389 lines
23 KiB
Groff
389 lines
23 KiB
Groff
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[============================================================================]
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[ ]
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[ Ogre: Stragegy and Notes ]
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[ Part One ]
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[ ]
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[============================================================================]
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Note: What follows is an exact duplicate of the Second of the two books that
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come with the game Ogre. Enjoy! From L.S.D.!
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[============================================================================]
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[==ENCOUNTER==]
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[============================================================================]
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The Command Post was well guarded. It should have been. The hastily
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constructed, unlovely building was the nerve center for Paneuropean operations
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along a 700-kilometer section of front--a front pressing steadily toward the
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largest Combine manufacturing center on the continent.
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Therefore, General DePaul had taken no chances. His command was located
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in the most defensible terrain available--a battered chunk of gravel bounded
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on three sides by marsh and on the fourth by a river. The river was deep and
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wide; the swamp, gluey and impassable. Nothing bigger than a rat could avoid
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detection by the camera icons scattered for sixty kilometers in every
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direction over land, swamp, and river surface. Even the air was finally
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secure; the enemy had launched at least fifty heavy missiles yesterday,
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leaving glowing holes over half the island, but none near the CP. Now that
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the jamscreen was up, nothing would get even that close. And scattered
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through the twilight were the bulky shapes of tanks and Ground Effect
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Vehicles--the elite 2033rd Armored, almost relaxed as they guarded a spot
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nothing could attack.
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Inside the post, too, the mood was relaxed--except at one monitor station
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where a young lieutenant watched a computer map of the island. A light was
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blinking on the river. Orange: Something was moving out there where nothing
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should move. No heat. A stab at the keyboard called up a representation of
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the guardian units...not that any should be out there, thirty kilometers away.
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None were. Whatever was out there was a stranger--and it was actually in the
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river. A swimming animal? A man? Ridiculous.
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The lieutenant spun a dial, moving a dot of white light across the map and
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halting it on the orange spot with practiced ease. He hit another key, and an
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image appeared on the big screen...pitted ground, riverbank...and something
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else, something rising from the river like the conning tower of an old
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submarine. But he knew what it really was, he just could not place it...and
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then it moved. Not straight toward the camera icon, but almost. The
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lieutenant saw the "conning tower" cut a wake through the rushing water,
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bounce once, and begin to rise. A second before the whole shape was
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visible, he recognized it--but for that second he was frozen. And so thirty
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men were suddenly brought to heart-pounding alert, as the lieutenant's
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strangled gasp and the huge image on his screen gave the same warning...OGRE!!
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Less than three minutes had passed. After the initial seconds of panic,
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the Command Post had settled down to business. Instead of masterminding an
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attack, it was fighting for its own life. Men spat orders into throat
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mikes, eyes on the big screen. The orange dot that was the Ogre was six
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kilometers closer, but green sparks were moving out to meet it--the men and
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machines of the 2033rd.
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The general entered at a run. "Get me a picture!" he ordered. The
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screen flickered, moving dots gave way to an image. The huge machine rumbled
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over the landscape, incredibly fast for something so huge. Guns bristled. The
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tower top rose twenty meters high.
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"A Mark V," said the general. "They really want us, all right. Who
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had the watch?"
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"I...I did, sir."
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"Where'd it come from?"
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"Sir, the river. I got a movement indication from the center of the
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river--I saw it come up. Nothing before that. I swear it, sir."
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The general started to reply, then checked himself. Suddenly, he stepped
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to the keyboard. The map reappeared (the orange dot was closer) and shrank.
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They saw their island from fifty--a hundred--kilometers in the air.
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The general traced the river course. "Here...and here. Yes, they
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could have done it."
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"Sir?"
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"Underwater. It went into the ocean here. Through the delta--up the
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river and out. Very clever. I wonder...No, they just outfoxed us. As
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you were, son."
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**********
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The Ogre was twenty kilometers away. On the big map, a ring of green
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around it showed missile tanks ready to move in; more green dots, visibly
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moving, were GEVs harassing the enemy machine. As they watched, one GEV
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light went out. Another stopped moving and began to blink plaintively. The
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Ogre moved toward it.
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**********
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Twelve minutes since the shooting had started. The Ogre was fifteen
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kilometers away. Faced by eight missile tanks, it had slipped to the
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side; three of the tanks were gone, and two others had never gotten in range.
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But the Ogre had paid; it was moving slowly now. On the big map, three more
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green dots moved toward it. The heavies were going in.
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"Mercier to CP. We've spotted it." The general punched for an image.
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There it was. Four of the six missile tubes were empty; two of the "small"
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guns along one side were scrap. Loose tread flapped; damaged motors sparked.
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Its guns moved and flashed. Then the screen dimmed as a nuclear warhead hit
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the Ogre. The imae returned. There was a new crater along one of the
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armored sides--nothing more.
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"Get those guns, Commander," the general's voice was calm; Mercier's
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reply was equally mild.
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"Trying, sir. It ducks." Then jubilation.
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"Good shot, Fair! You Got it! Hit the misbegotten pile of junk."
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The big screen was completely dark. It came on again, from a different
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angle. The Ogre was hurt. One of those big front guns was gone--
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completely. The other was clearly wrecked.
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"Good man, Mercier! Who did that? Commander Fair?...Mercier?...Fair?..."
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"This is Kowalkski in 319. It got Fair about three times. I can't find
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Mercier."
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On the screen, one heavy tank faced the Ogre. Two GEVs swept in and
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out. Missile tanks and infantry moved closer--too slowly.
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"Here it comes." Kowalski--commander of the last heavy. "You'll
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have to shoot better than that, you gadget...GOTCHA! Took out its..."
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Static. Then a new voice. It sounded quite human. And amused.
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"Gotcha."
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**********
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The Ogre rolled on. It was within howitzer range now, and the big missile
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cannons were scoring on it. Its missiles were gone, but it still had guns.
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The infantry had met it--finally--but powered armor notwith-standing, they
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were dying as fast as they came in.
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"It's committed," said a big major, his eyes on the screen. "It can't
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afford to stop now." The general nodded.
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"Get behind it," he said into his mike. "It's after the howitzers.
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They're killing it."
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In the flame-lit darkness, men heard the scrambled transmission. Men,
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and one other. The Ogre took in the surrounding terrain, considered the
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location of the Command Post and the howitzers, watched the movement of its
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enemies, weighed the order it had decoded.
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"Behind..." it thought. "They have made a mistake." It chuckled.
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**********
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It was very close now. Had the Command Post had windows, the men
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inside could have seen the explosions. The Ogre was moving very slowly now,
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but two guns still spoke. It no longer dodged; it was a juggernaut,
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coming straight for its target.
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Inside, the general's face was gray. He spoke to no one in particular.
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"Smart. That thing is smart." A scream still echoed in the big
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room--the scream from the last missile tank commander. Out of Ogre's
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path, safe behind a three-meter ravine, lashing out at the metal giant--and
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the thing had changed course, ignoring the howitzers, walking over the gully
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like it wasn't there, crushing the smaller tank. Two GEVs had died a second
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later; their speed was their best defense and the Ogre had outguessed them.
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The side trip had given the howitzers a few more minutes; then they, too, had
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died.
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The screen showed the Ogre grinding on--a shambling monster, barely able
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to move. "The treads...hit the treads," whispered the general. "Stop that
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thing." The image changed, and he saw what was left of his force; three GEVs
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and a handful of infantry.
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And the Ogre rolled on...
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(C)opyright 1982, 1986 by
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Steve Jackson Games, Inc.
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[===========================================================================]
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[Stragegic Suggestions for Alliance Commanders]
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[===========================================================================]
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Basic Stragegy
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==============
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The harsh truth is that you must *always* take whatever steps are
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necessary, no matter how drastic, in order to hold your ground and to preserve
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your Command Post. If your Command Post is lost, battle statistics suggest
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that the remainder of your force will also be lost, as will the Conflict Zone
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itself.
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Successful defense against an Ogre means meeting two basic goals:
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Disarming the Ogre and Immobilizing the Ogre. Any plan which meets these two
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goals is a good plan! Alliance commanders have devised a wide variety of
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battle plans which both disarm and immobilize Ogres. Though battle plans or
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strategies have almost limitless variety, most successful plans have certain
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basic features in common. For simplicity's sake, three basic defensive points
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your plan should observe are:
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1) Delay the Ogre as soon as possible! As it starts its invasion, an
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Ogre is as fast or faster than all Alliance infantry squads, missle tanks, and
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heavy tanks. There is a very real danger of the Ogre outrunning the first
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wave of defenders it meets. If this happens, second wave forces will have to
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bear the brunt of a full-strength Ogre attack. To prevent this sort of Ogre
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maneuver, most successful defense strategies call for forces to strike early
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and hard at the Ogre's tread sections (giving secondary attention to knocking
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out the Ogre's longer range weapons). We must be candit: opening attacks
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against the Ogre's mobility will cost you casualities. Failure to slow the
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Ogre early on, though, will cause even heavier losses later on. As a general
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rule, try to slow the Ogre's speed before it has progressed more than 1/3 to
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1/2 of the way to your Command Post. To let the Ogre proceed at full speed
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beyond this point is to invite disaster.
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2) Eliminate Major Ogre Weapon Systems. As the Ogre approaches the
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midpoint of the Conflict Zone, Alliance commanders usually concentrate on
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knocking out its most powerful weapons. The rationale is that, from the
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midpoint of the Conflict Zone, the Ogre's longer range weapons are almost
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within range of your Command Post. You need to prevent a long range attack,
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and instead force the Ogre to travel the full length of the Zone in its
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attempt to destroy your Command Post. In this way, you force the Ogre to
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expose itself to defensive fire which it cannot easily return. Appropriate
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targets would be (in descending order of importance): Ogre Missiles, main
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batteries (if any remain), and secondary batteries. While your forces
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"whittle away" at the Ogre's weapons, it is important to continue your attack
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against the Ogre's treads. Remember, the Ogre can hurt you both with its
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weapons and its bulk.
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3) Bring the Ogre to a Standstill. when an Ogre is slowed and mostly
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disarmed, commanders usually make an immediate and concerted effort to shoot
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away the Ogre's remaining tread sections. Naturally, the idea is to bring the
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Ogre to a halt before it has a chance to roll over your Command Post. Oddly
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enough, inexperienced commanders sometimes overlook this point; it seems they
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become so preoccupied with fighting the Ogre's weapons that they forget the
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machine is about to crush them. This is a fatal mistake. A key point to
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remember is this: An utterly disarmed but mobile Ogre can still accomplish
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its combat mission (i.e., destroying your Command Post). The same is not
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(usually) true of a completely immobilized Ogre. Let these simple truths
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guide you as you set your combat priorities.
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[============================================================================]
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[Three Approaches to Defense]
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[============================================================================]
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As mentioned above, Alliance commanders have been inventive in creating
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defenses which can defeat Ogres. We hope you will carry on in this tradition
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of creativity. However, we feel your training will not be complete until you
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are exposed to what feel are the three "classic" Alliance defense strategies.
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The Multiple Howitzer Defense
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=============================
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The basic concept behind this defense is easy to grasp. You build your
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entire defense around a sizeable number of our most powerful and longest range
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weapons: namely, the howitzers. By placing three, four, or more howitzers so
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that their fields of fire and reinforce each other, you create a "Howitzer
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Wall" through which the Ogre must pass if it hopes to reach your Command Post.
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The theory is that the Ogre can reach your Command Post only by exposing
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itself to punishing fire from several sides. Naturally, the Ogre will try to
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eliminate your howitzers as quickly as it can. If your howitzers are
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correctly placed, though, the Ogre will have to knock out more than howitzer
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in order to clear a path toward your Command Post. In the time it takes the
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Ogre to do this, the outlying Howitzers and supporting mobile armor and
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infantry should have a chance to harass the Ogre, and, it is hoped, bring it
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to a standstill. Three Key Points determine the success of the Multiple
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Howitzer Defense:
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First, supporting mobile armor and infantry must eliminate many of the
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Ogre's longer range weapons before the Ogre reaches the howitzer field. If
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this point is not observed, the Ogre will have a relatively easy job of
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rupturing your howitzer wall. If the wall collapses too quickly, your Command
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Post will soon be destroyed.
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Second, proper placement of howitzers is critical. You must be careful
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to make sure that the howitzer wall surrounds your Command Post with a thick,
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dense cushion of defensive fire. If you inadvertently leave a gap or thin
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spot in the wall, the Ogre will spot this flaw and take advantage of it. You
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must also design your wall so that all howitzers share an equal part of the
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wall's defensive load. If you happen to overload a single howitzer, the Ogre
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will recognize the imbalance and focus its attack on the overstrained
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howitzer. When that howitzer falls, your entire defense collapses.
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Finally, your reserve support armor and infantry must be prepared to
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augment (and to complete) the howitzer's attacks. Ogres are enormously sturdy
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vehicles, and it is foolish to believe that howitzers alone can stop them. As
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the Ogre and howitzers lock in battle, it is imperative for support forces to
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press home the attack (especially the attack against the Ogre's tread
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sections). If support forces hang back, they are likely to be overrun by a
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badly damaged but still mobile Ogre.
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Comments: The Multiple Howitzer Defense can be used against both Mk III
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and Mk V Ogres, but it is much more likely to succeed against the Mk III
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version. This is true primarily because of the Mk III's relative shortage of
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long range weapons (the Mk III carries only one main battery and two missiles,
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while the Mk V carries two main batteries and six missiles). Against a Mk V
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Ogre, the multiple howitzer defense does not fare so well. The larger tank is
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all too likely to evade or out-gun your first wave defenders, and then is apt
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to approach your howitzers will full speed and a full complement of long range
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weapons (not a desirable scenario).
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Be aware that howitzers are very expensive weapons. Thus, when you
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choose to use a multiple howitzer defense, you must be ready to accept a
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tradeoff in the side of your mobile armor support force. You must also be
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prepared to manage that small support force with consummate skill.
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The GEV-Centered Defense
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The GEV-centered defense is built around a mobile armor force composed
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primarily of GEV's (some commanders go so far as to use nothing but GEVs!).
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The GEV may seem an unlikely vehicle upon while to base a defense, but we must
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not sell the GEV short. While it is not heavily armed nor heavily armored,
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the GEV has a tremendous advantage in sheer speed.
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A basic axiom of defensive warfare is that the defender must somehow
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direct more fire toward an opponent than the opponent can return. With this
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simple axiom in mind, the importance of the GEV's speed advantage over the
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Ogre becomes clear. Swarming GEV attack groups can close on the Ogre, fire
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their weapons, and then escape to relatively safety--all within the time it
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takes a conventional vehicle to close and fire. At first, not all GEVs will
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escape the Ogre's pursuit. But if GEV attacks are concentrated early enough,
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the Ogre's ability to pursue will soon be cut down. Once the Ogre's
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maneuvering speed is cut back, its weapons systems become fairly easy prey for
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the remaining GEVs (and other support forces). Finally, when the Ogre is
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disarmed (or all but disarmed), remaining Alliance forces the Ogre's tread
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sections without facing much return fire. If the attack sequence is
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well-timed, the Ogre will be brought to a halt before it can touch the Command
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Post
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Key Points: By attending to several key points you can help your chances
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of making a successful GEV-based defense.
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The Defensive "Scramble:" To prepare for Zone defense, your GEVs should
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be spread evenly across an intercept line placed fairly close to the mouth of
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the Conflict Zone. We stress the need for even distribution of forces on the
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line. If you leave thin spots in your defensive line, the Ogre will discover
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and take advantage of them. Instead, your aim should be to place your GEVs
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such that most of them can intercept an encroaching Ogre soon after an
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invasion begins.
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Early Attack: When your frontline GEVs make initial interceptions, their
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fire should be directed almost exclusively toward the Ogre's tread sections
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(with perhaps a bit of fire aimed toward the Ogre's main batteries). During
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these early attacks, your GEVs primary goal must be to reduce the Ogre's speed
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by one third (or more). Attacks on treads will be costly in terms of lost
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GEVs; however, failure to slow the Ogre early on can prove much more costly in
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the long run. Resist the temptation to make premature attacks on Ogre
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weapons. Once an Ogre's pursuit speed is cut down, it is much easier for GEVs
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to eliminate weapons without facing severe return fire.
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Middle Phase of Attack: After the Ogre's speed has been cut by 1/3, your
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forces should shift the focus of their attack to the Ogre's weapons systems.
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The aim of the middle phase of attack is to eliminate almost all of the
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Ogre's weapons systems (leaving it armed with nothing more than its
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antipersonnel guns and perhaps one or two secondary batteries). The idea is
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to prevent the Ogre from destroying your Command Post with a "cheap shot"
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taken at long range; instead, you need to force the Ogre to expose itself to a
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prolonged attack from your GEVs and infantry.
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Final Phase of Attack: When the Ogre approaches your Command Post, it is
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time to redirect your focus of fire once again. Whether or not your middle
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phase attack on the Ogre's weapons was successful, you must now throw all the
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firepower you can muster against the Ogre's tread sections. Recognize that a
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disarmed but mobile Ogre is still a formidable weapon. If, at this stage in a
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battle, you have lost a great number of GEVs, infantry forces become critical.
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Infantry must present solid resistance to the approaching Ogre, and must press
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home the attack against its treads. Infantry casualties will likely be very
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high. A spirit of sacrifice is essential. In fact, if your situation becomes
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desperate, you may need to sacrifice GEVs or other vehicles by ramming the
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Ogre (to destroy its few final treads). If you must use (fatal) sacrificial
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maneuvers, make sure they prevent the Ogre from crushing your Command Post.
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Otherwise, we suggest your preserve your armor units in the hope of destroying
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the Ogre before it can escape.
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Comments: the GEV-centered defense is built on three distinct phases:
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First, slowing the Ogre somewhat; second, disarming the Ogre almost
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completely; and third, bringing the Ogre to a complete standstill. It is very
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important to execute each phase in a crisp, disciplined way. When
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GEV-centered defenses fail, it is often because the defensive commander fails
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to pay attention to the basics. For example, the commander fails to slow the
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Ogre early on, and hence loses too many GEVs to follow through with later
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phases of his attack. Or the commander continues the middle phases of his
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attack too long, only to see a disarmed but quite mobile Ogre flatten his
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Command Post. If you use the GEV-centered defense, do you best to complete
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each phase of your attack in the proper sequence.
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Commanders should be wary of the Ogre's attack algorithms. We have
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reason to believe the Ogre can recognize a GEV-centered defense, and that is
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it programmed to do all it can to disrupt early phases of the GEVs attack.
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For example, and Ogre may respond to early GEV attacks by moving laterally or
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rearward to pursue escaping GEVs. If the Ogre employs these tactics, it is
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important for you to regroup your forces and calmly proceed with your battle
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plan. If you let yourself be thrown by unpredictable moves on the Ogre's
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part, you are apt to lose sight of your combat goals. Steady nerves and sound
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tactics can help prevent from happening.
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On a tactical level, we suggest you pay close attention to the escape
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paths your GEVs take after they first fire on the Ogre. All too often,
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commanders take the unsophisticated approach simply of ordering their GEVs to
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get as far from the Ogre as possible. The problem with this approach is that
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is also tends to leave small groups of GEVs isolated far from each other.
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This approach can even leave GEVs trapped behind the Ogre. Beware such
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"divide and conquer" ploys on the part of the Ogre. When your GEVs escape,
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they need to think not only of temporary safety, but also of second and third
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attacks to come!
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The GEV-centered defense can be very successful against both the Mk III
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and Mk V Ogres. Be aware, though, that the defense requires discipline,
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insight, and a keen sense for split-second timing.
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[===========================================================================]
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[End Part One]
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