Drums of War - No BigBaba

[terje439]

Turn 5

Overall
The pockets finally hold, and we start rounding up USSR units. On the downside is that we are unable to push much further east this turn due to lack of fuel. We are preparing for the coming assault on the landbridge, and we will also try to force the river a few places next turn.
For now, we made 64 attacks, scoring 1 held, 29 retreats, 6 routs and 28 surrenders.

Casualties
USSR : 204.000 troops, 2.166 guns, 1.542 AFVs, 182 AC.
Axis : 34.000 troops, 59 guns, 110 AFVs, 46 AC.

USSR units in pockets at the start of the turn
62.

USSR units in pockets at the end of the turn
34.

USSR units destroyed
7 NKVD Border Regiments, 1 PVO AA Regiment, 1 Motorcycle Regiment, 2 AT Artillery Brigades, 4 Airborne Brigades, 5 Rifle Divisions, 2 Mountain Divisions, 3 Motorized Divisions, 5 Tank Divisions.

German Pools
Manpower : 1 (Fritz)
Vehicles : 193.715
Armaments : 86.675
Hiwi : 31.777

[terje439]

Turn 6

Overall
It seems that my gameplay was hampered more than I thought by the 5mp from railhead for AFs to fly fuel supply rule. I am simply not able to keep my panzers with fuel, and that slows me down to the extent that the infantry is now the fastest moving units I have...
Anyway, we keep removing isolated units, and we spot something strange (see below).
I also forgot to count my attacks this turn. Sorry.

Casualties
USSR : 128.000 troops, 1.277 guns, 1.779 AFVs, 28 AC.
Axis : 25.000 troops, 90 guns, 151 AFVs, 21 AC.

USSR units in pockets at the start of the turn
32.

USSR units in pockets at the end of the turn
7.

USSR units destroyed
5 NKVD Border Regiments, 3 PVO AA Battalions, 2 AT Artillery Brigades, 1 Airborne Brigade, 1 Rifle Brigade, 3 Rifle Divisions, 1 Mountain Division, 1 Motorized Division, 5 Tank Divisions, 2 Cavalry Divisions.

German Pools
Manpower : 25
Vehicles : 184.540
Armaments : 93.525
Hiwi : 43.847

[terje439]

Turn 7

Overall
Too slow all over...This is not good, and seems to end in a -44 loss atm. I really need to breech the rivers!
5 USSR attacks all resulted in retreats (my CV adjusted down and theirs up in all battles ofc....), while our mere 21 attacks gave 4 helds, 6 retreats, 4 routs and 7 surrenders. We also had to hunt down 1 partisan...That is early...

Casualties
USSR : 56.000 troops, 616 guns, 642 AFVs, 35 AC.
Axis : 32.000 troops, 211 guns, 249(yup, the USSR attacks were against PzDivs) AFVs, 65 AC.

USSR units in pockets at the start of the turn
8.

USSR units in pockets at the end of the turn
4.

USSR units destroyed
1 NKVD Border Regiment, 1 AT Artillery Brigade, 2 Rifle Divisions, 2 Mountain Divisions, 1 Tank Division

German Pools
Manpower : 104
Vehicles : 179.630
Armaments : 98.575
Hiwi : 52.407

[terje439]

BigBaba offered a restart.
I said that I do not see that change anything and that we should keep going, as my main problem during the first turns nowadays is one of speed, and I am not able to rethink how to do my turns. So, it should go on.
 

[timmyab]

Don't feel bad about it, the game is very tough on the Axis player at the moment (has been right from the start actually).As you mention, just about any Soviet attack will succeed even below 1:1.German attacks on the other hand need 3:1 to stand a good chance.2:1 is only about 60% or so.
Your grand strategy now should be to bore your opponent into submission.[:D]

[Bozo_the_Clown]

German Pools
Manpower : 1 (Fritz)

Ha, ha, what about "Leave no one behind." Little Fritz didn't make it to the front.

[Bozo_the_Clown]

I am simply not able to keep my panzers with fuel, and that slows me down to the extent that the infantry is now the fastest moving units I have...

Are you not using the HQ buildup function?

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: timmyab

Don't feel bad about it, the game is very tough on the Axis player at the moment (has been right from the start actually).As you mention, just about any Soviet attack will succeed even below 1:1.German attacks on the other hand need 3:1 to stand a good chance.2:1 is only about 60% or so.
Your grand strategy now should be to bore your opponent into submission.[:D]

I do not [:)]
I will fight on till the end, but somewhere along the update path, the game took a turn where I kept going straight ahead it seems....



Terje

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: Bozo_the_Clown

German Pools
Manpower : 1 (Fritz)

Ha, ha, what about "Leave no one behind." Little Fritz didn't make it to the front.

Well, he was told when the train would depart, but he went for just one more beer....



Terje

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: Bozo_the_Clown

I am simply not able to keep my panzers with fuel, and that slows me down to the extent that the infantry is now the fastest moving units I have...

Are you not using the HQ buildup function?

Too far from the railheads or whatnot...So not able to do so. Besides, cut the panzers off for one turn, and you start delaying the Axis to such an extent that you will be able to form a 50CV front behind a major river as the USSR...
Right now, you must play the first few turns to perfection as the Axis to have any real hope, and that is something I've never been able to do...


Terje

[terje439]

Turn 8 aka seriously???

Overall
Right now I am torn between torching my computer due to this game and keeping it alive due to my other games. Talk about utter BS...
Well, let us look at attack numbers for the turn;
USSR - 7 attacks, 1 held, 6 retreats.
Axis - 19 (!!) attacks, 13 (...) helds, 3 retreats, 1 rout, 1 shatter and 1 surrender.

Casualties
FUBAR

USSR units in pockets at the start of the turn
1.

USSR units in pockets at the end of the turn
2.

USSR units destroyed
1 NKVD Border Regiment, 1 Airborne Brigade.

German Pools
Manpower : 446
Vehicles : 173.549
Armaments : 102.194
Hiwi : 56.060

[Bozo_the_Clown]

Right now, you must play the first few turns to perfection as the Axis to have any real hope, and that is something I've never been able to do...

I totally agree with you. The game is unplayable right now as the Axis. SHC is totally overpowered. Only the best Axis player can challenge the Soviets by using all available loopholes. And then of course the Soviet fan club will complain about lack of realism. [8|]

The counterattack on T8 is standard SHC stuff. There is safety in numbers. Attacking with overwhelming numbers is a guaranteed win for SHC. The only thing you can do is stack your units before the end of the turn or park them in favorable terrain. If you leave single units in clear terrain they get beaten back.

[terje439]

ORIGINAL: Bozo_the_Clown

Right now, you must play the first few turns to perfection as the Axis to have any real hope, and that is something I've never been able to do...

I totally agree with you. The game is unplayable right now as the Axis. SHC is totally overpowered. Only the best Axis player can challenge the Soviets by using all available loopholes. And then of course the Soviet fan club will complain about lack of realism. [8|]

The counterattack on T8 is standard SHC stuff. There is safety in numbers. Attacking with overwhelming numbers is a guaranteed win for SHC. The only thing you can do is stack your units before the end of the turn or park them in favorable terrain. If you leave single units in clear terrain they get beaten back.

Too true atm. Sadly enough [:(]


Terje

[Walloc]

ORIGINAL: Bozo_the_Clown
I totally agree with you. The game is unplayable right now as the Axis. SHC is totally overpowered. Only the best Axis player can challenge the Soviets by using all available loopholes. And then of course the Soviet fan club will complain about lack of realism. [8|]

The counterattack on T8 is standard SHC stuff. There is safety in numbers. Attacking with overwhelming numbers is a guaranteed win for SHC. The only thing you can do is stack your units before the end of the turn or park them in favorable terrain. If you leave single units in clear terrain they get beaten back.

Yes yes its not like the "soviet realismn fan club" wrote a 2 pages synopsis on how the combat system CV/modifier works in pratice a year and a half ago pointing out the exact things that leads to the high modified CV as just like in this case and the many problems that follows from that. Including this.

Well glad ppl have noticed it by now, not glad about its effects

Rasmus

[terje439]

Yeah, sadly it has been getting worse with each patch, and by now people know how to maximize their defences as the USSR.
Sad to say, but I am leaning towards letting this be my last game of WitE.
[:(]
 
 
Terje

[Walloc]

I know Terje and there is a reason i dont play it any more. No, i wouldnt say it hasnt been made worse per say with patches but just like on the german side ppl have found ways to make full use of systems and it has permiated so has ppl on the russian side learned and it has permiated. Some saw this long ways off and its now reality. Problems on one side just doesnt make problems of the other side right.
So when ever u point out issue related to one side u an "fan boy" funny that im not a german fan boy too as i have pointed through out the years out plenty a issues that favorer the soviets too. Just seem u get labelled if u point out stuff on one side not as much if u point out stuff on the other side cuz then its justified as the germans "every thing goes".

(Un)fortunatly the maximizing 1941 as germans has never been a thing that permiated too u for better or worse,

Rasmus

[SigUp]

I still say that against the AI WITE is a very good game. Of course the AI won't give you the challenge in terms of planning and execution like a human player would, but it does achieve an interesting game. In PBEM I would say, if you can find a passable opponent and set a set of houserules that both players can accept without complaint, then you can also get a nice game. For this gigantic CV inflation thing one for example can set a range of CV modification. Above or below a certain range the attacking player is allowed or has to redo the attack.

[loki100]

I think part of the problem is the game has so many 'rich get richer' mechanisms - one obvious one is to use retreat as the main means to inflict heavy losses. The counterbalances are few and heavy handed - turn 1 vs the blizzard etc.

I'm mucking about with tweaking values in 1941, and with the Soviets if you set NM 90-95, then you see very few units with more than 3 CV and it takes time for the return units to be of much value.

Problem is, as SigUp says, what can work well to give balance and a challenge with the AI, can fall apart badly with a human opponent - even if they don't look for and ruthlessly exploit every option

[terje439]

Just to make things clear for later on, I am not saying that BigBaba is doing anything wrong, in fact he is doing everything correct, the problem is that my playstyle, in lack of a better word, is outdated. Totally outdated, and for me the game is now broken. I never (as Walloc points out) have been able to do a perfect start, and I never will. I swear that those guys that do those superior openings must have 60MP in their tanks and not 50 [:D]
Yes, I can play the AI, but once you have played pbem, AI is really no longer an option...
 
That being said, I will ofc complete this game, and give it my best, and I will consider it an Axis victory if I survive until -45 [:)]
 
 
Terje

[terje439]

Turn 9

Overall
Ok, so we force the rivers in three locations, but it seems BigBaba's defences dropped a lot. Not sure what happened there.
Still nowhere near a decent turn though. The USSR launched 6 attacks and scored 4 helds and 2 retreats, while our 22 attacks caused 8 helds, 12 retreats and 2 routs.

Casualties
USSR : 68.000 troops, 803 guns, 440 AFVs, 203 AC.
Axis : 38.000 troops, 276 guns, 170 AFVs, 44 AC.

USSR units in pockets at the start of the turn
0.

USSR units in pockets at the end of the turn
0.

USSR units destroyed
None.

German Pools
Manpower : 417
Vehicles : 170.344
Armaments : 102.209
Hiwi : 56.874