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Top Level Player Positions
in WWIIOL
by Megadeth
I have noticed that 99%
of the WWIIOL forum discussions concentrate on technical topics, such
as vehicle performance, or historical debates, or "we are going to
kick your ass" type stuff. Very little attention has been paid to
the very complex and vital issues of organization and hierarchy at the
top level of each "team" or nation. This will be the make or
break point for any game as far as I am concerned, so let me propose a
suggestion for how the structure of the upper echelons of a Nation might
look like. These positions will be the most difficult to play (as in they
will involve the most "work"), and people thinking they might
want to give Operational Planning a try may want to read this first. Here
is a suggested organization for the top tier of a "country".
National Commander in
Chief:
This is the top dog, the
highest ranking player in the game. Unfortunately, this guy is probably
not going to get to play "online" much. This individual will
be responsible for the top level decision making, namely proposing and
approving battle plans, making macro decisions on economic and resource
priorities, and overall strategic decision making. This individual is
not so much a "one man show", more like a football team's general
manager. He has Final authority on decisions that influence the outcome
of the war.
This individual should NOT
try to run the whole war, this is BAD, and you WILL fail. A wise Commander
in Chief lets the Chief's of Staff make those assessments, and adjudicates
between options presented by the staff. He is the clearing house of options,
picking from among the plans presented to him by the staff, or approving
suggestions on how to best prosecute the war. Ideally, this person has
to have an excellent grasp of both military and economic factors, and
the ability to connect with people in a leadership role.
Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces:
The Armed Forces Chief
of Staff is the highest ranking officer in the entire nation, and may
come from any branch of the armed forces. This position is appointed by
the Commander in Chief. The Chief of Staff is responsible for running
the National Staff Head Quarters. That means that he is the central figure
in the planning and execution of the war effort. He is advised by the
Chiefs of each of the armed force branches, and the Chief of Industry.
The Chief of Staff is supposed to analyze and interpret Staff reports
about the overall war effort on a daily basis, and make a concise briefing
to the Commander in Chief at the beginning of each day. He is supposed
to bring forward to the CinC issues that require his decision. He receives
a report from each of the NHQ chiefs every virtual morning, and then presents
the overall situation to the CinC. The Chief of Staff is also responsible
for decisions regarding the allocation of military and industrial resources
to each branch of the armed forces (Spawn Points), in conjunction with
the recommendations and requests from the staff.
Staff of the National
Head Quarters
The National Head Quarters
is the organization that runs the war, all aspects of it. Operational
planning and Strategy are conceived at this level, and passed down to
the lower branches of the national armed forces. The NHQ is composed of
the most senior players, and their responsibility is awesome in scope.
I suggest the following positions:
Chief of Industry and
Production: This person (General in rank) is in charge of Spawn
Point production. All issues of strategic resources, such as new weapon
research, weapon production (spawn points), national transportation
(supply lines), and other resource management fall under this man's
jurisdiction. He is supposed to present a report on the nations military/industrial
capabilities, and track damage to national industry from bombing raids
or loss of key industrial territory. He knows exactly how many spawn
points (and what kind) the nation has at its disposal, and is aware
of the resource cost of producing each kind of military unit in the
game. He is supposed to devise an optimal industrial plan that will
best suit the strategic situation and the resources at the nation's
disposal. This includes technical development initiatives (new aircraft/tanks/ships/weapons)
and production rates. This man essentially plans the war industry.
Director of Arms Manufacturing
and Development: This position is more of an assistant to the Chief
of Industry and Production. The person is exclusively devoted to weapon
production and development, and as such is supposed to make strategic
evaluations on the relative effectiveness of new and current weapons.
He is supposed to know if any particular weapon is still worth producing
and in what quantities. He has to work closely with the Technical Intelligence
Director to obtain information on the use of weapons on the front, and
any new enemy equipment or tactics that may make existing equipment
obsolete. Put another way, if you find yourself still using a 37mm anti-tank
cannon to destroy a brand new soviet JS-II rolling towards you, the
blame is squarely on the Director of Arms Manufacturing and Development.
This position is subordinate to the Chief of Industry and Production.
Chief of the Ground
Forces: As the name implies, this person is in this highest ranking
officer from the Ground Forces Branch (Tanks and Infantry). Ideally,
this man should be an experienced combat officer. He prepares a report
on the daily ground situation for the Chief of Staff, based on reports
collected from each Front Commander. The Ground Forces Chief is Supposed
to know total ground force strength and manpower, and have a list of
unit names (Tank and Infantry groups, number of players, how many are
in each branch (tank/infantry) at the disposal of the department. He
is supposed to present Operation Plan Proposals to the NHQ for approval
by the Chiefs of Staff and the CinC. He is supposed to have a complete
understanding of the situation at the front, and be able to make concise
and accurate reports about the state and disposition of ground forces
in the game on a daily basis. He should be briefed by the front commanders
on a daily basis (see below).
Chief of the Navy:
Same as above, for naval forces.
Chief of the Airforce:
Same as above. Note that it is up to the team to decide whether to organize
certain specialized units in one branch or the other. For example, do
Marines fall under the jurisdiction of the Navy or the Ground Forces?
Do airborne troops fall under the jurisdiction of the Army (like the
Americans) or the Airforce (like the Germans)? How about flak units?
How about rail units or security forces? These issues should be decided
before the war starts.
Chief of Strategic
Forces: This officer handles all forces and equipment deemed "strategic".
This position may be unnecessary at the start of the game, but may be
activated if one side develops strategic weapons such as V bombs or
Strategic Bombers, or a sufficiently large submarine force. This jurisdiction
may include large scale transport (rail), strategic artillery like shore
batteries or super heavy artillery (like DORA guns or other massive
"siege" cannons), or rear echelon security forces or construction
units. Labor units or other construction resources may fall under this
office's jurisdiction.
The following positions are subordinate to the Chiefs of Staff.
Chief of Intelligence:
A position normally filled by a senior officer (Colonel). This individual
collects and disseminates militarily significant intelligence. He is the
clearing house for information that may be of strategic or tactical use
by that side. Rumors, ground reports, leaked information, stolen information,
etc..etc… There is a lot of leeway on how to gather intelligence,
but it is a vital position, to be filled by a resourceful and intelligent
individual who can sort fact from fiction, vital from trivial. He should
have three assistants underneath him that are responsible for specific
types of information:
Technical Intelligence:
This person collects technical information on the enemy's weapons and
equipment, either from accounts by the players from battlefield experience
or from historical data available from normal sources. He is supposed
to know the instant a new weapon or technology is deployed by the enemy,
and be able to quickly brief the chiefs of staff on its effect on the
enemy's ability to wage war.
Military Intelligence:
This person collects intelligence on the disposition and quantity of
the enemy's ground forces, based on battlefield reports and other sources.
He is supposed to be able to advise the Chief of Intelligence about
the location and strength of enemy forces, and their relative stance
(defensive, on the move, resting, massing for attack).
Analysis and Interpretation:
This person has to a have strong analytical mind and be able to deduce
the enemy's intentions and goals based on reports from various branches
and field commanders. He should be able to keep track of the overall
situation and make guesses about the enemy's next move based on sound
military analysis and thinking.
Assistant to the Chief
of Staff: The assistant, who is normally a Colonel, should basically
act as liaison and general assistant to the NHQ by ensuring that the Staff
can meet and communicate regularly, pass on documents or orders, and liaison
with the lower military branches, acting as a go-between the Staff and
the rest of the players. If necessary, the ACS can be dispatched to make
personal assessments of the situation at the front and report back to
the Chiefs of Staff when more current information is required. He also
handles matters of political infighting or intra-service rivalry which
may be counter to the interests of the state, by reporting such problems
to the Chiefs.
Chief of Operational
Planning: This junior staff position is filled by someone who has
good organizational and publishing skills. He compiles all maps and
documents that the staff either needs or produces as a result of planning
operations for the war. These plan documents must be kept secure and
secret, and only passed on to authorized personnel. These files must
be well put together and clear, and kept out of enemy hands.
Head Quarter Communications:
With so much e-mailing going on, the Chiefs of Staff will not have time
to do anything else unless someone has all the contact information and
the means to process all communications to and from the Chiefs of Staff
in a secure manner. A job that is essential, and very difficult. All
decisions and orders will be going through the Chief of HQ communications.
Armed Forces Positions
Beneath the National Head
Quarters and their various subordinate directors are the people who are
actually fighting the war. These positions are flexibly created by the
Chiefs of Staff as the situation and need arises. There could be a great
degree of difference in the powers of each of these positions, depending
on the needs and style of the players. I recommend these positions inside
the warfighting hierarchy.
Front/Fleet Commanders:
A position for a senior General/Admiral (Field Marshal), these individuals
are responsible for a regional front that is defined by territorial borders
or geographical ones. The Front itself may be sub-divided into territorial
jurisdictions based on the situation and the size of the army. The Front
commander is in command of all Army/Flotilla/Air Army units that are assigned
to him by HQ. The Front commander should have his own mini-HQ modeled
loosely along the organization of the NHQ, placing himself in the CinC
position. He is responsible for the successful execution of Operations
from NHQ in his Front, and makes a daily briefing on the situation in
his Front/Fleet to the appropriate Chief of Staff.
Army/Flotilla Commanders:
Armies are the largest military organization, and may include any number
of Corps. They are usually numbered (1st Army, 2nd) and remain so identified
for the duration of the war. An army commander is a high level general.
Armies are moved around to wherever they are needed, and are assigned
to fronts on a temporary basis. Some Armies/Flotillas are further identified
by a type of military unit, such as Air Army, Tank Army, Carrier Task
Force/Flotilla. Armies are created and de-activated according to the
needs of the war, and are loose organizations that move around a lot.
Corps Commanders:
A Corp is a ground formation composed of usually three divisions of
either tank or infantry, plus support formations such as flak and engineers.
(in the real world a division is an organization of up to 20 000 men)
A Corp is created to perform a specific task inside of an operational
plan, and may be disbanded and reformed several times during the war.
Corps are usually designated by Roman Numerals (LXXII Corps). There
are Army and Air Corps, but the navy uses a different designation (Task
Force?).
Division/Squadron Commanders:
well, obviously there's not going to be any Divisions in WWII ONLINE,
but a certain amount of Spawn Points may be organized into a division,
which will have a consistent number of spawn centers (bases) that will
churn out a certain type of unit. Organizing spawn centers into divisions,
and placing a man in charge of this collection helps organize the players
and allows for ease of planning, reducing confusion at the upper and
lower ranks of players. It's an approximation of real world organization
that will help clarify discussion on playing the game as well as organizing
squads/clans. A division is usually composed of three regiments, and
various support units such as engineers, artillery and flak.
Regimental/Battalion/Company:
A Regiment is usually three battalions, each composed of usually three
companies. A company is 100 men, or three platoons. I suggest in WWIIOL
that each online squad be organized into a company (assuming that roughly
each squad is about 100 people, from what I can tell). Then they can
be grouped into battalions and regiments, then deployed in this Table
of Organization during the game. Squad designations are used for contacting
purposes, in order to help organize the subscribers into effective fighting
units. This may be impractical but until we can test it out it's a good
starting organization that may relieve a lot of the confusion likely
to be the dominant condition at the start of the game.
Specialist formations:
Independent Regiments/Battalions/Companies: It may become desirable
to form specialist formations centered around a squad of players with
unique talents, skills, or equipment. Commandos are the first type of
unit that comes to mind. These specialized units should not be lumped
into a division, but instead organized separately into their own branch,
such as Special Operations in the case of commandos, or Heavy Tank battalions
in the case of Tiger formations, etc. etc. Partisan formations and other
similar "irregular" units may also be possible, so a flexible
organization should be kept in mind.
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