less efficient per point is it to a crew of lesser quality?

Of course it would be impossible to take into account things like spotting first or terrain but it could give a huge amount of clarity and info to people making lists
 
Has anybody run tests on these things?

For example, say you did have veteran crew in your tank, how much more/less efficient per point is it to a crew of lesser quality?

Of course it would be impossible to take into account things like spotting first or terrain but it could give a huge amount of clarity and info to people making lists

No. I think the CMx2 engine has too many variables for this kind of testing. LoS is the biggest wild card, IMO, for good or bad (and I've cursed it plenty of times).
 
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