CM Operational Campaign AAR and enlistment question

P

Pavel

Guest
Hi guys,

A bunch of people from Russian-speaking CM community have completed an operational level campaign based on historical Arracourt 44 battle. The game was using CMBN for tactical layer and TOAWIII PC wargame for operational movement (using wargame for OpLevel also allows to resolve multiple combats "automatically" without CM involvement, so that it is possible to greatly increse the scope and the pace of the game, as it'd be unrealistic to resolve all the tactical combats in CM alone).
Here's the link AAR on the Google Docs:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aZUo83DNHG8_QfmiQNc3CWo72IQRXEKMTAg8eCSJMr4/edit#
and the original thread on BF forum (where people have suggested to repost this here at FGM):
http://community.battlefront.com/topic/118958-operational-level-campaign-completed/

We'd like to start another campaign later this year, using the same approach and updated rules, so it'd be good to know if there are people from English-speaking CM community willing to participate. If there are, please reply here in the thread, or drop me a Private Message. It'd be also good if you'd mention if you prefer to play West Front or East Front (CMRT) game, as we did not decide on this yet.

Thanks and best regards
 
Pavel

I would be interested in something like this. One of the reasons I joined FGM was to "role play" in their campaigns and am lucky to be involved with the "Final Stand" and "Rikonovo" campaigns. I am more interested in being a field commander and play out PBEM tactical battles, the operational level stuff is of less interest to me but I enjoy being part of a team and like to follow along. I can play any side but since you guys are from Russia and I'm thinking will want to play for the отечество I would play the Germans.

Please keep us informed. Now I'm going to give your booklet a thorough read.
 
Hi Pavel, so you made it over here to us. Very nice and welcome! I will also look at your booklet and if you need someone participating in a new game count me in!
 
Thank you for your interest! I'll post here - in this thread - some more information on the subject as soon as we have some preparations done (like rules translated etc), most probably in few weeks. In the meantime, more people may wish to join.

Floki said:
I can play any side but since you guys are from Russia and I'm thinking will want to play for the отечество I would play the Germans.
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Actually, we've been considering Market Garden as the most feasible variant for the next session, for a number of reasons. So, unless players - including you guys - are strongly inclined towards something different, like East Front or Normandy, it is expected to be MG. Not the whole MG, of course, but one of it's particular areas like Arnhem, Nijmegen, Eindhoven-Helmond-Veghel triangle etc (won't tell you the exact sector now to keep some intrigue ;)), and of course with some what-ifs introduced to bring more surprise.

Best regards
 
Market Garden definitely is a good one. Lots of different formations and both sides take part are in attacking and defending operations. Looking forward to get this rolling!
 
I would also like to be involved with this, I don't mind sides or fronts tho I do seem to play allies more than axis these days.
 
@Pavel I would like to be part of this as a higher level staff planner. I am not up to date with all of the CM2 versions nor do I have all CM2 versions. The side does not matter. Thank you for this opportunity.
 
fabishd said:
@Pavel I would like to be part of this as a higher level staff planner. I am not up to date with all of the CM2 versions nor do I have all CM2 versions. The side does not matter. Thank you for this opportunity.
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I second that. @fabishd is an excellent staff officer which proves right now in the ongoing Last Stand campaign. Perfectly suited for such a job! Highly recommended!
 
Just a note of warning. The TOAW, despite quite old (from 90s), is still a great wargame itself: it is pretty simple gamewise but still quite deep, thankfully to numerous features like pretty complex script-like event engine making some scenarios quite non-linear and replayable, it's reinforcements and replacements simulation, ability to simulate player's political and military high level decisions (called theater options) etc. But please note that you won't need the TOAW to play our campaign at operational level at all, as TOAW is used by the game master alone. Players' actions are governed by the map, OoB and situation updates game master sends back to them. And the essence of these actions is, in fact, simple orders written for every next turn (that lasts for 6 six hours). CO/XO do not interact with TOAW directly at all.
UPD to summarize, with our approach, you won't need any wargame at all to play operational level and you only need CM:MG to play tactical level.
 
The order example (Arracourt, US team, turn 16):

HQ CCA 4th Armoured Div
22.09.1944, Arracourt

1. 1+2/4/37th Arm, 2Lt/37th Arm, 3+4/4/37th Arm, 2/24th Arm Eng - attack 03 (Limit Losses).
2. 1/B/25th Cav and 1Lt/37th Arm move N3 and engage enemy there, making limited attack against O2 (Minimize Losses).
3. 3/51st Arm Inf entrench Q2 (Minimize Losses).
4. 2/B/25th Cav move to T2 (Mittersheim) and reconnaissance right bank of the channel in southern direction.
5. 1/51st Arm Inf, 1/10th Arm Inf, 1/37th Arm attack N6 (Ignore Losses).
6. 2/37th Arm remains at N7 as tactical reserve (Ignore Losses).
7. CCA HQ - entrench M7 (Limit Losses).
8. 1/3/37th Arm, 2/24th Arm Eng - entrench L8 (Ignore Losses).
9. 3/10th Arm Inf move to L11 via the road and become a tactical reserve (Limit Losses).
10. 1/24th Arm Eng remain tactical reserve L9 (Ignore Losses).
11. 2/704th TD remain tactical reserve L10 (Limit Losses)
12. 3/B/25th Cav move M10 as tactical reserve (Minimize Losses).
13. 66th Arm Art and 94th Arm Art keep positions.

IIRC this is a technical order that was not expected to be played out in CM at all, only in TOAW. In more general case, an order could/should be more detailed on the enemy, the general situation and commander' decision itself, so that CM commanders could understand what's going on and what they are expected to do.
Also, if we'd have enough players to establish multiple commands (not the single one controlling all the units), some orders should be given to subordinate commands instead of micromanaging everything.
 
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