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Old 09-13-2017, 07:08 AM   #4
dwalend
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Default Re: The cost of specialist Infantry

Quote:
Originally Posted by wolf90 View Post
In the HWTs posting, I proposed that Marine HWT squads cost 3x that of a standard Infantry squad (6 VP).
That seems about right, and matches what I've been using for a few decades. (I can't quote chapter and verse on this one. No idea where I got the notion.)

Quote:
I initially started with the idea that you double the cost with each specialization, or 4x the cost of standard Infantry (8 VP) for Marine HWTs.
That seems high compared to 6 VP alternatives. How much swamp and water does a map have to have to get you to choose a Marine HWT over a HVY? How much swamp does the map have to have to get you to choose a Marine HWT over a GEV?

To argue against 8 VP: Consider targets offered to an opponent. Under what circumstances would you prefer a single D1 target with Marine and HWT capabilities vs. two D1 targets (that could unite to be a D2 target) with the capabilities split? For 8 VP you can get both specializations and double the defense. At 8 VP the specialists will only come out of the box for scenarios that proscribe units. It'd be better economy of force to float your HWT on GEV-PCs or a patrol boat.

Also, there's the issue of making change. Some of us argued in the ODE edits for using VP instead of AU, but AU values won the day.

I do think that double specialists (at 6 VP) should be part of the game, and think that the single D1 target penalty is fine for pentuple specialists at 12 VP. (They get a free BPC folding umbrella for cruise missiles.) Specialized infantry suits let a player commit to a specific tactic with all the drama that entails, and make for great storytelling.

As a tiny argument against - someone will ask SJGames to print counters or make miniatures.

Last edited by dwalend; 09-13-2017 at 03:44 PM.
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