Talking Turkey about a Tovarisch with a Tokarev...

[Tater]

I will take the commissars (as many as allowed) every time.

Trading Prep Fire with the Germans is seldom a winner for the Russians regardless of the scenario situation (EXC: unless there are gobs of Ruski infantry). The Ruski's seldom have enough HMG/MMG to make the -1 worth it and keep in mind that the 8-1 kill stack is probably going to get that one Prep phase before the superior German range/fire-power/SW's takes him out. Then that 8-1 is just another broken Ruski routing and leaving those MMG/HMG behind.

Lastly the leadership ratio for the Russians means that even his neg-mod leaders need to be rallying rather than directing fire. So I go with the rally machine leaders whenever possible.

 

[Tater]

You do not have the leaders to deal with all broken Russians, who will generally rout in different directions based on enemy presence. Especially when crossing some open ground.

If you look at a Russian infantry attack after 3-4 Turns, you typically find broken Russian HS and squads littered around the battlefield in Rally Terrain, waiting for their possible turn to self-rally.

You do not have to do much wrong tactically for that to happen. The Rout Rules pretty much guarantee that broken units will scatter as they are forced to rout towards the nearest woods/building in MF.

Not if you plan the axis of attack/withdrawal with an eye towards brokie collection points. That is the first thing I look for when I start working out my initial set-up.

 

[witchbottles]

Not if you plan the axis of attack/withdrawal with an eye towards brokie collection points. That is the first thing I look for when I start working out my initial set-up.

"Rally Points" are a key component of any initial setup for any nationality, and doubly so on the attack, where a poorly placed thrust can leave your broken men cut off if no real thought went into identifying the appropriate rally point(s). Those RP's then, should be manned by the best resource (leader) to rally the men given the OB and terrain, enemy units and VC's.

Selecting them carefully is a requisite skill one must learn for playing the Russians in ASL, and an absolute mandate when playing Italians, Allied Minors, or Axis Minors.

In all 4 cases, there are too few leaders to not expend the best possible rallying broken troops across the vast majority of scenarios or CG's. For the Russians, the Commissar swap is the readily identifiable "fix" to get the "most bang from a single revolver", so to speak. Especially when he can come on as a 10 ML SMC that is extremely hard to break by enemy fire, and offers an automatic -1 DRM (negating the +4 DM status and raising the ML of the broken MMC stacked with him by one = a net effect of a -1 DRM for Rally purposes, add another -1 DRM if he is actually in rally terrain, to a total -2 DRM). So the 5 broken ML conscript Squad who is DM now rallies on a DR of 7 or less the first try out the gate, DM or not. That's 58.3% of the time he rallies under proper political motivational speeches. Better than 50% is pretty good odds. It only goes up from there for 1st line or elite HS or squads. a 6 broken ML 1st line HS rallies under Der Kommissar on an 8 or less, at 72.2% of the time with the ML boost and Rally terrain, even if DM - the 7 broken ML 1st line squad rallies on a 9 or less, at 83.3% of the time, the 8 broken ML elites rally on a 10 or less, at 91.7% of the time.

I have to agree a 10-0 is a rally machine. And rather hard to kill or keep broken if he does break, by fire alone, with his own 10 ML.

 

[dlazov]

If they don't listen just shoot the cowards!

 

[von Marwitz]

If they don't listen just shoot the cowards!

In ASLRB v3 they will also shoot Vinnie.

von Marwitz

 

[Khill]

I'm always taking the commissar. not suffered DM is pretty big