Sierran Conflict — Player Guide

Who this guide is for

This guide is written for players currently participating in the Sierran Conflict Crisis Sim run via the project Discord. The turn-submission workflow, the GM-controlled canonical state, and the coalition coordination cadence described below all assume you're part of an active campaign with a human GM in the loop.

Public access to a self-serve GM map — letting anyone host their own Crisis Sim game without joining the Discord campaign — is planned for a later release. If you arrived here looking for that, watch the project for updates; for now the tracker URLs in this guide point at the canonical campaign run by the project GM.

Welcome to the Continuation War. This guide walks you through reading the campaign tracker, planning your turn, and submitting orders to the GM.

You don't need to install anything. Everything happens in your browser.

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1. Accessing your tracker

Open the player tracker in any modern browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox):

https://dwhite0352.github.io/SierranConflict/tracker/?view=1

Bookmark this URL. The ?view=1 flag puts the tracker in player view — a read-only mirror of the GM's canonical campaign state. You'll see a green banner near the top reading PLAYER VIEW · READ-ONLY MIRROR so you always know which mode you're in.

What "read-only" means: you can pan the map, zoom in and out, click units / installations / front lines to inspect them, and explore the OOB browser to read the order of battle of any nation. You CANNOT move units, draw lines, mark installations as captured, or otherwise change the tracker's state. That's the GM's job — based on the orders you submit.

You CAN, however, plan your turn inside the tracker using the Air Ops Plan and Unit Orders Plan panels. Those plans live locally in your browser; you export them as files at the end of your turn and send them to the GM as your orders.

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2. What you can see

The left sidebar groups everything into collapsible panels. Click any panel title to fold or unfold it.

Panel	What it shows	How to use it
Tools	Select / Distance / Threat ring / A/C range	Click a tool, then click the map to use it. Measurement and rings disappear when you refresh — they're scratchpad for your planning, not committed state.
Turn Status	Current turn number, in-universe date, phase, elapsed war months	Read-only summary of where the campaign is.
Nation Status	Economy / manpower / opinion / casualties for a picked nation	Dropdown picker. Especially useful for your own nation.
OOB Browser	Order of battle for every nation	Click Open OOB Browser. Drill: nation → branch (Army / Navy / Air / Marines) → corps → division → brigade → battalion. Inspect parent buffs, supply, casualty %, location. Player view is read-only here — no deploy buttons.
Installations	Bases, capitals, depots, NAS, naval bases	Click Open Installations. Drill by nation. Click any installation to see its garrison, occupied/damaged/destroyed flags, and notes.
Air Ops Plan	Your planned air missions	See §4 below.
Unit Orders Plan	Your planned ground / naval orders	See §5 below.
Battle Log	Chronological engagement reports	Populates after each turn's adjudication.
Roster	Every unit visible on the map, grouped by nation	Click a row to fly to that unit. Double-click to open its details modal (status, supply, parent connections, etc.).

Reading the map

• Unit icons are NATO symbols (rectangles for ground, ships have hull silhouettes, aircraft squadrons are wings). The colored bar under each icon is the unit's combat tier:
  • green = fresh / full strength
  • yellow = degraded
  • red = combat-ineffective
• Small green dots in the top-right corner of a unit icon mean it's receiving a parent buff (an HQ or division within command range). The dots are independent of strength; more dots = more active parent buffs.
• Greyed-out installation symbols are degraded:
  • desaturated + dimmed = damaged
  • red-tinted = occupied by hostile forces
  • struck-through name = destroyed (non-operational)
• Front lines are dashed red (OPFOR FLOT) and dashed blue (BLUFOR FLOT). Axis-of-advance arrows show planned operational movement.
• Connections (thin green lines between units) show parent-child command relationships when both units are in command range.
• Rings (dashed circles) show threat / range / no-fly zones the GM has drawn for the turn.

Reading the OOB Browser

Open it from the sidebar. Drill from All Nations → <nation> → <branch> down to the unit you care about. Each row shows:

• Echelon badge (DIV / BDE / REGT / BN / SHIP / SQN)
• Unit name
• A small filled circle to the right if the unit is currently on the map

Click any row to populate the right-hand details pane with that unit's parent chain, current supply / casualties, location, and notes.

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3. Planning your turn — overview

Each turn you submit orders for what your nation does that week. Your submission has three pieces:

1. <nation_id>_turnN.md — your filled-in turn-order intake form (see §4). The canonical document covering strategic intent, military orders, diplomacy, economy, domestic actions, intel taskings, and OOC notes. This is the primary deliverable.
2. unit-orders-turnN-<timestamp>.json — optional structured export from the in-tracker Unit Orders Plan panel (see §6).
3. air-ops-plan-turnN-<timestamp>.json — optional structured export from the in-tracker Air Ops Plan panel (see §5).

The intake form alone is sufficient if you'd rather type everything in prose. The JSON exports are convenience helpers — they save typing when you have a lot of structured orders and they give the adjudicator a machine-readable copy that's easier to ingest at scale.

You can also export each plan as Markdown (.md) if you want to paste it into your written intake form, an email, or your group's Discord.

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4. The turn-order intake form — TURN_ORDER_INTAKE.md

The single most important deliverable every turn. It's a markdown template in the repo at campaign_tracker/TURN_ORDER_INTAKE.md. Copy it, fill it in, rename it to <nation_id>_turnN.md (e.g. arcadia_turn1.md), and send it back to the GM along with whatever JSON attachments the tracker generates.

Why a markdown form and not just the tracker exports? The in-tracker planners (Air Ops Plan, Unit Orders Plan) only capture structured tactical/operational orders. Real turns include diplomacy, economic decisions, domestic actions, intelligence taskings, RP statements, and strategic intent that doesn't fit a JSON schema. The intake form is where all of that goes, plus a prose recap of your structured orders so the GM has the full picture in one document.

Sections of the intake form

1. Header — Player name, role, nation, turn number, in-universe + real-world dates
2. Strategic intent — One paragraph; your commander's guidance. Shapes how the GM resolves ambiguity in the rest of the orders.
3. Military orders — Movement, combat, posture/ROE, logistics, air/naval/SOF tasking
4. Diplomatic actions — Formal actions, negotiations, coalition coordination
5. Economic decisions — Mobilization level, war economy % of GDP, production priorities, magazine restocking, sanctions response, FX reserves
6. Domestic actions — Political messaging, conscription changes, internal security, public opinion targets, refugee handling
7. Intelligence and covert action — HUMINT/SIGINT taskings, covert action, counter-intelligence (plausible-deniability content)
8. Requests to GM / control cell — Information requests, procedural questions, world-state queries, NPC actions
9. Out-of-character notes — Anything for the GM that shouldn't appear in adjudication (scheduling, playstyle preferences, etc.)

Sections that overlap with the tracker exports

Two sections of the intake form overlap with what you can produce in the tracker:

• §2.1 Movement orders ↔ Unit Orders Plan (the tracker panel)
• §2.5 Air taskings ↔ Air Ops Plan (the tracker panel)

You have two valid workflows:

Workflow A — Tracker-first (recommended if you've got many orders):

1. Plan in the tracker panels first. The cascading squadron picker + grouped-by-nation unit dropdown make complex orders much faster to enter than typing them in prose.
2. Click Export plan (.md) in each panel — you get human-readable markdown.
3. Copy that markdown directly into §2.1 and §2.5 of the intake form. Now your structured orders and your prose intake agree.
4. Also export (.json) from each panel and attach those files to your submission. The adjudicator's machine-readable copy.
5. Fill in the rest of the intake form (diplomatic, economic, intel, etc.).

Workflow B — Intake-first (for nations with few or all-narrative orders):

1. Write §2.1 and §2.5 directly in prose in the intake form.
2. Skip the tracker planners.
3. Submit just the .md intake.

Either is fine. The GM accepts both. Workflow A scales better as your force gets bigger.

Submission filename and path

• Filename: <nation_id>_turnN.md (e.g. leipzisch_turn1.md)
• The GM stores it at campaign_tracker/state/turns/turn_<NNN>/orders/<nation_id>.md

Pre-submit checklist (built into the template)

Before sending, tick off:

• [ ] All orders reference specific units (no "send some troops")
• [ ] All deadlines specified in in-universe dates
• [ ] Strategic intent stated in section 1
• [ ] No orders depend on un-resolved intelligence (move those to section 7 as info requests first)
• [ ] No orders contradict each other

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5. Air Ops Plan

Use this for any air mission — anything an aircraft squadron does in support of a turn objective.

When to use it

Add a mission whenever you want an aircraft squadron (yours OR an allied squadron under your operational control) to fly a sortie. Mission types roughly map to:

Type	Use it for
CAS Close Air Support	Tactical fire support directly on or near friendly ground forces
Strike Target Attack	Pre-planned strike against a fixed target (base, depot, bridge, command site)
CAP Combat Air Patrol	Defensive fighter coverage over a region or asset
SEAD Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses	Hunting SAM batteries, AAA, radar sites — usually paired with strike packages
AEW Airborne Early Warning	Radar / battle-management aircraft on station to support friendly air ops
Recon Reconnaissance	ISR / photo / electronic intelligence sweeps

How to add a mission

1. Click + Add mission in the Air Ops Plan panel
2. Mission type: pick from the dropdown
3. Target grid cell: type the grid coordinate. The campaign uses a three-tier grid:
   • Main grid like R14 (1000 km cells)
   • Fine grid like R142 (333 km sub-cells)
   • Micro grid like R1421 (~100 km cells, most precise) You can hover any installation or unit on the map to see its grid cell, or click and watch the cursor readout in the top-right corner.
4. Strike package: the actual squadrons flying the mission.
5. Pick a nation from the first dropdown
6. Pick an air base that has squadrons (filtered to that nation)
7. Tick the squadrons you want to commit
8. Selected squadrons appear as chips above the picker; click the × to remove one
9. You can add squadrons from multiple bases by re-picking — every ticked squadron stays in the chips
10. Tanker support (optional): same cascading drill, for KC / refueling squadrons. Tankers extend combat radius for the strike package; without them, deep strikes may not have the fuel to reach the target.
11. Notes / intent: free-form text the GM and adjudicator see. Use it for things like "hit the AAA before main strike crosses; CAS on call for the 3-9 CAV recon screen" or "abort if BARCAP detected within 200km". The notes drive how the GM resolves ambiguity.
12. Click Add to plan to save the mission. It appears as a row in the Air Ops Plan list with a colored type badge.

Editing or removing a planned mission

• Click any mission row to re-open it in the modal.
• Inside the modal, click Remove mission to delete it from the plan.

Exporting the plan

Two buttons under the mission list:

• Export plan (.json) — downloads air-ops-plan-turnN-<stamp>.json with every mission in machine-readable form. This is the file the adjudicator wants.
• Export plan (.md) — downloads a Markdown version, formatted for readability. Paste this into your written turn order, your nation's shared planning doc, or your messaging app.

The Clear plan button (red) discards everything in the panel — use only after you've exported and submitted, since there's no undo.

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6. Unit Orders Plan

Use this for everything that isn't an air mission — ground movement, naval movement, formation finalization, garrison transitions, embarks.

When to use it

Add an order whenever you want a specific ground or naval unit to do something next turn. Order types:

Type	Use it for
FORM UP	Finalize a forming-up formation (e.g. break out of forming-up status so the unit is combat-ready next turn). No destination needed.
MOVE TO	Relocate the unit to a destination grid cell, installation, or roughly along a vector. Provide a destination.
HOLD	Hold current position, dig in, no movement. No destination needed.
ATTACK	Assault a target. Destination can be a grid cell, an installation name, or another unit.
EMBARK	Board a carrier or amphib (helo / marine onto an LHD, fixed-wing onto a CVN, etc.). Destination = the ship.
DISEMBARK	Leave a carrier or amphib at the host's current location. Destination optional.
GARRISON	Enter an installation as its garrison (defensive posture, supply benefits). Destination = the installation.
SORTIE	Leave the installation the unit is currently garrisoned in. Destination optional.

How to add an order

1. Click + Add order in the Unit Orders Plan panel
2. Order type: pick from the dropdown
3. Unit: pick the unit issuing the order. The dropdown lists every unit currently on the map, grouped by nation so you don't have to scroll through other nations' rosters to find yours. Units already garrisoned (inside an installation) or embarked (on a carrier) don't appear here — sortie / disembark them first via the GM (you can capture the intent in a separate SORTIE / DISEMBARK order, see below).
4. Destination / target: free-form text. The adjudicator accepts:
   • Grid cell: V0925 (most precise), V092 (fine), or V09 (main)
   • Installation name: Fort Tradd, Karrud Estuary Naval Base
   • Target unit: 31 MRR, CSAT 2 AD
   • Combinations: V0925 via V0918 — destination plus routing hint Leave blank for HOLD and FORM UP.
5. Notes / intent: anything the GM should know. "Sweep south of Operation Warlord FLOT; link up with 1-2 ABCT at V0916", "if contact made, prioritize disengagement over advance", "this is priority — burn supply if needed".
6. Click Add to plan.

Editing or removing an order

• Click any order row to re-open and edit.
• Inside the modal, Remove order deletes it from the plan.

Exporting the plan

Two buttons in the Unit Orders Plan panel:

• Export plan (.json) — downloads unit-orders-turnN-<stamp>.json. Submit this to the adjudicator.
• Export plan (.md) — downloads a Markdown version, grouped by nation, in MOVE TO → destination format with your notes as italic sub-bullets. Drop it into your group chat or paste it into your turn order doc for human review before submitting.

Clear plan (red) wipes everything — use after submitting.

Sortie / embark planning notes

For SORTIE and DISEMBARK orders, the unit you're issuing the order from is currently inside an installation or on a carrier — so it won't show in the deployed roster dropdown. Two options:

1. Issue the order against the host: e.g. "SORTIE — rk-fighter-1 from Boreal Coast Air Base, redeploy to V124 for CAP" as a note attached to a HOLD or MOVE_TO order on a nearby unit, OR
2. Mention it in writing: include the sortie/embark intent in the notes of a closely-related order (e.g. on the unit you want the sortied unit to link up with).

The adjudicator reads the notes — be unambiguous and the order will be resolved as intended.

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7. Submitting your turn

By the end-of-turn deadline you send the GM three things:

1. <nation_id>_turnN.md — your completed turn-order intake form (see §4). The primary deliverable.
2. unit-orders-turnN-<timestamp>.json — from the Unit Orders Plan panel (if you used it)
3. air-ops-plan-turnN-<timestamp>.json — from the Air Ops Plan panel (if you used it)

If you didn't use the in-tracker planners, the markdown intake alone is sufficient — make sure §2.1 and §2.5 are filled in with the orders that would otherwise be in the JSONs.

Send it however your group communicates — email, Discord DM, shared drive folder — to the GM. The filenames include turn number and timestamp so they sort cleanly.

What happens between turns

The GM:

1. Validates intake forms from every player
2. Loads each player's .json files into their GM tracker (if attached)
3. Resolves combats, applies movement, marks installations captured / damaged / destroyed
4. Resolves diplomatic, economic, domestic, and intel actions from the intake forms
5. Publishes the new state via the deploy pipeline
6. Posts the lore inject for the next turn (in-universe narrative of what happened, news headlines, diplomatic situation)

You'll see the new state in your player view as soon as you hard-refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R). At that point, plan the next turn.

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8. FAQ

Q: What if I forget to use the tracker planners and just write my orders in the intake form? A: That's fine. The intake is the canonical submission. The JSON exports are convenience — useful when you have lots of orders, optional otherwise. Sections 2.1 and 2.5 in prose are accepted.

Q: Do my Air Ops / Unit Orders plans survive a browser refresh? A: Yes. They're saved locally in your browser's storage. They persist across refreshes, browser restarts, etc. They do NOT travel between computers — if you switch devices, export your plan first and re-import on the new device by editing in the modal manually.

Q: I cleared my plan by accident. Can I recover? A: Not from the tracker. Always export the JSON before clicking Clear. Treat the .json file as the canonical version of your plan.

Q: Can I see other players' plans? A: No. Plans are local-only until submitted. The GM may share aggregated intel post-turn if appropriate (e.g. allied coordination).

Q: The map looks different from what I saw yesterday — what changed? A: The GM published a new turn state. Hard-refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R) to make sure your browser has the latest. Check the Turn Status panel for the current turn number and in-universe date.

Q: Why is my favorite unit greyed out / desaturated? A: Greying means the installation it's at (or the unit itself, if yellow/red status bar) is degraded. Click for details — supply, casualties, occupation status.

Q: I see weird unit IDs in some installation modals that don't match any unit on the map. A: Legacy data drift in the per-installation files. It's harmless — the player view is now driven by the consolidated map state bundle. Report any specific weirdness to the GM and they can clean it up.

Q: I want to discuss strategy with my coalition partner. Can we share plans? A: Yes. Export each of your plans as .md and paste them in shared chat. Edit your JSON plans afterwards as needed. The .json files are the binding submission.

Q: I'm on mobile — does the tracker work? A: The sidebar collapses on narrow screens. Most of the tracker is usable on mobile, but planning (filling out the Air Ops / Unit Orders modals) is much easier on a desktop or tablet.

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9. Quick reference card

Action	How
Open player tracker	https://dwhite0352.github.io/SierranConflict/tracker/?view=1
Pan / zoom map	Click + drag to pan; scroll / pinch to zoom
Inspect a unit	Click its icon → modal opens with details
Inspect an installation	Click its symbol → modal opens with garrison + status
Find a unit	Open OOB Browser → drill to the unit; or scroll the Roster
Measure distance	Tools → Distance → click start, click end
Add an air mission	Air Ops Plan → + Add mission
Add a unit order	Unit Orders Plan → + Add order
Export plans	Each panel: Export plan (.json) for GM; (.md) for chat (paste into intake §2.1, §2.5)
Fill in turn-order intake	Copy campaign_tracker/TURN_ORDER_INTAKE.md, fill, save as <nation>_turnN.md, send to GM
Refresh to see new turn	Ctrl+Shift+R

Good hunting.