Hal,
Firstly, welcome back and thanks for taking the time to post.
Secondly, I had to edit the rules as I neglected to change down from 'battalions' to 'companies' in some areas, but I think your points still have merit. I didn't feel the need to update the thread as no-one had bothered to answer the OP (you've been on your holidays and you're the FIRST to reply!!!) and I thought I was getting a stiff ignoring to.
On to your reply. It may not be evident (which is why I am asking people help proof read it) but you can take Teeth Arm companies from
anywhere in your brigade list. The Swedes then have access to 6 tank companies at campaign start. Putting your specific force list into a historical context: do you really believe the Scandinavians could stand up to Russia? And if they couldn't, why would we tweak it so they could on the tabletop? The
Winter War was, at best, a score draw. My West Germans would similarly have a hard time against the Red Menace, the Yanks, with their +2/+2 Abrams will be able to hold there own, I think. All this needs play-testing, which is why I have tried to book up as many TW slots as I can in March/April.
[rant]The way I see it, I have several problems to overcome:
1. Organising this campaign is like herding cats. Everyone has gone off and done their own individual thing. I post questions on this forum to try and gauge where we are with this and I get answers (if any) that range from comprehensive (thank you Hal, it is appreciated, honest!) to the downright bizarre! I ask questions on a club night and get the same level of apathy. It took me at least two months to determine who wanted to play what side!!!
2. I don't reside in the Bournemouth area. Popping round someone's house in the evening to organise this campaign is not an option for me, hence I need to be able to run it from this forum/email. We have at least one player who refuses to join the forum, another with no email account so
cannot join the forum, another without a working computer so can only access this forum on his phone. I could go on... (I know that people have lives outside of wargaming, as do I, and I also appreciate that currently some of those lives are a bit complicated, hence the wargaming side taking a back seat)
3. WRT the scenario: I have to somehow incorporate a Western force of 2 Yank brigades, a West German and a Swedish brigade
and make the scenario plausible. Part of the attraction to this campaign for me is the historical aspect and the research that goes with it. As a predominantly Science Fiction based gamer, this is a bit of a novelty and I am thoroughly enjoying it. Without a historically plausible scenario we might as well be playing Dirtside or Slammers! Although, I wouldn't mind playing a bit of GZG stuff...
4. I have no idea what Soviet forces are being fielded and whether they are Russian or WARPAC forces, which makes a very big difference! Ideally, I need two Russian and two Polish/Slovak type forces. See point 1 on how successful I've been at getting to the bottom of this.
To summarise, there's more to a wargames campaign than buying a bucket load of toy soldiers. Research needs top be done. Players need to engage with the poor bastard trying to come up with a decent framework to allow a dice chucking campaign to happen. Answering a few posts on the forum would be a start...
[/rant]
Back on track...
Tankwreck does not come with a point list, which I like. You tell me any battle in history that the two sides sat down beforehand and worked out equal value forces before tipping up to fight each other and I'll show you a defeated General who later manked about his 'force list being broken with this latest edition of the
rules Geneva Convention'! The problem with this is it is almost impossible balance play in any meaningful way. The force limits were put in because the Yanks (of which there are TWO players) vastly outclass anything else on the board, as was proven by Ben and Rees a few weeks ago. Is this historically accurate? That's open to debate. What isn't open to debate is the fact that the WARPAC countries attempted to overcome the Western technological advantage by use of sheer weight of numbers.
Quantity has a quality of its own, hence the Soviets having a lot more toys, which I believe will nicely simulate the endless Red Hordes coming over the hill.
We could switch to another rule set. One with a points system. I don't believe we can use a points system from another set of rules and paste it into TW as, if the points system we adopt is any good it will be geared up for the rules we take them from, not TW, and if they aren't any good then I really don't want to bother using them! Personally, I think the only rules I have played with a points system that seems to work is X-Wing!
Another reason for the force limit is that it takes all bloody night to set up the table and then play 1 turn with a full brigade on each side and even then you can't see the table for the toys. 40K Apocalypse, anyone???
DW