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Tuesday, 12 June 2018

Less than 60 Miles - Development (1)

As you maybe already know, Thin Red Line Games is now developing its second game:

C3 - Less than 60 Miles

As you will see by the map, the 60 Miles the title is referring to are the approximate distance between Fulda and Frankfurt am Main.

Map sample, with no Russkies disturbing the bucolic countryside.

The game will have some contact points with NATO: Division Commander and Central Front, but will try to avoid the high complexity of the first and the excessive abstraction of the second. Final rules should be about 20 pages and a single turn should take no more than 15 minutes.

The main goal is to focus on several key concepts of modern mechanized warfare that are typically elusive or neglected in a war simulation:
  • Command, Control and Communication
  • OODA Cycle
  • Initiative and Momentum
  • Meeting Engagements
  • Battlefield Chaos

Moreover, Less than 60 Miles should be the first of a series of C3 modules, covering not only different areas but also different conflicts. Yes, this means that the idea is to have the whole West German front covered and playable in a gigantic, unmanageable, mind-blowing campaign.

Project state of advancement is:
  • Map completed
  • OOB completed (counter values still a work in progress)
  • Orders, Movement, Engineers, C&C, Helicopters rules defined and in testing
  • Combat, EW, Chemical & Nuclear Warfare, Air Support rules and more still to define
  • Scenarios still to define
For now, that's more or less all I can tell. 

Now, some snapshots from the Vassal module we're using for defining / testing the rules. Please note that counter art is just for testing, we will do better before going into production ;)

39th Guards Motorized Rifle Division advancing North of Fulda, H1000 Zulu Time
(click for full resolution)

8th Guards Combined Arms Army area, H1000 Zulu Time
(click for full resolution)

6 comments:

  1. Interesting. What is the time frame of this battle?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sysco!
      The order of battle is from 1985, but with a Warsaw Pact more prepared and dangerous compared to the "Under an Iron Sky" background scenario.

      Delete
  2. So, any solitaire rules? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rick,
      orders and doctrine rules give any operational plan a strong inertia, particularly for Warsaw Pact...once an Army or Corps has decided a course of action, changing it can be slow and dangerous.
      So, the system should adapt well to solitaire play as you may decide an overall plan for one side and follow it strictly, while maneuvering the opposite side in a more "reactive" way.

      Delete
  3. Can you put me down as a customer for this one Fabrizio?

    Michael Holmes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sure thing Michael! I'm adding you to the "reserved copies" list.

      Delete

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