Impromptu Games

I will be able to join tomorrow. Am fully prepared to use my extensive array of non skills to help turn the collective gaming experience into a journey through mediocrity

Another failure yesterday. I doubt you could push the mediocrity levels any lower with your esteemed presence.

We have found a new map which has some ladies underwear hanging on the line that you may wish to add to your collection.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pln7t5mbt9dz75d/bloomers.jpg

Shame on you, Digby. You should not be so quick to underestimate Pat's ability to formulate the perfect disaster.

I can play today at the usual time, 14:00 EST, 19:00 GMT.
Friday's battle was a Russian defeat as already reported. The French set up a formidable defense of three towns. They willingly ceded to us the high ground. It did us no good. Every time our men popped their heads over the top, the French artillery took their heads off. Very unsportsmanlike.

I have another scenario on the new Souffel map we can do, its set 3 days after the last battle. We are the Russians again.

I've an 8-player PvP ready as well.

Or Kevin can indulge Phil with his new supply wagons game.

Turns out that the friend invited me for tomorrow... so I can play today... but if I remember not many could play today anyway? I'll pop into Discord just in case...

Today is not in the cards for me

But Friday is definitely a game day for me

Until then - Merry Christmas to all

I can play today at the usual time, 14:00 EST, 19:00 GMT.

I have two scenarios if no-one else has one. 4vs4 PvP on one of the random maps and a second battle on the Souffel map set three days after the first one. The players are the Russians again.

I have a special one in the works for Kevin -- I have my own "Kevin" folder I recently created -- and am playtesting it a bit. Might not be ready in time. Yours sounds great. I will be there

Hi Guys and a Merry Christmas to you all

I can play tonight. looking forward to it.

Guys, I'm sorry about my behaviour in the last game I played.

On reflection, I realise that I was unkind in my interpretation of the performance of one or two of my subordinate commanders. If I upset anyone, I appologise .

I was a bit fired up from work and drank too much beer, too quickly. I expect some of you are quite used to this from me by now but thank you, all the same, for being both gracious and accommodating.

I'm not promising to be completely sober tonight but if I start annoying anyone please remind me to 'put the Kettle on' and lock up the Mini-bar

Ha haha, don't feel bad about that Mike. Join the club in fact. I am sure some of you will have noticed that I imbibe rather more than is good for me in some games. I ripped Kevin a new one a while back over the new skirmishers system after too many G&Ts, to my everlasting shame and embarrassment. I took care to apologise to him privately afterwards but a public apology for my rant to all of you is long overdue. I am not sure I can ever live with the new skirmish system, it just isn't enjoyable for me due to its high level of chaos theory control values! Kevin though is welcome to keep testing it.

I do wonder what kinds of problems having dual systems might cause for us down the line though. I don't think its good that in some games I am limited to which divisions I can play due to this new system so perhaps a tool is needed that can generate a scenario file on the fly that can swap out the number values in the last column at a moments notice so that the corps C-in-C isn't constrained to where he can place my command.

Something to discuss elsewhere perhaps and get a few other points of view.

Mike - I didn't really notice you were being crabby at all. I heard you comment that you were riding around giving orders to move but players seemed to be fixed in place conducting artillery bombardments but we are all adult enough to receive harsh (but loving) criticisms and shrug them off. Your comments seemed no worse than many others I've heard and I do understand your frustration. You raise a fair point which is that players might want to obey C-in-C orders more than they currently do since what we are trying to simulate is a military command structure and post-battle very bad things indeed might befall a subordinate who is disobedient.

I have some thoughts on this we could chat about. Something that would link player commands over a series of games. Something with a hint of the GCM system about it, but not necessarily a copy of the GCM system. If a commander does well in a game, or is disobedient, that affects his troops in a subsequent game. This could be linked to player score as well as a post battle discussion with awards for the finest and worst performances as agreed by those present.

My own lack of any ability to subordinate tasks and my desire to manipulate units by ordering player subordinates to move a battalion here or a battery there is why I almost never take the C-in-C role. There's a terribly strong controlling part of me but an insecurity in being in charge that really messes with my interactions in teams sometimes. I can't help myself from giving orders far below the level a corps commander should. Its why I like organising campaigns so much. I can be in control and have full knowledge of what's going on but without having to actually give anyone any orders or having any authority.

Anyhow, lots to think about. I can open a couple of discussions either on here or on Discord for us.

Which raises another issue - can we disable the Discord chat feature? New players are using that to ask questions and I personally would really have all discussion here. Kevin - do we have any options in how our Discord channel is configured? Or should we finally let the 20th century go, embrace the 21st and use Discord more for SoWWL KS Mod discussions?

Just in case another "Hamburger Hill" scenario appeals, here's the La Souffel scenario I have:

Situation:

Three days later...

Middle Rhine, July 1815

A great battle was fought south of Brussels in Belgium on the 18th June at which the Anglo-Allied army of the Duke of Wellington was decisively defeated. The Prussians, with Blucher gravely ill following his wounds sustained at Ligny, are falling back along their lines of communication towards the Lower Rhine. The perfidious English are in full retreat on Ghent and Antwerp. Napoleon occupied the Belgian capital, dictating terms to the states of the Low Countries. He has dissolved the Royal Dutch-Belgian army and is incorporating the regiments wholesale into a new Army of the Helvetic League.

However all is not lost. The armies of Russia and Austria have reached the Rhine and made crossings a week and a half ago in the areas of Dusseldorf and Koblenz respectively. The Russian corps of Mikhail Borozdin led the unstoppable Russian juggernaut. Three days ago the corps attacked and drove in the position of a large French corps that was defending the line of the Souffel river and the towns of Mundolsheim and Griesheim. While the attack did not achieve full success - the destruction of the enemy - the high ground was secured and the French retired north westward to lick their wounds.

Intelligence:

In the intervening three days we have received encouraging reports of the Austrians marching to the westwards well to the south of us and securing crossings over the River Marne. Paris is almost within reach. It has been decided that Borozdhin will hold the Mundolsheim position secured three days ago as a flank guard protecting the Austrian advance.

However reports indicate that Napoleon has left the Brussels reorganisations in the hands of subordinates and has ridden with speed south-east, bringing a corps against us drawn from garrisons and depots. Our Cossacks report enemy approaching from the north.

Objectives:

Hold your position. Not one step back! The principal ridge must be held as well as the towns of Mundolsheim, Dingsheim and Mittelhausbergen until nightfall.

Forces:

8-y Korpus: General-Poruchik Mikhail Borozdin I (27185 Inf. 12050 Cav. 92 Guns)

 27-y Diviziya: General-Mayor Dmitry Neverovsky (6065 Inf. 2480 Cav. 24 Guns)

  Grenader Brigada Tsvilenev: G-M Alexander Tsvilenev (2200 Inf. 4 btns gren. Avg. Exp. 6.2)
   Brigada Aleksopol: General-Mayor Fedor Aleksopol (2100 Inf. 4 btns musk. Avg. Exp. 5.8 )
   Grenader Brigada von Hesse: G-M Prints Emil von Hesse (1765 Inf. 4 btns gren. Avg. Exp. 6.3)
   Legkiy Kavaleriyskaya Brigada: Polkovnik D. Vasilchikov II (1220 Cav. 2 light regts Avg. Exp. 5.0)
   Gusar Brigada Dorokhov: General-Mayor Ivan Dorokhov (1260 Cav. 2 light regts Avg. Exp. 5.0)
   5-y Tyazhelaya Batareya Polozheniye: Podpolkovnik Bogdan Nilus II (12 12pdr Guns Avg. Exp. 5.0)
   48-y  Batareya Truppa: Podpolkovnik Peter Eriks (12 6pdr Guns Avg. Exp. 6.0)

 11-y Diviziya: General-Mayor Nikolay Bakhmetyev I (6180 Inf. 4100 Cav. 20 Guns)

   Brigada à nisyev: Polkovnik Peter Denisyev (3180 Inf. 6 btns musk. Avg. Exp. 4.7)
   Brigada Savoini: Polkovnik Yeremei (Geronimo) Savoini (3000 Inf. 6 btns musk. Avg. Exp. 4.8 )
   Gvardiya Kavaleriyskaya Brigada Shevich: G-M Ivan Shevich (1060 Cav. 2 heavy regts Avg. Exp. 8.0)
   Elisabethgrad Gusar: Polkovnik Gerasim Shostakov (1160 Cav. 2 light regts Avg. Exp. 5.0)
   Gvardiya Lieb-Kirasiry Brigada: G-M Nikolay Borozdin II (1880 Cav. 3 heavy regts Avg. Exp. 8.0)
   1-y Gvardiyas Konnaya Artilleriya: Kapitan Rostislav Zakharov (8 6pdr Guns Avg. Exp. 7.0)
   3-y Batareya Truppa: Kapitan Alexander Figner (12 6pdr Guns Avg. Exp. 5.0)

 3-y Diviziya: General-Poruchik Peter Konovnitsyn (9140 Inf. 2020 Cav. 24 Guns)

   Brigada Knyazhnin I: Polkovnik Alexander Knyazhnin I (2890 Inf. 6 btns musk. Avg. Exp. 5.2)
   Brigada Laptev: General-Mayor Vasily Laptev (3290 Inf. 6 btns musk. Avg. Exp. 5.2)
   Brigada Bogdanovsky: Podpolkovnik Andrey Bogdanovsky (2960 Inf. 6 btns musk. Avg. Exp. 4.8 )
   5-y Kazak Brigada: General-Mayor Dmitri Kuteinikov II (760 Cav. 2 light regts Avg. Exp. 3.0)
   1-y Dragunskiy Brigada: General-Mayor Stepan Dyatkov (1260 Cav. 2 medium regts Avg. Exp. 6.0)
   1-y Gvardiyas Tyazhelaya Batareya Polozheniye: Kapt A. Bazilevich (12 12pdr Guns Avg. Exp. 5.0)
   1-y Gvardiyas Batareya Truppa: Kapitan Aleksey Velyaminov (12 6pdr Guns Avg. Exp. 5.0)

 12-y Diviziya: Maj Gen Illarion Vasil'chikov (5800 Inf. 3450 Cav. 24 Guns)

   Brigada Ivelich: General-Mayor  Peter Ivelich IV (3220 Inf. 6 btns musk. Avg. Exp. 5.0)
   Brigada Tuchkov: General-Mayor Alexander Tuchkov (2580 Inf. 6 btns musk. Avg. Exp. 4.8 )
   2-y Kazak Brigada: General-Mayor Nikolay Ilovaisky V (760 Cav. 2 light regts Avg. Exp. 3.0)
   Detached Kazak Brigada: Polkovnik Stepan Balabin II (1520 Cav. 4 light regts Avg. Exp. 3.0)
   Kazak Brigada Bykhalov I: Polkovnik Andrey Bykhalov I (1170 Cav. 3 light regts Avg. Exp. 4.6)
   22-y Konnaya Artilleriya: Podpolkovnik Yegor Khoven (12 6pdr Guns Avg. Exp. 5.0)
   12-y Tyazhelaya Batareya Polozheniye: Podpolkovnik R. Winsper (12 12pdr Guns Avg. Exp. 5.0)

Or should we finally let the 20th century go, embrace the 21st and use Discord more for SoWWL KS Mod discussions?

20th century? I don't even have a Steam account.
I don't see a way to disable chat. I think it's an intrinsic feature. However I did turn on a setting which will stop everyone from getting an email every time someone types something in chat. It took quite a while to delete all those posts by the way.

In regards to the Discord and the current century, perhaps there is a middle ground? Make a "General Chat" room so that the Downloads and other game-centric rooms aren't drown out. Then we wouldn't have to delete all the chatter. This way if there's anyone with a question on Discord someone can answer it if they wish. There's still an advantage to going to the forum for a possibly better, more indepth answer from a wider audience, but for those instant-gratification seekers they still have the option of trying the Discord for an immediate response.

I'm just listing options of what seem like rational solutions to me, I'm not exactly super active on the forums nor on the discord so I don't really have any horses in this race. Unless it's Phil's horse, then I'd like to bet $100 that it will turn around and run to the closest forest at the starting shot.

Is 1900 the start time for the actual scenario, or only for selecting commanders?

It's where we (1) joke about Phil's penchant for finding the nearest tree, (2) choose a scenario, (3) review the order of battle and hear lofty (and in my case excellent and inspiring) guidance from the CinC …. battles typically get rolling around 15 to 30 mins after the hour

Great game last night Gents. Nice scenario Martin.

A resounding Victory for Pat and a welcome to the Earl of Uxbridge.

Just in case anyone is interested, I am in the rare position of being able to play again tonight.

Anybody interested? I could put together a scenario.

Mike

I'd be up for that!

I am interested yes!

Since someone else is buying...

I read that as "since someone else is dying".

EDIT: That makes 4 of us. We could replay yesterdays battle and this time I'll make sure FRAPS is working!

Cool. Any other lambs?

I volunteer to not be CinC today. Happy to be under the thumb of someone else that I might choose to ignore

My battalions ... give me back my battalions...

Thanks for having me, it was a great experience overall.

Hope to see you again soon. There is another game today.

Don't worry about getting massacred. I've been playing for years and a year or so back I had only 1 btn left out of a DIVISION. It happens sometimes.

Last Friday you were in an impossible position, atop a ridge end that was ringed on three sides with enemy artillery. When I rode up there I counted EIGHT enemy batteries in range of you and since you were an exposed and very visible unit, their AI had a go at you whenever nothing closer was visible. I noticed you had your brigade facing east at one point towards the windmill and your left against the castle ruin but your second (reserve) line was on the west side of the hill beyond the crest and getting slaughtered by the French guns on that side. In a situation like that you need to be on only one side of the ridge or the other so at least half the enemy guns won't see you and if there isn't room to deploy then you need to TC some battalions and just get them out of there.

If I were in that position I'd probably just inform my division commander that staying there was impractical and get out!

It was a weeny bit unfair to inflict that level of intensity on a new player but we didn't know the battle would go like that. I am sure other battles will go much more to plan for you and be a bit quieter!