Shadow of the Tsars MP Series Announcement

OldCrowBalthazor · Post by **OldCrowBalthazor** » Fri Feb 28, 2025 5:29 am

StrategyWolfGaming Bolshevik Ep 27: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXtbQXfqOMc&t=11s

OldCrowBalthazor · Post by **OldCrowBalthazor** » Sat Mar 01, 2025 12:13 am

White Factions Ep 27: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk8ZTydjgFQ&t=8s
Vast fields of sunflowers trampled by the advance of the valiant vanguards............

OldCrowBalthazor · Post by **OldCrowBalthazor** » Sat Mar 01, 2025 8:12 am

Interesting conversation on Ep 27 regarding Odessa and the particulars of a Russian DEC to ask for a peace with Poland.
For proper context view the first few minutes of this video and my position (at that time) regarding the background that can lead to DEC 421 'Sign a Peace Treaty with Poland'
(These are the kind of discussions I like on my channel)

Transcript>>>>

@superscooper
It's cheesy to avoid taking Odessa.

@BalthazorsStrategicArcana>
Calm yourself Comrade. I plan to take it when the timing is right.....

@bitenibblechomp>
Agreed. I’m going to look at tweaking the conditions for that DE accordingly

@BalthazorsStrategicArcana>
@bitenibblechomp It does give the Bolsheviks are hard choice with making a peace or not when the DEC pops after Odessa falls.. Also probably a political factor from the Polish and also White point of view.
Don't want to give spoilers but it does make for an interesting situation later....

@BalthazorsStrategicArcana>
@bitenibblechomp Also...consider making Odessa an enticement for the Whites to take in addition to the Bolshevik DEC, not avoid or manipulate.
Another anomaly (spoiler): When I take Odessa, the Ukrainian capital gets transfered again from Kiev!.
Btw..we are still playing. We are super short between what's up public and where we are ingame
But in the interest of future modifications...I give these reveals.
On the whole, this revamped version is far superior to the old one.
Wait to see how this plays out in it's entirety.
I will also do a partial AAR but want to hold out on what I would of done differently as the Reds in case I play a mirror of this against Wolf or another opponent.

@GreatBumbino>
@BalthazorsStrategicArcana maybe a mpp boost for Ukraine/free units for Ukraine to make up for Poland leaving?

@BalthazorsStrategicArcana>
@GreatBumbino Yeah something along those lines.
It will be a few episodes before we take Odessa.
My opponent will have a hard choice to make.
Other than that, I don't want to spoil.
Also...I haven't pulled a turn ( will do shortly) to see how bad it actually is going to be for both sides.

@BalthazorsStrategicArcana>
@bitenibblechomp Note: Ramifications of Reds to say yes to DEC to make peace with Poland are dire for the NW Whites. Their supply to Warsaw (Major Capital) reduced 1 turn after peace, even though we have Daugapils.
This was expected as per the game mechanics and I would not change that.
Just an observation...and I took the gamble to take Odessa after all so if the Reds say Yes to the Poland Peace DEC, it does a pretty heft hit on Bolshevik FS, which is what we wanted.
Side effect is now the Balts and NW Whites are in a dire situation.
It's like sacrificing a Rook or Queen to take the enemy King in chess.

@superscooper>
Speaking to what the reds should have done, I personally would have all in'd on the northwestern whites immediately and I think that's an uncontroversial call. The urals can be safely delayed with nuisance divisions due to the severe supply issues -- even ditching perm to double your HQs only goes so far -- and the Southern Whites while powerful have a LOT of distance between them and anything meaningful -- Tsaryitsen is less impactful than you'd hope given the FS objective label. The northwestern whites are a glass knife and key to putting the reds in pole position.

I'm also reasonably confident that investing in the Red Navy to get the brits out sooner by inflicting losses on their boats and denying the FS objective off Petrograd isn't a terrible idea. I don't know that it's a winning concept but the cost to the whites vs how much it'd take to get the red battleships in ok state and the lack of high end British ships to contest them... idk I feel it's worth a toss.

As far as big misses of the current campaign, the failure to evacuate the guys around the Sea of Azov by the reds hurt my heart. That was a big miss especially with the long slow rumble of the Polish steamroller to provide warning.

@BalthazorsStrategicArcana>
@superscooper You hit it on the nose regarding the Red navy at Petrograd. The RN in the Baltic can't handle a DN and BB fully reinforced. The only issue is the UK sub, and the Red sub is vulnerable to the UK DD and CLs. Still...the Brits can slammed in the Baltic if done right.

Regarding Red early war focus. I want to keep my cards close to myself in case I can get either a mirror match with Wolf (or someone else) Your are correct in either the NW Whites or Ural Whites need to come first as a target. A couple of merits regarding going after the Ural Whites is thus: Isolated. Low income. If defeated, the Southern Whites take a big FS loss. Merits of going after the NW Whites. Weak units on the whole. Definitely have to hold Daugapils so the NW Whites can't trace a rail line to the Major Power capital of Warsaw, Poland.

Anyways like I said at the beginning of the series...the Reds can't be everywhere at once. Well what I meant is they should NOT be everywhere at once. The former is what my opponent did most of the war trying to defend everything