1.04.10 Fulkerson vs KLilly

[Pawlock]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

I'd like to thank everybody for their advice first of all.  Next I guess I need to admit that WITE may not be my best game right now.  Maybe I should drop back to something a little less fast paced and sedate like WITP-AE ( I just bought it about two weeks ago and have been messing around with it off and on ).

Dont give up Larry, its all part of the learning process, some like me take a little longer to take it in. The only difference between you and a lot of others like me is all your mistakes are here to view for all public to see. My mistakes and perhaps countless others posters are limited to just our pbem opponents.

I have WITP AE and UV and never pbem ed WITP but it is by far the most involved game I have ever come across. Makes WITE seem simplistic in comparrison sometimes.

[Panama]

Hi Larry. You really have to get some depth in your defense. Not solid like you have now. With the one week turn and large movement allowances you need to have guys back there to slow things down. Once the krauts get through your lines it's off to the races. Kind of like what the Soviets did to the Germans from 1943 to the end. Blast a hole and don't stop running for a hundred miles. The way hexes flip ownership just adds to the speed of breakthroughs. I'd rather lose a hundred units in a head on fight than give up ten in a pocket without a fight.

Get some space between units behind the front line. Beat up their breakthrough units with even a handfull of reserves. Make them pay. Pretend like it's North Africa. And don't forget the pizza and beer.

[JKLilly]

Haven't checked in for awhile. It's now June 42 and I have an early attack. I think this game could be fun for the German through 43 as I've preserved force and have Moscow and Leningrad.

Larry is playing it conservative. Waiting to wear me out. I have to say, fourth game with the guy and its a pleasure. Neither of us plays for other than fun, nand for me its a blast.

I sealed off a large pocket. So now the question is what next. I am currently going to charge East and see if I can press my advantage to a win.

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what the pocket looks like in turn 54 before any Soviet movement:

[larryfulkerson]

Here's what the breakthrough looks like in T57 before any Soviet movement.

[kfmiller41]

Have to agree with what other have said, I to play WITP AE and am in a PBEM game in DEC 42 as Japan and I already know it is lost because I am running out of FUEL in the home islands[:D] I am not a logistics expert and it shows. But the game is fun and is slow paced so i don't mind. This game is alot like that but gives you quicker feedback and shows any play errors really fast against a good opponent. I think your still in this one and i would say it is different from most others for sure[X(]. Oh and not all WITP players are retired, at least not yet[:D]

[larryfulkerson]

I railed in the last of the reserves and tried to hug his lines and throw some defenders into the gaps and this is what the breakthrough looks like now at the end of T57

[larryfulkerson]

ORIGINAL: miller41
...play WITP AE and am in a PBEM game in DEC 42 as Japan and I already know it is lost because I am running out of FUEL in the home islands

Are you and your opponent doing an AAR? I ask because I'd like to keep up with your game since it's so new to me and maybe I can pick up some tips and traps on game play.

[Ketza]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

ORIGINAL: Q-Ball
I have never heard anyone say "I think I'll take a break and play something simpler, like WITP-AE"

I'm pretty sure I didn't say simpler......I think I said something like slower or less fast paced. Just after I bought WITP-AE I looked through the manual and my first impression of it was that it was a parody of a wargame......something that might be produced by the Saturday Night Live group. It's too complex, almost unplayable. I'm guessing that the only people that enjoy AE are those kinds of guys that don't have anything else to do with their time. Like me......retired and / or disabled and have nothing but time on their hands. I get the impression that AE is mostly moving logistics around the map with the occasional combat as a rarity. Almost boring.

To an extent you are right.

But nothing is more rewarding then when one of your operations that took months of planning and prep comes off without a hitch.

Its an amazing game even if every turn is not exciting.

[M60A3TTS]

It appears you have at least 5 tank corps between Northern Front and whichever one is south of that. You may want to pull them out of the line where they are doing little good and assign them to 3rd Shock Army. Konstantin Rokossovsky would be a good leader in command of it. If you can, adding a 6th tank corps would allow you to make two full stacks. Give the Army HQ artillery, and put the units on a rail hex. That should give you at least one building block for an offensive force.

[kfmiller41]

quote:

ORIGINAL: miller41
...play WITP AE and am in a PBEM game in DEC 42 as Japan and I already know it is lost because I am running out of FUEL in the home islands


Are you and your opponent doing an AAR? I ask because I'd like to keep up with your game since it's so new to me and maybe I can pick up some tips and traps on game play.

No Larry we are not. I wanted to but it is a chore to keep them going. We have been playing for about 10 months now:-)

[kfmiller41]

To an extent you are right.

But nothing is more rewarding then when one of your operations that took months of planning and prep comes off without a hitch.

Its an amazing game even if every turn is not exciting.

Now this is a very true statement, also agonizing when your on the wrong end of it. Problem with Japan is that unless your VERY good or your opponent is VERY bad, Japan is a goner over time, that's just what was going to happen

[larryfulkerson]

Kevin made another breakthrough in T59. Here's a shot of the new pocket-in-making:

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the OOB:

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the ground losses so far:

[larryfulkerson]

Here's the state of Soviet production so far:

[larryfulkerson]

Here's a shot of the after-Soviet-moves: ( I decided to pull back to the southeast to avoid a pocket if possible ).

[randallw]

If your lines are being stretched badly you may want to pull back some more, to shorten the line.  Build up the bottleneck defense in the Crimea, give up the area near Dnep City and Zapor, create a full line that passes from the Azov to Stalino ( you already have a good bit there ) then NE to get some stuff in front of that penetration.

[76mm]

totally agree with randallw, I'd get those guys heading east asap!

[larryfulkerson]

I totally misjudged the capability of KLilly's panzer units. He zoomed all the way south to Rostov making a giant pocket and isolating
about 1/3 of my forces. It's a thinly held pocket though so I'm thinking that maybe I can infiltrate some Russians into and through his
southmost lines and maybe save the day with some / most of my cut off units. At least that's what I'm going to try to do. There isn't any
reserve left to bolster the east edge of his pocket so I expect those Axis guys to head east at the earliest opportunity compounding my
problems I'm afraid. Here's a shot of the T60 front lines before any Soviet movement: