Saturday, September 14, 2019

FIRESTORM: PONYRI STATION Areas of Control & Firestorm Troop Commitment Rules

Onward movement in the Ponyri Station Firestorm Campaign planning!  The proposed map below are the areas currently controlled by the Soviets and the Germans.  Ochka was turned to German control since half of that zone was already in German hands at the outset and the Soviets did not strongly opposed the Ochka River crossing.



Currently my line of thinking is as follows:

"Regular" zones on the map are all 1 VP.
"Supply" zones on the map - those with either crosses or stars are all 2VP.
"Primary Objective" zones are Ponyri Station, 1 May, and Hill 253.3 are all 3VP.

There are 19 zones on the map worth 29 VPs.

There are 12 "Regular" Zones. Total of 12 VPs
There are 4 "Supply" Zones. Total of 8 VPs
There are 3 "Primary Objective" Zones. Total of 9 VPs.

The winner will have the most VPs by the end of turn 6.

The campaign will be 6 "turns" long.  A "turn" consists of both teams laying their allocated attack arrows and completing the engagements (a wargame battle).

The Germans will receive 2 attack arrows per turn, the Soviets receive 1.  This means a "turn" could be as many as 3 engagements, provided players want to attack.

Units can only attack along sides of their sectors - not diagonally.

Some special rules I'm considering are:

German diminishing "Firestorm Troops" - either tie their Firestorm Troop allotment to victory points or some kind of other momentum points.  The Germans need to have lots of options in the beginning of the campaign, and fewer options as the campaign progresses.  The Soviets need to be the opposite "but" the Soviets' Firestorm troop availability are tied to 2 things:

The danger of German forces approaching Ponyri Station and the planned Soviet counterattacks when the Germans shot their bolt.

Therefore, the Soviets may only request fire support assets (tube artillery, rocket artillery, fighter-bombers), Anti Tank assets (AT gun units) and a single medium tank company through turn 3 *unless* a Soviet turn begins with a German unit in possession of Ponyri, 1 May, and Hill 253.3.  At that point, all available firestorm troops open up to the Soviets.

The Germans receive the full amount of Firestorm troops and can commit up to 3 firestorm units to any attack.  If using FOW, battles will be 65 points each.

Firestorm troop commitments are free and will not count towards the point value of 65 points.

Once a FireStorm unit is destroyed (Per the Firestorm: Bagration rules) it is no longer available for commitment.

Special Firestorm Commitment rules:

  • Germans may commit 3 firestorm units on turns 1 and 2 per engagement.
  • Germans may commit 2 firestorm units on turns 3 and 4 per engagement.
  • Germans may commit 1 firestorm unit on turns 5 and 6 per engagement.

  • Soviets may commit 1 firestorm unit on turns 1, 2, and 3 per engagement.
  • Soviets may commit 2 firestorm units on turns 4, 5, and 6 per engagement.
  • Soviets may commit 3 firestorm units on any turn when German forces begin adjacent to Ponyri Station, 1 May or Hill 253.3

German Firestorm Units: (fielded as supports)
Heavy Tube Artillery Battery
Nebelwerfer Rocket Battery
Stuka Flight
Pioniere Assault Platoon
Gepanzerte PanzerGrenadier Platoon
Medium Panzer Platoon
Heavy Tank Platoon 2 Tiger I Heavy Tanks
Heavy Tank Destroyer Platoon 2 Ferdinand Heavy Tank Destroyers
Armored Reconnaissance Platoon (Luchs)
Anti Tank Gun Battery

Will follow the Firestorm Campaign rules for these units being knocked out.

Soviet Firestorm Units: (fielded as supports)
Heavy Tube Artillery Battery
Medium Tube Artillery Battery
Tank Killer Company
Heavy Mortar Battery
Katyusha Battery
Fighter-Bomber flight
Soviet Scout Platoon
1 x Additional "Attack" Arrow

Airborne "Hero" Rifle Company*
Heavy Tank Company*
Hero Tank Company*
Light Tank Company*
Medium Tank Company*

*may only be fielded after turn 3.


7 comments:

  1. Steve,

    I'm digging it! Sounds cool, can't wait to see how this develops, so hurry up ;)

    I don't really know much about Flames of War, but I actually have the Firestorm Market Garden box. Actually, I've had it for about seven or eight years now. Someday I hope to actually bust it out...

    V/R,
    Jack

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    1. Hey Jack! Thanks man, I'm working on it. Most of the combat troops for the campaign are already painted and ready for action. I'm painting and basing the last of my artillery and Anti Tank gun units now.

      Flames of War gets alot of flak but I like it as it gives a fun and exciting game where I can put lots of toys on the table and get a result in 3 hours.

      The Firestorm campaigns are great I think. Perfect campaign systems and they could be rules agnostic - so you could use Battlegroup, 5Core CC or Brigade Commander, pretty much whatever you wanted.

      Hey glad you wrote - your painted Napoleonic troops will be getting some combat experience tomorrow with "Blucher". Stay tuned!

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    2. Steve,

      Cool man, can't wait to see how far you get into this (my understanding is that the Firestorm campaign can generate an almost endless stream of tabletop battles, assuming one side doesn't completely collapse).

      I've got nothing against FoW, just not a set I've ever played. I had one of the versions, and I had Team Yankee, but the mechanics just didn't sit right with me. I think mostly it's down to the fact I'm a solo gamer, so IGO-UGO just doesn't do it for me. But I agree about the universality of the Firestorm system, which is exactly why I picked it up.

      Can't wait to see the new troops in action, though it's a bit of a letdown, can't imagine they look too different from you old troops ;) Now, those Cold War dudes I sent...

      V/R,
      Jack

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    3. No way - your reinforcements look way better than my current Napoleonic troopers. I like your attention to detail with basing them, too.

      The Cold War guys including Task Force Wolverine are basically waiting for NORTHAG to come out so they can see some action. They're hanging out at the assembly area. Hurry up and wait and all that :) I "might" try to play a Team Yankee game with them before then.

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    4. I don't believe you, but thanks in any case! ;)

      Gotcha on Battlegroup NORTHAG, and look forward to seeing them in whatever rules you break out.

      V/R,
      Jack

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  2. Roger that High Oberst Terror-fuhrer Kommissar!
    I also have my Luftwaffe Feld Kompanie to add some Socialist purity to the fight [if not kompetence].

    RE: the Napoleonics trade, am I understanding that we'll be seeing more of Just Jack's 10mm work in exchange for the March of the 15mm stuff South?

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    Replies
    1. Yes that trade most certainly did happen!! Looking forward to seeing your Luftwaffe Field Kompanie on the table!

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