[ASLML] "Freezing"

[Tate Rogers]

On Thu, 6 Nov 2003 07:58:27 -0800
  "Sam Belcher" <sambelcher at cablespeed.com> wrote:
>> The ultimate point of the freeze is to prevent the enemy from shooting at
>> other, more vulnerable units.  There's no gain in freezing someone just
>> because you can -- you have to have a reason to do it, and that reason has
>> to be worth the potential loss of the vehicle.
>
>An excellent point. Usually the reason to "freeze" a position is to prevent
>its firing so you can swarm up around it and kill it. (or other nearby enemy
>positions). 
>
>For example, an enemy HMG in a stone building is in position to slaughter
>your infantry attack. You move an AFV into bypass of the building at the
>start of your movement phase. Keep the vehicle in motion so it will be hard
>to kill. You may even try to pop your smoke dispenser on the vehicle in the
>hex too. Then you run your infantry up around the position - no defensive
>fire possible from the HMG because of the AFV in its location. And advance
>in to kill them in CC. 

A couple of things...

1) Why pop the smoke? If the unit(s) are Frozen why do you need the smoke? The 
smoke actually works against the assault since now those frozen enemy infantry 
will recieve the benefit of the smoke vs advancing fire.

2) Going into CC when you have a motion, BU, bypassing vehicle is very 
problematic. You as the attacker will have a +3 DRM (+2 vehicle, +1 BU) before 
applying any other mods. The presence of the vehicle also makes the CC 
sequential which means the "non-vehicular" side will attack first [EXC: 
ambush]. Also, the defender doesn't have to do a PAATC to attack the AFV. 
Unless you have enough other DRM to cancel out the vehicle effects advancing 
into CC in this situation is very risky.

The purpose of the Freeze is just that...the freeze. The you run up surround 
advance fire...encircle if possible. If they don't break and die for FtR then 
you wait till D-Fire and try to crack them again. It isn't like the popsicles 
are going anywhere...trying to leave that vehicles location is going to be 
pretty tough with all that enemy infantry around.

Later-

Tater (One Mean Spud!)