Anyone designing?

[Palantir]

Hey is anyone designing out there?

Palantir

[KG_Cloghaun]

Yes, I have begun work on a series of battles dealing with the Korsun Pocket.

Previously I had made a Korsun campaign for the game Close Combat 3. CMBB will provide a much better platform for recreating some of the events that took place.

The initial problem I am wrestling with is scale. One of the 1st battles was the German defense of Kapitanovka. It was primarily defended by the 108th PzGr regiment. I have all the information I need for it's OOB, as well as the Russian 29th Tank Corps that attacked it. For example; The 108th had over 3 battalions of infantry, plus support and vehicles. They faced one full strength Russian tank brigade, composed of roughly 20-30 T-34's and infantry. Hopefully the game will allow me to field force compositions that big.

[Palantir]

This is a problem I'm also running into trying to design large battles.

Large historical battles CAN be moved into CM but the problem is distance, time & ammo. In a huge & long (40+ turn) "battle scenario" the early entry units will run out of ammo quickly and pretty much be useless. And unless they have transport they can't get very far on a large map. But if you give them proper transport you soon end up with dozens of truck / halftracks running amok on the map.

I look at large battles & moving to the realm of CM "battles" as if taking a picture of it. I take that one snapshot of a whole battle and just use that "section" of the whole battle for the tactical encounter.

Operations seem to be the solution although you still have the transport problems.

[KG_Werfer]

Maybe taking a small area of an actual historical battle and having more turns per day would fix this problem? Am also in begining stages of an op here. Any help is welcome from members whom are familiar with the CM editor program on getting around this problem.

[Cap'n Fantastic]

I'm trying my hand at scenario design (first time ever). Using CMAK.

The one I've picked is just a small piece of the fighting for Primosole Bridge on July 14. It's going to focus strictly on the 200 or so men under Lt. Col Pearson (largely drawn from the 1st battalion of the 1st British Airborne Brigade). The men with 2nd battalion on the high ground to the southwest are too far away (at least a mile according to a large scale map I have) to really make the map manageable. I'm going to enter things already in progress (late morning ) -- after the troops had made contact with the HMS Newfoundland and shortly before the German 88s show up. I'm going to label it as "semi-historical" because I'm sure to miss some details folks could crucify me for and I want to combine some of the elements involved in the battle in a condensed time frame.

Here's the OOB I've drawn up from articles I've been able to scrounge together. I have some notes I wrote down a while ago after checking "Bitter Victory" from the local library. I wanna grab it again, but someone else has it and I know the book's out of print.

British --

Airborne Company (I'm saying for now at 80% strength)

Independent Platoon (40 men or so had made it from 3rd battalion)

Engineer Platoon (reduced)

Battalion CO element (reduced) -- Pearson

Three 57mm ATGs

Two wooden bunkers -- positions captured from original Italain security troops and manned by Brits. Facing north.

FO -- close as I can get to 6" naval guns with some TRPs as the actual spotter was up on the high ground to the SW with 2nd Battalion. This would allow the brit player to hit some spots otherwise hidden from view (representing the bird's eye perspective).

Maybe a few Daisy Chain AT mines thrown across the road.

Overall, this should could out pretty darn close to 200+ men.

German --

Two Fallschirmjager companies -- Reduced at least a little as this is their second assault since being repulsed by the Newfoundland's guns earlier in the day.

A mixed platoon of Armored Cars and Assault HTs (drawn from a HG division kampfgruppe).

Reinforcements in the form of Luftwaffe officer Capt. Franz Stangenberger, a pair of towed 88s and perhaps a platoon of armored infantry (panzergrenadiers from the HG).

The 88s apparently did a lot to drive the airborne troops back to the highground in the SW (they blew the bunkers to dust), where the British paras held on until reinforcements arrived.

In terms of dimensions for the map, I'd like to make it about a kilometer to 1.5km in all directions (N-S, E-W) so it's manageable. Timeframe 35+ Turns.

My stumbling block is terrain. I have a quasi-operational map, but no detailed photos. The descriptions I have speak of mostly flat terrain (this was the approach to Catania) with some scattered trees, primarily marked by vineyards and stone farmhouses. Does anyone have images of the local terrain? I know it's a two lane, heavy span. Thinking of making the river about 100m wide. Just had to ask :)

[Palantir]

I prefer designing "semi-historical" over trying to get historical scenarios 100% correct.

In historical battles we know everything that happened, who was involved, where, the outcome etc.

Under the heading "semi-historical" I have much greater latitude as far as the exact units, terrain and what the contact will be (ME/Assualt/Attack etc).

I do use historical "elements" of what could have possibily happened- what units, where, time, encounter type etc.

Basically I like making "sideshow" scenarios, the encounters that "might" have happened away from, before, during or after THE BIG BATTLE. (whatever it is)

I then do my best to have historical units that could have "actually" been involved on "actual" local terrain in an "actual" encounter- that could have happened.

Or basically- "what if scenarios."

What ever type it is I just know I have fun designing them.