Fall Weiss II - AAR KZ vs Crispy

[crispy131313]

August 1941

Just as Spain occupied Lisbon, Portugal the Allied task force temporarily knocked out rail lines near Bordeaux, disrupting Axis supply but also forcing an engagement with the Luftwaffe and combined German/Italian/Spanish fleets. Weather turned for the worst at sea when the Allies had the initiative and the British were not able to inflict equal damage in return.

The British have taken back Iraq, a small victory but they maintain a presence in the Middle East for the time being. The real fight continues near Manchester, British losses have been staggering as every available man is sent to the battlefield.

On the Eastern Front the Soviets are ready for war with the Axis as USSR reaches 99%. The German invasion is upon us, the British are no longer fighting all of Europe alone!

[crispy131313]

Pre-Barbarossa losses for each side. The British are bloodied but we will never surrender!

[crispy131313]

Here we see the strength of each nation, on the eve of Barbarossa. Axis income is high (you can see the effect of the severing of rail lines into Spain) and many nations have fallen in with the Axis, providing their navies and manpower to the Axis war machine.

[KorutZelva]

Barbarossa's opening netted a pitiful haul. The USSR unleashed their secret weapon, mech divisions. Tons of them shielding his barbarossa troops. These sturdy little bugger where giving me 1:1 odds vs tech 2 inf armies. He managed to save most of his troops (except in the Siaulai area).

At sea, weather cooperated with me (what else is new) and we managed to sink more UK ships fleeing the area (namely 3 destroyers).

Liverpool falls. Manchester is the next objective...

[crispy131313]

August 1941

The Soviets swell to 70 ground units, I think only 1 Axis Tank Corps and no Mechanized Corps were spotted on the Eastern Front, the Luftwaffe absent as well. With the full summer afforded to them, the Soviets had dug in hard at their borders in anticipation of a late summer attack.

Near Spain, the Allies again are gifted stormy weather at sea and are given another licking that can not be matched.

[KorutZelva]

I can brush aside englishman units like they are nothing (corps often go down in two hits). In a reverse Ivan Drago-Rocky, the ruskies are made of Iron. I just can't dent them. Acursed Hungarian/Romanian, a (HQ-less) single division shouldn't be able to hold an army group (w HQs)!!! [:o]

Not used on how weak compared to base game the air units are. [X(] Maybe I didn't need to max these expensive toys right away. [:'(]

[crispy131313]

Facing no Tanks, artillery, or Stukas the Soviets fearlessly march to meet the Axis invaders and pierce enemy lines. Charge!

[KorutZelva]

Sealion seems like a bit of a Pyrrhic victory for me now doesn't it? [:D]

The silver lining is that maybe that far from their supplies these mechanized monster will be finally killable. [:'(]

[crispy131313]

If it makes you feel any better, my last opponent was still fighting in Northern England as the Soviets captured Berlin. [8D]

[KorutZelva]

ORIGINAL: crispy131313

If it makes you feel any better, my last opponent was still fighting in Northern England as the Soviets captured Berlin. [8D]

I see why the victory condition are what they are. The Brits and the USSR have lots of hardware to play with. [X(] Germany doesn't have enough mpp to conduct large scale operation between France and Barbarossa if it wants to produce enough unit to do a proper invasion of Russia.

Hopefully once my elite Tank corps are freed up from the UK campaign can send back the Russians all the way to Moscow.

In the south, I can't free up my DAK forces just yet. Despite the propaganda crispy man is feeding you, he didn't send his egypt troops to the UK but Irak. I have oil workers in my pay that reported all transport traffic into Basra... [;)]

[crispy131313]

September 23, 1941

The Fuhrer will be angry tonight, upon hearing news that Erich von Manstein has been lost at sea and his expeditionary force engaged by the Royal Navy en route to the Americas!

[KorutZelva]

Oh so close to the States too! You might have saved you the game right there. [;)]

Also a bit of a anti-climatic end for a plan I brewed in 1939... I had to ramp up amphibious tech to level 3 for that one... [;)]

Would have been a plunder for the ages... [:'(]

[KorutZelva]

Well... My tank corp couldn't find an empty port for my assisting transports. That stops any hope of mounting an invasion. I hear the fat lady singing.

Good game crips, you'll have to rename yourself crispy232323. [:D]

[crispy131313]

Good game KZ, some wild gambits on both sides for sure, but in the end the Axis probably got a little too bold!

You are welcome to a re-match to switch sides, it's up to you!

[KorutZelva]

Post-mortem

I had some superficial knowledge of crispy's mod, from reading his AARs with BPINisBACK and my own (but that was cut short). I knew the UK and the USSR had a buff. The new victory condition pointed that this was accentuated since my play in 9.1. I had forgotten air was culled. But overall I wasn't ready but just how much buffs had been handed over the Allies in the mod. Game start the with the Brits getting an event for a 'free HQ', that sets the tone for whats to come.

I can understand the logic for culling the air somewhat... but that's also taking away Germany main advantage without giving them back a perk. When air is at standard strenght, it packs fire power in an efficient package. Reduced to expensive air artillery, the germans don't have to punch to breakthrough and keep the front moving. Everything is a bit of a slugfest than it should. You'll need more land units but your supply of HQ will remain the same so its likely you'll have to a fair amount of troops fighting with a hand tied behind their back accentuating the slugfestinest.

I kind of like having the ability to move around my unit in Finland before Barbarossa start and to be able to join in at the beginning. Also a nice perk for Sweden joining as supply will be 8 boosting income. But oh man, have they got eh shaft. Finnish units are already expensive to repair but now lost their tech edge over the Russian (since they don't benefit from Germany tech) on top of being dirt poor. Basically if the USSR parks a tank there at the beginning I can see them waltzing in Helsinki very quickly.

I get it that it's supposed to be a bit of 'Germany must try to survive' mod but the turn comes way too quick as it is now. Low on income, Air nerfed they aren't going anywhere fast. In the grand scheme on thing I don't mind that it's most likely intended I'll have to find a defensive withdrawal trying to survive the clock. But getting to that point in 1941... the allied advantages seems a bit too front loaded. I culled English on land and sea for a good year but you wouldn't notice it by looking at their unit count. With a more passive Axis strategy, it's not out of the question that the UK would have enough gear for D-Day in 1942. For comparison the ongoing game between Taxman and Irishguard where a similar-ish scenario played out the English are essentially broken, possibly beyond repair. Even the unit count of the Russian before Barbarossa had started was quite inflated despite USSR mobilisation level around standard level.

Thanks for the offer crips, but I think I'm done. Not with version 14.0 at least! [:'(]

[crispy131313]

Thanks for the post-morterm but I disagree that the Allies have been over buffed, the Axis receive much more bonus then the Allies in this mod, much of which you just haven't played far enough to see. Take Tank tanks for example, Romania/Germany will via decision receive 2 new Tank Corps & 3 Heavy Tanks above their build limit (maybe more) which is a big deal, the Allies get none. There are many more examples but in the end I obviously am going to see things differently. FWII is not about German survival, but it is flexible enough that it can be. If the tide turns on the Axis player, whether it be because of play or just poor luck from the variability I've added, the German player can switch into survival mode and still have fun.

For this game, when the writing was on the wall that the Soviet mobilization would be delayed until the last possible moment and the Axis' strongest units were tied up in other theaters I switched from purchasing tech in late 1940 to purchasing vast amounts of cheap units to form vast defensive lines, I knew there would be no true punch. Similarly with the British I stopped tech research since Axis' captured London and focused on rebuilding units and eventually grounded the air force and never repaired any naval units, on top of abandoning Egypt. The British were doomed to never accomplish anything for the rest of the game but they did stall long enough. In general I think it is good to know that Germany can not handle preparing for Barbarossa, Sealion, amphibious invasion of America and conquering the middle east simultaneously.

As for generally getting bogged down I will say that lately I have typically reached the gates of Leningrad, Moscow and Stalingrad in 1941 as the Axis, but I probably would not if I did not launch May-June Barbarossa. While I'm 2-3 in AAR i'm 8-0 in other matches, I am much more proficient than I let on (thanks Taifun for spanking me so hard that I learned to be more aggressive). In my last few matches as the Axis the Allies have capitulated once losing all 3 Soviet objectives.

The only comment I really want to emphasize about Finland, and it really wouldn't apply to this match is that every Soviet unit that is diverted to Finland in 1941 makes me happy as I march more freely towards my actual targets in USSR.

I enjoyed our match overall, I do understand it's quite a change from the vanilla but also be aware that while I do not complain about the cookie cutter strategy that is documented so much on the forum, I am aware of it and have been tweaking FWII for sometime to ensure it won't work in FWII.

[crispy131313]

I enjoyed our match overall, I do understand it's quite a change from the vanilla but also be aware that while I do not complain about the cookie cutter strategy that is documented so much on the forum, I am aware of it and have been tweaking FWII for sometime to ensure it won't work in FWII.

I should also point out that I do not think you tried the cookie cutter strategy! I only meant that some elements of the strategy worked not in your favor i.e. drawing out USSR mobilization to focus on Britain alone. It's not that it's a bad strategy it's that I try to enforce that USSR matters.

[KorutZelva]

ORIGINAL: crispy131313

Thanks for the post-morterm but I disagree that the Allies have been over buffed, the Axis receive much more bonus then the Allies in this mod, much of which you just haven't played far enough to see. Take Tank tanks for example, Romania/Germany will via decision receive 2 new Tank Corps & 3 Heavy Tanks above their build limit (maybe more) which is a big deal, the Allies get none. There are many more examples but in the end I obviously am going to see things differently. FWII is not about German survival, but it is flexible enough that it can be. If the tide turns on the Axis player, whether it be because of play or just poor luck from the variability I've added, the German player can switch into survival mode and still have fun.

For this game, when the writing was on the wall that the Soviet mobilization would be delayed until the last possible moment and the Axis' strongest units were tied up in other theaters I switched from purchasing tech in late 1940 to purchasing vast amounts of cheap units to form vast defensive lines, I knew there would be no true punch. Similarly with the British I stopped tech research since Axis' captured London and focused on rebuilding units and eventually grounded the air force and never repaired any naval units, on top of abandoning Egypt. The British were doomed to never accomplish anything for the rest of the game but they did stall long enough. In general I think it is good to know that Germany can not handle preparing for Barbarossa, Sealion, amphibious invasion of America and conquering the middle east simultaneously.

As for generally getting bogged down I will say that lately I have typically reached the gates of Leningrad, Moscow and Stalingrad in 1941 as the Axis, but I probably would not if I did not launch May-June Barbarossa. While I'm 2-3 in AAR i'm 8-0 in other matches, I am much more proficient than I let on (thanks Taifun for spanking me so hard that I learned to be more aggressive). In my last few matches as the Axis the Allies have capitulated once losing all 3 Soviet objectives.

The only comment I really want to emphasize about Finland, and it really wouldn't apply to this match is that every Soviet unit that is diverted to Finland in 1941 makes me happy as I march more freely towards my actual targets in USSR.

I enjoyed our match overall, I do understand it's quite a change from the vanilla but also be aware that while I do not complain about the cookie cutter strategy that is documented so much on the forum, I am aware of it and have been tweaking FWII for sometime to ensure it won't work in FWII.

It's not Manstein and 2 tank corps that would have changed the situation over there. I was fine with a limp Barbarossa. My goal on that theater was to destroy a good chuck of the border unit but then planned on staying put in 1941 waiting for UK units for a 1942 push. But with the Germans committing 2 tank corps, 4 armies and a sizeable bomber fleet to the island, the UK still had an never ending tide of units of Russian proportion even before the USA unlocked its purse fully. 20+ corps bit the dust and the UK was still at 30 land units. What the heck?

Well the the problem for me is that your end up replacing the original cookie cutter for another script more to your preference. The collateral damage is that in this mod, Sealion, Uber Diplo and 'all of France' are effectively blacklisted. They are still viable gambits in the default campaign. It is paradoxical that a mod with more decisions ends up with less viable choices.

[crispy131313]

That's a bit harsh maybe, but I won't argue that my own mod obviously would have some preferences of my own, whether all are intended or not. I'm still of the opinion that the strategy book is wide open. This match just stretched Germany's capabilities to the brink, Closing the Suez, closing Gibraltar, capturing the London/Manchester, planning and attempting for the invasion of USA, maxing aircraft build limits, bringing Sweden into the war, planning for Barbarossa. I get that Germany has the early advantage, but attempting to conquer every strategic objective on the map except the Soviets in 1941 just doesn't feel right, especially given the Allied player does not have the ability to DOW in response.

[KorutZelva]

ORIGINAL: crispy131313

That's a bit harsh maybe, but I won't argue that my own mod obviously would have some preferences of my own, whether all are intended or not. I'm still of the opinion that the strategy book is wide open. This match just stretched Germany's capabilities to the brink, Closing the Suez, closing Gibraltar, capturing the London/Manchester, planning and attempting for the invasion of USA, maxing aircraft build limits, bringing Sweden into the war, planning for Barbarossa. I get that Germany has the early advantage, but attempting to conquer every strategic objective on the map except the Soviets in 1941 just doesn't feel right, especially given the Allied player does not have the ability to DOW in response.

Not everything, I skipped Malta! [:D] Didn't max aircrafts either, couldn't afford it. Just bombers. Sweden was more due to your actions than mine, just gave them a tiny push. Spain joining is a bit of an oddity because between Canary's trip and the blockade the UK is blessed with events and means to slap Spain mobilisation down even if the UK goes for the Portuguese alliance. 95% of the time there wouldn't really be an opportunity cost for that free HQ (two turns worth of income! [X(] on turn 1!). Taking London also removes you from being offered alliance with Vichy (I mistakenly believed I needed Spain for that based on another AAR) and gives Ireland to the UK for free.

It's the 'Happy time' like you say, it's supposed to be hurting, it's supposed to be about force conservation, saving your strength for later for a comeback with the USA/USSR buddies. Sure you can fight to the death... but I expect you to die. Having me kill three time the number of Englishmen in the UK compared to the french in France and have them around with the same unit count they started pre-invasion can't exactly be considered a moderate stance on balance either.

Despite being introduced as such, I am no posterboy for the Axis cookie cutter. In my AAR I used it in my very first AAR with Taxman... and then that's it. I always relied on curve balls after that. If you take away my ability to approach it different ways, you take away my interest. If you ramp up the difficulty for Sealion or All of France, the least you can do is to ramp up the rewards. The mod doesn't benefit by having these strategic dead-ends. There has to be more than 'Conquer the USSR on a shoe string budget and let NA to die'. You may pick going with wooing Greece or Spain (essentially following the neatly drawn 'authorised' direction of their decision line), that doesn't count since the main script is the same.