Thread: Hi, new here
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Old July 11th, 2017, 10:42 AM

jivemi jivemi is offline
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Default Re: Hi, new here

Yes. If you come in cold the learning curve for this game system is quite steep, even daunting or forbidding at first. But as DRG says keep plugging away on simpler, historically earlier scenarios and you should get the hang of it. In an attempt to halfway answer your queries:

1)The Tutorial is a Meeting Engagement, so BOTH sides must wait until Turn 2 to plot (indirect) artillery/air bombardment, airborne or spotting (air recon) missions (the Tutorial for WINSPWW2 includes this info, but apparently not for WINSPMBT). There are 3 types of battles--assault/defend, advance/delay,and meeting engagements--in which defenders, delayers, and both sides in "meeters" cannot plot in Turn 1. This partially reduces the advantage that artillery has in the game (as it did historically and today) against enemy units in the open. (There are also "overload" penalties for too much artillery as a proportion of your force, but better cross that bridge later when you come to it.)

2) You're being fired on by unseen enemy probably because you're either moving too fast and/or you don't have stationary infantry with good LOS (line of sight) on enemy units firing at you. Infantry are your best spotters so when attacking, advancing or in "meeters" get some infantry either ahead or on high ground to spot while other units advance. Vehicles--even "recon" vehicles--don't spot very well, and they make great targets for enemy fire.

When advancing try to stay low so it's harder for the enemy to see you. And while there are exceptions, generally speaking DON'T LEAD WITH TANKS! The basic idea is to get infantry ahead in covered terrain (rough, trees, buildings, etc.) where they can more safely keep an eye on what the enemy's doing. (In the SPMBT Tutorial you've only got one infantry scout, an LMG and one or two TOW teams, so it's not exactly a typical order of battle.)

3) One main reason to turn off a weapon is to preserve ammo. Why waste bazooka or tank cannon HE on soft targets when small arms or machine guns will do the trick? Just don't forget to turn it back on for "opfire" (opportunity fire) during the opponent's turn. You never know what might turn up, so better be prepared...

Hope that helps, at least a little. Welcome to Steel Panthers, and may your gaming be rewarding--and fun!
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