"Scenario creation and TOE's" Topic

What do you all do for creating your own scenario's for WW2 gaming? Let's say you wanting to create a random scenario just outside of Caen.

How would you assign forces? I was thinking of a random dice roll for TOE's.

Lets say for post D-Day the German armor table would be something like this..

D100 die roll

1-30 : Pz IVH
31-42 : Panther
43-50 : Tiger 1
51-63 : Stug IIIH

etc….

Curious to know what some of you scenario creators come up with for your force list.

Lots of scenarios with board games like Squad Leader/ASL can be found on line. Plus other games.

For WWII, I pick more or less right right forces for my rules, table and situation--usually an infantry battalion in defense and something at the regiment/brigade level attacking--then dice for the supports among possibles. A US battalion from an infantry division might have tanks or TD's for instance, with the TD's probably towed. Amount of artillery support would be another variable.

The iron rule is that the game is always played twice--sides assigned randomly for the first game and reversed for the second. The game designer can get the kind of scenario he likes, but if he gives someone a serious advantage, he'll be at a serious disadvantage too.

I never roll randomly. I design scenarios in any time period to create tactical puzzles for each side to solve. I just pick forces appropriate to the setting and then by what toys I want to play with. So my Panzer company will follow TO&E/OOB but which tank is up to my whim.

I think it was Skirmish Campaigns that did scenarios that had a base force, and then you rolled to add to your force from a list of additional forces.

You can also make a stack of 3 x 5 cards that contain reinforcements oe "extras" and draw one or two at random to add to a core force.

"I never roll randomly. I design scenarios in any time period to create tactical puzzles for each side to solve. I just pick forces appropriate to the setting and then by what toys I want to play with. So my Panzer company will follow TO&E/OOB but which tank is up to my whim."

Mark has a good formula above, and this idea can fit the scenario into what you have within your collection – assuming your collection has forces organized by sections/platoons/companies of armor (the tactical building blocks).

CaptainCold, here's some 3mm Arracourt scenario forces organized to run an upcoming game with. The players have core troops I've provided for the action, and then will have one limited support element to choose from (units in one of the trays) that they can augment the game's prepared forces with.

I've come to learn that players "buy-in" to a scenario if they have some limited input into their side's force structure if that's possible with your collection, scale, etc…….with this little 3mm collection here, I've got lots of Puzzle pieces ready for plugging into a game setting (larger scales or with limited forces not so much – then things might be more rigidly organized). The game, rules, collection can sort of limit this sandbox approach, but giving players/sides something they can imprint their tactical thinking into – by "buying" supporting assets to compliment the basic force elements is helpful – it can also give a scenario some replay value too, by then trying out the other supporting units to slightly modify the forces involved in a 2nd running of the game.

Btw, all the units in these trays were in proximity to the action being fought in the historical action being featured (the attack in and around Hill 318 south of Arracourt), so to some extent the optional assets can mimic plausible command decisions being made at a higher level, by those support units chosen for commitment into the game at hand.

(lol – reminds, I need to finish configuring these game forces up yet – but you can catch my drift from the pic)

1. I use historical sceneries, either designed myself or based on commercially available ones.

2. I use historically plausible forces based on actual units

3. I adapt a generic scenario (from Tabletop Teasers or whatever), ideally to include plausible forces

I'm not a big fan of just slinging stuff on the table and hoping it produces a good game, time is too short.

I try almost always to present a tactical puzzle that is of interest to both sides, almost never an encounter game, that is rare in the real world. I base the force on what is plausible/available or not too much of a stretch if one vehicle is impersonating a similar vehicle.

Often scenarios are to study a particular aspect, a current big game has the emphasis on realistic use of artillery in a prepared attack against a prepared deference.

What is important is that the game can be played out by the players in a plausible timescale. Trying to get units across the table in many "Featherstone" clones will take forever so may not be sensible in a couple of hours and 4 turns.

Even our rules that not possible is the players are not able to cope with the pace for whatever reason.

Similarly a subtle scenario is useless for "I just WANA KILL STUFF" types, they do not have what it takes for that sort of game.

Our default game is company in attack/platoon in defence with maybe (or not) a troop/platoon of tanks or maybe (or not) APCs for the attacker, maybe a pair of AT guns or sustained role MGs for the defender. We use full strength units for both sides and give the attacker X turns to attain an objective. We base a lot of our games straight out of history books – HMSO 'The War Against Japan is a great source for that sort of thing.