Urban Trenches

[rgrove]

Im playing the Commisar's House as my first full blown ASL scenario after a number of 'training' scenarios while relearning the game after a LONG hiatus.

Right off, during setup, I find myself stumbling over the placement of the Russian Trenches. Its board 20, a pretty congested urban sprawl with all the single hex wooden structures converted to rubble by SSR. Still almost anywhere you place a trench you are within a hex or two of an intact building. Trench cover seems almost redundant. Im trying to utilize the movement and communication nature of the trench by placing them somewhere to allow travel without exposure but its a little confusing.

Any help out there? Anyone familiar with the scenario? Where do my Russians need to start digging?

 

[jrv]

Twp quick thoughts: 20GG2 allows attacks down the 20CC4 road; 20P7 forces the Germans out of a few key hexes at startup and allows at least some possibility of escape into 20O7 through the trench. There are some gaps in the buildings that might be filled in with trenches, e.g. 20V4, 20BB2.

JR

 

[rgrove]

Thanks! That's more or less what I came up with, using them to span gaps in the buildings and provide Route paths if nothing else.

 

[jrv]

One of the things I consider when putting down trenches is to put them where they aren't much use to my opponent as well as where they benefit me. For instance I would probably put a Soviet unit in P7 (to deny the Germans some more prime setup locations) but I would not put a trench there even though that would help that unit. It would help the Germans too much.

JR

 

[rgrove]

Your a prophet! One stretch of trenches that worked great allowing retreating Russians a path to a safe Rally point funneled several squads of German Engineers a few turns later.

 

[jrv]

One relatively obscure rule that can make a trench less useful to the enemy is B9.33, elevation effects. For each level above a shellhole, wall, hedge, bridge, or entrenchment greater than the range, the TEM is reduced by one (to a minimum of zero). A unit on the first level of 20S7/20P6 firing into a trench in P7 would only face a +1 TEM. I would still not put a trench there, but I might put one in O7, because a +1 TEM from 20P6L1 would be the same as the woods TEM. Of course from 20P6L0 the TEM would be +2, so it's a risk.

JR

 

[buser333]

Twp quick thoughts: 20GG2 allows attacks down the 20CC4 road; 20P7 forces the Germans out of a few key hexes at startup and allows at least some possibility of escape into 20O7 through the trench. There are some gaps in the buildings that might be filled in with trenches, e.g. 20V4, 20BB2.

JR

I too try to limit the at-start German setup. I never thought of P7 as a place to put a Russian unit. I'll have to remember that one in the future.

 

[rgrove]

One relatively obscure rule that can make a trench less useful to the enemy is B9.33, elevation effects. For each level above a shellhole, wall, hedge, bridge, or entrenchment greater than the range, the TEM is reduced by one (to a minimum of zero). A unit on the first level of 20S7/20P6 firing into a trench in P7 would only face a +1 TEM. I would still not put a trench there, but I might put one in O7, because a +1 TEM from 20P6L1 would be the same as the woods TEM. Of course from 20P6L0 the TEM would be +2, so it's a risk.

JR

Ouch, they should really put a blurb about that in the associated text on Entrenchments. I see it there in B9.33 but that's the section on Walls and Hedges. Sure, it makes logical sense but its way easy to miss...one little sentence at the end of a single paragraph.

See - new rules thread on Crest Status*

 

[jrv]

If they did that, it wouldn't be relatively obscure. Any noob could find it. We wouldn't want that, would we?

JR