Matrix Games Forums

I've reached that point where I'm a bit tired of the lame AI and want to play against a human. I'm personally fond of the whole Eastern Front and am a veteran of the Stalingrad, Watchword Freedom, Hereoes of the Motherland and Russian Steel(still only less than halfway through that behometh) campaigns. I love playing Russians and Germans anywhere in the '41-45 time frame with late '43 being a personal favorite.

Ok here are some questions. It seems finding your opponent's artillery park(s) is a strategic part of the PBEM game. Playing against the AI I've been sloppy and just park it all in one place next to my ammo carrier. Obviously this won't work against a human I plan on splitting it up into more mobile parks with protection but just how much protection does one need? Will a handful of recon and a few MMGs do it or do you use more than that? I plan on placing smoke with recon to make it less obvious where my arty is but by the chance one of my arty parks is found I hope I have enough protection.

Do you buy some offboard arty just in case your onboard arty is destroyed? Do you buy ammo carriers in PBEM? I've always played with limited ammo on so hence the need for 1-2 carriers. I'm all for the 10-15% arty limit, I've tried to stick to those numbers in my campaigns so I'm used to it.

Just how much recon do you usually use in PBEM? In my campaigns I usually have 2 sections and a few snipers and 1-2 FO but against a human I can see the need for a lot more. Do some players go crazy and buy hundreds of kubelwagens and motorcyles? I hope I don't encounter hordes of those lol.

What version do most people play? I had 7.1 for a while but deleted it thinking I'd never play again. That was dumb of me because now I'm back to a lousy modem so the 8.0 CD offer was the only way to go. 8.01 seems pretty good except for the occasional crash now and then.

Well anyway, very soonish I think I'll try a PBEM game. I know I'll get my arse handed to me but I want to be prepared as much as possible

Thanks.

Oh one other question regarding mixing troops. When you purchase your platoons do you leave them as is or mix them up via reassignments? For instance if you purchased a platoon like this(or is part of a company purchase):

GE Rifle
GE Rifle
GE Rifle
GE MG 42

Then buy a platoon or section of engineer, FJ, etc and then
reform them all to look like:

GE Rifle
GE FJ Airborne or GE SS Rifle
GE Engineer
GE MG 42 MMG
50mm mortar sqd

Is that considered gamey or is that a valid strategy? By doing this you can do a lot more with this platoon since you have a rifle grunt, an engineer for satchel charges/mines, an elite airborne(possibly with panzerfaust depending on year), an mmg and mortar.

I've done this with the russians too where I mix in an engineer with a conscript with an elite guard so the platoon can handle almost any situation.

It's time consuming and messy though. Would like to know how others feel about it

Good questions. I'm still a rookie with only about 5 PBEM games so far. You would get more feedback from veterans if you posted in the Training Center.

Concerning Artillery, read the thread called Artillery Management T.O.T. at the top of the Training Center. I have my own thoughts on artillery parks toward the end of the thread. While you're at it read all 7 "top" threads, they're classic. In my games so far I've never seen a major breakthrough. So I would invest resources on the main line of resistance, and concentrate less on rear security. MGs or light fighting vehicles like mobile AA can deal with infiltrators and paratroopers. If you lay it out carefully, artillery can provide it's own self defense to a certain extent. Some howiters even have AP ammo. Recon is not needed to guard artillery, if there is a problem they will not fight effectively. Also, you don't need them to lay false smoke, just use artillery smoke for that. Your biggest concern will counterbattery fire. So doughnut formation around the ammo truck is risky. Remeber they won't load the same turn they fire anyhow. Moving the ammo truck and cycling resupply is a good idea.

I use a lot more recon in front. Snipers are good, but 2 man scout teams are a better value and almost as stealthy. I spread them out across the entire front about 8-10 hexes apart. Vehicle recon is definitely inferior at spotting. Motorcycles are fun, but they don't see much when moving at high speed. Don't make the mistake I did of racing your motorcycles forward at full speed right off the bat. They will be decimated by MG's and finished off by halftracks and such. Unlike the AI, a human will be sure to finish them off if possible. Motorcycles have considerable value as mid-game recon. I use yo-yo tactics. Zoom up to see beyond the fog of war, then run back and hide. They're also handy for picking off crewmen who stand beside abandoned vehicles and routed infantry. And, in desert they can kick up tons of dust! If you ever see hordes of kubelwagens, soon you will see hordes of dead kubelwagens. Probably you will never see either. I use them sometimes to decide whether a spot is safe before moving a tank in. My advice: use plenty of cheap stealthy leg infantry, use recon vehicles sparingly. The 4 man scout patrols and many recon vehicles are designed to skirmish with enemy recon. This is a much lower priority for me, since my main forces are usually close enough to my scouts to fill that job. I've also seen the Russians use Cossack cavalry as very effective fighting scouts to lead tanks through dangerous terrain amidst likely threats. And, in tight quarters, infantry should precede tanks with very close support combined arms.

GE Rifle
GE Rifle
GE Rifle
GE MG 42

Then buy a platoon or section of engineer, FJ, etc and then
reform them all to look like:

GE Rifle
GE FJ Airborne or GE SS Rifle
GE Engineer
GE MG 42 MMG
50mm mortar sqd

Sounds like a good idea to me, and not gamey at all. That could happen in real life. The only thing is that they move at different speeds, so it's more defensive.

When you're ready for PBEM, I'll play you. benjaminharp@sbcglobal.net

Thanks for the reply, Mangudai. I should have posted this in the Training Center like you said, since there doesn't seem to be much traffic in this forum. Can a moderator here move this over to that forum? That'd probably be easier than starting a new one.