Supply Advice and Avoiding 0:X Battles

[Adam Parker]

Really enjoying this game.

Just wondering what people are doing to keep their forces in supply; and how they're getting around those 0 attacks?

I've read the rules skim-style and I take it railways are really important - but how do you keep envelopments in supply too?!

Thanks.

[Queeg]

If a unit is enveloped, it's not getting any new supply and has to survive off whatever supply it carries. No way around that that I know of - except to break out of the envelopment. (Perhaps I misunderstand what you're asking?)

[Adam Parker]

Hi Queeg yup my fault with that question. I'm referring to keeping pincers in supply whilst they are making their encirclements. I'm finding my extreme wings going out of supply a lot?

Cheers.

[stormbringer3]

What I often do is move my mech units back to a supply hex after they are unsupplied for one turn. This will resupply them for two attacks before you have to move them back again. I try the same with infantry but its not as easy because they don't have the movement points. On the pincers you mention, I try to have 1-3 infantry units in supply on the closest supply hexes so they can move to the front and attack for two turns while you either move the front line units back into supply or wait for the supply hexes to catch up to them.

[genehaynes]

The delema you describe is what I love about this game[:)] If ever there was game that's "easy to play, but hard to master" it's this one.

As a Beta tester I soon came to conclusion that understanding suppy and ZOC is crucial to winning. You've probably already discovered that you can't win a Decisive or Brilliant victory by simply slugging it out with your opponent. In almost all of the scenarios you MUST figure out how to cut the enemys supply while...
1. Maintaining your offensive.
2. Preventing the AI from cutting your supply

IMHO this is the beauty of this game. there really is no set answer. The AI will ALWAYS try to exploit any weakness and try to cut your supply. I try to plan an attck that stands a good chance of cutting the enemys supply for 2 turns. He can't restore suppress units on the first "out of supply" turn, and he can't ATTACK on the second (and third) turns. If you use strong mobile units to cut supply lines you can still attack on the first turn you're out of supply, and you can defend at full strength (minus any supressed steps) if you're out of supply on the second turn. Basically to get back in supply you either have to extend your supply to your cut off units or (as suggested in previous posts) move your cut off units back in supply. If you the "supply barrel" asset, you can extend your supply 1 point per turn. this can be a big help.

As for ZOC, it's handled a little differently in this game than most others you may have played. Have you seen how the AI will slip a unit between two of your units and then "leapfrog" other units thru the gap? In UOC, once a unit is placed in a ZOC of an enemy unit the ZOC is neutralized! This means another unit can be moved thru that unit to the next ZOC. The AI is very adept at exploiting this fact. You need to consider this fact when tring to protect your supply.

Hope your having as much fun playing this excellent game as I am.[:)]

[Queeg]

IMHO this is the beauty of this game. there really is no set answer.

I've reached the same conclusion. Keeping pinchers in supply is a tough nut and varies by situation. As it should be.

After all, if encirclements were easy, every general would do them.

[Adam Parker]

ORIGINAL: genehaynes

1. The AI will ALWAYS try to exploit any weakness and try to cut your supply...

2. As for ZOC, it's handled a little differently in this game than most others you may have played. Have you seen how the AI will slip a unit between two of your units and then "leapfrog" other units thru the gap? In UOC, once a unit is placed in a ZOC of an enemy unit the ZOC is neutralized!...

3. Hope your having as much fun playing this excellent game as I am.[:)]

1. Yes the more I play, the more I realize that this AI is pure evil [:D]

2. Great tip! The designers are evil too!

3. I sure am [:)]

Thanks for the advice guys. Funny thing. The first time I played 2nd Kharkov without reading the rules, I won. Since then, it's killing me. I took Kupiansk on turn 1 in my last go. I was ecstatic!!! The AI then pounced on me thereafter. I lost 4 panzer divs and the scen.

[Adam Parker]

My next attempt - turn 1. Every game play is something different.

Except the way in which the AI beats me [:D]

[rjh1971]

In the third german game of the campaign I found very useful to use to air supply 3rd and 23rd PzDivs and use them as spearhead driving south.
Also the way you use the Logistics and improve the range of you supply deppos is imo crucial for having your units supplied.
A mistake I made in this scenario was not clearing of soviet troops the portion of rail tracks they control east of Izium.

Question regarding supply, don't know if I read it in the manual, but I guess it does not affect the same way a unit is supplied when being in an hex with supply 6 than supply 1 does it?

[2xTom]

I guess it does not affect the same way a unit is supplied when being in an hex with supply 6 than supply 1 does it?

Correct, a hex is either in supply or not. The number is perhaps best interpreted as "distance from the edge of supplied area".