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Difficulties creating a scenario for "Millet Breaks Out"

Kandu

FGM Colour Sergeant
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In the dark of the night of 8/9 June, 1944 Lt. Col. Millet set off with 400+ troopers, in single file, to attempt a link-up with Lt. Col. Timmes. The troopers were snaking along in a column strung out at least a 1/4 mile, in the dark. A straight line drawn from his start to end positions goes through the centre of Amfreville. This means that the column would have to make a considerable detour, most likely north of Amfreville and then snake back down south of the Grey Castle. Given the dark of night, unfamiliar country and hidden MGs and snipers, the leading 200+ men became separated from the 200+ at the tail end while still west of Amfreville, barely 1/4 of the way through their journey, and the lead elements including Millet were taken prisoner. The rear 200 somehow linked up with Timmes.

Recapturing the above 'conditions', i.e. the terrain unseen and unknown, the size of German opposition unknown, the tail out of cc with the head, the necessity to move single file to keep moving seem impossible to create or 'simulate' in the CMBN system.

Problem #1: Millet's force was already broken in half and the lead 200 including Millet, captured west of Amfreville. My map does not extend that far west. To recreate this All maps in the scenario editor start in the topmost, leftmost square and build from there. You cannot go further up nor left.
Problem #2: Players see and know too much of both the terrain and opposing forces in contrast to Millet who was probing about in the dark. Given that his force was now effectively equivalent to a battalion with most of his own commanders and companies present, he might have been better off making a daylight attack. The problem for him was that Gavin had ordered him to co-ordinate his move with the 325th Glider infantry's crossing the Merderet that same night over the submerged road just north of Timmes.
Problem #3: Gjven the dark and the bocage, Millet's leading group was probably captured by a smaller German force (contrary to reports). In CMBN with players seeing all, this would be nearly impossible.
Problem #5: Millet needed to move in single file as this was the best way to keep everyone together in the dark, although this ultimately failed. But you cannot force players to march in a single long column as there is no need to when they have perfect C3.

Blah. I will think about this for a few days before giving up on it.
 
In the dark of the night of 8/9 June, 1944 Lt. Col. Millet set off with 400+ troopers, in single file, to attempt a link-up with Lt. Col. Timmes. The troopers were snaking along in a column strung out at least a 1/4 mile, in the dark. A straight line drawn from his start to end positions goes through the centre of Amfreville. This means that the column would have to make a considerable detour, most likely north of Amfreville and then snake back down south of the Grey Castle. Given the dark of night, unfamiliar country and hidden MGs and snipers, the leading 200+ men became separated from the 200+ at the tail end while still west of Amfreville, barely 1/4 of the way through their journey, and the lead elements including Millet were taken prisoner. The rear 200 somehow linked up with Timmes.

Recapturing the above 'conditions', i.e. the terrain unseen and unknown, the size of German opposition unknown, the tail out of cc with the head, the necessity to move single file to keep moving seem impossible to create or 'simulate' in the CMBN system.

Problem #1: Millet's force was already broken in half and the lead 200 including Millet, captured west of Amfreville. My map does not extend that far west. To recreate this All maps in the scenario editor start in the topmost, leftmost square and build from there. You cannot go further up nor left.
Problem #2: Players see and know too much of both the terrain and opposing forces in contrast to Millet who was probing about in the dark. Given that his force was now effectively equivalent to a battalion with most of his own commanders and companies present, he might have been better off making a daylight attack. The problem for him was that Gavin had ordered him to co-ordinate his move with the 325th Glider infantry's crossing the Merderet that same night over the submerged road just north of Timmes.
Problem #3: Gjven the dark and the bocage, Millet's leading group was probably captured by a smaller German force (contrary to reports). In CMBN with players seeing all, this would be nearly impossible.
Problem #5: Millet needed to move in single file as this was the best way to keep everyone together in the dark, although this ultimately failed. But you cannot force players to march in a single long column as there is no need to when they have perfect C3.

Blah. I will think about this for a few days before giving up on it.
Sounds like a map being made before "locking in" what the scenario should focus on. If it's a campaign you can break up the column and have the first mission focusing on the lead 200 men and a second scenario focusing on the second half. If the player can beat history and Millet's paratroopers can link up with Timmes then the player gets some bonus or some such. If not, then the follow on scenario focuses on the next historical engagement with the second lot of paratroopers. This will mean building another map though. :)

Otherwise if it's a single scenario maybe limit it completely to the force that managed to get through to Timmes, or maybe some scattered paratroopers outside of the deployment zone representing the scattered remnants of Millet's force. Working out a specific time in the historical event to commence your scenario is the secret here I think and then set up the deployment as best you can from that point. If it's a historical unknown it will give you some little leeway and artistic license to make the scenario more of a challenge for the player to counter the difficulties that's difficult to bake into a scenario in CM2.
 
Thank you Ithikial for the helpful ideas. This morning I found that my master map had not been locked in on its left-most edge and I am able to add the necessary additional 1.4 km to the west to reach Millet's position at Les Landes. That will occupy my hobby time for a week or so. After that I'll rethink how to handle the scenario - probably along the lines of your suggestion of breaking it up into two parts.
 
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