landser

I added 12th SS to my search and it popped right up

It's an interesting question. I can only recall seeing one war-time photograph of a Mark IV with what could have been a Spandau on the cupola. I just searched a little on the 'net but didn't find it. The shot was of a Mark IV in a town square or street corner, probably in Normandy. IIRC, it was 12th SS, and probably a model H or J, it was long-barrelled and had Schürzen. There was something sticking up at an angle from the hatch area, which I took at the time to be an MG barrel. And I've seen quite a few paintings and drawings of a Mark IV with a commander's machine gun. I even built, many years ago, a model of J and it had the MG. My guess is that it was a design feature, but virtually never installed in the field. And I can't recall ever seeing it on the Mk V at all.

This was a great campaign experience. Challenging, interesting, varied. I know it's quite a few years old and most of you have played it by now. But if you haven't it's certainly worth a go. Thanks to everyone who had a hand in creating it.

The King Tiger's final tally is shown here, and the player doesn't even aquire this beast until about the fourth mission. And also the tank platoon leader, a Panther that you have from the start. His final tally was affected by the fact that this tank struggled with track damage through most of the second half of the campaign, forcing me to use it more like a slightly mobile bunker than a highly agile armored dealer of death.

Finished this campaign. Has anyone won the Deliverance mission? What a tough battle. To hit me with a massive barrage and an armored counterattack midway through was simply cruel I cease fired shortly afterwards, just no way I could see a way to overcome this one which earned a minor defeat. Despite losing the last mission, the campaign overall went very well. I was lucky with my armor, keeping most of it alive.

Yep, Panzer Marsch and Lions of Carpiquet both open with a recon/probe type of mission. But In LoC you then have 3 hour slug-fest next.

The Germans developed a version of the PzII, Schwimmpanzer or Schwimmkorper, that used attached pontoons for flotation and this was indeed used on the Eastern Front. 38(t)s were also used or at least part of development, and I suspect it's logical that the PzIII would have been as well. [i

I finished the Last Kilometer mission, and there's at least one more to go. It's an assault on a fortified enemy position on a hill, dug in with armor and a commanding view of my approaches. Mist limits visibility, negating the long range firepower of my heavy armor. A walk in the park then! In The Last Kilometer I did very well. After ending the mission I was pleased to see that I had chosen the route well. I was shocked to see how strong the enemy had been, and we were fortunate to avoid most of it. In all I had 24 casualties, including several who had the misfortune to be passing a knocked-out Cromwell when it exploded. Such is war. I also lost a Wespe and a Mark IV. Got a tactical victory. How is it scored for the Allies in this mission? Those are relatively light casualties since I just happened to take probably the only 'safe' route. But that netted the enemy 560-odd points, for what amounted to a fraction of my force. It seems that it would be very easy to draw this one, or lose it if you happened to stumble on a strongpoint. I would expect that in order to get 500 points the enemy would have to destroy half my force, so I clearly don't know how the scoring works for the Allies. No matter really as I'm past it, but curious nonetheless. Now, one more attack and we are free. Or dead.

I recently needed help getting my forum account up to speed after a long hiatus and used the helpdesk. It was handled promptly, Steve fixed it at 2 AM. The man doesn't sleep I don't think.

Yes, another version of a revamped campaign would be something along the lines of what was done in say, CC4, or was it 5? The Normandy one. There is a strategic/operational level, where you move your various battlegroups around into and out of the zones that comprise the map. When two opposing forces attempt to occupy the same zone a battle is fought. If both are moving in to it a meeting engagement is fought, and if already occupied an attack/assault is fought, perhaps depending on how long the defenders have been occupying that zone.

I'd like to see more operations/campaign options. Specifically, I'd love to have a custom campaign generator. Infinite replayability. Essentially the sort of thing I envision is system not unlike the quick battles interface, with most of the same choices. Once the parameters are set the program generates a large map, not unlike the maps in CMx1 Operations, maps that are far bigger than your force can cover completely, forcing the player to choose his positions, conduct recon, have outposts etc. Imagine sending a jeep to a town several kilometers away to determine if the enemy is present. Both sides then conduct operations to take the key points on the map with accurate, persistent end game states for each battle phase. Since I am dreaming here I'd love to see supply lines modeled which can be cut and reopened. Supply and reinforcement rates can be set by the author, with it cut by a percentage reflecting how open the supply lines are. I like the 'story mode' campaign system currently available, but it lacks replayability. We probably all agree that a campaign is best the first time you play it, when you don't know what the enemy has. But once you do, the fog is lifted. How many players play a campaign a second time or a third? I know it happens, I've done it. But something along the lines of a custom campaign generator would add infinite replayability. I'd also love the ability to fire in to areas I do not have LOS. Why can't I fire in to a smoke screen or in to a forest?

Have you played Devil's Descent? Company sized infantry-centric. Looks like Blazing 88's has been kind enough to leave it up, so check this thread for his dropbox and grab it if you don't already have it. Another rather manageable sized campaign I've played is the Axis version of Sie Kommen II, company sized with a few vehicle and support assets. This campaign is great, but the maps are on the small side and the combat comes fast and heavy, with little opportunity for maneuver. I loved it up to the mission 'The Wetlands', which I didn't care for, and failed several times.

I have been playing through this campaign and a few observations I'd like to make. First, many thanks for creating it, I believe JonS is the author? And to all playtesters and others who helped. I have really enjoyed it. I haven't finished, I am up to The Last Kilometer, which I believe is the final battle? I had a look at the map, and the forces at hand and have planned my route, but yet to play it. Should do so in the next few days, as I am keen to see the final tally. This campaign was played on version 3.11. I suffered none of the reported issues this campaign had like missing core tanks and ATGs. This post contains SPOILERS!!, so proceed at your own risk. I have been playing through quite a few campaigns concurrently. I will play two or three battles of one, then if I've had enough of heavy German armor for the mo, I'll switch to American paratroopers or somesuch, so I have quite a few campaigns going in various states of completion. When I first got CMBN I scoured the 'net for info on campaigns -- which ones were out there, how do the mechanics work (resupply, repairs, branching missions etc) and also AARs, opinions or reviews. Truth is, there isn't much out there. In one of the few threads I found, the poster listed campaigns he suggested to play, or to avoid. KG Engel was in his 'avoid' list, as he said odds were overwhelming and the campaign was too difficult. But of course I tried it anyway, and glad I did. I found KG Engel challenging, but hardly overwhelming. I can see where someone might feel that way though, as the player often faces huge odds, and if he isn't careful with his troops and especially armor, could have a bad time of it. There were several missions where we ended up with more than 20 tank kills, so the enemy is strong. But if played carefully it is completely manageable. The opening few battles are excellent, as are most of them. I also prefer the 'single core' setup. Quite a few campaigns I've been playing feature several separate task forces that each fight separate but related battles, Task Force Raff and Road to Montebourg being two examples. This works fine, but perhaps dilutes the sense of attachment I feel for my pixeltruppen. KGE focuses on the core units throughout, aside from some exceptions such as the recon units in Hunters in the Mist. I knew the names of each of my unit leaders and tank commanders, and I cannot say that about all other campaigns. I am not posting from my gaming computer, so I don't recall the names of each battle, which leads to confusion, so I will make some edits when appropriate to add in the names I may have forgotten. Random thoughts about the battles. Loved the opening mission. Big, mostly open map with terrain undulations and just enough obstructions like hedges and tree lines to break it up. Had a hell of a time getting my ATG set up at the base of the main road. Never did get it right, it alternated between limbered and clueless and was a non-factor in the battle. The battle itself has KGE attacking dug in recon troops ostensibly screening a town, and allows a great deal of maneuver, with a timely enemy armor reinforcement arriving mid-mission. After completing this mission an assault on the town itself follows. Another fantastic map and mission. From there KGE acts as the German's Falaise pocket fire brigade, tasked with attempting to keep the pocket open allowing friendly forces to escape. The jury's still out for me in regards to the exit mechanic. It's used several times in this campaign, and it's used extensively in others as well. I can see the attraction to scenario designers. It adds another (usually interesting) requirement to the battles, and forces the player to have a more complex plan, fighting the battle or completing objectives, with an eye toward 'how will I get my troops off the map safely.?' In KGE I loved it in Tiger Poaching, but not so much in Guardian Angels. It worked well in Hunters in the Mist, but there it was the enemy that had to exit. Tiger Poaching was one of my favorite missions, a delightful change of pace. Hunters in the Mist was another inventive mission that JonS should get credit for. My main gripe with exit requirements isn't that it makes the scenario harder, but that I can't see the kill stats for exited units. It's one of my favorite parts of the campaigns, seeing the stats after each hard fought battle. Minor complaint in the grand scheme of things, and is more a limitation of the game engine, but one I care about nonetheless. The most challenging battle for me was the Dives River Crossing battle. It follows Hunters in the Mist, and the player must do it with only what was left over from Hunters in the Mist, including ammo. Because I thoroughly pasted the Allies in Hunters, my tanks especially had close to empty racks, not to mention chewed up tracks, shot up radios and optics. It's a different sort of challenge when you cannot just rely on your heavy weapons to pound the enemy positions and you must find another way. KGE is a great campaign, with persistent core units, excellent briefings and maps, interesting and unique missions with sufficient time allotment and some sexy German heavy armor. That King Tiger was the star of the show. Now I just need to escape the pocket....

Excellent. Thanks a million.

What's the trick to circular arcs? I seem to only be able to assign 180 degree arcs. How is it done?

I'm playing the Axis version of Sie Kommen II. Very well put together, as most campaigns seem to be. Not having had CMBN all that long I've played through Task Force Raff, Road to Montebourg, Kampfgruppe Engel, Devil's Descent and probably one or two more. But the third mission in Sie Kommen II (Axis) resulted in the most casualties I've suffered so far in any campaign mission. A deceptively difficult mission, or maybe I just didn't play it so well. In the end I got a major victory, but for a few good bounces it could have gone either way. This campaign has smaller maps than most (to this point), resulting in less maneuver and more fire.

Thanks. I believe I have all the required stuff. I'm just finishing up Kampfgruppe Engel. Well, I'm on the Dives River Crossing battle, which is proving a tough nut to crack. So I believe I'm near the end. I saw that your campaign is listed as huge. Is it battalion sized? Larger? Just curious. I'll be giving that a go soon. Thanks for sharing your hard work Ithikial.

I picked it up. I love CM but I also want more out of the campaigns. I'm a campaign guy and I've always wished that CM had a campaign that featured a strategic/operational map where the player moves his battlegroups around. When two opposing battlegroups move in to the same area a tactical battle is fought, and that's more of less what this game has. That said, it's too early for me to tell how well it works or is implemented. Being my first Graviteam game I'm a bit lost at the moment. I'm not finding it intuitive. But looks a great game.

Well there's this thread though I can't say how complete it is. But it's a start I suppose.

It's in Road to Montebourg. The Labrynth has them for certain.

Got them all. Thanks for putting these up. You turned what could have been a slog in to a snap. Outstanding.

Thanks very much Blazing 88's, I will sign up for dropbox (or is that not necessary?) and grab them over the weekend.

Thanks Ian. Is it possible that is the only one there for CMBN? Is there another resource you could point me to for campaigns? Or do I already have most of the ones available?

Hello all, this is my first post in 13 years. Is that a record? Thanks to John and Steve from BFC for resurrecting my old account. Let's just say that I've been trapped behind enemy lines and have finally made it back. I recently purchased the CMBN full package and have been having a good time playing through various campaigns, the ones included with the game and also Devil's Descent. I see the thread here about the Lions of Carpiquet campaign and I plan to get it. But I suspect there may be some I'm not aware of and I'm hoping for some suggestions that might alert me to their existence. I don't see a way to search campaigns at the repository. I'd also like to thank those responsible for these campaigns. Obviously much time and effort is involved in their creation, and it's appreciated.

Same message also in Pride of the Luftwaffe and MG pillbox. I believe it was the one behind the river. Penetrating round from an IS-2 caused two casualties and that strange message. I think it should have said knocked out, 'cause it was.