Game Planning

Fine by me. There's enough vehicular access to get people moved in time anyway.

Safety briefings etc are best given to all at the same time anyway and all of this can be done from the camp. the benefit of this is that we can make sure everyone has all they need, plus an out of play area for R&R is a good idea.

We need to think of ways to try and take the game away from a roadside blatfest too. Plus I'd REALLY like to see the quarry area we parked in used in some way.

Cool , chatting to CW he suggested we could allow the partisans to have a seperate little camp of their choosing if they wanted to be hard core for the weekend .

Heh that could get very silly. You might not see them all weekend only to have them emerge Rambo style at the end !

They would have to have a plan of their own - meet up with group at appointed hour to past on information, seek and destroy enemy objective, ambush convoy (may or may not arrive ). We were guessing the IED crew would be camping away from the main players anyway so they can rough it together!

Hows this look for public consumption ? Feel free to use , change etc .
Also we could do with seeing the Russian pics for a bit of a kit guide?

Battle for Bryansk forests

Bryansk, 200 miles SW of Moscow May 1943

Following the crushing German defeat at Stalingrad, the fortunes of war have swung toward Mother Russia. Survivors from the Russian 13th Army, encircled and destroyed in 1941, have been waging a fierce Partisan war for two years in the Bryansk forests. Aided by a growing number of civilians from the surrounding farms and homesteads, they now number 60,000, and are constant thorn in the Germans sides, destroying convoys and wiping out all forces sent against them.

In the months running up to what will eventually become Operation Citadel, the Germans are building stockpiles or arms and ammunition. As the Partisans learn of this activity, convoys are increasingly being targeted. By mid May it’s becoming a race against time for both sides. Can the Germans neutralise the Partisans and keep the roads clear to transport enough material to the forward supply dumps to support the push?…. or can the Partisans with their excellent local knowledge capture and destroy the German convoys before disappearing back into the forests……?

The Sides
15(20) Germans, any unit, usual CiA game rules for kit and weapons
15(20) Soviet / Partisan, usual CiA game rules for kit and weapons
Soviet is period or early post war Red Army. Partisan is WWII styles civilians. Kit guide for Partisan coming soon.

The Venue
1200 Acres of Eastern Front woodland (IED’s unplayed Shropshire site) set in a deep valley, with several miles of drivable tracks. Vehicles for convoys will be provided.

Game will be 24 hours, (11 am –11am Sunday ) with an overnight ceasefire. All sides will be in one large camp which will also act as a safezone. Forestry Commission will not allow overnighting on the Friday, however details of a local campsite will be made available. You will need to be on site ideally 9 am Saturday to pitch camp, register and be ready for game on at 11.

Cost £40 .

Booking thread to be opened shortly.

Looks good to me - I've corrected punctiation and spelling and adjusted a little phrasing, that's all.
I don't see why that can't be posted up now.

I'll sort out all the graphics and accompanying web page ASAP.

Are we restricted to those times? 11am seems an early start for a 24 hourer. Can we say midday? Some people might have to drive up in the morning and it's pretty remote!

Meh, they can get up earlier! Thing is starts are rarely on time - if we said 12 then it would be 1pm in reality. And there is a hell of a lot of shuttling players and kit around too.

Troo.

Hell, it doesnt matter what time you post kick off at, some buggers will be late...

Back to game planning , first off converted to WWii ish map of the area, c/w our own grid (each squares is about 500m ) Countours show as shades.

The main base for all and the german resupply depot as well is point A.
The valley runs from A to B . B is where were did the photoshoots .
We entered at E and parked up at C .

Most of the action is in the valley on roads - suggest that the germans have to collect their "ammo" fom points G H and N , and can be ambushed on their return anywhere up to point A .

Thoughts gents?

What's the basic game plan? When you say the Germans get their ammo and get ambushed on the way to point A, is that part of the main scenario?

I think we need to be pretty prescriptive about what people need to do, they don't seem to cope to well when left to their own devices.

S

Ah, that map is very useful.

Here is my take on the event:
The whole weekend is built around logistics. Not only the game (establish supply runs/disrupt supply runs) but also as organisers - getting players and kit from car park to camp (and vice versa), getting players into the right place at the right time (no point making an ambush if the convoy went past half an hour ago or is at the right time but the wrong road).
The site is big and terrain is difficult to traverse (dark, hummocky, litter strewn, up and down hill). Players will become quickly knackered - doubly worse if the weather is bad.

Therefore we need to make it as easy as possible for us to run and not over-stretch the players stamina.

So, the basic scenario is that the Germans are trying to establish a forward base and supply it, Russians are trying to disrupt it.

Could we say the base is being established at that dead end at the top of the steep rise (that overlooks the swampy stream valley) - I think point N on the map?
Concentrate gameplay to ANGBC areas and ignore KLM.

On the principle of not knackering players too early and 'build up' to intense action then make the first day recce, establishment, lines of communication.
Germans are allowed radios - they are a professional force and well equipped. Russians have field telephones only.
First day:
Germans establish routes - install signs/road blocks/barriers (meh, why should we do it when we can get the players to do it as part of the game?)
Russians establish a base somewhere in the woods - construct using materials to hand/camo nets (this is where captured ammo is taken). Then build a forward observation post. Run a cable between the two and establish comms.
Germans can send out small patrols to seek the enemy (not enough people for a firefight but recce only). Russians can send their recce forward to gather intel on what the Germans are doing (at the start point, where all the ammo is).
Therefore, they may be light skirmishing on the first day but players will have covered a great distance all over the playing area.
Second day:
Germans try to convoy ammo (gold as well?) from initial base (say C) to objective N. As we will be using explosives and setting ambushes we need to pre-define a route/time so people are in the right place. When attacked the Germans will need to regroup and decide whether to re-send a convoy or seek out Russians or both. Cut Russian communications, recover ammo/gold, destroy partisan camps in woods.
Russian sub plots - recover German radio codes (to pass to their Red Army superiors), lone sniper task - take out German Commander, booby trap barriers, change signs around, build road blocks.

That all sounds good. I completely agree on the game area, although I'm very reluctant to use the main camp for anything in-game, especially if it's a German base. There will be accusations of favouritism, regardless of whether it's true or not, as the Germans will be able to leave their kit there for re-supply rather than carrying it with them, much like CR.

I like the idea of not having to set much up. What are we planning for pyro. Are we looking at fixed pyro to be detonated off a clacker as we move through the game? It's very possible to set up the pyro first thing on Sunday with short det cables coming off them so that a det team (me or Guy with two others) can move through the woods to fire off as and when needed. We could put markers out and tell people not to touch, much as Dolby explained at the training day.

I think we should definitely put in a defined point on day one where there is a firefight towards the end. If it's cold and wet I don't want people getting into tents not having fired a shot.

Regarding the overnight ceasefire. Sunset is at 20.50 with sunrise at 5am. Shall we call an 8pm finish and an 8am start?

Also, if we haven't already, would it be worth calling this a dry event?

S

Given the terrain I don't think there is any point using pyros other than road-side charges to stop vehicles (which would be laid by you ad-hoc, no need for pre-positioning - with our agreement that say, charges would be on the left of the road edge and German foot troops must keep to the right). Short cable lengths, clackers and close eyes-on should make it safe - only 10g charges needed.

The main camping camp is obviously out of game play - I was talking about objective in-game camps (German starting point and ending point, Russian constructed hides within the woods).

As yes, there needs to be some sort of culmination at the end of the first day.

More ambushes !

Reckon the Germans should aim to do 6-7 single "convoys" on the Saturday , on varying but known routes with the russkis attacking them then melting back into the forest .

Myself and Steve take half each (plus we got Diggah as well and the IED pair), that way both of us can use single bang in a boxes to "halt" the convoy and signal attack .

Germans ride up to the ammo boxes and then walk back patrol on foot ( russians will not look to attack empty trucks outwards bound)

Russians can have a FOB as well , probably up the other end of the valley .

As most of the action will take place on one of three "routes" the russians don't need to run up and down the valley much , just swap between routes.

Sunday morning - suggest a Katusha is put into play north of point B , we can fire some whistly rockets out of it (ground based pyro show optional) and have a final battle around that . In fact if we use bang in a box, we could "rocket" 500m from the german camp in the morning ot get everyone going .

Germans can regen at base , russians at FOB, both sides can use the 20 minutes and back in the game rule .

Really, REALLY, we mustn't have the German regen at the communal campsite base.

Very bad idea.

Really, REALLY, we mustn't have the German regen at the communal campsite base.

Very bad idea.

Agreed.

Ideally, the two bases used for the days play should be equidistant from the campsite.