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SaberDance
Federated Suns
Colonel
Joined: 07-May-2004 00:00
Posts: 837
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 Posted: 05-Jan-2007 20:31 Post subject: Formations 2 |
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OK, so Karagin mentioned formations, meaning TO organization.
I'm curious about how people run their units on the map.
Me, I usually play with 2, 4, or 6 units.
I'm partial to the diamond, finger 4 (look at your hand, put a mech on each finger tip- that's the formation), and Double line (half foreward, half back, arrayed in a line).
When I GM and play as the clans, I do a hollow square with the fifth mech in the middle, and occasionally a pentagon.
Whatever formation I use, I typically put armor foreward, speed to the sides, and fire support in the back.
Exception: Clan Hollow Square, where speed goes in the back and FS goes in the middle.
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Vagabond
Mercenary
Mr. Referee
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 5608
Location: United States
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| Posted: 05-Jan-2007 22:34 Post subject: RE: Formations 2 |
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Quote:
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On 2007-01-05 20:31, SaberDance wrote:
finger 4 (look at your hand, put a mech on each finger tip- that's the formation),
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So does that mean my formnation is the burned to hell finger 3 stagger?
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ralgith
Blighted Sun Battalion
1st Company
"Ralgith's Renegades"
Colonel
Joined: 18-Aug-2003 00:00
Posts: 2021
Location: United States
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| Posted: 06-Jan-2007 09:58 Post subject: RE: Formations 2 |
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I myself use whatever is appropriate to the situation, but I tend to break my units up into "loose deuce", which is a navy aviation thing. Simply take the normal 2 plane element and widen out the space between. In other words, instead of my element's second mech being behind and to one side by a hex or 2, it is several hexes to one side and 0-3 hexes behind. It works quite well in open terrain. In tighter terrain I try to do a staggered line astern, and send different lances (or elements if possible) through different choke points, so that I don't become clustered up.
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Colonel Ralgith t'Mayasara
Blighted Sun Battalion
1st Company 'Ralgith's Renegades'
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SaberDance
Federated Suns
Colonel
Joined: 07-May-2004 00:00
Posts: 837
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| Posted: 06-Jan-2007 13:45 Post subject: RE: Formations 2 |
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good point.
Imagine a Platonic "hand"-Form, which is idealized. Put a mech at each fingertip and that's the formation.
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"Politics is the Art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, misdiagnosing the problem, and applying the wrong solution."
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mud
Draconis Combine
Tai-sho
Joined: 23-Jul-2002 00:00
Posts: 1618
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| Posted: 06-Jan-2007 17:57 Post subject: RE: Formations 2 |
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Terrain definitely dictates formation as far as I'm concerned. If possible, I'll use two (approximately )staggered lines which can lay down covering fire for each other during a leapfrogging advance.
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ralgith
Blighted Sun Battalion
1st Company
"Ralgith's Renegades"
Colonel
Joined: 18-Aug-2003 00:00
Posts: 2021
Location: United States
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| Posted: 06-Jan-2007 21:42 Post subject: RE: Formations 2 |
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Quote:
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On 2007-01-06 17:57, mud wrote:
Terrain definitely dictates formation as far as I'm concerned.
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Most definite. And really there are too many types of terrain for everyone to use their preferred formations all the time. I know I personally either love or hate tight terrain, depending on what I'm fielding. For slow non-jump 'mechs, tight terrain is hell.
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Colonel Ralgith t'Mayasara
Blighted Sun Battalion
1st Company 'Ralgith's Renegades'
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SaberDance
Federated Suns
Colonel
Joined: 07-May-2004 00:00
Posts: 837
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| Posted: 07-Jan-2007 15:01 Post subject: RE: Formations 2 |
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I dunno.
Hollow square and Finger-Four are a little like Novacain.
Give it time, works every time.
There are some adjustments you might need to make to the formation to handle non-parade ground terrain, but the formations are pretty versatile.
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"Politics is the Art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, misdiagnosing the problem, and applying the wrong solution."
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mud
Draconis Combine
Tai-sho
Joined: 23-Jul-2002 00:00
Posts: 1618
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| Posted: 07-Jan-2007 15:34 Post subject: RE: Formations 2 |
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I tend to think more in patterns than formations.
Front line will be composed of reasonably mobile 'mechs with diverse weapons, usually my brawlers. The second line will be my fire support units. Depending on the situation, my fast lights and other strikers will either be lined up in the very rear, so they can go against either flank or split if need be, or if terrain dictates, I'll line them up on a flank.
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Alexander
Heavy Horse Merc Brigade
Commanding Officer
Joined: 04-Feb-2002 00:00
Posts: 828
Location: Canada
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| Posted: 07-Jan-2007 19:20 Post subject: RE: Formations 2 |
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I always went two 'Mechs up, with two back a bound. Then depending on the terrain and the enemy I'd either bring the back two up in line or bound them past. I'm a firm believer in keeping my fiepower close together and in posiotions of mutual support.
In company sized battles, I'd go two troops forward, and two in reserve, with the two lead troops either leapfrogging or caterpillering as described earlier. This way once the battle was joined I could easily swing my rear troops into the battle on a flank while the lead elements tied them up.
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ralgith
Blighted Sun Battalion
1st Company
"Ralgith's Renegades"
Colonel
Joined: 18-Aug-2003 00:00
Posts: 2021
Location: United States
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| Posted: 07-Jan-2007 20:23 Post subject: RE: Formations 2 |
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Quote:
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On 2007-01-07 15:01, SaberDance wrote:
I dunno.
Hollow square and Finger-Four are a little like Novacain.
Give it time, works every time.
There are some adjustments you might need to make to the formation to handle non-parade ground terrain, but the formations are pretty versatile.
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OK, I'll concede that the adage you quote is often true. And yea, they work in most any situation... till you run up against someone who has a really damned good grasp on terrain based warfare and tears you a new one. In the air, that don't mean much since normally you're far above any terrain... however on the ground it can mean everything. Take your finger four into the wrong kinda ambush, and you're done. Period. Heh.
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Colonel Ralgith t'Mayasara
Blighted Sun Battalion
1st Company 'Ralgith's Renegades'
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mud
Draconis Combine
Tai-sho
Joined: 23-Jul-2002 00:00
Posts: 1618
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| Posted: 08-Jan-2007 08:21 Post subject: RE: Formations 2 |
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Speaking of formations though, one thing I would like to see in battletech is a command cohesion rule...i.e., if you don't keep your lances together, your force looses its cohesion and doesn't react as quickly as it could otherwise. Maybe an initiative modifier would be the way to go about this?
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ralgith
Blighted Sun Battalion
1st Company
"Ralgith's Renegades"
Colonel
Joined: 18-Aug-2003 00:00
Posts: 2021
Location: United States
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| Posted: 08-Jan-2007 08:26 Post subject: RE: Formations 2 |
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Quote:
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On 2007-01-08 08:21, mud wrote:
Speaking of formations though, one thing I would like to see in battletech is a command cohesion rule...i.e., if you don't keep your lances together, your force looses its cohesion and doesn't react as quickly as it could otherwise. Maybe an initiative modifier would be the way to go about this?
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I like the idea... but what would qualify as together? How much spacing? That opens a fair sized can of worms imo.
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Colonel Ralgith t'Mayasara
Blighted Sun Battalion
1st Company 'Ralgith's Renegades'
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SaberDance
Federated Suns
Colonel
Joined: 07-May-2004 00:00
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| Posted: 08-Jan-2007 11:49 Post subject: RE: Formations 2 |
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My general rule for formations, even in tight terrain, is close enough to support each other, far enough apart not to be a sniper's dream.
It's also why I like the bent formations rather than the lines, because the first mech (out maybe 100 yards) will trigger an ambush or a trap, or at least be able to engage long enough for the rest of the lance to come up or run away.
A well correographed ambush will crush any formation. Getting out of an ambush is a matter of realizing that, if they're using ambush tactics, then we probably outgun them, and then acting accordingly. (Translation, Charge)
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"Politics is the Art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, misdiagnosing the problem, and applying the wrong solution."
-Groucho Marx
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