The First Game has started! Well partly ...

Hi all

The first game has started. Still haven't completed the first Turn (which is 8 hours) so it may take a bit of time to finish.

Here's the starting position.

We've underway but it's a little slow progressing.

Cheers

The First Game is Nearly Here

Hello

While a long, long time has past, progress has been made.

Much of the time has been taken up with painting. My collection of West Germans in NATO 3 colour camouflage is nearly complete. LVPT7s and LAVs for US marines are done, though only in MERDEC. Various bits and pieces for Soviet Airborne forces, completed.

Perhaps the biggest task has been painting infantry bases. I now have sufficient bases of British in DPM and West Germans (in whatever they call their uniforms.)

Brits back left and right, West Germans front and back right

 US in BDU

Here's the US BDU close up

Though I still need to do US forces for the late 70s before the BDU was introduced about 1980 (as best as I'm able to determine.)

I also revamped my Soviets.

Motor Rifle Troops

 

Soviet Airborne

But the big thing is that the board for the Attack by the 2nd Guard Army has been laid out, the troops have been sorted, labelled and placed in readiness for the game to kick off.

Currently the delay is around settling on how to represent Soviet-Style Doctrine.  Mostly settled but not quite sorted.  Then there is my natural procrastination, I'm a master at that.

So, hopefully, soon, I will have begun and have something to actually report.

First Battle: The Attack of the 2nd Tank Army on the British Army of the Rhine - The Setup

First Battlefield

Roll D4 to determine which route – rolled 1, therefore the Black Route.

Attack of 2^nd Tank Army on the British Army of the Rhine

Terrain:

Right hand side = North, from the (Eastern) Soviet side of table.

Black route, Battle hex 2

1. Open/City/River (Hamburg)	2. Forested	3. Open
4. Open/River	5. Forested	6. Open

Terrain boards:
Terrain rolls based on board  terrain type -

1. Open = 2,          Farm; River at Western edge; Hamburg (20 sectors) East
2. Forested = 1,    1 small forest; River at Northern edge
3. Open = 1,          no additional terrain
4. Open = 5,          a small forest
5. Forested = 6,     2 medium forest
6. Open = 1,          no additional terrain

Key terrain features:

1. City -           on board 1
2. Open = 1,   small Town (4 sectors) + Fields - on board 3
3. Open = 1,   small Town (4 sectors) - on board 2
4. Open = 8,   Bridge (over stream) - on board 6

Board for the Attack by the 2nd Tank Army on BAOR positions

Battle

Type: Russians Attack

Soviet Forces:

• 94 Guards Motor Rifle Division (Trained) (Regiment) – Rgt HQ; 1 Battalion with T64 (2); 3 MR Battalion with BTR60(3) (SA7-HW-AT4 Spigot(1)-LAW); ZSU23, BRDM3 AT5, 2S1 122mm How. (18)(direct), SA6B
• 16 Guards Tank Division (Trained) (Regiment) – Rgt HQ; 3 Battalions with T64 (2); 1 MR Battalion with BMP(2) (SA7-HW-LAW), 2S1 122mm How. (18)(direct), SA9
• 4 additional fighting Battalions from Division – Engineer Battalion (Trained) - 2 BTR60 plus supports (attached to 94 GMRD); Recon Battalion (Trained) - 2 BRDM2 Recce, BMP-R, BMP-SON (attached to 21 MRD); Rgt HQ of 21 MRD (Trained), 2 MR Battalions of BTR60(3) (SA7-HW-AT4 Spigot(1)-LAW) plus 2 T62 Co., BRDM2 AT3C and D30 122mm How. (18)(direct),
• 2 additional artillery battalions – 1 2S1 122mm How. (18)(direct)(attached 21 MRD) and 1 2S3 152mm How. (18)(direct)(attached 94GMRD)
• Remaining artillery and Helicopters are in general support – i.e. 1 2S1 122mm How. (18)(general), 1 D30122mm How. (18)(general), 1 D20 152mm How. (18)(general), and BM21 122mm Grad. (18)(general), and 1 Mi24 D (general)

Soviets

Combined Arms Capable	Yes	Mixed Commands	Yes	Full Mixed Commands	No
Major Commands Groups	Yes	Mixed Major Command	No	Asset Point Die	D12
Airpower Die		D12 (6 sorties)	FAO Spotting Quality / Die (Quality: Skilled)		D12
Engineering Quality / Die (Quality: Superior)		D12+1	Anti-Aircraft Quality / Die (Quality: Average)		D10
Electronic Warfare Quality / Die (Quality: Skilled)		D10	Recon Quality / Die (Quality: Skilled)		D12
Leadership Quality (CiC CD) (Quality: Skilled)		D12+1 (Superior Deck)	Troop Quality		Trained

NATO (British) Forces:

•  Reconnaissance Battalion (Experienced) – HQ 1-FV105 Sultan, 4-FV107 Scimitar, 1-FV102 Striker, 1-FV103 Spartan; Support: AA - 1 towed Rapier, 1 Javelin team
• 1st Armoured Division (Skilled) (Brigade) - Bgd HQ
  1AD-12th Mechanised Infantry Battalion (Trained) – HQ 1-FV432, 1-FV432 (HW-Milan (2)-LAW); 1-FV107 Scimitar, 2 FV432 combat teams; 1 Chieftain V; Support: 1 Engineer Company – 1-FV432 Engineers, 1-Chieftain AVLB
• 1AD 22nd Mechanised Infantry Battalion (Trained) – HQ 1-FV432, 1-FV432 (HW-Milan (2)-LAW); 1-FV107 Scimitar, 2 FV432 combat teams; 1 Chieftain V; Support: 1-FV107 Scimitar
• Mechanised Infantry Battalion (Trained) – HQ 1-FV432, 1-FV432 (HW-Milan (2)-LAW); 1-FV107 Scimitar, 2 FV432 combat teams; 1 Chieftain V; Support: 1-Lynx w/TOW(direct)
• 1 M109 155mm How. (24) Battalion (direct)(attached 1 AD); 1 M110A2 208mm How. (12) Battalion (general)

 NATO

Combined Arms Capable	Yes	Mixed Commands	Yes	Full Mixed Commands	Yes
Major Commands Groups	Yes	Mixed Major Command	Yes	Asset Point Die	D10
Airpower Die		D10+2 (6 sorties)	FAO Spotting Quality / Die (Quality: Superior)		D12
Engineering Quality / Die (Quality: Average)		D8	Anti-Aircraft Quality / Die (Quality: Skilled)		D12
Electronic Warfare Quality / Die (Quality: Skilled)		D10	Recon Quality / Die (Quality: Superior)		D12+1
Leadership Quality (CiC CD) (Quality: Skilled)		D12 (Superior Deck)	Troop Quality		Trained - Experienced

Objectives

The table is divided into 4 quarters (1.5’ x 1’). Each Russian and NATO home board has a key terrain feature, control of which determines control of the board (the last player to occupy it) and counts ½ point. Each Battalion (HQ and remaining Companies) exited from the opponents home board edge counts as ½ point. NATO set up on their home boards, and then Russians enter.

Air Conflict State:

Soviet – D8; Up 1 for more planes, Up 1 for initial surprise, giving D12

NATO – D8; Up 1 for superior planes, +1 for better trained pilots, +1 for AWACs, giving D10+2

Air Status Roll – Soviets = 2; NATO = 4;

NATO has Superiority – Up 1 on next Air Status roll; +1 to Air Support roll

Soviets have Inferiority – no change to Air Status roll; -6 to Air Support roll

Air Support roll:

Warsaw Pact – rolled 12-6 = 6 sorties; NATO – rolled 5+1 = 6 sorties

Anti-Aircraft State:

Soviets: troops have personal weapons (½), dense MANPADSAM (1)

Regiment AA / SAM systems (¾), PD (1) & AD (½) + 3 ¾

Soviet Airforce has Air Inferiority - ½

AA State = 3 ¾ - ½ =3 ¼; Average

NATO: troops have personal weapons (½), adequate MANPADSAM (½),

PD (1) & AD (½) + 2 ½

Soviet Airforce has Air Superiority + 1

AA State = 3+1=4; Skilled

Battle Plan and Deployment

The Battle Plans and Deployment of each side was made by selecting cards from a set of Battle Plan decks (Offensive and Defense), which produced the following:

Soviets – Envelopment of Both Flanks

1. Left, centre and right advance to contact.
2. Reserves move to get around flanks – Reserves arrive from the Move card following an enemy presence being identified

   [Each force ('regiment') was randomly allocated to a left, centre and right sector, or reserves.]

• 94 MRD – Reserve, Left
• 16 GTD – Reserve, Right
• Part 21 MRD – Centre

British – Single Defensive Line with Reinforcements

1. 1. On board troops deployed in the central quarters of the table, toward the centre
   2. Reinforcements arrive after a defined number of Move cards
   
   

   [Each force ('battalion') was randomly allocated to a left, centre and right sector, or reinforcements. With the delay of arrival determined as 3+D3 Move cards.]

• Reconnaissance Battalion – Centre
• 1^st Mechanised Battalion – Reinforcements (5^th move cards)
• 2^nd Mechanised Battalion – Reinforcements (4^th move cards)
• 3^rd Mechanised Battalion – Reinforcements (6^th move cards)

Rsrv                     Rsrv

Reinforcements (3+D3 Move cards)

Edited: 19/1/2016 - adjusted Order of Battle.

A Race to a European Conflagration

Hi all

I guess that a Happy New Year is warranted.

As foreshadowed in my last post I felt a need to do some gaming but also within the context of a broader campaign.  I therefore planned to a rejig a modern spearhead campaign called "Race to the Rhine" (RR) by the Wellington Warlords, with credit to several other predecessors.  This has turned into something I've called "Race to a European Conflagration" (REC).  The system follows RR closely but is modified to reflect the rules I wished to use, that is FoB:Modern.  It covers maps and axes of advance, AA, EW, weather engineering and air support, the types of battles and thus what Soviet forces and supports, and randomised NATO forces and supports, are available.

 

The year is 1982 and each of four Russian teams commands a Combined Arms or Tank Army (bathtubbed as a Division) in the Group of Soviet Forces, Germany, and the Central Group of Forces, that is tasked with advancing to the Rhine as fast as possible.

There are 4 possible axis of the advance to the Rhine:

• The first is the northern axis through Luneberg, Bremen – crossing the Weser river – to a crossing of the Ems river into the Netherlands aiming to cross the Rhine just north of Koblez.
• The second is through the tank country of the North German plains from Braunschweig, south of Hanover crossing the Weser river, then crossing the Ems river north of Dortmund, meeting the Rhine river at Dusseldorf.
• The third axis follows the fulda gap, passing by Frankfurt above the Main river, and crosses the Rhine river in the Vicinity of Mainz.
• The final axis is the southern one through rougher terrain from Czechoslovakia, south of Nuremberg to Stuttgart, crossing the Rhine at Strasbourg. 

 This results in the following Strategic Map:

 

Thus there are Four Armies present: GSFG – 2^nd Tank Army, 3^rd Shock Army and 8^th Guards Army, and CGF – 4^th Guards Army. The forces are as follows:

• Black Route: GSFG, 2^nd Tank Army – 94 GMRD, 21 MRD, 25 TD, and 16 GTD;
• Green Route: GSFG, 3^rd Shock Army – 10 GTD, 12 GTD, 47 GTD and 207 MRD;
• Purple Route: GSFG, 8^th Guards Army – 20 GMRD, 39 GMRD, 57 GMRD and 79 GTD; and
• Orange Route: CGF, 4^th Army – 31 TD, 18 MRD, 51 TD, 55 GMRD and 66 GMRD.

Each of the Divisions listed will be represented by a FoB regiment.


The unit types for these Divisions will be roughly defined by the following set of rules:

• Guards TD will have T64s and BMPs; except in CGF will have T62
• Guard MRD will have T64/62 and BTR or BMP; except in CGF will have T62 or T55
• Ordinary TD will have T64/62 and BMPs; except in CGF will have T62 or T55
• Ordinary MRD will have T62 and BTR; except in CGF will have T55
• Independent tank units – T62 or T64 in GSFG, T55 in CGF
• Guard Divisions will have SP artillery, while Ordinary Divisions will have Towed artillery, except all Divisions in CGF will be Towed.

The Strategic Map, above, was converted to a map, based on that for the boardgame Third World War, that indicated terrain types from which the tables for battles could be drawn.

 



















I used six hexes around each route number to form the basis for the terrain on the gaming tables, with the map defining four terrain types: Open, Forested, Rough and Forested Rough.  Then using a set of Tables and die rolls the gaming table is developed with towns, Cities, hills, forests, rivers and key terrain features as objectives.

Battle types are: Russians attack, Meeting engagement, Russians defend. Which battle applies randomly chosen, with a bias to Russians attack. The Russians have the option of delaying their advance and undertaking a Prepared attack, with additional supports.

The rough force matches, excluding supports, are:
A Russians attack result is likely to be 12 Soviet battalions versus about 4 NATO battalions;
A Meeting engagement result is likely to be 10 Soviet battalions versus 6 NATO battalions;
A Russians defend result is likely to be 10 Soviet battalions versus 8 NATO battalions; and
A Russian Prepared attack could be about 18 Soviet Battalions versus 6 NATO battalions.

NATOs forces may be weaker depending on the level of Soviet success in previous battles.

The forces available to the Russians in the campaign are essentially those that they start with with limited opportunities for replacements.

That, I hope sets the scene. Next I will set out the situation for the first battle - an attack by the 2nd Tank Army on BAOR defenders along the black route.

See you then.

I'm Baaaack ...

Hi all

Yep, it has been nearly a year since my last post.

I haven't been completely idle, but it may look like that.

There have been some family issues that have necessarily distracted me from the blog and modelling.

I have still been pondering my battle generator.

I've develop something call Strike Points to try and represent those operational level decisions about air deployment - defense, ground attack and interdiction - and rocketry strikes  - attacks on HQs, communications (road, rail and radio) and forces.  The key thing is the integration with the Force point idea.  I seem to have some disparate mechanisms for managing force strengths and responses to shock and thus battlefield availability, and I'd like to 'possibly' streamline this and use a consistent mechanism.  That integration has prove difficult so far.

I've have been painting up a storm.

 This is my painting station over the summer while I was house sitting.  I think that I processed nearly 600 models, though I have still to base them.  Another big task.

I've painted:

• the Canadian Brigade in Europe;
• A Soviet Motor Rifle Division;
• Numerous Air Defense, Engineering and Bridging units for most combatants;
• Desert forces;
• More British, Soviet (Airborne) and US (Merdec and NATO 3 Colour) forces;
• Undercoated a French Armoured Division and various US forces (Army and Airborne) 

I also tried to get some gaming in.  Didn't succeed at that as I spent so much time painting.

So, I'm still here. The proposed aim of the Blog is still intended.  Sometimes things don't flow easy.  I'll get there.

Cheers

Martin

Continuing Development of the Battle Generator

 It's been a while.  I've been busy painting, working on my conversion of the Piquet Field of Battle: WW2 rules, and other stuff that I won't bore you with.

So, at the end of  the post of 4 November 2012, I described some of the things that still needed to be done.  The list is below:

"There are still more elements to be established.  These include:

1. defining in game terms the effects of being 'susceptible to shock' and 'susceptible to unavailability of forces';
2. how to deal with the recovery of FPs at the end of a battle;
3. how to define battle posture and adjustments to the forces resulting from the Force Tables;
4. reflecting the impact of the Attack Options on the support units available, particularly engineering and artillery;
5. designing a process for airpower and strategic strikes and their influence on-table;
6. how progression, or not, through the Battlespaces affects posture and FPs in subsequent Battlespaces;
7. an idea that the forces faced in each sector maybe variable, such as Sector 1 having possibilities for engagements with West German, Dutch or  British forces, or Sector 3 having US Army or Bundeswehr."

Below, I'll show you where I've got to on the first two of the above list.

But first.  I've made some slight changes to one of the tables in the "The Notion of Force Points" to give a degree of troop unavailability for the Soviets in the "Attack from Peacetime Posture" in Battlespace 1.

Table 1 – Force Points Availabilty by Attack Options:

Attack Options	Peacetime Posture	Attack on Two Fronts	Attack on Three Fronts	Attack on Five Fronts
Battle (min/max)
Battlespace 1	5*!#	6	8	12
	5*!	6*!	7!	9
Battlespace 2	2	2	4	8
	1*	2	3	4
Battlespace 3	1	3	3	3
	1	1	2	1
Warsaw Pact	8 (28)	11 (40)	15 (60)	23 (92)
NATO	7 (28)	9 (36)	12 (48)	14 (56)

! Susceptable to Shock; * Susceptable to unavailability of forces; # assume Likely Shock

 
What have I been able to do?  Well first up - 

1. Defining in Game Terms the Effects of Being 'Susceptible to Shock' and 'Susceptible to Unavailability of Forces'

Susceptible to Unavailability of Forces

The background for unavailability of forces is the amount of warning NATO might get to the various Attack Options.  Below are a set of options that I've considered.  In the end I settled on the last option using a D6 and rolling for each Unit and removing a proportion of that Unit's stands.

Seven days warning

- 23 divisions but reduced manning by up to ⅓

Four days warning

- 23 divisions but reduced manning by ⅓ – ½ and possible shock

2 days warning

- 23 divisions but reduced manning by ½ – ⅔ and likely shock

Very little warning

- 19 divisions but reduced manning by ½ – ⅔ and shock

Options for Susceptible to Unavailability of Forces

	Normal D6 – Roll/Std	Normal D6 – Roll/Unit *	Average D6 – Roll/Unit #
reduced manning by up to ⅓	1, 2 = Remove; 3-6 = Not	Remove ⅓ of stands	2 = Remove no stands 3, 4 = Remove ⅓ of stands 5 = Remove ½ of stands
reduced manning by ⅓ – ½	1-3 = ⅓; 4-6 = ½ If ⅓, then 1, 2 = Remove; 3-6 = Not Else 1-3 = Remove; 4-6 = Not	1-3 = Remove ⅓ of stands 4-6 = Remove ½ of stands	2 = Remove no stands 3 = Remove ⅓ of stands 4 = Remove ½ of stands 5 = Remove ⅔ of stands
reduced manning by ½ – ⅔	1-3 = ½; 4-6 = ⅔ If ½, then 1-3 = Remove; 4-6 = Not Else 1-4 = Remove; 5, 6 = Not	1-3 = Remove ½ of stands 4-6 = Remove ⅔ of stands	2 = Remove ⅓ of stands 3 = Remove ½ of stands 4 = Remove ⅔ of stands 5 = Remove ¾ of stands
reduced manning by up to ⅔	1-4 = Remove; 5, 6 = Not	Remove ⅔ of stands	2 = Remove ½ stands 3, 4 = Remove ⅔ of stands 5 = Remove ¾ of stands

* Round Down # Round Up to nearest stand

Further Options for Susceptible to Unavailability of Forces

	Average D6 – Roll/Unit #	Normal D6 – Roll/Unit #
reduced manning by up to ⅓	2 = Remove no stands 3 = Remove ¼ of stands 4, 5 = Remove ⅓ of stands	1, 2 = Remove no stands 3, 4 = Remove ¼ of stands 5, 6 = Remove ⅓ of stands
reduced manning by ⅓ – ½	2 = Remove no stands 3 = Remove ¼ of stands 4 = Remove ⅓ of stands 5 = Remove ½ of stands	1 = Remove no stands 2 = Remove ¼ of stands 3, 4 = Remove ⅓ of stands 5, 6 = Remove ½ of stands
reduced manning by ½ – ⅔	2 = Remove ⅓ of stands 3, 4 = Remove ½ of stands 5 = Remove ⅔ of stands	1 = Remove ⅓ of stands 2-4 = Remove ½ of stands 5, 6 = Remove ⅔ of stands
reduced manning by up to ⅔	2 = Remove ⅓ of stands 3 = Remove ½ stands 4, 5 = Remove ⅔ of stands	1 = Remove ⅓ of stands 2-4 = Remove ½ stands 5, 6 = Remove ⅔ of stands

* Round Down # Round Up to nearest stand

Now why would I choose this option?  Basically, it uses an easy to find D6, covers the range of possibilities but includes some out of range options and not fixing on the upper limit.

Susceptible to Shock

Before the beginning of the Campaign, after defining the initial conditions, roll a D10 to determine the Level of Shock based on the Type of Shock - Possible, Likely or Actual Shock - on the table below. (Option: roll separately for each Sector.)

Command and Troop Quality Shock Level by Prevailing Type of Shock

	Possible Shock	Likely Shock	Shock
No Shock	1 – 3	1	-
Level 1 Shock	4 – 7	2 – 4	1
Level 2 Shock	8, 9	5 – 8	2 – 6
Level 3 Shock	10	9, 10	7 – 10

Once a battle begins in a Sector/Battlespace a further roll is made after a specified period of time, depending on the current Level of Shock:

• For Level 1 Shock, roll at the end of the first Turn, then again 1 Day later (3 Turns), then there are no further rolls until end of game. The rolls are made with a -3;
• For Level 2 Shock, roll at the end of the first Turn, there are no further rolls until end of game. The rolls are made with a -1;
• For Level 3 Shock, roll at the end of the first Day (3 Turns), then again 1 Day later (3 Turns), there are no further rolls until end of game.
• Additional Adjustments:
  • +1 if prevous battle was a decisive loss or worse
  • -2 if previous battle was a decisive victory or better

The Shock Level can only move one level up or down during a battle.

The Shock Level needs to be recorded through the Campaign.

 Effect of Level of Shock on Command and Troop Quality

	Command Shock	Troop Quality Shock
Level 1 Shock	Down 1 Die Type	Down 1 Die Type
Level 2 Shock	Down 1 Die Type	Down 2 Die Type
Level 3 Shock	Down 2 Die Type	Down 3 Die Type

2. How to Deal with the Recovery of FPs at the End of a Battle

FPs are allocated to choose Brigade/Regiment sized units on the gaming table.  However, the effects of combat relate to Combat Teeth units and Battalions.  To resolve this, the FPs recovered will depend on the success or not on the Battlespace.

Check FPs based on relative battle success. Recovery based on the results in each sector

Probability of Recovery	% retained from initial allocation - Soviet *	% retained from initial allocation - NATO *
Crushing Victory	80	85
Decisive Victory	70	80
Marginal Victory	60	75
Marginal Loss	65	70
Decisive Loss	55	65
Crushing Loss	45	60

* Swedish Rounding

The percentages are based on the idea that a significant proportion of losses will be recovered, and the difference between NATO and Warsaw Pact results from a) the greater ratio of recovery vehicles to teeth in NATO, and b) the much higher tail to teeth ratio – NATO is about 3.5, whereas Warsaw Pact is about 1.7.

After the battles applying to a Battlespace have been conducted, calculate the recovery for each sector.  Recovery is simply the Probability of Recovery multiplied by the FPs allocated to the Sector.  The recovery for each sector is added together, then rounded. The new rounded value is combined with the Force Points for the next Battlespace and freely allocated amongst the sectors. 

Example 1:

Attack on Three Fronts, Sector 2 – combat in Battlespace 1. WP allocated 3 FP and NATO 2 FP. After the battle the WP had achieved a crushing victory over NATO, who concomitantly received a crushing loss. On this basis: WP applies 80% to 3FP = 2.4; NATO applies 60% to 2FP = 1.2.

Example 2:

Attack on Three Fronts, Sector 3 – combat in Battlespace 1. WP allocated 2FP and NATO 2FP. After the battle NATO had achieved a marginal victory over the WP, who concomitantly received a marginal loss. On this basis: WP applies 65% to 3FP = 1.95; NATO applies 75% to 2FP = 1.5.

 Example 3:

Attack on Three Fronts, Sector 1 – combat in Battlespace 1. WP allocated 3FP and NATO 3FP. After the battle the WP had achieved a marginal victory over NATO, who concomitantly received a marginal loss. On this basis: WP applies 60% to 3FP = 1.8; NATO applies 70% to 2FP = 1.4.

Example - Battlespace Recovery:

Attack on Three Fronts, combat in Battlespace 1. WP allocated 8FP and NATO 7FP. After the battle NATO recovered 1.2 + 1.5 + 1.4 = 4.1, while the WP recovered 2.4 + 1.95 + 1.8 = 6.15. On this basis: WP has 6 + 4 = 10FP to allocate in Battlespace2; NATO has 4 + 3 = 7FP to allocate in Battlespace2.

Final Thoughts

Having worked through this example of recovery of FPs, I'm happy with how the results work out.  What it does bring out is that the number of FPs, and therefore the forces on the gaming table, are smaller that I expected, potentially with fewer bells and whistles.

My thoughts are tending toward adding to the die rolls to determine the forces to be used for each FP allocated

Well, that's it for now.