Barbarossa

[dougb]

Hi,

Any suggestions as to what action to play at the beginning of Barbarossa? I'd assumed that a combined action makes the most sense for the first access impulse since it allows for unlimited air and land moves while a land action only permits 4 air moves.

Thanks,

Doug

[dougb]

Sorry just noticed combined does not allow unlimited unless an offensive chit is played - DOH!

Doug

[Klydon]

Well, you have some options.

I have been messing around with that scenario as well and have pretty much been using land actions to open. It still gives you 4 air strikes, which is a good amount. (Will burn up about half the available tactical you have).

Part of the issue of unloading the Luftwaffe on the first impulse is it will be left at the border as the Germans push into Russia. Your reorganization capabilities are a bit low given the HQ's you have available, so even if you did reorganize, it would not be that many air units. Another part of the issue is a smart Russian is going to be hiding in the trees absolutely as much as possible, making your air strikes less powerful.

An option you do have is to blow the offensive chit and take a "super combined" where you get unlimited air, naval, and land movements and combat. A regular combined has limits on ground movement and combats, so I don't think you would want to start with just a regular combine.

[Ur_Vile_WEdge]

Depends a lot on how the soviets are set up, and what (if any) support the Italians are giving you.

I would not take that super-combined. The Germans don't have that many airplanes, and the ships are almost irrelevant, so you're wasting a lot of potential there, compared with just the raw power of pulverizing things on an air impulse or a land impulse.

If the Soviets are really clustered near the border, and have big stacks in the open, an air impulse is probably the way to open things up. Flipped guys, especially that far forward, tend to get out of supply and dead, real fast. The only way to unfit them would be for the Soviets to re-org them with their HQ, which pins their foot down to the line the HQ retreated to. On a long summer turn, that'd be suicide, so they'd probably just let you mop up the guys.


If however, they're further back, you need to advance, and that takes a land action. You should probably be taking Lands as Germany most of the time.

If you have a screen shot of the position, I can give better advice.

[dougb]

ORIGINAL: Ur_Vile_WEdge

Depends a lot on how the soviets are set up, and what (if any) support the Italians are giving you.

I would not take that super-combined. The Germans don't have that many airplanes, and the ships are almost irrelevant, so you're wasting a lot of potential there, compared with just the raw power of pulverizing things on an air impulse or a land impulse.

If the Soviets are really clustered near the border, and have big stacks in the open, an air impulse is probably the way to open things up. Flipped guys, especially that far forward, tend to get out of supply and dead, real fast. The only way to unfit them would be for the Soviets to re-org them with their HQ, which pins their foot down to the line the HQ retreated to. On a long summer turn, that'd be suicide, so they'd probably just let you mop up the guys.


If however, they're further back, you need to advance, and that takes a land action. You should probably be taking Lands as Germany most of the time.

If you have a screen shot of the position, I can give better advice.

Thanks guys.

So starting with the fast start Barbarossa German setup I decided to hit them with a land impulse using an offensive chit. I was able to push the Russians out of Brest Litovsk pretty easily and managed to get across the river southwest of Dvina at the cost of some disorganized units. If I'd hit them with a combined impulse and an offensive chit I could have flown more ground strikes but I've found that the ground strikes often aren't that effective in non open terrain.

Just learning the game so I'm really at the stage of trying to get to grips with the rules and trying some things out.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Doug

[fredmans]

I'd save that offensive chit if I was you. I find that the ground strike surprise bonus on declaring war is enough impetus to carry you through the Russian garrison. To get past rivers and deep into Russia, you'll really need that offensive chit.

/Fredmans

[dougb]

ORIGINAL: fredmans

I'd save that offensive chit if I was you. I find that the ground strike surprise bonus on declaring war is enough impetus to carry you through the Russian garrison. To get past rivers and deep into Russia, you'll really need that offensive chit.

/Fredmans

Obviously you've never seen my ineptitude with dice rolls - including one's done form me by the pc[;)]. It's truly pathetic watching me play both sides as the incidence of poor dice rolls (low when high is needed, high when low is needed) reaches epidemic proportions.

Because of the piss poor rolls I often find that the few ground strikes that I employ are not terribly effective. I'm wonderin whether I should simply try to bypass hexes where there are 2 Russian units setup - that hex South West of Dvinsk gives me fits as I often can't seem to get either unit disrupted despite sending both stukas in with 10 points.

I'm having a tough time figuring out how far my units should be getting and maybe I'm also unused to the scale. In most games I've played on the Russian front I'm getting to Minsk in turn 1 but my 1st German and 2nd German impulse seem to leave me short of Minsk. It would help if I had some sort of measuring stick against which I could measure my progress.

Thanks,

Doug

[bo]

Most beta tester use loaded dice [:D]

Bo

[henri51]

YOyu know that you can change the value of the dice roll?

[dougb]

ORIGINAL: henri51

YOyu know that you can change the value of the dice roll?

Yes. However, I'm trying to develop better tactics and I'm not sure that would help much. Besides my opponent might object...[:D]

Doug