Evolution of a campaign map – Bavaria 1809 (II)

Among the various options like square, hexagon, point-to-point, etc., it exists another interesting way to develop the campaign map: the Offset Squares system, detailed in some blogs like:

– Bob Cordery\’s blog (http://wargamingmiscellany.blogspot.com.es/2009/05/operational-level-wargame-design-1-why.html) or

– MsFoy\’s blog (http://prometheusinaspic.blogspot.com.es/2013/05/the-man-who-killed-pythagoras-and-other.html)

Offset squares system

Following with this subject, mapping with offset squares, the excellent \»The Perfect Captain\» homepage (http://perfectcaptain.50megs.com/bfinder.html), details his own system, the so-called Battlefinder : The Campaign System.

Battlefinder basee sheet that allows multiple combinations with
pre-designed cards

It has an interesting and easy concept, for each area or card, the Provender Points. \»The red numbers on the right side of each card (always P#) are the provender points available on each card. This is an abstract rating which at any time can represent the amount of moveable wealth present in the CS, the amount of crops that the CS produces, or even the amount of habitable shelter available in the CS. Players may interpret this in any way they can imagine.\»(1)

Example of cards with Provender Points on the middle right.

Currently , after several previous attempts, I think I\’ve reached a compromise between facility for drawing squares and versatility of hex grid to measure distances. Moreover, the support of the game is the program MSExcel, instead of Vassal , Cyberboard or another. Why? Because it facilitates be both a spreadsheet for drawing the map and can implement the old concept of Matchboxes system for solitaire play.

First version: the inside of boxes reflects the type of terrain, the name of the area and the Provender Points on the bottom right. More like Battlefinder style

Each square represents an area of 12×12 km (7,45×7,45 miles), divided into 16 squares of 3×3 Km (1,86×1,86 miles). On the computer screen, 64×64 pixels every mini-square.

Second and last version (I hope so): it looks more like a map and not a cards style. Dark green represents forest areas.

The full area of Bavaria Campaign, from Ulm to Passau, and the Danube river on the center of the map. An example for the Excel worksheet for the main map.

In my campaign system there are two Excel worksheets: a map of the campaign area, and the other a more simplified version of the map for dummies movement. The dummies represent, as General Nuisance says about his system: \»The line of red chips across the map is the Prussian \»front\» [in the example] representing cavalry vedettes, local militia, frontier troops and rumors of enemy locations and movement. On the map, you move one city/town per \»day\» (2).

The second Excel worksheet with the dummies (red squares)

To be continued….

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Resources:

(1) http://perfectcaptain.50megs.com/bfinder.html
(2) http://www.smallworldproductions.blogspot.com.es/2012/08/solo-campaign-part-1.html

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Note: As you suppose or know I\’m not native or english speaking so despite my old First Certificate degree, probably there will be some failure of the spanish translation so I beg patience and understanding if a word or meaning is not entirely correct what it should be.