Stalingrad: Nightmare on The Volga

[bcgames]

ORIGINAL: bcgames
Having looked at Avalon Hill's/Atomic Games' version of Stalingrad, I'm considering the inclusion of another map scale to get the full 6.Armee experience--Operation Heron (Stalingrad to Astrakhan) in Stalingrad: Nightmare on the Volga. Two scales under consideration are 5K and 10K per hex. Unit scale remains the same--regiments with battalion breakdowns. Time period is the same and the area of operation is expanded to include Astrakhan and part of the Caspian Sea. The Caucasus is out; and so are the units that operated there. The game remains centered on Stalingrad and the units that fought there.

As I think through how to present a fun-to-play set of operational level campaigns centering around division/corps/army-level, the more I believe a third scale is needed to tell the whole story well. I think 10K per hex needs a good think-thru...divisions with regimental breakdowns (maybe). 2500/500 meters per hex is too far down in "the trenches" for a player to get/understand "the Big Picture". Stalingrad: Nightmare on the Volga must contain the Big Picture else it fails to be a good game in my view; if you don't understand why you are doing things in the game besides face-smashing better--then it's just a game about face-smashing better.

Thinking...

[bcgames]

Chatted with the wife today about the game and its' requirements and decided that I have an alligator's mouth coupled with a hummingbird's ass when it comes to the scope of Stalingrad. It's already a $39 game with four times the size and content of Desert War. But I don't think the players are there anymore for this type of game. I need to dial-back the work required--WAYBACK. Desert War found only a small following; and I think Stalingrad will enjoy the same support from the same folks. But I can't work four times as hard for Stalingrad for the same payback. I do have a farm and family to run. The study of history and its reduction into viable, acceptable, game-able content is a hard, additional duty for my spare time.

So. Stalingrad: Nightmare of the Volga is going to present four campaign games (2 Axis, 2 Soviets). Each campaign game will have 3-5 scenarios that surround a single Axis corps-sized unit or Allies army...that's 18-30 scenarios (Desert War had 12). If Stalingrad is a success then perhaps we will pursue additional scenario disks to expand the content. But...if Stalingrad performs like Desert War, then my hummingbird ass will feel alot like nothing has changed. No problem.

Markets have products, sellers, buyers, and an exchange of value that is satisfactory to both parties.

Onwards!

[Okayrun3254]

ORIGINAL: bcgames

Chatted with the wife today about the game and its' requirements and decided that I have an alligator's mouth coupled with a hummingbird's ass when it comes to the scope of Stalingrad. It's already a $39 game with four times the size and content of Desert War. But I don't think the players are there anymore for this type of game. I need to dial-back the work required--WAYBACK. Desert War found only a small following; and I think Stalingrad will enjoy the same support from the same folks. But I can't work four times as hard for Stalingrad for the same payback. I do have a farm and family to run. The study of history and its reduction into viable, acceptable, game-able content is a hard, additional duty for my spare time.

So. Stalingrad: Nightmare of the Volga is going to present six campaign games (3 Axis, 3 Soviets). Each campaign game will have 3-5 scenarios that surround a single division or corps-sized unit...that's 18-30 scenarios (Desert War had 12). If Stalingrad is a success then perhaps we will pursue additional scenario disks to expand the content. But...if Stalingrad performs like Desert War, then my hummingbird ass will feel alot like nothing has changed. No problem.

Markets have products, sellers, buyers, and an exchange of value that is satisfactory to both parties.

Onwards!

I have to admit, I was getting ready to comment on the 10K per hex, which sounds fantastic. I appreciate you being so upfront, and keeping us in the loop with developments. I support game systems that I really like, and I think this game system is excellent. When I say I support game systems, I mean I purchase all the games of a system I like even if it is not my favorite historical theatre. I want to support the developers, especially if its a small group. I think if I don't, it is possible that I may not see the game in my favorite historical theatre produced. Thank you for listening to our requests, which can be a rarity, and for a great game system. Just my 2 cents.

[Deathtreader]

ORIGINAL: Okayrun3254

ORIGINAL: bcgames

Chatted with the wife today about the game and its' requirements and decided that I have an alligator's mouth coupled with a hummingbird's ass when it comes to the scope of Stalingrad. It's already a $39 game with four times the size and content of Desert War. But I don't think the players are there anymore for this type of game. I need to dial-back the work required--WAYBACK. Desert War found only a small following; and I think Stalingrad will enjoy the same support from the same folks. But I can't work four times as hard for Stalingrad for the same payback. I do have a farm and family to run. The study of history and its reduction into viable, acceptable, game-able content is a hard, additional duty for my spare time.

So. Stalingrad: Nightmare of the Volga is going to present six campaign games (3 Axis, 3 Soviets). Each campaign game will have 3-5 scenarios that surround a single division or corps-sized unit...that's 18-30 scenarios (Desert War had 12). If Stalingrad is a success then perhaps we will pursue additional scenario disks to expand the content. But...if Stalingrad performs like Desert War, then my hummingbird ass will feel alot like nothing has changed. No problem.

Markets have products, sellers, buyers, and an exchange of value that is satisfactory to both parties.

Onwards!

I have to admit, I was getting ready to comment on the 10K per hex, which sounds fantastic. I appreciate you being so upfront, and keeping us in the loop with developments. I support game systems that I really like, and I think this game system is excellent. When I say I support game systems, I mean I purchase all the games of a system I like even if it is not my favorite historical theatre. I want to support the developers, especially if its a small group. I think if I don't, it is possible that I may not see the game in my favorite historical theatre produced. Thank you for listening to our requests, which can be a rarity, and for a great game system. Just my 2 cents.

+ 1

Rob.

[bcgames]

Thanks for your support and feedback. The game is afoot...

[bcgames]

Alrighty then...

At long last I think I have everything together for the first scenario of the Ghost Division Campaign -- 11th Panzer Division's Battles on the Chir River in December 1942. These scenarios will used to test the campaign game engine which is nearing completion.

In retrospect? I should have chosen a campaign with a easier order of battle. The Chir River Battles are the hardest OBs I've ever tackled. I have spent at least $500-750 on resource materials and a hundred hours or so trying to sort things out. After all that, I'm very confident--I'm somewhere in Russia in a ballpark--if they have one. I've squeezed the last juices from Glantz' map book on the topic and I think the buck will stop there.

In building the OBs for this game I was surprised at the number of Guards Mortar (Katyusha) units there were...so...if you missed my favorite rendition of the Katyusha song...here it is again!

Katyusha Dance

Katyusha Rockets

Onwards!

[Okayrun3254]

ORIGINAL: bcgames

Alrighty then...

At long last I think I have everything together for the first scenario of the Ghost Division Campaign -- 11th Panzer Division's Battles on the Chir River in December 1942. These scenarios will used to test the campaign game engine which is nearing completion.

In retrospect? I should have chosen a campaign with a easier order of battle. The Chir River Battles are the hardest OBs I've ever tackled. I have spent at least $500-750 on resource materials and a hundred hours or so trying to sort things out. After all that, I'm very confident--I'm somewhere in Russia in a ballpark--if they have one. I've squeezed the last juices from Glantz' map book on the topic and I think the buck will stop there.

In building the OBs for this game I was surprised at the number of Guards Mortar (Katyusha) units there were...so...if you missed my favorite rendition of the Katyusha song...here it is again!

Katyusha Dance

Katyusha Rockets

Onwards!

The Katyusha Dance was entertaining. I was not sure what to expect from that link.

Someday, it would be interesting to see a list of your resource materials.

I noticed the Soviet infantry units are regiments. I am guessing a Soviet regiment is not the same size as a Axis regiment.

I am very interested in the way the new campaign feature works. Really looking forward to this new way of linking battles. I think you mentioned that losses would go from battle to battle, but there would also be replacement and reinforcements. I think this type of feature could be a big game changer, and raise the player immersion.

[Saint Ruth]

I am very interested in the way the new campaign feature works. Really looking forward to this new way of linking battles. I think you mentioned that losses would go from battle to battle, but there would also be replacement and reinforcements. I think this type of feature could be a big game changer, and raise the player immersion.

It's not finished yet, [8D] but all units in one scenario that are in the next scenario will progress to that scenario, with the same readiness/strenght that they had at the end of the previous scenario PLUS any campaign scenario increases.

Each scenario will then have a Readiness/Strenght increase (can vary for each scenario in the Campaign), so if they are say
50%/30%, then all units that are carried from one scenario to the next will have their end-scenario values increased by 50% for readiness and 30% for strenght (absolute increases, so a unit of say Readiness 10% Strenght 20% will be now 60%/50%).
Destroyed units will also have those increases, and if the unit becomes viable again, it'll appear with the say 50%/30% values as in the example above.

Other units not carried over start with their scenario defined values.

The Scenarios in a campaign may also vary on whether you win / lose a previous scenario...anyway, still making it up as we go along!

[8D]

[Okayrun3254]

ORIGINAL: Saint Ruth

I am very interested in the way the new campaign feature works. Really looking forward to this new way of linking battles. I think you mentioned that losses would go from battle to battle, but there would also be replacement and reinforcements. I think this type of feature could be a big game changer, and raise the player immersion.

It's not finished yet, [8D] but all units in one scenario that are in the next scenario will progress to that scenario, with the same readiness/strenght that they had at the end of the previous scenario PLUS any campaign scenario increases.

Each scenario will then have a Readiness/Strenght increase (can vary for each scenario in the Campaign), so if they are say
50%/30%, then all units that are carried from one scenario to the next will have their end-scenario values increased by 50% for readiness and 30% for strenght (absolute increases, so a unit of say Readiness 10% Strenght 20% will be now 60%/50%).
Destroyed units will also have those increases, and if the unit becomes viable again, it'll appear with the say 50%/30% values as in the example above.

Other units not carried over start with their scenario defined values.

The Scenarios in a campaign may also vary on whether you win / lose a previous scenario...anyway, still making it up as we go along!

[8D]

This will make the player think about how many attacks he makes, and his unit attrition.

Will there be choices to the player on what type of reinforcements he chooses? I have seen this in other games with campaigns, and the player is given points to purchase reinforcements. Maybe not practical for this scale, I don't know.

[bcgames]

ORIGINAL: Okayrun3254
Will there be choices to the player on what type of reinforcements he chooses? I have seen this in other games with campaigns, and the player is given points to purchase reinforcements. Maybe not practical for this scale, I don't know.

Not in Stalingrad. However, that's a great idea for a potential sandbox mode in the future. We'll see.

[bcgames]

ORIGINAL: Okayrun3254

...Someday, it would be interesting to see a list of your resource materials.

Can do. See the thread here:

https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4711485

[bcgames]

Brian has been advancing steadily on the campaign editor. With his latest build from a few days ago I have begun to assemble the first campaign game.

The Campaign Editor currently has three tabs. The first tab--Campaign Details--defines the "Big Picture". It also defines the text the player will see based upon their performance during the campaign.

All of this is a work in progress; the final game may look completely different.

[bcgames]

The second tab of the Campaign Editor--Scenarios--is where the campaign designer builds the campaign by stringing together a selection of previously designed scenarios. Two campaign types are available: Linear and Branch.

Selecting a linear campaign will allow the designer to structure a path that follows the historical narrative...subject always to the whims/successes/failures of the player.

Selecting a branch campaign will allow the designer to structure an historical path AND a parallel alternate history path. The path followed depends on the outcome of each scenario played.

[bcgames]

The third tab of the Campaign Editor is the Campaign Map. This uses an image to show where significant terrain features, scenario locations and/or objectives, initial front line traces, etc. There's room to grow here.

[bcgames]

Thanks Brian! Looking good!

[bcgames]

Work in progress...the "proper night turn".

1. Unless a unit/asset is night capable, it will not perform any actions at night. However, there are the following exceptions:

a. Digging in.
b. Building/destroying a bridge.
c. Move to Defend/Strategic move.

2. A night capable unit/asset can perform any "normal daylight" actions as long as its readiness level is 80% or greater.

[Saint Ruth]

ORIGINAL: bcgames
Blame this new idea on TIK. Thinking--Not deciding. The Germans really don't have a chance in Hell of getting to Astrakhan. Maybe that's why we never see Antwerp as an objective in Battle of the Bulge games.

Perhaps not completely impossible! Never knew about this:
http://armchairgeneral.com/disperse-the ... review.htm [8D]

[Saint Ruth]

ORIGINAL: wodin
Not normally one to judge visuals however I found the UI and other aspects unappealing just looked very homemade to me.

In my defence, I did make it at home! [:)]

Are casualties counted abstractly or can we see how many men killed\wounded AFVs destroyed etc?

Yep, planned!

[wodin]

I believe Stalingrad will sell more than Desert War.

I'm confused now though about the scope of the game. As you are dialling back, sad but understandable. Why not with the help of the editor give the players a way of creating the content you can no longer do yourself? Finally as I said I don't agree with you about sales. Stalingrad should sell way more than Desert War simply due to it being Stalingrad. I can't be the only one interested because of the setting.

Also feeling you had to up the scale again personally I don't see why. Going by your reasoning then you'd end up having to go to grand strat scale, there has to be a cut off point. Scenario description should be the way you get the players to understand the big picture. If need be using maps.

What scale is it going to be?

[bcgames]

The plan for the ALPHA is multi-scale. 2500m outside the city; 500m inside the city. We'll see how it plays.