Erik's Battle of the Bulge Series

[Erik2]

Spike

First, it looks like you played an earlier version since the bridge objectives were fixed in the latest version.
Map sizes differ between the various Bulge scenarios, most are smaller than this one. Personally I find the number of units the most important part , this is what defines a large or small scenario for me.

US air is devastating...as it should be.
I'll see if there where other flak units available historically. Usually the SPAAs where available in the panzer formations (= core units) while the aux units were towed versions.
I think there should be a scenario option to replace core units with resources. THen the players could decide wether they want to replace a unit or two with flak units.

[PoorOldSpike]

..it looks like you played an earlier version since the bridge objectives were fixed in the latest version..

RACE FOR BASTOGNE
It was v 1.1 downloaded from here yesterday-
http://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewtop ... 74&t=64990

and the red objective arrows (below) indicated the two hexes where bridges must be built. I built two bridges there but still didn't get an "objective achieved" green tick. So as an experiment I sent my engineer to build one at the position below and I got a green tick..



As regards flak, there are towed versions in the scen but they're completely useless because they spend most of the game being trucked around trying to keep up with the spearheads, so I suggest self-propelled flak would be much better.
It's no fun being whittled down every single turn by 4x US aircraft without being able to do a thing about it, and the Fw190 is completely overwhelmed in air combat. Suggestion-throw out 2x US aircraft.
PS- too much of the artillery has to be trucked around too, so maybe some could be replaced by SPA.

[Erik2]

You need to move the three flak unit with the artillery. Yes, it will slow down the offensive.
I have added two core SPAA units as reinforcements.

I changed the map a bit in the last version as two adjacent bridges made no sense. Forgot to move the map markers, but the silver flags were correct...

Link updated in first post.

[PoorOldSpike]

BATTLE OF THE ROADBLOCKS
3rd attempt with the latest version downloaded today- I quit after capturing just one of the 6x objs because I had no chance of capturing the remaining 5 in the time left with my beat-up force.
Here's the quit screenshot, I've lost a Panther, Stug, Fw190 and a couple of infantry units.
HEY!- A Panther and infantry arrived on the south edge around turn 10, but they were on low supply (yellow dot), so they were no use for anything!
Suggestion- give them full supply, and also let us buy our own force at the start because choosing our own units is FUN, then if we lose we've only ourselves to blame for buying the wrong units..
PS-For the record I usually win the majority of vanilla OOB stock scenarios in all the DLC's at difficulty level 3, probably because they allow us to choose which units to buy, and also because they're plain and simple without lots of Specialisations in them.

[steevodeevo]

Hi Erik, looking forward to playing this when I finally get home, I do hope you decide to make it a campaign.

A couple of comments, just out of interest really:

I notice in screenies very little snow. Was snow not as much of a factor as popular fiction of the Bulge campaign would indicate?

You mention Allied Air cover is 'devastating' and rightly so. How do you address the several days of fog and cloud cover at the start of the campaign given OOB as yet has no game impacting weather. Do you just delay availability several turns?

Apologies, I'm following this campaign develop at distance and only have access to a mobile to track it.

[Erik2]

Spike:
The German units arriving from the soouth is not fully supplied, but they do have enough supply to fight their way north and link up with the other group.
Should only take a couple of turns.
I'm sticking to pre-selected historical units for these single scenarios. Partly because I like few variables for feedback on playbalance etc.
In the campaign the players will have more units to choose from after the first scenario. Note that some of historical units are present in different scenarios.

[Erik2]

steevodeevo

These scenarios should be historically correct regarding mud/snow ground conditions and presence of air units.
There are scenarios where air units arrive after a day or two or they may be removed after a couple of days.

[PoorOldSpike]

These scenarios should be historically correct regarding mud/snow ground conditions and presence of air units.
There are scenarios where air units arrive after a day or two or they may be removed after a couple of days.

Problem is, there are games out there of all periods and theatres that are fantastically correct in every historical detail, but sadly many of them are dull as dishwater to play, so don't fall into the trap of thinking historical accuracy makes a good enjoyable game. A balance of accuracy AND fun seems to work best..

[PoorOldSpike]

CRACKING THE GOOSE EGG
I couldn't crack it and quit on turn 8 with zero objectives achieved, and went off to pout and sulk!
Below is the end screenshot (I've highlighted the front line in green), I captured 2 objectives earlier but the Americans simply waltzed straight back into them!



My excuse is that there are about 20 Specialisations in the scen, (some shown below) and they transform OOB into a completely different game, whereas I'm only used to playing the stock vanilla scens without any Specs at all.


Suggestions-
1- Throw out most of the Specialisations to bring the scen more into line with the vanilla scens.
2- Give us some flexibility in where we can deploy our units at the start, for example all the arty is stuck down in the bottom righthand corner and we don't have the option to deploy it further north. Deploying for ourselves would be FUN as in stock scens..
3- Also, let us buy some units at the start, for example I'd like to invest in a few fighters, tanks and mobile flak, it'd be FUN to choose our own stuff like in stock scens.
4- Likewise, let us buy and deploy stuff during the game, for example to beef up certain sectors to keep the momentum going, or to strengthen sectors that are under heavy US pressure. Buying units to respond to the changing tactical situation would be FUN like we can do in stock scens..

PS- can I ask a stupid question?- sometimes when I attack a US unit, a yellow ball (arrowed below) floats up with the combat result, what is it? I've never seen it in any stock scens.

[Erik2]

1) Obviously you have not played any (?) campaigns. The specialisations are a major part of that. i chose to include all US and German specs that were available in 1944. Learn how to use the very specific German specs to your advantage. For some erason the official single scenarios never use specs. I think they increase the fun factor in the game.

2) I can put anya ux units in the reserve list which will allow you to deploy them at start.

3) Nope, I won't allow players to buy whatever unit they want in these historical scenarios. Giving the Germans air parity in 1944 is just fiction. It won't be Bulge scenarios anymore... But the later campaign will of course allow players to deploy whatever unit they have in their reserve list. So you can then choose to deploy more flak instead of inf for instance.

4) That is probably the US Field Medic specialisation at work. It provides the US with a few repair points whenever they take losses if I remember correctly.

[PoorOldSpike]

..Nope, I won't allow players to buy whatever unit they want in these historical scenarios..

Okay mate you're the boss of your own scens and can do what you like.
But for me, the fun of wargaming is to be able use our own strategies and tactics and units to see if we can do better than the real-life commanders could.
Good luck with the rest of your scens..

[kondi754]

PoorOldSpike wrote:
(...)Give us some flexibility in where we can deploy our units at the start, for example all the arty is stuck down in the bottom righthand corner and we don't have the option to deploy it further north. Deploying for ourselves would be FUN as in stock scens..
3- Also, let us buy some units at the start, for example I'd like to invest in a few fighters, tanks and mobile flak, it'd be FUN to choose our own stuff like in stock scens.
4- Likewise, let us buy and deploy stuff during the game, for example to beef up certain sectors to keep the momentum going, or to strengthen sectors that are under heavy US pressure. Buying units to respond to the changing tactical situation would be FUN like we can do in stock scens.. (...)


(...)But for me, the fun of wargaming is to be able use our own strategies and tactics and units to see if we can do better than the real-life commanders could.

It seems to me that there is a contradiction in this sentences.
If you write that you want to check whether you'll be better than the real commanders, so you can't expect more units available and you can't expect to be able to place this units on the map wherever you want.
The real commanders didn't have such luxury ...

[bru888]

PS- can I ask a stupid question?- sometimes when I attack a US unit, a yellow ball (arrowed below) floats up with the combat result, what is it? I've never seen it in any stock scens.

What I believe is happening there is that a unit is gaining an experience star (or a portion of one) from recent combat.

[GabeKnight]

What I believe is happening there is that a unit is gaining an experience star (or a portion of one) from recent combat.

Bruce, I think Erik's right:

4) That is probably the US Field Medic specialisation at work. It provides the US with a few repair points whenever they take losses if I remember correctly.

Usually it's for the player's benefit, like the "Forced Labour" German specialisation, only this time the enemy's getting the RP rewards...

[Erik2]

The sixth scenario in the Bulge installments.
Link in the first post.

Bru, how do I add the scenario name to make the link prettier?

[bru888]

Bru, how do I add the scenario name to make the link prettier?

First, in the post, type the name. Then, highlight the name and click the URL button. That will put the url tags around it, like this:

Manhay Crossroads

Then you click between the first "url" and its closing bracket, and insert an "=" sign. Click between the "=" and the "]" and paste in the link to your file.

It looks like this:

Capture835.jpg (287.37 KiB) Viewed 2720 times

[kgambit]

Erik,

Could you double check the secondary victory condition for occupying the exit hex in Manhay Crossroads? I occupied it with the Panther but it never triggered as completed.

Great set of scenarios!

PS: You might want to consider adding commanders when you go to campaign mode.

[Erik2]

Manhay sec obj fixed. Link updated in first post.

I actually plan to add commanders to both sides for all the single scenarios as well.

[tula1959]

Playing it now - and was I surprised when the flock of US fighter bombers flew in and began to savage my columns!! As we all know the weather prohibited any air operations for the first week or more of the offensive so I am interested to know why you decided to deviate on this?????

[conboy]

Erik, It is probably my deficiency, but I cannot locate the primary objectives in this scenario. The brief says secure the crossings over the Clerf River, which I cannot locate, possibly due to near-sightedness. The objective listed in the scenario thang is secure 18 towns and exit points. It would greatly help to identify where those objectives might be, due to military necessity and tradition, etc... So could you give us some noun names or coordinates as to where the Clerf River crossings are? Or just take over all the gold flags?
UPDATE: Now I see them up against the left map border.