Tactics Workshop

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High Command
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Tactics Workshop

Post by High Command »

So homework:
1. With a group of 4 Maulers (configuration combination of choice) and five infantry in a hoverjeep (with one mounted heavy weapon, of choice from the CS armory), how would you take down a 24 foot humanoid (size 7) robot. Assume an average toughness of 40 (15). Not counting aces, and with average damage, how fast can you bring it down? What tactics will you use? Work out who will fill what role.

2. With the same group, you have to take out a platoon of four (4) 12 foot tall (size 3) robots or power armor with an average toughness of 28 (15). Not counting aces, and with average damage, how fast can you bring it down? What tactics will you use? Work out who will fill what role.

In all cases:
Your hoverjeep has a mounted heavy weapon of choice.
your squad, but don't count on heavy weapons all around
so Marshall will have his CS-16A and Steelcreek his CV-212, but everyone else is using their CP-40
One of you is driving. One of you is shooting.
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Venatus Vinco
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Re: Tactics Workshop

Post by Venatus Vinco »

High Command wrote:So homework:
1. With a group of 4 Maulers (configuration combination of choice) and five infantry in a hoverjeep (with one mounted heavy weapon, of choice from the CS armory), how would you take down a 24 foot humanoid (size 7) robot. Assume an average toughness of 40 (15). Not counting aces, and with average damage, how fast can you bring it down? What tactics will you use? Work out who will fill what role.
According to your restrictions it's impossible for 4 Standard Maulers. Even assuming all Mauler's can hit with a standard armor piercing missile
  • AP 20, means you're rolling against 25 toughness
  • Average Result is 7d6 is 24.5 (Solene has the Big Armor Hunter edge so can add +4 to this, so she becomes a viable killer)
  • Ergo, you never cause a shaken or a wound result.
Slammer missile loadouts aren't any better since the AP 25 doesn't really change the target number (there's only 15 points of armor to penetrate), and in this case you're rolling 6d6 so the average is only 21.

C-200 Rail Gun only does an average of 13 damage with AP 6. So not enough to dent the thing.

Closing to melee reduces average damage (1d8+1d12+5) to 16, AP 4.

Infantry in the hover jeep don't stand much chance without aces either. A missile rifle is the best best.

(of course bennies and aces actually make this likely to be a round 1 kill, but still you told us not to think about those).

Tactically you want to avoid the BFG and missiles on any giant robot so ambush from cover is the best bet with missiles coming from the Maulers. Being spread outside of burst templates is important so he can only return fire to one target at a time.
High Command wrote:2. With the same group, you have to take out a platoon of four (4) 12 foot tall (size 3) robots or power armor with an average toughness of 28 (15). Not counting aces, and with average damage, how fast can you bring it down? What tactics will you use? Work out who will fill what role.
With the same averages above the Maulers and well armed hover jeep can do some damage.

AP missiles and slammers will one shot these robots on an average hit (7d6, AP 20, target becomes 16 average is 24.5).

Again, rail gun and vibro sabres are insufficient with average.

(As above, of course bennies and aces actually make this likely to be a round 1 kill, but still you told us not to think about those).

Tactically you probably want to maximize mobility against these opponents as they are also likely to have missiles and/or heavy rail guns. Fire from cover, move, fire from cover. Don't bunch up cause burst templates are a bitch. In this case we don't have as much numerical superiority so overwhelm them so its a bit of a who can hit first with missiles battle against the Maulers.
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Grimes
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Re: CS OOC Chat

Post by Grimes »

1.) How you do it...
  • Step 1) modify hover vehicle to dyploy/carriy 4 PA
    Step 2) Send in your scouts in stealth suits to track and monitor. Once the crew gets out for a piss break Scouts signal hover vehicle for Rapid assult while stealthing into the open bay door of robot- they take contol of robot.
  • Step 3) Hover vehicle go in balls to the wall laying down suppression fire.
    Step 4) PA disembark the hover and capture/waste the crew with their pants down.
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Raleigh Ray Colton
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Re: Tactics Workshop

Post by Raleigh Ray Colton »

High Command wrote:So homework:
1. With a group of 4 Maulers (configuration combination of choice) and five infantry in a hoverjeep (with one mounted heavy weapon, of choice from the CS armory), how would you take down a 24 foot humanoid (size 7) robot. Assume an average toughness of 40 (15). Not counting aces, and with average damage, how fast can you bring it down? What tactics will you use? Work out who will fill what role.
As VV pointed out, with the scenario being restricted to average rolls, a straight up firefight is a Kobayashi Maru.

So, with that as a given, you'd have to rely on unconventional tactics. With the resources permitted I would arm the Maulers with CTT-M40 mini-missile rifles loaded up with a mix of AP and Fire Retardant warheads. Their job is to harras and lure the big bot into a Kill Zone. While the big bot's primary armor is too thick to garner a kill, it's sensory instrumentation and smaller parts are vulnerable to called shots (at the very least, Dirty Tricks). The AP missiles can be used to damage or destroy these weak points, while the sticky foam of the fire retardant missiles can blind the big bot's optics and obstruct visibility through conventional windows/portholes. So while the big bot is safe from outright destruction, the team of Maulers can certainly piss off the crew inside.

Once in position, the other part of the trap is sprung. In the Kill Zone, the team has waiting a reasonably well hidden pit trap! Basically a bot-sized tiger trap on steroids. The hover-jeep is equiped with a sturdy plow, which doubles as a battering ram. When close enough to the camouflaged pit trap (even more difficult to see with obstructed optics), the Maulers fire off more fire retardant missiles at the path before big bot's feet to compromise traction and stability, while the hover-jeep comes in at top speed to ram the big bot in the back, toppeling or pushing it into the giant pit. Then the foot soldiers come rushing in with high explosives to colapae the pit on top of the big bot. If the hover-jeep is still functional, it assiats by plow in more dirt ans rubble into thr hole.

Can the bot dig its way out? How badly injured is the crew inside? I don't know, but the bot can't use any of its explosive ordinance to blast its way out lest the crew risk blowing themselves up in the process. Not100% bulletproof plan, but it's crazy enough that it... JUST... MIGHT... WORK!!
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High Command
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Re: CS OOC Chat

Post by High Command »

Well, looking at the three tactical analysis, I have to say all three have merit. Restricting you to average damage is about focusing on tactics, not firepower, which is the immediate thought when using rail guns and missiles. Damage often explodes, and a one shot kill is completely a possibility. But if you are not prepared for a slog, you will get steamrolled.

Grimes/Jon's plan is one to consider if you have that luxury of catching them with their pants down. It seems flippant, but its actually a really good plan.
Bouchard/VV and Colton/Matt both gave some really good ideas on how to take them down. Keep both of them in mind.

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Alan Klinger
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Re: CS OOC Chat

Post by Alan Klinger »

Klinger sits down at the desk and listens to the instructions. 4 maulers, us vs. 1 24 foot bot? We got this. Klinger reviews the armory for standard equipment that would be available and settles on AP missiles for the hover jeep. Putting paper to pen Klinger writes down his battle plan.

Each of the Maulers are positioned in each of the Robots Quadrant. Mauler #1 opens up with missiles and advance. While this will may not damage the robot, if each mauler rounds robin missile strikes, it will keep the robot off balanced. The Jeep will be able to zoom in and lasso the legs of the robot. This will stop any forward movement and possibly bring the robot down. Forward would be ideal, on the back would be just as effective. The team would be able to extract the pilots, thus securing the robot, or the maulers could dismantle the robot. The timeline to end this engagement is how fast the Jeep is able to get to the enemy. I calculate it would take less then 1 minute to bring the robot down.
numbers
The missiles will be inflicting 24 or 25 damage. 25 is enough to put the pilot as shaken, with 10 total missiles being shot at it, there is a good possibility the jeep will get to the robot. Once there, an MD cable will bring it down, and the maulers will be able to cut the robot, or the team will be able to breach the cockpit.
4 maulers, us vs. 4 robots. This will be more difficult.

Keeping with AP missiles each mauler is assigned one robot apiece. This is going to allow the Jeep to move between targets. The AP missiles will be able to inflict damage to these targets. If the missiles don't right out destroy the targets, the Jeep will be able to provide additional firepower to any target that is proving more difficult to take down. If the targets are able to withstand the initial barrages, buildings will have to be brought down to bury them. The team then uses every available Demo charge to end this as quickly as possible. Best case scenario: 6 seconds. Worst case: several minutes with no reloads.
numbers
AP missiles in this case could inflict 3 wounds per shot. If the enemy are still able to resist this damage, The Jeep will have to drop buildings onto the targets, this should allow time for demo charges to be placed to neutralize the enemy pilots.
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Logan Wright
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Re: CS OOC Chat

Post by Logan Wright »

Logan sits in his chair, slouched back and in deep thought going over the scenarios presented before him. He suddenly sits up strait and raises his hand to ask a barrage of questions. "Excuse me?" Wright starts off with when he is called upon. "Are we talking inner city with plenty of tall structures for the 24 foot tall robot to hide behind, or is the battle area in a more residential section of town where the head of the robot can be seen over the tops of the houses, as well as see over the same said houses? Also, besides the single weapon mounted on the jeep, is there any other equipment we are allowed to have? The reason I ask is because I think that if we had access on the jeep to a powerful directional EM scrambler to disable the robot's sensors, even if only temporarily, then we fire grenades from an automatic grenade launcher filled with fire retardant foam aimed for the view port, we take away it's ability to see the world outside, visually and electronically, then knock down any structures it happens to be standing next to, with some well placed explosives, in order to trap it's feet, or at least limit their mobility for a few moments, then we just have to get me to the hatch to blow it open and toss some grenades in there. We're not trying to save the robot as salvage for later on, are we?"

"Any way, to be honest for the four smaller power armors the tactic would start off pretty much the same, so long as the four Maulers were outfitted with those EM Scramblers and had grenade launchers with fire retardant grenades, with the infantry in the jeep providing back up for any of the Mauler's who didn't knock out sensors or hit the enemy's power armor visors just right."
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Steelcreek
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Re: Tactics Workshop

Post by Steelcreek »

This is a little rambly, but here goes. The question about terrain is a good one. If we're talking a flat, open expanse is a different fight than one in a city or somewhere near some ground cover.
  • For the giant robot fight, if we can surprise or immobilize the crew, that's my favored approach. It would take time and patience on our parts, and the scenario may not allow it, but I like Grimes' idea of taking them out while they are outside of their monstrous death machine.

    If we have to fight the robot but we have time to try an ambush, I like the pit trap idea as well as the Empire Strikes Back leg-tying strategy. Anything to keep it relatively still long enough to call down artillery and turn it into so much scrap metal.

    If no artillery is available, some brave idiots (probably Steelcreek and anyone with an Overconfident or similar hindrance) could try approaching it at speed in the jeep while it is immobilized to try and disable it with demo charges. This is not my favorite plan, but there it is. We should probably consider requisitioning some of the electro-mag climbing equipment just in case it comes to this, though.

    Come to think of it, maybe we just bury some charges in the pit trap and blow them once the big guy falls in.

    Worst-case scenario is straight up rocket tag, where we just have to hope our combined bennies don't run out before it kills us all.
  • For the four smaller robots, we can try more or less similar strategies. A pit trap will be harder with multiple targets, but we can try to choose good ground for an ambush (look for concealment, high ground, spots where they would have to bunch up, etc.)

    If it comes to rocket-tag, the Maulers at least have a shot one-on-one with them. And if they don't close to melee range we can still use artillery. As each bad guy goes down, the Maulers could gang up on the remaining combatants until they are all taken out.
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