Re: [Epic] WW2 with EPIC

From: J. Michael Looney <mlooney_at_...>
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 1998 21:17:40 -0600

Aaron wrote:

> I knew my ranges were a bit off but it mostly has to do with the scale
> of EPIC. GW deliberately reduced the ranges of weapons for play balance
> and I was trying to keep that while still showing differences between
> weapons. If I set all the weapons to maximum range then pretty much any
> unit could shoot across the table. I was trying to set the range at
> "effective range" (which can mean pretty much what ever I want), but I
> agree that units with the "Artillery" ability should have longer range
> while Assault Guns (like the PzIVA) will still have short range to
> reflect the lack of accuracy of their short barrel guns.
>

Not just assault guns. Tanks should NEVER out range artillery. Any
rule set that allows that has a flaw. Yes this is one of my ongoing
rants about GW games in general. Your trying to take a game universe
based on re fighting Waterloo with lasers and do D-Day. Some problems
show up when you get to the "God of War/King of Battle/Gunz"

> > What I would do would be Artillery has unlimited range, but use the
> > E41K forward observer rules. (short version: 1/4 fire power if firing
> > blind, 1/2 fire power if using a FO, full fire power if the guns have
> > LOS on the target.)
>
> I though about that, buy I was trying to keep it simple. I don't like
> unlimited range (even if I have to force it) because I want a relatively
> safe "backfield" part of the table to fake some of the tactics of a
> larger scale (my preference)

Then make the shortest range artillery piece 90 cm, the next one 120 cm
and the largest 150 cm.

If you are going to make it so that you have a "safe zone" then ALL tank
guns should, at a minimum have a range equal to the shortest ranged
artillery. ALL direct fire weapons have a shorter range than ANY
indirect fire weapons. 81 mm mortars can out range 120 mm tank guns, by
a factor of about 2. It gets worse the larger the artillery gets.

<rant value="GW and refighting Waterloo">
Your not doing Waterloo or the American Civil War here.

Artillery is, of should be off board most of the time.
</rant>

A simple variant that will take care of much of the problem is an
"artillery zone" that eats the 20 cm or so towards the edge of the
table. It is assumed that the line dividing the main battle area of the
table from the artillery zone represents at least 5 KM.

Artillery sets up in this.
Only artillery or flyers can fire into this area.
Artillery fire into the "Main Battle area" is by FO or "Blind fire"
only.
Artillery fire into the hostile artillery zone is blind fire.
Flyer missions is as per normal, to include the tracing a flight path
over the main battle area to get to the artillery zone.
Moving into this area counts as "exiting the board" for all other
units.

This allows you to play both the Western front, where the artillery was
behinds the lines and the Eastern front where the Russians DID bring, at
times, some, not all, of their guns up for direct fire.
Received on Sat Feb 21 1998 - 03:17:40 UTC