MiguelSerranoFan
Educated
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2022
- Messages
- 73
Figured I would start off my 'dex posting career by doing something beyond shitposting about shit games in General Gaming, so welcome to my first "LP". Unlike a normal LP, though, you'll be the ones commanding the troops, not me. Fully inspired by ValeVelKal's thread on Syrian Warfare.
(I've done similar things on imageboards before, but this is the first time I've done this on an actual forum. If anything needs to be better clarified or changed, please let me know)
The game YOU will be playing is Combat Mission: Fortress Italy. Combat Mission is a realistic 3D tactics simulator portraying military forces from a variety of time periods, robust enough in realism that its modern setting installments, like Shock Force and Black Sea, are used as training tools in several militaries around the world. All you need to know about it is that it allows you to issue commands to individual squads, emplacements, and vehicles via waypoints, and will only involve ground forces. While there is (abstracted) air power, we won't have any of that in this scenario.
Also important to know is that Combat Mission operates on a WEGO turn-based system. Basically, you and your opponent (in this case, the AI) input your commands, and then end your turn. Once the turn phase ends, 60 seconds of game time passes wherein those commands are executed, and you are not able to execute any commands until those 60 seconds are over. Obviously, this makes scouting and thinking ahead very important. If you order a squad to move to a position across an open field and a hidden machinegun nest appears in that exact spot, you can't change that order until the turn ends (although, units have their own "TacAI" which might kick in and make them take cover, run away, morale and suppression are also simulated by this TacAI).
We'll be playing on Elite, which changes the spotting mechanics. Unlike most RTTs, units in CM's higher difficulties won't know a unit they can't see is there, even if another unit can. For the most part, this doesn't really matter as the omniscient commander, although it can help units spot hard-to-see enemies. Where this does matter is in coordination. For instance, an infantry commander cannot coordinate fire with an on-map mortar team unless he's in shouting distance, or if he is in radio contact with a unit near the mortar team that can relay his commands and adjustments.
For the format of this LC, 'dexers will reserve command of certain portions of the force we're commanding, first come first serve. If there are any reinforcements (there are in this scenario), those slots will open up as they appear. Those who take command of very small elements will have the chance to take command of portions of the reinforcements as well. Then, you can either give me vague orders ("Run that squad to that building!", "Set up the machinegun on the hill so it can see that squad!", etc.) or, alternatively, you can draw out the waypoints yourself on the map (which I can screenshot if need be).
This will probably be a total disaster.
SCENARIO:
August 10th, 1943, Northern Sicily
A Company, 3rd Ranger Battalion, US Army
Scenario size: Small
Scenario length: 40 minutes a.k.a. 40 turns
You are part of a company of Rangers making their way through fascist Italy. A small contingent of Germans are holed up in the town of Vallebruca and its neighboring church, and it's your job to clear them out and capture the both. To do this, you have a platoon of infantry (HQ unit and 2x infantry squads of seven men), two machinegun teams with M1919A4s, a 60mm mortar team, an off-map 81mm mortar team that can be called in by certain officers, and one M5 light tank. You will be reinforced by more infantry, artillery, and armor within 15 minutes (15 turns).
The briefing:
And the accompanying tactical map:
Finally, here's a view of the actual map, from our deployment zone:
Note that the dark blue area is the zones we can deploy our units in, including the copse of trees to the right.
FORCES:
As previously mentioned, you'll all be reserving a portion of the force to order around. To do so, simply make a post below stating which element of the ones listed you want to take. For now, it'll be first come, first serve, but those who take the small elements (like the mortar team and the machinegun teams) will have dibs on taking command of incoming reinforcements, if they wish to.
Unlike ValeVelKal's LC, almost all of these elements (vehicles excepted) will contain multiple commandable units within them. This minimizes bloat and lowers the amount of people required to play. Reinforcement command allocation may be more or less granular, depending on interest.
M5 Stuart: Status: Closed - taken by Endemic
1 unit
An upgraded version of the M3 Stuart, this one was roomier and quieter than its predecessor. However, it still has a puny 37mm gun, although this gun comes with a shitload of ammo, 88 high explosive, 44 armor piercing, and 13 canister shot, as well as >6k .30 cal for the coaxial and commander's machineguns. The Rangers uparmored the turret with some treads, but don't expect that to do much against any decent anti-tank gun. This is an HQ tank, and therefore has a radio.
A Company, 2nd Platoon HQ: Status: Closed - taken by Dayyālu
1 unit
This element consists of a four man HQ unit with the only infantry radio at the beginning of the scenario, two Thompsons and one scoped Springfield. 360 rounds for the Thompsons, 170 rounds for the Garand and Springfield, 8 grenades. This HQ unit can currently call in one section of 81mm mortars from off-map, although this will take a good amount of turns and require visual on the target area to coordinate spotting rounds.
A Company, 2nd Platoon 1st Section: Status: Closed - taken by Kalarion
1 unit
This element consists of a seven man rifle squad. Two Thompsons, one rifle grenadier. ~600 rounds of .30, 360 rounds of .45, 3 rifle grenades, 12 normal grenades. No radio, but they have two satchel charges capable for AT or blowing up walls.
A Company, 2nd Platoon 2nd Section: Status: Closed - taken by ValeVelKal
1 unit
This element is another rifle squad, this time with one of the pixeltruppen carrying an M1A1 bazooka. 4 rockets for the bazooka, 2 satchel charges, ~500 .30, 360 .45, 3 rifle grenades, and 12 normal grenades.
A Company Mortar Team: Status: Closed - taken by Helly
1 unit
A five man team with a 60mm mortar, armed with M1 Garands, M1 carbines, and pistols, as well as the tube itself. Not much ammo for their personal weapons, so best not get them in a firefight. The mortar must be set up before it can be fired, obviously. As you have no radio, it will be hard to have your fire directed by A company HQ until other units with radios show up. However, you can move around and direct fire (engage targets you can see).
A Company, 2nd Platoon Machinegun Teams: Status: Closed - taken by Andnjord
2 units
Two teams of three men, both lugging around M1919A4 belt-fed medium machineguns. Unlike the German MG34s or MG42s, the M1919 cannot be used freehand, and must be set up on a tripod before being able to fire, so keep that in mind.
REINFORCEMENTS
1st Platoon HQ: Status: Open
A four man team with a radio and a sniper. Able to call in off-map artillery and coordinate with other radio teams to direct on-map artillery.
1st Pl., 1st Section: Status: Closed - taken by baud
A ten man squad with a BAR gunner, a rifle grenadier, and two Thompsons.
1st Pl., 2nd Section: Status: Open
A ten man with more-or-less the same loadout as the first section, with the exception of one M1 Bazooka with four missiles.
A Company HQ: Status: Open
A three man team with a radio. Able to call in off-map artillery and coordinate with other radio teams to direct on-map artillery.
A Company, 2nd Section Mortar: Status: Open
A five man team with a deployable 60mm mortar.
Unit Reservation Priorities:
1. Any incoming new players
2. Dayyālu
3. Helly
4. Andnjord
5. Kalarion
ORDERS:
A more detailed overview of the map, the first orders, and so on, will all be detailed in a later post, when all or most of the slots have been filled. Slots may be merged or separated further depending on interest. Remember, first come, first serve. Good luck!
For incoming reinforcement players, please check page 4 for the latest end-of-turn map and issue your orders there.
(I've done similar things on imageboards before, but this is the first time I've done this on an actual forum. If anything needs to be better clarified or changed, please let me know)
The game YOU will be playing is Combat Mission: Fortress Italy. Combat Mission is a realistic 3D tactics simulator portraying military forces from a variety of time periods, robust enough in realism that its modern setting installments, like Shock Force and Black Sea, are used as training tools in several militaries around the world. All you need to know about it is that it allows you to issue commands to individual squads, emplacements, and vehicles via waypoints, and will only involve ground forces. While there is (abstracted) air power, we won't have any of that in this scenario.
Also important to know is that Combat Mission operates on a WEGO turn-based system. Basically, you and your opponent (in this case, the AI) input your commands, and then end your turn. Once the turn phase ends, 60 seconds of game time passes wherein those commands are executed, and you are not able to execute any commands until those 60 seconds are over. Obviously, this makes scouting and thinking ahead very important. If you order a squad to move to a position across an open field and a hidden machinegun nest appears in that exact spot, you can't change that order until the turn ends (although, units have their own "TacAI" which might kick in and make them take cover, run away, morale and suppression are also simulated by this TacAI).
We'll be playing on Elite, which changes the spotting mechanics. Unlike most RTTs, units in CM's higher difficulties won't know a unit they can't see is there, even if another unit can. For the most part, this doesn't really matter as the omniscient commander, although it can help units spot hard-to-see enemies. Where this does matter is in coordination. For instance, an infantry commander cannot coordinate fire with an on-map mortar team unless he's in shouting distance, or if he is in radio contact with a unit near the mortar team that can relay his commands and adjustments.
For the format of this LC, 'dexers will reserve command of certain portions of the force we're commanding, first come first serve. If there are any reinforcements (there are in this scenario), those slots will open up as they appear. Those who take command of very small elements will have the chance to take command of portions of the reinforcements as well. Then, you can either give me vague orders ("Run that squad to that building!", "Set up the machinegun on the hill so it can see that squad!", etc.) or, alternatively, you can draw out the waypoints yourself on the map (which I can screenshot if need be).
This will probably be a total disaster.
SCENARIO:
August 10th, 1943, Northern Sicily
A Company, 3rd Ranger Battalion, US Army
Scenario size: Small
Scenario length: 40 minutes a.k.a. 40 turns
You are part of a company of Rangers making their way through fascist Italy. A small contingent of Germans are holed up in the town of Vallebruca and its neighboring church, and it's your job to clear them out and capture the both. To do this, you have a platoon of infantry (HQ unit and 2x infantry squads of seven men), two machinegun teams with M1919A4s, a 60mm mortar team, an off-map 81mm mortar team that can be called in by certain officers, and one M5 light tank. You will be reinforced by more infantry, artillery, and armor within 15 minutes (15 turns).
The briefing:
And the accompanying tactical map:
Finally, here's a view of the actual map, from our deployment zone:
Note that the dark blue area is the zones we can deploy our units in, including the copse of trees to the right.
FORCES:
As previously mentioned, you'll all be reserving a portion of the force to order around. To do so, simply make a post below stating which element of the ones listed you want to take. For now, it'll be first come, first serve, but those who take the small elements (like the mortar team and the machinegun teams) will have dibs on taking command of incoming reinforcements, if they wish to.
Unlike ValeVelKal's LC, almost all of these elements (vehicles excepted) will contain multiple commandable units within them. This minimizes bloat and lowers the amount of people required to play. Reinforcement command allocation may be more or less granular, depending on interest.
M5 Stuart: Status: Closed - taken by Endemic
1 unit
An upgraded version of the M3 Stuart, this one was roomier and quieter than its predecessor. However, it still has a puny 37mm gun, although this gun comes with a shitload of ammo, 88 high explosive, 44 armor piercing, and 13 canister shot, as well as >6k .30 cal for the coaxial and commander's machineguns. The Rangers uparmored the turret with some treads, but don't expect that to do much against any decent anti-tank gun. This is an HQ tank, and therefore has a radio.
A Company, 2nd Platoon HQ: Status: Closed - taken by Dayyālu
1 unit
This element consists of a four man HQ unit with the only infantry radio at the beginning of the scenario, two Thompsons and one scoped Springfield. 360 rounds for the Thompsons, 170 rounds for the Garand and Springfield, 8 grenades. This HQ unit can currently call in one section of 81mm mortars from off-map, although this will take a good amount of turns and require visual on the target area to coordinate spotting rounds.
A Company, 2nd Platoon 1st Section: Status: Closed - taken by Kalarion
1 unit
This element consists of a seven man rifle squad. Two Thompsons, one rifle grenadier. ~600 rounds of .30, 360 rounds of .45, 3 rifle grenades, 12 normal grenades. No radio, but they have two satchel charges capable for AT or blowing up walls.
A Company, 2nd Platoon 2nd Section: Status: Closed - taken by ValeVelKal
1 unit
This element is another rifle squad, this time with one of the pixeltruppen carrying an M1A1 bazooka. 4 rockets for the bazooka, 2 satchel charges, ~500 .30, 360 .45, 3 rifle grenades, and 12 normal grenades.
A Company Mortar Team: Status: Closed - taken by Helly
1 unit
A five man team with a 60mm mortar, armed with M1 Garands, M1 carbines, and pistols, as well as the tube itself. Not much ammo for their personal weapons, so best not get them in a firefight. The mortar must be set up before it can be fired, obviously. As you have no radio, it will be hard to have your fire directed by A company HQ until other units with radios show up. However, you can move around and direct fire (engage targets you can see).
A Company, 2nd Platoon Machinegun Teams: Status: Closed - taken by Andnjord
2 units
Two teams of three men, both lugging around M1919A4 belt-fed medium machineguns. Unlike the German MG34s or MG42s, the M1919 cannot be used freehand, and must be set up on a tripod before being able to fire, so keep that in mind.
REINFORCEMENTS
1st Platoon HQ: Status: Open
A four man team with a radio and a sniper. Able to call in off-map artillery and coordinate with other radio teams to direct on-map artillery.
1st Pl., 1st Section: Status: Closed - taken by baud
A ten man squad with a BAR gunner, a rifle grenadier, and two Thompsons.
1st Pl., 2nd Section: Status: Open
A ten man with more-or-less the same loadout as the first section, with the exception of one M1 Bazooka with four missiles.
A Company HQ: Status: Open
A three man team with a radio. Able to call in off-map artillery and coordinate with other radio teams to direct on-map artillery.
A Company, 2nd Section Mortar: Status: Open
A five man team with a deployable 60mm mortar.
Unit Reservation Priorities:
1. Any incoming new players
2. Dayyālu
3. Helly
4. Andnjord
5. Kalarion
ORDERS:
For incoming reinforcement players, please check page 4 for the latest end-of-turn map and issue your orders there.
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