If there is anything I can do to help please don't hesitate to ask.
Kicking around some ideas, again.
- Thread starter Nathangun
- Start date
Basic rule concepts. These are a work in progress, play testers input will be valuable.
Turn Sequence
Dawn - Combat Service Support (Supply Maintenance / Reinforcements / casualty recovery / vehicle maintenance & recovery / C&C test).
Afternoon
Dusk
Night
The Campaign will begin on day 1 afternoon so the campaign clock will show the following.
I will tweak this graphic later, just a working concept.
Combat Service Support
At the start of each dawn turn or the end of each night turn, supply, maintenance and medical operations are determined.
This will be known as Combat Service Support.
It is considered these operations were carried out at night under the cover of darkness.
Troops returning to their units and supplies been brought up to the forward units and immobile tanks been whisked away without risk of been spotted and harassed by the enemy.
Reinforcements
Scheduled reinforcements will arrive at allocated Hexes as the campaign dicates.
Casualty Recovery / vehicle maintenance & recovery
Each HQ has basic field medical facilities to return lightly injured troops to their units. Panzer and mechanised HQ's have a vehicle recovery team.
Vehicle Maintenance & Recovery
If a Mech unit of any type loses a vehicle or tank in previous day, it may try to recover the lost tank if it has control of the ground from which the tank was abandoned or damaged (immobile).
It is assumed that the recovery team evacuated the stricken vehicle during the hours of darkness.
During the dawn turn of each day (except day 1) each side may determine if immobile or damaged tanks, trucks, jeeps and HT's are repaired.
The HQ unit must not have moved in the night turn.
Note: If any of the abandoned crew members of tanks were killed or there is no 'spare crew' (crews that abandoned a tank that was subsequently destroyed) the tank will be UNABLE to be crewed.
Abandoned ATG's.
Same as tanks with the exception they don't need to repaired, either they were destroyed in battle or they weren't.
Abandoned crew of a destroyed ATG may crew a tank for simplistic sake.
Medical recovery and Casualties
When a unit, most likely a Infantry Company (Inf Coy) suffers casualties in a battle or from several battles the day before, 25% of the WIA from those battles will be returned to the Company in the Dawn turn.
However, the unit must not have moved in the the Night Turn and must trace a line of supply to the Bn HQ.
The HQ unit must not have moved in the night turn.
Most units represent 400 (battalion), 200 (company) and 50 (platoon) men for casualties purposes, so 25% is returned to the unit the next day.
Units that suffer casualties will suffer leadership and motivation penalties, depending on losses.
Supply
Units belonging to a HQ at is Pinned / Disrupted are considered Out of Supply.
Units must trace a path no more than 4 hexes overland to their parent HQ to be in supply.
Overland Supply
The overland supply path may be up to four hexes long. It may traverse all types of terrain including streams with the following restrictions, it may not enter an enemy Zone of Control (ZOC) and may not go over rivers only via a bridge, it may go over streams.
The following rule could be used for a bigger campaign.
A Bn HQ must be able to trace a supply to a Regiment HQ 12 hexes away by road.
A regiment HQ must trace a unlimited path by road, to a Division / Brigade HQ.
"Don't shoot all your guns a once."
It won't be possible during the Dawn - Dusk turns to "bring up ammo' to the forward troops to ammo levels will drop from battle to battle throughout the day so it is something to be aware of.
To negate this, a supply truck can be brought up during battle.
I have (for the most part) made tables for squads, tanks and ATG's of the ammo count of each category.
ZOC or Zone of Control.
Each unit has a zone of control, infantry units have a radius of one hex.
Tanks and ATG guns like the 88mm have a two hex radius. (not sure about this one, depends on how it works in the campaign).
Units and Movement.
The movement allowance won't be crucial in this campaign as each turn is in reality around 6 hours long and the campaign map is so small that counting out movement points is redundant.
So what will be needed is a route march for each unit will take, so basically a arrow traced through a line hexes, but bare in mind a unit traveling by road will arrive quicker than a unit traveling through fields deep in snow and this might affect the arrival times of units onto the battlefield.
Vehicles can't travel through wooded areas except by road or track.
In real world infantry field manuals an infantry unit can march 5 - 6 km per hour along a road, 2 km over broken/ wooded ground.
Now if I was to make a bigger campaign I'd go into more detail, but I do like the uncertainty that can come about when a unit is ordered to move and the orders flow down the chain of command and as the unit then as to readies itself and forms up into marching formation.
So in essence the movement will be abstracted.
CM Battle results
- Results as seen for the attacking player, in case of a meeting engagement, a coin toss will determine which side is the attacker.
The last turn in each battle is NEVER played, the GM will play the last battle and post the results.
Total Victory
The defending unit(s) retreats uo to 3 hexes and becomes broken. The unit takes a -2 leadership loss.
The victorious unit holds the hex.
Major Victory
The defender retreats 2 hexes and becomes disrupted, -1 Leadership loss.
Tactical Victory
The defender retreats one hex.
Draw
Both sides are considered still engaged and the hex is contested.
Tactical Defeat
The attack is repulsed and the attacking unit move back one hex.
Major Defeat
The attacking unit retreats one hex and is disrupted. -1 Leadership loss.
Total defeat
The attacking unit retreats two hexes and becomes Broken, -2 Leadership loss.
The GM will finalise CM battles casualties and his word is final.
Units with +1, +2, -1, -2 etc.. Leadership represent other soft factors for simplistic sake.
Some units, like SS units start off with fanatic and their rating is adjusted accordingly.
Digging in, entrenchment and improved positions.
Units not in combat or in an enemy ZOC may dig in or improve positions.
Entrenching - Any company (if at full strength and in supply) of either side that entrenches it's position enters the CM battle with the following:
10 Foxholes
2 Barbed wire
3 Mixed mines
Engineer units can build more substantial fortifications.
Note that these levels are subject to change, if units are not at full strength the GM will adjust numbers accordingly, and the GM word is final.
Artillery
Each artillery Battalion has 3 batteries, each battery has a Forward Observer. These observers are then assigned to units.
Battalion HQ's have mortar batteries, before a CM battle is built, the battle commander may request from his team leader for mortar support. They get the whole battery or a single mortar.
The artillery has the same supply rules, but get a daytime resupply as well.
Turn Sequence
Dawn - Combat Service Support (Supply Maintenance / Reinforcements / casualty recovery / vehicle maintenance & recovery / C&C test).
Afternoon
Dusk
Night
The Campaign will begin on day 1 afternoon so the campaign clock will show the following.
I will tweak this graphic later, just a working concept.
Combat Service Support
At the start of each dawn turn or the end of each night turn, supply, maintenance and medical operations are determined.
This will be known as Combat Service Support.
It is considered these operations were carried out at night under the cover of darkness.
Troops returning to their units and supplies been brought up to the forward units and immobile tanks been whisked away without risk of been spotted and harassed by the enemy.
Reinforcements
Scheduled reinforcements will arrive at allocated Hexes as the campaign dicates.
Casualty Recovery / vehicle maintenance & recovery
Each HQ has basic field medical facilities to return lightly injured troops to their units. Panzer and mechanised HQ's have a vehicle recovery team.
Vehicle Maintenance & Recovery
If a Mech unit of any type loses a vehicle or tank in previous day, it may try to recover the lost tank if it has control of the ground from which the tank was abandoned or damaged (immobile).
It is assumed that the recovery team evacuated the stricken vehicle during the hours of darkness.
During the dawn turn of each day (except day 1) each side may determine if immobile or damaged tanks, trucks, jeeps and HT's are repaired.
The HQ unit must not have moved in the night turn.
Note: If any of the abandoned crew members of tanks were killed or there is no 'spare crew' (crews that abandoned a tank that was subsequently destroyed) the tank will be UNABLE to be crewed.
Abandoned ATG's.
Same as tanks with the exception they don't need to repaired, either they were destroyed in battle or they weren't.
Abandoned crew of a destroyed ATG may crew a tank for simplistic sake.
Medical recovery and Casualties
When a unit, most likely a Infantry Company (Inf Coy) suffers casualties in a battle or from several battles the day before, 25% of the WIA from those battles will be returned to the Company in the Dawn turn.
However, the unit must not have moved in the the Night Turn and must trace a line of supply to the Bn HQ.
The HQ unit must not have moved in the night turn.
Most units represent 400 (battalion), 200 (company) and 50 (platoon) men for casualties purposes, so 25% is returned to the unit the next day.
Units that suffer casualties will suffer leadership and motivation penalties, depending on losses.
Supply
Units belonging to a HQ at is Pinned / Disrupted are considered Out of Supply.
Units must trace a path no more than 4 hexes overland to their parent HQ to be in supply.
Overland Supply
The overland supply path may be up to four hexes long. It may traverse all types of terrain including streams with the following restrictions, it may not enter an enemy Zone of Control (ZOC) and may not go over rivers only via a bridge, it may go over streams.
The following rule could be used for a bigger campaign.
A Bn HQ must be able to trace a supply to a Regiment HQ 12 hexes away by road.
A regiment HQ must trace a unlimited path by road, to a Division / Brigade HQ.
"Don't shoot all your guns a once."
It won't be possible during the Dawn - Dusk turns to "bring up ammo' to the forward troops to ammo levels will drop from battle to battle throughout the day so it is something to be aware of.
To negate this, a supply truck can be brought up during battle.
I have (for the most part) made tables for squads, tanks and ATG's of the ammo count of each category.
ZOC or Zone of Control.
Each unit has a zone of control, infantry units have a radius of one hex.
Tanks and ATG guns like the 88mm have a two hex radius. (not sure about this one, depends on how it works in the campaign).
Units and Movement.
The movement allowance won't be crucial in this campaign as each turn is in reality around 6 hours long and the campaign map is so small that counting out movement points is redundant.
So what will be needed is a route march for each unit will take, so basically a arrow traced through a line hexes, but bare in mind a unit traveling by road will arrive quicker than a unit traveling through fields deep in snow and this might affect the arrival times of units onto the battlefield.
Vehicles can't travel through wooded areas except by road or track.
In real world infantry field manuals an infantry unit can march 5 - 6 km per hour along a road, 2 km over broken/ wooded ground.
Now if I was to make a bigger campaign I'd go into more detail, but I do like the uncertainty that can come about when a unit is ordered to move and the orders flow down the chain of command and as the unit then as to readies itself and forms up into marching formation.
So in essence the movement will be abstracted.
CM Battle results
- Results as seen for the attacking player, in case of a meeting engagement, a coin toss will determine which side is the attacker.
The last turn in each battle is NEVER played, the GM will play the last battle and post the results.
Total Victory
The defending unit(s) retreats uo to 3 hexes and becomes broken. The unit takes a -2 leadership loss.
The victorious unit holds the hex.
Major Victory
The defender retreats 2 hexes and becomes disrupted, -1 Leadership loss.
Tactical Victory
The defender retreats one hex.
Draw
Both sides are considered still engaged and the hex is contested.
Tactical Defeat
The attack is repulsed and the attacking unit move back one hex.
Major Defeat
The attacking unit retreats one hex and is disrupted. -1 Leadership loss.
Total defeat
The attacking unit retreats two hexes and becomes Broken, -2 Leadership loss.
The GM will finalise CM battles casualties and his word is final.
Units with +1, +2, -1, -2 etc.. Leadership represent other soft factors for simplistic sake.
| Leadership | Motivation | Fitness |
|---|---|---|
| -2 | Poor | Weakened |
| -1 | Low | Unfit |
| 0 | Normal | Fit |
| +1 | High | Fit |
| +2 | Extreme | Fit |
Digging in, entrenchment and improved positions.
Units not in combat or in an enemy ZOC may dig in or improve positions.
Entrenching - Any company (if at full strength and in supply) of either side that entrenches it's position enters the CM battle with the following:
10 Foxholes
2 Barbed wire
3 Mixed mines
Engineer units can build more substantial fortifications.
| GAME TURN | Engineer Platoon | Engineer Company |
|---|---|---|
1 | 5 Foxholes | 10 Foxholes |
2 trenches | 6 Trenches | |
| 3 Barbed wire | 5 Barbed Wire |
1 AP Mines | 6 Sandbag walls | |
1 AT Mines | 3 AP & AT Mines | |
| 3 Mixed Mines | |
| ||
2 | 10 Foxholes | 20 Foxholes |
4 Trenches | 10 Sandbag walls | |
5 Barbed wire | 10 Barbed wire | |
5 Mixed Mines | 10 Trenches | |
| 5 AP Mines | |
5 AT Mines | ||
10 Mixed Mines |
Note that these levels are subject to change, if units are not at full strength the GM will adjust numbers accordingly, and the GM word is final.
Artillery
Each artillery Battalion has 3 batteries, each battery has a Forward Observer. These observers are then assigned to units.
Battalion HQ's have mortar batteries, before a CM battle is built, the battle commander may request from his team leader for mortar support. They get the whole battery or a single mortar.
The artillery has the same supply rules, but get a daytime resupply as well.
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Hmm, the engineers are a bit overpowered.
Been working on unit chit design's, shown are some units with platoon or teams assigned.
Great art work.
Gives me the fever to start the campaign.
Just as far as the fortifications go, when you say Game Turn 1 that's a whole day dawn through dusk?
For discussion I can see an infantry combat company maybe having a few mines, especially anti-tank to put across roads and such,, but barbed wire?
Gives me the fever to start the campaign.
Just as far as the fortifications go, when you say Game Turn 1 that's a whole day dawn through dusk?
For discussion I can see an infantry combat company maybe having a few mines, especially anti-tank to put across roads and such,, but barbed wire?
Sorry if this is a bit off topic, but since we're discussing campaign ideas: Have any of you ever successfully used barbed wire in any game against a human opponent? If so, how?
Dawn is a game turn, Afternoon is a game turn etc..
I read some of a engineer field manual and it says it takes 3 hours to dig a fox hole but like I said in a earlier post I will dial down the engineering abilities a bit.
Good point, will adjust.
As a funnel to force my opponent into a kill zone.
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@Nathangun has used them against me ... barbed wire , then decoy foxholes for my attacking infantry to be funneled towards and to take cover in — in which he deviously planted mines.
That was nasty ... and very very clever.
:shocknaz:
So I decided to revisit this project and decided to expand it a little.
Each hex is 400m , don't worry I tart up the campaign map to make it look better and add a few doodads.
The grey ares are the topography, the darker the lower the terrain.
The battles will be likely big, but there was fog one the first day of battle so they may be small at first.
Still working on the historical OOB, may take a little time.
The square areas of the map are CM maps that are built or I'm working on. For example the Noville - Foy map is already built, the Longvilly map is been built and the others are next ones planned.
The hexes are of course where each unit deploys in the CM map.
I'm not going to try for exact copies of the terrain (to much trouble) so there'll be some artist licence. Also the little streams tiles are a pain on the arse to draw for several kilometres, so I might don't bother drawing them unless someone else wants to, we'll see.
The idea of the campaign is not to have QB's, it will likely be a battle can last several campaign turns, 4 turns in one day.
Each hex is 400m , don't worry I tart up the campaign map to make it look better and add a few doodads.
The grey ares are the topography, the darker the lower the terrain.
The battles will be likely big, but there was fog one the first day of battle so they may be small at first.
Still working on the historical OOB, may take a little time.
The square areas of the map are CM maps that are built or I'm working on. For example the Noville - Foy map is already built, the Longvilly map is been built and the others are next ones planned.
The hexes are of course where each unit deploys in the CM map.
I'm not going to try for exact copies of the terrain (to much trouble) so there'll be some artist licence. Also the little streams tiles are a pain on the arse to draw for several kilometres, so I might don't bother drawing them unless someone else wants to, we'll see.
The idea of the campaign is not to have QB's, it will likely be a battle can last several campaign turns, 4 turns in one day.
If the are 400 meters and there is an attack in to a hex won't the CM map be 400 meters more or less also?
No, like I said "The hexes are of course where each unit deploys in the CM map."
The battle map size depends on Light Of Sight I guess.
As mentioned, the square boxes are CM battle maps, which can be made smaller of course.
I'm almost done building CM maps for the eastern side of the AO, although it's morale zapping work I'm getting there.
Looking at the likely scale of the battles, it's beginning to look like a series of operation battles le al CMx1.
I still have to get an accurate OOB, or a balanced one.
I've been working using vassal for the campaign.
When a playing piece is moved you can set it to leave a trail, and setting the parameters of the trail and the transparency of a 'unselected piece'.
A handy thing is that it auto fills in the numbers of the hexes.
Another cool thing is that you can set your pieces to 'invisible' after you moved (again setting the parameters of transparency). Might help with the FOW issues.
Here in the screenie below I selected an infantry counter to invisible and you can only see the outline of it (Hex H805) because I left clicked and dragged my mouse across the screen, also you can have it set to team restrictions so the other player can't see what it is. Now the other player may see there's something there but he'll have no idea what's there.
Another handy feature is that you can have each counter it's own data sheet by selecting the unit in the unit tray (top left) then right click and select data sheet. See in the top left of the screenie below (notice in this screenie the invisible piece can't be seen at all now).
There are many other feature such as like changing a units graphics if it suffers a 'step loss' or strength kinda thing. The possibilities are endless.
Looking at the likely scale of the battles, it's beginning to look like a series of operation battles le al CMx1.
I still have to get an accurate OOB, or a balanced one.
I've been working using vassal for the campaign.
When a playing piece is moved you can set it to leave a trail, and setting the parameters of the trail and the transparency of a 'unselected piece'.
A handy thing is that it auto fills in the numbers of the hexes.
Another cool thing is that you can set your pieces to 'invisible' after you moved (again setting the parameters of transparency). Might help with the FOW issues.
Here in the screenie below I selected an infantry counter to invisible and you can only see the outline of it (Hex H805) because I left clicked and dragged my mouse across the screen, also you can have it set to team restrictions so the other player can't see what it is. Now the other player may see there's something there but he'll have no idea what's there.
Another handy feature is that you can have each counter it's own data sheet by selecting the unit in the unit tray (top left) then right click and select data sheet. See in the top left of the screenie below (notice in this screenie the invisible piece can't be seen at all now).
There are many other feature such as like changing a units graphics if it suffers a 'step loss' or strength kinda thing. The possibilities are endless.
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Another project I've been working on based on the COIN (Counter Insurgency) games over at GMT Games.
My favorite is Colonial Twilight: The French-Algerian War, 1954-62
It's a clever system of government troops playing 'whack-o-mole' against a insurgency.
Although the rebels have little resources, they units are cheap and plentiful.
The goals of government troops is to keep government support up in of populated areas and rebels is to gain control of populated areas.
Here's a video explaining Fire in Lake game, the system is pretty much the same.
So what's this gotta do with CM I hear you ask.
Well I'm working on a system using the bones of the COIN system where platoon sized battles take place.
Nato casualties are 'forever' meaning men killed aren't replaced, however every several turns the NATO unit gets rotated home and another unit (British, Dutch or German) takes its place.
The idea will be for NATO troops train local troops/militia to take control of military operations and fight the insurgency. The game map below is a WIP.
I feel it will be a low work effort for a GM but yet an interesting campaign.
My favorite is Colonial Twilight: The French-Algerian War, 1954-62
It's a clever system of government troops playing 'whack-o-mole' against a insurgency.
Although the rebels have little resources, they units are cheap and plentiful.
The goals of government troops is to keep government support up in of populated areas and rebels is to gain control of populated areas.
Here's a video explaining Fire in Lake game, the system is pretty much the same.
So what's this gotta do with CM I hear you ask.
Well I'm working on a system using the bones of the COIN system where platoon sized battles take place.
Nato casualties are 'forever' meaning men killed aren't replaced, however every several turns the NATO unit gets rotated home and another unit (British, Dutch or German) takes its place.
The idea will be for NATO troops train local troops/militia to take control of military operations and fight the insurgency. The game map below is a WIP.
I feel it will be a low work effort for a GM but yet an interesting campaign.
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You're rather busy! 
Both Bulge and COIN campaigns sound like proper wargames with strategic and or operational depth. Surely following, whether I will be able to participate or not.
Will the insurgency forces be represented by AI or players? I'd volunteer for playing the insurgency, time allowing!
Both Bulge and COIN campaigns sound like proper wargames with strategic and or operational depth. Surely following, whether I will be able to participate or not.
Will the insurgency forces be represented by AI or players? I'd volunteer for playing the insurgency, time allowing!
Players.
Nice. I'll be following and would like to play insurgents (if that's how it works). So count me in, although after September I'll probably work at office again, which will impact CM time I guess. Time will tell.
O
olaf
Guest
Yeah me as insurgents as well
Interesting! Keep going @Nathangun!
Another project I've been working on based on the COIN (Counter Insurgency) games over at GMT Games.
My favorite is Colonial Twilight: The French-Algerian War, 1954-62
It's a clever system of government troops playing 'whack-o-mole' against a insurgency.
Although the rebels have little resources, they units are cheap and plentiful.
The goals of government troops is to keep government support up in of populated areas and rebels is to gain control of populated areas.
Here's a video explaining Fire in Lake game, the system is pretty much the same.
So what's this gotta do with CM I hear you ask.
Well I'm working on a system using the bones of the COIN system where platoon sized battles take place.
Nato casualties are 'forever' meaning men killed aren't replaced, however very several turns the NATO unit gets rotated home and another unit (British, Dutch or German) takes its place.
The idea will be for NATO troops train local troops/militia to take control of military operations and fight the insurgency. The game map below is a WIP.
I feel it will be a low work effort for a GM but yet an interesting campaign.
very interesting ideas here.
G
GloriousRuse
Guest
The Fea Cebola People's Brigades...could be fun.
I'd be interested in how the COIN one pans out -particularly the insurgent side. We tend to forget that the modern anti-western insurgencies, beyond having fighters less technically proficient in classic soldier skills, and struggling to organize in large numbers even before accounting for overhead watchers, are actually the ones with less fighters period. Far from being cheap and endless, the loss of a single recoilless rifle or heavy machinegun represents a significant set back in terms of combat power in an area, and a local leader who takes 10% losses without a grand victory to show for it may soon find he is leading no one at all.
Reflecting the fight where a platoon gamble might mean the end of the campaign season, and is certainly going to draw artillery, air, and drone support against you - all the while knowing six or seven casualties may break your group and personal ambitions no matter what happens for your "side", and may mean disaggregation of leadership - that would be a very interesting dynamic. Think of Maqtda al Sadr's play in 2008 - he lost less men in three weeks than most of us lose in one CM fight, and it marginalized him out of a position in Shia politics for nearly three years despite Iranian support.
I'd be interested in how the COIN one pans out -particularly the insurgent side. We tend to forget that the modern anti-western insurgencies, beyond having fighters less technically proficient in classic soldier skills, and struggling to organize in large numbers even before accounting for overhead watchers, are actually the ones with less fighters period. Far from being cheap and endless, the loss of a single recoilless rifle or heavy machinegun represents a significant set back in terms of combat power in an area, and a local leader who takes 10% losses without a grand victory to show for it may soon find he is leading no one at all.
Reflecting the fight where a platoon gamble might mean the end of the campaign season, and is certainly going to draw artillery, air, and drone support against you - all the while knowing six or seven casualties may break your group and personal ambitions no matter what happens for your "side", and may mean disaggregation of leadership - that would be a very interesting dynamic. Think of Maqtda al Sadr's play in 2008 - he lost less men in three weeks than most of us lose in one CM fight, and it marginalized him out of a position in Shia politics for nearly three years despite Iranian support.