Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2014 19:03:41 GMT
Alrighty. There's so many things that need to happen to get this campaign off the ground it isn't funny. I'll start with units.
Each side will construct their own company, following semi-historical guidelines to keep their composition reasonable. I'll be the Axis commander and field a company of Imperial Japanese Naval Infantry, with some special weapons for support. Whoever steps in as Allied commander will select a company-sized force from their nation (America, Australia, Britain, New Zealand).
The first step in creating a force is to make up a pool of NPC types they will use. These will be similar to the old shop NPCs, with no difference in inventory between NPCs of the same type. This is for the sake of simplification.
Say I want to use a German Rifle Platoon. First I chop it up into its various components. Okay, it has three Rifle/MG squads. A Rifle/MG squad has two teams, one Rifle, one MG.
Rifle/MG Squad
A Team (Rifle)
NCO NPC
Rifleman NPC
Rifleman
Rifleman
B Team (MG)
LMG NPC
Rifleman
Rifleman
Rifleman
Rifleman
Now I define what each unique NPC is
NCO - 1 x MP40, 1 x P.38
Rifleman - 1 x K98k, 1 x Bayonet
LMG - 1 x LMG34, 1 x P.38
Ta-daaa.
Now I have defined three NPC types, two Team types, and one Squad type. While it seems trivial initially, this has the benefit of both standardizing units and providing moderators with a reasonable amount of NPC detail. It wouldn't take very long before a moderator could look at a unit and instantly know what it fielded. Like LEGOs, we're using different-colored 1x1 blocks to create 2x8 blocks and so on and so on.
NPCs wouldn't be given their own ordinance. Tracking grenades is counter-productive to simplifying inventories. For the sake of simplification, squads of both sides will be assumed to have a few grenades handy for each engagement, while Allied squads are assumed to have demo charges.
What do you call it when there's a little + sign next to a line of text and you can click to expand it? Would it be possible to do that in PM? Because that's an easy way of using this system.
Anyway, all unit-building will be done privately, being presented to the moderator when finished. This is because...
Campaigns will be done blind. There will not be a mutual-use map showing all units, and fog-of-war will be implemented. The moderator will be the eyes of both sides, telling them what they see and keeping mum about what they don't. This is to switch some initiative from kill-kill-kill to other equally important and more common tasks such as simply locating the enemy and learning their composition.
Play will not be of an You-Go-I-Go style, but instead be We-Go. I personally find waiting three posts to be inefficient and somewhat jerky. One person goes and waits for a modmark. The moderator goes and waits for another post. The other person goes and waits for the moderator. That's too much waiting. A person has to wait through three posts to go again.
No. Instead, both sides present their posts to the moderator who views them as one simultaneous event. He provides his mark separately to both sides, and play resumes. The same amount of posting going one (1 person A, 1 person B, 2 moderator) in a more efficient and slightly smoother fashion. It also removes any advantages to being one's turn to post at the right time. Such as person A discovering person B in post 1, and person B being the one to start combat in post 2, decimating them before they can even react.
So far, systems in use are:
NPC definition
Roster organization
Fog of War
WeGo turn system.
One thing I was thinking about in specific is the possibility of varied-length turns. In a WeGo turn system it is entirely possible to change the length of time per post since both players post at the same point in time. It would need some thought, but an example of its usefulness would be when lengthy tasks were being performed. Say one player was on a two-mile jungle march while the other was digging trenches. It might be expedient to modmark the next three hours at once rather than wait three hour-long turns while nothing happens.
During battles, slowing down the turn time might be advisable to allow for more activity and interaction. An hour is a long time in a heavy firefight.
Order queuing. Queuing is common in video games. Anything from RTS games to The Sims. Go here and when there, do this.
A simple reference chart and implementation of an order color system would speed this up to the point where it was as fast as making an ordinary map. There'd be some math involved, but nothing that the reference chart wouldn't take care of. It doesn't have to be a science though. A moderator can always hang the math and wing it if he wishes.
It would still be a big help to provide tables of common task times, such as digging a foxhole or walking a mile. I can provide these things if requested.
Anyway, the MAP. The map, the map. Ohhh, the map. This has been the hardest part for me to come to a decision on. The crucial piece of campaigning.
I think we will use two versions of the map. One will be for larger unit deployments (platoon and above) while the other will be the full-scale map, and be for platoon-scale deployments.
So, in summary:
NPC definition
Roster organization
Fog of War
WeGo turn system (adjustable turn length?)
Order Queuing (Complex or Simple)
Order Colors System for issuing orders to units (with quick reference on maps)
Campaign and Tactical (simple and detailed) maps
The main appeal of a campaign system isn't tactics obviously. We have tactics used in every battle we've had so far. The biggest attraction is that of strategy. The use of deception, intelligence, and maneuver.
Now on to our specific scenario.
The campaign is set in late 1942 on a fictional island in the very real Solomons. A company-sized force of Allied infantry land on the island tasked with capturing the island and/or capturing/destroying the facilities (whatever they are). Most likely a Radio Outpost or Naval Artillery positions.
Enemy opposition is expected to be light, and the campaign to be short. However, after the company and some of its heavy weapons are landed, the fleet is scattered by the arrival of a Japanese fleet out of Rabaul. They land a company of Japanese Marines on the far side of the island and return to Rabaul.
Both sides are slightly overstrength and reasonably well-equipped. Most heavy Allied weapons require transport, which wasn't landed. They will mostly be restricted to infantry-portable weapons such as heavy machine-guns and mortars. Japanese heavy weapons, on the other hand, are all man-portable.
The Allies have enough food for a mere five days. Several lightly or undefended Japanese supply positions will be placed by the moderator. These can be captured, each providing another three days of food. Allied will to fight will cease when their rations run out, and will surrender when out of food.
Sides start at opposite sides of the map, just inland off the beaches. The beaches are soft sand and lead to grassy fields interspersed with tall coconut and palm trees. Inland from this is thick jungle with occasional clearings, divided by two small rivers. Walking through the jungle itself is slow, and must be done in single file.
Except on the beaches and the jungle itself, tall grass (0.8-1.5m tall) provides concealment. If it's not on the beach, it's got grass.
Notes:
Both sides will be using older equipment. I've taken the liberty of listing permitted weapons for assignment to NPCs, some of which isn't even listed yet. Once again, infantry ordinance is for Squad rather than NPC issue.
American
7.62mm M1903A3 Rifle.
7.62mm M1903A4 Sniper's Rifle
7.62mm Browning M1917 MG
12.7mm Browning M2 HMG
7.62mm Browning Automatic Rifle M1918A1
11.43mm Colt M1911A1 Pistol
M1 Flamethrower
60mm M2 Mortar
81mm M1 Mortar
106.7mm Chemical Mortar
Commonwealth
7.7mm Lee-Enfield Mk.III Rifle
7.7mm Bren Gun Mk.I LMG
7.7mm Vickers Mk.I HMG
7.7mm Lewis MG
Webley Mk.IV Pistol
13.97mm Boys Mk.I Anti-tank Rifle
50.8mm Muzzle-Loading Mortar
76.2mm Muzzle-Loading Mortar
106.7mm Smooth-Bore Mortar
Japanese
6.5mm Type 38 Rifle
6.5mm Type 96 LMG
6.5mm Type 3 HMG
8mm Type 14 Nambu Pistol
20mm Type 97 Automatic Cannon (Anti-tank Rifle)
50mm Type 89 Grenade Discharger
70mm Type 11 Mortar
81mm Type 97 Mortar
90mm Type 94 Mortar
150mm Type 93 Mortar
37mm Type 94 Infantry Gun
70mm Type 92 Battalion Gun
While the exact composition is up to them, the Allied commander would likely have at least a headquarters platoon, 3 combat platoons (such as rifle) and a weapons platoon (HMG). This is the usual organization for a Company, but more may be brought. Support platoons (Mortars, extra-heavy MGs, etc) can number as many as three.
My basic force will be 1 HQ plt, 4 Rifle plts, and 1 HMG plt. I'll have up to two support plts.
Note: This was written, rewritten, and re-rewritten. Please excuse poor ideas and general lack of hygiene.
