Galerie de la Begemot - 2nd Edition

This is a general forum for all types of posts related to Military models.

Moderators: dnichols, GHQ, Mk 1

Post Reply
BurtWolf
E5
Posts: 1062
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2013 11:48 pm
Location: Rochester, NY

Re: Galerie de la Begemot - 2nd Edition

Post by BurtWolf »

Real beauties! Thanks for sharing - it’s inspirational work.

Begemot
E5
Posts: 216
Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2011 12:11 am

Re: Galerie de la Begemot - 2nd Edition

Post by Begemot »

Pete and Burt - Thanks for the comments. That's it for my MERDC until I get my M60A1 tank company project completed (I have to get it started first, though).


Begemot
The summer grasses.
For many brave warriors
The aftermath of dreams.
--- Basho

Please visit my website "Lair of the Begemot": (https://lairbegemot.blogspot.com)

panzergator
E5
Posts: 3328
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 3:44 am

Re: Galerie de la Begemot - 2nd Edition

Post by panzergator »

Begemot, just looked over your latest MERDC posting. Absolutely magnificent!

Yes, neither 3AD nor 8ID(M) painted canvas. I know it was published, official policy in 3AD and may have been for all of V Corps. The reason given was the paint caused the canvas to deteriorate faster than normal. I don't think the canvas was particularly more visible for lack of camo. When a unit built a wooden shelter for a maintenace deuce and a half, it used condemned canvas to cover the wood. In those cases, the canvas could be painted.

Really enjoy your so accurate MERDC painting. Ready for more.
All blessings flow from a good mission statement.
Pogo was right. So was Ike.
"A Gentleman is a man who is only rude intentionally." (Churchill)
Give credit. Take responsibility.

chrisswim
E5
Posts: 6580
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 11:22 pm
Location: Jacksonville, FL

Re: Galerie de la Begemot - 2nd Edition

Post by chrisswim »

Beautiful MERDC camouflage. I’ll just send my ‘to be painted’ MERDC to you.
Chris

Cav Dog
E5
Posts: 876
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2004 1:12 am

Re: Galerie de la Begemot - 2nd Edition

Post by Cav Dog »

I bow to your MERDC supremacy!
Tactics are the opinion of the senior officer present.

Begemot
E5
Posts: 216
Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2011 12:11 am

Re: Galerie de la Begemot - 2nd Edition

Post by Begemot »

Panzergator, Chrisswim, and Cav Dog - Thank you for your most generous comments on my MERDC. Much appreciated.



Begemot
The summer grasses.
For many brave warriors
The aftermath of dreams.
--- Basho

Please visit my website "Lair of the Begemot": (https://lairbegemot.blogspot.com)

redleg
E5
Posts: 3396
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2004 11:02 am
Location: Riverside, CA

Re: Galerie de la Begemot - 2nd Edition

Post by redleg »

Begemot, that Mech company looks fantastical! So very inspiring!
Redleg's Website: micropope.webstarts.com

Begemot
E5
Posts: 216
Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2011 12:11 am

Re: Galerie de la Begemot - 2nd Edition

Post by Begemot »

As part of the restoration of the material that was posted on the original Begemot thread the following AAR was posted in September 2020.

AAR – TacForce – The 1000 Meter Dash

I’ve gotten enough Cold War vehicles and figures now to do some Cold War gaming. This is an AAR using the TacForce rule set which was published in 1980 by Game Designers Workshop in collaboration with GHQ. I’ve had my copy since 1980, but never played the game till now. Better late than never. This was a solo undertaking to see how this game worked.

Ground scale is 1 inch = 50 meters. One turn equals 1 minute. One model equals one vehicle. Infantry is fire team units for US and squads for the Soviets. Soviets move first then US. Two fire phases in a turn – both sides can fire in a fire phase. Fire is governed by fire priority – better troops fire first. All weapons and vehicles have data cards which are used to assess hits and kills. This feature can be a bit tedious if there is a lot of different equipment involved. Of course, being published in 1980 means the weapons and vehicles are late ‘70s, (no Abrams) so it may not have universal appeal.

So, here goes…

Situation

A reduced US mechanized infantry company is defending a hill. A Soviet motor rifle company with a tank platoon wants to take the hill from the Americans.
Image

The hill is at the top of the picture. The Soviets will come out of the woods at the bottom. They will have 1 kilometer of open ground to cross.

Forces

The US has four infantry squads(eight fire teams) with LAWs; two Dragons; two M150 TOW tracks; the company mortars (3 x 81mm); and six M113s. A 155 mm battery is available.

The Soviets have a motor rifle company with ten BMPs, nine motor rifle squads, four T-62s, and a 122mm battery in support.

A view of the US position, with the Threat (as it was referred to) coming from the left.
Image

The US TOWs and Dragons have been placed on the flanks to maximize the opportunity for flanking shots, one TOW and Dragon on each flank. The infantry and Dragons are dug in. All US forces are unspotted.

The Soviet problem is to cross a kilometer of open terrain in the face of the US ATGM defenses. These missiles have a 90% to-hit and a 90% to-kill probability. It will take the Soviets four turns to cross the open terrain. That is enough time for the ATGMs to kill every Soviet tank and BMP as they approach.

The Soviets will depend on their artillery, speed, and some careful timing to see them across this killing field. HE to suppress and smoke to blind the ATGM defenses.

The Game

The Soviets begin by directing their artillery on the right of the US position, firing HE and smoke. This barrage will be short but intense.
Image

This barrage is very effective: it kills the right flank Dragon gunner and two US fire teams. The artillery shifts to the US left, with another short but intense barrage of HE and smoke. No losses to the US from this barrage.
Image

Then the Soviet artillery shifts to the center, with HE and smoke. Again, the HE produces no results.
Image

Now the Soviet tanks and BMPs come into the open. They need to cross the open ground before the smoke dissipates. It is already thinning on the US right.
Image

As the smoke clears the M150 fires (white pipe cleaner is an ATGM in-flight indicator) and gets a kill on a T-62.
Image

The M150 fires a second time but the tanks spot the M150 (but not the incoming missile) and fire, getting a suppression on the M150. This causes loss of control of the missile (a problem with the M150 was the TOW gunner had to expose his person to operate the weapon).

The tanks stop so as to support the attack from outside of LAW range and the BMPs move ahead. As the Soviets close the US calls for Final Protective Fires (FPF) from his mortars and the 155mm artillery. Suppressive fire on the right flank TOW encourages it to back into the woods. The smoke clears enough on the US left that the TOW and Dragon get shots off against two BMPs. Each missile scores a kill. Only one Soviet squad is able to bail out. The other dies in its vehicle.
Image

The M150 exercising the better part of valor.
Image

The dead BMPs and the lucky squad and platoon leader.
Image

The BMPs elect to drive through the US artillery, rather than dismount in front of the US FPF. One BMP becomes suppressed by the artillery, but all vehicles pass through. Now the remaining US infantry, reduced on their right but unscathed on their left, launch a barrage of LAWs at the BMPs as they emerge from the smoke and dust. Two BMPs are killed with their passengers KIA. One BMP kill is catastrophic and burns. The BMPs reply and gain suppressions on two US fire teams and a kill on a third (suppressed is noted by the red counters on the table). The Soviet tanks move to keep the now spotted TOW and Dragon on the US left suppressed. Under this fire the Dragon is taken out and the M150 TOW pulls back.
Image

The Soviet infantry dismounts and begins its assault. The last infantry on the US right is eliminated.
Image

At this point the US commander decides the best thing is to withdraw. The Soviets have gained the hill. All US forces escaped except for one fire team and one platoon leader who remained suppressed on their position as the Soviets swept the hill.
Image

Losses

US lost:
2 Dragon gunners
5 fire teams
1 platoon leader
1 platoon leader POW
1 fire team POW

Soviets lost:
1 T-62
4 BMPs
3 squads

Evaluation

First time with the game, I'm sure mistakes and oversights were made and there were inefficiencies in the use of forces, but I felt the game worked fairly well. The data cards can be a bit of a hassle. Big actions, i.e. games with battalion sized forces, may be a big investment of time. Not a problem. I will be using these rules again.

Next study, same situation, will be with the Dunn and Kempf rules (recently acquired), which I’ve heard of, but never played.

Begemot
Last edited by Begemot on Fri Dec 09, 2022 1:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
The summer grasses.
For many brave warriors
The aftermath of dreams.
--- Basho

Please visit my website "Lair of the Begemot": (https://lairbegemot.blogspot.com)

redleg
E5
Posts: 3396
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2004 11:02 am
Location: Riverside, CA

Re: Galerie de la Begemot - 2nd Edition

Post by redleg »

That's awesome! Really great AAR, Begemot!
Redleg's Website: micropope.webstarts.com

BurtWolf
E5
Posts: 1062
Joined: Sun Feb 03, 2013 11:48 pm
Location: Rochester, NY

Re: Galerie de la Begemot - 2nd Edition

Post by BurtWolf »

Wonderful game and nice write up! I really enjoyed it!

pmskaar
E5
Posts: 1891
Joined: Sun Apr 17, 2005 5:45 am

Re: Galerie de la Begemot - 2nd Edition

Post by pmskaar »

It is nice to see your restored posts here, Begemot. The AAR is great the second time around.

Hoth_902
E5
Posts: 1375
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 11:08 am
Location: Pacific Northwest
Contact:

Re: Galerie de la Begemot - 2nd Edition

Post by Hoth_902 »

Begmont,

So Allen Rockwell got permission to do some updating to these rules. Allen spent some time updating everything. He offers copies on his site for the cost of printing.

https://tac2game.wordpress.com/

If you want a bound book, Here is a link to his company site.

https://gcmini.mybigcommerce.com/tac-ii ... sion-2-10/

Looks like you can get a free PDF copy and the data cards for free here as well.

https://tac2game.wordpress.com/data-sheets-and-rules/


I looked at the DATA chard tab on the site and he even put the GHQ model number, where applicable, to the data sheet.

Check it out. I played it once and it seemed like it was fun.
Quantity has a Quality all its own.

http://warriorbear.weebly.com/

Begemot
E5
Posts: 216
Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2011 12:11 am

Re: Galerie de la Begemot - 2nd Edition

Post by Begemot »

Gentlemen - I'm glad you liked the AAR. Thank you.

Hoth - I will post a note in the Modern Rules - 1-1 Scale Discussion about this AAR and your information on Allen Rockwell's updates to TacForce. They may find this information of interest.



Begemot
The summer grasses.
For many brave warriors
The aftermath of dreams.
--- Basho

Please visit my website "Lair of the Begemot": (https://lairbegemot.blogspot.com)

Hoth_902
E5
Posts: 1375
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 11:08 am
Location: Pacific Northwest
Contact:

Re: Galerie de la Begemot - 2nd Edition

Post by Hoth_902 »

Sounds good to me. I like to contribute.
Quantity has a Quality all its own.

http://warriorbear.weebly.com/

Begemot
E5
Posts: 216
Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2011 12:11 am

Re: Galerie de la Begemot - 2nd Edition

Post by Begemot »

Continuing the restoration of the material that was posted on the original Begemot thread the following AAR was posted in October 2020. This AAR uses the Dunn-Kempf rules, applied to the same scenario as in the above TacForce game.

AAR – Dunn-Kempf – The 1000 Meter Dash
“The Dunn-Kempf war game was used to teach a generation of Western small unit leaders war-fighting techniques. Developed in the mid-1970’s, the game became one of the American army’s key indoor training tools to help prepare young commanders to make decisions when faced by an aggressive opponent. The Dunn-Kempf model, or rather variants of it, were used for approximately 20 years.”
--- From the rule book introduction (Dunn Kempf, The American Army Tactical Wargame 1970-1990, edited by John Curry, 2011)
Though I was in the US Army in the late ‘70’s I never heard of this game/training tool until some of the forum members spoke of this game a couple of years ago. I located a copy of the rules from the History of Wargaming Project and now, finally, have taken them out for a test drive, using the same scenario, forces, and plan as in the TacForce AAR above.

The Dunn-Kempf game was intended to be used, interestingly, with GHQ 1/285 scale models with a vehicle model equaling a vehicle and an infantry stand equaling a fire team. Ground scale is 1” = 50 meters.

Each turn represents 30 seconds. Turns are sequential, the US portion of a turn is first, the Soviets second. Each player turn consists of, in order: 1. Calls for indirect fires; 2. Previously scheduled indirect fires arrive; 3. Previously fired smoke is adjusted; 4. Direct fire by phasing player; and 5. Movement by phasing player. This sequence allows a side to shoot and then move before the other side can reply, advantage US as they go first in each turn.

TacForce is also sequential, but the Soviets go first. However, in each player’s fire phase both sides fire, better quality units firing first. Thus, as an example, a higher quality US tank platoon could fire first in a Soviet fire phase, followed by Soviet tanks, then Soviet infantry, then US infantry, the order based on their quality rating, which is determined as part of the game setup.

So, the game, under Dunn-Kempf.

The Forces

The US has four infantry squads with LAWs; two Dragons; two M150 TOW tracks; the company mortars (3 x 81mm); and six M113s. A 155 mm battery is available.

The Soviets have a motor rifle company with ten BMPs, four T-62s, and a 122mm battery in support.

The Soviets will follow the plan of the TacForce game: smoke the US positions to blind their ATGMs and charge across the open kilometer of ground at speed and hope they make it, and storm the hill by close infantry assault.

The Game

Image

The Soviet artillery works the US position, putting down HE and smoke. The HE kills one US fire team. After the whole hill has received smoke the Soviets move into the open. The smoke rules governing smoke propagation and dissipation are working against the Soviets because the smoke is clearing from in front of the US flanking Dragon and TOW positions.


Image

The first volley of US ATGMs, a TOW (right) and a Dragon (left) are targeting the T-62 tanks, looking to kill the center tanks, assuming that one of the tanks is a platoon leader’s vehicle. There are no command rules in Dunn-Kempf, but what the hey? The Dragon misses but the TOW gets a kill.


Image

As the smoke dissipates further, all TOWs and Dragons get a view of the oncoming Soviets and fire at the tanks. Incredibly, all the ATGMs miss. There is a significant difference in ATGM hit/kill probabilities between Dunn-Kempf and TacForce. More on that below.


Image

The Soviet artillery works to keep the smoke screen effective, but clear lines of sight on the US left lead to another volley by the Dragon and TOW. There is another miss by the TOW but the Dragon kills a tank. The ATGM blast signatures (see small white plumes in upper right of photo) allow the remaining T-62s to spot them and a M150 dies.


Image

The destroyed M150.


Image

The US calls for final protective fires (FPF), the 155s falling in the front center and the 81s to the right. The Soviets continue their advance at speed.


Image

The Soviets plunge through the US artillery FPF. There is a 50% chance of a no effect under the FPF. The Soviets lose a BMP to the US artillery. However, as the BMPs emerge from the smoke and dust they come under a barrage of M72 LAWs which kill two more BMPs. TacForce has a rule that allows for a chance of vehicle crews and/or passengers escaping their vehicles. In Dunn-Kempf a vehicle kill kills all. At this point the Soviets have lost a third of their infantry.


Image

The surviving Soviet infantry dismounts and a bloody close assault begins.


Image

The die rolls are kinder to the Soviets so the US is driven off the hill.

Losses

US lost:
1 M150 TOW track
1 Artillery FO
1 Company commander
5 Infantry fire teams (63% infantry losses)

Soviets lost:
2 T-62s
3 BMPs
11 Infantry fire teams (61% infantry losses)

Evaluation

So, how does Dunn-Kempf play? Very well. The rules are simple, much more so than the TacForce game. The mechanics are not complex. The play flows smoothly. I did encounter some some ambiguity in the artillery rules. The charts are not always well explained, so there were moments when I had to puzzle them out, but overall, a decent game. Its relative simplicity allows the player to focus on his tactics. As this game was intended as a training tool for tactics for serving military, that is a measure of its suitability to its purpose.

The developers of the game encouraged users too modify it to their needs. The copy of the Dunn-Kempf rule set edited by John Curry includes modifications made by the US III Corps. I haven’t tried these yet.

A big difference between TacForce and Dunn-Kempf I noticed in my comparison games is in how the TOW missile is rated for effectiveness. Against a moving T-62 tank at 1000 meters, the TacForce TOW data gives a 72% chance of a kill. Dunn-Kempf gives the same target a 41% chance of being killed. This was important in my Dunn-Kempf game in the US side getting so many misses with its ATGM fires (and bad die rolls for the US). The III Corps mod for Dunn-Kempf gives the TOW a 58% chance for a kill on a moving T-62 at 1000 meter. Quite a spread. Which is the more correct data?

Of interest is that both TacForce and Dunn-Kempf produced similar outcomes for the Soviet tactics, though slight changes in luck could have given the win to the US side with either rule set.

Would I be happy to use these rules again? Yes.


Begemot
Last edited by Begemot on Fri Dec 09, 2022 1:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
The summer grasses.
For many brave warriors
The aftermath of dreams.
--- Basho

Please visit my website "Lair of the Begemot": (https://lairbegemot.blogspot.com)

Post Reply