GHQ Models Forums

This has me thinking here and I'm trying to figure out why.
Why what do you ask?

Well, here's the thing. I like and enjoy the GHQ rules, though I haven't played them with someone else, just on my own, yet I find that the TO&E for the modern rules is different compared to other game systems. An example is in GHQ-Modern, a Soviet Motorized BMP Company has 3x TL3 Infantry (A)/ BMP, a Battalion has 3x Motorized BMP companies making for 9 stands of infantry and 9 stands of BMP. Other systems only have 6 stands of infantry in 3 companies of 2 stands each (plus their transport). There are others as well.

I'm not nitpicking at the rules, I just noticed a difference of TO&E within the system compared to others. I hope that someone who knows the system WAY better than I do can shed some on this.

It all depends on game mechanics, and what the rules author intends those units to represent.

But, yes, nominally a Soviet battalion is going to be made up of three rifle companies each of three platoons, each having a BMP per section, and associated bttn support weapons.

Mike

In the MSH and Combined Arms systems, a stand is not a platoon. Instead, it's about 5 vehicles or a similar number of heavy weapons. IIRC, both systems depict 10-strong Russian tank companies with 2 stands each.

askosaura wrote:In the MSH and Combined Arms systems, a stand is not a platoon. Instead, it's about 5 vehicles or a similar number of heavy weapons. IIRC, both systems depict 10-strong Russian tank companies with 2 stands each.

Actually MSH states that base (stand) is representitive of anywhere from 4 to 6 vehicles, and this piece is considered a platoon.
For MSH I actually use 3 tanks in a platoon for the Warpac platoons. With this I will have 3 tanks to a company. i.e. command tank is in one of the platoons making it a 4 tank platoon.
I also take losses to a platoon on a 1 to 1 scale. To do this I have magnets (vinyl) that represent anywhere from 1 to 6. The number on the tag is representitive of how many vehicles in the platoon. I also allow one D6 per vehicle that are in the platoon when firing. It makes this 5 to 1 scale more interesting without even bogging it down.
Respectively

This is a tough topic, and one that plagues all platoon-scale rules (which is pretty much all I play.)

The real issue is how to balance the smaller size of the WP companies with the generally larger ones of NATO. For example, a US post-Div 86 tank Company has 14 vehicles (2 HQ, plus 3x4 platoons). Generally, most rules give this one 3 vehicles. The Tank Regiment Soviet Tank Company has 10 vehicles (1 HQ plus 3x3 platoons). Most rules give this unit 2 models vehicles.

The ratio seems to work out well, and isn't to far off (US has 40% more vehicles, 50% more models). The concern arises in that each Soviet vehicle represents a platoon and a half, giving the company 1 less maneuver unit than it has in real life. However, since under Soviet doctrine, it was unlikely that individual platoons would maneuver independently (at least at this scale), this seems an ok trade off.

Pat