Mapmaker(s):
Number of Territories: Lots
Special Features: An overriding goal; an attempt at "supply lines"
What Makes This Map Worthy of Being Made:
I originally worked on the code for the online version of this double blind war game from GDW for MPGN back in the 90's. I brought up the idea several years ago but I was still looking at it as a Axis / Allies map at the time. I think a better idea would be to have the Axis be represented as a function of neutral forces and decay while the Allies become a series of backstabbing nations trying to claim the rights to victory (in a battle that, ironically they actually failed to win).
The idea is slightly dependent on "supply lines" that is to say whether or not a location (I'll refer to them as "hexes" although some locations will not be hexes) is based on whether or not a certain set of hexes can reinforce them. If that is not possible, then a more complex scheme could be used.
There are different hexes (the original game made thing complex by adding road and off road units; I will ignore those things for now) clear, woods, marsh/polder. The ability to attack is based on the terrain types of the two locations; the minimum radius is used. Clear can attack up to a 3 hex radius, woods can attack up to a 2 hex radius, and marsh/polder can only attack their adjoining hexes.
Roads: The red lines represent roads. Any road hex can attack any hex on the road. A road technically "ends" at a city or a bridge.
Hills: Hills have a bombardment radius of 5
Bridges are their own location and have an "anti-Bombardment" radius of 5; that is to say that any hex within 5 of a bridge that can't otherwise attack it can bombard it. Only the hexes on either side of the bridge can attack it. This basically allows the ability to "destroy" a bridge on a temporary basis.
A city can only attack/ be attacked by the adjacent hex. Baring a city divided by a bridge, the city should be considered one "location."
All airports can attack each other
Troops start off from two starting points (not on the original map) at the bottom of the map. One is the "air supply" and the other is the "land supply." Air Supply can one way attack all airports. Land supply can only one way attack nearby hexes based on location type. All starting locations are on the bottom of the map.
The goal is the far north of the map. (I'll simplify it by saying the large blue north bar.) That bar can one way attack any starting point.
In the basic idea every hex is occupied by 3 neutral troops, so it's going to be a tough fight to get position within the map. I would suggest that cities and starting points would get additional troops at the start of each turn in addition to the normal supply of troops.
Decay is really an optional idea at this time (if the hex cannot be reinforced by a city airport or a starting point it looses a certain number of troops).
One victory condition would be a supply line from an occupied land supply hex to the large blue north bar.
Even without the condition there would be a tendency to use the air starting points to go directly to the upper area of the map as this is the only way to attack the other starting points.
Adjustments to the map would need to be made, in part because the specifics is probably still owned by GDW and in part to allow it easier for up to 8 allied units to find airports to commonly attack and control.
I think this idea, as I have presented it, is workable.
Map Image: Original map from GDW
- Click image to enlarge.
