Roger's Scenario Thread

RogerCooper

Name Big World
Description World War 2 in 1942 on a large (but not huge map)
link

Good Points

Easy to understand rules
Balanced
Plays reasonably fast with Fast AI

Bad Points

None really, this was once the showcase scenario for TripleA

RogerCooper

Game Hearts of Iron: Awakening the giant
Description The Big World map starting in Spring 41
link

Good Points

Not too many units
Fairly historical economic strengths
Interesting special units
Extra nations with stuff to do

Bad Points

Rules glitches
No victory conditions
The tremendous economic strength of the US, makes it hard for the Axis to win

RogerCooper

Name World War II Global 1940 Balanced Mod
Description Global game with new objectives and deployments to improve balance
link

Good Points

Balanced version of the boardgame
Plays fast

Bad Points

AI has some glitches dealing with some of the special rules

RogerCooper

Name Big World : 1942 - Factions (Allies)
Description Big World Map with lots of countries and unit types

link

Good Points

Interesting unit types
Balanced

Bad Points

Too many unit types are similar

RogerCooper

Description AA50-42-Build Caps
Description Anniversary Edition limited to units that came in the box
link

Good Points

Armies can't be built endlessly
Unit diversity is forces

Bad Points

Favors the Axis
The build limits can be awkward, especially for the AI

RogerCooper

Name Settlers: Fallen Empires
Description Fantasy warfare with a randomized setup
link

**Good Points

Interesting units
Clever method of randomizing setup
Upkeep costs prevent super stacks
Event-based reinforcements to help AI
Plays fairly fast even with Hard AI

**Bad Points

The lack of capitals results in unaggressive AI play
Too many 0 income areas
Low unit density can be an issue
Air transport is important to the game, but the AI doesn't utilize it
With few ground units that move more than 1 (and none that can Blitz) the game is slow going

Note: This mod is innovative but has problems. It would play better if the players had fixed capitals for the AI to respond to. Most 0 income areas should have an income of 1. Air Tranports puts the AI at a disadvantage. Each player should have at least 1 unit type that moves 2 and can blitz (or simply faster movement without blitz).

TheDog

@rogercooper
Thanks for the fair and overall good review.

However the Lgt-Cavalry can already move 3 and Blitz.
Hvy-Cavalry, Commanders, Necromancers, Sorcerers, Wizards can all move 2, but not Blitz.

The Wizards, cast Haste to increase the move of lots of unit types so they move 2, so players could daisy chain their Wizards to get units to the battle front quickly.

But otherwise fair comments.

I have another map, The Settlers : Age of Tribes is a smaller map and land territories don't have 0 production, so mitigate some of Rogers issues.
https://forums.triplea-game.org/topic/2399/settlers-age-of-tribes-official-thread

EDIT 11th June 2021 added
The map have been updated;

with the 0 income area now 1 income
unity density increased dramatically over turns 1-5
and a lot more fixes

Download from Google Drive v2020.04
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eS1gIRyMDA23DKlP71AFYmvJiXSBZZAZ/view?usp=sharing

See post 1 in the Official Thread for more details and how to install.
https://forums.triplea-game.org/topic/2467/settlers-fallen-empire-official-thread

RogerCooper

@thedog That looks more manageable. However without capitals the AI will always be unfocused.

You should take a look at Conquest of Nerath. It would be highly suitable for a TripleA conversion.

TheDog

@rogercooper
I dont think you can have all random territories/setup and have have capitals.

The only way I thought of coding it was having one fixed territory per faction, the capital, but decided to go with completely random and use TUV for the towns and cities.

Thanks the link for Conquest of Nerath at first glance, it looks very interesting!

RogerCooper

Name Twelve Clans-Sekigahara
Description The Sengoku period in Japan, inspired by the Samurai Swords series of boardgames
link

Good Points

An interesting, historically based situation
Nice unit art

Bad Points

Unit count rises quickly as many units spawn other units
Mega-stacks are overly favored
Not much sense of the actual history, where the need to pay soldiers and fortified mountain passes was important

RogerCooper

Name New World Order 1939 Lebowski
Description World War 2 in Europe
link

Good Points

Playable with Fast AI
Balanced

Bad Points

Despite 1939 starting point, Russia & US are active immediately and Turkey is in the Axis

Cernel

@rogercooper Wow. The description says "World War 2 in Europe", and Turkey is waging war as a member of the Axis?

Really, the description should be changed. I know that no wargame is realistic, but that's beyond the pale.

Nevertheless, I would not say it is a "bad point" per se. The bad point is rather the description not telling the game is not really WW2.

Nothing wrong with making any kind of alternate history as long as it is intended and documented.

RogerCooper

@cernel If a scenario is not described as alternate history or hypothetical, then having countries in the wrong alliance is an error. I have seen a number of scenarios where Turkey is in the Axis just to have more fighting in the MIddle East. Historically, Turkey was neutral, declaring war on Germany in March 45 without participating in any military operations. The Turkish government had close ties to Britain and good relations with Russia.

RogerCooper

Name Cold War-1965
Description World War 3 in 1965 on a world map designed for it with China as a separate alliance.
link

Good Points

Not just another World War 2 game
Modern-looking unit art
A map designed for WW3

Bad Points

The AI plays the first turn slowly
No victory conditions
The game tends stalemate with the Soviets overrunning Eurasia and NATO dominant elsewhere.

butterw

Name World War II v5 1942 Second Edition (5 players)

1942.2: ww2 v2 "Revised" map updated with +15 more land territories.

Here are some stats from one of the ww2 scenarios (I may also look at others). Balance is poor without bid (favors axis AI: Russians<Japanese).

Info obtained from Export>stats_full.csv, except for map size which was derived from the xml.

Map size 161 (Territories/Sea: 96 65)
Territories Allies/Axis/"isImpassable" Neutrals: 48 31 16
Russians Germans British Japanese Americans: 11 16 21 16 16
Initial PUs/Production: 168, Allies/Axis: 97 71
Russians Germans British Japanese Americans: 24 41 31 30 42
Initial Units: 227, Allies/Axis: 113 114
Russians Germans British Japanese Americans: 36 65 41 49 36
Initial TUV: 1381, Allies/Axis: 714 667
Russians Germans British Japanese Americans: 180 362 283 305 251
Initial Production Capacity, 10 factories (can place 65 units)
Allies/Axis: 7 3 (47 21)
Russians 8+4+2=14
Germans 10+3=13
British 8+3=11
Japanese 8
Americans 12+10=22

RogerCooper

Name NM'sL-wip
Description World War One on a detailed world map
link

Good Points

Lots of political & technological options
Conflicts in many areas

Bad Points

Lots of ahistorical stuff
Slow-playing even with Fast AI

RogerCooper

Name Classic: Iron Blitz 1942A: Russia Neutral
Description US & UK vs Germany & Japan
link

Good Points

Interesting hypothetical situation
Fast-playing

**Bad Points

Strongly favors the Axis

RogerCooper

Name Big World 2 : Rise of the Axis
Description The Big World map, starting in 1939
link

Good Points

Interesting political & tech options

Bad Points

Hard for the Axis to achieve their historical conquest, let alone win

RogerCooper

Name Great War-TLS-March1918
Description World War 1 in 1918
link

Good Points

Interesting historical situation
Special units to reflect 1918

Bad Points

No victory conditions
No sense of the exhaustion of the Central Powers
The West Front inset map makes it impossible for the Germans to strike a knockout blow
The inset maps are pointless in 1918 situation

RogerCooper

Name AAC-Buildcaps
Description Classic game with builds limited to what came in the box
link

Good Points

No superstacks

Bad Points

Russia can't survive without hordes of infantry