Unless we have sets for boths sides , I think it is an unfair advantage to give one side comms and not the other , although I can see the humour in having the germans ring the allies 
A lot of the BOtB was about confusion , I don't want communication between the bases for that reason . When the US get attacked, I want them to feel cut off and surrounded ...that was the historical reality which is why so many surrendered en mass or bugged out (106th Inf Division comes to mind)
I can see a small merit to having it as a subplot , but suggest it stays out of the main game . If we feel the game is stalling in the afternoon I'd consider us giving it out as a task to one side or the other , otherwise I'd suggest they stay firmly in the safe zone unitl required.
Okay, I've counted to 10 and kept my cool. I did have a right flaming post written, but now is not the time for us to have a break up.
Basically if I've gone to the trouble to get these then they are getting used. Thats final.
I've pulled in favours to get these for us to use and I am not going to go back to Sean and Shaun afterwards telling them they were not used at all.
They can add a very nice extra objective to the day and in reality do not add a great deal of advantage to either side.
A lot of the BOtB was about confusion , I don't want communication between the bases for that reason . When the US get attacked, I want them to feel cut off and surrounded ...that was the historical reality which is why so many surrendered en mass or bugged out (106th Inf Division comes to mind)
Oh they will... especially if you get the commandos to cut their communication lines beforehand...
We can place the field telephones under one of the "killing" pyros of the initial artillery barrage... that way they will be under attack and struggling to get to the telephone (which may have been cut) to call in re-enforcements.
Okay, I've counted to 10 and kept my cool. I did have a right flaming post written, but now is not the time for us to have a break up.
Basically if I've gone to the trouble to get these then they are getting used. Thats final.
I've pulled in favours to get these for us to use and I am not going to go back to Sean and Shaun afterwards telling them they were not used at all.
They can add a very nice extra objective to the day and in reality do not add a great deal of advantage to either side.
I don't know why you are getting so irate about this . We all agreed to use them for the artillery as you were so keen to use them, now you say they won't work for that , so I'm struggling to see a real game use for them that won't unbalance the scenario as written .
If you've got enough for both sides - ie I'm guessing four , then let's work it as a subplot . If you've only got enough for one side to use then I think it will be an unfair advantage , and will require more thought as to their use .
Perhaps best you let us know what equipment we have and then discuss it between us .
To be honest the thing I don't think you get is there not much of an advantage.
What you've got is a single line of communication from one single point to another.
If we place them then we control where those points are and can place them in dangerous locations if required.
The phones do not have an exchange. Hence you must use them in pairs. They are of limited tactical use.
If the base at Bastogne is under attack then everyone on the site will be aware of it anyway as the sound of AEG and pyro pretty much travels over the whole site. So using the telephones to call in reserves (or whatever) will be a moot point.
They are only of use to a defending unit as the whole of idea of lugging them around the site with an attacking force is basically a no go area.
LF originally bought 6 of these phones. 2 didn't work on arrival. I have used 4 of them with success at previous games. However... Boomer now tells me that one or more may be missing or broken. If thats the case then we're likely to have 2 max. Hence my suggestion of putting them in the fairly tactically useless place to add an extra bit of flavour to the game.
However I will not know how many I get until I meet up with Boomer later this week (if that happens at all).
BTW, if you're wondering why I feel irrate... think how you'd feel if I told you we weren't going to use your mortars.
I wasn't imagining that we'd place them between Bastogne and Malmedy, but perhaps between Bastogne and Stavelot or Bastogne and St Vith. We could even not have them go to Bastogne at all and have them between St. Vith and Stavelot. Which would allow for a much higher chance of the commandos cutting the lines.
BTW... I imagined that Malmedy would be held by the Brits at the start of the game with me there with them. This would allow me to be killed and then get back to Bastogne to film the big artillery barrage before you attacked.
Christ, I'm way behind. I thought we only had two phones any. One for each CP back to the airstrip where someone would be able to take down the coords for artillery strikes.
I really need to read those rules again!
S
Steve... that would require 4 phones... which is what we were hoping for.
Boh....
I thought you meant 4 sets.
My 2p worth is that, and I fully respect your endeavours to get the phones, if they're now damaged and we can't use them in the way we'd planned I don't think it's any skin off your nose if (and that's a big if) we can't find a fair way to use them.
If we can't get all four is there some way we can actually create a tactical advantage of holding what is a neutral objective at some point during the game? Perhaps the phones could be inactive until a specified point and then gaining hold of the objective, and thus them, will give a side an extra advantage such as phoning through for backup and more troops for 15 minutes. This could be worked by moving the regen post closer to the action.
That's right off the top of my head so it may be an utterly shite idea.
BTW, if you're wondering why I feel irrate... think how you'd feel if I told you we weren't going to use your mortars.
Annoyed but not the end of the world Mind you it's a good job we've got them now the field artillery has been nuetralised 
( Remind me of this smugess when it all goes FUBAR trying to call in mortar strikes !)
If we've only one one set of field phones that reliably can work , then I suggest this . Germans have them in the morning ( representing the Allies confusion at the swift attack ) , Yanks in the afternoon ( when the Germans have been cut off and surrounded ) .
If either side want to use them, in any way they see fit, then you have to deploy them , run the cable and connect them in game time . They will be subject to capture , lines being cut , but cannot be destroyed for obvious reasons. It will give players towards the back of the lines something to do if nothing else .
I look forward to shooting you whilst you clamber over the bushes draging a large reel of wire behind you , shouting at Gadge to keep up. Mind you at least it will help F&O virgins find their way around- " follow the wire back to the cp" 
Can we agree on this one now ?
No we don't agree.
Why the heck would the Germans need them in the morning? I just don't see the need for that at all! The Germans will have no fixed locations until they've taken them off the Allies!
We get the Allies to install them in the morning and the Germans have them in the afternoon once they've taken the objectives.
Oh and artillery strikes by the non-mortar method are still in. They just have to be called in with the Marshall Radio rather than using the phones. We have £200 worth of pyro to use for barrages and the mortar method is not going to use that up!
I like that. It's a nice idea that they aren't pre-deployed and we have to find a way of making good use of them....balancing that with the hassle of laying them.
Ooh, that reminds me, I must write some sub-plots.
S
If we can't get all four is there some way we can actually create a tactical advantage of holding what is a neutral objective at some point during the game? Perhaps the phones could be inactive until a specified point and then gaining hold of the objective, and thus them, will give a side an extra advantage such as phoning through for backup and more troops for 15 minutes. This could be worked by moving the regen post closer to the action.
That's right off the top of my head so it may be an utterly shite idea.
There is no real tactical advantage to having control of the phones. Its more of a pain to have them to worry about.
Hmm. Let's hope we get all four then.
heh... I quite like the idea of using them in the objectives actually... They add an extra prop and an extra bit of interest.
It'll give the guys who aren't digging holes something extra to worry about.
(BTW: Gucci will be bringing some extra sandbags for people to fill... )
I like that. It's a nice idea that they aren't pre-deployed and we have to find a way of making good use of them....balancing that with the hassle of laying them.
Ooh, that reminds me, I must write some sub-plots.
S
Ah well at least the Allied commander liked the idea !
Actually good point.
Agree Yith...or be court martialled! 
I have no argument that they should not be predeployed Guy, in fact I think I mentioned that idea earlier. (Edit... apologies... I can't see anywhere where I said that... I must just have been thinking it.)
My issue is that they're not really suited to being deployed by the Germans at the start of the game.
For a couple of Reasons:
1) At the start of the day the Germans should be worrying about reccying and assaulting objectives not deploying telephones, whereas the Allies would be just sitting around doing nothing and it would be a lot better to keep them busy doing stuff like digging in and laying telephone wires. (probably a job for Dog Company as they have signals people in the squad)
The opposite applies in the afternoon when the Germans are on the defensive.
2) I really don't want these phones being lugged around like they were portable radios. I don't want to be supplying them back to LF in a broken condition thanks.
BTW... how did you envision the mortars being split up? one each side at all times?
Troo on point two. They could get damaged.
Yeah, it might be quite nice to get the Yanks doing something like digging in or laying wires for phones before their inevitable decimation at the hands of Major's artillery strike!
Tee hee!
Troo on point two. They could get damaged.
Yeah, it might be quite nice to get the Yanks doing something like digging in or laying wires for phones before their inevitable decimation at the hands of Major's artillery strike!
Tee hee!
So it should definately be done by the guys who will be waiting longest for enemy contact... i.e. Not Malmedy.
Er, a question on Major's "Almighty" artillery barrage on Bastogne... will that one require a set of artillery coordinates like the rest?
I presumed not. I thought it was just going to be an opener for the day, some general carpet bombing from the 88's into the woods around Bastogne.
Having said that, it might be a nice touch to get the Krauts to send out a scouting party to give numbers of men and coords for the strike.
We've really got to pin all this down very soon though!
