CleverDevils2 AAR

[gwheelock]

ORIGINAL: Jimmer


The British seem poised to move by sea or by land. Analysts believe that this leaves our team open to attack, should the Usurper's forces decide to move last, or to land by sea if they decide to continue going first.

Would that be like "1 if by land; 2 if by sea..."? Didn't something really BAD happen
to you guys the last time you tried that manuver? Lost an entire CONTINENT as
I remember...

[Jimmer]

That was almost 2 decades ago, Bonaparte. You weren't out of diapers yet, having been only 10 years old or so.
 

[gwheelock]

In news from other fronts; Turkey attacks Russia in Galatz
Chits were Echelon vs Counter Attack
Russia broke on round 2
Russian Casulties : 28I, 7C 3G, 1Ck; Turkish casulties : 6I
Russian commander Bagration was also captured by the Turks

(Unfortunatly; there were no battle results saved other than log entries)

[AGT4533]

The Russian catastrophe in Turkey compelled Austria to strike at Napoleon in hopes of regaining the momentum. The Guards save Napoleon yet again, as they did at Leopaldstadt a few months ago.

[gwheelock]

Beat me to it this time.
 
Chits were Probe vs Defend
Casulties : Austria 13M, 11I, 1C; France 8M, 8I 1G
 
Yes the guard comes thru again.   Note to all novices - ALWAYS look at what a guard commitment
can do for you :  It can either transform a (potential) loss or tie into a win and it can also reduce or
PREVENT an opponent's persuit.  In this case it was 5/6 chance to win (or maybe a break/break tie) 
and the remaining 1/6 would have reduced the Austrian persuit table to "none".
 

[gwheelock]

OK; here is the political status as of June 1805:

[gwheelock]

and here are the VP totals

[Jimmer]

ORIGINAL: gwheelock

Beat me to it this time.

Chits were Probe vs Defend
Casulties : Austria 13M, 11I, 1C; France 8M, 8I 1G

Yes the guard comes thru again.   Note to all novices - ALWAYS look at what a guard commitment
can do for you :  It can either transform a (potential) loss or tie into a win and it can also reduce or
PREVENT an opponent's persuit.  In this case it was 5/6 chance to win (or maybe a break/break tie) 
and the remaining 1/6 would have reduced the Austrian persuit table to "none".

Agreed. Many players do not understand the fundamental purposes for guard commitment, or don't think of it when needed. There are two main purposes for using guard:

1) To turn a loss into less of a loss, or
2) To turn a mediocre result into a win

The Russians and French REALLY have to look at guard commitment, because there are two possible shifts allowed by their guard factors. For Prussia and Austria, it's still important, but not AS important.

Now, the thing I REALLY want to point out is how one should "read" what guard commitment WOULD HAVE done. Many people make the mistake of looking at the die roll and thinking, "Gee, if I had committed the guard, ...". However, that's not the right analysis to do. Instead, one should do exactly the same thing one would have done prior to the roll: Examine the table and determine what EACH of the six possible rolls of the die would have done. Get used to this process; every battle -- EVERY BATTLE -- in which guard commitment is possible should have this analysis done at every roll of the dice.

[Odysseus]

Hmm. Interesting VP Totals. I mean the French total is just enough to give anyone (except France) nightmares ;P. But if Turkey keeps up the good work again Russia (and later Austria?) it might just pass France by. It certainly is VERY well positioned to do so...Which is why I like this game =D

[delatbabel]

Jimmer (or someone) -- did you get my note in the bug tracker that I need a password for the test game you posted for bug 104 before I can go any further with it?

[Jimmer]

Yes, but I don't know WHICH password do you need? I gave you mine via return email (xyz). Gwheelock (France) gave you his here (heaven). I suspect you may need Turkey's, but I don't know that for sure.

[gwheelock]

Well; we just had the biggest battle of the game so far - 2 days

Charles & 10 corp attacked Nappy & 6 corp in Linz
1st day chits were Assualt vs Defend
Austrian casulties were 10M, 14I; French casulties were 9M

[gwheelock]

The second day combat was Assault vs Outflank;

Nappy made his outflank roll on the 2nd round

[gwheelock]

Austria commited guard on the 2nd round but did not manage to break the French
2nd day casulties : Austria 28I 1C; France 10I

[Soapy Frog]

Is the Austrian player just a tad inexperienced?

[Jimmer]

Swedish forces have landed! An assault is being made outside Amsterdam. Due to the first of two game bugs on this one move, the Swedish corps is required to forage, despite a depot having been built on the same fleet which dropped the Swedes onto Amsterdam. Foraging went well, however, so this apparently had no effect.

As you can see, the Swedes slaughtered the hapless Holland corps. Just goes to show how good British training is.

[Jimmer]

This pursuit occurred prior to the previous screenshot (i.e. it's included in the final tally). I just thought it was interesting to see 2 cavalry kill 2 cavalry in pursuit. This was obviously due more to the good die rolls than to any inherent British superiority.

However, please note that there is no screenshot of the siege combat. This is because of the SECOND game bug: Apparently, if you forage a corps with zero movement automatically (at the end of the turn), it counts the use of the nonexistent movement as having prevented a siege combat.

So, once again (for the 6th and 7th time this game), the British plans are thwarted by a game bug (or two).

[Jimmer]

ORIGINAL: Soapy Frog

Is the Austrian player just a tad inexperienced?

That, I cannot answer. Although, perhaps we might all be enlightened by whatever brilliant strategy you would have employed, instead of just casting aspersions on someone else's play.

For myself, I am content to know that one of the game's best players is beating the allies.

Austria needed a miracle, and didn't get it.

[Soapy Frog]

I would not have smashed my army against a French army almost twice as strong. But even if we were to say he was taking a big gamble (hoping for a "miracle" as you say), to stay for the 2nd day of that battle was madness of the highest order.
 
Of course we can ask, where are the Russians and the Turks? In a case like this where Austria has been hung out to dry, then fighting yourself to destruction, militarily and politically, is not the mark of an experienced player.
 
In one of the games I am playing I am busy losing my first war as the French, and I would not hesitate to call my own play sloppy and misjudged... however you can survive a few brainfarts if you are not so stubborn as to fight yourself to extinction.

[gwheelock]

ORIGINAL: Soapy Frog

I would not have smashed my army against a French army almost twice as strong. But even if we were to say he was taking a big gamble (hoping for a "miracle" as you say), to stay for the 2nd day of that battle was madness of the highest order.

Of course we can ask, where are the Russians and the Turks? In a case like this where Austria has been hung out to dry, then fighting yourself to destruction, militarily and politically, is not the mark of an experienced player.

In one of the games I am playing I am busy losing my first war as the French, and I would not hesitate to call my own play sloppy and misjudged... however you can survive a few brainfarts if you are not so stubborn as to fight yourself to extinction.

The Russians are having some problems. Their main army (~70-80) got
stuck in the Baltic after they dropped (temporarily) into the top of the instability
zone & lost several key minors & thus the ability to start a depot chain. They
managed to recapture them (at the end of THIS turn); but now will have to contend
with Nappy's main army. They are also having problems on the Turkish front
(their army on that front was almost exterminated [only 2 guard factors lived]
by a massive Turkish cav persuit).

The Brits have been attempting to create distractions while killing French fleets.
While this is good for Britain; it hasn't materially helped the Austrians either.