(Note: Check at the end of each article for "Tips" for advanced scenario designers)
Well, my hearties! It's time to start. We are beginning our first class on scenario design. This one is open to all, aspiring designers and veterans of the art.
Where do we begin? We begin with an attitude and a desire. The attitude is positive. "I can do this!" And you can. Believe it. When this is over, you'll not only believe it, you'll know it.
The desire is to be creative. Any healthy human being loves to be creative. A wargamer and a lover of military history wants to create. He wants to create or recreate the feeling of battle, what is like to be there, to command, to make decisions and live by them, good or bad.
So where do we begin?
We begin by choosing something to create. Let's create a battle in World War II, using SPWAW as our tool.
I'll give you principles and ideas. You use them in practice.
The first major step in building a scenario is - CHOOSE YOUR BATTLE.
I could choose one but it might not be one that you particularly care to work on. So choose your own.
Let me suggest here that you pick something that appeals to you. It might be a big or small battle. And be specific. Not just the Battle of the Bulge, or Kursk, which are actually hundreds of small battles.
Pick one. Or at least pick a big one from which you'll make your small one.
Remember, SPWAW is battalion sized or smaller battles. We are not after size here.
Of course, it can be hypothetical. Even so, you would want it within the parameters of a particular time and place. So research is important either way.
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1. This brings me to my first rule. Size is NOT important. "Bigger" is not always "better."
It is more difficult to create a small battle than it is a big one. In a big one you can cover mistakes. You can't do that very well in a small one.
What area appeals to you? Pacific, Western Europe, North Africa, East Front? From there be more specific. Or is there a particular fight you've always wanted to see in Steel Panthers? Well, why don't you make it?
This will mean some research. You will need to get some background information on the battle.
Where do you get that? Lots of places. Many internet sites offer good info on battles of World War II, some of them based on specific units, such as the 101st Airborne, or the Das Reich Division. Look on the web.
Or, go to your local library. Look over there military history section. See what you can find.
Or, if you have a friend or relative with books on WW2 military history, check on what they might have.
Visit some of the online bookstores, and see what they have and what it costs. Here are some with search engines. And many of them will look for a book for you for free.
http://www.sonic.net/~bstone/aberdeen/
http://www.abebooks.com/
http://www.amazon.com
http://shop.barnesandnoble.com/bookshelf/shelf_topics.asp
http://www.shop.pbs.org
http://www.scholarsbookshelf.com/
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/online/Bookshelves/WW2-List.htm
http://home.fuse.net/nafziger/
http://www.afterthebattle.mcmail.com/home.htm
http://www.merriam-press.com/
http://www.pacificapress.com/
http://www.rzm.com/magazines/atb/atbmap.cfm
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/world_war_2
You can also get free catalogs from the following bookstores in the mail simply by calling or writing.
Barnes and Noble: Books by Mail
1 Pond Road, Rockleigh, NJ 07647
1-800-843-2665
THe Scholar's Bookshelf
110 Melrich Road
Cranbury NJ 08512
(No 800 #)
Miitary book Club
505 Ridge Ave
Hanover, Pa 17332
317-541-8920
Zenith Books
Box 1, Osceola, Wi 54020
1-800-826-6600
E.R. Hamilton
Falls Village, CT 06031
(This guy has fantastic prices on books but you'll have to write and request the catalog. It is worth it.)
If you can't find in one of these, you probably can't find it period!
So this week, just find you a battle you want to recreate.
2. The next thing you want to do is to begin thinking about how to recreate this battle in the game. Read about the battle. Picture it in your mind. Think of what it might look like in SPWAW or any other SP game. Get a feeling for what was happening.
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Now remember, we are going to create a small to medium sized battle. So we may have to improvise part of the way. We will make a small section of the bigger battle.
If you pick one, post it here. See if there are suggestions from others on that subject. Let's get started.
Next week, Taking the First Steps to doing a battle.
HOMEWORK
Every week, I am going to give you some homework. I can't make you do it , but I hope you will.
I want you to write a text file that will give some background and details about your battle. This will be your text file for your scenario.
It will also focus your thinking and limit your scenario. It will be your guide to making your own battle.
We'll talk about how to fix it up and also the map editor in SPWAW.
If you need some ideas, simply look at some of the intro texts in the scenarios in SPWAW. This will help you to figure out how to do yours.
I'll see you right here then. Questions? Comments? Post them right here.
Wild Bill
(Next Week: "Making your Battlefield")
TIPS FOR ADVANCED SCENARIO DESIGNERS
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1. You can make your leader a general by going to unit deploy screen for either side. Highlight your A0 unit(or any other unit where you want a general).
Type "D"
Click on leader ratings
Click on "rank"
Type in "10"
Now you have a general in your force! This is how we make Rommel appear in numerous battles in Mega Campaign North Africa.
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2. Never put objective hexes under an ammo dump or a command post. If you do the hex cannot be accessed when it is destroyed. Thus, the objective hex cannot be captured by the attacker.
(I enlisted in Marines at 17 to get out of school-DUH) But if WB had been my teacher I would be a Doctor by now. 
