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I have a question for the brains trust. The map scale is 5km. The unit scale is regiments and battalions. As a rule of thumb at what width does a river become a super river? I have Soviet 200K maps that do the differentiation at 20 meters (about 60 feet?)

Since a 'super river' demands bridging to support the crossing then the answer under those terms would be any stream too deep to cross without a unit without bridging equipment present. Width isn't really a good way to give a river the super river tag.

With the ability to have a secondary icon then that (bridging unit) could be most any engineer unit that historically had a bridging capability. Even major rivers can have fordable locations so having a topo map that pointed out those locations can be a big help.

Edit: A good example is the Russian attempt to cross a river in their current invasion of Ukraine. It isn't all that broad but not possible to cross without bridging support. In TOAW it would have to be represented by Super River for that reason in my opinion. On the other hand there are rivers with much greater width that could be waded across without ever getting your backpack wet. Clear as mud right?

Rivers become Super Rivers when they can't be crossed. So it depends on the subject of the scenario.

Simon Edmonds wrote: Fri Jul 08, 2022 3:46 am I have a question for the brains trust. The map scale is 5km. The unit scale is regiments and battalions. As a rule of thumb at what width does a river become a super river? I have Soviet 200K maps that do the differentiation at 20 meters (about 60 feet?)

Simon,

A better indicator might be the flow rate if it can be determined. This accounts for both wide rivers as well as rivers that are not wide but which have a flow rate high enough to require bridging.

The other aspect is the hex size and unit scales. A strategic game with corps as units should probably only have rivers like the Rhine, Meuse, Elbe etc. as "super" rivers. For a game with battalion sized units, even smaller rivers could pose a significant obstacle to crossing.

Cheers

Thanks for the replies. Yes the maps do have information on depth and flow. They also show recognized fording sites in places. The unit size would be regiment and battalion.

Lobster wrote: Fri Jul 08, 2022 2:21 pm With the ability to have a secondary icon then that (bridging unit) could be most any engineer unit that historically had a bridging capability.

Unit icon has no impact on ferrying capability.

The rule of thumb for me would be a river which a typical combat unit in the scenario would not be able to cross with organic assets. So if your typical unit is a regiment then you'd want to think about what regimental bridging assets would be capable of. The map scale isn't as important as the unit scale.