Campaign Planning
In this section we'll discuss how to plan campaigns and scenarios. This
is usually done by a gamemaster (GM), who is like a referee. A gamemaster's role is to ensure a smooth fuctioning and gameplay- settling
disputes and clarifying rules. This means that:
a. You will need one extra club member because for a 1 on 1 game with a gamemaster, that's 3 members. Note that not all clubs even have that many members (we barely do).
b. A gamemaster must know the rules very well and even be able to know basic modifiers by heart.
Following are our general guidelines for planning successful and interesting campaigns and scenarios (so that everyone can enjoy themselves at your gaming sessions). Also included are period specific guidelines.
Specific Guidlines
General guidelines
First of all, you have to know some historic (or futuristic) background so that the campaign will be logical and somewhat accurate- example- the Normandy invasion took place in June 1944 in France, on x-beaches.
Note that this doesn't mean you have to be some history buff and know the wingspans of the bombers that bombed the germans...
Plan the scenarios with the background in mind, but the encounters themselves and locations really don't have to be real.
Try to have some interesting features to spice up the battle/battlefield- lots of terrain, accessories, randomness... And if you're staging some boring old trench warfare for example, add features that will make the battle more flexible (reinoforcements that will come from the flanks into the enemies' trenches) and interesting- heroes and other characters, rarer weapons, etc..
Use hidden movement- highly recommended. Hidden Movement means that not all figures, vehicles, fortifacations, etc are on the table, only ones that are in sight of each other. This way, you add elements of surprise, planning and realism that you wouldn't have otherwise.
A good example is from our first playtest where I wouldn't move my squad to the crest of the hill, my "clairevoyance" (eyes) telling me that a pillbox will have me in sight and range if I do.
Hidden Movement methods we use are either A. computer drawn scale maps that movement is drawn on, with th GM referring to both at the end of the turn, B. or 2-3 counters for each
unit/soldier, that you move normally each turn but only 1 is real.
Make sure everything is clear to the player- whether a hill is climable, what type of woods, and so on.
If you have a special room or table dedicated to the hobby (we don't), set the terrain up in advance so valuble time is saved.
Get all the maps ready beforehand and have the players fill out their respective record sheets.
If you make the first scenario of a campaign equal, but after that make it dynamic- that is- if player A gets a clear advantage in a Battletech game by destroying player B's
Star Commander's mech- he will cause panic and disorder, thus making starting the next scenario with an advantage.
Try to make each players briefing interesting and with the proper atmosphere- hi-tech Powerpoint presentations for Battletech, radio transmissions for WW2, etc...
During the game you might want appropriate background music, dimmed lights for night games, or anything else that would capture the atmosphere of the period and battle.