Looking for opponents
Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2004 8:19 am
I will like to play a couple of WIR PBEM games starting October, 1st. I write here what my preferences are. Although I am open to suggestions I post this message well in advance in the hope of finding someone who likes the same principles as me.
First of all, I like to play with version 3.2 rather than with version 3.3. There are two reasons for this. In v3.2 heavy and medium tanks were considered as separate entities, and I like it. The idea of a Tiger-only Panzer Division is annoying for me. In version 3.3 new agreed rules are needed to deal with this issue, but they are not necessary in v3.2. Besides, in v3.3 it is not longer possible to manually upgrade the StugIIIb to StugIIIg. Perhaps it is a bug. But it is also very annoying to me, because I like to play with manual control of equipment and production. That is one of the features that I like the most in this game.
There must be a minimum of two divisions in a Korps. A Panzer Korps must contain as a minimum a PanzerDiv plus and additional Motorized/Cav Division. Same for Tanks Armies, of course.
I play with Human control of everything. I play with a maximum of one change per month in Tank and Planes Factories (one each). I do not like to switch all plane production to FW190A in turn one, for instance. It would seem to me a bit unrealistic. My opponent may do what he wishes, but I would like to play with another parsimonious player.
Finns are part of the game. They can be used freely to attack and defend Leningrad. Maximum distance from Leningrad, 6 hexes East, 6 hexes South. Finns Division and subunits can only be in Finn Korps. That is because a Finn Division seems to make the whole Korps immune to Blizzard penalties. I like to keep separated Rumanian and Hungarian Divisions, but I do not think there is need for a special rule for that, because I do not see any illegitimate advantage in doing that. I would not consider that cheating.
Each HQ can only make only one player directed air mission of each type (1 Interdict + 1 Supply + 1 Air Attack + 1 Strategic Bombers). Although an attack fails, it cannot be repeated by the same HQ. This is to encourage air dispersal. Fighter-Bombers are the exception. They can Escort and then they can perform another mission. Several HQs can target the same point.
As a German player, I never empty Western/Italian fronts deliberately in order to provoke a Shatter/Surrender. I do withdraw planes, however. I usually have several air groups there, training, for instance, and therefore adding points to the defence. But no special rule about that. I send low quality equipment to these fronts, as suggested in the manual.
Korps/Armies are approximately distributed evenly among HQs. No Super HQs with 25 Korps/Armies.
My HQs are never reciprocally attached. There is no additional layer of command added by me in order to prevent Hitler/Stalin to direct the battle. German Armies are attached to Army Groups, and these in turn to OKH, i.e., 3 layers of command. Sometimes I change an Army from one Army Group to another. As Soviet player I also keep their two-layered system of command.
Blizzard: as a Soviet player I find completely disappointing the “strategy” of general withdrawal of the German Armies almost all the way back to Poland. This completely spoils the game. But as a German player I have observed that it is very easy to lose even your shirt if you want to make a decent fight. I think that Blizzard penalties in 1941 are too crushing, both in version 3.2 and 3.3. I do not know what to do. I have been toying with the possibility that all the Blizzard turns in 1941 are played by the Computer. Both sides put every HQ under Full Computer Control (**), and all turns are played the same evening, doing PingPong with the email. When I have observed Computer versus Computer games, it seems that Blizzard is hard for Germans, but not devastating, probably due to poor Soviet generalship.
Every Army/Korps must fight under the HQ that gave it Special Supply. It is OK for me to supply a Korps and then extract a division from it. The Korps receiving an already supplied division may be supplied itself. This seems OK to me, because such Korps cannot attack and if attacked, it defends under a HQ with low PP. What I find completely disgusting is to SpecialSupply a Korps and then change that Korps to another HQ to avoid the low PP penalization.
As a Soviet player I never hide my planes in “Siberia”. I like to disperse them in rear HQs, but if Germans want to attack those HQ, they can do it at their own risk. Sometimes the unescorted bombers will found CAP fighters. This requires honourable gaming from the German Side, because he would be tempted to make some fake turns in order to find out where the planes are unprotected, and then play the real turn.
I play a minimum of 7 turns a week, normally more. This means that if I play against two players, a minimum of 4 turns per week are to be expected. Probably more.
I like to play to the bitter end, even if lost. However, if my enemy is getting bored because of his/her overwhelming advantage, I resign if politely requested. Normally this request requires from the strongest side to have already gained some victory points. Some guys like to play all the way to Berlin/Gorki. It is OK with me.
First of all, I like to play with version 3.2 rather than with version 3.3. There are two reasons for this. In v3.2 heavy and medium tanks were considered as separate entities, and I like it. The idea of a Tiger-only Panzer Division is annoying for me. In version 3.3 new agreed rules are needed to deal with this issue, but they are not necessary in v3.2. Besides, in v3.3 it is not longer possible to manually upgrade the StugIIIb to StugIIIg. Perhaps it is a bug. But it is also very annoying to me, because I like to play with manual control of equipment and production. That is one of the features that I like the most in this game.
There must be a minimum of two divisions in a Korps. A Panzer Korps must contain as a minimum a PanzerDiv plus and additional Motorized/Cav Division. Same for Tanks Armies, of course.
I play with Human control of everything. I play with a maximum of one change per month in Tank and Planes Factories (one each). I do not like to switch all plane production to FW190A in turn one, for instance. It would seem to me a bit unrealistic. My opponent may do what he wishes, but I would like to play with another parsimonious player.
Finns are part of the game. They can be used freely to attack and defend Leningrad. Maximum distance from Leningrad, 6 hexes East, 6 hexes South. Finns Division and subunits can only be in Finn Korps. That is because a Finn Division seems to make the whole Korps immune to Blizzard penalties. I like to keep separated Rumanian and Hungarian Divisions, but I do not think there is need for a special rule for that, because I do not see any illegitimate advantage in doing that. I would not consider that cheating.
Each HQ can only make only one player directed air mission of each type (1 Interdict + 1 Supply + 1 Air Attack + 1 Strategic Bombers). Although an attack fails, it cannot be repeated by the same HQ. This is to encourage air dispersal. Fighter-Bombers are the exception. They can Escort and then they can perform another mission. Several HQs can target the same point.
As a German player, I never empty Western/Italian fronts deliberately in order to provoke a Shatter/Surrender. I do withdraw planes, however. I usually have several air groups there, training, for instance, and therefore adding points to the defence. But no special rule about that. I send low quality equipment to these fronts, as suggested in the manual.
Korps/Armies are approximately distributed evenly among HQs. No Super HQs with 25 Korps/Armies.
My HQs are never reciprocally attached. There is no additional layer of command added by me in order to prevent Hitler/Stalin to direct the battle. German Armies are attached to Army Groups, and these in turn to OKH, i.e., 3 layers of command. Sometimes I change an Army from one Army Group to another. As Soviet player I also keep their two-layered system of command.
Blizzard: as a Soviet player I find completely disappointing the “strategy” of general withdrawal of the German Armies almost all the way back to Poland. This completely spoils the game. But as a German player I have observed that it is very easy to lose even your shirt if you want to make a decent fight. I think that Blizzard penalties in 1941 are too crushing, both in version 3.2 and 3.3. I do not know what to do. I have been toying with the possibility that all the Blizzard turns in 1941 are played by the Computer. Both sides put every HQ under Full Computer Control (**), and all turns are played the same evening, doing PingPong with the email. When I have observed Computer versus Computer games, it seems that Blizzard is hard for Germans, but not devastating, probably due to poor Soviet generalship.
Every Army/Korps must fight under the HQ that gave it Special Supply. It is OK for me to supply a Korps and then extract a division from it. The Korps receiving an already supplied division may be supplied itself. This seems OK to me, because such Korps cannot attack and if attacked, it defends under a HQ with low PP. What I find completely disgusting is to SpecialSupply a Korps and then change that Korps to another HQ to avoid the low PP penalization.
As a Soviet player I never hide my planes in “Siberia”. I like to disperse them in rear HQs, but if Germans want to attack those HQ, they can do it at their own risk. Sometimes the unescorted bombers will found CAP fighters. This requires honourable gaming from the German Side, because he would be tempted to make some fake turns in order to find out where the planes are unprotected, and then play the real turn.
I play a minimum of 7 turns a week, normally more. This means that if I play against two players, a minimum of 4 turns per week are to be expected. Probably more.
I like to play to the bitter end, even if lost. However, if my enemy is getting bored because of his/her overwhelming advantage, I resign if politely requested. Normally this request requires from the strongest side to have already gained some victory points. Some guys like to play all the way to Berlin/Gorki. It is OK with me.