Operational warfare on Eastern Front series
Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 4:57 pm
White death
I am developing a scenario based on the old GDW boardgame White death from 1979.
Here is the briefing for the scenario me and Vic is currently battleing out on the AAR forum. Some of the events in the briefing have changed since we started the game (most notably there isnt any forced march cards for the soviets.
Briefing.
WHITE DEATH - Velikiye Luki, the Stalingrad of the north (Purkayev´s attack)
1 BACKGROUND
This scenario simulates the initial soviet offensive around Velikiye Luki in november-december 1942 on the eastern front. The 3rd Shock Army with units from the 2nd Mhz Corps, 8th Estonian Rifle Corps and the 5th Guards Shock Corps attacked the area around Velikiye Luki which initially was only defended by two understrenght german divisions and the garrison troops nearby. The german AG Center quickly sent what reinforcements they could muster to save Velikiye Luki and the important railway runningh through it.
This could possibly be the first scenario of several in the campaign, so some features might not be in Purkayev´s attack
1.1 Scale
Each SFT point represents 15-20 infantry, 6-10 heavy guns, 10-15 light guns or 10-30 vehicles. German units are battalions if not otherwise marked (sometimes companies). Russian units are regiments or battalions if not otherwise marked.
Each turn is 2 days long.
During the campaign no side had access to any meaningfull airsupport, so there are no airunits in the scenario. There are no naval units either.
2 SPECIAL RULES & RULE CHANGES
Counterbattery fire is activated.
AI is blocked from creating new units.
Movement on roads is increased slightly.
Ski units can move over lakes.
Neither side can build new units (or rather new units & HQ cost 1 000 PPs).
Basic HQ power increased from three to four.
All basic units can carry two rounds of supply.
Supply Action Range increased from 250 AP to 450. Supply penaltie rangess similarly increased.
2.1 Weather
Each round there is a 25 % chance of bad visibility. If there is bad visibility in a round artillery range is one less. This means mortars will not have artillery capability. Also kill chance of artillery is halved for that round.
3 REGIMES & PEOPLES
The following "peopletypes" exist in the scenario
German
Russian
Guards
Russian Guards division fight with higher morale than normal troops. They have a 60 in normal morale value.
Abwehr
The german Abwehr units from the Brandenburg regiment fight with an 85 in normal morale value.
SS
SS units fight with 60 in normal morale value.
Estonian
Luftwaffe
4 RESEARCH & PRODUCTION etc.
Research is disabled.
Minor supply locations produce 1 000 BPs of supply each round. Supply bases produce
4 000. Neither produce PPs.
Both sides recieve reinforcements on certain turns. The german side also recieves some replacements on one turn. Note that using the “free setup-variant” makes the game last one round longer and that reinforcements are also one round later (but added at the correct time in the scenario).
4.1 Producable locations
Fortresses, airfields and makeshift ports cannot be built.
Fortifications can be built. They cost 1 PPs to build. USSR start with 2 PPs. Germany starts with 5 BPs. This means that USSR normally can build 2 fortifications and Germany 5 during the course of the game.
Units move the same on railroad as on road except for rail type units that use 5 AP on railroad and cannot move anywhere else. Railroad and road are for all other intents and purposes equal (its just for visual effect). All railroads have effectivly roads going beside them. Engineers can construct normal roads.
4.2 Axis Reinforcement order
Round
2 1st Ski Jaeger Battalion
4 I/1st Lehr Rocket Battalion, 564th Security Battalion, 591st Security
Battalion
7 90th Motorized Infantry Regiment, 505th Infantry Regiment, 8/11/29th Tank Company, II/3rd Rocket Battalion, II/1st Lehr Rocket Battalion, 2nd Antitank Battalion, 391st Security Battalion, Replacements
8 662nd Engineer Battalion, 505th Engineer Battalion, 8th Panzer Division
4.3 Soviet Reinforcement order
Round
2 331st Rifle Division
3 357th Rifle Division
4 21st Guards Rifle Division, 46th Guards Rifle Division, 34th Tank Regiment, 3 SA Engineer Brigade, 3 SA Artillery Brigade
7 9th Guards Rifle Division, 19th Guards Rifle Division, 31st Rifle Brigade, 45th Ski Brigade, 5S Engineer Brigade, 5S Artillery Brigade
10 33rd Tank Brigade, 68th Motorcycle Battalion, 18th Mechanized Brigade
5 UNITS
The following are new SFT types or such that have been altered.
Commando
The commandos are well trained and have much better equipment than normal riflemen. They have good recon values, hidepoints, can blow bridges and can also carry 4 rounds of supply with them.
Ski SMG
Function like normal SMG but move much faster than normal infantry and can ski over lakes. They have good recon and hide values. Can carry 4 rounds of supply.
Mortar
Has artillery rating fires with ca 20 % efficency of artillery. Artillery range 1.
Artillery
Has range of 4 in scenario.
Military Police
Has about half the attacking power of rifle but otherwise the same.
Construction Worker
Like engineers but only produce 1 EP/round, attacks at half strenght and has less chance of blowing bridges than normal engineers.
Observation Specialist
These attack with 50 % efficiency. They have exceptional recon abillity.
Train
Travels on track. Has 2000 railcap. No carry ability. Otherwise like trucks.
Trucks
Have only 1000 in landcap in this scenario.
Rocket artillery
Moves on wheel, can carry 5. Otherwise like normal artillery.
6 SCENARIO VARIANTS
6.1 Agressive USSR AI
Makes the AI more agressive. Choosing this setting also makes bridges indestructible. This is because the high amount of artillery and bridges would slow the AI down a lot if bridges were constantly destroyed.
6.2 Boardgame rules
Gives an initial round of peach with movement increased by 100 to allow free setup of units. Using this option makes the game 1 round longer because there is no war on the first round.
Garrissons in Velikiye Luki, Isotcha and Nowossokoljniki may only be moved inside their cities. The units in the 3rd Mountain division sector (south of the railroad, east of Lowatj and west of Kunja Creek and) may only move within that area) and the units in the 83rd Infantry division may only move in its designated area (east of Lowatj, west of Kunja Creek and north of the Railroad. (this is enforced by a temporary regime called setupbarrier that dissapears at the start of round two).
Using the boardgame rules also gives the soviet side access to two forced march actioncards. Using a forced march actioncard gives the soviet player a movement increase of 300 % for the current round. But it also gives soviet units a -90 % reduction of offensive power for the round.
6.3 German AI
This is an atempt to make an competetive german AI for the scenario. Its still in the experimental phase. It changes AI aggressivnes, makes some hexes have higher VP and removes VP from some hexes that wouldnt be threatened by the soviets anyway.
6.4 Count losses
Using this option creates two “locations” with flag sprites on hexes X23Y39 and X0Y20. These locations will have an VP value for each side that is equal to quantity of german losses/250 for the location in soviet territory and soviet losses/200 for the location in german territory. Example. If soviet has lost a total of 520 SFTs so far during the game then the location would yield germany 2 extra VPs.
6.5 Woehlers responseThis scenario variant extends the game another nine rounds. It is not yet available.
7 VICTORY
Game lasts 12 rounds. Whomever has more VPs at the start of round 13 wins. All urban hexes are worth at least 1 VP. The following german controlled hexes are worth 5VP; X23Y11, X23Y12 (Velikiye Luki), X26Y25 (Guschtschino), and X24Y34 (Nowossokoljniki)
I am developing a scenario based on the old GDW boardgame White death from 1979.
Here is the briefing for the scenario me and Vic is currently battleing out on the AAR forum. Some of the events in the briefing have changed since we started the game (most notably there isnt any forced march cards for the soviets.
Briefing.
WHITE DEATH - Velikiye Luki, the Stalingrad of the north (Purkayev´s attack)
1 BACKGROUND
This scenario simulates the initial soviet offensive around Velikiye Luki in november-december 1942 on the eastern front. The 3rd Shock Army with units from the 2nd Mhz Corps, 8th Estonian Rifle Corps and the 5th Guards Shock Corps attacked the area around Velikiye Luki which initially was only defended by two understrenght german divisions and the garrison troops nearby. The german AG Center quickly sent what reinforcements they could muster to save Velikiye Luki and the important railway runningh through it.
This could possibly be the first scenario of several in the campaign, so some features might not be in Purkayev´s attack
1.1 Scale
Each SFT point represents 15-20 infantry, 6-10 heavy guns, 10-15 light guns or 10-30 vehicles. German units are battalions if not otherwise marked (sometimes companies). Russian units are regiments or battalions if not otherwise marked.
Each turn is 2 days long.
During the campaign no side had access to any meaningfull airsupport, so there are no airunits in the scenario. There are no naval units either.
2 SPECIAL RULES & RULE CHANGES
Counterbattery fire is activated.
AI is blocked from creating new units.
Movement on roads is increased slightly.
Ski units can move over lakes.
Neither side can build new units (or rather new units & HQ cost 1 000 PPs).
Basic HQ power increased from three to four.
All basic units can carry two rounds of supply.
Supply Action Range increased from 250 AP to 450. Supply penaltie rangess similarly increased.
2.1 Weather
Each round there is a 25 % chance of bad visibility. If there is bad visibility in a round artillery range is one less. This means mortars will not have artillery capability. Also kill chance of artillery is halved for that round.
3 REGIMES & PEOPLES
The following "peopletypes" exist in the scenario
German
Russian
Guards
Russian Guards division fight with higher morale than normal troops. They have a 60 in normal morale value.
Abwehr
The german Abwehr units from the Brandenburg regiment fight with an 85 in normal morale value.
SS
SS units fight with 60 in normal morale value.
Estonian
Luftwaffe
4 RESEARCH & PRODUCTION etc.
Research is disabled.
Minor supply locations produce 1 000 BPs of supply each round. Supply bases produce
4 000. Neither produce PPs.
Both sides recieve reinforcements on certain turns. The german side also recieves some replacements on one turn. Note that using the “free setup-variant” makes the game last one round longer and that reinforcements are also one round later (but added at the correct time in the scenario).
4.1 Producable locations
Fortresses, airfields and makeshift ports cannot be built.
Fortifications can be built. They cost 1 PPs to build. USSR start with 2 PPs. Germany starts with 5 BPs. This means that USSR normally can build 2 fortifications and Germany 5 during the course of the game.
Units move the same on railroad as on road except for rail type units that use 5 AP on railroad and cannot move anywhere else. Railroad and road are for all other intents and purposes equal (its just for visual effect). All railroads have effectivly roads going beside them. Engineers can construct normal roads.
4.2 Axis Reinforcement order
Round
2 1st Ski Jaeger Battalion
4 I/1st Lehr Rocket Battalion, 564th Security Battalion, 591st Security
Battalion
7 90th Motorized Infantry Regiment, 505th Infantry Regiment, 8/11/29th Tank Company, II/3rd Rocket Battalion, II/1st Lehr Rocket Battalion, 2nd Antitank Battalion, 391st Security Battalion, Replacements
8 662nd Engineer Battalion, 505th Engineer Battalion, 8th Panzer Division
4.3 Soviet Reinforcement order
Round
2 331st Rifle Division
3 357th Rifle Division
4 21st Guards Rifle Division, 46th Guards Rifle Division, 34th Tank Regiment, 3 SA Engineer Brigade, 3 SA Artillery Brigade
7 9th Guards Rifle Division, 19th Guards Rifle Division, 31st Rifle Brigade, 45th Ski Brigade, 5S Engineer Brigade, 5S Artillery Brigade
10 33rd Tank Brigade, 68th Motorcycle Battalion, 18th Mechanized Brigade
5 UNITS
The following are new SFT types or such that have been altered.
Commando
The commandos are well trained and have much better equipment than normal riflemen. They have good recon values, hidepoints, can blow bridges and can also carry 4 rounds of supply with them.
Ski SMG
Function like normal SMG but move much faster than normal infantry and can ski over lakes. They have good recon and hide values. Can carry 4 rounds of supply.
Mortar
Has artillery rating fires with ca 20 % efficency of artillery. Artillery range 1.
Artillery
Has range of 4 in scenario.
Military Police
Has about half the attacking power of rifle but otherwise the same.
Construction Worker
Like engineers but only produce 1 EP/round, attacks at half strenght and has less chance of blowing bridges than normal engineers.
Observation Specialist
These attack with 50 % efficiency. They have exceptional recon abillity.
Train
Travels on track. Has 2000 railcap. No carry ability. Otherwise like trucks.
Trucks
Have only 1000 in landcap in this scenario.
Rocket artillery
Moves on wheel, can carry 5. Otherwise like normal artillery.
6 SCENARIO VARIANTS
6.1 Agressive USSR AI
Makes the AI more agressive. Choosing this setting also makes bridges indestructible. This is because the high amount of artillery and bridges would slow the AI down a lot if bridges were constantly destroyed.
6.2 Boardgame rules
Gives an initial round of peach with movement increased by 100 to allow free setup of units. Using this option makes the game 1 round longer because there is no war on the first round.
Garrissons in Velikiye Luki, Isotcha and Nowossokoljniki may only be moved inside their cities. The units in the 3rd Mountain division sector (south of the railroad, east of Lowatj and west of Kunja Creek and) may only move within that area) and the units in the 83rd Infantry division may only move in its designated area (east of Lowatj, west of Kunja Creek and north of the Railroad. (this is enforced by a temporary regime called setupbarrier that dissapears at the start of round two).
Using the boardgame rules also gives the soviet side access to two forced march actioncards. Using a forced march actioncard gives the soviet player a movement increase of 300 % for the current round. But it also gives soviet units a -90 % reduction of offensive power for the round.
6.3 German AI
This is an atempt to make an competetive german AI for the scenario. Its still in the experimental phase. It changes AI aggressivnes, makes some hexes have higher VP and removes VP from some hexes that wouldnt be threatened by the soviets anyway.
6.4 Count losses
Using this option creates two “locations” with flag sprites on hexes X23Y39 and X0Y20. These locations will have an VP value for each side that is equal to quantity of german losses/250 for the location in soviet territory and soviet losses/200 for the location in german territory. Example. If soviet has lost a total of 520 SFTs so far during the game then the location would yield germany 2 extra VPs.
6.5 Woehlers responseThis scenario variant extends the game another nine rounds. It is not yet available.
7 VICTORY
Game lasts 12 rounds. Whomever has more VPs at the start of round 13 wins. All urban hexes are worth at least 1 VP. The following german controlled hexes are worth 5VP; X23Y11, X23Y12 (Velikiye Luki), X26Y25 (Guschtschino), and X24Y34 (Nowossokoljniki)
