whizbang

All the advice in the world won't beat practice. practice and more practice and preferably without departing from reality. I personally found Chance Encounter (CMBO or CMBB) a nice easy scenario to start with especially as the two sides are reasonably balanced. However I'm quite sure that sooner or later someone will publish "A Dummies Guide To Combat Mission 2" in time for its December launch in the UK. Any takers? :cool:

I was in the same position just about a month ago and got some help from an AAR. The anthology is also very helpful but there is clearly a real need for a strategy guide for beginners new to this form of wargaming. For example it never occurred to me that before I should attempt a scenario it was vital to really study the terrain at ground level for ridges etc (which are not obvious from higher up as they are for example in Shogun) and also for obvious places to expect or to prepare ambushes. You also just have to know your weaponry and unlike Jane's Simulations you won't find all the information you need on the CD but will need to go on the internet. I had no idea, for example, what A StuG III was until my T34 got blown away with just one shot. But if you go to Google (or any of the links on this site) you will quickly discover that it is not as all powerful as the first experience suggested. Now I know this must sound rather puerile to the grognards who are the majority on this site but they are about to be joined by a new breed of players who are discovering that Battlefield 1942 or even IL 2 Sturmovik really offer not much more than quick reactions and basic manouevres. I am learning slowly but surely and I have found that asking stupid questions from time to time on this site is invariably met with goodnatured and helpful suggestions. So keep those queries going as there are many more like me, I'm sure, who have ambitions to be a real live gognard but have a way to go. Cheers.

Thanks KEEF888 That is very helpful. I have been trying out Nolloff's suggestion to tackle Riesberg and of course got murdered as the Germans were holed up in every building and I had no idea how to assault a building. I turned to the posting on Assaulting a Town and immediately got some useful advice on how to tackle individual buildings ie do you run up and kick down the door or do you sneak in. The answer appears to be to sneak in so I'll now give that a try. Thanks all. Andrew aka whizbang

To WWB: I certainly did not want to give the impression that developing a scenario was either easy nor time consuming - obviously if it was to be based on historical facts then it is even more time consuming to verify and model the facts. I seriously doubt that the originators of this fascinating game really have the resources to produce an expansion pack but I thought that either existing scenarios could be accompanied by some hints (as Nolloff has suggested - thank you for that info by the way), but the alternative would be some less than tiny scenarios with, for example) a platoon of tanks pitted in an engagement against a solitary antitank gun and a squad of infantry in a small village. This would give practice in placement of the antitank gun (because you cannot move it later under fire) and the sneaking up of the infantry to hurl a couple of grenades at the remaining tanks. Changing sides would give practise in using cover, shoot and scoot and knowing when to button up. Please don't take me too literally about this example but as I progress I'll perhaps try my own hand at a couple of novice scenarios because I think the game deserves a much wider audience especially because it has no end. Thanks for your patience. PS As an historical novelist I appreciate how much effort is involved in researching past battles.

I don't want to labour the point here but I have posted a plea for more tutorials for us tyros in the Tips and Hints section under the title "Tutorials....more of them" in the fond hope that in your spare time you experts will design some basic scenarios and post them at the depot. Scenarios only take seconds to download and install and instead of the usual stuff about the historical background you could tackle some basic issues. Having fun...

CMBB posses uncanny AI and exciting visuals at ground level and deserves a more universal audience than the usual wargamer and the odd person (such as myself) who is always on the look out for something different. As a simulation player I'm accustomed to every new game, be it a flight sim or even a FPS, to have a series of tutorials which take you through the basics, introduce you to the weapons and how to use them and make you proficient in both attack and defence before you enter a campaign. CMBB has just one beginner's tutorial that will wrongly convince you that if you have a KV-1 you are invincible and an advanced tutorial which is designed for CMBO experts and literally throws you in at the deep end. Maybe an expansion pack is the answer but in the meantime perhaps you experts could post some imteresting scenarios at the scenario depot (I would give you the address but every time I try to do so I enter the depot) where you could explain and demonstrate some basic manouevres. For example how to place your anti tank guns so that they don't get taken out too soon. How to take out armor when all you have is infantry and so on. Having said all this I'm sure somebody will now tell me where these tutorials are. Incoming.... :cool:

If at first....

I'll have another go at that bridge and also the Jaegermeister (I do have the CD). Excuse my ignorance but what is an AAR and where do I find one? Thanks for your help.

I confess to be an absolute novice to wargaming but so far in every scenario that I have played in CMBB I have always managed to win as a defender and never against a defence. In Katukov Strikes Back I tried five times as a Ruski to capture that bridge always with a ceasefire and hence a Major Defeat. So I changed sides and just clicked away on the GO button with not a thought for my men and this time we got a ceasefire but a Minor Victory. Clearly war is a dirty business and especially if you have to storm a hill or take a bridge where the opposition is dug in. I guess that is why they invented Apaches. :confused:

Boy that was quick... and really helpful. Incoming...

As a simulation gamer I have looked at wargaming a couple of times but was put off by the hexagons which required more imagination than I can muster. Then by accident I came across Battlefront.com and immediately ordered CMBB and now I'm hooked. But I realise there is so much to learn. Is there an idiots guide to wargaming? The five books on this website are a bit pricey for me especially as I suspect I would need all four. And one other question while I'm here. What is the web address for more details on the weapons. I could have sworn I saw a link to a battlefront.com page but I cannot now find it?