Cold Steel SBCT Campaign (Untested Conversion)

[MarkSheppard]

Yet another campaign found in my archives; and quickly converted over.

Cold Steel
In Between Peace and War

January 2005

172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team
2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment
Ft. Wainwright Alaska

The US Army spent most of the decades after the Vietnam War organized primarily to fight the Soviet Union in Western Europe. Divisions were divided into two basic types; the heavy and light divisions. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Western policy makers and media pundits predicted a new era of peace. Warlords and power-brokers around the world were quick to disappoint. The era of the 90's turned out to be one of the busiest decades for the US military. Conflicts were quick to develop and the US Army was unable to meaningfully contribute to operations due to the limited combat power of the light divisions and the length of time required to transit heavy divisions using sealift. The medium brigades, a brainchild of former Chief of Staff of the Army General Shinseki, were designed to address this need.

The medium brigades are centered on the wheeled Stryker vehicle and are designed to be a full-spectrum, early-entry combat force. The catch-phrases and slogans of the program disguise the fact that the basic idea is little different from the AirLanding divisions of World War Two and that most of the major military forces of the world heavily invested in a similar idea years ago. The Soviets, in particular, employed mechanized airborne forces to devastating effect in the 1978 Ogaden War in Somalia.

This campaign takes the Stryker unit from the sweltering urban sprawl of Iraq to the snowy cities and mountains of Korea. The early missions focus on peacekeeping but the Stryker team quickly finds themselves involved in major fighting against a better-equipped enemy. Will Shinseki's Stryker Brigade Combat Team turn out to be the lemon so many have predicted or can tactics and temerity make up for the obvious limitations of the platform?

Gameplay Notes:
1. The player is given a reinforced company of light mechanized infantry consisting of three platoons of Stryker vehicles, one platoon of MGS vehicles, a scout platoon of Bradley's, and a mortar platoon.

2. The Stryker platoon has significantly more infantry than a Bradley-based infantry platoon. Since the soldiers are expected to spend a lot of time fighting in cities, one flame rocket is issued per platoon.

3. Due to the requirement that the Stryker weigh less than twenty tons, the vehicle is extremely poorly armored. The Stryker is clearly unable to fight against infantry equipped with even the oldest anti-tank weaponry. Treat this vehicle as a battle taxi and keep it far away from the enemy.

4. Skilled use of smoke can allow the vehicles to fire in direct support of the infantry since the Stryker does have advanced sensors that can see through smoke.

5. The company is well-equipped with tank-killing weapons. Due to the lack of heavy armor, these are best employed from the defense or in ambush.

6. Rebuild points will be few. Be very careful not to incur unacceptable losses.

Sources
Combat Team: The Captain's War by John F. Antal
Marine Corps Tank Battles in Korea by Oscar Gilbert
The Dragon Strikes by Patrick C. Roe
Phantom Soldier by H. John Poole
Task Force Smith Quartermaster's Bulletin
http://www.quartermaster.army.mil/oq...g/tfsmith.html

Ft Wainwright, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team http://www.wainwright.army.mil/

Game Info
SPMBT ver 3.01 Campaign
Complexity: Difficult
Unit Types: Company level
Fixed Force
US is the human player.

Campaign Design: Travis Hilterbrand
travis_hilterbrand@yahoo.com

Playtesters:
Claudio Anelli
Daniel Tower
Craig Breedon

Special thanks to playtester Michael Phelps who went far beyond the call of duty.

Version 05/22/05

Not playtested; just done to rescue from oblivion.

[Duzmond]

I'm going to start play testing this campaign,since I can't get an email game going to save my life

I'm going to include Fraps images of the battles as well. Just downloaded it,version 3. something.

So far looks interesting and is very well written. Here goes.

[Airborne Rifles]

I remember this campaign. It was a good one.

[Juramentado]

Funny - I actually have the original working quite well under the current engine! :-)

[Duzmond]

Just a couple of pics showing deployment on the first scenario.
Command,FO,ammo and artillery and main force at the southern
river ford. This area has no enemy fortifications.

[Duzmond]

Turn 4 Progress, main force on right map edge has received some sniper fire. popped smoke.

artillery set to hit suspected atgm positions on next turn. smaller force on left will engage that area.

one pic of each included.

[glaude1955]

Hello,

Presentation of the campaign:
"The player is given a reinforced company of light mechanized infantry consisting of three platoons of Stryker vehicles, one platoon of MGS vehicles, a scout platoon of Bradley's, and a mortar platoon.
Rebuild points will be few. Be very careful not to incur unacceptable losses."

First impressions of the beginning of the campaign:

Very interesting topic to a scale (reinforced company) fun to play.
I really like the choice of a fixed core

Decisive victory in 9 turns. 7 infantry losses (all caused by a sniper easy to locate but difficult to discover - The shots with the Z key has not helped reduce the effectiveness of the sniper. Had to get very close position to uncover and thus allowing its kill)

Passage to the second scenario:

While the presentation indicated that rebuild points will be few, I realize with amazement I have 1,885 points for repair and extend my core force!

That's too much to repair as the player's attention was focused on being very careful and also it allows to significantly expand the core forece that could well distort the spirit of the campaign.

Then came the choice of the support units phase: I have 1644 points while the presenting of the scenario prodigal any purchasing advice.

To keep up with the main idea of the campaign, I think that we should not have support points (unless the author of the campaign has provided them, but in this case it is necessary to indicate at the player what to buy ).

To do this, it would require a change with the campaign editor indicating the number of points "Build" specifying something reasonable to be determined (armor is about a little over 250 points, 100 points a sniper) and ban the support indicating - 1 in the corresponding field.

I have not yet played the second scenario, I'll do it without support and with my original core force.

Thanks for your work
Regards
Yves

Sorry for my poor English

[Duzmond]

Turn 7 progress- This is basically over. HQ unit has not been spotted,but resistance is down to one tough sniper,as far as I can see.

Suspected atgm area was easily overrun. All vic hexes have been taken.

Two images show atgm area and remaining resistance.

[Duzmond]

Scenario 1 (walk in the park)

The map is OK,maybe a little to small.

The enemy is under powered. I would suggest at least several vehicles,two or three trucks to ship product and two or three small
armed vehicles for patrols. Maybe more troops.

Image shows final score and breakdown.

[shahadi]

Originally Posted by MarkSheppard

January 2005

172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team
2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment
Ft. Wainwright Alaska



Gameplay Notes:
1. The player is given a reinforced company of light mechanized infantry consisting of three platoons of Stryker vehicles, one platoon of MGS vehicles, a scout platoon of Bradley's, and a mortar platoon.

Interesting gameplay. A few notes: a) The M1128 MGS is not available in the USA OOB until June 2006, b) The M1129 120mm SPM is also not available, but only til August 2005. The timeline is off or the OOB, one or the other.

I get the limited rebuild or expand core points, but I was allotted over 2K points and even more in support. Now, I have not investigated the Campaign engine, but it seems odd to me, at least, that a guy or gal can add Air elements to an SBCT core but not in support.

Finally, I only got a section of Cavalry Scouts not a platoon of six, and a section of the SPM's not a platoon.

In the third scenario, the CH-47D Chinook helos ought to be modified in the Editor to increase range. With only a company of the heavy lift helos, we have a lot of vehicles to ferry to the airport, thatis too many turns IHMO. So, I'd suggest upping the speed of the Chinooks to 255, it won't get the bird there and back in one turn but it's close enough so that on the second turn it makes it all the way to the departure line.

Alternately, place a Styrker platoon with vehicles on the tarmac, and have the player ferry the remainder of the force.

I've played two scenarios earning 2 divisive victories.

I like it.
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