From the desk of the evil guys (companion AAR)

[Will952]

Gripping match!

Looks like CP are on track for a major naval victory - but will it be enough to off-set the disintegrating Western front?

[KorutZelva]

live feed from london

[KorutZelva]

ORIGINAL: Will952

Gripping match!

Looks like CP are on track for a major naval victory - but will it be enough to off-set the disintegrating Western front?

Honestly I don't like my chances. Even I hold 20+ hex 3-4 more turn (roughly 6 game months of complete naval lockdown!) the UK will still be light years from withdrawing from the war. This was a bit a proof of concept. I wanted to see if the naval blockade could be a legitimate tool in the CP arsenal in mp... I've executed it about as well as it can be against a good player... so yeah, I think that will stay SP fare. (Well maybe someone can pull it off in the Triple Entente scenario since you also get the Italian navy. [:)]) That doesn't mean that the CP can't be without naval ambition but scaring the UK out of the blockade is the only real goal you can set yourself. Considering that the UK public were flipping out that Jutland was not Trafalgar... how would they have reacted to 6 months of naval lockdown? It's probably not feasible within the game mechanic but I'd like some trigger where if you can manage to park 20+ CP ships out there, NM penalties are doubled every turn you're not chasing them away.

The west is bad... but Russia is maybe 6 turns from surrendering and winter is coming. The only problem is if the game turns into "Whack-a-France" all that UK-centric investment turns into a sunk cost. Even with the UK off the blockade for most of 1916 and unrestricted marine warfare in all four region MN is sinking at a steady pace. It's going to be a slug but German NM will reach the bottom before the French.

[KorutZelva]

26 Hex occupied... UK and France sends a spoiler fleet to intercept the Austrian squadron. Well any ship sunk hurts their morale so I don't pass the opportunity to notch 3 UK light cruisers. Some ships on the convoy lines are close enough to support this operation. I'm targeting the UK ships in priority so the the french units are spared. UK at 74%, Russia at 18%, Germany at 56% (iirc)... But USA at 74%! Note that Ashfall leaves subs in between the combat zone and my ships, very shrewd... but I always have subs on hand to scout ahead of my naval movement. I know all too well the threat of subs which is why I spent lot of money on ASW... didn't have enough money to give it to all my capital ships but I still tried to at least afford 1. The entente gets a fair amount of them and in Ashfall situation he's probably been buying more this year... One single austrian destroyer join with the bulk of the german fleet and places a tile of mine. I had my torpedo ship back in the Adriatic detonate its own mine so that I can have one to put on the convoy hex. Sending german marine to try to make a naval landing in Egypt since the entente navy vacated the med... it's probably garrisoned but it's worth a shot since the rewards are great in the off chance it's not.

[KorutZelva]

I forgot to mention but I started to send 2 damaged ship for repair by naval cruising around Scotland. I only have two ports free from Russian blockade but it's not like I can afford to repair more than that. The Irish sea saw intense anti-sub activity to I can maintain a presence there. I regret having put those two mines of the far hex... I should have saved at least one for spots on the Irish sea.

[KorutZelva]

Disaster at sea! Three DN sunk (2 germans and 1 Austrian) Got swarmed off the coast of spain... the sea was bad so it could have been much much worst. I had bad sea myself so I could not really retaliate, I moved some force back toward german via the english channel other with my force in the north. I'm occupying 24 hex... but that's going to be the last turn I'm occupying this much, I have to leave to repair and supply my ships. With USA joining sooner than later... the sea war is coming to a close. It's going to be settled on land.

December 1916

[operating]

Far from friendly ports and a bitter decision to make makes this match all that more realistic, and at the same time saying: "Don't count me out", that's the spirit of a fighter, one to be reckoned with. Excellent match..!!

[KorutZelva]

ORIGINAL: operating

Far from friendly ports and a bitter decision to make makes this match all that more realistic, and at the same time saying: "Don't count me out", that's the spirit of a fighter, one to be reckoned with. Excellent match..!!

Thanks!

Yeah re-reading some parts of the AAR I see I was full of hubris and grandiose plan. Some noment of genius and some moment of needless slaughter. A true WWI LARP.

[KorutZelva]

Bolsheviks take power in Russia, we can come to terms with these more reasonable folks. (aka Russia at 13%) Sent the Zimmerman telegram. USA didn't declare war right away, does that mean it got through? They must have been impressed by my command of the sea. [:'(]

The blockade is lifted! My ships retreat north around Scotland. They controlled the sealanes from September to January... total impact was getting UK from 90% to 70%. I guess that means I would have needed to have held it five time longer to have worked. Crazy.

[operating]

Even in CTGW it was very difficult to capture GB itself in MP before the match deadline was up, it was possible to have GB surrender before the deadline as many know. With nearly 2 years left, Russia at 13%, a better rail system than CTGW, I would not sweat this match too much, but then again I have not played a scenario in SP or MP yet so who am I to say anything. Regardless, there's alot of life left in this match, I for one enjoy it. In CTGW the two belligerents could continue well past the match end date (let's say the invasion of the Americas/Canada) upon agreement), but "officially" the match ended nov/dec 1918. On the other side of the coin: There's not a whole of incentive for GB to continue should they become the Victor. Did notice in this game that once a faction surrendered it could not be DOW'd again (maybe it's different for the minors).

[KorutZelva]

ORIGINAL: operating

Even in CTGW it was very difficult to capture GB itself in MP before the match deadline was up, it was possible to have GB surrender before the deadline as many know. With nearly 2 years left, Russia at 13%, a better rail system than CTGW, I would not sweat this match too much, but then again I have not played a scenario in SP or MP yet so who am I to say anything. Regardless, there's alot of life left in this match, I for one enjoy it. In CTGW the two belligerents could continue well past the match end date (let's say the invasion of the Americas/Canada) upon agreement), but "officially" the match ended nov/dec 1918. On the other side of the coin: There's not a whole of incentive for GB to continue should they become the Victor. Did notice in this game that once a faction surrendered it could not be DOW'd again (maybe it's different for the minors).

Hard to say if german morale will hold when I lose access to all those Russian NM town and the English resume the blockade. I'll have the number advantage on land but by now the French HQ are fully experienced and their unit are hard to damage. I estimate French morale will be around 65% when Russia folds... so they still have the lead there. Austrians are at 39% but are less at risk because border are safe. The UK is bottled up in the Balkans and can make slow progress there if they decide to push.

[KorutZelva]

Telegram intercepted! Russia's peaces out just as the USA joins... missing the morale boost by one turn. Next turn my troops operate west for a great summer offensive. Only the mines remains on the blockade. Next turn I declare war on Romania to strong arm them into a favorable trade deal.

[KorutZelva]

Just operating west. Most of the fleet made it safely to the baltic. France lead in NM is quite substantial... Dare I say, unsurmountable? He just need to fight for a draw until the germans tap out. History is reapeating itself... just a bit ahead of schedule!

[KorutZelva]

Yeah... I think that's it folks... I just can't dent the French units. Too much XP on those HQs... Even with their entrenchment removed and my best generals I get pitiful odds.

Tons of units but I can push them back.

Forgot to mention but the Greeks intercepted my naval invasion... forgot about those free ships. Whoops! XD

[KorutZelva]

Merry Christmas, the war is over!

Sorry for the anti-climatic ending but that Romanian flub was the straw that broke the camel back. Introduced in the last patch, Romania no longer surrenders if Russia has peaced out unless you have their capital... I just don't have any troops to make that happen.

GG Ashfall! You weathered the storm and redeemed the Royal navy! [:)]

[AshFall]

Heya KZ!

It's going to be a pleasure to sit down and read through your AAR from the beginning, I just wanted to drop a line here first.

Just looked through your last turn, what a finishing blow! I'm sorry about the mess with Romania. For the future if we play again send me a message about stuff like Romania and we'll come to a good agreement about game-related issues like that, probably would have ceded it to you. I'm sorry I didn't think about asking before.

Thank you for the game, well fought! That second act was sweaty as hell, and I had some real fear of the spectre of looming defeat there.

Also a big kudos for writing this AAR from your perspective, AAR's that do have both sides are usually a lot of fun to follow.

Now I'm going to have a look through that other perspective!

[KorutZelva]

I guess I could have... but I just felt so dirty to ask. How embarrassing.. shoulda read the patch notes!

Yeah, I'm amazed at the level of details you provided in yours, infographics and all! Meanwhile I had turns where the microsoft snapping tool just wouldn't activate unless I reboot my cpu (which I was not always not lazy enough to do).

Yeah... I had a blast. We should give it a go again sometimes! I have another CP strategies to field test! [8D] Ok Actually two but one of them is just a spin off of the one I used this game...

I learned a few tricks myself... didn't know those freaking island had line of sight. I thought only ports and cities did!

[AshFall]

ORIGINAL: KorutZelva

I guess I could have... but I just felt so dirty to ask. How embarrassing.. shoulda read the patch notes!

Yeah, I'm amazed at the level of details you provided in yours, infographics and all! Meanwhile I had turns where the microsoft snapping tool just wouldn't activate unless I reboot my cpu (which I was not always not lazy enough to do).

Yeah... I had a blast. We should give it a go again sometimes! I have another CP strategies to field test! [8D] Ok Actually two but one of them is just a spin off of the one I used this game...

I learned a few tricks myself... didn't know those freaking island had line of sight. I thought only ports and cities did!

I know the feeling, personally I think asking isnt wrong as long as both players cohere to a spirit of sportsmanship .

Thank you very much, I do tend to ramble on XD. In the most intense turns I spent about 1/2 to 3/4 of my playing time writing the AAR while doing turns .

Very glad you had a good time, you were a great opponent. I'll take you on again anytime, after a bit of a break!

[pjg100]

Thanks for the AARs both of you! These dueling AARs were a lot of fun to read, particularly with respect to KZ's plans to take the UK down via naval warfare and Ashfall's countermoves re same.

[KorutZelva]

ORIGINAL: pjg100

Thanks for the AARs both of you! These dueling AARs were a lot of fun to read, particularly with respect to KZ's plans to take the UK down via naval warfare and Ashfall's countermoves re same.

I can't help myself, I have to subvert the meta. I don't get people going for the same cookie cutter play, why even play?

I have two CP AARs left in the tank. Who's next?