Well, it's been completed for about a week, but it wasn't finished until early this morning with this Major Victory. Really surprised myself since this trail was littered with defeats. And even though this score was achieved, I'll keep the Major Victory hurtle at 20,000, which should prove a challenge for most folks...even Grogs, I'm hoping.
Download will be available later today, meanwhile, gotta brag about my accomplishment and provide some up front info as this scenario went way over budget, IOW, time to build and test. Probably my most involved scenario build to date, and not a variant to be found...just play the hand you deal yourself.
- MV 150th GB02 25362.jpg (564.43 KiB) Viewed 283 times
Intro
150th-GB02-July2-GB Day Two, Attack en echelon (C-Army)
Carryover From: 150th-GB01-July1-Gettysburg Day One (C-Army)
Carryover To: TBA
Length of Play: 2 1/2 Hours
Command: Army of Northern Virginia
Date: 2 July 1863
Time Span: 4:00 to 10:30 PM (game-clock: 4:00 - 6:30)
Note: Beginning at 5:30 sunset will occur. For the last hour of play visibility will gradually diminish, eventually to 30 yards for the last seven minutes of play.
Location: Gettysburg south
Weather: Overcast and warm
Situation: Throughout the day troops have been arriving for both sides. Numerous skirmishes have resulted as the battle lines are maneuvered into place. Now, the battle lines are set. Although Union forces are still pouring in the bulk of the Union strength is it's right flank, defending Cemetery and Culp's Hills. The Union plan is to draw from these northern defenses and fortify areas of vulnerability should the Rebels attack this day.
And they will! Just before four PM General Lee orders his planned en echelon attack from his right, rolling up the Union left, and if successful engulfing and overwhelming the Union line, eventually surrounding and crushing the enemy at Cemetery Hill.
Mission: Secure and hold as many objectives as possible.
Victory Conditions:
20000 = Major Victory
17500 = Minor Victory
15000 = Draw (Minimum Score for Carryover)
12500 = Minor Defeat
10000 = Major Defeat
Gameplay:
- All infantry CSA officers are 'TC On' for initial control purposes. For division or above control first select Atcommoff - "Take Charge Subordinates Off".
- Primarily historical scripting, with no random variances except those provided by the enemy AI.
- All objectives are worth at least 1000 points when secured for 10 minutes. Uniquely displayed 'Hold' objectives, historically relevant, will provide more points, as well as fatigue, morale and ammo bonuses.
- When Longstreet reaches a certain grade, score, a courier message will state that the southern position is secure. This is only accurate if the northern positions are already threatened or secured, primarily, Culp's Hill. Otherwise units from the north brought over by activated southern objectives will continue to threaten southern positions. Activated objectives in the north will recall these units.
- Detached units were not part of Lee's attack plan, they were held in reserve or on guard...player option.
Author's Notes:
Something I learned from building this scenario was the cause of the attack en echelon to break down. Calling it a confusion of orders, Brig Gen William Mahone refused to bring his brigade up, declaring that he had been ordered to support Pegram's artillery Battalion. Pender's division was to move after Mahone but were held up. An anxious General Pender personally rode towards Mahone to see what was up, he was mortally wounded before reaching the confused Mahone. His division's momentum was broken by the change in command and no effective assault was completed, the en echelon attack was broken.
Longstreet's corps fought like supermen. They had marched all day evading enemy signalmen as they positioned themselves for battle. Then almost immediately they were thrown into an offensive battle, eventually conquered much ground, and inflicted almost 2000 more casualties than received. Overwhelming enemy numbers finally stopped and pushed back this utterly exhausted, and definitely battered, courageous corps.
In all my playing and play testing I've never experienced that corps being that dominant, as they were historically. So, with this scenario's OOB I've adjusted the skill numbers. Mostly only one up in experience from the stock numbers but at least it will give them an added edge that the stock game doesn't offer. Also a few other units that showed extraordinary displays of courage and ferocity got a skill boost or two. For example, Wright's brigade, reaching The Angle.
In addition, to help equalize things with those pesky Union SS units with the 400 yard repeaters, I've outfitted two Rebel units with the US Springfield 250 yard repeaters. Yeah, I know, not equal, but I don't want to steer too far from the stock setup, or history. This is a way to make up the scatterings of long range muskets the ANV possessed, just not by completely equipped units. Also, I don't think I'm going too far with this equalization due to the fact that I just don't think those 400 yard repeaters were as deadly as they are in the game. Otherwise the Union army could have just gone on the defensive for six months while their factories manufactured these repeaters. Once 100,000 were issued, the war would have been over in six months.
An unmodified skills version OOB can be made available upon request.
A historical summary of Lee's Echelon Attack can be found here:
http://library.thinkquest.org/17525/day2.htm