Campaign Poll

[Imp]

Can you take part in the poll to see which you prefer if any just started project Ethiopia vs Eretria present day.
THE POLL EXPLAINED
Can either do as a fixed core campaign but see below or as a set of linked scenarios set up for PBEM to give players a different challenge. If the second option will obviously be some balance issues till get some feedback & expecting some to be quite long as fairly infantry based.
Ethiopia has a very marginal tech advantage but is slightly less experienced if dont field T-72 the main difference being as far as I can tell a critical shortage of APCs for Eretria not that this is a real problem, can fudge a bit if need to, Ethiopia has about 1,200 but can use technicals (armed trucks) in some cases instead.

Fixed core options
Due to the terrain your core will change mountains for instance not vehicle friendly so current thinking is.

Core 2 Infantry & 1 Mech Co plus support assets, other transport will come from vehicle pool (support) normally trucks.

With tanks can do 3 ways
1) Assign as support
2) Include in core from start but with battle progression envisage will need to place some in a corner blocked off by level 15 hills.
3) As above but sell & rebuy when told this will lose experience obviously.
Note this just concerns tank Co that could be attached to your core support still available normaly.
This is due to the way I have battles progressing & things like one battle you will have a RCL Co in trucks & your ATGMs to stop the armour, no tanks or a platoon at best.

Reinforcements
Would you like a list of entry turns & rough hex arrive at in mission notes?

R&R Choices
1) Allow a reasonable amount of points
2) Keep quite tight enough to repair troops & a vehicle or 2 with a larger allocation every 3rd battle or so to represent a break in the fighting for your unit.
3) Any other preferred method if so specify
Thinking first battle could be a filler to let you choose repair point allocation from above.

Thats the poll questions explained some more info
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AND SO IT CONTINUES
The setting is Africa a war torn nation more specifically the area containing Ethiopia Eretria & Somalia who between them have managed to have some form of ongoing conflict virtually continually since the early 60s. The terrain is for the most part fairly inhospitable although this has not stopped skirmishes in recent times along the Ethiopian Eritrean border over disputes on who the land belongs to.
Terrain wise Eritrea has a large coastline but the Eastern part of the county is just a 50km wide strip along the coast the bulk of the country lying to the West. There is a narrow strip of lowland plains along the coast much of it is still quite rugged though there is some arable land mainly in the NW, the East has some near dessert areas salt flats & a few large marshy areas, malaria territory but would give Ethiopia a coast line.
The ground rises sharply from the coast & along the border is around the 1000m mark climbing to 3000m in Ethiopia itself where it plateaus, this is very rugged terrain akin to Afghanistan & population is generally sparse due both to the terrain & continual conflicts. There are some plateaus in these mountains that are extensively used for farming as this part of Africa is not as dry as most, notably around Mendefera which extends to within 10Km of the border. July & August can have very heavy monsoon like rains though dust storms can still be a problem in the early months of the year.
You will take command of various Ethiopian Forces as once again the area shifts from border skirmishes to a full war footing.

Forces
Both sides military have seen better days & are mainly equipped with old Russian equipment,
T-55s have 20 vision,
The ATGM you are facing is the Sagger range 60-10 vision 10
ZSU-23 SPAA has 30 vision
FOO & scout can have 10 vision.
You are in a similar position & both sides have some modern airpower though in Eretrias case stand off capability is limited & air support will not be extensive for either side.

Terrain as listed above Mountains to farmlands with shortage of Eretian APCs majority sort of like Afghanistan but with more matched forces & armour.

Maps will be representative not accurate forces the same & have included part of a map thats a bit diffrent coming out of the mountains that are turning into long thin fingers onto the plateau which is strewn with rocks & turns to a reasonable covering of intermitent trees/vines.
Brown Rough = rough which its not very here
Grey Rough & impassable = boulders & are therefore raised also used for fallen rubble in towns easy to tell which is which doing this way even if does not look so nice.

Controling the high ground or being the defender here is a big advantage as LOS is difficult to judge try loading it into the editor & deploying a company to check. Also changes dramaticaly with vision try adjusting from 50 to mid 20s for a big increase in blind hexes & thats without any dust from combat.
　
If anyone knows of any other Eritrean Airbases other than the one at Debre Zeyit can they post please. Its a whole Km away from the first of 5 crater lakes & the "Dreamland Family Resort", must be a great place for a vacation near enough right under the flight path
Any other comments suggestions welcome.

[redcoat2]

Originally Posted by Imp

If anyone knows of any other Eritrean Airbases other than the one at Debre Zeyit can they post please.

Presumably you mean other Ethiopian airbases. Debre Zeyit is the most important. According to Miltech there are other major military airbases near Goba and Harar/Jijiga. The Ethiopians may also use civilian airports for emergency landings and helicopter refueling. These are listed on the Ethiopian Airlines website.

Eritrean airbases are listed on this site:

http://www.scramble.nl/er.htm

[Imp]

Originally Posted by redcoat2

Presumably you mean other Ethiopian airbases. Debre Zeyit is the most important. According to Miltech there are other major military airbases near Goba and Harar/Jijiga. The Ethiopians may also use civilian airports for emergency landings and helicopter refueling. These are listed on the Ethiopian Airlines website.

Eritrean airbases are listed on this site:

http://www.scramble.nl/er.htm

Thats what comes from using memory got the Goba one but actually meant Eritrean Airbases can only find Massawa (virtually unused) & Asmara (Capital City) Airports which your link tells me is the main airbase to thanks.

[redcoat2]

The Miltech book only mentions the largest air bases. When I looked up the Eritrea-Ethiopia border war, I found that the Ethiopians had an air base at Mekele – which is much closer to the border. Asmera airport has a military air base next door to its international airport.

[Imp]

Cheers for update had a look just fighters from a quick look possibly hangers for 4 or so cargo but was looking more for where Eretian bases were from a route ploting view. Good targets as can use to keep supply lines open got one somewhere of German International airport Frankfurt I think. Bit diffrent from these airports multi runway loads of tarmac only just fitted on map with space for attacker but intresting place to fight. All that tarmac means its pretty deadly to infantry but giro equiped tanks love it hit & run tactics very fluid battles.

[iCaMpWiThAWP]

Pbem Scenarios=Unfair, players can look at the scenarios to check forces and unit placement, doesn't seems so cool

[Imp]

Originally Posted by iCaMpWiThAWP

Pbem Scenarios=Unfair, players can look at the scenarios to check forces and unit placement, doesn't seems so cool

Why would you even consider doing that, may as well load the other players turn in a PBEM campaign as basic security so I think you can. When you play scenearios vs the AI do you switch sides first see what its got & then play it??!!!!! Thats what you are suggesting the players going to give up half the fun for the sake of winning, sure there might be a very small majority but thats all, I am not a goverment so go with the masses.

[Imp]

That of course would be a minority

[Double_Deuce]

I like the campaign idea. I'm all for things like restricting or dictating replacements such as what you have mentioned with the armor support as long as these things are detailed in the scenario/missions briefings.

Regarding Pbem. Players looking at the files before playing is always a risk but I think its the exception, not the rule. You're always gonna have people like that in any game you play. Eventually, over time, you figure it out and drop them from your playlist.