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Communications and Intelligence


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#1 MatthewB

MatthewB

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Posted 22 September 2015 - 04:30 PM

I know this is a hard subject to deal with in a campaign, and really requires a GM to properly implement.

But I notice that there is nothing in the rules save for the HF/DF rules regarding communication that deal with Intelligence and/or interception of enemy communications, or force locations.

For instance, the USA had Hypo, and England Ultra, and other listening posts that had Crypto capabilities of various capabilities. And prior to June of '42, the USA had deciphered much of the IJN codes, allowing them to prepare for Midway, and other operations, giving a significant and much needed edge. England's success with deciphering Enigma allowed for the shortening of the war by roughly 2 - 4 years (Est.).

Has any thought been given to implementing some sort of system for abstracting this process?

I know, for instance, that the USA, England, and Germany far and ahead led the field in terms of cryptography and cryptanalysis (with England having a significant investment at Bletchley Park, as well as Cheltenham after the war (where I spent a little time in the 1980s). 

This is an area where I would also love to give a crack at creating some basic abstractions to use.

I have played other games where this was a part of the game-play, and it led to really intriguing and captivating play.

For the early war, a simple system of interception (was a communication by the enemy intercepted) and then prioritization (did the intercepted message make it to a high enough priority to make a difference - the US Hypo did not even finish translating all of their interceptions until after the war, including early and pre-war interceptions) to see if an intercept managed to even make it to cryptanalysis... And then an abstraction for crypto to see how much of a given message was understood.... These could be done with a table or two for the various periods in the war, separating different investment and attention levels to these services by nationality, with the table determining things like "Time," "Location," "Operation," "Forces" (from a Task Force, to Divisions, or even individual ships), or even complete orders.

This would require, for the Campaign System, some form of codified communications, which outlined when and where communication occurred, as well as some form of order system for the units involved.

There were a couple of GDW games from the 1980s that had a system of orders and communications which detailed the distinction between Theatre Orders and Operational Orders for Task forces and Divisions (or even individual ships).

Plus the rules concerning submarines and their patrol areas already give some basic structure to Orders for Task Forces, or Divisions.

Such additional rules would be beneficial to organizing and running campaigns more efficiently.

MB

 






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