Thursday, February 16, 2012

Several "Mini-Campaigns"  --

Below are links to responses so far to my call for "Mini-Campaigns" based on linking scenarios from Charles Grant's "Scenarios for Wargames" and other scenario sources.

What I think strikes me most about them is how different their choices and paths are . . . they should provide much fun for those who play them.

I would ask that if you play them, please post feedback on the creator's blogs . . . the URL links are in parentheses below.

After the initial scenario, those following are not in order since most chose the "tree" format where the result of the scenario affected which scenario was played next . . . so don't look at them as being in sequence . . . in fact, depending upon the results of various scenarios, not all will be played in any one campaign.

Note -- I will endeavor to add future "mini-campaigns" to this post as they arrive.

Steve (Steve-the-Wargamer) set his three-scenario Mini-Campaign in 1705 during the War of Spanish Succession:
  • initial scenario -- #9 Attack on the Camp
  • next scenario -- #3 Holding Action (1)
  • final scenario -- #16 Reinforcements in Defense (2) off table
Peter Douglas (The Single Handed Admiral) set his "Barolo" campaign in an "Emperor vs Elector" setting:
  • initial scenario -- #20 Reserve Demolition
  • other scenario -- #21 Bridgehead Breakout
  • other scenario -- #13 Last Stand
  • other scenario -- #19 Assault River Crossing
  • other scenario -- #16 Reinforcements in Defense (2) off table
  • other scenario -- #18 River Crossing
  • other scenario -- #1 Positional Defense (1)
  • other scenario -- #15 Reinforcements in Defense (1) on table
Ross Macfarlane (Battle Game of the Month) set his "Comox Valley Campaign" in a Colonial (or Ancients) setting . . . but it could be played as Horse & Musket too:
  • initial scenario -- #30 Ambush (1)
  • other scenario -- #4 Holding Action (2)
  • other scenario -- #13 Last Stand
  • other scenario -- #3 Holding Action (1)
  • other scenario -- #34 Swampland Action
  • other scenario -- #32 Wagon Train
  • other scenario -- #33 Convoy Action (2) -- Evacuation
  • other scenario -- #42 Advance Column
Jim Pitts (Col Campbell's Barraks) has posted his "Linked Mini-Campaign" on his blog. Like most it has a flexible order, so don't take these scenarios as being in order.
  • initial scenario -- #41 Chance Encounter
  • other scenario -- #3 Holding Action (1)
  • other scenario -- #4 Holding Action (2)
  • other scenario -- #1 Positional Defense (1)
  • other scenario -- #2 Positional Defense (2)
  • other scenario -- #5 Rear Guard (1)
  • other scenario -- #6 Rear Guard (2)
Conrad Kinch (Joy and Forgetfulness) has posted his 1804 mini-campaign based on a British force in France trying to fight its way to safety with yet a different starting scenario.
  • initial scenario -- #42 Advance Column
  • other scenario -- #50 Horse and Foot
  • other scenario -- #8 Dead Ground
  • final scenario -- #6 Rear Guard (2)

Ed Youngstrom (Landgraviate of Hesse-Fedora) started his "Ladder" campaign using the "Table Top Teaser" from Battlegames Magazine, then used Grant's "Scenarios for All Ages" to complete his "ladder".
  • initial scenario -- (Mag) Pontoon
  • other scenario -- (Ages) Rearguard
  • other scenario -- (Ages) Assault on Prepared Position
  • other scenario -- (Ages) Hot Pursuit
  • other scenario -- (Ages) Chance Encounter
  • other scenario -- (Ages) Making the Best of a Bad Job
Dr. Vesuvius (The Axis of Naughtiness) used Grant's "Programmed Wargames Scenarios" for his "Continuing Diplomacy" mini-campaign for solo play!
  • initial scenario -- (PWS) #11 Crossroads
  • other scenario -- (PWS) #18 A Hasty Blocking Position
  • other scenario -- (PWS) #5 The Weak Flank
  • other scenario -- (PWS) #1 Hill Line Defense
  • other scenario -- (PWS) #7 Two Sides of a River
  • other scenario -- (PWS) #6 Crossing Point
  • other scenario -- (PWS) #8 Fighting Through
  • other scenario -- (PWS) #9 Island Stand
Ross Macfarlane (Battle Game of the Month) has also posted a Horse & Musket mini-campaign for solo gamers using Grant's "Programmed Wargames Scenarios". Interestingly enough it also starts with the same scenario as Dr. Vesuvius' mini-campaign above . . . although it then proceeds differently.
  • initial scenario -- (PWS) #11 Crossroads
  • possible scenario -- (PWS) #1 Hill Line Defense
  • possible scenario -- (PWS) #2 Broken Ground
  • possible scenario -- (PWS) #3 Pass Clearance
  • possible scenario -- (PWS) #5 The Weak Flank
  • possible scenario -- (PWS) #6 Crossing Point
  • possible scenario -- (PWS) #7 Two Sides of a River
  • possible scenario -- (PWS) #8 Fighting Through
  • possible scenario -- (PWS) #9 Island Stand
  • final scenario -- (PWS) #4 Holding Action
Conrad Kinch (Joy and Forgetfulness) has also crated a "Table Top Teaser" mini-campaign using Charles S. Grant's original "teasers" as published in magazines back in the late 1970's. Fortunately Steve-the-Wargamer has (with permission) posted these online so that anyone can use them without needing Grant's later Scenario books.
  • initial scenario -- (TTT) #3 The Advance Guard Action
  • second scenario -- (TTT) #5 The Dawn Attack
  • third scenario -- (TTT) #10 Rear Guard
  • possible scenario -- (TTT) #4 Hold Up in the Badlands
  • possible scenario -- (TTT) #8 The Hasty Defense and Relief of a Town Additionally Cesar Alfredo Paz has just created another "Mini-Campaign" using "Table Top Teasers" which is available here.
-- Jeff

4 comments:

Capt Bill said...

wonder suggestions...

Bluebear Jeff said...

I was shocked to realize that "Scenarios for Wargames" was written over 30 years ago.

Thus while many of us "old timers" have it, not everyone does.

Obviously you can build mini-campaigns from "Programmed Wargames Scenarios" but it is almost as old.

You can also use Grant's original "Table Top Teasers" which Steve-the-Wargamer has collected here:

http://steve-the-wargamer-teasers.blogspot.com/

You could also use the Battlegames Magazine Table Top Teasers . . . but not everyone has access to all issues.

And Grant's "Scenarios for All Ages" can be used . . . but you need to be careful to keep things in the same historical period.

Whatever you choose, please try to keep all of the scenarios in your mini-campaign from the same source.


-- Jeff

Archduke Piccolo said...

My Napoleonic 'Logical Campaign' in my blogspot (early 2010) began with a Bridgehead Breakout scenario. but instead of using one of the Grant/Asquith scenarios, opted for a Gross-Jagersdorf type action: "Gross-Huntersdorf." Unfortunately, this campaign, along with a bunch of others I was involved in, got interrupted by certain cataclysmic events (actually more cataclysmic for my opponents than for me, but it did put a term to such enterprises for the time being...)
Cheers,
Ion

Rob Dean said...

That's an interesting challenge...and I have been reminiscing this week about our staging of The Raid on St. Michel in 2010 ... have to think about this one.