MP Scenario 2: Supply Lines

Supply Lines

A fictional scenario for 6-8 players.
Pipe Creek Add-on required!
Length of Play: 90 minutes




Trailer: Experience the prelude that led to the attack on Iuka. Write another page in the heroic tales of Armstrongs cavalry as they cut off the US supply lines. Or play as General Stanley's men who must escort vital supplies to the front lines.


USA
Brig Gen David S Stanley
- Col J L Kirby Smith
- Col Joseph A Mower
- Col John W Fuller

CSA
Brig Gen Frank C Armstrong
- Col W C Falkner
- Col William F Slemons
- Brig Gen Louis Hebert

Next scheduled game: Thursday 19th April 7:30pm UK time
I opened up a thread in the "arranged games" section where I will update the player list:
http://forum.kriegsspiel.org.uk/t286-thursday-19th-april-730pm-uk-time-scenario2-supply-lines

As usual, please drop a line here in this thread if you want to play and what side.
At least the roles of Stanley and Armstrong should be taken by wednesday evening, so I can send the briefings to those two players.

Ooh, looks good. Would like to be a Reb again, though maybe someone else can command this time?

I would like to play but dont get home till 8:30 UK time.
I will check in to see if the game is going when I get home.

I can make Thursday. Happy to take any role.

Many thanks again for all your hard work.

Martin

I'd like to play Thursday, too.

Also happy with any role, either side.

If we're not getting sufficient numbers, with sufficient notice, I'd suggest postponing this game and doing a recruitment drive on the NSD forum. I'm sure there are players who'd love to take part in one of these scenario games, they just don't know about them.

If we did this, I think we should suggest / request that players first play a couple of regular games with us to ensure they are up to speed with mods, using TS etc etc.

HTH,

Jeff

Hi Jeff

I’m glad you can play tomorrow. I’m with you, if we are less than 6 players we have to postpone it, no problem.

About NSD: Martin James has already written a nice invitation to our HITS games on the NSD forum. Maybe it would be good to have an AAR about one of our scenario games and post this on the NSD forum to attract more players. What do you think? And yes, I would prefer “newcomers” play a HITS style game before joining the scenarios.

I have an idea for a 3rd scenario in the Iuka trilogy. If those three are ok, I thought I would add them to the modifications in the NSD forum.

Up to now we are already 4 players, need only 2 more to play.
I'm sending the briefings now.

Having just read my own briefing, this looks like a good one again.

It's probably worth mentioning that this scenario requires the Pipe Creek add-on. I can recommend that. It's really cheap and you get 3 very nice large maps, plus OOBs and scenarios.

Martin

Unless the fish are jumping into my boat, or the very least are biting, I am planning being there.

J

Please add me.

Any Side.

Thanks

If it looks like there Will be a delay I Will be home by 8:30
and Will gladly fill any non senior command role.
This is my normal time to get home and I can be a regular
if the games start at 8:30 UK time

Add me also, any C.S.A. infantry brigade please.

Blaugrana wrote:Reminder - Pipe Creek add-on required!

Just heard from the 4th Texas quartermaster. They have discovered a copy of Pipe Creek in the regimental baggage. So we're good to go on that front. Still may be a bit short of personnel for the Union team though.

Martin

Unless people have a real need to begin at 7:30 I think it would be good of us to delay until 8:30 so that Steve can join us. It seems a shame to exclude players for the sake of an hour. I know that 8:30 is 9:30 for you Stefan and so a 2 hour game means an 11:30 finish but... it would be nice to try and be as all-inclusive as we can.

Good point. I can do 8.30 that if Stefan can.

Martin

I'm sorry, but 8.30pm would be too late for me today.
We could postpone to next week and play sandbox instead.

Ok, I rescheduled the game to next thursday (26th April), same time. Being a short scenario it works for me on weekdays. I can play longer on fridays. Weekends are more difficult to plan before

I would like to have Martin and Jeff in command again - and the other players to post here to join the players list.

I agree with Jeff that 24h before the game starts, all player slots should be filled.

I can take Seymons CSA command again, that will leave me with finding out as little as possible new intel.

Stefan, I wanted to comment on 2 things:

Cavalry cannot capture wagons apparently, even dismounted. I tried last night on my own for a while after the game was closed. I think you would need to have a rule that said wagons are captured once their escort is defeated or driven off.

Second, I thought the cavalry last night was quite powerful. My command destroyed Jacks in a few minutes. Some rebalancing of quality or stats might be needed?

I will take a look at the balancing and update the scenario.
I also will take a look at capturing wagons. I was sure I did it sucessfully sometimes. Did you try charging or click the button "Hunt Weak Targets"?

Gentlemen,

During the past several weeks as the concept of scenarios developed, I have been a big supporter yet repeatedly stating that I wished to command nothing more than a simple brigade for the simple reasons that I do not enjoy playing larger commands nor do I have the skill to command at the divisional nor a higher level. (Murphy's Law Collary: "Every man rises to his own level of incompetence!" of which I have always been a believer and now, at least in this campaign, am the premier example.) Neither do I have the inclination nor desire to learn that level of play! Unfortunately, and unwisely, like Ambrose Burside, with great grumbling I have unwillingly accepted two such assignments to divisional command, both ending with disastrous results for myself and my team including yesterday's debacle. I will not go into the various reasons and causations for said debacle(s) on a public forum beyond admission of my own shortcomings. Therefore, suffice it to say I failed to follow my own advice and I accept full responsibility for my decisions to attempt to play at that level. I apologize to my teammates for said lack of judgement.

Accordingly, in order to prevent further occurances of the same frustrating misfortune, I am withdrawing from future parcipation in the "Supply Lines" scenario(s) effectively immediately and wish only the best for the success of the campaign. Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to "game" with many of you during the frequent early evening games that occur almost nightly.

Respectfully,

Jack
aka WSH Baylor

Leffe7 wrote:Did you try charging or click the button "Hunt Weak Targets"?

I tried charging, yes, but one of my regiments was by then 'tired'. While I can agree that a 'tired' cavalry unit should not be able to charge a formed enemy unit I think supply wagons are a separate issue and simply should be deemed as lost once their escort is defeated. In reality there is no way they could out run an attacking cavalry unit, nor could they defend themselves.

The game doesn't model supply wagons at all well in terms of capturing them since they gallop away at silly speeds. The whole game mechanic is very unsatisfactory.

I'd also suggest that all wagons be TC'd so that they CAN'T zoom away at gallop speed. We can then agree that TC'd wagons must never be given the 'run' order. Un-TC'd wagons makes them almost impossible to capture even with no-one defending them.

I'm not aware of a 'hunt weak targets' command button. I use Garniers toolbar and it may not be on there. I think the game should rely on a mechanism to agree the wagons are lost that doesn't need a certain toolbar to be in use.

Jack - no need to withdraw from any games. I am sure there's a brigade level command that can be found for you. Additionally after you left last night some of us thought it might help to have a session with you, perhaps just two of us and you, to see what it is about the division structure that you are finding isn't suiting you. Rather than giving up on the subject, please try it under guidance and we can see if we can get it working to your satisfaction, so you can enjoy more games with us.

If you think of a brigade commander as just being a link between the division commander and his regiments (or in the case of last night, his wagons) then all you need do is take command of said regiments and you become instantly converted to a brigade commander role, with the added benefit of a staff officer beneath you who rides around adding to your units morale. That's how I played Armstrong's division in the Iuka battle.

If you wish to I would be happy to have a test game or two with you and perhaps another player to see if we can increase your skills, understanding and enjoyment of the game!

Mr. Digby wrote:Jack - no need to withdraw from any games. I am sure there's a brigade level command that can be found for you. Additionally after you left last night some of us thought it might help to have a session with you, perhaps just two of us and you, to see what it is about the division structure that you are finding isn't suiting you. Rather than giving up on the subject, please try it under guidance and we can see if we can get it working to your satisfaction, so you can enjoy more games with us.

I agree with that, Jack. I'm sure we can find a command to suit you at brigade level.

After Thursday's game, it was agreed that we should allow a week in future to advertise and organise the sides for future scenario games. So there should be no need vor a last-minute scramble to match players & roles, and send them the appropriate briefings & orders. I know your orders for the game didn't reach you before we started playing, which was less than ideal, but that shouldn't happen again either. That does all mean that players should commit to the game well in advance however, but that should not be too onerous.

Martin

@Jack
What the Martins said! I too hate division level command, Jack, & have found that Kevin is right (of course) - overall command is easier :-) I hope you are able to join us next Thursday with a brigade command.

I am going to try and recruit more players over on the NSD forum so we have people in each 'slot'.

@Stefan - I think a new thread for people to sign up the re-match would be good. Would avoid new players having to trawl through this thread. What do you think?