Rolling Barrages in FWW

[Volcano Man]

I will try to help.

Just taking one of your lines in the example...

Allied Powers, From: 06:05 26/9/1918 to 06:30 26/9/1918, Start Line: (0,10) - (8,10), End Line: (0,1) - (8,1): 3x3: 155mm Howitzer

Let's break it down piece by piece:

.....Allied Powers, From: 06:05 26/9/1918 to 06:30 26/9/1918

This is obvious I am sure. For the Allied Powers side, the barrage will occur from the time and date, to the second listed time and date where it will cease.

.....Start Line: (0,10) - (8,10)

This means that the start point of the barrage will be at hex 0,10 and the line will proceed to 8,10. In other words, the barrage will be along a line between those two points starting at 06:05 26/9/1918.

.....End Line: (0,1) - (8,1)

Similar to the start line, these are the two points that denote a line that the barrage will be on when the barrage ends on the end time mentioned above. In other words, the fire will be along a line between those two points at 06:30 26/9/1918.

.....3x3: 155mm Howitzer

This means that the barrage will be conducted by 155mm Howitzers, with 3 shots and 3 three sets of shots. You do not know the actual number of guns per barrage however, but typically these are grouped in batteries (so in this example it is probably 4 guns). So, a battery of guns firing three times, and in three groups of shots.

To put it another way, each time the artillery impacts, it would have X number of shots, and Y number of sets of shots. In this example X = 3 and Y = 3. The aim point is determined by Y sets of shots and X shots will scatter around that aim point. So, three times the game will determine the aim point along the barrage line and drop three shots. Each time it does this then a new aim point will be determined between those two points and three more shots will fall (for a total of 9 impacts).

Now the detail is what happens between the start and end point. What FWW does is, it takes the start and end line, and the start and end time, and it spreads the fire between the two so that it will walk between those two points. If the start and end time is a very long interval of turns and the start and end points are moderately spaced apart, then the barrages will move very slowly. If the stand and end points are very far apart and the length of the barrage is very short then it will move quickly, too quickly, between the two points.

In most cases (like your example) the barrage is broken into a battery firing a small parts of the same barrage line. However, in some other cases you have to pay attention because a barrage may move forward horizontally then stop, and then it may resume vertically, parallel to your advance walking outwards. Or it may shift to a specific point of interest and bombard that for a bit before resuming. You can get quite detailed with the rolling barrage in the scenario, as was historically the case of course.

One thing to watch out for is that you always have a chance a round may fall off target ... nothing you can really do about that other than don't bunch up too much as you follow it. No doubt in most cases the barrage will get to the enemy front line and proceed beyond it and leave you behind while you are still dealing with the enemy too, it happened frequently (historically speaking).

I hope that helps.