Imagine yourself on a motorway(freeway if you are reading this is the US!, Autostrada, Autobahn etc etc).. now look away into the distance at any car that is more that 500 metres away and coming toward you....
What is it??? RIGHT! You haven't got a clue!
Now, imagine yourself crouching down in the turret of your T34 near Prokhorovka on the 3rd day of the main German offensive... Enemy tanks are coming towards you through the smoke, burning, oily smoke, flying metal and dirt. The tank is bouncing up and down and you are choking on cordite fumes from the breach of your 76mm. Your gunner says " Enemy tanks at 3 o clock, range 800 metres.
Do you
a. Say: "don't bother shooting, it's a Tiger with armour value 8(going up to 9 at this range), we'll never do anything to it, let's pick an easier target" OR
b. "double move" round it's right flank and try a couple of shots from there
c. Reverse out of the way and get the hell out of there
d. FIRE!!!!
How many times did Allied troops in Normandy mistake EVERY German tank for a Tiger?
Well what I'm thinking is this.... developing a game mechanism whereby ANY MODEL TANK can be placed on the table over a certain distance from the shooter (thus creating a psychological effect). The real model will of course be known to the player and any damage will be taken (obviously with concealed/controlled dice rolling) in accordance with the ACTUAL STATS of what the target is supposed to be. But.... they gaming possibilities Your opponent places on a Panther, you take a shot from your M4A3 at 20 inches range and.... KNOCK IT OUT!!! Because it was actually a MkIIIJ! OR Your 88 opens up at a target which appears to be T34 at a range of 38 inches and the shell bounces straight off because it was in fact an ISII.
Yes you would need
a. Trust
b. Players who get on with each other
c. Umpire(maybe)
But .... it will work (I'll prove it in a game soon!)