Teleporting Tanks: Umpire's AAR for TacOps CPX, July 11 2002
James Sterrett
This was probably the most bizarre TacOps CPX ever run. Teleportation is
rare in games - the only ones I can think of are SPI's StarForce: Alpha
Centauri and the later stages of Microprose's X-Com 3: Apocalypse. The
latter's scale is single soldiers and single aliens with personal
teleporters, but the primary use of teleporters is for zipping in to drop
large quantities of explosives into the enemy's lap. StarForce's primary
game module is a star-system-spanning operational wargame, and the tactical
space battle subgame bears little relation to the situation in TacOps.
Two of the players, in particular, really sank their teeth into the issue
of tactics in an army using teleportation with modern equipment. [Why such
a force would bother with modern weapons is another matter.
]
Umpire: James Sterrett
Blue: Corinne Mahaffey
Allan Wotherspoon (unable to play due to severe ISP troubles)
Red: Matt "Rattler" Ohlmer (commander)
John Osborne
Initial briefing, for both sides:This will be a *very* unusual game and can accommodate at least 5 players
per side (4 companies plus a commander) on the Flaherty map (231). It will
run from 30 to 60 turns.
The actual game stop point will be determined by a die roll.
Each side will get a US battalion task force (4 companies of 2x M-1
platoons, 2x M-2 platoons (with infantry and Javelins), and 1 HQ of 2x M-1
each - but no mortars) and 25 P1 bombs. The objective, for both sides, is
to be in sole possession of Flaherty at the end of the game. Failing that,
each side will gain one point for every minute in which it is in sole
possession of Flaherty.
Where does this go off the deep end?
Magic move will be left on, for all players, throughout the game. This
simulates the use of teleportation devices. All players may use magic move
as much as they want, without restrictions.
The P1 bombs are the team's artillery (why send shells when you can
teleport the explosive?) Blast radii must be preset, but the timing
countdowns are up to the players. Team commanders should let me know by
noon on Thursday what their bomb radii should be; mix-n-match is legal.
Planning:Blue's planning was somewhat broken because Corinne waited for continuation
of discussions with Allan that suddenly stopped due to his ISP
troubles. She did do a fair amount of thinking about the nature of the
tactics that would be needed. However, a communications mixup left her
thinking the maximum permissible radius for the bombs was 250m, not
1000m. Thus Blue was saddled with relatively weak bombs throughout the game.
Cor's pregame commentary:-----------
I have this vision of everyone jumping around like demented bunnies. But,
unless the units move every minute, any spotting of them means they will be
shot at the next minute of play. So it might be better not to jump every
minute, on the grounds that if you haven't been seen, you can stick around
until you are, and then move. It also lets you get the drop on anyone who
pops by (after which you'd better move so as not to get shot at). The
greatest danger is probably the first minute after moving. So the best bet
might be a mix of sitters and movers, with more of the former, placed to
overwatch likely drop in points (that is, don't sit in good tactical
positions, sit next to them). They should expect to move locally when
found, so as to still be able to toast off anyone who drops by the tactical
position(s) they are watching. Movers are there to surprise/flush sitters
on the other side on whom we then drop a bomb (or several in a pattern in
the area). Add a third group, that does nothing but spot for artillery and
movers. They are hiding in small groups, and don't open fire, like the
sitters do.
Timely intelligence is going to be critical and a total pain
It would be worth having a few infantry units go to ground in the area and
try to ride out any enemy (or our own) bombs. If we are to deny Flaherty
to the enemy, we (and they) are likely to drop the occasional town-clearing
bomb just on principle, in case anyone is sitting tight there. Should the
units on the ground move around trying to find enemies doing the same? Or
sit tight?
------------
Matt Ohlmer, on Red delved especially deeply into the tactics, and did a
better job of codifying them into the
following minor treatise, "Strategies
and Tactics in the Teleporting Army":------------
As we approach tonight's game I have pondered the strategical and tactical
consequences of having our and enemy units sport inherent teleport
capabilities.
Obviously this changes approach to recon, attack and defense quite a bit: We
as well as the enemy can be everywhere instantly, delaying actions are
impossible, all this creates a permanent tactical surprise situation. Here is
how I see the different tasks/attitudes influenced by that:
a) Recon
Recon in the traditional Army intends to provide the commander with
information about location, composition and strength of enemy forces to enable
him to react accordingly.
In the Teleporting Army this is possible only within certain limitations: As
the enemy can change his location instantly, the information about his
location yields not much value for the commander, as his reactions to the
information will most probably be too late and in the wrong spot.
Still, there are areas where traditional recon might play a role (at least on
a confined map as in our game tonight), as the enemy will have to assemble his
units somewhere in order to have access to them and teleport them, a thorough
search of rear areas will probably help locate them and prepare an attack
against those AAs.
In the battlezone, though, recon will be very different: A fight between
teleporting units whose mission is known to the other side is mainly a game of
minds: Who can predict first how the enemy commander thinks and what his plans
are wins.
So, recon against teleporting units must try and *predict* enemy location and
strength by searching for patterns in deployment (Example: Enemy always
positions units in the EAST of Flaherty, following a 4 min rhythm, or: We spot
an enemy unit that keeps relocating every minute, always back and forth over
the same kilometer). Those patterns are almost certainly to evolve over time
and under stress and might be exploited for preparing coordinated attacks.
b) Counter Recon
Counter recon in the Teleporting Army is a bunch of methods to mislead enemy
when his observing units search for AAs and for deployment patterns.
The first is done by relocating frequently and assemble in terrain with short
LOS to reduce the risk of getting spotted (i.e. assemble in woods, change
those locs frequently).
The latter is probably best done by introducing pure chance into the
deployment schedules, i.e. roll dice for when and where to deploy. This will
not allow enemy to make educated guesses about future deployment locations and
timings. If you don't know where you will be in the next minute, enemy wont
either...:->
c) Defense
Against an enemy permanently threatening surprise attacks defense will have to
rely on permanently being prepared:
- All units at all times must be deployed in a defensive posture against a 360
degree attack, with inf dismounted and the units of a pln covering each other
and all angles of attack.
- Units must be dispersed, in our case all vehicle plns at least 600 mtrs
apart, inf at least 1200 mtrs apart to survive surprise bomb attacks
- SOPs must be in effect, e.g. to break an engagement immediately under smoke
cover
d) Attack
Teleportation gives us something that had to be achieved in the traditional
army by lots of training and co-ordination: We now can bring fire of attacking
units on the targets in perfect synchronization and simultaneously.
So, attack against presumed or suspected enemy positions has the highest
chance of success when we attack enemy from several angles at the same time
and in significant strength.
If in suitable terrain the attacking units should always be accompanied by
long range overwatch from a different location.
--------------
Matt set the Red bombs such that 20 had a 1000m blast radius and 5 had a
600m blast radius, and figured out locations where Red forces could be
deployed into the easternmost or westernmost edges of Flaherty while the
rest of the city was hit by a teleported bomb.
Both sides drew the same basic conclusions:
- Most units sit tight, hidden, awaiting the moment to strike
- Another force combs the map looking for enemy forces to hit
- A small trickle of forces has to flow into the city to deny it to the enemy
The battle proceeded in three distinct engagements separated by extensive
periods of recon, with small units fighting - and being blown to
smithereens by bombs - in Flaherty the whole time.
The first engagement, in the northwest corner of the map, began when Red
spotted a pair of Blue M-1s sitting quietly and decided to move in one of
their strike forces of Bradleys and M-1s to engage it. The Blue tanks had
been spotted by a Red Javelin ATGM team. Anticipating the arrived of the
strike force, the Javelin team was ordered to open fire; but the plan
miscarried when the strike force commander arrived too far away to spot the
Blue tanks. The Javelins fired, but missed, alerting Blue to the
plot. Blue, however, only knew of the Javelins, and deployed forces to
fire on them. Over the next several turns, the battle proceeded in this
radiating manner, with forces deploying in to attack positions the enemy
had previously occupied or ones the enemy was thought to be moving to. The
engagement ended when Blue decided it had done all the damage it was likely
to, and left, just as Red set off a 1000m bomb in the area Blue vacated.
The second engagement occurred in the other corner (southeast). After a
few minor skirmishes in which Blue tanks teleported in on top of Red
infantry units and wiped them out, Blue found some Red armor and teleported
in its ambush force. There were no communications mixups, but Blue as not
aware of the full extent of Red's deployment. Blue did deploy various
overwatch forces, resulting in a brief general engagement before both sides
departed to avoid the bomb explosions which duly arrived.
Both sides used the first 30 minutes to try to find the enemy forces and
ambush them with either bombs or mechanized forces, seeking to gain a
decisive advantage in the battle for Flaherty when the uncertain game-end
period arrived. Neither succeeded. Red used a novel tactic in which a
cloud of infantry units steadily swept through several areas, but Blue was
generally not present and the sweep missed those Blue units that were
present due to insufficient density.
The third engagement began in Flaherty after 30 minutes, but to get there
we need to go over the events in Flaherty.
Blue initially deployed 8 infantry squads into Flaherty. Red deployed a
pair of 1000m bombs, which wiped out the Blue squads (and all of the
civilian markers I'd out into town to track civilian losses.) Blue's error
here was overcommitment in the early stages of the fighting, and the lesson
was learnt; neither side thereafter sent in more than a squad or two at a
time to try to control Flaherty, until the 30 minutes were up.
Blue forgot about Flaherty for about 10 turns, which allowed Red to build
up a substantial lead in points for free. After Blue remembered to contest
possession, Blue gained 3 points and Red gained 4. The battle went through
a series of seesaw jumps and counterjumps with each side trying to guess
where the other might be next and place either a squad or a bomb in that
location. Enough bombs went off in Flaherty to reduce the place to a very
fine powder.
When minute 30 rolled around, both teams were aware that the game would end
at random sometime in the next 30 minutes. (I rolled dice and determined
the game would end after minute 36.)
Both sides therefore began to concentrate forces in and around the
town. Red committed one major error at this point, accidentally
teleporting a primed 1000m bomb to the same location as their Javelin team
rally point. All were present, none survived.
Red did a good job of moving its forces to one end or the other of Flaherty
at random, dropping a large bomb on the other end in the process. Blue
tended to stick to the middle of town, trying to gain better shots on Red's
forces, but consequently remaining more predictable. As the game ended,
much of blue's mechanized units died to a pair of Red bombs, but Flaherty's
ruins were still contested.
Lessons learned:Player's pregame theses on the Teleporting Army were generally borne out.
When fighting an open battle (the first 30 minutes, outside Flaherty):
Units teleporting into an area need to ensure that their arrival is
unheralded, and that they arrived deployed in a formation that allows
immediate mutual support in the event of contact with the enemy.
Forces in contact should disengage immediately before the enemy teleports
in a bomb.
Infantry makes good scouts, because it can see armored units farther away
than they can see the infantry. However, infantry tends to die when it
gets into any serious firefight.
Standing still gives the enemy the opportunity to deploy an ambush against
your forces. Keep moving, and keep moving in tactically sound
deployments. This is a non-trivial task.
When fighting a pitched battle (control of Flaherty):
Both sides know enemy forces will be present. Therefore, bombs will be
present. 1000m bomb blasts are essentially tactical nuclear weapons. You
must plan your deployments to stay out of range of your own blasts'
effective radius, and to maneuver to prevent the enemy being able to
effectively predict your locations without blanketing the entire area (and
thus denying themselves control of the area as well.) These forces that
are zipping around must still deploy in a tactically sound manner so they
can effectively engage any enemy forces spotted.
Both sides concluded it was necessary to deploy massive forces into
Flaherty at the end of the game. This may not have been a correct
decision. The attrition tactics of the previous 30 minutes had been
largely successful in the negative goal of denying the enemy control of
Flaherty. If either side had continued the same troop commitment coupled
with an increased bomb commitment, that side might have avoided significant
losses and thus come out ahead in the long term in attrition without
relinquishing control of the city. This might also lead to a radiating
battle away from the city as forces deployed and counterdeployed to snipe
at enemy forces which were deployed on the outskirts of Flaherty in order
to avoid both friendly and enemy bomb blasts.
I'm looking forward to see the player's AARs on this one.
Matt Ohlmer suggested running the game again, but with a stationary
Teleport unit and one-way teleportation. This would be interesting, but it
is fraught with potential for accidental player error. It's all too easy
to change a unit's location when magic move is permitted, and it is not
possible to restrict magic move to only a few units. Thus such a game
would impose extra demands on the players to be extra-careful to magic move only those units that could legally shift. I suspect that would slow the
game down substantially. [The game in this case ran at 1 minute of orders
for each one minute turn, eventually moving to 2 minutes when Corinne,
alone on Blue, needed more time to keep up with the two players on
Red. The game started a bit after 8.30 PM and ended at around
10PM. That's a ration of 2.5 real minutes to every 1 game minute. Note
that TacOps V3 and prior CPXes (run manually by the umpire) hardly ever
approached this rate of play; 3:1 was considered quite fast.]
