Scenario Design 101 - Art of War #1

SPWaW is a tactical squad-level World War II game on single platoon or up to an entire battalion through Europe and the Pacific (1939 to 1945).

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skukko
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Post by skukko »

I am late, but I told you I had wrong map to come in here :D But here is what I want to do:

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Battle Of Bengtskar

___Design: mosh

In November 1939, Soviet attacked Finland. By 1941 the promontory of Hanko was in Russian hands.

The strategic importance of Bengtskär quickly became apparent as Finnish troops on the island could easily monitor Soviet activities. A small force was able to provide valuable reconnaissance and target sighting in the continuing Finnish struggle against the Soviet Force.

At one hour after midnight on July 26, 1941, under the cover of fog two Russian patrol boats secretly landed
an armed force at the southern part of Bengtskär. The invasion party of one hundred marines led by Lieutenant Kurilov
had orders for the complete destruction of the lighthouse, so that it could no longer play a role in hampering Russian war activities.

The small Finnish garrison of fourty-one men, including four lighthouse keepers, repelled the first Russian attack. Overwhelmed by a vastly superior enemy force, the brave defenders took refuge in the upper floors of the lighthouse. From there the struggle continued under the command of Lieutenant Fred Luther who was twice wounded during the fight.

From a distance of ten kilometers, batteries emplaced on the neighbouring island of Örö and Granholmen shelled the Soviet patrol boats and the enemy soldiers hiding in the rock crevasses on the island. The early hours of July 26, greeted the arrival of Finnish gunboats and coast guard vessels. Fighter bombers of the Finnish airforce owerflew the island and attacked the invaders. At dawn a force of finnish Commandos from the nearby island of Hitis landed and joined the struggle to repel the Soviet force and relieve Lieutenant Luther and his brave defenders.

After a hard and bloody battle, the small Finnish garrison emerged victorious. But victory was to come at a price. By the following day the battle had claimed thirtyone dead and forty-five wounded from the Finnish ranks. For the Soviets, the abortive invasion was a more costly venture. Sixty troops lost their lives at the hands of the Finnish defence force. Twenty-eight, mostly severely wounded Russians were taken prisoner.

But for the Finns it was a bittersweet victory. During the day of July 27, a Russian warplane overflew the island, and dropped a bomb. It struck the living quarters, demolishing the upper and middle roofs, and killing seven of the Finnish defence force.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Could be better played as a russian...but, any comments, interested?

mosh :D
salute

mosh

If its not rotten, shoot again
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mogami
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Post by mogami »

Originally posted by Resisti:
Mogami,

Italian's parachute division "Folgore" (I think you were talking abt that),didnt exist in 1940 yet...
Ah right you are, but then this is SPWaW not reality. I will pretend they had actually planned this move before declaring war. (or I will change date to when the Italians actully had a para unit) In any case the core force is to be Italian paratroops (with regular infantry arriving by glider/amph landing) Currently I am working on a Japanese para landing in Feb 1942 (I am going to do a series of battles, one for every nation that had paratroops)
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Post by Wild Bill »

I'll see you all, I hope, on Monday, where we will touch on map making for a bit. Get ready, plus some more tips for the "pros."

Wild Bill
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DoubleDeuce
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Post by DoubleDeuce »

Excuse me for lurking during the scenario design/battle write up class. I see next up for discussion is map-making. Now I am ready to jump in!

And I'll be sure to take plenty of notes.
ruxius
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Post by ruxius »

Yuppie Yeah..here is my first homework done !


________UAL UAL Episode - "The Pretext "*
*
________IT Defend Vs Abyssinian Assault*
__Ual Ual village - Ethiopia,December 5,1934*
_________________Turns : 13*
*
__Designer : Ruxius*
__ruxiusf@libero.it*
*
Ual Ual...a small village in the border between italian Somalia and the *
empire of Ethiopia...in reality a never properly outlined'border' that one!*
The Ual Ual village was known for its plenty of drinkable water*
and there the Italians built a fortified place defended by a maniple*
of Dubats , the Somalia's troops loyal to Italy,equipped ,trained and*
leaded by IT officers*
*
On morning 5th of Dec '34 that peaceful place saw a sneaky assault*
of outnumbering Abyssinian gangs leaded by 'fitaurari' Sciferrà*
governor of the nearby city of Giggica. They could not stand the *
increasing IT influence in that region and attacked. Dubats fiercely *
held out against them untill the arrival of italian supporting *
reinforcements leaded by captain Cimmaruta. After an hard fight the *
enemies were definitively pulled away *
*
"But since then That Water had a taste of deadly Pretext for Ethiopia empire..."*


Now that I have finished I have to ask to my Teacher some questions :
It was not easy found something about this battle...at least I found only a book for a lot of money and finally ( I felt quite hopeless) a map where Ual Ual is roughly reported..
now:
1) We were told in Spwaw5.0 we can add pictures to this text..where and how should I add my jpg at the end of this text ?
and sounds eventually ? are this .waw or .mp3 needed ?
2)please tell me if this is a question to be delayed at a following session ...anyway :
I read that the IT reinforcements consisted in 3 aircrafts and 2 tanks..now I know I have to buy these and then mark them as reinforcement units..OK but I didn't have any availability of IT aircrafts...why ? I bought some tanks and then I tried with R or D button to change their nature but nothing to do..have I to surrender ?

3) This question is opened to all the readers.
The Abyssinian had many rifles imported by
Europe...I read they were equipped with these kind of Rifle :
German Mauser 98
German Gewehr 1888 7,92mm
I have looked for these in the weapon table..
I found _ M1930 Rifle _ Kar98K Rifle
_ M1918A2 BAR _ Mas36 Rifle
_ M1893 RIfle _ M1903 RIfle
I think noone of these is concerned with my needs but as your experiences suggest which is the best similar to what I need ?
And to the Teacher : is there a way to add new weapons in the list of SPWAW ?
Because the Abyssinian soldier had a "Shotel"
a dangerous curved sword ..it could be simulated as a 1hex-range weapon...and very historical for melee...if only I could add this to the list..
Also I noticed this funny thing in weapon's list :
#185 = Mod 91
#226 = Mod 91 Rifle
is intended to be a real difference between them or it's just an oversight ?


I hope I do not cause too much problems to my Teacher but at least ... :) he deserves this for all the sleepless and painful nights spent in keeping my way through his scenarios..
I just speak as a drugged dependent player obviously.. :D :D

Sorry for the long post !
See you tomorrow in the new topic..
Italian Soldier,German Discipline!
ruxius
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Post by ruxius »

Comments to SKUKKO :

Hey I find your scenario very interesting to me !!
First of all I noticed our scenarios have some elements which are in common since we both are designing a desperate small battle against outnumbering enemies..
and secondly because it tells the story of a battle that not many people knows about..I am really interested in knowing about this
minor battles...let me consider a one of the members to whom it will be posted !
Italian Soldier,German Discipline!
TheZel66
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Post by TheZel66 »

Thanks for the help Wild Bill. Long time listener, first time caller.

I'm going to design a scenerio based on the book INVASION: the German Invasion of England, July 1940, by Kenneth Macksey. A great book that I've read many times. I always thought that Steel Panthers series was an excellent way to test hypothetical scenerios, such as this.

My first scenerio will be of a small glider landing near the town of Dover, in which German Engineers are tasked with taking out a number of coastal gun emplacements. should be interesting, and looking forward to the lessons..
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Post by Wild Bill »

Glad to hear from you Zel! Yours is a good one. I like the idea of the gliders. Now using gliders indicates you've been playing around a bit already with the editor.

That is good. Remember, all of you, any questions, post 'em here.

Also, remember, we want only small or medicum sized scenarios this time. Nothing over 80 units on each side.

This is a practice. Don't consider this your final effort to make that battle you wanted. We want to get a little more proficient.

Then armed with that knowledge, tackle that dream scenario with all vigor and make it happen.

Lesson #2 will be up shortly...WB
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skukko
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Post by skukko »

Ruxius: You are added to testers list. Prepare to buy new keyboard..LOL

mosh :D
salute

mosh

If its not rotten, shoot again
ruxius
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Post by ruxius »

You Got it Skukko..but tell me have you got still the older SPWAW4.5 version ? or are you working already with ver5.0 ? I am still waiting for that..however happy to belong to that list ! Bye !

P.S May I hope some answers to some of my questions ? I have to choose a rifle for
Abyssinians..
Thank you mates..
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Post by skukko »

Ruxius: I'll suppose that when these school-works are out we all have version 5 ;)

Yoiu ain't getting out of this easy?? Choosing real odd-ball countries you've taken challenge to you :D Italian OOB and LBM isknown to have everything messed up...

mosh :D
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mosh

If its not rotten, shoot again
ruxius
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Post by ruxius »

Yes , mate I know that ;), but since I am italian maybe it's me that has to do something in this case..A lot of things to do..and how ? ... :confused:
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panda124c
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Post by panda124c »

Quick question, I am looking for an Italian units and their TOE stationed in NW Italy during mid 1940. Any suggestions where I can find this information?
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Post by Wild Bill »

George Nafziger has a nice little book on TOEs for the Italians and some historical mentions as to when and where.

It sells for about $20. It is worth it.
http://home.fuse.net/nafziger/

Wild Bill
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Post by ectizen »

I've finally finished re-typing my homework! Would you believe my dog ate the text file? ;)

Here's the initial text for my scenario. It's a little rough, and will probably change as I continue my research...


_________Hold Them At Isurava*
*
_Australian Defend vs Japanese Advance*
_____Isurava Village, New Guinea*
*
________Date: 30 August 1942*
_____________Turns: ??*
*
_Design: ectizen (ectizen@ectopia.net)*
*
*
Background:*
*
In June 1942, the Maroubra Force, a combination of the 39th Australian
Infantry Battalion and elements of the Papuan Infantry Battalion, was
given the task of defending Port Moresby against the Japanese threat.
Should Port Moresby be taken, it would be used as a stepping stone for
a Japanese invasion of Australia.*
*
After having difficulty approaching Port Moresby directly, the
Japanese landed to the north, with the intention of attempting an
overland attack on Port Moresby, across the high and difficult Owen
Stanley mountains.*
*
After difficult fighting against a more numerous army training in and
around the Kokoda Plateau in the Owen Stanley Range, Maroubra Force
falls back first to Deniki, and then to Isurava. There, they had a few
days with little fighting, which allowed them to dig in and prepare
for a renewed attack.*
*
*
Mission:*
*
Prevent the Japanese forces from moving through Isurava.*
They must not be be permitted to advance towards Port Moresby.*
*
*
Sources:*
*
"To Kokoda And Beyond", compiled by Victor Austin*
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ectizen's SP:WaW Tools - Map Thing (1.0a), Scenario W
ruxius
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Post by ruxius »

Originally posted by ectizen:
Would you believe my dog ate the text file?
ahahah
I promote your dog as your first personal designer assistant..HEY ! in his way he tries to advice you... :D :D :D

Yes , very hard to believe he focused just on that paper...maybe he was waiting too long for it's daily walking while you were in front of the screen , preparing your scenario.. :) :)
Italian Soldier,German Discipline!
Wild Bill
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Post by Wild Bill »

Nice text, EC! I love the Pacific!

Ruxius, I'm just not that informed on the list of weapons. I know that there are some that go beyond what can be displayed, (eg, Enfield Rifle is 242).

Stuart Millis is in charge of the OOBs and i hope he will read this section and offer some answers for you...Wild Bill
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ruxius
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Post by ruxius »


Ruxius, I'm just not that informed on the list of weapons. I know that there are some that go beyond what can be displayed, (eg, Enfield Rifle is 242).
Oh WB !! You have special powers , do you know ? In fact you helped me to understand two useful things for my scenario...
1) it's true..there is something hiddden beyond what we see..
I found :
241- 250Kg bomb
242- Enfield Rifle
243- M1889 Rifle
244- Vickers 50CMG
245- 3 in Mk I AA-Gun
246- 25mm (2) AA-Gun
247- 7,7mm Lewis HMG
248- 7,9mmQuadAAMG
249..free..

This let me think there is still space left up to # 255 where I could insert the typical Abyssinian sword the "Shotel"

And if I assume that M stands for Model
maybe I can approximate the Gewehr 1888 with 243 rifle for equipping the attackers.
I saw a thing that made me hopeful..the indians have a special hand-weapon ..the Kukri (a typical Indian sword) so the concept of something like the Shotel is
already out there...
On the other hand I found that the list is not absolute but is dependant by nationality
of the unit I try to modify...there is no
an order into them ...
I have to study this for a while...

Stuart Millis is in charge of the OOBs and i hope he will read this section and offer some answers for you...Wild Bill
Should I consider this gentleman as a reference point for any OOB changes about the Italians ? and How can I find him ?

Anyway...
This is the best kind of lesson I ever hoped..a general stuff and some attentions also to minor 'scientists' like me..
Very grateful to you Bill !
The best teacher is that one who loves his pupils..not the best informed man at world..that is quite impossible..except for God..
Italian Soldier,German Discipline!
ruxius
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Post by ruxius »

A sad discovery : there is not any choice to delete a unit's weapon from ones listed using SPWAW editor and D-key..
I tried all possible numbers to have a weapon slot empty :
0
-1
00000000000000000
250
251
252
253
254
255
256

although in the editor it seemed that the slot was empty when I loaded and played later the scenario I found always a M1903rifle (sometimes in red) for each slot I tried to make free from a weapon...
So next to a Shotel's unofficial number also
a VOID WEAPON number is needed...

The only thing that can be done is to cancel that unit but if each infantry unit of that nationality is equipped with more than 1 weapon you will never have it with just one weapon..

An approximation is to give weapons without ammo..but what if in that scenario a ammo dump is required for the first weapon ?

Ok I will raise this question again when we
will arrive to deployment menu WB-lesson..
Italian Soldier,German Discipline!
Wild Bill
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Post by Wild Bill »

Very soon, Ruxius! Very soon! You are right. You cannot delete a weapon per se, but you can take all its ammo away so that it is in playing terms not there, OR you can change it to something else.

We'll touch on that when we get to units and to fine tuning...

NEXT CLASE AOMW # will be Monday. Now we go into the nitty-gritty and help you make a map. Don't miss it.
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