One of the neatest new additions to the DW 2.5 book is the Flashpoint Campaign system. As the book describes it, this system provides a framework for conducting an expansive map-based campaign that will allow players to gain and lose territory, and which forces players to consider matters of supply and logistics. The campaign section of the rulebook also makes numerous references to materials that were to be provided in the future through the Spartan website, including other campaign maps and secret mission briefings for the various participants. Unfortunately, none of these materials made it out the door before Spartan shut down, so that means that we players will need to get a bit creative in order to actually run a campaign with the Flashpoint system. This post will examine one of those aspects that players will need to make on their own; the campaign map.

The Rulebook Example

The 2.5 rulebook includes an example map with a hex overlay, covering the western coast of Africa:

The Flashpoint campaign map example from the 2.5 rulebook.

Map Details:

• 18×13 Hexes (roughly)
• Each hex is roughly 180 miles across (left to right), 165 miles high (top to bottom)
• Overall size of map is therefore roughly 3200 x 2100 miles

Other Locations

Given the 3200×2100 mile size of the  map, what would this look like in other geographical locations? Here are a few possibilities that I pulled off Google Maps. Bear in mind, this is by no means an exhaustive list, nor are the boundaries necessarily exact. However, these should give a good feel for what is possible in the size limits suggested by the rule book.

Middle East

This might be an interesting setting for a campaign, since it includes part of the Med and has lots of different naval choke points to fight over.

South America

This area is a bit light on land mass, though it does include the Falklands and would be a great campaign for Covenant players to be involved in since this is part of their “back yard.”

Caribbean

This would be a fun one for Blazing Sun and Federated States players, with Britannian and Prussian support; in essence, this could be a renewal of the conflict detailed in Hurricane Season.

South-east Asia

This map has a ton of options for the inclusion of minor powers; China, Indian Raj, EIMC, and the Australians are all natural inclusions. The Blazing Sun and Britannians would be the most natural Core nations. Like the Middle East, this area features some naval choke points that could provide interesting tactical option.

Conclusion

The size of the area suggested by the Flashpoint map in the 2.5 rulebook provides some interesting choices for players. While not small by any means, is not large enough to, say, encompass the entire Pacific. However, the area is still large enough to generate tactically and operationally interesting situations. Additionally, there is nothing that says a Flashpoint map has to be limited to the size of the example map in the book; however, without having additional examples from Spartan, it is though to suss out how much the rules for the Flashpoint system have been “calibrated” to a given map size. So, it seems like a safe bet to keep the map sizes down for now, until the community has had more time to experiment with the rules.

Until next time!