[This is being run by Ralf Pichocki and was announced this morning on the TacOps mailing list. I post it here for information. I plan to participate. If interested I'll put you into contact with Ralf.]

 

 

As there is seemingly some interest to do even a small CPX, I'd like to

open recruiting fir Saturday, 24th of April 1600 UTC.

 

 

 

I will prepare a small company sized scenario for a maximum of three active

players per side. Minimum is one player per side, but if there are more

applicants than places, we could have a non playing CO on each side. So, all

in all, two to eight players are needed.

 

 

 

Planning before the game is useful, but not absolutely mandatory. I will try

to define more or less "fair" winning conditions beforehand.

 

 

 

Any one interested? Which side?

The CPX will be run using Map150c, which is not on the TacOps CD. Find it here here in the Map Room on TacOpsHQ.com. You'll need to save the zip file and then unzip all of the files into a folder created by you and named Map150c in your TacOps Extras/More Maps directory.

This multiplayer cpx should be beginning in about 10 minutes...1500 UTC.

Today was the first TacOps Multiplayer Command Post Exercise held in some time. The current TacOps v4.0.6[AH] was used in addition to communications over the IRC. Ralf Pichocki put together the relatively small scale exercise on his very own Map150c using a Custom US Army Scenario.

 

This report comes from the perspective of the BluFor company commander. BluFor consisted of a single company of Jager Battalion 815. While Ralf presented us with an order, graphic etc, I had only skimmed prior to joining the IRC channel about 30min early – opting for a self-imposed cold start.

 

Higher’s mission was:

•JgBtl 815 defends with three coys side by side west of NATENDORF.

•secures own preparations by several Feldposten in strength of one coy(-)

 

Our Mission was: SichKp(-), secures defense preparation by several Feldposten both sides of SEEDORF

•destroys RED reconnaissance up to section strength

•engages pltn strong RED on long range and repulses them

•evades on order behind defense positions, and becomes new BtlRes

 

As it turned out Paul Csokay and I made up BluFor, with Ralf acting as the battalion HQ on a BluHigher channel.

 

Paul was assigned two sections [3x Boxer, 3x InfPzGrp, 1x ReconTeam, 2x FSV, and 1x FSCV] and the northern 3km of the map.

 

I took a section [1x Boxer, 1xInfPzGrp, 1x ReconTeam, 2xFSV, and 1xFSCV] and handled the air and artillery assets [2xAirSpt at 4min, 2xAirSpt at 20min, 2xAirSpt at 30min, and 1x MLRS salvo and 2x 155mm batteries with limited ammunition, along with a Ground Surveillance Radar and two ambulances] while being responsible for the southern 2km of the map.

 

The game was scheduled for 60min, I believe we ultimately agreed to a 20min extension. The first half saw pressure grow against the single section in the south. When we did see the enemy, they quickly darted into the concealment of Lohn Woods. When they finally appeared at the edge of the woods, we were able to destroy a few vehicles. Unfortunately for Blue, they destroyed the single Boxer which provided the mobility to the southern section. This forced the southern section to try not get decisively engaged while attempting to maneuver on foot. Some TacOps recon by airpower did unveil the enemy build-up in Lohn Woods so both indirect fires were massed on the enemy. A handful of relatively weak mechanized units did ultimately emerge from the woods and had their way with the now foot-mobile infantry. At that time we did not know how effective one of the air strikes had been.

 

In the second half, Paul and I “watched the clock” and debated transferring some of his combat strength down to the lower 2km frontage, battalion came back reiterating to me the need to “screen” the entire assigned battalion frontage. Apparently he knew more that we did about the big picture. In the last few minutes what vehicles were up in the northern second suddenly began exploding, and emerging from the Riessel Woods where again relatively weak enemy mech units…single T72s and BMPs charged Seedorf-Addenstorf, shooting that gap toward the highground at Beckelberg when the game was called.

 

By the game requirements laid out by Ralf, he award blue the technical win despite the fact that we did not follow the order in that since we could not effectively move, we could not engage enemy forces at long range…for very long that is, nor could we reconstitute ourselves as an effective battalion reserve as we were subsequently decisively engaged and essentially destroyed.

 

Observations and Lessons Learned:

 

Losing your mobility six minutes into a game where mobility is life is not starting out well. How tough it is to move, shoot, and communicate in this game when on-foot.

 

Intentionally separating dismounts from their vehicles seems to work well in the game but not too sure how that reflects the real world employment of mobile units. I understand the battle taxi concept, but it is very tempting to set up the dismounts and then use those vehicles to another assigned mission.

 

How important it to take advantage of any information provided by an umpire and ask questions before the game is ready to go. While problematic, having a CO and team established beforehand is definitely a plus. I did not have a good grasp of the terms Feldposten and SicherKompanie.

 

Ambulances and other support type assets while definitely interesting, unless there is a role or some victory condition established they don’t really have a TacOps role. Maybe if establishing a Casualty Collection Point is subjectively judged, or if logpacks are employed, these units just seem to try to stay out of the way.

 

Ground Surveillance Radar – both sides apparently had a GSR. Employing it was a challenge since its capabilities are not in the game itself so rule and conditions for its use need to be disseminated prior to the game. When I finally got ours successfully employed, it spotted a previously-spotted dismounted infantry unit and took a tank round in the same turn. Counter Battery Radar has also been attempted externally in past CPX’s long ago, and are of interest to me.

 

All in all, a good time. Well prepared, well conducted, minimal network issues. Even a 1.5 hour break mid game for an unexpected player obligation. Everyone showed back up and continued like we never paused. I look forward to more CPX’s as whenever they can be pulled off.

Thanks for the report Pete, sounds like a nice, disciplined run through.

Ditto. Interesting to see the 'newish' armored vehicles being used too.

Anyone plan on doing any more Tacops games? I've had it a while but never found a decent group of people who played it

There is a loose group here, me, Brad, Tony, Brians to name a few. Also there is a long-term larger group of very helpful folks, much like the harpoon guys here, over on the TacOps mailing list. There is currently a group pbem scenario going on using map 306c that you can get from the map room at TacOpsHQ.com.