Succession Game: Interest check and Organization

[Locarnus]

Battlefield Europe by McGuba is one of the great PzC mods and due to it's large main scenario it is uniquely suited for a succession AAR.

In a succession game, each player takes control for a limited amount of time (turns), writes a short AAR about this timeframe and then hands over the savegame to a successor.

The advantages of such a succession type of game are:
a) Every new player needs to deal with the situation left behind by the previous players. That is especially interesting with respect to strategic decisions.
b) No one has to commit for a long playthrough, but everyone can experience a part of it (by playing directly as well as discussing the situation between handovers).
c) Since the savegames are public in the AAR, it is possible for AAR readers to really analyse the situation, instead of being restricted to images and texts of the written AAR.

My proposal for such a succession game:
1. Usage of BE 2.3 with my addon version 2022-02 (will be published in the coming days). The addon updates have slowed down a lot (~2 months) and it is far more balanced than it was at the experimental beginning.
2. Succession at the end of each early scenario (Poland, Norway, France and Mediterranean) and then after 6 turns in the huge Barbarossa scenario (ie end of axis turn 6, end of axis turn 12 and so on).
3. Consensus of the general strategy in the big scenario. Eg no early Sealion and no early retreat from Africa, to stay somewhat historical at the start and to keep all fronts of the scenario interesting.
4. Open discussion about the situation at each transition point. Everyone can consider the situation and provide feedback for the person taking the next term, especially with uploaded savegames at each transition point.

I'm looking forward to this second attempt at a succession game for Panzer Corps, and some feedback for the addon.
It is just too good of a game to have a dead (AAR) forum, but I can't revive it on my own.
Perhaps with several people contributing a bit, we could make this work again.

If you are interested in participating in such a succession game, please comment below:

Would you prefer some other rules or recommend additional ones?

What difficulty settings would you choose?

What would be you preference for participation? Taking on an early scenario to learn about the mechanics or plunge directly into the cold water and take over at the start of Barbarossa?


Potential early plans at the start of Barbarossa, depending on who takes over for that timeframe:




This is an example for such a succession game in Rule the Waves 2.

In that case the succession game had an organization thread:
https://nws-online.proboards.com/thread ... ssion-game

As well as an actual AAR thread:
https://nws-online.proboards.com/thread ... succession

(To be able to see the smaller thumbnail pictures in those threads you just need to make a forum account.)


This was a Rule the Waves 2 succession AAR in video form:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2LVIa6 ... XalBOBxoWp

It is a youtube playlist of several streamers playing a succession game.


Of course not everything goes as planned, so there needs to be some flexibility.
But imho it is quite an interesting experience.
Except for the first player, everyone takes over a somewhat unfamiliar situation.
Troops are not where you would have put them at that stage, upgrades were done for units that you would not have upgraded, prestige was spent on stuff you do not usually need...
But somehow you got to make the best of it.
And everyone but the last player hands over the savegame to someone else and thus has to take that into account as well.
Readers of the AAR thread can analyze that new situation (even by downloading the savegame and looking at it in detail), providing recommendations and discussions for the next successor.

With limited players, someone might play turns 1-6, and later on play turn 31-36. But turn 31 looks totally different from what he would expect in his own playthrough at that time.
A really new challenge for Panzer Corps veterans!

[Locarnus]

This is a list of the first 8 succession game spots with some info about their particular challenges:

Poland:
First spot and first scenario.
Learning about the addons multi-role aircraft mechanic (Bf 110) and building the foundation of the 6 early campaign core units.

Norway:
Smaller, optional scenario.
Some fleet involvement and another multi-role aircraft learning opportunity (also against ships).

France:
Larger scenario at the heart of the early campaign.
Several interesting upgrade and core composition opportunities. Eg Panzer I cheap upgrade to Sturmpanzer I, or directly to Panzer IV ? Maybe Pz II to Flammpanzer II or to bigger Stug III ? Sturmpanzer and Stug III can switch between arty and direct fire mode and could make an interesting team.

Mediterranean:
The last scenario of the early campaign.
Involves paratroopers and Afrika Korps. More upgrade choices. Stug III can be upgraded to Wurfrahmen (high damage, low ammo). A Panzer II chassis (including Flammpanzer II) can be upgraded to Pz II G, which can switch to recon mode.

Barbarossa, turns

1-6:
First term of the huge Barbarossa scenario.
Prestige from the early campaign does not spill over into Barbarossa, due to the promotion of the "player". Only the core units transition. Prestige becomes a strategic production ressource instead of a tactical reward.
The player taking over this spot can make the final adjustments to the 6 starting core units, without prestige penalty (see above). Eg Pz II G to Panzer IV.
And also has to think about the first upgrades and strategy for the whole German Army.

7-12:
The first spot that presents the player with a tactically unfamiliar situation, not just a different core, which is one of the main draws of any succession game.
With the inherited situation, can you rush to Moscow before the snow? Or would it be better to go for more limited gains, but keep your army intact?
Turn 8 makes the 5cm Pak available, it will rain on turn 9. And Winter is coming in turn 12 (-1 Strength for Germany army in Russia).
Don't forget the Italian and German navy, fuel restrictions will hit hard in turn 14, prepare for that.

13-18:
Winter is here and the German Army is not prepared. Is the navy in a position to survive the fuel crisis?
-1 Strength for units in Russia (turns 13 & 14) and the Soviets launch a counter attack.
Make the most out of a situation someone else prepared for, while in turn preparing for someone else's spring offensive. Where will you position the airforce for your successor?

19-24:
Germany slowly switches to war economy, where will you spend that additional prestige?
After inheriting the situation from the last player, how far can you bring the Axis until mid 1942?


Having to deal with an interited situation is the ultimate test, are you up to the challenge?
The first two are relatively quick scenarios, but you can learn some of the addons functionality (multi-role aircraft).
France and Poland additionally allow for chassis based unit upgrades. A possibility unique to this addon.
And in Barbarossa the training gloves come off...

You may pick any spot, as long as it is not taken by someone else...