Exercise T
A Scenario for Ogre
by David Morse
Introduction
"Exercise T" is another virtual war between Ogre AIs. It is for any number of players, but especially three. Also, if a player is late, he may join in even after the game has started. Thus, "Exercise T" is an ideal party game.
Players get waves of forces. When all units of a wave are wiped out, the next wave is eligible to enter.
Setup
"Exercise T" uses strictly Ogre rules and units; access to G.E.V. is not necessary.
Use the Ogre map. Place a command post on the board at hex 0808. Units may not leave the map. Hex row xx16 and south is impassable.
Players seat themselves around the table, then randomly determine which player will go first. Play proceeds counter-clockwise. When a late player arrives, randomly seat them between existing players.
Player Forces
A player's first wave consists of 2 GEVs, 2 heavy tanks, and 2 missile tanks. A player's second wave consists of an Ogre Mk III.
When all units of a wave are destroyed, the next wave will enter.
Also, players may use the command post to radio for additional reinforcements. These units are not part of a wave and do not inhibit the entry of a successive wave.
Player Entry
When a wave of units enters, randomly determine their entry hex from the diagram at right. All units enter from that hex, on this turn, paying 1 MP to enter. Mark the entry hex as busy. No other waves may enter from that hex for two full turns after you use it as an entry point. Thus in a 7+ player game, only 6 players will participate in the first two turns; the others have to wait for an entry point to free up before coming in. If there are hostile forces in the entry hex, units may instead enter from the first unoccupied clockwise hex.
The Command Post
The command post may not be targeted. Units may not end in the same hex as, nor move through, the command post. The CP can't be destroyed by player action. Unfortunately, at the end of turn ten it is destroyed due to a software bug in its not-exploding subsystem.
After turn two, the command post may be used to call for reinforcements. At the beginning of a player's turn, if he has one or more unit adjacent to the command post he may radio for reinforcements. Roll a die and consult the table below for the type of reinforcement(s). Normally a player gets a single unit, however if the player is the only one controlling units adjacent to the CP, he gets three units of the type rolled. The reinforcements enter that turn from a randomly determined non-busy entry point. This does not make that entry point busy. In the unlikely event that all entry points are busy, you get no unit, but get to cash the unit in for freebie victory points at the usual rate: either six or eighteen.
Roll
Reinforcement
1
Heavy Tank
2
Heavy Tank
3
Missile Tank
4
Missile Tank
5
GEV
6
GEV
If insufficient numbers of miniatures (or counters) of a given armor type are not available, don't sweat it; just roll again.
Ending the Game
It's a battle to the bitter end.
Victory
The object of the game is to score the most victory points. Victory points are scored for inflicting damage on enemy units, and lost for surrendering.
When units you control surrender, subtract their VP value from your score.
Firing Ogre missiles (and cruise missiles) does not cost VP; however, if they're shot down, the player that shoots them down gets standard VP.
When rams occur, only the ramming player gets VP. Example: A Mk III rams a Heavy tank, and destroys it. The attacker gets 6 VP for smushing the tank. The defender does not get 2 VP for destroying the 2 points of Ogre treads.
For purposes of scoring in this game, Ogres are just collections of their aggregate parts. There is no bonus score for dealing the finishing blow to an Ogre.
The winner is the player with the most points. Second and third place are also desirable.
Special Rules
Surrender
Units may surrender at the beginning of their controller's turn, right after disabled units undisable. Units from the last wave may not surrender. Surrendered units are removed from play immediately.
Disabled units may not surrender; they're too stunned.
If the last unit of a wave surrenders on a given turn, the player is eligible to enter with his next wave on that very turn.
Surrender is normally only important in the advanced scenario, where there is the possibility for immobilized Mk III Ogres being left to rot in order to stymie the entry of the third wave.
No Suicide
Players may not target their own units. Even if they do manage to somehow destroy themselves, they don't gain VP, they lose them.
No Ogre Antipersonnel
In most versions of "Exercise T" there are no infantry. In these versions cost-conscious Ogre engineers have removed the extraneous AP guns from all Ogres.
Advanced scenario
As per the regular rules above, but players receive a third wave. Each may choose one entry from the table below:
Gunslinger
Ogre Mk V
Speed Demon
Ogre Mk IV
Missile Monger
Fencer-B
Horde Master
Ogre Mk III-B, 2 × GEV, 2 × HVY, 2 × MSL
The Command Post does not explode until turn fifteen.
G.E.V. variant
This variant is for players with more expertise, and is usually combined with the advanced scenario.
Use the G.E.V. map instead. Use G.E.V. rules, including overruns. Entry points are named in the table below. Place the CP in hex 1211. All bridges and towns are intact. No G.E.V. optional rules are used. The initial armor may be of any type their controller wishes: players may take up to 36 VP worth of armor and/or infantry, including cruise missile crawlers.
Roll
Entry
1
0401
2
2304
3
2315
4
1822
5
0422
6
0112
Reinforcements should consult this table instead:
Roll
Reinforcement
1
Heavy Tank
2
2 × Light Tank
3
Missile Tank
4
GEV
5
2 × LGEV
6
Superheavy Tank!
If a player is the undisputed master of the CP, instead of getting the usual triple reward he receives a fully loaded cruise missile crawler.
If a cruise missile detonates because of being shot down, the intercepting player gets all the VP, except for any losses he himself sustains, which go to the cruise missile owner.
Ogre Engineer Variant
Players may design their armor units and Ogres using the Unofficial Ogre Miniatures Unit Cost Formula.
Strategy Notes
Try to centralize your forces. it's a game of exploiting opportunities, and the center offers the most of them.
Armor and Ogre main batteries are usually the best targets, because they're worth the most VP. Ogre-to-Ogre rams are quite profitable as well.
In most Ogre scenarios, when your forces are destroyed you have fewer forces. That is not the case in "Exercise T" -- for most of the game, the faster your forces die, the faster your forces improve! That's not to say you should brazenly endanger your forces, but you should strive to exchange them for a modest number of victory points. In other words: Have fun and be violent!
Article publication date: June 7, 2002
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