Hard Knocks: Chicharito19's trying to learn, a Global Campaign experience

[Chicharito19]

@rkr1958, @Mayhemizer_slith

Guys thank you very much. Your experiences and advice will make this game even more enjoyable.

Michael

[brian brian]

For the US Entry Chit system, a value of (10) or higher for an event means one chit is automatically generated.

A value of (12) means one chit for sure, and a 2nd chit on a die roll of 1 or 2.

A (7) means a single chit is generated on a die roll of 1-7.

A (-9) means a chit is lost from a US Entry Pool on a roll of 1-9.

[Courtenay]

A key thing you will rapidly run into is action limits. You can't use all your aircraft all at once. This is a surprise impulse against Poland. You will want to ground strike the Polish troops in Warsaw. Save air actions so you will be able to do that.

[Mayhemizer_slith]

About set up. I take my current game as an example even if I have not set up all units. But there are things I do the same.

https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4615461


USSR - Persia
USSR placed 2x INF, CAV div and CAV supported with planes against Persia. At the start of some turn or early on turn during fine weather USSR declares war on Persia (with this set up Persia must place their only unit to Teheran, or bombers ground strike it and it cannot move and Teheran is taken for free) and units move towards Teheran. Next impulse all units can attack making 14 attacking factors + planes vs 3 defending factors. It will be a good attack, but not automatic.


USSR - Rumania
Normally USSR places land units so that one of them can move to east Poland. If USSR has not taken east Poland before Warsaa and Lodz are taken by Germany and turn ends, Germany takes entire Poland. There should be lots of ground units so that USSR can claim Bessarabia. Also good strategic bombers should be in range in case (does not happen often) Germany denies the claim. Then USSR bomb Ploesti oil fields so that Germany loses them even if attack to Rumania goes bad. Remember, if turn ends so that USSR has no land unit in mainland Rumania (excluding Bessarabia), Axis can enforce peace. Same thing in Finland, that is not always claimed.


USSR - Japan
In our game units were set so that USSR can attack Manchuria, China needed some help.


Italy - France
Italy normally places enough units to French border so that France must keep garrison to every border hex. Italy can only wait and wait, unless France moves units to north, then attack to France.


France
France should garrison every hex on Italian border (with weak units, except coastal hex with better unit, maybe MTN because of shore bombardment and better attack). Notice that MTN can walk cross the mountains, so every hex needs unit.

German border is usually defended with GAR, all better and faster units goes to Belgian border. Be careful about Strasbourg. It can be attacked from 4 hexes. With ENG it's possible to take if defended lightly. Normally I defend it well at first, then take units to defend west when Germany moves cross Belgium.


China
Chinese don't co-operate. They should not mix their units.

Normally Communist Chinese defend line Yenan-Sian.

Nationalist Chinese should not be close to coastal hexes. Japan begins the war and they can place carriers to sea and start with ground strike. When you know where Japs attack, defend with double stacks ans stay in mountains as much as possible so that attacking is difficult. Chinese should try to avoid losing units, specially those MIL units from cities you don't control as you can't rebuilt them. I always lose lots of units. China can choose blitz table so that units are more likely shattered and they come back next turn (MIL arrives to home city, so for example Peking MIL does not come back).


CW
CW need to defend Egypt enough so that Axis don't take it. Much depends on what Italy is doing. Gibraltar needs always unit or Italy will make risky invasion there. Normally there is unit in Malta too. Units in UK should be in port with transporter, ready to go France, Netherlands (or Denmark).


Japan
Japan can attack well either against north or south. They need to choose where they go first. In this game Japs attacked north with full force. Notice units in southern Manchuria, they are coming to south.


Germany
Normally Germany takes Poland first. You don't need all units there, nut quite many.

Some units are usually on Danish border so that they can take Denmark in one fine or snow impulse. Germany needs 3 fast units to take Copenhagen and all coastal hexes adjacent to North Sea. If there is one CW controlled hex in Denmark adjacent to North Sea, CW can debark HQ there (HQ creates port) and then MECH and division. That might cause some problems. Germany wants to take Denmark so that Allies can't send ships to Baltic Sea raiding convoys. As CW player I like to ground strike that 2 unit stack and see what Germany does, maybe I can send units to Denmark.

Germany places GAR units to French border leaving all cities empty, reserves goes there. More units are ready to attack Netherlands. One HQ (Rundstedt) can be used to reorg some reserves so that attack to Netherlands can start in S/O 1939 if weather is good. Notice division on Netherlands border. Sometimes Germany takes combined and sends ship to North Sea box 3, embarks div hoping CW don't sink it and invades to Rotterdam. If Netherlands unit is placed to Amsterdam, Germany can't take Rotterdam same impulse and CW can debark nasty units to Rotterdam. Other option is play with luck, attack Netherlands so that you roll low enough ending turn after attack [:D]

Poland falls when Lodz and Warsaw are taken. Germany places units as they see fit and Stukas are normally in range of those cities. They ground strike defenders first impulse (during surprise each unit are rolled twice).


Poland
Poland should try to defend factory cities and make Germany attack something else first impulse, rivers don't half attacks during surprise impulses. If played with internment optional rule, planes are usually in NE or SE corner so that German land units or bombers don't reach them. CW rebases them to neutral county first impulse and gets 2 pilots. Next impulse USSR takes east Poland.

Poland will always fall if Germany attacks with force. With terrible weather or terrible German luck it might live one turn.



Most players know things better than I do and they free to correct what ever I have said [:)]

[Centuur]

ORIGINAL: Chicharito19

Oh before I forget there is the "Siberian Question". I decided to swap some USSR troops for Siberian. It seemed the thing to do as I suppose that they are rated higher??? Advantages? Disadvantages?

The Siberians are better units to have on the map. There are no disadvantages. White Print Russian units are winterized and far better than any other infantry they have at start.

[Chicharito19]

S/O Impulse 1

Germany
Germany determines that it will not use its available aircraft in naval ops. But will rather continue to support the invasion of Poland.

Italy – Italy determines that it will not use any naval air actions although there are French convoys in both the Eastern and Western Med. Italy is not yet at war, with France that is.

Japan – Japan sees no need for naval air actions at this time.

All of the big three Axis powers decline naval air. I'm beginning to think that their in cahoots.

[Chicharito19]

S/O Impulse 1

Japan decides to move the CA's Tone and Chikuma into the China Sea to support their troop efforts near Hong Kong. They go into sea box 4.

[Chicharito19]

Just in case I get the spellings wrong or incorrect. I find that although the game is good at zooming in/out, at times the font doesn't suit my vision. I am legally blind. So sometimes I find it hard to read the font, even zoomed in.

[Chicharito19]

hehehe....encumbered by my newb mistakes we pressed on...

[Chicharito19]

Similarly Japan sends two CA's out to the Sea of Japan in an effort to monitor Vladivostok.

Having chosen a combined action, that eats up Japan's naval movements.

[Chicharito19]

S/O Impulse 1

Italy decides not to make any naval moves.

Neither Germany or Japan chooses to initiate strategic and carpet bombing raids at this time.

Germany opts to forego ground strikes in favor of ground support for advancing troop formations.
Japan foregoes ground strikes instead choosing ground support.

On second thought I think that I probably should have chosen ground strike given the situation. I think I got my strikes and my supports confused.

[Chicharito19]

The other ground support further down on the southern border of Poland.

[Chicharito19]

Both Germany and Japan move units into position ready to attack. Here are the German movements to attack positions as the VI Infatry Korps overrun the air Polish PZL air unit at Lodz and prep for Warsaw.

[Chicharito19]

This also gains a factory for Germany.

[Chicharito19]

Here are the German land combat declarations.

[Chicharito19]

The results of the two battles, one on the western border and the other the southern border. The Polish forces, now aligned with the Commonwealth, were given the option to choose the battle. They chose Assault. If I recall correctly this is because they were defending in a forest hex.

Also this got a little confused because my game crashed before I saved and had to redo the battles. So I hope I've got the correct screenshots.

[Chicharito19]

Southern border battle. The Germans chose a Blitzkrieg attack. Again if I recall because they also had armor units in on the attack vs Polish infantry, even though they were defending in a forest hex.

[Chicharito19]

Following the attacks to the west and to the south the Germans advance into the now vacated hexes.

[Chicharito19]

I then went onto China and Japan only to realize that I messed up the Japanese movements and disorganized the Japanese units. Therefore I'm unable to attack. OOOOpppsss. I suppose that means Chengchow is spared for now.

[Chicharito19]

Again, I'm very appreciative of the comments. I think that they are not only helpful, but motivating. Thanx.

Michael