RE: weekend battle, how was it? [TANKS]

["Carioti, John" <john.carioti-at-sensis.com>]

Thanks for the great battle summary Frank!

I certainly had a great time.  It was fun to meet everyone- and sorry if
I accidentally shot anyone!

The Centaur held up pretty well for the first time out.  The biggest
issue was driving backwards- uphill. 
My drive sprocket was slipping in the treads and the tank would grind
and produce a horrible noise until 
enough teeth engaged and things got going.  Definitely something that
needs to be fixed.  Had a few other minor things happen, but nothing
critical.

I realized a few things after the battle:

I am a terrible shot.  It was really hard to hit moving targets.

Speed is everything.  Watching Steve's Cromwell zipping along made me
realize I need to move my big target a little faster or I am doomed to
get killed quickly!  The NPC motors will easily handle 36 volts- I may
just give it a try!  

I have posted a few videos on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2OxdHbyacI and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEtWi-PplrM

Will put more up over the weekend.  Also, I will post all of the
pictures Maureen took on Photobucket soon.

John


-----Original Message-----
From: tanks-admin-at-rctankcombat.com [mailto:tanks-admin-at-rctankcombat.com]
On Behalf Of Frank Pittelli
Sent: Thursday, November 02, 2006 11:47 AM
To: tanks-at-rctankcombat.com
Subject: Re: weekend battle, how was it? [TANKS]


OdysseySlipways-at-aol.com wrote:
> just wondering how the weekend battle went.
>  

The "Fall Brawl" in Maryland this past weekend was lots of fun.  It was 
a two day event, which allowed a number of people to attend from far 
away (Michigan, Ohio, New York).  The two people that traveled the 
furthest didn't even have working tanks (one just about ready for 
battle, the other still in the planning stages), but their devotion was 
evident.  Both were allowed to operate artillery during a battle or two 
so they could join into the fun.

We had no less than three brand-new tanks on the battlefield, including 
John Carioti's Centaur, Rob Snyder's Tiger and Amir's long-awaited T34. 
  All rookie tanks performed admirably and overcame some mechanical 
problems of various sorts.  Veteran tanks were also suffering some 
mechanical problems because of the really rough terrain on Saturday. 
John, Rob, and Amir definitely got a baptism under fire, participating 
in some horrendous fire fights in close quarters.

On Saturday, we played in a wooded area where you couldn't see one home 
base from the other.  There were a number of footpaths that interlaced 
the area and tanks were all over the place.  Tyng's Cromwell had the big

advantage because he could move around the forest with good cover and we

sometimes lost track of him.  Then, when you least expected it, he'd be 
attacking from behind your ranks.  Fortunately, the numerous obstacles 
and rough underbrush stymied some of his mobility, so after the shock 
was gone, shots were flying in both directions.

The first game was a "defend the flag" scenario, where one team was 
given a low-lying cul-de-sac to protect their flag.  Each side had 30 
minutes to defend the flag.  The opposing team had to simply find the 
flag and run it over to win mission points.  There were numerous 
barricades, obstacles and thick brush to help build a defensive 
perimeters.  Marlow & Sons Construction (John and Sean) were available 
to both teams to lay around dragon's teeth, barricades and their 
recently completely barn.  In both sorties, the fighting was intense, 
with lots of action focused on the opening to the defensive area, where 
two paths converged to face the Navarone Gun.  There are plenty of tales

of heroism, intense fighting and a mad dash to the finish, as will be 
told by other commanders in their own words over the next few days.

The second game was a classic "seek and destroy" scenario, where each 
team would hunt down the others and kill them.  Mechanical breakdowns 
hindered one side more than the other and eventually the team in the 
cul-de-sac was bottled up pretty good and hammered pretty hard. 
Nonetheless, throughout that battle, John's new Centaur (painted a 
beautiful fall color of pumpkin) could be seen defending itself against 
heavy odds and scoring some hits himself along the way.

On Sunday, we returned to the normal, wide open field for two more 
battles.  Once again, Marlow & Sons Construction was on hand to build a 
nice village, so the 3rd battle was a "defend the village" scenario, 
with each side taking turns to defend the village for 30 minutes.  The 
attacking forces didn't have an easy time of it, because the village 
(having prospered in recent years) had 3 artillery pieces and two trucks

supporting it, along with 4 or 5 tanks depending on the team inside. 
Nonetheless, during both sorties, each side came within a shot or two of

clearing the village of tanks a couple of times, although neither tank 
succeeded by the end of the 30 minute time limit.

The 4th battle on Sunday was a new scenario ... "Survivor".  All tanks 
would be on their own throughout the battle, starting anywhere on the 
field.  Once you were dead, you were out of that sortie.  The artillery 
and support vehicles were the enemy of all tanks and could shoot at any 
vehicle.  Alliances (some tighter than others) were formed very quickly 
and small groups of tanks went after each other.  Certain commanders 
were more devious than others, and certain tanks were targeted more 
often in the beginning.  There was plenty of skull-duggery and 
back-stabbing, as the numbers dwindled to two tanks for the final 
skirmish.  A total of three sorties were fought, with Amir & the 
Cromwell winning sortie one (Steve's knee was bothering him so he 
blasted away with the Navarone Gun), and Will's SU-100 winning sorties 2

& 3 (don't let him be your wing-man near the end of the game!!!)

Hopefully all attendees will send in a posting or two describing their 
favorite moments, as well as any photos or movies they took.  John 
Carioti's wife said she got some video of the Centaur being cornered, so

maybe we'll see that without too much video editing :-)

        Frank P.