Official Campaign Thread 2

[SpitfireMarkX]

Could not find the old one.

I have made to new campaigns,

One, Second Great war, simulating that the allies declared war on the Axis for entering Czechslovakia. Its alot harder for Axis because inless if you take Poland Fast USSR % goes up (Simulating no Moltov pact in a way)

Other one, opperation Bulldog, is that if Allies did not declare war on axis for invasion of Poland, A cold War began between the Italy Germany, and Britain(Canada also), and France, it ends with Italy invading Greece, Egypt, and Germany invades Denmark, and has the choise to go through Low Countries to France.

My Favorite Customs are Opperation Crocodile, (alot of fun trying to win by Christmas 1944). and that Cold War one, alot of fun there.

Least favorite Swonsdale, (Makes NO sence)

[JerseyJohn]

Brad

These Forums drop like bricks through the back pages. The old Forum is probably on page 20 by now. Glad you started this up again, the other one was becoming a bit full.

When you get a chance, I'd appreciate taking a look at your new scenarios. Working on a few myself but they aren't ready to pass around yet. Should be soon.

Please send them to:

JohnofJersey@aol.com

They don't need to be zipped for my end.

[JerseyJohn]

Brest-Litovsk Aftermath

Background:

After three years of catastrophic losses, the Russian Romanov Dynasty is toppled in 1917. The provisional Government that follows continues the ruinous war and is itself knocked out by the Bolsheviks in October. At first also continuing the war, it soon becomes obvious to Lenin that Russia is incapable of further resistance and the Bolsheviks sign a separate peace treaty with Germany early in 1918, ending the fighting in the East.

In the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Russia cedes Poland outright and grants independence to Finland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, the three Baltic states becoming German Protectorates. The new nation of Ukrania is also created and recognized as a German Protectorate. The fledgling USSR manages to gain peace by ceding Poland and 3/4 of European Russia to Germany.

War weary and bankrupt, Britain and France offer their own very generous peace terms: the return of her African Colonies and recognition of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty. In return Germany has to withdraw from all of occupied France and Belgium, renouncing all claims to territory it had conquered in the West.

Overestimating his position, Kaiser Wilhelm II foolishly refuses the offer and proceeds to transfer his eastern armies to the Western Front. His two top generals, Hindenburg and Ludendorff, victors in the east, assure him that a massive offensive in France will roll through the trenches and capture Paris before the Americans arrive in force.

They are wrong. The attacks stall and within a year Germany losses everything.

Background -- speculative history (your guess is as good as mine!

The Scenario departs from actual history in the summer of 1918. Kaiser Wilhelm II, recognizing his own country's war weariness, despite it's recent victory, accepts the British and French peace treaty. Most of Germany's colonial empire is restored, all of Poland is added to the Reich, and vast eastern resources are channeled into the German economy.

But elsewhere his ruined allies fare much worse.

The badgered Austro-Hungarian Empire falls apart and is replaced by the nations of Austria, Hungary and Yugoslavia.

After ceding Syria to the French, Palestine and Jordan to Britain, the Ottoman Empire tries to consolidate what remains of their once vast holdings but is wracked by internal and external problems. Rekindling old animosities, a new series of border wars erupt with Greece and Bulgaria. Soviet Russia soon reclaims the southern Caucasus sparking widespread unrest and Iraq, encouraged by Britain and France, secures it's independence. By late 1920 the last Ottoman monarch abdicates and the once proud empire is reduced to modern Turkey.

A few years of prosperity lead unaccountably into severe recession and Germany herself is caught in post-war social and economic turmoil. Soviet agents infiltrate the country in support of German socialists. Labor demands are dealt with harshly by the artless Hollernzolerns, resulting in ever worse strikes and riots. When the railroads shut down in 1924 the Kaiser eases his grip and consents to a Constitutional Monarchy.

As the twenties near an end Germany is once more harried by social unrest, this time between the two extremes of socialism and fascism. By 1933 Fascism emergences triumphant in the form of Nazism. They have ended the strikes and riots and Under Wilhelm II Germany is ruled by the expansionist Party and it's leader, Adolf Hitler.

Governing under a similar Royalist system, Italy's Dictator, Benito Mussolini is outraged by the League of Nations censure of his country after it's 1936 invasion of Ethiopia. Later that year he meets with Germany's Adolf Hitler and they sign the Rome-Berlin Axis.

In Central Europe, modern Austria is absorbed into Greater Germany in 1937 and Czechoslovakia in late 1938.

Apprehensive of Germany's growing power, Britain, France and the USSR sign the Triparte Alliance on August 6th. By month's end recently independent Ireland is admitted along with Portugal.

1939, The Lights of Europe Go Out -- Again.

On March 3rd Italy annexes Albania. In April Yugoslavia and Greece sign a Mutual Defense Pact. Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria announce the formation of the pro-German Balkan League in May.

Meanwhile, Scandinavia, long the target of Soviet agents, is struck by scattered rebellions in the South. A workers march on the Swedish capital goes from peaceful protest to bloody rioting when shots are fired into the crowds. The government claims they were fired by insurrectionists but the crowds only grow more violent, developing into open rebellion.

A worker's Soviet is established in Stockholm and nearly succeeds in ousting the King. Holding on to power by the narrowest of margins, armed troops are called in and the Bolsheiviks are driven out of the city by Royalist forces.

Germany is quick to react, rushing extensive military assistance, including professional advisers, and the insurrectionists are driven away from the capital and back to their southwest coastal stronghold.

In neighboring Norway rail lines are dynamited and government offices attacked. Germany quickly dispatches aid and a volunteer corps with ever increasing air support. By midsummer the Bolsheviks are defeated and driven away from the mines to the coastal region east of Oslo where they link up with the Swedish communists.

Still embattled, Sweden and Norway sign the Baltic Pact on July 27th, joining the existing Alliance of Finland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and Germany.

The fighting starts in early August.

As in 1914, World War is triggered in the Balkans when Mussolini launches a surprise invasion of Yugoslavia. Greece declares war on Italy. Britain and France demand Italian withdrawal from Yugoslavia and, when the deadline passes, they declare war. Honoring it's alliance, Germany declares war on Britain and France who call upon Stalin. Mobilizing for an invasion of it's lost Ukrainian and Baltic Provinces, the USSR declares war on Germany. Iraq becomes the final entry in the war when, pressured by Britain, France and the USSR it declares itself a member of the Triparte Alliance, completing the cycle.

====

--- * Scenario Notes:

Allies move First. Unnasigned research credits for all majors. US intervention set at 0%. --- *

Though begun several months ago, play testing with Wachtmeister and Carl von Mannerheim revealed numerous play balance problems (Germany starts off in a two front war!). Ideas and suggestions have been offered by Wachtmeister, Martinov, and Carl von Mannerheim.

I've just finished what hopefully is a working model. A zipped copy will be sent to anyone contacting me at:

JohnofJersey@AOL.com

[ March 07, 2003, 12:26 AM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ]

[JerseyJohn]

I'm working on two others, one being a 1941 Z-Plan, but I don't consider either of those to be ready yet, though the Z-Plan is making progress and should soon be ready for play testing.

An interesting Forum on Germany's Z-Plan was started by Panzer39 and I believe he is presently on Page 2 of this site. Panzer39 is also working on a Z-Plan scenario; I'm sure our ideas will vary and it should be interesting to have the two scenarios on the same subject.

The third is a straight 1939 using some ideas I liked from Bill's opus, but deviating in several areas.

There are two varsiants: one where Germany follows it's historical naval path, switching to U-boat construction in 1938-39; and one where the two aircraft carriers -- Graf Zeppelin and Peter Strasser, launched in 1936 -- are completed before the attack on Poland.

In the second variant, Germany's two Atlantic U-boats are removed and replaced with a single full stregnth Aircraft Carrier in the Baltic. I represented the two ships as a single unit to refelct their carrying capacity of 40 aircraft each.

An early U-boat version being play tested vs Hueristic and the carrier version vs Steve C. (I had the Allies in one and the Axis in the other)were both scrapped because I made the Axis too powerful. A few tweaks with the Aliies adjusted upwards and it's back to playtesting.

The major problem I've had in every effort is play balance. It's easy to create a scenario, but much more difficult to find one that is both interesting and possible for either side to win. Testing them against the AI (FOW off for the AI's sake) can have some usefulness but it always needs to be confirmed against a human opponent.

I'll post more when the scenarios are further along. Meanwhile I hope other scenario creaters discuss their ideas and findings here.

[ March 02, 2003, 10:41 PM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ]

[Jergan88]

if anyone has any campaigns they consider remotely good, send them to me:

drummerguy88@new.rr.com

[JayJay_H]

Originally posted by JerseyJohn:

Brest-Litovsk Aftermath

--- * Scenario Notes:

Allies move First. Unnasigned research credits for all majors. US intervention set at 0%. --- *

[...]

I've just finished what hopefully is a working model.

Would be great to see the Brest-Litovsk-Aftermath campaign available at Ottos StratComm HQ

[SpitfireMarkX]

Jersey, If you would like the campaign please just send a request for it. If so please include your Campaign.

[JerseyJohn]

JayJay_H

Glad you're interested, never occurred to me that it ought to be sent to Otto's; found his last posting and sent it a few minutes ago. I don't know what the proceedure is so I guess it's up to Otto to post it or not. I'll check in a few days if I don't hear anything. Meanwhile, if you see it there and successfully download the file please let me know.

I've made a few small but very significant final changes since first posting the Historical Summary to this Forum and have revised the commentary accordingly. The changes are now in the edited original entry, a few postings above this one.

The other two other scenarios I've been working on, ought to be ready fairly soon; Z-Plan and the Minor Ally MPP Adjustment. If Otto offers Brest-Litovsk for download I'll send him these others as well.

Thanks for making the suggestion. Hope you're able to download it and would be pleased if you find it intersting.

Brad

Didn't know from your opening if you wanted scenarios sent or if the idea was to ask to have it sent, etc., also, when I first posted none of my scenarios were ready to send out.

I'll get it to you a bit later this evening, revised the Brest-Litovsk a bit today and want to look at it again after setting it aside for a while. Will send it in the wee hours and look forward to receiving yours -- a sort of prisoner exchange!

If there's a storage problem please advise me as I send attachments sometimes and learn I stuffed the mailbox. Assuming there isn't, after a little more revision and examination I'll also send the Z-Plan and Minor Ally scenarios that I've been working on. They ought to be ready in a few days. I'd enjoy receiving any scenario you've finished and would like to send me.

[ March 07, 2003, 02:17 AM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ]

[JerseyJohn]

Brad

Tried reaching you via E-mail but it didn't go through.

The scenarios were only 11k and should each be well over 225 k. They kept producing corrupted file messages.

When you get a chance, please send them again. I don't need to have them winzipped, normal attachment is fine. Thanks, John.

[ March 07, 2003, 05:33 PM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ]

[JerseyJohn]

My thanks to Otto for making the 1939 Brest-Litovsk Aftermath Scenario available for download at his excellent website (link is given below).

link to OTTO's Strategic Command HeadQuarters Site

If anyone downloads and plays the scenario I'd like very much to receive feedback. At first I thought I'd placed too many units, but after some test playing the balance seemed about right.

Anyway, the basic idea is open for anyone who'd like to alter it or change it entirely; as I said, it's only my own interpretation. Even at that it's only one of several possible paths I think history could have taken between 1918 and '39 from that same starting point.

[ April 20, 2003, 10:38 AM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ]

[JerseyJohn]

Suggested Pre-Game Changes in Brest-Litovsk Scenario.

Problem: At the end of it's first move the Soviet Siberian Army is transferred which creates an avalanche of Soviet units that tend to overwhelm the Ukranian Germans.

Solutions:

1) Use War in Siberia Option to keep the flood of Soviets in Asia (recommended as there are a lot of units already).

2) Or, if you want the Siberian Reserves making things hot in the east, use the Campaign Editor to relocate enough of the German units from rear areas (representing recent mobilization) to the Eastern Frontier creating a good initial defense against the onslaught. It's been my experience, as well as Wachtmeister's, after a few turns defending against this massive offensive, Germany can't replace it's losses and has to begin ceding valuable territory and cities. The only way Germany can win in that situation is to take France out quickly, which is unlikely here as the French are pretty strong. As Germans this OB is recommend for those who enjoy a tough challenge and are not feint of heart!

Related Issue

3) The default is for Soviet Partisans. There is a good reason for not allowing them as the Ukraine is theoretically an independent country, the German Protectorate of Ukrania . On the other hand, this scenario assumes the Soviets were extremely active in the field of foreign insurrectionists, having caused so much trouble in Norway and Sweden! It would seem safe to assume Soviet Agents would have infiltrating lands that had formerly been part of their empire and won converts over to the Socialist cause. It's a judgemental decision.

Problem: The German HQ Busch is of little use where I placed it in Sweden as it doesn't control Axis minor troops.

Solution: Move it to the Eastern Front, preferably in the central region, giving Germany three HQs, N to S as in the historical situation.

I recommend saving my file as a reference and altering it to suite your own ideas in a file with a different name -- call mine JJ BrestLitovsk and yours ?? (your own initials) BrestLitovsk. That way you can always call my original up, see how things were set originally, then go back to your altered file.

I've already got a revised file on this thing incorporating the changes I've made above, keeping the original as a reference so if anyone asks me something later I can check it on the version they've got.

If you come up with variants on the theme, and I've seen several good ones thus far, please let me know and better yet send me a copy via E-mail attachment. I've always enjoyed talking shop on this thing.

[ March 15, 2003, 08:18 AM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ]

[JerseyJohn]

--

Also copied to Panzer39's Z-Plan Thread

JJ Z-Plan Scenario

Panzer39’s idea of a scenario on this subject has caught my interest. I’m sure we’d come up with greatly different approaches on the same subject, so I’ll list mine here. It’s already in the box and anyone interested in receiving a Winzipped copy is invited to contact me at JohnofJersey@AOL.com.

Historical Background

In the late summer of 1939 Hitler heeds the advice of his generals and decides to postpone the Polish invasion. After a face saving conference arranged once more by Mussolini, the leaders of the major powers return to their capitals and issue statements of

Peace while ordering increased preparation for war.

based upon Hitler's 1938 instructions to his generals and admirals to let the armaments ministers know what they'd need to triple their effectiveness by 1942. Then he started in with Czechoslovakia and Poland instead of letting them build up as they'd been told to do. The scenario assumes he absorbed the first country but stopped short of Poland, putting it off till he was more well prepared.

In addition to increasing Germany I’ve also increased England and France. I've added HQs and an aircraft carrier to both France and Italy. The Italians start the war along with Germany (in 1938 Hitler had also assured Italy that he'd do nothing to cause a major war before late 1941; in this scenario the war commences a year after that, 1942, so presumably an adequately prepared Italy would have jumped in from the start. Also, I assume with this heightened preparation her neighbor Greece would have felt threatened and joined the Allies from the start.

The British fleet is given L2 gunnery radar, Germany has L1 while Italy and France have L0; this should assure a position of dominance for the British Navy. Their BB fleet has been slightly increased in response to Germany's naval buildup. They've got 10 BB units instead of the 7 Hubert gives them. All units are historically named. The older BBs having presumably gone to the Scrap heap (Queen Elizabeth, Malaya Rodney, Nelson, etc.) are all renamed to historically later vessels, Howe, King George V, Lion, etc. .... I've also added 2 British subs, one in the North Sea and one in the Mediterranean. A few British land units have also been added, principally Montgomery and the BEF in UK and Wavell and 8th Army in Egypt. Another airfleet has been added to the UK.

Germany starts with L2 jet, Britain has L1, Italy and France have L0. Germany also has an added army (6th) along the Belgian border, two added HQs, both 6's which is their lowest performance (one in East Prussia, the other near the Rhine) as well as an added Luftflotte, Panzer Group (in East Prussia), a heavy bomber (L0) near Poland and a Rocket Detachment (L2) also near Poland.

The German Navy has 2 carrier units. One represents the pair of carriers they'd launched in 1936, Graf Zeppelin and Peter Strasser, each holding 42 aircraft and historically neither was ever completed. The other is a fictitious large aircraft carrier, around 90 aircraft capacity, I've dubbed the Manfred von Richtoffen after their top WW I fighter ace. The Atlantic U-boats have been eliminated and only the Baltic wolf pack remains. Additionally, Germany has the BBs Bismarck and Tirpitz (historically built by then) and the H-class Battleships Hndenburg and Ludendorff, a larger Bismarck Class with 16" guns that was cancelled when the war began in 1939. For those who like U-boats I've got a second version where Germany doesn't have the second carrier unit but adds three U-boats in the Atlantic. In both scenarios Germany retains the Shcarnhorst and Geneisenau as cruiser units. In reality they'd have been fitted with 15" guns to replace their 11" pea shooters to become true Battlecruisers, but we have no way of showing this in the game.

--

These additions, large as they are, fall far short of what Hitler was planning. This reflects my opinion that he over stated what he wanted and, in reality, would have wound up with something like what is shown here.

Minor Allies have been added to each side in accordance with the MPP adjustment Threads in the SC Forum.

Germany gets Sweden. Her two armies and airfleet have been renamed Kondor to insinuate some sort of Nazi International Force, presumably recruited from Scandinavian nazi volunteers. These units are intended to be used with the HQ starting near Konigsberg, which would be transported north after the fall of Poland to supply the Kondors while they invade Norway (presumably with carrier air support and Luftflotte support from Denmark). The Kondor units should then be kept in Norway, one army at Oslo and the other at Bergen with the Swedish air fleet (Kondor Luftflotte) based near Bergen to provide some protection against strategic bombing.

The UK gets Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Iraq. Of these, the two Greek mountain armies are facing an Italian invasion at the outset. Italy has an HQ, an army and a corps in Albania with a bomber near Bari and an aircraft carrier in the Adriatic.

[ March 28, 2003, 02:36 PM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ]

[Carl G. E. von Mannerheim]

1914: The Guns of August

Yes, call me crazy, but with a few house rules; itll work

[JerseyJohn]

CvM

Not so crazy, the only big stumbling block is air fleets. Armor in SC behaves pretty much like cavalry, though in a WW I sense I'd imagine the correct relationship would have to be HT L=0 with Anti-Tank Guns L=5 to represent cavalry being made ineffective by machine guns and artillery.

The problem, of course, is that the AI would insist on making both airfleets and aircraft carriers.

That was why I suggested an expanded campaign editor with the ability to block certain unit types, such as aircraft carriers, which would make WW I easier to simulate.

Anyway, it sounds like a good idea. Between two humans house rules should help, though it would be next to impossible to simulate the effect tanks in mass had upon the already demoralized German troops in the war's last great offensives.

[JerseyJohn]

Once again I'd like to thank Otto for making a second scenario available for download at his great Web Site.

Anyone interested in playing the 1942 (JJ) German Z-Plan campaign can download it at Otto's.

link to OTTO's Strategic Command HeadQuarters Site

I hope anyone who does enjoys playing it. As I state elsewhere, though the game begins in 1942 historical time, in game time it uses the standard SC starting date of Sept 3, 1939 = 9/3/42, that way there are still over seven years of play with the US & USSR having their war entry % react in the same way as a normal game.

[ April 20, 2003, 10:47 AM: Message edited by: JerseyJohn ]

[TCPilot]

I made a campaign the simulates what would happen if Russia back-stabbed Geramny and declared war on it. It's pretty much the Fall Gelb campaign except Russia is already in the Allies.

It's child's play as the Allies, but it's almost impossible (or at least very hard) to win or even survive as the Axis. The only way to win is to follow Germany's WWI plan of smashing France early on and then moving the bulk of their army to Russia to hold off the swarm of Corps they'll send at you. Germany has the advantage of better technology and experience to smash the Russian army early on, which is the only way they can survive long enough to get reinforcements. Poland, Norway, and Denmarck are already conquered to give Germany some breathing room.

[Night]

1943 The Turkish Option

I created a campaign on the basis of the Russin "Southern Front"

Early in 1943 the German High Command realizes it may never regain the inicative on the Russin Front, that, combined with the possible up comming allied invasion of Italy, promts the High Command to send agents and diplomats to Turkey. After months of talks and clandestine operations, the Turks are convinced that after Russia's war with Germany is over, the USSR will invade Turkey and make it part of the growing communist empire. The Turks agree, however reluctintly, to allow German troops to pass through it's border, and to enter the war itself agaisnt the USSR.

Meanwhile, across europe, Hitler decides to resume talks with Spanish Dictator Fransisco Franco. He tell's the spanish tyrannt of reports that the Allies will invade Italy to remove it's Dictator and knock it out of the war. Franco is showed evidence of American and British OSS operations to prepare for the removale of the Italian government. Hitler tells Franco that if the German and Italian Goverernments are defeated, it is certain the Allies will remove him as well in due time. Franco see's no choice and declares war on the western allies. Spanish Forces, with small help from thier new German Allies, prepar to attack The rock of Gibralter...

Two months before the Turkish make thier surprise entry into the war, the British march into Iraq and declare it's oil fields part of the British Empire until further notice. Two German Corps, secretly marched across Turkey prior to the declaration of war, sit on the border poised to invade Iraq, meanwhile a Turkish army, two corps, and a half strength Italian volunteer corps. are aimed at the Soviet Union's vunerable and priceless southern industrial heartland, the Soviet Second Front is about to open...

I test ran this campaign a few times and all seems to work out ok, it may seem slightly unbalanced in favor of the Axis but I gave Ireland to england as well as Iraq, although Iraq will be fought over, and the Allies present historical advantage in MPPs makes everything run pretty smoothly. It's a very interesting fight in southern russia and interesting to see how much of a force the soviet's will commit to stall the attack, but still be able to drive the German's Back.

[ April 26, 2003, 01:47 PM: Message edited by: Night ]

[Carl G. E. von Mannerheim]

1943 The Turkish Option

:cool: :eek: :eek:

I've heard that Name Before....

How About, 'Into the Caucases.....' ?

CvM

[Night]

? I never heard of it? from where

[SpitfireMarkX]

http://ww2n.com/schq/cam.htm

Look under 1939.

[Carl G. E. von Mannerheim]

The Turkish Option is quite good, i was working on a 1942 'Sequel' but i'd like to try yours

CvM

[Night]

Oh i'm sorry never tried it, i'll download it later tonight.

I'll rename mine.

[Night]

I just checked it out real quick, very nice. Gotta make it real hard for the axis.

[SpitfireMarkX]

Just made a campaign, don't yet know what to call it, it is if England was captured, then the government went to Canada, and most troops to Canada-Africa, then the "Liberation of the old by the new" happens, Canadian forces capture Manchester, British forces land in Northern Britain, and the Brits control most of Africa, America is allied, but not in the liberation of Britain, yet, and Germany lauched Babarosa a week before, ill come up with the rest of it soon.

[Carl G. E. von Mannerheim]

LOL ! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!!

Thats Great Brad

I was developing a campaign, entitled "THe New World" (with all its power and might steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old)

but, mine sucked, U can have the name if you want

CvM

(Father of the SC Campaign Culture)