Weird/Annoying/Stupid WIF moments

[meyerg]

Same boardgaming Con in LA, but next year. We play the allies (I'm rance/Russia) 5th edition when France was conquered when down to three units and conquering France (opposed to Vichy) was good (all hexes outside France become German controlled). Germany takes Paris J/A '40, refuses to declare Vichy, and the French fall back in good order(British units evacuate to Med) to keep from being conquered and maximize Vichy units. Germany insisted on trying to completely conquer France to go into Spain. November December finds the French in the South during a winter turn and attacked by Germans in good defensive terrain. A blood bath on both sides ensues and 5 French Corps struggle to the river line just North of Spain. Jan/Feb '41 the Germans roll severe winter and go after two stacks of French hiding behind the river. No A/C and two odds shifts (plus river) is bad for three attacks leaves five German corps dead with no French losses and all Germans flipped. Germany realizes that dreams of Gibraltar are not going so well, but comments "in our games we always completely conquer France and get Gibraltar." Our British player says "not this one, if you can't beat the French with no British aid, you don't deserve to fight the Spanish"

[SamuraiProgrmmr]

This probably gets filed under weird. My opponent would probably file it under annoying.

We were playing WiF with DoD starting in 1936 using Africa in Flames as well.

It was our first time to use the big Africa Map and I was experimenting. Each turn, I would shuttle an Italian land unit to Ethiopia. The point was to get my opponent to commit more Commonwealth assets to that theatre. Since he had further to travel, I reasoned that I could withdraw my troops to a usable position quicker than he could.

All was working well when he decided he had had enough and did the obvious. Well, obvious to him...I had not considered it. He closed the Suez Canal, catching a sizable portion (if not all) of my usable navy outside of the Mediterranean Sea.

OUCH!

If I recall correctly, I would not have enough range to circle the horn and come in through Gibraltar. My only option now seemed to be to fight my way back, taking control of the Suez Canal so my navy could get home.

So I did.

The dice were horrible to him. I don't think I lost a single unit. [:D] (If I did, it was inconsequential to the beating he took.)

We calculated the odds of how unlikely my series of victories was... it came out to 54:1 against.

Oh, the joy.


Dean

[coregames]

ORIGINAL: SamuraiProgrammer

If I recall correctly, I would not have enough range to circle the horn and come in through Gibraltar. My only option now seemed to be to fight my way back, taking control of the Suez Canal so my navy could get home.

So I did.

your units were in supply without tracing through Suez?

[SamuraiProgrmmr]

Hmmm

Good point..

It has been many years. This was right after Africa Aflame came out. I don't remember that many details, just the look of angst on my opponent's face when it comes up every year or two. [8D]

Maybe I traced supply from Ethiopia. I don't remember for sure. My navy including some transports were in the Red Sea. Maybe I used them to supply from Ethiopia as there was no rail access.

Would that have worked?

Maybe we screwed up.

I will have to think about this. Maybe I will even ask my opponent if he remembers.

[coregames]

ORIGINAL: SamuraiProgrammer

Maybe I traced supply from Ethiopia. I don't remember for sure. My navy including some transports were in the Red Sea. Maybe I used them to supply from Ethiopia as there was no rail access.

As far as I know, all units have always had to trace back to a primary supply source, which is either a city in the controlling major power's home country or a city in the home country of a cooperating major power. I understand that this game is complex; we made some erroneous rules interpretations early in our experience too.

On the other hand, if you are playing with supply units, and/or emergency HQ supply, some of the supply problems could be worked out on a very temporary basis. Spending a supply unit allows it to be treated as a primary supply source for the remainder of the turn, and on a may/jun or jul/aug turn I can see having enough time to break back into the med from below.

I was just curious if perhaps the Italians had enough boats out there to stretch a supply line all the way around Africa the long way, to a german controlled port in France perhaps.