Boron vs Archduke GPWbyBoron (a new round)

[TheArchduke]

Greetings everyone,

Boronx and me have played several GPW games so far, which in my opinion is an excellent scenario. We added some more changes to the game, making it more epic and more of a challenge.

Basically the initial force setup stays the same to the GPW Szenario apart from:

- Many more VPs over the map, every turn you are awarded one PP for VP under your control. Initial situation 85:130 Axis:Soviets.
- Edited Combat efficiency: SS 125%, Soviet Guards 100%, Germans 100%, Finns 95%, Russia 90% and Axis Minor 80%
- To make up for this, the soviets have increased production capacities all over the SU.
- Siberia 42 and Siberia 43 productions joins the Sowjetunion much alike Russia 41.
- A land connection to Finnland over Norway.
- Germans have fighter, bomber, heavy inf and staff 2.
- Soviets have Inf and Tanks level 2.
- The initial deployment and OOB are nearly the same as the vanilla GPW.
- Supply Centers are conquerable, Production is not!

- The biggest one: The Axis first turn only sees 400% combat efficiency, after that there is no bonus. Makes for more realistic defense of Kiev, Riga and Minsk and a much more interesting game right off the bat. There is NO movement bonus even in the first turn.

Our houserule, no roads by engineers, only bridges. As else I will get nightmares as Boron builds 6 streets next to each other.(He did that in our first GPW game.)

For a bit of a better overview over our initial situation here is a production screenie and I provide the raw data:

Axis Factories: 24k (12 factories)
Axis Recruits: 10k (5 recruit centers)

Axis M Fact.: 6k
Axis M Recr.: 8k

SS: 8k
Finns: 4k

Overall Axis:
Production: 60k
Supply: 33k


Soviet Fact.: 52k (26 factories)
Soviet Recr.: 58k (29 factories)

Overall Sov:
Production: 110k
Supply: 48k

This may seem like a big advantage but in contrast to the vanilla GPW more production is vulnerable to the invader. About 40k are in reach if the Axis player manages to gain the ground he did historically in 41 equalizing their production if not for the Sibirian production going online in 42 and 43.

I try to update frequently, Boron will hopefully post some comments 3-4 turns after I made my turns. Initial turn coming up soon. Here is an overview over the map.

I put information on production sites in it and the bigger the writing of the city, the more VPs it hosts, giving many more cities strategic value.

[TheArchduke]

For now the theme of the campaign is to use the initial suprise of the Wehrmacht for maximum damage. This means several headon attacks against the Soviet forces to enable concentration on moving forward for the next turns. To get a taste of what happens, I provide one screenie for HG Nord and HG Center.

HG Nord cuts through the NW Front armies and my engineers are racing forward to establish forward airports the next turn.

Production will be set and shown in detail next turn, when several halftracks and light tanks are finished.

[TheArchduke]

HG Center northern PG is nicely situated for a direct push, the southern PG has to break through the Brest Litowsk Fortress first before continuing on the road. Not in the picture, airstrikes against the Army in Minsk.

[TheArchduke]

HG South disappoints this turn as I do not manage to destroy the Heavy Tanks near Lwow. Being the most expensive and useful divisons right after artillery to save, this could have gone better.

[xBoroNx]

ORIGINAL: TheArchduke


For a bit of a better overview over our initial situation here is a production screenie and I provide the raw data:

Axis Factories: 24k (12 factories)
Axis Recruits: 10k (5 recruit centers)

Axis M Fact.: 6k
Axis M Recr.: 8k

SS: 8k
Finns: 4k

Overall Axis:
Production: 60k
Supply: 33k


Soviet Fact.: 52k (26 factories)
Soviet Recr.: 58k (29 factories)

Overall Sov:
Production: 110k
Supply: 48k

You missed a few axis production centers [:'(]

German factories: 28k (14)
German recruit centers: 18k (9)
SS: 8k (4)
Finns: 4k
Axis minors factories: 6k (3)
Axis minors recruit centers: 8k (4)
Axis Supply: 39k

So 72k production and 39k supply for the axis.

Soviets have less initial production:

23 factories = 46k
28 recruit centers = 56k
----------------------------
total of 102k production

So the ratio at the beginning is about 1,4 : 1 in favour of the russians.

Within the first 4 weeks the soviets should lose the following: Riga factory/recruit center, Odessa recruit center, Minsk factory/recruit center = 10k production.

During 1941 those soviet production centers will most likely be captured by the axis also:
Kiev factory/recruit, Krim recruit, Rostov recruit, Donez factory, Dnepr. recruit, Kharkov recruit/factory, Orel factory, Briansk recruiting, Smolensk factory/recruiting, Pskov recruit, Novgorod recruit = 28k production

Furthermore another 10-20k could get neutralized (strategic bombing/artillery) or even conquered :
Voronesh factory/recruit, Leningrad factory/recruitx2, Kalinin recruit, Tula recruit, Moscow industry (3x factory, 2x recruit)

So depending on how both players are doing the soviets should lose 40-70k production 1941. In november 41 they get the first ural/sibir gearup, 4 10k factories and 3 10k guard factories (can produce artillery, infantry and tanks and have 100% combat efficiency). So winter 41/42 the soviets probably still have about 40% advantage in production capacity. Summer 42 hopefully the situation is semihistorical, the axis should still thanks to their higher combat efficiency and experienced veterans be slightly stronger and able to conduct offensive campaign(s).
In november 42 the soviets gain their last gearup, 5 10k factories and 3 10k guard production centers join.
But the axis still can win because additionally to those static soviet upgrades both factions can buy gear up action cards. The axis has to pay 500 pp per card, the soviets 750 pp. Every card bought increases production efficiency by 5%. Since the axis should have the edge in VP 41-43 they should be able to buy a couple gearups or use their ppadvantage for a tech advantage instead. Eventually for both factions research should finish though, so at least from 44 on both will probably use the gearup action cards. So while very tough the axis player might be able to make a comeback in 1944 and achieve a draw/victory.

[TheArchduke]

Thanks for clearing this up. We really try to provide an improved GPW for the community. Hopefully Boron will soon upload the file.

Turn 2

The turn starts with Boron destroying 2 romanian divisons by concentric attacks where I dashed forward too vigorously bringing me back to reality. That and the end of the start bonus, of course.

[TheArchduke]

And now onto production. The production overview is too small for all production centers, but apart from the rifle/mgs/mortars/supply that is produced I like to channel my production in a Warsaw based OKW Headquarter.

From now on the turn summary will include the prod/losses page as from now on production is tailored to my needs instead of continuing light tanks build leftover in turn 1.

As you can see the considerable amount of fighter factories keeps producing fighters as keeping air superiority is in my opinion crucial for offensive action A favourite of mine, the SS factories produce SS paratroopers for chirugical strikes against supply lines. We will see if I can pull that off.

Also the Axis minor factories don´t produce units but logistics, trucks and air transports.

2 Air transports can transport one infantry divison a lot quicker then feet or strategic transport can, so in the GPW where logistics matter a lot, I use them.

[TheArchduke]

In the north my progress is rather quick. My engineers manage to capture the Riga Airfield south of the river, saving me the need to erect an airfield and I fly in 2 infantry divisons, which thanks to air transport, don´t loose readiness!! (contrary to strategic redeployment.)

Apart from that it looks like Boron doesn´t plan to make a stand at Riga or the river, so more is to come lateron.

[TheArchduke]

The romanian advance is sluggish in the western section but quick in the eastern area near Odessa. Which makes me wary, Boron normally doesn´t give up ground that easily. And he likes to give the Romanians a hard time.