New Campaign Scenarios are coming to refresh old favs

[cavalry corps]

Dear All,

Been playing these games fully as PBEM ( over longer than many folks have been here:) )and revamping the main scn to....

1. Make a balanced game in terms of points needed for each side. That has not been easy as PBEM but I think players could bet their life now on playing either side, that they have a chance.
2.Adjust the OOB (mainly based on the alt one) to reflect the historical strengths not just nuts and bolts and armour thickness but also the way the game plays in terms of what is understood of ww2 tactical and operational combat ( and the way the game system works which are not the same thing) - broadly mine seems to work but there are some departures to get used to.
3. Adjust the pdt to handle each situation a bit better than the original

SCN COMING SOON - JUST A FEW DAYS AWAY
CAMPAIGN FOR M44 V3.0
CAMPAIGN FOR B44 V2.0
CAMPAIGN FOR EA 42 V4.0

Some of these are only slightly changed from v1.0 of each, the biggest change is in M44, that is a snake with a bad tail.

All these have been played fully over years and these scn are the result of many many hours of play and tweaking. They may not be perfect but you will have a scn a side can win buy just doing a bit better than historical.

About to start playing M41 ...

Cav

[burroughs]

Well, MG'44 needed that badly in particular. It's great that somebody has been doing that, thanks a lot. After finishing the campaign there form both sides I decided I had had enough and am not getting back to that, but it feels like I may change my mind in that regard.

[cavalry corps]

My M44 is Minsk, sorry.

[burroughs]

Aw, yes, indeed, my bad. Well, it's still ... er ... great? It is and thanks again.

[cavalry corps]

My test player is just looking them over once more and then all three will be out here

MINSK 44 CAMPAIGN
EL ALAMEIN 42 CAMPAIGN
BULGE 44 CAMPAIGN

Cav

[Fhil]

Looking forward!

[76mm]

Is there any more detailed description of the changes you've made?

[cavalry corps]

There is a read me with each one but not everything

Here is a bit of stuff...

As I said not everything is 100% factual but it does allow a much more historical feel to play, that is my key objective.

Tanks and AT guns with good guns are much more effective because of the range modifier being 1 for example - working well. Before 88's 17pdrs etc were rubbish at ranged fire... I had to reduce some SA values and lower the range to 1 to fix the side effect of becoming to powerful - working well.

I have changed AA fire a lot to represent AA units being spread over more than 1 hex - working well. And keeps AA units out of the front line if possible.

With new HQ rules I have modified HQ ranges to represent a much more robust C+C structure. Where regt HQ are present they are typically 5 ( or lower ), to stop mixing of so many units of different commands - working well. With the parent HQ being typically 10 or more but say when just the Division HQ is present then the range is 15 or more ( for fully motorised units) to represent absence of the regt HQ. Trying to get players to use more historical frontages and keep formations together ( not working well before) . You have to think about placing your lower end HQ carefully...Things like that... all working well.

I did not have blanket morale values but in the campaigns some units have had to be revised upward to give staying power and some units lowered ( NG US Divs in B44 for example) to give less effective offensive power. Remember these scn are based on playing the PBEM campaign to the last turn. Some units in M44 for example have a range of values within divisions to some some quality leadership in some units especially in the Russians but likewise some have been made worse ( makes more chrome and gives some better tactical options to players) . Russians in M44 have good corp and Army commands ( ranges were far too low for most games taking into account the newer rules) but suffer at divisional level and below as historical ( or rather you get a historical feel).

Assault values/ soft attack values - changed these quite a lot. Based a lot on reading A Belvoirs book Armaggedon about the last year of the war.
No matter what folks say US and GBR knew the war was over ( everyone wanted to get back to civy street)- Allied units rely on fire power to disrupt and break units before assault and have lower morale in general so they have a higher chance of not being successful ( not because they are bad troops per say but because they get pinned - game terms disrupted. - all working well.
Russians have lower SA values ( representing lower leadership / NCO quality levels )but are worth ( need to) assault undisrupted units as there chance of being disrupted is also higher from defensive fire - so they get close and then assault - working well.
Germans have best of both worlds but they were still based around close assault. But with degrading morale in some units its not working well around the time of B44( like Bastogne) .

On armour most soft attack values have been decreased and max range 1 expect a few specialised units with my range modifier at 1 these units were way too effective. Some defence values espcially allied armour have been decreased to represent poor tactical employment in general yielding at times high losses.
Assault values generally a bit more standardised between lighter medium and heavy types. In some games ( esp EA42)German recovery rates are high to represent very good recovery of damaged tanks.

Movement, reduced truck usefulness a bit as this is a operational level game with truck in general not on roads all the time etc. We cannot use 30plus mph - that's kind of strategic movement outside the scope of the game. So we have to have it a bit lower in game to get the best feel.

Added night disruption values in - this is one of the best rules in the game to slow the pace of attack which is generally always been too high ( especially with the restricted defensive fire at 3 shots).

Re worked supply units to have very low defensive value ( set far too high before) , slightly lower ranges and generally lower morale. Supply units are now very vulnerable - working well.

Map - B44 ( exp supply) added a few more choke points and some of the west wall so that area is not contested or used by the allies to get to Berlin half way through the game - the value of playing the game fully exposed this! Supply for both sides reduced ( allied late game) and consumption up. Modified VP. in this scn the Germans can only inflict a casualty tally on the allies to make them lose momentum, try and hold a few road junction objectives like St Vith and Bastogne 9 at the end of the game). Germans have a lot of supply in dumps but ongoing the quality of the horsdrawn especially is low range / poor morale and they suffer a lot of breakdown losses and very easliy disrupt.

Minsk 44 - ( no exp supply) added in proper defences for the Germans, it was a well fortified section of the front the designers seem to have omitted this. A very tough game for both sides now with Russians supply diminishing as the game proceeds. Modified VP . Should be tricky and close to take Minsk now.

EA 42 ( exp supply) Modified VP added in more supply for both sides, changed a lot of command ranges, some morale VP locations and values.

That's the kind of stuff - you need to try it , taste it and work with it. I value comments there may still be a few omissions in the oob - if so they are easy to fix.

I will ask my play tester and co designer to post something as well.

[Rev Rico]

Well, MG'44 needed that badly in particular. It's great that somebody has been doing that, thanks a lot. After finishing the campaign there form both sides I decided I had had enough and am not getting back to that, but it feels like I may change my mind in that regard.

Have you tried my alternative CG for MG'44? Not only does it include a revised historical OOB (well, as best as one can find). it does make for a better PBEM game IMO.
https://www.theblitz.club/message_boards...?tid=48140

[burroughs]

Certainly. However the 1st Airborne hanging north of the Rhine for how long they wish is still there. Each parachute division is actually a steamroller of its own and that is in stark opposition to historic facts. It's the only wargame in which I managed to capture and hold the Arnhem bridge - or was unable to prevent that as Heeresguppe B - and the XXX Corps didn't have to hurry - or even arrive at all.