Slitherine

This is how Fezzan is going to work (download the image for a larger view):


Tunisia and Algeria are off-limits for everybody - for OOB purposes, it's neutral territory. I will have something in the text about not wanting a Free French intrusion to upset negotiations with the Vichy French in North Africa.

The player is tasked with conquering Fezzan. While he is doing so, the front between the British Eighth Army and Panzerarmee Afrika (blue box) is automatically and continually moving west toward Tripoli. I have it timed so that Montgomery arrives in Tripoli on Turn 32, stays there for three days, and then proceeds further west on Turn 36 (he arrives at the Tunisian border on Turn 40/41 which is the end of the scenario.

As I said, the player is conquering Fezzan in the meanwhile. At some time to be determined, he is invited to link with Montgomery in Tripoli which can be done any time before the end of the scenario. If he gets there while Montgomery is in Tripoli, or even better, before he arrives, that awards a secondary objective.

The invitation to link with Montgomery comes with instructions and authorization to take the six villages on the main road north into Tripoli (green circles). Taking those satisfies another primary objective. The last primary objective is to link with Montgomery by occupying the northernmost village. As I said, that can be any time before the end of the scenario but if he does it before January 20 (Turn 36) while Montgomery is still in town: Bonus.

But if the player ignores instructions and takes any other location in Tripolitania (red arrows), or takes one of the main road villages too soon, everything is failed except for the Conquer Fezzan primary objective and the result is at best a Draw (which means he plays the scenario again, if he is playing the campaign). That is the "Dismissed!" message in my previous post.

Everything will be explained and properly marked. For example, all locations in Tripolitania are secondary VPs while all those in Fezzan are primary VPs. (Locations in Tunisia and Algeria are just plain capture point flags.) The player is told not to take any secondary VPs unless authorized.

Which brings me to something that I have been thinking about all the time that I designed these objectives. This is not a puzzle. I don't like puzzles, either, when it comes to wargaming. But I do believe in thinking like a commander (such as knowing to prioritize defending the coastal guns with torpedo planes in Operation Lila Denied rather than chasing after capital ships) and I do believe in reading instructions and being guided by them (such as an officer would obey orders in a politically ticklish situation such as Fezzan or face the consequences).

Some players don't like such a cerebral approach. They don't like to read or think too much and prefer to barge ahead in a "shoot 'em up and ask questions" later style. That is not my style. I prefer a "thinking man's OOB" and that is how I am going to keep designing.

For one thing, that is also how I want to play this game, and specifically this campaign someday, myself.

It looks simply awesome!

bru888 wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 10:22 pm This is how Fezzan is going to work (download the image for a larger view):


[...] The player is tasked with conquering Fezzan. Cool (and historical!). While he is doing so, the front between the British Eighth Army and Panzerarmee Afrika (blue box) is automatically and continually moving west toward Tripoli. Excellent idea, but how... [...]

Yeah, but how will the player see or notice this motion of the front between (mainly) British forces and Rommel's troops? Maybe using some "reveal area" trigger or some allied recon plane automatically moving together with Rommel's German and Italian units?

ColonelY wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2021 1:53 pm

bru888 wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 10:22 pm This is how Fezzan is going to work (download the image for a larger view):


[...] The player is tasked with conquering Fezzan. Cool (and historical!). While he is doing so, the front between the British Eighth Army and Panzerarmee Afrika (blue box) is automatically and continually moving west toward Tripoli. Excellent idea, but how... [...]

Yeah, but how will the player see or notice this motion of the front between (mainly) British forces and Rommel's troops? Maybe using some "reveal area" trigger or some allied recon plane automatically moving together with Rommel's German and Italian units?

First of all, these units are really just place markers, three on each side, which represent the two armies. They start on the extreme right of the map, on the coast:


They are illuminated each turn by revealing these units (instead of hexes) and the player can also see the British territory moving westward. Here are the armies on their last "day" in Tripoli (they arrive on their Turn 32 and move out on their Turn 35; FF move first, so the last opportunity to link with Montgomery is the player's Turn 35 as shown here):


Here's a PDF file that shows the progression from that point on, if you are interested in the effect: End of British Drive (Must be downloaded; cannot be previewed. I checked the file for viruses, just in case.) The player cannot move the British units and, if he attacks the German units for some reason, he will find that they are impervious - cannot be damaged.

By the way, it will not be enough to scamper ahead and take Garian (the northernmost village on the road to Tripoli) in order to link with Montgomery. The entire road from El Gof (the southernmost village) to Garian will have to be open. The test will be an open supply link between the two points.

Thanks, very interesting.

Have you considered the option that these units, although being "impervious - cannot be damaged", lose a few strenght points as they move?

Because I guess not all these units are supposed to remain completely intact, right?

ColonelY wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2021 4:52 pm Thanks, very interesting.

Have you considered the option that these units, although being "impervious - cannot be damaged", lose a few strenght points as they move?

Because I guess not all these units are supposed to remain completely intact, right?

Correct. They are only place markers showing the battle front moving from east to west. The strength of the units is immaterial.

The theme of Fezzan: "We must impress our allies with not only our ability to fight battles, but to wage war."


Yes, I have already corrected ". . . Montgomery has relegated our troops . . ."

'Finished replaying 07OperationLilaDenied, with SS doing their job...

Conclusion: That's another excellent scenario!
*******
Major Victory achieved at (the end of) the 20th turn, when my troops were still in pursuit of the last German and SS on the map (well, those in the East, because all other were already entirely gone)!

In short, these SS reinforcements are in no way too much. On the opposite, they arrive just in time in the NW... that is, once I was definitely winning between the Germans there, almost cleaning this sector, but these SS join the battle before that I've been able to rest and replenish my troops... Excellent timing!

Their arrival keeps the fighting going on... At the end, they've all been whiped out. But this time, one of the two concrete bunkers (HG) has been destroyed in the process - proof that the fights were more intense and took longer than within previous versions.

And in the NE, they'll reinforce the front and make the action last longer too...

Nice to see some rockets flying too... cool little touch...
*******
So I think this scenario is ready for good!


(Small display detail: it may be a little strange to have to retain 4 harbour facilities but to see as counter "8/3" instead of "8/4"... but that comes from the "<4" in the trigger to fail this obj, so well... we can live with this! Same thing for the coastal guns... Was it already like this, this displaying effect, in previous versions too? Oh, doesn't matter at all! )

bru888 wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 8:44 am The theme of Fezzan: "We must impress our allies with not only our ability to fight battles, but to wage war."
[...]

Very interesting and immersive briefing, that's for sure. However, a small criticism, if I may: why not add a (further) positive note, mentioning the famous victory of Bir Hakeim?

El Alamein, of course... but Bir Hakeim, that was something! Such a great victory, which had such a media impact... that can't be forgotten!


A bit like the Gauls who remembered very well Gergovia, place of their famous victory against Caesar's legions, but who even forgot the exact location of Alesia... Alesia, where they lost (decisively) against Caesar and where their leader Vercingetorix had to surrender to Caesar ...

ColonelY wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 4:18 pm 'Finished replaying 07OperationLilaDenied, with SS doing their job...

Conclusion: That's another excellent scenario!

. . .

So I think this scenario is ready for good!

Good to hear, thank you. And thanks for the multiple testing which has put my mind at ease as to gameplay balance. Yes, in this case, the counters show the player the number of harbour facilities and coastal guns that he does NOT want to reach, or else. Yet . . . see the Bru's Scenarios thread for an update.

ColonelY wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 4:24 pm

bru888 wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 8:44 am The theme of Fezzan: "We must impress our allies with not only our ability to fight battles, but to wage war."
[...]

Very interesting and immersive briefing, that's for sure. However, a small criticism, if I may: why not add a (further) positive note, mentioning the famous victory of Bir Hakeim?

El Alamein, of course... but Bir Hakeim, that was something! Such a great victory, which had such a media impact... that can't be forgotten!


A bit like the Gauls who remembered very well Gergovia, place of their famous victory against Caesar's legions, but who even forgot the exact location of Alesia... Alesia, where they lost (decisively) against Caesar and where their leader Vercingetorix had to surrender to Caesar ...

Free France 1940-1945 v0.14 has been uploaded. It includes the edits to Operation Lila Denied that we have been discussing in the Bru's Scenarios thread, bring it to version 1.8.

Free France 1940-1945 (seven scenarios)

Due to the repetition and needing to update two threads at a time, OLD will probably be the only scenario that I release as a standalone scenario, unless something else strikes my fancy like OLD did, as we proceed with this campaign.

The Battle of Dakar

First remarks after 6 turns :

- briefing 3/5: typo propadanda->propaganda
- Rufisque: fleet destroyed -> message ?
- secondary objective "Do not lose any Allied capital ships" -> award ?
- convert 4 colonial infantry unit -> I don’t remember how to do it, there’s no indication when you press ?
- Rufisque: no Vichy AA to protect the ART ?
- BL 6-inch Howitzer : no transport ?

terminator wrote: Sun Feb 07, 2021 6:47 am The Battle of Dakar

First remarks after 6 turns :

- briefing 3/5: typo propadanda->propaganda
- Rufisque: fleet destroyed -> message ?
- secondary objective "Do not lose any Allied capital ships" -> award ?
- convert 4 colonial infantry unit -> I don’t remember how to do it, there’s no indication when you press ?
- Rufisque: no Vichy AA to protect the ART ?
- BL 6-inch Howitzer : no transport ?

Heh, this makes me smile for some reason: "Those propadanda leaflets that we dropped . . ." were ineffective because they contained misspellings! Who is responsible for this sloppiness? Do you realize how many francs it cost to have these printed? Thanks, corrected.

No, there are too many messages in my work as it is. I will go down in gaming history for being the biggest blabbermouth, ever.

Not all secondary objectives need to have an award. Some are there just for interest and challenge, to determine major or minor victory. This is so especially in this campaign with the Free French faction in which, for various reasons that I will allow you to comb through this thread to find, there are no core units and no specialisations (short answer: the FF faction is very limited as to units and specialisations).

The "Pacify outlying villages" objective says "At least 15 villages must lower the flag of Vichy France and raise the banner of La Croix de Lorraine. Some will be undefended while others will be garrisoned by Vichy troops who will either fight or surrender and join us." This happens automatically. Depending on where the "wavering" colonial infantry have been seeded, when the player approaches a village, the units that will surrender and join FF do so automatically: "Def not fetel! lanu sago ci leerandu bi géniale boopa Charles de Gaulle! (Wolof language for 'Do not shoot! We wish to follow the great leader Charles de Gaulle!')" All the player has to do is find them while he is pacifying villages. The colonial infantry units that do not surrender have to be overcome, of course.

The Vichy really don't need AA guns as the Royal Navy soon departs after their job is done, taking their carrier-based aircraft with them.

Somebody else complained about the lack of transportation for the howitzers and I remember checking it and seeing that I had provided for British Truck on each of them:


However, I should have realized with OOB that this is no guarantee. Sure enough, no transportation when it comes to deployment time:


So what went wrong? Bad attachment during designing? A change in units.csv? (Bing, bing, bing! Winner, that last answer!!!)

With the unit additions and changes for Allies Defiant, they introduced the Scammell Pioneer. In units.csv, they pulled out British Truck as the transport for the BL 6-inch howitzer and substituted the Scammell Pioneer:


I will fix. Thanks.

The Battle of Dakar

The Ark Royal carrier only has two slots(cargo capacity=2) but we have three planes (?) One plane could be replaced by a catapultable reconnaissance aeroplane (Fairey Seafox) ?

terminator wrote: Sun Feb 07, 2021 6:47 am The Battle of Dakar

First remarks after 6 turns :

- Rufisque: no Vichy AA to protect the ART ?

The answer to my question:

terminator wrote: Sun Feb 07, 2021 5:52 pm

terminator wrote: Sun Feb 07, 2021 6:47 am The Battle of Dakar

First remarks after 6 turns :

- Rufisque: no Vichy AA to protect the ART ?

The answer to my question:


Capture d’écran (1907).jpg

Oh, I thought you meant for protecting Vichy artillery. Those found AA units benefit the Allies.

By the way, Free France 1940-1945 v0.15 has been uploaded. It includes the edits to Dakar to swap the Scammell Pioneer for British Truck to transport those heavy howitzers. You may want to start Dakar again because those cannons lagging behind may affect the outcome.

Free France 1940-1945 (seven scenarios)

Where is Lawrence of Arabia ?