Red Dawn - The Evil Empire Strikes Back - MP (version 1.01)

[El_Condoro]

Requires the Panzer Corps Patch 1.01

Introduction
The Red Army has achieved what the Germans could not less than a year ago - smash through Belgium and cut the Allies off from France. Now your US army is stranded on the beaches around Calais and Dunkirk and must decide whether to try to break through the encircling Russians by land or to use sea transport to reach France and join the forces there. Meanwhile the British will send what they can to assist.
The Russians are like a juggernaut in the early stages of this scenario but their prestige runs short as the game progresses and the Allies’ increases. Nevertheless, the Allies’ position is precarious and could easily collapse to allow Soviet hegemony over Europe.

Documentation
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3d8mn9l3z6k6k ... o.pdf?dl=0
Also included in the download.

Download
https://www.dropbox.com/s/oku5tr9dkh5uy ... k.zip?dl=0

File locations
pzscn and pzloc in My documents\My Games\Panzer Corps\scenario
png in main Panzer Corps\UI\scenarios folder

Testing
I have tested this scenario a few times in hotseat mode but because there are so many ways to play it the balance is still unclear to me. In the games I tested the Russians rolled over the Allies early but were prevented from victory both times. Sort of how I intend it to play but I would like the option for either side to get a Decisive Victory, which seems unlikely from my testing.
As with all the Red Dawn scenarios, historicity is not a factor!

Please leave comments and suggestions.

Enjoy!
Cheers

[El_Condoro]

Version 1.01 25-Sept-2011

• Paris overlay added
• City/town names checked and changed where upgrade to Beta 3 had stuffed them
• Made London a 300 prestige boost for Russians if captured (not a victory condition)
• Added turn prestige: Russians 20 per turn; Allies 10 per turn
• Added 4 turns to the scenario length (from 20 to 24)

Download from the same links above. Documentation updated.

[Molve]

Could you talk a bit more about this idea to evacuate the Dunkirk pocket "to use sea transport to reach France and join the forces there"?

My spontaneous thought is "units don't do any good loaded on ships".

What reason can there be to abstain from using your units for all those turns it takes to move them to another front? After all, allowing the Russians to wipe the Dunkirk front only allows them to strengthen the main front.

Again, I'm just replying spontaneously, right after looking at the map you provide. I honestly want to know why it isn't much better for the Allies to tell the US troops to die where they stand, taking as many Soviet strength points with them to the grave?

This isn't a deliberate critique, so take it for what's it worth, but wouldn't the scenario need some kind of trigger that could explain why you would evacuate the beaches just to return to shore somewhere else? (Something simulating the greater strategic or political picture the game itself can't provide). If you could airlift your US units directly to Paris I could understand the point of not keeping up the Dunkirk front...

Good luck with your scenario!

[El_Condoro]

It's certainly an option for the US player and options are what I am hoping to encourage in this. I haven't tried to stand and fight but the Russians are so strong in those initial turns I think the US units would be toast very quickly. The terrain is flat and an attacker's paradise. The US has no air cover until they can build up the USAAF by about turn 3 or 4 (that, too, is optional for the US player - he might spend his prestige on ground units instead). By evacuating you lose some turns but when you do start to defend at least you have some rivers to hide behind and hills to trap armour in and you are buying time to get the prestige boosts that the US player gets along the way. LMK if you want to give it a try.

[Amaranthus]

Should I wait for v2? (and if so, how long)

[El_Condoro]

I would wait for version 2. Now that I know someone will play it, I might get motivated to finish it off. It will still take me a couple of weeks, at least, to do, though.

[Edit] that reply is for the <b>campaign</b> of Red Dawn. This thread is about a stand-alone MP scenario, which I won't be changing in the near future. If you want to give it a try LMK.

[RobertCL]

Hi El Condoro,

There is a neutral flag at sea (below South West of UK), is this normal ?

Allied units are rather weak, can they resist to such powerful Soviet units ?

But nice map and great imagination (in the vein of Red Dawn campaign).

I play the scenario vs Soviets played by AI (I know this is a MP scenario...).

[El_Condoro]

Yes, the neutral flag becomes a US flag when a triggered US unit spawns there - as a port it then allows units in sea transports to be placed there to arrive in France. It is meant to represent the delayed arrival of reinforcements from the US.

The Allies start off extremely weak but their prestige builds. They must trade ground for time and build up to a point where they can counter attack. Conversely, the Soviets start extremely strong and receive less and less prestige and become unable to replace losses. It's the timing of these two situations and the many player choices that makes either side able to win and gives the scenario a lot of re-playability.

If you'd like to give it a try in MP LMK. Cheers