Start of PBEM Halle Campaign

There has been an unexpected delay in starting the Halle campaign. The start up enmails went out on Monday, together with maps and player briefings. The first stage is for Napoleon and Kutuzov to issue their initial campaign objectives, and I did not set a deadline as I wanted them to have plenty of time to plan their campaign.

I was not surprised to be advised that they would like to delay until Monday, so that they could consult their corps commanders. However getting replies when they are spread throughout the world can be a time consuming problem. I have asked for the initial orders by Monday at the latest.

Each corps commander will then have to issue movement orders for the following day. The days are broken into three moves, each of four hours. So when the two armies get close together a lot might happen during one campaign day. They will also have to choose their route with care, as there are movement penalties for moving off road or through difficult terrain. Finally they will have to ensure that they have a clear supply route to their forward supply depots.

Nine of the ten players took part in the Magdeburg campaign, so I know they can be trusted to respond promptly and issue orders on time. However that was a very simple campaign compared to this one. All corps were displayed on the daily situation map, so there was little need for careful planning. It will be interesting to see how they get on with this more complicated campaign.