Here is another one..all about use of sewers...
Rat Catchers in Red Barricades
By Various Listerines
So I've been doing some thinking about the Sewer Rat tactic in Red
Barricades. Now that my poor overworked brain has stopped smoking, I
thought I'd post my thoughts and solicit some comments.
The sewer system on the RB map is kinda weird -- some areas have thick,
redundant sewer systems which are nearly impossible for the German to
effectively block -- the southwest sector, for instance, and the central
factory district. Other areas of sewer coverage are fairly thin, such as
the gully line in the east, and the eastern roads.
It's hard to make any broad generalizations in RB, since each campaign
will run differently, but in general if the Russian player is making heavy
use of sewer movement, or the German thinks his lines might be at serious
risk to a sudden sewer assault, then the German should consider cutting
some sewer lines using DCs. Set DCs are expensive in terms of FPP, but
depending on the situation the German might be able to spare a squad or
two to Set DCs in his rear. In the front lines, Placed DCs might do the
trick, though it's less likely (10/36 chance).
I've made up a sewer-grid map of RB, and having looked at it, here are
some important sewer locations to blow, for varying reasons. See if you
agree with me:
D10, O5
V9, W15, Y15
Y21
Y30
V38
T34
D39
D20, H21, K21, I18
Barring a wholesale Set DC frenzy over a number of CG Days, the German can
never make the sewers useless -- a canny Russian can probably always use
them to make some local gains. But a well-placed Sewer Rubble location can
prevent the kind of deep breakthroughs that the Russian hopes for when
using sewer movement.
I'm not going to comment on the selection of choke points mainly because my
map is not close at hand. The idea seems sound and I've also kept a sewer
location map handy when playing RB. Many moons ago I made a photocopy of the
reduced map and used a highlighter to mark the sewer locations. If you do
this, go over the main map in strenuous detail, hex by hex, as some of the
circles can be hard to see (if they're in a building, for instance). Also
don't forget that a hex with > 2 road hexsides counts as a manhole location.
I've found two main benefits for this map: (i) you can tell if a unit is on
a manhole without moving it out of the way and (ii) it let's you plan a
sewer pathway. One thing I've not done but thought of is highlighting the
connections between manhole locations.
An alternative to setting DCs is to HIP a bunch of HSs (use HS instead of
full squads as the Sewer Emergence drm is per UNIT, not squad equivalent) on
manholes you think the ratcatchers will use, that PBF (TPBF?) and Haz Mov
modifier will turn them into ratchow pronto.
As the Russian I am not really trying for any significant sewer
breakthroughs simply because the German can usually contain them _AND_
it requires to much Russian resource to make a truly significant
breakthrough. However, I do use sewers every scenario to make the
German think just like you are here. As the Russian I want the German
spinning his wheels on plans to counter sewer activity...I would
dearly _LOVE_ to see the German wasting DC vs sewer locations as
opposed to using those DC to breach factory walls behind which my poor
Ruskies are cowering...or breaching fortified locations...etc.
Personally I think the threat of sewer movement is overrated...unless,
of course, I am playing the Russian side...in which case it is the
greatest threat the Germans face! ;-)
If the Russian can manuver the German into a night CG scenario the Russian
can make some very significant gains using Sewer Movement.
Try this plan for the Russian who has 80+ squads and a night Scenario coming
up.
1.)? Put at least 1+ company of 527's into the sewers on Turn 1.? Start
moving them under the front lines.
2.)? Have the remainder of theRussinas set up ready to launch numerous Human
Waves or one Huge HW.? These units do NOT move for 3 turns.
3.)? Pre-Register 2 Rocket OBA's in spots that you feel a large
concentration of Germans will be set up.
4.)? Drop the OBA on his troops and once you see where it hit launch the HW.
5.)? Pop up out of the sewers in the German rear to cut routs and cause
mayhem.
Remember he won't hav aa lot of freedom of movement as long as he's under NO
MOVE counters.
If you can get a night scenario early in the CG do it.
The problem with this is that if you set a DC in a sewer
location there is no way you can be the required 3 hexes away
and have the required LOS to it in order to set it of, so
set DC's in sewers wont work.
You would also have to explain how you can spend your entire
movement phase in just one location placing a DC, when the sewer
movement rules require you to move to a new location.
AFAIK the only way to get a DC to explode in a sewer location is
by throwing it at a discovered enemy unit there (except japanese
suicide units - they can set of a DC in their own location).
The best you can usually do is rubble a building on top of
a manhole, so that nobody can exit the sewer system there.
I think this question was asked on the ASLML previously. If I recall
correctly Perry chimed in and said yes it could be done and that the sewer
location was treated as a stone location (+3 DRM; +1 for rubbling).
Even if allowed the possibility of rubbling is greatly reduced. It seems to
me that if all you can do is place DC in sewer locations then your tactic
really becomes an excessive waste of men and materials. Mapping the sewers
is a great idea...the use of the DC's is not!