Question: Setting up a brigade

[gingertanker]

Is there any good way of setting up a brigade sized force in a scenario?

The game is a battalion scale game, the chain of command knows only companies/platoons/sections...I know this.

However with the very large map size possible, and with the number of formations possible, it is very possible to construct a scenario for a brigade...The only issue is there are of course no Battalion formations, hence a missing link in the chain of command.

I AM NOT asking to add battalion formations(heck I would love that but I imagine 101 reasons why it cant be done). Just asking guys that make scenarios-
what is the best way to set up a brigade sized force?

[Aeraaa]

I did a campaign once trying to simulate a 1960s Soviet motor rifle regiment. I could have 3 rifle battalions, 1 tank battalion and 1 recon company, before I reached the unit limit.

You can have much more if you're assaulting though as support; there I could have almost all the correct TO&E (provided you put high enough resources from the preferences...)

[gingertanker]

I did a campaign once trying to simulate a 1960s Soviet motor rifle regiment. I could have 3 rifle battalions, 1 tank battalion and 1 recon company, before I reached the unit limit.

You can have much more if you're assaulting though as support; there I could have almost all the correct TO&E (provided you put high enough resources from the preferences...)

Certainly. but what did you do for Battalion CO/XO units?

[Aeraaa]

Originally Posted by gingertanker

Certainly. but what did you do for Battalion CO/XO units?

Use the support company's CO and pretend he's the Battalion CO. If a tank battalion I buy a tank section of 2 tanks for the same reason. It isnt realistic chain-of-command-wise, but at least you get the number of tanks correctly...

[Mobhack]

You can have as many battalions as a brigade - but no proper command level.

The core in a campaign is meant to be a battalion maximum. If you use a zillion top-price AFV then the AI force has almost no chance to match your force value, after all. It buys a standard mix of types, including cheap infantry, it does not say to itself "hey this guy has bought 200 Mauses so I had best buy a zillion big-ticket monsters myself. Especially - it will likely have unspent points trying to assault or attack such a mega-core as it cannot buy enough elements especially if it is a buy them cheap and cheerful type of conscript army.

A battalion is fine - remember that the original SP1 only allowed something like 24 core elements!.

If you stick to a battalion then the AI has a fighting chance.

Andy

[gingertanker]

Andy,

Yeah I know that its not meant to do that. I'm just wondering how people work within these limits, cuase I know there are brigade sized scenarios out there. And I want to make another 1 or 2 that are floating in my head...

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by gingertanker

Andy,

Yeah I know that its not meant to do that. I'm just wondering how people work within these limits, cuase I know there are brigade sized scenarios out there. And I want to make another 1 or 2 that are floating in my head...

Simply buy the appropriate number of companies for each bn in the brigade, then. Buy each bn in sequence, don't play about with partial buys, so they all "line up" in the roster properly.

There are no Bn HQs, but you can maybe make the support weapons coy do duty for that (if the OOB has weapons coys), otherwise each one's A coy, and if you feel up to it then use creative renaming of units. Edit the leader rank of the battle group HQ and the weapons/HQ coy if desired, play with their other stats, make them more expensive (ie worth more to kill) - and so on.

Andy

[gingertanker]

Yeah that seems like the way to go...

[Suhiir]

I can purchase a 3 battalion plus attachments Marine Expeditionary Unit (call it a reinforced infantry regiment or small brigade) if I cut back/consolidate some of the attachments.

Doing a 4-5 Bn brigade would be difficult unless it was tank heavy.

[Imp]

In my view don't bother with the command units, they serve no purpose as cant be used in the command/rally chain.
Alternatively buy one or two & assign the odd unit to them.

If you ignore them keeps the unit balance ratio about right in most cases, as in tanks, infantry, arty.

So as an example of balanced force buy say
3 Tank Co
3 Infantry Co
1 Infantry Support Co
Arty assets

Now look at what space you have left & if you need further command units.
Possibly add a rear area Command unit for arty & AA
If you add say a tank command unit look at what to assign to him, most likely as hes thumb twiddling I would add SPAA as they will be likely to accompany the tanks. Or any other anti armour units like SPATGM, scout vehicles that you have.

Sort of off topic but relevant especially if a large force size, when it comes to buying units though I have a specific order I do like to buy in

1 FOOs
2 Most infantry units & there transport
3 Anti tank none missile stuff as in tanks ATGs etc
4 ATGMs & scout units (if possible & not included in the company)
5 AAA assets
6 Arty

Buying this way means the following
FOOs are easy to find
Less micro management as reaction fire order is
Infantry & transport
Tanks ATGs etc
ATGMs & scouts
AAA
Arty

So
Tanks don't get distracted so much firing at infantry
Limited ammo ATGMs only fire if need to as do scouts.
Your AAA & arty are last resort, hopefully you had someone to protect them if they need to fire.

If possible I buy MANPADS separately directly before my other AAA assets. Makes cycling through them easy if pesky helos are around.

I am happy to give up marginally better command & control options to buy my MANPADS & ATGMS separately especially in a campaign. Makes finding them easy & setting op fire filter a fast job as ATGMs are the one unit I tend to always use it on.