Scenario Recommendations
 

Hi all,

Which scenarios would you recommend as being balanced and interesting for solo play? I've tried a variety so far and found some to be a little unbalanced in playability terms. I'm quite happy to play in any period/theatre but prefer about a battalion strength force in terms of scale.

Re: Scenario Recommendations
 

Ha tricky question how good are you in say generated battle vs the AI with it having the better side? Some are purposely unbalanced giving a historic situation.

Re: Scenario Recommendations
 

I've not played any player generated battles/campaigns yet as I'm still getting a feel for the system. Initially I've played quite a few defensive orientated scenarios to get a feel for the game mechanics. So I guess I'm quite used to fighting at a numerical disadvantage.

Re: Scenario Recommendations
 

Maybe somebody else can help then as that info does not help me. If you are learning the mechanics generated battle might be the way to go as you can choose the type of engagement, attack, defend, meeting. The easist way to start set your purchase points large enough to allow you to buy a force the size you want. Set AIs (player2) to XXX. It wil buy a suitable force for the meeting type. As learning you might want to set air to zero then dial it in when you have ground forces a bit sussed. This will also let you buy diffrent stuff to try it out.

Re: Scenario Recommendations
 

There is really no way for anyone to accurately answer that for you without a fair bit of luck involved guessing at your personal preferences and experience with the game.

What might be "balanced and interesting " for you might not be for someone else. To some players anything that doesn't have 90% tanks isn't interesting.:smirk: The tutorial section of the game Guide lists 10 good "beginner" sceanrios but whether you will find them "balanced and interesting " is going to be entirely up to you

001-Organized Chaos, 8/39 Germany vs Poland
004-Graftrom’s Raid, 3/40 Sweden vs Soviet Union
011-Gavrus, 6/44 Germany vs Great Britain
048-Seela’s Pioneers, 8/43 Germany vs Soviet Union
062-The Plains Before the Rhine, 2/45 USA vs Germany
072-Sacrifice of the Few, 11/37 China vs Japan
099-The Wiking’s Castle, 1/45 Germany vs Soviet Union
113-Langemark at Narva, Day 1, 7/44 Germany vs Soviet Union
118-Market Garden Prelim, 9/44 USA vs Germany
267-Charge to Glory 9/39 Poland vs Germany

From what you've said "about a battalion strength force" I'm guessing you're happy with a force that might take up two pages of the HQ menu. If yes then that sould be your guide when picking something to play. Try sceanrio 53. That one has a high "re-playabilty factor" and is about 2 1/2 pages of units


Don

Re: Scenario Recommendations
 

if you are still learning, then the best thing to do is as others have suggested and play random battles, not scenarios.

Set the players to Germany and Soviet Union in game options, and the date to 6/42. First player will be you - so SU or Nazi as you like it, at this point the technology is relatively even (T34 for SU, Nazis have access to the long 75mm variants).

In the game itself, ensure the preferences points are big enough - put in a silly number like 10000. You are not going to spend that as you said you want a battalion or so, it just ensures there is enough cash in the kitty. Or just press the "Max points" button in the purchase screen.

Now set up a meeting engagement. It is the simplest game type and more "even". Whatever points you spend, the AI player 2 will get, provided you left the player 2 points to XXX.

Now, play several successive games like this (6 to 10 meeters at the same opponent and time, perhaps). Experiment with your force types and structures, and the game itself (e.g. learn how to select maps, spin the V-hexes and so on in the "view map" section as described in the Game Guide). Learn the purchase system. Try tank-heavy, balanced and other force structures. see what support troops tend to be useful (flak, SP-mortars, whatever) and what ones might not be generally so (police, partisans, whatever).

Don't worry too much about "winning" and "losing" in your initial games, try to learn from "what-if" actions. You will learn what not to do and what not to do from practical experience, just like military officers would do in training. These battles will be training exercises, not "competitive" - feel free to abandon and restart such games. Save off your training game before you try a "bright idea" and you can reload after learning - maybe to try another one :)!.

Once you have done a dozen or so such scratch training games, you will know more about the system. (Use arty, air, infantry (mech and leg both) etc in your games and see what benefits they bring, and any weak points).

Then you may want to try a few types other than meeters - try a delay on your side or an assault for you, whatever. Again, just for training value and not any kudos of "winning".

Random battles are more fun - since the set up and force used against you as well as map etc will change. (I find scenarios are usually play-once things in any case)

Andy

Re: Scenario Recommendations
 

Thanks for the replies for what was on reflection a somewhat ill considered question.
Whilst I have wargamed for some years this is the first squad level game I have really played. So I guess it is a case of learning what works. Having vehicles knocked out, or dameaged beyond effective use, in one go rather than step reductions takes some getting used to. In other words developing a feel for the gaming battlefield.
I think you're right to put the beginner scenarios from the game manual in quotation marks DRG as one or two are quite brutal! I really struggled with 011-Gavrus. Personally, I think 062-The Plains Before the Rhine is a good taster for new players.

Re: Scenario Recommendations
 

011-Gavrus is recommended becasue it doesn't involve a lot of units unlike say.... #12- Operation Jupiter which is the complete opposite.

The bottom line is everybody is different and everybody has a different learning curve and prefences. There are some pure infanrty slugfests that won't interest the tankers but will interest the people who understand infantry IS the Queen of battle.

The only other suggestion I would have is pick a sceanrio based on your particular interest. If you're interesting in the Russian front don't pick the South Pacific. I've found if people can connect with the game it makes it easier to learn. Small generated battles can be intersting. Something on a 30x30 map with one page of units. One way of playing out this as a "learning experience" is to pick for the AI then let it deploy and play those units. That way you have a bit more control.

Another way is "SP Chess" Pick the same force from the same nation for the AI as you have and fight it out.

Don

Re: Scenario Recommendations
 

Just a quick two pfennings worth, once you have got some training behind you it sounds like you will enjoy the Campaigns vs AI, there you must worry the next battles and next year etc. Then PBEM Campaigns!:up:

Love this game, Bob out:D

Re: Scenario Recommendations
 

I am enjoying the game very much just trying out a bunch of scenarios in different periods. Been playing around with the generated battles just to see what buy options are available without actually playing anything yet. Might try one with computer controlled purchase next as it seems to purchase reasonable forces though at times lacking in company sized units.