themattcurtis
20 Dec 04, 10:07
I’ve only had SPMBT for about a week and this is my first attempt at playing through a full-blown campaign. So this is the first in a series of AARs describing how I do with the EU2008 campaign (a batch of user-created missions downloaded off the ‘net).
The premise is social unrest in Romania has the EU scrambling to preserve its interests in that country’s oil-producing regions. A joint force of 50,000+ ground troops – primarily German, British and French – have crossed the border to tangle with mechanized Hungarian forces bent on annexing the oil fields for themselves.
The introduction is handled nicely. The campaign is a small mod that has you choose your nationality using the campaign editor before viewing a fictional CNN broadcast (complete with artwork).
Since Germany is described as fielding the largest percentage of troops, that’s the nationality I pick. My core force starts as:
· A platoon of Leopard 2 MBTs
· 2 platoons of Panzergrenadiers (carried in Marder IFVs)
· A section of SP mortars (120mm tubes in M113 chasses)
· A section of 40mm AGLs
· A section of medium machine guns
The idea is to buy some transport for those last two assets once I have enough points.
Battle 1# sees me crossing the border to clash with Hungarian troops in a meeting engagement. Apparently, they know I’m coming so they’re sprinting towards the border to keep me from establishing a foothold. The map has me deployed west of a narrow river valley running north to south. The main highway runs east to west.
On the far side of the valley are three victory locations, two of which are in open fields (wheat?) just south of the highway. The last victory location is relatively close to the opposite map edge and just on the other side of a smaller road intersecting the highway. Interspersed throughout the map are small patches of forested terrain.
I drop my machine gun teams and AGLs as close to my edge of the river as possible, where they can cover the high ground on the opposite side. One platoon of panzergrenadiers (D platoon) is parked on an exposed ridgeline where they can observe the closest victory location. Their Milans can kick into action if the Hungarians beat me there, while the command squad can call in fire from my SP mortars. The platoon is also close to dead ground so it can reverse itself out of harm’s way if it comes under fire. The mortars are well out of sight, hidden in a treeline.
The Leopards and remaining panzergrenadiers are lined up in a “friendly” village, ready to go as soon as my mortars plunk smoke along their axis of advance (I don’t want anyone sniping me as I cross the bridge).
OPENING ROUNDS
My pre-planned barrage drops smoke on target, and the Leopards (B platoon) race across the bridge, stopping just below the ridgeline as they wait for the first batch of Marders (C platoon) to catch up.
B0 inches over the ridge so he can cover the highway and approaches from the eastern portion of the map. At the same time, the other two Leopards use dead ground (sunken terrain that hides them from view) to move south and approach the first VL under cover. C platoon’s Marders follow while D platoon’s command squad has plotted mortar fire on top of their destination.
My troops enter open ground just west of the first VL right before my mortar fire is due to land. They find no one waiting for them so the barrage is called off. The tanks scoot forward. They're followed by the IFVs, which unload their grunts with a quickness. D platoon boards the last of its Marders, reverses behind its hill, and moves towards the bridge.
CONTACT
B0 spots a pair of BTR-80s and kills both vehicles with HEAT rounds from its 120mm gun. Almost immediately, all three Leopards sight T-72s and catch the enemy tanks in a cross fire. The aging Soviet kit is moving at full speed, while my tanks are sitting still, and the disparity in fire control is telling. Six shots later five enemy hulls are burning.
Since the Hungarians are concentrating in the easternmost VL, B0 calls in mortar fire along that stretch of ground. It pays off. Over the next few Turns, several more BTR-80s and armored cars push forward. They’re either killed by tank fire or my Marders’ autocannon. The body count starts to climb because the AI is letting its grunts stay in their rides until the last minute. Each time a BTR goes up, at least two or three of its passengers die with it. And those who escape the wreckage find themselves under fire before their feet have touched the ground.
That being said, I don’t waste ammo on the infantry. Those squads I can see are either driven back by the mortar rounds falling on their heads or else torn apart by small arms fire if they push forward. The Marders’ 20mm guns, in particular, cut right into a couple of squads. It’s not as bloody as it could have been, however, since most are smart enough to haul tail.
Meanwhile, C platoon’s panzergrenaders have taken the first VL and are pushing forward under the cover of smoke.
End Game
Three more T-72s show up along the easternmost VL, or just due south of it, and die without firing a single shot.
C platoon infantry take their second VL before storming a farmhouse and a line of trees just to the east. Rifle fire kills a handful of Hungarian infantry, including an ATGM team, before the platoon’s Marders pull forward to add their firepower to the line. I notice the panzergrenadiers are popping off with their panzerfaust 3s against regular ground pounders, so I limit their range to “4” or 200 yards. Anyone further away than that can be dealt with by my IFVs.
During all this, D platoon has swung north of B0 and unloaded its infantry under smoke. They scoot forward, gunning down the stray infantryman (including an SA-14 team) before taking the last VL on Turn 11 (12 Turns in the game). Some 30 odd German grenadiers find themselves standing in a smoking graveyard of tanks, personnel carriers and armored cars.
By the time the battle ends, I’ve suffered only 1 casualty. A grenadier from my A0 command element. I said at the beginning I’m new to this game and I screwed up with the interface, moving the squad when I didn’t mean to. Normally, SPMBT has a neat feature that allows you to cancel such “oops” maneuvers, but the game doesn’t give you this option if the move causes you to come under fire. Which is only fair.
The Hungarians, for their part, have lost 19 vehicles (a mixture of T-72s, BTR-80s and light armored cars) and 76 casualties. I hold all the VLs and the game’s credited me with a Decisive Victory. Since I receive 20 repair points after the battle, it’s easy enough to replace my lost man, and I’ve got 19 points to spend on my core force. If I do as well in the next fight, I’ll use my earnings to buy some wheeled transport for my support weapons. Or maybe ammo carriers. Am I going to run out of ammo over the course of multiple battles? Or does the game assume I’ve reloaded?
Overall, I’m a happy guy. B0 and B2 are now "Veteran" units and I think it’s fair to say this was a clean win, although the main reason wasn’t because I’m scary talented as much as it had to do with the difference in weapons technology.
More later
Matt
The premise is social unrest in Romania has the EU scrambling to preserve its interests in that country’s oil-producing regions. A joint force of 50,000+ ground troops – primarily German, British and French – have crossed the border to tangle with mechanized Hungarian forces bent on annexing the oil fields for themselves.
The introduction is handled nicely. The campaign is a small mod that has you choose your nationality using the campaign editor before viewing a fictional CNN broadcast (complete with artwork).
Since Germany is described as fielding the largest percentage of troops, that’s the nationality I pick. My core force starts as:
· A platoon of Leopard 2 MBTs
· 2 platoons of Panzergrenadiers (carried in Marder IFVs)
· A section of SP mortars (120mm tubes in M113 chasses)
· A section of 40mm AGLs
· A section of medium machine guns
The idea is to buy some transport for those last two assets once I have enough points.
Battle 1# sees me crossing the border to clash with Hungarian troops in a meeting engagement. Apparently, they know I’m coming so they’re sprinting towards the border to keep me from establishing a foothold. The map has me deployed west of a narrow river valley running north to south. The main highway runs east to west.
On the far side of the valley are three victory locations, two of which are in open fields (wheat?) just south of the highway. The last victory location is relatively close to the opposite map edge and just on the other side of a smaller road intersecting the highway. Interspersed throughout the map are small patches of forested terrain.
I drop my machine gun teams and AGLs as close to my edge of the river as possible, where they can cover the high ground on the opposite side. One platoon of panzergrenadiers (D platoon) is parked on an exposed ridgeline where they can observe the closest victory location. Their Milans can kick into action if the Hungarians beat me there, while the command squad can call in fire from my SP mortars. The platoon is also close to dead ground so it can reverse itself out of harm’s way if it comes under fire. The mortars are well out of sight, hidden in a treeline.
The Leopards and remaining panzergrenadiers are lined up in a “friendly” village, ready to go as soon as my mortars plunk smoke along their axis of advance (I don’t want anyone sniping me as I cross the bridge).
OPENING ROUNDS
My pre-planned barrage drops smoke on target, and the Leopards (B platoon) race across the bridge, stopping just below the ridgeline as they wait for the first batch of Marders (C platoon) to catch up.
B0 inches over the ridge so he can cover the highway and approaches from the eastern portion of the map. At the same time, the other two Leopards use dead ground (sunken terrain that hides them from view) to move south and approach the first VL under cover. C platoon’s Marders follow while D platoon’s command squad has plotted mortar fire on top of their destination.
My troops enter open ground just west of the first VL right before my mortar fire is due to land. They find no one waiting for them so the barrage is called off. The tanks scoot forward. They're followed by the IFVs, which unload their grunts with a quickness. D platoon boards the last of its Marders, reverses behind its hill, and moves towards the bridge.
CONTACT
B0 spots a pair of BTR-80s and kills both vehicles with HEAT rounds from its 120mm gun. Almost immediately, all three Leopards sight T-72s and catch the enemy tanks in a cross fire. The aging Soviet kit is moving at full speed, while my tanks are sitting still, and the disparity in fire control is telling. Six shots later five enemy hulls are burning.
Since the Hungarians are concentrating in the easternmost VL, B0 calls in mortar fire along that stretch of ground. It pays off. Over the next few Turns, several more BTR-80s and armored cars push forward. They’re either killed by tank fire or my Marders’ autocannon. The body count starts to climb because the AI is letting its grunts stay in their rides until the last minute. Each time a BTR goes up, at least two or three of its passengers die with it. And those who escape the wreckage find themselves under fire before their feet have touched the ground.
That being said, I don’t waste ammo on the infantry. Those squads I can see are either driven back by the mortar rounds falling on their heads or else torn apart by small arms fire if they push forward. The Marders’ 20mm guns, in particular, cut right into a couple of squads. It’s not as bloody as it could have been, however, since most are smart enough to haul tail.
Meanwhile, C platoon’s panzergrenaders have taken the first VL and are pushing forward under the cover of smoke.
End Game
Three more T-72s show up along the easternmost VL, or just due south of it, and die without firing a single shot.
C platoon infantry take their second VL before storming a farmhouse and a line of trees just to the east. Rifle fire kills a handful of Hungarian infantry, including an ATGM team, before the platoon’s Marders pull forward to add their firepower to the line. I notice the panzergrenadiers are popping off with their panzerfaust 3s against regular ground pounders, so I limit their range to “4” or 200 yards. Anyone further away than that can be dealt with by my IFVs.
During all this, D platoon has swung north of B0 and unloaded its infantry under smoke. They scoot forward, gunning down the stray infantryman (including an SA-14 team) before taking the last VL on Turn 11 (12 Turns in the game). Some 30 odd German grenadiers find themselves standing in a smoking graveyard of tanks, personnel carriers and armored cars.
By the time the battle ends, I’ve suffered only 1 casualty. A grenadier from my A0 command element. I said at the beginning I’m new to this game and I screwed up with the interface, moving the squad when I didn’t mean to. Normally, SPMBT has a neat feature that allows you to cancel such “oops” maneuvers, but the game doesn’t give you this option if the move causes you to come under fire. Which is only fair.
The Hungarians, for their part, have lost 19 vehicles (a mixture of T-72s, BTR-80s and light armored cars) and 76 casualties. I hold all the VLs and the game’s credited me with a Decisive Victory. Since I receive 20 repair points after the battle, it’s easy enough to replace my lost man, and I’ve got 19 points to spend on my core force. If I do as well in the next fight, I’ll use my earnings to buy some wheeled transport for my support weapons. Or maybe ammo carriers. Am I going to run out of ammo over the course of multiple battles? Or does the game assume I’ve reloaded?
Overall, I’m a happy guy. B0 and B2 are now "Veteran" units and I think it’s fair to say this was a clean win, although the main reason wasn’t because I’m scary talented as much as it had to do with the difference in weapons technology.
More later
Matt