Just go with the flow is my opinion.

Let people build their own army lists if you can. This is of course tough when you are the one owning the game/system. Balancing things out is sometimes necessary, but it can also be boring. I like the thrill of gambling, so it might not be for everyone.

Try to place objectives (primary/secondary/tactical) pretty evened out. Unless you got an attack/defense type of modifier.

The Free Battle Mode options have a few (point) modifiers to make it easier or harder on the attacker.

Yes, I play on maps that I enjoy looking at and make sense. It's all very subjective though.

You know, a road with a bunker next to it… and not simply the bunker dropped randomly in the middle of a forest where the underlying structure doesn't make sense.

I also like scenarios that are asymmetrical. Many historical battles weren't evened out. Often it's defenders against a strong offensive attacking force, or worse. Or the inverse.

If you want a competitive map, try to be semi-symmetrical, though. Like this one I made a couple of years ago. Everything is very even: distance to objectives (there were primaries in the station and the church, secondary straight in the middle, and tactical objectives in the small buildings), amount of cover… but still it makes thematic and visual sense.

A simple system could be if both players can agree to maximize the fun of the game. If your opponent is a bit too competitive, then go with "You make the map, I get to choose which side to deploy on", that tends to keep things pretty even 😉

Cool topic!

What do you guys think about making a thread where everybody can show their free battle maps. We could even turn this into a competition or something. This way might inspire players trying out the free battle mode. What do you think?

Ooh that looks like an awesome map 🙂

Quote from JanHoos on [13/06/2022] à 10:35

I've never run a free battle mode and was wondering what tips people have that have ran them.

Do you try to make balanced maps? How do you pick the forces? If I pick a tank, do you make sure the other side has AT weapons?

It is not compulsory to have evenly balanced games since in real life wartime it rarely is like that… More often, it is the contrary: ask for it to the glorious Ukrainians resisting the rebirthing Soviet Union today, which invaded them…

I can bring you 2 cases into which I played uneven balanced scenarios that went badly for the side which was, on the paper, the side with most army points or best placed or with the most type and number of protections and covers… As you states, by saying that you try to balance the bunkers or defences from the sides… As it was a "sticky balls" or softair game, instead of being a realistic game about real historic battles on WW2!!!

I usually play solo or do create home made scenarios to reproduce real events occurred in WW2 or I use FFI troops we see in Heroes System to create sceanrios involving them or thw italian partisans. I often do proxy FFI partisans to recreate events involving ITALIAN partisans and italian armies instead…

I also posted plenty of scenarios and battlefields/lists of troops in the TOOL section here on the DPG site. But unfortunately it seems none saw them or use the tool section anymore (and it is not updated too, unfortunately).

If you want more advices and suggestions upon creating and managing 500+ to 1000 / 1200 points of armies scenarios, feel free to write me here or ask it to me directly, via pms…

I also can tell you privately the 2 cases mentioned above, regarding unbalanced matches that went wrong for the side which was the best one, on the paper, in terms of positioning or number of troops and army points… Ask for it in pm if you want to…