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A new modern campaign?

Good to assume all the modern recon tools are working at full capacity.



MOUT Campaign, I might have missed that.



Good idea.



Or another way is to fight that battle over several campaign turns like in the Onion Wars or break down a battalion sized battle into several smaller battles using units from each battalion.



SF2 Warrior Campaign? never heard of it.



What have I done! I created a monster. :p

I'm putting together the finishing touches for a counter insurgency campaign. It's half board game and half combat mission.

It's a mongrel version of several counter insurgency games such as Somalia Intervention, Colonial Twilight and Insurgency Inc.

Players will have to score VP's (victory points) off each other and will have to spend SP's (supply points) to do stuff.

What you can do will be determined by the Initiative Track.

UWQUiG3.jpg


As you can see from the picture above, the Initiative Track is designed specifically for 2-players and as such has incorporated a very unique method into its function. Each new round, let's say the insurgent player will start as the 1st Eligible, meaning that they will get the first choice of the actions they will take, until that it is, they take an action that causes them to lose the Initiative. First off, you will notice that the various spaces are color coded with the 1st and 2nd Eligible boxes. The light tan spaces are similar to the 1st Eligible box, while the darker gray spaces are aligned with the 2nd Eligible box.

For example, at the start of the turn the GM rolls for an event on the event table, he rolls a D20 and rolls a 15-Foreign Aid. 3 insurgent groups get a surplus of Recoilless Teams the insurgent player chooses to Play Event a marker is placed in the Play Event box and the NATO player can now only play either Execute Op & Special Activity or Pass as these two options are adjacent to Play Event box.

What operations and how.
In the 'Game Board' below there are two Columns one for the insurgents and another (I've yet to start the NATO one) NATO called Insurgent Activities and NATO Activities respectfully.
Only one operation type can be played per turn, let's say the insurgent player chooses Execute Op & Special Activity instead he may choose an operation (if he has the SP's to do it) and a Special Activity, please note some Special Activities can only be played with certain Operations.

usIoF9N.jpg


Basically NATO forces have to destroy the insurgency, build civic projects and train local militia.
The insurgents have to try and stop the NATO side from doing this.
VP's can be got by gaining/losing local support or inflicting casualties on NATO forces, building/destroying civic projects etc..


McIxXGx.jpg


The work continues, but I'm getting there. Oh all battles will be played in CM SF2.
This looks very interesting - it’ll be quite tricky to play test for balance, but looks fascinating.
 
Say @Rico would you like me to do a Vassal version of this?

new-borscht-2020-flat-jpg.20497

Definitely an interesting idea - although part of the system is that each counter is editable as casualties are taken - and I also tend to add markers and counters as needed as the campaign progresses and also edit and adapt the map if things get in the way.

Never got very far with those Vassal instructional videos you posted.

Must get round to posting the explanation of how the unit counters work.
 
Here a quick look at the proposed Borscht Wars campaign counters:

Borscht Counters.jpg

Main combat formations are combined arms units: the Tank Battalion Tactical Group, The Mech Infantry Battalion Tactical Group (BMP or BTR), the counters represent company-sized combat units and smaller HQ, artillery/mortar batteries and platoon-sized support units attached to each Btn Tactical Group.

Three main combat units are:

1. Tank Company - 3 Tank platoons (10 tanks total), 1 BMP infantry platoon

2. BMP Company - 3 Mech infantry platoons, 1 tank platoon (either 3 or 4 tanks)

3. BTR Company - 3 Mech infantry platoons, 1 heavy weapons platoon, 1 tank platoon (either 3 or 4 tanks)

UNIT COUNTERS IN DETAIL:

The colour outline refers to the parent Battalion size unit (I call the brigades as it sounds cooler)

For simplicity sake, with the prevelance of similar vehicles, all units will have the same movement points.

Borscht Counters detail.jpg

CASUALTIES


1. Tanks - unit tanks losses are counted individually and the number is adjusted on the counter after each battle (disabled or abandoned tanks are considered recovered by the side in control of the battlefield)

2. Artillery/Mortar units - artillery batteries are usually off map. If a SP artillery unit is caught in a hex by itself by an attacking enemy company, it is considered overrun. Mortars can be placed on a map and crews can fight it out or attempt to retreat. (some Russian units have 82mm SP mortar vehicles)

3. Mech Infantry units - each strength pip on a Mech Inf unit represents a full-strength platoon. When counting casualties, vehicles and rifle platoon losses are assessed as % of total strength, added together and averaged out, rounding up or down. A units suffering more than 50% loss is considered disbanded/destroyed.

When a infantry platoon is considered destroyed/disbanded, the pip is removed from the company unit counter.

NB: ONLY the rifle platoons are considered for casualties, the company HQ units are ignored and are always considered present/replaced when a unit regroups.

Example:
A Russian BMP platoon has 3 BMP vehicles and 24 men (not counting vehicle crews)

In a battle it loses 2 BMP (66,7%) and 14 men (58,3%) ... that averages out to 62,5 % -- the platoon is disbanded.

Another platoon loses 1 BMP (33,3%) and 15 men (62,5%) ... that averages out to 47,9% -- the unit survives.

4. Support unit -- support platoons are counted in similar fashion -- will have a basic chart of all unit strengths and they will be handled in a similar fashion.

Example:
A Russian BTR grenade launcher platoon has 3 BTR vehicles and 16 men

In a battle they lose 3 BTR (100%), but only 3 men (18,8%) ... still averages out to 59,4% -- the unit is disbanded.

5. Air Defense platoons -- SAM launchers deploy on the CM battle field and are counted individually like tanks.

6. BTN HQ units can be deployed forward with fighting companies (they offer additional command and control and arty spotters and air controllers)

Notes on air support to follow.
 
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Not sure I agree with counter reduction in the above example.
To take the GL platoon for example sure the organic transport and ammo resupply is gone
But each GL team has taken one casualty for example and all GLs are fully functional and have whatever is left of the ammo they exited the vehicle with.
I would mount a team and their equipment in the unoccupied seats of a BMP or BTR. Sure it is easier to declare arbitrarily that any counter suffering 51% losses in men or material or cans of Spam to be destroyed from a GMs point for view but probably not for I as a player
 
Another consideration is soft factors
Are all counters created equal? All Regular leadership morale and training?
Just curious
 
Not sure I agree with counter reduction in the above example.
To take the GL platoon for example sure the organic transport and ammo resupply is gone
But each GL team has taken one casualty for example and all GLs are fully functional and have whatever is left of the ammo they exited the vehicle with.
I would mount a team and their equipment in the unoccupied seats of a BMP or BTR. Sure it is easier to declare arbitrarily that any counter suffering 51% losses in men or material or cans of Spam to be destroyed from a GMs point for view but probably not for I as a player

Fair enough, but I do need a system that’s easy and uniformly able to be applied, otherwise the whole thing will get bogged down in minutae and endless book keeping.

There will be probably at least 6 to 8 battalions per side... that’s a LOT of counters to keep track of.
 
Another consideration is soft factors
Are all counters created equal? All Regular leadership morale and training?
Just curious

Considering two options:
1. For simplicit6 sake, all units are the same - all of ‘Regular ‘ quality in everything.

2. Two tiers - a set of “regular standing army” units.. and a set of follow up “reservist” units being mobilized as the conflict escalates, possibly of slighter lower quality and motivation.
 
Fair enough, but I do need a system that’s easy and uniformly able to be applied, otherwise the whole thing will get bogged down in minutae and endless book keeping.

There will be probably at least 6 to 8 battalions per side... that’s a LOT of counters to keep track of.
True and not good to make the GM even more crazy
 
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