Ranger infantry

[catenate]

For a given projection of attack strength, smaller, better-coordinated, situation-trained, stealthy/camo rangers have a lower defense strength (but are harder to hit), move further, and are more expensive.

For comparison, infantry, which costs 1x attack strength.

Infantry 3/1 D3 M2 costs 3
Infantry 2/1 D2 M2 costs 2
Infantry 1/1 D1 M2 costs 1

Rangers cost 1 more "infantry point" than their attack strength; move one more hex; and opponents subtract 1 from a die roll to hit them (c.f. the Ninja Ogre). Their coordination, training, and endurance increases their cost.

Ranger 3/1 D2 (-1TH) M3 costs 4
Ranger 2/1 D1 (-1TH) M3 costs 3

Something maybe a little more interesting than the usual tread fodder. Not yet playtested: this came to me during a shower, and I thought I'd get it out there for comment.

[catenate]

Due diligence on ranger infantry already discussed on this board.

Rangers as small demolitions teams, by Dominique Sumner (also describes mortar teams and forward observers).
http://www.sjgames.com/ogre/articles/ds_newunits.html
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=91702
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=37927
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=1079

Stealth rangers, by Toltrin, with the same -1TH as the Ninja Ogre, and 2 missiles.
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=1079&page=7

Rangers as airborne parachute drops, with counters, by Chris Heinzmann.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/270260/ogre

Ranger battlesuits playtested by Toltrin.
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=85401

[catenate]

The page with counters is from Ogre Reinforcements, so it appears Rangers have already officially been introduced to the game. To roll with this, I'd rename my creation specops, guerrilla, elite, scouts, or some such.

If I had my would-rathers, I'd rename the existing rangers to airborne, and use the ranger name for the possibly-larger, higher-attack units defined here.

[wolf90]

Nonetheless, they are interesting...glad you posted!

[catenate]

Thanks wolf90! I'm also thinking about marauder as their name. I'll let you know if I come to any conclusions on their stats as I playtest them.

[Talorien]

Hmm, I'm pretty sure the counters are unofficial?

Great collection of info on Rangers, btw. No official plans as yet, but you (and I) never know what the future might bring...

[catenate]

Thanks Talorien!

Heraldry and map symbols for Rangers:
Merrill’s Marauders combat teams (2 per battalion): Red White Blue Khaki Green Orange
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ntal_Flash.svg
RGR in a rectangle, an a map symbol: http://www.monkeydoit.com/military-map-symbols.php


Since units may have names or monikers (eg ¹), I thought it would add
flavor to list some famous Western rangers (both military and police).
¹ http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5TPxzYUqWw...0/DSCN2487.JPG

Leaders of U.K., U.S., and Confederate Army Rangers, and predecessor units
in America, in roughly chronological order, from the colonies to WWII:
Smith Church Lovewell Gorham Adams Butler Rogers Simcoe Whitcomb
Knowlton Marion Morgan Dodge Mosby McNeill Terry Ashby Means Darby
Merrill Puckett Abrams

Notable members of Rogers’ Rangers, 1755–1763:
Cilley Hackett Hazen Hutchins Moulton Putnam Rogers Stark Stark Thayer

Regimental company commanders of U.K. Butler’s Rangers, 1777–1784:
Bradt Broeck Butler Caldwell Dame Frey Geneway Hare McDonell McKinnon
Pawling Thompson

Leaders of the Canadian (Royal) North-West Mounted Police/Rifles
(RCMP predecessor) 1873–1920:
Constantine Fitzgerald French Perry Steele Walsh

U.K. Royal Irish Rangers awarded the Victoria Cross from 1858-1918:
Bell Byrne Cather Cochrane De Wind Duffy Emerson Harvey Jerome
McFadzean Morrow O’Sullivan Pearson Quigg Seaman Sherwood-Kelly Somers

Leaders and noted Texas Rangers:
Armstrong Erath Ford Gillespie Hamer Hays Jones Mabry McCulloch
McDonald McNelly Peak Purvis Tumlinson Walker Wallace Williamson

Texas Rangers hall of fame:
Armstrong Aten Baylor Brooks Burton Crowder Doherty Ford Gillett
Gonzaullas Guffey Hall Hamer Hays Hickman Hughes Jones Klevenhagen
Marsh McCulloch McDonald McNelly Miller Peoples Riddles Rogers Ross
Walker Wallace Wright

Notable commanders of the British Commandos from WWII, commandos
awarded a Victoria Cross, and their trainers:
Durnford-Slater Durrant Harden Hunt Hunter Knowland Lassen Laycock
Lovat Newman Porteous Smythe Tod Vaughan Young

Fictional (mostly US Army) rangers (G.I. Joe, Unit, etc.):
Aragorn Blane Blazkowicz Booth Crowley Do’Urden Faireborn Faramir
Gerhardt Halt Johnson Kellerman Lupo Reid Sneeden Thomas Treaty
Wilkinson Williams

[Toltrin]

I wrote up a blog on this very subject ... even with counters!

[catenate]

Some initial ranger playtest notes, with a pocket 2nd edition Ogre.

Took 2 ranger 3/1 and 4 infantry 3/1 for 20 points of infantry in the basic Mark III scenario on the original board. Set 18 attack strength ahead of the 20-point line: rangers and 3 (of 5) heavy tanks. (I was looking for mobility to keep up with the Ogre, but I should have used missile tanks instead, since the heavy tanks being so close every turn proved a tempting target for ramming.) The 4 infantry, a heavy tank, and 4 (of 5) missile tanks formed a line across and just behind the 20-point line. The remaining missile tank, heavy tank, and a howitzer protected the central-back CP.

I rolled horribly: out of twelve attacks in two waves against treads, I hit twice. The Ogre rolled well, and in three cases rammed two or more close units (INF and HVY; INF and 2 HVY; and 3 INF). Even with the 2-tread hit from each heavy tank he ate, I only got him down to M2 past the 20-point line. In retrospect, I should have worked more on his secondary batteries, since they were a flexible and devastating force that my infantry could have ganged up to reasonable odds on. (I'm a new player, so you're probably just nodding your head and thinking "yeah yeah, your defense tactics sucked, get to the ranger part":).

The rangers moved well: since they can go 3 hexes, and ignore rubble lines, it was no problem to catch and keep up with the Ogre. They were actually first to attack the ogre, since the heavy tanks had to get so close (again, next time I'll try missile tanks, since they can stand out of ramming range).

The rangers attacked as well as infantry, of course, since they have the same attack strength. Since I couldn't take many of them (4 vs 3 really starts to eat into the infantry budget), they not only rarely attacked with others (I expected that, and it fits their nature), but there were fewer infantry around total because of them (which I think is not as proper, since they don't eat that heavily into real-world armies).

Having a single D2 ranger close as infantry on a fresh Ogre meant it was exposed to the full brunt of 8 AP; at 4-1 odds, the -1 on the to-hit roll meant that the Ogre only had to roll a 1 or 2 to disable, and all other results were kill. If two rangers had been there at the same time, it would have been 2-1 odds just from the AP, equal change of no effect, disable, or loss. At D1, it's of course even more brutal.

For units that cost 4 (ranger 3/1 D2 M3) and 3 (ranger 2/1 D1 M3), they die awfully easy, so don't seem to be worth taking, at that price, over normal infantry. On the other hand, one infantry died without getting close enough to attack; both rangers got close enough to attack; and one ranger kept up for a turn with the ogre before being torn apart by AP.

Keeping up seems balanced by how quickly they die, so I'm tempted to keep their cost the same as the corresponding infantry unit. The comparison in that case would be: for the same attack strength/range (3/1 or 2/1) and infantry cost (3 and 2), rangers are easier to kill (D2 and D1, with -1TH) but move farther (M3).

If we were to add defense strength, I'd certainly suggest removing the -1TH, and incrementing the cost, but that sounds more like a motorized army unit, or advanced-mobility battlesuits. The comparison in that case would be that for the same attack strength/range (3/1, 2/1, 1/1) and defense (D3, D2, D1), the new units move farther (M3) and cost more infantry points (4, 3, 2).

[Toltrin]

Were you playtesting my Rangers from my link?