Allied: Fort Capuzzo

[uran21]

Please post here your comments about this scenario.

[billmv44]

General level. Starting prestige 955, ending 601. DV on 15/18.

I bought a Cruiser tank, a 25 pounder gun and a British infantry unit.

This was an easy scenario. The Italians just sat in their fortifications and waited to be destroyed. My artillery softened them up and my infantry/armor finished them off. I also destroyed the supply dumps and got the 200 bonus points. Perhaps adding an Italian recon unit or light tank to spice things up by enabling a counter attack.

No issues with game play.

[Steakenglisch]

I agree with this, it was to easy. I bought an Cruiser Tank. Placed the Cruiser, the Vickers and one of the Rolls Royce together with the Infantry and Artilery on this Map i was able to finish it easily as an Triumph. Some Counterattacks or tougher Italians would be nice. Maybe one Bersergli Unit for the Italians?

I deployed only 3 units and won with a triumph. please adjust this map and make it harder to win. .-)

[ThvN]

Fort Capuzzo

General, Triumph 10/18

Prestige before/after deployment and reinforcement: 955/99
Prestige on last turn/incl. victory bonus: 699/2099

Purchased tank, artillery, infantery. Nice easy learning scenario to learn how to deal with defensive positions.

I did notice there were only 3 deployment hexes? Since the core size is 6, it took me two turns to put everything on the map. For a tutorial this might be a bit confusing, maybe it could be explained with a message or simply give the scenario enough deployment hexes to put all the allowed core units on the map in the deployment fase?

[Ballacraine]

Six core unit slots are available, but only 3 deployment hexes.

Hurricane I is available, but no airfield.

25pdr seems noticeably underpowered. In reality it was quite a useful artillery unit.

Balla.

[nikivdd]

Colonel level.
Upgraded the Vickers to Cruiser tank
Purchased a Cruiser tank and infantry unit
I didnt overstrength any units

Hur I is available but no airfield, but probably no plane deployment hex available either. If you don't notice, it is a waste of prestige.
Deployed the units in two turns although i fear that beginners will not know that you can do that. Either place 6 deployment hexes or inform by ingame msg.

We know from AK that italian infantry is not the greatest opponent, and this scenario is just an awknowledgement. With 7 units the italians are easily overwhelmed, even the few rugged defenses i encountered didn't hurt my units much. The italians are overall way too passive. A mobile unit guarding one of the depots could be useful, a recon or tankette for example.

Destroyed all the depots and extra PP is always welcome. The ingame message only popped up after i moved another unit than the one who destroyed the last depot.

Last but not least: very interesting the switchable 25 pounder!

No losses. DV 10/18 . 603PP

[zappel]

Beta 1 - Colonel

A nice and short scenario, I like it and noticed only some things:
- only three slots for six units, probably this is wanted but it looks like a misbehaviour (perhaps it should be explained in the briefing,
nevertheless I was able to deploy the last units at the end of the first turn)
- surpressed strength after replacement works (and it is a fantastic new feature because well known strategies have to be renewed)
- on desert-tiles supply is reduced, on fortification- (or hill- or other) tiles surrounded by desert supply is not reduced (in mini-map the fortification have green background-color), perhaps they can be marked as hex with reduced supply
- yes, this scenario is easy to win but at the beginnig of a campaign it is the right choice (if it should be more difficult i would make it only a little bit harder, e.g. one Bersaglieri instead of Infanteria or a additional AT-gun - but not more)

[Ballacraine]

Last but not least: very interesting the switchable 25 pounder!

Ah...I didn't notice it was switchable.

Whilst the 25pdr was quite a formidable artillery piece, I don't remember any accounts praising it for it's anti-tank capability though.

Balla.

[Tarrak]

Scenario: Fort Capuzzo
Difficulty level: General
Outcome: Triumph on turn 16/18
Prestige: 2392 (inc. victory reward)

Additionally to all the already mentioned remark about only 3 available deployment hexes but 6 core slots and the non present airfield/air deployment hex, which can confuse new players i made myself the mission harder by only buying two additionally infantry ... don't even know why. You can notice the effect of entrenchments reducing long term suppression. The Italian infantry was a lot tougher then it would be else. Maybe thats why some people here feels like the 25 pounder is underpowered. I had a streak of bad dices additionally which led me to waste 7 (!!) attacks to finally kill a 1 strength infantry left. Still an easy victory even with bad luck and my self handicap due to stupidity.

[ThvN]

Whilst the 25pdr was quite a formidable artillery piece, I don't remember any accounts praising it for it's anti-tank capability though.

It wasn't really a 'formidable' artillery piece, just the best thing available at the time. A bit on the heavy side, underpowered with a light shell, not much range. But very fast firing and the later carriages were quite strong, which was handy when towing and using them in rough terrain.

About the anti-tank use, before the war a solid armor-piercing shell was developed, and it was usually supplied as part of the standard ammunition load. So it may not have been developed as an anti-tank gun, it was expected to be used to fire directly at tanks in emergencies, and they had a lot of those during the war. From http://riv.co.nz/rnza/hist/25pr.htm:

Tragically many of the 'legends' surrounding the gun arose from its use in a role for which it was neither specifically designed nor intended, i.e. the anti-tank role. The gun's anti-tank capability was intended purely for emergencies; it was never intended to be deliberately employed in the anti-tank role as it was on several occasions during the Middle East campaigns of World War 2. To make matters worse, while creating some of those legends the 25-pr was not providing the Infantry with the artillery support they were entitled to expect.

Let me hasten to add the fault lay not with the Gunners but with the authorities who had failed to provide anti-tank equipments either sufficient in number or effective in performance on the one hand, or whose conservatism neglected to make the best use of other ordnance available on the other. In the latter respect a valuable lesson taught by the enemy was ignored.

For defence against tanks the Germans frequently made use of their 'famous' (some say dreaded) '88' (8.8-cm FLAK), an equipment designed primarily for the anti-aircraft role but modified for use in both the field and anti-tank roles. It was indeed dreaded by men who had endured its shells - especially the air-burst variety!

But the British had a better gun than the 88; it was the QF 3.7-in anti-aircraft gun. This equipment could have been as easily modified as its German counterpart (a few were later modified for the field role), but the British would not divert any 3.7s from the AA defence of vital points or areas, e.g. North African ports, despite the fact that they had twice as many 3.7s as the Germans had 88s. The Germans had exactly the same problems as the British, but dealt with them more realistically - to the everlasting sorrow of the 'tankies'.

War histories, unit diaries, and other accounts of the Middle East campaigns make frequent mention of the number of tanks lost by one side or the other in this or that battle, but rarely do they include the number of guns lost in action. It is not generally known that over 600 25-pr guns were destroyed or overrun and captured in these campaigns, many as a direct result of their being employed in the anti-tank role. For the German tanks soon learned to back off when confronted by 25-prs, call up their own artillery to deal with them, whittle the detachments down with long-range machine-gun fire, then move in and overrun the gun positions.

[Ballacraine]

Good info there, my friend.

Yes, 'best thing available' for sure.

Balla.

[LostAgain]

Playing FM. Just started scenario but I noticed that I'm able to keep on adding elite replacements BEYOND the experience level of all of my units! Is this a glitch or is it intended?
Level was embarrassingly easy. At one point I INYENTIONALLY left my 25 pdr within one space of THREE Italian units unprotected and they left it! NO challenge at all involved. If this scenario is to be left as is at least make it shorter so that if nothing else there's a time challenge of sorts.

[ThvN]

Playing FM. Just started scenario but I noticed that I'm able to keep on adding elite replacements BEYOND the experience level of all of my units! Is this a glitch or is it intended?

Intended: viewtopic.php?f=148&t=42325

[Kamerer]

2) Fort Capuzzo – beta 1

Level: Field Marshal
Prestige - Begin: 955 (10 after purchases). End: 610. Net: +600
Result: DV 14/18
No replacements used, all units regular strength.

Core Changes:

• Disbanded:
  • 1x Recon
  Purchased:
  • 2x Infantry + Bren
    2x QF 25 + Quad

Problems:

• • Autosave malfunctions? After the end, I loaded the autosave to see what the ending pp was. I (out of habit) loaded the axis autosave instead of allied. The game hung up and froze.
  • I think the lack of deployment slots will confuse many players.

General impressions/comments:

• • Briefing was thorough and clear.
  • I went slow and let artillery reduce the entrenchment, though not as effective as before, of course.
  • Will try overstrength and see how that works. I am a bit worried re: unbalancing older games not developed under that system.

[Razz1]

General
Start 931
End 993
bought
Art with truck
Infantry with truck
DV 13/18

Please move the fighter starting date back or put an airfield on the map. Otherwise we will buy a fighter and loose it as there is no place to land

Also, I have a request to fix the right menu that has been bugging me for a long time. Make it a little taller so we can see names. g gets cut off along with q. As this example shows;
squadron, the q is cut off.

[Longasc]

Fort Capuzzo

Level: General
Start Prestige: 955 Start
End Prestige: 823
Bought: 2x British Infantry, 1x Cruiser Mk. I
Result: Triumph, Turn 9

Another tutorial scenario, it shows people how artillery works. I think this is okay, but I have a beef with initial deployment, see below.

* Remove the option to buy a Hurricane I, please, there is no airfield in this scenario!
* You can deploy three units at start and buy 3 more - is it intended to tell people that they can use the deploy button during the scenario? This almost cries for a "you can buy units!" popup.
* "The Italians really must respond to this humiliation, quickly, and with substantial force." FortCapuzzoB_triumph.pzbrf
-> isn't it "have to", dunno, not a native speaker.

[Ballacraine]

There is nothing wrong with 'must'.
It is a stronger imperative.
You are not wrong with your 'have to' suggestion though.
It is more a matter of emphasis.

Balla

[uran21]

Thanks to all for the feedback so far. Let me reveal mystery of deployment hexes. I hopped people would purchase units in game and learn lesson of purchase (after all this is a tutorial). That is why town ( named Field HQ) is on the map. But obviously I didn't calculate it will bring its deal of confusion. So three more deployment hexes are on the map now. Hurricane is also removed until Italian Offensive, this was just an oversight.

Now about scenario itself. I do not see any benefit of making it harder. It has its share of lessons to learn, lesons that are so obvious to all of you so you don't even notice them. New players will park tank adjacent to ant-tank they will charge with infantry on fortified positions without softening target with artillery first. They will sufer casualties from defensive artillery fire and need to learn how to outflank position to get rid of artillery first. This all will take some time and replacements and repetition will bring them to perfection. Italian units also do not have any prestige to replace losses nor do they stage counterattacks to leave new players comfortable with their share of lessons for this scenario.

[Tarrak]

To teach new players the lesson you can buy units in the game is a good idea but you need to point them out to that more specifically imho. Maybe instead of of rising the amount deployment hexes just make a message pop up after the deployment phase explaining to the players that he had only the chance to deploy part of his core force here and he can either move now already deployed units from the deployment hexes and deploy the rest or if he didn't purchase more before he can buy them now. That should clear the possible confusion.

[produit]

DV 11/18, FM. I bought a artillery unit (OS to 15), a tank and an infantry. Deployed my "old" units on the second turn.
Nothing to add to previous comments.