Recon and a Modest proposal...

[cjsiam]

So---while falling asleep last night the mind wandered to PzGren and how it simulates things...

I have a Recon problem....

In most of the circumstances of the game a platoon sized unit (30 men, 4-5 tanks) holding court within a 100meter radius of an area (within one 200m across hex) makes
sense (mostly)....and when force from such is applied, concentration is part of what's going on....

But---Recon is not like that....the whole platoon (4-6 independent vehicles) does not drive around together.....(I THINK)....so a recon platoon that needs to 
discover if there is an enemy force in a limited terrain area would spread out,  maybe by section, and cover a lot of the area at one time....Imagine coming into a valley
with some wooded areas---you suspect there may be enemy present....you have like 2 or 3 sq Kilo (10 or 15 hex on a side) area....how long do you take to 
assure no enemy units are in the area? IF you are one element...you have to get within 3hexes of lots of areas....say there are 3 or 4 areas of 2 or 3 wooded hexes in the valley....
With  a single unit it would take 12 turns?...3 hours?  

Would the Recon platoon not break into like 3 sections of 2 vehicles, spread out, and cover it all in a short time---doing "RECON"?

So--due to a special function---Might we consider---being able to breakdown Recce units into sections---and run them independently? (they are leader capable)...
Having Recon troops suddenly becomes useful---as they can do RECON losing only a minimum of vehicles while scouting a maximum of space.
Say once you break down--you can recombine with an Activation together---but if one element is lost/can't recombine except as reduced....

I think it does not significantly break any mechanic(factors divide/can be worked)---provides Recon a more realistic utility--and we'd use them that way....
Combining this with the VASSAL Hidden movement is sweet idea....

thoughts

[Greyfox]

Cjsiam,

       I wish I had thought of this.  I am an Infantry Officer by profession.  I have written up thoughts on creating mules (pack trains) for mountainous terrain, and of pack horses with a higher movement rate (4 vs 3) for the Cavalry MGs.   But I never considered something like this.
       What you wrote makes perfect sense.  Reconnaissance elements in modern armies operate in a very decentralized manner. This requires specially trained leadership, and an updated communications array to extend range.  I would add only one thing to what for now unfortunately a house rule.  You are essentially doubling the number of counters and flipping them over (unless you make two single sided section counters).  Typically the morale of a reduced strength unit is lower than a full strength.  You would just need to specify that recon units that did this maintain their morale at the higher level unless, or until one element is destroyed.  Or you will need to make sure that the morale of recon units is different from other units in the scenario and basically remains the same even if reduced by a step.

Mike

[RLWilson]

Or another way to do this is if they are disrupted they have their full movement allowance so long as they are moving away from any sighted enemy units. That way they can get out of Dodge quickly even if disrupted. 

And even, if disrupted as op fire, they could still move if they have any MPs left, as long as it is away from any sighted enemy units.

[Shad]

I think a simpler approach than using extra counters would be to give Recon units extended LOS perpendicular to the direction of travel.

If you're moving through limiting terrain with 3 hex visibility, double that laterally so that you can see 6 hexes "left" and "right" and 3 hexes forward from that line. This would change the hexagonal spotting range to more of a rectangle and would simulate a dispersed unit moving along a frontage.

I think that's a good compromise between utility and impact.

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PROPOSED:

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[Greyfox]

Interesting proposal.... You would have to extend the it to four forward and back at a minimum.  One of the best things about reconnaissance units are their abilities to ferret out enemy forces in limiting terrain, and do so before they were within range of most weapons systems, to spot them, and pass information on to follow-on forces.

      As far as the 2.6 KM reconnaissance corridor, I would be interested in comparing it to WWII reconnaissance doctrine.  I have the U.S. doctrinal manuals for WW II, and I think I have books talking about tactics of other armies during that time frame.

[cjsiam]

So---- there is basis for there being a larger "scouted area" for such units....
I like the Distance, and think that might work...I'd just turn it to like 5 hexes....I kilo in all directions....that way
you can spot and be out of everything but long range HMG and AT guns....

Simpler then creating additional units....and having to combine/break down......

I found an article about German Recon---how they broke platoons into 2 and 3 car segments which then went out individually, but stayed in radio contact....
So---I think this simulates a spread of 2 to 3 elements 1 unit with a 5in each direction can cover 2km front....a couple units at 3 could do like just over that much.
So...This might be an improvement....(It was from "TheDesertFox" was cached as it was old---I'll find the link )

Also---based on what they did---I actually think they should count triple step losses for Reccon....hard to replace good recon guys in midst of campaign...

I'm liking it.