Scenario: Village of Trouble

[Bimmer]

A Stryker unit is conducting convoy route security operations when one of their vehicles suffers a mechanical breakdown in a small, rural village. While the crew is trying to figure out the problem, a shot rings out from inside the village...

Best played as Blue or two-player. For your gaming pleasure, available here:

http://files-upload.com/419177/VillageofTrouble.zip.html

Comments, criticisms, etc. most appreciated.

[MarkEzra]

Liked the name...kinda reminded me of something in the dark recess of CMBO memory...well I'm sure it will come to me . Gonna give it a PBEM try

[Roter Stern]

Just played it in RT vs the AI... quite interesting, even though I hate starting a scenario "hot". Turn from bad to worst quite quickly and I only managed to squeeze a Minor Defeat after losing 2 Strykers full of troops

My only comments are about the Red platoon advancing though the orchard... that seemed a little wasteful in light of three 50cals and a 40mm going off over their heads.

And also the terrain objectives turned out to be quite random... the two building complexes did not stand out as logical "hidden" objectives, i.e. they were not dominating tactical positions on the map, so their value seems rather doubtful.

All in all, an interesting scenario and excellent terrain!

[Capt. Toleran]

Was great, esp. with the low time limit. Suggest at least another IED on the main route, and maybe a few more RPGs or an AT-4 (to shake things up) hidden in the treeline.

[SS Sniper]

Cant get it to D/L

Can someone email it to me please

Never mind I got it to d/L

Cant wait to try it.

[Molloy]

*********SPOILER ALERT*************

I second the suggestions of additional Syrian AT assets (possibly a true ATGM threat) in the tree line opposite the Strykers, and clearer objectives within the town.

I sent the follow snippet in your response form:

I liked the opening "surprise" (for a change of pace), and the AI's aggressivity with its ambush, although it was not very effective in my single play through (although this, of course, varies each game). The Syrian RPG teams only managed to disable two Strykers the entire match, both in the opening minute (before being quickly destroyed). Blue infantry was largely unscathed (I popped smoke and dismounted quickly). The number one problem for the Syrians (which may have been an intentional design choice?) is the long fields of fire. The Blue forces are guaranteed support fire for nearly every avenue of approach due to map layout. With the Strykers (especially 40mm) and MG teams having clear fields of fire throughout the village (even when standing off hundreds of meters), the Syrians had no chance.

I found the scenario to be too easy for Blue, which was reflected in the total victory. Also, I deliberately refrained from equipping or employing any Javelins.

p.s. The air support became available with two minutes left (and a response time of 6 min).

[ August 07, 2007, 09:40 AM: Message edited by: Molloy ]

[Bimmer]

Thanks for the feedback.

After you've played it as Blue, you may want to go and read the Red briefing that explains the rationale for the force type and deployment. It may well need tweaking, but it was not done randomly. Also, there are three very different Red AI plans, so Red behavior may have been quite different for some of you.

I am curious as to the tactics used. Please post AARs detailing your approach to the scenario. The map is designed to give Blue lots of options. I'd like to hear how people dealt with the situation the first time through. Also, please describe how Red acted when you played so that I can adjust the AI plan distribution if necessary.

[MarkEzra]

*********SPOILER ALERT***********************

**********SPOILER ALERT**************************

This is a good way of posting your comments so that others who may wish to play the scen fresh will have that opportunity...............

************END SPOILER ALERT******************

[Rod]

Bimmer,

Overall I liked it a lot. I don't know really how else to do the hot start. If your playing a game and there is only one town you know something is going to happen so you could unfairly prepare. I didn't mind it as long as the play balance reflects this.

So here is how it went down...

************* SPOILER ALERT ********************

I immediately dismounted the forward group sending the infantry to the nearest cover. This turned out bad when the IED went off. Missed the stryker but clobbered one squad and part of an HQ. The remaining squads basically took cover in the walled compound with another squad in the trees off to the east side of the road. This group mainly just kept the orchard and the road leading to it under suppressing fire. They took quite a few casualties on the roofs so they couldn't do anything offensive for the time being. I mostly kept the strykers hidden until I knew what was out there.

The back group I raced up the road toward the center of the main road. Once again the IED missed but wounded two crew members. I dismounted the infantry there with One MG team going up to the roof of the 2nd story building with the high wall and another on the lower roof. One squad went to the roof of the low building just past the entrance to that middle side road. Another to the low roof with the 2nd MG team and another squad to a building on the east side of the road to cover back down the road.

Both groups basically just shot it out without out much maneuvering for five or six turns. The one stryker I lost was when I moved one to cover the middle side road when I thought it was safe. Wrong he got hit by an AT squad in the house at the end of the road. At this point I noticed the syrians start to maneuver off to the southwest but the MG Squad on the high wall roof kept them in check. Eventually I had to send them for ammo so I replaced them with the other MG squad. Bout this time I sent my reserve squad leapfrogging up the center road with little resistance. I did try to use one Javelin to take out the top of the high building off to the NW part of town. The javelin overshot and exploded harmlessly in the trees to the west.

Meanwhile the front group had suppressed the orchard and road leading to it so I decided to load up a couple of stykers with the survivors of one squad and the squad in the trees to the east and do an end around assault on the orchard. Once I did that it became more of a mopping up operation as I squeezed in from the north. The final casualties were taken when I tried to rush a sniper team to the roof of main building toward the NW corner of town. A HQ team that was left in one of the building opened up on them. Lessoned learned...suppression fire.

Result Major US victory although failed on US casualties and US Condition but succeeded on objectives and syrian casualties and condition. Interesting that Syrians actually had more points in the end something like 3000 to 2000. So I'm still not sure how victories are determined.

**************END SPOILER ***********************

Just curious do you design scenarios with a particular play style in mind (RT v. WEGO)

[Bimmer]

Originally posted by Rod:

Just curious do you design scenarios with a particular play style in mind (RT v. WEGO)

I am pretty much a die-hard WEGO player myself, so that's what all the testing is done in. That said, this sort of hot-start scenario probably makes for a more intense experience in RT play. It is my general feeling that any well-designed scenario should play reasonably well in either format.

[Bimmer]

Version 1.01 is ready for testing. Release notes are below:

Village of Trouble

This scenario should be considered a beta test version. Every effort has been made to ensure that it works as designed, but there may be oversights nonetheless. Please fill out and submit the enclosed playtest report to me at [deleted for forum post - included in readme file]

The scenario should be played first as Blue if single player, or as a two-player game. AI plans have been programmed for both sides, and it may be played from either side after initial playing, though it seems to work better when played as Blue.

Please note that a Blue victory is dependent upon achieving the stated objective of destroying the enemy force, but excessive Blue casualties or damage to civilian property will reduce or negate Blue's victory. This is intended to represent the difficult nature of fighting an insurgency militarily while always maintaining awareness of the local and domestic political objectives and costs of such a military enterprise.

v1.01:

-Adjusted Red force deployments

-Adjusted VP values for Blue terrain objectives

-Added variant with MGS platoon vice mech infantry platoon *

-Added variant with reduced Blue force *

* Both variants have adjusted Red deployments and Blue reinforcement schedules.

Download here:

http://files-upload.com/files/427244/Village%20of%20Trouble%20v101.zip