RE: [Epic] Overwatched Barrages

From: MCLAUGHLIN, RICHARD A. CPT <MCLAUGHLINR_at_...>
Date: Tue, 2 Sep 1997 16:11:12 +0200

Bart,

All I can offer is sympathy. I just began playing Epic40K (Played one
game of Space Marine) but I have been playing GW games (40K,
Warhammer, Necromundia, Blood Bowl, Man-o-War, etc for 10 years.

GW does not understand the concept of artillery and never will. Maybe
the NCOs on the gun line recognize flaws in the computer plotted
target grids and correct them manually when they fire on overwatch.

Our (my playing group) gut reaction was "say it ain't so, Joe" when we
discovered artillery could reroll when on overwatch. Needless to say
the number of artillery batteries doubled soon after.

As I set here typing another player offered an explanation. In the
Field Artillery world, a battery receives two types of fire mission:
Pre-planned and On-call. Your entire army has access to On-call
missions but only certain units get priority pre-planned missions.

So maybe Overwatch fire by Epic40K artillery are pre-planned missions.
 The Fire control center has already plotted the grids and the guns
are "laid on" to fire. Normal fire by artillery is really on-call
missions, fire missions called in during the battle and fired because
there were no priority targets available. In "real life" it is a very
big deal to take tubes off of a pre-planned target to fire an on-call
mission.

Remember all of this is an attempt to explain a rule I don't like
either. Maybe Overwatch fire is how the artillery normally fires
(stationary with pre-planned targets). Normal fire is an on call
mission that fires quickly and immediately returns to pre-planned
grids (they fire less rounds because they are not sure of the target).
 Prepatory Bombardment is what Field Artillery Officers call a "hip
shoot". A high pay off target presents itself and the artillery
battery fires the mission in a minimum amount of time (called a crew
drill) to put steel on target.

Or GW could just be idiots.

MadMac

----------
From: Bart Koehler[SMTP:bkoehler_at_...]
Sent: Friday, August 29, 1997 2:53 PM
To: 'space-marine_at_...'
Subject: [Epic] Overwatched Barrages

All,

OK. I've been observing the list for a few months while I get used to
the
game mechanics (I am new to Epic with the new edition), and I thought
I
would wait until I could at least speak semi-intelligently about the
game
before posting. Well, I'm posting and whether or not it's
semi-intelligent
is another thing.

Anyway, someone please explain to me why Barrages, particularly
Indirect
90cm Heavy Artillery type barrages can be overwatched?! As an Orc
player I
tend to have areas of my army that are somewhat dense with boyz, yes
it's
true. These overwatched barrages are getting to be a bit troublesome.
 How
can these shots be put on overwatch. Do they have a meteorologist
doing a
better job at reading wind currents and humidity? Perhaps they have a
laser topology of the battle field which allows them to redirect
barrages?
 (Note the sarcasm) A barrage is a barrage. A better aimed barrage
is
still a barrage. I just don't think that these types of shots should
be
able to go on overwatch. It is not as if the units shooting can
control
the blast area once they've shot. Anyway, I would like some of you
experienced players to explain why my boyz are getting flattened by
these
overwatched barrages. End of rant.

Bart
Received on Tue Sep 02 1997 - 14:11:12 UTC