|
I'll put in a vote for Loel as Corps Commander, with no disrespect intended for my dad (please don't ground me)
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 15:28
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 12, 2024 18:01 |
|
|
Loel. He posted a big screed about proper strategies for commanding a bunch of illiterate peasants, let's see him put the doctrine into practice.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 15:56
|
|
|
Can only one company cross a ford without a road (or that has been roadblocked) in a turn? And how long does it take an engineer to dismantle a roadblock? e: Do our ACs have headlights that affect night movement/fighting? Can artillery destroy roadblocks or wire as well? Thanks Trin Istvun fucked around with this message at 17:42 on Mar 7, 2017 |
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 16:03
|
|
|
Since our divisional and corp commanders are almost decided, I'll be calling dibs on the 'metal horses' , if that's OK with everyone.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 16:22
|
|
|
Hey my dad are you still having fatigue concerns like you mentioned yesterday? If so, I'll change my vote to just Loel so you can take it easy a bit and re-engage at your own pace.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 16:59
|
|
|
Sixkiller posted:Since our divisional and corp commanders are almost decided, I'll be calling dibs on the 'metal horses' , if that's OK with everyone. That'll probably be at the discretion of the 3rd Cavalry Division commander, with input from the corps commander.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 17:00
|
|
|
 THE VOTING IS CLOSED! Loel is the new Entente Commander. Hail to the chief! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_AQFnqMY3E
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 17:01
|
|
|
my dad posted:
May he give us good plans,
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 17:08
|
|
|
As the departing Corps Commander, I'll be leaving a few notes a bit later: my suggestions on how to keep everything running smoother, goon-wise; the general outline of the battleplan I had, for Loel to consider; some things I noticed through my position that I'll most likely send to Loel via PM since it's mostly just a list of tidbits related to being in the role of Corps Commander.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 17:22
|
|
|
Sixkiller posted:Since our divisional and corp commanders are almost decided, I'll be calling dibs on the 'metal horses' , if that's OK with everyone. I feel like we need to split up the cars into smaller units then just the brigade level.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 17:29
|
|
|
Hey trin, are there night penalties for the ACs?
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 17:31
|
|
|
Wow, thanks you everyone  did not expect this at all. My schedule is generally in the map room 9-12 pm texas time. That said... First meeting of the general staff is called to order. Staff , present yourself. Your job is to answer any questions I or the line officers have, such as how fast can the enemy reach the center river, or what is the direct fire range of their cannon. When not doing that, you are to be double checking all orders to see that they are possible, plausible, and positive. No lack of elan here, no sir! Line officers, present yourself. You are to coordinate amongst yourselves, the chain of command, and the Staff to find the optimal solution to the battlefield we've been given. Now then. What positions do we have, and what do we need filled? I would like to see mydad and xtenth in cavalry positions, but it is not required. -Pere Loel
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 18:20
|
|
|
I'll be a staff officer for now, since we have lots of people and not too many commands to start. I'll jump in if necessary. Besides, I'm more of a timetables kind of guy.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 18:22
|
|
|
 I will also be introducing Fires. This is a dual role, either being a subset of Staff or a commander with artillery focused units. Fires will be expected to familiar with direct and indirect ranges of their weapons, expected targets of the enemy (time tables of roads, for example), and to make time tables of the enemy for the same.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 18:26
|
|
|
Evening, sir. Based on what we know, the following openings need to be filled. 3rd Cavalry Division commander RNAS Armoured Car Brigade commander ? Cavalry Brigade commander ? Cavalry Brigade commander Royal Horse Artillery commander (controls the cavalry division's field artillery) 7th Infantry Division commander ? Infantry Brigade commander ? Infantry Brigade commander ? Infantry Brigade commander Royal Artillery commander (controls the infantry division's field artillery) Royal Engineers commander (controls mounted and foot engineers) -- I'd like to be considered for command of the 3rd Cavalry Division. And thatbastardken has expressed interest in leading 7th Infantry Division.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 18:29
|
|
|
Loel posted:I would like to see mydad and xtenth in cavalry positions, but it is not required. Sure, I'd be up for a cavalry position, doesn't matter if it's division or brigade level - wherever you'd prefer to have me.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 18:35
|
|
|
I know a lot of this has been done in chat, but I want to see maps posted here. Staff: At turn 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, where can our units be? Assume two plans, one that involves focusing on the center river (detailed above by Sullat) and one that is more aggressive, focusing on Stethoscope. Keep in mind different units have different speeds, so consider how to take bridges / prevent the enemy from taking them. Fires, coordinate with Staff. Map out where the enemy can be in the first 5 turns as they march along the road. If their cavalry/armored cars go at max speed, where will they be? Can we plan indirect fire at those locations at those times? My current goal would be to shatter their scout force before they reach Stethoscope, allowing us to take it ourselves if we choose to.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 18:37
|
|
|
As I have stated before, I would like the command of the RNAS Armoured Car Brigade (although any cavalry command is fine with me). I'll get on roll20 around 3:00 or 4:00 PM EST
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 18:41
|
|
|
I would like to put myself forward for Fires. Sending FAOs out while my staff sit at the ops post and I swill brandy? Yes please!
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 18:44
|
|
|
So that our staff officers can begin planning - here are some things that'd be helpful. 1) A timetable analysis of German advances, taking into account: marching order, battle order, cavalry speed, infantry, speed, ford and bridge penalties (units can use marching order on bridges, fords must be traveled one company at a time), etc, etc. 2) A terrain analysis that identifies our best defensive positions, artillery sites, etc. and our best approach/retreat routes for each. 3) A timetable for our guys and how fast we can get to each spot. 4) An assessment of potential German plans accounting for aggression, caution and everything in between. 5) Courses of action for our team. 6) An engineering plan related to point 4) that lays out where and when we should be placing trenches, roadblocks, and wire. Bacarruda fucked around with this message at 18:48 on Mar 7, 2017 |
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 18:46
|
|
|
Bacarruda posted:So that our staff officers can begin planning - here are some things that'd be helpful. Yes, very good.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 18:48
|
|
|
I will volunteer for Engineer Commander position. This role will help stop me from developing tunnel vision whilst also allowing me to help set up and support our forces and the battle as a whole as the engagement develops.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 18:50
|
|
|
So here is where thing stand volunteer-wise. 3rd Cavalry Division commander -- Bacarruda? RNAS Armoured Car Brigade commander -- sixkiller? Vincent Van Goatse? ? Cavalry Brigade commander ? Cavalry Brigade commander Royal Horse Artillery commander 7th Infantry Division commander -- thabastardken? ? Infantry Brigade commander -- Acebuckeye13 ? Infantry Brigade commander ? Infantry Brigade commander Royal Artillery commander Royal Engineers commander -- Hunt11? Fires (may be blended with RA and RHA duties) -- lenoon Bacarruda fucked around with this message at 19:04 on Mar 7, 2017 |
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 18:59
|
|
|
I'll take a British Infantry Brigade
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 19:01
|
|
|
I'll take a bde XO, Eng XO, or Arty XO position because my time is going to be a bit iffy and I don't think I can handle a bde command. If anyone wants me to back them up poorly, speak up and I'll join.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 19:09
|
|
|
Some Useful Advice from the Umpire Hi folks. Here are some observations that I would like to make. This advice is being presented in identical form to both sides. On the utility of Roll20 If you read nothing else in this post, read this. Roll20 is transient. The thread is forever. I often tell Roll20 chat to post ITT. This is partly for the benefit of spectators, so they don't have to go trawling chatlogs to find out what's going on. However, there is another very important reason why you should post ITT as often as possible. Discussion in the thread is easily referenced. Discussion in Roll20 quickly disappears into the gargantuan chat archive. Experience from last round shows that if you only talk about something in Roll20, then an hour after you've stopped, it might as well never have happened. Modern British Army officer training tells wannabe subalterns not to rely on their memory; if they don't write things down, things get forgotten. If y'all don't post things in here, they will also get forgotten. It's fun to hang out in chat and hash out the details of something in real time, but if you want anyone to remember anything about your Good Idea five minutes after you stop talking about it, post ITT. On the introduction of forces This battle does not work like the last one, where I dumped 400 chits on the table at once, and devil take the hindmost. Your forces are going to be gradually introduced to the battle over an extended period of time. There are many reasons for this. One of them is that I want to give new players a chance to see in real-time things like "how exactly does firing resolve itself?" and "what kind of control can I really expect to have over my forces once the heat of battle is on?", before they are required to be in command of potentially-vital forces. That's not to say that new commanders should be automatically discouraged from taking a command on the first day; but you absolutely don't need to worry about missing all the fun if you're not directly involved from the off. Again, the previous battle was designed as a short, sharp shock. I don't think it's giving too much away to mention that this battle is intended to take up much more game time and, by the end, have brought more brigades on-board than the last battle. On the question of time zones (AMERICANS PAY ATTENTION) Last time round we saw both teams have trouble getting their orders in before deadline. Barring exceptional circumstances, I will always give you at least 48 hours between updates. Deadlines are designed to fit in with my schedule and are all based around GMT. They are soft, in that I will accept orders issued after deadline but before I begin running the update, but don't rely on them being as soft as you might want; sometimes the shutters come down 15 minutes after deadline, sometimes you'll get a few extra hours. What does this mean? Simple. If you are a brigade commander in a US or similar time zone, I strongly recommend that you post your orders the night before the deadline. My deadlines usually work out at about noon Eastern time. If you work 9-5 and wait until the day of the deadline to post orders, you're hosed. Several brigades got caught out last time by this. It's one thing for an army's plans to get screwed up because they gave bad or inadvisable orders; it's another if they get screwed up by no orders being posted at all. (The corollary to this is that if you know you won't make a deadline because of real life, tell someone ASAP so they can arrange emergency orders, or a substitute.) This also has implications further up the chain of command. Division commanders need to know the time zones of everyone they are working with, and ensure that they give instructions early enough that all brigade commanders who need to do so have plenty of time to write new orders. In turn, the Corps Commander needs to ensure that their division commanders have their own instructions in enough time to allow them time to work. I will be posting again, nearer the weekend, with some advice aimed specifically at helping brigadiers to write...well, not good orders, but orders that I can easily understand and execute. (Answers for specific rule questions to follow.)
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 19:21
|
|
|
Part 1 of my 3 parter advice from yer ex commander. OK, general advice for everyone: READ THE RULES. Then read the rules again. It's important to understand the rules, not just for your own unit, but for other units you may end up fighting or assissting, as well for participating in making the plan. (Speaking of which,  TRIN, could you update the links to the rules posts on the first page of the thread? Thanks in advance) If you don't want to read the rules, ask yourself why you're participating in the game in the first place.POST IN THE THREAD. Roll20 is merely a tool to enable much quicker discussions than what the thread format allows for, not the primary means of communication. There's already enough of a backlog there that there's no way someone is going to pick up on something that was missed on roll20 chat. If it's important, and it doesn't exist in the thread, it doesn't exist at all. KEEP YOUR POSTS AND PLANS AS CLEAR AND CONCISE AS POSSIBLE. Especially if you're giving orders. Remember, those orders are being read by a human being who can't read your mind, but is willing to give you a degree of leeway if you understand the rules and are clearly trying to help him understand you (and aren't asking him to place this thing half an inch from point A unless a bucket falls on the head of B in brigade C, in which case place the other thing 3.5 inchies from chit D unless chit D is dead in which case 2 inches from the edge of forest). If you start including a bajillion complicated conditional in your order, take a step back, because you're likely doing something wrong. Think about a way you can simplify things. It's OK to be broad in what you take into account, but be specific in what you intend to do. Understand that your opinion is being taken into account. Don't crowd other people out of the discussion by repeatedly stating the same thing over and over again before anything new has happened. Discussion is good, shitposting is bad. Don't panic. No matter how bad the situation seems. Imagine opening this thread with this fun game you're participating in, only to see someone (*cough* SANDMAN in the Central Powers thread last round *cough*) having extreme mood swings, drowning out the conversation, and generally making GBS threads things up for everyone just because DOOOOOOOM AND GLOOOOOOM. Plan things in advance, but accept that there's a limitation on how much you can do this. Better to wait 2 hours to reorganize than to march into the meatgrinder piecemeal. Take timezones into account when deciding who to work with and when to post your orders. Advice to Division Commanders: By all means, be creative, have suggestions, take initiative, but once you receive your orders from the Corps Commander, follow them to the best of your ability, no matter how much you may disagree with them. Once the Corpse Commander loses trust in your ability to do this, they will have to incorporate your disobedience into their plans, forcing them to make suboptimal use of your division. Cooperate with your brigadiers, and be absolutely clear about what you want them to do, but try not to micromanage them. They have their role, let them play it. There will be time where it will be absolutely critical for a brigade to do something very specific, but even then, include the brigadier in the process as much as possible. Include maps of what you want your units to do, but only as a tool to help them understand your orders. If your spoken orders are unclear, no map can salvage the situation. Advice to Brigadiers: Don't be afraid to be specific about where you want your chits to go. We have great tools on roll20 to make this job as easy as possible. I'll probably add British chits relatively soon to make it even easier. Making formations is fun, and you should do it! Have a clear idea of what you want your brigade to do! Is your job to lay down an ambush at a specific location? Arrange your chits to help you do this. Are you fortifying somewhere you expect to be on the receiving end of planned artillery fire? Arrange your chits to help you do this. Do you expect your brigade to be somewhere it won't be able to retreat from if it's losing? Set stance to fight to the end. Are you heading out into the unknown? Have orders to stand and fight (or charge) if you spot an enemy. etc. Plan your movement routes in coordination with other brigadiers in your division. If you can work together, work together. You are the ultimate order giver. Make maps. Draw arrows. Draw chits. Make everything clear. Explain them. Descriptions like "I set this formation up with the goal of the entire brigade having the marked ford in their 8 inch range" are good because they help Trin place them in the way you want to with minimum effort for both of you. fake edit: ^^^ Trin beat me to some of this, it seems.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 19:33
|
|
|
We have a bunch of new recruits, so I will defer to them for brigade commanders. Give them a chance to spill some pixel-blood. I will be a staff officer for now, able to jump in at a later time if needed for a field command. Re: armored cars. My recommendation is to use them in their alpha strike as a full team of ten, and then break them in to two groups to maximize the ground they can take delaying actions on. Perhaps the commander can take a major along with him for when they split in to two groups. sullat fucked around with this message at 03:09 on Mar 8, 2017 |
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 19:35
|
|
|
I'll go in for one of the remaining 7th Division infantry brigades.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 19:55
|
|
|
Sure, I'll reprise in cav, just don't take THE HERO OF DEJEUNER for granted. Also, my dad, you've got a good eye for openings and the enemy being off balance, I'll look over your conditionals if you look out for openings, deal?Hunt11 posted:I will volunteer for Engineer Commander position. This role will help stop me from developing tunnel vision whilst also allowing me to help set up and support our forces and the battle as a whole as the engagement develops. I think this is a good fit.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 20:06
|
|
|
I would be privileged indeed to command an infantry brigade with you fine individuals.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 20:09
|
|
|
xthetenth posted:Sure, I'll reprise in cav, just don't take THE HERO OF DEJEUNER for granted. Also, my dad, you've got a good eye for openings and the enemy being off balance, I'll look over your conditionals if you look out for openings, deal? Deal.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 20:13
|
|
|
Here are some general thoughts on the usage of Engineers: Trenches: Going by last game they will be visible to the enemy the moment they go up. Using this I argue we create dummy trenches to make the Germans guess where our entrenched defenses are and hopefully allow us to pinpoint where they will have parked their artillery. Barbed Wire and Road Blocks: With proper timing we can use them to seal off retreat points so that the enemy pursuit of our cars is slowed down. Cavalry engineers: Active defense as in setting up road blocks and barbed wire to slow down the Boche. Infantry engineers: Setting up our static defense while providing supplies for the Cavalry engineers.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 20:26
|
|
|
 Commander's intent: We've been instructed to be aggressive in our defense, so here are my goals. Taking Stethoscope (Zone 3), or preventing its conquest, is the priority. If we cannot hold here, commander's intent is to form in Zone 4 in good order. Using Sullat's battle plan as guidance, I have several questions for the officers. What is the Fires time table to disrupt enemy road movement? Staff, how fast can we reach Stethoscope, and in what numbers? What are we likely to see when we get there?Engineers, how can it be reinforced/fortified, and in how much time? Under what circumstances do we withdrawal from Stethoscope? What preparations can we have made for moving the front line to Zone 4? How can we slow down enemy pursuit? What are we doing about the bridges?
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 21:07
|
|
|
sullat posted:We have a bunch of new recruits, so I will defer to them for brigade commanders. Give them a chance to spill some pixel-blood. I will be a staff officer for now, able to jump in at a later time if needed for a field command. I think they get too strung out to deliver a very effective concentrated fire because they really have to stay on roads to do anything. 5 and 5 makes sense to me.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 21:08
|
|
|
KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:I think they get too strung out to deliver a very effective concentrated fire because they really have to stay on roads to do anything. 5 and 5 makes sense to me. Pretty much. My thinking is that if we get them lined up in the sunken road, they will really mess up the lead division's day and force Jerry to adopt battle stance, thus slowing him down. My hope is that the enemy will deploy into battle stance in front of the sunken road once attacked, giving us a second turn of shooting while the arty catches up. There is a good chance that arse hortilery will be able to get some shots off, but the sunken road should protect them. If they do end up being able to hold the line there, great, but they are very vulnerable to arty and should be withdrawn once the enemy arty is in range. Our arse hortilery will take too long to arrive. Once withdrawn, breakinv them into two groups to cover multiple roads is going to be best.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 21:46
|
|
|
Loel posted:Commander's intent: We've been instructed to be aggressive in our defense, so here are my goals. Taking Stethoscope (Zone 3), or preventing its conquest, is the priority. If we cannot hold here, commander's intent is to form in Zone 4 in good order. I'll post something when I get home for the timetable stuff.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 21:54
|
|
|
Fires will have a timetable for you before the deadline, once Fires retires from the pub where he is currently lamenting his call up orders and enjoying one last pint of bitter and a couple of Thames oysters.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 21:56
|
|
|
I will post time tables as well. Of note I do not think my engineers will arrive in time to help turn the town into a quagmire.
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 21:57
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 12, 2024 18:01 |
|
|
I'm completely new to this system and also kind of a half-wit, so I'm happy to be assigned wherever we need a person, and preferably in a place where my individual loving-up will not interfere with our grander strategic loving-up. I have a question about the logistics of advancing so deep into the map at once in a push to the Stethoscope. I suspect it'd be very easy to both overextend ourselves and to end up in a position where we're straggling in against a concentrated push from the Germans. Would it not make sense to take a conservative approach and advance up to the sunken road/zone 4 area? Or potentially even leave the engineers behind to destroy at least two of the bridges into Effyaders?
|
|
#
?
Mar 7, 2017 22:09
|
|
