Red Tide

Red Tide is a campaign created by Volcano, Mog and Dark.

version I.a
23 MAR 2012
(updated: 23 MAR 2012)

File:Red Tide 85.png

Background

The Red Tide campaign is based loosely on Red Leopard and also contains elements of Operation Fury. The goal of the campaign is a low complexity, easily approachable campaign that everyone can understand and which stresses combat in high intensity scenarios. The setting is classic Cold War period where the vehicle selections are based on a specific year during the Cold War, depending on the iteration being played.

What is the overall mission for both sides?

At the operational level, OPFOR's (Red's) overall objective is to push through to the end of the full map used for the campaign. Once they get three tanks across a defined line, the campaign is over in an OPFOR victory. BLUEFOR's (Blue's) overall objective is not to completely annihilate OPFOR, rather, they have to conduct a delaying action long enough for certain conditions to be met for the campaign to end due to running out of time.

What forces are available to each side?

Both sides use a static Table of Equipment and Organization (TOE) which is defined and kept track of on the wiki page belonging to the specific iteration page.

For the most part, the equipment in the TOE table is what you have for the duration of the campaign, although there are ways to get "attachments" which are basically temporary reinforcements, and "replacements" which is a form of strength recovery over time. Both of these are explained in detail in the reinforcement section.

Each week, the overall CO of both sides will choose the unit in their TOE to fight with from the choices available to them. BLUEFOR's CO chooses three companies (to make up that battle's task force), while OPFOR's CO one of their available regiments.

How does the campaign play out from week to week?

Unique to this campaign, the actual fighting that occurs each week is supposed to represent one full day of fighting. As such, the weekly battle is broken into two parts: a "Reconnaissance Battle" (aka. Recon Battle), which occurs in the middle of the week (attendance is optional), and the actual "Main Battle" which occurs at the primary scheduled time. The Recon Battle is basically a side show operation, which supplements the Main Battle, while the Main Battle is what actually determines the outcome of the campaign. If you do poorly or no one shows up for the Recon Battle, then the Main Battle will be more difficult and as such, the overall progress in the campaign will suffer.

The Main Battle

The Main Battle is very straightforward, OPFOR's goal in each is to push forward towards the eventual breakthrough line at the end of the campaign map, and BLUEFOR's goal is to resist/delay and inflict as many casualties as possible.

What other objectives are in the Main Battle scenario?

In each Main Battle scenario, both sides have a limited objective that they can choose to accomplish. Basically, the accomplishment of the limited objective determines whether or not that side will be awarded Attachments (reinforcements). Each side's limited objective is determined at random and is clearly defined in the briefing and on the map, and each side is only aware of their own limited objective. The attachment procedure is explained in more detail in the reinforcement section.

The Recon Battle

The basic premise behind the Recon Battle is that it is a small engagement where the objectives for both sides will be randomly determined from week to week. These objectives are limited in scope and obtainable, and primarily relate to typical missions that a reconnaissance unit would conduct. The units used in the Recon Battle are always replenished from week to week and their composition on BLUEFOR is mostly a couple of platoons of mixed units, and on OPFOR it always consists of the forward recon elements based on Soviet doctrine, but their actual vehicle types may vary from scenario to scenario.

What happens after the Recon Battle?

As mentioned, the Recon Battle is supplemental to the Main Battle. The result of the Recon Battle does not directly affect the outcome of the campaign, rather, it indirectly influences the difficulty for both sides to win the Main Battles.

RECON BATTLE RESULTS (carried over to the "Main Battle")

• Losing side's force gets exposed to enemy (only useful for estimating strength)
• Losing side's deployment zones are shown (useful to determine roughly where they will be)
• Losing side's minefields are visible in planning (if any)
• Winning side gets recon units available for Main Battle
  

RED: x3 PLTS BRDM-2

BLUE: x1 PLT x2 M1025 x2 M966 (US), x1 PLT x3 ASLAV-25 (GE), x1 PLT x3 ASLAV-25 (UK)

• If Blue loses, BLUEFOR begins unprepared - forces are at 25% ammo and fuel, supply trucks available
• If Red loses, OPFOR begins unprepared - BNs in REGT have deployment zones in depth rather than on line

How do you get reinforcements?

Technically, the only forces you have are the ones you start the campaign with. However, during the course of the campaign you may receive attachments and/or replacements for depleted units.

Replacements

For each Main Battle, the CO of both sides chooses the unit that they will deploy for battle (as mentioned in the available forces section. All units that do not participate in that week's Main Battle scenario replace 20% of their total MISSING strength, handled at parent unit level organization.

• Since replacements are determined by missing strength that means that a formation that is very weak will receive many more replacements than one that is near full strength. For example, an OPFOR regiment is missing 18 tanks; that regiment would receive 4 tanks as replacements (3.6 rounded up). Another OPFOR regiment that is missing only 4 tanks would only receive 1 tank as replacements (.8 rounded up).

• The replacement levels are determined separately for each OPFOR regiment and each BLUEFOR task force. The replacements received are divided up between the sub units with the weakest formation getting preference. AFV replacement levels for units are determined separately by tank and PC for that sub unit. Support vehicle replacements are instead handled as a total of all non-participating parent organizations together. Artillery is never replaced.

Attachments

Attachments are temporary forces that get assigned to your side when limited objectives are achieved during the Main Battle scenario. These units do not below to your TOE, rather they are temporarily attached from other organizations. Most but not all attached units gained throughout the campaign will get carried over to following Main Battle scenarios, providing that they survive of course, however at any point all attached units may be withdrawn. For more information about attachments, see the specific iteration page.

When does the campaign end?

Peace Talks Meter on the strategic map, currently denoting level 1.

There are two ways for the campaign to end:

1. An OPFOR victory, which occurs when OPFOR gets three tanks or PCs across the final breakthrough line which is at the end of the operational map and will be clearly marked when it appears in the Main Battle scenario.
   
2. A BLUEFOR victory, which occurs the moment the "Peace Talks Meter" reaches its maximum level. This meter represents the flow of the overall war, where the progress made in this sector is representative of the overall progress. When the meter reaches its maximum level, then progress is too costly and OPFOR will be forced to make peace.
   
3. A draw, which occurs when both sides agree to a ceasefire.
   

Factors That Affect Peace Talks

At the end of each Main Battle scenario, the Peace Talks Meter may rise or fall depending on what has occurred during the day. Basically, positive increases are bad for OPFOR, any negative increases are bad for BLUEFOR. The factors that influence Peace Talkss are:

+1 After each Main Battle. Time marches on, and OPFOR's logistical support constantly declines; this means that providing there are no negative and no other positive movements of the meter, the campaign has a maximum of 10 Main Battles scenarios.

+1 When OPFOR goes THREE Main Battle scenarios without taking a limited objective.

+1 When an OPFOR regiment drops below 30% strength for the first time. This can happen once for each regiment, so it may only occur up to three times in one campaign.

-1 When a BLUEFOR task force drops below 20% strength for the first time. This can happen once for each task force, so it may only occur up to three times in one campaign.