Vassal Module User Guide for Plan Orange
In this module are 2 scenarios included: 1932 and 1935.
Main Menu Buttons
Role: Retire from game or change side.
Counter Clipping: Change counter design. Toggle between square counters and clipped counters (does not apply to control markers, the round range markers nor the hex shaped US Fleet Train markers).
Die: Roll 10sided die.
Decks: Card decks for booth factions and discard piles. Upper card on discard pile is the last played card. The discard pile is searchable and sorted alphabetically.
Hand: Card Hand for each faction. Both US and Japan Hand windows work identically. Pressing the draw buttons will allow you add cards to your hand automatically. If you want to drag and drop cards directly from the card decks into your hand make sure to drop them at the extreme left so they stack correctly. Afterwards you can freely rearrange cards within your hand.
US Setup: Small board to manage the US Strategic Display-Setup.
Fleet Train: US Fleet Train Markers are large hollow Hex shaped markers instead of the normal square ones. They also stack independently below the counters but above control markers. There are only two available in the game for the US, when you eliminate one it will go into the "Lost" box of the US Fleet Train Window.
Forces: Small board windows to handle big stacks of units for each faction. You can use either the Force Windows or the Force off map zones to place your units. The Zones on the map have a grid to make slotting units easier. The Force Windows act like horizontal stacks you can double click to expand.
Eliminated Units: Eliminated units are sent to the dead pile and segregated into US/Japan Air/Land/Sea units. They also behave like horizontal stacks you can double click to expand.
BB Ratios Inventory Window: Because VASSAL doesn't like fractions the inventory window will show strength as each BB step worth 2 and every other naval unit step worth 1, rather than the 1 and half the rules say they should be. Since it's a Ratio it all works out.
Battle Markers/Remove all: Open a small window to place markers for declared battle hexes. A letter key press changes the name of the battle marker if it is selected. Battle Markers stack independently and on top of other units in the game map.
Range Markers/Remove all: Open a small window to place a range marker. Range markers start with a value of 0 when placed on the map. Each time you move the marker on the map the count increases by 1. This allows you build a path hex by hex and determine the length of it. You can also use it to measure "legs" of air movement between airbases. They stack independently and on top of other units in the game map.
Range Threat: Open a range tool that allows you to measure distance between two hexes "as the crow flies".
Control Markers: Show/hides the control markers.
Show/Hide pieces: Hides all pieces on the main map.
Set AZOI: Show/hides AZOIs.
Movement Trails: Show/hides movement trails.
Deactivate units: Deactivates all units of choosen fraction.
Camera: Hitting this button lets the player take a screen shot of the current main map view and save it to a location of their choice.
Map Zoom Buttons: Default map zoom is 50% of normal. The player is able to set the zoom at whatever level they finds most comfortable.
Movement: Clears all movemnt trails.
Pieces
Most of the build in pieces into the module have right click menus available. The options on these menus, I believe, are self explanatory.
Specially Designed Pieces
Battle Hex Markers: Used to mark battle hexes. If piece is selected, press a letter-key to assign a letter to the marker.
ASP Markers:
The ASP marker tracks total ASP available and currently USED ASP. Tap any number key from 0-9 to change the used ASP value. The ASP marker expresses the value as:
Control Markers: Instead of separate control markers, each hex in the game that is a named location (has a city, port, airbase or some combination of the three) and ISN'T Foreign Territory (as defined in the rules) can be selected by clicking on it. This allows you to access the context menu and add a Japanese or US control marker, or remove one altogether. Hexes that have no bases or cities aren't selectable since it's usually immaterial who controls the hex. Note that the all Honshu Island hexes in Japan can be selected regardless of it being a named location since it's required for the US to control all 7 hexes for conquest of Japan.
Panama Canal Marker: The Panama Canal has a box surrounding it rather than a separate marker. To select the Panama Canal zone you must click on the area. Then you can right click to access the context menu to open or close the canal.
Hand Count Lables: In the upper left corner of the map above the China Crisis box there are labels that report the US and Japanese hand count.
China Crisis box: China Crisis is the entire box instead of a separate marker. Click on it and right click to bring up the context menu to change its status.
Starting the game
To start the game following is to do: