A CM Campaign WITHOUT a neutral GM: Is it possible?

[GDog]

Gentlemen.

I have recently got the CM campaign bug! This is a whole new world to me, and frankly I think this is the way CM is meant to be played!

My question is, as I begin work on my first campaign the question has crept up during my brainstorming sessions.

"Is it possible to host a CM campaign without a neutral GM dedicated only to the running of the campaign, and not fighting in the actual battles?"

The campaign is being designed with 8-10 players in mind, and of course I want to play in it as well as create and organize it.

Your thoughts?

[JasonC]

No, it won't work.

You can make the campaign and play in it, but if you do you will need a third party to GM it for you. Without a neutral GM, truely double blind operations do not work.

The good part is there are many enthusiasts for this sort of thing. The bad part is, GM time tends to be the rate determining step for how fast a campaign moves and whether it actually completes - along with resolution time, to be sure. But resolution time can be handled by keeping tactical battle sizes small and insisting on TCP/IP resolution. Nothing, though, can replace GM time.

[GDog]

JasonC, this was my thoughts on the matter as I am brainstorming.

The only thing I can see being a problem would be when it comes time to load actual units into the battles at the beginning of each phase.

My work around (not tested in the CM editor) would be...

1. Load maps accordingly.

2. Team A commander loads his units into the battle and ( if possible ) saves the battle and sends it to Team B Commander.

3. Team B Commander loads the battle and without looking at the enemies OOB, loads his own and starts the battle.

Of course there is an honour system in place here, which we dont have to worry about.

Thoughts?

[GDog]

After actual testing, I see this COULD work but, you would have to have the ALLIED commander purchase his units first, then before saving the battle switch the "Purchase unit screen" to AXIS.

The game, by default loads the battle editor "Purchase unit screen" showing the AXIS force first, and if they have not been purchased yet, the list will be blank!

Of course, there could be other issues that will come up as I build my campaign, but for now I think I have found a work around for this one!

[JasonC]

No, sorry, still unclear on what has to happen to run an operational campaign.

Where are the units operationally? Where did they move? Did any collisions occur? Did someone move out of location A just before someone else moved into it, but missing each other rather than colliding and fighting?

You might think you can just have each side load into units at the battle locations. But what if teh key to my whole operational plan is to infiltrate an infantry battalion undetected through the woods corridor between village A and village B, and attack an intel-located artillery battery behind them, to silence the guns before attacking B?

Can I just load my battalion at locations D through G each op turn? Doesn't the enemy hear all about that as soon as someone asks him if he has anything at F? If you load at every location anywhere, both sides, every turn, you will "play" fights with nobody present and waste everyone's time. You can't have any form of operational level intel, either.

It doesn't work. The GM has to process move orders, determine the collisions, in practice also determine inter-move timings sometimes (A and B both ordered troops through location X, but one started right near it and moved far beyond, and the other only reached it at the end of the move - no real collision would have occurred), to assign losses that aren't whole units, to resolve snafu'ed orders, to determine how long a bridge repair will take, to test for vehicle losses to bogging or mines travesing obstacle H, to resolve operational scale artillery fires with no ground forces present, to determine air power availability, artillery resupply, collate intel reports and present a realistic side picture to each side commander, update developments off the flanks or reinforcement arrival, to adjust maps (e.g. to reflect past damage, or position field fortifications and obstacles as they were before), to decide when to divide an overstacked fight into two side by side, etc.

A campaign without a GM is a neutered thing. GMs make campaigns work. Don't try to hobble along without one, just find a third party willing to do it for you.

[GDog]

Will you be my campaigns GM?

Those are all good points, and yes I agree with you at this point. Keep in mind this is not a META campaign, but most of your points still apply.

I guess now I must decide if I want to play or be the GM.

The best thing to do is work away at it to a point where I have a near completed package and then present it to anyone who may be interested.

Thanks again for your insight, much appreciated.

[Renaud]

I might also suggest requiring TIMED tcp/ip resolution, using 1 minute for company sized, 3 for battalion sized battles. This will make it possible to play the games in a reasonable amount of time (1-3 hours depending on turns allowed and timer length). This will move the campaign along faster.

Not many people seem to like timed, but I love it. Recreates the stress of time pressure and difficulty of synchronizing movement of all troops in a large force.

Also, if one side can't show up for their scheduled game and no human substitute is available, the AI plays for them...hehe.

JC's criticisms are real. You will need a GM to track everyones move orders and calculate collisions, set up the games, adjust unit OOB after battles, etc. Keep the scope small or this will become a monumental task.