New Scenario: Dogpile

[Aleph]

New Scenario: Dogpile

You can find this new Ogre scenario at the link above. Please play it and comment - on game balance, clarity of instructions, or whatever else you think of - here in this thread.

[tomc]

Cool!

Here be a map:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1...k9DazF6bEY4YjQ

Avast ye scurvy swabs!

'Tis time fer the playin' o' the scenarrrrio!

[wolf90]

Please try this and let us know how things go. We're especially interested in how the game ends - how many units were killed, and the status of the ogre upon "death". We're looking to refine the victory levels, so final end results will be very helpful!

Remember - Ogre rules. Ramming, not overrun, and no stacking!

D.

[ianargent]

No Sun Tzu reference?

"Placed Randomly" should probably get some exposition, if only in a sidebar.

[ghostofjfd]

Maybe I did something wrong with the conventional forces in my initial playing (solitaire). The result was the Ogre sweeping the board with 34 treads and one 2B remaining. The luck of the draw did put two GEVs adjacent to each other, so those both got rammed. The first turn is probably the only time GEVs are at risk of ramming. The Ogre fired both missiles immediately, killing two HVYs. Total first-turn kills were 2x GEV, 1x MSL, and 4x HVY, plus 3 other armor disabled. After that, the Ogre stayed within range of no more than four LADs at a time, usually only two. So the Paneuropeans lost a lot of firepower from the get-go.

Time to try again and see if that result was a fluke. Thanks for the map, tomc.

[tomc]

Originally Posted by ghostofjfd

Time to try again and see if that result was a fluke. Thanks for the map, tomc.

You're welcome.

My Mark V functionally died on turn 9 with nothing but 12 AP remaining. I ran to the corner, ramming whenever possible. Fired the two missiles at the HVYs, and went for 1:1s whenever possible. Took out 14 armor units (6 HVYs, 5 GEVs, and 3 MSLs) plus the 2 LADs in the corner. Once my movement dropped to one I was toast.

Next time I might put a higher priority on ramming with every move. From your report, it looks like the best defense is a good offense. Kill as much and as quickly as possible.

[ianargent]

The deployment adjacent to the Ogre seems an awfully baroque way of determining the PEs forces. They could end up anywhere from 10 units hot to avenge the units disabled under the treads of the ogre to starting with 2/3 their MSL/GEV complement and NO HVYs, the rest being irradiated hulks.

(Admittedly, I'm a firm believer in the advice about missiles from the old Ogre Book, about use them ASAP, or lose them on the rails. 2 missiles = 2 D/X'd heavies fairly often; and saving them for the LADs means losing them without effect around half the time)

[ianargent]

Follow-up, the "base scenario" shouldn't use random deployment. As already noted, an unbalanced deployment can result in an unbalanced start.

I would require a "symmetrical" deployment, with 2 units of each type going into the"inner ring," no two units of the same type adjacent in that ring, and the rest going into the outer ring, same limitation. I don't think you can flat forbid adjacencies between the rings. The random deployment can be an option.

[ghostofjfd]

Here are two more solitaire play-throughs.

1. Ogre loss: It can't win after turn 9, and it's dead on turn 13. Armor losses = 15. This was a grinder. On turn 1 the Ogre forgot to fire one of its missiles. That and both MB were destroyed in the bottom half of the turn. On turn 3 the Ogre took itself down to M2 by ramming a HVY. Maybe that wasn't a good idea.

2. Ogre loss: The Ogre killed 4x GEV, 1x HVY, and 1x MSL on turn 1 and another MSL on turn 2. But by the end of turn 2 all of its weapons were fired or stripped. The fighting was near the center of the map, so the Ogre was still in range of six LADs by the time there was nothing to shoot at but treads. The Ogre was at M1 on turn 5 and dead on turn 6. The rationale for killing GEVs early was that they are a big nuisance in the endgame. But when the Ogre is at M1, all armor can snipe at it with impunity. Armor losses = 11.

[ghostofjfd]

Initial impressions: Yes, this is a tough scenario for the Ogre. It's like a hard workout: You start off strong, but those last few reps (kills) can be just a bit too much. Because firepower is so important here, knocking out lots of enemy weapons in the first turn or two gives a big advantage. Maneuver can still be useful, but you have to win the attritional battle.

My (highly preliminary) advice for the Ogre is to fire both missiles on turn 1, ram as much as possible, and head for a corner to minimize the attrition from LAD fire. The armor should, of course, keep maximum firepower on the Ogre. Also, it should avoid leaving itself vulnerable to daisy-chain rams. Targeting the MB and 2B first still seems like a good idea, but it may make sense to start shooting at the treads earlier than you would in a kill-the-CP scenario. That question is worth further experimentation.