What to do about Russia?

[WingedIncubus]

Middle to late-game Russia is a powerhouse which can become nigh-on unstoppable if left unchecked. It got huge manpower reserves and enough PP to spawn Garrison and Infantry that are equal in quality to Germany and Austria each two to three turns. Combined with a retreat-in-depth strategy which spares its troops, Russia can find itself with a lot more troops equal in quality to German troops within 1915. It does seem rather unbalanced, as Russia in the First World War was a giant with big feet of clay. Plus, taking Russian cities as Germany and Russia does not yield any advantage nor additional PP, nor does it seem to decrease National Morale.

I wonder if something will be done to make Russia a little bit more, well, fragile for patch 1.6.0? I'm not saying that Russia should be always beatable, but there should be a price in morale to Russia if it chooses to retreat in depth to save time and troops, rather to stand and fight.

[Hellfirejet]

ORIGINAL: Drakken

Middle to late-game Russia is a powerhouse which can become nigh-on unstoppable if left unchecked. It got huge manpower reserves and enough PP to spawn Garrison and Infantry that are equal in quality to Germany and Austria each two to three turns. Combined with a retreat-in-depth strategy which spares its troops, Russia can find itself with a lot more troops equal in quality to German troops within 1915. It does seem rather unbalanced, as Russia in the First World War was a giant with big feet of clay. Plus, taking Russian cities as Germany and Russia does not yield any advantage nor additional PP, nor does it seem to decrease National Morale.

I wonder if something will be done to make Russia a little bit more, well, fragile for patch 1.6.0? I'm not saying that Russia should be always beatable, but there should be a price in morale to Russia if it chooses to retreat in depth to save time and troops, rather to stand and fight.

For game play patch 1.6 Russia is not nearly as powerful,she still has more manpower than any other country,but Russia does not have an unlimited supply of PPs,plus another major change that affects all the major powers in the game,is the morale penalty,for loosing Capital Cities,Fortressess & Dreadnought fleets.You have been warned,if you get any Capital cities captured,your chances of winning the war is virtually zilch..

[pacwar]

I've played twice as the Central Powers. The first game was the grand campaign beginning in 1914 which I won in a minor victory. I made lot's of boneheaded moves that put me on the ropes early on, particularly on the Eastern Front. The smartest thing I did in the East was to direct the Turks to open a second front against Batumi and Tiflis. I had the Egyptian front stabilized so I poured Turks into that offensive and while it was hard fought it forced the Russians to denude their effort in Poland and Prussia, gave me time to defeat the Serbs and redirect the Austrians against Russia. The Revolution came late, summer 1918, but by that time the Turks had taken Moscow.

I'm now in September, 1916 of the 1915 scenario and once again the Turks are on the rampage against Batumi. The net impact has been even greater than in the 1914 game...I'm making fewer mistakes and hammering the Russians in the Ukraine. The front runs from Vilna, through Minsk and to Kiev. I've got the main army pushed north towards Riga and I suspect he has a couple of garrisons in the other cities which I can mop up later. I've noticed the last couple of turns the AI has been transferring Russian units from the far east to the west. Too little too late and all that will do is just let me unleash the Turks...I'll be in Moscow by Christmas at this rate!

My takeaway is that you've got to spread the Russians out across their vast holdings. The Russians can ignore a Turkish advance in the east for only so long...it's a dagger pointed into the belly of mother Russia.

[WingedIncubus]

ORIGINAL: kirk23
For game play patch 1.6 Russia is not nearly as powerful,she still has more manpower than any other country,but Russia does not have an unlimited supply of PPs,plus another major change that affects all the major powers in the game,is the morale penalty,for loosing Capital Cities,Fortressess & Dreadnought fleets.You have been warned,if you get any Capital cities captured,your chances of winning the war is virtually zilch..

How will 1.6 changes will affect Russia, more precisely? Will it change the quality of troops, and access to Research? Decrease in PP overall?

[Hellfirejet]

The answer is all of the above,Russia has the manpower advantage,but that is where the advantage ends.

[Xenocide]

The only way I found to beat Russia in a timely fashion in the current version is to throw the kitchen sink at Serbia and to just hold the western front with a solid line of entrenched infantry with a few reserves behind them (I usually have 2). If played well Serbia will fall in time to send AH troops to build a line against Italy and the rest can be sent to Russia. Don't fight a line battle. You have to use superior numbers to surround and pocket them. Form a solid line against the British on the border of Egypt and throw everything else the Turks have at Russia. When Bulgaria joins upgrade and build them up on the Romanian border. Then hit them with a sudden attack. If the Romanians do not have time to upgrade they die easily and then you can throw the Bulgarians at the Russians as well.

I do think Russia's surrender is screwy. The Russians were down to six backwater cities and Petrograd when the Russian Civil War event hit and they finally gave up.

I beat them with enough time to bring down France, then Italy, and the sub campaign and a rebuilt offensive in Egypt brought the British down. Then an amphibious invasion kicked Portugal out. The only surviving ally with the US. I tried an amphibious invasion but they had more then enough troops to garrison every port with infantry and I could not get off the beaches without going out of supply.