MWiF Global War Hot-Seat (AAR)

[Red Prince]

ORIGINAL: Orm

I've decided that Lanchow can't be held, not without Mao active, so that means I have to try to save Sian.

I think it was a mistake to let the Japanese get Lanchow without a fight. Japan would have to use alot of forces to get the city. Now he is free to put his focus on Sian instead.

With only 5 moves available, I couldn't figure out a way to get enough forces to Lanchow before the Japanese could get there. Also, if I tried to ZOC the Japanese, the Communists would have to do it with single units -- easily put OOS and killed. To me it made more sense to put everything I have into the defense of Sian. It should be able to hold for at lest 2-3 more impulses, if not longer, and that might make it to the end of the turn.

I also realized that if I don't take all of the Communist cities or conquer China, there are going to be Communist units . . . and not just Partisans showing up over the next few turns. The don't have much production left, but it might be enough to keep Japan tied up for just a little longer . . . every impulse gained is a victory, isn't it?

[Red Prince]

ORIGINAL: Orm

It's a mystery to me - the game commences

For the usual fee - plus expenses

[;)]



Edit: I just had to do it. [:D]

See what you've done, Steve???? This is now the most lyrical AAR I've ever seen! [:D]

[Red Prince]

And speaking of victory, this is all the Axis managed for attacks this impulse, and it's an Automatic victory against the Partisan in Hungary.

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: Red Prince

ORIGINAL: Orm

It's a mystery to me - the game commences

For the usual fee - plus expenses

[;)]



Edit: I just had to do it. [:D]

See what you've done, Steve???? This is now the most lyrical AAR I've ever seen! [:D]

Blame the guy who mentioned Dire Straits in the first place. Ehm, I ment to write "thank the guy".

[Red Prince]

Thanks to the success of last impulse, and the hopefully smart moves by Communist China and the CW, there was little the Axis could do this impulse . . . directly.

Germany did use the O-chit to reorganize all of its HQs, tried to figure out an efficient way of using them to get troops across from Gibraltar into Spanish Morocco, and eliminated the Partisan in Hungary. Also, 4 German LND were rebased: 2 went to Gibraltar, 1 into Morocco, and 1 headed for Naples . . . yes, Naples . . . on its way to begin helping out in the Middle-East.

Italy took over Alexandria as part of its advance on Cairo and Suez, and it also shifted its troops very slightly in N. Africa.

Japan kept up its steady thrust into Communist China, bringing 2 of the previously OOS units back into supply and pressing on toward both Lanchow and Sian. It's still going to be difficult to finish off the Communists this turn, but it might be possible. Lanchow is helpless, and as I've mentioned, I couldn't figure out a way to help it. Yes, it is "more important" as a Victory City, but the priority here should be holding the Japanese at bay for as long as possible, not making a desperate attempt to hold both remaining factory cities.

At the end of the impulse, I used both HQ-I units to reorganize troops. I figure the ATR and the troops in Gibraltar (as seen below), can make a difference very quickly, maybe not with immediate attacks, but simply by crossing the straights . . . and threatening another paradrop! I don't really want to use the other 2 HQs to reorganize units if I can help it, but I might need to. That will most likely have to be an air impulse, and only if I start getting bogged down trying to move into Morocco.

[Red Prince]

Here's the Communist position after the Japanese impulse. Beneath the LND southwest of Tianshui is a white print 6-3 INF, and the other LND is covering up a 16-factor stack:

[Red Prince]

I'll bet most of you had forgotten about HQ-I Balbo and his INF, the fellows who took Anglo-Egyptian Sudan away from the CW very early in the game. They've only been able to move once per turn since the Supply Unit was used up, but it's been enough to get them to Aswan, so they will soon be back into the action, assuming the CW doesn't figure out how to hold onto Egypt somehow. (Don't ask me how they can do it . . . I don't know).

[Red Prince]

I'm wondering if Composer99 still thinks Wavell should bolt for the coast and leave the MIL to fend for itself, or if he thinks I should double-stack Suez.

Either way, the rest of the CW fleet will escape to Aden this coming impulse (someone asked me to cheat in favor of the CW, so I will -- no interception attempt will be made by Italy).

If I double-stack Suez, it might hold the Italians off long enough to keep Iraq Neutral for another turn. If I don't, Iraq will almost certainly be algined to Italy very soon. But if I don't, the capture of Suez might be a good thing . . . for US Entry, anyway. It might actually be in the best interest of the CW (and its allies) to allow the Axis to do anything that will increase US Entry this turn. I don't really know.

[Red Prince]

Impulse #6, the CW takes another Combined Action. I was hoping to clear those Italian SUBs out of the Bay of Biscay, but I forgot that the Spanish naval units can't stack in Aden, so they had to go all the way to Bombay . . . that was my first Naval move . . . the 2nd was to get the rest of the CW units (which couldn't all reach Bombay) to Aden. In the end, 27 Naval units (out of 31) managed to escape the Med. Those that remain are 2 disorganized units that can't move, and 2 units in the W. Med with only enough range to reach Suez, which they'll try to do next impulse, assuming Suez is still controlled. If not, there is a safe haven they can go to for now. They'll be out of the action for a while, but what can you do?

[Red Prince]

CW fans, you're not going to like this.

It took 2 German HQs to reorganize the units in Gibraltar and Malaga in order to clear the way for troops to cross into Spanish Morocco, and they also rebased 2 LND there last impulse. That's 5 lovely targets for a Ground Strike on Gibraltar. The CW had 2 LND (3 Tactical Factors each) within range to hit Gibraltar and the hex to the northwest of Gibraltar, and a FTR to send as Escort, too. The Italians had the only FTR available to protect Gibraltar with an interception:



No dice over Gibraltar, I'm afraid . . . literally.

[Red Prince]

And no dice over the other hex, either . . . .

Out of a total of 8 units that could have been disorganized, what did the CW get out of these Ground Strikes? A disorganized LND, a dead LND, and a disorganized FTR.

[Red Prince]

While I'm still figuring out what to do about Wavell, here's a look at the Communist Chinese response to the current Japanese threat. Sian is double-stacked with 9 factors of GARR units. I actually think this is a pretty good move. Sure, Lanchow is going to fall, and the CAV might be a sacrifice, though it still won't be easy to take, and will probably force Japan to enter Tianshui if it wants to make a high-odds attack on it.

This is another impulse bought by the Communists, I think, by deciding to defend Sian instead of Lanchow.

[Red Prince]

I decided to use 2 of the 3 CW land moves to retreat Gort to Casablanca -- outside of Stuka range, and to block the clear hex in Spanish Morocco with the RSA Territorial. If I've calculated this correctly, this should prevent the units in Gibraltar from crossing and staying organized. It should also force the Germans to use up another HQ to get the Tangier stack reorganized.

If I've done this right, that means an impulse gained, which is a victory for the CW.

As for Wavell, I decided to put him in with the MIL in Suez after all. That's 9 factors, which the Italians can't easily counter, and it still allows for evacuation if/when transport becomes available. What is more important, though, is it prevents the Italians from rolling through into the Sinai and activating Iraq for another impulse or two. That's another victory, even though Cairo will be lost.

[Red Prince]

France finally found something useful to do with its TRS in the 0 Box of Cape St. Vincent. A Land Action this impulse let them reorganize the CAV, which will probably head for Senagal for the time being.

That's about it for Allied Impulse #6, so here's the weather for the next 2 impulses:

[Red Prince]

Thwarted in the attempt to cross over to Tangier, Germany has to sit by and watch the other Axis powers go to work:



And the results:

Attack on China [77, 137]: Assault, Fractional Odds .363 (Yes), Roll = 7 = 1/2 (Tokyo MIL destroyed, attackers disorganized)
Attack on China [76, 134]: Assault, Fractional Odds .467 (Yes), Roll = 9 = */2S
Attack on Fez: Blitz, Roll = 9-1 = 8 = */B (Not converted to Retreat)

In this case, I chose Assaults for both attacks in China because disorganizing the Japanese would essentially halt the threat for the turn. It half worked. The reason I chose the Tokyo MIL to destroy over the Osaka MIL, even though it has 1 more combat factor, is that I have a TRS in Tokyo that can bring him back to any desired location quickly next turn. I may not get the chance to run another Naval Action this turn, and this is the quickest way to reinforce whatever needs reinforcing. As for the other Chinese attack, even if the Fractional Odds roll didn't move things up to the 7:1 CRT, it would have been the same result.

In Fez, I figured there was a good chance that a Blitz would allow the Cape Town MIL to survive, in one form or another, and I was right. Unfortunately, it was Shattered and not retreated . . . plus, on a 3:1 -1 attack, the Italians remained alive and well. I made the attack because I figured it didn't matter if the Italians were disorganized here, as long as they eliminated the target. The rest would have to be up tot he Germans. You know, 1 down, 4 to go, and then Morocco is ours!

All in all, a very good set of attacks for the Axis. Japan is a single move away from re-linking their HQs with the Northern rail lines now, and the Western portion of that front is still kicking hard. The one thing I regret is that I had to disorganize one of the MAR units. I really wanted to try getting him to Canton before the end of this turn . . . and I still might, but it'll take a lot of effort.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, taking Lanchow did not generate a US Entry chit.

[Red Prince]

On to impulse #8, and the CW has to take yet another Combined Action. However, since there isn't much to be done with the fleet, this really isn't so bad. Suez is fortified, as you can see here, though Cairo has been clamied by the Italians, and they are going to try hard to slip the required units over into Palestine and then Transjordan . . .

[Red Prince]

And now that the Med is an "Italian Lake", this is the reason I need land moves . . . it's time to double-stack Rabat and try to stall the Germans long enough to get Gort out of Morocco at the start of next turn.

In Tangier, there are 14 factors, plus 2 from the LND.
In Gibraltar, there are 10 factors.
NW of Gibraltar, there are 17 factors.
In Cadiz, the ATR is stacked with a PARA, and there are a total of 14 more factors.
HQ-A Guderian is sitting pretty with 16 factors, and . . .

Well, it goes on and on. With the 71 factors listed above, plus roughly 30+ more nearby (not to mention the 9 the Italians have), I don't think Morocco is a very safe place to be right now. I won't give it up easily, but I don't know if it's worth keeping the MECH in the mountains any longer. The RSA TERR is just waiting to be crushed, the French CAV can either run away to the south or try to ZOC in place of the MECH, while the MECH joins the Montreal MIL or the RSA TERR in defending Rabat. Probably better to have the TERR do it, swapping him with the MIL, since he gives a +1 to the die roll if he defends alone.

It's starting to look like the only CBV that France is going to see are the Dakar MOT and the Madagascan MIL. There's no way Syria is going to last the 3 turns needed to build the Damascus CAV, so there's no point in trying.

I know I've kind of jumped ahead of things, but I was on a roll today, and the impulses were rather quick to run. So, eat your popcorn, swear like a madman, and enjoy the ride. [;)]

[Red Prince]

Just want to answer a question someone asked ealier in the thread. I'll paraphrase it and expand it . . . the original was something like: "How can the Allies manage to lose both Gibraltar and Suez in the same turn?" . . . and I'll add Morocco to it, too.

Well, one answer is poor play by the CW player (me). Another answer is unconventional thinking. I don't mean this to sound too rude, but I think when MWiF is released to the public, many "old-school" players are going to have to get away from their conservative ideas about how this game is supposed to be played. There are going to be a lot more people like me out there, who are willing to try anything once.

For example, raise your hand if you would have thought to rail all of your HQs to Gibraltar at the time that I did it . . . well, maybe that wasn't too surprising . . . but how about using the O-chit anyway, even though I didn't need it for Gibraltar, to reorganize the units needed to finish off the Allies in Morocco, thus securing that front in one summer? Personally, I think people rely way too much on the "intimidation" factor of an O-chit. Yes, it's a nice thing to have around, but if you need to get a job done, then by all means use the O-chit! It's kind of like keeping a bunch of pilots in your reserve pool with a bunch of fighters they could be flying, but not the fighters you really want them in. You paid for them in BP, but neither the Pilots nor the fighters do you any good if they don't get used.

You can probably tell that I don't play conservatively with my O-chits. If I see an opportunity to make it work for me, I don't bother to count BP and calculate the "actual" value of using it. I jump right in and do it. Sometimes that's going to get me into trouble, but a lot of the time it's going to take the enemy by surprise . . . which is what the "intimidation factor" is all about, isn't it? If your enemy knows you like to hold onto an O-chit just to scare him, he's not going to be scared.

But I digress. That's just an example of the kind of thinking that can cause all of these horrid things to happen to the Allies all at once. Another example is that overkill is sometimes useful. I know you're only supposed to commit "what you need to get the job done", but this early in the game, there isn't a threat in sight from anywhere else. With Amphibious rules, even if I had all 6 CW transports that I was "supposed" to have, what can they do behind the lines? Nothing, really -- no Marine units to invade with. So I went into Spain with all the forces I could spare that weren't required for Garrisson duty. That's overkill, but it certainly did the job.

Of course, luck doesn't hurt either, if you want to take Gibraltar and Suez in the same turn. I like to think I planned it well, but luck was probably more in control of things than I was, when it comes right down to it.

[composer99]

A very aggressive Axis, when they get the die rolls going their way, can clean up the board, no doubt about it.

The only question is, can they survive 'till 1948 given the high US entry? A normal 1945 end might see a strong Axis showing, but with three extra years for the US to rain overwhelming air & naval superiority and o-chit after o-chit after o-chit...

[Red Prince]

ORIGINAL: composer99

A very aggressive Axis, when they get the die rolls going their way, can clean up the board, no doubt about it.

The only question is, can they survive 'till 1948 given the high US entry? A normal 1945 end might see a strong Axis showing, but with three extra years for the US to rain overwhelming air & naval superiority and o-chit after o-chit after o-chit...

Short answer: I doubt it. [:)]

Long answer: That's part of the reason I want to "get while the getting is good". With three extra years added to the game, how much difference does it make if the US enters the war in early '41 or late '41? I really don't know, but the more the Axis can grab now, the more the Allies have to take back. The flip side is that it is more that the Axis has to defend. But closing the Med helps a lot, and if China is conquered, Japan only needs to leave garrisons, which can be helped along by using those Warlord units they gain. It's no longer a 2-front war for Japan, unless Siberia actually becomes a problem . . . and so far it doesn't look like it will be for the next few years.

China won't be conquered this turn. It might choose to Surrender, but I doubt it. It's going to take some nice weather to take Kunming, and I'm running out of time for that. Hell, I might not even get Sian before the bad weather begins.

So far, the first year is definitely an Axis victory, but that can change with the roll of a die . . . any die, really.