Battle Generator Point question

[ejwolski]

My copy of the Battle Generator for Heroes of Normandy came in - great stuff! Simple to understand and flexible enough to use over and over. I like the level of detail on the deployment and objective hexes.

One question, in reviewing the point costs for the leaders, I noticed that two American leaders sorta stood out - Lt Clarkson 7-1-6 at 13 points and Major Tom 6-2-6 also at 13 points.

Not sure what differentiates Lt Clarkson from the other 7-1-6 leaders who are 12 points. Did I miss something?

Major Tom seems to make sense since a 6-0-6 is 9 points, a 6-1-6 is 11 points, then 6-2-6 makes sense at 13 points.

 

[David Heath]

Hello,

First we simply could have made an error but if I remember correctly we felt that the leaders differences was not worth making him more expensive and you can only buy one.

David

 

[ejwolski]

Not a big deal either way. Just curious.

I did find some interesting stuff in digging into the units - the M2 .50 cal is a great example. The .50 Cal WT is 13 points, the M3A2 Halftrack with 4* (basically .50 cal equivalent) is 11 points, and the lowly Jeep with 4* is 9 points. If I wanted an HMG team, seems like the vehicles are more versatile first choices - again, limited to 4 each IIRC - than the WT.

I guess the lesson learned is to familiarize yourself with the entire OOB and point costs and counter limits so you can make the most of your points pool.

Great job on the generator. It will definitely get use at my house.

 

[Trent Garner]

I think there are one or two good reasons to use the WT over the vehicle variants. Vehicles cannot be placed in single- or multi-story buildings, bunkers, trenches or fox holes. It is debatable whether or not this advantage offsets the mobility and low points cost of the vehicles, but the TM provided by these defensive terrains is hard to dismiss, IMHO.

 

[ejwolski]

I totally agree! Definitely in defense, the WT has advantages with placement (a .50 cal WT under +4 cover is an attacker's nightmare). If you're on offense, you may want something with a bit more mobility as you pointed out. It all depends on the objective and maximizing your points purchase.

As I mentioned, take a long look at your OOB when purchasing to make sure you don't overlook a "bargain". This is especially true with the Germans and the MG42/34 variants - WT, MG42 tripod SW, MG34 SW. Do you buy the 4FP WT, or do you buy the 1-6-4 with an MG42? The squad is more mobile (4 MF or 6 with double time) and thus more flexible but double the cost when adding the MG 42 (22 vs 11 points). The WT, since it can't load, is definitely at a disadvantage in fluid, moving situations. That 2 MF doesn't get you very far. Taking a look around for options, I can get an SdKfz 251 (with a 2* FP MG) for 10 points. Don't overlook the 0 FP HS with an MG34 - 2 FP total for 14 points.

I like the challenge of pulling together an OOB based on limited points and limited unit availability.

 

[Trent Garner]

You make some great points... no pun intended. The battle generators are a great way to extend the life and playability of the LNLT game series, no doubt. A good idea and well implemented!