East & West Front 1942-1945 scenario

[USXpat]

Five years later... it's done and playable, moving it into play testing.

At some point, the English/American Air OOB and the allocation of English armor/recon vehicles could use some refining. Rivers... I hate rivers... can probably use refining, too.

Otherwise, there's some cosmetic issues I'd like to fix - not sure I'll be able to figure it out, as I'm cosmetically challenged to begin with - purple text and neon green icons! Actually, just trying to come up with a 'multi-national flag icon' for the Allies (other than UN). Would like to be able to increase the font size of some map locations.

Initial testing last week indicated that the first 240 events work as intended, combat results seemed typical, S&R issues worked as intended, so the PBEM version is almost a done deal.

Used just under 500 events, so there's room for a) more detail in the PBEM version, b) a PBEM only non-historical variant, or c) can try to add the Allied PO into it. Either way, the Axis PO will have to go into a separate file. That will be the last version to complete... and the hardest.

[USXpat]

Quick question - is there any way to set more than one reconstitution hex per force/side?

Right now - I don't have one defined as per the original rulebook, I seen there's only one possible; or leave it open and destroyed units will reconstitute in a friendly, supplied, urban hex - anywhere. I about died laughing three or four times in playtests so far. I have an interim semi-acceptable remedy if we are limited to 1 reconstitution hex. Would be very nice to have at least one per unit color.

[LLv34_Snefens]

You can have them reconstitute in their "OBJ 1" hex.

[USXpat]

Ah, okay - thanks - I'll follow that to see where I can get with it, that would solve things nicely!

[gerones]

Looking forward for this scenario. Would love Axis PO!

[USXpat]

Thanks - unfortunately the Axis PO is going to be done last as it is the most complex. Not entirely sure it will make it to a PO version, but proceeding as if it will. PBEM version will be available "in the near future".

It's basically done now, but I'm looking to use the BioEd to personalize equipment by country - primarily for the Axis minor allies. Significant, but not lengthy rework involved. Won't try to do it for the whole Axis or whole Allied side as that would just be masochistic. Looking at a few other things, and preparing some "player supplements" to help with turn to turn management and such.

[USXpat]

The latest file versions have been sent to those who initially expressed an interest. I've set up www.wargamecollege.net for scenario (and other game) support. It will be available for download there shortly.

Currently it has one minor aesthetic issue to resolve and completion of player supplements. BioEd was used to set up all the Axis minor allies with their own proprietary equipment (Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Vichy France). That consumed this last week, also ran into a problem with AA units using the AT value with BioEd that I wasn't able to fix, so AA equipment will draw from the same replacement pool.

More testing of events to follow, room to add more events for the PBEM version, as well. Otherwise, will continue to refine the PBEM version. I hear there's another beta version of TOAW to be coming out, so all work on the PO will wait until it comes out.

[Telumar]

www.wargamecollege.net

[&o] Excellent, i've linked you on my blog (as you did on yours).

[USXpat]

Thanks Telumar!

[1_Lzard]

The part of this that I've just recognised is that our boy USXpat is Hienz57 from the old days! Surprise!

[Telumar]

Yeah, he's done his best to hide this from us.. lol  [:D] But the blog reveals it..

[USXpat]

Intermittent periods of amnesia coupled with senility and multiple personality disorder - but I still remember how to play the Operational Art of War. If only I could find the dancing bananas...

http://www.wargamecollege.net/Third Reich 42-45.zip (501kb) - downloadable now. Fixes the e-mail version just mailed, had dinner and forgot some units weren't deployed before sending it out. Will use the download page on the blog to keep track of errata and stuff.

[1_Lzard]

The 'Dancing Bananas" occur on this site: http://forums.gamesquad.com/forumdisplay.php?10-The-Operational-Art-of-War which is probably why your not finding them here, LOL!

[USXpat]

Thanks Lizard - seems there was another site, not sure if it was the Blitz or the Wargamer, don't remember now - but quite  a few of us were active there in 2004.

Anyways - think I released the file prematurely.  An errata page is up on the blog.  Some events were broken when I did the axis customization.  Files can still be downloaded - each night will add the latest.

[1_Lzard]

Finestkind, Mark.....I've looked things over, looks good (sans the events, evidently)........

[BigDuke66]

What worries me is the the fact that in the end phase of the scenario the air forces of the allies/soviets will work together.
I just see it in the Götterdämmerungs scenario, I usually don't get much done even if I attack weak enemy ground units because of the overwhelming airpower that is combined in such situations.
Can anything done to prevent this here?

[samba_liten]

Should it be prevented? From my reading that's pretty much what happened. Not much fun in game terms though.

Edit: Admittedly, they did not cooperate over the same battlefield, but with the time scale in toaw, in most cases i think that can be overlooked.

[USXpat]

Good point.

Formation Cooperation Level is about the only thing that can be done design-wise that will prevent "full cooperation" between West/East Front air units when it comes to planned attacks. That doesn't have an impact on air units randomly assigned to an attack or for interdiction.

What can be said though is that the United States did bomb Ploesti in Romania, Sofia in Bulgaria. The USAAF Fifteenth Corps conducted about 20,000 sorties in the Balkans region in 1944. Ultimately the air units will be striking "somewhere" - which is not much of defense of how it works or should work. However, bomber range and fighter range do play into it starting from 1942. An Allied player putting bombers too close to the front and so having a range covering most of Europe" could be made to paid a very heavy price by an Axis player that knows how to use CAP - at least when it comes to Interdiction. Combat support is more problematic, but there the question is whether the Axis player is concentrating air power or distributing it. Is more case by case, but concentrated fighter coverage in support of an offensive can also put a hurt on enemy air units flying outside of areas where they have air superiority.

And one point is that a lot of the west's heavy bombers were not allocated to combat support, or even interdiction, but to the bombing and suppression of industry. With that goes a number of fighter escorts and interceptors for the Axis. The solutions are either to try modeling factories to give incentive for these missions to be flown; removing the associated units from play and implementing it all in an abstract fashion; or as I've chosen "for now" to not model it.

Both sides get what they'd normally have, some factor disruption is implemented via TO disbands, and whatever is destroyed by aircraft through combat can be regarded "more or less" as what they would have taken out if they hit the factories. Not the best solution, but that's the solution for now.

Ultimately though, it comes down to how both sides play it out. As the scenario starts in 1942, the Axis have a chance to try to prevent the historical 1944 from happening.

[USXpat]

ORIGINAL: polarenper

Should it be prevented? From my reading that's pretty much what happened. Not much fun in game terms though.

Edit: Admittedly, they did not cooperate over the same battlefield, but with the time scale in toaw, in most cases i think that can be overlooked.

Ah, looks like we were responding at the same time. You're in Kiev - think I know you from expatUA? Right on!

Formation cooperation is the main issue. I'm trying to find the furthest point east that US/English bombers hit. I'm inclined to think that the Soviet Air Force is probably not going to need any help from the English/US in 1944; and vice versa. On that score it's six of one, half a dozen of the other.

Not sure how balanced the scenario is at this point,

VP Breakout:

France/England, Lowlands & Norway: 220 VP
North Africa, Middle East, Italy, Greece and Med. Islands: 220 VP
Balkans: 130 VP
Russia: 215 VP
Germany: 505 VP

Axis start with a Significant Victory at 670 VP of 1260; holding objectives worth 965 VP and 295 VP held by Allies.

VP modifiers include:
* 25 VP for Allies if they manage to take Kharkov by Turn 4 - 6 (variable)
* 25 VP ea if Axis takes Leningrad, Moscow or Stalingrad (additional effects apply)
* 15 VP if Axis take Suez.
* Typically 10 VP for Allies for each country that surrenders 3 - 6 turns earlier than historical.
* 5 VP for Axis with destruction of the Tito Partisan unit.
* 35% chance each turn for Axis to score 1 VP each turn that the V-1 Rocket unit manages to survive.
* 35% chance each turn for Axis to score 2 VP each turn that the V-2 Rocket unit manages to survive.

-- Both V-1/2 units are in fixed positions. They arrive as per historical timelines in the primary areas that they were historically operated. Kept this as simple as possible and mainly to add a bit of flavor.

Consideration is being given to awarding 3 - 5 VP for each "Mobile Supply Unit" (Army Group/Front HQ) eliminated.

Casualty VP's are roughly at 25% usual for Axis and 35% usual for Allies.

Anyways, hope to have all events tested and confirmed as working by the end of this week. Still a bit of work to do for the supplemental materials.

[USXpat]

http://www.wargamecollege.net/Third Reich 42-45-Aug15.zip

Five tests later, all events are firing and working as intended. There may still be some errors here and there, but they should be minor. Much thanks to Stefan for his help with the Event Engine, two of the event sequences are 19 events each and apply to a much more realistic situation with Axis recovery of oil from the Caucasus.

No more changes are going to be applied to ANY of the scenario files for at least a month - to give time for additional errata and ideas for additional events to come in. PO versions will be waiting until 3.5 comes out.

In the meantime, work will continue on a comprehensive scenario guidebook and some supplemental materials to make turn to turn management a bit easier.