I don't have a question but an observation I'd like to pass on. My observation is that the details, richness and subtleties of this game continue to impress and amaze me. I'd like to pass along one such case that just happened.
It's Jan/Feb 1940 and the Germans have conquered Holland, Belgium and just successfully drove the French out of Belgium. They're poised for good weather and the chance to really take it to the French and CW in Western Europe. Back East in Poland the Germans have 4 corps (1 is covered up by the production screen) and 1 garrison with zones of control that cover all Polish cities and resources. So no chance, or so I thought, of any risk from partisans when the turn ended. Well, the turn did end and a Polish partisan popped up and was deployed in the woods adjacent to Warsaw. My plan for garrisoning Poland only dealt with the immediate threat posed from any partisans that spawned. That is, it kept them out of the cities and resources but left gaps adjacent to them where they could be deployed. In fact, I had left both Lodz and Warsaw, probably the two most critical cities in Poland, vulnerable to this threat. To make matters worse, the Germans had saved two oil points in Warsaw. All the allies needed to do to be able to inflict significant pain on the Germans was to win the initiate and choose to move first. More on that later.
From the German perspective I wanted to minimize the damage that the partisan could do if the allies got to move first. So during the reorganization phase I used the 2 oil points saved in Warsaw. So at least if I, as the Germans lost Warsaw I wouldn't also lose 2 oil points. Well, in that regard I made another tactical error. I didn't change where the oil point from Ploesti, Rumania was being saved, which was Warsaw. So an oil point that shouldn't have been sent to Warsaw was and, along with Warsaw, was put at risk!
After working through the end of turn phases for the Jan/Feb 1940 turn, I now came to the all important initiative rolls for the Mar/Apr 1940 turn. Neither side had the advantage; i.e., the initiative track was at 0, but the allies had moved first last turn, thus the axis would win ties. The axis rolled first and rolled a 7. The allies also rolled a 7 and since the axis won ties they won the first roll. But of course the allies elected for a re-roll and the axis rolled a 1! Mitigating this some was that the 1 was modified to a 2 with the axis still winning ties. But, yikes all the allies needed to do was to roll a 3 or higher (i.e., they had an 80% chance of winning the second roll). Talk about chocking, the allies rolled a 1 and the Germans dodged a major bullet.
Now tell me that is fun, exciting and suspenseful!
