RE: [Epic] marine chapters (was: Orks with LandRaiders)

From: MCLAUGHLIN, RICHARD A. CPT <MCLAUGHLINR_at_...>
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 15:20:32 +0200

From: J. Michael Looney[SMTP:mlooney_at_...]

MadMac wrote:
>> Picture if you will, a Sup Cdr Detachment consisting of a single CMD
>> Stand in the middle of 6 Inf from another detachment. I know this
>> is an extreme example but your opponent can target the Sup Cdr and
>> ignore the Inf around him.

Looney critiques:
>Bad army design. Commanders have either a staff or some sort of
>protection unit around them, most of the time.

MadMac Reponds:
Man, give me a break. It isn't an Army design, it's a simplified
abstract
illustration of the (dare I say) unrealistic effect unrestricted
targeting
can have on the Supreme Commander. Use a Supreme Commander mounted
in a Land Raider surrounded by another detachment consisting of 4 Land
Raiders if it makes you feel better.

editor's note - notice the excessive use of $3.00 words };^')

Old MadMac Stuff:
>> My house rule: The Sup Cdr and his transport cannot be targeted if a
>> like unit/vehicle is in front of him. Important: The Sup Cdr cannot
>> manipulate this rule to unfairly add FP and/or AT shots while hiding
>> behind friendly detachments. Vague I know, but we believe in
>> following the spirit of the rule and not hiding behind the letter of it.

Looney Agrees with Resevations:
> Believe it or not, I could live with this house rule, if and only if the
> SC takes no body guards. If he takes guards, well then he just another
> platoon to get beat up on, assuming you are silly enough to put him
> right on the front lines. However as soon as you expand this rule to
> be ANY commander, then you have problems. I don't buy the you can't
> tell the commander from the grunts theory, he is the dude with the back
> banner or waving the sword over he head. If you believe the 40K
> background, command units are the one wearing the huge "shoot me now"
> signs on their backs, sticking up 2+ meters in the air.

Schizoid MadMac:
As much as I hate saying this. You are more right than you know. GW's
"stated" reason for protecting characters from targeting is "the
confusion
of the battlefield". It wasn't until you compared Orcs to "the Army
formerly
know as Soviet" (do I have to credit myself?) that I realized how wrong
they
are. Antenna's! Ever since the military started using radios for
command
and control, a disproportionate number of LTs have died in combat. Look
at
WWII thru Vietnam. The leader is the one next to the RTO.

In the former Red Army (it is shorter) not all of the vehicles had
radios;
only commanders. In the U.S. Army command vehicles are easily
identified by
the 2, 3, or even 4 antennas on the vehicles. A very real part of
Air-Land
Battle (the U.S. Army's Cold War Doctrine) was the destruction of any
vehicle with antennas. All fire support observers had radios as well so
if
you accidently got a artillery spotter, oh well.

Your Point? Man I hate this. Maybe the Epic40K targeting restrictions
are
not so unrealistic after all. Call em characters (40K) or SC (Epic40K)
they are not so hard to pick out on the battlefield.

Honest, I do not have multiple personalites.

A very depressed,
MadMac
Received on Mon Sep 08 1997 - 13:20:32 UTC