Point Values

[umbro]

It seems to me that this debate is complicated because unit VPs are being used for two distinct (and radically different) uses.

1) As a measure of relative combat effectiveness, and
2) as a measure of "value".

In the original game these were conflated, which, though inaccurate did not have as many side effects as JTCS as there were fewer units where the two uses produced radically different values.

The classic debate that brings up this difference is that over the VP assignment of non-combat transport vehicles. By 1) they should have a value of 0 (unless you allow them to be used to cut off retreat paths), by 2) they should have a much larger.

One would expect early war British infantry platoons to have the same VP value as their late war counterparts by model 1) and a radically increased value under 2) as lack of manpower pressures became more pronounced.

As you can see we have a very mixed model right now. Were the game engine to allow free-form unit selection ala DBM a new value (PP - purchase price) would have to be added.

Luckily, the game engine provides a solution - the Scenario Designer! The SD can change VP conditions (objectives, starting forces, victory levels, etc.) to accommodate all the above. However, the SD will need to be able to use Excel. Perhaps the best thing that the game can do to help the SD is to provide tools that allow the SD to look up data readily and make those calculations easily.

umbro