I have a campaign idea, and I don't have to GM it.

[nathangun]

A while ago I came across a few games over at Decision Games which fall under the title of the Commando/Raiders series. 

Other systems such as Ranger and No End in Sight by Ivan Sorensen also get a nod in their direction.

Basically they are solo games where you move from 'point to point', fight your way to an objective. Achieve objective and head home.

One such game in the series is Long Range Desert Group set in N. Africa where Commando types go behind the lines blowing up stuff and getting into mischief.

Well it gave me an idea.

So I started on a Afghan type game where a player is in command of a platoon size infantry formation (nothing over powered). 

The concept is that a couple of players who'd normally play together to play a narrative campaign where each player gets to play both 'NATO' forces and insurgents.

So the campaign starts thus.

Player 1 fancies been a recon Platoon commander, so he will be in command of a American Infantry Recon platoon for up coming mission.

SEQUENCE OF PLAY

1. Roll for nationality (optional).

2. Place Base Icon in a Open terrain box.

3. Roll for missions.

4. Move your unit on the campaign map.

5. Roll on the event table.

6. Play out CM scenario.

7. Adjust stability tracker.

8. Repeat steps 3-7 until your mission is completed.

So for example, Player 1 places the NATO base marker and then rolls on the following table to decide what mission he gets.

Mission Generator Roll 1xD6
Note, for each mission roll on the random location table for objective.

1    Escort a VIP to location. ** 
    Starting from the base, escort the Battalion commander to mission objective.

2   Kill or capture enemy leaders ** 
    Roll on the random location table for three objectives. When then platoon ends up at the a objective roll on              the Bad Intel table.
    Starting from your base, travel to the objectives.

3    Destroy target ** 
      Travel to objective area and roll on the table below.
    
    Target     (Roll a D8)
    1-2    Transport Truck
    3-4    Technical Armed with 7.62mm RPK
    5-6    Technical Armed with 7.62mm Goryunov or PKM
    7-8    Technical Armed with 12.7mm DshkM

4    Reach and hold location ** 
    Take and hold objective area on the battle map. 

5    Seek and destroy *** 
      Travel to objective area and destroy any targets.

6    Routine patrol*
      Travel to objective area and back to base.    

* indicates Low Motivation missions.
** indicates Normal Motivation missions
*** indicates High Motivation missions.
Set NATO Platoons the correct motivation in the scenario editor.

Player 1 rolls a '1', escort the Battalion Commander.

Player 1 then rolls on the Random Location Table.

Random Location table roll d10

1. Pasha     

2.  Jaba    

3.  Kunar 

4.  Karam 

5.  Ada

6.  Darha

7.  Tagab

8.  Bagar

9.  Kuz

10. Nulu

Player 1 rolls a 7 and is escorting the Bn CO to Tagab.

In this map  below Camp Able is placed South West of JABA as 1st Plt travels to Tagab on a mission.

Depending on the unit type, light vehicles move three boxes, APC's two and foot slogging infantry move 1.Player 1 moves his recon unit three boxes, when done, Player 1 rolls on the Random Event Table. 

Event Table. Roll 2xD6
Note Insurgent units are medium size teams. If the number of insurgent teams goes below 1 skip the CM battle.
Battle maps should be 1.5km x 1.5km and setup zones should be at least 300m apart.

2     Cross battlefield (NATO Player must exit units opposite side of map).
Roll 1xD6 divide by two, place that many Insurgent units in scenario.
If the NATO player loses the scenario, they move back the box they travelled from.

3    Meeting engagement.
Roll 1xd6, place that many Insurgent units in scenario.
Roll 1xD6 -2, place that many Technical in scenario.
If the NATO player loses the scenario, they move back the box they travelled from.
    
4    Prevent target being destroyed.
Local government forces are under attack, place a Syrian infantry platoon on the map in full view of insurgent forces. Your platoon must rescue them.
Roll 1xd6, place that many Insurgent units in scenario.

5-6    Ambush! Your platoon is ambushed.
Roll 2xd6-2, place that many Insurgent units in scenario, add mortar team.
Roll 1xD6, place that many TRP’s on the map for insurgents.
Insurgents may place a small I.E.D. on the road.
Scenario note, NATO units must be setup along a road with insurgent set up zones on either side of the road. Insurgents have exit zones on all sides of map.

7-8    I.E.D.’s detected! 
Skip a turn while the engineers clear the area.

9    Search and secure
Locals have spoken of an insurgent weapons cache near by. Your CO. has ordered you to check it out.
Roll 1xd6 -2, place that many Insurgent units in scenario.
Roll 1xd6 -2, place that many Insurgent techicals in scenario.

10    Insurgents peeved.
Roll 1xd6 +2, place that many Insurgent units in scenario.
Set insurgent motivation to fanatic. 
    
11-12    Morale Check.
If your platoon has taken 5+ casualties (WIA or KIA) in the campaign so far lower your platoon’s morale by one level.

Player 2 builds the CM battle and plays the insurgents.

After the CM battle, adjust headcount and ammo load out (ammo loadout optional) for player for player Player 1 the adjust the stability tracker.

I would recommend that you play with the Hard Cat Rules by @IanL & @Bil Hardenberger

The idea of this system is to have a fast narrative campaign, Player 2 can also command a NATO platoon, roll for a mission and a event and Player 1 can build scenarios for him and play as the insurgents. Or maybe a third player can be the GM, it's a flexible system you can make your own Mission/Event list or add to what's already there. I will make a Vassal module with charts and what not.

The terrain boxes are a guide to what type of QB battle map you might want to use.

I have made this ridiculous large graphic just so you can have a glance, please note that most of the charts will be tabbed so there'll be no clutter on the game board.

I also have a CMRT Partisan and a CMFI N. Africa Long Range Desert Patrol versions in the works.

I still have a couple of things to work on, a play test will needed.

[kohlenklau]

very cool stuff, I like it.

Later down the line, may I please bum the psd or whatever file off you so I can TRY TO change and use it for ww2 purposes? With credit to you of course...

[nathangun]

14 minutes ago, kohlenklau said:

very cool stuff, I like it.

Later down the line, may I please bum the psd or whatever file off you so I can TRY TO change and use it for ww2 purposes? With credit to you of course...

 

Yeah sure. 

[kohlenklau]

13 hours ago, nathangun said:

I also have a CMRT Partisan and a CMFI N. Africa Long Range Desert Patrol versions in the works.

oh, I just saw this part. I am not meaning to get greedy too soon! I will await seeing what you do. Really cool system. Thanks for sharing it.

[nathangun]

So I have finished building the Vassal module.

Here's a link and here's a peek.

 

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by nathangun

[kohlenklau]

You better move over Gary Grigsby!

Very cool stuff sir!

[nathangun]

Tweaked map graphics on the Vassal module, Link. 

[nathangun]

11 hours ago, kohlenklau said:

You better move over Gary Grigsby!

Very cool stuff sir!

 

Thanks, but I'm no Gary Grigsby though. I wouldn't make something complicated.

[nathangun]

I have made a excel file that explains how the bean counting system works.

Each HQ Team, Squad and Weapon's Team have a full head count, in the excel sheet (see below) substract WIA/KIA from the squad into the 'New Headcount' column and a percentile result will be given, round up if over 46%, 56%, 66%, 76%, 86%, 96% and round down if the number ends with a 5.

Excel sheet example 1

With ammo there's a little more work.

In the Ammo Supply column, each teams ammo count has to be adjusted. In the graphic below I have 'formatted' the cell with several fields of value, each given a color for ammo supply levels.

After the battle simply put in the amount of ammo the squad / team have left.

It's the squads' primary ammo that's counted, same with vehicles, their primary ammo is counted also.

Excel Sheet example 2

Link to the folder with both the excel sheet and the vassal module.

Edited February 9, 2022 by nathangun

[nathangun]

Had omitted tables from the tables chart. Fixed now.

[nathangun]

Updated the module to include a turn track marked in 'Days', Link.

[AtlasActual]

Very interesting, further down the road, maybe you could try to have it greenlit on steam or is VASSAL not allowing that?

 

Edited March 8, 2022 by AtlasActual

[nathangun]

15 hours ago, AtlasActual said:

Very interesting, further down the road, maybe you could try to have it greenlit on steam or is VASSAL not allowing that?

 

 

Thank you.

I made it using the Vassal program, it's essentially a board game rather than a computer game. There's no programing involved. 

Edited March 9, 2022 by nathangun

[nathangun]

So myself and Skruvkork over that the FGM started to playtest this a couple of weeks ago.

 

Skruvkork began by rolling for nationality and got Canada so he picked a Canadian mech platoon with three Nyala (RWS)  & two G Wagon's from the Battle Group Bn.

 

 

After placing the F.O.B. and then making a couple of rolls for mission/location, his mission was to destroy a truck that is carrying a large amount of explosives it's destination unknown. It was last spotted in Jaba.

 

Campaign Day 1.

 

Moving two boxes towards his objective I rolled on the event generator table, I rolled for Ambush. I then rolled for the insurgent size of force and it's support.

Which turned to be 9 medium sized insurgent groups and a VIED. Here I thought it would make sense to adjust the rules here as 9 medium sized groups would be a hell of a force so I switched it to 9 small groups, which is still formidable. I was playing OPFOR, and using the Hard-Cat rules.

 

 

 

The ambush was quick and lethal. Taking sporadic small arms fire from the insurgents Skruvkork popped smoke while he moved into to cover. Several insurgents were killed trying to storm the Canadians position.

The VIED now had a good opportunity to race down the road hidden by the smoke to strike at the infidels.

 

 

 

 

As two plums of smoke drift upwards, the insurgents still alive cheer their success and knowing they inflicted casualties they retreat before the superior quality of the Canadians comes to bear.

 

 

Skruvkork has taken casualties, but will now need to travel at walking pace as he intends to finish the mission

Aftermath:

I updated the excel file and then rolled for resupply, which is now back to 'full' the rounded up or down the squad/unit strength.

 

 

Notes for rule changes:

As already seen, the size of the ambushing force set to medium in the rules might have been to much, so I altered accordingly.

If your going to play this campaign with one of your buddies, remember to rules are merely guidelines and are not gospel.

One rule didn't write into the vassal module but should be is if the players avatar within the CM battle gets killed his campaign should end or maybe a dice roll of how many days of the campaign he's out of action.

 

Edited May 28, 2022 by nathangun

[kohlenklau]

Looks awesome to me. AND you are cool about the rules and allow players to mutually tweak it and adjust. Good job sir.

That red Volvo must have armor plating!

[nathangun]

End of day two.

 

Skruvkork's mission for destroying the insurgent truck smuggling explosives has succeeded.

 

His platoon entered a district in the town of Jaba with the mission to locate and destroy the truck.

(It's located behind a building, on the right of the screen shot).

 

 

In no time, insurgents spot Skruvkorks' platoon and open fire, they're poor fire discipline spoiled any chance of an ambush.

 

 

Skruvkork quickly moved his platoon into fighting positions covered by two Nyala (RWS).

 

 

One by one each insurgent team is pinned and then eliminated as Skruvkork moves his platoon down the street, house by house.

 

 

A couple of 'technicals' at the far end of the map move to the sound of gunfire and are quickly destroyed.

 

 

With the destruction of the technicals, the insurgents lost their trump card and the truck was found and destroyed (I forgot to take screenies).

With the success of the mission the stability has moved from -1 to +1.

 

Skruvkork didn't have everything his own way with 1 KIA & 2 WIA.

 

His platoon after 3 days is pretty shot up and he still has to back it back to base.

 

 

Clockwork has joined in the campaign and has sportingly decided to fight has Canadians in keep with the narrative as a Pioneer Platoon Commander mounted in Nyala's. His current mission is to escort the Bn Commander to Kunar, to meet with some elders. His random event was 'IED's detected, skip a day' so he'll have to wait for some action.

 

 

 

Edited June 30, 2022 by nathangun

[Erwin]

I like the way you structured this in your xnt point to point "Tour of Duty" diagram.  It helps visualize the progress of the campaign and adds a strategic element that many have been asking for (for decades).  Is this a campaign, or are you making up scenarios as you go along?  

[nathangun]

4 hours ago, Erwin said:

I like the way you structured this in your xnt point to point "Tour of Duty" diagram.  It helps visualize the progress of the campaign and adds a strategic element that many have been asking for (for decades).  Is this a campaign, or are you making up scenarios as you go along?  

 

How it works is that players are assigned to a platoon (they pick) and missions are generated on the mission table on a roll of a dice, the location of the mission is also rolled with dice on the random location table the they move one or two squares from their base (one square if there isn't enough transport) when they land on a square a dice roll is made on the random event table.

It's a narrative campaign rather than a operational one, each player has a in game character (the platoon leader) if they die or get wounded in battle their tour is over.

The rules are intended as a guide rather than set in stone.

 

Edited July 1, 2022 by nathangun

[AtlasActual]

@nathangun I am interested in playing this but don't have anyone to play it with. If you can and would be willing to play with me, I would appreciate it.

[nathangun]

5 hours ago, AtlasActual said:

@nathangun I am interested in playing this but don't have anyone to play it with. If you can and would be willing to play with me, I would appreciate it.

 

OK, on one condition. That you also build scenarios and play as insurgents for my missions. I'll walk you through the process once we get under way.

[AtlasActual]

4 hours ago, nathangun said:

 

OK, on one condition. That you also build scenarios and play as insurgents for my missions. I'll walk you through the process once we get under way.

Sounds good! I'll send you my discord in DMs.

[nathangun]

Myself and @AtlasActual have kicked off a new campaign if anyone would like to join in.

 

I made tweaks to the vassal engine. You can download here, version 2.1
The turn track is date and months and I have set the campaign start as January the 1st.
Each player picks one of the platoon chits, the objective chits have a corresponding number so Plt 1 uses Obj 1 to mark it's objective on the campaign map.
I will create an excel file that will keep a record of our platoons. Like this.I think we should divide the labour of creating battles and fighting as insurgents.
I will be creating battles and play as insurgents for AtlasActual battles, AtlasActual will create battles and play as insurgents for jackal and jackal will create battles and play as insurgents in my battles and so on.
To keep some fog of war, when rolling for the insurgent forces on the event table (you can't roll for your own battles) keep the results to yourself.

When using the vassal engine, we will be loading/saving logfiles as the turn date.
So when you load a logfile you watch the last phase of the turn, you will be prompted to start a new one, do so and save as the turn date plus your name so we know who's doing what.
In the dialolog box above the game map, please write on what your rolling for,
example:

 

 

 

You can get vassal here.

The module here

The latest logfile here.

 

Edited September 16, 2023 by nathangun

[nathangun]

Updated the Vassal module with adjusted WIA/KIA rules and instructions on Insurgent camp missions. LINK

Edited October 5, 2023 by nathangun

[Raptor341]

Are the other variants still being worked on (CMRT, LRDG)? Just found this, looks very interesting 

[nathangun]

On 10/28/2023 at 10:19 PM, Raptor341 said:

Are the other variants still being worked on (CMRT, LRDG)? Just found this, looks very interesting 

 

Not at the moment. I do have ideas but nothing playable really.