AAR - PBEM Game 2 (The FIRST public AAR)

[Joel Billings]

ORIGINAL: elmo3

ORIGINAL: Oleg Mastruko


Good question. I did evacuate couple of factories. But "production issues" is not only factories. My resource (and population) base is shattered, and I don't want to spend supplies and (mental) energy rebuilding reconquered resources only to have them destroyed by Germans - again (Caucasus is good example - German can re-enter there anytime if he really wants to).

O.

Looking at the game map above I'd say historically the Soviets lost as much or more territory than you have, with the exception of Moscow of course. Yet by 1944 they were easily outproducing the Germans and had no shortage of soldiers. Obviously I don't know the game mechanics so maybe it's just a case of you doing things differently than Stalin. But if the Soviets can't replicate their historical production capabilities by moving factories east then that is a problem IMO.

They never lost the oilfields in the Caucasus. That is a huge difference. And in this game, the Russian player can repair his resources once he gets them back, but it takes supplies. The Russian player has been rightfully worried that if he repaired the facilities, the Germans would just come back in and destroy them. You'll see as the Russian player retakes areas like Moscow, Caucusus and Rostov, and feels confident he can hold them, he'll get his resources up high again (using lend leased supplies). As in the real war, as the Russians move west, they will just get stronger. If the Germans were able to hold the A-A line, the Soviets would be hard pressed to keep all their factories functioning (assuming they were move east) as they would have been historically.

[MButtazoni]

new artwork means you upgraded this game to v1.801 paullus?

[paullus99]

Nope- its still 1.700, I just forgot to get rid of the graphics from the folder. I told Oleg to let em know if he has a problem with the file as is....if not, I'll keep them.

[Oleg Mastruko]

No problems loading your turn but I wonder how you managed for new graphics to show with the old (1.700) exe? I tried that but no railroads were shown.

Edit: forget it, I know how you did that, it's this other art file...

Oleg

[MButtazoni]

oleg, copy the "art.txt" and "railroad coords.txt" from the 1.801\dat folder to the 1.700\dat folder (as well as the rail*.tga's in the art\map folder)

[Oleg Mastruko]

ORIGINAL: Joel Billings

Scrapping the factory now will gain you 2 resource points, which are your limiting factor. If you get enough supplies from WA and China, you will be able to afford to repair the Caucusus resources (and now you can hold them since Germany had to pull back). Keeping things that won't get you resources back in the que is not a problem. But you get 1/2 of the resources spent on an item back when you scrap it (round down) so there might be some items worth scrapping if you know you won't be able to build them for a long time. How's that research coming along?

Research - I managed to gain some points in important cathegories and I feel it is visible in actual combat, though I am still lagging significantly behind Germans...

O.

[neuromancer]

ORIGINAL: Becket
BTW, I passed on Harper's AWAW since it didn't look solitaire favorable, and picked up Europe Engulfed instead. I love it.

Fun game. What is your impression? Is it a little too stacked against the Axis? Or just a tough ride, but doable?


There is something visceral in rolling all those dice and counting off the casualties as opposed to the one die resolution systems.

[Oleg Mastruko]

As you all guessed, we breathed a huge sigh of relief this turn, and retook some provinces. As Joel said, I (without looking at the board beforehand [:D]) felt confident enough this turn to rebuild Caucasus resources.

Our research, while not brilliant, did manage to get us closer to the Germans a point or two in most important cathegories. I's say that research is the most important lesson we learned so far - I don't think I did anything wrong - apart from letting German get away too much in some research areas.

But this is far from over. VP-wise, we're still in the region of draw - production index for Allies as compared to Germans is 262 (it has to be over 400 for Allies to win marginal victory, or below 200 for Germans to win marginal vic.)

Oleg

[neuromancer]

ORIGINAL: paullus99
We've also scrapped together as much combat power as possible to isolate Yugoslavia & give us the opportunity for one enormous counteroffensive next season (think Ardennes, but a little early & aimed at Belgrade).

Err, perhaps not the best analogy. [:'(]
After all, the Ardennes offensive was really the last gasp of the German army in the west.

[MButtazoni]

Oleg, remember though, the victory screen is not calculating production values properly, it is showing a count of Factories, whether they recieved resources or not.

my guess on production values (1 production = 1 factory factor + 1 resource) is WA = 75 (i know that one) , RU = 25 (from your last screen shot of production) and GE is at 12 to 18 (would be my guess). so if it's 15 for GE we are at 100/15 or appox 666% of his production.

[paullus99]

I'm done, but don't count me out yet - as I said, I've still got some aces up my sleeve.

[elmo3]

ORIGINAL: Joel Billings

They never lost the oilfields in the Caucasus. That is a huge difference. And in this game, the Russian player can repair his resources once he gets them back, but it takes supplies. The Russian player has been rightfully worried that if he repaired the facilities, the Germans would just come back in and destroy them. You'll see as the Russian player retakes areas like Moscow, Caucusus and Rostov, and feels confident he can hold them, he'll get his resources up high again (using lend leased supplies). As in the real war, as the Russians move west, they will just get stronger. If the Germans were able to hold the A-A line, the Soviets would be hard pressed to keep all their factories functioning (assuming they were move east) as they would have been historically.

I looked back through the last few pages of this thread and don't see a screen shot showing the Soviets losing the Caucasus, but I must have missed it. I agree that would put a crimp in their plans. Thanks for clarifying how things work.

[IDrinkBeer]

ORIGINAL: neuromancer

ORIGINAL: Becket
BTW, I passed on Harper's AWAW since it didn't look solitaire favorable, and picked up Europe Engulfed instead. I love it.

Fun game. What is your impression? Is it a little too stacked against the Axis? Or just a tough ride, but doable?


There is something visceral in rolling all those dice and counting off the casualties as opposed to the one die resolution systems.

and picked up Europe Engulfed instead. I love it.

Europe Engulfed. Absolutely great game. Lots of fun to play. I suggest playing the first time with the standard rules and then using the Designer Optionals.

It will take two people about 10-12 hrs to complete the campaign portion assuming both are pretty well versed in the rules.

Also, I have found the game to be very well balanced. The deck is not stacked against the Axis. Granted it is extremely difficult to pull off a Sealion ( which I think is good ) and it is almost impossible to take Russia completely out ( which I think is very realistic ). You have to press as much as possible until you lose the initiative and then hold on for dear life...

Now back to the current game...

[MButtazoni]

Summer 1944

Well it was a busy turn for the Western Ally's but my research appears to be having an effect on the once invincible Germans. let's take it step by step.

GE had moved 3 air units into Southern Italy to interdict all my naval movement, but that's why i have CV's. 5 CV Air flew and dispersed the GE air.

I also saw an opportunity in the Baltic Sea, but with coastal artillery all across the coast the RAF was sent to work, i sent 2 - 3 air into each of Eastern Germany, Denmark, Western Germany, Western France (which had been a pain for 3 long years interdicting the English Channel). The research into Land attack for my tactical and heavy air had paid off as all Coastal artillery was sufficiently suppressed.

With the Coastal Arty out of the way i did a massive redeployment of my Transport assets into the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.

With the loss of it's Arty unit, Eastern Germany was undefended as most GE units were still moving South to take vengeance on the WA units in Yugoslavia. so i moved in 1 INF unit to take Eastern Germany.

[MButtazoni]

I then switched my attention to my units in Yugoslavia, they were quickly becoming surrounded so i decided to fight my way out and into Northern Italy, causing a dispersal of about 2/5's of GE the units that were about to attack me next GE turn. I left Yugoslavia unnoccupied as i saw no need to garrison it.

[MButtazoni]

Now that left Western Germany. i had redeployed 15 transports to the North Sea (technically Skaggerak is the region adjacent to Western Germany) which equates to 60 amphib capacity. I landed 4 Armor, 1 Airborne, and 3 Infantry into W Germany...

[MButtazoni]

here is a piece of the battle report:

[MButtazoni]

and here is the final result...

[MButtazoni]

...and i do mean final. if the documentation is correct Germany surrenders with the loss of both Eastern and Western Germany. if it's like JA it won't happen til pauluss99 opens his next turn file.

Due to some mix up i forgot to send RU the 80 supply i had intended. i swore i sent it, but it ended up in China, and a game reload still wouldn't let me transfer it to RU. (i will try and recreate it and submit it as a bug) So i hope the game is over as i did not get any supply to RU on THE turn of his reconstruction.

bottom line, Germany was impenetrable with the huge technology advantage they had, and when it was equalized (and i had a lot of production due to Japan's collapse) i was able to use my Navy to pick my battles. It did take me 2 years to gain the technology parity i needed though.

so paullus99, over to you, let me know if the game is indeed over...

[Grotius]

Oh, my! [X(]