Scenario Design & Discussion

I created a modern RAN vs. PLAN scenario using online tools, designed for solo play as the Royal Australian Navy. It can easily be adapted for co-op or competitive multiplayer. This is my first attempt, so feedback is welcome! ChatGPT acts as an intelligent, responsive opponent—managing PLAN movements, sensor results, and combat outcomes without the need for tables or extra players. It understands Harpoon mechanics and modern military doctrine, resolving detection, weapon effects, and electronic warfare while preserving fog of war and narrative tension. It also generates mission briefings, radio chatter, and tactical commentary to enhance immersion. No setup or softw…

Hi all, I'm trying to help the umpire in a scenario he is adjudicating on simplot. I have a bit of knowledge in manipulating JSON so I though ti'd try to lend him a hand creating units with their weapons and sensors prefilled. I'm having a problem understanding how the tracking number is iterated, when I create a new unit it doesn't show up on the map, due I believe to the lack of the proper tracking number.

Firstly many thanks for developing this - it is really useful and takes alot of work out of movement. I tried a couple of tests I could not change the formation reference point between compass bearing and direction of travel. Ideally relative position needs to be fixed from the guide so that whatever direction the formation is travelling the formation stays the same. I appreciate that re-aligning the screen takes time Txs

Hi all, How do you get the different sea depths into your maps when designing a scenario using SIMPLOT ? Cheers ColonelFlag

I'm loving the Harpoon V rules but find that I need to enter them slowly in order to get the hang of one portion of the rules before entering into another set (figure out SSM and SAMs before venturing to aircraft, subs, etc). To learn the basics I set up a very simple scenario that has great replayability and has been good fun each time I've played it. Scenario set up - March 22, 1988, 0600 local, 200nm SW of Tromso, Norway. Sunrise 0304, sunset 2230. Sea state 4, wind from 000, no clouds, visibility 60%. The Soviets have invaded West Germany and war is on. Unfortunately the start of hostilities found numerous merchant ships, NATO and Soviet at sea. The Norwegi…

I am playing the Indian Ocean Escort scenario from HNR'03 using SimPlot. I am going to use many screenshots to help illustrate how SimPlot can be used to play H4. I apologize in advance if this topic eventually takes too long to load. I will limit my posts and screenies to just relevant points in the game. I will make one post per relevant turn. Below is the starting position of all units (0600). Because this area is heavy with civilian air and sea traffic, there will be additional neutral units that come and go within the game screen (which is between South Africa and Madagascar). Civilian ships will use Nav Points R007 and R008 as shipping lane turning po…

The following is a small scenario inspired by the Second War of the Pacific article in Harpoon Naval Review 2000. This was just to test using SimPlot to map out a paper rules game. The scenario takes place during a hypothetical war between Peru and Chile in 1995. Peru has sent a frigate to patrol off the coast of northern Chile, since their intel says all the fighters and ships at the Iquique Airbase and Naval Base are deployed elsewhere. The ex-British Daring class ship Palacios will operate alone due to a lack of opposition. However, the Chilean Air Force has one F-5E left at the base due to maintenance problems. The airbase has picked up an ESM contact that…

You are the Commander, Training Squadron of Blue Force. TS departed the last port of the ocean training cruise, and go to home port. But, Blue and Red nation skirmished accidentally in the Alfa islands yesterday. The prospective course of TS is now in a tense atmosphere, so the joint staff office detached one P-3C MPA to your force. 2350 in local time. P-3C contacted a very small surface target in the front of your force. It's like a submarine's snorkel. Here is the choke point, so that contact must be identify and observed. But P-3C had to depart here in 20 minutes because of fuel. You command your ships, a helicopter, and MPA, keep contact and identify it.…

How do you do? I'm glad to join this community ,and meet the players of Harpoon4. I'm from Japan, and Japanese Defense Navy will commission the new class Destroyer, we call 25DD(25 means Japanese financial year based on emperor). She will have Multistatic sonar capability, but Harpoon4.1 is not covered this new ASW technology. What do you think about how to evaluate that?

Two Mirages’ are tasked with engaging a Perry class frigate. In the war room based not far from the coast, the two Mirage pilots go over their plan to attack their Perry class target. Each Mirage has an option to carry one of two weapons, and the pilots have decided to carry one of each in a co-ordinated attack. Piper 1 will carry an AS-37 missile, which is an anti radiation missile that will home in on the Perrys radar while she has it active. Under this blanket of radar darkness, Piper 2 will launch its AS-30 from a range of 5 miles. The pilots consider the most likely case that the Perry turns her radar off and is unable to direct air defences against …

I need your opinion for that scenery ----------------- The campaign Small Malevolous Bastards (SMB) in English, was a naval campaign tactic wargame based on the Harpoon 4.1. Design: The first stage design was based on the mapping program Google Earth, put the concept stage to four small island countries on four political alignment, but can use them traditional naval maps and tacticals boards The campaign had focused on a small Pacific region in the four states that lived equally. These states are in a cold war declared by the possession of the islands in the archipelago of Tonga. These islands are discovered large oil and gas reservoir, but these islands hav…

So far in my Harpoon paper career, I’ve only played out single unit verse single unit engagements. Partly because I wanted to see how specific adversaries matched up, partly because I was/am still learning the rules, but mostly because tracking more than 2 units relative positions and ability to detect and maintain a contact for each unit with varying depths, heights, speeds and active or passive sensors constantly changing can be more than a full time job. But now, I’m doing something different. I’m expanding. I’m looking at a multi unit engagement. I’m thinking modern day. I’m thinking one NATO-type unit verse many OPFOR units. I’ve settled on a USA v Ir…

One of Russias first nuclear submarines, a Victor III, is 23.0 nautical miles behind an American Perry class surface ship. The range of 23 miles is the outer range that the stationary Victor can detect the Perry which is travelling at 20 knots. The chance is 25% and detection is made. The Victor dives below the layer and increases speed to 30kts. While travelling at this speed the Victor is blind to the Perrys movements. The Victor decides to travel at 30kts for 1 hour before slowing to 5kts, coming above the layer and checking the position hoping to find himself about 13 miles behind the Perry if her speed and course remains unchanged. The Perry continues on …

Scenario question in two parts. 1. Has anyone put together any pirate type scenarios, with any special rules (ROE, ID'g ship, safe zones)??? 2. Does anyone have any generic "pirate ship" type stats or comments? I really dont have anything myself except being small, no countermeasures and likely nothing heavier than light AA armaments.

Situation Libya. Present day. A French Jaguar has been tasked with destroying a bridge. In game terms, the bridge is a medium sized target with 100dp. The Jaguar is armed with 5 x EU3 450kg free fall bombs and has a ballistic bombsite. Each 450kg bomb inflicts 41points of damage. A single hit could potentially make the bridge unusable, 2 hits would almost guarantee making the bridge unusable and had a good chance of destroying it. 3+ hits would destroy the bridge. Pre-flight planning A horizontal bomb run is safer than a dive bomb attack. However during the pre-flight planning phase it was discovered that a horizontal bomb run yielded just a 6% chance of h…

Has anyone got any engagements or home made scenarios, possibly with some special rules or starting conditions, using a small number of units?

Battle of Marettimo (Italian Report) On the 12th of June 2009 a naval engagement took place around the partition line between the two exclusive economic exploitation zones of Italy and Tunisia. According to the first reports, the incident was triggered by the decision of the Italian government to employ the Navy to deter the occasional harassment of Italian fishermen in the border area between the two zones. The Italian Navy deployed considerable assets in the area under the command of Vice Admiral Fabrizio di Menton. The direct monitoring of the area of operation was given to a light frigate of the Artigliere class under the command of Captain Luca Vailatti. Th…

I am a China watcher and increasingly frustrated by the lack of PLAN platforms available in Harpoon 4.1 Now that Sea of Dragons is 11 years old, and given the dizzying pace of Chinese military modernization here's what I'd like to see added in the next edition (unless anyone here happens to already have the data): Submarines: Type 094 Jin Class Type 093 Shang Class Type 039A Yuan Class Type 039/G/G1 Song Class Surface Combatants: Type 051C Luzhou Class Type 052C Luyang-II Type 051B Luhai Class Type 053H1G Jianghu-V Class Type 053H2 Jianghu-III Class Amphibs: Type 071 Landing Platform Dock Type 072-II (Yuting Class) Large Landing S…

4x Experienced MiG-29K at High Alt. and 6x Competent J-10 at high altitude (flying top cover for the JH-7A's), both at cruise throttle, detect each other at 71.5nm. Both groups of fighters accelerate to FMP and close. Both the Indians and Chinese fires long range missile fire at a range of 34.3nm. 6x R-77 and 4x PL-12. Due to the same distance and speed, the missiles all reach their targets at approximately the same time. R-77 ATA 7.0 -4.5 (J-10 Man Rating) -0.5 (J-10 3rd Gen Decoys) -0.5 (J-10 VSmall Target) = 1.5 Missile Index -1 row due to Experienced vs Competent. pK = 50% 4 Kills rolled. PL-12 ATA 6.5 -5 (MiG-29k manual rating) -0.5 (MiG-29K …

In response to the Brahmos attack on one of their Type-956EM, PLAN has begun "planning" a retaliatory strike on an Indian Navy vessel, from a secret air base in the country formerly known as Burma. 4x JH-7A's, each with 4x YJ-82K (C802K), 2x PL-5, and a 720 liter drop tank, will launch and travel 300nm to strike the Indian SAG. At 200nm, the raid will drop to at least Low Altitude. Definitiely more to follow.