Map Size

[Panzermeyer]

I have to say that I also tend to play the long WW2 campaign at the scale of a rifle company with support, and the 80x80 default seems too big to me. Next time I am going to try 40.

So what would be the real frontage for a company with support? I think players should go at least a little bigger than reality to avoid the issue of unrealistic flank protection given by the map edge.

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by Panzermeyer

I have to say that I also tend to play the long WW2 campaign at the scale of a rifle company with support, and the 80x80 default seems too big to me. Next time I am going to try 40.

So what would be the real frontage for a company with support? I think players should go at least a little bigger than reality to avoid the issue of unrealistic flank protection given by the map edge.

See my previous post, and recall that a battalion is typically 3 companies, plus maybe an attached "foreign" one and some supports.

So - halve what I said, as it would be typically 2 companies "up" and the third held in reserve (as discussed in the game play notes section of the Game Guide). So 500-750 metres. (10-15 hexes), call it 20 to make the human player have to spread out a bit.

Andy

[Brian61]

There are at least three factors involved in choosing a map size for me: force size, force composition, and opponent. I've never tried to directly relate any of these factors to points although I suppose it could be done.

I usually use somewhere between a company and an understrength battalion for my core force since I prefer smaller battles. If I'm using an infantry heavy force, then a frontage of as small as 30 hexes is workable. With a highly mobile force I prefer a wider frontage, usually 60 hexes - otherwise the force mobility isn't worth as much.

When it comes to depth, against the AI with a mix of armor and infantry I find that a 60 hex depth is a good choice. With an 80 hex depth the AI's infantry tends to be too far separated from its armor. If I turn on armor heavy, then 80 hex depth is more interesting. If the enemy force is predominately infantry an 80 hex depth works fine too, especially for larger battles.

Historically, I'd go with Andy's info but realize that in some periods and some fronts units were sometimes assigned a much wider frontage, especially when on the defensive. Keep in mind though that the AI doesn't seem to do as well in sparse settings.