Scenario Design… Point Scenarios
Point Scenarios are scenarios designed around a theme, objective or battlefield test with the intent of challenging players to select the optimal force, within certain parameters, to succeed in the scenario. In other words, building a force for the scenario is essentially part of the scenario’s challenge.
To set up a Point Scenario, you first have to decide what is it about the scenario that will make it different and fun to play. Is there a unique battlefield condition that will add a new challenge (e.g. fog, night time, etc.)? Is there a unique layout to the battlefield that will pose a particular obstacle (e.g. fighting on a volcano, in a swamp, on a small island, etc.)? Is there something about the forces being used that make it a unique challenge (e.g. no Aerial units allowed due to weather, all units move at half speed due to heavy mud, etc.)?
Once you have decided on the special feature or theme for the scenario, you need to determine if any special rules would be appropriate. Be very careful when tweaking the rules for a specific scenario; what seems like an innocent change can instead have a major impact on how the game is played, and can leave players feeling frustrated with the scenario.
Try to devise special rules that impact both sides equally, so both sides are fairly affected. Some interesting special rule tweaks might be: all units’ maximum Range Distances are one step lower (for fighting in bad weather), all units move at half speed (for night maneuvers) or all linear terrain blocks movement (for fighting in hedgerow country). All of these rules may impact player’s choices for their forces, but it would do so equally to both sides.
The next step for devising your scenario is to decided if there are any restrictions or requirements to the forces each side are allowed in the scenario. Again, it is generally best to try and make sure that restrictions or requirements affect both sides equally (e.g. no Armored Units allowed, etc.). For some scenarios though, it may be desirable to have some asymmetrical restrictions or requirements (e.g. Side A can have no more than 20% of its force as Infantry Units, Side B cannot have Aerial Units, etc.).
You should be careful not to be too restrictive in the force construction rules for a Points Scenario, as this type of scenario is specifically intended to allow players to respond to the challenges they face through the choice of their forces. If the scenarios calls for very specific forces to be (such as in a scenario recreating a specific historical event), then a Force Scenario format would probably be the better choice for the scenario (“Force Scenarios” will be covered in another article…).
By following the steps discussed above, creating a Point Scenario for the Combat Cards becomes a fairly easy task. Now it is up to you to go ahead and give it a try and see what you come up with. It may just surprise you how easy it is to devise an interesting and balanced scenario for the game!
