From: kammr@lafcol.lafayette.edu (Rob Kamm)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: BTECH:  On artillery etc.
Summary: A missed Point
Date: 10 Nov 92 07:34:51 GMT
Organization: Lafayette College, Easton PA

In article <STXTNT.92Nov9182309@rs733.GSFC.NASA.Gov>, stxtnt@rs733.GSFC.NASA.Gov (Nigel Tzeng) writes:
> In article <1992Nov8.025929.5629@midway.uchicago.edu> arp2@ellis.uchicago.edu (andrew robert polis) writes:
> 
> >(Phil ) writes:
> >>
> [arty rules the battlefield]
> 
> >>And you think that artillery isn't too powerful?!?!?!?!?!?!?
> 
> >Yes!  And if the above isn't enough let's try an example using a fairly 
> >standard (3050 tech) combined arms company.: (against your artillery unit)
> >   -Andrew Polis
> Nigel Tzeng
Please forgive my heavy delete-key finger, I know that I gutted the thread.
Andrew and Nigel both listed out two very nice combined arms units.  I 
happen to agree that combined arms is the way to go--and that all other
factors being equal a force that is almost entirely non-mech has a definite
advantage over other forces.
   That said, I go on.  While they are not really an issue that is considered
in a BattleTech game--Transport and deployment are two issues that haven't
been tackled in this discussion, but are relevant.
   By transport I mean, the method by which unit reach the battle field. 
For most units on defense this is fairly easy.  Let them come to you.  For 
the attacker this is of vital importance.  The most readily available 
dropships (if the old Dropships and Jumpships supplement is to be believed)
are civilian, followed by Mech carriers.  The largest of the assault drop-
ships that appears with only an uncommon rating (common, uncommon, rare,
unique) is the Condor; a vehicle that carries 20 light vehicles and 336   
infantry (12 platoons or 1 battalion).  This couldn't even begin to carry
a force comparable to either of the units that were described.  What I am
trying to get at in as convoluted a way as possible :) is that in a campaign
setting attacking units will rarely have the benefit of a truely mixed force
of unit types with which to make their assault.
  By deployment I refer to the way in which the initial assault is made.  
Presumably an attacking force will bring enough aerospace assets to hold 
their own during a landing maneuver.  This is not insignificant.  Especially
if the defenders keep a few aircraft available for a strike late in the
offloading.  The problem here is that tanks and infantry can't be dropped.
Their transport ship, a reletively uncommon asset, must set down and off-load
it's contents without being turned into a huge mountain of Arty target
practice (I have concluded after several attacks against grounded Dropships
that this is the way to go).  This requires an air-cap capable of silencing
arty very quickly for a matter of several hours.  Mechs have an advantage
here, you drop them from orbit and they'll make a nice safe landing zone
with a cleared perimeter for you.  
   What does all this mean?  It means that in a campaign where these factors
are considered an attacker has a choice:1). use prodigious amounts of air-
craft to have a chance in hell of landing some portion of your assault force,
and pull your transports out again. Or 2). drop mechs from orbit and hope  
that the best trained troops you have can be recovered.  A third, less prac-
tical choice is to land your combined arms force a zillion miles from no-
where and hope that you can off-load before the first aerospace assets show
up.  This causes problems because a decent pilot will go orbital, swing
around the planet and dive on top of you within half an hour.
   Conclusion:  There is a reason why Mechs are superior to any other unit
in BTech and it isn't so much because of inherent strength.  It is because
of greater capability (and adaptability--when was the last time your Schrek
visited the Moon and the C^3 station there?).

Rob Kamm     --spending too much on figures to buy a .sig   :)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board