Free France Campaign

[bru888]

I'd like to clone Bruce and employ him as my personal make-scenarios-better-assistant

Heh, thank you. The problem would be, if he were a true clone and working at his usual snail's pace, you would have perhaps only one-fifth of the scenarios and campaigns that you have published to date.

[Erik2]

I'd like to clone Bruce and employ him as my personal make-scenarios-better-assistant

Heh, thank you. The problem would be, if he were a true clone and working at his usual snail's pace, you would have perhaps only one-fifth of the scenarios and campaigns that you have published to date.

OK, 5 clones then.

[terminator]

Free France 1940-1945 v0.29, 01Dakar

Governement House = Open Terrain = very vulnerable

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[terminator]

Free France 1940-1945 v0.29, 01Dakar
I discovered this hidden Vichy unit running out of supplies at the beginning...

I had thought that the 10 supply on the road behind them would be sufficient in this case but I forgot that they are in trucks which means each unit needs 4 supply, not 3.
That's why they are in "orange supply condition" in your screen shot. It's reasonable to assume that, since Vichy still controlled the rest of the colony, supplies coming from the east would not be an issue. So, both hexes with road/railroad on the edge of the map are now 25 supply.

A simple solution would be to move one of the 3 Vichy units as on the image:

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[ColonelY]

Free France 1940-1945 v0.29, 01Dakar
I discovered this hidden Vichy unit running out of supplies at the beginning...

I had thought that the 10 supply on the road behind them would be sufficient in this case but I forgot that they are in trucks which means each unit needs 4 supply, not 3.
That's why they are in "orange supply condition" in your screen shot. It's reasonable to assume that, since Vichy still controlled the rest of the colony, supplies coming from the east would not be an issue. So, both hexes with road/railroad on the edge of the map are now 25 supply.

A simple solution would be to move one of the 3 Vichy units as on the image:

Move one of these 3 units? Niet, they form together a patrol, so they have to stay together. Moreover, in these trees they're hidden so can ambush some unit if they're lucky...
Besides, one advantage of having (all of) them down here is that at some point they'll move towards Bargny-Gouddou and capture it back if the player hasn't searched the area for possible hidden forces or even just left a garrison. So I would say that this has to be kept as it it!
An unit put on this NE road would be much more likely to be discovered, and moreover much sooner (than those hidden in the trees down there)... thus being then isolated and unlikely to defend itself properly as (too) easily overwhelmed.

EDIT: Furthermore, they're from start in "local defense" AI setup... the way they are now activated prevent anyway to split them! Spliting this patrol into two different groups will make a little more complex its activation... so...

A supply output of 25 pts on these two hexes? That may be really much compared to other locations... perhaps really too much, as it's much (too) likely to draw the player's attention to these locations, in fact...

Let's look at the problem another way: the actual solution (10 supply pt) isn't (fully*) working because of the trucks. Ok, but do these units really need truck? At best (for them) they'll take back Bargny-Gouddou before the player rushes some troops against them to deal with this threat... so, one could say that these units will perhaps move up to Bargny-Gouddou to recapture it (indeed perhaps as it's already not sure at all... it depends really much on the player's wise decisions ). Considering their potential range of motion on a battlefield filled with many units... Do these units really need truck?
Removing these trucks means having 3x3=9 pts required for the 10 granted, so we would be fine. If we really wish to, one could even keep some trucks for one of these patrol infantry unit.

(*But for me, seeing them just orange, i.e. simply short/low on supplies, is perfectly fine...)

[ColonelY]

So I would say, here either remove (most of) these trucks (for this patrol only!) OR rather simply reduce these two supply output to a more discrete 15 pts...

(25 is only found near Dakar itself on the map for now... and the three roads on the top NE of the map are at +10 as well...)

[ColonelY]

Hmmm... Thinking back to it (already, yeah ), well, it would be a shame to deprive them of trucks. So what about rather a more discrete 15 at these two supply output?

Then, by overall coherence, what about putting some supply output at the roads in the NE (near the edges of the map ) at 15 as well (instead of 10)?

[uzbek2012]

To be, or not to be !?
https://zen.yandex.ru/media/sudmod/podv ... 3b2d57721a

[terminator]

If the Patrouille Côtière is going to Bargny-Gouddou then my proposal would be ideal for an attack ?

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[bru888]

Hmmm... Thinking back to it (already, yeah ), well, it would be a shame to deprive them of trucks. So what about rather a more discrete 15 at these two supply output?

Then, by overall coherence, what about putting some supply output at the roads in the NE (near the edges of the map ) at 15 as well (instead of 10)?

Bing! The chosen solution. Prize.

[bru888]

To be, or not to be !?

What is this, in English, please?

[ColonelY]

In English? Here are some info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_submarine_Surcouf

To be, or not to be !?

It's very interesting... it was once the largest submarine in the world. But it apparently didn't accomplish much during the war and ended up sunk perhaps in a simple accident... Moreover, by what unit model could such a monster even be represented in OoB?

It's more likely to be mentioned simply as a historical event than in a real scenario. And then it would have to be the 19th February 1942, I think, since it was during the night of February 18-19, 1942 that it sank...

[bru888]

Identify?

[ColonelY]

"Surcouf was the largest French cruiser submarine. She served in both the French Navy and the Free French Naval Forces during the Second World War. She was lost during the night of 18/19 February 1942 in the Caribbean Sea, possibly after colliding with an American freighter. Surcouf was named after the French privateer Robert Surcouf. She was the largest submarine built until surpassed by the first Japanese I-400-class submarine in 1944." ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_submarine_Surcouf )

[ColonelY]

If the Patrouille Côtière is going to Bargny-Gouddou then my proposal would be ideal for an attack ?
[...]

Well, they'll be put on S&D as soon as some units move enough close to the French units hidden in the southern trees... Then they're likely to move there in they don't encounter much on their way... So it's not a real offensive at properly speaking, rather a side-effect!

Now, if we do what you suggest here, then the unit along the northern road would stand alone, (much) more visible (than the two others) and staying on "local defense" as long as the other two in the trees would have not yet* been activated... Not optimal...


EDIT: *these two words were missing, sorry, I was a little in a hurry when I've written this... (anyway, the overall message has thankfully been understood)

[ColonelY]

Hmmm... Thinking back to it (already, yeah ), well, it would be a shame to deprive them of trucks. So what about rather a more discrete 15 at these two supply output?

Then, by overall coherence, what about putting some supply output at the roads in the NE (near the edges of the map ) at 15 as well (instead of 10)?

Bing! The chosen solution. Prize.

Fine.

[bru888]

If the Patrouille Côtière is going to Bargny-Gouddou then my proposal would be ideal for an attack ?
[...]

Well, they'll be put on S&D as soon as some units move enough close to the French units hidden in the southern trees... Then they're likely to move there in they don't encounter much on their way... So it's not a real offensive at properly speaking, rather a side-effect!

Now, if we do what you suggest here, then the unit along the northern road would stand alone, (much) more visible (than the two others) and staying on "local defense" as long as the other two in the trees would have been activated... Not optimal...

That's correct, according to what I had in mind: 1) It is a coastal patrol, a cohesive unit of three patrolling the beach road, and 2) It is supposed to be a surprise for the lazy and unwary who do not scout their flanks properly. Imagine landing on a hostile shore and just turning left toward your goal without looking to see what is on your right and, after you turn, in your rear. Bad general!

Besides, for the "Pacify Outlying Villages" mission, the player needs to investigate Bargny-Gouddou at some point. Would it not be prudent to send a patrol up the roads on either side of the mango plantation, just to be sure? If not, and the player pulls back to the west of Rufisque, leaving it unguarded, he pays the penalty of having to clean up after this sly rogue coastal patrol.

[terminator]

I love Supply, when I find it unprotected, I take it right away...

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[bru888]

"Surcouf was the largest French cruiser submarine. She served in both the French Navy and the Free French Naval Forces during the Second World War. She was lost during the night of 18/19 February 1942 in the Caribbean Sea, possibly after colliding with an American freighter. Surcouf was named after the French privateer Robert Surcouf. She was the largest submarine built until surpassed by the first Japanese I-400-class submarine in 1944." ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_submarine_Surcouf )

Thanks. As you mentioned, trying to include Surcouf in a scenario as a playable unit would not work. For one thing, it would cross the "squint line." That is, squinting your eyes and playing make believe. The distinctive twin-gun turret would be missing and trying to replicate it with "super powers" would be dumb.

However, I am thinking of throwing it in as a wistful, "what could have been" popup message in Operation Vesuvius. I have talked a bit about Casabianca in this scenario; maybe somebody appreciating the reappearance of this sub (as an offensive weapon, this time), but remembering what could have been if the Surcouf had not foundered . . .

[bru888]

I love Supply, when I find it unprotected, I take it right away...

Gollum.png (77.16 KiB) Viewed 1590 times

Heh. If there was a way, I would include this as an "Easter egg" in your personal copy of Free France 1940-1945, Mr. T. It would be popping up over and over, until you cry "Aieeeeeee!"