Free France Campaign

[bru888]

Colonel, I'm working my way through your comments and suggestions concerning From Keren to Massawa. As usual, if I don't address each one, it doesn't mean that I have not considered it.

Lay what to the monasteries? Yeah, it's "i" before "e" except after "s"? . . . no, except after "c".

I don't know why I forgot to move the camera around during the briefing - that sabbatical rust factor again? It moves appropriately now and I rearranged a bit of commentary to match:

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[bru888]

Corrected the unit names in the briefing and the one unit counter, as you suggested:

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By the way, I did not miss the one accent. It is in there; apparently the font used for the briefing window will not display it for a capital "E" at the top of the window:

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[bru888]

Here is your Escadron de Spahis:

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It really is just window dressing; a nice historical touch. As a unit, though, rather useless. I had it positioned in the southern part of the map, where it could operate behind the lines perhaps, but it drew immediate attention from a nearby tank and several planes. It didn't last long.

[bru888]

Here are your "Kub Kub Has Fallen" messages. This gave me two ideas. First, Fort Kub Kub, the other fort, and the imperial palace will not be destroyed when killed but replaced by copies (concrete bunkers) belonging to the Allies. Also, notice the tank that has attacked from the west. I will take your suggestion to add an AT gun captured from the Italians when Fort Kub Kub falls (I will add a mention of it in the second message).

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[ColonelY]

Great, thanks!
*******

[...] Fort Kub Kub, the other fort, and the imperial palace will not be destroyed when killed but replaced by copies (concrete bunkers) belonging to the Allies. [...]

That sounds good to me.
Perhaps "half-strenghtened/depleted" (or something ) copies , as they have sustained several damages and some huge blows anyway before changing of owners...?
*******

[...] Here is your Escadron de Spahis:

[...] It really is just window dressing; a nice historical touch. As a unit, though, rather useless. I had it positioned in the southern part of the map, where it could operate behind the lines perhaps, but it drew immediate attention from a nearby tank and several planes. It didn't last long.

Sure, this single unit on a big battlefield like this isn't anyway expected to be game-changing but I think as well that it's a cool and immersive historical touch.

These Frenchies under a British flag?!
Well, with the historical background (well explained within this event text), it's here a little ambiguous, so ookaay.
But I do really hope that the Free French cavalry units in the next scenario, Operation Exporter, will fight directly under their own Free French flag.

By the way, a very little detail. On the printscreens, I read "mounted operations in Eretria"... "in Eretria" or rather "in Eritrea"?!

[bru888]

Here are your "Kub Kub Has Fallen" messages. This gave me two ideas. First, Fort Kub Kub, the other fort, and the imperial palace will not be destroyed when killed but replaced by copies (concrete bunkers) belonging to the Allies. Also, notice the tank that has attacked from the west. I will take your suggestion to add an AT gun captured from the Italians when Fort Kub Kub falls (I will add a mention of it in the second message).

Here are the revisions. Note that Fort Kub Kub is now Free French (a rather abrupt transition, but there's nothing I can do about that) and there is a new captured AT gun in the area.

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[bru888]

These Frenchies under a British flag?!
Well, with the historical background (well explained within this event text), it's here a little ambiguous, so ookaay.
But I do really hope that the Free French cavalry units in the next scenario, Operation Exporter, will fight directly under their own Free French flag.

By the way, a very little detail. On the printscreens, I read "mounted operations in Eretria"... "in Eretria" or rather "in Eritrea"?!

That's from the Wikipedia article that I linked to which said the unit "decided to defect from the Vichy-led Army of the Levant and join the British forces in Palestine." I misread that, perhaps, in that I took it that they had become a British outfit but it did remain "under French officers" and later on "The regiment was subsequently dismounted and participated in the Syria–Lebanon Campaign on trucks, as part of the 1st Free French Brigade." So yes, they will be French here (and horseless in the next scenario).

The "Erertria" misspelling came from the Wiki article, too. Corrected.

[ColonelY]

[...] Note that Fort Kub Kub is now Free French (a rather abrupt transition, but there's nothing I can do about that) and [...]

Nice.

To make it feel, or look, less abrupt, perhaps spawn it less entrenchend and not entirely at full-strenght (at 8, maybe?)... as this bunker has anyway sustained several damages and some huge blows before changing of owners!

[bru888]

[...] Note that Fort Kub Kub is now Free French (a rather abrupt transition, but there's nothing I can do about that) and [...]

Nice.

To make it feel, or look, less abrupt, perhaps spawn it less entrenchend and not entirely at full-strenght (at 8, maybe?)... as this bunker has anyway sustained several damages and some huge blows before changing of owners!

Done. Also, this will take care of "About sec obj at Kub Kub: 'Should allow the possibility to put it back to "open" in case of a successful Italian counterattack. " I don't want to disturb the objective triggers by having one of those back-and-forth "open" and "completed" situations.

Regarding "No need of Italian naval mines if we've no ship involved," I explain them here; actually, what I am explaining is why I chose not to have any naval battles in this scenario - it already is too busy:

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The investigating HMS Kimberley (neutral, using that nifty second British faction recently freed up in the editor) disappears in the next turn. The player must use his tactical bombers to deal with the Italian warships that are defending Massawa.

Sorry, no can do with the "add few Italian ships of various kind." Not enough sea room.

[bru888]

Harat has been named.

Unit name shortened to "3/5th Mahratta / 5th Div"

Unit name "Bataillon d'Artillerie" adopted (and some experience given to it! To a few Italian cavalry units that were missing it as well)

The Imperial Palace will not leave an open field when captured now, as mentioned above. An Allied Imperial Palace will replace it.

I went with the "Forts Vittorio Emanuele and Umberto," positioning them so that they nicely bracket the approach to Massawa as shown here in your diagram, left to right and facing the sea.

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But regular bunkers, not concrete bunkers. I also used "Fort Tigu" as the name for the bunker near Asmara even though it might have been closer to Keren. Designer decision and artistic license.

No more mines. I planned the existing mines to have been intended to help hold a perimeter that included Keren and Kub Kub. Also those rows of mines that discourage the player (and presumably the British) to move right down the coast from Port Sudan to Massawa. I don't figure the Italians would have mined in and around that city, however.

As for the negative British ACPs, I don't have a handle on that one. I don't use core units in this campaign and no triggers are addressing command points anywhere. So I will keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. As you said, it doesn't seem to have affected anything.

[bru888]

Wrapping up From Keren to Massawa, this will address the fate of French Somaliland, as we will not be visiting sub-Sahara Africa again in this campaign. (Operation Stream Line Jane, the conquest of Madagascar in November 1942, will be addressed with a popup message someplace in the campaign. There is no scenario for it because no Free French troops were involved). Start of Turn 24:

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As usual, your contributions have significantly improved From Keren to Massawa, ColonelY. Thank you.

Moving on to (that is, back to) Operation Exporter now. Close to finishing that one.

[bru888]

Soon . . . Operation Exporter. I'm looking to release it before the ball drops on New Year's Eve.

I was off by almost exactly 48 hours.

But the good news is, a new version of Free France 1940-1945 has been uploaded. Included in this are:

- An improved Keren to Massawa scenario, thanks to suggestions from Mascarenhas and ColonelY.

- The Operation Exporter scenario, dealing with the Allied invasion of Vichy-controlled Syria and Lebanon.

Free France 1940-1945 (five scenarios)

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[ColonelY]

Soon . . . Operation Exporter. I'm looking to release it before the ball drops on New Year's Eve.

I was off by almost exactly 48 hours.

But the good news is, a new version of Free France 1940-1945 has been uploaded. [...]

No worries at all.

Great, I'll test this 5th scenario soon! Thanks

[Mascarenhas]

Here we go! I'm sure we'll get much fun. Thx.

[bru888]

I have already made a minor edit just now (having woken up and realized that I erred - I must be doing CSI in my sleep ).

This statement in the briefing implied that the major roads through the mountains are open. They are not, of course:

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This is a more accurate assessment of the situation:

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Free France 1940-1945 (five scenarios)

[Erik2]

Nice to see the Bru production value at play again.

You can use the proper new Queen Elisabeth class for Barham.

You could replace the current Free French aux units with core Frrench '40 infantry. Maybe even let the player purchase his own cores.

Since the British engineers have trucks I think the artillery should have too.

The Hermes story appeared to have been cut short, missing a message?

About halfway through the scenario I got a nasty surprise. Despite capturing every objective east of Tiaroye a Vichy unit appeared in Rufisque. All the Vichy naval assets were reduced to 1-3 strength including the battleship. There were some FF gun bopats guarding the supply ships in Rufisque harbor. Would this cause the spawning ofthe Vichy inf? If that is the case, it seems harsh.
Naturally I had to simply stop the scenario at turn 29 as all Allied land forces were on the other side of the map...

[bru888]

Heh, it took a few moments to recall what you are talking about, it's been so long. Dakar!

No core units and no specialisations in this campaign for reasons discussed earlier in this thread.

The trigger that generates British units - all have transportation. It had to be that way due to the distance from Rufisque to Dakar:

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The Hermes story should flow; four messages, one after another. Missed the scroll bar? Inadvertently double-clicked the "Continue" button?

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Regarding "a Vichy unit appeared in Rufisque," I wonder whether that could have been this "found" AA gun which definitely is British when spawned:

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Or perhaps it was a manifestation of one of these triggers in which an overlooked coastal patrol unit will be activated to harass the Allied rear:

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There are these mid-game spawns but again, they are Allied units; there aren't any Vichy spawns:

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And as to "All the Vichy naval assets were reduced to 1-3 strength including the battleship," that is intentional, done by these triggers. Note that they are also tagged as neutral, just placeholders for captured/surrendered ships:

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So everything seems to be working as designed.

[Mascarenhas]

Those Vichy units at Rufisque are most certainly the "Patruille Costière", which lurked at the eastern tip of the map and, if not wiped at mission's first turns, will try and occupy the city, retarding FF advance. It happened also to me when I played it first time.

[Erik2]

OK, I was just baffled at the Vichy unit that apparently spawned on Free French terrain since I had moved units all the way to the east mad edge to guard against any enemy units appearing on the road there.
Anyway, it seems like you have a lot of random triggers going on, which is excellent.
My second play-through is a quite different experience.

[bru888]

I love the Bir Hakeim map, smaller and allowing action on a company level. Not that the past two scenarios were all that bad, but I think we will find Bir Hakeim to be a pleasant break.

It's shaping up to be a purely defensive battle, a self-sacrificing "hold your position for X turns to buy the limeys the time they need" kind of thing. Do YOU have what it takes to hold off Rommel and his Panzerarmee Afrika for 28 turns?

"What? It's only Turn 19? Shriek! How am I going to hold this together for another 9 turns?!?"

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