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CMAK
Kampfgruppe Richter in Budel. Dilemma, fight the allies or retreat?
A Very British Civil War
Note: this is clearly a “what-if” scenario, loosely based on the bustling miniatures war gaming off-shoot of the same name. Outstanding work has been done by Solway Crafts and Miniatures, and I credit them with the brilliance of this war gaming theme.
Background
England, May 1938 (designer note: note the in-game calendar notes “1944”; this is only to create the optics of lush green environment of the British Isles)
Weather: overcast, mild, dry
The very social fabric of Great Britain was torn during the apocalypse that was The Great War. The mightiest empire on the globe ended victorious, but at what cost? The rigid social hierarchy was shaken, and the world wide waves of social change did not stop at the English Channel. Class structure, worker’s rights, regional animosities have all brewed in the decades following the Great War. This has all been exacerbated by the crippling economic crisis of the 1930s, to which the ever cautious government responded to by constricting public spending ever more.
In May 1937, King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom married Wallis Simpson. The marriage to Wallis was not supported by Stanley Baldwin, the British Prime Minister; and King Edward refused to abdicate. This marriage left the British government, and most of the people, alienated; and public hatred for King Edward and Queen Wallis rose. Parliament was torn, and in the general election of 1937, Baldwin was defeated. The Conservative party, ripped by the issue of King Edward’s marriage, as well as economic and regional tensions, broke apart, and a large segment of the Tory support went to the British Union of Fascists. Oswald Mosley’s promise to ensure public order, and shore up the Empire, resonated with a public tired of public disturbances, strikes in essential services, and the economic malaise. The Labour party too split, with the more radical sections forming their own splinter parties which ran their own candidates. The 1937 election results saw a fractured parliament, and although only winning slightly over 200 seats, and less than 30% of the vote, the BUF formed the largest caucus in the House of Commons. King Edward VIII asked Oswald Mosely to form a government. Mosley did so and almost immediately issued “Orders of Council”, outlawing strikes, restricting collective bargaining, and establishing new offences for unauthorized public gatherings, and publishing “any article intended to alarm the public”. Any opposition was swiftly responded to, if not by the police, then by Mosely’s own BUF Blackshirts, the BUF’s paramilitary wing.
In January 1938, a protest by Dockyard workers in Liverpool was brutally crushed by the BUF and elements of the Regular Army; and violent clashes began across the country; between the Kings troops and those of several other factions. The British Civil War has begun!

Factions: The outbreak of conflict led several groups to attempt to seize the country or their own personal goals. Major factions included:
On the Right (Axis in this scenario
* The Edwardian Army – elements of the professional Army, bound to King Edward VIII.
* The Royal Navy and Royal Marines – bound by tradition and culture to remain loyal to the reigning monarch, and the majority have done so.
* The British Union of Fascists (or “BUF”) – the dominant political party, led by Oswald MOSLEY and heavily backed by German and Italian interests. Mosley has garnered considerable support in his efforts to restore order internally and restore the status of Britain’s Empire
* The Mosley Youth – a “social club” of young men, who have been drilled and armed by unknown sources, and have formed para-military units to push the BUF agenda.
* Foreign Volunteer Units: after the recruiting of numerous foreign elements to fight in the Spanish Civil War, similar detachments have been formed to back those with similar agendas in the British Civil War. Contingents from other fascist and imperialist sympathizers have been formed. Here we will see the presence of the “Hanoverian Legion”, volunteers from Germany, who are backing the Edwardian and BUF efforts
On the Left (Allied in this scenario)
* The Albertine Army – elements of the regular forces, plus most of the “Territorial Army”, backing the young Prince Albert’s claim to the throne.
* The Anglican League - A large army led by a group of bishops and archbishops, they were aligned with the Albertine Army. Many are veterans of the Great War.
* The People’s Party Army - Made up of disillusioned Labour party supporters, disgruntled workers and Spanish Civil War veterans, they are seeking to turn Britain into a Socialist state based upon Lenin's Russia.
* The Farmer’s Union: radical small plot farmers and farm working hands, seeking better pay, price subsidies, and land redistribution. They are heavily influenced by Marxist doctrine.
* The Student’s Union: like students before and after them, the university students have ramparts to thwart whomever they view as authoritarian,
* Foreign Volunteer Units: after the recruiting of numerous foreign elements to fight in the Spanish Civil War, similar detachments have been formed to back those with similar agendas in the British Civil War. Groups of Americans, Canadians, and ANZAC units have been formed; here we will see the Lafayette Battalion, formed of French volunteers, many fresh from the savage fighting in Spain.
This scenario occurs in the West Coast port town of Twaddlemore. Twaddlemore is the home base for a small Royal Navy destroyer flotilla, as well as being a mid-sized port for international commerce. Given that the United Kingdom lives or dies based on this freedom to trade overseas, the port is vital to all in this conflict. The Royal Navy, which for the most part has remained loyal to King Edward VIII, dispatched the flotilla two days ago to join the rest of the fleet, tasked with stemming the flow of foreign volunteers coming to fight for their faction of choice. Many of these foreigners have come directly from fighting for the Nationalists or the Republicans in Spain, who have endured two years of their own brutal Civil War already.
Yesterday the dock workers, who are heavily influenced by communist agents and are affiliated with the People’s Party, refused to move armaments stored in the dock warehouses. Instead, they armed themselves and fighting broke out when security staff sought to control the situation. Who opened fire first is both in dispute and a moot point at this juncture. A company of the Army’s Provost Corps was rushed to Twaddlemore by train, but a bomb was used to derail the trail just outside of town. Multiple factions are either in town currently or rumoured to be headed this way. The Telephone Exchange is the key to communicating with the rest of the country, and is clearly a goal to secure. Likewise, the docks and the armaments stored there in are also of immense value. Lastly, the mysterious new Wireless Tower being built on the south shore is of unknown value, as the work crews are from “away” and appear to be quite Teutonic in manner.
This battle will surely prove that the term “Civil War” is clearly a misnomer.
A historically fictional 'what if' look at the events leading up to the Deutsche Afrika Korps capture of Tobruk in June 1942.
SCENARIO DESCRIPTION
A meeting engagement played out in the wooded terrain of the Ardennes at the beginning of the Bulge. 60+ turns.

The Germans are trying to seize important territory: bridges, cross-roads, and towns to allow breakthrough armored thrusts. Central to this map is the village of L’Shone and its surrounding road network.

The Americans are trying to occupy the same terrain to prevent its use by the Germans.

Best played as: H2H
Second Best played as: H2H
(Not designed for vs. AI play due to mounted units)

Map edge friendly to Axis: East. Map edge friendly to Allies: West.

It is hard to believe that it was only a week ago when we first heard of “The Outbreak”. Initially it was thought to be a terrorist biological attack, with outbreaks in large cities overwhelming medical facilities. But soon it was apparent it was much more… the more we hear, the more we realize that we know very little – the cause – the prognosis – or the scale of this crisis. All remain unknown – at least to the general populace. What the “government” knows may be something else again.
You are Jack McCann, police chief in the small coastal tourist town of Shady Acres, Maine. Normally by this time of the year, your town is overrun with loud tourists from the cities of the East Coast. If only that were the case.
Four days ago a large staff of the Center for Disease Control showed up at the Town Hall, and brusquely informed the Mayor, Chuck Zeto, that the Federal Government was immediately taking control of “Shady Island”, a favourite picnic spot in the bay. This was all one-way communication, you don’t know much more other than soon thereafter a convoy of sealed trucks arrived and barbed wire was being strung across the access bridge to the island.
The National Guard has been mobilized, and your own police force has been placed under the command of the governor’s office.
And yet even now, you are not sure why. A strange illness has swept the globe, but what little news was initially released was like something from a bad movie. Now that trickle of news has stopped altogether. The official story is that a Chinese cyber attack has shut down the Internet, but this being Small Town America, there are a lot of conspiracy theories floating about.
The Mayor, Chuck Zeto, who also is the local bank manager, has asked that citizens assist in securing the town from whatever threats may arise. Given that the local National Rifle Association sponsored Chuck’s last campaign, their members were eager to show their affinity for the 2nd amendment and reaffirm their ownership of large capacity magazines and assault rifles. With some hesitation, you agreed to deputize these men, but have asked them to stay at home until they may actually be required. Their training and experience doesn’t necessarily match their enthusiasm.
You were at your office all night. You had a call from Doctor Jacobie at the hospital. Dr. Jacobie, a Vietnam war draft dodger who only returned from Canada in the 1990s, is determined to ignore what he considers a “fascist edict” that all patients in suspected cases of the “outbreak” be turned over to the C.D.C. immediately and quarantined on the Island. “It reminds me of the interment of the Japanese in 1942!” Jacobie ranted, and he said he would treat all patients as “patients, not criminals”. At that, you sent two teams of part time deputies to the hospital to deal with any issues that may arise.
The town is an important transportation hub, in that the coastal railway runs through the town. The Railway has deployed their own security at the train station, as if there is an epidemic, it is important to prevent those infected from traveling. Hopefully they have enough staff to do the job.
You remained in your office all night, and it seemed that things may be calming down, but then with a complete news black out, and the mute C.D.C. guards by the island Park, who knows? You did receive several calls from citizens overnight, reporting screams and other noises from the areas near cemeteries last night; typically the local teens will go there to drink and smoke up. Although you usually will send a Deputy to put the run on them, there are more important things to do now.
The sun is coming up, but a heavy thick fog has blankets the town. A convoy of C.D.C. relieve staff are expected in from Bangor any minute; hopefully they have some news. To allow your exhausted staff get some needed rest, two detachments of National Guard troops will be arriving, one is about 5 minutes away and a second convoy from the east in another 5 minutes after that. It will be good to get home and hit the sheets. You are so tired you feel like the walking dead.
Your phone rings. It is the security detail from the train station. Old man Codger, a elderly farmer who lives north east of town, has just shown up at the Rail station, out of breath and terrified. He is rambling about being attacked at his home, and that the only way he could escape is by setting the buildings on fire. You had better send a Deputy to go interview him. It sounds bizarre.
The phone rings again… it is Deputy Boomhauer at the hospital. He sounds quite distraught. Apparently the hospital was overwhelmed with patients overnight, and now he reports the motion detector alarms in the morgue have gone off.
At that second the switch board lights up, and several simultaneous “10-78” calls are received – “officer need assistance!”… What the?????”

This scenario is
1) Meant strictly for play against the AI. Although it one player wants to try playing the Axis/Zombies, please feel free.
2) The scenario is meant to be strictly for fun.
3) Watch you ammo loads. Shoot for the head. You only have the ammo you brought into the fight.
August 12,1944. France. SE of Argentan.
Married platoons of U.S. 5th Armored Division
night out-posts.
France, 1940 - Case Red.

Heavy Tanks of the 4th DCR must smash a hole in the advancing German line - but there are complications.
At Dornot, the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps' first attempt to establish a bridgehead on the Moselle River south of Metz met bloody failure. Two and a half miles south of Dornot the XX Corps' 10 Infantry Regiment is trying once more to establish a permanent bridgehead across the Moselle at Arnaville. Since the first U.S. troops crossed at Arnaville on the night of 8/9 September, the Germans have been launching increasingly vicious counterattacks in an effort to destroy the bridgehead and repeat what happened at Dornot.
This is an Aug 44 meeting engagement between Brit and German mech forces in Belgium. The map is based on a satellite photo of Neubruck just southeast of St. Vith.
Cassino town was destroyed by Allied Airforces on Wednesday, March 15th, along with the abby known as Monte Cassino. "The town was blown assunder and beaten into heaps of rubble, the official British history reported. Yet hundreds of bombs and thousands of shells failed to pound the town to powder, contrary to Allied expectations, nor were the surviving defenders 'rendered comatose', as planned." --The Day of Battle
CMBB
The Axis launch a major attack on the Allied defenses.
Soviet vs. German Meeting Engagement. 60+ turns.
Best played as: H2H (Not recommended for vs. AI play due to mounted infantry.)

In recent weeks, this industrial center has been the scene of increasingly sharp clashes between recon units and regular forces. Both sides have traded jabs over this important airplane fabrication city. Both have moved into the town and then been forced out again. No one seems to be able to hold it. The landing gear assembly plant on the edge of town was occupied by the Red Army a few days ago and then burned and destroyed as the Wehrmacht forced them out. Much of the town lies untouched, but the workers and residents know it is just a matter of time before a major battle rages through the streets of their city…

After another bloody engagement, both sides have backed off. Again, in the still of a Sunday morning under the cover of a pounding rainstorm, both sides push forces forward to gain possession of the city.

No one is sure where the front lines lie. Is the enemy in front of you? Or is he gone?

Push forward, as so many before you have tried, and hold this town once and for all!
This is a CMBB scenario, modelling Plan Yellow in France in May 1940.
It is a "dynamic flag" scenario, on a large map that will provide many options in attack and defence.
July 1941, a german advance detachment, composed of motorized infantry with Stug support, attempts to cut off retreating russian forces.
Russians attack three German-held villages in an attempt to secure the flank of a future offensive.
July, 1944. Operation Bagration already going on since one month. The german north front runs danger to be cut off. Setting down of german troops in western direction
runs among constant attacks of soviet armoured shock forces...
43-02-01, South. SS commandos save Kleist's troops from encirclement. Fictional.
42-07-10, South. Axis forces in Group A cross the Donits to secure northern flank in the beggining of Fall Blau Operation. Semi-fictional.
October, 1942
In the northern Caucaus, along the Terek river line, the battle has been raging brutally for nearly two months. Germany's 13.Panzer-Division tasked with taking the key junction city of Vladikavkaz (Ordzhonikidze) has been stymied in it's every attempt to breakthrough.

But now, at the end of October a break has been achieved through the first mountain range and panzers are rolling along the valley near Ardon, on a back route to Vladikavkaz.

The Russians, somewhat disorganized, are withdrawing to new positions. A desperate stand is ordered to slow the German advance and buy time to set-up the new defensive positions.

Russian breakout from a Kessel against a German blocking force.
CMBO
German infantry dawn attack during the Battle of the Bulge. American infantry caught off-guard whilst lining up for chow.

VPs for casualties and German exit points only.
Before dawn on D-Day the British airbourne must destroy the gun batteries at Vierville.
Koen - A Town to conquer
*****************************************

a Couple of weeks ago the Allies have conquered one of the major towns in France.

Now the Germans broke through the American line of defense in the Ardennes and are advancing rapidly towards this town.

Can the Allied commander hold this town?
November 1944, the French 2nd Armored Division is tasked to breach the German fortified line of the Vosges mountains. This battle takes place on the second days of the attack. The different French Task forces are competing with each other in order to be the first to reach the plain of Alsace. The company team Minjonnet (part of the Task Force Massu) blocked close to Voyer in a narrow valley by German remnants of the 708. ID has to bypass quickly this resistance. The French can be sure that their old enemy is not about to ease their action !
An American WWII GI's dream come true- a "what if" American assault on Berlin AND a chance to personally bag the ol'Führer himself!
Arnhem Bridge battle. British airborne against armoured SS.
Updated Scenarios
CMAK
A Very British Civil War
Note: this is clearly a “what-if” scenario, loosely based on the bustling miniatures war gaming off-shoot of the same name. Outstanding work has been done by Solway Crafts and Miniatures, and I credit them with the brilliance of this war gaming theme.
Background
England, May 1938 (designer note: note the in-game calendar notes “1944”; this is only to create the optics of lush green environment of the British Isles)
Weather: overcast, mild, dry
The very social fabric of Great Britain was torn during the apocalypse that was The Great War. The mightiest empire on the globe ended victorious, but at what cost? The rigid social hierarchy was shaken, and the world wide waves of social change did not stop at the English Channel. Class structure, worker’s rights, regional animosities have all brewed in the decades following the Great War. This has all been exacerbated by the crippling economic crisis of the 1930s, to which the ever cautious government responded to by constricting public spending ever more.
In May 1937, King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom married Wallis Simpson. The marriage to Wallis was not supported by Stanley Baldwin, the British Prime Minister; and King Edward refused to abdicate. This marriage left the British government, and most of the people, alienated; and public hatred for King Edward and Queen Wallis rose. Parliament was torn, and in the general election of 1937, Baldwin was defeated. The Conservative party, ripped by the issue of King Edward’s marriage, as well as economic and regional tensions, broke apart, and a large segment of the Tory support went to the British Union of Fascists. Oswald Mosley’s promise to ensure public order, and shore up the Empire, resonated with a public tired of public disturbances, strikes in essential services, and the economic malaise. The Labour party too split, with the more radical sections forming their own splinter parties which ran their own candidates. The 1937 election results saw a fractured parliament, and although only winning slightly over 200 seats, and less than 30% of the vote, the BUF formed the largest caucus in the House of Commons. King Edward VIII asked Oswald Mosely to form a government. Mosley did so and almost immediately issued “Orders of Council”, outlawing strikes, restricting collective bargaining, and establishing new offences for unauthorized public gatherings, and publishing “any article intended to alarm the public”. Any opposition was swiftly responded to, if not by the police, then by Mosely’s own BUF Blackshirts, the BUF’s paramilitary wing.
In January 1938, a protest by Dockyard workers in Liverpool was brutally crushed by the BUF and elements of the Regular Army; and violent clashes began across the country; between the Kings troops and those of several other factions. The British Civil War has begun!

Factions: The outbreak of conflict led several groups to attempt to seize the country or their own personal goals. Major factions included:
On the Right (Axis in this scenario
* The Edwardian Army – elements of the professional Army, bound to King Edward VIII.
* The Royal Navy and Royal Marines – bound by tradition and culture to remain loyal to the reigning monarch, and the majority have done so.
* The British Union of Fascists (or “BUF”) – the dominant political party, led by Oswald MOSLEY and heavily backed by German and Italian interests. Mosley has garnered considerable support in his efforts to restore order internally and restore the status of Britain’s Empire
* The Mosley Youth – a “social club” of young men, who have been drilled and armed by unknown sources, and have formed para-military units to push the BUF agenda.
* Foreign Volunteer Units: after the recruiting of numerous foreign elements to fight in the Spanish Civil War, similar detachments have been formed to back those with similar agendas in the British Civil War. Contingents from other fascist and imperialist sympathizers have been formed. Here we will see the presence of the “Hanoverian Legion”, volunteers from Germany, who are backing the Edwardian and BUF efforts
On the Left (Allied in this scenario)
* The Albertine Army – elements of the regular forces, plus most of the “Territorial Army”, backing the young Prince Albert’s claim to the throne.
* The Anglican League - A large army led by a group of bishops and archbishops, they were aligned with the Albertine Army. Many are veterans of the Great War.
* The People’s Party Army - Made up of disillusioned Labour party supporters, disgruntled workers and Spanish Civil War veterans, they are seeking to turn Britain into a Socialist state based upon Lenin's Russia.
* The Farmer’s Union: radical small plot farmers and farm working hands, seeking better pay, price subsidies, and land redistribution. They are heavily influenced by Marxist doctrine.
* The Student’s Union: like students before and after them, the university students have ramparts to thwart whomever they view as authoritarian,
* Foreign Volunteer Units: after the recruiting of numerous foreign elements to fight in the Spanish Civil War, similar detachments have been formed to back those with similar agendas in the British Civil War. Groups of Americans, Canadians, and ANZAC units have been formed; here we will see the Lafayette Battalion, formed of French volunteers, many fresh from the savage fighting in Spain.
This scenario occurs in the West Coast port town of Twaddlemore. Twaddlemore is the home base for a small Royal Navy destroyer flotilla, as well as being a mid-sized port for international commerce. Given that the United Kingdom lives or dies based on this freedom to trade overseas, the port is vital to all in this conflict. The Royal Navy, which for the most part has remained loyal to King Edward VIII, dispatched the flotilla two days ago to join the rest of the fleet, tasked with stemming the flow of foreign volunteers coming to fight for their faction of choice. Many of these foreigners have come directly from fighting for the Nationalists or the Republicans in Spain, who have endured two years of their own brutal Civil War already.
Yesterday the dock workers, who are heavily influenced by communist agents and are affiliated with the People’s Party, refused to move armaments stored in the dock warehouses. Instead, they armed themselves and fighting broke out when security staff sought to control the situation. Who opened fire first is both in dispute and a moot point at this juncture. A company of the Army’s Provost Corps was rushed to Twaddlemore by train, but a bomb was used to derail the trail just outside of town. Multiple factions are either in town currently or rumoured to be headed this way. The Telephone Exchange is the key to communicating with the rest of the country, and is clearly a goal to secure. Likewise, the docks and the armaments stored there in are also of immense value. Lastly, the mysterious new Wireless Tower being built on the south shore is of unknown value, as the work crews are from “away” and appear to be quite Teutonic in manner.
This battle will surely prove that the term “Civil War” is clearly a misnomer.
A historically fictional 'what if' look at the events leading up to the Deutsche Afrika Korps capture of Tobruk in June 1942.
France, 1940 - Case Red.

Heavy Tanks of the 4th DCR must smash a hole in the advancing German line - but there are complications.
Axis and Allied forces clash for a town and large hill.
This is an Aug 44 meeting engagement between Brit and German mech forces in Belgium. The map is based on a satellite photo of Neubruck just southeast of St. Vith.
At Dornot, the U.S. Third Army's XX Corps' first attempt to establish a bridgehead on the Moselle River south of Metz met bloody failure. Two and a half miles south of Dornot the XX Corps' 10 Infantry Regiment is trying once more to establish a permanent bridgehead across the Moselle at Arnaville. Since the first U.S. troops crossed at Arnaville on the night of 8/9 September, the Germans have been launching increasingly vicious counterattacks in an effort to destroy the bridgehead and repeat what happened at Dornot.
Normandy - known for its rolling fields, orchards, stud farms and a good glass of cider. Sheltered from the elements which can pound the coastline this is a landscape is carpeted in apple blossom. It is here, at the heart of one of the best designated cider producing areas that you will find the Chateau les Bruyîres, an Empire period residence and 18th century manor house - run by the Wehrmacht. It is your task to put an end to this inappropriate ownership.
US Army invades an island defended by Italian Troops.

Map is 1200x1200.
Non-Historical.
20 Battles 10 Turns each.

Play HtH (Preferred), or Allied vs. Axis AI.
Allow AI to setup units, there is no pre-planned setup for the defender yet.
Two Reinforced Infantry Companies with Armor Support clash in this typical Meeting Engagement.
engineering company attacks dug in german positions somewhere near monte cassino to capture wine stash for captain hosehead
CMBB
Soviet vs. German Meeting Engagement. 60+ turns.
Best played as: H2H (Not recommended for vs. AI play due to mounted infantry.)

In recent weeks, this industrial center has been the scene of increasingly sharp clashes between recon units and regular forces. Both sides have traded jabs over this important airplane fabrication city. Both have moved into the town and then been forced out again. No one seems to be able to hold it. The landing gear assembly plant on the edge of town was occupied by the Red Army a few days ago and then burned and destroyed as the Wehrmacht forced them out. Much of the town lies untouched, but the workers and residents know it is just a matter of time before a major battle rages through the streets of their city…

After another bloody engagement, both sides have backed off. Again, in the still of a Sunday morning under the cover of a pounding rainstorm, both sides push forces forward to gain possession of the city.

No one is sure where the front lines lie. Is the enemy in front of you? Or is he gone?

Push forward, as so many before you have tried, and hold this town once and for all!
The Axis launch a major attack on the Allied defenses.
Russians attack three German-held villages in an attempt to secure the flank of a future offensive.
Russian breakout from a Kessel against a German blocking force.
43-02-01, South. SS commandos save Kleist's troops from encirclement. Fictional.
42-07-10, South. Axis forces in Group A cross the Donits to secure northern flank in the beggining of Fall Blau Operation. Semi-fictional.
October, 1942
In the northern Caucaus, along the Terek river line, the battle has been raging brutally for nearly two months. Germany's 13.Panzer-Division tasked with taking the key junction city of Vladikavkaz (Ordzhonikidze) has been stymied in it's every attempt to breakthrough.

But now, at the end of October a break has been achieved through the first mountain range and panzers are rolling along the valley near Ardon, on a back route to Vladikavkaz.

The Russians, somewhat disorganized, are withdrawing to new positions. A desperate stand is ordered to slow the German advance and buy time to set-up the new defensive positions.

a product of HDCS

3rd SS Totenkopf arrives back at the front after its Hiatus from the front in France and is immediately thrown back into action.

Follow the swift Donet's campaign the IInd SS panzer Korps stands poised for the final push too retake Kharkov and restore the pride of the Waffen SS, but they have too cross the Mzha river first.

Alternative History : Moskow Decision
This the first of a series of fictional scenarios based on the hipotetic decision by Hitler to attack Moskow instead of Kiev during the august 1941.
The german offensive to Moskow is starting, the first task is to take the bridge over the Dnjepr between Smolensk and Viazma.
Alternative History : Moskow Decision
This the first of a series of fictional scenarios based on the hipotetic decision by Hitler to attack Moskow instead of Kiev during the august 1941.
The german offensive to Moskow is starting, the first task is to take the bridge over the Dnjepr between Smolensk and Viazma.
CMBO
German infantry dawn attack during the Battle of the Bulge. American infantry caught off-guard whilst lining up for chow.

VPs for casualties and German exit points only.
An American WWII GI's dream come true- a "what if" American assault on Berlin AND a chance to personally bag the ol'Führer himself!
Newest Maps
CMAK
a fictional Town in North Africa.
Fictional City in North Africa. Best played as a meeting
engagement.
Fictional City in North Africa. Best played as a meeting
engagement.
Version 2, church size and orientation adjusted to be in village center. Minor adjustments such as villages, small hills and ridges around the wheat fields.
Mixed terrain, woods, open fields, villages, church, river, bridges.
This is a huge (actually 5 x 4 km) map representing a piece of French countryside west of the town of Arras. It is flat (gentle slopes) and moderately populated with villages, forests, orchards and the like. It is suitable for a massive battle of regiment-sized forces (15,000 points or more).
Fictional Map, Crete, An almost compleatly dried up river bed with a ruined bridge across, 2 small hamlets on either side
The axis forces have captured the ridge east of Lieso. It´s been quiet over a month, so they have had enough time to dig deep in the ridge.

Allied forces are attacking with brutal force from east. Tuomari-Laurila has already been taken.
The axis forces are about to assault a little town called Lieso in aim to capture a road that leads through a ridge to deeper east. The allied forces are dug in somewhere around the old elementary school.
A small river splits a large map, with lots of roads and 6 bridges to control and a town also to control. This map is for meeting engagements and no side has a terrain advantage. Hopefully this will boil down to your choice of units and your game play.
CMBB
Beautiful and challenging map perfect for direct or flank approach. Fight in the woods, the streets, the buildings or inside a small factory! Great for infantery with some armor and artillerie support and IDEAL for a quick motorized assault in the middle of a foggy night.
This was a work in progress for the cancelled CM Campaigns. Maps are both operations and battles. Four maps included. One is large version (75% accurate scale) of the entire fortress of Brest Litovsk and immediate area. Others are 2 km x 2 km maps of the north and south portions of the fortress. You are welcome to use these maps as long as your credit "Bannon DC" for map creation.
1600x1600m, middle eastern front,
3 big victory locations in the middle of the map,
4 additional small flags,
medium settlement with surrounding rural areas,
some hills, woods and farmland,
a small river crossing from N to S,
prepared setup-zones for both sides,
therefor I call it battlefield-map.
Germans advance easily untill they find... A speed bump on the road to Leningrad
This Map is designed for Meeting engagements, it is set in a fictional City.
A medium town lying crosswisely to the advance direction. In and around the town gardens and fields, some bush and tree rows.
2 small rivers with some fords.
Only 1 large victory location.
Best used for meeting engagements.
Damaged large town/small city divided by a river. Contains several bridges, an old fortress, stadium, factories, railway station, and an old manor. Flags spread pretty evenly out on the map, made for a QB axis attack. IMPORTANT: ONLY FOR USE WITH UMLAUTS STALINGRAD MODS. You most use the scenario with these three mods found at www.cmmods.com:

FULL_telephonepole_umlaut
rubble_spray_umlaut
stalingrad_buildings_umlaut
Stalingrad-ish map made for Umlaut´s Stalingrad-mods.
29 2x2km maps. Various terrain; city, village, farmland, deep forests ...

They all quite beatuful ;)
I know it was UK and not USSR! but i didnt own CMAK when i made the level and i dont want to do everything over again so USSR must equal UK! its a fun level with the FJ troops in the greatest air invasion prior to D-Day.
CMBO
This CMBO map is built from a topographical map of the little town of Seville, NE of Melbourne, Australia. My idea was to lauch a Brit brigade (3 btns) across it at a German static defence screening mobile reserves.
Desiliens is an ancient Roman town. The map features the ruins of the town, an aquaduct, and the ruins of a villa on a low central hill.

The eastern side of the map is mostly woods, the west is hills and farms. It is most suitable for an assault on the town, but if the focus is shifted to the ruined villa it would be good for a meeting engagement.
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This Map is designed for Meeting engagements, it is set in a fictional City.
axis winterattack on a Russian City
Please feel free to download, use or edit the map.

Screenshots can be found here:

http://worldatwar.eu/index.php?entity_sess=512x00db4fede3b24a34db2c5e9d283f162c&lang=3&location=boardshownode&boardid=51
A town with a river and lake surrounded by grainfields
Map is based on a sketch in the book > Die guten Glaubens waren< the history of the SS Polizei Division and shows a hard-fought area south of Leningrad. The Observatory was not reached by the Germans although they really tried it
This is part of a series of maps on the so-called Ladoga
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MAD RUSSIAN
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Post #162   7063 days, 3 hours, 30 minutes, 3 seconds ago           
Okay, you are done with the scenario. You have playtested it and it plays wonderful. Everybody is going to love it because this is the best CM scenario ever made.

If you are like most people now is the time the Briefing gets written. That's okay. I do most of my Briefing last too.

When I start a scenario I start the main Briefing. I put my sources, since all of mine are based on a historical event. I also put the basic information...date, place, time of day, wind...you know the basics.

After I playtest the scenario to the point I am happy with it I come back to finish the Briefing.

HSG scenarios, and mine in particular, are known for their not so brief Briefings.


I think the Overall Briefing should have the basics.

Title: that allows you to make sure the briefings goes with the scenario.

Type: what kind of an attack is it? A German assault of a meeting engagement? A lot of gamers pick the scenarios they play by the type of game it is.

Date: Tells you when the fight takes place.

Location: Tells you where the fight takes place.

Number of Turns: How many turns is it and is it fixed or variable ending.

Weather Conditions: Is it raining, snowing, foggy or sunny?

Ground Conditions: Is it dry, muddy, frozen, or what?

Terrain: What kind of ground are we fighting over. Is it city fighting or the wide open steppes.

Battle Description: Tell what the battle is about.

Designer: Who made this gem of a scenario? Be proud put your name on it. I don't care if it is the worst balanced scenario in the world, you made it. There are a lot of people out there that don't ever get that far.

Also, I think you should put your email address. That allows the gamer to get in touch with you directly. I get about 2 emails per week, directly to me, concerning some of my scenarios. You can get some very good feed back this way, from people that will never write a review.

Now you have a basic Overall Briefing done. The 10 basic items to include in the Overall Briefing.

Is that good enough? Yes.

Can you add to it? Yes.

Here are some things that you can add.

Situation: What is the overall situation that your battle takes place in? If you have done a Battle of the Bulge scenario you may want to include some background information on the entire Battle of the Bulge or maybe information just concerning this particular part of the Battle. Like say around Bastogne.

This helps your battle section of the Briefing have a little more meaning and sets the tone for the scenario. Get the gamers as involved as you can.

Notes: This allows you a place to put things that don't fit anywhere else. Where you got the map, that there was conflicting information about the battle, that there was next to no information about the battle...whatever won't fit anywhere else you can put here.

Reference Material: If you are doing a historically based scenario then where you got your information is expected by the gamers today. You can leave this information out, but if you do, be prepared to have it pointed out to you that you left it out.

Playtester Recognition: All of the people involved in making your work better should be mentioned. Some of them may deserve special credit.

As an example; I recently asked Cory Runyan for help with my first ever operation. Cory was gracious enough to give me some very good advice. I didn't take all of it, but that isn't the point; the point is that Cory gave me his free time.

There is nothing more valueable than free time. The least, that we as designers can do, is recognize their support to us.

Spoilers:This is where you tell anything that may give information that will affect game play.

Lots of things fall into this category. The two most common are OOB's and the battle results.

Orders of Battle (OOB's):what one side has for equipment.

Battle Results: what the historical outcome was.

What not to put into the Overall Briefing; ANYTHING that will affect game play.

Dynamic flags: Do you think it will help the defender of a scenario to know that only one flag is real? If you tell both players that there are dynamic flags then you tip off the defender and give him an advantage.

Exit Requirements: Do you think it would help the defender to know that you have to exit units? Where will he need to set his last line of defense? At the small flag forward or on the map edge in the back?

Should this information be included in the scenario briefings? Yes, but in the National Briefing not the Overall Briefing.

Hope this helps.

MR




MAD RUSSIAN
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Post #163   7063 days, 2 hours, 38 minutes, 49 seconds ago        
Okay, you have the Overall Briefing done. It looks good. Has enough information but doesn't give out any tips for either player.

Now what needs to go in the National Briefings?

Overall Situation: What is happening in the general and overall area of the fight? Is Army Group Center on the run? Is the XXXXVII Panzer Corps on the attack? What is happening.

Again this is a place for you to set the mood for the scenario. Draw the gamers into the situation.

Mission: What is your specific mission? What are you going to be required to do to win this fight? What does higher headquarters require of you the local commander?

Intelligence: What is known about the enemy force? The enemy locations? The weather? Or anything else not pertaining to your own forces.

Your Forces: Tell what information you would know about your initial starting forces on the map. Don't foget Artillery TRP's.

Reserves: What reinforcements are coming your way and when.


These are all pretty basic. I have never seen more than this but often see a lot less.

What I think you need to give the gamer is what information a loacal commander would get. However you do that.

This is also where you tell the ATTACKER that there are dynamic flags and how to choose one. This is where you tell the gamer that he has to exit units off map.

This is also where you tell the gamer special things. Like how to use demo charges if the scenario revolves around them.

Special things that CM doesn't address. Like the wall between the two churches is too thick and high to go through in this game. Don't go through it. Or anything else that can come up.

Where some of the intelligence comes into play I personally think you can give too much.

For instance. A platoon of tanks is coming to help your defense. When was the call sent? When did they start? Were there detours do to air attacks? In other words, in my scenarios, I NEVER tell you the turn they will arrive. IMHO, no battlefield commander would know EXACTLY when they will get there. So I don't tell you either.

Then there is the issue with misleading briefings. I personally don't mind them. Because, SOMETIMES, a commander's battlefield information is WRONG!! Oh no!! Go figure. So you make bad choices with bad information. Happens in real life all the time.

In fact, as a commander, it is one of your jobs, to make sure that the enemy doesn't have accurate information about your forces.

Hope this helps you make your briefings.

MR
JUNK2DRIVE
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Post #164   7063 days, 2 hours, 11 minutes, 42 seconds ago        
You did a good job covering the topic.

I would add to exit scenarios which units are eligible for exit points. I don't like cycling through every unit to look for the text. I hope CMx2 has an icon or something in the interface for this.

If I find else anything useful I will add it.
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GEORGE MC
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Post #168   7063 days, 1 hour, 16 minutes, 40 seconds ago        
I thought Panther Commander gave a very detailed outline of the content of a senario briefing; and I would concur wholeheartedly with his comments.

A couple of my own thoughts. When outlining the mission if I say, as the designer, "take that hill" I will make it worthwhile for the player to take the hill. I've come across a few instances where you are tasked to, say, seize a piece of ground which has one measly wee flag on it; hardly worth the effort, or risk of having your units blown away in attack. If the mission is that important make the objective worth it so the player has to go along with the brief; perhaps risking heavy casualties which at least can be offset by the high price of the flag(s) (Design Top Tip: you can stack flags on one location so the real estate has a large value).

Reinforcements always pose a dilemma. I think it is fine to know a rough location, rather than random spawning somewhere in the combat zone. Timescales are moot points, but as an example - I have started to give a rough timescale if more units are due to arrive (assuming that this info was known in 'real life' e.g. during an advance where there may be follow up units in a column) e.g. so and so will arrive withing the half hour on the right hand sector/such and such a road etc.

In saying that there are other scenarios I have designed where there is only a slight hint that support may be forthcoming but with no indication as to time or place. Again most of my scenarios, like the HSG are based on real life events, so I tend to take the lead from what happened and how much info the actual commander may have had.

I love the main briefing, and again would echo PC's comments. Setting the scne/context I think is very important. Why do you have to risk having your whole unit wiped out to take that hill? I reckon I can spend as much time getting the briefings right as I can creating the map. I love making maps but do have to grind through doing the briefings.

Hope these comments are of use Smile

Cheers fur noo
George Mc
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MURPH
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Post #184   7055 days, 3 hours, 8 minutes, 44 seconds ago        
Mac's comments are right on the money. I think the briefing is the necessary evil. It's hard to do, but it can make all the difference between a good scenario and an excellent one. What's needed is REALISM in spades: what kind of info would be available to the commander. I really hate it when the briefing is too brief to be of any use.
There's a school of thought, represented by HSG and our own dear MR, that the briefing should also be a historical overview/essay. This is all very educational and good, but shouldn't put off scenario authors who are less - how shall we say? - authorial. Those who love to write essays and want to include them in the general brief should do so, but the main thing to include is the info that will help to get the game running.
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JUNK2DRIVE
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Post #187   7052 days, 21 hours, 14 minutes, 16 seconds ago        
To extract a briefing

Ever read a briefing that you would like to print or save as a text file?

From the main screen click scenario editor. Click load and select the scenario. Hold down ctrl and shift and click load briefings.

A popup window will ask where to save the three briefings to. I suggest having a folder ready ahead of time.

The three text files may be renamed for your use. i.e. normandy_overall normandy_axis normandy_allied



(modified 03/13/2005 08:28:48 by junk2drive)
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MAD RUSSIAN
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Post #189   7052 days, 18 hours, 37 minutes, 9 seconds ago        
Quote:
Originally posted by: Murph:
Mac's comments are right on the money. I think the briefing is the necessary evil. It's hard to do, but it can make all the difference between a good scenario and an excellent one. What's needed is REALISM in spades: what kind of info would be available to the commander. I really hate it when the briefing is too brief to be of any use.
There's a school of thought, represented by HSG and our own dear MR, that the briefing should also be a historical overview/essay. This is all very educational and good, but shouldn't put off scenario authors who are less - how shall we say? - authorial. Those who love to write essays and want to include them in the general brief should do so, but the main thing to include is the info that will help to get the game running.



If you notice, I only go crazy in the overall briefing. I really put in there what I like to see. When I started doing CM scenarios I had the same briefings as everyone else. But the historical part was too brief. I kept expanding and waiting to see what the gamers response was. It's about 8 to 1 in favor of my current style. So I guess you guys will get to read more about the history of the war.

And the briefings is harder for me to write than making 10 scenario maps complete with OOB's. I HATE writing them and put it off as long as I can.

But the briefings can make, or break your scenario, just a easily as a bad map or an overloaded OOB.

Like you say, it's a necessary evil.

Good Hunting.

MR
FIGO
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Post #206   7052 days, 18 minutes, 16 seconds ago        
Hi all! I decided to add my two cents to this, whatever that's worth Roll Eyes

I agree with most of the wonderful suggestions I've read here and there is one thing that I would like to add;

The thing I often find disturbing/confusing is finding information in a briefing stating information about reinforcements arriving from the direction of x or possible enemy forces in the vicinity of y and finding myself on the field of battle with no means of determining where x or y is or in what direction.

I would like to see labels on roads or map edges that may say, from or to x or y.

Does this make sense? Confused Wink

All in all, I think that some of the best scenarios I've played to date have come from this site. Thanks to all of you fine designers for providing me with so many choices and more hours of enjoyment then I have time for!! Wink

Regards,
Figo
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Figo

"A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine" -Thomas Jefferson
MAD RUSSIAN
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Post #217   7048 days, 15 hours, 45 minutes, 20 seconds ago        
Where should the spoiler be?

At the end of the main breifing or at the end of each personal briefing?

I have been putting them at the end of the main briefing but twice lately I have run across instances of players not reading their personal briefing before going to setup. Then when they come back to it they see the spoiler alert and stop before they get to the personal briefing.

So what do you think...in the main briefing or at the end of the personal briefing?

Good Hunting.

MR
ROCKINHARRY
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Post #218   7048 days, 2 hours, 42 minutes, 46 seconds ago        


(modified 11/18/2005 04:43:59 by rockinharry)
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RHZ Death Factory #1 CMAK ETO Scenario
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FIGO
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Post #219   7048 days, 25 minutes, 9 seconds ago        
Hi All! Great stuff here! Cool

In answer to MR's question;
I would prefer to see a spoiler placed at the end of the personal briefing, on a separate page with a warning beforehand.

Kudos to RockinHarry! Big Grin This is something I for one have been looking for since I started playing CM...I've always thought that it would be great if I could "preview" the map before any units were placed...I could then get a sense of the terrain, scout likely avenues of approach/ defensible positions etc. without the clutter of vehicles and troops all over. Currently, in a large scenario it may take me an hour or more (usually the latter) to set-up my forces. During this time my opponent is generally waiting for me and I'm referring to a PBEM, imagine a TCP/IP game Eek! Mad This is one step that I personally never want to rush.
I guess I could probably do this in the editor but I stay out of it because I don't want to see set-up zones, fortifications, wire and the like beforehand, not to mention throop dispositions Eek!

Figo
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GEORGE MC
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Post #220   7047 days, 23 hours, 18 minutes, 17 seconds ago        
I like the idea of a map. in fact i tried using wordpad to draw a simple layout map, but after all the effort when it was loaded into the briefing went 'all funny'!
But RockingHarry I like your idea, going to give it a whirl. Has anyone come up with a way of attaching this map file to the scenario without having to go through the URL business?

I'd love to have a good quality map, or at least whatever the CO about to start the mission would have. So here goes..

Re spoilers I put them after the main breifing, cos when I look at the briefing, see 'spoiler ahead' I just keep clicking until I see my personal briefing. I suppose you do have to have selective vision here Coy I reckon though placing it at the end of each personal briefing works well, and like many elements to CM there is a large element of trust involved. I must admit to always reading the spoilers - after, yeah got you all there, Wink playing the scenario. I still will include the spoiler bit as players may, or may not have the source you based on the scenario on, so at least they can find out what really happened.

Interesting stuff though guys.

Cheers fur noo
George Mc
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MAD RUSSIAN
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Post #223   7047 days, 15 minutes, 58 seconds ago        
I've tried to input a map into wordpad before and it drops it when it gets to CM. No way to get the map in the briefing using wordpad that I can see.

BFC is having a torrent of discussions at the moment about the new system. Maybe you should bring up importing to them and see what they say about it.

Good Hunting.

MR
ROCKINHARRY
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Post #228   7045 days, 1 hour, 32 minutes, 21 seconds ago        
I didnt actually mean to import maps into CM briefing screen. Running Word or Acrobat Reader file briefings before or parallel to CM was what I meant. Hope BFC considers any such stuff for CMX!:)

Heres an interesting article dealing with the topic on one of Michael Dorosh websites:

http://www.deutschesoldaten.com/procedures/opsorder.htm
--------------------
former member of SPWAW Lost Victories design team and Wild Bills Raiders

Rockinharry Music at Myspace

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RHZ Death Factory #1 CMAK ETO Scenario
RHZ Fall Gelb CMAK ETO Scenario

Rockinharry Mods can be found at GAJs Mod Place
POOR OLD SPIKE
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Post #241   7031 days, 1 hour, 28 minutes, 57 seconds ago        
I'm seeing too many good scens let down by poor Briefings. (One never even had a briefing at all, aargh!)
No problemo, the solution is simple - To do a good brief just remember the THREE W's - What Where and When :)

1 - WHAT approx force mix does the enemy have?
2 - WHERE approx can i expect his setup zones to be?
3 - WHEN approx will his reinfs (if any) arrive, and roughly what will they consist of, and roughly where will they arrive?
(And when/where will my own reinfs arrive, if any,and what will they consist of?)

Then add any special notes such as whether the flags are standard 300/100pts or worth more/less?
What sort of points are awarded for exiting units?
Any air activity for both players to worry about?
Possibility of mines?
Anything else each player should know?

Catch my drift? All the above info is VITAL to allow the players to formulate a game plan.

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ROCKINHARRY
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Post #247   7021 days, 3 hours, 27 minutes, 54 seconds ago        
Quote:
Originally posted by: junk2drive:
To extract a briefing

Ever read a briefing that you would like to print or save as a text file?

From the main screen click scenario editor. Click load and select the scenario. Hold down ctrl and alt and click load briefings.

A popup window will ask where to save the three briefings to. I suggest having a folder ready ahead of time.

The three text files may be renamed for your use. i.e. normandy_overall normandy_axis normandy_allied




Figured out for german (CDV) version its SHIFT+CTRL for saving the briefings! Eek!
--------------------
former member of SPWAW Lost Victories design team and Wild Bills Raiders

Rockinharry Music at Myspace

for PBEM requesters; I´ll play TPG stuff that needs testing only!

RockinHarry Scenarios:

RHZ Death Factory #1 CMAK ETO Scenario
RHZ Fall Gelb CMAK ETO Scenario

Rockinharry Mods can be found at GAJs Mod Place
JUNK2DRIVE
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Post #254   6994 days, 1 hour, 46 minutes, 35 seconds ago        
RH you are correct, sorry for my mistake.
Edited.
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BRENT POLLOCK
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Post #262   6968 days, 22 hours, 15 minutes, 31 seconds ago        
RE: where to place the SPOILER?

I've been putting them at the end of the Overall, and only recently twigged to the fact that the second player sees their Personal Briefing as a continuous flow from the Overall one.

My quick fix for this was to place

*****SPOILER ENDS*****

at the end of the Overall Briefing, but I think putting it at the end of each Personal Briefing makes more sense...with any luck I'll remember this lesson Embarrassed
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GREENASJADE
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Post #281   6945 days, 6 hours, 1 minute, 29 seconds ago        
On misleading briefings.

Here's the thing: commanders got misleading intelligence, but they also had a lot of context to help them decide how much weight to put on it.

You as a scenario designer doing a briefing are doing 2 things, and have 2 "voices".

1) You are giving the player the context. This is the voice of the scenario designer telling the player what he would _know_ if he was the commander. The player needs this information to enjoy the battle, and to make appropriate judgements.

2) You are giving the player the environmental information, such as intelligence. In this case the voice is the voice of the radio operator or telegraph etc. It's up to the player to judge how much of that voice to believe.... based on the contextual information that he has, and what he subsequently sees.

Too many briefings have these two confused.

It's OK to say "Our intelligence says that the village ahead is empty". That "voice" is clear. The player can choose whether or not to believe "our intelligence". That's different to "Reinforcements will arrive in 5 minutes" if really they will arrive in 30. If the commander would know that the reinfs will arrive in 5 minutes or so, because he saw them just over the hill, then "Reinfs will arrive in 5 minutes" is the way for your the scenario designer to tell him that. If the commander has been told that reinfs are coming soon, but actually he has no real way of knowing when, then say "You called for infantry reinfs, and hope they will arrive soon". See the difference? In this case, what you the scenario designer are telling the player for sure, and what is not sure are clearly separated.

Another one:

It is not OK to say "You must proceed with your armour immediately" if really the player should wait for the infantry to support the armour. The player can't tell whether this command is coming from you the scenario designer letting them know that for the scenario to work they have to move immediately, or whether it's a telegraphed order coming in that they could interpret as they like.

This sentence could be replaced by "You know that infantry reinforcements are on their way, but have no way of knowing when they will arrive. The orders just in from HQ are to attack immediately".

I hope you can see the difference!

I reckon that the whole "misleading briefing" irritation for the player can be avoided if the scenario designer keeps it clear and separate when they are telling the player what they need to know and when they are providing "intelligence".

GaJ.

(modified 05/01/2005 04:15:57 by GreenAsJade)

(modified 05/01/2005 04:16:59 by GreenAsJade)
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