Re: MG questions (optional rule?) -- Squad Leader Discussion Forum

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 10:29:01 01/26/06 Thu
Author: Nick
Subject: Re: MG questions (optional rule?)
In reply to: Alan Yngve 's message, "Re: MG questions (optional rule?)" on 07:22:27 01/26/06 Thu

>The problem is that all movement is really supposed to
>be simultaneous. If you fire as units move you add the
>player's choice as to which unit to move first/second/
>last into the mix.
>
>By giving the defense the opportunity to see all of the
>movements before firing, you give them the reasonable
>chance to fire at the target that seems to be the
>biggest
>threat. Something that defenders might ought to be
>able to do.

It's an interesting discussion, and I appreciate your take on it. My Squad Leader experience is nil - basically, I read the rules and played a few aborted games back in the early 80's, read part of the ASL manual back in the early 90's and just picked up a copy of SL on eBay last week. My primary war gaming experience on the small unit action level is playing the various Steel Panthers games over the years, so you can take my comments with the appropriately sized grain of salt.

It seems like the standard rule definitely favors the defense, in several ways. It forces the phasing player to essentially "preplot" his moves as simultaneous because he doesn't see the defensive fire (or its results) until the end of his movement phase. It also allows the defensive player optimal shot selection. The optional rule, on the other hand, gives the phasing player intermediate results, and hence the opportunity to improvise his movement based on the defensive response. The phasing player also has the ability to feint or draw fire to force the defender to commit, while the defender always is faced with the difficult "shoot or wait for a better shot" decision.

I guess it's a matter of taste which you prefer, but whichever way you go certainly has an impact on play balance (between attacker and defender) and strategy.

>The rule's "pulling back" process is a bit more complex
>than it needs to be, though. Many players will just
>indicate the target hex and what moved through it,
>without actually moving the units back unless they
>break due to that fire. This makes it a bit easier
>to envision, at least for me.

That's a good way to play it. Thanks for the tip.

>This is aided considerably by VSQL's ability to turn on
>the "movement trails" for all units that moved.

I haven't tried VSQL yet, but I've done a little reading on it. That feature does sound useful.

I'm actually learning SL so my friend and I can play live, but I should probably try online play too, to get my feet wet.

- Nick

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]