Re: ME-PBM combat tactics

From: v011l6fc@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu (DAVE ROSSELL)

Date: Tue, 19 Jul 1994 02:30:00 +0000

In article <30e470$p38@news.doit.wisc.edu>, freeman@cae.wisc.edu (Samuel Freeman) writes...
>
>Here's the Best/Worst Tactic vs. Tactic table from page 55 of the ME rulebook:
>
>Tactic     Best vs.     Worst vs.
>======     ========     =========
>Charge     Hit & Run    Ambush
>Flank      Ambush       Surround
>Standard   Flank        Charge
>Surround   Flank        Hit & Run
>Hit & Run  Surround     Flank
>Ambush     Charge       Flank
>
>When I first read the rulebook 8 months ago, I interpreted this table to mean
>that "Charge is best vs. Hit & Run" and that "Charge is worst vs. Ambush", for
>example.  Now, after fighting many battles, I'm starting to think I've been
>reading the table backwards.  I now think it should read "the best tactic vs.
>Charge is Hit & Run" and "the worst tactic vs. Charge is Ambush".  I've met
>some vetearn players in battle, and it's obvious from the combat tactics
>they've chosen that even veteran players are confused on how to interpret this
>table.
>
>What do other ME players think?
>
>
>Sam
>freeman@cae.wisc.edu

I've always read the table as giving you some idea of the bonuses you can expect
you and your opponent to get.  For example, I've got a heavy cav army more than
large enough to wipe out my opponent's heavy infantry force in the first round
of combat, no matter what tactic I pick.  That means I should choose my troops'
tactics to minimize the amount of damage my enemy will do to me.  Someone with
heavy infantry is likely to try to FLANK, so I would have the heavy cav do
a SURROUND, even though SURROUND isn't a good tactic for heavy cav.  If you
need to inflict the maximum amount of damage on an opponent, try to gues what
tactic he or she is going to use, and pick the best one to combat it.  This
has worked well for me, and based on my combat reports, Ambush is the optimum
tactic to use if your opponent is Charging.

It seems to me that picking the right tactic helps in two ways:  you get the
bonus to your own troops, while your opponent gets a negative modifier when
his or her combat strength is calculated against your troops.

I think this is how it works out:

Fire King has lots of heavy infantry so he decides to FLANK.
N. Gondor has lots of light cav, so he SURROUNDS.

N. Gondor's tactic vs. tactic modifier would be 115, since he picked the best
possible tactic vs. his opponent's.

The Fire King's modifier would be 90, since his was the worst possible tactic
vs. his opponent's.

These are important numbers in a close battle, since the army tactic modifiers
are multiplied by your army troop strength, see p. 58 of rulebook.  It is far
more important to pick tactics by what your opponent's tactic is going to be,
rather than by the tactic that works best for your troops.

********************************************************************************

Dave Rossell                               "When you lay your dreams to rest,
v011L6FC@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu	            you can get what's second best,
                                            but it's hard to get enough."
						-David Wilcox

********************************************************************************

References

ME-PBM combat tactics
freeman@cae.wisc.edu (Samuel Freeman)
Mon, 18 Jul 1994 14:39:28 +0000