Campaign Part I - The Plan

I've been coming up with ideas over the past few weeks for a FoW campaign. One where anyone with any army can join at any time. This campaign will not be historical in anyway, except maybe the armies that fight.

The reason Firestorm doesn't work, is because you need a lot of people with a lot of specific units and armies. Or, if you are like me someone insane enough to own all the units needed. But, even then It will take me years to get it all painted.  We need a campaign where you can play with a few buddies.  And maybe a few of those buddies only have 1 or 2 armies.

Thought I would start sharing my ideas as I put the plan together, and hopefully get ideas from people as well.

My first though was what to use as a map. This has started to be sort of an obsession for me. I have no idea how people create maps. I am trying several different ideas, and none really work that well. But more on that later.

The reason the map is so important, is because depending on what I can do with the map will depend greatly on what rules I incorporate. So lets start from the begining on the plan, before we get to the map.

1. I still need to work out how this will work, but the starting number of players will have starting locations on the map.  Doesn't have to be historical.  But there will be territory spaces between starting locations.  Depending on how many people start of course.   It will basically be like Risk or Diplomacy except you fight using FoW.  But I want to incorporate other rules to give it more flavor.
2. Starting with the simplest idea attacking from one territory to an opponents territory will trigger a FoW battle.  Opponents can just decide on an era and point total, and fight their battle.  If the 'Attacker' wins he takes the new territory, if the 'Attacker losses, he doesn't....simple. 
3. Playing around with ideas where Armour can attack farther (maybe 3 territories), Mech (2 territories), Inf (1 Territory).  And maybe some supply issues if a territory is surrounded. 
4. My goal is to use all Scenarios (at least from Das Book) and have them come up in certain situations, but this again could depend on the map. 
5. Once the campaign has started if new players wanted to join, they could "invade" a coastal territory.  They could either do a beach landing, using Hit the Beach mission.  Or they could use a Paratrooper force using Seize and Hold mission.  Both missions can easily be adapted for use with other nations, and pretty much every nation has a Paratrooper force.  Even the Soviets just use Guards Strelkovy as their Paratroopers.
6. I'm playing with ideas of using Game victory points as a money system to do different things.  Say it costs certain amount of VP's to attack.  Maybe even costs more or less depending on the situation.  You could even spend VP's to attempt espionage stuff.  I've even though of spending VP's to build up defenses forcing players to use the scenario's that use Fortifications.
7. Countries will not have to buy Air Power.  The level of air will depend on certain situations. 
8. I will expand the weather system I did in the Kursk Campaign.  This may constitute implementing a turn system based on time of year.  It also will depend on the map and if I can create different weather zones.  Effects will be minimal, but could effect everything form Air Power, Invasions, terrain, maybe even bombardments.   

The Map

How good I can make the map will determine how good my rules can be.  As I mentioned I'd like to be able to use all the scenario's.  One thing I'd like to do with the map is add major rivers.  Then if you attack into a territory across one of these rivers, you have to play the River Crossing scenario. 

I've found a few tools that use google maps, but the problem with these are they either have too many territories and/or they are they show the current political structure.  I know this won't be historical, but I'd at least have some of the countries right.

So far the best option has been an app called realpolitik.  Its mapping software create to keep track of a Diplomacy Board game, so you can play over e-mail.  I've used it before.  It has several variant to choose from, and I can change colours and country names easily.

The problem with this map is I can't edit the physical map, and it has these supply points.  The supply points i'm actually thinking of ways to use them in the campaign, but there are too many of them.  I'd really like to limit them.

Here is an example.  This is the Aberration Variant and so far is the best one.

The other one I've found that could work really well is SmartDraw.  But this is going to take a lot of time and planning to make a good map.

Eventually you could get into more complicated situations where if I've built a time line, you could only use EW books during 1940-41, MW books between 42-43, and LW books after 44.

If I ever figure out the map stuff, you could even go a bit farther, and divide the map into book sections.  Africa can only use those books, Eastern front only those books...but then you are getting away from what I want it to do.  But would still be very cool.

Hopefully I'll have another update soon.  Let me know if you have any idea.  Even if I don't use them, other peoples ideas sometimes lead me to other ideas.