EA newb questions

jjdenver

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Hi,

I'm about to kick off my first EA and first TOAW PBEM game. My opponent has played EA 5 times so I'm trying to learn a little before I do my first turn. I posted some questions over on Matrix but I'll post here in case the audience is different. We are using TOAW4 and the version of EA that ships with that game. On with the questions. I appreciate any answers/advice about EA.

1) I read this post on Mantis on gamesquad:
"Finland is very similar (but even more telling) for the Russians. I have seen games end before the Russians and Germans even met, simply because the Red player was inexpereinced with the scenario and bled himself white. Can you believe over 100k light rifles squads destroyed, and Finland still standing strong? Funny thing about this one is that an experienced Axis player will hand a determined (but inexperienced) Russian player his head everytime. And this one truly is a game burner. Failure here = Axis Major Victory.

Try this on for size, if any of you are interested...

Load up a hotseat game, and have several indiviual Finn units dug in to fortified status, make them of various sizes. Stack a zillion Russians next to them all and attack. Look at the thousands of rifle squad losses you took from each battle, and 95% of the time, you will not take a single hex.

There is a 'trick' to unseating the Finns - the country can be taken in a very cost-effective manner. A player must know how, of course. It isn't really a trick either, rather a deeper understanding of how the game functions - it makes perfect sense in hindsight. It's is also a beautiful illustration of some of the frustrations a board gamer will face when learning the TOAW system.

On the cardboard counters, a 10-10 is simply that. But here, that 10-10 can be swept away with a strong breeze, or be virtually invulnerable, depending on the circumstances. (Ever try attacking a fortified panzer unit with nothing but infantry?) When this factor is applied to the Russians strategy in Finland, the answer is obvious (again, with hindsight being 20/20). :D

If someone bites, I'll explain it..."


Does anyone know what this trick is? I don't want to ruin the game as allied player by botching Finland winter war so badly.

2) When I right click on some soviet units and select "formation report" I get Soviet OOB 1 (these appear to be SU units in North of SU), and others I get Soviet OOB2 (in south SU) and others farther south Soviet OOB3. Is there some significant to the units being in separate OOB's in game terms or is this just to keep the formation report from being so many units and difficult to scroll through for player?

3) How should HQ's be used in this scenario? They seem to have some bridging teams, engineer squads, trucks, and small self defense (rifle squads, mg's, at guns). Are they a funnel for supply and thus needed at the front line? Should they be used to run around in the rear and repair bridges? Something else?

4) I read some reference on EA AAR's on gamesquad about gaining extra experience for Soviet troops in various campaigns prior to RU-GE war (Finland, Persia, Baltic States, E Poland, etc). Was this just chrome writing or will it actually improve the Soviet air force and army to fight these small campaigns prior to war with GE?

5) I read in AAR's on gamesquad about Timoshenko, Zhukov, Koniev, and other Soviet leaders being put in charge of Karelian front, Persia campaign, etc. Is this just chrome writing or are there actually leader units in EA scenario? I loaded it up to look and don't see any leader units? Or maybe I'm not seeing them?

6) There are German units with the word CIV on the counter that are named "German Industry". Are these supposed to be disbanded? Or how are they used?

7) There are various "garrison" units for GE/SU and probably other countries. Are these typically just left in place or disbanded to expand the replacement pool? Are they good combat units if their hex is actually attacked?

8) There are "supply column" units. When I look at unit report it says a special ability is Supply (range 6). How is the best way to use these in game? I assume they don't generate supply but just somehow facilitiate distribution of supply or higher supply levels near the hex they are in?

9) How can you tell whether a specific unit will reconstitute or not if it is eliminated?
 
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