Welcome to The Few Good Men

Thanks for visiting our club and having a look around, there is a lot to see. Why not consider becoming a member?
Register

[SCENARIO] Bad Apples

Rambler

Rambler

FGM 2nd Lieutenant
FGM MEMBER
Joined
Mar 9, 2012
Messages
1,074
Reaction score
664
Location
Republic of Texas
I'm calling this one done. It's a very small battle, and there are two versions; US vs AI and H2H versions. The premise of the scenario is that a group of Germans have occupied an apple orchard and farmhouse, and the Americans are tasked with clearing them out. The scenario has been playtested and tweaked, and here are some screenshots:

BzGp2Zl.jpg


Vq4xdN7.jpg


A2NhDt3.jpg


yGkafwm.jpg
 

Attachments

  • Bad Apples.zip
    4.3 MB · Views: 3
Last edited:
Drop box invite sent. Are you going to be playing with H2H Helper. I'll be using the latest version. Cheers
 
Great scenario Rambler. I had a very enjoyable PBEM with Bootie. I've also produced a video AAR - my first in some time. Needless to say there will be spoilers!



My only suggestion RE the scenario design might be to give the Germans deployment options in the setup phase, to slightly strengthen their hand. Loved it all the same though, and I thought it made for a great map.

Good game Bootie!

Odin
 
Thanks guys, and outstanding video AAR Odin! Really enjoyed it. I'm glad to hear both you and Bootie had a fun time with the scenario!

In regards to the setup zone for the Germans, believe me, I agonized over that for a very long time. The initial iterations did have one, but one of the issues raised by the playtesters was that the Germans were able to easily get into the bocage that lines the large field on the north side of the map. This led to US troops getting cut down while they were still in the field, which is great fun for the German player; not so much fun for the US player. The allied players stated that where the Germans were starting from made them feel boxed in. So, I decided to run timed tests to see how far the Germans could get if they started at the farmhouse. Within a minute and a half, the Germans can occupy the more obvious outer defensive perimeters. By the two minute mark, they can be in the north woods if the defender wishes to try some sneaky ambush there. Here's a progression graphic illustrating what I'm talking about (all units started at the farmhouse): LINK Likewise, if the allied player crosses the north field, the allied troops reach the other end by the minute and a half mark. They can also reach the dirt road bordering the orchard in 1:15 or so. All of these were executed with the "quick" movement. In the end, I decided having the Germans start at the farmhouse was a fair way to allow the Allied player some movement time before coming up against the defenders. The drawback is that the Germans have to be quick on their feet from the get-go. However, this plays into the storyline whereby they are taken by surprise and have to rush to their defensive positions. Perhaps adding into the briefing roughly how much time the German player has to get to defensive positions would make it clear they need to move as fast as possible.

Now, with all that being said, after watching the AAR, I can see you really booked it and controlled what I consider to be the German's outer defensive perimeters within 3 minutes. With that knowledge, I think I'll take another look at the setup zone and see if there is a compromise where the Germans will still have to move up, but the zone will get them closer to outer defensive positions. If y'all have any ideas on a setup zone, let me know.
 
Last edited:
Hi Rambler, once again great scenario. I enjoy the smaller ones as I feel you can commit a bit more time to the micro management of troops without feeling you're writing off half evening playing out a single turn!

Re the German setup zone, I see where you're coming from and your analysis makes a lot of sense. Maybe a reasonable compromise would be to give the Germans a setup zone limited to the rectangle of hedgerows surrounding the farmhouse (the ones I finished the game on)? That way the German player can setup a limited defensive position, and if he wants to he can be a little more expansive and try to rush a few more men forward to grab some other defensive positions, whilst at the same time it will stop him from being able to dominate the battlefield from the outset.

Alternatively you could just mention in the German briefing that they should try to take the diagonal hedgerow at the start of the game. And if no resistance is met taking the woodlands the other side of the lane should be considered as a viable option given its 'ambush' qualities. This way it would the Germans an extra advantage if the American player is slow to advance from the outset.

Have you made any other scenarions? I'd love to give them a go.

Bootie great game and I'm looking forward to getting stuck into our next one!
 
Thanks for the suggestions, Odin! I think I've got a good solution, but I want to run a few more tests.

Nope, this is the only one I've made so far. I like these small, short and sweet battles as well, so I might make some more in the future.
 
OP updated with revised scenario (added small German setup zone to the H2H version). Ready to be posted to the site, Bootie :).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top