After going through the four drafts of Rising Sun, Supermarina I, No Sailor But a Fool, and several convention games, it became apparent that all the scenarios, designers were marching to slightly different music. This checklist is provided to make sure that all the information on needed to run a scenario is collected before the game starts. Location: 1. Geographic reference, either distance and bearing ftorn a geographic location, or a laLtitude/longitude. 2. Date (Day, Month, Year) 3. Local Tune. Operational Situation: 4. The background of the conflict surrounding the events preceding or defining the scenario. This should dearly illustrate the nature of the conflict, if this scenario is part of a larger theatre of action and how. Both sides's situation should be included as part of the description, or have two sets of Op Sits - one for each side. Tactical Situation 5. The immediate situation that these forces find themselves in at this location at this point in time. The immediate concerns of the higher command and any knowledge of the enemy should be provided here. Environment: 6. Visibility. This is given qualitative terms (Haze, Clear, etc.) and in percentages ranging from 100% (perfect) to 5% (filthy). 7. Wind: Direction from and speed. 8. Percent cloud cover, rain, etc-, any type of precipitation. 9. Sea State (make sure this matches or is supported by the wind speed according to CaS Annex I - Environment). 10. Sun/Moon: lighting conditions and position if applicable to scenario. Forces: 11. Unit identity, class and type (and number if needed) (includes ship, submarine or aircraft) 12. Organization (Squadron, Task Force, etc.) 13. Ammunition state if not fiully loaded 14. Commander and embarked units Orders 15. Clearly define what the player is supposed to do. State the objective, which should be consistent with the tactical and operational situations. If the scenario is a historical recreation, they should reflect what the orders were in history. Victory Conditions: 16. The Decisive victory conditions should match the orders given (and hopefully be possible to achieve). The Tactical victory conditions should be related to the orders, but allow for some variance and reflect the overall nature of the general conflict from the tactical and operational situations. (The repeat of history should not be the goal of the victory conditions, but what was the desired outcome - for one side anyway). The victory conditions should also be achievable within the rules of CaS or by a special rule that is scenario-unique. Setup 17. Te location of the forces relative to each other or to some geographic point 18. The formation of each group - either by providing a diagram showing bearings and ranges or with a written description of bearing and ranges from a designated guide. 19. Course and spied (and altitude for planes and depth for subs) 20. Steaming Condition (Wartime readiness, battle stations, ASW pursuit, etc. - indicator of response time at start of scenario). 21. Any special unit status (fuel or battery states, readiness conditions, and so on.) Variations: 22. Changes to the Forces, Setup, or other starting conditions. This provides alternatives to balance a historical scenario or explore other historical outcomes - the "what if" that gamers look for. BT Back to The Naval Sitrep #5 Table of Contents Back to Naval Sitrep List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1995 by Larry Bond and Clash of Arms. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history and related articles are available at http://www.magweb.com