Updated Normandy'44_Alt (third time, 13 AUG)

[Volcano Man]

Well shoot me down in flames.
I know all the Alt scenarios for all the games use the recommended rules as set out by Ed, as is the case here.
However the Normandy campaign as designed is the ONLY game in the series which I am aware of which uses all four alt resolution rules as default, which maybe alien to people who have played other games in the series.
So my question is why was three alt rules dropped and only one made the cut.
P.S. maybe I've lost the plot here and am out on a tangent, please be gentle.

Good question. The deal was, that original game was designed around all the Alternative Resolution rules, mainly because of the small level units. IIRC, this was sort of a thing that was adopted over time because the stock game produced little in the way of casualties once all the smaller units began firing at each other, which seemed like an exercise in futility, and this was made even worse by the relatively low attack values of old. The _Alt drops all but one Alternative Resolution rule because it was deemed that they are no longer needed because of the higher attack ratings of the units. Alt Assault Resolution is still required because there are some range 0 hard attack values, plus IMO, I think it establishes the hard vs. soft relationship better in assaults.

That said, you can try it with the other Alternative Resolution rules in effect, the Alt notes state that those recommended rules should be mandatory, and anything beyond that is your personal preference. That said, with Alternative Resolution rules all on, you may likely get unintentionally high casualty rates from artillery, for example, because they are generally more powerful. All I can really say is that the _Alt values were made with the suggested rules in mind. :)

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The allies breaking out is not much of a problem, as they don't have the units to exploit a break out. And in the mid game, the Germans will outnumber and out-quality them...so it is not in the allied interests to be spread out all over the map...unless they can reach the supply centers in the far south. (Very doubtful).

What will happen, is the Germans will retreat until the bad weather, then form a line. The British cannot break out at Caen, as the Germans have terrain and quality. And the Americans really have no where to go...and have to worry about cutting off the peninsula...

Yes, I think that sums up the historical situation as well, although not quite so bleak of course. Hopefully the recent changes help out a little there, and the German armor isn't quite so superior over the allied armor now with the reduction in HA power (it still is superior, but not excessively so).

I just think the 250 turns of the campaign should have a historical objective in mind for the Allies:

Phase 1) Get off the beach (obviously)
Phase 2) Link the beachheads
Phase 3) Cut off Cherbourg
Phase 4) Capture Cherbourg
Phase 5) Hold on to whatever you can, and push wherever possible while the clock runs out.

I think it best to think of Normandy '44 more as a World War I type campaign in that there should really only be limited objectives once the sides fortify.

In 250 turns there shouldn't be any breakthroughs. I *think* if the Allies can achieve a historical situation by turn 250 of the standard campaign then they should get a victory. If they do not or cannot, then someone please tell me the ending VP level so I can fix that. However, once we start talking about the 750 turn monster then that is a whole different ball of wax. I don't think anyone in the history of PzC has ever played that one to completion, stock or otherwise (someone correct me if I am wrong!). So what happens after turn 250 to 300++ is anyone's best guess. The carpet bombers may help crush the German fortified line, or should. But I have never gotten that far, so I wouldn't know. :o Of course we have to keep in mind that it required this type of firepower to break the German line once it solidified, so this should (and does IMO) translate into the situation in the game.

When I first started playing I was alarmed at the amount of damage I was taking from air interdiction...but then realized that it didn't actually matter. My units would be hit moving up the roads, and be be slowed/damaged from it...but I would spend a few turns near the front, and let them regain their strength. I did lose outright some artillery units that I was evacing from the peninsula, though. The end result is maybe a day delay before the unit can be put in the front line.

Yes indeed, and that is precisely the point of interdiction. I think the old way that everyone hated was when units would get hit in just about ever hex, and were often destroyed to the man, thereby preventing all movement. However, I believe the current interdiction (now at 45% probability) is meant to have a more historical purpose: hindrance. If the Germans have to rest interdicted units for a day, then that is good, it is out of the fight for a moment which may be critical.

In a game I am playing at the moment (using the latest _Alt), the German Sturm Btl that starts SE of Cherbourg was moving south along the road and got interdicted a few times along the way (three turns of movement to the front, or so). One unit was disrupted and stuck on a ridge which happened to have LOS to other Allied units where it was then hit by P-38s and lost half its strength. That unit is essentially out of the fight now for possibly a week or so before it will be effective. Several other units were hit and slowed as well, and the result was one company getting to the front "on time" while the others were re-routed or slowed. The entire battalion is scattered and is of various fatigue and strength level now, so the interdiction was effective. My German Panzer IVs from the 21st Pz Div were hit once losing several tanks, which was enough to cause me to deploy them and move tactically from that point on. Successfully slowed, but safe.

I think this is really the fine balance to strive for: interdiction that isn't Gulf War '91 "highway of death" type of destruction and frequency, but rather at a level that is noticeable, moderately annoying, and a hindrance. Anything beyond that gets into the realm of completely frustrating, and to the degree that the Germans cannot mount a defense effectively (which was an early problem in the stock game before interdiction was adjusted there too).