HBK vs KZtonk man: Battle for the Intercontinental Championship

[KorutZelva]

3rd March 1941

The DAK sends the Italian to soften up the english. The english counterattack but despite heavy air commitment including carriers, an Italian army survive at 1.
Simultaneous coup: Yugo joins allies, Iraq joins Axis.

[Harrybanana]

Unusual developments on the Diplomatic front. At the beginning of my turn the US was at 87% Allied (as it has been for several turns). Then when I ended my turn Yugoslavia surrendered thus causing the US to shift pro-Allied by 3% to 5% (ie 90%+) and I got a message. But I wasn't paying enough attention so I don't know if the message was "US Prepares for War" or "US joins the Allies". Then I got my first hit on US Diplomacy indicating that the US swung 12% towards the Axis. This would drop the US below 90%. So it will be interesting to see if the Axis is at war with the US or not. Knowing my luck I am pretty sure we are at war.

Stupid, dumbass game:)

[KorutZelva]

April 26, 1941

Good turn for the axis all things considered! Yugo surrenders. They get their long awaited USA diplohit (minimum 8% but still!) German bombers are revealed to be MASSED in north Afrika and unleash fury on an unsuspecting UK HQ. (part of that is that I confused the UK AA with the UK anti-tank (doh!)) I'm murky of what's considered in supply for HQs, I guess the fact it was providing supply 8 doesn't count to see if the unit was killed in supply. For a second time, the UK comes short of killing an italian army. The Royal navy manage to slink in and snipe a cruiser however.

[Harrybanana]

ORIGINAL: KorutZelva

April 26, 1941

Good turn for the axis all things considered! Yugo surrenders. They get their long awaited USA diplohit (minimum 8% but still!) German bombers are revealed to be MASSED in north Afrika and unleash fury on an unsuspecting UK HQ. (part of that is that I confused the UK AA with the UK anti-tank (doh!)) I'm murky of what's considered in supply for HQs, I guess the fact it was providing supply 8 doesn't count to see if the unit was killed in supply. For a second time, the UK comes short of killing an italian army. The Royal navy manage to slink in and snipe a cruiser however.

Actually its a bit confusing how large a diplomacy hit I got with the US. The message I received said I got a 12% swing. But you were at 87% and even if you got the maximum 5% swing for the surrender of Yugoslavia that would have only put you at 92%, so less my 12% swing should mean the maximum US mobilization would be 80%. But at the start of my turn US mobilization was 81%.

The Axis did even better with my last turn; destroying 2 Fighters, a TAC, a Tank, an Army and a Heavy Cruiser (at least I think it was a heavy cruiser). All but the Army and, of course, the heavy cruiser had 6 or better supply though.

Meanwhile Greece joins the Allies. Something I didn't even think was possible without a diplomacy chit.

[KorutZelva]

ORIGINAL: Harrybanana

ORIGINAL: KorutZelva

April 26, 1941

Good turn for the axis all things considered! Yugo surrenders. They get their long awaited USA diplohit (minimum 8% but still!) German bombers are revealed to be MASSED in north Afrika and unleash fury on an unsuspecting UK HQ. (part of that is that I confused the UK AA with the UK anti-tank (doh!)) I'm murky of what's considered in supply for HQs, I guess the fact it was providing supply 8 doesn't count to see if the unit was killed in supply. For a second time, the UK comes short of killing an italian army. The Royal navy manage to slink in and snipe a cruiser however.

Actually its a bit confusing how large a diplomacy hit I got with the US. The message I received said I got a 12% swing. But you were at 87% and even if you got the maximum 5% swing for the surrender of Yugoslavia that would have only put you at 92%, so less my 12% swing should mean the maximum US mobilization would be 80%. But at the start of my turn US mobilization was 81%.

The Axis did even better with my last turn; destroying 2 Fighters, a TAC, a Tank, an Army and a Heavy Cruiser (at least I think it was a heavy cruiser). All but the Army and, of course, the heavy cruiser had 6 or better supply though.

Meanwhile Greece joins the Allies. Something I didn't even think was possible without a diplomacy chit.

No kidding. Maybe now hopefully the call to nerf uberdiplo will subside? [;)] I had a lot of hardware present but everything was underteched, a consequence of the strategy.

Same regarding Greece I guess it's possible if the coup impact rolls very high?? I marched into albania to trigger the Italian loss of moral but I don't expect them to last very long...

Ah... Maybe the 1-2% per turn from the US is kicking in?

[Harrybanana]

ORIGINAL: KorutZelva


No kidding. Maybe now hopefully the call to nerf uberdiplo will subside? [;)] I had a lot of hardware present but everything was underteched, a consequence of the strategy.

Same regarding Greece I guess it's possible if the coup impact rolls very high?? I marched into albania to trigger the Italian loss of moral but I don't expect them to last very long...

Ah... Maybe the 1-2% per turn from the US is kicking in?

I personally wasn't asking for Uberdiplomacy to be nerfed unless it affected play balance; which at the moment I don't know if it does or not without more gaming experience with this strategy. But it doesn't take experience to know that it does add a significant luck element to the game. But this can be easily fixed by a House Rule to limit or eliminate diplomacy with the US and USSR.

Despite my recent successes in NA I believe I will still lose the game. The US is producing over 300 MPPs per turn and has been for some time. It has poured more MPPs into research than Germany and has now started building units. And it is still only May 1941. The UK may be weak, but the US is a good year or more ahead of where it usually is at this time. Meanwhile Spain remains neutral. I am losing the MPP War badly.

But I suspect we both like to play the underdog card. We will just have to play it out.

[KorutZelva]

I was getting overly confident up until I mucked up egypt defense. That's typical KZ, not patient enough to stick to the plan. [:D] Should have just held tight instead of trying to counter attack.

Time to withdraw out of range of those blasted bombers...

I do wish that enemy fighter scouting empty sea tiles would not be considered intercept worthy targets for my fighters! [:'(]

===========

July 1st still no barbarossa. Axis assets seems spread all over the place so who knows what's their timetable in that regards.

Following Alexandria fall the USA shoot back up to 89%. Tunisia invaded as prelude to the Franco morroco bribe...

[KorutZelva]

Forgot to say, Irak surrenders at the first sight of UK troops despite efforts from Germany to arm the insurgent.

Greece still kicking despite a successful use of italian bribery. [:)] I don't think there's an HQ supporting the Axis troops because the understrenght Greeks are giving them trouble. Notably a 2 pip panzer lost 3 damage in the fighting. Part of that however is that German tanks are still at lvl 1.

[Harrybanana]

ORIGINAL: KorutZelva

Forgot to say, Irak surrenders at the first sight of UK troops despite efforts from Germany to arm the insurgent.

Greece still kicking despite a successful use of italian bribery. [:)] I don't think there's an HQ supporting the Axis troops because the understrenght Greeks are giving them trouble. Notably a 2 pip panzer lost 3 damage in the fighting. Part of that however is that German tanks are still at lvl 1.

I have made 4 attacks with that Tank in Greece and for each attack the battle estimator said that casualties would be 3-0; but for 3 of those 4 attacks my tank took a hit anyway.

You got lucky with Iraq collapsing on the first turn with only a 25% chance. But I must have gotten even luckier as last turn I captured Cairo (5% to 10% US mobilization hit) and DOWed Tunisia (3% to 5% US mobilization hit) but the US only gained the minimum 8% mobilization and now sits at 89%.

[KorutZelva]

I'm saving some of my luck for latter. Hopefully yours will be spent by 1942. [:D]

[KorutZelva]

15 Jul 1941

Italy is gifted egypt which should help her funding replacement in the air war.

Germany trying to bank as many mpp as possible while Soviet readiness was low but, after German gains in the middle east, USSR mobilisation is now at 65%.
When Barbarossa comes, it's going to be a short campaigning season before bad weather sets in...

Franco one diplochit away from joining at 79%.

Germany-Italy closing in Athens...

Montgomery withdrawing to Transjordan with what remains of the Uk Forces. There might be a chance to recover once the german bombers leaves for Russia.

[KorutZelva]

Aug 12th

Greece falls to the italians and the USA stop tippytoeing around it and enters the war.

A lvl 2 panzer finally shows up at the russian border, ''likely bringing gifts and presents'' affirms Stalin.

[KorutZelva]

Aug 26th

Franco gets cold feet after US entrance in the war, UK gets a major diplohit on spain (26%).

Italy takes Palestine, Transjordan falls to Germany.

USSR at 78%

[KorutZelva]

Barbarossa is on!
Axis attack algeria!

1941/9/9

Time to reveal my defensive arrangement

At Byaliastok, a corp and a mech inf both miraculously survived at 1. They started the turn in supply so I suicided mission them so I could rebuild them on the cheap.


I invested in some fortification along the rail. The bomber died (by air) but the rest made it.


Here the surviving set-defence unit have a yellow dot. Germany destroyed my planes by air and engaged the defending lvl 2 figther but my two lvl 2 AA made (all HQ supported) sure this would be costly. Germany held off engaging any unit along the line presumably waiting for their supply to be cut first. Well despite my extensive fortification, I wasn't going to stick around longer than the opening shots as I wouldn't be able to defend my supply line for long. Most unit have started evacuating the area by foot, forced march or train.

[KorutZelva]

Last turn force disposition



September 22

USSR force continue their long march east
With the convoy line opened in vladivostok, persia and murmansk their income shoots up.
Just need to last a couple of turn before bad weather sets in and we catch a breather.
Axis rolls over Syria, finland joins the bad guys.

[Harrybanana]

You forgot to mention that you got another major diplomacy hit; this time on Sweden 16%.

[Harrybanana]

ORIGINAL: KorutZelva

I'm saving some of my luck for latter. Hopefully yours will be spent by 1942. [:D]

With respect, I think you should have used up all your luck by now; well at least all the good luck.

[Harrybanana]

Learned something new this turn. If a defending unit starts your turn with supply level 5 and you cause it to retreat to a hex in which it has supply level 6 before you destroy it; you do not get the morale hit and I assume your opponent can rebuild the unit at the reduced cost. So does this work in reverse? In other words, if an enemy unit starts a turn with 6 supply and you retreat it to a hex in which it has only 5 supply before destroying it, do you get the morale bonus hit? I suspect not, but does anyone know?

[KorutZelva]

ORIGINAL: Harrybanana

Learned something new this turn. If a defending unit starts your turn with supply level 5 and you cause it to retreat to a hex in which it has supply level 6 before you destroy it; you do not get the morale hit and I assume your opponent can rebuild the unit at the reduced cost. So does this work in reverse? In other words, if an enemy unit starts a turn with 6 supply and you retreat it to a hex in which it has only 5 supply before destroying it, do you get the morale bonus hit? I suspect not, but does anyone know?

You only get the moral thing if its under supply 5 though.

[Harrybanana]

ORIGINAL: KorutZelva

ORIGINAL: Harrybanana

Learned something new this turn. If a defending unit starts your turn with supply level 5 and you cause it to retreat to a hex in which it has supply level 6 before you destroy it; you do not get the morale hit and I assume your opponent can rebuild the unit at the reduced cost. So does this work in reverse? In other words, if an enemy unit starts a turn with 6 supply and you retreat it to a hex in which it has only 5 supply before destroying it, do you get the morale bonus hit? I suspect not, but does anyone know?

You only get the moral thing if its under supply 5 though.

Ok, so I did learn something new, but it wasn't what I thought.