First taste of Red Barricades

Bruce Childs

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Hello forumites-

We started RB CGIII last night, my first taste of RB, and it was simply a blast (literally).

This multiplayer game with 3 players on a side kicked off in grand style. I got the Russians and my AO was the eastern edge area. Looking at the map I thought this to be an obvious route of advance for the Germans, and decided to try an upfront stand. On the German T1, my opponent obliged and entered most of his Sturm coy near me. Preliminary shooting revealled a 10-3 leader leading this attack, so he got the attention of most of my available MGs, which eventually caused a ptc...no big deal right? WRONG!!! On that ptc, one of his MMCs in that stack rolled a 12...can you guess what happens next? Yup. 10-3 is blown to pieces and the advance bogs down after the -3LLMC caused his minions to falter and pick up the pieces....Russians on this flank made a counterattack into 2 melees, which were inconclusive, resulting in melees, not my choice mind you, but we found a fancy German MG42 which we promptly turned on its former owners, revealling yet ANOTHER 10-3 in the 2d wave... Turns out their leader generation DRs were more spectacular than we imagined. Needless to say, the enemy commander, having just lost his previous warlord, didnt feel up to sending his other 10-3 into a melee....he was able to clear one melee, killing a squad, but the other melee went in my favor as I KIA another sturm squad without loss, with another locked in the same melee. The kicker was when the Germans drew their 2nd red chit on the Bn MTR OBA...I find myself eagerly awaiting the next player turn.

At the conclusion of Ger T2, we have 1 PzIII knocked out, another immobilized behind my lines, and others being general nuisances. Along with the General being KIA the Germans have taken a licking, with close on 10 squads in the kill pile. Russian losses are slightly less than half that total, so we are feeling a bit cocky. One of our 45ATs on the west flank malfed on its first shot, as did a MMG in the same sector. These are more hurtful losses than anything the Germans have done to us, except maybe the 9-0 Commissar that got iced in CC near the front of the factory area in center.

I put off learning the RB section for years, thinking that the effort not worth its reward. How wrong I was is known well to those who have played an RB CG. All these wasted years........

Hope you enjoyed this. More to follow as the action continues. If you havent tried RB, you are missing some of the best stuff ASL has to offer, and it is worth every minute spent reading the rules. I must say that Cliff Emery, the German CO, spent considerable time with us before game start, expounding greatly upon his vast reservoir of RB experience. If you can get lucky and find a guy to do a similar prep talk for you, DO NOT PASS IT UP!! RB ROCKS m8!!

BC
 

Bruce Childs

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Well, as a continuation I post this for public consumption...

We started up Rus T2 with a repair of the malfed AT gun, who promptly created a flaming wreck nearby, but this was practically the only bright spot for the Reds. A CH from a PZIII claimed a 9-1 directing a .50 cal., a sniper got another leader in another MG nest, and I basically became a bit overconfident after the first turns' carnage. Abandoned DCs laying about can be very tempting to the SW-starved Russian squads...however, putting troops adjacent to an enemy entry area is risky business, given the reinforcement situation, so a long second thought should be applied here.
:oops: Accordingly, the kill pile is now in favor of the Boche...though CVPs are very close, and the Germs have taken/are in position to easily take about 8-10 stone locations. Some tough sleddin ahead for both sides.



BC
 

Matt Romey

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Don't let the ups and downs of any particular date slow you down. RB is about the long haul. Anything you do poorly on this day can be made up for on the next day. And vice versa... if you are up, never let your opponent take a breath!
 

FrankH.

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Bruce,

I think you were very lucky to take down the German 10-3. Generally when one appears the Russian has two options:

1. firing every available weapon they have into the 10-3's location, or better yet:
2. quiting the area and running for cover leaving a few light delaying forces and some friendly harrsing fire OBA if available.

Yes, it is all too easy to become overconfident in RB.

Sounds like the Russian bought a Heavy Weapons section on the first day. I would have taken infantry, fortifications, and OBA instead. Often the Russian MG nests get overrun and they lose the heavy MGs early on in the CG. Especially on day one which is typically completely unpredictable. Having said that there are wide differences of recommendations you may expect.

Nice report in any case. RB CG 3 is a blast but note that it will eat into your time...

Frank H.
 

Anonymous

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Rb is a long haul and as the Russians remember the following:

Infantry company in Reserve costs 4, a German infantry company costs about 6-7

Therefore CVP need to be 3-2 in favor of Germans to really win...
 

Matt Romey

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Anonymous said:
Rb is a long haul and as the Russians remember the following:

Infantry company in Reserve costs 4, a German infantry company costs about 6-7

Therefore CVP need to be 3-2 in favor of Germans to really win...
The *cost* of the units is not the issue, because both sides have sufficient CPPs to purchase all Inf Coys. And all Inf Coys will be purchased because infantry is king in RB.

The reason the German needs to maintain a 3:2 kill ratio is that, assuming no depletion, the total number of squads available to the Russians and Germans is 504 and 332 respectively. 504/332 = 1.5, or 3:2.

I've mentioned this before, but the interesting thing about Barricades that people overlook is that, early on, the Russians can purchase infantry at a rate over the Germans of 2:1 or higher. But the total # of squads can never be over 3:2, so at the end the Russians will be purchasing at 1:1. This is when the campaign could become interesting *IF* the German can keep a respectable kill ratio early on. Because the Russians can never stand up to the Germans if there is parity in the number of squads.

Of course I've never gotten to this point in a campaign to check out my theory, but I've spoken to others who have. Patrick Manlig has some very interesting insights into this.
 

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Having Played RB many times, usually CG1, I have seen those ratios at work...

But there are times that the CG Daily modifier allows the Germans to purchase 3 or even 4 Inf Coys... But they can rarely afford that much...

The Russians are always able to afford 3 coys...

I have found that as the germans, you have to know when to buy the expensive infantry and expensive Arty... but that is a matter of previous casualties and where you intend to push forward on the following day.

[BTW - it won't let me use my username...]
 

Matt Romey

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guest said:
But there are times that the CG Daily modifier allows the Germans to purchase 3 or even 4 Inf Coys... But they can rarely afford that much...

The Russians are always able to afford 3 coys...
[BTW - it won't let me use my username...]
But the Germans have 30 Inf Coys total... for 30 days. Thus, if he buys 3 or 4 (or even 2) on any one day, there MUST be a day later on where he can buy 0 Inf Coys.
 

apbills

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all infantry shoudl be purchased by both sides, and both sides have the CVP to do it. Cost comes into play in determining just how much you have left over for the toys that will get you past the ratios and win the campaign.

The Russians should always purchase the max number of coys they can purchase, and should purchase them all as reserve, every day. The added CVP (2 or 3 per day) add up very quickly and provide other necessary tools to keep the Germans honest. The Russians have a huge amount of ground to give, and should preserve their squads until they have the overwhelming numbers that get the Germans to just give up. The Germans have to come to you - why waste teh extra point to have your guys free to move, when they will get into the battel on their own anyway?

Do to this huge CVP conservation strategy for the Russians, I like Scott Drane's suggestion about limiting the Russian to just 1 reserve Coy per day. I think it makes it more balanced.

My last long game of RB lasted 10 days. At that time I had roughly 110 squads as the Russian, but about 1/3 of the map left. The german looked at my setup, and commented about how many dummies I had on the board. I replied truthfully, I had NONE. He didn't bother to setup his 58 squads...

As the German you need to be able to get to a similar point of buying all your Coys in reserve. This takes more time as you need to keep the front moving, and your reserve Coys will most likely never be activated during the current CG day.

Remember, 30 Coys in reserve is 30 CVP to buy other things. The Russians have roughly 45? that's alot of CVP.

Also remember, no matter what anyone tells you - the RUSSIANS are the favorite - most Russians fail their personal MC before the Russians are really in a losing situation.

Alan
 

Bryan Holtby

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I have found the hardest part of being the Russian was taking it on the chin day after day until you get to those overwhelming numbers. However, even massive numbers cannot save the Russian when he has an ELR of 0 and German engineers have entered the fray.

This tactic was used by my current opponent and I dont see a way to survive it. After 7 days his ELR is 2, mine is 0 and he has 1 coy of 838's on board and I expect to see another one on day 8, I dont think he has enough saved to purchase another coy in reserve and have it available for day 9. Thankfully he is almost guarenteed to loose a point off his ELR each day now and mine cant get any worse :) This will help limit the width of the front he advances on, but that kind of firepower is hard to withstand outside of a factory, where I wont disrupt the instant I get shot at.

Im considering purchasing mobile tanks if the weather stays overcast and then keep them offboard or HIP them far from the front if its clear. I could use the mobile tanks to aid in reclaiming some territory.
 

Matt Romey

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Bryan Holtby said:
I have found the hardest part of being the Russian was taking it on the chin day after day until you get to those overwhelming numbers. However, even massive numbers cannot save the Russian when he has an ELR of 0 and German engineers have entered the fray.
I think the above point is the only reason why RB hasn't been labeled an unbalanced dog by now. For one, many Russians fail their PTC and quit prematurely. Two, the viability of the "no Idle" strategy is yet to be confirmed. Most antectodes that I've seen suggest that it does mitigate some Russian advantages. I want to try it some day... where's the time? :)

I liked someone's point that if the Germans can get into a situation where he can buy his Inf Coys in reserve, he's definitely in good shape. Question is, how does the German get to this point? Easier said than done.
 

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Hi ya-

It could be alot worse, you could be playing the Brits in Arnham and not only taking it on the chin, but hunkering down throughout the entire CG as your troops slowly fade away from Ammo shortage and king tigers blasting you into smithereens. Fun as the Germans, no fun as the Brits.

As for RB, It's a great CG, one way I won as the Germans was to just keep on attacking, my ELR was reduced to one and the Russians down to zero, with tons of broken conscripts littering the barricady, the Russians through in the towel.


Scott
 

apbills

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The Russian has to get a solid bunker mentality quickly and just learn to take the small victories when they are available. Every German unit that goes to the dead pile should be celebrated.

I think the German has to attack every day. The Russian gains far more on an Idle day. When both sides ELR's are 0 it finally eliminates the Russian's squad numbers advantage and becomes a German advantage due to the 838s. When you break and 838 - don't let up until he's dead!

I have only been able to purchase 1 German Coy in reserve in my playings. It is very difficult to get to a position where it is feasible to purchase each Coy in reserve. OBA and well placed and used tanks can help the German get by with less squads in order to keep some force in reserve. I have attacked with just 2 OBA modules and buzz-saw stacks, taking what remains with minimal troops in an effort to keep the front moving without using all my limited number of squads.

Did Tate ever play against the famed Armored Blitz tactics? I don't think they will work, but have never faced them. Against a panicky Russian maybe, but not against equal opponents.

Alan
 
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""Preliminary revealled a 10-3 leader leading this attack, so he got the attention of most of my available MGs, which eventually caused a ptc...no big deal right? WRONG!!! On that ptc, one of his MMCs in that stack rolled a 12...can you guess what happens next? Yup. 10-3 is blown to pieces and the advance bogs down after the -3LLMC caused his minions to falter and pick up the pieces..."


I don't understand--Why did the 10-3 suffer a Break?/KIA? and caused a -3LLMC because one of his MMC's suffered a DR on a PTC?
 

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Washing Machine Charlie said:
""Preliminary revealled a 10-3 leader leading this attack, so he got the attention of most of my available MGs, which eventually caused a ptc...no big deal right? WRONG!!! On that ptc, one of his MMCs in that stack rolled a 12...can you guess what happens next? Yup. 10-3 is blown to pieces and the advance bogs down after the -3LLMC caused his minions to falter and pick up the pieces..."


I don't understand--Why did the 10-3 suffer a Break?/KIA? and caused a -3LLMC because one of his MMC's suffered a DR on a PTC?
My guess would be booby traps, as that is about the worst thing that can happen when you roll a 12 on a PTC.
 

Bryan Holtby

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Yep, a booby trap result (DR12 on a PTC) requires a Random Selection roll of all units in the Location and the unit selected suffers Casualty Reduction.
 

Doughboy

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Bryan Holtby said:
Yep, a booby trap result (DR12 on a PTC) requires a Random Selection roll of all units in the Location and the unit selected suffers Casualty Reduction.
Yikes! :crosseye:
gimme those cheat sheets!
Now which one of Mark P's sheets is it?...:D
 
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