Wild Bill
Posts: 6821
Joined: 4/7/2000
From: Smyrna, Ga, 30080
Status: offline
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WOW! I mean WOW!
What a great response, gentlemen! I'm thrilled to see so much interest. Those creative juices flowing abundantly now, huh?
And I read these names, I know you all to one degree or another.
Well, let's comment and answer a few queries here.
1. The scenario choices are quite good. A campaign on the 9th Armored during BoB would be a good. The poor unit really took a pounding at Clervaux all the way back to Bastogne. Another good one would be the 10th, with the various task forces and "teams" blocking the Germans.
THe Aleutians is great. Did one on that mad suicide charge at Attu.
The German advance 41 is another. These are all very good choices.
Tankhead, I did a series of 10 scenarios in SPI called SP goes to the Movies. I included...yes, Sahara. It actually played very well. Perhaps some old diehards remember that one. I also did two from Cross of Iron, one from "A Walk in the Sun," one from "Breakthrough," one from "Hell is for Heroes," another from "The Longest Day,"and a couple of Pacific ones too.
Some folks thought it was a dumb idea. Yeah? Well, people still write, 6 years later wanting to know where to get those scenarios :D.
In fact, here is the text (They had to be brief in SP) for that one. I'll attach it at the end, Rick. It can be done!
Historical or "what if"...hard question to answer. I prefer the former but have done both.
And here is an important point, very important!
Historical...what is historical? You don't have to research every tree on the ground or rock pile or have each squad leader's name to be historical.
And who would have all those facts? It's impossible.
In my mind a historical scenario is one which accurately portrays the feel of that moment with units as close as possible and terrain at least close to the original.
Don't get swept away with so much detail that you miss the purpose of a good historical scenario.
Does the scenario make me feel like Colonel Cole near Carentan when he orders a bayonet charge? Or Wittmann as he stumbles across a gold mine of targets, or the fatalistic charge of Russian tanks against better trained, more disciplined German panzer commanders? Does it have that feel?
That is the KEY to successful scenario design. The purist, of course, demands all "t"s crossed and "i"s dotted.
But don't feel that if you don't have ALL the facts you can't do a scenario. That is just not true.
I'll deal with this in more detail later.
You guys are good students. If you have your topic picked, begin to research it. Find books, internet sites, anything that will help you get information. If you get stuck, post a plea for help right here. I bet you will get an answer.
Now did I cover it all? I think so. I hope so. If I missed your point or question, remind me ;)
Okay Rick...here is the background..The Movie and The Moment (The scenario). The rest of you can read it if you wish. ;)
Wild Bill
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SAHARA THE MOVIE
The Movie
Released in 1943, the movie uses as a background the German offensive at Gazala in June 1942. A small group of American tankers of the US 2nd Armored Division were in North Africa at that time to gain experience in desert warfare. They too were caught up in the fighting.
The plot is built around the tank crew of an M-3 Lee tank named "LuluBelle." Its commander, Sergeant Joe Gunn (Humphrey Bogart), gathers up the two remaining crew members and heads south away from the Germans and toward friendly forces after undergoing an intense bombardment and being separated from the British unit to which they were attached.
Things are very confused as is often the case in battle. On the way Sgt. Gunn encounters a small mixed group of Allied soldiers. A British medical officer whose field hospital has just been wiped out by Stuka dive bombers leads them. Among the group are English, Irish, French, Australian, and South African.
After a discussion as to what they should do, the infantry group joins forces with the tank and they proceed onward. As they continue, they run across a Sudanese soldier with an Italian prisoner. They too join the group.
This polyglot group of ten is desperate for water and are led by Tambul, the Sudanese, to a water hole at Bier Kromma. Not far behind them are remnants of a German mechanized battalion, also desperately searching for water.
Once aware of the oncoming enemy force, the Allied group first considers blowing up the hole and retreating, but afterward decide to hold it against the Germans. Vastly outnumbered, they set up defensive positions.
A very intense battle ensues. Waco, one of the tank crew members, is sent in a captured armored car to find the Allied lines and return with help. The struggle is intense and finally takes the lives of all but two of the defenders.
German attacking forces are decimated in the successive attacks. But enough of the plot, the movie is worth watching, and the scenario is worth playing.
The Scenario
The scenario is built around the battle at the waterhole at Bier Kromma. The M-3 tank "LuluBelle" is dug in, as are the infantry against the oncoming Germans. There are three objective points that must be taken by the Axis forces.
Even though the German forces greatly outnumber the defenders (at about 10 to 1), they have little with which to combat the tank. Both sides stand about an equal chance at a moderate victory. To achieve more, you'll need good tactics and some luck.
_____________________________
 In Arduis Fidelis Wild Bill Wilder Independent Game Consultant
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Scenario Design 101 - Art of War #1 - 
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