A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Mediterranean Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.

This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/Ukrainian side or from the Red/Russian side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.

Image: The only one An-225 Mriya (Dream) destroyed in the Hostomel-Antonov airport aside many other destroyed aircrafts, photo took fifty days after the Russian invasion, and released for enhancing the idea of resistance. The largest and most powerful transport aircraft on the planet had set 240 world records, but for the Ukrainians Dream will never die. Photo by KCSA, Oleksii Samsonov, and this file comes from the website of the Kyiv City Council and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. and took from Wikipedia Commons.

From the eventful year of 2014 (Mainly from the Russian invasion of Crimea) the world was beginning clearly the so-called Second Cold War, the President of Russia Vladimir Putin (ex-KGB lieutenant colonel) was showing clearly his plan to recover the Russian Empire including previous Soviet territories for reinstitute the greatness of "his" Russia, and to guarantee his passage on the History as saviour of the Rodina.

After the massive Russian build-up of forces from late 2021 in Russia and Belarus near the Ukrainian border, NATO forces were forced to an increased and constant deployment near Ukraine and the Eastern Mediterranean, to deterrent Putin's ambition.

The probably original plan was to avoid an intervention by NATO ground forces but preventing the Russian main forces to enter Ukrainian territory, and to get this target to establish an air and sea exclusion zone around and over Ukraine.

But at last, on February 24, 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukraine against most forecast, sinking the world in a new state of international relations, as consequence of a long and failed campaign of unexpected outcomes.

One of the first military actions was a Russian heliborne assault (From the theoretically “neutral” Belarus! Also Russian armoured columns came from Belarus) on the Hostomel-Antonov international cargo airport and testing facility, some 20 nautical miles from the Ukrainian capital city, Kyiv. The original Russian idea was the late arrival of airborne troops on Hostomel-Antonov via Il-76 Candid, but the runway was very damaged after the initial battle.

The surprise of improvised defence by very small Ukrainian forces turn the Russians away from the airport grounds in the evening of the same February 24 and very possibly preventing the occupation of Kyiv by Russia. But the next day a second wave heliborne and armoured force took the airport for the invader Russians. But the airport was abandoned on April 2 by the Russian forces when them “strategically” retired from the Kyiv Oblast.

The forces available to both sides are very small in this scenario, to reflect the chaos and surprise of the Russian invaders in face of the opposition of the Ukranian forces, and the improvised defence by the Ukranian side.

Another legend born those days was the MIG-29 “Ghost of Kyiv”, some of it is also reflected in the scenario.

A very simple and easy scenario, at least apparently, and perhaps surprisingly balanced.

Could you do better than Russian or Ukrainian historical forces on this scenario?

Enrique Mas, July 26, 2026.

A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the Western Pacific WesPac Battleset and the HCDB2-170909 (or later) 1980-2025 era Platform Database. This scenario is designed with Advanced Scenario Editor Build 2017.013 and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.

This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/Japanese side or from the Red/Chinese side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.

Image: JS Shimokita LST-4002, sistership of the JS Osumi LST-4001 depicted on this scenario, and JS Izakuchi DD-107, of the Murusame class, predecessor and very similar to the Japanese destroyers of this scenario. Undated photo, probably near March 2002 when Shimokita was commissioned. Took from Wikipedia Commons and licensed under the Japanese Government Standard Terms of Use (Version 2.0). These terms of use are compatible with Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, and the image is referenced as: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB:LST-4002_%E3%81%97%E3%82%82%E3%81%8D%E3%81%9F_(1).jpg

An apparently simple scenario based on The Naval SITREP 70 issue (April 2026) article “You Say Diaoyu, We Say Senkaku”, by Martyn Kelly, and played with Harpoon paper rules at Historicon 2024.

Basically the Chinese are defending the recent occupied islands, and the Japanese are trying to recovery the inhabited territory.

Both sides concurring with very limited theatre forces, to avoid an escalade.

In consequence not too easy for any side.

Enrique Mas, April 18, 2026.

EC 2003 NACV

HCDB2 170909

There's two hypothesis for this fictitious scenario:

First, a change in USA focus and deployments has left no USN forces in the West Pacific region other than a sole SSN that is in transit after maintenance at HMAS Stirling, Western Australia.

Second, internal Taiwanese political change has led to a swift change in status with PRC who now have use of Taiwanese facilities and have announced a forward military presence in the smaller island countries of the west pacific to enhance their security and to protect infrastructure being provided by Chinese aid.

In an encounter a Philippines Navy Frigate has been sunk by the Chinese, the situation leading up to the sinking is unclear.

A small combined Australian and Singapore naval group is nearby with associated air units conducting combined exercises.

Picture from Wikipedia: Singapore Navy Formidable Class Frigate.

A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for EC2003 Battle for the Middle East Battleset and the HCDB2-170308 new standard 1980-2025 Platform Database. This scenario is designed with advanced Scenario Editor and to be run with HCE 2015.008+ or later.

This scenario is designed to be played from the Blue/US-Allied side or from the Red/Iranian side. You should play a few times first the Blue side to avoid spoilers, and only later play the Red side.

Image: A B-2A Spirit and two F-15E Strike Eagles fly in formation across the Pacific Ocean Near Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on July 8, 2005. The deployed fighters and bomber represent Pacific Air Force's projection of Global Strike and resolve for U.S. allies in the Pacific theatre. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo, from Wikipedia, pictured by a serviceperson on duty and in consequence on public domain.)

When I started to design this scenario about August 2025 my idea was to represent the turmoil of 2025. From August 2025 to today the turmoil has increased and the scenario and its goals are now apparently almost straight and simple.

It represent a high moment of the Twelve-Day War between Iran and Israel (13-24 June 2025), with US forces purposely obliterating the Iranian nuclear program, after previous Israeli strikes softening the Iranian air defences (and most of the Iranian aircrafts were evacuate to Eastern Iran to avoid destruction, doing from three to five single sorties while Midnight Hammer).

My idea was to represent the flavour of an almost deserted Iran, but capable to get a moral and propaganda victory if some few US aircraft are destroyed.

The scenario is only four hour long, but should be played many times at slow pace to avoid unpredictable loses and outcomes.

Could you replicate the US achievement in this apparently simple scenario?

Enrique Mas, January 11, 2026.

This scenario can be played with GE version 2022.027 (matrix last release) or newer, Database HCDB2-170909 in Medc 2003 Battleset.

While Russia is still busy fighting it's war with Ukraine she has been harassing other countries with aircraft incursions, but Turkey fights back.

Israel invaded Egypt on 29 October 1956, having done so with the primary objective of re-opening the Straits of Tiran and the Gulf of Aqaba as the recent tightening of the eight-year-long Egyptian blockade further prevented Israeli passage. After issuing a joint ultimatum for a ceasefire, the United Kingdom and France joined the Israelis on 5 November, seeking to depose Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser and regain control of the Suez Canal. [from wikipedia Suez Crisis Suez Crisis - Wikipedia ]

In this scenario I've used as much as possible the platforms in use then by each country, but much reduced in numbers and non historically correct locations, and a very simplified strategic plan.

The platforms of this era (and upto say late 60's) are interesting to use with usually radar controlled gunnery as primary AA defense and non guided short ranged rocket or bombs as primary aircraft launched surface attack weapons. The lack of terrain following ac equipment prevents close formation multi ac attacks instead requiring either high exposure to detection multi ac formation or multiple effectively single ac wave skimming attacks. Even in the early 70's non formation but close proximity wave skimming attacks by A4 skyhawks was still practiced by RAN fleet air arm.

21 January, 1941, a Japanese invasion fleet of one light cruiser, ten destroyers, four minesweepers, three submarine chasers, three patrol boats and sixteen transport ships left Tarakan for Balikpapan, (oil rich areas of Borneo). A MLD Dornier spotted the fleet that same day, but heavy clouds with strong winds and prolonged rain prevented the plane from shadowing the fleet. On the next day, U.S. Navy submarines S-40, Pickerel, Porpoise, Saury, Spearfish and Sturgeon were ordered to intercept the fleet. Later, they were joined by Dutch submarines K-XIV and K-XVIII. Sturgeon fired several torpedoes on the convoy and reported sinking three ships. However, postwar records failed to confirm any damages to the convoy.

In this scenario a simplified version of the situation is recreated with the submarine force intercepting the south bound invasion fleet at the narrow northern entrance to the Makassar Strait.

(ScreenShot US SS Porpoise, http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08172.htm, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2030041)

The "Landing at Pontian" (17 August 1964) was an amphibious landing made by a small body of Indonesian troops in the Pontian District, Johor, Malaysia. The landing took place during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, an undeclared war fought between Malaysia and Indonesia during the early 1960s over the creation of a Malaysian Federation encompassing parts of northern Borneo, areas that Indonesia sought to increase its own power in Southeast Asia.

On 17 August 1964, Indonesian President Sukarno announced a 'Year of Dangerous Living' as a part of his country's Independence Day celebrations. To reinforce his point, Sukarno had ordered that a force of Indonesian troops and exiled Malaysian-Chinese land in mainland Malaysia to kick off a campaign of such invasions to create guerrilla bases in enemy territory and stir up Communist sympathizers. The effort was a failure, as targeted Malaysians proved unreceptive to Indonesian efforts and the invaders were swiftly rounded up by Anglo-Malaysian security forces.

The landing shocked the British, who had not expected such a strong and prominent step from the Indonesians, but did not incite them to respond to Sukarno's escalation of tensions. The absence of violent reply stiffened Sukarno's burgeoning resolve, and led him to continue with more landings, amphibious and airborne, throughout the fall and winter of 1964. 

The landings at Pontian, though small in scale, and unsuccessful in nature, caused a huge political crisis for Britain. The Malaysian government was infuriated, and accused the Indonesians of "blatant aggression," threatening to strike (through Britain) at their bases in Sumatra, simultaneously putting immense pressure on London to act. Though Sukarno had suffered a minor defeat, he had still managed to put the British in an extremely awkward position: if they did not retaliate, they would be seen to have lost face and to lack enough resolve to risk escalating the crisis. Retaliation, however, might bring the Confrontation towards open war, which the British were understandably unwilling to consider. The debate whether or not to act raged on in Cabinet backrooms. Lord Anthony Head proved an influential voice in the conversation, stating that interrogation had shown that more raids were impending, which would stretch British forces between the Malaysian Peninsula and Borneo, forcing an unwanted reinforcement of Southeast Asia. Head advocated preventative strikes against Indonesian bases should another raid occur.

Before the British could decide upon a policy, however, Sukarno struck again, making an airborne assault Labis in the night of 1-2 September. Though the raid was a catastrophic failure, with one of the transport planes crashing en route, and the remainder of the troops arriving scattered with little food and battered morale, the move further infuriated the Malaysians, who in turn put pressure upon the British to act. The next day, colonial secretary Duncan Sandys authorized on-site naval commander Admiral Varyl Begg to plan for strikes against Indonesian bases in Sumatra.

In this scenario the British begin their actions of retaliation in Sumatra without waiting for further Indonesian attacks.