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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Command: Modern Operations series >> Mods and Scenarios >> Orders of Battle

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Orders of Battle - 1/23/2021 12:57:56 AM

bladesinger79

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Joined: 1/14/2016
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Before I do a ton of frustrating research for potential campaigns or simple scenarios, I want to know if CMO provides a roster of ships for navies at specific dates.

EXAMPLE: I want to run a 2005 WWIII scenario pitting the US Navy vs China. I want to know who had what for the year 2005 for both sides.

Or, should I just wing it and go on?

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RE: Orders of Battle - 1/23/2021 4:06:45 AM

Mgellis

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Joined: 8/18/2007
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CMO includes variations on different classes of ships, and the years they are introduced, but not the specific ships. For that, you would have to look up the individual ship and find out when it was launched, commissioned, etc. Some web sites provide a lot of details, https://www.hullnumber.com/ is one of them, but depending on how close you want to get to actual historical deployments, etc., you'll have to do some digging.

Various reference works like Jane's Fighting Ships and The Military Balance are available. They're kind of expensive, but used copies show up on e-bay, etc. I hope this helps.

quote:

ORIGINAL: bladesinger79

Before I do a ton of frustrating research for potential campaigns or simple scenarios, I want to know if CMO provides a roster of ships for navies at specific dates.

EXAMPLE: I want to run a 2005 WWIII scenario pitting the US Navy vs China. I want to know who had what for the year 2005 for both sides.

Or, should I just wing it and go on?

(in reply to bladesinger79)

Post #: 2

RE: Orders of Battle - 1/23/2021 7:09:47 PM

Coiler12

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quote:

ORIGINAL: bladesinger79
Or, should I just wing it and go on?

This is what I would recommend in this case. For this kind of scenario, you shouldn't worry about being the most "exact".

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Post #: 3

RE: Orders of Battle - 1/24/2021 2:02:48 AM

Rob322

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Joined: 8/16/2004
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quote:

ORIGINAL: bladesinger79

Before I do a ton of frustrating research for potential campaigns or simple scenarios, I want to know if CMO provides a roster of ships for navies at specific dates.

EXAMPLE: I want to run a 2005 WWIII scenario pitting the US Navy vs China. I want to know who had what for the year 2005 for both sides.

Or, should I just wing it and go on?

There's a wealth of information out there that's pretty easy to hunt down. For instance, want to do a nuclear Cuban Missile Crisis scenario and want to know the US ICBM force composition? Details about the SSBN fleet or SAC's bombers? Here it is: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/event/2012_10_24_Norris_Cuban_Missile_Crisis_Nuclear_Order_of_Battle.pdf

Winging it is cool too.

(in reply to bladesinger79)

Post #: 4

RE: Orders of Battle - 1/25/2021 12:08:07 AM

BeirutDude

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Joined: 4/27/2013
From: Jacksonville, FL, USA
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So I tend to be detailed in my OOB and try to be as historical as possible. I have found a variety of websites both historical and open source intel which give decent information. Sometimes you just don't know, but I usually research all units to see if they could have been there. For example if I'm doing a 1986 scenario I research the ships to make sure they weren't in the yards or deployed elsewhere at the time. I try to make sure they are in the right fleet, drives me crazy to see a West Pac ship show up in Norway! To me its a bummer if the USS America is in a scenario and in reality she was in SLEP at that time.

Now all of the above said, sometimes you have to wing it, and as ROB322 said, "winging it is cool too!

"

< Message edited by BeirutDude -- 1/25/2021 12:09:56 AM >

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(in reply to bladesinger79)

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RE: Orders of Battle - 1/25/2021 12:27:49 AM

Rob322

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Joined: 8/16/2004
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quote:

ORIGINAL: BeirutDude

So I tend to be detailed in my OOB and try to be as historical as possible. I have found a variety of websites both historical and open source intel which give decent information. Sometimes you just don't know, but I usually research all units to see if they could have been there. For example if I'm doing a 1986 scenario I research the ships to make sure they weren't in the yards or deployed elsewhere at the time. I try to make sure they are in the right fleet, drives me crazy to see a West Pac ship show up in Norway! To me its a bummer if the USS America is in a scenario and in reality she was in SLEP at that time.

Now all of the above said, sometimes you have to wing it, and as ROB322 said, "winging it is cool too! "

I prefer them to be as accurate as possible. I don't make scenarios but I do a ton of airbases and like to also provide historical insights into the base tenants, both now and historical.

(in reply to BeirutDude)

Post #: 6

RE: Orders of Battle - 1/25/2021 3:29:43 PM

Gunner98

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Joined: 4/29/2005
From: The Great White North!
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I tend to go with an 'accuracy within reason' approach. If something doesn't fit the scenario you want to build, put a line in the backstory to explain it away, but that tends to be the exception (like the Enterprise being available when it should have been in dry-dock).

There are lots and lots of really good sites, and I try and get at least 2-3 sources. The research is not hard but there will be gaps. If you have a gap you need to MSU (Make @#$% Up).

B

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Post #: 7

RE: Orders of Battle - 1/25/2021 4:15:01 PM

T Rav

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Joined: 5/29/2004
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I'm not a designer at any level. I'm just a user of other people's imagination. I agree with every post above; try to be accurate. Nobody likes to see ahistorical stuff.

That said Gunner98's MSU recommendation is perfect!

Back into lurker mode,
T Rav

(in reply to Gunner98)

Post #: 8