Is Belgrade too easy to capture at the start?

[stockwellpete]

Just a thought prompted by something in the War Room. Is Belgrade too easy to capture in the first few turns of the game, considering the Serbs only have a detachment there when they have Corps available in adjacent hexes? Given that Austria-Hungary did capture Belgrade at the start for a short time in the real war, but were then quickly ejected again, maybe the more realistic option is to balance the game so that Serbia is favourite to hold Belgrade until the effects of the heavier artillery kick in in 1915? And maybe this would encourage the A-H player to deploy those extra units on the Galician front rather than trying for a quick KO against Serbia?

Otherwise, I think the balance between Serbia and A-H is excellent. Without German help in the Balkans the A-H attack can stall very badly.

[stockwellpete]

Actually the detachment in Belgrade starts at strength 6. Maybe if it started at 8 or 10 it would be sufficient? Valjevo also has a detachment with a strength of 6 at the start, but Belgrade would be much better defended than Valjevo, wouldn't it?

[Chernobyl]

Boosting it to 8 might not matter against a turn 2 assault. Cause then your choices are kinda still the same: either repair it to 10, entrench it, or replace with a strength 8 corps that can entrench.

I think the strength 8 entrenched corps is the strongest, but that's what I usually expect to fight on turn 2 and I almost always kill it.

EDIT: Actually wait does entrenchment work in cities? Cause instead of ground cover 3/3 it says entrenchment 1/1. Does the entrenchment replace the ground cover or add to it?

[BillRunacre]

ORIGINAL: Chernobyl

EDIT: Actually wait does entrenchment work in cities? Cause instead of ground cover 3/3 it says entrenchment 1/1. Does the entrenchment replace the ground cover or add to it?

Yes, it will say entrenchment but it is effectively ground cover unless you actually entrench the unit.

Entrenching is strongly recommended if it's your unit in the city! [:)]

[stockwellpete]

In my current game against the AI, I waited until the detachment in Belgrade was reinforced up to 10 before attacking it, but I still took Belgrade quickly and I am still holding it at Xmas 1914.