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What should you consider when using melee in GBACW? 5/26/15 James Laubach writes: "Something important about 'Withdrawal Before Melee:" 5/26/15 Russ Gifford writes: "That's a HUGE point, James!" 5/26/15 James Laubach writes: "Something important about 'Withdrawal Before Melee:" 5/26/15 Russ Gifford writes: "Another great point on Withdrawal from Melee." 5/26/15 Russ Gifford writes: "One of the few tricky issues with TSS/GBACW v1 is understanding the difference between RETREAT and WITHDRAWAL." It is difficult only because of this issue we are discussing: So I am penciling in 'Exception: Retreat Before Melee." (see case
12.8) 2/20/08 Nathan Summerside on Melee: "Put the big regiments at the front and push! When you are
on the attack, you have to make things happen, and the big regiments make
the defenders think twice. They can do the math, and know the differential
for melee will hurt - and if you add a leader to the big regiments, they
know they are about to be hurt. "But if you are the attacker, you have to keep the pressure on! 2/6/08 James Laubach writes: "More good things about melee: 2/5/08 Russ Gifford writes: "Melee is a major tactic in GBACW. Frequently, the goal is to take a hill or a victory point hex. Or you need that hex to pressure the enemy line. While we might hope that we will buckle the enemy due to fire combat, it generally requires something extra to break a brigade or regiment's hold on an area. "That something extra is melee." "Melee generally results in someone giving up ground. Only an engaged result can change that, and at most usual melee levels, there is only 1 chance in 6 of an 'Engaged' result. "Thus, melee is a vital piece of the puzzle of playing GBACW well. The threat of melee can keep defenders off balance. But the mutually bloody nature of melee makes it a dual-edged sword. Add to your calculations though that most versions of the game make it nearly required to put a leader into the melee! (Rule 12.27 in TSS2, see the Exclusive rules for the rest of the games..] "First, let's look at when to melee, using GBACW melee chart. (TSS2 uses a slightly different melee chart.) Rule 1: Don't even think about melee if you don't have a strength advantage. "At + 0 differential, only 2 bad things can happen to the defender - three only if the result is 'Repulsed' AND the defender fails a morale check. Passing the morale check means the defender is left untouched. "But at least 3 bad things are waiting to happen to the attacker - since a 'Repulsed' for the attacker will cause him to leave the hex. Really, out of six outcomes at the +0 differential, at least 4, and perhaps 5 results could be considered bad. "I am not automatically considering the 'K' result a bad thing - but as the attacker, the 'Eng' result in a +0 differential certainly is. Engaged invites disaster, since it means your troops are trapped in the hex, and now the enemy will have the chance to reinforce. Since you were at +0, this could mean they can make it a +2 or +3 advantage! "So why isn't the "K" automatically such a bad result? I think losing 1 SP to clear the hex is generally acceptable in this game. We risked much more than that closing with the enemy! "But there are some hidden traps in the 'K' result that you should be aware of. We'll consider that in a moment, since it is true in any melee result of 'K.' "Strength advantage is + 1 differential isn't much better, but it at least offers a roughly 50 - 50 chance for the attacker. Still not great, unless the attacker has overwhelming force in the area. So, that leads to ... Rule 2: Unless there is an overwhelming reason, the +2 differential is really the minimum point where you should consider melee as the attacker. "After that, it becomes a no brainer. +3 and above is the best you can do. "But the truth is, it is NEVER a 'no brainer' since you rarely know if ALL the troops are going to come into the melee! To get higher than +2, you often have regiments stretched out around the defender. That means you have to rely on a die roll to get them into the fray. Which translates to the fact some of them could decide to 'sit it out' - and you'll have less than the optimum number of troops in a melee! Rule 3: Be prepared to pay for the ground you take. "Time to look at that 'K' result. The +3 and +4 column give you a 2 out of 6 chance to lose a strength point - and much more - thanks the to 'K' result. "Since most of the games require a leader's help to get troops into melee, leaders end up in the front lines, and in melees. That's good - they give us a +1 morale advantage to stand up to the defensive fire, and in melee, they give us a +1 strength point! All good things! "Yes, as long as we face facts that if we have a leader in the melee, that 'K' result could be a death knell. "On a 'K' result, if you have a leader in the melee, there is a almost a 1 in 6 chance that you will lose that leader! "So am I saying you should never have a leader in a melee? Am I saying you shouldn't melee in general? "No - In fact, I believe the opposite. Melee is too important to leave the execution to a lucky die roll. If a melee is important, then put the resources needed to make it happen - a leader - on the line, if I can get at least a +2 differential. "The threat of a melee may make your opponent give you the ground. Of course... Rule 4: Like all tactics, the threat is often more powerful than the execution. "Why? Because if I am declaring my intent to melee, now the defender has to decide: do I stand, or do I attempt to retreat before melee? My feeling is they could do more damage to themselves attempting escape than they will suffer if they stand for the melee! (Retreating units are subject to Withdrawal Fire, and unless they are in woods or behind a crest, etc., they are risking an SP loss to run - and sometimes worse!) "If the defender does choose to stand, though, we have to follow through, and as we stated above, when we put a leader into your melee, we are putting him at some risk! (About 6% chance of losing him at the +3 or 4 differential level, and less than 3% at any level above that.) Rule 5: But adverse melee results are a risk a player has to accept. Melee is a required tactic if you intend to win at GBACW/TSS. "Attacking almost requires melees to be effective. Capturing guns demand it. And it is certainly an important counterattack tool. (A low +2 counterattack once saved the entire Union army in game of TSS2. If they hadn't had the courage to take that chance, the CSA would have owned the road network, and the night!) "Melee is an important tool to master in GBACW/TSS, because it is often the only way to take away strength points and territory. Melees can position your troops in the right place at the right time!" Want to add your thoughts? Click here! |
This site was last updated 05/27/15