War on the S

[MichaelT]

Here are my designer notes:

Designers Notes

Sept 2009

Desert War 41-42

V 1.0

This scenario begins with the Axis attack from El Agheila in March 1941 and ends in December 1942, ranging from Tripoli to the Nile Delta for 324 turns. While an historical result is possible it is most likely that players will make their own history. Reading the designers notes is a must.

At this stage many of the functions that are required for a campaign game in the Total War in Europe (TWIE) game system do not exist. So I have had to improvise. To play this scenario players require a level of integrity. There are many situations where ‘gamey’ tactics could be employed. So to play the game as I intend players need to use some common sense. As TWIE evolves many of the solutions I have had to implement will be resolved within the game engine itself. Thus I will be able to remove my work arounds.

HQ’s

There are no HQ’s in the game. So don’t check the HQ optional rule. I could not use HQ’s because units in the rear all go ‘out of command’. This means reinforcements moving to the front are crippled. So at this stage no HQ’s.

Sea Capacity

I have modified the embark.dat file. You will need to use my modified file for the game to work properly. I have given the Axis a very small capacity in the Eastern/Central Med. This is needed for several reasons. Firstly the Axis were able to ship small amounts of supplies and reinforcements to Benghazi and Tobruk. Secondly I am using Crete as a holding box for replacement units. Players must ship out replaced units as need.

I have also greatly reduced the Allied sea capacity for the Eastern/Central Med. With the stock capacity and no limitation on port capacity it is too easy for the Allied player to ship units in to or out of Tobruk rather than moving across the desert.

AI

There is no AI in this scenario. It is strictly human vs human.

Rebuilding Eliminated Units

To date there is no method of bringing dead units back in to the game within the TWIE system. So I have placed a ‘shadow’ cadre for most units in Crete. Crete is used as ‘holding box’ for both Axis and Allied replacement units. Common sense by players is required here. These units should only be brought in to the playing area of the game if the original unit is destroyed. Replacement points should not be applied to these shadow units until brought in the game through elimination of the original unit.

Most units have the historical unit designation. But a few, like supply units, are generic. These are brought in to the game on a one for one basis.

Obviously Crete is not really in the game. Its just a holding box, not a theatre of war.


Air Unit replacements

To date there are no air replacements in TWIE. So every two months I have removed all air units and replace them with full strength equivalents. So use your air assets wisely. What you have has to last you 2 months.

Upgrades

Again no method in TWIE for upgrades. So the best I could do is this. When a unit is due for an upgrade it will be withdrawn one turn before the upgrade is due. On the turn of the upgrade the player will have a ‘Strategy Option’ presented to them which allows them to chose where the new upgraded unit(s) will appear. There are four choices each. For the Allied player they are Cairo, Matruh, Tobruk or Sidrah. For the Axis Tripoli, Agheila, just SW of Tobruk and just SW of Matruh.

Players must use common sense and fair play here. Units should be upgraded at the point closest to where the old unit was withdrawn from, not teleported behind enemy lines or to some other more advantageous point.

I have no way of knowing what the state the units being upgraded will be in. So all upgrades appear at full strength but at 80-85% effectiveness. This is open to abuse. Players should not run a unit about to be upgraded in to the ground because they know it will be upgraded soon.

Some Final Notes

This game is very playable if players use common sense. TWIE is not completely ready for long campaigns just yet. I have used some crude work arounds to cover the limitations in the game. Please bare that in mind.

Hopefully HPS will make TWIE campaign friendly as time goes on. It has great potential. If enough people play this mod and make suggestions/constructive criticisms via the boards HPS will improve the system.

I expect that as improvements are made to TWIE I will be able to improve this CG and remove many of the crude work arounds I have used. I also intend (if enough interest suggests it and HPS improve the TWIE system) to extend the game from Dec 1940 to May 1943.

Finally, if you play this game please make it known via the boards and make comments. The more you say the more HPS will listen and the closer we will get to the ultimate division level PC wargame. Hope you enjoy the game.