Matrix Games Forums

Probably asked before....and will probably be asked again.

Page 74 of my verson 1.0 documentation states that the equation of Allied strength is the following :
Western front :
(year - 1941) * 1500 [+1000 if weather is clear] + 500 if random > axis commander rating.

Italian front :
(year - 1941) * 500 [+500 if weather is clear] [+500 if random > axis commander rating].

West front commander is a 5 so i can see where the random > commander rating.
It is Jan 25, 42 and the Western front allies score in @ 2000.

Italian front : allies score in @ 1500. I am unaware of the weather being different in Italy vs the remainder of the map. The map appears to be in Blizzard.

Can someone verify the equation for these fronts?
Thankyou.

Mike,

The formulas have been completely reworked, as follows:

ALLIED STRENGTH

Med front:
1941: 1,000
1942 : 1,500
1943: 2,000
1944: 3,000
1945: 2,750
clear weather: +500
failed german leadership check: +500 (1941-42) or +750 (1943+) (not shown
when clicking on HQ, since the check only occurs in the inter-turn phase)

West Front:
1941: 0
1942: 2,000
1943: 3,000
1944: 5,500
1945: 6,500
clear weather: +1,000
failed german leadership check: +1000 (1943+) (not shown when clicking on
HQ)

Then, from the above there are changes to the German CV based on current location of the front and the date. For example, the Italian front strength is only a third I think when the front is outside mainland Italy, in 1943 and later. And the west front in 1944 and later is halved I think if in Normandy. I believe these adjustments are shown when in effect.

Just to be certain,

Med Front :
The +500 for clear weather applies in each and every year -
1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945.

The failed German leader check results in
1941 + 500
1942 + 500
1943 + 750
1944 + 750
1945 + 750

Note that the above numbers are NOT accumulative.
ie. in 1944, the failed german leader check results in add of 750 allied strength points...not the sum of 500 + 500 + 750 + 750.

West Front :
The failed German leadership roll does not begin until Jan 1, 1943.

My interpretation of the formulas is that West Front is more likely to fail than the Med. As i have yet to play past Mar 42...i am curious about results of failed Med vs failed West front and "events" that follow. What type of events exist...or is that a whole other book?

Also, is it correct that West Front leader(level 5) cannot be changed?

The original rules had something about SS Panzer divisions = 2 panzer divisions for minimal requirements relative to year. In 41, i noted no real change ...after i had 2 panzer Brigades in West Front. In 42, even adding 2 SS motorized to West Front did not seem to change the Axis strength. Has this doubling/halfing part of the equation been removed?

Thankyou in advance.
Mike

Mike,

Your summary of leader affects looks right on. Regarding events, the west front is fairly safe until 1944, unless it is stripped bare. The south until 1943. I have never played a game where the west front collapsed enough to end the game, but I have for the Italian front (limited experience for me though).

The Italian front has something like 6 events before Germany loses - 2 in North Africa, Sicily, landing it mainland Italy, north of Rome, and lose the game I think. The west front has 4 or 5 - landings, fighting in Normandy, the West Wall, and lose I think.

I am not aware of any way to change the leaders in the fronts, but maybe at certain times. Or the game engine may switch them, as I would swear I have had Rommel available. That or you could change them in the early versions and not now???

There is not, and I don't think ever was, an actual requirement for SS divisions in the game, just in the book. There are armor requirements, but an empty armor sub-unit is worth as much as a full one for this check.

By the way, the original game had a very important but undocumented front check procedure. At certain times, give or take a few weeks, there were certain events guaranteed to happen. So in June 1944, you could count on an event in the West Front. If the invasion happened early, then the next one would happen. Some players took advantage of this knowledge to strip a front of its units to save them just before, then put them back in after. It had some drawbacks, as 2 events could happen in consecutive turns, but could still save a lot of men and equipment. These automatic events were removed, and replaced with the reductions based on time and location for the Germans, which make events much more likely, but not guaranteed. The kicker is that the next event in a front is based on the strength when the even happened, and the lower the strength, the quicker the next check. Thus, you can force an event by stripping a front, but then the next one can happen very quickly, which for Italy can be a big problem if still outside mainland Italy. Not perfect, but better.

Quote :
There is not, and I don't think ever was, an actual requirement for SS divisions in the game, just in the book. There are armor requirements, but an empty armor sub-unit is worth as much as a full one for this check.


Hmmm...
Does that mean the book is also wrong in identifying the scoring of the strength value of the garrison. The book (version 1.0) page 74 identifies
Axis strength = 3 per tank + 1 per squad, recon vehicle, and aircraft + 1/5 per artillery and flak assigned to Western Front.

It is interesting that the Italian front uses the exact same wording...to including reference to the "Western Front".

Regardless, ok, so how is garrison strength now calculated?

Hasn't changed that I know of. Nothing related to the fronts has been changed, except for the change in the allied strength and the modifiers to the front strenghs. The manual also never mentioned the set events that could not be avoided, which were dropped.

Ok, so am I understanding this correctly:

the Allied strength is no longer a matter of (Year-1940) * X and all that jazz, but is now an issue of a set amount of points per year possibly modded by a clear weather bonus and failed German leader check?

I am very thankful for your presence here, RickyB. I am brand new to WiR so I appreciate any clarification I get.

Oh yes, and as I now understand it, neither the Western or Med front *has* to fail, correct? If garrisoned strongly they can last indefinitely?

You are correct, allied strength is all by set factors. A front could hold to the end of the war, but it is very unlikely and would take your strongest divisions. Because the defender strength is modified downward by half to a third in certain positions at certain times, it would be difficult to mass enough strength to hold. For example, in Normandy in 1944, the Germans are halved. So to guarantee no event, the German player would have to mass 15,000 points in the HQ. Because of the limited slots to put units in, this would take probably almost all full strength panzer divisions to do. Not much point in massing this kind of strength just to prevent an event that is not decisive.

Oh, wow, the Western Front 1944 requirements in particular are crushing... My poor Greater Germanic Reich will never be able to amass that kind of power to waste on guard duty.

Someone should gather a FAQ on these puzzling questions in regards to the game's internal mechanics.